How does the presentation of texts influence our motivation for reading in EFL?

Abstract

Throughout the career, there were texts and papers suggested by teachers that were really hard to read, either for the difficulty of it or the way they were presented. For some of them, the letter size was too small and they were too long, which made reading those papers a really exhausting task. Another factor affecting motivation towards reading the materials was the fact that many of the readings were in a foreign language and the vocabulary and style of the texts were really hard to understand. On the other hand, there were those texts that took advantage of visual elements in order to make the reading process a lot easier. This situation caught our attention, and, as a matter of fact, we found out that visual elements such as drawings and photos included in a textbook facilitate learning(Tomlinson, 2003). An example of visual elements in reading is picture books that tell stories in both words and pictures. Interacting with the printed word, the technical elements of illustration – color, line, shape, and composition – work to establish and enhance the story. (Tiemensma, L. (2009).

By doing further research we also found out that reading motivation is important for learners and it increases learners' reading comprehension(Grabe and Stoller, 2002). This is essential to our research since this affects students' performance, reading texts that are friendlier by having visual elements can improve comprehension, leading to better performance and to a more effective learning process. Images help the comprehension of what is being read, and therefore