ERIC Number: EJ1275321
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 37
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1814-9448
EISSN: N/A
The Interplay between English Proficiency and Reading Strategy Use in English Reading: Validating the Linguistic Threshold Hypothesis and the Interactive-Compensatory Model
Chen, Po-Hsuan
Taiwan Journal of TESOL, v17 n2 p1-37 2020
The present study attempted to validate the linguistic threshold hypothesis (LTH) and the interactive-compensatory model (ICM) in an English as a foreign language (EFL) setting by assessing the relative contributions of English proficiency and reading strategy use to English reading and examining the mutual compensation between these two factors in English reading, respectively. To this end, 166 (55 males, 111 females) EFL freshmen enrolled in General English I at a university in southern Taiwan satisfactorily completed three measurements to respectively assess their English proficiency (vocabulary and grammar knowledge), English reading comprehension, and reading strategy use (bottom-up and top-down strategies). The findings support the LTH by showing that English proficiency was a stronger predictor of English reading comprehension than reading strategy use and that the high proficient learners employed more reading strategies and used them more effectively in English reading than the low proficient learners. Furthermore, the findings verify the ICM by specifying the actual levels at which intermediate English proficiency compensated for low reading strategy use, and high reading strategy use compensated for low English proficiency for successful English reading. The present study concludes with the suggestion that linguistic knowledge should be taught to EFL learners simultaneously along with reading strategy use for the best performance in English reading comprehension.
Descriptors: Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, English (Second Language), Reading Strategies, Language Proficiency, College Freshmen, Vocabulary Skills, Grammar, Linguistic Theory, Foreign Countries, Measures (Individuals), Predictor Variables, Reading Comprehension, Teaching Methods, Correlation, Language Tests
National Chengchi University Department of English. 64 Sec 2 ZhiNan Road, Wenshan District, Taipei 11605, Taiwan, R.O.C. Tel: 886-2-2938-7248; Fax: 886-2-2939-0510; e-mail: tjtesol@nccu.edu.tw; Web site: http://www.tjtesol.org/index.php/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Taiwan
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A