This qualitative study focuses on finding out how middle school teachers work with the reading strategy “to predict” to develop students into good readers. The starting point was to find out how they work and how they help students become better readers through scaffolding. In addition, the study focuses on teachers' different experiences regarding the reading strategy. The results are analyzed based on Duke & Pearson's reading teaching model, Vygotsky's theory about scaffolding as well as a phenomenographic approach.  The results show that teachers work differently with the reading strategy. Their main reason for using the strategy is to arouse students' interest and thus get them to read more. This will make students good readers. The results also show that they are working with the strategy when reading a new book or text. Students will have the opportunity to explain, motivate and argue. The teachers support the students by being there as the competent second and through guidance that provides students with enough knowledge to cope with a task on their own. Finally, the results can be summarized in such way that teachers have different experiences and knowledge regarding the strategy “to predict” and therefore interpret the curriculum differently. The teaching therefore does not look the same in all classrooms and the use of the strategy becomes visible in different teachers.

The enrolment of international students at Canadian institutions of higher learning has tripled to 318,153 in 2018/2019 from 101,304 in 2008/2009 (Statistics Canada, 2020). Similarly, the number of international students in B.C.’s post-secondary institutions has significantly risen (BC Council on Admissions & Transfer, 2019). A significant proportion of these international students for whom English is an additional language first encounter Canadian higher education through their enrolment in English-for-academic-purposes (EAP) programs, which prepare students for English-language coursework and offer a path for enrolment at Canadian institutions without an institution’s required documentation of English language proficiency. For international English-as-an-additional-language (EAL) students who initially enrol in EAP programs in order to later pursue higher studies in Canada, reading a variety of academic texts can be challenging, since reading comprehension “involves the ability to integrate various sources of information in order to construct” meaning (Li & D’Angelo, 2016, p. 159). To facilitate reading comprehension, second language (L2) researchers have identified a variety of reading strategies, and extensive research has been conducted to examine the efficacy of reading strategy instruction. However, the research on the effect of reading strategy instruction remains inconclusive due to the interplay of various contextual and individual variables (e.g., Cohen, 2011; Plonsky, 2011). This study reports a mixed methods-action research project involving 52 intermediate-level EAP students conducted to investigate the efficacy of L2 reading strategy instruction at a post-secondary institution in Canada. Implemented through five phases: diagnosing, reconnoitering, planning, acting, and evaluation (Ivankova, 2015), the study used Mokhtari and Sheorey’s (2002) Survey of Reading Strategies (SORS) to capture the participants’ reading strategy use and a standardized reading comprehension test to measure the participants’ reading comprehension abilities. Further, participants’ weekly post-task verbal reflections and post-intervention interviews provided qualitative data about learners’ use of reading strategies over time. Through both qualitative (i.e., content analysis) and quantitative data analyses (i.e., descriptive statistics, paired-sample t-test, Pearson’s correlation, and MANOVA tests), the results showed higher awareness and use of reading strategies and reading performance among the participants after the intervention. In strategy use and reading comprehension, the experimental groups that received reading strategy instruction outperformed the comparison group that simply received regular instruction on reading with no instruction on strategy use. Statistically significant correlations were found between participants’ overall strategy use and reading performance. The analysis of the qualitative data revealed that the participants used a wide variety of global, problem-solving, and support reading strategies depending on reading academic texts in English. / Graduate

This study is a quasi-experimental, longitudinal investigation into the role that extensive reading and reading strategies play in the cultivation of reading self-efficacy. Conducted over the course of one academic year, how changes in reading self-efficacy translate into changes in reading comprehension was examined. In addition, the participants' perceptions of the utility of extensive reading and reading strategies, and how those perceptions related to reading self-efficacy were investigated. A final goal was to ascertain how retrospective ratings of reading self-efficacy influence current levels of the construct. The participants (N = 322) were first and second-year, non-English majors at a four-year, co-educational university in Osaka, Japan. The participants were divided into four groups: an intensive reading group (control group), an extensive reading group, a reading strategies group, and an extensive reading/reading strategies group. Data for the study were obtained from six major sources: a reading comprehension test, a reading strategy test, a reading self-efficacy questionnaire, a perceived utility of extensive reading questionnaire, a perceived utility of reading strategies questionnaire, and a sources of reading self-efficacy questionnaire. The questionnaires and tests were administered three times over the course of the academic year. Before conducting the quantitative analyses on the data gathered with the above instruments, the dichotomous test and questionnaire data were analyzed using the Rasch rating-scale model to confirm the validity and reliability of the instruments and to transform the raw scores into equal interval measures. By employing MANOVAs, ANOVAs, Latent Growth Curve Modeling, and Pearson correlation coefficients, the data were then analyzed to ascertain differences between groups and within groups for all tests and constructs measured. The results showed that the participants in the reading strategies and extensive reading/reading strategies groups gained significantly more in reading self-efficacy over the academic year than those in the extensive reading and intensive reading groups. In addition, all three experimental groups outperformed the intensive reading group in reading comprehension. Furthermore, results from the latent growth curve model showed that gains in reading self-efficacy were related positively to gains in reading comprehension. In a similar vein, the results showed that gains in reading strategy skill led to changes in reading self-efficacy, while reading amount was not significantly related to changes in reading self-efficacy. The results also suggested that those who more highly regard extensive reading as useful to improving reading comprehension exhibited higher levels of reading self-efficacy over the course of the study. On the contrary, there was no significant difference in levels of reading self-efficacy between those who highly rated reading strategies as useful and those who did not rate them as highly. Finally, Pearson correlation coefficients showed moderately strong relationships between junior high and high school (retrospective) levels of reading self-efficacy and university (current) levels. These results underscore the importance of self-efficacy in the learning process and how the cultivation of self-efficacy should be a goal of any educator or administrator in an EFL context. The findings also highlight the detrimental effects of teaching methodologies, such as grammar-translation, that deprive learners of the opportunity to develop their own cognitive abilities. With the introduction of reading strategy intervention and/or extensive reading practice, the participants in the experimental groups of this study were able to develop the skills needed to overcome comprehension breakdowns in the reading process, and this help them become more autonomous, empowered readers. / CITE/Language Arts

