A Questionnaire Study On The Chinese Reading Strategies By Preparatory Students Studying In China

Research on reading strategies is an essential part in research on learning strategies, which plays an increasingly important role in second language acquisition. Studies on Chinese learning strategies for foreign students in the field of teaching Chinese as a second language (CSL) started later and are not fruitful. Researchers just dabbled in Chinese reading strategies employed by foreign students, and paid little attention to the strategies employed by preparatory students who came to China to study Chinese. However, improvement of preparatory students'reading ability is one of the main teaching objectives of CSL teachers. In view of the importance of reading and reading strategies, the present status of studies on this problem and the characters of preparatory students, we did thorough investigation and exploration on their Chinese reading strategies.Based on the RLSS questionnaire, this thesis made a quantitative study on the reading strategies employed by 118 preparatory students in Shandong University who came to China in 2009, and analyzed the collected data by SPSS. Correlation analyses were made between the data and their reading achievements in HSK (Elementary & Intermediate) held in June,2010. We investigated preparatory students'general characters of reading strategies, the differences between the students with individual differences (gender, territorial source and age group), the differences between high-score students and low-score students. On this condition, we explored how to design reasonable training programs of reading strategies targeted on preparatory students.The conclusions of the studies are described as follows:(1) Although the preparatory students often use reading strategies, it is not very satisfactory. There are relatively high frequencies on compensation strategies and affective/social strategies, but low frequencies on meta-cognitive strategies and cognitive strategies. Thus strategy training should be strengthened.(2) There are no significant differences on the use of reading strategies between the preparatory students who are different in gender and territorial source. But there is significant difference between the students aged 20-24 and those aged 18-19. (3) Between high-score students and low-score students, there are no significant differences on the use of cognitive, meta-cognitive and affective/social strategies, but there is significant difference on the use of compensation strategies. The mean values of high-score students are obviously higher than those of low-score students.(4) On the analyses of correlation coefficient, cognitive strategies and compensation strategies are significantly correlated positively with reading achievements of HSK, while meta-cognitive strategies and affective/social strategies have no correlation with reading achievements. By regression analyses, cognitive strategies and compensation strategies have positive effects on the preparatory students' reading achievements of HSK.According to the above findings, this thesis intends to provide valuable and practical advice for preparatory students and CSL teachers. Preparatory students should set up the consciousness of reading strategies and intensify meta-cognitive strategies and cognitive strategies; experience Chinese culture and life to increase the background knowledge of language learning; search suitable reading materials and increase after-class reading activities. The CSL teachers should lead the preparatory students to use reading strategies in accordance with the characters of them; keep in training the students on reading strategies and establish a reading room to guide the students face to face.The present study broadens the range of study on reading strategies, and provides data for the researchers who would like to make further studies on Chinese reading strategies. The data and analyses offer important enlightenments for the teaching of foreign students, especially preparatory students. The studies on the Chinese reading strategies are not only conducive to the enhancement of teaching effect and quality for preparatory classes, but to the improvement of Chinese reading abilities and autonomous learning abilities for higher learning efficiency.