Numerous studies have supported the simple view of reading by showing the significant predictive roles of oral language comprehension ability and decoding skills in the reading comprehension of monolinguals and second language learners. However, little is known about its applicability to young foreign language learners who do not have much access to the target language and literacy input outside the school and especially those whose first and second languages are typologically different. This study was designed to examine the contribution of English oral language comprehension ability and decoding skills to the reading comprehension of fifth-grade Korean EFL learners. In doing so, the indirect effects of oral language ability and phonological awareness were also considered, and English reading fluency and Korean reading comprehension abilities were controlled for. The findings not only support the simple view of reading but also highlight the indirect effects of oral language comprehension ability and phonological awareness on reading comprehension abilities via the effects of decoding skills.

This paper is a case study of the strategic behaviors of younger Korean students. Three Korean elementary students are examined in this study. An interview was used to collect retrospective verbal data on listening processes as well as listening strategies, and a listening strategy questionnaire was used to gather additional information regarding general listening strategic behaviors. A coded strategy report was tabulated, and the mean and percentage were used to render a strategy profile for each participant. The results of this study revealed that the participants, in most case, used all four groups of strategies: cognitive, compensation, metacognitive and affective strategies. However, they differed in their use of strategies within each group of strategies as well as in how often they used each type of strategies. The differences in the strategic behaviors were closely related to listening proficiency level, text difficulty and listening situation. A highly proficient participant used more strategies compared to less proficient participants. The highly proficient participant typically used top-down strategies more often. In contrast, the less proficient participants used bottom-up strategies more often. They typically relied heavily on familiar words and translation when they listened to a more difficult text. Cognitive strategies were reported the most in the interview and compensation strategies were marked as highest in the LSQ.