Exploring Factors Affecting EFL University Students’ Reading Comprehension

• Published in: Zanco Journal of Humanity Sciences Vol. 29; no. 2
• Main Authors: Reka Husamaddin Yasin, Ameera Mohammed Abdullah
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Arabic; English
• Published: Salahaddin University-Erbil 15.04.2025
• Subjects: Reading comprehension, learning strategies, difficulty
• ISSN: 2412-396X
• DOI: 10.21271/zjhs.29.2.16

Reading is one of the essential skills to learn a new language. In the process of learning a new language, most students are facing difficulties in reading. Major difficulties encountered among students are the lack of students’ motivation in reading comprehension, the lack of using reading strategies, and the lack of deep knowledge in cultural background and linguistics. Therefore, this study intends to investigate the factors that limit student’s ability to improve their reading comprehension skills. It also attempts to find solutions and identify some significant strategies to overcome the difficulties. Reading comprehension is one of the required skills for university students that is essential to be improved through different learning strategies. To conduct the research, the quantitative research approach was applied, and samples were taken from college students enrolled at the College of Basic Education, English department. The result of the study suggests that using different strategies by the EFL students assist them to comprehend reading easily. The study recommends students to spend more time to be familiar with the factors that affect their reading comprehension, and instructors should be aware of their students’ weakness in reading, and design and update their module description according to the student’s learning ability.