Assisted repeated reading with an advanced-level Japanese EFL reader: A longitudinal diary study

Reading fluency has attracted the attention of reading researchers and educators since the early 1970s and has become a priority issue in English as a first language (L1) settings. It has also become a critical issue in English as a second or foreign language (L2) settings because the lack of fluency is considered a major obstacle to developing independent readers with good comprehension skills. Repeated Reading (RR) was originally devised by Samuels (1979) in order to translate Automaticity Theory (LaBerge & Samuels, 1974) into a pedagogical approach for developing English L1 readers’ fluency. Extensive research has been conducted to show the positive effects of RR in English L1 settings. A growing number of L2 reading researchers have demonstrated that RR may be a promising approach for building fluency and comprehension in L2 settings. However, while L1 research has demonstrated a robust correlation between improved reading fluency and enhanced comprehension, L2 fluency research has not yet shown such a strong correlation. In addition, most studies on reading fluency in L2 settings have used quantitative approaches and only a few of them have explored the “inside of L2 readers' brain,” that is, what is actually happening while they engage in RR. The present study attempts to reveal the inner process of L2 reading fluency development through RR for an advanced-level L2 reader who is articulate in describing her metacognitive processes. Using a diary study approach comprising more than 70 RR sessions over the course of 14 weeks, the current study investigated an L2 reader with good comprehension skills engaging in RR. This study was designed to investigate specifically how her reading fluency developed and how her comprehension changed during the course of the treatment. Based on the study findings, some issues are discussed for better RR program implementation

Articles Yakudoku EFL Instruction in Two Japanese High School Classrooms: An Exploratory Study

Despite so much being made of oral English instruction, some researchers suggest that English language instruction in japanese high schools is still dominated by yakudoku, a non-oral approach to foreign language instruction. Little detailed, descriptive research on yakudoku instruction in classrooms is to be found, and the beliefs of teachers who use yakudoku seem not to be researched at all. This exploratory study seeks to remedy this. Two high school EFL classes were observed, and the teachers interviewed. Specific classroom behaviors of the teachers were analyzed and coded, and teachers' beliefs, as revealed through interviews, matched with their behaviors. It was found that in focusing on linguistic forms, teachers demanded conformity in students' work. It was also found that the students focused the bulk of their attention on the japanese translations of the English text, rather than the English text itself. The study, while exploratory in nature, and thus flawed, creates a basis for further research into this linle studied aspect of EFL instruction in japanese high schools

Transfer Effects of Repeated EFL Reading on Reading New Passages: A Preliminary Investigation

In English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts, there has been a growing recognition that reading provides important opportunities for second language (L2) development in second language learners (Day & Bamford, 1998). This is particularly true in EFL settings in which sources of L2 input are limited (Gebhard, 1996). However, EFL learners face a number of problems effectively utilizing reading as a venue for L2 development. One of the more salient problems is that EFL learners' reading rates may be slow, indicating that they are reading laboriously word by word (Coady, 1979). Mikulecky (1990) suggests that L2 readers are trapped in a feeling of security, in that they believe reading every word leads to better understanding of the text meaning. Unfortunately, such slow reading may discourage learners from practicing reading. It is clear that methods that help students learn to read faster and with better comprehension may encourage students to read more and more fully utilize opportunities for growth in the L2 through reading. This study focuses on one such method -- repeated reading (RR) -- and its use with nine first year Japanese university EFL students of beginner to intermediate English proficiency

Developing reading fluency in EFL: How assisted repeated reading and extensive reading affect fluency development

Extensive research on reading in a first language has shown the critical role fluency plays in successful reading. Fluency alone, however, does not guarantee successful reading. Cognitive and metacognitive reading strategies and schemata that readers utilize also play important roles in constructing meaning from text. Most research, however, indicates that good reading ability is virtually impossible in the absence of fast and accurate word recognition skills and reading fluency. Therefore, efficient ways of improving fluency must be developed. In answer to this need, extensive reading programs have been implemented as an effective approach in EFL settings. Another method, repeated reading, seems equally promising. The main objective of the current study is to focus on whether and how assisted repeated reading with an auditory reading model enhances EFL readers' fluency. Some comparisons of Japanese university students' performances in repeated reading and extensive reading programs are also made in an attempt to see gains in reading fluency and comprehension, and to explore some characteristics which are unique to assisted repeated reading. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of participants' reading behaviors suggest that assisted repeated reading is equally as effective as extensive reading in increasing EFL readers' silent reading rate, and favorably affects learners' perceptions of reading activities. Furthermore, the results indicate the specific role the repetition and listening components of assisted repeated reading play to facilitate reading comprehension. Assisted repeated reading can potentially develop weak ESL/EFL readers' fluency and help them become independent readers by providing a distinct form of scaffolding

Scaffolding in L2 reading: How repetition and an auditory model help readers

Reading fluency research and practice have recently undergone some changes. While past studies and interventions focused on reading speed as their main goal, now more emphasis is being placed on exploring the role prosody plays in reading, and how listening to an audio model of a text while reading may act as a form of scaffolding, or aid, to reading comprehension. This article explores how two elements unique to repeated reading (RR) practices likely provide scaffolding for L2 learners’ reading comprehension: repetitions in reading a text, and having learners read along with an audio model of the text. Scaffolding is an oft-used term in L2 education, but specific examples of it are seldom given. This article addresses scaffolding and suggests future research that can impact reading fluency intervention practices