本研究旨在探討高職生於作答理性選擇型克漏字測驗(mu1tiple-choice rational cloze)時，所運用閱讀策略程度與其作答表現之關係，以及藉由改善閱讀策略知識與運用而提昇其克漏字測驗作答表現之可行性。 克漏字測驗發展半世紀以來，對於是否能做為閱讀理解的適當測驗工具以及改善閱讀理解的教學技巧，國內外文獻迭有正反兩方論辯，贊成者稱克漏字可測出句間文意整體理解(intersentential sensitivity)，反對者謂只能測出句內的局部句法理解(syntactic informaton)。 近年來認知策略(cognitive strategies)與後設認知策略(metacognitive strategieS)成為閱讀相關研究重要課題，閱讀策略改善訓練(Strategic reading intevention)被認為可提升學生之閱讀理解，本研究著眼於觀察高職生接受閱讀策略改善訓練後，可否藉由克漏字表現提昇彰顯其閱讀理解之提昇，亦進而驗證理性選擇型克漏字測驗可以做為閱讀理解的適當工具。 本研究採用學者巴克曼(L.F.Bachman)論點，將克漏字題型由四類分為局部理解試題(local items)及整體理解試題(global items)兩大類型，認為克漏字測驗可做為閱讀理解的適當測驗工具，並假設可以經由改善受測者後設認知閱讀策略的知識與技巧，提昇其克漏字測驗作答表現。並且運用推論策略(Drawing Inferences)以及戴維(B.Davey)所提出之「五步驟教師出聲思考模仿法」(Five-step Teacher's Think-aloud Modeling)訓練高職生綜合運用認知策略及後設認知閱讀策略的能力，並且加強其利用文章凝結結構的推論策略(Inferencing)，以加強其採用由上而下(Top-down Model)的閱讀模式，建立較佳之整體文意理解。 受試者為中壢高級商業職業學校高三學生，測驗工具取自大學聯考（民國八十二至九十年）以及大學推甄學科能力測驗（民國八十三至九十年）英文科試題之克漏字測驗及閱讀測驗，混合編製而成，並根據局部理解(local items)及整體理解(global items)將試題分類，實驗組於前測後施以兩個月之閱讀策略訓練，提昇其綜合運用認知與後設認知閱讀策略的知識及能力，期滿實施後測，觀察其在克漏字及閱讀測驗作答之表現是否提昇。並且於後測隨機抽樣學生實施口頭訪談，以了解其閱讀行為是否產生改變。 經由閱讀策略問卷調查及前後測實施結果分析，發現受試者運用在克漏字測驗作答的閱讀策略偏向局部理解策略，而改善閱讀策略知識與運用技巧可提升其克漏字測驗之作答表現。實驗組與控制組前測作答表現之平均數差異檢定未達顯著差異(t=.048,p=.962)，後測作答表現平均數則達到顯著差異(t=5.791,p=.000)，且實驗組低分群、中分群、高分群學生之前後測成績皆有顯著進步。 其次，本研究發現高職生之克漏字測驗與閱讀測驗作答表現呈現正相關。 本研究結論發現：若經過適當設計，克漏字測驗可以做為適當的閱讀理解測驗工具，也可以做為提昇閱讀理解的教學技巧，改善高職學生後設認知閱讀策略的知識及運用技巧。 / The purpose of this study is to probe the correlation between the vocational high school students' strategy use and their performance of Multiple-choice rational doze test, and the feasibility of improving their doze performance through a strategic reading training program. The Cloze test, taking on various forms, has caused intense debates in the past decades on whether it can serve as a proper measurement tool of reading comprehension and a teaching skill of improving reading comprehension. Some scholars agree that doze tests can tap intersentential sensitivity------global comprehension of the text, while others contend that it can only measure intrasentential sensitivity------local comprehension such as vocabulary and syntactic information. This study adopts Bachman's argument that doze tests can tap readingcomprehension and brings out the hypothesis that students can improve their cloze test performance through the strategic reading training. A training program is run on vocational high school subjects using the strategy drawing inferences and Davey's Teacher's Think-alouds Modeling approach. The Experiment group receives the strategic reading training that lasts two months after the pre-test. After the program ends, the post-test is taken to examine the performance differences. An oral interview is done to nine subjects randomly selected from the Experiment group to observe to what extent the subjects have changed their reading behavior. The results show that the subjects depend heavily on lower-level reading strategies in taking cloze tests, and the strategic training program can help enhance the Experiment group's reading comprehension and in turn improve their doze performance. In addition, the results confirm that the doze performance correlates positively with the reading comprehension performance. The major findings are that doze tests can serve as a proper measurement tool of reading comprehension and as a teaching skill of improving reading comprehension and that strategic reading training helps improve vocational high school students' cloze performance.

