Voluntary Reading Research Articles

The print exposure of teacher candidates in relation to their achievement and self-ratings of early reading experiences

This study examined the print exposure of teacher candidates (N = 195) in relation to their GPAs, achievement in reading and writing on the SAT, and their self-ratings of their own early (K to Grade 5) reading experiences. Participants came from undergraduate and Masters programs in varied certification areas and from two different universities. Print exposure measures included author recognition tests for both fiction and nonfiction; a questionnaire about participants’ current voluntary reading habits for books, magazines, newspapers, and digital print media; and favorite authors/books questions. Exploratory factor analysis suggested four factors underlying the different print exposure measures: (1) fiction book reading volume; (2) current magazine and newspaper reading; (3) nonfiction book reading volume and (4) current book reading habits for enjoyment. Only fiction and nonfiction book reading volume related positively to participants’ achievement, in writing as well as reading, and to their early reading experience ratings. A subgroup of participants who had taken a specific reading methods course involving structured language content, and who had positive early reading experience self-ratings, had higher performance in the course than did participants with mixed or negative self-ratings, although the two groups did not differ in overall GPA. Findings support the view that different measures of print exposure tap somewhat different aspects of print exposure, with differing relationships to varied indicators of achievement. Results also support concerns about the reading volume and print exposure of some teacher candidates.

Достоевский в Твиттере: лингводидактический взгляд на феномен твиттературы

The article examines the benefits of twitterfiction, a relatively new form of literary production, as a means of second language acquisition in the context of recreational reading. Pushed forward by the influential American educational researcher Stephen Krashen, free voluntary reading (FVR) has been proven to be an extremely powerful factor in developing various aspects of second language competence and getting students committed to reading more. This paper attempts to evaluate both quantitative and qualitative complexity measures of twitterfiction as in the case of TWITTERATURE by Alexander Aciman and Emmett Rensin to better understand the educational potential of the above type of prose. Readability formulas such as the Gunning Fog index and the Coleman-Liau index are deployed to evaluate the structural complexity of the text. ‘Attentive reading’, being a subjective factor in many ways, is a tool we apply to assess the text on the levels of semantics and pragmatics. The research concludes that twitterfiction, as demonstrated in the book, is an adequate ESL supplementary material alongside comics, graphic novels and level 4 graded readers.

Self-Regulated Learners in Voluntary Reading: The effects and Implications on EFL Reading Classes

This study was an attempt to investigate how self-regulated learning through voluntary reading (VR) affects EFL students’ reading comprehension. The researchers transform the self-regulation strategy that is usually done in class into self-checking voluntary reading card based on self-regulated learning (SRL). This research applied quasi-experimental with pre-test post-test control group design and to achieve the goal, 93 Indonesian EFL learners of a private university in East Java, Indonesia were chosen based on their performance on preliminary research treated as experimental and control group. The experimental group did VR activity and SRL strategies, and the control group received direct teaching. The data were analyzed using t-test and the result showed that that the self-regulation through voluntary reading has a significant effect on students’ reading comprehension. This study implicitly reminds all EFL teachers in Indonesia to pay more attention to increase students’ self-regulation and to overcome the problems of independence, interest, habit in reading, and reading comprehension that the students face.

Effects of Scaffolded Voluntary Reading on EFL Students’ Reading Comprehension

Effects of Scaffolded Voluntary Reading on EFL Students’ Reading Comprehension

Does reading in class connect with voluntary reading? ;

Does reading in class connect with voluntary reading? ;

The Practice of 10-Minute Free Voluntary Reading in Separate-Session Classes for Foreign Pupils Who Require Japanese Language Support

The Practice of 10-Minute Free Voluntary Reading in Separate-Session Classes for Foreign Pupils Who Require Japanese Language Support

Free Voluntary Reading and Comprehensible Input

Three and a half years into my journey of using Comprehensible Input and leaving the textbook behind, I started doing research on Free Voluntary Reading. As a child, I had greatly enjoyed reading and it was something my students had a hard time grasping. Similarly, my own brother nearly stopped reading all together when his school adopted the Accelerated Reader program, which assigns points for reading and testing on books. His love for reading was later reignited when, as a family, we started reading the Harry Potter series. I want my own students to have a similar experience and enjoy reading.

