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Assessment of Reading Comprehension

Madani HABIB

Abstruse and Figures

This study attempts to shed light on the concept of assessment as an essential pedagogical practise for the comeback of the teaching-learning procedure. Particularly, it stresses the strategies and the techniques that should be used in assessing reading comprehension with reference to EFL classrooms. It describes the kinds of tasks that actually reveal students' reading comprehension abilities and needs. Moreover, this newspaper aims to illustrate the types and the advantages of cess for both teachers and learners. More than importantly, this study tries to bring equitable show of how reading comprehension can be adequately assessed. The findings showed that assessment of reading comprehension is central to English language teaching equally it provides teachers with essential data near students' weaknesses, needs, obstacles, and deficits. Thus, teachers can implement the appropriate techniques and employ the assessment results to amend their classroom instruction and enhance the learning abilities.

Classroom Assessment Cycle (Susan et al, 2005: 3)

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Revista Românească pentru

Educaţie

Multidimensională

201half-dozen, Volume viii, Issue 1, June, pp. 125-147

Assessment of Reading Comprehension

Madani HABIB

Doi : http://dx.doi.org/10.18662/rrem/2016.0801.08

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How to cite: Habib, Grand. (2016). Assessment of Reading Comprehension . Revista Romaneasca pentru Educatie

Multidimensionala, 8(1), 125 -147 . doi: KWWSThousand[GRLRUJ10.18662/rrem/2016.0801.08

DOI: 10.18662/rrem/2016.0801.0viii

125

Assessment of Reading Comprehension

Madani HABIB1

Abstract

This study attempts to shed low-cal on the concept of cess as an essential

pedagogical practice for the improvement of the teaching-learning process. Specially,

it stresses the strategies and the techniques that should be used in assessing reading

comprehension with reference to EFL classrooms. It describes the kinds of tasks that

really reveal students' reading comprehension abilities and needs. Moreover, this

newspaper aims to illustrate the types and the advantages of assessment for both teachers

and learners. More chiefly, this study tries to bring equitable evidence of how

reading comprehension can be adequately assessed. The findings showed that

cess of reading comprehension is central to English language teaching as it

provides teachers with essential information about students' weaknesses, needs,

obstacles, and deficits. Thus, teachers can implement the advisable techniques and

utilise the cess results to amend their classroom teaching and enhance the

learning abilities.

Keywords

cess, reading comprehension, EFL classrooms.

1 Assistant Professor PhD, department of English, University of Tiaret, People's democratic republic of algeria.

Habib, One thousand. (2016). Assessment of Reading Comprehension. Revista Romaneasca pentru Educatie Multidimensionala,

8(1), 125-147. doi: http://dx.doi.org/ten.18662/rrem/2016.0801.08

Revista Romaneasca pentru

Educaţie Multidimensională

126

i. Introduction

Cess is viewed as one of the vital pedagogical practices to

both teaching and learning. It entails a sum of instruments and

techniques which are used in classrooms and aid teachers accurately

define their learners‟ needs and competencies. In other words, it is a

pedagogical and instructive activity needed to gather information about

learners so as to properly identify their strengths and weaknesses.

Broadly speaking, assessment offers opportunities for teachers to

pinpoint their educational activity goals and to know the extent to which the

expected goals are attained. Essentially, it renders the teaching-learning

process more effective and reliable as teachers tin adapt their

teaching and link it to the cess results and student‟s needs. In

other words, assessment is an essential component of classroom

instruction that is designed to notice students‟ weaknesses and demands

in whatsoever learning subject. Appropriately, teachers can make the right

decisions and provide constructive feedback to their learners.

More importantly, classroom assessment should entail effective

techniques and tools that vary according to the teaching subjects and

grades. Certainly, it needs to relate to the previously offered courses

because information technology should aim to maximize and raise students‟ skills and

abilities. Really, information technology is aimed to reveal what students take grasped and

what they however need to learn.

As for the cess of reading comprehension, it involves

several methods and procedures that are intended to brandish how

fairly leaners are able to read, comprehend, interpret, and analyze

different types of texts. In this respect, specific reading comprehension

activities can be introduced in the EFL classrooms in order to know how

well students are able to build a sound text‟s understanding. Certainly,

reading comprehension assessment should be based on rational criteria

and useful measures.

2. Assessment Defined

Cess is seen as the practice of detecting and defining the

students‟ knowledge, understandings, abilities, and skills. It is a

classroom activity used to stimulate learning by collecting data and

offering constructive feedback (Black &Westwardilliam, 1998). In other words,

cess is the process of knowing near how students are

progressing in their learning to make the right conclusion in designing and

Habib, M. (2016). Assessment of Reading Comprehension. Revista Romaneasca pentru Educatie Multidimensionala,

8(1), 125-147. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18662/rrem/2016.0801.08

Assessment of Reading Comprehension

Madani HABIB

127

planning classroom instruction. In this sense, it is divers by Palomba

and Banta as follows:

Cess is the systematic collection, review, and use of information

about educational programs undertaken for the purpose of improving learning

and development.

(Palomba and Banta , 1999 : 4)

Definitely, collecting data well-nigh students, analysing evidence, and

refining teaching are cess stages by which teachers can increment

the learning outcomes.

More often than not speaking, assessment is considered equally a job which

consists of a set of activities that teachers and learners carry out to get

data that can exist used diagnostically to correct both teaching and

learning (Black & William, 1998). Co-ordinate to Carr and Harris

(2001:35): "

Assessment is an integral part of instruction…effective

classroom assessment is relevant to immediate learning."

