The Effectiveness of a Training Program Based on Interactive Multi-media in Light of Scaffolding in Developing English Language Reading and Writing Skills Among First Year Secondary Students

Abstract

The present study aimed at designing an interactive multimedia training program to improve reading and writing skills for first year secondary students and investigating the effectiveness of using scaffolding strategies in developing first year secondary students' reading and writing skills. Based on reviewing literature and related studies, the researcher reviewed the theoretical framework of integrating reading and writing skills, interactive multimedia and scaffolding strategies. To determine the most important reading comprehension and writing skills for first year secondary students to be developed throughout the proposed program, a checklist was designed and approved by a jury of specialists in the field of teaching and learning EFL. Based on these reading comprehension and writing skills, a pre-/post- reading and writing test was developed and used. The study adopted the quasi-experimental pre-post test control group/ experimental group design. The participants of this study were thirty-five female participants who were randomly selected from one of Cairo governmental secondary schools, namely Safaya Zaghlol Secondary School for Girls. The students of the experimental group received training through the proposed program based on interactive multimedia and scaffolding strategies while students in the control group received regular instruction and assessment. The pre and post test scores were statistically analyzed using t-test and then the effect size was calculated. It was found that there were statistically significant differences at 0.01 level between the mean scores of the control and the experimental groups on the post-test in favour of the experimental group in overall reading comprehension and writing as well as in each reading comprehension and writing sub-skill separately. There were also statistically significant differences at 0.01 level between the mean scores of the experimental group on the pre-test and the post-test in favour of the post-test in overall reading and writing as well as in each reading comprehension and writing sub-skill separately. Finally, It was concluded that the proposed training program based on learning interactive multimedia and scaffolding strategies for first year secondary students proved to be effective in developing the necessary reading and writing skills among the experimental group students. Therefore, it was recommended that the present program can be adopted for teaching reading and writing skills to students at the secondary stage and other stages. Moreover, English language teachers should make use of interactive multimedia and scaffolding strategies. Key words: Interactive Multi-media, Scaffolding, Integrated Reading and Writing Skills, Secondary Students, Egypt.