Effects of Culturally and Contextually Familiar Texts on Paraphrasing Skills of ESL Students

Abstract

This study examined the influence of cultural and contextual settings of passages on ESL students’ paraphrasing skills using a sample of forty-one students enrolled in a university diploma programme. The results showed that students paraphrase better with passages that contained main points that were easy to identify. The culture and context of the passages played an important, but secondary role of stimulating students’ interest. It was also found that there were changes in students’ perceptions of themselves as learners after they had learned the paraphrasing skills. They were more confident about using their paraphrasing skills especially with passages that contained subject matter that was easy to understand and interesting.