The Effectiveness of M-Reader in Promoting Extensive Reading Among Arab EFL Learners

Abstract

Extensive reading (ER) is extremely important for English as a foreign language (EFL) learners as it helps them build vocabulary and develop their reading comprehension skills. However, engaging Arab EFL learners in ER might be a very difficult task especially when they lack motivation and enthusiasm. Therefore, the current study explores the effects of online ER tools such as M-reader on Arab EFL learners’ motivation to read extensively and autonomously. M-reader is a free online tool which helps educational institutions to manage extensive reading. It supports students to read and understand graded readers by taking online quizzes which are available in its database. The study was conducted on first year college students enrolled in the General Foundation Programme at a private college in Oman where M-reader was introduced for the first time. The study attempted to identify how M-reader motivates Arab EFL learners for extensive reading and how it motivates them to become autonomous learners. To gauge the efficacy of M-reader and to identify the extent to which it has been successful with the selected sample, reading records from M-reader, student participations through questionnaires, focus interviews with top readers, and samples of motivational strategies used by the researcher were collected and analyzed. Findings revealed the learners’ attitudes towards using M-reader as well as the discrepancies in feedback on whether they have developed an autonomous reading culture following exposure to M-reader.