The Comparative Effect of Teaching Three Cognitive Strategies of Elaboration, Note Taking, and Resourcing on Pre Intermediate Iranian Efl Learners' Reading Comprehension

IntroductionBy the emergence of the works on learning strategies that was inspired by the studies of Rubin and Stern in the mid 1970s and shaped by the efforts of Omally and Chamot from 1982 to 1990, the areas of language learning and teaching witnessed great changes, and the roles and responsibilities of individuals became more important (Brown, 2000) Ellis (1994) emphasized on the mediating role of strategy between learners and situational factors and learning outcomes. He defined learning strategy as "the particular approaches or techniques that learners employ to try to learn an L2" (p. 76 77) Mainly, strategy was regarded as a tactic or technique by which learners might be devised. Accordingly different classifications of language learning strategies came into existence. Omally and Chamot (1990) attempted to ground the study of learning strategies within the informationprocessing model of learning by Anderson (as cited in Ellis, 1994. p. 533) Omally (1985) and Omally and Chamot (1990) classified learning strategies into three main groups of metacognitive, cognitive and socio affective with 25 subcategories. Oxford (1990) classified the general learning strategies into two main categories: direct (cognitive, memory and compensation) and indirect (metacognitive, social, and affective) Each of these subcategories, then, was divided into several subcomponents (see for example Brown, 2007).In a comprehensive review of learning strategy classifications, Vlckova et al. (2013) presented an overview of the most well known classifications. Table 1 has been adopted from Vlckova, et al. (2013).Much of the work of researchers and teachers on the application of learning strategies to classroom learning has come to be known as strategies based instruction (SBI) (McDonough, 1999; Cohen, 1998) Cohen (1998) stated that teaching learners how to learn was crucial. Wenden (1985) was among the first to assert that learner strategies were the key to learner autonomy, and that one of the most important goals of language teaching should be the facilitation of that autonomy.From among several strategies of different types, the present study selected from O'malley and Chamot's (1990) classification, three cognitive strategies of Note taking, Elaboration, and Resourcing. The study attempted to compare the relative effect of training each strategy type on the EFL learners' reading comprehension.O'Malley and Chamot (1990) defined note taking strategy as writing down key words and concepts in abbreviated verbal, graphic, or numerical form while listening or reading. Note taking strategy is a good reading strategy. As Cambrooke (2010) claimed, "it is a good idea to take notes from textbooks. Note taking makes students active participants in their learning, helps them organize important concepts, remember information, and become one of their study aids" (p. 26).In the Iranian EFL context, Hagverdi, Biria, and Karimi (2010) examined the Iranian university professors' and students' attitudes towards the effect of teaching note taking strategies on the students' academic achievement. The researchers found that respondents including professors and students whether male or female had high positive attitudes towards the effect of note taking strategy instruction on the students' learning.According to Ward and Tatsukawa (2003) note taking has two functions. First, the notes produced are useful when reviewing. Second, the process of note taking itself helps students learn the material. This is usually explained in terms of encoding: the student's mind receives some inputs from the instructor, both verbal and written on the blackboard, and the task is to assimilate them. In the process of taking notes, the student has to re express those inputs, and while doing so, it is claimed, the ideas get mentally rehearsed and integrated at a deeper level, or even re encoded mentally in a form that is easier for him to think about, apply, and remember.