The Effects of Learners’ Proficiency, Gender, and Year of Schooling on Reading Strategy Use

This research explored to what extent EFL university learners’ reading strategy use is influenced by their proficiency, gender, and year of schooling. To attain this end, the study employed a self-report strategy questionnaire. The results showed that the high-skilled group outperformed the low-skilled one not only in overall strategy use but also in the choice of comprehending, memory, planning, monitoring, and evaluating strategies. The former group’s most preferred strategy type was memory strategies, which was contrasted with the latter group’s equal preference for memory, retrieval, and evaluating strategies. As for gender effects, males and females did not differ in their strategy use, except for memory strategies, which were more favored by females than males. Further analysis showed that females’ strongest preference for memory strategies was compared to males’ great inclination to use memory, comprehending, and retrieval strategies. Particularly noteworthy was that the readers’ year of schooling was negatively related to their reading strategy use: The lowerclassmen were more active strategy users than the upperclassmen. The former group preferred to use memory and evaluating strategies, whereas the latter opted for memory, evaluating, and comprehending strategies. On the basis of the results, the study provides helpful suggestions for the effective use of reading strategies.