The present study aimed to examine whether reading instruction, which provides the specific goal for reading, can facilitate readers in understanding and maintaining the coherence of multiple dimensions in narrative reading. In the experiment, 21 Japanese learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) read short English narratives containing inconsistent information regarding protagonist, temporal, and spatial coherence. The participants were asked to read the texts and verbalize their thoughts during reading (think-aloud task) under two conditions: (a) reading for comprehension and (b) reading for visualizing the scene of narratives in their minds (image instruction). Their think-aloud protocols were analyzed regarding whether readers understand and try to maintain dimensional coherence (i.e., whether they detect inconsistency of protagonist, temporal, and spatial information and try to resolve it). The results demonstrated that image instruction facilitated readers’ understanding of spatial coherence and maintaining protagonist coherence. However, it had no effect on temporal information. These findings suggest effective instructions for EFL readers’ narrative reading.
