THE EXPERTISE-REVERSAL EFFECT IN READING COMPREHENSION: A CASE OF ENGLISH AS A SECOND/FOREIGN LANGUAGE (ESL/EFL)

Cognitive load theory uses human cognitive architecture to develop instructional procedures. The theory has assisted researchers to design instructional procedures that can lead to improvements in reading skill. The aim of this paper is to analyze the expertise-reversal effect in reading comprehension of ESL/ EFL learners. The expertise reversal effect occurs when instructional procedures that facilitate learning for novices become relatively less effective as levels of expertise increase. Experiments were designed to investigate whether the expertise reversal effect applied to reading comprehension using ESL/EFL learners. Novice and expert participants were used. Participants received one of the two instructional text formats: reduced, and expanded versions. Each version included a reading text with comprehension questions. Results indicated that the effectiveness of reading instructions depended on levels of participants' expertise. For novices, the expanded version was superior while for experts, the reduced version was superior. Appropriate reading instructions that facilitate learning with novice readers can have negative results with expert readers. The use of expanded and reduced versions may be very useful in improving reading comprehension for ESL/ EFL students.