Knowledge schemata of EFL learners and its influence on reading comprehension skills

Abstract

This research synthesis aimed to analyze the effects of knowledge schemata (linguistic and content) on the reading comprehension skills of EFL learners. For this purpose, twenty-five empirical studies, written in English were selected in order to collect reliable data. This study has to do with the following topics: effects of activating schema (advantages and disadvantages or challenges) and elements of schemata (techniques and teachers ́ role). The results from the analysis indicate that the use of schema theory in an EFL classroom has a positive impact on improving reading comprehension skills. Furthermore, some challenges of using schema theory were identified. Moreover, in this study recommendations and pedagogical implications are presented.