Abstract:

This study examined the effects of text length and picture on reading comprehension. The sample consisted of 79 first grade female students from three high schools in Iran. The participants represented the same level of proficiency. The researcher utilized two texts in this study. In fact, one of these two texts was a shortened version of the original text. Using a between subject design, participants were divided into four groups. Each group read a reading comprehension text under one of four conditions: 1) long text with picture 2) long text without picture 3) short text with picture, and 4) short text without picture. The reading comprehension texts accompanied by 5 multiple-choice items and 10 true-false items. Although the participants performed better on the original text, the results of one-way ANOVA and a two-way ANOVA showed that length and picture had no significant effect on reading comprehension of Iranian high school students. These findings have pedagogical implication in the EFL and ESL fields.

Keywords:

Text Length, Picture, Dual Coding Theory, Reading Comprehension.