Using Concept Maps Strategy in Developing the English Reading Comprehension Skills and Attitudes of Preparatory Students

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of concept maps strategy in developing some reading comprehension skills of first year preparatory students and improving their attitudes towards reading English texts. In order to fulfill the purpose of the study, the researcher designed a reading skills checklist which was administered to a jury of specialists in  the field of TEFL to identify the reading comprehension skills that are necessary for the subjects of the study. Based on the chosen reading comprehension skills by the jury, the researcher designed a concept mapping strategy aiming at improving those skills. A pre-posttest and an attitude scale were also designed, judged and administrated to evaluate students' performance in  reading comprehension skills and investigate their attitudes towards reading English texts. Seventy students in two classes were assigned into two groups, an experimental group (N=35) and a control group (N=35). Both groups were pre- and post- tested on both the same reading comprehension skills test and the same attitude scale. The experimental group studied the reading comprehension passages of their text book (first semester) following concept mapping strategy, while the control group studied the reading texts following regular instructions with their assigned teacher. Results of the data analysis showed statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the control and experimental groups on both the student reading comprehension pre-posttest and the attitude scale in favor of the experimental group students' performance. This was ascribed to the effectiveness of the concept mapping strategy in developing the experimental group students' reading comprehension skills and improving their attitudes towards reading in English.