THE READING STRATEGIES OF ESL LEARNERS AT A MALAYSIAN UNIVERSITY

Abstract

For many students of English as a second language, the acquisition of effective reading strategies is of primary importance. The need to be able to read in English is especially felt at the tertiary level where the bulk of academic texts is in English. Consequently, English has become the library or 'link' language and a relatively good command of reading skills in ESL is essential for students as the means of access to information.

Although much literature has been devoted to reading and the teaching of reading, there. is still little known about the reading processes of ESL learners. As Ellen Block (1986) states, "Knowledge about the process, not just the product of reading, is needed if we are to move from head-scratching to designing programs which truly meet the needs of our students". There is a growing awareness of the need for process-oriented research today. Much work has been done in this area in the field of writing,and research conducted by Zamel,1 982,1983, and Raimes,1 985, has helped provide valuable information into the writing processes of ESL students. However, considering the fact that reading is regarded as one of the most important skills for ESL students, to date there have been few descriptions of the reading processes employed by ESL readers.