Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of verbal/linguistic intelligence-oriented
instruction on first-year English as a Foreign Language Learners’ (EFL learners’) reading
comprehension and motivation. The research setting was Jimma College of Teacher Education,
which was purposefully selected. The target population of the study consisted of 64 learners, and
all participants were included in the study through a census sampling technique. The entire
population was normally molded into two sections, with 32 learners grouped as Section One and
the remaining 32 learners grouped as Section Two. The researcher designated Section One as
the experimental group and Section Two as the control group, using the lottery method to give
both groups an equal chance. Furthermore, this study employed a quasi-experimental design
through a concurrent mixed-methods approach. Data were gathered both quantitatively and
qualitatively. The quantitative data were obtained from learners’ reading comprehension pre
tests, post-tests, and questionnaires measuring motivation, while the qualitative data were
collected through semi-structured interviews with learners from the experimental group
regarding the effects of verbal/linguistic intelligence-oriented instruction. The results of the
study indicated significant effects of verbal/linguistic intelligence-oriented instruction on
learners’ reading comprehension, as evidenced by the mean values of the control and
experimental groups after the intervention. The p-value (0.000) was less than the typical
significance level of 0.05, indicating statistical significance. Similarly, there was a significant
effect of verbal/linguistic intelligence-oriented instruction on learners’ motivation, with the p
value for the experimental group also being 0.000, which indicated that the mean score was
statistically significant (p < 0.05). Additionally, there was a significant relationship between
verbal/linguistic intelligence-oriented instruction and both reading comprehension and
motivation to read, as shown by the mean values of the experimental group after the
intervention. Basically, verbal/linguistic intelligence-oriented instruction has a positive
relationship with learners' reading comprehension skills and motivation.
