Reading as a core component of developing academic literacy skills in L2 settings

Abstract

<p>Academic reading has gained considerable interest among language theoreticians and practitioners as a key component of generally understood academic literacy competencies. Yet, despite the unquestionable importance of developing advanced reading skills in both L1 and L2 academic settings, a definition of the concept of academic reading is still not easy to formulate. In an attempt to better understand the notion of academic reading, this article first, provides an overview of the goals of academic reading comprehension, with special focus on reading to learn, and then, discusses the relationship of academic reading to other concepts currently employed with reference to academic literacy. The article finishes with some guidelines for L2 reading instruction developed at the academic level.</p>