On L2 Reading Strategies And Its Influence On L2 Reading Competence

Language learning strategies (LLSs) are methods and ways consciously selected by language learners in word-guessing, word-remembering, grammar application and other language aspects to improve their language proficiency. The study was initiated by Rubin, Naiman, Frohich, Tedesco and other linguists in the 1970s. Up to date, the study has been concerned with: 1) strategies used by good learners; 2) differences in language learning strategies used by good and poor learners; 3) the correlation between learners'use of language leaning strategies and their language proficiency; 4) factors influencing language learners'strategy use; and 5) strategy training and its effects.Reading is the most important purpose and at the same time the most important means of language learning. Reading strategies refer to strategies (such as inferencing, deduction, concentrating on reading and other strategies) used by language learners aiming to improve their reading comprehension. Hence research on reading strategies is of great importance in language learning as well as in language teaching. The present study intends to investigate, from the perspectives of psychology, schema theory as well as L2 acquisition, reading strategies employed by the Chinese college students while reading an English text and tries to find out if there are differences in reading strategy use between good and poor Chinese learners. The author attempts to answer the following research questions:1) Do Chinese EFL learners make use of reading strategies in their second language (L2) reading?2) Do good and poor Chinese EFL learners differ in their reading strategy use in L2 reading? If yes, then3) How do good and poor Chinese EFL learners differ in their reading strategy use?The study was carried out on 80 students (40 good readers and 40 poor readers) using a 4-scaled questionnaire of reading strategies. The data collected from the experiments were examined through Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 11.5 statistical analysis system. Procedures as descriptive statistics and t-test for independent samples have been adopted.The study revealed the characteristics of good and poor Chinese EFL learners in their use of reading strategies:1) Chinese students use reading strategies frequently in their English reading.2) Neither the two groups show obvious tendency toward the three classifications (metacognitive, cognitive and social/affective strategies) of strategy use. While comparatively speaking, the highest frequency of reading strategy employed by college students falls on the cognitive strategy, followed by social/affective strategy, with the metacognitive strategy coming the last.3) Generally speaking, good students use more strategies in number and in frequency than poor students.4) Among the three strategies, the most significant difference exists in the use of metacognitive strategies, followed by the social/affective strategies and there is not...