This talk will discuss the value of extensive reading for language learning. It will begin with a discussion of the four strands of language learning: meaning-focused input, meaning-focused output, language-focused learning, and fluency development. The talk will then move into a discussion of what extensive reading is, best practices, and how it helps learners master their language skills by improving reading, listening, speaking, vocabulary, and grammar. Resources for extensive reading will also be introduced.

Implementing a reading programme for college students has always been a challenge as getting students motivated to read requires consideration from many aspects. This collaborative project investigates the similarities and differences of the reading habit between 18-19 year old urban college students from intact classes in Indonesia and Malaysia. Two same multiple-choice questionnaires, one for Indonesia and the other for Malaysia, were created on google forms and sent to 30 college students in Indonesia and Malaysia respectively. The responses from the 13 questions in the questionnaire are used to compare the reading habit and motivating factors to read for these 60 students. The insight gained can assist course coordinators to organise, implement and monitor reading programmes more effectively.

It is understood that extensive reading can be an effective way to expose students to texts that reflect cultural practices and perspectives. This presentation reports an experience using Xreading materials to teach western society and culture that integrated some components of extensive reading. Fifty-five sophomore students from the English Literature program at Universitas Negeri Surabaya were assigned to read a selection of fifteen graded readers that address various topics on Early American history and multiculturalism in America. The students were given the freedom to select the texts to read and were asked to comment on the readability of the texts based on vocabulary and familiarity with the topic. They were also encouraged to make connections with the texts through online forums. Student responses revealed that the selected texts were relatively at their reading level. The simple language and new vocabulary provided a challenge that did not hinder understanding and helped maintain students’ interest. Students’ familiarity with the topic was also addressed in that they could see the connection between the texts on American history. In addition, familiarity with British history also made it possible for students to build a connection to the texts on Early American history. The personal connection was also built through online forums where students responded to each other’s comments.

This is a practice-based ER report at a 2-year college in Japan. Self-regulated learning was introduced to build students’ reading habits. During the initial four months, an instructor monitored their learning, employing a monthly self-reflection sheet to record the number of words read, their reading habit, and their next target. During the following semester, students read autonomously with the target number of words, which was also a requisite for their credit. The semi-structured interviews were conducted after each semester. The results illustrate that those who have kept reading for a year did not focus on the target number and credit, whereas those who mainly aimed to reach the target number stopped reading when they reached the goal. This study suggests that a longer-term intervention from an instructor is necessary for students at the remedial learning stage, and the semester goal should be set per their reading proficiency.

Students’ engagement in reading combines students’ motivation, effort, emotion, and ability to gain flow in reading. It is the key to help students love reading and gain their students' academic achievement. This qualitative study aims to identify the types of engagement that the students experienced in extensive reading and factors that make students engaged in reading English materials in a EFL context. This study was held in English Department at one of universities in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. As data collection techniques, reflection and interview were conducted to six students who enrolled a class that was implemented extensive reading. The students’ reflective essays were used as the main data to explore engagement that the students experienced in reading. In order to further the exploration, important statements appearing in the essay were confirmed and explained by the students through one on one interview. From the data, it was revealed that students experienced behavioural and emotional engagement when reading English books. Behavioural engagement was shown from students’ attempts to make time to read and finish their chosen books while the emotional engagement was identified from students’ positive feeling in reading that they wrote in the reflective essay. Furthermore, factors that made students more engaged in reading their books are their motivation, relevant reading materials, and influences from peers and teachers. Pedagogical implications and limitations are also discussed.

The presenter has been conducting standalone Japanese ER courses in a U.S. university for the past nine years. In addition to in-class individual reading activities and book chats, the presenter incorporates semester-final projects in order to connect input to output. The projects and presentations also provide opportunities for learners to share their outcomes with their classmates. As ER itself is learner-initiated, the instructor tries to let learners control their own learning, including project presentations; therefore, topics and formats are completely free. Learners have created variety of unique products, including picture books, online games, and songs, to name a few. Many of the works reflect sentence patterns and writing styles that learners have naturally acquired through their individual reading. The presenter will showcase students’ products and examine how their ER experience influenced their works. Furthermore, the instructor’s role in cultivating creativity and autonomy will be discussed.

Extensive reading (ER) is promoted in the first-year university EFL communication course by integrating ER interactional activities while adopting an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) textbook. ER is activated in class through three ER interactive activities: (1 ) doing the sustained silent reading (SSR) with graded readers, (2) using a "learners' newsletter," a compilation of class affective states showing communicative success and challenges in ER speaking activities, and (3) doing "timed writing" to prepare learners mentally for the ER interactive task. The weekly logs and final interview revealed that interactive engagement increased when ER interactive communication activities were implemented consistently and supplemented with interactional strategies as scaffolders. Similarly, the language learning strategy shifted from translating to using simple words and gestures, thus changing views on learning English communicatively. This presentation discusses classroom practices of integrating ER interactive activities based on graded readers in the EFL communication course.

