Reading Strategy Use by International Students in Academic Texts

For those whose mother tongue is not English, the reading of academic materials in this language can be particularly challenging due to certain lexical and grammatical features, such as reduced relative clauses, frequent use of nominalization, and the simple fact that there is often an overwhelming amount of new vocabulary (Grabe, 1991). Hence, this book presents a number of reading strategies employed by international students whose first language is not English while interacting with academic reading texts in English in order to gain comprehension. The results show the relationship between the use of reading strategies and metagconitive awareness in foreign or second language reading processes. As mere awareness of certain reading strategies does not always lead to actual employment of the strategies concerned, implications for teachers and students who are interested in improving reading skills in English are also discussed.