Interpreting the Linkage among Reading Problems in L1 and L2, Strategy Use in L2 Reading, and L2 Proficiency

Interpreting the Linkage among Reading Problems in L1 and L2, Strategy Use in L2 Reading, and L2 Proficiency

The paper examines the relationships among reading problems in L1 and L2, strategy use in L2 reading and L2 proficiency. The total of 126 university students participated in this study. Self-assessed survey items were used to measure reading proficiency in L1, Korean and L2, English. Then the Survey of Reading Strategy (SORS) was followed to measure the participants’ strategy use during their L2 academic reading. Some of the main reading problems involve slow reading in L2 texts, lack of vocabulary size during reading in L2, and lack of content knowledge in L2 texts. Language proficiency is greatly contributed to L2 reading proficiency, to the extent in which the participants fell below the linguistic threshold. Pedagogical implications and limitations are discussed. (120 words)