Power of inference: The impact of reading between the lines on reading comprehension in University of Namibia’s bridging course

Abstract

This study, grounded in the Schema Theory, highlighted the critical role of activating and expanding students’ background knowledge for deeper text comprehension. It employed a qualitative study that aimed to explore the challenges students faced in applying reading between the lines in reading comprehension among students enrolled in a bridging course at the University of Namibia’s Oshakati Campus. The study further sought to understand the perspectives on its relevance in enhancing text comprehension and explored strategies that could assist students in improving their reading between the lines skills. The study employed purposive sampling to select 15 participants from a population of 132 students.  Focus group interviews were used to collect data and a thematic analysis to analyse the data. The findings of the study revealed three key themes including challenges in applying reading between the lines strategies, perceived benefits of reading between the lines and strategies to enhance reading between the lines skills. The results indicated that students faced challenges in using reading between the lines because of limited prior exposure to topics under discussion and complex academic texts, and insufficient support from instructors. Despite these challenges, students acknowledged that reading between the lines enhanced comprehension and fostered critical thinking. The study recommended that educators incorporate more focused reading between the lines strategies, increased reading comprehension practices, peer collaboration and structured guidance to improve students’ inferential reading between the lines’ skills.