The implementation of an extensive reading project: Perceptions of pre-university students at Hanoi University

More emphasis has been attached to the teaching of reading at tertiary level as the mastery of reading is of great importance for the second language development.

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c ngo i ng xu th h i nh p Tháng 11/2014 TRIỂN KHAI DỰ ÁN ĐỌC RỘNG: NHẬN THỨC CỦA SINH VIÊN DỰ BỊ TẠI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC HÀ NỘI Vũ Th Huy n, Nguy n Văn Trào Trường Đại học Hà Nội Tóm t t: Ở bậc ñại học, kỹ ñọc ngày development Among reading approaches, extensive ñược trọng nhiều đóng vai trị quan trọng reading (ER) has been put forward as an effective việc nâng cao lực ngôn ngữ Trong strategy in developing EFL and ESL learners’ reading phương pháp đọc Đọc rộng ñược coi phương ability and the inclusion of ER into the curriculum has pháp hiệu giúp nâng cao khả ñọc cho sinh been considered a real need in the second language viên học tiếng Anh ngoại ngữ ngơn ngữ thứ hai learning context Chính thế, việc lồng ghép Đọc rộng vào chương trình giảng dạy nhu cầu thực tiễn Bài viết trình bày dự án nghiên cứu định This paper reports on a qualitative research project investigating the perceptions of 15 pre-university students at Hanoi University towards the lượng tìm hiểu cảm nhận 15 sinh viên dự bị implementation of an ER project Three instruments Trường Đại học Hà Nội việc triển khai chương namely questionnaires, journals and interviews were trình Đọc rộng Dữ liệu thay ñổi thái ñộ sinh designed to investigate the changes in the students’ viên ñối với hoạt ñộng Đọc rộng ñược thu thập qua ba attitudes công cụ gồm Bảng câu hỏi khảo sát, Nhật ký cảm nhận participated in a two-month extensive reading project sinh viên Phỏng vấn Kết cho thấy hầu hết The results showed that the majority of the students sinh viên tham gia có cảm nhận tích cực với chương expressed positive feelings towards the implementation trình Đọc rộng coi Đọc rộng phương pháp of the extensive reading project and perceived ER as hiệu ñể học ngoại ngữ Dựa kết nghiên an effective approach in the second language learning cứu, tác giả đưa đề xuất có tính sư Based on the research findings, important pedagogical phạm ñể giáo viên tiếng Anh thực implications are drawn and included to provide the chương trình Đọc rộng lớp học English T khóa: thái độ, ñọc rộng, phương pháp ñọc Abstract: More emphasis has been attached to the teaching of reading at tertiary level as the mastery of towards teachers extensive with the reading after guidelines on they the implementation of ER projects in their classroom Key words: attitudes, extensive reading, reading approach reading is of great importance for the second language THE IMPLEMENTATION OF AN EXTENSIVE READING PROJECT: PERCEPTIONS OF PRE-UNIVERSITY STUDENTS AT HANOI UNIVERSITY Introduction Reading has been emphasized as one of the most important skills to be acquired by ESL/EFL learners because the mastery of reading skill is proven to be essential for the development of language proficiency Among reading approaches, extensive reading (ER) has been regarded as an effective learning approach in promoting reading skills in particular and English language proficiency in general This is also stated by Nuttall (1982, p.168) who wrote, “The best way to improve your knowledge of a foreign language is 93 Ti u ban 1: Đào t o chuyên ng to go and live among its speakers The next best way is to read extensively in it." Extensive reading is regarded as an effective strategy in developing the reading ability for an ESL/EFL learner A bulk of studies over the past decades have asserted the need to include extensive reading into the curriculum (Takase, 2007) to nurture learners’ habit of reading in English and to positively influence students’ attitudes towards reading in a foreign language Extensive reading has been defined in a number of ways by various linguists, researchers and educators over the past decades Among these, Harold Palmer, a renowned applied linguist, was regarded as the first to coin the term “extensive reading” in 1917 (Iwahori, 2008) Since that time, ER has been known as supplementary reading, pleasure reading, book flood or free voluntary reading Though it was termed with different names, it all means reading books after books rapidly to grasp the general content of the reading text The emphasis of ER is on the meaning of the text, not the structure or the language used Therefore, Harold Palmer (1917) termed it “extensive reading” to distinguish it with intensive reading which involves reading a passage carefully to acquire its specific meaning to develop different reading strategies and to boost the growth of vocabulary (Renandya, 2007) The theory behinds ER is based on the “comprehension input” developed by Krashen (1982), a famous linguist and researcher who has a renewed interest in conducting research on reading Krashen (1982) put forward the theory in which language can be acquired naturally when learners are exposed to sufficient comprehensible input in a comfortable and relaxing environment As the focus of extensive reading is on the meaning rather than the form, learners are not aware of language acquisition; therefore, they can achieve “incidental learning” (Krashen, 1989, p 440, cited in Iwahori, 2008) 94 ER programs have been based on the recommendations made by Day and Bamford (1998) about how an appropriate ER program could be set up and carried out so that it can benefit the learners In fact, numerous ER programs which have been implemented so far follow the ten principles of ER recommended by Day and Bamford (2002) These guiding principles include: • The level of the reading material is easy • Learners are able to get access to various