The Effect of Advance Organizers on Enhancing the Reading Comprehension of Iranian EFL Learners

Reading English in Iran is regarded as a very important skill in academic world, where English is learned as a foreign language (EFL). Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to examine the influence of Advance Organizers (AO) on enhancing reading comprehension of students of English as a foreign language to check if there is any correspondence between activating background knowledge and listening- whilereading tasks as two AOs for enhancing reading comprehension.To carry out this study, three intact classes consisting of 58 intermediate students studying English in Atiehsazan English Institute in Dehaghan, Isfahan, Iran were selected. Each intact class was randomly divided into two experimental groups including (1) background knowledge questioning; (2) listening-while-reading; and one control group. Background knowledge activation strategy was taught, based on CALLA instructional model, developed by Chamot & O'Malley (1994). Results showed an increase in students' performance in reading comprehension due to the effect of background knowledge activation strategy and listening-while-reading task. In addition, the results also indicated that activating the students' background knowledge about the topic they are reading can significantly better enhance the learners' reading comprehension than forcing students to listen while they are reading simultaneously.These findings have a profound implication for instructional design, particularly because this research study targeted English language learners who have not mastered the English language fully, therefore, instructing them in the use and monitoring of reading strategies is an effective practice. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]