Improving second language reading comprehension through reading strategies

Abstract

Effective readers consciously or unconsciously use reading strategies to help them process information on what they read. All readers can benefit from reading strategy instruction but empirical research on which strategies are effective is lacking. Less is known about reading strategy effectiveness in a second language (L2). This meta-analysis of 46 L2 reading strategy studies analysed ten reading strategies, also in combination with a range of pedagogical approaches and found an overall mean effect size of 0.91, underscoring the benefits of multi strategy teaching. Effect sizes were calculated for each strategy, as well as the combination of strategy with approach, instructor type, intervention duration and type of test used. Some strategies were more effective than others. Also, differences in effect sizes are dependent on the approach used. Some pedagogical approaches are effective for some strategies but not with all. We recommend further research in L2 reading strategy interventions and instruction.

The Impact of a Tier 1 Intervention on Fifth and Sixth Graders’ Reading Comprehension, Reading Strategy Use, and Reading Motivation

“…For example, the meta-analysis on reading comprehension interventions of Li et al (2021) concluded that long-term interventions (i.e., interventions implemented for more than three months compared to less than three months) generate larger effect sizes on students' reading outcomes. On the other hand, other researchers concluded that longer interventions do not necessarily lead to better effects on students' reading performance (Okkinga et al, 2018;Yapp et al, 2021). Future research could further investigate the effect of intervention duration.…”

The role of linguistic and cognitive skills in reading Chinese as a second language: A path analysis modeling approach

“…This study is limited in the following aspects. First, we did not include other factors that have been proven to be crucial to reading comprehension such as phonological awareness ( Veenendaal et al, 2016 ; Lin and Zhang, 2021 ) and reading strategies ( Yapp et al, 2021 ). Future research can explore more factors to establish a more comprehensive model of L2 Chinese reading.…”

Efficacy of reading strategies on text‐level reading comprehension in people with post‐stroke chronic aphasia: A repeated measures study

“…Meta-analyses regarding students with learning disabilities and readers in second language contexts suggest strongest effects for the activation of prior knowledge, connecting new information to what is already known, comprehension monitoring, summarisation, asking questions, identification of the topic, guessing meanings from headings and pictures as well as strategies focussing on the text structure (Souvignier & Antoniou, 2007;Yapp et al, 2021). Watter et al (2021) combined similar strategies in an evidence-based reading intervention for persons with nonaphasic cognitive-communication reading comprehension deficits resulting from acquired brain injury: They proposed a multiple-strategy reading intervention with a three-level hierarchical progression of reading complexity and text length combining the following strategies: identifying keywords/wh strategy (who, what, where, when, why, how), summarizing information; underlining/highlighting key information and self-checking ('Have I understood it?')…”