reading materials with different genres • Learners are empowered to choose their reading material • Learners read as much as they can • Pleasure, information and general understanding of the reading text are the emphasis of ER • Reading is its own reward • Learners often read with a fast speed • Reading is an individual and silent activity • Teachers are to provide guidance and orientation ER has been researched by numerous researchers and teacher-practitioners all across the globe and the benefits of ER both in terms of the language aspect and non-language aspect have been well-documented Regarding the first, ER has been reported to have a positive effect on reading comprehension and reading fluency (Bell, 2001; Krashen, 1993; Morgado, 2009; Nation, 1997); vocabulary acquisition (Cho & Krashen, 1994; Horst, 2005; Nation, 1997; Pigada & Schmitt, 2006); grammar enhancement (Elley & Mangubai, 1983) Regarding the second aspect, ER has been claimed to increase language learners’ motivation and enhance their positive attitudes towards learning (Leung, 2002; Murphy, 2010; Yamashita, 2004) These studies have been Chi n l
c ngo i ng xu th h i nh p conducted in various parts of the world and provide valuable insights on the practice of ER; however, most of these studies have focused on investigating whether ER is beneficial to language learners rather than how these language learners respond to the implementation of ER program In addition, few studies have provided a clear picture about the problems and difficulties that these learners encounter during their participation in the ER program as well as the learners’ aspiration for an ER program In this paper, the perceptions of the language learners when they engaged in a two-month ER program are explored It is hoped that the findings of the research could provide valuable information about the impacts of ER on the language learners and what they experience when participating in the program Two main research questions guided the analysis: 1) What are the perceptions of the preuniversity students at International Education Centre, Hanoi University of the implementation of the ER project? 2) How their attitudes towards ER change over time? The remaining of this paper is structured as follows First, we will discuss the method of the present study which includes the information regarding the research settings, the data collection and the procedures of implementing the ER project Second, the findings and discussion will be reported to shed light on the participants’ perceptions of ER Third, we will discuss the limitations as well as propose the implications of the study Finally, we will draw the conclusion of the research Method 2.1 Participants 15 pre-university students consisting of females and males aged 18 to 21 were selected Tháng 11/2014 to participate in the study They were the students at Class B at International Education Centre, Hanoi University These students had formal English education at school for at least seven years; therefore, their English learning background before they participated in this study was somehow comparable However, these students were familiar with the traditional way of teaching English at secondary schools and high schools that played the most emphasis on teaching grammar, which resulted in the students’ reluctance in reading outside the classroom and reading for pleasure in English Most of the participants in this ER project had failed their entrance exam into university and they, therefore, seized another opportunity to be admitted by La Trobe University’s Offshore Programs in coordination with Hanoi University In order to be eligible for La Trobe University’s Offshore Programs, they were required to achieve 6.0 IELTS They registered to study English intensively at International Education Centre, Hanoi University so that they could improve their English proficiency Their English proficiency level was at the lower intermediate level at the time the research project was conducted 2.2 Materials As aforementioned, the participants were at the lower intermediate level when the study was conducted; therefore, the selection of books at level 2, level 3, level and level according to the classification system of Cambridge English Readers, Oxford Read and Discover or Penguin Readers would provide the participants with a wide choice of the reading materials which correspond to their linguistic competence However, when the ER project was introduced to the participants, all of them were advised to start with the books at the lower levels and once they read these books comfortably, they could move on to the next level 95 Ti u ban 1: Đào t o chuyên ng 32 graded readers on different themes and genres were made available in order to provide some variety and to cater for the different needs of the participants The levels of these books were clearly labeled so that the participants could easily select the books that were appropriate to them In addition, the students were encouraged to share their reading experience with each other, discuss with each other the books they read and help each other to select the books which suit their taste and level of competency 2.3 Data collection Data were collected through questionnaires, interview and journal Three instruments were used to triangulate and to enhance the reliability of the data gathered Questionnaires were frequently utilized by the researchers conducting research on the relationship between ER and motivation or attitudes The pre-questionnaires were delivered at the commencement of the program and the postquestionnaires were delivered at the conclusion of the research to gather the information regarding the students’ attitudes in reading for pleasure, their reading habits and how their