Can beginner JFL learners do ER? Text comprehension, reading rate, materials, and reading targets for beginner JFL reading
Date
2024-08-19
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University of Hawaii National Foreign Language Resource Center
Center for Language & Technology
Center for Language & Technology
Volume
36
Number/Issue
1
Starting Page
1
Ending Page
30
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Abstract
L2 extensive reading (ER) research primarily studies intermediate and upper-intermediate learners, but few studies investigate beginners. This study addresses this gap by reporting on beginner Japanese as Foreign Language (JFL) learners’ attempts to do ER according to Waring and McLean’s (2015) ER principles. In this study, 13 second-semester undergraduate JFL learners were tasked with doing ER as homework for 18 weeks, self-reporting their comprehension and reading time for a total of 190 texts. Their data indicated a preference for graded readers (k = 187) over children’s literature (k = 3) and that a 45-text reading target over 18 weeks was unattainable with these materials. On average, learners reported understanding about 78% of what they read and spending seven minutes to complete a reading, with variations influenced by material, text genre, and student. The results demonstrate how materials, text genre, student reading speed, and reading habits impact the effectiveness of beginner ER and the attainability of reading targets.
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Keywords
Extensive Reading, Japanese as a Foreign Language, foreign language reading, second language reading, reading programs, graded readers, reading target attainability, beginner learners, materials selection
Citation
Mohar, B. (2024). Can beginner JFL learners do ER? Text comprehension, reading rate, materials, and reading targets for beginner JFL reading. Reading in a Foreign Language, 36(1). 1-30. https://hdl.handle.net/10125/67468
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30
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