A think‐aloud study of strategy use by EFL college readers reading Chinese and English texts

This study used a think‐aloud approach to compare reading strategy use in the first language (L1) and non‐native language (L2) among 36 English as a foreign language (EFL) college students at different reading levels. The participants took an English proficiency test and participated in two individual sessions in which a reading test and a think‐aloud task were administered separately in Chinese and English. Cross‐language transfer theory and the linguistic threshold hypothesis were used to conceptualise the similarities and differences in L1 and L2 reading strategies. This study found more frequent and diverse strategy use in English than in Chinese. Similar patterns of meta‐cognitive strategy use were evident in both languages. The applications of certain meta‐cognitive and support strategies served as indicators that differentiated more‐proficient from less‐proficient readers. The present study extended previous questionnaire studies and suggested that English reading instruction should be informed by this line of research to provide instruction on effective reading strategy use for EFL learners.     

Exploring the relationship between reading strategy use and multiple intelligences among successful L2 readers

Over the years, the multiple intelligences theory (MIT) proposed by Howard Gardner has renewed interest in learners’ use of effective learning strategies and produced interesting results. This MIT-oriented study investigated the role of successful L2 readers’ multiple intelligences in their effective use of reading strategies. To this end, a TOEFL reading comprehension test was administered to a cohort of 135 English as a foreign language students at several universities in the southwest and centre of Iran, and 80 students were identified as successful L2 readers based on the ETS rating scale and their TOEFL scores. Then, they answered an MI questionnaire originally developed by Armstrong and a reading strategies inventory adapted by Singhal. The data were quantitatively analysed using correlations and multiple regressions. The results revealed that linguistic, logical–mathematical and intrapersonal intelligences were the good L2 readers’ most dominant intelligences, while bodily intelligence was the least common type. In addition, they mostly employed metacognitive and cognitive strategies but rarely drew upon affective and compensation strategies while reading. Further, there was a significant positive relationship between linguistic, logical–mathematical, spatial, interpersonal, and intrapersonal intelligences and the use of metacognitive and cognitive reading strategies. Similar relationships were also found between linguistic intelligence and the participants’ use of memory strategy, on one hand, and between interpersonal intelligence and compensation and social strategy use, on the other. Importantly, linguistic and intrapersonal intelligences as well as metacognitive and cognitive strategy use were shown to be the best predictors of reading comprehension. Finally, the theoretical or pedagogical implications of the findings are discussed.     

The relationship between strategic reading instruction,student learning of L2‐based reading strategies and L2 reading achievement

This study investigates the relationship between strategic reading instruction, the process of learning second language‐based reading strategies and English reading achievement for Thai university students of science and technology. In a course in reading general English texts for 16 weeks, 82 students were taught using a strategies‐based approach (experimental cohort), whereas another 82 students were taught using a traditional, teacher‐centred approach (control cohort). A pre‐test/post‐test research design was employed, and a portfolio approach was used to investigate the experimental cohort students' process of learning reading strategies. The results showed that the experimental cohort outperformed the control cohort in the post‐course standardised English test. The higher‐level reading proficiency learners in the experimental cohort were also found to be better than their low‐level peers at learning to use second language‐based reading strategies effectively. Implications are discussed for alternative instructional practice of reading in English as a foreign language (EFL).     

Strategies for professional reading in L1 and L2

Reading strategies of future professionals, both in native language (L1) and in one or more foreign languages (L2), have been little explored. Findings from research concerning the transfer of L1 reading strategies to the L2 context are contradictory. Our hypothesis is that relative performance in L1 and L2 reading is associated with two key variables involved in successful L2 reading comprehension: L1 reading proficiency and L2 language competency, the latter being the stronger predictor. 39 students were divided into three groups by strength or weakness on each independent variable. Their reading strategies, explored by questionnaire, were compared within and between groups, both in L1 and L2, and were correlated to text recall comprehension scores. Readers strong on both key variables were equally effective in both languages. Strong L1 readers weak in L2 were poor L2 readers but fared better than readers weak on both variables. General reading strategies differentiated efficient readers from poor ones both in L1 and L2, but specific problem-solving strategies were the main obstacle in L2. Comprehending – the process, or strategic approach employed – correlated very strongly with comprehension – the product, or score – in L2 and fairly strongly in L1. Pedagogical implications suggest individualised reading training in the light of relative difficulties.     

