The Interrelationship between Reading Strategies and L2 Learners’ Proficiency

Abstract

Previous research has shown that L2 learners differing in their degree of proficiency may employ different modes of processing while reading. The research questions are the following: (1) Is there any relationship between ESL learners` reading strategies at each proficiency level and their reading comprehension ability? (2) Is there any difference in reading strategies used by low and high proficiency L2 learners? The subjects who participated iii this study consisted of sixty-one ESL students. In order to divide students into higher and lower proficiency levels, the researcher used the Test of Adolescent and Adult Language (TOAL). For the purpose of identifying a subject`s reading strategies` items, the researcher used the Reading Strategy Questionnaire (RSQ) (Carrell, 1989; Pritchard, 1990; Rusciolelli, 1995). The results show that top-down reading strategies were preferred more by all students than bottom-up reading strategies when they read in an L2.