Increasing Reading Input in Japanese High School Efl Classrooms: an Empirical Study Exploring the Efficacy of Extensive Reading

_______________ A lack of reading quantity in EFL (English as a Foreign Language) classrooms has remained one of the most serious problems faced by teachers of English in Japan. Although the extensive reading (ER) approach is regarded as having significant potential in addressing this problem, it is not used in many EFL classrooms. This study investigates the effect of a quasi-extensive reading program on Japanese high school EFL learners’ reading comprehension, reading speed, and their perceptions of the program. The participants in the treatment group were 96 high school students who engaged in a reading activity with teacher-made materials for the first five to ten minutes of class for approximately five months. Some of these students also read graded readers outside of class. Progress in reading comprehension and speed was measured against a parallel control group that received no treatment in a preand post-test format. Results revealed that the treatment group, especially those who read graded readers, scored significantly higher in reading speed and comprehension than the control group. The findings suggest that Japanese high schools and more broadly, English teachers in input-poor EFL settings should increase reading input within the students’ linguistic levels both inside and outside of the classroom. ___________________ Introduction Extensive reading in EFL settings has received increasing discussion over the past decade or two as an approach for improving learners’ reading fluency. This form of reading, first coined by Palmer (1917, 1968) can be defined as the reading of materials in the target language in a rapid and casual way with a focus on quantity rather than quality. ER is often assumed to be contrasted with intensive reading, which is most commonly associated with a line-by-line, or grammar-translation approach to learning to read in a foreign language (Palmer, 1964). ER has been the subject of considerable discussion in recent scholarly books and journal articles. In addition, several publishers have series of graded readers aimed at the EFL market which serve as evidence of the growing acceptance of the merits of ER. While there is abundant evidence that reading plays a significant role in learning a foreign or second language (Camiciottoli, 2001; Constantino et al., 1997; Gradman and Hanania, 1991; Janopoulos, 1984), many studies have also stressed the benefits of ER, such as its positive effect on