Purported use and self-awareness of cognitive and metacognitive foreign language reading strategies in tertiary education in Mozambique

This paper explores the results of a Survey of Reading Strategies (SORS)-based questionnaire administered to 28 university student participants. The study is carried out in a post-colonial multilingual context, Mozambique. The main aims of the paper are to assess the degree of purported use and awareness of participants own use of reading comprehension skills and strategies in a foreign language (English). The participants were tested for their reading text comprehension using an IELTS comprehension test (Cabinda, 2013). The results revealed low reading comprehension levels. Results contrast with results from the SORS-based questionnaire (Cabinda, 2013) which revealed claims of use of a wide range of cognitive, metacognitive and supply strategies – aspects of high level reading ability and text comprehension. Conclusions show that the participants used or claimed to chiefly use metacognitive and cognitive reading strategies equally, matching the behaviour of good readers, but they also reported a high degree of supply strategies to construe meaning from text, mainly code-switching, translation and cognates. The latter confirms results from studies by Jimenez et al. (1995, 1996) and Zhang & Wu (2009), yet do not conclusively show a correlation between the participants’ degree of text comprehension and their effective use of reading skills and strategies to construe meaning. Further conclusions show that the reported high use of these L1 (Portuguese or other) related supply strategies (not used by English L1 readers) does not aid their reading comprehension

Effects of Watching Feature Films in English Learning for Chinese College Students

As the world is experiencing language globalization, English has been playing an important role in this transition. It is important to master English as a language skill in many non- English speaking countries. These learners, have limited authentic English language environment, and Chinese learners face particular challenges because of the differences of cultural and thinking modes. Feature films have been used to help English Language learners to get the opportunities into authentic English environment. This study aims to investigate how watching English feature films impact Chinese college students’ perception on English language learning. 131 Chinese college students from different majors participated in this study. These participants completed a five-point Likert-type scale survey with 21 items. Results showed that different major college students have different opinions on how watching feature films impact their English learning. English majors and humanities/social study majors are more likely to agree that watching feature films improve their knowledge of language usage in different context comparing to their peers majored in medical science. Moreover, medical science majors are less likely to agree that watching feature films improve their knowledge of different language usage within a context comparing to other peers. Furthermore, significant differences were found in receptive skill improvement when comparisons across between majors and grades. Except English major and engineering and technology science majors, other general majors agree that watching feature films improves their receptive skill the most when they are freshman or senior, and a significant decrease showed when they are sophomore and junior

An analysis of 2005 NAEP 8th grade mathematics achievement items by content strand, problem type and language complexity

unavailabl

Identifying academic reading strategies in a multilingual context

In this thesis I explore the complexity of FL (Foreign Language) reading through qualitatively and quantitatively analysing the forms, ways, and mechanisms applied by adult readers at tertiary university education level to construct meaning in an ESP/EAP (English for Specific and Academic Purposes) multilingual educational context at the Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM), in Mozambique. I attempt to answer to the following research questions (a) What do learners and users of English in an EAP context resort to construct meaning from text?, (b) Are reading strategies used effectively by these learners to attain comprehension? and (c) Are these learners aware of their use of reading strategies? I identify reading strategies using a holistic eclectic research methodology that includes a Needs Analysis, a Reading Comprehension Test (IELTS), Questionnaires and a Think aloud Method (TAM). This holistic approach anchors partially on Bernhardt’s 2005 compensatory model of reading in a second language, which calls for answers to a ‘50% unexplained variance’, some of which I would like to resolve with this study. My study revealed that the participants are taught reading strategies formally but with the use of old outdated textbooks in the undergraduate courses at UEM, which showed to be characterized by a restrictedness to word and sentence level analysis (West, 1998), (ii) a descriptive yet not explanatory nature (Robinson, 1991), and (iii) and a pattern in which a long non-authentic specialist reading passage begins most lessons/units followed by exercises (Dudley-Evans & St. John, 1998). Further, I have revealed a lack of collaboration among various concerned stakeholders at UEM, including students, subject teachers, institutional administrators and EAP teachers to find answers to the traits revolving around course design and its improvement (Tajinoa, James, & Kijimac, 2005). I also discovered that language practitioners devalued the central idea posited by a Needs Analysis, and this critical significant incident has helped us to see things in a new way and thus develop our understanding (Kerfoot and Winberg, 1997). All of this clearly calls for a structured analysis of the entire system at UEM. The reading comprehension test (RCT) revealed a gloomy picture where participants failed to construe meaning adequately, especially with respect to higher order reading skills. Nevertheless the questionnaires and the think aloud results showed evident awareness of reading strategies involving a chief use of metacognitive strategies, and a high frequency use of cognitive and supply strategies. I therefore believe that I have holistically and synergistically brought to light some explanations and suggestions of certain variables that could be used to fill in the gaps of Bernhardt’s (2005, 2011) three dimensional model and as such part of the ‘50% unexplained variance’. I have concluded that in the population studied there is both self-reported and evident use of a battery of reading strategies, given that all participants (weak and strong) used (almost) all reading strategies, be it in different frequencies than L1 readers, and also used those known to be unique for biliterate and multilingual FL readers, i.e. code switching, translation and the use of cognates, and a novel supply strategy, i.e. sight-translation. Nevertheless, there does not seem to be an apparent strong relationship between these strategies and text comprehension and task performance. Clearly when for the participants trust in the target language failed, their most familiar reading language (Portuguese) was used to resolve conflicting information, to predict and to confirm meaning, or to question oneself. This suggested a sign of lack of an adequate L2 language threshold or, perhaps the ‘accustomed’ use of a familiar means, Portuguese, as the communication and comprehension vehicle. In conclusion, their poor reading comprehension test results could be blamed upon a lack of L2 linguistic knowledge, of L2 higher order comprehension skills and of knowledge of text structure that triggers a strategy use rather different from L1 readers

