THE ROLE OF CHECKING RETELLING IN TEACHING ENGLISH

Abstract

Retelling is a very important strategy especially in the English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom. This study investigates the effectiveness of retelling as a reading strategy for university students of ESL. Three A2 level, two B1 level and three B2 level students participated in the study. They were divided into two groups (Group A and B) according to their English language competence and other factors. Their retelling outcomes including oral, and written during 2 months period were collected and analyzed. During the study, students were being taught stories and asked to retell the stories orally and/or in writing through creative activities. The results show an improvement in the story structure, length of the retelling, reading comprehension, and confidence. Major improvement in vocabulary growth was found. Self-evaluations and observation indicate that the participants enjoyed story readings, their attitude toward reading became more positive, and they gained self-confidence. The results suggest that retelling could be a potentially useful reading strategy for ESL learners when creative activities are used.