Fluency, a major component of the construct of language proficiency, is largely ignored as a focus of language instructional practices, in training programs for teachers, in published instructional materials, and in curricular design. In fact, it seems that in most cases “fluency” has maintained its “on the street” meaning as the final result of language learning when you function almost like a “native” speaker. Nothing could be farther from reality. Fluency is the component of proficiency which reflects the learners’ ability to access implicit knowledge for spontaneous language to express their ideas quickly and continuously. Some researchers claim that fluency is a driver of acquisition and not a result. Nation (2000) claims that fluency building activity should make up 25% of any language curriculum, and no matter what you know, you should be able to produce it fluently. Research on the teaching of reading also supports attention on fluency development apart from accuracy-focused activity. This session will review the rationale for including fluency development activity along with extensive reading at all levels of second language proficiency.

Listening is the most frequently used language skill and requires rapid, on-the-spot processing, so “why has our field [ESL/EFL pedagogy] completely ignored the need for graded fluency listening input that is for pleasure, and aimed at building listening automaticity?” (Waring, 2010). A viable response to this dilemma is Extensive Listening (EL), a method that builds listening fluency implicitly by focusing on general meaning through self-access to commercially produced and Internet-based pleasurable listening “texts” (Brown, Waring & Donkawbua, 2008; Chang & Millett, 2014; Cutting, 2004; Field, 2000; Oxford, 1993; Renandya & Farrell, 2011; Waring, 2009). Although specific research evidence on the benefits of extensive listening is still quite limited, engaging in large amounts of self-selected, easy and enjoyable listening for general comprehension purposes is theoretically supported (Ellis, 1994; Ellis, N.C., 2005; Lightbown & Spada, 2006). This session provides a rubric for curating listening texts, a course outline for EL and other listening fluency development activities, and a deeper understanding of how EL can support ESL/EFL listening proficiency development.

This presentation reports the positive impacts made by online extensive reading on 14 adult learners of English. The participants who were advanced learners conducted extensive reading on Xreading for one year. The participants’ transformation from unconfident L2 readers to avid, engaged L2 readers is demonstrated by various data: their journal entries, comments given during five individual interviews, records kept on Xreading, and pre-/post-project metaphors that reflected their perceptions towards L2 reading. Specifically, seven participants read more than one million words and all of their metaphors shifted from negative to positive orientation. Furthermore, the participants made statistically significant gains in reading rates (p < .005) and vocabulary sizes (p < .0005). This presentation reports in detail, the factors that created such positive outcomes. They include the support given by the researcher, the successful routinization of L2 reading, and the Xreading factor such as the easy access to abundant intriguing graded readers.

Join the breakout room for a discussion on Research and Theoretical Issues.

In this study, the presenter used three research questions to investigate how learners incrementally increase their TOEIC test scores through extensive reading. The first question concerns the number of English words that must be read to reach the intermediate level. MReader and the TOEIC online test scores were used to estimate the words that is necessary to reach the CEFR B1. As a result, it was estimated that reading about 500,000 words was required. The second question is about identifying which factors most affect the final TOEIC scores. What had a greater effect on the TOEIC scores, the learner's initial academic ability or their reading volume? This looks like the classic chicken and egg problem, but multiple regression analysis of the data showed that the amount of reading affected their test scores more than their initial ability. The third question is about the students’ motivation. What psychological factors affect the amount of reading? The presenter used multiple regression analysis and found that the students’ positive attitudes toward reading were influencing the total amount of reading being done. The details of the classroom setting and analysis will be shared during the presentation.

This mixed-method single case study aims to unveil the plausible effects of extensive reading (ER) on an EFL learner’s writing competence and to elucidate the viable factors stimulating his willingness to write (WTW) after reading. The writing competence indicated by complexity, accuracy, and fluency was measured by eight measures under the CAF triad (Skehan, 1989). Narrative inquiry was then employed to probe students’ perception of how ER propelled his writing growth and leveraged his WTW based on two semi-structured interviews, excerpts from frequent contact via Facebook Messenger, and 51 reading logs composed during the 9-week course. Results showed observable progress in his writing accuracy and fluency, which was reaffirmed by the interview data. Meanwhile, his WTW was found to be attributable to five palpable determinants, namely (1) habit of L1 reading, (2) intrinsic motivation, (3) perceived writing growth, (4) reading materials, and (5) subconscious writer identity.

