The research project presented in this book has been inspired by several factors. Firstly, it was my experience as a teacher in a foreign language teacher training college, which stimulated me to reflect on the role of a native language in foreign language learning, the issue which I had investigated in one of my earlier studies (Kusiak 2009). This has contributed to the formation of a general question which initiated the study, namely whether there was any aspect of reading in which students show more skill in Polish and which students could improve upon in the process of reading in English. In other words, I wished to find out whether students who can be considered proficient readers of Polish (L1) and advanced readers of English (FL) read expository texts in a similar manner. The reason for selecting this type of text was that expository text, because of its potential to present new information, is the genre of textbooks and other reading materials that college students read for their study purposes.

Another factor motivating me to undertake this study was my research interest in reading in a foreign language, whose various aspects I had investigated in my previous studies. The results of the present study has contributed to my better understanding of FL reading, particularly in relation to L1 reading.