REVIEWING THE K-W-L STRATEGY FOR TEACHING READING COMPREHENSION IN EFL CLASSROOMS: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW
Keywords:
K-W-L strategy, reading comprehension, EFL classrooms, systematic literature reviewAbstract
The K-W-L (Know–Want to Know–Learned) strategy has been widely implemented to support reading comprehension in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms. However, empirical findings regarding its effectiveness remain varied, and its practical limitations are often underexplored. This study aims to systematically review recent empirical research on the use of the K-W-L strategy in teaching reading comprehension, with particular attention to its strengths and limitations. Adopting a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) design, six article published between 2020 and 2025 were selected from Google Scholar based on predefined inclusion criteria. The findings reveal three major strengths of the K-W-L strategy: activating students’ prior knowledge, enhancing motivation and reading focus, and encouraging comprehension and reflective learning. Nevertheless, the review also identifies notable limitations, including students’ limited vocabulary and attention span, heavy dependence on teacher guidance and topic familiarity, and reduced engagement when the strategy is applied repetitively without variation. Overall, the findings suggest that the K-W-L strategy is effective in improving reading comprehension in EFL contexts when supported by appropriate scaffolding, vocabulary enrichment, and varied instructional activities. This review provides pedagogical implications for English teachers and directions for future research on reading strategy instruction.
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