This study reports how extensive reading (ER) teachers implemented ER and used reading materials at institutions in formal educational systems in Japan, Mongolia, Thailand, and Vietnam. 259 participants completed an online questionnaire. The results revealed that ER was mainly required and done online in Japan and Mongolia while it was optional…

Proponents of extensive reading argue that test-oriented language teaching and learning could discourage extensive reading practice. However, this has not been examined empirically. Given the possibility that the consistency of reading texts used in extensive reading and entrance examinations is one source of washback, the present study employed a…

Extensive Reading (ER) emerges as a promising approach for acquiring a foreign language, allowing for a large amount of language exposure. However, the influence of supplementary activities within ER programs has yet to be thoroughly investigated, despite previous studies suggesting their potential effectiveness. This research investigated the…

Although proponents of extensive reading (ER) have recommended easy reading material, book difficulty has been poorly defined and operationalized in previous studies. The present study argues for the use of perceived text difficulty for operationalizing book difficulty based on empirical findings (Holster et al., 2017), reading purposes in ER, and…

This paper builds on recent research looking at how reading speed measures from a reading rate training course are reflected in non-course texts. In this study, 23 first language (L1) Japanese English majors enrolled in a university level reading class completed 20 speed reading exercises with comprehension quizzes from an assigned textbook at the…

Among foreign language educators interest in extensive reading is growing along with questions about learner motivation to read. Maintaining learner motivation over long periods of time is influenced by many variables suggesting that multiple means of stimulating motivation is needed. The psychological theory of flow has been suggested to…

As extensive reading becomes more commonplace in the EFL/ESL classroom, there is a rise in the number of instructors and administrators who are looking for cost-effective and space-saving methods to carry out extensive reading activities. Two extensive reading systems to respond to such concerns were developed with the support of a Grant-in-Aid…

This paper reports on the use of an English-language reading practice application for an Android tablet computer with students who are not native speakers of English. The application materials for vocabulary learning in reading-passage contexts were created to include words from a database of low-frequency and technical noun-verb collocations…

Sales of manga or Japanese comics dominate the publishing market in Japan. Manga cater to a wide variety of readers, ranging from children's comics to adult pornography. In this paper, we focus on adolescent readers and describe patterns of learning to read manga. The findings demonstrate the importance of belonging to a community of readers since…

Some problems facing Japanese learners reading English as a Second Language at the college level are discussed, based on classroom experience with first- and fourth-year English majors. In one group of tasks, students were asked to respond to an open-ended question, perform a reading comprehension exercise, and find specific constructions in…

An individualized approach to second language reading instruction in a large class is described. First, characteristics of the large class as a teaching and learning environment are examined, and the instructional advantages of individualizing assignments are noted. Two forms of reading materials used with first-year college students are then…

Reasons for establishing an extensive reading approach to teaching reading in English as a Second Language at a Japanese high school are enumerated, and some recommendations for implementing such a program are offered. Research on comprehensible input in language learning, particularly input from reading as an effective and efficient source, is…

A study of reading textbooks for English as a second language published in Japan evaluated 150 traditional reading textbooks and 32 new reading textbooks published for use in 1985. Traditional reading textbooks are those with main texts and notes and sometimes a few comprehension questions. New reading textbooks have main texts, comprehension…

The collection of papers on the teaching of English as a second language includes: "Teaching English in Japan"; "Reading and Evaluating Quantitative Research"; "Transformational Generative Grammar and Language Teaching"; "Process and Social Aspects of Writing: Theory and Classroom Application";…