Evaluating the Impacts of Mind Mapping Strategy on Developing EFL Students’ Critical Reading Skills

Abstract

The present study investigates the effectiveness of mind mapping as a critical reading strategy in enhancing the reading comprehension skills of EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners. An experimental design was employed, involving two groups: an experimental group that received mind mapping strategy training and a control group that followed traditional reading instruction. Both groups were administered a pre-test and a post-test to assess their reading comprehension performance. A pre-experiment questionnaire was designed for both groups to explore the participants’ reading habits, awareness of the mind mapping strategy, and thier attitudes regarding the strategy. A post-experiment questionnaire targeted the experimental group to reflect on their perceptions concerning the mind map strategy and its effects on their performance. The results indicated a significant improvement in the post-test scores of the experimental group compared to their pre-test results, suggesting the positive impacts of mind mapping on their critical reading abilities. Conversely, the control group demonstrated only marginal improvement, which may be attributed to natural learning progression rather than strategic intervention. The findings of the questionnaires revealed positive attituds on the part of the participants regarding the strategy training and its impacts. These results underscore the value of integrating mind mapping into EFL reading instruction to foster better comprehension and critical engagement with texts. The study recommends the incorporation of such visual learning strategies in EFL classrooms to promote deeper text analysis and improve learners’ overall reading proficiency