International Teacher Education Conference 2014 1

International Teacher Education Conference 2014
1. Only 39 students (41.5%) held the belief that doubling reading speed will ensure better academic
performance. 2. More than half of them (161 i.e., 61.5%) have never tried to use a stop watch for measuring their
reading time. 3. The majority of students (189 that is 72,1%) agree that who reads slowly, understands better.
Figure 8. Frequencies of students’ perceptions about developing reading and note taking speeds.
$ Students encounter bad reading habits:
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1. Most of informants (124 that is 47.3%) sometimes think in their mother tongue while taking notes and 67
(i.e., 25,6 %) always do. However, only 26 (that is 9.9%) of them regularly think in their L1. Some informants
(81 i.e., 49.7%) translate into their native language when reading and may write down their translations in the
margin of their notes.
Conclusion:
Figure 9. Frequencies in thinking and translating in the L1 while reading and note taking.
By the end of this modest study, it can be said that the hypothesis set at the beginning is confirmed and the
research questions are answered .Results have revealed that there is a strong positive correlation between the two
variables that this research tends to investigate, that is the majority of our informants are slow readers and slow
note takers particularly because most of them encounter a lot of difficulties as the corresponded questionnaires
clarify; however , the sample we worked with in the reading speed and the note taking speed tests show the
opposite (i.e., they are rapid readers are rapid note takers too). Hence, we have concluded that the main factor
behind having such bad reading and note taking habits is the lack of practice on these two crucial skills.
Consequently, we have strongly recommended that students need special training on how to read fast and take
notes effectively and rapidly. They should be interested and motivated, more exercised and disciplined in the use
of some strategies on reading fluency and note taking. In all, we highly suggest a training reading programme in
which students ameliorate their reading and note taking speeds.
References:
Alderson, J. Charles; Caroline Clapham and Dianne Wall, (1995). Language Test Construction and Evaluation .
Cambridge University Press.
Barbier, Marie- Laure; Jean- Yves Roussey, Annie Piolat and Thierry Olive (Vol.3; 2006 Numéro 20, Varia.
Marie-Laure Barbier, Jean-Yves Roussey, Annie PIOLAT and Thierry Olive Note-taking in second language:
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