Possibilities and Challenges of a Critical Approach to Reading Instruction with Korean University Students

This study explores how critical reading strategy instruction helps Korean university students become better English readers. Forty freshmen at a university in Busan and thirty-five sophomores at a university in Seoul were instructed by the researchers on how to read English texts critically. The students were asked to read the selected English texts in reciprocal teaching manner and the teachers helped them figure out the meaning of the text. The students were, then, encouraged to express their thoughts and to share their opinions in groups with the critical questions provided by the teachers and initiated their own reading practices with authentic texts. Artifacts for class discussion, student-initiated material, surveys, and interview data were collected and analyzed. Data analysis revealed that most of the students felt it was easier to comprehend the main ideas of the texts that they had read by participating in discussion. They also further developed their reading strategies including reading with purpose and monitoring what they read. They became more active English readers by resisting the text, having multiple perspectives on the text that they read, and analyzing textual features critically. At the same time, however, they felt afraid of being resistant to authority and burdened to read text critically if they did not understand the texts well. They also wanted more specified guidance. Pedagogical implications are suggested.