The Effects of Topic Familiarity on Kurdish EFL University Students’ Meaning Construction
This study investigates the effects of topic familiarity on meaning construction skills among Kurdish EFL university students. Recognizing vocabulary as a critical component of language learning, the research addresses the challenges Kurdish students face in understanding and acquiring new vocabula...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Arabic |
| Published: |
Salahaddin University-Erbil
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Zanco Journal of Humanity Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://zancojournal.su.edu.krd/index.php/JAHS/article/view/2364 |
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| _version_ | 1849234317064011776 |
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| author | Zheen Hamad Amin Abdullah Nada Jabbar Abbas |
| author_facet | Zheen Hamad Amin Abdullah Nada Jabbar Abbas |
| author_sort | Zheen Hamad Amin Abdullah |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
This study investigates the effects of topic familiarity on meaning construction skills among Kurdish EFL university students. Recognizing vocabulary as a critical component of language learning, the research addresses the challenges Kurdish students face in understanding and acquiring new vocabulary within unfamiliar contexts. The study aims to analyze how familiarity with a topic influences students' ability to construct meaning from English texts. Utilizing an experimental design, 50 sophomores from the College of Education participated in pre- and post-tests, supported by topic familiarity questionnaires and a Vocabulary Knowledge Scale. Results indicate that the experimental group, exposed to reading materials aligned with familiar topics, showed significantly greater improvements in comprehension skills compared to the control group. The findings suggest that integrating familiar content into language instruction enhances student engagement and comprehension. The study concludes with recommendations for educators to incorporate familiar subjects into reading materials, employ structured meaning construction models, and balance familiar and challenging content to develop comprehensive reading skills. This approach not only reinforces vocabulary retention but also facilitates deeper cognitive processing and overall language acquisition.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4cef85d9574344b6a5b7aff9c85ccb1c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2412-396X |
| language | Arabic |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Salahaddin University-Erbil |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Zanco Journal of Humanity Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-4cef85d9574344b6a5b7aff9c85ccb1c2025-08-20T04:03:12ZaraSalahaddin University-ErbilZanco Journal of Humanity Sciences2412-396X2024-12-0128SpC10.21271/zjhs.28.SpC.22The Effects of Topic Familiarity on Kurdish EFL University Students’ Meaning ConstructionZheen Hamad Amin Abdullah0Nada Jabbar Abbas1Department of English, College of Education, Salahaddin University-Erbil, Erbil,Kurdistan Region, IraqDepartment of English, College of Education, Salahaddin University-Erbil, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq This study investigates the effects of topic familiarity on meaning construction skills among Kurdish EFL university students. Recognizing vocabulary as a critical component of language learning, the research addresses the challenges Kurdish students face in understanding and acquiring new vocabulary within unfamiliar contexts. The study aims to analyze how familiarity with a topic influences students' ability to construct meaning from English texts. Utilizing an experimental design, 50 sophomores from the College of Education participated in pre- and post-tests, supported by topic familiarity questionnaires and a Vocabulary Knowledge Scale. Results indicate that the experimental group, exposed to reading materials aligned with familiar topics, showed significantly greater improvements in comprehension skills compared to the control group. The findings suggest that integrating familiar content into language instruction enhances student engagement and comprehension. The study concludes with recommendations for educators to incorporate familiar subjects into reading materials, employ structured meaning construction models, and balance familiar and challenging content to develop comprehensive reading skills. This approach not only reinforces vocabulary retention but also facilitates deeper cognitive processing and overall language acquisition. https://zancojournal.su.edu.krd/index.php/JAHS/article/view/2364Topic familiarity, Meaning construction. |
| spellingShingle | Zheen Hamad Amin Abdullah Nada Jabbar Abbas The Effects of Topic Familiarity on Kurdish EFL University Students’ Meaning Construction Zanco Journal of Humanity Sciences Topic familiarity, Meaning construction. |
| title | The Effects of Topic Familiarity on Kurdish EFL University Students’ Meaning Construction |
| title_full | The Effects of Topic Familiarity on Kurdish EFL University Students’ Meaning Construction |
| title_fullStr | The Effects of Topic Familiarity on Kurdish EFL University Students’ Meaning Construction |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Effects of Topic Familiarity on Kurdish EFL University Students’ Meaning Construction |
| title_short | The Effects of Topic Familiarity on Kurdish EFL University Students’ Meaning Construction |
| title_sort | effects of topic familiarity on kurdish efl university students meaning construction |
| topic | Topic familiarity, Meaning construction. |
| url | https://zancojournal.su.edu.krd/index.php/JAHS/article/view/2364 |
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