attitudes changed upon the implementation of the ER program Interviews have been employed by numerous researchers to gather qualitative data as interviews are aimed at accumulating the data which is not directly observable When the ER program completed, semi-structured interviewed were administered to collect data regarding the participants’ perceptions of the ER program Semi-structured interview was employed because it allowed the certain degree of flexibility and it could create the most comfortable atmosphere for the interviewees to express their views Interview questions cover such aspects as attitudes towards the ER program, the perceived benefits of ER and the difficulties the participants encountered during the ER program 96 Journal has been utilized as an activity to promote language development in EFL classroom, but it is also regarded as a communication channel between learners and teachers Journal writing was used in this ER program to seek information about the participants’ practice of ER Journal entries composed by the participants provided the information about how they reacted to the reading materials, the specific difficulties they met or the elements they particularly enjoyed when they read the reading materials 2.4 Procedures The pre-questionnaire was delivered in the first week when the program started Specifically, in the first reading class, the pre-questionnaire was handed to the learners after they were introduced about ER and the ER programs The prequestionnaire was aimed at collecting information about the students’ reading habits in English, their beliefs about reading along with their preferences for reading materials Also in this first week, the guidelines for the journal writing activity were presented and the sample of journal writing was distributed to the students so that they were fully aware of what they were required to The first author clarified that the journal writing was chosen to get information about the students’ response to the ER program rather than to test their writing competency; therefore, they could use either English or Vietnamese to compose their entries From week to week 8, the students had to record their reading in the journal and reflect their feelings and thoughts about the books they have read The first author checked the students’ progress when she read their journals and gave comments In addition, the journal helped the first author detect any problem when it arose so that the program could run smoothly In week 9, when the program came to an end, the post-questionnaire and the focus group interviews were administered to seek the evidence about how the students feel about ER and the ER program Chi n l
c ngo i ng xu th h i nh p Findings and Discussion The data collected from questionnaires, interviews and journals are mainly qualitative The data reported in this section is grouped thematically for analysis The participants are given pseudonyms to ensure their rights to privacy 3.1 General Evaluation of the ER Program The data from the three research instruments indicates the positive evaluation of the participants towards the ER project In response to the question “How you feel about the ER project?” the participants’ overall impression on the ER project was good Five participants reported that they liked this program very much; nine participants said they liked this ER program and one student said they thought it was generally acceptable When being asked whether they would continue the habit of reading extensively after the completion of this ER, the majority of the students responded that they would continue to read extensively One student was not sure about continuing this habit as he was concerned about finding the suitable the ER materials 3.2 Perceived Benefits of ER The results from three data collection methods revealed that the participants reported the benefits of ER in improving different aspects of their language proficiency and their knowledge The improvements in language proficiency are categorized in different themes namely reading speed, reading comprehension, vocabulary development and the consolidation of grammar structures The improvement in knowledge is coded as non-language benefits 3.2.1 The Proficiency Improvement in Language Reading speed In this regard, 12 out of 15 participants perceived the improvement in the reading speed as the most valuable gain from ER One student Tháng 11/2014 mentioned that her reading speed was improved as she had not stopped to check the meaning of the new words in the books She mentioned this in the interview, “I can read faster when I don’t care about checking the new words” Another student also reported the benefits in reading speed and explained that he was no longer disturbed by some new words in the reading; therefore, he could keep reading as long as he understood the general meaning of the reading text Below are some other excerpts from the semistructured interview in relation to the reading speed: “I think that thanks to this reading project, I could read faster I don’t have to use dictionary so often, so I could save a lot of time ” (Duong, int) “I often read for the general meaning of the book so I often read quite fast.” (Linh, int) The improvement in the reading speed reported by the participants in this study is correlated with the results in Bell’s study (2001) In Bell’s study, the data collected robustly supported the hypothesis that the participants in the extensive reading group would experience the more significant achievement in the reading speed in comparison with the learners belonging to the intensive reading group Although the achievement in the reading speed in the present study was perceived by the participants rather than measured statistically as in Bell’s study; the