The necessity of Extensive reading crept on the façade of Mach Kiem Hung Secondary School, in District 5 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This aimed to first elucidate the theory and principles underlying Vietnamese teachers extensive reading beliefs. Deep-rooted principles will be discussed in light of practical classroom and contextual consideration on the parts of the students of Mach Kiem Hung Secondary School. Secondly, a critical summary of current research on extensive reading that has been conducted in English as a Second Language and English as Foreign Language contexts and has been tested for the school year 2022. This research sheds light on the importance to the immeasurable benefits of extensive reading in improving many aspects of L2 learners’ language proficiency as well as encouraging the great implementation of extensive reading in educational institutions in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Vietnamese teachers will also become acquainted with future directions in the practice of implementing extensive reading programs such as how to make use of online resources, and available books at the library and be potentially equipped on making use of the internet to assess students 'potential And progress in reading extensively. Thirdly, the presentation provides directions for steps that can be used by future public school teachers on how to conduct extensive reading with Vietnamese students which the presenter believes might fill in the gap in knowledge for extensive reading. The research was conducted using Google forms and Google classroom to evaluate the difficulties met with extensive reading. Thus, it gives light on the joyfulness of extensive reading on the part of the students and leads to the analysis of the importance of extensive reading.

Reluctant readers are probably one of the most problematic issues for reading instructors and English language teachers. Fortunately, research has found a positive correlation between intrinsic motivation and reading achievement (Wigfield, Gladstone & Turci, 2016). In other words, if reluctant readers are intrinsically motivated, their reading performance will improve. This study examines the effectiveness of extensive reading as a strategy to motivate reluctant EFL readers to read. The subjects were English-major students at a university in Vietnam. The experimental group had an extensive reading program for three months while the control group just followed the usual English program. A reading motivation questionnaire adapted from Schutte & Malouff (2007) was delivered to the participants before and after the treatment. Pre-tests and post-tests were used to measure their reading fluency. The questionnaire data indicate that by the end of the extensive reading program, most of the students in the experimental group had positively changed their attitudes towards reading. The results of the pre-test and post-test show that their reading performance improved significantly. These findings suggest that extensive reading can motivate reluctant readers and enhance their reading fluency to a great extent.

The present study explores Japanese EFL language learners’ preferences for extensive reading books—graded readers or non-graded readers— in the period of more than two years. Many researchers insist that graded readers (GR) play an important role when institutions implement an extensive reading program. However, in the Japanese context, some language learners have negative impressions toward GR for various reasons. GR sometimes prevent them from reading extensively. For instance, high schools in Japan use too advanced GR as a reading assignment during long vacations and students tend to have an unsuccessful reading experience due to finding numerous unknown words. As a result, they often end up having negative images toward GR. This qualitative research explores how GR and non-GR books influence Japanese EFL language learners reading motivation based on interviews to those who have practiced extensive reading more than two years. The results suggested both GR and non-GR are necessary even in the beginning of their learning stage.

This study explores the two language learning communities of adult language learners engaging in extensive reading in Japan: at a local library and through an online language learners' community. This qualitative study examines how a local library and an online learners’ community can support adult learners to practice extensive reading in English continuously. The data collected includes semi-structured interviews with three participants from each group who practiced extensive reading for a year, observation notes, and their reading logs. The major findings of the study suggested extensive reading helped the learners connect to each other through sharing what, how much, and how they read even though there was a gap in English proficiency among the participants in both communities. In addition, extensive reading seemed to have helped them to continue learn English using other language learning methods as well. The study suggested extensive reading could play important roles to help lifelong learning in Japan.

To many scholars (e.g., Hu & Nation, 2000), extensive reading (ER) helps readers develop robust vocabulary, acquire a strong writing and grammar foundation, and build key connections with academic disciplines such as the sciences, goals that numerous international students hope to achieve in intensive English programs (IEPs). To foster learner autonomy and reflective practice, effective L2 reading instruction must rely on metacognition, or thinking about thinking (Chick, 2013). Many college instructors, however, continue to deviate from the true essence of ER by overemphasizing quizzes, teacher-selected books, and detailed reading logs (Bentahar & Cranker, 2021). These practices both contradict the essence of ER and seem to deprive L2 readers of key opportunities for integrating speaking and thinking into the ER experience. In this session, the presenter will share proven classroom-based ER activities that 1) build upon IEP students’ preferences and 2) cement the reading-speaking-thinking connection in the language classroom.