scholarly journals TEXTUAL SYNTACTIC COMPLEXITY AND ITS ROLE IN SECOND LANGUAGE READING OUTCOMES IN INDONESIA

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-187
Author(s):  
Sahiruddin Sahiruddin
Keyword(s):  
Text Analysis ◽  
Reading Performance ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Second Language Reading ◽  
Syntactic Complexity ◽  
L2 Reading ◽  
Reading Outcomes ◽  
Proficiency Levels ◽  
Post Test

This paper examines the role of syntactic complexity in L2 reading outcomes across different EFL proficiency levels in an Indonesian university. Indonesian university students (N = 148) at Intermediate and Advanced levels of proficiency read four English passages differing in syntactic complexity. The latter was measured by several widely used text modelling tools. Participants read two low and two high complexity texts and completed a post-test comprehension test. Syntactic complexity had a statistically significant but low magnitude effect size, accounting for 2%-5% of the variance of reading performance between the L2 English proficiency levels. There were also noticeable differences in text analysis measures across the different complexity tools. The usefulness of syntactic complexity as an isolated dimension of text complexity is evaluated. The contribution of this study to the field both in theory and practice is presented.

Second Language Reading in Hypertext Environments

2011 ◽  
pp. 48-63
Author(s):  
Robert Ariew ◽  
Gulcan Erçetin ◽  
Susan Cooledge
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
Second Language Reading ◽  
Learning Theories ◽  
L2 Reading ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
L2 Learners

This chapter introduces second language reading in hypertext/hypermedia environments. It discusses the development of a template to annotate reading texts with multiple types of media such as text, sound, graphics, and video so as to aid reading comprehension for L2 readers. The chapter also reports on a series of studies conducted using the template in a variety of L2 learning environments in order to explore L2 learners’ reading behavior and the effects of multimedia annotations on L2 reading and vocabulary learning. The chapter synthesizes the results according to multimedia learning theories and discusses the role of proficiency level and prior knowledge in relation to L2 learners’ reading comprehension in hypertext environments.

The Role of Mental Translation in Second Language Reading

1994 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 441-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard G. Kern
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Reading Ability ◽  
Second Language Reading ◽  
Future Research ◽  
L2 Reading ◽  
Ability Groups ◽  
Mental Translation ◽  
French Texts ◽  
Memory Efficient

Reading in a second language (L2) can produce inefficient processing in otherwise proficient readers. This paper argues that mental translation during L2 reading may facilitate the generation and conservation of meaning by allowing the reader to represent portions of L2 text that exceed cognitive limits in a familiar, memory-efficient form. Fifty-one intermediate-level French students, in high, middle, and low reading ability groups, participated in think-aloud interviews while reading French texts. The relative frequency of translation use among these groups is compared at the beginning and end of a semester and is found to decrease with level of reading ability. The specific contexts in which students relied on translation are identified, and functional benefits and strategic uses of translation are discussed. Finally, hypotheses and questions are developed for future research.

scholarly journals THE ROLE OF LEXICAL FREQUENCY IN MODERATING THE EFFECT OF GRAMMAR KNOWLEDGE ON L2 READING OUTCOMES

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 194
Author(s):  
Sahiruddin Sahiruddin
Keyword(s):  
Grammatical Knowledge ◽  
Lexical Frequency ◽  
L2 Reading ◽  
Reading Outcomes ◽  
Sentence Level ◽  
English Major ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Grammar Knowledge ◽  
The Relationship

Sentence-level grammar skills are of the important foundations in the mastery of reading skills in second language (L2). Previous studies showed inconclusive findings about the effect of grammar knowledge on L2 reading. This study examines the relationship between L2 reading outcomes and reader-based grammar knowledge as it is moderated by text-based features of vocabulary difficulty. Participants were EFL students (n = 71) in the second year of their English major at an Indonesian university. The participants’ grammar knowledge was measured using a test of sentence-level grammatical knowledge. Text-based vocabulary difficulty was assessed using VocabProfile software (Cobb, 2010). During the data collection period, the participants completed four reading texts, each reflecting a unique combination of two levels (high vs. low) of lexical frequency. This study reveals that reader grammar knowledge influenced L2 reading outcomes. It also shows that text vocabulary difficulty significantly moderated the relationship between reader grammatical knowledge and L2 reading, indicating that the relationship between grammar knowledge and L2 reading for high lexical frequency texts was significantly greater than for low lexical frequency texts.