Mutual compensation between L1 reading ability and L2 language proficiency in L2 reading comprehension

The present study investigates the contribution of first language (L1) reading ability and second or foreign language (L2) proficiency to L2 reading comprehension, by focusing on the compensation between L1 reading ability and L2 proficiency. Two research questions were addressed: (1) does high L1 reading ability compensate for low L2 language proficiency? (2) does high L2 language proficiency compensate for low L1 reading ability? Participants were 241 Japanese university students learning English as a foreign language. They were divided into three levels (high, middle, low) according to the levels of their L1 reading ability and L2 language proficiency. Effects of these two factors on L2 reading ability were analysed by analysis of variance. A multiple regression analysis to estimate a compensation model was also applied. Results provided positive answers to both research questions. The present study thus demonstrates the mutual compensation between L1 reading ability and L2 proficiency, which works in order to achieve the highest possible level of L2 reading comprehension for readers with different ability backgrounds in L1 reading and L2 proficiency.     

The Language Demands of Science Reading in Middle School

The language used to construct knowledge, beliefs, and worldviews in school science is distinct from the social language that students use in their everyday ordinary life. This difference is a major source of reading difficulty for many students, especially struggling readers and English‐language learners. This article identifies some of the linguistic challenges involved in reading middle‐school science texts and suggests several teaching strategies to help students cope with these challenges. It is argued that explicit attention to the unique language of school science should be an integral part of science literacy pedagogy.     

Effects of variations in orthographic information on Asian and American readers' English text reading

Orthographies vary in the support they provide for word identification based on grapheme-phoneme correspondences. If skills developed in acquisition of first-language (L1) reading transfer to reading English as a foreign language (EFL), the extent to which EFL readers' word identification shows reliance on information other than grapheme-phoneme correspondences could be expected to vary with whether their L1 orthography is a non-Roman alphabet such as Korean hangul or a nonalphabetic (morpho-syllabic) system such as Chinese characters. Another influence could be whether EFL readers have learned to read a morpho-syllabic L1 by means of an alphabetic transliteration. English text reading speeds and oral reading quality ratings of three groups of adult Asian EFL readers attending an American university were compared with those of two groups of American L1 readers: Graduate student peers and eighth-grade students. All EFL groups read more slowly than both groups of L1 readers, and their reading was more impaired when orthographic cues were disrupted by mixed case print or pseudohomophone spellings. Some of these effects were reduced in EFL readers from Hong Kong, who had earlier exposure to English. Contrary to previous findings, no effects could be attributed to type of first orthography or early exposure to alphabetic transliteration of Chinese characters, which differentiated the Taiwanese and Hong Kong groups. As a whole, the results suggest that, at least across the L1 groups studied, differences in EFL word reading are associated less with type of L1 orthography than with history of exposure to English.     

Reading strategy use between Chinese good and poor readers: a think‐aloud study

This study aimed to explore the differences between Chinese good and poor readers in their strategy use by using a think‐aloud method. Eight grade 7 students in Hong Kong, four good readers and four poor readers, received a think‐aloud task and an interview in the study. Consistent with the Western studies, findings of this study indicated that Chinese good readers used more strategies and had better ability and knowledge of strategy use than did poor readers. In addition to the cognitive deficiencies, poor readers were also found to have poorer intrinsic motivation than did good readers. The combined problems of poor reading ability and motivation made them reluctant to process the text at a deeper level and they gave up easily when they encountered reading difficulties. Implications of these findings for studying the reading problems of Chinese students and implementing effective reading instruction in Hong Kong Chinese language teaching are discussed.     

Reading strategy use and motivation among Chinese good and poor readers in Hong Kong

Eighty‐three good readers and 76 poor readers were compared on their ability to use reading strategies in Chinese reading comprehension and on various reading motivation variables. Poor readers scored lower than good readers in using all reading strategies, and especially in using sophisticated cognitive and metacognitive strategies. Poor readers also had lower intrinsic motivation in reading than had good readers. While the ability to use reading strategies had the strongest relation with reading comprehension, intrinsic motivation and strategy attribution might facilitate reading development through their positive relations with strategy use. Implications of these findings for implementing effective reading instruction in Hong Kong Chinese language teaching are discussed.     

