







































American International Journal of Education and Linguistics Research 

Vol. 4, No. 1; 2021 

ISSN 2641-7987   E-ISSN 2641-7995 

Published by American Center of Science and Education, USA 

 

1 

 

 

EFFECTS OF STORY READING ON IMPROVING EFL 

STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION AND CRITICAL 

THINKING 

 
Javed Sahibzada 

Senior Teaching Assistant 

Dean of Education Faculty, Head of Conflict Resolution and head of International Committees in 

Nuristan Higher Education Institute Nuristan / Afghanistan former lecturer at English Language 

and Literature Department and Head of Research Center, Education faculty, Kandahar 

University, Kandahar, Afghanistan 

E-mail: sahibzada.javed@gmail.com 

 

Yar Mohammad Bahrami Ahmadzai 

Associate Professor 

English Language and Literature Department, Kabul University, Kabul, Afghanistan 

E-mail: yarm.bahrami@gmail.com  

 

Atiqullah Sahibzada 

Junior Teaching Assistant 

Lecturer and Head 

 English Language and Literature Department, Kandahar University, Afghanistan 

E-mail: sahibzada.javed@gmail.com 

 

Azad Khan Niaz 

Junior Teaching Assistant 

Lecturer 

English Language and Literature Department, Kabul University, Kabul, Afghanistan 

E-mail: azadkhan.niaz@gmail.com  

 

Susan Hussein Laftah 

Assistance Lecturer 

Department of English Language and Literature 

Department Dhi Qar Education Directorate Thi-Qar, Iraq 

E-mail: samesoul.jan@gmail.com 

    

ABSTRACT 

The purpose of this study is to find out the effects of story Reading on improving Reading 

comprehension and critical thinking of EFL students at Kandahar University. The design of the 

study was quasi-experimental with reading comprehension and critical thinking pre and Post-tests. 

Total 27 Afghan EFL students were selected based on their performance on Placement test.  The 

participants’ experimental groups listened to their teacher reading a story aloud. In order to find 

the improvement and different between these variables is significant the Paired Sample T-Test was 

administrated and the result indicates that there is significant improvement in post-tests in areas of 

mailto:sahibzada.javed@gmail.com
mailto:yarm.bahrami@gmail.com
mailto:sahibzada.javed@gmail.com
mailto:azadkhan.niaz@gmail.com
mailto:samesoul.jan@gmail.com


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reading comprehension and critical thinking in story Reading. However, there is more 

improvement in critical thinking aspect through story reading. 

 

Keywords: Critical Thinking, EFL Reading Comprehension, Story Reading. 

 

INTRODUCTION 

In real life we were used to listen to other people talking to us or reading for us. Stories have 

always been attractive and interesting tools for getting our attention. As children, we ought to 

listen to our parents while telling the stories such as fables, parables or fairy tales to motivate us 

for the positive doing and stop us from negative deeds. These stories have played key role in the 

personality development and their impact cannot be simply ignored. The constructive form of 

parents’ criticism in the form of these stories, have always brought the aptitude and attitudinal 

change into our childhood lives. The moralistic and entertaining impact into our adulthood 

cannot be simply ignored.  Attempting to take advantage of the undeniable fun and enjoyment in 

stories, teachers try to include stories in different classroom activities.   

Al-Mansour and Al-Shorman (2011) have found that listening to stories, read aloud 

helped the students developed sound listening habits and at the same time paved the way to 

promote comprehension through consistent exposure to the interesting and meaningful content of 

the stories. He found that reading story aloud has positive impact on language skills.  

 

Definition of Terms 

Story reading: The oral presentation of a story by an individual to a person or group from the 

text of a picture book is story reading. In this case the pictures printed on the pages of the book 

are made visible to the students at least periodically during the story reading, movements, sound 

effects, or the use of props may sometimes accompany with reading (Gallets, 2005). 

Critical thinking is defined as the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully 

applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, 

observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action 

(Saadati, Tarmizi & Bayat, 2010). 

Reading Comprehension: Meaning does not arrive because we have highlighted text or used 

sticky note or answered the comprehension worksheet. Meaning arrives because we are 

purposefully engaged in thinking while we read (Tovani, 2000). 

