Does gender make a difference? Passage content and comprehension in second language reading

Abstract

The intermediate level of Spanish language instruction prepares learners for the rigorous reading of authentic texts utilized in the advanced literature course. This study examined the effects of readers' gender and passage content on second language (L2) reading comprehension with participants from this transitional level of instruction. Seventy-eight participants read two different authentic passages commonly used at this level. Two different measures were used to assess comprehension: a written recall and multiple choice questions. Findings reveal significant interactions between readers' gender and passage content with comprehension on both assessment tasks. The results of the study provide evidence that subject matter familiarity has a facilitating effect on second language (L2) reading comprehension by gender at the intermediate level of Spanish language instruction