Cer tainly , classroom assessment is connected to teaching and

learning for it heightens the quality of instruction and raises the students

„attainments. In practice, donkeyessment depends on different means to

make the students truly reveal what they have acquired and what they

still demand to develop. This can be washed through gathering information

through tests and exercises, providing useful feedback, setting sound

classroom activities, and weaving the educational activity according to students‟

needs. The following figure describes the process of assessment:

Effigy ane. Classroom Cess Cycle (Susan et al, 2005: 3)

Habib, M. (2016). Assessment of Reading Comprehension. Revista Romaneasca pentru Educatie Multidimensionala,

8(1), 125-147. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18662/rrem/2016.0801.08

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This cycle shapes the classroom cess process which

focuses on enhancing students‟ functioning. Information technology denotes that cess

comprises four fundamental steps: clarifying the learning objectives, gathering

data in a variety of means, scrutinizing assessment data, and

adjusting educational activity. Indeed, teachers should use the evidence to

monitor progress, increase performance, and ameliorate didactics.

Likewise, cess involves the process of evaluating, marking,

and grading students‟ operation. It is viewed as a method of

collecting, synthesising, and interpreting information in social club to

diagnose students‟ problems, to approximate their bookish operation, to

programme classroom educational activity, and to respond to students‟ needs (Airasian,

1994). In brief, assessment is defined as existence diagnostic, formative, and

summative. These three components are u.s.a.ed together to help both

teachers and learners determine what should exist done to enhance the

teaching input and the learning outcomes.

iii. Cess VS Evaluation

Assessment is a classroom activeness conducted to gain information

and to offer a valuable feedback so as to better teachers‟ teaching

and students‟ learning achievements. Information technology includes learners‟ response which

helps the teacher know nearly their learning needs and abilities.

In contrast, evaluation is understood as a process of using tests‟

techniques and other measures to guess the students‟ attainments for the

purpose of grading, ranking, and reporting. In other words, information technology is a

summative activity which occurs through exams or quizzes at the cease of

a term or a year and ends up with ranks and marks.

4. Types of Assessment

Assessment can be conducted for different purposes. In fact,

there are three main types of assessment which occur in different times,

at unlike levels, and in different forms to accomplish multiple

purposes.

four.1. Diagnostic Assessment

Diagnostic assessment is the process of diagnosing learners‟

strengths and weaknesses in the very first of a foreign language

form. It profoundly facilitates teachers‟ task to tailor instructions, meet the

Habib, K. (2016). Assessment of Reading Comprehension. Revista Romaneasca pentru Educatie Multidimensionala,

viii(1), 125-147. doi: http://dx.doi.org/ten.18662/rrem/2016.0801.08

Assessment of Reading Comprehension

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129

learners needs, and helps them plan classroom activities appropriate for

their level.

Certainly, teachers use this type of assessment to reveal students‟

abilities in a particular skill or a plan. It identifies for both

teachers and learners the needs and demands that should exist met in any

area of knowledge. The strengths lead to a formal consideration and

should be explored in addressing the weaknesses.

Mostly, diagnostic assessment occurs when learners move to a

new learning programme. It happens at the starting time of a course or a

programme in order to develop plans and make links and so every bit to prepare the

adjacent steps. Information technology is, in another sense, a holistic process during which a

flick should be built upwardly about the private‟s achievements, interests,

skills, and wants. This evidence can exist translated to teaching practices

and used for planning the courses that all-time suit the learners. Moreover, it

helps teachers to identify the goals and to choose the techniques and the

strategies that enable them to reach these goals.

Additionally, diagnostic assessment deeply looks at the specific

needs of learners every bit the diagnostic feedback needs to exist descriptive and

interpretable and then that it tin can assistance learners take actions to close the gap

between their current competency level and their desired learning goals

(Black & William 1998).

In short, diagnostic cess is an educational strategy used by

teachers to decide the learning and the instructional goals. It paves

the style to a continuous determinative cess.

4.two. Formative Assessment

Determinative assessment can be referred to as continuous,

interactive, and dynamic. It occurs and should be carried out in ways that

help learners make a real progress in their learning. Information technology is also an ongoing

generative process which is designed to support learning. Therefore, this

process includes several strategies such as sharing the learning goals and

the cess criteria with learners.

The distinguishing characteristic of determinative assessment is that

its bear witness is used by both teachers and learners (Black 1995). This

means that information technology aims at knowing nearly how learners are progressing and

where they are having troubles. Information technology also helps teachers to brand the

necessary instructional adjustments and so as to offer more opportunities to

practise.

Habib, Chiliad. (2016). Assessment of Reading Comprehension. Revista Romaneasca pentru Educatie Multidimensionala,

eight(1), 125-147. doi: http://dx.doi.org/x.18662/rrem/2016.0801.08

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Formative assessment involves designing goals, providing

instruction, measuring outcomes, and giving useful feedback. Really, information technology

includes the process of appraising, judging, or evaluating students‟ piece of work

or performance and using this to shape and improve students‟

competence (Gipps, 1994).

That is to say, determinative cess is a procedure which requires

skilful teachers who tin can improve elicit and interpret information for the

interest of their learners to ameliorate both the teaching and learning

strategies. Information technology is characterised past its progressive nature as information technology tin can happen at

any flow of time. It, also, can be planned or unplanned, proactive or

reactive, formal or breezy. As for informal cess, information technology is a way of

collecting data most learners‟ operation in normal classroom

conditions. This tin can be done without establishing test atmospheric condition as it is

done over a catamenia of time. In dissimilarity, formal cess is carried out

through tests which are used to find out almost the learners‟ suitability to

follow a form of a report and to know how learners are progressing in

order to identify problem areas. Through tests teachers can know how

much learners have learned during the course or during the academic

year.