Statement of Problem 

Most of EFL students to whom English is foreign language have difficulty in reading. They have 

problem in reading comprehension the way they draw meaning from the printed and non-printed 

sources. According to Sahibzada, Ahmadzai, Niaz and Laftah (2020), EFL students in Afghan 

context have problems in reading comprehension. They have also state that there of students  

have reading rate below then 150 words for minutes though reading rate with 250 WPM is 

considered to be speaking rate for a native speaker. As reading associated with writing and 

vocabulary building and they have insufficient vocabulary to write and speak fluently. Although 

they are taking reading courses during their four years of careers. But when it comes to practical 

use to apply reading skills they still have limited skills of thinking critically. Sahibzada, Saeedi 

and Hussaini (2018) found out 83% of the teachers are not happy about their students’ language 

skills improvement. They have found that students had problems in language skills while 

entering EFL classes and after they have been taught for years, they still had problem in their 



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four language skills. However, they have more problems in their reading and listening comparing 

to speaking and writing. The problem in reading comprehension has not been seen in Afghan 

context only, but it can also be found around the world regarding learners’ reading difficulty and 

reading comprehension obstacles. According to Haycock and Huang (2001) half of all white 

seventeen year olds students, and about less than one-quarter of Latin seventeen years and less 

than one-fifth of African-American seventeen years old students can read at the level assessed by 

National assessment of educational progress. 

There is need for implementing effective strategies that create interest of students with 

reading. Those which have been drop out or have been limited to an early age of learning 

according to some EFL teachers. Story reading and storytelling for EFL teachers or reading 

aloud are only habits confined to the early stages, but they are in fact vital tools used to improve 

literacy and improve language skills. Fredricks (2012) has found that the EFL students have lack 

of motivation for literary studies and literature courses. Because they are not exposed to story 

reading. The findings of this research suggest that though students are willing to read stories but 

the curriculum doesn’t have room for it. It includes courses of introduction to literature but not 

practical use of literature and it consequently lead students being demotivated in reading 

comprehension and having negative perception toward reading and literature courses. They take 

them as difficult courses they have in their BA level.  The study further founds that EFL learners 

are interested in reading comprehension skills to be developed with the use of short-stories in the 

classroom. Since they have experienced and are enjoying various linguistic, personal and 

emotional benefits from short-stories. It also significantly contributed in their learning and 

mastering of English as a foreign language. 

 

Objectives of the Study 

This study had aim to investigate the effectiveness of story reading on improving reading 

comprehension and critical thinking on adult EFL learners. However, if there is difference 

existed in the effect of story reading on reading comprehension and critical thinking such 

difference is significant or insignificant was another main objective of this research.  

 

Research Question 

▪ What is the effect of Story Reading on reading comprehension of EFL students? 

▪ What is the effect of Story Reading on improving critical thinking of EFL students? 

▪ Is there any significant difference in story reading in regards of improving critical 

thinking and reading comprehension among EFL students?  

 

Importance of the Study 

As the reading is done for comprehension and improving critical thinking skills, but they are 

developed through stories and exposing to story reading. There is need to investigate effects of 

story reading on adult EFL learners wither it improve their critical thinking and reading 

comprehension or not. For they are key to success in any major and they are especially vital for 

language learners. It is teachers’ responsibility to use interesting methods and techniques for the 

students for actively engaging and enabling them to achieve program outcomes. That has been 

set out by respected faculty of their departments. Among other role that teachers are playing, 

they have the role of materials providers. They would not be successful teachers by using the 

same method in every context or every course. Literature, in the form of short-stories, makes 

learning English an enjoyable and attractive process for EFL learners. Since stories helps to 



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arouse students’ interest toward target culture and language. Incorporating short-stories in EFL 

classrooms also open the passage to the EFL learners’ involvement with rich, authentic uses of 

the foreign language Collie and Slater 1987 (as cited in A l-Dersi, 2013).One of the main 

responsibilities of a facilitator is to create a stress-free environment where students are 

enthusiastic for active engagement in the learning process and internalize it through 

constructivism. Teachers should adopt the new teaching methodologies and adopt the new 

findings around the world which change the lives of students. As the teacher is responsible to 

illuminate the darkness in every household and make learners capable of doing their best.  Using 

traditional methods and concepts cannot grantee the accomplishment of desired outcomes or to 

walk in clear defined world of achievements.  

Hence either we will extinct from the world by implementation of traditional 

methodologies or we will be remained unskilled labor force for the developed countries. In order 

to improve the quality of higher education, it is necessary to change classic methodology of 

teaching in the classroom into modern teaching approaches.  

