Components of L2 Reading
Linguistic and Processing Factors in the Reading Test Performances of Japanese EFL Learners

The book investigates the linguistic and processing factors underpinning Japanese EFL learners' reading comprehension performance.

Toshihiko Shiotsu (Author)

9780521157278, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 5 August 2010

250 pages
22.8 x 15.2 x 1.5 cm, 0.4 kg

The book investigates the explanatory variables for the passage-reading comprehension performance of Japanese EFL learners and their sentence-reading speed. Following rigorous preliminary studies evaluating the significance of the candidate variables and refining research instruments, a large scale main study was conducted. Regression analyses indicated that syntactic knowledge was the best predictor of passage-reading ability, while vocabulary breadth also contributed to its prediction. Subgroup analyses supported the significance of syntactic knowledge for both higher- and lower-ability readers. Sentence-reading speed was best predicted by the speed of lexical semantic access. The significance of this speed was also consistent across the group division. A subsequent exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modelling of the data indicated that the performances of the participants were best explained in terms of two latent factors: one based on careful text processing power and the other on efficiency of lexical semantic access.

Subject Areas: Applied linguistics for ELT [EBAL]