Mind, Motivation, and Meaning: A Multifactor Analysis of Reading Comprehension in EFL Contexts

Qonita Izzatul Laily(1*), Oktavia Dwi Putri Larasati(2)


(1) Universitas Muhammadiyah Semarang
(2) Universitas Muhammadiyah Semarang
(*) Corresponding Author

Abstract


This study investigates the students’ multifactor on reading comprehension among EFL students at Universitas Muhammadiyah Semarang. Using a descriptive quantitative design, this study surveyed 15 purposively sampled fourth-semester students in the English Education Program through a 20-item Likert-scale questionnaire. The results demonstrate that all four factors significantly influence students’ reading comprehension. Learning style emerged as the most dominant factor, followed by background knowledge, motivation, and brain dominance. Students indicated that visual aids, note-taking, and topic familiarity improved their text comprehension, while motivation sustained their engagement and effort. Ultimately, these findings highlight that reading proficiency relies on a dynamic interplay of cognitive and affective elements. Therefore, this study encourages educators to design flexible, learner-centered instruction that accommodates individual preferences, activates prior knowledge, and fosters motivation to support deeper comprehension in EFL contexts.


Keywords


reading comprehension, learning styles, background knowledge, motivation, brain dominance

Full Text:

PDF

References


Afshari, Z. Y., & Gilakjani, A. P. (2023). Investigating the impact of learning styles on reading comprehension skills and self-efficacy perceptions: Evidence from Iranian intermediate EFL learners. Yousefi Afshari & Pourhossein Gilakjani International Journal of Research in English Education, 8(4), 61. https://doi.org/https://ijreeonline.com/browse.php?a_id=874&slc_lang=en&sid=1&printcase=1&hbnr=1&hmb=1

Ahmadi, M., & Ismail, H. (2012). Reciprocal teaching strategy as an important factor of improving reading comprehension. Journal of Studies in Education, 2. https://doi.org/10.5296/jse.v2i4.2584

Almanea, M. (2021). Brain hemisphericity and Saudi students’ EFL reading comprehension. Arab World English Journal, 12(2), 436–456. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol12no2.30

Azmi, A. H. (2023). Teaching reading steps: A case of prospective teacher in designing teaching reading activities. RiELT Journal, 9(1), 51–58.

Elleman, A. M., & Oslund, E. L. (2019). Reading comprehension research: Implications for practice and policy. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 6(1), 3–11. https://doi.org/10.1177/2372732218816339

Huettig, F., & Pickering, M. J. (2019). Literacy advantages beyond reading: Prediction of spoken language. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 23(6), 464–475. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2019.03.008

Kheang, T. (2026). Reading motivation to promote students’ reading comprehension: a case study of undergraduate students at the national university of Cheasim Kamchaymear. The Cambodian Journals of Educational and Social Sciences (CJESS). https://doi.org/10.51483/IJLC.4.1.2024.1-8

Lastari, S. , Ifadah, M. , &, & Wijayatiningsih, T. D. (2022). Boosting students’ reading achievement through kahoot! and choral reading strategy. English Focus, 5(2), 138–148. https://doi.org/10.24905/efj.v5i2.120

Lee, J. won, & Kim, Y. S. G. (2025). Cross-linguistic relations of morphological awareness between Korean and English to language and reading skills for Korean adolescents. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 249. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106118

Li, H., Gan, Z., Leung, S. O., & An, Z. (2022). The impact of reading strategy instruction on reading comprehension, strategy use, motivation, and self-efficacy in Chinese University EFL students. SAGE Open, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221086659

Marks, R. A., Eggleston, R., & Kovelman, I. (2024). Brain bases of morphological awareness and longitudinal word reading outcomes. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2023.105802

Paige, D., Rupley, W. H., & Ziglari, L. (2024). Critical thinking in reading comprehension: Fine tuning the simple view of reading. Education Sciences, 14(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14030225

Par, L. (2020). The relationship between reading strategies and reading achievement of the EFL students. International Journal of Instruction, 13(2), 223–238. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2020.13216a

Protacio, M. S. (2012). Reading motivation: A focus on English learners. The Reading Teacher, 66(1), 69–77. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/TRTR.01092

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2020). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation from a self-determination theory perspective: Definitions, theory, practices, and future directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 61(3), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101860

Smith, R., Snow, P., Serry, T., & Hammond, L. (2021). The role of background knowledge in reading comprehension: A critical review. Reading Psychology, 42(3), 214–240. https://doi.org/10.1080/02702711.2021.1888348

Suhendri, S., & Kurniawan, F. (2022). Improving students’ motivation and reading ability in learning narrative text using problem-based learning. Jurnal Penelitian Tindakan Pendidikan. https://doi.org/10.23917/jptp.v1i1.978

Suwarto, S., & Hidayah, A. (2023). Analysis of the brain dominance and language learning strategy used by University EFL learners. Journal of General Education and Humanities, 2(1), 79–90. https://doi.org/10.58421/gehu.v2i1.64

Taylor, L., & Clarke, P. (2021). We read, we write: Reconsidering reading–writing relationships in primary school children. Literacy, 55(1), 14–24. https://doi.org/10.1111/lit.12235

Wang, P., & Gao, Y. (2022). Text interpretation in foreign language reading-to-write. Advances in Literary Study, 10(02), 197–207. https://doi.org/10.4236/als.2022.102016

Wijayatiningsih, T., & Lestariningsih, E. (2024). Students‘ voice on teaching reading using android based application. Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Education,. https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.28-9-2019.2291060


Article Metrics

Abstract view : 0 times
PDF - 0 times

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2026 English Language and Literature International Conference (ELLiC) Proceedings

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Electronic ISSN: 2579-7263
CD-ROM ISSN: 2579-7549

Published by

FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
UNIVERSITAS MUHAMMADIYAH SEMARANG
Jl. Kedungmundu Raya No.18 Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia
Phone: +622476740295, email: ellic@unimus.ac.id