The comparative effect of language used in recall protocol in reading comprehension

Abstract

This study raises the issue of language of protocol used as an instrument for data collection, particularly in a study of reading comprehension and strategies. The question raised is whether the language ofprotocol, either LI or L2, will make a difference in the performance ofreaders when recalling information from a text. Protocol methods, unlike other testing methods, used in reading comprehension studies have intrigued many researchers because they indirectly reveal a reader's cognitive process when reading. Alderson (2000) notes that the study of reading can be divided into two: the process and the product. The product of reading is concerned with what understanding of the text a reader has reached. This can be achieved through some form of a comprehension test. The process of reading, on the other hand, is concerned with how the reader reaches the understanding of the text. Alderson (2000: 3-4) notes that 'understanding the process of reading is presumably important to an understanding of the nature of reading, but at the same time it is evidently a difficult thing to do.' The fact that the reading process is a silent and private activity, methods such as think-aloud protocol, recall protocol or miscue analysis are used in many studies of reading.