Effects of picture-word integration on reading visual narratives in L1 and L2

Multimodal education materials are pervasive in language learning. This study investigated the causal mechanisms of multimodal reading effects in first language (L1) and second language (L2). Seventy-five adult bilingual readers in Hong Kong read Chinese and English passages with different degrees of picture-word integration in a within-subject design. Results showed that tight text-picture integration facilitated better comprehension than independent text-picture presentation in L2, but not L1. Perceived ease and interest differentially mediated multimodal reading performance for L1 and L2 passages. Importantly, separate images in L2 passages led to poorer comprehension accuracy relative to plain text, but tended to have higher ratings of ease and interest, indicating that readers may be overconfident in their multimodal reading performance. In general, results support the notion that integration of text and pictures can moderate the process of meaning making, and these may differ depending on the language presented to a bilingual reader.     

The relations among L1 (Spanish) literacy skills,L2 (English) language,L2 text reading fluency,and L2 reading comprehension for Spanish-speaking ELL first grade students

We investigated the relations of L2 (i.e., English) oral reading fluency, silent reading fluency, word reading automaticity, oral language skills, and L1 literacy skills (i.e., Spanish) to L2 reading comprehension for Spanish-speaking English language learners in the first grade (N = 150). An analysis was conducted for the entire sample as well as for skilled and less skilled word readers. Results showed that word reading automaticity was strongly related to oral and silent reading fluency, but oral language skill was not. This was the case not only for the entire sample but also for subsamples of skilled and less skilled word readers, which is a discrepant finding from a study with English-only children (Kim et al., 2011). With regard to the relations among L2 oral language, text reading fluency, word reading automaticity, reading comprehension, and L1 literacy skills, patterns of relations were similar for skilled versus less skilled word readers with oral reading fluency, but different with silent reading fluency. When oral and silent reading fluency were in the model simultaneously, oral reading fluency, but not silent reading fluency, was uniquely related to reading comprehension. Children's L1 literacy skill was not uniquely related to reading comprehension after accounting for other L2 language and literacy skills. These results are discussed in light of a developmental theory of text reading fluency.     

Reading characteristics of Chinese-English adolescents: knowledge and application of strategic reading

Integrating both quantitative and qualitative approaches, this study examined the knowledge and application of strategic reading among Taiwanese adolescents learning to read English as a foreign language. A total of 144 Grade 11 students participated in this study. Correlational analysis and t-tests were applied to analyzing quantitative data, including an English reading comprehension test and two sets of reading strategy questionnaires; the constant comparative method (Glaser and Strauss 1967) was used for analyzing qualitative data, comprising semi-structured interviews and think-aloud protocols. Results from quantitative analysis show a relatively strong link between the perceived use of first language (L1, Chinese) and second language (L2, English) strategies. Nonetheless, metacognitive and cognitive strategies were reportedly used more frequently for L1 reading, whereas support strategies were more often used for L2 reading. One salient theme that emerged from the qualitative analysis is that the reading of the English texts more closely resembled the reading of the texts written in the classic literary style of Chinese than the reading of the texts written in contemporary Chinese. These findings to some extent support the reading universals hypothesis (Goodman in Journal of Typographic Reseach, 103–110, 1970); yet, skills transfer is not uniformly automatic (Bell in TESOL Quarterly, 687–704, 1995; Urquhart and Weir 1998).     

Using a Think-Aloud with Diverse Students: Three Primary Grade Students Experience Chrysanthemum

Many struggling readers, students with English as a second language, and children with disabilities do not engage in the strategies that good readers use when reading for understanding. Reading comprehension depends upon the students’ ability to successfully use strategies to monitor and control their own comprehension. Teachers need to help students develop skills that will aid in reading comprehension. The think-aloud is one strategy that can help struggling readers improve fluency and comprehension. One of the most important components to determine the success of the think-aloud is the teacher’s ability to model and facilitate the think-aloud procedure. The teacher needs to have a basic understanding of what is meant to be accomplished using this method. This article profiles how three teachers model and facilitate a think-aloud with three struggling readers.     

