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Article published In: Chinese as a Second Language (漢語教學研究—美國中文教師學會學報)
Vol. 53:2 (2018) ► pp.131–162

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A qualitative case study of CSL learners’ reading strategies

 | Kennesaw State University
Published online: 21 January 2019
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https://doi.org/10.1075/csl.17024.hua
Abstract
Reading is a challenging task for Chinese as a second language (CSL) learners. Research has shown that effective use of strategies helps to enhance reading comprehension. However, studies about the reading strategies of CSL learners are extremely limited, and even fewer studies focus on how CSL readers use reading strategies to facilitate comprehension when reading a Chinese text. This case study addressed this gap by conducting an in-depth analysis of how three CSL readers used strategies to enhance their comprehension. Through think-aloud and recall protocols, close observations, and interviews, this study identified 26 comprehension strategies used by these readers during the reading process. It also reported the strategies commonly used by these readers to enhance reading comprehension effectively, such as using context to decode words, monitoring, identifying important information, and skipping unimportant parts. This article presents the study’s findings and their implications.
摘要
研究表明，有效使用阅读策略能提高阅读理解率。该论文旨在揭示中文二语读者怎样有效使用阅读策略帮助阅读理解。通过出声思维法、回想法、访谈和观察，该研究确认了二十六种中文二语读者所使用的阅读策略，揭示了他们的阅读过程，并讨论了他们在使用策略的过程中显示的共同特点，包括有效地利用语境信息，监控阅读理解，以及区分重要信息与次要信息。这些结果支持和扩展了前人关于阅读策略的研究，并为中文二语阅读教学提供了教学建议。
Article outline
  • 1.Literature review
    • 1.1Studies on L2 reading strategies
    • 1.2Reading strategies used by CSL readers
  • 2.Methodology
    • 2.1Setting and participant selection
    • 2.2Reading materials used for the study
    • 2.3Instruments and procedure
    • 2.4Data analysis
  • 3.Results
    • 3.1Reading strategies used by the individual CSL readers
    • 3.2How each reader used reading strategies to enhance comprehension in the process of reading
      • 3.2.1The case of Sophie
      • 3.2.2The case of Maggie
      • 3.2.3The case of Jack
    • 3.3Common strategies readers used effectively to enhance comprehension
      • 3.3.1Using context to decode unfamiliar characters and words
      • 3.3.2Constant monitoring, and integrating different parts of the text
      • 3.3.3Identifying important information: Skipping with purpose
  • 4.Discussion
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgments
  • References
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