The Impact of Noticing the Gap on Reading Development of Iranian EFL Learners with a Focus on Introvert vs. Extrovert Learners

The present article aimed at investigating the impact of noticing the gap on reading development of Iranian EFL learners with a focus on introvert vs. extrovert learners. To do so, a group of 150 intermediate EFL learners in the Iranian context were given a piloted version of language proficiency test of NELSON. One hundred male and female learners whose scores were 1SD below and above the mean were selected and divided into two equal groups shaping the experimental and control groups for the purpose of the study. Following the test of general proficiency the learners also received a valid version of the Personality Trait Questionnaire; Extrovert vs. Introvert (developed by Al-Shalabi, 2003) based on which they were divided into extrovert and introvert groups. Both groups received a piloted reading pretest prior to the treatment phase as well. The experimental group received noticing the gap training techniques during the treatment phase while the learners in the control group received conventional reading comprehension training. Following ten weeks of treatment, the learners received the piloted version of the researcher-made reading comprehension posttest. The data gathered were put into statistical analysis and reported. A two-way ANOVA was run to investigate the effect of the treatment and personality traits on the performance of the subjects on the reading test and based on the results it was concluded that the treatment (noticing the gap) had a significant effect on the performance of the subjects on the reading test. The findings also asserted that the types of personality traits did not have any significant effect on the performance of the subjects on the reading test. The findings of the research could be employed by EFL teachers, educational researchers, and English learners in an attempt to develop a more learner-centered method of second language reading comprehension.