data showed positive reactions of the participants towards the extensive reading program Reading comprehension Five participants mentioned the benefits of ER practice in improving their ability to comprehend reading materials Binh, Giang, Khanh, Nam and Son commented that they could understand the general content of the book they had read To be more specific, Giang reported that her experience with ER was quite different from reading the short passages in class She went on explaining that she could understand the main story or the main topics 97 Ti u ban 1: Đào t o chuyên ng in the books she had chosen but during the reading lessons in class, she met a lot of difficulty comprehending a short text In his journal, Son also mentioned this aspect of improvement as below: “ I could understand the main story of this book although there are new words in the book” (Son, jour) “ There are some parts of the book I don’t understand clearly but I think I understand the main points in it In the reading lessons in the class, I think the reading is more difficult to understand” (Binh, int) • Vocabulary development The majority of the participants mentioned the benefits of ER in improving their vocabulary Duong, Cuong, Anh and Oanh reported that they could learn a few new words from each reading if these words were repeated frequently In the meantime, Hai, Minh, Son and Cuong believed that ER helped them to reinforce the words they already knew but they rarely used them In other words, they had the opportunities to activate the words they already knew Some of the respondents (Phuong, Giang and Nam) commented that their guessing techniques were improved since they felt more confident in guessing because ER was done at home and they felt no pressure; therefore, they could exercise this skill better Nam explained his experience in more details He reported in the interview: “At first I guessed the words based on the reading and sometimes I used the dictionary to check their meaning again to see if I got it right Most of the time I guessed the new words correctly After that I felt more confident in guessing and I didn’t use dictionary to check the meaning anymore.” (Nam, int) Cuong, Hai, Minh and Son mentioned more about the influence of ER in reinforcing their vocabulary Here are some of the comments about the impact of ER on their vocabulary 98 “The first three books I chose were at level and level not have a lot of new words, so I can read comfortably When I moved to higher level, I tried to understand the main things in the book but I felt it was okay for me because I have more chances to see the words I already know I don’t care much about new words.” (Hai, int) “I am surprised to see many words I used to learn in the reading I don’t often use these words in my writing or speaking but now I can see them again I think this helps me not to forget words I learned.” (Son, int) “This book [All About Space] is quite above my level, but I can understand most of it thanks to the pictures in this book There are quite of new words for me but I think I can guess the meaning of some words What I think is useful is that I have the chances to remember words I learnt before.” (Minh, jour) In a number of studies on the relationship between ER and the acquisition of vocabulary, the results are very encouraging Specifically, Horst (2005) reported that the participants in his study had learned more than half of unfamiliar vocabulary items encountered in the simplified reading materials The result from Pigada and Schmitt (2006) was even more encouraging when the participants’ lexical knowledge of approximately two-thirds of the target words was enhanced However, it should be noted that this does not necessarily mean that all the lexical knowledge aspects were fully mastered by the participants In this present study, the participants also gave good comments about the impacts of the ER project on their vocabulary development or vocabulary reinforcement, which could be seen as a positive result although the actual improvement was not measurable • Grammar Structures The perceived benefit of ER on the grammar structures was less frequently reported in comparison with the perceived improvement in vocabulary; however this perceived aspect of improvement is worth mentioning Chi n l
c ngo i ng xu th h i nh p Duong, Khanh and Quyen perceived learning grammar structures as a benefit from the ER activities The comments made from them showed that their knowledge of sentence structures was enhanced when they read more Indeed, when they saw the way the grammar structures were used in the real context, they had more opportunities to get used to these structures Duong claimed that: “ when the reading material is at low level, I can read quite fast and don’t pay much attention to grammar structures When the book is at a higher level, I have to read more slowly and I take time to notice some grammar structures that I find useful but this can make my reading slower ” (Duong, int) In addition, one participant mentioned the grammatical improvement might be associated with the practice of writing journal entries as follows: “Although the teacher had explained that journal writing activity was not for the benefit of writing practice, I paid a lot attention to writing correct grammatical sentences That’s why I think this reading program is helpful for grammar as well.” (Quyen, int) 3.2.2 Non-language Benefits Non-language benefits that the participants mentioned are related to general knowledge and cultural understanding • General knowledge Eight participants reported that they gained more knowledge from reading extensively According to Binh, Cuong, Giang, Hai, Minh, Oanh, Quyen and Son the information on different topics provided in the books was new