Reading habits of university ESL students at different levels of English proficiency and education

ABSTRACT
This paper describes a research study which examined the degree to which the levels of English proficiency (high vs. low) and education (graduate vs. undergraduate) of students for whom English is a second language (ESL) were associated with differences in their reading behavior patterns. Subjects completed a survey which elicited information about several aspects of their reading behavior patterns including the type of materials read, the amount of time devoted to each type of reading, perceptions of their own reading ability, weaknesses, and needed improvements in reading. The results revealed that many of the mean scores obtained differed significantly, a fact indicating that the subjects’ levels of education and English proficiency were indeed associated with their reading behavior patterns. The paper concludes with a discussion of the instructional implications of the findings.