Researching the Relationship between Human Agency and Reading

• Main Authors: Si-Qin Li, 李思親
• Other Authors: Yueh-Hung Tseng
• Format: Others
• Published: 2012
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/8m5ge8

碩士 === 國立東華大學 === 英美語文學系 === 100 === For the past several decades, the issues surrounding how readers read and what strategies readers may apply to facilitate reading have been core concerns in the pedagogical field. Thousands of studies have put great emphasis on reading strategies, or, more recently, on the functions of metacognitive awareness of reading strategies. “What about human agency?” This study represents an attempt to discover the role of human agency in reading by means of interviews and miscue analysis and investigates both proficient and low proficient readers in terms of human agency and reading proficiency. The major findings are that, firstly, human agency plays a role in reading activities. Secondly, proficient readers and low proficient readers are found to manipulate human agency at different levels. Thirdly, a positive relationship was found between human agency and reading proficiency since proficient readers tested out more sources in a bid to manipulate human agency and went through the process more positively, which helped them to manipulate human agency more efficiently. Based on these findings, a roadmap for further studies and a curriculum based on forming human agency are suggested, and implications for pedagogy are presented.