and interesting to them Among these participants, Hai and Oanh perceived that ER contributed to broadening their horizons They were of the opinion that if they continued ER, their background knowledge would be improved significantly and, as a result, their English would be better because the enhanced background knowledge would assist them in other language skills Tháng 11/2014 Below are the comments made by the participants: “I like this book [All About Space] very much This book is very interesting I got more information about our Earth and other planets in the solar system.” (Hai, jour) “This book [City Of Lights] has a very exciting story and I was very interested in it Although it is a science-fiction story, it has a lot of useful information about space exploration I always wonder if there is alien somewhere and I really like stories like this.” (Hai, jour) “The book Desert Life helps me get more information about how plants and animals live in the desert I think the information like this is very useful.” (Binh, jour) • Cultural understanding The perceived benefit of ER on the promotion of the cultural understanding is also acknowledged by Cuong, Hai and Quyen Quyen believed that gaining more knowledge about the cultures of other countries, especially the English speaking countries such as England and America would be valuable to their study and their general knowledge Here are her comments in her journal entries after she completed the books entitled “Bride Price” and “British Life” “ I love the story in the book It is a very sad love story in a very far country in Africa, Nigeria From this book, I know more about people and customs in Nigeria These things are very different from here in Vietnam I feel we are much luckier than the girls in Nigeria because we can decide who to get married [to] ” (Quyen, jour) Here is another comment from the participants’ journal entries in regards to the influence of ER on the enhancement of cultural knowledge “My teachers often say that we need to know more about the world and [that] our background knowledge is limited When there are some questions about cultures of other countries in the world, we don’t know much So I think reading 99 Ti u ban 1: Đào t o chuyên ng books like this can help us know more things.” (Cuong, int) 3.3 Changes in the Participants’ Attitudes and Motivation The empirical evidence on the impacts of ER on the promotion of general knowledge and cultural understanding is extremely limited although this dimension is frequently mentioned by a number of researchers as one benefit of reading extensively Despite the lack of empirical evidence, it is undeniable that reading broadens the readers’ horizon and students are more likely to comprehend a text with familiar topic than a text with an unknown theme When the ER project was introduced to the participants of the present study, a pre-treatment questionnaire was delivered to them to collect data regarding their practice ofeading outside the classroom This pre-treatment questionnaire was aimed at accumulating the data about the participants’ motivation and attitudes towards the practice of pleasure reading before the commencement of the ER project The chart below summarizes the number of books in English that the participants had read during the past 12 months before the ER started The number of books read before the ER program students students Reading no books students Reading 1- books Reading 3-4 books Figure 1: The number of books read before the ER program As can be seen from the chart, the number of books the students had read before the commencement of the ER program is rather limited The overwhelming explanation for the participants’ limited practice with reading outside the class was their lack of interest in reading in English Another reason specified by four participants was that they believed their English level would not be sufficient to understand books written in English Three participants explained the reason for not having regular practice with pleasure reading in regards to the availability of the suitable reading materials “I am scared to read an English book I don’t think I could this.” (Anh, pre-ques) “I had a lot of difficulties when I read some passages in the reading lessons I don’t think I can read a long book in English” (Duong, pre-ques) “I like speaking and listening in English than reading Although I know reading is important, I am lazy One more thing is I don’t know where to find books in English” (Giang, pre-ques) 100 “ because I don’t know English book which is suitable with me When I see a thick English book, I feel tired because I think I will be very difficult” (Minh, pre-ques) In brief, before the ER project was carried out, the participants generally lacked motivation in reading outside the class and were also reluctant in pleasure reading This source of data was valuable to the first author as it offered the first author a foundation for the comparison of attitudes held by the participants at the beginning and at the end of the study The detailed comparison of attitudes and motivation between these two periods is presented in the following section At the end of the ER project, the number of books the participants finished reading showed a significant improvement in comparison with the data collected from the pre-treatment questionnaire The number of books that the participants completed during the ER program is shown in the following chart Chi n l
