Perspectives of Reading Strategies in EFL

Abstract

This descriptive study aimed to get in-depth information about the students' perspectives towards vocabulary, reading in English, and the reading techniques they use, if any, to do so. The present research was conducted with 65 teenagers, 33 males, and 32 females, from 14 to 18 years old in a private school in Cuenca-Ecuador whose proficiency level of English was between A1 (beginner) and C1 (advanced) according to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through a Google Forms survey during a live Zoom session. Results showed that learners have difficulties reading a passage mainly because of the lack or poor vocabulary knowledge and because they feel anxious or stressed due to pronunciation difficulties. The results also revealed that learners were not familiar with different reading strategies, which may harden the reading task. This research is addressed to EFL teachers who want to get more in-depth information about learners' perspectives toward reading in English. The present study could serve as a first approach to the pupils' needs concerning strategies that facilitate reading comprehension and vocabulary acquisition in the educational context.