Students' Perceptions on the Use of Reading Strategies, Reading Difficulties, and Factors Affecting Their Reading Performance: A Case Study of a Technical English Class

Abstract

This case study explored Thai university students’ perceptions regarding the use of reading strategies, reading difficulties, the factors affecting their reading performance. Thirty-one students participated in this study. The research instruments were students’ reflective journals and semi-structured interviews. The students reported that they used a variety of reading strategies learnt in class, gained a better attitude toward reading English, and improved their reading ability when they practiced reading English texts and wrote about their reading experience in their reflective journals. Their reading problems were inadequacy of vocabulary, pronunciation issues, and L1 interference in translation. The results will help teachers to better prepare reading instructions and activities to enhance students to become better readers.