The Impact of the Conker Digital Chunking Platform on Arabic Reading Comprehension Among Eighth-Grade Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1607.06Keywords:
digital learning platforms, reading comprehension, digital chunking, Conker platformAbstract
This study explored the impact of digital chunking through the use of the Conker Platform on eighth-grade students’ Arabic reading comprehension. The study sample included 74 students who were divided into an experimental group that used the Conker platform for 10 weeks and a control group that studied through the traditional method. The results revealed that the experimental group achieved significant improvements in all levels of comprehension. Literal comprehension increased by more than 30 points, and inferential comprehension increased even more, which is important because it is harder than literal comprehension and requires direct training. The students in the experimental group used feedback 12 times a week, while the control group used it only 3 times. Critical understanding also improved significantly. The experimental group also completed more activities, which showed that the platform increased their participation and motivation, and their ratings for the platform, including ease of use and clarity of activities, were very high. The study demonstrates that well-designed digital platforms that employ effective teaching techniques like chunking have a significant influence and alter the content of the lesson. This indicates that digital education is necessary, especially if we want to raise the reading comprehension level and tackle the reading crisis that clearly appears from eighth grade and beyond. The study recommends integrating digital chunking strategies into teaching, not as a complete replacement for traditional methods, but as a powerful tool that makes comprehension easier, deeper, and more enjoyable.
References
Abejuela, J., Apundar, M., Berame, M. I., Barcoso, R., Gabisay, C., & Pasay, J. (2023). Chunking strategy to improve students' reading comprehension: An action research. International Journal of Scientific Management Studies, 6(1), 1–7. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.51386/25815946/ijsms-v6i1p107
Abu Omar, R. A., Alhasanat, H. A., Rababa’h, S. Y., Rahamneh, K. F., Kaddum, M., Al-Thunebat, S. A., & Rababah, M. A. (2025). Jordanian Arabic language teachers’ attitudes towards the use of differentiated instruction in teaching. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 16(2), 425–434. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1602.08
Abu-Elrob, R. (2019). Culturally specific patterns to close a medical consultation in Jordan: A conversation analysis case study. International Journal of Linguistics, 11(5), 265–285. Retrieved October 11, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.5296/ijl.v11i5.14874
Abu-Elrob, R., & Tawalbeh, A. (2022). The pivotal role of small talk in distance teaching during COVID-19 curfew period. Jordan Journal of Modern Languages and Literature, 14(1), 165–188. Retrieved October 11, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.47012/jjmll.14.1.7
Abusheirah, K., Tawalbeh, A., & Abu-Elrob, R. (2024). The degree of satisfaction of multicultural non-native speakers of Arabic with a training program: A case of faculty members. Pegem Journal of Education and Instruction, 14(3), 82–90. Retrieved October 17, 2025, from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1422235
Al Etoum, N. M., Khatatbeh, M. A., Al Ghneimin, O. A., Haddad, F. M., & Ali Rababah, M. (2025). A linguistic analysis of the term “the abandoned child”: A semantic and applied study. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(11), 980–990. Retrieved October 17, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i11.10952
Alajlouni, A. M. S. A., Al Ghneimin, O. A. E., Alsharayri, N. N., Shatnawi, Z. S., & Rababah, M. A. (2025). The role of language in juristic preference (Tarjīḥ) through the interpretation of Anwar Al-Tanzil and Asrar Al-Ta’wil. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(7), 1085–1095. Retrieved October 17, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i7.9385
Alazzam, A. A., Al-Shokran, A. A., Suleiman, B. M., Rababah, M. A., Al-Hawamdeh, B. M., Al-Marazik, I. A., Tanjour, I., & Al-Habis, F. A. (2024). The relationship between psychological distress and mindfulness among exceptional students in the main stage of schooling. Education and Science, 26(4), 148–168. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.17853/1994-5639-2024-4-148-168
Alazzam, A. A., Al-Shokran, A. A., Suleiman, B. M., Rababah, M. A., Al-Hawamdeh, B. M., Al-Marazik, I. A., Tanjour, I., & Al-Habis, F. A. (2024). The relationship between psychological distress and mindfulness among exceptional students in the main stage of schooling. Education Sciences, 26(4), 148–168. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.17853/1994-5639-2024-4-148-168
