Second-Language Reading Process for Professional English: A Case Study

Although much research on English for specific purposes (ESP) has been conducted, little focus has been placed on investigating the mechanisms involved in ESP readers’ comprehension process. This case study explored the reading process that characterizes a competent ESP reader’s comprehension. A juris doctor student attending a major university in the United States was selected for the case study. Qualitative data were gathered through a semi-structured interview, recall protocol, and document analysis, and were thematically coded. The findings revealed the following: (a) The professional domain determines the major purposes of ESP reading. (b) Institutional demands and inadequate L2 proficiency within the target discourse prevent background knowledge in the first language (L1) from being transferred to L2 texts are the major sources of comprehension difficulty. (c) Three strategies can be used to overcome such difficulties. First, schemata (background knowledge) in L1 can facilitate comprehension and enhance the reading process. Second, genre knowledge learned in L1 can be used to dissect the information structure of L2 texts. Finally, the use of L1-based materials can help to overcome the comprehension difficulties arising from the L2 material. The implications for L2 reading instruction and future ESP reading research are discussed.

English for Academic Purposes Related to Dentistry: Analyzing the Reading Comprehension Process

The Universidad de la República, in Uruguay, offers reading comprehension in English courses within the career of dentistry for students to access information in this language. The study sought to analyze the fulfilment of the course’s aims and to test the hypothesis that the greater the vocabulary that dentistry students possess, the better they will be able to understand written dentistry texts. A mixed approach, based on interviews and a class survey, was used. Data showed that the course’s objectives were achieved. Participants stated that the course is highly meaningful, and they believed that the previously mentioned correlation exists. However, this could not be statistically verified, which indicates that multiple reading comprehension skills are involved when trying to understand academic texts.

Reading skill development through CLIL Methodology

Introduction. In the mid-90s, as a result of the language policies adopted in Europe to improve the language skills of its citizens, a new approach to language learning emerged, this was named, Content Integrated Learning and Foreign Languages (CLIL). With the same vision, within the changes made in its educational policy, since 2016 Ecuador implements this approach in its foreign language curriculum. Objective. The objective of this work was to provide evidence on the effectiveness of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in the acquisition of reading competence compared to the traditional learning of English as a foreign language (EFL) in the first year of Bachillerato at Unidad Educativa Riobamba. Methodology. The study was carried out based on a quantitative method, quasi experimental design and it was applied in two moments: pre and post- test. In order to determine the statistical differences in the reading comprehension process between the two groups of students, CLIL reading texts were applied to a population of 60 students, which 30 students represented the control group and all the other remaining students were the experimental group. The control group was evaluated after using the textbook as the only class teaching material and, the experimental group, was evaluated after receiving CLIL classes using its corresponding materials. Results. The results indicated that students in the experimental group showed at the end of the project, a significant development in reading comprehension and vocabulary. Conclusion. Therefore, through this research it was determined that the use of CLIL texts directly influenced the development of reading comprehension and requires teachers to start using this approach.

THE IMPACT OF KWL STRATEGY ON COLLEGE EFL STUDENTS' READING COMPREHENSION ACHIEVEMENT

Iraqi EFL learners face difficulties in comprehending English language reading texts. It is well-established that the teaching strategies focusing on the nature of reading comprehension process are more effective than traditional methods when seeking to achieve a better comprehension of foreign language texts. This study investigates the impact of the KWL strategy on the college EFL students' reading comprehension achievement. KWL (Ogle, 1986) is an instructional reading method utilized to guide students while reading a text. Students brainstorm the whole thing they Know about a topic. This information is written down in the K column of a K-W-L chart. A list of questions about what they Want to Know about the topic is then developed. These questions are set out in the W column of the chart. During or after reading, students answer the questions that are in the W column. This new information that they have Learned is recorded in the L column of the K-W-L chart. To achieve the aim of this study, a sample selected randomly from the first-grade students, the department of English, Al-Imam Al-Kadhum Private University College, Misan, Iraq. Ninety-two males and females participated in the study and were distributed equally to an experimental group and a control group. Both groups were pretested to determine their achievement level and make sure that they are homogenous. The students in the experimental group were taught reading comprehension by the K.W.L strategy, while the control group were taught by a conventional method. Pre- and post-reading comprehension tests were managed to collect data. The data were analyzed using a two-sample t-test. The findings reveal the superiority of the experimental group students in the reading comprehension post-test over their peers in the control group. Therefore, the strategy can be beneficial for students’ reading comprehension. This study is a call for teachers to utilize new strategies and techniques for teaching reading compr

