Gender Differences in Reading Strategy Use among ESL College Students

The use of a complex battery of reading strategies has been found to be obligatory for those English as a Second Language (ESL) students desirous of a high level of English language literacy and success in US academic institutions. Even though we know of the importance of reading strategies, little research exists on whether or not ESL males and females have similar or different strategic reading habits. This study endeavored to fill this void by comparing the academic reading strategies of 248 (138 = male; 110 = female) advanced college ESL students. The results of a quantitative survey showed very few strategic differences, with both genders using strategies with medium or high frequency. These findings suggest that advanced ESL readers' strategies are primarily influenced by factors other than gender.