STUDENTS’ COLLABORATIVE STORY WRITING PROJECT IN AN EXTENSIVE READING PROGRAM

This study is based on the recognition that EFL students in the context of a Korean university not only had limited exposure to English but also were reluctant to actively participate in their own learning; thus they needed a useful reading program. Acknowledging the situation, the current study initiated an extensive reading (ER) program incorporating the approach of active learning and applied the ER program to a regular EFL reading class for a semester. The reading class was small with nine students and taught by one of the co-researchers. The exploratory study aimed to examine how students engaged in the ER program and how the participants perceived their new experience of the program. To this end, students’ book reading reports over eight sessions of the ER program and post-task interviews were qualitatively analyzed. The data analysis suggests several findings. First, the analysis implied that students eagerly engaged in their learning processes during the ER program. In return, their confidence and motivation in reading English texts improved. Second, it proposed that during the ER the students were responsible for their own learning and were autonomous learners. The study concludes with suggestions for pedagogical practice and for future research.

Most university students are struggling in learning English as Foreign Language. The utilization of an extensive reading strategy will potentially promote more striking influential impacts on EFL learners’ target language proficiency. The students' perceptions influence the success of teaching and learning English. The research aimed to know the students’ perception of Extensive Reading in EFL contexts. The researcher used the Qualitative Research method. This study was conducted in Universitas Islam Majapahit. The researcher selected twelve senior students of the English language education department who have already received the extensive reading subject in their previous semesters. The researcher collected the data through semi-structured interviews. The data were then analyzed by following Miles and Huberman’s (1994) framework. The results showed that the students had positive perceptions toward Extensive Reading practices. They considered if Extensive Reading is a reading activity for pleasure and information search where they can read material without any restraint. Besides, Extensive Reading also contributed to developing their comprehension and English skills such as listening, speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary mastery, and grammar. Moreover, Extensive Reading enabled them to enjoy the learning experience.

Reading is widely accepted as one of the most important second-language skills as it offers language learners the opportunity to acquire a variety of lexical items, grammatical structures, and additional schematic knowledge. In an EFL or ESL context, two approaches to teaching reading, intensive and extensive reading, have generally been adopted. When employing intensive reading in a group context, the teacher faces many challenges, e.g., finding material interesting to all students and dealing with mixed levels, individual learner differences, and low motivation. After describing an action research project designed to indicate motivation for reading among two groups of Japanese college students and analyzing the results of that project, the author outlines a nontraditional, more holistic, and student-centered approach to intensive and extensive reading. This approach aims to overcome students’ low intrinsic motivation by adopting a more differentiated learning approach and applying some extensive reading principles to intensive reading. Although the ability to read effectively in a foreign language is widely viewed as one of the most important skills that a foreign language learner can possess, the teaching of reading poses a range of challenges, both pedagogical and logistical. From a pedagogical perspective, issues such as what type of reading should be carried out, what skills are necessary, how to teach these skills, and how to strike a balance between explicit instruction and time on task are still being discussed and researched (see Carrell, Devine, & Eskey, 1988; Hunt & Beglar, 2005; Macalister, 2008; Nation, 2009; Sehlaoui, 2001). For designers of the intensive reading component of a language course, the choice of materials (level, genre, style, and amount) and the grouping of students into levels are two of the biggest issues. Students’ second language levels vary considerably in many foreign language courses, causing many problems for students (Childs, 2002; DelliCarpini, 2006; Prodromou, 1989; Sehlaoui, 2001; Simanova, 2010).

Extensive research on reading in a first language has shown the critical role fluency plays in successful reading. Fluency alone, however, does not guarantee successful reading. Cognitive and metacognitive reading strategies and schemata that readers utilize also play important roles in constructing meaning from text. Most research, however, indicates that good reading ability is virtually impossible in the absence of fast and accurate word recognition skills and reading fluency. Therefore, efficient ways of improving fluency must be developed. In answer to this need, extensive reading programs have been implemented as an effective approach in EFL settings. Another method, repeated reading, seems equally promising. The main objective of the current study is to focus on whether and how assisted repeated reading with an auditory reading model enhances EFL readers' fluency. Some comparisons of Japanese university students' performances in repeated reading and extensive reading programs are also made in an attempt to see gains in reading fluency and comprehension, and to explore some characteristics which are unique to assisted repeated reading. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of participants' reading behaviors suggest that assisted repeated reading is equally as effective as extensive reading in increasing EFL readers' silent reading rate, and favorably affects learners' perceptions of reading activities. Furthermore, the results indicate the specific role the repetition and listening components of assisted repeated reading play to facilitate reading comprehension. Assisted repeated reading can potentially develop weak ESL/EFL readers' fluency and help them become independent readers by providing a distinct form of scaffolding.

