Background: Digital literacy instruction is increasingly common in contemporary practices and can accommodate learners with a range of needs. This systematic review explores the use and effects of technology during reading comprehension instruction involving school-aged children learning English as an additional language (EAL). Our aim was to…

By using the eye-tracking method, the present study explores whether working memory capacity assessed via the second language (L2) reading span (L2WMC) as well as the operational span task (OSPAN) affects the processing of subject-extraction and object-extraction in Chinese-English bilinguals. Results showed that L2WMC has no effects on the…

The aim of this research was to develop a new questionnaire for exploring the reading beliefs of undergraduate students, because the only currently available instrument has conceptual and methodological limitations. The paper describes the process of developing the instrument and presents a range of psychometric data obtained from a sample of 558…

Our goal with this special issue was to bring together a range of research on learning to read in more than one language. In this introduction, we provide an overview of clear diversity across the language pairings, learning contexts and reading-related skills examined. We also highlight some particularly noteworthy and often intriguing findings…

This study examines a problem that many mainstream teachers face today: how to successfully improve reading comprehension for English language learners (ELLs) in an English-only environment. The researcher examines both the academic and psychosocial effects of the Transactional Literature Circles (TLC) programme on a treatment group of 75 fourth…

A major question in L2 reading research is whether L2 reading is a language or a reading problem. Existing research, mainly carried out in Western contexts, demonstrates that L2 reading is influenced by L1 reading and L2 proficiency. This study applied the L2 reading theory in a non-Western context (Eritrea, East Africa) with L1 reading acquired…

Considers how psychological models of first language (L1) textual comprehension distinguish between expository and narrative texts but are unclear on differences of inference generation between the two types of tests in a second language (L2). Shows that subjects generated more inferences for narrative texts while exhibiting more miscomprehension…

Second language (L2) reading research suggests that there is a complex interplay between L2 proficiency, first language (L1) reading and L2 reading. However, not much is known about the effect of L1 proficiency on L1 reading, and of L1 reading on L2 reading, or vice versa, in bilingual settings when readers have few opportunities for extensive…

Investigates the effect of vocabulary glossing on recall and vocabulary learning, as well as learners' preferences as to glossing. Finds that glossing did not significantly affect recall for the college students but that those with higher than average proficiency recalled more if they had read a glossed version of the text. Notes that participants…

Reports on experiments that investigated several aspects of foreign language reading, especially the role and influence of the audiolingual component on the learning process. (FL)

Describes two related experiments into the effect of prereading on the text comprehension of a population of second-language (L2) learners at three proficiency levels. Indicates that the more constraining, schemata-provision formats used in experiment one are more effective as aids to text comprehension. (MG)

Assesses text comprehension of secondary Turkish and Dutch pupils in relation to vocabulary, grammar, nonverbal IQ, and background knowledge. Finds that the L2-readers tended toward a top-down approach to reading. Finds a significant increase in scores for word knowledge and nonverbal IQ but no progress in the scores for text comprehension. (SR)

Investigates the contribution of first language (L1) reading ability and second or foreign language (L2) proficiency to L2 reading comprehension, by focusing on the compensation between L1 reading ability and L2 proficiency among Japanese university students. Demonstrates the mutual compensation between L1 reading ability and L2 proficiency. (SG)

Describes an experiment that studied reading comprehension of French. Concludes that an advance organizer (introductory material to a reading selection) helped lower-ability students and aided the comprehension of more complex texts. (SRT)

Looks at reading difficulties among multilingual children for whom English is a non-dominant language and the first script they have been exposed to. Finds that phonological intervention was particularly effective for children with the lowest single-word reading scores. Suggests that the intervention helped to catalyze the fine-tuning of the…