期刊名称：The Reading Matrix: an international online journal
印刷版ISSN：1533-242X
出版年度：2007
卷号：7
期号：01
出版社：Reading Matrix, Inc.
摘要：A lack of reading quantity in EFL (English as a Foreign Language) classrooms has remained one of
the most serious problems faced by teachers of English in Japan. Although the extensive reading
(ER) approach is regarded as having significant potential in addressing this problem, it is not used
in many EFL classrooms. This study investigates the effect of a quasi-extensive reading program on
Japanese high school EFL learners¡¯ reading comprehension, reading speed, and their perceptions of
the program. The participants in the treatment group were 96 high school students who engaged in a
reading activity with teacher-made materials for the first five to ten minutes of class for
approximately five months. Some of these students also read graded readers outside of class.
Progress in reading comprehension and speed was measured against a parallel control group that
received no treatment in a pre- and post-test format. Results revealed that the treatment group,
especially those who read graded readers, scored significantly higher in reading speed and
comprehension than the control group. The findings suggest that Japanese high schools and more
broadly, English teachers in input-poor EFL settings should increase reading input within the
students¡¯ linguistic levels both inside and outside of the classroom.
