اللسانيات التطبيقية
Volume 9, Numéro 2, Pages 73-87
2025-12-21
Kolmogorov Complexity Thresholds In Efl Reading Comprehension: How Strategy-based Instruction Modulates Processing Limits Among Second-year University Students
Authors : Ahmed Gaid Oussama . Golea Tahar .
Abstract
Traditional readability formulas inadequately capture informational density affecting EFL comprehension difficulty. This quasi-experimental study examined whether strategy-based instruction raises Kolmogorov complexity (KC) processing thresholds. Seventy-eight Algerian EFL students were randomly assigned to treatment (n=39) or control (n=39) groups for a 12-week intervention. Treatment received explicit strategy instruction (metacognitive, cognitive, compensation strategies); control received traditional instruction. Comprehension was assessed across 45 texts (KC 35-65) via Lempel-Ziv compression algorithms. Segmented regression revealed thresholds at KC≈48.3 (treatment) vs. KC≈42.7 (control), a significant 5.6-unit difference: t(76)=3.84, p<.001, d=0.87. Mixed-effects ANOVA showed a Group×KC interaction, F(4,304)=13.78, p<.001, η²=.153. Strategy use (SILL) correlated with thresholds (r=.68, p<.001). Findings demonstrate that explicit strategy training enables EFL learners to process more complex texts, with implications for curriculum design in Algerian higher education contexts.
Keywords
Kolmogorov complexity ; strategy-based instruction ; EFL reading comprehension ; cognitive load theory ; text difficulty assessment
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