The Reading Comprehension Strategies of Second Language Learners: A Spanish-English Study

Southern Conference on Language Teaching. P.O. Box 33615, Decatur, GA 30033. Tel: 404-290-1942; Web site: http://www.scolt.org

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Reading Comprehension; Reading Strategies; Spanish; Native Language; Second Language Learning; College Students; English; Second Language Instruction; Introductory Courses; Advanced Courses; Language Proficiency; Transfer of Training; Student Attitudes; Protocol Analysis; Vocabulary Development; Decoding (Reading); Bilingualism; Translation

This study identified the reading comprehension strategies that English-speaking college students enrolled in beginner, intermediate, and advanced Spanish language classes at a major Midwestern university in the United States used to comprehend a text in their second language. The findings suggest that readers tended to use the same comprehension strategies when approaching a text in their second language, regardless of their proficiency level. However, there was a qualitative difference in how these strategies were used by readers of low, middle, and high proficiency in Spanish. Readers of all levels used their first language when reading in their second language.

As Provided

2019

EJ1214282