A common misconception is held by teachers and learners alike,

is that a exam is something which is done at learners rather than

something which is done by them and for them. In fact, formal testing

should exist seen as a complement to other forms of cess. In brief,

formative assessment brings the assessor and the learner together in a

procedure of continual reflection by making clear judgements nigh the

learning gains.

4.3. Summative Cess

While determinative assessment is for learning, summative

assessment is of learning. It provides evidence of what learners got at the

end of a specific term of learning. Furthermore, it marks the important

stages of learners‟ development and should be formally recorded in the

form of scores and marks. More importantly, information technology should be planned in

advance and then that learners tin have enough time to set up themselves

and gain confidence in whatever area they are assessed in or nigh. In

addition to this, information technology is mostly used to detect what a learner has

achieved during the program of the study. Information technology is carried out at or towards

the end of the course for the sake of knowing if learners have acquired

Habib, M. (2016). Assessment of Reading Comprehension. Revista Romaneasca pentru Educatie Multidimensionala,

viii(i), 125-147. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18662/rrem/2016.0801.08

Assessment of Reading Comprehension

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131

the target skill as it gives an overall moving picture of learners‟ performance. The

following tabular array illustrates the difference between formative and

summative cess:

Table 1. Some Distinguishing Features of Formative and

Summative Assessment.

-is prepared and carried out by

the class teacher as a routine

part of didactics and learning.

-is specifically related to has

been taught ,i.e. content is in

harmony with what has been

taught.

-the information from the

cess is used

diagnostically; it is focused on

the individual learner‟s specific

strengths and weaknesses,

needs, etc.

-is non necessarily prepared and

carried out past the class teacher.

-does not essentially relate

immediately to what has been

taught.

-The sentence about a learner‟s

functioning is likely to feed into

record-ke eping and be used for

authoritative purposes , e.thousand.

checking standards and targets.

-is oftentimes externally imposed,

east.chiliad. past in establishment or a ministry

of education.

Actually, formative assessment is related directly to students‟

learning progress as information technology aims at providing constructive feedback according

to their weakness and needs. Notwithstanding, summative assessment idue south

concerned with the measurement of the final achievements and levels.

In the form of tests or exams, summative equallysessment aims at

raising the standards of learning every bit it indicates the extent of success and

the points of failure. It is carried out at the finish of a flow of instruction

then that to brand articulate judgements about where learners are successful and

where they are not in any expanse of knowledge. In brusque, the well-nigh powerful

evidence of learners‟ progress is provided when teachers combine information

from pre-tests and post-tests and provide a summative assessment.

Habib, M. (2016). Cess of Reading Comprehension. Revista Romaneasca pentru Educatie Multidimensionala,

8(1), 125-147. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18662/rrem/2016.0801.08

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5. Reading Comprehension Divers

Reading comprehension is not only a process of decoding texts

and building a particular agreement. It can be viewed every bit a process

which involves skills and strategies by which the reader reconstruct

equitably the message encoded past the author. Grabe describes reading

as:

An agile procedure of comprehending where students need to

be taught strategies to read more than efficiently ( e.g. judge from

context, ascertain expectations, make inferences about the text,

skim alee to fill up in the context, etc ).

(Grabe, 1991:377)

That is to say that reading comprehension is a blend of

identification and construal skills. In fact, it is an interactive process

between the reader and the text which lead to a specific comprehension.

In this process, the reader interacts dynamically with the text in social club to

accordingly elicit the meaning and the ideas entailed in this text.

According to Urquhart and Weir (1998: 22): «

Reading is the

procedure of receiving and interpreting data encoded in

linguistic communication form via the medium of print».

This means that the

message conveyed by the text is decoded and interpreted through the

vocabulary items, the grammatical points, and the rhetorical structure of

the text. Besides, Anderson (1991) views reading as an dynamic fluent

procedure which involves the reader and the reading materials in edifice

meaning.

In addition, reading can be viewed every bit a receptive skill in

understanding the words in a written form. It is believed that

understanding the purpose of someone is not simply in spoken form but

also in reading. Reading is the next step in writing because through information technology

learners can understand what someone wants to talk something.

Co-ordinate to Nunan (1991:70): "

Reading is a dynamic process in

which the text elements collaborate with other factors outside the text,

in this case about particularly with the reader'southward knowledge of

content of the text".

That is to say that comprehension does non chronicle

merely on the text content, just also on the reader‟s own literacy and

experience. According to Hedge (2000), in lodge to make sense, learners

need to combine the post-obit types of knowledge:

Habib, M. (2016). Assessment of Reading Comprehension. Revista Romaneasca pentru Educatie Multidimensionala,

eight(1), 125-147. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18662/rrem/2016.0801.08

Assessment of Reading Comprehension

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133

- Syntactic knowledge: knowing the functions of verbs, nouns,

articles, modals, etc.

- Morphological knowledge: knowing about words formations

including prefixes, suffixes, morphemes, etc.

- Genre knowledge: knowing about texts‟ types and genres such

every bit scientific and literary genres.

- General globe noesis: this includes background

knowledge, topic knowledge, and sociocultural knowledge

well-nigh the reading topic.

More than importantly, comprehension is the ultimate aim of reading.

It contains a number of cognitive processes that assist students brand

sense of what they read. Indeed, they need to decode words, relate

sentences, and use their background noesis so that they can achieve

an advisable text comprehension.