Some books make you happy while others make you sad. This study investigated how different emotional traits of graded readers are related with different degrees of student engagement of extensive reading (ER), and what mediating role learner emotional intelligence quotient (EQ) could have. Sixteen different types of basic and epistemic emotions were selected for categorization: happy, sad, fearful, disgusted, angry, surprised, curious, confused, anxious, excited, frustrated, bored, enjoying, relaxing, moved, and nonemotional. First, students were familiarized with emotional tagging of ER materials, resulting in identifying books with their emotional profiles rated by students. Second, an online self-reported questionnaire was conducted. It was shown that different emotions in ER materials result in significantly diverse degrees of student engagement. Moreover, EQs turned out to correlate positively with engagement of ER materials with positive emotions while negatively with several negative emotions and nonemotionality. The rationale and pedagogical implications are discussed and exemplified.

This research project was conducted with two cohorts of 2nd year students enrolled in an elective Business English program at a university in Japan, one in 2020 and another in 2022, who also had had experience with Extensive Reading in their first-year classes, typically with paper-based graded readers and the Mreader tracking system. The research aimed to explore the following questions: 1. What do these Business English students like and dislike about doing online extensive reading via Xreading? 2. How do these Business English students feel that online extensive reading via Xreading compares to other methods of extensive reading experienced in their first-year classes? 3. Are there any correlations between amounts of reading done, types of reading done, and learners' self-reported perceptions of online reading? Participants were surveyed using a combination of Likert-scale and open-ended items, and responses correlated with actual reading data from the Xreading LMS.

The purpose of this study was to examine whether a difference exists in TOEIC Bridge Institutional Program scores between Japanese EFL students at a technical college who engaged in ER for one year and those who did ER for two years. Furthermore, by dividing the students who experienced ER for two years into two subgroups according to their level of English achievement at the end of ER, their reading tendencies were statistically analyzed in terms of the number of words and books they had read. The results suggest that two-year-long ER may be more effective in improving TOEIC Bridge reading scores than a year-long ER program, and that students may be able to reach a high level of English proficiency without reading too many books as long as they are suited to the students’ levels. Additionally, students with high English proficiency made greater progress through ER.

Flow is a mental state in which an individual becomes immersed in an activity as a result of an optimum balance of interest, control, and challenge. Such a flow state overlaps with descriptions of ideal extensive reading experiences eg. becoming engrossed in a story and losing track of time. At the same time, teachers often assign reading targets using a variety of methods including book counts, word counts, and reading time in order to encourage students to read more. These different measurements of reading quantity may influence students' choice of reading materials as well as their reading experiences. This presentation compares student book choice behavior and experiences of flow while reading under the differing conditions of reading assignments given in terms of weekly word count goals with those of weekly reading time goals. Student reading records from the online reading library Xreading are used to compare differences in book choice behavior, such as book length and difficulty level, while experiences of flow are compared using mean flow scores from weekly questionnaires and independent measures t-test between the word count and reading time groups.

Despite growing attention to the use of extensive reading (ER) in ESL teaching, little focus has been placed on adult community learners and their instructors. This presentation reports on the findings of a small qualitative case study conducted at an adult ESL community outreach program linked to the TESOL MA practicum course. The study examines student teachers’ (STs’) (N=13) perceived experiences of using ER in instruction and community members’ (N=16) perceived usefulness of engaging in ER. Responses to selected questions in an end-of-the-program reflection and survey for STs and community members, respectively, were coded and analyzed for common topics. Most of the STs were able to integrate ER into instruction, but their perceptions of the experience were impacted by the learners’ responses to the reading. Most of the learners engaged in reading outside the class and they reported that ER helped them improve their English language abilities, specifically vocabulary.

The Avenue project has been working towards raising awareness of extensive reading as a means of supporting language learners in the settlement sector across Canada. As this venture is gaining momentum, we have identified essential characteristics of a large scale, cohesive extensive reading program. In this session we will share these attributes with examples from the Avenue project. We will also share an update of our progress towards building a national extensive reading system.

