Peer Assessment for Skimming and Scanning to Improve Reading Comprehension: An Action Research Study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the impact of peer assessment of skimming and scanning strategies to improve reading comprehension in high school learners. The innovation was conducted in A1 level of students. They belonged to a public high school in Ecuador. They were in ninth grade. This study was implemented for six weeks. Students measured their advance through checklists during the process. In this action research, quantitative and qualitative instruments were applied to gather data. Pre-posttest and checklist were used to report quantitative data regarding improvement of reading comprehension; and pre-post surveys combined with open questions showed qualitative data about students’perspectives during the process. Pre and posttest results showed a difference in the mean among pre-posttests of 3.97 and p value of 0.000 which means the results are statistically significant. Cohen´s d = 0.27. This means there was an impact in learning. These findings can contribute to future studies in the field of reading comprehension in EFL.