Abstract
The present study was designed and conducted with the purpose to assess primary school students’ awareness in GL1 (Greek as first language) and EFL (English as a foreign language) strategy use and investigate the relations between the reported reading strategies use in first (L1) and foreign language (FL). The sample (455 students attending the fifth and sixth grades of primary schools in Northern Greece) was first categorized into skilled and less skilled L1 and EFL readers through screening reading comprehension tests, one in L1 and one in FL, before filling in the reading strategy questionnaires. The findings revealed participants’ preference for “problem solving” strategies, while “global strategies” coming next. Girls were proved to be more aware of their reading strategies use with the boys reporting a more frequent use in both languages. Also, skilled readers were found to use reading strategies more effectively, and appeared to be more flexible in transferring strategies from L1 to FL compared to less-skilled readers.
Highlights
Reading, in either L1 or L2/foreign language (FL), is a complex, thinking, problem solving, and communication process between the reader and the author (Brantmeier 2005; Grabe & Stoller 2001)
Two reading comprehension tests were administered to the participants, a Greek (L1) and an English one (FL), each followed by a questionnaire, researching their awareness of reading strategies used in each language
Based on the final readers’ raw scores in the EFL reading comprehension test, the participants were divided into two groups of skilled and less-skilled readers
Summary
In either L1 (first language) or L2/FL (second/foreign language), is a complex, thinking, problem solving, and communication process between the reader and the author (Brantmeier 2005; Grabe & Stoller 2001). ‘Top down’ strategies are the strategies that readers use to preview the text content, construct a goal for reading, note text characteristics, guide and monitor the reading process, and make inferences, comment on text order, make associations with information, make evaluative comments — that is, ‘metacognitive’ or ‘global’ strategies (Sheorey & Mokhtari 2001). A bulk of studies have indicated that students’ L1 reading ability and skills, strategies use and L2/FL language proficiency contribute to effective L2 reading (Carrell 1991; Bossers 1992). On the contrary, limited L2 skills ‘prohibit’ transferring of ‘top-down’ strategies from L1 to L2 reading context and confine the reader to employ ‘bottom-up’ strategies (Davis & Bistodeau 1993). Studies have indicated that less proficient students are deficient in multiple reading processes and less flexible in cognitive and metacognitive strategy employment. Investigating students’ reading skills and strategic awareness could contribute to the improvement of reading instruction and the design of alternative models of strategies training, which aim at developing motivated readers to keep reading any material either in their L1 or L2/FL, as well as skilled readers who are able to monitor their reading process (Brantmeier 2005)
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