Comprehensive English Reading Comprehension Module for Non-English Major College Undergraduates in China
Keywords:
English Reading Comprehension Module; Design and Development Research; CET-4; College English SyllabusAbstract
Reading comprehension is a central component of English language learning and a key determinant of academic success among Chinese undergraduates. However, many non-English-major students struggle to progress beyond literal understanding toward reorganization and inferential comprehension, partly due to misalignment between the College English Syllabus and prevailing textbook practices. This study aimed to design, develop, and evaluate an English Reading Comprehension Module (ERCM) to strengthen multi-level reading proficiency in a private Chinese university. Guided by Design and Development Research (DDR), the module was grounded in Schema Theory and bottom-up, interactive, and top-down reading models. Barrett’s Taxonomy informed the construction of literal, reorganization, and inferential comprehension tasks to ensure progressive cognitive development. The finalized ERCM comprised 32 syllabus-aligned reading passages with graded question sets reflecting College English Syllabus and CET-4 requirements. Content validity was confirmed through expert review, and KR-20 analysis indicated acceptable internal consistency. The module was implemented with 160 first-year non-English-major undergraduates. Comparative analysis of diagnostic and achievement test results showed improvements across all comprehension levels: literal comprehension increased from 55.88% to 72.55%, reorganization from 28.33% to 43.44%, and inferential comprehension from 16.56% to 35.31%. These findings demonstrate that the ERCM effectively supports the development of hierarchical reading skills. The study highlighted the value of syllabus-aligned and taxonomy-based instructional materials in promoting higher-order comprehension and enhancing alignment with CET-4 reading demands.
https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.25.3.3
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