On the Effect of Mind Mapping on Reading Comprehension Skills of Iraqi Esp Learners

Year 2017, Volume: 3 Issue: 6, 63 - 72, 10.12.2017

Hasan Anwar Hasan

Abstract

Over the last two decades using visual organizers such as mind
mapping in teaching and learning English language has become one of the wide spread
used techniques. The current study concentrated on the impact of using mind
mapping as a meaningful learning technique in teaching reading comprehension
among the ESP learners. The participants of the study consisted of forty Iraqi
students at Erbil Polytechnic University who randomly selected in Technical
College-Erbil /Department of Business Management. They were divided into two
different groups; experimental group which taught by mind mapping and
controlling group which exposed to the traditional methods of teaching reading
comprehension, 20 students for each group. Their ages were ranged between
(18-19) years. The participants are nineteen males and twenty-one females. At
the beginning of the study they were given a pretest to measure their reading
comprehension ability. Then, they were given the treatment for twelve weeks.
After that, they were tested in the posttest to know whether the experimental
groups’ knowledge increased comparing to the pretest or not. Finally, the
findings illustrated a statistically significance difference between
experimental group and the controlling group in terms of posttest achievement
in reading comprehension scores. Thus, the mind mapping proved to be beneficial
in teaching reading comprehension.

Keywords

meaningful learning, mind mapping, reading comprehension

References

• Abbas, N. J. (2012). The Impact of Teaching Method Using the Inductive Technique of Concept Map on Students’ Developing Class Interactional Skills. Unpublished PhD Dissertation – College of Education – Salahaddin University. Adriana, D. C. and Jeanneth Z. (2010). 'The Use of Concept Maps for Developing Children’s Reading and Writing Skills in a Foreign–Language Classrooms'. Ahmad, M. M. S. (2001). The Effect of Brainstorming on Teaching Reading Comprehension in English to University Students. Unpublished Ph.D Dissertation. College of Education /Ibn Rushd, University of Baghdad.