Extensive Reading Culture Through Better Writing and Publishing Attributes

Content, narrative flow and physical attributes of a book could contribute to what readers take away from a reading episode. Reading episodes support or discourage the cultivation of positive reading. Thus, writing and publishing features of a book implicitly elicit response that could induce or deter reading reprises. This study examines the association between writing and publishing elements and reading enjoyment. Data were derived from a questionnaire administered to second year undergraduate students after a thorough reading project. Findings suggest that writers and publishers can attract potential readers by paying attention to meeting their needs for pleasurable reading experience. The study affirms that reading episodes have potential influence on reading attitude and motivation and readers exposed to good books can cultivate voluntary reading habits.

Lectura, ocio y rendimiento académico en estudiantes universitarios del área socioeducativa

Introducción: En los últimos años se ha potenciado el interés de la investigación en torno a las variables que determinan el éxito académico dentro del ámbito universitario. Diferentes estudios han analizado el papel de la lectura en el rendimiento pero, sin embargo, no se ha considerado la relación de la lectura y el ocio en el éxito académico de los universitarios. Método: El objetivo de esta investigación es analizar cómo se inserta la lectura voluntaria en el tiempo de ocio de los estudiantes universitarios y analizar la influencia de la relación del ocio y de la lectura con el éxito académico en la universidad. Se ha empleado el Cuestionario de Hábitos de Lectura, la Escala de Actividades de Tiempo Libre y una medida del rendimiento. El cuestionario fue completado por 1614 estudiantes universitarios. Resultados: Los resultados confirmaron la relación del rendimiento académico con el ocio cultural, junto al tecnológico y con las prácticas de lectura, especialmente de tipo profesional. Discusión: Sería necesario seguir profundizando en esta línea de investigación, con el fin de diseñar propuestas de intervención en la universidad centradas en la mejora de las habilidades de lectura y de la gestión del tiempo de ocio.

Design and Implantation of a Voluntary Reading Mobile Application for People who are Visually Impaired

This paper proposed an application that supports visually impaired users in the community by providing voluntary audio support for readable content. The application, Basirah, allows visually impaired users to post audio request for reading text. Volunteers are able to view these requests and offer their response as recorded audio links. The application is developed for iOS devices and supports requests in English and allows for multi-lingual responses for volunteers. This paper presents Basirah and walks through the analysis, design, and testing phases of development. Preliminary testing was carried out on Basirah, where it has shown promising results and contribution.

Free Voluntary Reading: Promoting Vocabulary Learning and Self-Directedness

This action research study focuses on measuring the impact of a Free Voluntary Reading Program on students’ active vocabulary use and self-direction in language learning in two different programs of English as a foreign language. The impetus for this research came from close observation and a needs analysis that confirmed students’ reluctant attitude towards reading, due to deficiency in vocabulary, as well as the limited access to books of their interest in the target language. The implementation of the program took place in blended classes in two university contexts, with 14 and 11 students respectively. All the students from both universities were classified in the A1 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and their ages ranged from 16-21 years. The data was collected using a pretest and a posttest, students’ diaries, pre and post implementation surveys and book reviews. The program attempted to promote extensive reading, self-direction, reading habits, vocabulary gain and a more positive attitude towards written stories.

Why do children read more? The influence of reading ability on voluntary reading practices.

This study investigates the causal relationships between reading and print exposure and investigates whether the amount children read outside school determines how well they read, or vice versa. Previous findings from behavioural studies suggest that reading predicts print exposure. Here, we use twin-data and apply the behaviour-genetic approach of direction of causality modelling, suggested by Heath etal. (), to investigate the causal relationships between these two traits. Partial data were available for a large sample of twin children (N=11,559) and 262 siblings, all enrolled in the Netherlands Twin Register. Children were assessed around 7.5years of age. Mothers completed questionnaires reporting children's time spent on reading activities and reading ability. Additional information on reading ability was available through teacher ratings and performance on national reading tests. For siblings reading test, results were available. The reading ability of the twins was comparable to that of the siblings and national norms, showing that twin findings can be generalized to the population. A measurement model was specified with two latent variables, Reading Ability and Print Exposure, which correlated .41. Heritability analyses showed that Reading Ability was highly heritable, while genetic and environmental influences were equally important for Print Exposure. We exploited the fact that the two constructs differ in genetic architecture and fitted direction of causality models. The results supported a causal relationship running from Reading Ability to Print Exposure. How much and how well children read are moderately correlated. Individual differences in print exposure are less heritable than individual differences in reading ability. Importantly, the present results suggest that it is the children's reading ability that determines how much they choose to read, rather than vice versa.

