From Decoding to Understanding: Applying Automaticity Theory to Develop Fluent University-Level EFL Readers

Abstract

University-level reading comprehension is frequently impeded not by intellectual deficits, but by a "cognitive bottleneck." Many English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students struggle with complex academic texts because their finite cognitive capacity is disproportionately consumed by lower-level linguistic decoding. When word recognition lacks automaticity, attentional resources are monopolized by surface mechanics rather than deep semantic integration. Grounded in Automaticity Theory (LaBerge & Samuels, 1974), this paper evaluates Repeated Reading (RR) as a pedagogical intervention to alleviate these constraints. An experimental study involving second-year students at the École Normale Supérieure (ENS) of Constantine demonstrates that RR significantly enhances automatic word recognition. By minimizing the cognitive "cost" of decoding, RR frees mental resources for higher-level comprehension, suggesting that fluency instruction is a vital prerequisite for advanced academic proficiency in EFL curricula.