This study will report how an extensive reading (ER) website (https://lchineseer.sites.pomona.edu) was designed and constructed for learners of Chinese as a foreign language. A complete review of existing ER websites was first conducted to draw insights on website features and functions. A needs-analysis was conducted among a group of L2 Chinese learners to examine their reading needs. Based on the reading needs, over 300 reading passages on different aspects of Chinese culture were adapted or adopted. The reading passages were categorized based on number of words, readability levels, and topics. How to use the website to improve intercultural communication abilities will also be discussed.

Research into the effects of extensive reading (ER) has surged over the past few decades. However, many of these studies are limited by their lack of control over how the ER treatment is conducted. Furthermore, experimental and quantitative studies that investigate the possible effects of ER on the reading skills of learners of Japanese have yet to be fully explored. The goal of this study was to investigate the possible effects of ER on the reading rate development and comprehension abilities of learners of Japanese as a foreign language (JFL). Using a quantitative single-case study method, eight intermediate learners of Japanese were monitored while they engaged in ER and strictly adhered to ER principles over 2.5 to 4 months. Results showed that participants’ reading rates increased significantly following the monitored ER treatment and that comprehension abilities were not hampered by an increase in reading rate. Pedagogical implications will be discussed.

This action research study, conducted with 13 eleventh grade students from a public school in Piedecuesta, Colombia, was focused on establishing how the implementation of an Extensive Reading technique in the EFL learning school context contributed to the development of critical reading skills in L2. Diagnostic tests, video recordings, teacher’s journal and students’ diaries, and posttests were used as instruments to gather information to determine any improvement. The results revealed the positive impact ER had in the classroom to foster students’ reading process. In such a way, the participants demonstrated the use of different reading strategies to deal with texts, and the teacher-researcher reflection upon her pedagogical praxis during pandemic collected valuable information of the remote educational processes and its difficulties.

Previous Extensive Reading (ER) studies almost exclusively focus on English language learners and tend to be limited by their lack of control over how the ER treatment is conducted and assessed. Furthermore, studies that investigate the possible effects of different styles of ER, including Extensive Listening (EL) and Audio-assisted Extensive Reading (AER), are few. The goal of this study was to investigate the possible effects of monitored ER, EL, and AER on the general proficiency development of learners of Japanese as a foreign language (JFL). Using an experimental design, data collection for the first year of this three-year project (currently including data from 92 elementary and intermediate JFL learners) has been completed. First-year results indicate that all treatment groups outperformed the control group, and the AER and ER groups had higher gain scores than the EL group. Pedagogical implications, future directions, and the current impact will be discussed.

Given the importance of learning L2 vocabulary in context (Webb, 2008), the use of academic texts would seem to be one of the most useful ways to support the learning of academic vocabulary. However, authentic academic materials rarely have sufficient academic vocabulary range and frequency to provide for the learning of the academic vocabulary. In addition, authentic materials tend to be too difficult for all but advanced level students. Against this background, the presenter wrote a fictional graded reader series (‘The AWL Readers’) in an attempt to make the learning of English academic vocabulary in context more effective, more comprehensible, and more stimulating for the students.

The AWL Readers follow the adventures (and misadventures) of a fictional university student and her unusual friend. They include all 570 AWL words, most recycled multiple times. This presentation will discuss: (1) how and why the AWL Readers were created; (2) how they will be used at the presenter’s institution; and (3) their possible usefulness in other teaching and learning contexts.

The aim of the study was to investigate a group of Thai university students’ perceptions of reading and English language learning. Twenty-eight students participated in two sessions of online discussions. The first was their responses to the question on the best way to learn English and the second was on their favorite language skill. The data collection was done in January 2022 and it was the online learning context. It was found that reading was not found to be the best way to learn English. As for their favorite skill, reading was the favorite skill of eight students (29%). About one-third of the students said their favorite skill was reading, but the majority of them did not see reading as the best way to learn English. The findings suggest the need to promote and cultivate reading habits among adult learners, especially university students to embrace both intensive and extensive reading.