THE ROLE OF THE FIRST LANGUAGE IN SECOND LANGUAGE READING

2001 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 469-495 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas A. Upton ◽  
Li-Chun Lee-Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
First Language ◽  
The United States ◽  
Second Language Reading ◽  
Cognitive Resources ◽  
L2 Reading ◽  
Comprehension Process

Reading in a second language (L2) is not a monolingual event; L2 readers have access to their first language (L1) as they read, and many use it as a strategy to help comprehend an L2 text. Owing to difficulties in observing the comprehension process, little research has been conducted to determine what role the L1 plays in the reading strategies of L2 readers. Using think-aloud protocols and retrospective interviews with 20 native speakers of Chinese and Japanese at three levels of language proficiency studying in the United States, this study explores further the question of when L2 readers use their L1 cognitive resources and how this cognitive use of the L1 helps them comprehend an L2 text. We conclude by suggesting that the results support a sociocultural view of the L2 reading process.

scholarly journals The Role of Low-level First Language Skills in Second Language Reading, Reading-While-Listening and Listening Performance: A Study of Young Dyslexic and Non-dyslexic Language Learners

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 834-858 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judit Kormos ◽  
Milena Košak Babuder ◽  
Karmen Pižorn
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
First Language ◽  
Second Language Reading ◽  
Listening Skills ◽  
L2 Reading ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Word Level ◽  
Assessment Tasks

Abstract Our study investigated the differences in low-level L1 skills and L2 reading, listening, and reading-while-listening outcomes between young dyslexic and non-dyslexic Slovenian learners of English. The research, in which children completed four language assessment tasks in three modes in a carefully counter-balanced order, also examined the relationship between low-level L1 skills and L2 reading, listening, and reading-while-listening performance. The findings show that, in Slovenian, which is a transparent language, dyslexic students are behind their non-dyslexic peers in word-level L1 skills after five years of literacy instruction. The results also call attention to the fact that students with weak L2 reading and listening skills might not always be at risk of, or diagnosed as having, dyslexia. Importantly, the findings suggest that the accuracy and speed of real and non-word reading in L1 might serve as useful indicators of L2 reading difficulties of young language learners. Furthermore, L1 dictation tests were also found to yield diagnostic information on young L2 learners’ listening and reading-while-listening problems.

scholarly journals Measuring Attention in Second Language Reading Using Eye-tracking: The Case of the Noticing Hypothesis

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emrah Dolgunsöz
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Second Language Reading ◽  
Learning Gains ◽  
L2 Reading ◽  
Recognition Probability ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Standard Text ◽  
Unknown Words

Taking Schmidt’s (1990) noticing hypothesis as point of departure this study aims to measure attention and learning gains during second language (L2) reading by making use of eye-tracking methodology. Relying on Robinson’s hierarchical memory model (1995, 2003), it is hypothesized that vocabulary learning and attention are closely associated. After a vocabulary pre-test, seventy-five learners of English read a standard text individually while their eye movements were being recorded followed by an immediate post-test. The results revealed that learners spent more time on unknown words than they did on familiar ones. Attention and learning gains also positively correlated; fixation values on an unknown word increased its further recognition probability in post-test. Finally, the findings revealed a cut-off point of approximately 450ms as an activation threshold for noticing. Eye-tracking as a technique to measure attention in second language acquisition (SLA) was also discussed.

The role and importance of lower-level processes in second language reading

2013 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hossein Nassaji
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Word Recognition ◽  
Reading Instruction ◽  
Reading Skills ◽  
Second Language Reading ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Linguistic Variables ◽  
L2 Reading ◽  
Semantic Processes

This article examines current research on the role and importance of lower-level processes in second language (L2) reading. The focus is on word recognition and its subcomponent processes, including various phonological and orthographic processes. Issues related to syntactic and semantic processes and their relationship with word recognition are also discussed. When examining the role of these processes, an important focus is also on cross-linguistic variables and the various ways in which they facilitate or impede the development of L2 reading skills. The review concludes with a discussion of the implications of the issues addressed for L2 reading instruction and directions for future research.

Employing Personal Reading Logs through Short Stories to Enhance Students’ L2 Reading Comprehension Achievement

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Eliyas Sulaiman Mohandas ◽  
Nik Mastura Nik Ismail Azlan ◽  
Salwa Othman ◽  
Muhammad Aizat Azhari
Keyword(s):  
Short Stories ◽  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
P Value ◽  
L2 Reading ◽  
Reading Score ◽  
Paired Samples ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Post Test ◽  
The Mean ◽  
L2 Reading Comprehension

This study aims to investigate whether the use of six selected short stories throughout the duration of a 14-week course could enhance students’ reading comprehension achievement at the end of the semester. Out of the six short stories read, three were chosen as in-class assignments known as ‘Personal Reading Logs’ (hereafter, PRLs). One group of semester two Diploma students taking a reading skills course was selected through a convenience sampling method. A pre-test was conducted by having the students answer a past semester reading quiz of which the results would then be compared to their post-test (final reading exam) results. A paired samples t-test revealed no significant difference in the reading scores of the pre-test and the post-test, t (17) = -.265, p > .05. Since the p-value was bigger than 0.05, this indicated that the mean reading score of the post-test (M = 50.556) was not significantly higher than the mean reading score of the pre-test (M = 49.722). Therefore, the null hypothesis which stated that there was no difference in the mean score of the pre-test and post-test was retained. Overall, the result refuted the findings of other studies promoting the effectiveness of using short stories to enhance L2 reading comprehension achievement.

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