The Influence of Causal and Concessive Connectives on Chinese Efl Learners’ Discourse Comprehension: The Role of Individual Differences

We examined how causal and concessive connectives affect Chinese EFL learners’ discourse comprehension using narrative texts and comprehension tasks (N=43, Mage=20). Findings indicate that while both connectives enhance comprehension, concessive connectives pose greater challenges. Higher L2 proficiency and cognitive reasoning abilities improve performance, emphasizing the need for targeted instructional strategies.