The CATESOL Journal

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness and feasibility of using think alouds to identify and teach reading comprehension strategies. Part 1 was an analysis of the think-aloud protocols of nonnative speakers of English successfully completing their junior year at a university who, on the basis of test scores and professor judgment, had been identified as proficient readers. The analysis identified the strategies these students used when reading course materials. Part 2 was a teaching experiment in which think alouds were used to teach strategies identified in Part 1 to intermediate-level students enrolled in an intensive English program at the same university. This part of the study investigated whether the instructional procedure resulted in acquisition of the target strategies and comprehension of a reading passage. Results indicate that think alouds were an effective means of identifying reading strategies and may be a useful technique for helping nonnative speakers of English learn and apply reading strategies.