Drawing on the benefits of Krashen’s comprehension hypothesis (2003) and compelling input hypothesis (2018), Ellis’ “implicit learning without conscious awareness” (2008) and Grabe’s “long-term and large volumes of input” (2009), extensive reading (ER) has been found beneficial to develop the learners' comprehension. This study investigated the impact of extensive reading of two reading sites, BBC English learning and British Council Learning English on high school EFL learners. This study examined if ER facilitated target learners’ lexical and cultural knowledge to develop reading comprehension. Learners of the treatment group (n = 35) and control group (n = 35) received instruction with ER and without ER, respectively, for six months by adopting two International English Language Testing System (IELTS) tests. The mixed-method paradigm triangulated the data to gauge changes in them. The result showed that treatment group learners outperformed the control group, which is statistically significant and implied incorporating the extensive reading as an extra-curricular.

The ability to guess meaning from context is a valuable skill for developing vocabulary knowledge. Although during extensive reading, dictionaries are typically not used, the new integrated dictionary in Xreading allows learners to immediately access definitions as they read. This research is investigating the effect that this online integrated dictionary usage has on the learner's ability to guess from context.

Remote lessons prompted the shift of extensive reading (ER) assignments from paper books to digital libraries making audio readings of books easily available. Any student with an Xreading account now has access to reading-while-listening (RWL). Providing second-language learners with access to vast amounts of reading and listening is undeniably beneficial; however, will learners choose RWL over reading only? 158 students with prior experience using Xreading were tasked with using RWL for their reading assignments. Questionnaires about the RWL experience indicate a broad belief (78%) that RWL is a beneficial way to learn English. 8 students agreed to follow-up interviews, and the majority of interviewees found audio enhanced the reading experience; improving their concentration and enjoyment. Yet some found it distracting and exhausting. Although a majority of students understood the benefits of RWL, it can be said that it may not suit the learner profiles of all students.

This discussion is centered about the process of extensive reading (ER) program implementation in schools from a functional perspective. There are many factors that may have hindered the spread of ER into the public school systems of many countries such as the need for and expense of graded readers, the means to handle the lending and return of books, the general mindset geared to intensive study in order to pass examinations, and the already heavy demands placed on public school teachers. It makes an argument for a top-down approach being required for wide-spread implementation as well as the need for materials other than graded readers, which while being the gold standard for ER, cannot realistically be purchased by and managed in a large school system. The impact on student choice of what to read is also discussed. We will then proceed to a discussion with the participants concerning a way forward.

The speakers tried to improve students’ English knowledge by using the ER approach. Therefore, they implemented an Extensive Reading Project involving 72 students of the Mongolian University of Science and Technology with the help of the XReading.com platform. This project lasted for two months from March to May. The presenters have raised the hypotheses whether the extensive reading approach has improved the students' English speaking skills and enriched their vocabulary or not. The participants have been asked to read the suggested books so that it was easy to maintain understanding during the discussion. The most essential part of this project was a club held once a week by the lecturers with the purpose of discussing and debating what the participants read. Pre- and post- tests were variables used to identify the effects of the ER method. Finally, the data taken from the tests was processed with SPSS program. Outcomes of the study will be indicated in details using authentic source materials.

Extensive reading (ER) has been widely practiced in teaching English as a foreign or second language contexts. However, reports on how ER has been practiced in Chinese as a foreign or second language contexts are not commonly seen. This study reports how an ER program was established in a liberal arts college in the U.S.A, and how ER affected the L2 Chinese readers’ reading attitudes. The study also examined L2 Chinese learners’ perceptions of language abilities improved through ER, and their enjoyment of ER activities. Data were collected over thirteen weeks through pre-and post- reading attitude surveys, weekly ER activities, and the end of the semester reflections. The findings suggested ER significantly improved L2 Chinese readers’ confidence in reading Chinese and devotion to learning Chinese. ER was perceived to improve reading fluency, reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, character recognition, character recognition, writing, speaking, and listening skills. The study also revealed that students enjoyed ER activities because they solidified their comprehension and provided opportunities to interact with co-participants.

