Abstract
This paper reports the results of a preliminary investigation whose primary objective was to explore the effects of using the technological strategies WebQuest and MiniQuest on the reading comprehension in students of English as a foreign language at the Technical University of Ambato. WebQuest and MiniQuest exposes students to a number of online resources for creating a final learning outcome through the development of critical thinking and autonomous work (Dodge, 1995). This is a quasi-experimental study since pre-established groups were chosen; one worked with WebQuest and the other one with MiniQuest. The WebQuest group (GWQ) and the MiniQuest group (GMQ) worked with these methodologies simultaneously. The students’ reading comprehension performance was measured by applying a post-test to determine significant differences between the use of WebQuest and MiniQuest. There were not significant differences between GWQ and GMQ in their reading comprehension performance. However, these strategies contributed to improve the students’ reading performance in relation to pre-test scores. The results of this quasi-experimental investigation indicate that the use of WebQuest and MiniQuest has similar effects on the reading comprehension. For this reason, when choosing any of these technological strategies time is should be considered. MiniQuest is characterized by requiring less time; therefore, it maximizes use of time and creates the same desired effect with students. This preliminary investigation would suggest the use of MiniQuest, instead of WebQuest, and it is recommended to extend the sample and the study time to obtain more definitive conclusions.