Current Practice of Extensive Reading in Asia: Teachers' Perceptions

Chang, A. C. S., & Renandya, W. A. (2017). Current Practice of Extensive Reading in Asia: Teachers' Perceptions. Reading Matrix: An International Online Journal, 17(1), 40-58.

Background

The authors highlighted that numerous studies have investigated second language (L2) learners’ attitudes and feelings on extensive reading (ER), but teachers’ voices have rarely been represented. Recent studies have also demonstrated that teachers might encounter many challenges when implementing ER, and this might be particularly evident in the Asian context.

Aims

This study investigated the main considerations for L2 teachers to implement ER, how often they had encountered difficulties, the types of challenges they had experienced when implementing ER, and the extent to which the L2 teachers advised their students on the type of materials they should be reading. Sample One hundred and nineteen L2 teachers from nine Asian countries participated in the study.

Method

The data came from an online questionnaire.

Findings

The results showed that, although ER was neither mandatory nor part of the curriculum, a majority of the L2 teachers still implemented ER in their teaching as they strongly believed that ER could improve students’ overall language competence and that reading was enjoyable. The major challenges experienced by the L2 teachers originated from unmotivated readers, and readers who were unable to read independently and had little time to complete additional reading. These problems were exacerbated by the teachers being unable to monitor and assess what students had read. As to the types of materials the teachers recommended students to read, the evidence demonstrated that a majority of the teachers had encouraged students to read a wide range of graded readers.

Implications

As the findings indicated that, when ER was not compulsory in language learning, it was often considered dispensable, the authors suggested integrating ER into the language curriculum to make students read. To monitor student reading more effectively, the authors suggested using graded readers to enable students to select what would interest them to read and self-assess after reading. To motivate reluctant L2 learners to read, they also suggested starting an ER programme with class readers, probably one that could involve class discussions. The authors highlighted that the context of the study was limited to Asian countries, and thus the recommendations may not be relevant for other ER practitioners working in other contexts. As the respondents were primarily from tertiary institutions, teachers in other contexts may encounter different challenges. The authors also emphasized that teachers must not give up too easily when students do not seem to be interested in reading.

_**Original article retrieved from EBSCOHost.