Estimating EFL Learners Reading Ability through Level-Specific CEFR- and DIALANG-Based Self-Assessment

The objectives of this study were (a) to determine a reading level based on Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for the male and female undergraduate students of Engineering and (b) to compare the self-reporting of their readingcomprehension on the CEFR and DIALANG reading self-assessment statements with the level specified by their teachersbased on their performance on the reading tasks. This research was conducted with 162 Iranian male and female learners(male=78, female=84) at the BSc level at the Iran University of Science and Technology. In this research, DIALANG andCEFR reading self-assessment grids and four reading comprehension tasks at four levels (i.e., A2, B1, B2, and C1) wereadministered to the participants. The results of the study revealed that about 33.3% of the female students were placed at C1, while 30.8% of the male students were placed at B2. However, approximately a considerable number of participants (about 40%) in both groups were considered Below B1 . The results also showed that both male and female learners rated theirreading ability lower on the CEFR and DIALANG grids as they assessed themselves mostly at B1 on both these grids. Thehighest matches (28.6%) were related to the female students ratings on the DIALANG grid, while the highest mismatch(51.3%) was the underestimation of the male students on the DIALANG grid. Language teachers are recommended to use CEFR can do statements for assessing and teaching reading skill in order to promote their students‟ awareness of their level of reading comprehension

کلیدواژه ها:

CEFR ، DIALANG ، Reading task ، Task complexity ، Self-assessment ، Self-assessment of reading