ERIC Number: EJ1015711
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Apr
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1533-242X
EISSN: N/A
Guessing Patterns of Palestinian College Students
Dwaik, Raghad A.; Shehadeh, Adnan M.
Reading Matrix: An International Online Journal, v13 n1 p14-26 Apr 2013
Top-down models of reading emphasize methods and techniques that promote active reading which involves utilizing contextual clues to guess vocabulary meaning. This study aims at analyzing the correlation between EFL students' general reading proficiency and guessing patterns, and identifying the types of contextual clues actually used by EFL readers of various proficiency levels. Sixty freshman students from two Palestinian universities participated in the study, and two separate tests were conducted to measure the students' reading proficiency and their guessing patterns. Statistical analyses of the results showed that there is a high correlation between correct guessing from context and text comprehension. Readers of all levels tend to rely on local, rather than global or general, contextual clues. Moreover, although high-level readers seem to guess correctly more often than low-level readers, they all seem to favor reading backward in the text for comprehension rather than reading forward. (Contains 9 tables.)
Descriptors: English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Foreign Countries, Arabs, Reading Processes, Vocabulary, Correlation, Language Proficiency, College Freshmen, Statistical Analysis, Reading Comprehension, Language Tests
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Palestine
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Test of English as a Foreign Language
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A