c ngo i ng xu th h i nh p Tháng 11/2014 The number of books read during the ER program students students students students Reading 4-5 books Reading 6-7 books Reading 8-9 books Reading 10 books Figure The number of books read during the ER program In addition, the triangulation of postquestionnaires, semi-structured interviews and journal entries provides valuable information regarding how the participants responded to the practice of ER The comparison between the data collected in the pre-questionnaire and the data collected from three other instruments at the end of the ER project shows the changes in the participants’ attitudes towards pleasure reading The positive feelings about ER are divided in different categories as follows: Satisfaction Five participants commented that reading books provided in this project gave them the satisfaction The satisfaction they reported came from the fact that they could read books in English comfortably and understand their content The ability to comprehend the content of the books gave them the confidence in reading English and also proved to them that reading a book in English was something within their reach, not beyond their ability as they had thought before participating in this project Below are some comments made by the participants: “What I like most about this project is that I could understand the books I used to think that I couldn’t read a book in English but now I think I could it This is so good.” (Son, int) “Before this project, I didn’t read English books at home because I thought it was difficult for me I feel very happy when I could finish a book and understand its story.” (Anh, post-ques) “I feel satisfied about myself when I could read a long book.” (Giang, int) Pleasure to read The data accumulated from the participants’ journal entries demonstrated that the participants had pleasure and fun when they read books in English For some of the participants, reading the books with interesting content was like an entertainment activity which brought joy and fun to them After finishing a book with an interesting story or interesting information, they were eager to find another book to continue Linh and Khanh explained that they found the pleasure in reading these books because there was no pressure of doing reading comprehension exercises Linh and Khanh wrote about the pleasure they found from reading interesting books in their journal entry as follows: “The story is about an English girl who works as an assistant for Dr McCall in Kenya Teresa Dunn didn’t believe Dr McCall and misunderstood him That’s the reason why the ending of the story is very surprising The story is short, but it is interesting because I can’t guess the ending Reading this story brings me joy and pleasure I feel happy when I know its ending.” (Linh, jour) 101 Ti u ban 1: Đào t o chuyên ng “The story [Indonesian love story] is an interesting story about love I feel reading this book has no pressure because I not have to exercises I like reading this book because it’s fun and suitable for me.” (Khanh, jour) Confidence in reading A few participants perceived their participation in this ER project as one factor to promote their confidence in reading English books Before the commencement of ER project, there were participants who expressed their fear and reluctance when he had to read a book in English because they thought their English was not enough for them to read the whole book Cuong and Anh wrote in the pre-questionnaire that they were scared to read a book in English but after participating in the ER project, they felt more confident in reading extensively outside the class “If I could find a book which is both interesting and not very long, I could read it easily.” (Cuong, int) “I can’t believe it I have read some books and I could understand them I think I will continue to read.” (Oanh, post-ques) “Reading books in English is not very difficult I think I could it now.” (Son, int) Previous studies on the impacts of ER on the affective dimensions such as Asraf and Ahmad (2009), Morgado (2009), Leung (2002) and Nishino (2007) also report the positive attitudes towards reading extensively among the participants Although the scope of the present study and the previous studies on learners’ attitudes towards extensive reading in particular and reading in general is limited, the research findings from these studies can indicate that ER can motivate learners to read and develop more positive attitudes towards reading 3.4 Challenges that Learners Experience The difficulty most frequently encountered by the participants in this ER project is the number of unfamiliar words used in the books Although the practice of guessing might help them to deal with 102 this difficulty, the high frequency of unfamiliar vocabulary would affect their reading fluency and their interest in reading Binh, Duong and Linh did not finish the books they chose to read because these books contained many new words and using guessing techniques was not sufficient in comprehending the text I didn’t finish this book [Great Crime] I just finished pages of the book then I had to stop because there were too many new words to me I tried to guess them but they were too difficult.” (Binh, jour) The difficulty mentioned by the participants indicates that reading materials should have been selected with more control and caution In addition to this, a wider choice of reading materials in the levels proportional to the students’ level of proficiency should have been made available so that the difficulty some students encountered could have been overcome 3.5 The summary of the research findings The perceived benefits of ER perceived by the students include the improvements in language aspects such as reading fluency and speed, vocabulary and grammar together with the enhancement in non-language aspects such as general knowledge and understanding as well as the affective dimensions The data collected also indicates the changes in the way the students felt about ER The participation in the ER program turned the students from being reluctant and scared to being confident in the practice of reading extensively However, there were certain challenges encountered by the students when they participated in the ER program The difficulties most of the learners met were related to the difficulty level of the reading materials and the high frequency of the new vocabulary This suggests that the reading materials for the ER program should have been selected more carefully Limitations Although the research project yields the Chi n l
