Text Difficulty,Working Memory Capacity and Mind Wandering During Chinese EFL Learners’Reading

This experimental study investigated how text difficulty and different working memory capacity(WMC)affected Chinese EFL learners’reading comprehension and their tendency to engage in task-unrelated thoughts,that is,mind wandering(MW),in the course of reading.Sixty first-year university non-English majors participated in the study.A two-factor mixed experimental design of 2(text difficulty:difficult and simple)×2(WMC:high/large and low/small)was employed.Results revealed that 1)the main and interaction effects of WMC and text difficulty on voluntary MW were significant,whereas those on involuntary MW were not;2)while reading the easy texts,the involuntary MW of high-WMC individuals was less frequent than that of low-WMC ones,whereas while reading the difficult ones,the direct relationship between WMC and involuntary MW was not found;and that 3)high-WMC individuals had a lower overall rate of MW and better reading performance than low-WMC individuals did,but with increasing text difficulty,their rates of overall MW and voluntary MW were getting higher and higher,and the reading performance was getting lower and lower.These results lend support to WM theory and have pedagogical implications for the instruction of L2 reading.

Noticeable Focuses in Readinga Text

This paper discusses the relationship between commanding those basic information contained in a text and the final purpose of comprehending in a text-reading process.By using the main topic and the central meaning that all texts have as two main examples,the author mainly illustrates what a reader should pay attention to in reading a text.

Reading Text Under Normal and Disappearing Presentation Conditions

In this article I discuss data from a series of experiments in which readers’ eye movements were recorded as they processed sentences in which each word disappeared or was masked 60ms after fixation onset. We used this paradigm to investigate whether we could induce a gap effect during reading, and how visual and linguistic factors affected eye movements under these conditions. The data showed that no gap effect occurred in our experiment. Overall reading times were the same under normal and disappearing presentation conditions. However, readers did adopt a strategy of making fewer but longer fixations when the text disappeared than when it did not. Additionally, clear frequency effects occurred regardless of whether the text was presented normally or disappeared. This finding indicates that while the visual uptake of information is important, cognitive processes associated with the lexical identification of words are a primary influence on when readers move their eyes during reading. The findings are taken to support the E-Z Reader model of eye movement control.

The Effect of Latinization on Reading Time and Understanding: Greeklish in Communication and Social Media

The increasing prevalence of technology in society has an impact on young people’s language use and development. Greeklish is the writing of Greek texts using the Latin instead of the Greek alphabet, a practice known as Latinization, also employed for many non-latin alphabet languages. The primary aim of this research is to evaluate the effect of Greeklish on reading time. A sample of 732 young Greeks were asked about their habits when communicating through e-mail and social media with their friends and they then participated in an experiment in which they were asked to read and understand two short texts, one written in Greek and the other in Greeklish. The findings of the research show that nearly one third of the participants use Greeklish. The results of the experiment conducted reveal that understanding is not affected by the alphabet used but reading Greeklish is significantly more time consuming than reading Greek independently of the sex and the familiarity of the participants with Greeklish. The findings suggest that amending social and communication media with software utilities related to Latinization such as language identifiers and converters may reduce reading time and thus facilitate written communication among the users.

Analysis on Text-level Reading

Reading,especially reading at text level,is a process of continuously repeating,consolidating and understanding words,phrases,and sentences.However,from the perspective of psycholinguistics,the compariosn and contrast of empirical data from experiments and researches would be evidences to support the idea that reading at text level is mainly influenced by readers' ability of identifying a text's cohesion and coherence,balancing the activation and suppression of background knowledge,as well as readers' utilization of working memory.Readers can make good use of these three aspects in order to advance their understanding of reading at text level.

The Interaction Betweena Reader and a Text in Reading Process —— the Application of Schemata Theory in Reading Two Poems

Inrevealingthenatureofreadingprocess,moreattentionhasbeengiventotheroleplayedbya reader.ThispaperdiscussestheapplicationofSchematatheoryinreadinginthelightofunderstandingandappre ciationoftwopoems.Bycomparingthetwopoemsinchoiceofwordsandinarrangementofthepoems,thispaper verifiesthepracticalinfluenceofschematatheoryinreadingprocess.

