The influence of reading strategies and vocabulary knowledge on Chinese EFL student's reading comprehension

This study examines the impact of a pedagogical intervention on the reading comprehension of Chinese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students by integrating the instruction of reading strategies and vocabulary knowledge. Aligned with the English Curriculum Standard's goal of enhancing comprehensive language skills, the intervention addressed students' reading comprehension challenges and limited receptive and productive vocabulary, which frequently impede their ability to understand texts in high school exams. The research explored five key questions, including identifying the students' reading strategies, their vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension levels, and the relationships among these variables before and after the intervention. The study involved 60 first-year senior high school students from Liaoning Province, China, divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group participated in a structured intervention program emphasizing the development of reading strategies and vocabulary knowledge, while the control group adhered to traditional teaching methods, which mainly focused on rote memorization and repetitive exercises. Data were collected through questionnaires, pre-tests, and post-tests. It was analyzed using SPSS 29.0 and Excel. The initial questionnaire findings revealed that many students had limited reading strategies and were less motivated to actively participate in reading tasks. Pre-test results indicated no significant differences between the groups. However, post-test results showed substantial improvement in the experimental group's reading comprehension performance, demonstrating the effectiveness of the intervention in enhancing reading skills and overall English proficiency. This study concludes that the implementation of a pedagogical model integrating reading strategies and vocabulary instruction leads to a significant improvement in EFL students' reading comprehension. It highlights the importance of designing targeted interventions based on theoretical frameworks to support curriculum development and optimize teaching practices in EFL classrooms. Limitations of the study are discussed, and suggestions for future research are provided