Insights into Second Language Reading

THE CAMBRIDGE APPLIED LINGUISTICS SERIES

Series editors: Michael H. Long and Jack C. Richards

This series presents the findings of work in applied linguistics that are of direct relevance to language teaching and learning and of particular interest to applied linguists, researchers, language teachers, and teacher trainers.

Recent publications in this series:

Cognition and Second Language Instruction edited by Peter Robinson
Computer Applications in Second Language Acquisition by Carol A. Chapelle
Contrastive Rhetoric by Ulla Connor
Corpora in Applied Linguistics by Susan Hunston
Criterion−referenced Language Testing by James Dean Brown and Thom Hudson
Culture in Second Language Teaching and Learning edited by Eli Hinkel
Exploring the Second Language Mental Lexicon by David Singleton
Focus on Form in Classroom Second Language Acquisition edited by Catherine Doughty and Jessica Williams
Immersion Education: International Perspectives edited by Robert Keith Johnson and Merrill Swain
Interfaces between Second Language Acquisition and Language Testing Research edited by Lyle F. Bachman and Andrew D. Cohen
Learning Vocabulary in Another Language by I.S.P. Nation
Network−Based Language Teaching edited by Mark Warschauer and Richard Kern
Pragmatics in Language Teaching edited by Kenneth R. Rose and Gabriele Kasper
Research Perspectives on English for Academic Purposes edited by John Flowerdew and Matthew Peacock
Researching and Applying Metaphor edited by Lynne Cameron and Graham Low
Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition edited by James Coady and Thomas Huckin
Sociolinguistics and Language Teaching edited by Sandra Lee McKay and Nancy H. Hornberger
Teacher Cognition in Language Teaching by Devon Woods
Text, Role, and Context by Ann M. Johns

Insights into Second Language Reading

A Cross−Linguistic Approach

Keiko Koda
Carnegie Mellon University

PUBLISHED BY THE PRESS SYNDICATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
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CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
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© Keiko Koda 2005

This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception
and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements,
no reproduction of any part may take place without
the written permission of Cambridge University Press.

First published 2005

Printed in the United States of America

Typeface Sabon 10.5⁄12 pt.   System LATEX 2_e   [TB]

A catalog record for this book is available from the British Library.

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Koda, Keiko, 1954–
Insights into second language reading : a cross−linguistic approach ⁄ Keiko Koda.
p.   cm. – (Cambridge applied linguistics series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0−521−83662−X (HB) – ISBN 0−521−54513−7 (pbk.)
1. Language and languages – Study and teaching. 2. Reading.
I. Title. II. Series.
P53.75.K63   2004
407–dc22    2004040399

ISBN 0 521 83662 X hardback
ISBN 0 521 54513 7 paperback

Contents

Tables and figures

Series editors’ preface

In Insights into Second Language Reading: A Cross−Linguistic Approach, Professor Keiko Koda provides a comprehensive, psycholinguistically oriented introduction to the cross−linguistic study of reading in a second language (L2). Her goal is to establish a clear conceptual foundation for research on L2 reading competence (as distinct from necessary, but insufficient, general L2 linguistic proficiency) and its acquisition within well−defined, empirically testable frameworks. The main focus is cognitively mature adults literate in their L1, but research on other kinds of readers (young children, etc.) is also covered where appropriate. Both L1 and L2 reading research are reviewed with a view to differentiating the two processes, distinguishing between (notably, orthographic and phonological) knowledge, on the one hand, and skills in each, on the other, and identifying needed work on individual differences in L2 reading.

   Part I provides an overview of the volume, before covering theoretical underpinnings for conceptualizing and analyzing L2 reading competence. Part II consists of six chapters treating the components of reading ability: word recognition, vocabulary knowledge (both how this helps reading and how reading helps build vocabulary), intraword awareness and word−knowledge development, information integration in sentence processing, discourse processing (including the role of coherence, inference, and background knowledge in comprehension), and narrative and expository text structures and comprehension. Part III pulls things together, highlighting connections among the components in a holistic portrayal of reading. Chapter 9 deals with individual differences (what characteristics define good and bad readers), and Chapter 10 focuses on the role of metacognitive processes in strategic reading. Finally, in Part IV, Chapter 11 covers the assessment of L2 reading, and Chapter 12 reviews research on the reading instruction and makes suggestions for pedagogy.

