NASHIN SAYARA (IUBAT)

IMPLEMENTATION OF BIONIC READING TO EFFECTIVELY ENHANCE READING SKILLS OF TERTIARY FRESHMEN STUDENTS IN BANGLADESH : DIGITAL LITERACIES/LANGUAGE LEARNING AND TECHNOLOGY

This research endeavors to assess the effectiveness of bionic reading on reading skill which includes speed, accuracy and comprehension abilities of the freshmen enrolled in tertiary education in Bangladesh, particularly during their interaction with academic materials. The research, which lasted for a month, was carried out in two phases; one involving the application of bionic reading and the other without it, involving a cohort of 35 students. Bionic reading was implemented with a combination of reading strategies such as skimming, scanning, speed reading, summarizing, visualizing and comprehending. The data of the study was assembled by timing the reading sessions of both bionic and non-bionic texts in each phase. Furthermore, one-on-one interviews were conducted at the end of the reading sessions to evaluate the students' overall comprehension levels. After the month-long analysis, students were provided with a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire which surveyed their thoughts on the efficacy of bionic reading. Although the students demonstrated a slow reading pace when they came across non-bionic words in texts, they exhibited a notable enhancement in both speed and accuracy when they engaged in bionic reading. Despite the improved WPM (Word Per Minute) during bionic texts, students’ comprehension did not show significant progress compared to non-bionic texts. This outcome suggested that utilizing bionic method could significantly improve the reading speed and accuracy of the first semester students in higher education.

Nashin Sayara is currently teaching at IUBAT as a lecturer. She has completed both her Bachelors in English and Masters in Applied Linguistics and ELT from University of Dhaka. She is enthusiastic about classroom interaction and continuously looks for ways to make the class more active and lively.