Acquisition of reading in second language Spanish

In most programs reading begins at the initial stages of acquisition. This chapter synthesizes empirical investigations that use second Language (L2) learners of Spanish and treat variables related to three main components of the L2 reading process: the reader, text, and assessment. Major generalizations in the current L2 reading database have been substantiated by data obtained almost exclusively from learners of English as a second language. The L2 reading model details how L2 readers use the variables in a compensatory and sophisticated way as they become more advanced, independent readers. The chapter reviews studies that are accounted for in these current models of L2 reading. In order to understand how learners process the L2 text, different factors within the reader need to be examined. This chapter focuses on variables such as L1 reading ability, L2 grammatical knowledge, background knowledge, strategies, and gender.