Abstract
The significance of gaining a better understanding of how test-taking strategies are used has been recognized by researchers. Considering this fact, this study aimed at investigating the test-taking strategies which were employed by IELTS candidates in reading comprehension test. Besides, it tried to take into account the differences among strategies used for different tasks. In order to gather data, two instruments were employed: the think-aloud protocol, and an IELTS reading test. The obtained data were analyzed and interpreted qualitatively by the researcher. The findings indicated that candidates employed 15 different strategies which were categorized in 3 stages, pre-reading, reading, and post-reading stages. Furthermore, it was revealed that test-takers used certain strategies differently, depending on the type of the task. The findings provide a better understanding of strategy use among IELTS candidates and help teachers to improve their approaches toward teaching and learning goals. Keywords: Test-taking Strategy, Test-taker, Reading Comprehension, Language Learning Strategy, IELTS
Highlights
Reading is considered as a receptive skill in which the reader is receiving a message from a writer
The first part of this section, with regard to the first research question, deals with the results of the reading test-taking strategies used by IELTS candidates, and calculation of the frequency with which they occur
4.1 Reading Test-taking Strategies Used by IELTS Candidates
Summary
Reading is considered as a receptive skill in which the reader is receiving a message from a writer It is the major source of meaningful and comprehensible input in the foreign language learning. Scholars have provided different definitions for reading Those who were behaviorists and did not consider the mental aspect of reading define it as establishment of relationship between written symbols and their corresponding sound. Cognitivists who believe in the active role of the mind in language comprehension and production, defined reading as an active mental process through which the written input is processed to recreate the writer’s intended meaning (Carrell & Grabe, 2002). Reading for comprehension which is common in the higher levels of language acquisition (Chastain, 1988; Cohen, 1998; Ellis, 2008)
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