Al-Bdour, N. T., Rababah, M. A., Abu-Snoubar, T. K., Al-Rababah, H. A., Alorani, O. I., Miqdadi, Z. M., & Wolor, C. W. (2025). The impact of multiple intelligences strategy on enhancing reading comprehension skills among students with learning difficulties. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(9), 1142–1156. Retrieved October 30, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i9.10306
Alghazo, K. M., Qbeita, A. A. A., Rababah, M. A., & Malkawi, N. A. (2023). English language teachers’ employment of successful intelligence skills. International Journal of English Language and Literature Studies, 12(2), 184–194. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.55493/5019.v12i2.4839
Alharbi, W. (2023). The use and abuse of artificial intelligence-enabled machine translation in the EFL classroom: An exploratory study. Journal of Education and e-Learning Research, 10(4), 689–701. Retrieved October 30, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.20448/jeelr.v10i4.5057
Al-Jaghoub, S., Al-Qora’n, L. F., Al-Odat, A. M., & Alheet, A. F. (2025). Educators’ perceptions on artificial intelligence in higher education: Insights from Jordanian higher education. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 15(4). Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/390822178
Al-Manasreh, M. O. (2025). Multilingualism in the light of neuroscientific and brain-based studies. Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan Journal for Human and Social Studies, 6(2), 183–198. Retrieved October 30, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.15849/ZJJHSS.250730.09
Almsbhieen, M. M., Aljazi, S. F. F., Alhasanat, H. A. A., & Rababah, M. A. (2023). The effect of active learning strategies on developing oral reading skills in low-achieving native-speaker Arabic students. International Journal of English Language and Literature Studies, 12(4), 384–400. Retrieved October 30, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.55493/5019.v12i4.4923
Alorani, O. I., Al Shebli, M. Y., Rababah, L. M., Rababah, M. A. I., Al-Bdour, N. T., Atiyat, M. A. M., Al-Ja’afreh, S. A.-H., & Miqdadi, Z. M. (2026). Mindfulness-based intervention and its effect on working memory in gifted students with special learning needs in language education. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 16(1), 142–153. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1601.16
Alorani, O. I., Erkir, S., Rababa’h, S. Y., Bani-Khair, B. M., Alkhaldi, A. A., Rababah, M. A., Al-Hawamdeh, B. M., Al-Awamrah, A. F., & Al-Habies, F. A. (2025). English language teachers’ perspectives on technological applications used for students with disabilities. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 16(1), 168–179. Retrieved October 3, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1601.18
Alorani, O. I., Erkir, S., Rababa'h, S. Y., Bani-Khair, B. M., Alkhaldi, A. A., Rababah, M. A., Al-Hawamdeh, B. M., Al-Awamrah, A. F., & Al-Habies, F. A. (2025). English language teachers’ perspectives on technological applications used for students with disabilities. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 16(1), 168–179. Retrieved October 3, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1601.18
Alorani, O. I., Rababah, S. Y., Al-Maraziq, I., Miqdadi, Z. M., Al-Habies, F., & Rababah, M. A. (2025). Social media addiction and its relationship with feelings of alienation and cognitive distortions among youth in Jordan. Education Sciences, 27(6), 126–148. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.17853/1994-5639-2025-6-126-148
Al-Rawashdeh, B. A., Issa, A. H. B., & Rababah, M. A. (2024). Substitution in Arabic: Lisan Al-Arab dictionary as a model. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 14(1), 116–124. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1401.13
Amer, M. I., Rababah, L. M., & Rababah, M. A. (2025). Exploring ChatGPT as a tool for thesis writing: Perspectives of EFL supervisors in Jordanian universities. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 16(1), 33–42. Retrieved October 3, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1601.04
Arslan, S. (2025). English-as-a-foreign-language university instructors' perceptions of integrating artificial intelligence: A Turkish perspective. System, 131, 103680. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2025.103680
Chater, N., McCauley, S. M., & Christiansen, M. H. (2016). Language as skill: Intertwining comprehension and production. Journal of Memory and Language, 89, 244–254. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2015.11.004
Chen, T., Peng, L., Jing, B., Wu, C., Yang, J., & Cong, G. (2020). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on user experience with online education platforms in China. Sustainability, 12(18), 7329. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187329
Christiansen, M. H., & Chater, N. (2016). Creating language: Integrating evolution, acquisition, and processing. MIT Press.
