A Study of the Implicit Reading Beliefs of a Cohort of College EFL Readers and Their Responses to Narrative Text

Abstract

This study investigates the implicit reading beliefs (RBs) of a cohort of diverse English-as-a foreign language (EFL) undergraduate university students and their responses to a narrative text. Sixty-two (n = 62) students enrolled in an introductory reading education course participated in the study. The participants completed a demographic questionnaire and a modified version of the Schraw and Bruning Reader Belief Inventory (RBI). In addition, they read and responded to a narrative text. Descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations, frequencies, percentages, mean rank order) were computed as well as theme coding analysis and a Factorial Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) test was conducted to address the study questions. Results indicate that the study participants hold dichotomous as well as less contrasting transmission and transaction RB beliefs. Likewise, they tend to read in a balanced way that reflects combination of text-based, critical evaluation, and personal reaction responses to narrative reading. Conceptual, and pedagogical implications and suggestions for further research into the formation of reading implicit beliefs and their interplay with the comprehension of texts of various types and difficulty levels are discussed. © 2021 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.