Thai Third-Year Undergraduate Students’ Frequent Use of Reading Strategies with a Focus on Reading Proficiency and Gender

Abstract

     This article analyzes the differences in the reported use of reading strategies of Thai third-year students when reading academic material. The aims of this study were to determine how the frequent use of reading strategies is varied by the student’s reading proficiency level and gender. Participants were 549 third-year students studying at Khon Kaen University, Thailand, who completed a survey of three categories of reading strategies: Global Reading Strategy, Problem Solving Strategy, and Support Strategy. The results of the study indicated that problem solving strategies were the most frequently used, followed by global reading strategies and support strategies. Significant variation in the frequency of students’ use of strategies in the three main categories were found according to the level of reading proficiency. Gender also played a role in affecting the frequency of strategy use; female students used problem solving strategies and support strategies significantly more frequently than male students.