   Understanding Second Language Reading: A Cross−Linguistic Approach is one of the most comprehensive treatments of L2 reading available. It is a fine addition to the Cambridge Applied Linguistics Series and will assuredly be very useful to all those engaged in teaching and research in what has become an area of such major importance in applied linguistics.

Michael H. Long
Jack C. Richards

Foreword

For the past three decades, second language (L2) reading has attracted unprecedented research attention. A multitude of studies have sought ways to identify the factors either promoting or impeding effective reading in a second language. As the field expanded, the research focus progressively shifted from merely describing what L2 readers could or could not do to explaining the basis of their behavior. Currently, the conceptual trends in L2 research tend to lean toward first language (L1) reading theories. Although, to be sure, L1 constructs are the logical point of departure in pursuing new lines of inquiry, the “borrowed” research paradigms to date have not spawned viable L2 reading models. To achieve a clear understanding of L2 reading’s unique nature, we need coherent frameworks through which L2 data can first be analyzed and then synthesized into functional theoretical explorations.

   Toward this end, Insights into Second Language Reading stems from in−depth analyses of the multiple dimensions of L2 reading. Reading is a multifaceted, complex construct in that it involves a number of component operations, each dependent on a wide range of competencies. Obviously, the complexity increases in L2 reading since, by definition, it involves more than one language. The ultimate goal of the analyses is to lay a conceptual foundation for building serviceable models of L2 reading capable of delineating how L1 and L2 reading theories must differ. Three specific objectives guided the pursuit: (1) providing detailed descriptions of the processing components inherent in L2 reading; (2) applying cross−linguistic analyses of research−based insights, derived primarily from monolingual studies; and (3) exploring potential new directions for expanding current research paradigms. It is to be hoped that, collectively, the analyses will establish a platform for enhancing effective L2 reading instruction. To wit, a shrewder grasp of the complexities governing effective L2 reading should enable L2 teachers to adapt their instruction to the diverse needs of individual learners, and thereby achieve greater instructional quality.

   My interests in the integration of reading and L2 acquisition were formed in my graduate school days at the University of Illinois. I am deeply indebted to Muriel Saville−Troike, Gary Cziko, David Pearson, and George McConkie – all profound mentors – whose work and guidance helped mold my research directions. My thanks are also owed to Dick Anderson, Bill Nagy, and Chuck Perfetti, who not only were generous in sharing their thoughts but were wonderfully adept at triggering insights. Their noteworthy work inspired me to address, in various ways, how insights are best uncovered.

   Many others provided support and encouragement for this book. At the inception, Barry McLaughlin helped shape the overall approaches. Through skillfully worded probing, Dick Tucker generated continuous forward momentum and steered me in the right directions. I also owe a large debt to Bill Grabe, whose wisdom, experience, and broad knowledge helped me separate the wheat from the chaff. I am grateful to many colleagues with whom I collaborated during the book’s evolution for their assistance and support: Annette Zehler, Hirofumi Saito, Mike Fender, Min Wang, Chin−Lung Yang, Chiou−lan Chern, Etsuko Takahashi, and Sufumi So. I also was privileged to work with an ETS NEW TOEFL reading team, including Mary Enright, Bill Grabe, Pat Mulkahy−Ernt, and Mary Schedl, for many thought−provoking discussions on reading assessment. A distinguished professor, when asked to what he attributed his high achievements, said, “I had smart graduate students.” I have somewhat the same feeling. My thanks go to a number of graduate students who worked with me on the various research projects discussed in this volume for their contributions and assistance: Margaret Chang, Dan Dewey, Muljani Dojomiharudojo, Hisae Fujiwara, Bonnie Gairns, Megumi Hamada, Yoshiko Mori, Eunyoung Park, and Yukiko Wada.

