Master of Arts major in English as a Second Language
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Item The utilization of snap&read as an aid in digital reading: A study of Japanese online language learners(2022-03) Chan, Samantha AThe nature of digital information in media and online reading materials is different from printed materials and given the recent decline in proficiency level in Reading for students everywhere, alongside the pandemic, it has become inevitable to embrace new methods for digital reading. The existence of digital tools nowadays has been made easily accessible and more effective compared to what society had a decade ago. Although conventional print reading strategies retain their importance in the present world, Asynchronous Distance Learning has forced all of us to interact online. This calls for these print-reading strategies to be transformed into approaches that can be used in new digital environments. Countless research findings have revealed time and time again that poor readers are able to improve their reading comprehension by learning how to use comprehension strategies (Armbruster, 2001). The aim of this research was to discover the effect of digital reading tools on digital reading comprehension. The study offers an insight into the functions, overall effect, and dispositions of the respondents when taking an Internet Based Test referred to as the GEPT. One ultimate goal of this research was to encourage EFL and ESL learners to become autonomous readers who can easily navigate their way through a digital reading material with the aid, when needed, of a digital reading tool. The wide use of digital technologies for Language learning is discussed in many publications. According to Godwin-Jones (2012), the increasing importance of digital literacy for digital reading proficiency is observed in many places. The main purpose of reading is to get across the message the authors want to deliver to the readers. Digital comprehension occurs when the message of the writer is deciphered by the reader when the materials are found in a digital environment. For developing a higher proficiency in reading comprehension, the respondents of this study utilized Snap&Read. The outcome proved that print-reading strategies can be transferred to a digital-reading environment. The results are specified in the Findings below. This study is entitled "The Effect of Online Learning Tools on Digital Reading Comprehension: A study of Japanese Online Language Learners". It is an endeavor in determining the effect of the use of a digital reading tool on the mean scores of the same group of respondents tested at two points in time. Specifically, it sought to answer the following research questions: 1. What is the proficiency level of the respondents in terms of Reading Comprehension without the aid of Snap&Read? 2. What is the proficiency level of the respondents in terms of Reading Comprehension with the aid of Snap&Read? 3. What is the effect size of Snap&Read on the Reading Comprehension levels of the respondents? The analysis is grounded in a mixed-method study and a quasi-experimental data collection method. This study examined the changes in the respondents' reading proficiency levels before and after taking the GEPT with and without the aid of Snap&Read. The process revolved around how Snap&Read transformed the digital reading experience of the respondents. The data was gathered from thirty Japanese Professionals who all study Business English Online. For the treatment of the data gathered, the weighted mean was used to compare the pre-test and posttest scores. The effect size was also calculated. The following findings of the study are based on the data gathered: 1. There were 2 respondents in the Elementary level with a percentage of 6.67, 11 respondents in the Low-Intermediate level with a percentage of 36.67, 8 respondents in the Intermediate level with a percentage of 26.67, and 9 respondents in the High-Intermediate level with a percentage of 30. 2. There were 4 respondents in the Low Intermediate level with a percentage of 13.33, 5 respondents in the Intermediate level with a percentage of 16.67, 11 respondents in the High Intermediate level with a percentage of 26.67, 8 respondents in the Advanced level with a similar percentage of 26.67, and 2 respondents with a Superior level whose percentage was at a 6.67 overall. 3. The mean value of difference was -5.2333 and standard deviation at 3.73. The degree of freedom was at 29 and the obtained value of the t-statistics (t) was at 7.667. The effect size is calculated to be at 1.40 which is a large effect size. Based on the findings of the study, the following were derived conclusions: 1. The respondents can understand information that relate to any figures or tables. They can locate general information because they are able to wrap their minds around the use of a selection of grouped words. 2. They can read different types of articles on concrete and abstract topics. They can also read work-related documents. Therefore, it implies that the respondents can scan through rather complex texts. They can apply different reading strategies like skimming and scanning. They are able to focus more on the text because the aid of the digital tool made that possible. 3. The use of Snap&Read on digital reading material elicited a statistically significant increase in the digital reading proficiency level of students compared to the proficiency level of the same respondents who answered the digital reading material without the aid of Snap&Read. The effect size was large at I. meaning that the data gathered from this study is significant. Based on the findings and conclusions of the study, the researcher recommends the following: 1. Online Japanese ELLs influence their decisions and ways of using technology in the digital environment by cultural practices and traditional educational beliefs. Understanding the connection among the use, content, and functions of digital tools through Snap&Read may guide them, as well as their teachers, to select the proper digital tools which will help integrate technology in their autonomous learning endeavors. 2. The influx of digital tools provided by companies which reach the hands of consumers is ubiquitous. Educators, therefore, need to explore and analyze digital tools that can help their students acquire higher digital literacy. Students need to incorporate the usage of digital tools, religiously and diligently in their day-to-day reading. 3. It is recommended that the digital tools that are to be introduced to Japanese Online English Language learners focus on the functions which are similar to the Read Aloud function, Color Overlay function, and the Picture supported dictionary function. Other Recommendations. 1. Future researchers may try and explore the other online functions of Snap&Read to investigate how these other functions relate to readers and how these functions affect their Digital Reading Comprehension Proficiency Levels. 2. Teachers should be given training in Online Reading, specifically Internet-based Tests (IBTs), and Online Reading tools. The strategies they require for Digital Reading as well as Comprehension Dispositions should be developed and continuously honed. 3. Further quantitative and qualitative research should be done related to the effect of online reading tools on reading comprehension. This research was conducted with readers who had obtained an Intermediate to High-Intermediate proficiency level in Reading. Studies may be conducted to compare lower-level learners: Al A2, or higher-level learners: Cl C2, regarding online reading comprehension. 4. In the studies, by means of six month-differences, the progress of each learner can be used to monitor learning more deeply. Moreover, there is a need for quantitative studies aimed at digital reading tools and their effect on digital reading comprehension in larger population samples. This way, factors affecting the use of digital tools on reading comprehension can be further explained.