The present study examines the effects of schema activation and reading strategy use on L2 learners’ reading comprehension, strategy use, motivation, and learner beliefs. The participants consisted of 89 Korean college students, and they were assigned to one of two reading activity groups―schema building or reading strategy instruction―or to a control group. The study employed a background questionnaire, pre-, post-, and delayed English reading comprehension tests, and also pre- and post-reading strategy use, reading motivation, and general learner belief questionnaires. The results indicate that both the schema building and reading strategy task groups showed significant improvements in terms of immediate learning effects, but the reading strategy group showed an added degree of improvement over the schema building and control groups in terms of long-term reading comprehension. Additionally, the two task groups reported positive responses to their own use of reading strategies, motivation, and positive beliefs. Based on the findings, this study suggests pedagogical implications for L2 reading classrooms.

The present study attempts to make a link between eye movement measures and reading comprehension (RC) to further examine how reading span (RS) differences contribute to differences in L2 reading performance. The variability of text processing was measured by duration and frequency of fixations using an eye tracker. Thus, it investigates the effects of RS in terms of processing as well as RC performance. To this end, forty-five Korean undergraduate students at an intermediate level participated in the experiment. Four types of eye movements were tracked: first-fixation time (FFT), total-fixation time (TFT), secondfixation time (SFT), and fixation count (FC). The results showed that the high-RS group received higher scores than the low-RS group on the RC test, suggesting a significant role of RS in RC performance. In addition, significant differences between the RS groups were found in TFT and SFT. RC performance is negatively correlated with the TFT and SFT. Due to their limited RS, the low-RS group needed more time for comprehension and left few resources available for integration of meaning in the text. The findings suggest that fast and efficient EMs are closely associated with a better RC performance. The present study shed light on how RS affects the students’ text processing and that, in turn, leads them to different outcomes from the L2 reading comprehension tests.

The present study aims to investigate the direct and indirect contributions of Korean EFL college students’ L2 receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge to their L2 writing performances by using a structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis with a goal to explore the pathways of vocabulary knowledge to writing. Data from 178 students were collected through tests of receptive and productive vocabulary breadth and depth, a writing test and a reading test. In testing a hypothesized model on the roles of receptive and productive vocabulary in writing, the results of the SEM analysis reveal the direct role of productive vocabulary in writing. The indirect role of receptive vocabulary on writing was observed through the mediating role of productive vocabulary or reading ability due to the direct contribution of receptive vocabulary to both productive vocabulary and reading and that of productive vocabulary and reading to writing. Findings from the study shed light on the relations of L2 receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge with L2 writing abilities, suggesting potential benefits of both receptive and productive vocabulary learning for L2 writing.

Task-based language teaching (TBLT) has propelled much research into how task type, condition, or demand affects L2 learners’ linguistic performance and language learning. To date, however, TBLT has mainly been researched in connection with learners’ production, while its applicability to L2 reading has largely been unattended to. To fill this gap, the present study explored whether and how cognitive complexity of L2 reading tasks would affect L2 English reading comprehension and learning of target L2 constructions contained in the texts. The study employed a pretest, posttest, delayed-posttest design with two treatment sessions. The target features were 17 English unaccusative verbs and ten pseudowords. Participants included 52 Korean college students learning L2 English who were randomly assigned to either – or + complex condition. Reading comprehension was measured with 14 multiple-choice items for each text, and learning of the target constructions was assessed with a grammaticality judgment test and word form and meaning recognition tests. The results of mixed-effects modeling indicated that increased task complexity had limited effects on reading comprehension scores as well as learning of the target unaccusative verbs. Also, task complexity had significant negative effects on vocabulary form recognition scores in the delayed posttest. The results are discussed in relation to models of task-based learning and L2 reading.

The present study examined the comparative role of vocabulary and grammar in different test measures of L2 reading comprehension. A total of 83 students were asked to take three reading tests with a different technique each (multiple-choice, cloze, and recall), a vocabulary test, and a grammar test, and to respond to a questionnaire. The findings were as follows: 1) learners’ reading performance differed across the three reading test measures, and the two language variables exerted different influences in L2 reading as measured by the cloze test technique; and 2) concerning the comparative contribution of the two language variables to L2 reading comprehension according to learners’ L2 proficiency, the contribution was significant exclusively in the recall test, and it varied depending upon their L2 proficiency. This research demonstrates the importance of taking into account the type of test techniques in studies of the relative role of vocabulary and grammar knowledge in L2 reading.

