An Exploratory Study of Culturally Familiar or Unfamiliar Texts Contributing to Reading Comprehension in EFL Context

The current study examines the impact of culturally relevant background knowledge on second-year Saudi EFL learners' reading comprehension. The purpose of this study is to contribute to a better understanding of culturally diverse texts and to enhance the teaching-learning process by utilizing the background knowledge of local learners. This qualitative study employed a think-aloud retrospective interview methodology to help readers express their in-depth thoughts, interpret, and reflect on familiar and unfamiliar cultural passages. Thematic analysis was used to classify think-aloud retrospective interview protocol on two passages, which were audio-recorded, transcribed, and coded for specified categories. The qualitative data were analyzed to examine if there was a link between EFL respondents' cultural background knowledge and the passages. A total of five English-major undergraduate respondents from Majmaah University took part in retrospective think-aloud interview protocols. The findings of this study revealed that EFL undergraduate respondents' cultural background knowledge had a favorable impact on a culturally relevant topic. The findings of this study revealed that culturally relevant topics differed significantly from culturally irrelevant topics.