Extensive Reading Reports - Different intelligences, different
levels of processing.

Marc Helgesen, Miyagi Gakuin Women's University

Extensive Reading (ER) is an important aspect of any English as a Foreign/Second Language reading program. In this paper, I will consider a definition of ER and benefits of including it in a program. In the main part of the paper, I will explain four reporting forms that work with different intelligences and levels of processing.

While there are many variations in ways to implement an ER program, what they all have in common is that the learners read very large amounts of material in the target language.

Extensive Reading can be defined as:

Each element of this definition includes elements which contrast ER with skills-based methodologies that focus on skimming, scanning, main idea identification and the like. The first point is that the students spend most of their time actually reading, not answering comprehension questions, writing reports or translating. They may do those things, but such tasks are subordinate to actually reading. The second element is that the students are reading a lot. Bamford and Day (2004) suggest that, although specific targets will vary, goals such as "a book a week or 50 pages a week" are realistic. This is in sharp contrast to traditional reading programs which had learners reading a single book over a term or a year and doing a detailed analysis of it. The easy aspect of the definition is important. Easy books build speed and reading fluency.

Anderson (1999) suggests that 200 words per minute is a useful and realistic goal for second language readers. To achieve this target, the books need to be easy. Enjoyable is also a key part of ER. ER is much like the way people read for pleasure in their native languages. Enjoyable is, of course, a relative term - it can only be determined by the reader. For that reason, Day and Bamford (1998) suggest that it is best if the books are self-selected. There is no assumption that learners are all reading the same book. Indeed, it would be unusual and perhaps impossible to find a single title that all members of a class find interesting. Different learners will prefer mysteries, love stories, biography and other forms of non-fiction, even comics. In the ER classroom, these genre preferences are respected. The final element of the definition is books. While any reading material can be used, graded readers which present stories with controlled vocabulary and, at times, limited grammar and information flow are often used.1 These are books that can help learners become fluent, skilled readers.

In a review of ER research, Day and Bamford identify several benefits of ER including the following:

* Increased reading ability. This is unsurprising since that is the stated goal of ER.
* Increased affect and motivation. It should a be noted that reading is one type of study that can actually be enjoyable as it is being done. Students are reading books they choose at a level they can enjoy. This pleasure orientation seems to impact their overall feeling about learning English.
* Improved vocabulary. Students need to meet vocabulary in context many times to acquire it. ER seems to be a good way to achieve this.
* Improved listening, speaking and spelling abilities. Interestingly, even if listening and speaking are not the goals of the class, ER seems to support these skills, possibly because of the increased exposure to English vocabulary and discourse.

The rest of this article is available in Hard Cover version.