The present study investigated which facets of perceived self-efficacy (PSE) in L2 reading are significantly related to L2 reading proficiency (L2RP), which type of linguistic knowledge feeds into PSE, and how they are related to L2RP when considered together. Participants (n = 95) were college students from two universities in Seoul. Four subcomponents of PSE were identified for investigation: text-based PSE, general PSE, PSE in linguistic knowledge, and PSE in authentic reading. The result of stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that the general PSE whose items reflect dimensions of social comparative influences and perceived controllability over environments was the only significant predictor of L2RP (R2 = 17.7%). For the relationships between linguistic knowledge and PSE, vocabulary knowledge (VK) was shown to be the only significant predictor of PSE when considered together with grammar knowledge (GK) and L2RP (R2 = 22.9%), while VK and GK were significant predictors of L2RP (R2 = 69.4%). PSE was not found to make an independent contribution to L2RP when considered with linguistic knowledge.

The aim of the present study was to examine factors affecting Korean university EFL learners' English reading comprehension across two reading tasks (i.e., literal vs. inferential reading). To this end, five latent factors (linguistic, cognitive, affective, social, and English reading) were targeted, and the structural relationships among these five factors were analyzed through structural equation modeling (SEM) technique. Results of the present study demonstrate that for literal reading comprehension task, linguistic, cognitive, and social factors made a significant and direct impact on Korean university students' English reading performances, whereas the effect of affective factor was not significant. Regarding the inferential reading task, only linguistic and cognitive factors were significantly and positively associated with Korean university students' English reading comprehension. Implications for pedagogy as well as for future research directions were also provided.

This study attempted to investigate the relative contribution of vocabulary and grammatical knowledge to second language reading comprehension ability. With 44 EFL adult learners whose language proficiency fell within the low-intermediate level, three different measures were conducted: vocabulary and grammatical knowledge were measured by researcher-developed tests and L2 reading comprehension was measured using the reading section of the TOEIC test. In order to examine the two predicting variables (i.e., vocabulary and grammatical knowledge) a multiple regression analysis was performed. The study found that both grammatical and vocabulary knowledge related significantly to L2 reading comprehension. Additionally, vocabulary knowledge showed a slightly stronger contribution to reading comprehension than syntactic knowledge. These findings suggest that it is equally important for lower level readers to understand vocabulary as well as basic syntactic rules and structures when it comes to EFL reading comprehension.

A study was conducted to investigate the levels of representation in memory constructed as an outcome of L2 reading comprehension, and the effects of L2 proficiency, prior knowledge, and L1 reading skills on the construction of the representation. A total number of 128 Korean EFL learners participated in the study. Their L2 reading comprehension was tested through verification measure and comprehension questions designed to assess different levels of understanding including the sentence-level, textbase understanding and the situation model, or the deeper level of understanding of what the text is about. Results showed that the representation the L2 readers constructed was characterized as consisting of rather loose textbase understanding and relatively weak, but varying degrees of, situational understanding. Only L2 proficiency, among the three factors, appeared to have a significant effect on the levels of understanding in the representation the L2 readers constructed.

The aim of the present study is to explore the relative contribution of working memory capacity to second language reading comprehension of Korean college students in comparison with L1 reading comprehension ability, L2 vocabulary knowledge, and L2 grammatical knowledge. Further, it attempts to examine whether the role played by working memory span differs depending on the proficiency levels of L2 learners. The study was conducted with 78 L2 learners of English who were classified into two different groups―a low-proficiency and a high-proficiency group—according to their English proficiency levels. The results of a step-wise multiple regression analysis revealed that working memory capacity made a significant contribution to L2 reading comprehension of advanced users of English above and beyond other variables; working memory capacity alone explained around 37.9% of the variance in L2 reading comprehension. However, for the low-proficiency group, vocabulary knowledge explained a larger variance in L2 reading comprehension. The findings from the study suggest that as L2 learners become more competent users of English, working memory span emerges as a more direct predictor of L2 reading comprehension.

Although reading is part and parcel for the development of L2 literacy skills, such as in reading and writing, the skill has been practiced more often for grammar instruction and literal translation in EFL contexts. While realizing there is less focus on the development of L2 skills through extensive reading (ER) in EFL university contexts,the purpose of the present study was to explore the outcome of an in-class ER approach in English university classrooms. With 249 students, the study reports on the implementation of a university level ER class and the outcome for L2 development via the measures of L2 reading speed, L2 speed reading comprehension, and L2 lexical writing ability. Results indicated positive outcomes for the development of students’ L2reading ability, productive retrieval of academic words and lexical variety. The outcome of the ER program validates the effort and time expended on such programs when graded readers are utilized at matching student Lexile levels.

This paper explored the relative roles of grammar and vocabulary in different L2 reading tasks, i.e., scanning and receptive reading. The participants involved 14 advanced and 14 intermediate adult ESL learners with diverse L1 backgrounds, enrolling at a university-affiliated language institute. For the scanning task, the participants were asked to read two English articles and highlight each occurrence of a key word given at the outset for each article. For the receptive reading task, the participants read another two articles for comprehending and remembering the content and to answer 7 multiple-choice comprehension questions for each article. Additionally, the participants completed a 35-item multiple-choice grammar test and a 20-item multiple-choice vocabulary test. The results of a multiple regression analysis revealed that relative importance of vocabulary and grammar varied depending on the types L2 reading task.

