L2 Reading: Developing Strategic Readers in the English Classroom

Abstract

The immense popularity that English has gained throughout the past decades is the true reflection of an ever-growing multilingual and multicultural society in this era of globalisation. English has become the Lingua Franca (ELF) of the world and hence the chosen language of communication between millions of non-native speakers, which makes attaining its proficiency a valuable asset. Nevertheless, the influence of traditional textbooks in the English classroom leads many teachers to approach the instruction of language skills ineffectively, especially reading. Generally, learners are taught to become test-takers instead of strategic readers, which results in poor reading comprehension. Thus, in an attempt to ameliorate these deficiencies, this study promotes the communicative and dynamic nature of reading by presenting a teaching proposal that focuses on the development of strategic readers. According to extensive research (Usó-Juan and Martínez-Flor, 2006; Richards, 2015; Field, 2003; Mera, 1999), practising reading strategies may increase learners’ confidence when approaching a text in English, alongside their resourcefulness when facing problems and awareness of their own reading comprehension. For this reason, a teaching proposal has been designed to explicitly teach different types of strategies through a think aloud protocol, practise their use, and encourage learners to reflect on their personal reading achievements. Especially addressed to Spanish students with a B1 level of English studying first year of baccalaureate, the proposal has been based on Ediger’s (2006) taxonomy, which distinguishes between cognitive, metacognitive, and socioaffective reading strategies. Finally, the ultimate goal of this project is to be implemented in secondary schools in the foreseeable future, paving the way towards a new and improved form of English reading instruction.