Discourse Analysis Techniques: A Critical Tool for Reading Comprehension
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Abstract
This study explores the integration of Discourse Analysis (DA) into English reading instruction in higher education to enhance reading comprehension skills among students. Recognizing the limited effectiveness of traditional teaching methods, which primarily focus on grammatical structure and vocabulary memorization, this research advocates for a pedagogical shift towards teaching strategies that incorporate DA for deeper textual engagement and interpretation. DA enables students to move beyond the surface textual features towards critical engagement with the text, fostering higher-order cognitive skills like analysis and synthesis. The research uses a qualitative paradigm that employs Critical Discourse Analysis to investigate the relationship between the text and the reader in an educational context. The study has shown that DA enables students to interpret complex academic texts, thus making their academic work easier and preparing them for professional challenges. This is also said to enhance academic performance, which the study also recorded as a dramatic improvement in the critical and analytical skills required of students to handle the complexities of global communication. The findings of this study direct toward the fact that DA must be integrated by the curriculum designers and educators within the teaching practices to adhere to the contemporary needs of education. This would help the students to develop cognitively and with the required skills to handle the texts in academic and professional life. The integration of CDA with English reading instruction emphasizes a change approach toward transformation in language education, which is dynamic and interactive beyond the traditional paradigm.