English Reading Strategy Research

AbstractOver the last two decades there have been increasing numbers of studies on the notion of learning strategies. And the fact has been uncovered that learning strategies are playing a vital role in achieving successful language learning. The present thesis serves as a preliminary study in the research of learning strategies for reading comprehension. It attempts to verify the impact of frequent and appropriate strategy use on effective reading outcomes and thereby to draw some educational implications.The thesis moves from theory to investigation, then into educational implications. First explores the theoretical framework for EFL reading from the cognitive perspective after a brief, yet overall review of established theories and empirical studies on learning strategies and reading approaches. Then it describes the investigation consisting of a standard CET 4 test (Reading Comprehension) and a questionnaire. Next it presents the experimental results of the test as well as the detailed discussion of the questionnaire, thus revealing the consistent findings that effective readers employ learning strategies more consciously, frequently and flexibly and therefore, score significantly higher than ineffective ones who seldom or infrequently do so.Based on the findings, it's finally suggested that ineffective readers should be motivated to enhance their efforts to learn and practice using these strategies in extensive reading activities. It's also implied that teachers should, preferably, incorporate both strategy consciousness-raising and strategy use training activities into the regular course instruction.