Development of Reading Comprehension through Simple Texts of German as a Foreign Language in the North Western Province of Sri Lanka: CEFR Level A1

Abstract

Learning German as a foreign language has become popular among many school students in Sri Lanka. German is now included in the school syllabus and is studied by students as a subject for GCE Advanced Level Examination in Sri Lanka. In the acquisition of a foreign language, reading comprehension plays a key role since it positively affects students' language skills and rapidly influences them to acquire a new language. However, students have an unpleasant attitude toward reading comprehension in the classroom. Thus, this study is an empirical study of the development of reading comprehension at CEFR Level A1 in Sri Lanka's North Western Province. The main purpose of this research is to increase the readers’ comprehension skills and encourage them to become active readers by engaging with the text. For this purpose, the study aims to investigate the reasons why students lose their enthusiasm for reading and propose a suitable solution for it. 10 teachers and 90 learners from 10 selected schools in the North West Province of Sri Lanka participated in this study, and questionnaires, observations, worksheets, and interviews with teachers and students were used to obtain data. The results of the study show that although learners prefer to read, they are not enthusiastic about it. The study indicated that the teaching methods and text format have a strong influence on the loss of students’ interest. As a suitable solution, the research introduces the use of simple texts as an appropriate method for developing reading comprehension in learners who are at CEFR Level A1 and suggests the most appropriate teaching methods that teachers can use in the classroom to develop reading comprehension.