The effects of content familiarity and language ability on reading comprehension performance of low-and high-ability Saudi tertiary students studying English as a foreign language

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of content familiarity and language ability (defined as general L2 proficiency) on the comprehension performance of low- and high-ability Saudi students of English as a foreign language. One hundred and thirty-two male and female university students participated in this study, performing two reading comprehension tests on two different types of text (familiar and unfamiliar). The results showed that content familiarity and language ability had significant effects on the students' comprehension performance. They indicated that content familiarity facilitated reading comprehension, and that language ability had a significant effect on the comprehension performance of students at different levels. Language ability level may have played a compensatory role in facilitating the comprehension of the unfamiliar text. Educators designing and implementing reading courses need to consider these related factors.