73) and a skill that demands greater attention from foreign language teachers. For these reasons, fluent reading in the L2 is a "key indicator of a highly skilled reader" (Grabe, 2010, p. Nation (2005) presented another helpful perspective on this relationship when he noted that reading speeds less than 100 words-per-minute (wpm) may handicap learners' memory retention and concentration. Increased reading rate correlates with improved comprehension, and the reading experience starts to become enjoyable. As for reading, however, there appears to be a somewhat inverse relationship (Grabe, 2010).
Interestingly, when talking about most macro-language skills (e.g., writing), speed increases are often detrimental to accuracy. Two fundamental components of fluency are attention to speed and accuracy (comprehension). Milliner: The Effects of Combining Timed Reading, Repeated Oral Reading, and Extensive Reading 192 Reading in a Foreign Language 33(2) Literature Review Reading fluency Fluency training in the L2 classroom allows learners to use the language they already know and "make language knowledge become readily available for use" (Nation, 1991, p. In the following section, L2 reading fluency is defined before a review of relevant literature. xiv) Targeting the development of elementary-level English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' silent reading rates, this quasi-experimental study evaluated the effectiveness of a three-pronged reading fluency training program of extensive reading (ER), repeated oral reading (ROR), and timed reading (TR).
Likewise, the age of technology growth is likely to make greater, rather than lesser, demands on people's reading abilities. To further stress the importance of reading fluently, prominent authorities on second language (L2) reading instruction, Grabe and Stoller (2013), highlighted: In the 21st century, productive and educated citizens will require even stronger literacy abilities (including both reading and writing) in an increasingly broad range of societal settings.
#7 speed reading 2013 download professional#
In light of the English language's reach, not only as a global lingua franca but as the language for technology, science, and advanced research, the connection between English reading fluency and individuals achieving their professional or personal goals cannot be overemphasized. Reading effectively is considered an essential gateway to greater earning potential and a better quality of life. This study's implications include the benefit of combining these measures for nurturing EFL learners' reading rates, the utility of oral re-reading in the classroom, and the overall contribution extensive reading has upon reading and listening skills. Further, the learners who did more extensive reading (a) achieved greater reading rate gains and (b) significantly improved listening and reading scores in the TOEIC® test. At the end of the intervention, silent reading rates while maintaining a ≥ 75 % comprehension threshold improved by 46 standard words per minute. More specifically, this study examined whether a teaching intervention combining (a) extensive reading and practicing, (b) timed reading, and (c) repeated oral reading during class time promoted reading fluency. This quasi-experimental study traces a 12-week reading fluency training program for elementary-level English as a foreign language (EFL) learners at a Japanese university (N = 56).
The study found a strong relationship between the amount of speed improvement in the course and the amount of speed improvement on other types of texts.
It was found that most of the participants increased their reading rate without a comprehension decrease. The results showed that the treatment groups outperformed the control groups both in the course and on other types of texts (p<.05). This research was carried out to determine if speed increases transfer to other types of texts that were not in the speed reading course. Several studies have shown the positive influence of a speed reading course in L2/FL on students’ reading speed but there has been little research on the effect of reading speed improvement on other types of reading outside the course. Speed reading courses, along with repeated reading and extensive reading, are popularly used methods to help students increase their reading speed. Reading fluency plays an important part in academic achievement at colleges and universities.