A Study Of The Medium Of Thought In The Reading Processes Of Chinese EFL Learners

Reading is one of the most critical skills for Chinese EFL learners. The EFL reading processes are complicated in that two different languages are involved. The thesis aims at exploring the medium of thought in the reading processes of Chinese EFL learners. The study is conducted from the following three perspectives:the use of the medium of thought, the functions of the medium of thought, and the influential factors that affect the choice of the medium of thought in the L2 reading processes.These research questions are examined mainly through think-aloud protocols. Other sources of data include an English proficiency test, an open-ended questionnaire and retrospective interviews. The participants were eight Chinese university students who had studied English as a foreign language for nine or ten years. All of them were required to read an easy text and a difficult text respectively and at the same time to try to verbalize all of their thoughts in the reading processes. Their verbalizations were recorded and transcribed for further analysis.The results indicated that both the L1 and the L2 were employed as the medium of thought in L2 reading comprehension. The two media performed a variety of different functions in a cooperative and compensatory way in the L2 reading processes. The reasons for the EFL readers'choice of the medium of thought could be attributed to their educational backgrounds, personal experiences, perceptions of L2 reading comprehension and English linguistic proficiency. In addition, text difficulty exerted great influences on the use of the medium of thought in the L2 reading processes.The thesis concludes with a summary of the research and provides some pedagogical suggestions. It points out that the role of the L1 and the L2 as the medium of thought in the reading comprehension of Chinese EFL learners should draw more attention. It suggests that teachers should help students foster good reading attitudes towards and skills in L1 and L2 use in the L2 reading processes. Effective reading instruction should teach students how to make full use of the positive functions of the medium of thought to develop their learning potentials. It is also important for EFL teachers to choose teaching materials matching students'linguistic proficiency to cultivate their interest in English learning and to promote their English reading ability. Finally the limitations of this study and suggestions for further study are discussed.