USING SHORT STORY TO IMPROVE

YOUR READING SKILL

Composed by:
Karez Baxtyar Ismail
Surdash Nawzad Jadir

Supervised by:
Mr.Bestun N. Khidhir

2023
Contents
Abstract.............................................................................................................................1
Introduction......................................................................................................................2
Research and Method......................................................................................................3
Results And Discussion....................................................................................................3
Discussion..........................................................................................................................4
Conclusion.........................................................................................................................5
Recommendations............................................................................................................6
Reference...........................................................................................................................7
An example of a research paper:....................................................................................8
 Abstract
Short tales have long been used as a technique to help readers develop their reading
abilities. The objective of this paper is to examine the advantages of utilizing short tales
for this purpose and to offer helpful advice on how to get the most out of this approach.

The benefits of using short tales, such as the chance to improve comprehension,
interpretation, and critical thinking abilities, are covered in the report's opening
paragraphs. Because they are often brief and have a defined framework, short tales are
perfect for learning literary characteristics like narrative, character development, and
theme. They can also aid readers in developing their vocabulary, grammar, and cultural
understanding.
The research suggests actively engaging with the material when reading short tales by
making notes, annotating, and thinking on the themes and ideas presented. Also, it
advises sharing short tales with others in order to obtain new thoughts and viewpoints.
The use of short tales to hone reading abilities is emphasized in this study as a whole.

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Introduction
One of the most crucial language abilities is the ability to comprehend what is being
read. It is defined as a language learner's capacity to comprehend written material in
order to identify the main idea and particular details. For students learning English as a
second language, the capacity to infer ideas from a text is crucial. According to
Anderson (2003), the most crucial tool for academic settings is reading ability. This is
due to the fact that reading requires a variety of skills. Readers interact with written
words and texts using a variety of techniques and skills for information and enjoyment.
Reading can be used by teachers to instruct students in writing, speaking, vocabulary,
grammar, spelling, and other language skills. In addition, reading aids children in
understanding the world.
develop their areas of interest and overcome their individual challenges. Because of the
ability to help students improve the four skills—listening, speaking, reading, and writing
—more successfully, short stories appear to be the most appropriate choice among
literary genres (Pardede, 2011). Numerous ESL specialists have acknowledged the
importance of short stories as a brief literary genre in enhancing reading comprehension
ability. They support the value of incorporating literature into language instruction.
Particularly in areas where English is taught and learned as a second language, this
usage of short stories has been extensively researched and advised. This is as a result of
the fact that learning and mastering a second language can be difficult for ESL students
for a number of different reasons.
The main cause is a lack of exposure to second languages. According to academics,
using short stories in ESL classes is one of the best ways for teachers to close the gap
that students experience due to their limited exposure to second languages.
The benefits of using short stories to educate and better kids are numerous.

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 Research and Method
In this study, we questioned students at Erbil Polytechnic University if they had
benefited from using short stories to increase their reading comprehension. and what
types of short tales people prefer, and these are the results of the survey.
Do you use short story to Yes %85 No %15
improve reading skill -----

Why are you using short Improve my focus Improve my memory Improve my
story to improve reading %50 %25 communication skill
skill? %25

What kind of short stories Novella. Lyrical Flash Fiction

will help you improve %35 %35 %30
your reading skill?
You believe that reading Agree completely. Mostly agree Mostly disagree
short stories can improve %65 %25 %10
your English skills
You believe that reading Agree completely. Mostly agree Mostly disagree
English short stories can %65 %25 %10
support your future career.
How many short stories One per month. Two per month Three per month
do you read per month? %60 %30 %10
How much have you I have benefited greatly I've gotten little use out of I haven't taken advantage
benefited from the short from it it of it
story for your reading %65 %35 %30
skill?
Do you know anyone who Yes No
has improved their %70 %30 -----
reading skill in this way?

Results And Discussion

These findings show that 60–70% of the respondents use short stories to increase their
reading proficiency. Since reading is crucial to life, we should work to get better at it.
Because it forces the reader to concentrate on and consider the story's words, it also
raises reading proficiency.
Why do people utilize short stories to improve their reading? Short stories, according to
50% of respondents, keep their attention while reading.
They typically employ and enjoy various kinds of stories.
In other words, we can argue that short stories often aid to increase reading proficiency.

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In addition, it was an entertainment to the readers to enjoy their reading and to learn the
culture as the advantages of short story.
Students in their second year were split into two groups, Group E and Group C, for a
study that was carried out at the University of Bengkulu in Indonesia. Instead of
academic lessons, one group used short stories, and the other employed academic
techniques. They discovered that in the group that used short stories, in addition to
reading level, students' level of knowledge and attention to culture and language has
improved more than ever. Students' scores had increased from 45.1 to 55.1, which is a
very good level for increasing reading skills.

Discussion
Reading short tales can enhance your general reading abilities in a variety of ways. We'll
look at some of the key advantages of utilizing short tales to develop your reading skills
in this part.
1. Expansion of vocabulary
Reading short tales can help you expand your vocabulary since authors frequently
utilize difficult words and phrases to communicate their ideas clearly and vividly.
Short tales, as opposed to novels, offer a concentrated dosage of language and
vocabulary, enabling you to pick up new words and expressions more quickly.

2. Enhancing comprehension:
The plots of short stories are frequently simpler, making them simpler to follow
and comprehend. Regularly reading short tales will help you increase your
comprehension abilities as you become more adept at recognizing and
deciphering literary strategies like symbolism, foreshadowing, and character
development.