This study explores the key challenges encountered in the implementation of extensive reading in the Thai context. The samples were 400 Thai students and teachers who were already familiar with the concept of ER. The participants' opinions, thoughts, and beliefs about the implementation of ER were also gathered through surveys and semi-structured interviews. The results reveal that these challenges include teachers’ beliefs about ER; insufficient support from schools and educational authorities; teachers' workload and lack of training; and students' motivation and reading habits. Overcoming these challenges requires collaborative efforts between educational institutions, administrators, teachers, and students to provide adequate resources, training, and a supportive environment to promote a reading culture in the EFL classroom in Thailand. Extensive reading programs (ERP) can be effectively implemented in Thailand by recognizing and resolving these issues, which will improve language learning outcomes and a lifelong motivation for reading among students.

PurposeThe present study focused on examining the effects of a multimedia-based Internet extensive reading program on promoting the receptive skills of Iranian university students.Design/methodology/approachIn the quantitative section of this explanatory sequential mixed-method study, a pretest-posttest design was used to compare the performance of three groups of Iranian university students in terms of their degrees of improvement in receptive proficiency. Besides, the differences in the levels of motivation among the learners were sought. The three classes under study included linear text extensive reading for the first experimental group, a multimedia-based Internet extensive reading group for the other and a control group. The qualitative phase of this study included a semi-structured interview and an open-ended questionnaire.FindingsAnalysis of the results revealed that the multimedia-based Internet extensive reading group outperformed the two other groups in terms of proficiency in receptive skills. They also had a higher level of motivation for reading. The findings of the qualitative phase showed that the participants preferred working with multimedia material rather than working with linear texts, or, in other words, printed books. University EFL instructors may be the most beneficiaries of the present study, as they can gain insights into applying Internet-based extensive reading programs into their courses.Originality/valueAlthough some studies have been carried out in this area, the paper provides its readers with a new procedure and methodology.

The low level of literacy of the Indonesian students has become a major nation-wide concern in Indonesia. The 2015 PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) result showed that Indonesian students’ literacy level in English was one of the lowest in the world. Gerakan Literasi Nasional (GLN) was established in 2016 as one of the possible solutions to increase the Indonesian students’ literacy level. The extensive reading programs done in the schools and in the universities described here is in line with GLN’s vision and mission, in that the Extensive Reading programs and activities play a tremendous role in the schools’ and communities’ effort to create more established, well-planned actions to increase the students’ literacy level. Therefore, this paper will discuss two objectives: (1) describing steps to establish a successful Extensive Reading program at Indonesian schools and (2) reporting factors that contribute to the success of an extensive reading program. The findings of this research revealed how extensive reading activities supported the success of GLN through the creation of extensive reading programs within and outside the curriculum, and how schools and home literacy culture could be contributing factors to the success of this program.

Mobile-assisted language learning and its impact on students’ learning outcomes have been examined as one of the attractive methods in English extensive reading (ER). Yet, studies investigating mobile-assisted extensive reading on students’ empowerment are scarcely reported. Grounded in a learning empowerment scale, this research aimed to assess students’ empowerment toward the enactment of mobile-assisted extensive reading in a private university in Indonesia. This case study involved students (n=27) from the Department of English Education at the university. All participants were voluntarily recruited according to the research protocol assigned by the department. All data were garnered from closed-ended questionnaires, reflective journal writing, and semi-structured interviews to get an in-depth analysis of university students’ lived experiences in extensive online reading. The findings revealed how the students felt empowered during their mobile learning engagement. The present study also demonstrates how self-driven reading tasks have engaged students in sharing information and values during the reading report tasks. Further, it was found that students’ self-regulated learning was shouted through students’ reading motivation and self-reflection, including satisfaction and impact. Pedagogically, this study implied that teacher educators need to consider a wide range of topics and materials related to the second essential principle ER. Therefore, for a successful extensive reading program to happen, the teacher educators should provide a continued reading schedule and incorporate it into classroom reading practice.

This study aims to investigate the impact of extensive reading program using the website er-central.com to promote reading habit among high school students in East Java. The study employs a qualitative case study where the program has been done in a high school of 17 Agustus 1945 Senior High School which runs the extensive reading using a digital website. The data is given in two ways, the report of students' reading progress on the administrator page and the response to an open-ended questionnaire that asks students’ perception of how the program impacts their reading habits. The 5 examples of students reading progress reports show that students' reading is still in progress where students have the autonomy to choose the texts and do the quiz. The answers to the open-ended questionnaire show that students argued the program impacts their reading habits. It is shown that 60.78% of the respondents agreed that extensive reading encourages them to read and be autonomous. It can be concluded that the extensive reading program encourages the students’ reading habits.

Many language courses now offer access to simplified materials graded at various levels of proficiency so that learners can read at length in their new language. An assumed benefit is the development of large and rapidly accessed second language (L2) lexicons. Studies of such extensive reading (ER) programs indicate general language gains, but few examine vocabulary growth; none identify the words available for learning in an entire ER program or measure the extent to which participants learn them. This article describes a way of tackling this measurement challenge using electronic scanning, lexical frequency profiling, and individualized checklist testing. The method was pilot tested in an ER program where 21 ESL learners freely chose books that interested them. The innovative methodology proved to be feasible to implement and effective in assessing word knowledge gains. Growth rates were higher than those found in earlier studies. Research applications of the flexible corpus-based approach are discussed.

