Abstract
Scholars have long established that all readers employ strategies to understand complex texts. The most effective readers read not just for content, but ask questions about why authors make the choices they do. These “rhetorical” readers ask not just “what?”, but why?”. Rhetorical reading strategies, as defined by Flower and Haas, are “active attempts at constructing a rhetorical context for a text as a way of making sense of it.” In other words, readers must not only interpret the words on the page based on their grasp of the English grammar and syntax, they must be able to imagine the situation in which such language is used—to guess at the intentions and social situation of the author, and those of the audience.
This research project investigated the degree to which international students whose first language is not English use rhetorical reading strategies in interpreting complex college-level texts. International students in U.S. colleges are commonly required to read texts in English. Even though these students may be proficient in English, they may need to put forth extra effort to understand texts that demand, not just a grasp of the English language, but a situational understanding of the cultures of native English speakers. As an international student, I am aware of the difficulty of making sense of a text that is not in one’s native language. Is it possible that international students may find barriers in understanding texts rhetorically, even when these students are fluent in English as a second language?
Faculty Sponsors
Dr. Eric Mason
Project Type
Event
Location
Alvin Sherman Library
Start Date
4-12-2013 1:00 PM
End Date
4-12-2013 5:30 PM
The Effect of Secondary English Proficiency on the Reading Strategies of International Students
Alvin Sherman Library
Scholars have long established that all readers employ strategies to understand complex texts. The most effective readers read not just for content, but ask questions about why authors make the choices they do. These “rhetorical” readers ask not just “what?”, but why?”. Rhetorical reading strategies, as defined by Flower and Haas, are “active attempts at constructing a rhetorical context for a text as a way of making sense of it.” In other words, readers must not only interpret the words on the page based on their grasp of the English grammar and syntax, they must be able to imagine the situation in which such language is used—to guess at the intentions and social situation of the author, and those of the audience.
This research project investigated the degree to which international students whose first language is not English use rhetorical reading strategies in interpreting complex college-level texts. International students in U.S. colleges are commonly required to read texts in English. Even though these students may be proficient in English, they may need to put forth extra effort to understand texts that demand, not just a grasp of the English language, but a situational understanding of the cultures of native English speakers. As an international student, I am aware of the difficulty of making sense of a text that is not in one’s native language. Is it possible that international students may find barriers in understanding texts rhetorically, even when these students are fluent in English as a second language?
