A Study of the Activation of Goal Inferences by Readers of EFL at University Level

Several studies have reported that readers activate goal inferences as they read action statement in different texts. As such, the purpose of this study is to examine two hypotheses: (1) Readers of EFL perform well in activating goal inferences. (2) The activation of goal inferences, automatically during reading, depends on readers’ level of experience reading EFL. To test these hypotheses, a strategy called (Question-andanswer relationship) has been used where subjects are required to read narrative passages and answer questions about each action statement. The data indicate that subjects are good in activating the two types of goal inferences, viz. superordinate and subordinate; and that readers’ experience in reading EFL has a great advantage in activating these inferences spontaneously during reading rather than after reading completion.