On Texts Interesting to Read in Foreign Language Teaching

Abstract

This chapter sets out to argue for the significance of ‘interest’ as a critical factor in reading and learning in L2/FL contexts. It is claimed that despite the fact that EFL specialists so frequently articulate the need for providing ‘interesting texts’ to work on and recommend that learners’ interests should be taken into consideration, too often is the concept of interest used indiscriminately with reference to texts or readers, and no adequate theoretical rationale for understanding its role in reading has been offered. Bernhardt’s (2005, 2010) recent compensatory model of L2 reading posits that whereas 50 % variance in readers’ performance is explained by L1 literacy and L2 language knowledge, the remaining, unexplained variance comprises other factors, including interest. Such factors as genre/text features, background/domain knowledge, strategies, engagement, motivation, etc., which are closely related to interest, need to be covered in a comprehensive interpretation of L2/FL text processing. This chapter will provide an overview of significant insights into the nature of interest as a factor in text-processing obtained in theory and research concerning different educational areas mainly in L1 contexts which seem to be relevant for exploring the complexity of the construct of interest and its impact on L2/FL reading comprehension and learning processes. Among others, the chapter will focus on the theoretical grounds for conceptualizing the contribution of situational interest in reading L2 texts developed by Brantmeier (2006). Finally, the major implications of the theoretical and empirical findings for a better handling of interest-related issues in EFL reading instruction will be discussed.