Japanese extensive reading: Responses of an intact university cohort of beginner learners

Abstract

Increasingly, research attention has turned to the benefits of extensive reading (ER) in languages other than English, such as Japanese. Yet significant issues remain with participant numbers in studies of Japanese ER, which are often low, meaning they may not be representative of the rest of the cohort, let alone students in other contexts. An intact cohort (N = 52) of first-year second-semester beginner learners were introduced to the principles and benefits of ER and given the opportunity to borrow twice weekly from more than 150 graded readers in class. Students’ reading logs provided data on their reading habits and amounts, and a nine-question, anonymous survey probed reasons for choosing to read and the perceived benefits of and responses to ER. Around 50% of the cohort read on average one book per week and reported perceiving a wide range of benefits as a result of doing ER.