6. Research Aims

Assessing reading comprehension skills is an integral part of the

English language instruction. Therefore, this newspaper tries to bear witness and

explain how reading comprehension can be successfully assessed and to

display the methods and the means that can be used in this kind of

assessment. Moreover, this inquiry aims to observe the master difficulties

and the obstacles that hamper students‟ text comprehension.

vii. Inquiry Methodology

In this study, two broad approaches of inquiry were used:

qualitative research method and quantitative research method .Equally for the

qualitative enquiry method, it is favored by many researchers and has

been adopted in the field of human sciences .It is an approach which is

based on making enquiries ,exploration, and discovery. As McDonough

(1997:53) stated: "Qualitative research usually gathers observations,

interviews, field data records, questionnaires, transcripts, and so

on". Actually, the results, in this approach, address and illuminate the

"why" and attempt to detect answers and solutions.

With respect to the quantitative research method, information technology is an

approach which is preferred by the fundamental sciences. In fact, information technology

involves the construction of hypotheses that can exist measured past

Habib, M. (2016). Assessment of Reading Comprehension. Revista Romaneasca pentru Educatie Multidimensionala,

8(1), 125-147. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18662/rrem/2016.0801.08

Revista Romaneasca pentru

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134

gathering evidence and evaluating it in an experimental way .Information technology is based

on statistical analyses of large volume of information.

This research was conducted in the form of case written report. The principal

enquiry instruments in this study have been questionnaires .One of

these questionnaires was designed to elicit the views of 30 students

from Bouguirat Secondary School. The students‟ questionnaire entails

questions that sought to one thousandather data about learners‟ attitudes, beliefs, and

needs. The focus of the st udents‟ questionnaire is to accomplish an overview

and to find out a clear data about the cess of reading

comprehension skills.

The second questionnaire was devoted to 10 EFL teachers from

different secondary schools .This questionnaire entails questions that

aimed to collect teachers‟ opinions, worries, and proposals nearly the

assessment of reading comprehension.

8. Sample Population

The informants are considered as the most important elements

of whatever research work. According to Gardner (1974), population is a

group of individuals who share mutual characteristics. Polit (2001)

defines population every bit an aggregation of cases that meet specific criteria.

In this report, the researcher involved 2 groups of participants; EFL

teachers and secondary school students.

The first grouping of informants entails ten EFL teachers from

different secondary southchools. Vii of them are females and three are

males. Most of them have taught English for more than five years. The

2d grouping of informants involves thirty students from Bouguirat

Secondary Schoolhouse. Twenty of them are females and ten are males. Their

age is between 18 and 20. They were randomly selected in gild to make

the research more reliable and objective.

9. Main Results Interpretation

The results revealed that the majority of learners are aware about

the importance of assessment in improving their reading comprehension

every bit they fence that it helps them observe their real abilities. Some of

them feel the stress whenever they are assessed. In this respect, the fact

that tests or exams cause fear to learners cannot be considered equally a

severe trouble just as a natural case. As a solution, teachers can prepare

learners for assessment in gild to help them overcome their fear and

Habib, M. (2016). Assessment of Reading Comprehension. Revista Romaneasca pentru Educatie Multidimensionala,

8(one), 125-147. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18662/rrem/2016.0801.08

Assessment of Reading Comprehension

Madani HABIB

135

hesitation. Moreover, they can create a suitable atmosphere by guiding

and advising their learners. In this regard, it is necessary to avoid the

assessment tools that disturb learners and do not lead them to

demonstrate their true abilities. Therefore, it is useful to inquire them near

their preferable assessment means. The students showed their

preferences of the continuous classroom activities every bit useful cess

tools. This is due to the fact that this strategy does not impose test

weather and assistance students learn without fright or stress.

Undoubtedly, introducing simple classroom activities is an

effective strategy that helps both teachers and learners know the causes

of failure and the way to success without giving marks or rankings. In

fact, through these activities, teachers can modify and improve their

instruction according to the assessment results and learners‟ needs.

Furthermore, although they are considered every bit evaluation tools, tests and

exams are essential ingredients to any assessment procedure considering they

lead learners to consider the importance of learning and increase their

seriousness to be committed to achieve better results. In add-on,

assessing learners through tests and exams brand them stand at their

levels and motivate them to become beyond these levels by making more

efforts to reach college ones.

Yet, in assessing reading comprehension, nearly of the teachers

use multiple test techniques in club to take a articulate view almost their

learners‟ capacities. In this respect, multiple selection questions, gaps filling,

comprehension questions, and writing summaries are the mostly used

activities.

Actually, the application of multiple strategies in the continuous

assessment offer to both teachers and learners the essential information

nigh the level of comprehension that learners are able to reach and help

them to find the weaknesses, the difficulties, and the obstacles of

learners. In this business concern, many of the informants mention several types

of reading comprehensiodue north difficulties that are often faced by the

students. The principal obstruction that causes reading failure, co-ordinate to

EFL teachers, is that learners do not possess enough and adequate

vocabulary noesis that helps them achieve a good text

agreement.

Habib, M. (2016). Cess of Reading Comprehension. Revista Romaneasca pentru Educatie Multidimensionala,

eight(ane), 125-147. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18662/rrem/2016.0801.08

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10. Summary of the Chief Results

This written report revealed that assessment of reading comprehension is

a vital educational activity activity which can be conducted for the benefit of both

teachers and learners. Certainly, it involves a number of methods and

strategies that impulse students to disclose their learning skilldue south to their

teachers. As well, information technology makes learners aware about their weaknesses and

strengths and helps them to seek the solutions to improve their reading

comprehension skills.

