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This study investigates the influence of goal orientations on strategy use patterns and reading comprehension of adult EFL readers. Thirty-eight Taiwanese EFL college freshmen were randomly selected and assigned into the mastery-oriented and the combined mastery- and performance-oriented groups. Results indicated that two strategy use patterns surfaced in participants' think-aloud protocols. The combined group went through more turns of strategy use and employed more follow-up strategies, compared to its counterpart. The combined group also achieved better reading comprehension in terms of recalling more idea-units. Conversely, the mastery-oriented group was more liable to stop its efforts at understanding the unknown vocabulary/expressions. It was concluded that contrastive goal orientations contributed to significant differences in strategy use patterns and reading comprehension. EFL reading teachers are advised to investigate the links among these variables. Additionally, they might need to orient students to adopt a dual- rather than a single-achievement goal.
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