Volume 25, No. 2
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ItemFrom the Editors(University of Hawaii National Foreign Language Resource Center, 2013-10)
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ItemReading on L2 reading: Publications in other venues 2012-2013(University of Hawaii National Foreign Language Resource Center, 2013-10)
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ItemTeacher's Sourcebook for Extensive Reading by George Jacobs and Thomas S. C. Farrell(University of Hawaii National Foreign Language Resource Center, 2013-10)
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ItemFireworks and Festival: U.S. Holidays and Culture for English Language Learners by Gretchen Fues(University of Hawaii National Foreign Language Resource Center, 2013-10)
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ItemRead This! by Alive Savage and Daphne Mackey(University of Hawaii National Foreign Language Resource Center, 2013-10)
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ItemThe reader-text-writer interaction: L2 Japanese learners' responses toward graded readers(University of Hawaii National Foreign Language Resource Center, 2013-10)This paper reports on two projects which investigated graded readers (GRs) as meaningful input for learners of Japanese as a foreign language (JFL). Project One examined the intentions of six writers of Japanese GRs. A focus group interview demonstrated that the writers had a genuine communicative intent in the writing process. Project Two investigated how fourteen learners of JFL responded to the GRs produced by these writers. Most participants welcomed lexical simplification in the GRs and their think-aloud protocols indicated that they experienced an effortless reading process with the GRs. This implies that GRs can be productive reading materials for JFL reading fluency development. In the affective domain, the less proficient participants tended to react favourably to the writers’ communicative intent, whereas advanced participants demonstrated negative perceptions toward reading the GRs. The paper argues that the potential of GRs as meaningful input for learners of JFL is maximized when their efficacy is explicitly taught.
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ItemEffects of extensive reading on reading attitudes in a foreign language(University of Hawaii National Foreign Language Resource Center, 2013-10)Extensive reading (ER) is an instructional option steadily gaining support and recognition in second language (L2) reading pedagogy. Even though many attempts have been made to unravel the impact of ER on L2 development, there is a paucity of investigation into the affective domains of reading. The current study helps fill this gap by examining the effect of ER on L2 reading attitude. Participants were 61 undergraduates learning English as a foreign language at a Japanese university. Five attitudinal variables were measured using a 22-item questionnaire scored on a Likert scale in the categories of Comfort, Anxiety, Intellectual Value, Practical Value, and Linguistic Value. After the removal of Linguistic Value because of a ceiling effect, the result showed increases in Comfort and Intellectual Value and a decrease in Anxiety, with no effect on Practical Value. Implications for research and pedagogy are discussed.
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ItemEffective extensive reading outside the classroom: A large-scale experiment(University of Hawaii National Foreign Language Resource Center, 2013-10)We report on a large-scale implementation of extensive reading (ER) in a university setting in Japan where all students were required to read outside class time as part of their course requirement. A pre/posttest comparison between the 2009 cohort of students who read outside of class and the 2008 cohort who did no outside reading shows that the implementation of ER resulted in highly significant gains. A plug-in module for Moodle called “MoodleReader” was used to hold the students accountable for their reading. A new distinction between replacement ER and additive ER is introduced.
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ItemA case study of extensive reading with an umotivated L2 reader(University of Hawaii National Foreign Language Resource Center, 2013-10)Extensive reading is gaining credibility as an effective way of boosting students’ affect especially in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context where access to a second language (L2) input is minimal. This study uses a pattern-matching, single case study research design to examine an adult reader’s motivation and anxiety shifts towards second language reading. Motivation and anxiety were measured through three self-reported questionnaires, three interviews, and observations in 24 extensive reading sessions over an 8-week period. A total of 174 minutes of interviews were audio-taped, transcribed, and analyzed through content analysis. Results suggest that pleasure reading lowered the participant’s fears while increasing motivation towards second language reading. Moreover, the contributing factors for anxiety reduction (confidence, comfort or ease, and enjoyment) and motivation enhancement (convenience or accessibility, satisfaction, comfort or ease, enjoyment, and usefulness) as well as the pedagogical implications for teaching unmotivated readers are discussed.
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ItemL2 extensive reading and flow: Clarifying the relationship(University of Hawaii National Foreign Language Resource Center, 2013-10)Among foreign language educators interest in extensive reading is growing along with questions about learner motivation to read. Maintaining learner motivation over long periods of time is influenced by many variables suggesting that multiple means of stimulating motivation is needed. The psychological theory of flow has been suggested to influence motivation and engagement in reading. This study examined Japanese learners of English in extensive reading classes to see if they perceived to experiencing flow, the conditions that enabled flow, and if experiencing flow influenced their motivation to spend more time reading. The findings showed that these learners often perceived to experiencing flow while reading graded readers, however, greater frequency of flow-like experiences did not correlate with greater amounts of time spent reading.