Problems and solutions applied in reading in Polish and

Th e comparison of how the subjects coped with the problems they encountered while reading the texts point to certain similarities as well as diff erences between reading in Polish and reading in English. A similar number of problems was iden-tifi ed in reading each text: 78 problems were found in reading the Polish text and 74 problems in reading the English text (Table III.7.). To see whether those dif-ferences were statistically signifi cant, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was applied.

Th e results (see Table III.8. and Figure III.4.) show that no statistically signifi cant diff erences were found between the number of problems noted in reading in Polish and the number of problems in reading in English.

Table III.7. Number of problems in reading in Polish and English by individual students

Subjects A B C D E F G H I J Total

Number of problems in Polish

12 17 20 1 1 3 15 5 3 1 78

Number of problems in English

19 6 16 1 2 1 10 4 11 4 74

Source: own study.

Table III.8. Number of problems noted in reading in Polish and in English – a comparison Language Median Lower quartile Upper

quartile

Wilcoxon test

S p

Polish 4 1.5 14.25

24.5 .859

English 5 2.5 10.75

Source: own study.

Figure III.4. Median ranks for the number of problems in reading in Polish and in English Source: own study.

Problems

Number of problems in English Number of problems in Polish

5101520

Table III.9. Problems and solutions in reading in Polish and English – comparison

Th e Polish text Th e English text

Problems Problems

Not understanding the text information Not understanding the text information and not understanding vocabulary

Strategies involved in solving problems Strategies involved in solving problems Paying attention to the title and subtitle Paying attention to the title and subtitle Paying attention to the picture Paying attention to the picture Paying attention to the fi rst and last sentences

in paragraphs

Paying attention to the fi rst and last sentences in paragraphs

Referring to earlier parts of the text Referring to earlier parts of the text

Drawing on prior knowledge X

Dialoging with the text ideas X

Summing up the information Summing up the information

X* Translation

Attributing comprehension problems to the text and the author

Attributing comprehension problems to one’s language competence (not knowing vocabulary)

* the sign X indicates that a given strategy did not appear in the students’ protocols Source: own study.

A qualitative comparison (Table III.9.) shows that the main diff erence concerns the source of problems. In reading the Polish text, the students reported diffi culties in comprehending ideas; while in reading the English text, the protocols refl ected problems in both comprehending ideas and understanding vocabulary. Th e analysis revealed that the subjects used the same types of strategies to solve problems in reading both texts. Th e following actions were applied in reading in English and in Polish: paying attention to the title and subtitle, paying attention to the picture, paying attention to the fi rst and last sentence in paragraphs, referring to earlier parts of the text, summing up the information. Th e following strategies were used only in reading in Polish: drawing on prior knowledge and dialoguing with the text ideas. For obvious reasons, translation was used only in reading in English. An-other diff erence is that while reading the Polish text, the learners attributed their comprehension problems to the text and the author; in contrast, while reading in English, they attributed their comprehension problems to their language compe-tence (usually not knowing vocabulary). Th e most common processes involved in solving problems in reading the texts are discussed in detail below.

Referring to earlier parts of the text

In this strategy applied in reading in Polish and in English, the students drew on the previously given text information in order to make backward inferences and explain the current text information. Th e readers also used this strategy to work on the ideas that they did not comprehend while reading the previous parts of the text. Th is helped the students to modify and correct the outcome of their earlier comprehension. While reading the English text, they also referred to vocabulary

items that they had not managed to understand in the earlier parts of the text. It is important to emphasize that returning to the unanswered questions concerning understanding text ideas and vocabulary was a popular approach; the readers were very persistent in raising the questions that they had not answered earlier. It was interesting to observe that such “gaps” in the students’ models sometimes hindered comprehension of the current text information.

Drawing on prior knowledge

Th is strategy was observed only in reading in Polish. Two diff erent functions that this approach played were identifi ed: facilitative and debilitative. In the fi rst case, the strategy helped the subjects to make backward inferences to explain the cur-rent text information. In the latter case, the readers encountered in the text an idea that he/she recognized as familiar and by elaborating on this idea they developed a false impression that their comprehension was successful. For example, the readers drew on their prior knowledge (e.g., what they know about the body/soul dualism) to confi rm the way they understood the text, ignoring, however, text clues that directed them to a diff erent understanding.

Dialoguing with the text ideas

It is the next strategy that was observed only in reading in Polish. Sometimes the students experienced problems with accepting text information. In such situations, they commented on text ideas and often expressed disappointment or surprise.

Th ey were “faithful” to their own beliefs, which sometimes did not agree with the arguments presented in the text. In many cases, this behaviour distracted the read-ers from following instructions left by the author in the text.

Summing up the information

As a remedy action, this strategy was applied more frequently in reading in Polish than in reading in English. Another diff erence was that in reading in Polish the sub-jects summed up larger parts of the text, i.e., a few paragraphs or the whole article.

In reading in English, in most cases, summing up involved parts of paragraphs; sum-ming up the whole article was applied in reading the last paragraph only by very few students. Th e students summed up the text they had read for a number of reasons:

to organize the propositions in their model, to see how the text develops particular ideas, to evaluate their comprehension (e.g., after forming a new idea). In some cases, this action helped the subjects to realize that their comprehension was incorrect.

Translation

Translation (from English into Polish) was applied by all the students. It facilitated their attempts to infer the meaning of unknown words; the students looked for Polish equivalents of English words that they considered important in constructing their comprehension. Additionally, translation was done to solve problems connected with understanding ideas. It seems that in some cases managing to translate diffi cult parts of the text absolved the students from a necessity to monitor and evaluate their

comprehension. Th is means that the readers seemed to feel satisfi ed with their trans-lation; they were not aware of their incomplete or incorrect comprehension. Th is situation can be partly explained by the nature of the think-aloud method. Since the study was conducted in Polish, for some readers introspective reporting took the form of a direct, literal translation of the text they read. It may be assumed that the ability to read and at the same translate the text “distracted” the students from a more conscious and more eff ective development of the process of comprehension.

Identifying the source of comprehension problems

While reading the Polish text, the students blamed the text and the author for their comprehension problems. Th ey complained about the complexity of the text and its poor coherence. Th e author was blamed for raising theses and not supporting them with suffi cient arguments. In reading in English, the readers ascribed their problems to their foreign language competence; in most cases, they complained about not re-membering the meaning of the words. It is worth noting that several students prided themselves on knowing the words in the text that they considered crucial for their comprehension, emphasising thereby the importance of vocabulary in their reading.

3.3.2. How did the students cope with vocabulary problems