On the Cultural Schema and Iranian EFL Learners' Reading Performance: A Case of Local and Global Items.

摘要: Reading skill has taken on an important role in most EFL teaching situations. While linguistic knowledge is only one aspect of this skill, background including culture can also play (Alptekin, 2006; Johnson, 1981; Pritchard, 1990; Steffensen, Chitra, & Anderson, 1979). This study investigated the effect cultural or schema performance Iranian students local (bottom-up) and global (top-down) processes. Sixty-six female pre-university took part study. They read five texts with familiar themes culturally unfamiliar topics (total=10). The multiple-choice items were designed a way to test both bottom-up processing (word recognition, literal comprehension finding referents pronouns) top-down (making inferences, skimming, scanning, etc). findings showed that our performed significantly better compared for (un)familiar texts. It was observed their overall mostly influenced by text familiarity. Their higher scores be explained fact these are totally easier process due context available. In contrast, difficulty because learners need extra such items. Also, difference could attributed situation which language teachers do not teach how at all higher-level, processes being reading comprehension.