The effects of epistemic curiosity-based instruction in enhancing EFL students` reading and listening skills at a tertiary level

Abstract

Epistemic curiosity is seeking novel information in numerous fields incessantly. An increasing number of studies have been carried out to evaluate the role of epistemic curiosity-based instruction in enhancing students’ linguistic abilities at different stages of education. However, it was monitored that measuring the effects of epistemic curiosity-based instruction on reading and listening enhancement in Iraq context at a tertiary level was a gap in the literature which encouraged the researcher to initiate and finalize the study to fill this gap. In this regard, the present study was carried out to investigate the effects of epistemic curiosity-based instruction on students’ reading and listening competence within a span of 14 weeks. 60 freshman Foundation English course students who joined lessons actively at TISHK International University in Erbil, Iraq were chosen by simple random sampling method in 2022-2023 Academic Year. Control group students followed an orthodox training cycle, while the students in experimental group followed an epistemic curiosity driven instruction. Collected data by integrating quantitative and qualitative instruments revealed that epistemic curiosity-based instruction enhanced students’ reading and listening marks significantly. This study's implications can provide a basis for education stakeholders who are considering introducing an epistemic curiosity-based curriculum in educational institutions.