Integrating reciprocal teaching in an online environment with an annotation feature to enhance low-achieving students’ English reading comprehension

Reciprocal teaching (RT) has been used to improve English as Foreign Language (EFL) students’ reading comprehension in face-to-face instruction. However, little was known about how they use the RT to comprehend English texts in an online environment. This study explored how the implementation of RT strategies with the use of an annotation tool to improve low-achieving students’ English reading comprehension in an online environment. A total of 22 low-achieving EFL students participated in this study. The pre- and post- reading comprehension tests showed that the students’ English reading comprehension improved after practicing RT strategies with annotation tools. Questioning and predicating strategies were ranked as the two most useful strategies, as both promoted successful collaborative reading among students. Summarizing and clarifying were less useful than questioning and predicting strategies because the low-achieving EFL students faced language difficulties when summarizing and clarifying. The annotations supported RT strategies by (1) establishing a collaborative environment for students to discuss RT strategies any time, (2) organizing and indexing reading content in multimodal forms, and (3) helping students review and revise their comprehension.     

Strategies and shoes: Can we ever have enough? Teaching and using reading comprehension strategies in general and vocational programmes

This qualitative study examines a reading comprehension strategy use in English as a second language in upper-secondary schools one year after teachers participated in a professional development course. The data comprises observations, teacher narratives, and student interviews. A key finding is that the teachers used a repertoire of strategies from the course, suggesting an impact of the course. A second finding was a clear difference between how students in general and vocational programmes used the strategies taught: the vocational students used them in ways that indicated their relevance to them as learners, while the students in general programmes did not. The findings also suggest how and why students employ strategies. The article discusses implications for strategy instruction and how to enhance the reading proficiency of adolescent readers.     

Sources of L2 writing apprehension: a study of Egyptian university students

High levels of apprehension cause students to have writing difficulties. This study attempted to identify the sources of Egyptian university students’ English writing apprehension. The study made use of both quantitative and qualitative data. The scores of 57 students on a writing apprehension scale were compared to their scores on another scale assessing writing self‐efficacy and three linguistic tests measuring English grammar and vocabulary. Additionally, 15 apprehensive students and 16 nonapprehensive students were interviewed about their writing experiences and beliefs. Analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data showed that there are six sources of the students’ English writing apprehension: linguistic knowledge level, perceived language competence, writing performance level, perceived writing competence, instructional practices and fear of criticism. These results indicate the integrative nature of L2 writing ability and emphasise the need for dealing with these sources of apprehension. The study recommends that reducing L2 students’ writing apprehension should start by improving their linguistic knowledge and writing ability; this will result in bringing about a positive change in their language and writing competence self‐perceived beliefs. In addition, the study presents some other recommendations for improving instructional practices of English writing in the Egyptian context.     

Recoding strategies of German learners of English as a foreign language

This study investigated whether German learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) acquire additional recoding strategies that they do not need for recoding in the consistent German orthography. Based on the psycholinguistic grain size theory (Ziegler & Goswami, 2005) we expected students with little experience in EFL to use the same small-grain recoding strategy as in German, while more advanced students were expected to switch flexibly between small and large grain size recoding strategies when reading English nonwords. German students in Grades 5, 7, and 9, as well as university students were presented with an experimental nonword reading paradigm introduced by Goswami, Ziegler, Dalton, and Schneider (2003) which assesses the effects of language (nonwords derived from German vs. English), orthographic neighborhood, item length and presentation format (blocked vs. mixed) on reading latencies and accuracies. The data were analyzed using hierarchical linear models. The youngest age group did not use larger units to read English nonwords, but mostly applied simple grapheme-phoneme translation, as they would in their first language. University students were able to switch flexibly between large- and small size recoding strategies.     

自主学习背景下的加拿大ESL阅读教学窥探

加拿大ESL阅读教学着力培养学生的英语综合技能,促进学生自主学习能力的发展,并通过学用结合的多样化互动教学活动推动学生的语言发展和提高他们的英语应用能力。因此,探究加拿大ESL阅读教学的教学思路、活动方式以及主要特色,对我们的大学英语教学是有一定裨益的。     

英语阅读策略与高校英语教学

英语阅读是语言输入的主要途径,也是衡量语言学习成果的重要标准。积极地使用阅读策略,能够促使英语学习者的阅读能力的提高。在英语教学的过程中策略教学是必要的,高校教师应有意识将阅读策略教学纳入课堂教学。