This article examines the effects of some of the testing procedures used in current second-language reading research on learners' performance on these tasks and suggests guidelines for developing future research instruments and classroom reading comprehension tests. (Contains 40 references.) (VWL)

University students of Spanish at three different course levels were used in a study of the effects of topic familiarity on second-language listening comprehension. Findings regarding the supporting role of background knowledge are consistent with many second-language reading and listening studies. (Contains 45 references.) (LB)

Examination of the written recalls produced by 45 high-intermediate proficiency English-as-a-Second-Language students indicated that there were differences in the quality of information recalled as a function of text structure, with students who used the structure of reading passages to organize written recall showing superior quantitative and…

Current definitions of literacy reflect a holistic view of reading and writing as linguistic enterprises situated in social and intellectual contexts. This article reviews early reading and writing, aspects of comprehension, reading/writing learning problems, and second and foreign language literacy. (99 references) (LB)

Observational studies have shown that very little time is devoted to comprehension instruction in reading classes. This paper presents some techniques for comprehension instruction and some guidance on how to teach students to apply the reading skills they have learned. (26 references) (Author/LB)

Smith's approach to reading comprehension is used as the basis of an activity related to the Use of English Exam in Hong Kong. The eight-step activity is described and shown to combine sound reading theory with an academic, test-oriented syllabus. (3 references) (LB)

Data from a study on second-language reading comprehension show that assessment task type, language of assessment, and target language experience uniformly affect learners' ability to demonstrate their reading comprehension. A literature review is included. (Contains 57 references.) (LB)

Examines the relationship among first-language (L1) reading, second-language (L2) knowledge, and L2 reading for 88 beginners and 43 upper-level French students at the Air Force Academy. Demonstrates the importance of L1 reading and L2 knowledge to L2 reading comprehension. (RS)

Presents a fresh way for teaching reading comprehension skills to learners of a language. Gives theoretical background, illustrates the basic steps used in the model for teaching reading comprehension, and discusses the advantages and features of this new model for teaching reading comprehension. (Author/VWL)

Considers how psychological models of first language (L1) textual comprehension distinguish between expository and narrative texts but are unclear on differences of inference generation between the two types of tests in a second language (L2). Shows that subjects generated more inferences for narrative texts while exhibiting more miscomprehension…

The study examines the relationship between second language (L2) passage comprehension and intake (form recognition), gain (meaning recognition and production), and retention of new lexical items from the passages. The effect of topic familiarity on the above relationships is also examined. Participants were a cross-sectional sample of L2…

In Singapore, many people are not familiar with Estuary English (EE), the variety of English becoming popular in much of southern England. In the current study, when students listened to interviews with EE speakers and were asked to transcribe orthographically what they heard, most of them had severe problems. Features of pronunciation that…

This paper aims at providing some information concerning the impact of strategies-based instruction on listening comprehension. First the author briefly reviews some literature relating to this issue, and then focuses on a study conducted in English major at Jiangsu University of Science & Technology. This study is set out to examine the…

This study examined the relationship between morphological awareness and reading comprehension in English among Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs) followed from fourth through fifth grade. Students' ability to decompose derived words while reading was assessed using an experimental task. Multiple regression analyses were used to…

The present study investigated the relative contributions of experiential and ability factors to second language (L2) passage comprehension and L2 vocabulary retention. Participants included a cross section of 99 adult learners of Spanish as a foreign language enrolled in beginning through advanced level university Spanish courses. Participants…