Currently it has a vital place in EFL classes and used as an excellent innovative tool for 

providing teachers and learners with resources for language learning. Around the world, people 

choose storytelling and story Reading as their major and it’s used as an importance component of 

curriculum design. It also plays a major role in field of education. Although it is famous around 

the world, but unlike the general awareness on the importance of reading books, the importance 

of story reading is not almost emphasized in Afghan culture. Yet, the stories make a great 

contribution to teaching techniques. Stories have been used as an effective tool for developing 

competence in language learning both in acquiring native language and learning foreign 

languages.  

The reason adults read to children for the hope that reading exciting stories to children 

might help them in turning children in getting excited in learning in order to read books for 

themselves. However, storybook reading has been proved to be effective for the children in many 

ways (Gallets, 2005).The study will provide teachers with effective teaching methods based on 

students’ needs, interests, levels and desires. It is positive effects will pave a way to the 

curriculum designers and instructors to include it into the curriculum and specially the language 

instructors for enhancing the language ability. The current study will pave the way for adding 

using it as an important tool of learning for improvement of critical thinking and reading 

compression which are not only helpful for reading but also for all language skills. 

 

LITERATURE REVIEW 

The story reading as an important tool for the development of students’ language ability is 

widely accepted in the field of education and much of the study has been conducted in the effects 

of it on children and adult learning. The researchers have attempted in section of literature 

review to summarize the conducted studies on the effect of story reading on learning of students 

in various geographical locations, scholars’ different view regarding story reading and researches 

that investigate the effects of story reading on learning and literacy development.     

 

Impacts of Story Reading 

Morrow, O’Connorand Smith (1990) have investigated the effects of a storybook reading 

program as means for literacy development with at-risk students. Their study has found that the 

experimental group where story reading was presented performed better than the control in both 

free and probed recall comprehension. Their findings also indicated that comprehension of 



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narrative and sense of story structure are enhanced when children are actively involved in story 

reading processes. They have suggested that reading stories are an act of construction, and 

children must be actively involved in the process. They further suggested that story reading 

strategies that actively involved children in story retelling should consist and teachers should 

attempt to include readings of favorite stories, and book experiences should be shared.  

 Furthermore, researchers have suggested the impacts of story reading in various areas of 

EFL.  Stories are highly motivating and can help develop positive attitudes towards the foreign 

language and language learning.  They can create a desire to continue learning, raise the 

imagination, link fantasy and the imagination with the child‘s real world (Ellis & Brewster, 

2014). P1).  In addition to that, Ceylan (2016) have studied impact of using short stories in 

reading skills class and find out that studying short stories extends students’ perspectives and 

provide the new experiences which they never have them previously. He further suggests that 

they provide them with a better understanding for different behavior. They also develop empathy 

and better understanding of the people in different situations and behaviors. 

In addition to that, Khalili and Rezvani (2015) have investigated the effects of reading 

online and paper-based (conventional) short stories on reading comprehension of intermediate 

Iranian EFL learners.  Their results indicated that online reading technique can have a 

significantly positive effect on EFL learners’ reading comprehension scores. Their study further 

found that students in the online group performed significantly better than those in the print-

based group.  Also Karabacak and Erdem (2015) conducted an experimental research on   the 

effects of activities which have been adapted from English story books on English course. They 

have found success of students in English courses in reading comprehension. They have further 

suggested that story books and activities contribute to the foreign language education by 

increasing foreign language success of the students.   In addition to that, Saka’s 2014 (as citied in 

Ceylan, 2016) reading stories is effective method in teaching EFL classes which consequently 

improve reading skills he further asserted that reading short story increased their wish to read 

more and appreciation for literature. Rivera (2016) has found story reading the tools to enhance 

reading comprehension. She suggests that English learning and category of Storytelling and story 

reading help most of the students to write their own productions. Sanaeifar (2018) investigated 

the effect of word exposure frequency through story reading and storytelling on learning 

collocations. He has found that the word exposure frequency through story reading and 

storytelling have statistically significant effect on collocation learning and also the story reading 

group performed better than the Story Telling group in learning collocations. 

Thus the story reading has been studied and tested its various effects and much of the 

studies are conducted on children. The literature above is generally summarized the comparative 

study done on story reading, its effects on students learning and developing aptitude. There was 

need for study on the effects of Reading on adult intermediate EFL learners mainly for 

investigating critical thinking and comprehension effects.   