c ngo i ng xu th h i nh p positive results, there are some limitations that should be taken into consideration Initially, it is important to note that the participants in this study share certain characteristics regarding the family background or their learning habits and the motivation in study; therefore, the findings from this study may not be generalized to other learners in other contexts However, if the learners in other settings have common features with these participants, the results may be applicable In addition, the ER project conducted in this study lasted slightly more than two months, a rather short period in comparison with other previous studies on ER As such, the participants did not have much exposure to the practice of ER and as a result, their comments on the ER project might not have been as detailed as needed and they might have had more experience with ER to be more aware of the changes in their perceptions towards ER Furthermore, this qualitative study yields the findings from the participants’ perspectives In other words, the impacts of ER on the participants’ language development and nonlanguage aspects are encouraging; these positive results mainly came from the participants’ perceptions No test or any measurement was used to determine the truthfulness in their perceived improvements However, it is believed that the participants’ positive attitudes towards ER were important indicators which emphasized the benefits of ER as once participants perceived ER positively, their motivation to read extensively would increase Once the participants had higher motivation in reading or learning, they were more likely to be successful in studying a language as motivation can be responsible for achievement in the acquisition of a second language (Masgoret & Gardner, 2003) Implications of the Study For the teachers The results that the study yields are in the agreement with the findings of other studies on the Tháng 11/2014 positive impacts of ER on the language development and on affective dimensions The positive of the ER on the development of the language aspects include the improvements in reading speed and comprehension, vocabulary and grammar structures In addition, the ER program enhances the general knowledge and cultural understanding for the participants However these benefits of ER are only perceived by the students rather than measured quantitatively However, changes in the students’ attitudes towards ER indicate the positive impacts of the reading program Based on the positive results from the study, the authors would like to make some pedagogical implications for the utilization of ER as a reading approach First, it is of great significance to enhance students’ motivation in reading as it is one of the factors which contribute to the success of an ER program The motivation to read could be enhanced when the interesting and appealing reading materials are used This implication is in line with the statement made by Day and Bamford (2004) that the ER materials the EFL students read should be easy and interesting so that they could participate in the reading activity more actively and the concept presented by Krashen (2004) that self-selected recreational reading has wellestablished effectiveness Based on the results of the study, it is proposed that interesting books in different genres which are appealing to young adults such as detective stories, fantasy, romance and even informative books should be provided to cater the needs of each individual student In addition, special attention should be paid to reluctant readers in the initial implementation period so that they could gain the confidence in reading first Reluctant readers should be encouraged to start with easy and interesting books so that they find the comfort in the experience with ER and their positive feelings could be achieved and then nurtured Second, in order to promote students’ engagement in the ER project, some activities 103 Ti u ban 1: Đào t o chuyên ng should be implemented in the class although the ER project is conducted on a voluntary basis These activities are not limited to journal writing activity but they can include presentations or discussion sessions in the class so that the students could share their practice of ER and suggest the reading materials that appeal to them These activities could also play a part in nurturing their interest in the ER project and cultivate their reading habit Furthermore, these activities could ensure that ER is practiced regularly and a certain level of competition for the practice of ER among students is maintained For IEC managers ER can be regarded as an alternative to the traditional teaching approach ER offers a new way to teaching the reading skill and follow up activities after students read extensively offer valuable opportunities for the learners to develop other aspects of language proficiency Although the improvements on language and non-language aspects reported by the learners are not proved by empirical evidence, the changes in the learners’ attitudes towards the practice of ER are indeed encouraging, especially when the learners at IEC often have low motivation in learning and reading As such, the managers at IEC should adopt this reading approach and provide