Preparing Korean Primary School Students for Extensive Reading: A Sociocultural Approach

This paper takes a theoretical approach to exploring a sociocultural framework to guiding primary school students to prepare for extensive reading (ER) in the future. It is difficult for most EFL children to make the transition from reading picture books to reading extensively in the target language. This may be due to the fact that ER is not a teachable skill and the underlying principles such as motivation and habit formation, which lay the foundation for success in ER, stem from home literacy practices, rather than classroom instruction. In order to propose a reconceptualization of ER as a social practice, the present paper provides an overview of Vygotsky’s (1978) theory of the ZPD and Bourdieu’s (1977) theory of cultural capital as the theoretical underpinnings of linking ER and home literacy practices. Furthermore, suggestions on conducting a joint project for researcher-teacher-parent collaborations in order to bridge the gap between classroom and home literacy practices are presented.