Language learner strategy by Chinese-speaking EFL readers when comprehending familiar and unfamiliar texts

Abstract

This study compares the language learner and test-taking strategies used by Chinese-speaking graduate students when confronted with familiar versus unfamiliar topics in an English multiple-choice format reading comprehension test. Thirty-six participants at a large mid-western university performed three tasks: A content knowledge vocabulary assessment, two practice reading comprehension passages from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) internet-based test (iBT), and a post task interview. Two stages of analysis, qualitative and quantitative, were undertaken in this study. From the qualitative results, six broad categories of strategies emerged. For the quantitative analysis, ANOVA with repeated measures was completed, and the results showed that the types of test-taking strategies adopted by Chinese-speaking students remained similar when they read passages with familiar versus unfamiliar topics. Discussions and implications related to test-taking and reading pedagogy are provided in the conclusion.