Examining Second Language Reading: A Critical Review of the Singapore Cambridge General Certificate of Education Ordinary-Level Chinese Language Examination

This mixed methods study critically reviews how the Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education Ordinary-Level Chinese Language Examination (GCE 1162) examines second language reading. The main research question asks, ‘To what degree have the intended measurement objectives of the GCE 1162 reading examination been achieved?’ Four sub research questions address issues of specifications and administration, test-taker characteristics, cognitive parameters and contextual parameters. Resources drawn on include Singapore Ministry of Education and Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board documents, specifically, examination information booklets, syllabuses, committee reports and annual reviews. Subject matter experts were appointed to analyse the reading comprehension passages and test items from 22 sets of GCE 1162 reading examination papers from 2006 to 2016. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 22 stakeholders involved in coordination, test design, item construction, marking and reviewing. The interviewees included members of an elite policy group with privileged access to test specifications and procedures. Further interviews were carried out with secondary school Chinese language teachers and students, whose perspectives are seldom considered in validation processes. Opinions were also sought from experts in the field of Chinese as a second language, reading and assessment. The study begins with an account of the concepts of validity and reading constructs. Chapter 2 discusses the Singapore education and examination system, foregrounding the history of Chinese language education and the bilingual policy introduced in 1966. A methodology chapter follows. Chapters 4 to 8 address separately each of the four sub research questions in which claims, assumptions, supporting evidence and rebuttals are presented. The final chapter, Chapter 9, addresses a posteriori inferences, including scoring, criterion-related components, and washback and impact. A cautious conclusion is drawn, namely that the measurement quality of the GCE 1162 reading examination is at a moderately unsatisfactory level

Italian undergraduate students comprehending economics and business texts in English as a foreign language : a case study of language-conceptual transfer strategies used in reading domain-specific texts

Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 236-258).This study, within the Vygotskyian constructivist socio-cultural developmental framework, investigates the interdependence of general and domain-specific conceptual knowledge, cognitive and metacognitive strategies, attitude, motivation and context in the process of bidirectional ItalianΓåöEnglish transfer in Italian undergraduates comprehending domain-specific texts in the Faculty of Economics, University of Florence, Italy. The method adopted is primarily qualitative, with quantitative support

Readings on L2 reading: Publications in other venues 2021-2022

This feature offers an archive of articles published in other venues during the past year and serves as a valuable tool to readers of Reading in a Foreign Language (RFL). It treats any topic within the scope of RFL and second language reading. The articles are listed in alphabetical order, each with a complete reference as well as a brief summary. The editors of this feature attempt to include all related articles that appear in other venues. However, undoubtedly, this list is not exhaustive

Readings on L2 reading: Publications in other venues 2015–2016

This feature offers an archive of articles published in other venues during the past year and serves as a valuable tool to readers of Reading in a Foreign Language (RFL). It treats any topic within the scope of RFL and second language reading. The articles are listed in alphabetical order, each with a complete reference as well as a brief summary. The editors of this feature attempt to include all related articles that appear in other venues. However, undoubtedly, this list is not exhaustive

An analysis of stance and voice in research articles across Chinese and British cultures, using the Appraisal Framework

Scholars from Mainland China are increasingly publishing in the medium of English, in order to gain visibility and credibility worldwide. However, the visibility of Chinese scholars in the Social Sciences is strikingly low. Due to the holistic, interpretative, reiterative nature of knowledge in the Social Sciences, writers have to work harder to establish personal credibility through claim-making negotiations, sharing sympathetic understanding and promoting tolerance in their readers (Becher, 1994; Becher & Trowler, 2001; Hyland, 2000). This thesis investigates differences in stance and voice style between scholars from Mainland China and Britain so as to derive new information which might be useful to novice researchers in the Social Sciences (particularly applied linguistics) who intend to publish internationally. A corpus of 30 research articles in applied linguistics was analysed in terms of Appraisal Theory (Martin & White 2005), theory of context (Xu & Nesi, 2017) and genre analysis (Swales 1990, 2004), using the UAM Corpus Tool (O’Donnell 2011). Findings from this analysis suggest that both the Chinese and the British authors are aware of the need to argue for their own opinions and maintain good relationships with their readers, but choose contrasting ways to realize these same purposes. Generally the Chinese authors try to maintain writer-reader relationships by avoiding explicit attitudinal evaluation of the work of others, while the British authors try to maintain writer-reader relationships by toning down or only evoking stance. The Chinese authors argue for their own positions by reinforcing their explicit attitudes, adding multiple references, sharpening the completion of tasks and construing claims as unquestioned, whereas the British authors argue for their own positions by explicitly evaluating people and phenomena. Because the statistically significant differences in stance and voice strategies revealed in this thesis indicate differences between Chinese and British scholars’ argumentative styles, they suggest the need for a new way of perceiving Chinese ethnolinguistic impact on research writing, and might also inform the teaching of academic writing in the social sciences