 

METHODOLOGY 

Participants: A total number of 27 intermediate junior Afghan EFL undergraduate students 

from the English departments of Languages and literature faculty and Education Faculty of 

Kandahar University have taken part in this study. They shared the same first language Pashtu 

and Dari and were selected through performance in placement test. Among them, only two were 

female. The 10 of them were Dari language speaker and 17 were Pashtu speaker.  

 



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Research Design and Materials: The study was a quasi-experimental research with one 

experimental group. A placement test for selecting samples from the population was an objective 

test contains 23 questions measuring reading comprehension and critical thinking aspects was 

developed from reading book by Mikulecky & Jeffries (2003).The second instrument was used 

for pre and Post-tests to test reading comprehension and critical thinking skills. It had two parts 

and contained 38 multiple choice questions, 19 for critical thinking and 20 for reading 

comprehension. The first part aim to test critical thinking skills through 19 multiple choice 

questions among which 9were by Watson (1980) for making inference from the given text and 

10 were for critical thinking to select best ending taken from Free Practice Critical Thinking Test 

(n.d). The second part was to test reading comprehension skills which contained passages 

followed with comprehensions multiple choice questions taken from Test Prep Review (2019). 

The Reliability of instruments was tested before use through test-retest method of reliability and 

scores result showed stability over time used. The part of validity was checked for content and 

construct validity of all questions required for testing critical thinking and reading 

comprehension dimensions. Besides these instruments, a story collection, A World of Fiction by 

Marcus (2005) was used to present stories in group of storytelling and story reading 

 

Procedures: In the first phase of the study, the volunteer junior students of both English 

departments including Pre-service, In-service and Night-shift took part in a placement test inside 

university campus. Then the qualified subjects who got higher marks have been shifted to 

experimental group that contains 30students.  they took the Post-testin stress free environment 

and attend 10 week sessions of treatment in which they were listened to stories read and had 

accessed to the stories in printed form. For the ethical dimension and to reduce possible 

confounding variables that may affect the study outcome, participants were assured about their 

identity to be kept confidential. To avoid possible anxiety, the participants were given the choice 

of withdrawing their participation at any time and during ten-week session some of the students 

withdraw their participations and some did not attend Post-tests and 27 remained took parts in 

Post-test. After ten-week treatment 90 minutes for week they answered the questions of the Post-

test in equal time provided. 

 

Data Analyzing Procedure: Both pre and post test score were administrated in Microsoft Excel, 

SPSS 24 version and Graph pad prism. The result was analyzed for showing percentage, mean 

and standard deviation. Paired Sample T-test was used to show the significant improvement and 

differences and the result for all of them presented through tables and graphs.    

 

FINDINGS 

As mentioned before, the experiential study was conducted to find out the effects of story 

reading on improving critical thinking and reading comprehension. The findings presented based 

on each research questions and for the question “What is the effect of Story Reading on reading 

comprehension and critical thinking of EFL students?” The data was collected in order to find 

the effect of story reading on improving critical thinking and reading comprehension.  

Table 1. Story Reading Pre-and Post-Result 

Number 

 

Name F/Name Critical 

thinking 

Reading 

Comprehension 

pre post Pre post test 



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test  test  test 

1 Hamidullah M. Azam 25 35 21 37 

2 Mubariz Ali Ahmad 35 50 32 42 

3 Ajab Noor Shah zada gul 55 55 21 11 

4 M.Ehson M.zahir 55 65 16 32 

5 Qudratullah  M.Nazeer 45 50 37 42 

6 Javed Ahmad Jalaludin 25 50 11 21 

7 M. Muqeem Dust Mohammad 30 30 5 21 

8 M. Hashim M.Qasim 30 35 16 37 

9 Zubir Ahmad Wazir Ahmad 40 55 11 32 

10 Naweed M.Rasoo 30 45 32 47 

11 Fazludin Hesamudin 20 50 16 21 

12 Safeullah Abdullah 25 45 32 32 

13 Qudratullah  Niamatullah 30 45 21 32 

14 Abdul Kabir Abdul Satar 30 50 26 42 

15 Ahmad Zia Asmatullah 20 35 32 37 

16 Abdul Wali Abdul Baqi 45 45 26 11 

17 Habibullah Fazul Mohammad 10 35 21 37 

18 M.Arif Noor Ahmad 50 55 11 37 

19 Nazir Ahmad Said ahmad 25 35 16 21 

20 M. Dawood Mir dil 30 40 16 21 

21 M.Osmaan abdul Ahad 45 55 16 58 

22 Habibrahmnan Abdul Rahman 30 50 16 26 

23 Naqeebullah Obidullah 50 55 5 16 

24 Ahmad Abdul Ahad 55 60 11 21 

25 Jamil Ahmad Toor Yali 40 55 16 68 

26 Hedatullah  Khuday dost 25 30 26 37 

27 Abdul Wajid Abdul Ahad 35 35 21.1 16 

 