   The project has been partially supported by an IAS⁄Mellon Fellowship from the National Foreign Language Center (NFLC). I am grateful to Richard Brecht at the NFLC for providing the opportunity to work intensely on cross−linguistic issues in lexical knowledge development. The work there helped me to think through many of the critical issues explored in various chapters. I also need to express appreciation to students in the L2 reading seminar in the past year: Patti Spinner, Jenee Wright, Javier Coronado−Aliegro, and Marina Saiz, in particular, for allowing me to field−test the volume and for sharing their candid reactions. Hisae Fujiwara did incredible work on the References. Continuous encouragement from Mike Long, a series editor, and support and guidance from Julia Hough, Commissioning Editor at Cambridge, greatly facilitated the overcoming of many impediments.

   Finally, but importantly, Lou Rubin deserves my deepest gratitude for all he has done in tolerating my crisis moments and for providing me with time, encouragement, criticism, and assistance as my first reader and critic. Without his support, the book would not have come to life.

Acknowledgments

Appreciation is expressed for permission to reprint the following works:

Chapter 4 – Table 4.1. What is involved in knowing a word. Nation, I. S. P. 2001. Learning vocabulary in another language. © Cambridge University Press, page 27.

Chapter 4 – Figure 4.1. The bilingual interactive activation model. Dijkstra, T., & van Heuven, W. J. B. 1998. The BIA model and bilingual word recognition. © Erlbaum, page 200.

Chapter 5 – Table 5.1. Relationships among words, characters, and radicals. Koda, K. 2000. Cross−linguistic variations in L2 morphological awareness. Applied Psycholinguistics, 21. © Cambridge University Press, page 303.

Chapter 6 – Table 6.1. Cross−linguistic variations in cue selection in actor assignment. Bates, E., & MacWhinney, B. 1989. Functionalism and the competition model. © Cambridge University Press, pages 44–45.

Chapter 8 – Figure 8.1. Causal−chain (top) and causal−network (bottom) representations of the sample narrative. Van den Broeak, P. 1994. Comprehension and memory of narrative texts. © Academic Press, pages 543, 545.

Chapter 9 – Table 9.1. Component skills assessment battery. Carr, T. H., Brown, T. L., Vavrus, L. G., & Evans, M. A. 1990. Cognitive skill maps and cognitive skill profiles: Componential analysis of individual differences in children’s reading efficiency. © Cambridge University Press, page 13.

Chapter 9 – Figure 9.1. Model of the information−processing structure of the reading system to guide component skills analysis. Carr, T. H., Brown, T. L., Vavrus, L. G., & Evans, M. A. 1990. Cognitive skill maps and cognitive skill profiles: Componential analysis of individual differences in children’s reading efficiency. © Academic Press, page 8.

Chapter 9 – Figure 9.2. Cognitive skills map of individual differences in reading performance. Carr, T. H., Brown, T. L., Vavrus, L. G., & Evans, M. A. 1990. Cognitive skill maps and cognitive skill profiles: Componential analysis of individual differences in children’s reading efficiency. © Academic Press, page 27.

Chapter 9 – Figure 9.3. Schematic representation of the relationship between lower−level and higher−level language−processing skills. Nassaji, H., & Geva, E. 1999. The contribution of phonological and orthographic processing skills to adult ESL reading: Evidence from native speakers of Farsi. Applied Psycholinguistics, 20. © Cambridge University Press, page 259.

Chapter 10 – Table 10.1. Categories of processing strategies. Anderson, N. J. 1991. Individual differences in strategy use in second language reading and testing. Modern Language Journal, 75, p. 463.

Chapter 10 – Table 10.2. A classification of different types of verbalization procedures. Ericsson, K. A., & Simon, H. A. 1984. Protocol analysis: Verbal reports as data. © MIT Press, page 12.

Chapter 11 – Table 11.1. Reading levels associated with text types and processing skills. Lee, J. F., & Musumeci, D. 1988. On hierarchies of reading skills and text types. Modern Language Journal, 72, p. 174.