College and University Virtual library experiences, interests, and preferences: What we learned more

Tue, Aug 8, 16:00-16:35 Asia/Tokyo

Extensive Reading (ER) is considered one of the more effective ways to develop reading skills among students as they are exposed to large amounts of meaningful input that is selected by them. The purpose of this study was to investigate students' learning experience, interest, and preference relating to the implementation of a virtual library (VL) within an academic English program. The implementation of the VL was primarily to promote and monitor the ER habits of students. The study involved first-year (N = 137) female students from a university in Japan with an average CEFR scale range of B1 – B2. Participants completed an online survey in the final quarter of the 2022 academic year after actively using the VL for a period of two quarters (14 weeks). The implications of this study’s preliminary findings and the related dynamics regarding the implementation of a VL, more specifically X-Reading (www.xreading.com) will be discussed.