Abstract
Extensive reading (ER) which encourages second or foreign (L2) learners to engage in a great deal of reading, has long been recognized as an efficient approach in L2 reading pedagogy. While many attempts have been made to understand the effect of ER on the cognitive domains of L2 learners, there has been insufficient investigation into how ER influences their affective domains. Particularly, reading attitudes, one of the key elements of affective factors involved in L2 reading, have received little attention. This classroom-based intervention study investigated the impact of ER on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ attitudes toward English reading compared to the influence of the traditional intensive reading (IR) approach. In addition, this study explored whether the impact of the ER approach on EFL learners’ reading attitudes is different depending on L2 proficiency. The study included two intact classes of EFL secondary learners (N = 72) who received either ER or IR instructional treatments for a 12-week period. For the results, ANCOVA showed that the ER approach fostered positive reading attitudes significantly more than the IR approach. In addition, the analysis indicated that the participants’ proficiency levels did not have a significant effect upon changes in their reading attitudes. That is, regardless of proficiency level, the ER approach demonstrated a significantly positive effect on participants’ reading attitudes in comparison with the IR approach.
Highlights
Affective factors have been identified as key components in predicting the success or failure of L2 reading (Lu & Liu, 2015; Macalister, 2014; Yamashita & Kan, 2011)
The results of the study provide support for the reading attitude model, which, it should be recalled, holds that in order to promote reading among English as a foreign language (EFL) learners, the most important is the affective aspect of reading attitude, since it directly influences the intention to read and initiates the act of reading itself (Day & Prentice, 2016). When it comes to RQ2, the results revealed that the extensive reading (ER) approach cultivated positive reading attitude of participants significantly more than the intensive reading (IR) approach, irrespective of their proficiency levels
Among the three components of reading attitude, the affective and conative reading attitudes showed a significant improvement, with the affective attitude improving the most. This result is important because affective attitude is directly connected to conative attitude, which in turn leads to the act of reading, as shown in van Schooten and de Glopper’s (2002) reading attitude model
Summary
Affective factors have been identified as key components in predicting the success or failure of L2 reading (Lu & Liu, 2015; Macalister, 2014; Yamashita & Kan, 2011). When compared to the number of studies of L2 reading focused on cognitive factors, relatively few studies have been devoted to affective factors (de Burgh-Hirabe & Feryok, 2013; McKenna, Cramer, & Castle, 1994; Yamashita, 2013). This is somewhat surprising considering that many L2 reading researchers, including McKenna et al Considering that the main purpose of ER is to encourage L2 learners to read for pleasure and foster a positive attitude towards reading, this study examined the impact of the ER approach toward reading attitudes of L2 secondary learners (Day & Prentice, 2016; Lee, Schallert, & Kim, 2015)
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