The relationship between Reading Strategy Use and Reading Comprehension as Mediated by Reading Rate: The Case of Eye Movement Training by Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP)

The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between reading strategy use andreading comprehension as mediated by reading rate amongst advanced EFL students who received eye movementtraining by Rapid Visual Presentation (RSVP) technology. Seventy-two EFL learners participated in the study andreceived instruction for enhancing their reading via Reading Trainer Application for twelve consecutive weeks. Theirentry-level of reading strategies awareness was assessed by the Metacognitive Awareness of Reading StrategiesInventory (MARSI-R) prior to and after the study. Their reading comprehension was assessed by International EnglishSystem Test (IELTS) before and after the study. Their reading speed was also recorded prior to and after the study.Modeling the relationship between strategy use and reading comprehension as mediated by reading rate was testedprior to the study. The findings show that the model was not statistically significant. The model was reassessed after theexperiment, and the results lend credence to the fact that eye training via RSVP led to a mediating role for reading ratein the relationship between strategy use and reading comprehension.

Keywords:

RSVP , Eye Movement , Reading Rate , Strategies , Reading Comprehension , MALL