The Perception of Reading Strategies among Pakistani University Students: Bottom-Up VS Top-down Model

Abstract

Reading strategies play a vital role in improving reading comprehension among students whose first language is not English. In Pakistan, English is widely used as a second language in higher education, making effective reading strategies essential for students’ academic success. The use of reading strategies helps learners understand texts more deeply and complete their academic tasks effectively. The present study investigates the use of reading strategies by focusing on the bottom-up and top-down models in both academic and business texts among Pakistani university students. A total of 150 undergraduate students from different universities in Pakistan participated in this study. A 45 item questionnaire was distributed to the participants to collect data. The findings revealed that top-down reading strategies were used more frequently by students when reading both academic and business texts, while bottom-up reading strategies were used less frequently. The results suggest that future studies should include a larger number of participants, examine the relationship between language proficiency and strategy use, conduct in-depth interviews, and compare the strategies used by low- and high-proficiency readers.