Comprehensive Study on the Basis of Eye Blink, Suggesting Length of Text Line, Considering Typographical Variables the Way How to Improve Reading from Computer Screen

The advent and extensive use of computer and increasing development of different technologies it is important to increase the awareness of issues related to the electronic text or text presentation on computer screen. The usage of web shows the importance of usability and readability of the web applications or sources provide by the web and web textual contents. Web application fails to encounter the user’s requirements in effective manner specially related to textual information, because the designers are unaware from some of the important factors effecting readability, reading from the screen. In this regard, this study is the continuation of the previous work that has been done for the improvement of readability, to handle the readability issues on the basis of Eye Blink for male participants and female participants. To achieve general recommendations for suitable or optimum length of text line for all type of users on the bases of eye blink. Basically during reading from the computer screen focus losses at two positions, when eye blink in the middle of text line and when text line ends. The study specifies suitable length of text line on the basis of Eye Blink, assuming three typographical variables i.e. font style, font color, font size, and with white background, which improve the overall readability or reading from computer screen. The study also shows two important things the degree of understandability and the degree of attractive appearance of different combination.

The effects of text structure, structure awareness and proficiency level on EFL learners＇ reading test performance

The present study probed into the effects of text structure, structure awareness and proficiency level on EFL learners＇ reading test performance. There are 112 college-level students participated in the experiment and their English proficiency belonged to distinct levels. The subjects＇ performance on the recall of two passages written in different types of structure was examined. Results of statistical indicate that text structure, structure awareness and proficiency level all have main effects on the subjects＇ reading performance. More specifically, two major findings emerged from the results of the investigation. One the one hand, text structures significantly affected the quantity but not the quality of the information recalled while proficiency level and structure awareness had significant impact on both the quantity and quality of information recalled. On the other hand, structure awareness was irrelevant to either text structure or proficiency level. The implications of the findings for teaching L2/FL reading were suggested.

AB104.Validation of the international reading speed texts in a Canadian sample

Background:The International Reading Speed Texts(IReST)were developed in Europe as a standardized measure to assess continuous reading in normally sighted and visually impaired individuals.The IReST is used throughout the United States and Canada to assess reading speed;however,the normative values may not be valid in North America(NA).Additionally there are no normative values for individuals with visual impairments.The aim of this study was to validate the IReSTs in a normally sighted English-speaking NA sample with and without a simulated reduction in visual acuity.Methods:Fifty undergraduate students from Concordia University participated in this study.Participants were systematically assigned to a counterbalanced order of testing conditions and were asked to read all 10 IReSTs aloud.The normal and impaired vision conditions were counterbalanced such that the first set of five IReSTs were read with either the participants normal/corrected-to-normal vision or with a simulated 20/80 visual impairment.Results:Multiple two-sample dependent t-tests using a Holm-Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons were used to compare the IReST values(means and standard deviations)to the current sample;the results showed statistically significant differences between the current samples mean reading speed and the values provided by the IReSTs.In all cases,P were equal to or less than 0.005.Mean difference scores ranged from 14.87 to 30.05 wpm,with 95%confidence intervals ranging from 4.82 to 43.32.Measures of effect size using bias corrected Hedge’s g*ranged from 0.83 to 1.32,with 95%confidence intervals ranging from 0.25 to 1.93.Multiple two-sample dependent t-tests using a Holm-Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons were used to compare the mean reading speed in wpm of the normal and impaired vision conditions;the results showed statistically significant differences between the mean reading speeds of the normal vision condition and the simulated impairment condition on the IReSTs.In all cases,the P were less than 0.001.Mean difference scores ranged from 25.44 to 41.8 wpm,with 95%confidence intervals ranging from 21.66 to 46.Measures of effect size using bias corrected Hedge’s g*ranged from 2.74 to 3.81,with 95%confidence intervals ranging from 1.97 to 4.74.Further Bayesian analyses revealed BF10 factors ranging from 1.277×107 to 7.334×1011,indicating decisive evidence for the research.Conclusions:There are statistically significant differences in reading speed between the NA English sample and the normative values established by the IReST;such that reading speeds of the NA English sample are slower than the normative values of the IReST.Additionally,participants in the simulated impairment condition read the IReSTs significantly slower than the normal vision condition.

