Comprehension Monitoring Characteristics and Level of Proficiency: A Study of Iranian EFL Learners

Abstract

Integratingboth qualitative-quantitative approaches this study examined how languagelearners with different proficiency levels monitor reading comprehension whendealing with academic texts. To this end, a standard reading test wasadministered to 115 freshman university students to identify those with highand low reading proficiency levels. Two groups, more proficient readers andless proficient readers, each consisting 5 learners emerged. Concurrent verbalprotocols, error detection and retrospective questions were employed to obtainmultiple measures of participants’ monitoring strategy use. Analysis ofparticipants’ reports on comprehension monitoring use during reading academictexts, the results of t-tests, and percentages of comprehension monitoring useamong the two groups suggested that there is a relationship between readingproficiency and this particular strategy. More proficient readers outdid lessproficient readers in frequency of comprehension monitoring strategy use. Also, less proficient readers performedcomprehension monitoring poorly and less frequently in comparison with moreproficient readers in that they were unsuccessful in examining whether theemployed strategies were helpful in overcoming their reading problems.