Strategic Competence and EFL Reading Test Performance : A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Strategic competence (a higher-order executive ability that executes strategies for language use) has long been theorized as a significant non-linguistic factor affecting second language (L2) communicative ability. Despite its recognition, the parameters of strategic competence have been poorly defined and researched. Utilizing the multitrait-multimethod approach, this book examines the relationships of general strategic knowledge and strategic regulation in a specific high-stakes, test-taking context to English as a foreign language (EFL) reading test performance over time through the use of a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach. Since it is large-scale and longitudinal in nature, this research provides an opportunity to generalize the unfolding nature of strategic competence. The book concludes by proposing multidimensional models to assist researching strategic competence and by discussing pedagogical models for strategic reading instruction.

The Author: Aek Phakiti is Lecturer in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages) in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Sydney (Australia). His research interests focus on language testing, second language acquisition, strategic competence, second language reading, and research methods. He lectures on language testing and evaluation, second language acquisition, and research methods in language learning in the MEd program in TESOL at the University of Sydney. He obtained M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in applied linguistics from the University of Melbourne, and has published his research in Language Testing and Language Learning journals. He is currently editor of the University of Sydney Papers in TESOL.