Co-ordinate to the results, assessment of reading comprehension

can be conducted in the grade of tests, projects, and daily classroom

activities. Indeed, the construction of simple and well-organized tests

which entail various tasks and activities is important for this blazon of

assessment in order to address students‟ texts comprehension. According

to the responses, almost teachers use activities that include multiple-option

questions, filling the gap exercises, and reading comprehension

questions.

Moreover, this research shows that assessment has many

advantages. Actually, it informs teachers about the learning capacities of

their learners and helps them to offer valuable teaching to meet their

needs. Besides, it helps students to discover their competencies and leads

them to seek useful ways to meliorate their own learning.

Finally, it is worthy to annotation that learners and EFL teachers gave

important proposals and views apropos the process of assessment

and put their recommendations almost the role of assessment in

enhancing the whole teaching-learning process.

xi. Recommendations for Assessing Reading

Comprehension

In order to assess reading comprehension, teachers should utilise

several methods and no single technique tin truly measure out students‟

reading skills. A reading comprehension test may subsume activities such

equally: gap filling, short questions, multiple choice questions, true or false

questions, and yes-no questions.

The advantages of using short-respond questions based on a

reading passage in testing reading comprehension is that the answers

should exist sought and expressed by the learner rather than existence offered.

This can ease the testing at higher order skills, such as interpretation and

evaluation, and gives the assessor the opportunity to assume reasonably

Habib, M. (2016). Cess of Reading Comprehension. Revista Romaneasca pentru Educatie Multidimensionala,

eight(1), 125-147. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18662/rrem/2016.0801.08

Assessment of Reading Comprehension

Madani HABIB

137

that the learner truly put the answer for no reason other than he has

actually comprehended the text .

The main goal of reading comprehension tests is, according to

(Weir, 2005), to measure out reading mastery without stressing grammer or

spelling. Even so, in assessing reading, failure to have errors in language

use into consideration may atomic number 82 to the perception that spelling, grammar,

and punctuation are not essential to language learning. Therefore,

reading comprehension assessment should target not merely students‟

comprehension of a text but also the factors that facilitate or impeddue east this

comprehension .

In order to really check students‟ comprehension of texts,

diverse types of questions should exist used. In fact, approaches to the

evaluation of reading comprehension have tried to innovate interactive

activities and tasks .The use of questions isouthward an integral role of these

activities and well-designed questions would aid learners amend collaborate

with the text to build up meaning. Indeed, a combination of

comprehension activities helps learners answer to various types of

comprehension. There are numerous methods and forms of reading

comprehension tasks that tin be used in assessing students‟

comprehension and stimulating their agreement of a text. These

techniques may have formal or informal forms. Emerge and Katie (2008 )

state some of these tasks:

11.i. Yes-No Questions

These are questions that should be answered with either aye or

no. However, teachers are recommended to follow up these questions by

other types of questions to make sure that students have understood the

text equally Aye/No questions can be answered correctly by adventure.

11.2. True or False questions

This is another type of a reading test that is familiar to well-nigh

learners .It consists of a text accompanied by a series of statements.

Learners need to decide and mention whether the given statements are

true or false according to the text.

This kind of reading comprehension questions provides learners

with a set of sentences or statements. For answering these questions,

learners are required to read the text and discover the true and the false

statements without giving answers in a complex written response .They

Habib, K. (2016). Assessment of Reading Comprehension. Revista Romaneasca pentru Educatie Multidimensionala,

8(one), 125-147. doi: http://dx.doi.org/ten.18662/rrem/2016.0801.08

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are good activities for retentivity of literal details in the text just they are

express in assessing specific comprehension skills such as making

inferences and meanings. Moreastward importantly, teachers should not rely

exclusively on them because, similar Aye/No questions, learners tin can requite

right answers by risk without knowing why these answers are correct.

True or False questions need to be carefully designed considering the

false answers should target the potential misunderstandings of a text.

Besides, the false answers that audio obviously wrong do not help

teachers assess learners‟ comprehension because learners do non need to

understand the text to recognize them as incorrect.

11.3. Matching

This type is likely to be less familiar to learners, only increasingly

mutual. They are used past many assessors. Some of reading

comprehension tests designers may include more i matching task

in their tests.

For doing a matching task, learners need to choose from a list of

prompts. These prompts may exist statements, headings, or question

completion .For instance, learners can exist asked to match a description to

the appropriate paragraph, or to match words and phrases to their

meanings.

xi.4. WH questions

Wh questions are questions that brainstorm with Wh such equally: "where",

"why", "who", "when", and "how". These questions are useful in

providing learners with literal understanding of a text and aid them

recognize data in the text and make evaluations and personal

predictions.

11.5. Open -Ended Questions

These questions are used in standardised assessments .They are

useful in assessing the component skills of comprehension such as the

power of learners to make inferences from the text .In fact, learners are

asked different questions for the reason of testing their memory and

their comprehension of the text .However, it is important to mention

that this form of assessment may have some weaknesses because learners

have to formulate verbal or written responses which may underestimate

their comprehension because of their language deficits .

Habib, M. (2016). Assessment of Reading Comprehension. Revista Romaneasca pentru Educatie Multidimensionala,

viii(one), 125-147. doi: http://dx.doi.org/x.18662/rrem/2016.0801.08

Assessment of Reading Comprehension

Madani HABIB

139

11.6. Multiple-Selection Questions

This type of the reading task is the most familiar to learners. Information technology is

equanimous of a text which can be of any type accompanied by one or

more multiple selection items. These choices may exist in the form of

statements, a question with answers, or incomplete statements with a

choice of phrases or words .By and large, there are iii or 4 options

and only one of them is the right 1 .It is important to accept statements

corresponding to specific paragraphs or sections of the text, but at that place

may be statements that assess comprehension of the whole text .