Although the benefits of extensive reading in L2 English are well documented, many university students still elect to do little or even no reading. This may be the case even at institutions where English is emphasized or where ER comprises a substantial part of a course grade. Students at one large university program in Japan took part in a survey aiming to better understand the behaviors and attitudes of students toward ER. Out of 248 students, roughly 35% of students identified as reluctant (achieving only about half or less of ER word count assignments). Overall attitudes toward the ER program were surveyed, and the answers of reluctant and compliant readers were compared in areas such as time management, future-self image, cost-benefit attitudes, reading and system experience, etc. The results can help better address the concerns of reluctant readers and help future cohorts achieve better results.

This presentation will outline the goals of the Global Foreign Language Reading Survey 2022 (GFLRS 2022). GFLRS will survey teachers from all over the world to examine their perceptions of how foreign language reading should be taught in kindergarten, formal schooling, university and in adult education. GFLRS will illuminate the teachers' perceptions of the place of extensive reading in the foreign language curriculum and how it is practiced by those teachers who are doing ER and will find out why many teachers and institutions are reluctant to do ER, the barriers they face before adoption and what we can do to persuade them to adopt ER. Attendees will first hear a brief summary of the project and will be encouraged to highlight areas in the survey that might need to be modified for certain regions to account for local conditions. Finally, participants can sign up to be part of the survey either as subjects or recruiters who will find subjects. All non-personally or institutionally identifying data will be made available to the public.

This preliminary study seeks to understand why some readers were at first reluctant to do Extensive Reading (ER) on XReading but later became avid readers and what caused this shift. As part of a university writing class for English majors in Taiwan, ER was introduced as a class component to help improve student writing. In the fall semester, many students failed to do the assigned reading but became motivated in the spring semester; embracing ER and surpassing the semester goal of 60,000 words within 6 weeks. Using a questionnaire and group interviews to investigate this change, this researcher expects that externally motivated factors, such as test exemption, better grades, and a grand prize, may play a large role in their motivation. It is hoped that educators can use this study to better motivate current Reluctant Readers (RR) or reduce the future number of RRs in their classes.

It’s not surprising that student engagement in compulsory English eduction is often very low. This Exploratory Action Research study investigated student engagement with the XReading program over a full academic year in a compulsory general English class at a Japanese university. Early investigations found huge gaps in students’ basic skill levels and many students were not able to articulate how or why they could study English effectively. This research shows how addressing students' language awareness of several key concepts resulted in improved engagement levels with extensive reading tasks and the impact on their general English test scores.

The purpose of this study was to examine how EFL university students in Japan would be motivated in an e-book extensive reading (ER) program with an element of competition. By the frequent distribution of an anonymous progress chart of the class on the number of the words read, 74 participants were encouraged to engage in ER on a virtual library website approximately for 30 minutes in class and 30 minutes outside class per week for one semester. The attached comprehension quizzes on the website were not required. They also spent half of the class time working on the textbooks designed for developing four skills of English language. Standardized online proficiency tests were given at the beginning and the end of the program. The results showed that the average reading score improved by 27.96 with statistical significance, which was equivalent to the increase of 22.57 in the estimated TOEIC reading score.

Reading literacy is significant for learners’ academic success, and high levels of reading literacy can be established through strong engagement in extensive reading. It is seems that the advancement of competing media, such as television and computer games and the fluctuating socio-cultural contexts have made a significant influence on learners’ extensive reading habits. The purpose of this study was therefore to investigate lower secondary school English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ extensive reading habits using descriptive survey design. The data were collected from 377 randomly selected EFL learners in North Wollo Zone, Ethiopia, using a survey questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential (independent samples t-test) statistics were used to analyze the data. The findings of the study indicated that majority of the learners’ habits toward extensive reading was poor. The findings of the study also showed that the EFL learners’ mostly read for academic purposes. It was also found that there was no significant difference (p > .05) between gender and age of learners regarding their extensive reading habits. Lack of reading materials, low English ability, and lack interest in reading are the major factors that affect EFL learners’ extensive reading habits. Based on the results, it can be suggested that integrating extensive reading programme in the EFL curricula, being accessible to a wide range of books (based on the learners’ level and interest) in the school libraries, and establishing school reading clubs in input-poor English as a Foreign Language contexts like Ethiopia is essential to promote learners’ extensive reading habits.