Profiling developing second language readers: Differences in language proficiency, strategy
use and reading interest
Chien-Yu Lin
Outline Research rationales Theoretical framework Research questions Methodology Results Discussions and Implications
Research Rationales
The importance of understanding the strategies in reading L2 expository texts for beginning EFL learners
Lack of attention to the affective factors in L2 reading comprehension
Theoretical Framework Model of Domain Learning (MDL, Alexander, 1997,
1998; Alexander, Jetton, & Kuliokwich, 1995) domain knowledge strategic processes interest Acclimation Competence Expertise MDL in L2 reading Proficient L2 reading is strategic reading.
Reading interest is an important affective factor in L2 reading comprehension.
Research Questions What are the L2 reading strategies
employed by eighth-graders identified from the think-aloud protocols?
What are the sources of interest in L2 reading for eighth graders?
How do L2 reading strategy use, reading interest and language proficiency relate to L2 reading comprehension?
Methodology Concurrent triangulation mixed-methods research design
(Creswell, Clark, Gutmann, & Hanson, 2003) with 36 eighth-graders of mixed English proficiency levels
L2 reading strategy use:Think-aloud protocols
Reading comprehension:Multiple-choice questionsFree text recalls
Reading interest:retrospective
interviews, interest questionnaires
Qualitative analysis:Strategy coding scheme, interviews
Quantitative analysis: Inter-rater reliability, descriptive statistics
Methodology Major Instruments Reading strategy use
Think-aloud protocols Transcribe, identify, label the strategies and construct
the coding system Source of interest
Sources of Interest Questionnaire (SIQ, Brantmeier 2006), and the Interest Experience Scale (IES)
Retrospective interviews (Wade et al., 1990) Ask students what makes the text interesting and
uninteresting and offer specific reasons
Methodology Text: An English expository text on
chocolate of median difficulty Procedures: 35.06 minutes on average
Pre-task • Prior
knowledge free recall
Think-aloud • practic
e phase
• task phase
Post-task• Free text
recall• Reading
comprehension questions
• Interviews
Post-task• Complete
the questionnaires:
• The SIQ• The IES
Results RQ1.What are the L2 reading strategies employed by
eighth-graders?
Surface-level comprehension strategies (Alexander, 2003)
Word-by-word translation Paraphrasing Determining an unknown word’s
meaning by using contextual cues Determining the meaning of a
sentence by using contextual cues
Deep-processing comprehension strategies (Alexander, 2003)
Elaborating on the textSummarizing across sentencesEvaluating text contentDrawing causal inferences from text sentencesClarifying the information in the textMaking forward inferences
Metacognitive strategiesMonitoring the comprehension coherencePlanning on executing solutions to solve problems
Results RQ2: What are the sources of interest in L2
reading for eighth graders? QUAN
Exploratory factor analysis on the SIQ
Two sources of interest:1. Engagingness2. Familiarity and comprehensibility
QUAL Eight sources were
identified from the interviews
1. Novelty2.Importance3. Relevance4. Topic preference5. Correspondence to prior knowledge6. Personal interest in English7. Comprehensibility of the text 8. Text genre
Results RQ3: How do L2 reading strategy use, reading
interest and language proficiecy relate to L2 reading comprehension?
Case analysisMark, a L2 reader who has high English achievement, high reading interest and uses strategies at a deeper level
Alice, a L2 reader who has lower English achievements, high reading interest and uses strategies at a superficial level
Stella, a L2 reader who has high English achievements, low reading interest and uses strategies at a superficial level
Higher comprehension score
Lower comprehension score
Lower comprehension score
Results Case analysisMark, a L2 reader who has high English achievements, high reading interest and uses strategies at a deeper level
Results Case analysisAlice, a L2 reader who has lower English achievements, high reading interest but uses strategies at a superficial level
Results Case analysisStella, a L2 reader who has high English achievements, low reading interest and uses strategies at a superficial level
Discussions and Implications
L2 reading interest as a complex construct Interactive nature between L2 reading
strategy use and reading interest Reading strategy use mediates the effects of
reading interest on reading comprehension. Reading interest influences the use of deep-
processing comprehension strategies as well as the depth of strategic processing for L2 readers
Discussions and Implications
Implications The importance of strategy instruction for
readers like Alice, who possess high reading interest but lack sufficient knowledge and practice of reading strategies.
Investigating the role of reading interest in a more confirmatory manner
Incorporate the elements of interest into literacy instruction
Thank you for your comments
Theoretical FrameworkModel of Domain Learning (Alexander, 2005)