Reading Errors in Second Language Learners

Abstract

This study posits that there are divergent positions among scholars regarding the roles of experiential and linguistic factors in reading incompetence among Second Language (L2) readers. This study was conducted with a view to determining the exact sources of reading errors among selected second language learners. The goal was to suggest strategies of reading improvement, using the context of the research as a microcosm of Nigeria and, by extension, other second language contexts. It emerged that reading competence was typically low. However, it is significant that linguistic inadequacies accounted for the bulk of the reading errors identified. This study advocates an approach to reading instruction which emphasizes wide reading, that is, extensive reading. This approach not only generates interest in reading but also creates the opportunity for the learners to gain exposure to data of the target language thereby improving their linguistic skills and subsequently improving their L2 reading.