The  English Reading Strategies of Two Colombian English Preservice Teachers

Ángela López Velásquez; María Cristina Giraldo

doi:10.17533/udea.ikala.9910

Authors

Ángela López Velásquez University of Connecticut
María Cristina Giraldo Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17533/udea.ikala.9910

Keywords:

strategies, reading comprehension, metacognition, pre-service teachers.

Abstract

This study focuses on the findings of a research project that aimed at identifying the English reading comprehension strategies used by two preservice English teachers, one a successful reader and the other one a less successful reader. The participants were students of a B.Ed. undergraduate program at a public university located in the Colombian Eje Cafetero. Methodological procedures included the collection of reading data through think-aloud protocols, and analysis was based on the constant-comparative method (Glaser & Strauss, 1999).

Findings suggest that three main differences characterized the reading of the two TEFL readers: the number of strategies evoked, the frequency of their use, and the effectiveness of the strategy used by each reader. The article addresses implications for reading instruction and research based on both cases.

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Author Biographies

Ángela López Velásquez, University of Connecticut

Ángela López-Velásquez earned a MA in TESOL and a doctoral degree in Elementary Education, both from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA. She worked for two years as an Assistant Professor at Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira in the Licenciatura en Lengua Inglesa program. She currently holds a Postdoctoral llowship at the University of Connecticut, USA, where she works a literacy researcher.

María Cristina Giraldo, Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira

María Cristina Giraldo holds a M.A. in TESOL and has been working with English language learners for 31 years. Research interests include second language literacy among Colombian English preservice teachers. Currently, she works as a professor at Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira, Colombia.

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