Voluntary Reading and Narrative Speaking Instructional Strategies to Enhance Students' Speaking Ability

This research aimed at investigating classroom strategies to encourage students’ participation in speaking activity. Specifically, the study addressed three research questions: 1) what are the strategies to help students encounter difficulty in speaking English in classroom, 2) to what extent does voluntary reading prior speaking activity help students develop ideas and motivation to speaking English in the classroom, 3) does the application of narrative speaking strategy in speaking classroom affect students’ speaking achievement? The participants of the research were students at Al Azhar 28 Islamic Junior Secondary School aged 13 to 14 who joined English extracurricular program. A mix method design combining two research strands, qualitative and quantitative, was adopted. The data were collected through multiple methods: speaking test, focus group interview, and observation. The study showed positive finding. Based on the qualitative data drawn, doing a voluntary reading could diminish students’ anxieties in speaking, decrease speaking block, increase students’ motivation to do good speaking task, and improve students’ social awareness. Meanwhile, the narrative speaking fostered students’ speaking fluencies, grammar accuracy, pronunciation, and knowledge measured through observations and speaking rubrics to achieve the data analysis. The result showed there was significant improvement on students’ speaking skill shown by significance or p-value <0.001 or less than α = 0.05 with standard deviation of the pretest was 3.70 and posttest was 3.96.
 Keywords: voluntary reading, speaking skill, teaching and learning speaking, conference publications
 

Reviving Reading Culture: Promoting Free Voluntary Reading Among Students: The Students’ Case Of Priveate University In Malang

This article concerns with low reading habit and reviews the teaching of EFL reading especially in some private university in the Indonesian. It discusses the activity to revive reading habit by using Free Voluntary Reading as strategy to promote students reading. This research focused on the picture of the implementation FVR, the improvement of students' reading ability and the level of comprehension that can be enhanced. The study figures out that FVR make better their reading habit since the majority students better enjoy reading at home over the previous year a) Most of the students liked the freedom to choose their own books, like talking books and loved learning club, b) Some of the students said that reading is sometimes fun, often fun, usually fun, always fun, but no student who says that reading is not fun.

Understanding Reading Motivation From EAP Students’ Categorical Work in a Focus Group

This article uses insights and methods from ethnomethodological conversation analysis (CA) and membership categorization analysis (MCA) to explore reading motivation as a topic (Burch, ). With the results of CA and MCA of the participants’ categorical work in their interactions in a focus group setting, this study outlines how enthusiastic readers talk about their experience with and opinions about extensive reading (ER) and how they use their talk for interactive purposes in the focus group. The author shows how participants developed different positioned categories of a particular kind of reader while displaying their own stances toward the ER experience and reading behaviors. The author also shows how they changed their stances toward voluntary reading and how they assigned different propositions to their experience with ER while accomplishing agreement on two points: that voluntary reading is enjoyable but subject to time constraints. This study portrays a complex picture of reading motivation as related to different kinds of identity work and the moral responsibilities associated with certain identities. Post‐analytically, the author suggests pedagogical implications of what the participants’ categories say about issues related to the ER teaching principles in an English for academic purposes context.

Recreational Reading in the Arab World: A Critical Review of the Arab Reading Index (ARI)

This study explores the concept and significance of recreational reading in the Arab world. Recreational reading, often termed Reading pleasure, (Clark & Rumbold, 2006), voluntary reading (Krashen, 2004), or independent reading (Cullinan, 2000) is the reading carried out by personal choice. However, recreational reading in the Arab world rarely gets attention through comprehensive of scholarly studies. Thus, this textual study also examines the context of recreational reading and the initiatives taken to enhance this activity in the Arab region.

Reading habit and use of electronic media by junior secondary school students in Nsukka Local Government of Nigeria

The study investigated reading habit and the use of electronic media by 3-6-6 JSS students in Nsukka Local Government in Nigeria. Using questionnaire and focus-group discussion as instrument of data collection, the study showed that students have positive attitudes to both reading and electronic media but spend more time engaged with use of electronic media especially television. Their purposes of reading were primarily academic and informational, while electronic media were used for entertainment and information seeking. The study provided evidences that the use of electronic media for entertainment has reduced the time available for voluntary reading while factors such as inadequate access to pleasurable reading materials and lack of parental support also hinder reading for pleasure. The study, however, recommended that interesting books be provided and made accessible to the students. Besides, students should find ways to utilise electronic media for reading.

