JALT2025 - Tokyo

EFL Students’ L2 Proficiency & L1 Reading Test Performances

Oct 31, 2025, 3:25 PM

30m

National Olympics Memorial Youth Center / 国立オリンピック記念青少年総合センター

Research-oriented Presentation (30-minutes) Language Skills Room 407

Speaker

Satomi Fujii (Juntendo University)

Description

This study examines the relationship between tertiary-level students’ performances on L2 proficiency test and L1 reading skills test (hereafter, RST). The participants (n = 30) were A2-level EFL university students studying at a private university in Tokyo. The findings showed that learners with higher L1 reading skills a) did not necessarily perform successfully on L2 proficiency test, but b) improved their L2 scores more than those with lower L1 reading skills after a year.

Summary

This study examines the relationship between tertiary-level students’ performances
on L2 proficiency test and L1 reading skills test (hereafter, RST). The participants
(n = 30) were A2-level EFL university students studying at a private university in
Tokyo. The findings showed that learners with higher L1 reading skills a) did not
necessarily perform successfully on L2 proficiency test, but b) improved their L2
scores more than those with lower L1 reading skills after a year.