A Comparative Study of Reading Strategies III Ll and L2: Case Study of Five Korean Graduate Students

Abstract

Reading strategies are found to be effective in improving students' reading comprehension not only in Ll but also in L2. Much research indicates that good readers use multiple reading strategies, and these strategies increase their reading comprehension. Other research also indicates that Ll reading strategies transfer to L2 reading. The purpose of this study is to verify which reading strategies the participants use in their Ll reading process and L2 (English) reading process. By comparing Ll and L2 reading strategies, we can better understand learners' L2 reading process. The study was conducted on five Korean graduate students at UT A (University of Texas at Arlington). Two data collection methods were used: think-aloud and questionnaires. The results of this study showed that the participants used many of the same reading strategies that they used in their Ll reading, when reading the L2 text. Furthermore, many of the strategies they used in the L2 reading are the ones that successful native English readers use.