The Effects of Combining Timed Reading, Repeated Oral Reading, and Extensive Reading

Abstract

This quasi-experimental study traces a 12-week reading fluency training program for elementary-level English as a foreign language (EFL) learners at a Japanese university (N = 56). More specifically, this study examined whether a teaching intervention combining (a) extensive reading and practicing, (b) timed reading, and (c) repeated oral reading during class time promoted reading fluency. At the end of the intervention, silent reading rates while maintaining a ≥ 75 % comprehension threshold improved by 46 standard words per minute. Further, the learners who did more extensive reading (a) achieved greater reading rate gains and (b) significantly improved listening and reading scores in the TOEIC® test. This study’s implications include the benefit of combining these measures for nurturing EFL learners’ reading rates, the utility of oral re-reading in the classroom, and the overall contribution extensive reading has upon reading and listening skills.