Understanding Reading Comprehension Difficulties in Chinese ESL (English as a Second Language) Students From the Componential Model of Reading

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Abstract

The current study investigated the profiles of poor comprehenders across cognitive, psychological, and ecological domains. We identified 25 poor comprehenders, 26 average comprehenders and 22 good comprehenders from 216 Chinese students learning English as a second language (ESL) in Grade 6. Results suggested that poor comprehenders performed poorly than good comprehenders on cognitive factors (listening comprehension and vocabulary). In the psychological domain, reading motivation and learning behavior distinguished poor comprehenders from good comprehenders. In the ecological domain, poor comprehenders read English books less often than good comprehenders and average comprehenders; poor comprehenders started to read Chinese at a later age than good comprehenders. Implications for identification and instruction for poor comprehenders were discussed.

Author

• Huan Zhang, Nanjing Normal University