Outline

1. Profiling developing second language readers: Differences in language proficiency, strategy use and reading interest Chien-Yu Lin

2. Outline • Research rationales • Theoretical framework • Research questions • Methodology • Results • Discussions and Implications

3. Research Rationales • The importance of understanding the strategies in reading L2 expository texts for beginning EFL learners • Lack of attention to the affective factors in L2 reading comprehension

4. Theoretical Framework • Model of Domain Learning(MDL, Alexander, 1997, 1998; Alexander, Jetton, & Kuliokwich, 1995) • domain knowledge • strategic processes • interest • Acclimation  Competence  Expertise • MDL in L2 reading • Proficient L2 reading is strategic reading. • Reading interest is an important affective factor in L2 reading comprehension.

5. Research Questions • What are the L2 reading strategies employed by eighth-graders identified from the think-aloud protocols? • What are the sources of interest in L2 reading for eighth graders? • How do L2 reading strategy use, reading interest and language proficiency relate to L2 reading comprehension?

6. Methodology • Concurrent triangulation mixed-methods research design (Creswell, Clark, Gutmann, & Hanson, 2003) with 36 eighth-graders of mixed English proficiency levels • Qualitative analysis: Strategy coding scheme, interviews • Quantitative analysis: Inter-rater reliability, descriptive statistics

7. Methodology • Major Instruments • Reading strategy use • Think-aloud protocols • Transcribe, identify, label the strategies and construct the coding system • Source of interest • Sources of Interest Questionnaire (SIQ, Brantmeier 2006), and the Interest Experience Scale (IES) • Retrospective interviews (Wade et al., 1990) • Ask students what makes the text interesting and uninteresting and offer specific reasons

8. Methodology • Text: An English expository text on chocolate of median difficulty • Procedures: 35.06 minutes on average

9. Results • RQ1.What are the L2 reading strategies employed by eighth-graders? • Surface-level comprehension strategies (Alexander, 2003) • Word-by-word translation • Paraphrasing • Determining an unknown word’s meaning by using contextual cues • Determining the meaning of a sentence by using contextual cues • Deep-processing comprehension strategies (Alexander, 2003) • Elaborating on the text • Summarizing across sentences • Evaluating text content • Drawing causal inferences from text sentences • Clarifying the information in the text • Making forward inferences • Metacognitivestrategies • Monitoring the comprehension coherence • Planning on executing solutions to solve problems

10. Results • RQ2: What are the sources of interest in L2 reading for eighth graders? • QUAL • Eight sources were identified from the interviews • 1. Novelty • 2.Importance • 3. Relevance • 4. Topic preference • 5. Correspondence to prior knowledge • 6. Personal interest in English • 7. Comprehensibility of the text • 8. Text genre • QUAN • Exploratory factor analysis on the SIQ • Two sources of interest: • 1. Engagingness • 2. Familiarity and comprehensibility

11. Results • RQ3: How do L2 reading strategy use, reading interest and language proficiecy relate to L2 reading comprehension? • Case analysis • Mark, a L2 reader who has high English achievement, high reading interest and uses strategies at a deeper level • Alice, a L2 reader who has lower English achievements, high reading interest and uses strategies at a superficial level • Stella, a L2 reader who has high English achievements, low reading interest and uses strategies at a superficial level  Higher comprehension score  Lower comprehension score  Lower comprehension score

12. Results • Case analysis • Mark, a L2 reader who has high English achievements, high reading interest and uses strategies at a deeper level

13. Results • Case analysis • Alice, a L2 reader who has lower English achievements, high reading interest but uses strategies at a superficial level

14. Results • Case analysis • Stella, a L2 reader who has high English achievements, low reading interest and uses strategies at a superficial level

15. Discussions and Implications • L2 reading interest as a complex construct • Interactive nature between L2 reading strategy use and reading interest • Reading strategy use mediates the effects of reading interest on reading comprehension. • Reading interest influences the use of deep-processing comprehension strategies as well as the depth of strategic processing for L2 readers

16. Discussions and Implications • Implications • The importance of strategy instruction for readers like Alice, who possess high reading interest but lack sufficient knowledge and practice of reading strategies. • Investigating the role of reading interest in a more confirmatory manner • Incorporate the elements of interest into literacy instruction

17. Thank you for your comments

18. Theoretical Framework Model of Domain Learning (Alexander, 2005)