Teaching Communicative Reading Strategies to EFL Learners in Iraq
Communicative language teaching is the stated goal for learning the
English language in Iraq. An examination of the Iraqi English
reading classes shows that communicative methodology has not been
implemented into the classroom practices to enable the students to
be proficient readers. The current reading instruction does not
consider the use of an interactive model of reading, nor does it
teach reading strategies. Thus, with such practices, students are
unlikely to become proficient readers. Based on such factors that
influence English language teaching in Iraq, this study was
conducted. The study investigates the current practices of reading
instruction in Iraqi high schools and how effective these practices
were when compared to the best practices of communicative language
teaching. The results revealed that the actual practices in Iraqi
high schools were less effective in producing successful readers
who could actively interact with the text in order to achieve
comprehension. Finally, recommendations for improvement are
proposed. The proposal presents a six-hour lesson plan to be
considered as a model of practices that may be incorporated into
the English language classroom.
Zena S. Al-Jubouri is an Assistant Professor. She has taught English language learners in Iraq, the USA and Japan. Her research area has been focused on classroom instruction. She earned her B.A. in Education in 1994. She holds an M.A. degree in TEFL in 2002. She was awarded a Fulbright scholarship and completed an M.A. degree in TESOL in 2009.
