A Study of the Impact of Teaching Reading Skills on Reading Strategies among Medical Library and Information Science (LIS) Students of Esfehan University of Medical Science

Learning and teaching strategies are sources of great importance that provide practical guidelines for improving teaching quality and students’ educational success. The present research aims to study the impact of teaching reading and learning skill courses on reading and learning strategies among the medical LISc students of Esfehan Uuniversity of Medical Science. The present research is a quasi-empirical study conducted on two groups using a pretest and a post test. The research population included 50 medical LISc students of Esfehan University of Medical Science in the year 2010. The course was presented as a workshop. Short-lecture teaching methods, group work, group discussion, question and answer methods and seminars were used to present the course. Individual and demographic information questionnaires as well as reading and learning strategies were the tools of data collection. In order to compare the quantitative data and to compare the scores before the workshop and after the workshop and to compare the qualitative data, a T-test and a paired T-test and a Chi-Square test were respectively used in SPSS. The average scores achieved from 10 scopes of reading and learning strategy questionnaires in the first test in both groups did not show any significant difference. After participation in the teaching course, as compared with before participation, the student's scores in 5 scopes of main idea selection (p=0.0002), reading guide (p=0.000), information processing (P=0.0002), self-evaluating (P=0.005) and use of test strategy (P=0.000) significantly increased.Originality/Value: With due attention to the point that intellectual skills and mental strategies can be taught and learned, the above mentioned course can be used to improve student's reading and learning strategies.