Developing a good multiple-choice question needs a careful

consideration. In fact, a question with four choices works best for

learners with low proficiency in the target language, and one of the iv

choices should sound the right and the desired answer. Literal

comprehension can be checked more finer by the apply of multiple-

choice questions. Likewise, they can also be used for prediction and

evaluation. Even so, these questions need to exist followed past other

activities to brand learners explain their choices.

Generally, this type of questions may have one right answer

when information technology targets the literal comprehension. Actually, a multiple-option

format with "wh" question is easier than no-choice "wh " question

considering it pushes learners to check the text to know if whatever of the choices

are discussed.

11.vii. Gapped Texts

This kind of reading comprehension test includes texts or

diagrams from which single words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs are

deleted .These filling the gaps tasks can also be used in testing grammar

and vocabulary.

In some tasks, learners take to decide what should fill up in the gap,

while in some others, they are given a series of alternatives for choice

.Where words, sentences, or paragraphs are removed, at that place is an item

amid the given alternatives that is odd to the text.

Gapped texts offer a task that can exist used in testing or assessing

learners‟ reading skills. It tin can be practical to all types of texts and can be

included in lower-level exams and for learners with low-level

functioning.

Habib, M. (2016). Assessment of Reading Comprehension. Revista Romaneasca pentru Educatie Multidimensionala,

8(1), 125-147. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18662/rrem/2016.0801.08

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xi.viii. Proofreading

This kind of tasks includes deliberate errors or mistakes of

different types in the text provided. Despite the fact the proofreading

activities make part of grammar and vocabulary tests, they tin can also be

used in reading comprehension assessments .In fact, the texts can exist of

any blazon and, in virtually cases, is formed of numbered lines .Some lines

may involve an extra, or a misspelt give-and-take, or an fault of punctuation,

while the other lines are correct .At this level, learners demand to read the

text, mark the correct lines, remove the extra words, and correct the

spelling and punctuation errors.

12. Conclusion

Cess is aimed to maximize and ameliorate the instruction-

learning process by providing copious opportunities for learners to

discover their weaknesses and to heighten their learning standards. This tin can

be reached past linking assessment results to classroom pedagogy and by

providing effective activities that truly conform to learners‟ needs.

This study attempted to explore the importance of assessment in

EFL classrooms. Actually, information technology aimed at bringing some details about the

process of cess and specifically focused on reading

comprehension as an essential skill in English linguistic communication teaching. In fact,

information technology showed that teachers need to appraise this skill accurately and adequately

in guild to go a clear view nearly their lea rners‟ needs. Therefore, the

assessment practices should depend on clear criteria so as to bespeak and

inform perfectly both teachers and learners about their achievements.

As far as reading comprehension is concerned, there is an

increasing demand for thoughtful and acceptable assessment plans that

include advisable methods and useful tools that determine the learners‟

needs and help them empathise the expectations of their learning. In

other words, this kind of cess should exist considered equally a

comprehensive approach that is tailored to the objectives of the

classroom instruction.

Indeed, reading comprehension is a complex process that gathers

several inseparable skills which require sufficient time so as to be

perfectly taught and assessed.

Habib, Thousand. (2016). Assessment of Reading Comprehension. Revista Romaneasca pentru Educatie Multidimensionala,

8(1), 125-147. doi: http://dx.doi.org/ten.18662/rrem/2016.0801.08

Assessment of Reading Comprehension

Madani HABIB

141

Acknowledgment

I acknowledge that this paper entitled "Assessment of Reading

Comprehension: Case of EFL students" is original and function of my

previous inquiry most assessment of reading comprehension skills.

Bibliography

Airasian, P.W. (1994). Classroom Assessment , (2nd edition). New York:

McGraw.

Andeson, N.J. (1999). Exploring Second Language Reading: Issues and

Strategies. Boston: Heine and Heinle.

Blackness, P., & William, D. (1998). Equallysessment and Formroom Learning.

Cess in Education: Principles, Policy and Practice, 5(1): 7, 74.

Black, P.J. (1995). Can Teachers Use Assessment to Improve Learning?

British Journal of Curriculum and Assessment, 5(2): 5 – 11.

Carr, J.F., & Harris, D.Due east. (2001). Succeeding with Standards

LinkingCurriculum, Assessment, and Action Planning. Alexandria:

Clan for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Gardner, R. C. (1974). Effects of attitudes and motivation on pupil

stereotypes. Alberta Journal of Educational Inquiry, xx, 270-277.

Gipps, C. (1994). Beyond Testing: Towards a Theory of Education Assessment.

London: The Falmer Press.

Grabe, W. (1991). Current Evolution in Second Language Reading

Research. Tesol Qurterly, 25(3): 375-406. DOI: x.2307/3586977

Hedge, T. (2000). Teaching and learning in the language classroom . Oxford:

Oxford Academy Press.

Mc Donough, J., & Mc Donough, S. (1997). Research Methods for English

Language Teachers. London: Arnold.

Nunan, D. (1991 ) . Linguistic communication Instruction Methodology: A Textbook for Teachers.

Hemel Hempstead: Prentice Hall International.

Palomba, C.A., & Banta, T.W. (1999). Cess Essentials: Planning,

Implementing, and Improving Assessment in Higher Education. San

Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Polit, D.F. (2001). Essentials of nursing research: Principles and methods.

Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams &Williams.

Sally, B., & Katie, H. (2008). How to Teach for Exams. United kingdom: Longman.

Susan, M., et al. (2005). How to Assess Student Performance in Science: Using

Classroom Assessment to Enhance Learning. (onest edition). Carolina:

SERVE Center.

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viii(1), 125-147. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18662/rrem/2016.0801.08

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142

Urquhart, S., & Weir, C. (1998). Reading in a second Language: Process,

Production, and Practice. London: Longman.

Weir, C.J. (2005). Linguistic communication Testing and Validation: An Testify-Based

Approach. England: Palgrave Mac Millan.

Appendices

APPENDIX 1

Due southtudents' Questionnaire

Love students,

Yous are kindly requested to answer the post-obit questions. This

questionnaire aims at gathering information well-nigh your views concerning

the reading comprehension assessment. Information technology, also, aims to give yous the

opportunity to show your wants and preferences.

.Total Name: …………………………………………

.Age: ..... ……………………………………….....….

.Year: ………………………………………..........…

.School: ………………………………….........……..

1. How long have you been learning English?

07years 08 years 09 years more

2.Do y'all think that reading is an important skill?

Yep

No

Why?

…………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………..

Habib, Grand. (2016). Cess of Reading Comprehension. Revista Romaneasca pentru Educatie Multidimensionala,

8(ane), 125-147. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18662/rrem/2016.0801.08

Assessment of Reading Comprehension

Madani HABIB

143

3. How exercise you find the reading material in class?

practiced Interesting complicated

4.Practice you lot think cess is essential to your learning?

Yes

No

Why?

…………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………..

5. How practice y'all feel when you are assessed?

At ease annoyed Stressed

Why?

…………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………..

six. How practice yous want to be assessed?

Tests and exams Homework Continuous classroom activities

Projects

Delight justify your answer:

…………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………

……………………

7. Does cess develop your reading comprehension skills?

Yep No I do non know

Justify:

…………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………

Habib, M. (2016). Assessment of Reading Comprehension. Revista Romaneasca pentru Educatie Multidimensionala,

viii(one), 125-147. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18662/rrem/2016.0801.08

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8.What kind of tasks do your teachers use in assessing your reading

comprehension?

…………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………

………………….

9. Please, state your opinion about the assessment of reading

comprehension in the classroom.

…………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………

……………………

Habib, M. (2016). Cess of Reading Comprehension. Revista Romaneasca pentru Educatie Multidimensionala,

8(ane), 125-147. doi: http://dx.doi.org/ten.18662/rrem/2016.0801.08

Assessment of Reading Comprehension

Madani HABIB

145

APPENDIX two

Teachers' Questionnaire

Dear teachers,

You are kindly requested to answer the following questions

related to the assessment of your learners „reading comprehension skills.

You are also requested to give your proposals and suggestions about the

approaches and the strategies which are used to appraise reading.

Full Proper name: …………………

Gender: ……………………

one. How long have you been teaching English?

Years

three. What are the advantages of assessment?

…………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………

4. What kind of assessment tools do you lot prefer?

A-Tests

B-Classroom activities

C-Project

D- Multiple tools

E-Portfolios

5. What test techniques practice you apply to assess reading comprehension?

Habib, Grand. (2016). Assessment of Reading Comprehension. Revista Romaneasca pentru Educatie Multidimensionala,

8(1), 125-147. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18662/rrem/2016.0801.08

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A-Multiple choice questions

B-Filling the gaps activities

C-Asking the learners to write summaries

D-Asking the learners to explain and discuss the main idea

E-Focusing on the reading comprehension questions

F-Focusing on words‟ meanings

six. When you appraise reading comprehension, what kind of difficulties and

obstacles practise your learners by and large meet?

A-Lack of motivation in class

B-Lack of the reading fluency

C-Lack of vocabulary and comprehension

Others:…………………………………………………………………

………

7. Do you use the cess results in designing your courses?

Yes Sometimes Never

Please, justify your answer:

…………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………….

8. Equally a teacher of English, what techniques do you propose for assessing

the reading comprehension skill?

…………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………….

................................................................................................................................

Thank y'all so much for your help.

Habib, Chiliad. (2016). Assessment of Reading Comprehension. Revista Romaneasca pentru Educatie Multidimensionala,

8(i), 125-147. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18662/rrem/2016.0801.08

Cess of Reading Comprehension

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147

Biodata

Assistant professor PhD Madani HABIB

I am Madani Habib, assistant professor of English language

at the section of English at the University of

Tiaret in Algeria. At the same time, I am conducting

a doctoral research at the University of Tlemcen in

People's democratic republic of algeria. I am interested in teaching English language as a

foreign language at university level. Particularly, I am interested in

teaching the English language language skills including grammar, reading,

speaking, writing, and listening.

Habib, M. (2016). Assessment of Reading Comprehension. Revista Romaneasca pentru Educatie Multidimensionala,

viii(i), 125-147. doi: http://dx.doi.org/ten.18662/rrem/2016.0801.08

... Ciertamente, la comprensión es un proceso cognitivo muy complejo, como el proceso de medición de la comprensión lectora también lo es (Fletcher, 2006). Sin embargo, se ha medido a través del tiempo por diferentes técnicas: entre las más conocidas y utilizadas se mencionan las de Opción múltiple, Preguntas verdadero-falso, Cuestionario, Preguntas abiertas, Recuerdo libre, Cloze o Resumen (Habib, 2016;Ibáñez, 2012;Pérez, 2005;Rupp, Ferne & Choi, 2006). ...

