Quantitative and Qualitative Effects of the Reading Goal on the Monitoring of Global Causal Coherence in L2 Reading

Abstract

Although causal relations are essential in narratives, second-language (L2) readers often have difficulty monitoring their coherence (causal coherence), especially when those relations span across distant parts of a text (global coherence). This study examined whether and how L2 readers’ monitoring of global causal coherence is promoted with a reading goal. Japanese university students read narrative texts first for general comprehension and then to understand the causal relations in the texts (the causal goal) while thinking aloud. The results showed that the causal goal did not increase participants’ success in coherence monitoring. However, this goal qualitatively altered the types of reading processes leading to coherence monitoring. Specifically, inference generation more strongly contributed to coherence monitoring in the causal goal than in the comprehension condition. Based on these findings, we propose a new theoretical model of L2 reading, the two-stage model of standards of coherence, explaining the reading goal’s quantitative and qualitative influences on L2 processes. The findings suggest that educators need to recognize that a reading goal does not always improve learners’ reading immediately; however, it is the first step in coherence monitoring and changing reading behavior.