Tuan Bui

Tuan Bui explored Factors affecting Second Language Reading Comprehension: An Eye-tracking Study

Thesis title

Exploring Factors affecting Second Language Reading Comprehension: An Eye-tracking Study

Supervisors

Dr Stephen Skalicky and Prof John Macalister

About

Tuan Bui completed his PhD in Applied Linguistics at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington in April 2026.
His doctoral research investigated factors that influence how learners process and comprehend English texts in real time. Using eye-tracking, the research examined the effects of lexical and grammatical features on L2 reading across graded and original texts. Findings from the first phase highlighted derivational morphology as a potentially important source of processing difficulty, which informed a second phase investigating the effects of an intervention designed to raise learners’ awareness of English derivational morphology. The research contributes to a better understanding of the linguistic factors underlying L2 reading and demonstrates the value of eye-tracking for investigating language processing.
During his doctoral research, Tuan was awarded a Wellington Doctoral Scholarship and a Wellington Submission Scholarship, and received FGR Research Grants to support his research.

Education

Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Linguistics
School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies (LALS)
Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.

Master of Arts in TESOL
School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies (LALS)
Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.

Publications