To Read or Not To Read: Listening to Children Talk about Reading Motivation

Developing the will to read is an important, albeit sometimes neglected consideration in fostering literacy among children. Drawing from research on reading motivation by Wigfield and Guthrie (1997), who talk about reading motivation as anchored upon self efficacy beliefs, purpose, and a social component, Rosenblatt’s (1994) Transactional Theory of Reading which highlights the stances one takes while reading, Krashen’s (2004 and 2009) research on the conditions that make Free Voluntary Reading optimal, and Miller’s (2011) research on materiality and how objects have an agency that could either build or cripple the capacities of students influences this study as it examines the factors that contribute to reading motivation among middle graders. In order to answer my main research questions, I engaged eight students from grades 3 to 6 in informal interviews (pakikipagkuwentuhan) about reading. These students came from either public, private or state-funded laboratory schools. Depending on the flow of each conversation, the questions asked the students varied at times. Results indicate that both human and symbolic mediators work together to Foster reading motivation among middle graders. These different mediators of reading motivation are the focus of this research. Implications for reading instruction may be gleaned from this study.

A Voluntary Reading Program (VRP) to Stimulate EFL Reading Interest

ABSTRACT This article explores the implementation of a Voluntary Reading Program (VRP) which aims at stimulating an EFL reading interest among Indonesian EFL college students. This qualitative study conducted within seven weeks to EFL college students of State Islamic Institute of Tulungagung attending a practice course on Cultivating EFL Reading Habits formally set for eight meetings. This course is intended to address a big concern on the strategy to better stimulate EFL students’ reading habits. By the end of the program, through an interview done to all participants, the program indicates positive effect on stimulating the EFL college students to read for some reasons. Reading brings about great advantages to widen their knowledge and set awareness that reading is not a difficult activity since they can read a lot through their mobile phones (online reading). wriiten texts found anywhere, or even any ads hanged on the walls. In a nutshell, this program proves to be a good way of stimulating good habit of EFL reading for EFL college students. ABSTRAK Artikel ini mengeksplorasi implementasi Program Membaca Sukarela (PMS) yang bertujuan menstimulasi daya tarik membaca bacaan berbahasa Inggris bagi mahasiswa Indonesia yang belajar bahasa Inggris sebagai bahasa asing. Penelitian qualitative dalam waktu 7 minggu kepada mahasiswa Prodi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris yang mengikuti mata kuliah praktikum “Cultivating EFL Reading Habits” secara formal dijadwalkan dalam waktu 8 minggu. Penelitian ini dilakukan karena perhatian besar terhadap permasalahan kebiasaan membaca para pembelajar bahasa Inggris sebagai bahasa asing. Di akhir Program, melalui wawancara kepada seluruh peserta, Program ini mempunyai efek positif untuk menstimulasi mahasiswa bahasa Inggris untuk membaca karena membaca bermanfaat untuk memperluas pengetahuan mereka dan memunculkan kesadaran bahwa membaca merupakan kegiatan yang tidak sulit karena mereka bisa membaca banyak hal melalui HP (Online reading), tulisan-tulisan yang ditemukan dimana-mana atau bahkan iklan yang dipasang di dinding. Singkatnya, Program Membaca Sukarela terbukti sebagai cara yang baik untuk menstimulasi mahasiswa bahasa Inggris untuk mencintai membaca bacaan-bacaan berbahasa Inggris. How to Cite: Iftanti, E. (2016). A Voluntary Reading Program (VRP) to Stimulate EFL Reading Interest. IJEE (Indonesian Journal of English Education), 3(2), 192-207 doi:10.15408/ijee.v3i2.5512. Permalink/DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15408/ijee.v3i2.5512Key words: Voluntary Reading Program, to Stimulate, Reading Interest.

Approaching Reading Development through Children’s Literature: Insights from A Case Study of the University Student with Low English Proficiency

<p>This paper reports a case study exploring the feasibility of using children’s literature for EFL (English as a Foreign Language) reading development. In the test-oriented educational environment, Taiwanese students tend to perceive reading as a task to pass tests. This study attempts to propose another path to facilitate the reading development, especially for those who are less proficient in English. Focusing on one university EFL learner with low English proficiency, the report provides in-depth description of her reading obstacles and progress while engaging in reading English children’s literature. Findings of the reading sessions showed that the learner (1) improved the oral reading fluency, (2) acquired better awareness of pronunciation rules, and (3) developed better reading comprehension. The result of this case study suggests a supplementary path for the EFL reading development of similar learners: free voluntary reading of children’s literature complemented with proper scaffolding and corresponding instruction tailored to individual learner’s needs.</p>