The impact of teacher educators’ mediation on developing cognitive and meta-cognitive strategies for learning reading skills

2025-07-01T00:15:05+00:00

This study investigated the impact of teacher educators' mediation on the development of cognitive and meta-cognitive strategies essential for autonomous learning in EFL reading skills and its effect on reading performance. A quasi-experimental design with mixed methods was employed at Kotebe University of Education in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, involving two intact sections of first-year social science students (N=80). Participants were randomly assigned to experimental (n=40) and control (n=40) groups. An experienced English instructor mediated the experimental group using mediation strategies (MLE), while the control group received traditional instruction. Data were collected through reading proficiency standardized tests, questionnaires, and classroom observations, then analyzed using percentages, mean, standard deviation, t-tests, and thematic analysis. The results of the research indicated that mediation significantly enhanced the experimental group’s cognitive and meta-cognitive strategy use, leading to greater autonomy in EFL reading. The experimental group also achieved higher scores on reading skills tests compared to the control group, with Cohen’s d indicating a large effect size. The study concludes that mediated teaching strategies substantially improve trainees’ cognitive and meta-cognitive abilities, fostering autonomy and academic success. The study recommends that English instructors integrate mediation techniques into their teaching practices to enhance students' learning strategies and overall reading performance.

University students’ perceptions on the role of mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) in developing listening skills

2025-07-16T12:26:36+00:00

This study examined first-year students’ perceptions of mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) at Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia, focusing on enhancing listening skills through the Canvas Student platform. A descriptive research design and a mixed-methods approach were employed. To this end, a total of 99 students (23 females, 76 males) participated in the study. Quantitative data were collected via a questionnaire, while qualitative data were gathered through observation. The survey results revealed that 96% of the participants agreed that mobile technology is essential for improving their English language learning, academic performance, and overall engagement. Moreover, the results from the observation showed strong student engagement with mobile devices for academic tasks like accessing course materials and collaborating across classrooms, libraries, and outdoor Wi-Fi areas, though non-academic uses such as chatting and social media also posed challenges. The Relative Importance Index (RII) analysis indicated that the participants used mobile devices mainly for sharing course materials (RII = 0.941), accessing dictionaries (RII = 0.927), and reading PDF notes (RII = 0.925). This highlights the need for integrating platforms like Canvas Student into the curriculum. Generally, the study emphasizes MALL’s role in developing listening skills and improving learning outcomes. Therefore, based on the results, it is recommended that English as a Foreign Language (EFL) experts and curriculum designers should integrate mobile technology into EFL instruction to enhance collaboration, accessibility, and lifelong learning.

Ethiopian Journal of Language, Culture and Communication

The impact of teacher educators’ mediation on developing cognitive and meta-cognitive strategies for learning reading skills

University students’ perceptions on the role of mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) in developing listening skills