ERIC Number: EJ1278866
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 25
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0163-853X
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Interactions between Lower- and Higher-Level Processing When Reading in a Second Language: An Eye-Tracking Study
Hessel, Annina K.; Schroeder, Sascha
Discourse Processes: A Multidisciplinary Journal, v57 n10 p940-964 2020
This experiment investigated interactions between lower- and higher-level processing when reading in a second language (L2). We conducted an eye-tracking experiment with the within-subject manipulation inconsistency (to tap higher-level coherence-building) crossed with a within-subject manipulation of word-processing difficulty (to alter the ease of lower-level processing), both manipulated on the text level. Sixty-three L2 learners read 48 short expository texts containing inconsistencies created through mismatches between pretargets such as "soya" and targets such as "corn," or consistent controls. Word-processing difficulty was manipulated by inserting either shorter and higher-frequency words such as "often" or longer and lower-frequency words such as "increasingly." We found evidence of interactions between lower-level word-processing difficulty and higher-level coherence building, as revealed by reduced a inconsistency effect showing in go-past durations and rereading in the difficult condition. This effect did not, however, extend to targeted regressions into inconsistent information. Our findings provide the first experimental evidence for online interactions between lower-level word processing and higher-level coherence building.
Descriptors: Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Reading Processes, Eye Movements, Language Processing, Comparative Analysis, Word Frequency, English (Second Language), Raw Scores, Task Analysis, Computational Linguistics, College Students, Foreign Countries, Reading Tests
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Germany
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Test of Word Reading Efficiency
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A