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Research comparing the reading strategy use of native and second language (L2) readers has often relied on self-report measures and has, at times, been conducted without measures of reading proficiency. In the present study, we used regression and Bayes' factors to explore how L2 reader status and reading proficiency relate to self-report reading strategy use and the use of situated text processing strategies (i.e., paraphrasing, bridging, elaboration). Data were collected from a South-Central community college district as part of an ongoing study. L2 status did not predict self-reported strategy use, bridging, or elaboration, but was associated with increased paraphrasing (in the regression analysis only). Reading proficiency was negatively associated with self-reported use of support strategies, but positively predicted the use of all situated processing strategies. Results have important implications for L2 learning and instruction and provide insights into aspects of assessment for L2 readers. [This paper will be published in "Discourse Processes." The title of the published article will be "Exploring Reading Strategy Use in Native and ESL Readers."]

The inference mediation hypothesis (IMH) assumes that individual difference factors that affect reading proficiency have direct and indirect effects on comprehension outcomes, with the indirect effects involving inference processes. The present study tested the IMH in a diverse sample of two and four-year college students in a task that emphasizes comprehension of the passage (traditional assessment) and a task that emphasizes complex problem solving (SBA). Participants were administered assessments of foundational skills that support reading, inference generation, a traditional assessment of comprehension proficiency, and a scenario-based reading assessment. The results support the IMH. However, the strength of the indirect relationships depended on the type of reading performance assessment. Coherence building inferences partially mediated the relationship for both assessments. However, elaborative inferences only partially mediated the relationship for the scenario-based assessment. The results are discussed in terms of theories of purposeful reading and implications for understanding college readiness. [This paper will be published in "Contemporary Educational Psychology."]

Some individual difference factors are more strongly correlated with performance on postreading questions when the text is not available than when it is. The present study explores if similar interactions occur with bridging skill, which refers to a reader's propensity to establish connections between explicit text during reading. Undergraduates read science texts using two research tools. The Reading Strategy Assessment Tool provided a measure of bridging skill. Texts and postreading questions were presented in Read&Answer, and the availability of the text while answering was manipulated. Contrary to prior research, bridging skill was comparably correlated with performance in both availability conditions. Although bridging skill was not correlated with search decisions, there was a trend toward a positive correlation with search time, suggesting that readers who tend to bridge more may also tend to persist longer in searching for answers. The results are discussed in terms of dynamic perspectives of task-oriented reading. [At the time of submission to ERIC this article was in press with "Discourse Processes." Additional funding for this report was provided by the Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language and Literacy at Northern Illinois University and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (grant EDU2011-27091).]