Detta examensarbete handlar om lärares syn på lässtrategiundervisning. Då mina egna erfarenheter inom skolans årskurs 1–3 vittnar om att läsfixarna används som metod trots att det inte finns forskning som stödjer metoden, har intresset legat i att undersöka lärares syn på läsfixarna som metod. Ett hett ämne inom skoldebatten har länge varit svenska elevers sjunkande resultat i läsförståelse enligt kunskapsmätningar som PISA. Detta menar Barbro Westlund, lektor i läs- och skrivutveckling och deltagare i flera forskningsprojekt, beror på bristande förmåga att plocka fram de rätta strategierna i mötet med olika texttyper. Westlund betonar vikten av att undervisa om lässtrategier ämnesspecifikt vilket ökade mitt intresse av att även undersöka hur lärare använder läsfixarna i samhälls- och naturorienterande ämnen. Undersökningen bygger på sju intervjuer av verksamma lärare i årskurs 1–3 samt en observation av ett lektionstillfälle. Resultatet visar en positiv syn på läsfixarna som metod som går att knyta till tidigare forskning. Resultatet har även visat på att metoden till största del används i svenskämnet, men att det på flera sätt går att använda strategierna ämnesspecifikt. Den positiva synen på läsfixarna som metod väcker nya frågeställningar om varför det saknas vetenskapliga bevis på att metoden är effektiv för läsförståelseutveckling. Det här är dock något som öppnar nya dörrar för vidare undersökningar i bredare omfattning på huruvida läsfixarna som metod hjälper läsaren att utveckla läsförståelse eller inte. / This master thesis is about the teachers view of reading strategy teaching. As my own experiences within the school grades 1-3 testifies that “läsfixarna”, which is a method of reading comprehension strategies, as method is used despite there existing no research that supports the method. For this reason, thesis aims to investigate the teachers’ view of “läsfixarna” as a method. A hot topic in school debate has been for a long time the decreasing results for reading comprehension for Swedish students in knowledge test like the PISA test. This is a cause according to Barbro Westlund, a senior lecturer in reading and writing development and participant in multiple research projects, of the lack of ability to use the correct strategies when encountering different kinds of text. Westlund emphasizes the importance of teaching about the reading strategies specific to the study which increased the interest to also investigate on how teachers use “läsfixarna” in society and science studies. The present study is based on seven interviews with working teachers in grades 1-3 and an observation of a period. The results are show a positive view of “läsfixarna” as a method which is also connected to earlier research of reading comprehension strategies. The results also suggest that the method is largely used in the Swedish subject, but it is also possible to use the strategies in various subject-specific ways. The positive view of “läsfixarna” as a method raises new issues, as there is no scientific evidence that the method is effective for reading comprehension development. This is something that opens doors for further and new investigations to a much wider extent on whether “läsfixarna” as a method help readers to develop reading comprehension or not.

