TO DRAW OR NOT TO DRAW? AN EVIDENCE-BASED FICTION READING COMPREHENSION IN ENGLISH TRANSLATION PROGRAMME, STATE POLYTECHNIC OF JAKARTA
Abstract
This paper investigates the relation between drawing activity and reading comprehension compared to summarising and reading comprehension in reading fiction text. The relation between reading comprehension and drawing has been studied mainly in children and adolescents, and usually in science classes (Elliott, 2007; Leopold & Leutner, 2012; Schmeck, Mayer, Opfermann, Pfeiffer, & Leutner, 2014). However, the relation of this practice is rarely explored during adulthood (see for example Hock & Mellard, 2005). The study consists of one control group and two experimental groups. The control group, Group A, is asked to answer a list of questions right after reading. The two experimental groups, Group B and C, are asked to do summarising and drawing respectively before answering the same set of questions. Then, I give them questionnaires related to the activities they have done. I also invite six students for a Focus Group Discussion (FGD). Analysis of the data indicates that summarising is more effective than drawing in reading comprehension. However, drawing activity may be included in lesson plan as a variation of activities in reading classroom.
Keywords
reading comprehension, drawing, summarising, adult learners, English language