Background: In South African primary schools, reading is central to curriculum delivery, with a structured three-step process: pre-reading, while-reading and post-reading. Many learners struggle with reading comprehension, which affects their academic performance. Research emphasises the importance of pre-reading for activating prior knowledge,…

Task-based language teaching (TBLT) is widely recognized as an effective approach for developing second language (L2) learners' English skills. However, its success often depends on the teacher's ability to design engaging tasks and dynamic learning platforms that foster active participation. While previous studies highlight the importance of…

Although several studies underline the importance of a successful opening of a school lesson to spur students' interest and facilitate learning, we have limited knowledge about how openings are enacted in classrooms. This study contributes to the sparse research by asking: "What characterizes the openings of 58 reading lessons in Norwegian…

There is a relationship between children's ability to formulate theories of mind (i.e., metacognitive hypotheses) about persons or characters in a text and their comprehension of the text. Nevertheless, few studies examine how young children engage their ontological background knowledge to formulate their theories-of-mind. Set in a public library…

Background: Reading is valued as a critical aspect of literacy, but there is a concern about the regression in reading comprehension that remains a global issue. Consequently, most countries around the world are worried about learners' poor reading skills. Objectives: The study investigated the reading comprehension challenges of Grade 8 English…