All levels Does graded reader difficulty affect improvement in learner reading speed? more

Wed, Aug 9, 16:15-16:50 Asia/Tokyo

This study investigates how the length and level of graded readers affects Japanese EFL college students’ (CEFR A2 level) reading speed. Participants freely chose and read English-graded readers outside of class for 14 weeks. Then they took a test to measure their reading speed while reading passages with comprehension questions before and after the duration of the activity. The results of the tests showed there was no statistically significant difference (p = .904) in the reading speed between the students who read short, easy graded readers (on average 1,805-word books, in total 31,064 words) and the students who read long, advanced ones (on average 5,023-word books, in total 51,836 words) although the latter group read significantly more words (p =.002, r =.45) within the period. Thus, even though some students tend to read advanced graded readers when given the opportunity, to improve their reading fluency, teachers of extensive programs should recommend easier reading materials.