A Comparative Study of Chinese EFL Reading Instruction and American ESL Reading Instruction

Reading instruction in China and that in the United States are so different that they are not compatible. In fact, they seem to go in opposite directions. This study examined some of the differences between Chinese EFL reading instruction and American ESL reading instruction through analyzing selected tape-recordings of reading classes from China and the United States, and comparing Chinese EFL reading textbooks with American ESL reading textbooks. This study was intended to answer the following questions. 1. Is a bottom-up method of reading really taught in China while a top-down method is taught in the United States? 2. Compared with the ESL reading textbooks used in the United States, do the Chinese EFL reading textbooks have a larger proportion of exercises dealing with vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation and fewer items in reading skills? 3. Compared with the American ESL subjects, what are the strengths and weaknesses of the Chinese EFL subjects in reading comprehension in terms of recognizing main ideas, understanding direct statements and drawing inferences