Teachers’ Perspectives on the Implementation of Generative Learning Strategies for Enhancing College EFL Learners’ Critical Reading Skills: Thematic Analysis

Abstract

The present qualitative study aimed to reveal the EFL college teachers’ perspectives on the implementation of generative learning strategies as an instructional technique to improve college learners’ critical reading skill in advanced reading comprehension classes. Also, to find out the difficulties teachers face in implementing generative learning strategies for enhancing learners’ critical reading skill. Therefore, Despite the vast growth and prominence characteristics of learner-centered learning approach and its manifestation, few studies have been tackled about how instructors apply and perceive generative learning strategies in EFL reading comprehension classes. Purposely, for collecting the data, the researcher conducted a semi-structural interview with fourteen instructors from college of Basic Education, English Department. As a result, the teachers’ point of views, their implementations, and estimations of generative learning activities were interpreted and highlighted. Thus, the activities that supposed to pursue in such reading classes as summarization, concept mapping, paraphrasing, reflecting, self-testing, evaluating, compare & contrast, drawing conclusion to increase critical reading skill, were demanded from the instructors. The data were thematically analyzed to identify major patterns through the instructors’ point of views, experiences, challenges and their professional suggestions. The results explore that instructors deal with generative learning strategies as an influential and powerful ways of cultivating in depth understanding, deeper engagement with the texts, and critical reflection for the materials though they confronted challenges related to large classes, time restrictions, learners’ language competency and proficiency, and learners’ passive learning inclination. The study suggests that the integration of generative learning principles and professional practicing are crucial to strengthen and fortify learners’ critical reading skill and higher-order thinking through advanced reading comprehension module in English second year departments at college of Basic Education.