Abstract
The present study explored how EFL readers’ text processing and comprehension, and the relationship between the two, were affected by two reading purposes: reading to respond to multiple-choice reading comprehension test and to complete an essay in response to a source text. In the experiment, a total of 23 Japanese university students read two expository texts: one for responding to a multiple-choice test and another for completing an essay test. They spoke their thoughts aloud while reading. After their reading and completing tests, they performed a written recall task. The results showed that text processing and comprehension did not differ between the two reading purposes; however, the relationship between text processing and comprehension changed according to the reading purposes. The findings suggest that reading purposes for responding to different test types do not affect text processing and comprehension as a whole, but they may influence the reason that EFL readers engage in a reading process while reading a text. Based on these findings, this study suggests pedagogical implications regarding how to encourage EFL readers’ flexible text processing and comprehension, and what teachers should consider when conducting and selecting reading tasks.