Clark, E. V. (2018). First language acquisition (4th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Cowan, N. (2001). The magical number 4 in short-term memory: A reconsideration of mental storage capacity. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 24(1), 87–114. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X01003922
El-Ebiary, Y. A. B., Mjlae, S. A., Ahmad, H., Rababa'h, S. Y., Rababah, M. A., & Arabiat, O. G. (2024). IR4.0 and Internet of Things: Future directions towards enhanced connectivity, automation, and sustainable innovation. TELKOMNIKA, 22(6), 1469–1477. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.12928/telkomnika.v22i6.25487
Farrell, O. (2022). Learning design in the time of COVID-19: The digital learning design unit story. Open Praxis, 14(2), 162–171. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/informit.776821536696273
Faza, A., & Lestari, I. A. (2025). Self-regulated learning in the digital age: A systematic review of strategies, technologies, benefits, and challenges. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 26(2), 23–58. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v26i2.8119
Florea, A. M., & Radu, S. (2019). Artificial intelligence and education. In 2019 22nd International Conference on Control Systems and Computer Science (CSCS) (pp. 381–382). IEEE. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/8745248/
Golshani, N., Zahedi, K., & Derakhshan, A. (2020). The role of chunking in second language reading comprehension: A psycholinguistic perspective. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 49(2), 287–305. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.1007/s10936-019-09691-8
Guo, X., & Ellis, N. C. (2021). Perception–production interaction in L2 multiword expression learning: The role of chunking. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 43(5), 1010–1029. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263120000646
Hsieh, M. Y. (2020). The investigation of multimodal reading comprehension progress based on eye-movement data for experienced and inexperienced EFL high school learners in Taiwan [Doctoral dissertation, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University]. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://search.proquest.com/openview/a6aceb457f77c2cc7bcdb8017292c814/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=2026
Kosaka, T. (2024). The effects of chunk reading strategy training on the word chunking skills of L1-Japanese English learners. System, 126, 103495. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2024.103495
Lin, C. J., & Hwang, G. J. (2025). Artificial intelligence-supported procedural scaffolding for promoting EFL learners’ writing performance in flipped peer assessment activities. Interactive Learning Environments, 1–15. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2025.2532629
McCutchen, D., Logan, B., & Biangardi‐Orpe, U. (2009). Making meaning: Children's sensitivity to morphological information during word reading. Reading Research Quarterly, 44(4), 360–376. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.1598/RRQ.44.4.4
Miller, G. (2003). Human memory and the storage of information. IRE Transactions on Information Theory, 2(3), 129–137. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/1056815/
Miller, G. A. (1956). The magical number seven, plus or minus two: Some limits on our capacity for processing information. Psychological Review, 63(2), 81–97. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.1037/h0043158
Mintz, J., Holmes, W., Liu, L., & Perez-Ortiz, M. (2023). Artificial intelligence and K-12 education: Possibilities, pedagogies and risks. Computers in the Schools, 40(4), 325–333. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.1080/07380569.2023.2279870
Morra, S., Patella, P., & Muscella, L. (2024). Modelling working memory capacity: Is the magical number four, seven, or does it depend on what you are counting. Journal of Cognition, 7(1), 60. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.5334/joc.387
Nishida, H. (2013). The influence of chunking on reading comprehension: Investigating the acquisition of chunking skill. Journal of Asia TEFL, 10(4). Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/289208481
Qassrawi, R. M. (2025). Meta-analysis of using AI-based feedback systems in developing college students’ academic writing skills. In H. M. K. Al Naimiy, M. Bettayeb, F. Al Gharaibeh, H. M. Elmehdi, & I. A. Shehadi (Eds.), Sustainability, AI and innovation (pp. 385–401). Springer. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-2532-1_20
Rababah, L. M, Rababah, M. A, Haddad, M. T, Bani-Khair, B., Rababah, K. A., Wolor, C. W, Al-Thunebat, S. A, & Kaddum, M. (2024). A linguistic and cultural analysis of British football club nicknames. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 6(6), 1164–1174. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v6i6.7495
Suharno, S., Musthafa, B., & Purnawarman, P. (2025). Exploring perceptions and experiences: Integrating AI in English language teaching from the perspectives of learners and educators. Jurnal Pendidikan Progresif, 15(1), 499–515. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.23960/jpp.v15i1.pp499-515
Tanaka, N. (2014). Acceleration of chunked reading: Perspective from differences of EFL reading proficiency. ARELE: Annual Review of English Language Education in Japan, 25, 207–222. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.20581/arele.25.0_207
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=RxjjUefze_oC&oi=fnd&p
Zimmerman, B. J. (2002). Becoming a self-regulated learner: An overview. Theory Into Practice, 41(2), 64–70. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip4102_2
Zuboff, S. (2019). The age of surveillance capitalism: The fight for a human future at the new frontier of power. PublicAffairs. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://www.publicaffairsbooks.com/titles/shoshana-zuboff/the-age-of-surveillance-capitalism/9781610395694/