TY - JOUR ID - 150191 TI - Exploring the Perceptions of Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners about Reading Comprehension Ability JO - Journal of Foreign Language Teaching and Translation Studies JA - EFL LA - en SN - AU - Bijani, Houman AU - Sahrayi, Mina AU - Said Bani Orabah, Salim AD - Assistant Professor of TEFL, English Language Department, Islamic Azad University, Zanjan Branch, Zanjan, Iran AD - MA in TEFL, English Language Department, Islamic Azad University, Zanjan Branch, Zanjan, Iran AD - Assistant Professor of TESOL, English Department, University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Ibra, Oman Y1 - 2022 PY - 2022 VL - 7 IS - 2 SP - 33 EP - 58 KW - Background or Prior Knowledge KW - culture KW - Learners’ Perception KW - reading comprehension DO - 10.22034/efl.2022.336001.1153 N2 - Learners’ perception of culture on receptive skills more specifically on reading comprehension has been an area facing a big challenge contemporarily. The current research aimed to investigate the cultural perception of Iranian EFL learners on reading comprehension ability. To conduct the study, a mixed-methods design consisting of a questionnaire and interview study was used. Participants, 50 intermediate EFL learners (25 males, 25 females), were randomly selected using Oxford Placement Test. The participants were provided with two passages with different cultural contents (one containing Iranian culture and another containing culture of English spoken countries). Then participants were required to fill in a Likert-scale questionnaire which was distributed through Google form online platform. Also, an interview session was conducted to gather more detailed data. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded to find common themes. Analysis of interview and questionnaire data showed that learners hold similar cultural perceptions on reading comprehension ability by gender and social class has no significant impact on learners' perceptions. The results of the study specified that Iranian EFL learners held a positive attitude towards the integration of cultural materials into reading passages to better comprehend the target language. Moreover, it was seen that gender and social class did not impact significantly learners' cultural perceptions of English reading comprehension. The findings imply that ESL students with various reading levels or capabilities can learn from materials that are culturally diverse, specifically the ones at higher reading proficiency levels. UR - https://efl.shbu.ac.ir/article_150191.html L1 - https://efl.shbu.ac.ir/article_150191_a15bc19f9f0eec051075e0c1fbf500d8.pdf ER -