The Impact of Electronic Mind Maps on Students’ Reading Comprehension

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the impact of the electronic mind map (IMindMap) on the development of reading comprehension among the ninth grade students in Jordan. The sample of the study consisted of two ninth grade sections from two public schools in Irbid First Directorate during the academic 2016-2017. Each section consisted of (30) students and the two sections were assigned randomly to an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group was taught the chosen texts using the Electronic Mind Mapping strategy while the control group was taught the same texts using the traditional method. The study data were collected using a reading comprehension test that was administered for both groups as a pre and a posttest. The statistical analysis showed a significant difference at the level of (α=0.05) between the mean scores of both groups in favor of the experimental group. Besides, the findings showed that the effect of applying the electronic mind maps in teaching reading texts was medium. Based on the findings of the study, a number of recommendations were made for both teachers and the Ministry of Education. The most notable recommendation was to train teachers in general and English teachers in particular on how to design electronic mind maps and apply them in their teaching practices.