sufficient support to the teachers in order that ER programs are implemented properly and successfully The managers at IEC can also provide financial support to ER programs by setting up a library of graded readers for the students as the variety of books in different genres is considered to be one factor to encourage the students to read The managers at IEC can provide academic support for the teachers by integrating ER into the curriculum although the practice of ER is still based on the voluntary basis Allocating certain amount of time in the curriculum for the practice of ER and ER follow up activities is of great importance to guarantee that ER is a regular practice Macalister (2010) believed that in order to ensure the success of an extensive reading 104 program, at least some extensive reading should be implemented in the classroom Students can read extensively after school hours but collaborative follow-up activities can be integrated into the lessons in the classroom Conclusion This ER project is primarily aimed at motivating students to read and enhance their passion in reading The findings from this study indicate the positive changes in the students’ attitudes towards ER which are reflected in the perceived benefits of ER reported by the students Although the results achieved from this ER project are encouraging, more attention should be paid to the implementation of ER projects in the future As students are different, having particular needs, encountering specific difficulties, the teacher should take these into consideration and offer valuable advice or guidance for the students This also means that huge efforts from the teachers are required during the preparation and the implementation of an ER However, it should be noted that the gains from the implementation of an ER are definitely worth the efforts REFERENCES Asraf, R M., & Asmad, I S (2003) Promoting English Language Development and the Reading Habit among Students in Rural Schools through Guided Extensive Reading Program Reading in a Foreign Language, 15(2), 83-102 Bell, T (2001) Extensive Reading: Speed and Comprehension The Reading Matrix, 1(1), 1-13 Cho, K S & Krashen, S (1994) Acquisition of Vocabulary from the Sweet Valley Kids Series: Adult ESL Acquisition Journal of Reading, 37, 662-667 Day, R R., & Bamford, J (1998) Extensive Reading in the Second Language Classroom Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Day, R R., & Bamford, J (2002) Top Ten Principles for Teaching Extensive Reading Reading in a Foreign Language, 14(2), 136-141 Day, R R., & Bamford, J (2004) Extensive Reading Activities for Teaching Language Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Elley, W B., & Mangubhai, F (1983) The Impact of Reading on Second Language Learning Reading Research Quarterly, 19, 59-67 Horst, M (2005) Learning L2 Vocabulary through Chi n l
c ngo i ng xu th h i nh p Extensive Reading: A Measurement Study The Canadian Modern Language Review, 61, 355-382 Iwarhori, Y (2008) Developing Reading Fluency: A Study of Extensive Reading in EFL Reading in a Foreign Language, 20(1), 70-91 10 Krashen, S (1982) Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition, Oxford: Pergamon 11 Krashen, S (1993) The Power of Reading: Insights from the Research Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited 12 Krashen, S D (2004) The Power of Reading Portsmouth, NH: Heinnemann Publishing Company 13 Leung, C Y (2002) Extensive Reading and Language Learning: A Diary Study of a Beginning Learner of Japanese Reading in a Foreign Language, 14(1), 66-81 14 Macalister, J (2010) Investigating Teacher Attitudes to Extensive Reading Practices in Higher Education: Why Isn’t Everyone Doing It? RELC Journal, 41(1), 59-75 15 Margoret, A M., & Gardner, R C (2003) Attitudes, Motivations and Second Language Learning: A Meta-analysis of Studies Conducted by Gardner and Associates Language Learning, 53, 123-163 16 Morgado, N F D (2009) Extensive Reading: Students’ Performance and Perception The Reading Matrix, 9(1), 31-43 Tháng 11/2014 17 Murphy, R (2010) Students’ Progress and Attitudes in an Extensive Reading Class In R Reinelt (ed.), The New Decade and (2nd) FL Teaching: The Initial Phase (pp 88-99) Rudolf Reinelt Research Laboratory EU Matsuyama, Japan 18 Nation, I S P (1997) Bringing today's vocabulary research into tomorrow's classrooms In G.M Jacobs (ed.), Language Classrooms of Tomorrow: Issues and Responses, RELC Anthology Series, 38, 170-182 19 Nishino, T (2007) Beginning to Read Extensively: A Case Study with Mako and Fumi Reading in a Foreign Language, 19(2), 76-105 20 Nuttall, C (1982) Teaching Reading Skills in a Foreign Language London: Heinemann Educational 21 Pigada, M., & Schmidt, N (2006) Vocabulary Acquisition from Extensive Reading: A Case Study Reading in Foreign Language, 18(1), 1-28 22 Renandya, W A (2007) The Power of Extensive Reading RELC Journal, 38(2), 133-149 23 Takase, A (2007) Japanese High School Students’ Motivation for Extensive L2 Reading Reading in a Foreign Language, 19(1), 1-18 24 Yamashita, J (2008) Extensive Reading and Development of Different Aspects of L2 Proficiency Science Direct, 36, 661-672 105 ... at the conclusion of the research to gather the information regarding the students? ?? attitudes in reading for pleasure, their reading habits and how their attitudes changed upon the implementation. .. it offered the first author a foundation for the comparison of attitudes held by the participants at the beginning and at the end of the study The detailed comparison of attitudes and motivation... practice of ER The comparison between the data collected in the pre-questionnaire and the data collected from three other instruments at the end of the ER project shows the changes in the participants’