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Volume 4 Number 3, Autumn 2007, Pages 1-240   


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A Comparative Analysis of Awareness in Reading L1 and L2 Texts: EFL Thai Students' Strategies Use, Processing Speed and Linguistic Knowledge

    Pragasit Sitthitikul


This paper investigates the use of reading strategies and analyzes the reading behaviors of mature English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) readers. In brief, this study examines the reading performance of four Thai college students. Through the use of think-aloud protocols, interviews, and observations, I document EFL Thai students' use of reading strategies while they are in the process of reading and comprehending four English and Thai texts. The findings reveal that three broad themes emerge from the analysis: a) the most frequently-used strategies across readers in reading L1 and L2 texts, b) the effective use of reading strategies demonstrated by the students in reading L2, and; c) metacognition development in reading L2. However, the data did not provide adequate evidence to comment on the issues of the language transfer and cognates in reading L2 texts.

Keywords: Metacognitive reading strategies, Bilingual reading processes, Cognitive processes, English as a foreign language learning, Think-aloud technique, Second language learning