RESEARCH AND TEACHING

ON L2 READING
Week 3
Yohanes Nugroho Widiyanto
 PART I

RESEARCH ON
SECOND LANGUAGE
READING
 RESEARCH: L1 VS L2 READING
• Similarities:
1. Topics
2. Methods
3. Procedures
Specific features of L2 Reading
1. L2 research, unlike L1 research, often views the roles of language proficiency and
language knowledge as important factors in reading development
2. L2 research often explores transfer of L1 linguistic, strategic and content
knowledge on L2 performance
3. L2 research oftentimes takes into account the role of L1 reading skills,
metacognition and underlying cognitive universals when explaining L2 reading
development
4. L2 research frequently examines the issue of a second language threshold
5. L2 research investigates cultural factors and unique instructional resources that
might influence reading development (e.g. bilingual dictionaries, translation,
glossing).
 AREAS TYPICAL OF L2 READING RESEARCH
1. Word-level issues and vocabulary in reading development
2. Main-idea comprehension and instructional routines
3. Reading strategies and strategic reading
4. Reading fluency and extensive reading
5. Motivation in L2 reading
6. Reading assessment options
 WORD-LEVEL ISSUES AND VOCABULARY IN
READING DEVELOPMENT

• Word recognition skills : word repetition frequency in texts, size of students’

vocabulary
• Automaticity : sight word reading
• Morphological knowledge : parts-of-speech forms, derivational forms
• Vocabulary knowledge
(a) multiple meanings of a word
(b) common collocations
(c) the general semantic fields
(d) the roles of cognates, translation, definitions, glosses and dictionary use
 MAIN-IDEA COMPREHENSION AND
INSTRUCTIONAL ROUTINES
Techniques to promote comprehension
a) post-reading questions
b) fill-in exercises
c) writing and speaking tasks based on text information
Instructional routines
a) how to organise the classroom layout to promote meaningful discussions around text
comprehension
b) how to structure class activities to maximise student engagement
c) how to respond to student questions about text information
d) how to determine appropriate amounts of reading practice, skill building and
homework
e) how to select reading passage
f) how to plan effective student–student and teacher–student interactional patterns
g) how to order comprehension tasks effectively
 READING STRATEGIES AND STRATEGIC READING

• what types of strategies L2 readers use

• how they use strategies
• how often they use specific strategies
 READING FLUENCY AND EXTENSIVE READING

• The importance of reading fluency and its instruction is growing in

recognition, but more research need to be done in L2 contexts (Grabe,
2009, 2010)
• Extensive reading is often viewed as peripheral support rather than an
essential instructional component in many L2 reading curricula. More
research is needed to reinforce the benefits of extensive reading, in and out
of class, for students (Grabe, 2009)
 MOTIVATION IN L2 READING

• to determine what does and does not motivate students

a) student interests
b) prior experiences
c) levels of self-esteem
d) attitudes toward reading, the L2 and school

L1 Research: motivation and reader engagement significantly improve

reading abilities
L2 Research?
 READING ASSESSMENT
Common methods:
a) standardised tests
b) cloze passages
c) multiple choice questions
d) summary writing
alternative methods of assessment
a) reading portfolios,
b) checklists,
c) individual student observations
d) , student interviews
e) , group performances,
f) charts of progress over time,
g) extensive reading booklists,
h) oral presentations
i) performances
 OTHER READING RESEARCH AREAS
reading resources specific to L2 reading (e.g. the use of word lists, translation,
glosses, bilingual dictionaries, mental translations) (Laufer and Girsai, 2008;
Prichard, 2008; Rott, 2007)
the role of language proficiency and L2 language support in L2 reading
the development of more innovative reading assessment options
the role of socio-cultural influences on reading development
the influence of teacher training on reading instruction (cf. Anderson, 2008b,
2009; Janzen, 2007).
 SECOND PART

Teaching reading using

evidence-based practices
 IMPLICATIONS FROM READING RESEARCH
FOR READING INSTRUCTION
Students need to develop abilities to: • 7. set goals for reading and adjust them
as needed
1. decode graphic forms for efficient
word recognition • 8. use inferences of various types and
monitor comprehension for reading
2. access the meanings of a large goals
number of words automatically • 9. draw on prior knowledge as
3. draw meaning from phrase- and appropriate
clause-level grammatical information • 10. evaluate, integrate and synthesise
information for critical reading
4. combine clause-level meanings into comprehension
larger networks of text comprehension
• 11. maintain these processes fluently for
5. recognise discourse structures that an extended period of time
build and support comprehension • 12. sustain motivation to persist in
6. use reading strategies for a range of reading and use text information for
academic reading tasks reading goals
 CURRICULAR PRINCIPLES FOR
READING INSTRUCTION
1. Integrate reading skill instruction with extensive practice and exposure to
point
2. Use reading resources that are interesting, varied, attractive, abundant
and accessible
3. Provide some degree of student choice
4. Introduce and practise reading skills by first drawing on the passages in
course textbooks
5. Connect textbook readings to students’ background knowledge
6. Structure lessons around pre-reading, during-reading and post-reading
tasks
 CONT…
7. Provide opportunities for students to experience comprehension success
8. Build expectations that reading occurs in class in every lesson
9. Plan instruction around a curricular framework that integrates goals for the development of
reading abilities. To do so, teachers should:
a. Promote word recognition efficiency
b. Assist students in building a large recognition vocabulary
c. Create opportunities for comprehension skills practice
d. Build students’ text structure awareness
e. Develop the strategic reader
f. Build students’ reading fluency
g. Provide consistent extensive reading opportunities
h. Motivate students to read
i. Integrate content and language learning goals
 SAMPLE ACTIVITIES USED IN DIFFERENT
STAGES OF A READING LESSON
Pre-reading During-reading Post-reading

Presenting key vocabulary guessing new word meanings Sorting

identifying main themes in the confirming predictions building vocabulary knowledge

reading
•
predicting information in the clarifying comprehension highlighting key information
text

tapping appropriate Examining a difficult paragraph Summarising

background knowledge
making connections between Evaluating
new and known information
 EXERCISE
techniques Procedure Areas of research
Concept-of-definition map for
introducing new vocabulary
Questioning the Author (QtA)
Directed Reading–Thinking
Activity (DR–TA
KWHL (K = Know; W = Want to
know; H = How to learn; L =
Learned)
Word wall approach
Concept-Oriented Reading
Instruction (CORI)
Sustained Silent Reading (SSR)