La présence d'un scotome maculaire oblige les patients à utiliser la vision excentrée ce qui provoque une difficulté à coordonner les systèmes oculomoteur et visuo-attentionnel. La lecture devient alors une des plaintes majeures chez ces patients, et les processus impliqués dans la baisse des performances de lecture restent mal connus. Dans la plupart des cas, le patient développe une ou plusieurs zones de la rétine excentrée dites préférentielles, et dénommées couramment PRLs. Nous nous proposons ici d'utiliser une approche psychophysique afin d'étudier les processus de la lecture en vision excentrée. Nous avons tout d'abord élaboré un test de lecture francophone informatisé suivant les principes des MNRead Acuity Charts afin de pouvoir évaluer la vitesse maximale de lecture chez des patients porteurs de scotomes centraux binoculaires dont l'atteinte avait été mesurée à l'aide d'un micropérimètre MP-1. Deux analyses utilisant des modèles statistiques à effets mixtes nous ont permis de mettre en évidence des prédicteurs efficaces de la vitesse maximale de lecture: 1) l'espace interligne; 2) le type de DMLA ; 3) la surface du scot; 4) la distance entre la PRL de fixation et la fovéa; 5) le statut du cristallin. Puis, nous nous sommes intéressés aux stratégies de lecture déployées par les patients. L'analyse de la distribution verticale des fixations enregistrées pendant la lecture nous a permis de mettre en évidence que dans 97% des cas, les patients utilisent une zone préférentielle de la rétine unique dans le plan vertical.Ces résultats présentent des intérêts théoriques et pratiques dans la création de nouveaux supports visuels et techniques de réadaptation. / Patients with central field loss (CFL) have to use eccentric vision and complain particularly about reading. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate reading processes in those patients using psychophysical tools. First, we investigated predictors of reading performances. We developed a French computerized version of the MNRead Acuity Charts to assess Maximum Reading Speed in patients with binocular scotomas, measured with the microperimeter MP-1. Two distinct analyses using mixed effects models allowed us to estimate the influence of predictors of Maximum Reading Speed: 1) interline spacing; 2) AMD type; 3) scotoma size; 4) distance between fixation PRL and fovea; 5) lens status. Then, we investigated oculomotor patterns of patients during sentence reading. Analysing the vertical distribution of fixations lead us to the conclusion that in most cases (97%), patients use a single eccentric preferred retinal locus (PRL) in the vertical meridian during reading. One potential goal of these studies is to find some ways to enhance text display and improve visual readaptation.

The diploma thesis Developing Reading Skills in English in Lower Secondary School Pupils (in relation to the development of reading skills in their mother tongue) is focused on the possible ways how to develop reading skills in English and Czech language teaching by means of the coursebooks which are used at lower secondary schools. In the theoretical part there is a description of the reading skills in terms of reading literacy from the theoretical point of view. There is also a description of different kinds of reading strategies and reading purposes. These two aspects lead to reading with comprehension, which is one of the most important part of reading literacy in both languages. There are also described several types of methods and exercises that lead to development of reading skills. At the end of the theoretical part there are mentioned two types of international studies PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) and PIRLS. PISA assesses three key areas of knowledge and skills: reading, mathematical and science literacy in 15-year-old students. In the practical part there is a description of several types of texts, questions and reading skills that are included in the PISA study. I used the discriptions when analyzing texts, questions and reading skills in the coursebooks for the particular class. The main aim of this diploma thesis is to discover if it is possible to use the contents of the real coursebooks used in the eighth grade at lower secondary schools for developing reading skills that are examined in PISA and if the same techniques are used for developing reading skills in both languages if we know that it is possible and even reading in the foreign language is easier when we can transfer our reading skills from one language to another.

This dissertation is a report on a study about autobiography as genre, focusing on the voice of the white, Afrikaans-speaking woman. The point of departure for this study was a survey of the number of autobiographies written in Afrikaans by these women. With the focus on the limited number of such autobiographies three autobiographies were studied, namely, Met die Boere in die veld (Sarah Raal), My beskeie deel (M.E.R.) and 'n Wonderlike geweld (Elsa Joubert). Within the framework of the complexity systems theory the role of the observer (author/reader) was studied to determine the possibility of demonstrating that when reading/writing an autobiography, some epistemological changes may occur, manifesting as conceptual changes in the mind of the observer. It could be demonstrated that because of women's sensitivity to interpersonal relationships they are capable of acting as unique registers of the complexity of individual existence, while remaining aware of the constant influence, effect and needs of the other. / AFRIKAANS & THEORY OF LIT / MA (AFRIKAANS)

This dissertation is a report on a study about autobiography as genre, focusing on the voice of the white, Afrikaans-speaking woman. The point of departure for this study was a survey of the number of autobiographies written in Afrikaans by these women. With the focus on the limited number of such autobiographies three autobiographies were studied, namely, Met die Boere in die veld (Sarah Raal), My beskeie deel (M.E.R.) and 'n Wonderlike geweld (Elsa Joubert). Within the framework of the complexity systems theory the role of the observer (author/reader) was studied to determine the possibility of demonstrating that when reading/writing an autobiography, some epistemological changes may occur, manifesting as conceptual changes in the mind of the observer. It could be demonstrated that because of women's sensitivity to interpersonal relationships they are capable of acting as unique registers of the complexity of individual existence, while remaining aware of the constant influence, effect and needs of the other. / AFRIKAANS and THEORY OF LIT / MA (AFRIKAANS)