The Effect of Visual Mnemonic Support Practice on the Reading Comprehension of Psychology Texts

Abstract

Iranian psychology students often face difficulties in understanding psychology texts in English. This can have an adverse effect on their opportunities of academic success. To help them overcome those difficulties, the current study investigated the effect of visual mnemonic support practice on students' reading comprehension. The participants of the present study were 55 Iranian psychology seniors chosen out of 71 students based on their PET language proficiency test scores. They were divided into two homogenous groups of experimental and control. The experimental group benefited from visual mnemonic techniques, including pictures and visualization. Open-ended questioning was used as a measure of reading comprehension. Results of Independent Samples T-test revealed that the experimental group outperformed the control group. Pedagogical implications of visual mnemonic aids are also discussed.