Introduction

While reading has been an especially rich area of research for both L1 and L2 reading specialists over the past three decades and has produced a wealth of valuable studies and insights, it remains an enigma for reading researchers. For all we now know about reading, it is still, says Mackey (1997), an experience that is ‘complex, untidy, and inevitably partial’ (p. 428) as well as ‘invisible and private’ (p. 430).

These observations are particularly important with respect to the reading practices and experiences of L2 readers, as well as to researchers' and teachers' quest to understand those practices and experiences better. Reading in a second language is clearly a complex and difficult undertaking for many students, plus, as Carson and Leki (1993b) have stated, ‘reading can be, and in academic settings nearly always is, the basis for writing’ (p. 1). In particular, university students frequently perform the act of composing from source texts. Hence, as Spack (1988) has indicated, ‘perhaps the most important skill English teachers can engage students in is the complex ability to write from other texts, a major part of their academic writing experience’ (p. 42). Thus, Grabe (1991) sees the need for ‘reading and writing to be taught together in advanced academic preparation’ (p. 395). Meanwhile, students having writing problems may actually be experiencing reading problems. The act of composing from sources starts with the reading of those texts.