Reading Strategies Used by High-Intermediate English Proficiency Learners: A Case Study

Since the late 70s, investigations into the language learning strategies used by successful learners in the field of second and foreign language learning attracted attention with the studies of Rubin (1975), Stern (1975), and Naiman et al. (1978), which aimed to figure out what good language learning strategies might be and to share those strategies with unsuccessful language learners. Previous studies mainly focused on the frequency and the types of the strategy use with a general assessment of learners’ typical strategies based on the students’ responses to the questionnaire. However, these studies may not generate an in-depth understanding of learners’ use of specific strategies and the mental process underlining the strategy use. This study aims to discover strategy use in enhancing reading skills and describe in detail the specific strategies used by high-intermediate English proficiency learners in response to reading tasks. Two English as a foreign language learners who passed the high-intermediate level of General English Proficiency Test participated in the present study. With the research methods covering from an open-ended questionnaire, a face-to-face interview, and a think-aloud protocol, the study not only elicited the specific strategies used by high-intermediate English proficiency learners in improving their reading ability, but also identified variation in strategy use based on different reading tasks. Moreover, with the exploration of the mental process of task-based learning strategies, the results provided valuable information to address the questions on when to use, where to use, and how to use certain strategies. The nature of the strategies used by high-intermediate English proficiency learners was identified and discussed; meanwhile, suggestions for further research were provided at the end of the study.