The Impact of Post-Reading Group Discussions in L۱ and L۲ on Farhangian University Students' L۲ Reading Comprehension

The argument on the use of first language in the second/foreign language classes has long been popular in research on second language acquisition. This study was an attempt to examine the effects of post-reading group discussions in first and second languages on Semnan Farhangian university students' L۲ reading comprehension. To do so, a group of ۱۸ undergraduate female students who had enrolled in an ESP course were selected conveniently. They were randomly divided into three groups of six people. They read three English texts and made individual writings. The control group answered in writing without discussion; the second group discussed the texts in Persian before writing, and the third group discussed the texts in English before composing the written works. The results revealed that group two had longer discussions and used more words per text, provided more details and insights into each of the texts, and provided greater evidence of knowledge and use of successful comprehension strategies in comparison with the other two groups, proposing that L۱ group discussion had a positive impact on the students' L۲ reading comprehension. This study has implications for L۲ reading instructors and EFL students.