From Research to Pedagogy: What Do L2 Reading Studies Suggest?

In the past ten years, numerous articles have been published which examine various aspects of both the L1 and L2 reading task. In an effort to make research‐based techniques more accessible to the second‐language teacher, this article takes as its goals: (a) the brief summary of popular perspectives on the L1 reading process; (b) the presentation of pertinent studies of L2 reading; and (c) the analysis of these studies for their pedagogical implications. Current research results offer many suggestions for the teaching of L2 reading, which can be organized into three categories: (a) the organization of prior knowledge during the pre‐reading phase; (b) the development of metacognitive skills during the reading act; and (c) the careful selection of texts to be read by L2 students.