| Using a sequential mixed-methods design, this study examined the differences between two native language groups---those with an East Asian language background and those with a Romance language background---in regard to reading subskills as represented in the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB) reading test, so as to provide diagnostic information for second-language reading instruction. With a grounded theory approach that draws on think-aloud reports from a sample of ESL students, it was hypothesized that given the same overall English reading ability, Romance ESL learners would have more mastery of linguistic skills such as vocabulary and syntax, whereas East Asian ESL learners would have more mastery of comprehension skills such as extracting explicit information, and connecting and synthesizing information.;The hypotheses were tested using item response data from 669 examinees drawn from the MELAB dataset with L1 linguistic backgrounds in Chinese, Korean, or Japanese, or a Romance language. First, the subskill profile of each examinee was identified via an application of the item-skill Q-matrix to a Fusion Model of cognitive diagnostic modeling. Second, the specific hypotheses were then tested by comparing the subskill profiles of the East Asian examinees against the subskill profiles of those with a Romance L1 background via Differential Skill Functioning (DSF) analyses through logistic regression techniques.;This study confirmed the hypothesis that given the same overall English reading ability, it is more likely for Romance ESL learners to have mastery of the skill of vocabulary than East Asian ESL learners. Further, given the same overall English reading ability and gender, it is more likely for East Asian ESL learners to have mastery of the skill of connecting and synthesizing information than Romance ESL learners. In addition, given the same overall English reading ability, female ESL learners are more likely to have mastery of the skill of syntax and the skill of connecting and synthesizing information than males. Instructional strategies are suggested to address the specific weaknesses in ESL learners' reading skills. Implications for the cognitive diagnostic assessment of reading are also discussed. |