3. Improving critical thinking abilities:

Readers of short tales must exercise critical thought as they examine the story's
themes and messages, which frequently allow space for interpretation. You may
improve your critical thinking abilities, which can be used in other aspects of life
like problem-solving and decision-making, by frequently reading short tales.

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 4. Exposure to various genres and forms:
From science fiction to historical fiction, horror to romance, short tales provide a
varied spectrum of genres and styles. Reading short tales may introduce you to
various writing philosophies and methods, which can improve your
comprehension of what makes a good story and how to write one yourself.

5. Time-effective:
Reading a novel can require a large time commitment, and occasionally readers
may get overwhelmed or lose interest. The ideal option is to read short tales since
they provide readers a full story arc in a shorter length of time, which makes it
simpler to stay interested and concentrated.

Conclusion
Reading has become a more difficult chore in today's society because our attention is
constantly being drawn in numerous directions. Many people have trouble
understanding what they are reading, which can hinder their capacity to learn and
achieve success in both academic and professional contexts. Yet, utilizing short stories
can be a successful tactic for enhancing reading abilities.
Readers have a fantastic chance to improve their comprehension and critical thinking
skills by reading short stories. A short story's concision enables readers to concentrate
on the complexities of the text and the writer's craft. Readers can hone their capacity to
recognize themes, evaluate characters, and draw connections between various texts as a
result.
Also, there is a special benefit to short stories for vocabulary growth. Writers are
frequently compelled to employ precise and vivid language because they have a
restricted amount of space at their disposal. Readers can increase their vocabulary and
improve their grasp of language by reading a range of short stories.

Finally, reading short tales is a great method to sharpen your reading comprehension,
increase vocabulary, cultivate critical thinking, and expose oneself to a variety of genres
and writing styles. You may enhance your reading skills in general and have fun
learning about different writers and stories by including short stories in your reading
habit.

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Recommendations
To achieve better in teaching reading, there are many techniques that can be used by the
reader. One of them is short story technique. The implementation of short story
technique is improving to be effective.
According to our survey and research on the use of short stories to improve reading
levels, they are also very useful for improving language levels.
Because reading is an important subject, especially for second languages, especially
English, we can say that it has the first place in use.
In this study, our goal was to find out to what extent students use short stories to
improve their reading skills and whether they benefit from them or not. Fortunately, the
results were as good as we expected.
I think it is good to add short stories to English lessons because they increase interest in
reading and are very useful. Students are tired of the long-term methods used in
universities to teach English, which has reduced their interest in reading and English
lessons, which is why students' reading levels have declined. In the Kurdistan Region,
university students cannot read English texts at an advanced level because schools and
universities do not pay attention to improving reading levels and do not try to create a
desire to read in students. We would like to add short stories to English subjects from
the beginning level to the university level so that students increase their interest in
reading and pay more attention to words when reading a text.
Helping pupils communicate successfully in the target language is the aim of teaching
English as a second language. Instructors should provide pupils with examples of how
language is utilized in the actual world. The short tale is extremely helpful in ESL
classes in achieving this aim since it integrates both literary and cultural components.
Short tales offer a meaningful setting in which to teach a variety of linguistic concepts
and help learners develop their interpretative skills. The benefits of introducing literary
works to ESL students in language schools are numerous and priceless. The benefits
could be connected to human values, motivation, culture, and language. Teaching ESL
student’s short tales may be motivating, engaging, and intriguing.
Short stories in particular might assist ESL students be more imaginative and receptive
to different cultures. As a result, teaching short tales to ESL students helps them to
improve their imagination, creativity, and sense of self.

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The use of short stories in the classroom to teach English has long been recommended
by specialists in the field to improve reading comprehension skills, according to many
researchers, as they offer language learners numerous linguistic, personal, social,
cultural, emotional, and cognitive advantages. The stories are said to be vocab-rich and
might aid ESL learners in overcoming their misgivings about comprehension in reading.

Reference
Anderson, N. J. (2003). Scrolling, clicking, and reading English: Online reading
strategies in a second/foreign language. The Reading Matrix, 3(3), 1-33.99
Paraded, P. (2011). Using short stories to teach language skills. Jet journal of English
Teaching, 1(1),15-27.
Amelia Eka Frimasary Syahrial University of Bengkulu Bengkulu, Indonesia
38371(2002)
Lucas, Judith Anne, developing reading skills through the short story, Teaching and
Learning, 1(1)20-28, Institute of Education (Singapore)
Muhammad Lukman Syafii, Using Online Short Stories to Improve the Reading
Comprehension Ability
YULIANA REG.NUM. 12.16.3.0121, English Study Program of Tarbiyah and Teacher
Training Faculty of The State Institute for Islamic Studies (Iain) Palopo, 2016

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An example of a research paper:
1-Do you use short stories to improve your reading skills?

-Yes.

-Sometime.

-No.

2- Why are you using short stories to improve your reading?

-Improve my focus.

-Improve my memory.

-Improve my communication skills.

3- What kind of short stories will help you improve your reading skill ?

- Novella.

-Vignette.

- Flash Fiction

4-You believe that reading English can improve your English skills.

-Agree completely.

-Mostly agree.

-Mostly disagree.

5-You believe that reading English can support your future career.

-Agree completely.

-Mostly agree.

-Mostly disagree.

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6-How many short stories do you read per month?

-One per month.

-Two per month.

-Three per month.

7-How much have you benefited from the short story for your reading skill?

-I have benefited greatly from it.

-I've gotten little use out of it.

-I haven't taken advantage of it.

8-Do you know anyone who has improved their reading skill in this way?

-Yes.

-No.

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