University of Hawaii * College of Languages, Linguistics, and Literature * Department of Second Language Studies
Abstract:
This study compares the language learner and test-taking strategies used by Chinesespeaking
graduate students when confronted with familiar versus unfamiliar topics in an
English multiple-choice format reading comprehension test. Thirty-six participants at a
large mid-western university performed three tasks: A content knowledge vocabulary
assessment, two practice reading comprehension passages from the Test of English as a
Foreign Language (TOEFL) internet-based test (iBT), and a post task interview. Two
stages of analysis, qualitative and quantitative, were undertaken in this study. From the
qualitative results, six broad categories of strategies emerged. For the quantitative
analysis, ANOVA with repeated measures was completed, and the results showed that the
types of test-taking strategies adopted by Chinese-speaking students remained similar
when they read passages with familiar versus unfamiliar topics. Discussions and
implications related to test-taking and reading pedagogy are provided in the conclusion.
