Open access to tertiary education in South Africa has attracted students from diverse educational and linguistic backgrounds. These students come with varying levels of English language proficiency because some learnt English Home Language (HL) while others learnt it as a First Additional Language (FAL). This article examines the effects of English language proficiency on first-year students’ approach to reading academic texts. The paper reports data from a qualitative study that examined the reading strategies taught to first-year students. The sample population comprised purposefully selected 48 first-year extended degree students. Data collection was done using focus group interviews and an open-ended questionnaire. Data analysis employed the thematic and authentic narrative analysis. The article utilises the common underlying proficiency which postulates that as children acquire academic knowledge and skills in their first language, they also acquire information about skills they can apply when learning a second language. The students who learnt English HL encounter fewer reading challenges than those who did English FAL, which means language problems that originate from educational backgrounds compound some of the reading problems students encounter at university. An English language proficiency survey administered during the initial entry at university could determine measures that can assist first-year students with law levels of English proficiency to improve their reading abilities.

Keywords: Reading problems, language problems, English language proficiency, multilingual first-year students, linguistic backgrounds, educational backgrounds.