Result in table 1 above shows the participants of story reading, their pre and post test 

results of reading comprehension and critical thinking. It should be worth to mentioned that the 

section of their identity have been intentionally hidden for ethical consideration that have been 

promised before data collection and experiment.  The group of story reading contains 27 students 

who attended 10 weeks’ course designed to find out wither story reading have help them in 

improving critical thinking and reading comprehension.  The pre and post test result indicate that 

majority the participants’ in story reading test scores have increased in critical thinking and 

reading comprehension but only few students’ marks have either decreased or did not improve. 

For instance, student 3 who got 21% marks in comprehension Post-testbut his Post-test decrease 

into11% also in section of critical thinking he got 55% marks in pre-test and remains 

unimproved in Post-test. Although student 7 in reading comprehension score has increased from 

5% marks into 21%marks yet his critical thinking scores 30% in pre-test has remain the same in 

post-test. Also students 12 pre-test in reading comprehension section got 32% marks and his 

post-test seem no changes although his critical thinking section improved from 25% into45%. 

Beside that student 16 who got 45% marks in critical thinking but nothing has changed in post-

test. However, his score in comprehension pre-test decreased into 11% from 26%.In addition to 



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that student 27 who got 35% marks in pre-test of critical thinking section has remained 35% and 

his post-test in reading comprehension decreased into 16% from 21% in pre-test. 

 

Figure 1. Comparative Result for Pre and Post Test of Critical Thinking Aspect 

Figure 1 above indicates the pre and post test result of critical thinking section. Red color 

represents pre-test and the yellow color represents Post-test. Post-test result shows there is 

improvement in student’s marks. However, the improvement is varied from students to students 

that can be inferred some students’ critical thinking skills improved much while there are also 

some students whose’ marks are little improved. Among 27 students in story reading course only 

four students’ pre and Post-test marks remain the same.  

 

Figure 2. Reading Comprehension Pre and Post Test Result of Story 



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Figure 2 indicates pre and post test result of reading comprehension section. The result 

indicates that majority of the students scored higher in Post-test than they had in pretest. Among 

27 students in story reading course, three students’ pre-test scores are less than the Post-test only; 

one student’s Post-testand post test result remains the same and the rest of students’ Post-test 

scores are higher in the Post-test. 

 

Figure 3. Means Score of Pre and Post Test of Reading Comprehension and Critical Thinking 

 

Figure 3 above represents the mean score of pre and post test result. Students mean scores 

in pre-test of critical thinking section is 33 mean score and it increased into 46 mean score in 

post-test. However, in reading comprehension section their pre-test means scores is 19 mean 

score which is increased into 32 mean score in Post-test. The result indicates there is more 

improvement in students’ marks in critical thinking section than reading comprehension section 

through story reading.  

 

 

Figure 4. The Compression of Post Test Result for Reading Comprehension and Critical 

Thinking  



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Figure 4. above indicates post test result compression of critical thinking and reading 

comprehension. Red line shows reading comprehension post test result and yellow indicates post 

test result of critical thinking. Students’ get higher marks in Post-test in critical thinking section 

than reading comprehension through story reading.  

 
 

Figure 5. Mean Compression of Post Test of Reading Comprehension and Critical Thinking 

through Story Reading  

Figure 5 above shows mean compression of Post-test of reading comprehension and 

critical thinking in story reading group. Pink color shows post test result of critical thinking in 

which students in story reading course scored with mean of 46 mean score purple color shows 

post test result of reading comprehension in which students scored with mean of 32 mean score 

which is lower than mean score of critical thinking section. 

