Vocabulary Definition, Text Summary, and Pre-passage Questions as Pre-Reading Comprehension Strategies

Reading comprehension problems abound in the second language classroom. Since reading is considered the primary means by which the content in the various discipline areas are learned then, there was an apparent need to find alternative means to improve comprehension and thereby, success in the academe. This study explored the utility of three pre-reading activities, namely; vocabulary definition, text summary, and pre-passage questions in enhancing the reading comprehension of students. The respondents were divided into three groups at random, with each group receiving one particular pre-reading activity. The pre-reading activities were administered prior to the actual reading of the texts to activate their schema or background knowledge. The respondents' reading comprehension was then measured using the reading comprehension test designed by John Langan (1986). The research result indicated that there is no significant difference in the reading comprehension of the respondents exposed to the pre-reading activities. This implies that there are other factors that are contributory and are equally important to improving reading comprehension and that the use of pre-reading activities should not be relied in the attainment of the same.