Effects of teaching reading using novel story textes on Amharic reading interest and reading comprehension

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of teaching reading using novel story textes on Amharic reading interest and reading comprehension. A quasi-experimental design with a pre-test and post-test control group was employed to examine the effects of teaching reading by novel story textes on these variables. The study involved 87 seventh-grade students from two classrooms at Debre Markos Bruh Tesfa Primary School. These participants engaged in research-designed lessons for ten weeks (20 class periods). In the reading comprehension lessons, students in the intervention group were taught using novel story textes, while students in the control group were taught using the student textbook reading passages. To assess the study participants' reading interest and reading comprehension before and after the intervention, written questionnaire and reading test were administered. The collected data were analyzed using independent ANOVA. The result revealed that teaching reading using novel textes had a direct positive effect on students' reading interest (F(1,85) = 42.5, p < .001) and reading comprehension (F(1,85) = 9.42, p = .003). Therefore, the findings suggest that integrating novel story texts into Amharic language reading comprehension instruction can significantly enhance the quality in reading comprehension.