The use of reading strategies in foreign language instruction in higher education setting

Abstract

Reading is a complex psychological process of constructing the meaning in response to the text which requires interactive use of graphophonic, syntactic, and semantic cues. While reading, different reading strategies are used. The study explores the students’ use of reading strategies in a foreign language classroom in higher education setting and potential effects of the frequency of testing reading comprehension, language learning environments (blended and face-to-face), and gender on the use of reading strategies. The participants were the undergraduate biotechnology engineering students learning English as a foreign language at the University of Kragujevac, Serbia. The instruments involved an English language placement test and Inventory of reading strategies in a foreign language. The reading strategies the participants used most frequently included using prior knowledge to understand the written text, re-reading for better understanding and for details, and using text features such as tables and graphs. The students’ higher scores on the language placement test indicated more frequent use of reading strategies. Moreover, the students exposed to blended language learning used reading strategies more frequently than their peers exposed to face-to-face instruction. The students’ use of reading strategies in a foreign language may also be affected by the frequency of testing reading comprehension and by the participants’ gender.