Volume 22, No. 2

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 12
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    From the Editors
    (University of Hawaii National Foreign Language Resource Center, 2010-10) RFL Staff
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    Readings on L2 Reading: Publications in other Venues: 2009-2010
    (University of Hawaii National Foreign Language Resource Center, 2010-10) Brantmeier, Cindy ; van Bishop, Tracy ; Xiucheng, Yu
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    An improper assumption? The treatment of proper nouns in text coverage counts
    (University of Hawaii National Foreign Language Resource Center, 2010-10) Brown, Dale
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    Glossing is sometimes a distraction: Comments on Cheng and Good (2009)
    (University of Hawaii National Foreign Language Resource Center, 2010-10) Taylor, Alan
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    Connected Words: Word Associations and Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition by Paul Meara
    (University of Hawaii National Foreign Language Resource Center, 2010-10) Wallace, Erice
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    Second Language Reading Research and Instruction: Crossing Boundaries ZhaoHong Han and Neil J. Anderson (Eds.)
    (University of Hawaii National Foreign Language Resource Center, 2010-10) Temples, Amanda Lanier
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    Reading in a Second Language: Moving from Theory to Practice by William Grabe
    (University of Hawaii National Foreign Language Resource Center, 2010-10) Richardson, Ryan
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    Self-assessment of word knowledge with graded readers: A preliminary study
    (University of Hawaii National Foreign Language Resource Center, 2010-10) Wan-a-rom, Udorn
    The study investigated how second language (L2) learners self-assessed word knowledge on a page of text taken from a graded reader. The case study subjects were five Thai high school learners of English. They were asked to assess their word knowledge using a page of continuous text. Data gained through observation, interviews, self-assessment and a translation test showed that such self-assessment of word knowledge resulted in learners using various reading techniques from simple translation to more complicated guessing from context. The results provide some insight into how self-assessment of word knowledge with graded readers is carried out and provides evidence to support the value of self-assessment as an easy procedure to direct learners to an appropriate reading level as suggested by the scholars in the field (Bamford & Day, 2004; Day & Bamford, 1998; Waring, 1997). Suggestions for pedagogical practice are given.
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    Extensive graded reading in the liberal arts and sciences
    (University of Hawaii National Foreign Language Resource Center, 2010-10) Poulshock, Joseph
    For this research, learners did extensive graded reading (EGR) with traditional graded readers, and they also interacted with short graded stories in the liberal arts and sciences (LAS). This study describes the purpose and format of the LAS stories used by hundreds of university students and adult learners in Japan. It summarizes the results of two semester-long pilot projects done with 10 students in 2008 and 24 students in 2009, and it compares how both these groups perceived their experiences of doing EGR with traditional graded readers in combination with graded stories in the liberal arts and sciences. Lastly, this study examines how students learned vocabulary from the LAS stories that they used. The results support the idea that learners enjoy, are motivated by, and can gain vocabulary knowledge through using short graded stories in the liberal arts and sciences.
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    The effect of a timed reading activity on EFL learners: Speed, comprehension, and perceptions
    (University of Hawaii National Foreign Language Resource Center, 2010-10) Chang, Anna C-S
    To develop reading fluency, a 13-week timed reading activity was integrated into a normal curriculum with the aim of improving students’ reading rates. Participants were 84 college students divided into an experimental and a control group. The test instruments involved pretests and posttests on reading speed and comprehension. Students’ perceptions were based on a final written report toward the end of the course activity. Results show that students doing the timed reading activity increased their reading speed on average by 29 words per minute (25%) and comprehension by .63 (4%). The differences across two time periods for the experimental group were statistically significant but not so for the control group. Students who did the timed reading activity became more confident in their reading and were impressed with the amount of the reading they had done without the teachers’ guidance. Limitations and factors contributing to the outcome are discussed.