ERIC Number: EJ901548
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Oct
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1539-0578
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The Effect of a Timed Reading Activity on EFL Learners: Speed, Comprehension, and Perceptions
Chang, Anna C-S
Reading in a Foreign Language, v22 n2 p284-303 Oct 2010
To develop reading fluency, a 13-week timed reading activity was integrated into a normal curriculum with the aim of improving students' reading rates. Participants were 84 college students divided into an experimental and a control group. The test instruments involved pretests and posttests on reading speed and comprehension. Students' perceptions were based on a final written report toward the end of the course activity. Results show that students doing the timed reading activity increased their reading speed on average by 29 words per minute (25%) and comprehension by 0.63 (4%). The differences across two time periods for the experimental group were statistically significant but not so for the control group. Students who did the timed reading activity became more confident in their reading and were impressed with the amount of the reading they had done without the teachers' guidance. Limitations and factors contributing to the outcome are discussed. (Contains 8 tables and 1 figure.)
Descriptors: Experimental Groups, Control Groups, Student Attitudes, Reading Fluency, Reading Rate, Reading Instruction, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, College Students, Pretests Posttests, Learning Activities, Second Language Instruction, Reading Comprehension, Reading Attitudes
Reading in a Foreign Language. National Foreign Language Resource Center, 1859 East-West Road #106, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822. e-mail: readfl@hawaii.edu; Web site: http://nflrc.hawaii.edu/rfl/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A