Exploring the roles of L1 reading, L2 proficiency, strategy use and anxiety in L2 Reading comprehension

Background: Second language (L2) reading is a complex process in which two languages constantly interact. L1 reading and L2 proficiency are two well-acknowledged factors contributing to L2 reading comprehension. Other factors, such as strategy use and anxiety, might also predict L2 reading comprehension, but their roles have not been examined in the presence of L1 reading and L2 proficiency. Method: Participants were 147 high school Chinese English as a foreign language (EFL) learners (mean age = 17.8, SD = 0.48). They were assessed on their L2 reading comprehension, L1 reading comprehension, L2 proficiency (L2 vocabulary and L2 syntactic knowledge), strategy use and reading anxiety. Results: Hierarchical regression model analyses showed that L1 reading significantly contributed to L2 reading comprehension in the presence of L2 proficiency. Strategy use and anxiety were significant predictors of L2 reading comprehension in the presence of L1 reading and L2 proficiency. Together, they accounted for 53% of the variance in L2 reading comprehension. L2 proficiency moderated the relations between L1 and L2 reading comprehension and strategy use and L2 reading comprehension but not the relation between anxiety and L2 reading comprehension. Conclusions: Besides the well-acknowledged L1 reading and L2 proficiency, strategy use and anxiety were also significant predictors of L2 reading comprehension, stressing the importance of these cognitive and affective factors in L2 reading. By revealing the moderating role of L2 proficiency, these findings deepen our understanding of the nature of the relations between L1 and L2 reading comprehension, strategy use and L2 reading comprehension. © 2025 United Kingdom Literacy Association.