Extensive reading (ER) has been implemented under a wide variety of names, such as (uninterrupted) sustained silent reading, free voluntary reading, pleasure reading, book flood, independent reading, and Drop Everything And Read (DEAR); its various names emphasize different aspects of the same/similar kind of reading. Since a series of pioneering publications by Elley and his colleagues demonst...

Extensive reading (ER) is an effective way to provide large amounts of comprehensible input to foreign language learners, but many teachers and administrators remain unconvinced, and it has been argued that there is still insufficient evidence to support the claims that have been made regarding its benefits. Few studies have looked at ER’s effect on reading fluency. This article reports on an i...

_______________ 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...

There is no shortage of studies that have reported the beneficial effects of extensive reading (ER) on various aspects of second/foreign language acquisition, including reading comprehension, reading speed, and vocabulary development. Anecdote after anecdote shows the effectiveness of ER, and no one seems to repudiate the power of reading in large quantity. This is all fine and good; however, d...

The significance and effectiveness of pre-reading activities in the contexts of both ESL and EFL has been acknowledged by many researchers. If students lack the required background knowledge, a teacher must activate students’ background knowledge or offer background information prior to reading a text. The present study aimed at investigating the role of pre-reading questions plus extensive rea...

Abstract Acquiring vocabulary, as a significant and challenging part of language learning process, has always been consistent with reading. In this study, the researchers examined the effect of enhanced extensive reading on EFL learners’ incidental acquisition of English vocabulary, with specific focus on phrasal verbs. Twenty five homogenized participants were selected and divided into two gro...

Abstract Acquiring vocabulary, as a significant and challenging part of language learning process, has always been consistent with reading. In this study, the researchers examined the effect of enhanced extensive reading on EFL learners’ incidental acquisition of English vocabulary, with specific focus on phrasal verbs. Twenty five homogenized participants were selected and divided into two gro...

What was originally intended to be a characterization of an “ideal” extensive reading (ER) approach, however, has been taken to an almost religious quality with some practitioners who firmly believe that any approach that deviates from these guidelines is not truly “extensive reading.” This, I have found, is one of the most frequent objections to using the MReader.org quiz program among teacher...