Exploring EFL Learners Reading Comprehension Problems in Reading ESP Texts

By considering the fact that in EFL （English as foreign language） contexts learners need reading comprehension skill more than other skills in their academic studies, reading comprehension should be attached more importance especialy in ESP （English for specific purposes） classes in which reading ability plays a crucial role in the students＇ academic success. But in order to help learners in the best possible way, teachers need to identify their learners＇ problems in reading ESP texts. Detecting the problematic areas for the students will assist teachers better design and apply appropriate methods and strategies to solve their students＇ reading comprehension problems. Therefore, the following research was an attempt to explore the EFL learners＇ reading comprehension problmes in reading ESP texts in ESP classes. For the purpose of the study, five passages from their coursebook were selected and they were asked to underline the syntactically problematic parts in the passages. The subjects of the study were composed of 185 homogenous engineering students who were learning english as a foregin langauge. Chi-square analysis showed that 15 major syntactic categories are serious hurdle to reading comprehension of ESP texts. The results and implications are discussed in the light of TLA （teachers＇ language awareness）.

Chinese English Learners＇ Text Reading Strategy Research

Reading strategies are different from identifying the words, but a kind of metacognitive activity based on the monitoring mode. This paper will explore Chinese English learners＇ text reading strategies according to the cognitive process of the reading, hoping for providing some suggestions and references for Chinese college students to learn English well and improve the text reading ability.

A Preliminary Analysis of Text Coverage and Extensive Reading of Chinese ESL Learners--Range Analysis of The Little Prince and Pride and Prejudice

One of the common problems for L2 learners in ESL reading is that the text is either too difficult to understand or too simple to challenge,particularly the extracurricular reading material.The Little Prince and Pride and Prejudice are typically listed in the key reading materials for L2 learners.Contrary to the popularity,a large number of L2 learners find it is hard to complete due to the low text coverage with existing vocabulary.The corpus has become an important language research tool to store language materials according to the specific goals and the way through certain technical means.This paper is going to explore the text coverage of The Little Prince and Pride and Prejudice by range analysis,and comparing with English Curriculum Standards to figure out suitable reading targets of these two materials.

Highlights in teaching reading

In order to make EFL reading effective, it is important for teachers regularly to take stock of their perception of the nature of the reading process itself, relevant reading activities, and appropriate classroom management. It attempts to put forward some important principles in teaching EFL reading, and to invite teachers to consider them as a starting point for a re-evaluation of their philosophy.

Graphic Organizers and Reading Comprehension Ability： Evidence From Iranian EFL University Students

The present study investigated the impact from GOs （Graphic Organizers） upon reading comprehension ability. To this end, an OPT （Oxford Placement Test） was administered to a research population （N = 354） in order to homogenize it. On the basis of the test results, the population was sorted into three groups of reading-low, reading-mid, and reading-high students. Sixty participants with the lowest level of reading comprehension proficiency were randomly selected and assigned to an EG （Experimental Group） （N = 30） and a CG （Control Group） （N = 30）. Afterwards, a TOEFL （Test of English as a Foreign Language） reading comprehension pretest was administered to both groups in order to determine their current level of reading proficiency. Then, the EG received 10 successive 90-minute sessions on GOs as post-reading strategies for expository text comprehension, while the CG received the same amount of treatment on other post-reading strategies. In the end, another TOEFL reading comprehension posttest was administered to the research groups to measure their reading comprehension performance level after the treatment. The results revealed that GOs were statistically more significant and effective for the low-skilled readers than other post-reading strategies.