This paper examines whether and how L2 learners’ reading strategies vary depending on the task type or on the measure of eliciting strategy use. Participants were 28 college students in a Korean university. Two reading tasks (i.e., reading for comprehension vs. reading for summarizing) and three measures of strategy use (i.e., pre-reading strategy survey, while-reading think aloud, and post-reading strategy check list) were employed to answer the posed research questions. The researcher’s observation of the participants’ thinking-aloud and a post-task interview were also implemented for data triangulation. All the participants completed two tasks based on two texts (one for each) selected from the same chapter in a book that were considered equivalent in length, readability, and topic. The results revealed that the number of reading strategies reported decreased dramatically in the order of strategy survey, strategy check list, and think aloud. Significantly more frequent use of reading strategy was found in reading for comprehension than in reading for summarizing, large portion of which was devoted to bottom-up style decoding, while in reading for summarizing the students approached the text with more focused attention caring about propositional connections at discourse level. Some other findings are presented along with implications for reading research and for L2 reading instruction.

The research on the role of working memory in L1 and L2 reading comprehension has provided valuable insight on domain-general mechanisms at work in both comprehension processes. The present paper explains a construct of working memory as a multicomponent model (Baddeley, 2007; Baddeley & Hitsch, 1974), reviews empirical studies that investigated the impact of working memory in L1 and L2 reading comprehension, introduces a newly adopted construct to the model of working memory, episodic buffer or long-term working memory (Erricson & Kintsch, 1995), and discusses the role of background knowledge in relation to working memory. The review of the studies showed that central executive, an attentional control system, is a significant predictor for not only L1 reading but also L2 reading comprehension. Phonological loop, a storage system, is significantly related to central executive. However, it is not a direct significant predictor for L1 and L2 reading comprehension; instead, it explains significant variances of vocabulary acquisition in the beginning stage of language acquisition, which is a direct significant predictor for reading comprehension. How high vs. low working memory groups make use of their cognitive resources in L1 and L2 reading when provided with additional background knowledge is further discussed.

This study investigates the interpretation of scopally ambiguous sentences involving a universally quantified direct object NP and negation (e.g., The boy didn’t eat every cookie) from a processing perspective. Using an online truth-value judgment task implemented with a self-paced reading technique, data were collected from native Korean speakers, native English speakers, and Korean L2 learners of English. The results indicate that native Korean speakers strongly preferred the full set interpretation (every > not). In contrast, native English speakers strongly preferred the partitioned set interpretation (not > every). L2 learners showed a developmental divergence according to the learners’ L2 proficiency; the low proficiency group showed a strong preference for the full set interpretation, whereas the advanced L2 learners showed no preference for either of the patterns. The main findings were examined within the framework outlined by O’Grady (2005), who proposes that the nature and acquisition of scopal contrasts are best understood with reference to the operation of an efficiency-based processor.

The study investigated the effects of text, task, and L2 reading ability on Korean college students’ English reading strategy use. The participants performed Word Translation, Theme Summarization, and Question Generation tasks while reading either narrative or expository passages. The strategy use was examined through a questionnaire and thinkaloud protocols. When investigated by the questionnaire, the students’ strategy use patterns were not very different between the two text type groups and between the two L2 reading ability groups. The task type seemed to affect the strategy use to some degree, but the difference was not extensive. Overall, a few particular strategies were used very often regardless of the text type, the task type and L2 reading ability. The results of the verbal protocols suggested that the task types affected the strategy use to some degree, but the influence was limited as was shown in the results of the questionnaire. Based on the findings of the study, pedagogical implications were presented.

The present study explores the effect of topic interest and knowledge on comprehension and their relationship in L2 reading. Given this issue has been studied almost exclusively with fluent L1 readers, it seems necessary to investigate the applicability of the findings from previous studies to L2 reading. In order to enhance the generalizability, the present study employed multiple texts and tasks. The subjects were 126 Korean adult EFL learners representing various academic backgrounds and wide range of English proficiency. Results showed that the effect of knowledge and interest on L2 reading comprehension varied greatly depending on task type, suggesting that any conclusion drawn about the effect of prior knowledge or interest on reading comprehension could be biased depending on the task used to assess the construct. In addition, knowledge of topic vocabulary was the most stable factor of reading comprehension regardless of text structure or measure of reading comprehension. The association between topic interest and topic knowledge proved very weak in general unlike in L1 reading, not supporting schema-theoretic views about the effect of topic interest and its relationship with topic knowledge. More results and discussions are presented along with the statement of limitations and implications both theoretical and practical.