Table 2. Mean and Standard Deviation of Story Reading for Pre and Post-test Result of Critical 

Thinking and Reading Comprehension 

 

 Critical 

thinking pre-

test 

Critical 

thinking post 

test 

Comprehensi

on pretest 

Comprehension Post-

test 

N Valid 27 27 27 27 

Missing 0 0 0 0 

Mean 35.7407 46.1111 19.5037 31.5815 

Std. Deviation 12.45791 9.64099 8.48811 13.68301 



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Table 2 above indicates mean and standard deviation of story reading course pre and post 

result of critical thinking and reading comprehension. M represent the mean score while SD 

shows standard deviation. Result indicates students in story reading course in pre-test of critical 

section got the mean score 35.7with SD of 12.5and they got in their post-test M score 46.1 

however, their pre-test in reading comprehension section M score 19.5 with SD 8.5 and the post-

test increased into M 31.7 with SD 13.7. 

Means and S.D

S. R
. C

. T
. P

RT

S. R
. C

.T
. P

O
T

S.R
. R

Com
 P

RT

S.R
.R

. c
om

 P
O

T

0

20

40

60

Pre and post test

S
co

re

 

Figure 6. Mean and Standard Deviation of Pre- and Post-Test Result of Story Reading Course for 

Its Critical Thinking and Reading Comprehension Section 

Figure 6 above represents the mean and standard deviation of pre- and post-test result of 

story reading course for its critical thinking and reading comprehension section. The 

abbreviation S.R stands for Story Reading, C. T for Critical Thinking, PRT for Pre-test POT for 

Post Test, RCom and R.com stand for Reading comprehension. The color green on the lift 

indicates mean and standard deviation of pre-test result of critical thinking section in story 

reading course while green in the right represent post-test result of result of reading 

comprehension. On the other hand, light gray color on lift represent M and SD of pre-test result 

of reading comprehension section in story reading course while dark gray color on the right 

represent M and SD of reading comprehension post-test result.    



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Table 3. Paired T-Test of Reading Comprehension Mean Comparison of Pre and Post Test 

Result 

Paired Samples Statistics 

 Mean N Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean 

Pair 

1 

Reading 

Comprehension Pre-

test 

19.504 27 8.488 1.633 

Reading 

Comprehension 

Post-test 

31.581 27 13.683 2.633 

 

Paired Samples Correlations 

 N Correlation Sig. 

Pair 

1 

Reading 

Comprehension Post-

test & Reading 

Comprehension Post-

test 

27 .292 .139 

 

 

Table 3 above indicates paired T-Test of mean comparison of story reading course for 

Reading Comprehension. Students in pre-test got the mean score 19.5 and they got in Post-test 

31.6 and the mean difference between pre and Post-test is 12.0 with significant value of.000, so 

the H0 null is accepted there is significance improvement in reading comprehension in story 

reading course.  

Table 4. Paired T-Test of Critical Thinking Mean Comparison of Pre and Post Test Result 

Paired Samples Statistics 

 Mean N Std. 

Deviation 

Std. Error Mean 

Paired Samples Test 

 Paired Differences t df Sig. (2-

tailed) Mean Std. 

Devi

ation 

Std. 

Error 

Mean 

95% 

Confidence 

Interval of the 

Difference 

Lower Upper 

Pair 1 Reading 

Comprehens

ion Post-

test– 

Reading 

Comprehens

ion Post-test 

-12.078 13.8

33 

2.662 -

17.550 

-6.605 -4.537 26 .000 



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Pair 

1 

Critical Thinking 

Pre-test 

35.741 27 12.458 2.397 

Critical Thinking 

Post test 

46.1 27 9.6 1.85541 

 

Paired Samples Correlations 

 N Correlation Sig. 

Pair 1 Critical Thinking Pre-test & 

Critical Thinking Post test 

27 .689 .000 

 

 

Table 4 above indicates Paired T-Test of critical thinking mean comparison of pre and 

Post-test result in story reading course. Result indicates student in Post-testof critical in story 

reading group got the mean score 35.8 which have been increased into 46.1 mean score in Post-

test. The different between pre and Post-test improvement is -10.4 and the significant value is 

.000 thus there is significant improvement between pre and post in critical thinking aspect in 

story reading course. 

 

Table 5. Paired T-Test Mean Compression of Post-tests of Critical Thinking and Reading 

Comprehension  

Paired Samples Statistics 

 

 Mean N Std. 

Deviation 

Std. Error Mean 

Pair 

1 

Critical Thinking 

Post-test 

46.11

11 

27 9.64099 1.85541 

Reading 

Comprehension 

Post-test 

31.58

15 

27 13.68301 2.63330 

Paired Samples Statistics 

 Mean N Std. 

