The Use of Sociocultural Approach for Teaching ESL Reading Skills to ‘O’ Level Students in Pakistan

Abstract

Reading comprehension skills are very important for ESL Pakistani O, level learners. Paying attention to the troubles they and the instructors face in Pakistan, the present study was conducted to examine the effectiveness of sociocultural approach in reading comprehension skills. This is a novel approach for Pakistani teachers as it has not yet been tried in teaching especially in reading comprehension skills. To carry out this research, semi-experimental research design was employed including pre and post tests. Keeping in mind the nature of the data, it was analyzed quantitatively and interpreted qualitatively i.e. summary method. The findings of the study clearly exhibited that sociocultural approach is quite effective for teaching reading comprehension skills. The independent sample t-tests were conducted both for pre and post tests which strikingly show the difference of collaborative language learning approach. The results of this research suggest the use of more social and supportive methods in the perspective of language learning and teaching. It is more in support of a collaborative learning atmosphere which requires the presences of a professional or expert-peer that provides students with possibilities to correct themselves and simultaneously to understand the ideal procedures required for the learning of new and challenging abilities.