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Reading Comprehension Strategies and Comprehension Level of Proficient and Low Proficient ESL Readers

This study is both quantitative and qualitative in nature. The study focuses on the use of reading comprehension strategies and comprehension level of proficient and low proficient ESL readers in the TESL Matriculation programme of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). The think-aloud technique was us...

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Main Author: Danga, Hawa Abdullai Morjan
Format: Project Paper Report
Language:English
English
Published: 1999
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/9175/1/FPP_1999_68_A.pdf
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/9175/
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spelling my.upm.eprints.91752011-07-25T08:31:06Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/9175/ Reading Comprehension Strategies and Comprehension Level of Proficient and Low Proficient ESL Readers Danga, Hawa Abdullai Morjan This study is both quantitative and qualitative in nature. The study focuses on the use of reading comprehension strategies and comprehension level of proficient and low proficient ESL readers in the TESL Matriculation programme of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). The think-aloud technique was used to investigate the use of reading comprehension strategies. The product of reading (comprehension level) was assessed by the means of oral retelling. The findings illustrate that both groups of readers depended much on bottom-up text processing, especially the low proficient ESL readers. The proficient ESL readers however, used significantly more metacognitive and top-down strategies than the low proficient ESL readers. The findings of this study further indicate that the proficient ESL readers tended to use more bottom-up strategies than the low proficient ESL readers. This contradicts findings of previous studies which illustrated that the low proficient ESL readers used more bottom-up strategies than the proficient ESL readers. However, this difference is attributable to the lack of competence in L2 among the low proficient ESL readers. This made them unable to report their thoughts frequently hence perhaps producing bottom-up strategies less than the proficient ESL readers. The findings also illustrate that the proficient ESL readers had a significantly higher level of comprehension than the low proficient ESL readers. The results of the qualitative analysis of think-aloud protocols suggest that the major problem faced by the ESL readers of this study seems to be their inadequate control over grammar and vocabulary in English. This also hindered the subjects' comprehension of the text especially among the low proficient ESL readers. Thus in order to derive meaning from the text, the ESL readers relied on bottom-up strategies. The results of the study also suggest that there is a need to enhance the students' linguistic knowledge in vocabulary and grammar of English as a second language to improve the students' efficient use of the reading strategies. 1999-02 Project Paper Report NonPeerReviewed application/pdf en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/9175/1/FPP_1999_68_A.pdf Danga, Hawa Abdullai Morjan (1999) Reading Comprehension Strategies and Comprehension Level of Proficient and Low Proficient ESL Readers. [Project Paper Report] English
institution Universiti Putra Malaysia
building UPM Library
collection Institutional Repository
continent Asia
country Malaysia
content_provider Universiti Putra Malaysia
content_source UPM Institutional Repository
url_provider http://psasir.upm.edu.my/
language English
English
description This study is both quantitative and qualitative in nature. The study focuses on the use of reading comprehension strategies and comprehension level of proficient and low proficient ESL readers in the TESL Matriculation programme of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). The think-aloud technique was used to investigate the use of reading comprehension strategies. The product of reading (comprehension level) was assessed by the means of oral retelling. The findings illustrate that both groups of readers depended much on bottom-up text processing, especially the low proficient ESL readers. The proficient ESL readers however, used significantly more metacognitive and top-down strategies than the low proficient ESL readers. The findings of this study further indicate that the proficient ESL readers tended to use more bottom-up strategies than the low proficient ESL readers. This contradicts findings of previous studies which illustrated that the low proficient ESL readers used more bottom-up strategies than the proficient ESL readers. However, this difference is attributable to the lack of competence in L2 among the low proficient ESL readers. This made them unable to report their thoughts frequently hence perhaps producing bottom-up strategies less than the proficient ESL readers. The findings also illustrate that the proficient ESL readers had a significantly higher level of comprehension than the low proficient ESL readers. The results of the qualitative analysis of think-aloud protocols suggest that the major problem faced by the ESL readers of this study seems to be their inadequate control over grammar and vocabulary in English. This also hindered the subjects' comprehension of the text especially among the low proficient ESL readers. Thus in order to derive meaning from the text, the ESL readers relied on bottom-up strategies. The results of the study also suggest that there is a need to enhance the students' linguistic knowledge in vocabulary and grammar of English as a second language to improve the students' efficient use of the reading strategies.
format Project Paper Report
author Danga, Hawa Abdullai Morjan
spellingShingle Danga, Hawa Abdullai Morjan
Reading Comprehension Strategies and Comprehension Level of Proficient and Low Proficient ESL Readers
author_facet Danga, Hawa Abdullai Morjan
author_sort Danga, Hawa Abdullai Morjan
title Reading Comprehension Strategies and Comprehension Level of Proficient and Low Proficient ESL Readers
title_short Reading Comprehension Strategies and Comprehension Level of Proficient and Low Proficient ESL Readers
title_full Reading Comprehension Strategies and Comprehension Level of Proficient and Low Proficient ESL Readers
title_fullStr Reading Comprehension Strategies and Comprehension Level of Proficient and Low Proficient ESL Readers
title_full_unstemmed Reading Comprehension Strategies and Comprehension Level of Proficient and Low Proficient ESL Readers
title_sort reading comprehension strategies and comprehension level of proficient and low proficient esl readers
publishDate 1999
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/9175/1/FPP_1999_68_A.pdf
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/9175/
_version_ 1643824233018556416
score 13.211869

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