A Study on the Influence of Cross-Cultural Background on Middle School Students' English Reading Comprehension-Based on Literature Review at Home and Abroad

Abstract

In the context of globalization, English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching increasingly prioritizes intercultural competence. However, junior high school reading instruction in China tends to focus on linguistic knowledge and test-taking strategies, often neglecting the role of cultural background knowledge. To systematically investigate how cultural background knowledge affects reading comprehension among adolescent EFL learners, this paper conducts a comprehensive review of both Chinese and international empirical studies. Drawing on schema theory and cultural familiarity research, the review synthesizes findings from a range of studies. The results indicate that cultural background knowledge generally facilitates reading comprehension, with a particularly strong effect on inferential understanding. This effect is moderated by language proficiency: lower-intermediate learners benefit significantly from culturally familiar texts, whereas advanced learners can partially compensate for cultural unfamiliarity through linguistic skills. Effective instructional strategies identified include pre-reading schema activation, nativized adaptation of texts, explicit cultural content teaching, and integration of metacognitive strategies. Despite these positive findings, the review reveals a critical research gap concerning mainland Chinese junior high school students, highlighting the need for more large-scale empirical studies in this context. Pedagogically, the findings underscore the importance of teacher training in schema activation techniques and the development of culturally responsive reading materials.