College and University Speed reading and ER: A perfect combination for EFL reading instruction more

Wed, Aug 9, 11:10-12:30 Asia/Tokyo

Speed reading and extensive reading have been used in both L1 and L2/FL instruction for many years. Past research has found out that the two methods are beneficial for EFL reading fluency development (Waring, 2006; Renandya, 2007; Macalister, 2010; Nation & Tran, 2012; 2014; Day, 2015). More recently, Nation and Waring (2020) call for a component of extensive reading programs that targets reading speed. This study attempts to respond to this call and seeks to determine whether a combination of speed reading and extensive reading produces optimal results. In the three-month experiment, one group of participants did speed reading twice a week while the other did both an extensive reading program and a speed reading course. The results showed that both groups improved on the post-test, but the one that had extensive reading combined with speed reading attained a larger improvement on reading comprehension while maintaining to read at similar speeds as their counterparts. The findings suggest that a combination of extensive reading and speed reading extends the impacts of the two methods on EFL reading fluency development.