大學生英語能力與中英閱讀能力以及閱讀策略使用關係之研究

Abstract

本研究旨在探討英語閱讀能力與英語能力、中文閱讀能力以及閱讀策略使用的相關性。參與本研究之36名非外文系的大學生分別完成托福英語能力測驗、英語閱讀及中文閱讀三項測驗，並在接受閱讀測驗後，個別進行放聲思考之閱讀(think-aloud reading) 及研究訪問。藉由放聲思考、研究觀察及訪問收集每位學生在實際閱讀過程中閱讀策略使用的情況。 研究結果發現英語能力是影響英語閱讀能力的一項主要因素，然而中文閱讀能力並未與英語閱讀能力成正相關，亦無直接影響。統計分析結果輔以放聲思考的資料顯示，中、英語文與閱讀能力的差異可能造成學習者在中、英文閱讀策略使用頻率及模式的不同。然而，不論是在進行中文或英語閱讀，研究受試者最常使用輔助性策略 (support strategies) ，認知策略 (cognitive strategies ) 次之，最後為後設認知策略 (metacognitive strategies)；其中後設認知策略的運用似乎呈現跨越語言的相關性，而受試者在進行中文或英文閱讀時，卻呈現不同的認知與輔助性策略使用情況。此外，部分後設認知策略的運用以及輔助策略的使用可能是區分學生英語閱讀能力的切確指標。本研究不僅證實並延伸過去以問卷調查與訪談為主研究的結果，並進一步支持英語閱讀能力較高的學生在閱讀英語時運用特定有效的閱讀策略，亦建議英語閱讀教學應奠基於相關閱讀策略之實證研究，使用具體的閱讀策略教學，以俾提升較低閱讀能力學生的英語文章理解能力。

The present study explored relative correlations and contributions of second language proficiency (i.e., L2 English) and first language reading ability (i.e., L1 Mandarin Chinese) to L2 reading proficiency among Taiwanese EFL college students. Differences in reading strategy use between L1 and L2 reading as well as between different reading proficiency levels were further compared. Thirty-six non-English-major college students first took an English proficiency test and participated in two reading sessions which included taking a reading proficiency test followed by performing a think-aloud task in Chinese and English respectively. Observations and interviews were also employed as supplementary tools in each reading session to gather further data of the participants’ reading strategy use in action. Based on the results of the English reading comprehension test, the participants were classified into more- and less-proficient readers. Results showed that English general proficiency is a significant contributor to English reading ability, but Chinese reading ability may not necessarily correspond to English reading ability. Statistical analyses, supplemented by think-aloud data, suggested that the discrepancies between English and Chinese general proficiency and reading ability seemed to lead readers to use more reading strategies in English than in Chinese. Regardless of the reading languages, support strategies were used most often, followed by cognitive strategies, and finally metacognitive strategies. Metacognitive strategy uses seemed to be interdependent across the two languages. The application of metacognitive strategies and the effective use of certain support strategies also appeared to serve as indicators that differentiated between the more- and the less-proficient readers in English reading. The present study confirmed and extended the previous questionnaire or interview studies and suggested that more-proficient readers take advantage of effective L1 reading strategies in their L2 reading. Meanwhile, English reading instruction should be informed by this line of research and provide specific instruction or trainings on effective reading strategy use for struggling EFL learners to help to improve their reading comprehension and proficiency in and out of the classroom.