An Examination of Jordanian College-Level Students Use of ReadingStrategies in Reading Arabic (Ll) and English (L2)

This study aimed at examining the extent to which Jordanian college-level students Practice the reading strategies in reading Arabic (L1) and English (L2). The sample of the study consisted of (918) Yarmouk University students enrolled in the two courses of (Arabic 100 and English 100A) for the second semester of the academic year 2004/2005. To achieve the purpose of the study, the Reading Strategies Questionnaire (RSQ) was adopted by the researchers. The students’ responses to the (RSQ) were analyzed to examine the extent to which they use the reading strategies, and an independent t-test was conducted to test whether there were any significant differences between their use of the strategies in reading Arabic and in reading English. The results of the study revealed that there were disparities in the students’ use of the reading strategies, and that there were statistically significant differences in favor of using the whole-, pre-, and while-reading strategies in reading English, and in favor of using the post-reading strategies in reading Arabic. Finally, implications and recommendations for educators, instructors and researchers were suggested.