Reading Comprehension Based on Neologisms in the Harry Potter Series

master's thesis

• Author: Katarina Marušić
• Mentor: Renata Šamo (mentor); MBZ: 247212
• Granter: University of Zagreb; Faculty of Teacher Education; (Chair of English Language Teacher Education); Zagreb
• Defense date and country: 2015-09, Croatia
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: HUMANISTIC SCIENCES; Philology; General Linguistics

Abstract

Budući da se neologizmi obično ne poučavaju na satu engleskoga kao stranoga jezika, posebno ne studentima kojima engleski nije glavni predmet na studiju, cilj istraživanja bio je utvrditi razinu pasivnoga i aktivnoga znanja studenata o odabranim neologizmima na engleskome jeziku, koji su korišteni u knjigama i filmovima o Harryju Potteru, i pomoću teksta temeljenoga na navedenim knjigama, provjeriti njihovu razinu čitanja s razumijevanjem. Rezultati su pokazali da je, općenito govoreći, izloženost sudionika engleskome jeziku, čitanju i seriji romana o Harryju Potteru iznenađujuće niska. Nadalje, ova je skupina studenata pokazala prilično slabo pasivno i aktivno znanje o izabranim neologizmima. Također, prosječni su rezultati na cloze zadatku (M=3,07) i zadatku sažimanja (M = 3,06) bili prilično loši, a utvrđeno je i da je niža samoprocjena bila dobar pokazatelj lošijih rezultata na cloze testu i zadatku sažimanja.

Abstract (english)

Since neologisms are not usually taught in English as a foreign language class, especially to university students who are not the English majors, this research aimed to determine the level of students’ passive and active knowledge of a number of selected neologisms in English, which were used in the Harry Potter book and film series, as well as to check students’ reading comprehension using a text based on the famous series. The results indicated that, generally speaking, the participants' exposure to English, reading, and the Harry Potter series was surprisingly low. Furthermore, this group of students showed a fairly poor passive and active knowledge of the tested neologisms. Also, the mean results on the cloze (M=3.07) and summarizing (M=3.06) task were quite low and it was found that lower self-assessment was a fairly good indicator of the lower results on the cloze test and the summarizing task.

• Keywords: neologizmi; čitanje s razumijevanjem; serija romana i filmova o Harryju Potteru.
• Keywords (english): čitanje s razumijevanjem; serija romana i filmova o Harryju Potteru
• Language: english
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:147:999686
• Study programme: Title: Integrated Undergraduate and Graduate University Programme of Study of Primary Teacher Education and Integrated Undergraduate and Graduate University Programme of Study for Primary Teacher Education with English and German Language; Study programme type: university; Study level: integrated undergraduate and graduate; Academic / professional title: magistar/magistra primarnog obrazovanja (magistar/magistra primarnog obrazovanja)
• Type of resource: Text
• File origin: Born digital
• Access conditions: Open access
• Created on: 2015-11-18 13:16:31