An exploratory study of NNES graduate students’ reading comprehension of English journal articles

Abstract

The academic success of non-native English speaker (NNES) graduate students greatly relies on their ability to read and comprehend English journal articles (EJA). The purpose of this study was to identify NNES graduate students’ comprehension difficulties and reading strategies when reading EJA. In addition, the study explored how the relationship between reading difficulties and reading strategies are characterized. The study participants were 456 graduate students undertaking various majors in Taiwan. Both survey and interview methods were employed. The results of the study revealed that the participating students had medium-to-high levels of reading comprehension difficulties and that they tried to use various reading strategies. There is a significantly negative correlation between EJA reading difficulties and reading strategies.