EFFECT OF CULTURAL FAMILIARITY ON READING COMPREHENSION PERFORMANCE: A CASE-STUDY OF VIETNAMESE AND CHILEAN EFL LEARNERS

Nguyễn Ngọc Bảo Châu, Sean Liu, Katia Lopez

Abstract


This paper investigates the influence of cultural background knowledge on EFL reading comprehension. To explore the general assumption that cultural background knowledge helps students to better comprehend a text, a reading comprehension test including two passages describing a Vietnamese and a Chilean national holiday was developed. Forty one Vietnamese and 35 Chilean students took the test. A brief questionnaire was also used to examine students’ perceptions of their familiarity with the texts based on their background knowledge. Results from the t-tests revealed statistically significant differences between the two groups. Both Vietnamese and Chilean students respectively outperformed the other group in the test section about their national holiday, which suggested a positive influence of cultural background knowledge. Weak but significant correlations were found between students’ reported familiarity with the texts and their scores in each section. The findings of this study provide some relevant implications for language testing and second language instruction.

 


Keywords


Cultural familiarity; language testing; reading comprehension

Full Text:

PDF (1-13)

References


Abbott, M.L. (2006). ESL reading strategies: Differences in Arabic and Mandarin speaker test performance. Language Learning, 56(4), 633-670.

Alderson, J.C. (2000). Assessing reading. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Alptekin, C. (2006). Cultural familiarity in inferential and literal comprehension in L2 reading. System: An International Journal of Educational Technology and Applied Linguistics, 34(4), 494-508.

Bernhardt, E. (1991). Reading development in a second language. New York: Ablex.

Braasch, J.L., & Goldman, S.R. (2010). The role of prior knowledge in learning from analogies in science texts. Discourse Processes, 47(6), 447-479.

Chan, C.H. (2003). Cultural content and reading proficiency: A comparison of mainland Chinese and Hong Kong learners of English. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 16(1), 60-69.

Dehghan, F., & Sadighi, F. (2011). On the cultural schema and Iranian EFL learners' reading performance: A case of local and global items. Journal of Pan-Pacific Association of Applied Linguistics, 15(2), 97-108.

Dörnyei, Z., & Taguchi, T. (2009). Questionnaires in second language research: Construction, administration, and processing. Abington on Thames: Routledge.

Erten, I.H., & Razi, S. (2009). The effects of cultural familiarity on reading comprehension. Reading in a Foreign Language, 21(1), 60-77.

Exam English Ltd. (2014). Cambridge English preliminary (PET) reading part 4 comprehension questions. Retrieved from: www.examenglish.com/PET/pet_reading4_test2.html.

Henderson, H. (2005). Holidays, festivals, and celebration of the world dictionary. Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics Inc.

Hill, Y.Z., & Liu, O.L. (2012). Is there any interaction between background knowledge and language proficiency that affects TOEFL iBT reading performance?. ETS Research Report Series, 2, i-34.

Hughes, A. (2002). Testing for language teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Ketchum, E.M. (2006). The cultural baggage of second language reading: An approach to understanding the practices and perspectives of nonnative products. Foreign Language Annals, 39(1), 22-42.

Lee, S. (2007). Effects of textual enhancement and topic familiarity on Korean EFL students' reading comprehension and learning of passive form. Language Learning, 57(1), 87-118. DOI:10.1111/j.1467-9922.2007.00400.x.

Li, C., & Lai, S. (2012). The functions of cultural schemata in the Chinese reading comprehension and reading time of college students in Taiwan. Journal of International Education Research, 8(2), 105-112.

Nassaji, H. (2002). Schema theory and knowledge-based processes in second language reading comprehension: A need for alternative perspectives. Language Learning, 52(2), 439-481.

Stott, N. (2004). Familiarity breeds contempt: Reading texts from learners' own cultures does not guarantee recall. TESOL Quarterly, 38(2), 345-352.

Van Den Broek, P., Virtue, S., Everson, M.G., Tzeng, Y., & Sung, Y.C. (2002). Comprehension and memory of science texts: Inferential processes and the construction of a mental representation. In A. Graesser, J. Otero, & J. Leon (Eds.), The psychology of science text comprehension (pp. 131-154). Mahwah: L. Erlbaum Associates.

Van Den Broek, P., Young, M., Tzeng, Y., & Linderholm, T. (1999). The landscape model of reading: Inferences and the online construction of a memory representation. In H. Van Oostendorp & S.R. Goldman (Eds.), The construction of mental representations during reading (pp. 71-98). Abingdon on Thames: Psychology Press.


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.