Deviation 

Std. Error Mean 

Pair 1 Critical Thinking 

Storytelling Post-

test 

40.37

04 

27 18.39345 3.53982 

Reading 

Comprehension 

Storytelling Post-

test 

33.52

44 

27 13.85573 2.66654 

Paired Samples Correlations 

 N Correlation Sig. 



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Table 5 above indicates Paired T-Test mean compression of Post-tests of critical thinking 

and reading comprehension in story reading group. Student in story reading course got 46.1 

mean score in critical thinking Post-test while they got 31.6 mean score in reading 

comprehension Post-test. There is 14.5 mean difference between these two and the P-value 

indicate .000 significant difference in Post-tests in term of reading comprehension and critical 

thinking in story reading course.   

 

DISCUSSION 

Result of the current study shows that there is improvement in reading comprehension and 

critical thinking of the students in story reading group. However, the result indicates in Post-

testof story reading course in the area of critical thinking students’ marks improved from 36 

mean score into 46 mean score.  On the other hand, there is improvement in reading 

comprehension section in story reading group from mean score 20 into 32. 

This study is also aligned with Rivera (2016) who found out that story reading as the 

tools to enhance reading comprehension. Though there is improvement in the areas of critical 

thinking and reading comprehension, there is over all mean improvement of 13 from Post-testin 

critical thinking section story reading group.  On the other hand, students in reading 

comprehension of story reading group have improved 12.7. Result of descriptive means shows 

improvement is higher in critical thinking aspect through story reading then reading 

comprehension through story reading.  

Thus the result further needed to be tested through Paired Sample-Test for mean 

comparison in order to find out the existed difference and improvement is significant or not. It 

was find out there is P Value 000 which shows significant improvements in reading 

comprehension pre and post test result through story reading and critical thinking respectively.   

Paired Samples T-Test was used to find out within the group difference in term of 

reading comprehension and critical thinking Post-test comparison and the result indicated that 

Pair 1 Critical Thinking 

Post-test & Reading 

Comprehension 

Post-test 

27 .108 .592 

Paired Samples Test 

 Paired Differences t df Sig. (2-tailed) 

Mean Std. 

Devi

ation 

Std. 

Error 

Mea

n 

95% Confidence 

Interval of the 

Difference 

 

Lower Upper 

Pair 

1 

Critical 

Thinking 

Post-test 

& Reading 

Comprehe

nsion 

Post-test 

14.52

963 

15.86

529 

3.05

328 

8.2535

3 

20.80

573 

4.7

59 

26 .000 



www.acseusa.org/journal/index.php/aijelr          American International Journal of Education and Linguistics Research            Vol. 4, No. 1; 2021 

 

15 

 

there was P value .000 indicated significant difference between critical thinking and reading 

comprehension through story reading.  

 

CONCLUSION 

Story reading is the important tools for literacy development and its impacts on language 

development should not be simply ignored. Story reading empowers comprehension and critical 

thinking skills which are highly required and EFL students should master. The elements of 

stories (inferences, suspense, exploring themes, genera, symbols thinking and literary terms) lead 

learners to think for the meaning and comprehension. Thus, thinking for these elements increase 

critical thinking. It’s through critical thinking one can improve language and presentation skills. 

Thinking clearly and systematically can advance the way we express our ideas.  It helps us in 

learning how to scrutinize the rational structure of texts and through critical thinking one can 

develop his/her comprehension aptitudes.  

A critical thinker has the self-awareness of logic to recognize the difference between 

rational views and careful expression.  Yet, an emotional response is on personal bias. Emotion 

is the enemy of reason. By understanding own point of view, one can also think about the 

perspective of others and come to a conclusion based on reality not emotional feelings.  

The findings of this study show that there is significant improvement in areas of critical 

thinking and reading comprehension through story reading. However, the students’ achievements 

vary in terms of critical thinking and reading comprehension in story reading. That is, 

improvement is higher in critical thinking aspect in the story reading group which is 13% 

improvement in mean score from pre to post. Story reading should be considered as tools for 

literacy development in EFL classes which are plying significant role in language skills 

development in various areas. As its impacts in reading comprehension and critical thinking has 

been investigated in this study their impacts on vocabulary building, listening comprehension, 

writing improvement and other areas has been documented in the literature review of the study.   

 

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Commons Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). 

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