Comprehension aids, Internet technologies, and the reading of authentic materials by adult second language learners

For second language teachers and theorists alike, there is a need to understand the processes involved in the second language learner's pursuit of comprehension during the act of reading in the target language. This study seeks to provide insights into issues such as how second language readers approach the task in terms of how they use resources in the form of comprehension aids, how and if readers at different levels of instructed second language experience differ in their use of resources, and what advantages computer tracking confers on the analysis of data concerning reading behavior. Specifically, it addresses the problem of determining what comprehension aids second language readers actually use when reading an authentic text on computer and the role that the readers' level of instructed second language experience plays in their choice of aids. Additionally, it focuses on the core problem of how to gain access to the reading process. To this end the study utilizes the constructs put forward in the top-down, bottom-up, and interactive processing metaphors and the linguistic threshold hypothesis to address four questions: (1) Given several comprehension aids as resources, (a) what resources will second language readers use when reading a text on computer? (b) with what frequency will they use them? (2) What role does level of instructed second language experience play in strategy choice? (3) What advantage(s) does the tracking of reading behavior confer on data analysis in second language text processing? (4) What implications do these findings suggest for future studies of text processing and comprehension? The dependent variable in the study is the number of times that comprehension aids are consulted, and the independent variable is the level of instructed second language experience of the various participants. In this way it focuses on issues of concern, not only to second language teachers, but to language learners as well.