THE EFFECTS OF USING WEBQUESTS ON READING COMPREHENSION PERFORMANCE OF SAUDI EFL STUDENTS

ABSTRACT

This paper is a report on the effects of using WebQuest on Saudi male EFL students reading comprehension performance. WebQuests expose students to several online resources and require them to gather information about a specific topic. The experimental group received traditional teaching plus WebQuests as supplementary activities. The control group received the traditional teaching only. The students’ comprehension performance in the post-test was compared for both groups in order to determine whether there were significant differences between the groups in relation to the treatment. Significant differences occurring in the experimental group’s post-test comprehension performance when compared to the pre-test indicate that using WebQuest can improve students’ reading comprehension performance. The results indicate WebQuests have potential for use in promoting reading comprehension. Teachers and students do, however, need to be trained in order to use WebQuests more effectively.