1 - Introduction

Summary

The rapid internationalization of business and industry, together with a sustained immigration influx, has resulted in an unprecedented interest in enhancing second language (L2) learning. In seeking better approaches to second language teaching, as well as L2 subject-matter instruction, applied linguistics has witnessed major advances in both theory and practice. As a consequence, research on L2 reading, a recognized area of applied linguistics, also has made impressive gains in quality and quantity.

As the title Insights into Second Language Reading implies, this book's intent is not a simple review but an effort to establish a foundation for expanding current L2 reading research within welldefined frameworks, and to establish a research base that can facilitate productive innovations in second language reading instruction. These objectives have been approached through a series of analyses: synthesizing ongoing issues in first language (L1) reading literature; examining possible implications of L1 research for conceptualizing L2 reading competence and its acquisition; exploring means of incorporating established L1 research paradigms in empirical examinations of L2 reading; and identifying troublesome gaps in L2 reading research. Because, by definition, learning to read a second language involves two or more languages, the analyses are cross-linguistic, exploring both L1 and L2 characteristics as possible sources of individual differences in L2 reading development.

Although the book is not designed as a classroom teaching manual, basic principles for translating research into practice, and pedagogical implications of research findings, are included.