Extrapolation in the reading comprehension process in engineering students

The purpose of this research was to analyze the processes that allow students to develop reading comprehension through extrapolation. A mixed methodology was used, where through the descriptive correlational analysis between the study variables and the qualitative one that allowed describing and explaining the pedagogical processes carried out. Regarding the quantitative method, a purposive sample of 220 students from the engineering area of a public university in Lima, Peru, whose ages ranged from 16 to 20 years old, of both genders, was used. For the qualitative analysis, eight students were randomly selected. The results showed that the dimensions referring to reading comprehension had an average value of 53% and the correlational analysis indicated a positive and regular average relationship between reading comprehension and extrapolation (Spearman's rho = .394). It was concluded that the use of extrapolation for the development of reading comprehension has been positive, reaching significant levels.

READING SKILLS AND PRIOR KNOWLEDGE IN THE COMPREHENSION OF CAUSAL RELATIONS: MULTIPLE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN FORMAL SCHOOLING, TYPE OF INFORMATION AND COHESION MARKERS

The main objective of this paper is to analyze the interactions between reading skills, readers’ prior knowledge and the linguistic characteristics of texts, specifically during the comprehension of causal relations in Spanish. Within this framework, we also attempt to provide psycholinguistic evidence that will help us understand text-based learning processes. We present two psycholinguistic experiments to analyze the link between prior knowledge and readers’ formal schooling level with text variables, such as absence/ presence of connectives and the structure of causal relations during the text comprehension process. This gives us the possibility to simultaneously analyze several interactions. We evaluated response time, reading time, and accuracy in the responses. Our results show that not involving prior knowledge changes causal relations comprehension patterns, but also that in these cases, the presence of connectives not only facilitates the comprehension process but rather is a condition to make it possible. We also discuss the need to differentiate general reading skills from the area of expertise that the subjects may have, since these variables connect in specific ways with the different text types. In order to boost text-based learning processes it is necessary to display a clear range of conclusions referring to these multiple interactions.

A Study On Media In Listening Comprehension At Second Year Students Of English Language Education Program

There were two findings in this research. First, media that helped the students in understanding Listening Comprehension materials and second, the students’ reasons in choosing the media seen from two aspects: (1) how the media helped the students to master the micro and macro skill of listening and (2) how the media helped the students to understand the listening comprehension process. The first finding showed 74.13% of students selected audio visual media that helped them in understanding Listening Comprehension, while 25.175% and 0.695% of them preferred audio and visual media respectively. The second finding showed to improve to the macro skills of listening, 61.73% of the students argued that they were helped by audio visual media, while 38.26% of them were helped by audio media. On the other hand, 53.35% of the students aired their opinion that their micro skills of listening were improved through the use of audio visual media and 46.64% of them stated that they are helped with the audio media use. Film, television, video, computer, gadget, games and song accommodated all of the eight listening comprehension processes. Therefore, the researcher suggests that the teacher should use audio media to help the students in mastering the micro skill of listening and audio visual media to assist the students in understanding the macro skill of listening. In addition, film, television, video, computer, gadget, games and song should be used to support the students in comprehending the listening comprehension process.

Listening and comprehension in interpreting

The study of skilled listening comprehension shows that listening is a complex, dynamic, and interactive process that enables listeners to understand a message and respond adequately to the requirements of communicative interaction. Individual factors, such as language proficiency, working memory capacity, and previous knowledge, interact in the listening process and performance. Moreover, skilled listeners deploy controlled strategies directed at making the best use of their abilities to achieve a specific communicative goal. However, our understanding of individual variables, such as language proficiency, topic-specific knowledge, and the strategies that interpreters use when listening for interpreting, remain mostly unexplored. This article presents listening comprehension as a goal-directed activity and articulates recent research on individual factors involved in listening comprehension with current conceptions of comprehension for interpreting. This review identifies relevant gaps in our understanding about the comprehension process in interpreting.