A Study on the Effectiveness of Extensive Reading in College English Classes

This study aimed to explore the effectivene of extensive reading approaches in college English classes and suggest a suitable instructional model. 120 second year students were divided into two groups: Extensive Reading Group (ERG) and Modified Extensive Reading Group (MERG). To examine the language gain, reading speeds and grammar/vocabulary abilities were measured with pre- and post-test results. A postquestionnaire was administered to investigate the students' attitude toward the extensive and modified extensive reading. The interrelatedness among the students' attitude and reading behavior (reading amount and time) was measured by Pearson correlations. It was found that the reading in both ERG and MERG positively affected the students' reading speed and grammar/words knowledge but there was no significant statistical difference in reading speed gains between the two groups, while there was meaningful difference in the improvement of grammar/words test scores, which was higher in MERG Overall, both of the ERG and MERG showed a favorable attitude toward carrying out the required reading assignment; the questionnaire result indicates that the two groups did not show statistically significant difference in their attitudes toward reading assignment. On the basis of the findings, an instructional model for implementing extensive reading in classes was suggested with the data obtained from the results along with pedagogical implications.