... La evaluación, a su vez, es una práctica pedagógica ineludible en el proceso de enseñanza aprendizaje. Pero usualmente se utiliza para reorientar las actividades de enseñanza y reconocer el grado de aprendizaje de los alumnos (Habib, 2016), no obstante, poco se percatan de las habilidades y estrategias que los alumnos tienen para comprender united nations texto escrito. ...

  • Eugenio Elías León Islas Eugenio Elías León Islas
  • Marisol May López
  • Jorge Antonio Chi Tamay

El objetivo de esta investigación fue analizar el nivel de comprensión de lectura y medición de fluidez en universitarios de origen maya. La muestra se conformó de 30 alumnos, 19 hombres y eleven mujeres. Del total, 36.seven% es bilingüe y 63.3% únicamente habla castellano. La media en edad es 20.53 años. Todos cursan el primer semestre de universidad. El nivel de comprensión de lectura se mide mediante un texto de 699 palabras. Se utilizó el coeficiente de correlación lineal. Se obtuvo un coeficiente de r = .862 entre la velocidad de comprensión lectora y la fluidez. Se obtuvo, además, un coeficiente de correlación de r = -.864, entre la fluidez en la lectura y el tiempo de lectura. El idioma de los sujetos no influye en el nivel de comprensión y fluidez. El género influye en el nivel de comprensión, pero no en la fluidez.Recibido: 28 de agosto de 2018Aceptado: 26 de diciembre de 2018

... Specific reading comprehension activities tin can be introduced in the EFL classroom in social club to know how well students are able to understand a text. A reading comprehension assessment should be based on rational criteria and useful measures (Habib, 2016), who suggested the following assessment questions: Yes-No questions, True-False questions, Matching, WH questions, Open-Concluded questions, Multiple-Choice questions, Gapped text, and Proofreading. ...

  • Luis Eduardo Prado-Yépez
  • Walter Santiago Mayorga-Benavides
  • Miguel Roman Miguel Roman
  • Magali Janeth Arévalo-Arteta

El siguiente estudio de investigación bibliográfica está orientado a presentar una revisión de la influencia del método de aula invertida en la comprensión lectora y producción oral en el idioma inglés. Este método demuestra brindar mejores oportunidades para que los estudiantes maximicen su aprendizaje en el aula de English as a Foreign Language / English language as a Second Language, especialmente en lo que respecta al desarrollo de su pensamiento crítico, niveles de comprensión lectora, desarrollo de la fluidez lectora y motivación, también les brinda a los estudiantes más oportunidades para participar en clase, les ayuda a aumentar su confianza en sí mismos y un efecto positivo en la capacidad de comunicación oral en inglés de los participantes. Además, el desarrollo de la fluidez lectora es central para que los estudiantes obtengan información para mejorar su comprensión lectora y su rendimiento oral. Finalmente, los hallazgos de los artículos revisados indican una influencia positiva de la implementación del método de aula invertida en estudiantes de English every bit a Strange Language / English as a Second Linguistic communication.

... In other words, this kind of assessment should be 12 considered every bit a comprehensive approach that is tailored to the objectives of the classroom teaching. Indeed, reading comprehension is a complex process that gathers several inseparable skills which require sufficient fourth dimension so as to exist perfectly taught and assessed (Habib, M. 2016). ...

  • Mostafa Sadik Khaleel Mostafa Sadik Khaleel
  • Khaleel ‫خليل‬
  • صادق حامد مصطفى

Testing Reading Comprehension Skills. A study paper submitted to the Academy of Karbala. College of Education, English department about assessing students reading skills. NOTE: Please cite every bit: Mostafa Sadik (2020). Testing Reading Comprehension. Academy of Karbala. Higher of Instruction, English department. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.26720.71687

  • Paul J Black Paul J Black

This commodity discusses two different purposes of cess: formative cess is designed to support pupils' learning, whilst summative assessment is designed to review what has been learnt, perchance to record it in certificates or diplomas. Formative assessment is concerned with the frequent interactions betwixt instructor and pupils which are essential if the teacher'due south plans can exist matched to the learning needs of the pupils. Teachers who are accepted to merely telling pupils, rather than engaging them in dialogue, find it hard to alter. Pupils too have to modify from passive reception to active engagement in the learning. Determinative work can be undermined if pupils or teachers are worry also much about summative tests; such worry can pb them to focus entirely on practising for the tests and not on the skillful habits of learning which would in fact exist the best grooming for doing well in them.

  • William Grabe William Grabe

Both reading research and practise have undergone numerous changes in the 25 years since TESOL was outset established. The final decade, in particular, has been a time of much first and second language research, resulting in many new insights for reading instruction. The purpose of this commodity is to bring together that research and its implications for the classroom. Electric current reading research follows from certain assumptions on the nature of the reading process; these assumptions are reviewed and full general perspectives on the reading procedure are presented. Specific attending is and then given to interactive approaches to reading, examining inquiry which argues that reading comprehension is a combination of identification and interpretation skills. Reading research in second language contexts, however, must also have into account the many differences betwixt L1 and L2 reading. From the differences reviewed here, it is axiomatic that much more 2d language reading research is needed. 5 important areas of current research which should remain prominent for this decade are reported: schema theory, linguistic communication skills and automaticity, vocabulary development, comprehension strategy training, and reading-writing relations. Implications from this inquiry for curriculum development are briefly noted.

  • P Due west Airasian

Airasian, P.W. (1994). Classroom Assessment, (2 nd edition). New York: McGraw.