Tertiary Level Saudi EFL Learners’ Reading Strategies in Relation to Gender and Proficiency

Abstract

This research addressed some current issues in L2 reading strategy research (the nature of any gender effect, and the use of multiple data gathering instruments) as well as an important problem at tertiary level in Saudi Arabia (low English reading proficiency). It examined which reading strategies were most widely reported by 120 Saudi EFL intensive English course students in a Saudi state university. Two different methods were used to collect data. First a 5-point Likert-scale questionnaire composed of 30 items, chosen based on a preliminary study, was administered to the students. Think-Aloud Protocols (TAP) were then elicited from 14 of the male students while they performed a reading rask. Reading strategies from both sources were analyzed over three phases – pre-reading, while-reading, and post-reading. The results of the TAP analysis revealed that 19 different strategies were used, mostly by more proficient readers. The students’ questionnaire responses showed that there were many significant differences based on student proficiency level, where more proficient students reported using more strategies than less proficient ones, especially top own ones, but few by gender, where females significantly outdid males in a few instances only. There was some evidence for an unanticipated reading purpose effect associated with the two instruments. The implication for contexts like that in Saudi Arabia is that more student training in carefully selected reading strategies is needed.