Extensive graded reading with engineering students: Effects and outcomes

• Published in: Reading in a foreign language Vol. 29; no. 2; pp. 203 - 217
• Main Author: Hagley, Eric
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Honolulu University of Hawaii, National Foreign Language Resource Center 01.10.2017; Reading in a Foreign Language
• Subjects: Academic Libraries; College Students; Computer Assisted Testing; Departments; Engineering; Engineering Education; English (Second Language); English for Special Purposes; English language; Evaluation Methods; Foreign Countries; Grammar; Independent Reading; Influence of Technology; Information Technology; Language Tests; Majors (Students); Native Speakers; Pilot Projects; Polls & surveys; Pretests Posttests; Program Evaluation; Reading; Reading Ability; Reading Attitudes; Reading Fluency; Reading Habits; Reading Improvement; Reading Instruction; Reading Materials; Reading Motivation; Reading Programs; Reading Skills; Reading Tests; Second Language Learning; Statistical Analysis; Student attitudes; Student Evaluation; Student Participation; Student Surveys; Teachers; Time; Vocabulary Development; Japan
• ISSN: 1539-0578; 1539-0578

Extensive graded reading (EGR) was carried out with a cohort of 600 engineering students in a university in northern Japan. Pre-and post-surveys were conducted to discover changes in the general reading habits of students, their attitudes toward the assessment method and how goals changed over the course of study. The first survey was carried out in week 2 of the 15-week course and the second in week 13. An analysis of changes showed that EGR was generally well accepted, that students' perceptions of studying English seemed to improve, that students spent a little less time on recreational reading to compensate for the increases required in the EGR course and that most read considerably more running words than their initial goals. In addition, the results suggest that the short MoodleReader quiz format used for assessment was also generally well received by students. Implications for teachers using EGR are discussed.