Speakers
Description
Extensive reading (ER) has been proved effective for EFL reading fluency development (Waring, 2006; Nation & Tran, 2002; 2014; Day, 2015). While previous studies have tried to investigate the impact of ER on reading speed and comprehension (Tran, 2012; Nation & Tran, 2014) and vocabulary knowledge (Ateek, 2021), little research has examined its impact on English proficiency. This research aimed to investigate how ER affects university EFL learners’ English language skills. To collect the data, a pre-test and post-test were distributed to an experimental group of 36 students and a control group of 39 students at the beginning and the end of the semester to measure the effectiveness of an ER program. In every week during the treatment, the experimental group were allowed to choose books to read for almost an hour after doing some intensive reading activities. Meanwhile, the control group spent both periods of 50 minutes doing intensive reading activities weekly. The results show that the experimental group achieved better results on the English language proficiency test than the control group. Based on the findings, some implications were suggested for teachers who are looking for methods to help their EFL learners develop English language proficiency.
Keywords: extensive reading, English proficiency, reading fluency development, EFL reading