Enhancing University Students’ Extensive Reading Outcomes: Integrating Motivation, Technology, and Collaborative Active Learning. Objective: This study aimed to enhance students’ outcomes in the Extensive Reading course by integrating motivation, technology, and Collaborative Active Learning (CAL) into the learning process. It was conducted in response to low student achievement and to address the research gap, since few studies have comprehensively explored the combined role of motivation, technology, and CAL in improving extensive reading performance. Methods: The study involved 49 third-semester English Education students in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, using a mixed-method approach. A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design, along with semi-structured interviews, was employed. The experimental group (n = 25) received the intervention, while the control group (n = 24) followed traditional methods. The intervention lasted for 14 weeks, beginning with a pre-test in week 1, followed by the intervention from weeks 2 to 15, and a post-test in week 16. Interviews were conducted with six purposively selected students (three high-achieving and three low-achieving) to support the quantitative findings. A paired samples t-test was used to analyze the data. Findings: The results showed that the integration of motivation, technology, and collaborative active learning significantly improved students' learning outcomes for the Extensive Reading course in the experimental group (pre-test mean: 41.32; post-test mean: 66.64; p <0.001), while the control group showed no change. Interview data revealed that technology and collaboration enhanced motivation and engagement among students in the experimental group, whereas the control group reported low motivation and limited support. Conclusion: Policymakers should support digital literacy initiatives, teachers should implement collaborative and technology-based reading activities, and universities should integrate these approaches into their curriculum design to enhance the success of extensive reading. Keywords: integration, motivation, technology, collaborative active learning, extensive reading, higher education.

The present study focused on using the MoodleReader to promote extensive reading (ER) in an Iranian EFL context, emphasizing its effect on students' incidental vocabulary acquisition. Thirty eight Shiraz University sophomores were assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group used the MoodleReader for their ER program, while the control group followed the traditional ER curriculum, reading a small number of pre-assigned graded readers during the semester. Both groups were given Production and Recognition Vocabulary Levels Tests before and after the experiment. T-tests showed that using the MoodleReader improved the experimental group’s incidental vocabulary acquisition, having a stronger effect on production as compared to recognition vocabulary. Linear regression analyses were also run to determine the relationship between incidental vocabulary acquisition and the learners’ use of vocabulary learning strategies. The results indicated a significant relationship between the experimental group’s vocabulary production and their use of vocabulary learning strategies.

A current issue in L2 reading research is whether extensive reading promotes vocabulary development. This study examined vocabulary acquisition in uninstructed silent reading of a short story with and without a vocabulary list followed by a story rewriting task. Time constraints of a public school setting prevented an extended period of study required for extensive reading research, but vocabulary learning strategies and outcomes of this study are applicable to extensive reading.This study also explored Hinkel’s (2006) recommendation to modify the goal of extensive reading programs to meet the pedagogical ideal of integrated skills learning, that is, reading and vocabulary learning. Questioning the traditional goal of extensive reading to read relatively quickly for general ideas, Hinkel (2006) also proposes that it should draw learner attention to some aspect of language such as vocabulary. Similarly, Nation (2005) emphasizes need for deliberate vocabulary learning in extensive reading which should form a substantial and obligatory part of language courses (p.15). Due to the assumption that uninstructed sustained silent reading encourages students to read widely, I will refer to research on “extensive reading,” using Hinkel’s (2006) and Day, Omura, and Hiramatsu’s (1991) operational definition of sustained silent reading as extensive reading for pleasure over time.

Informal article is one of authentic materials which may contain valuable informations and extensive input to develop the learners’ language proficiency. Unfortunately, most literature shows that informal articles are not widely used in Extensive Reading (henceforth ER) program. For this reason, in this micro-scale exploratory research, the writer would like to introduce the steps procedure in using informal articles in ERprogram for Indonesian EFL college learners and to investigate their perception toward the implementation of the procedure. The procedure is developed on the basis of the writer’s great interest in creating innovative way in teaching ER at Indonesian collegelevel. The procudure is then called as Reading-Writing-Speaking (RWS) cycle which comprises structured-steps. Although it has some shortcomings, the participants bestow positive perception and respectable comments toward the procedure. The proposedprocedure is expected to be an alternative pathway in teaching ER for English teachers particularly at a university level.

This paper presents a study analyzing second language vocabulary gains after an extensive reading program that included non-fiction graded readers of scientific content in English. The study was conducted in a Spanish primary school (N = 96) and implemented in two different modalities: reading-only and reading-while-listening, which included audiobooks. The study lasted one school year and involved 39 science graded readers, making it unique in its duration and scope. The findings indicate that the practice of extensive reading resulted in notable improvements in vocabulary acquisition during the first half of the school year; however, the advantages were less evident in the second half. Different factors intrinsic to the program but also related to students’ motivation will be discussed in order to explain the findings.