Long-term effects of genre-based instruction: a follow-up study of an EAP reading course

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate extended effects of an EAP genre-based reading course on eight adult non-native speakers. Using student interviews collected 1 year after instruction, the study examined whether the class genres (hard news story, feature article, textbook, and research article) were connected to students’ subsequent reading requirements and interests; what students remembered about genres taught in the course; and how they perceived the instruction had influenced their L2 reading. Results revealed that the class genres were related to some of the students’ academic and non-academic reading materials. In addition, students’ commentary on text passages and impressions of the class indicated that a number of students remembered class genre features and thought they applied the material to their L2 reading and writing. However, the effects of the course may have been greater or more conscious for some students and genres than others. The article concludes by discussing potential benefits as well as limitations of genre-based teaching for EAP reading curricula.