International Journal of
Information and Education Technology

Abstract

To examine the impact of schema theory, the researcher conducted single-group pre-test-post-test experimental research investigating the effect of schema theory as a reading tool to enhance the professional reading competence of engineering students at Bangkok University, Thailand. Reading comprehension tests and a self-reported questionnaire were used as data collection tools to acquire information. The pre- and post-test scores were calculated by descriptive statistics and compared using a dependent t-test measure. It was found that students obtained higher scores for the post-test than for the pre-test at the 0.01 level of significance. That is, schema activated via pre-reading self-generated questions can help students develop their reading competence. Additionally, students stated that activating schema via self-generated questions during a pre-reading activity helped them to understand text better. This study strongly confirmed the previous studies showing that schemata significantly promote reading competence.