Metacognitive Strategy Training in Reading Comprehension

Despite that language learning strategy(LLS) has been heatedly discussed since its emergence in 1975, its conceptualization, categorization and strategy training models are still in dispute. However, what commonly revealed by most studies is that there is a positive correlation between the use of language learning strategy and language learners' performance. This paper applies Dornyei's classification, known as cognitive strategies, metacognitive strategies, social strategies and affective strategies. By reviewing previous studies on the application of metacognitive strategy in English as a second language(ESL) reading comprehension, plenty of useful implications for reading pedagogy are suggested. It further explains how certain important metacognitive strategies, namely Semantic Mapping(SM) and Experience-Text-Relationship(ETR), can be implemented in second language reading comprehension, aiming to encourage language learners to be aware of learning strategies,"learn how to learn"(Cohen, 1988, p66)!

看、读、思的有机结合:英语绘本阅读素养构成要素探析

绘本是义务教育阶段英语重要的文本类型之一,其典型特征是通过图像和文字两种媒介的交互来表达意义。绘本阅读是读者和文本互动的过程,读者在阅读中将文本中的新信息与已有知识经验建立联系来获取和建构意义。英语绘本阅读素养包括看图能力、语言理解能力、认知和思维能力、修辞和表现手法知识、阅读策略、世界知识、跨文化意识和能力、元认知策略八个方面,其中每个方面又包括若干要素。这八个方面及其要素指向英语学科核心素养,围绕它们展开绘本阅读教学能有效提升学生英语绘本阅读能力和审美能力,发展学生的英语学科核心素养。

从法书文献到童蒙读物的流传轨迹——以启功先生《说〈千字文〉》为线索

智永的《千字文》以楷书和草书体书写,有多种版本。启功的研究展示了法书文献的复制方式及流传轨迹,还强调《千字文》具有启发童蒙、流传广远的实用价值。这有助于人们了解古代法书文献的版本知识、认识“王羲之这个角色”、拓展法书文献出版物及书法教学“启发童蒙”的功用,同时也为研究中国特色的阅读史提供了一个有意义的案例。

名著改编电影在高校文学教学中的运用研究

当前的高校文学类课程教学在从传统到现代演进的过程中呈现出一系列问题,名著改编电影介入高校文学教学是其中较为有效的解决途径和方法,具有重要作用和意义。合理并有针对性地筛选影片、观影和文学文本细读相结合、以学生为中心的电影介入是改进文学教学的有效策略。同时也要注意电影对原著的忠实性、电影放映时间和课上教学时间所占课堂教学比例、电影教学中的美学教育等多个问题。

略论思辨性阅读的内涵、路径与意义

思辨即批判性思维,本质是理性的反思。思辨性阅读是借助批判性思维的原理、策略与方法而展开的旨在追求合理断言的阅读。在思辨性阅读中,文本是思辨的前提与基础,文本的客观性与独立性,既是对思辨的理性约束,也激发读者思辨求真。思辨性阅读是一个不断质疑、探究的过程,其一般路径是:文本实证(读文)→作者意图探究(读人)→自我反思(读我),以文本反思促进学生的自我反思,培养其实证探究能力与理性开放的精神品质。思辨的意义在于对话与融合,在思辨中才能达成读者与文本的对话、工具性与人文性的融合,而对话与融合正是语言实践的最大价值,也是阅读教学应该追求的最高境界。

基于阅读理解的汉越跨语言新闻事件要素抽取方法

新闻事件要素抽取旨在抽取新闻文本中描述主题事件的事件要素,如时间、地点、人物和组织机构名等。传统的事件要素抽取方法在资源稀缺型语言上性能欠佳,且对长文本语义建模困难。对此,该文提出了基于阅读理解的汉越跨语言新闻事件要素抽取方法。该方法首先利用新闻长文本关键句检索模块过滤含噪声的句子。然后利用跨语言阅读理解模型将富资源语言知识迁移到越南语,提高越南语新闻事件要素抽取的性能。在自建的汉越双语新闻事件要素抽取数据集上的实验验证了该文方法的有效性。