Acquiring reading comprehension is a very challenging task especially among English as a second   language  readers as it does  not only depend  on the  information in the printed text but also on  the activation of information or schemata in the reader’s mind. Schema theory   proposes   that   a    reader’s   background   knowledge   impacts   memory,   reading comprehension,  interpretation   and  reading  rate.  The  purpose  of  this  research  was  to investigate the impact of cultural  based texts on reading comprehension in a multi-racial setting. An exploratory case study research  design was used in this research. The retelling technique  in  written  form  and  an  interview   was  used  as  instruments  in  this  research  to find  out  respondents’  comprehension  of  the   culturally  familiar  and  unfamiliar  texts.  In addition, a comprehension test was administered  to gather data. The re.....

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Background and Purpose: This research aims to investigate the effects of Malay, Chinese and Indian cultural based text types on reading comprehension. Methodology: An exploratory case study research design was employed to explore the use of cultural schemata in reading comprehension of three types of cultural text format: narrative, descriptive and info graphic. The purposive sampling method was used to select participants based on their ethnicities, English proficiency level, and their scores in prior knowledge assessment and retelling assessment. A total of 15 students, between 11- 12 years old, were selected. The retelling technique in written form, a comprehension test and an interview protocol were used as instruments to gather data in this research and they were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Findings: The overall findings have shown that the comprehension test scores showed better performance in info graphic texts. However, the retelling assessment scores showed.....

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