Benefits and challenges while doing the reading log as perceived by first year students and their teachers a study in the fast track division felte ulis

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION

GRADUATION PAPER

BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES WHILE DOING
THE READING LOG AS PERCEIVED BY FIRSTYEAR STUDENTS AND THEIR TEACHERS: A
STUDY IN THE FAST TRACK DIVISION, FELTE,
ULIS

Supervisor: Lương Quỳnh Trang, M.Ed
Student: Nguyễn Diệu Linh
Course: QH2013.F1.E1

HÀ NỘI - 2017


ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI
TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ
KHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH

KHĨA LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP

LỢI ÍCH VÀ KHĨ KHĂN KHI THỰC HIỆN
READING LOG TỪ QUAN ĐIỂM CỦA SINH VIÊN
NĂM NHẤT VÀ GIÁO VIÊN: NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ HỆ
CHẤT LƯỢNG CAO, KHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG
ANH, ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ

Giáo viên hướng dẫn: Th.S. Lương Quỳnh Trang

Sinh viên: Nguyễn Diệu Linh
Khóa: QH2013.F1.E1

HÀ NỘI - 2017


ACCEPTANCE
I hereby state that I: Nguyen Dieu Linh, class QH2013.F1.E1 being a candidate for
the degree of Bachelor of Arts (TEFL) accept the requirements of the College
relating to the retention and use of Bachelor’s Graduation Paper deposited in the
library.

In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in the
library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance
with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the care, loan or
reproduction of the paper.

Signature

Nguyen Dieu Linh
Hanoi, May 29th, 2017


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First and foremost, I want to express my sincerest gratitude to Ms. Luong Quynh
Trang, the supervisor for my thesis paper. Without her invaluable guidance and
tremendous support, I could never realize this project and carry it out to the end.
She has been a highly attentive and resourceful instructor, as well as a special person
who shared efforts and enthusiasm with me throughout the research journey.
Second, I would like to send my great thanks to all research participants including

first-year students and teachers of the English 1A* component in the Fast-track
Program, FELTE, ULIS. They have provided me with generous support in all phases
of the study, especially the data collection with questionnaire and interview. Had it
not been for their active participation, this research would have become entirely
theoretical and offered no significance at all.
Last but not least, I deeply appreciate the assistance of my family and QH2013.E1
classmates. My family has been very supportive emotionally, and my classmates
have assisted me very much in research methodology and data collection. Their
support has been a strong motivation for me to complete the study and strive for
better academic achievements.

i


ABSTRACT
Extensive reading has been an issue of great concern among researchers,
educators and reading specialists for decades as it proposes a novel approach to
teaching the reading skill. In this study, the researcher aimed at (1) investigating the
students and teachers’ perceptions of the benefits of doing an extensive reading
assignment namely Reading log, and (2) identifying the difficulties that the students
encountered when doing the assignment. The research employed mixed methods of
both quantitative and qualitative examination, using two instruments, namely semistructured interview and questionnaire to collect data from a representative sample
of first-year students and their teachers of English course 1A* in the Fast-track
Division, FELTE, ULIS. The results indicated that vocabulary range, background
knowledge and soft skills were the three most acknowledged benefits among the
students and teachers. In addition, students and teachers agreed that most of the
students had difficulty understanding, analyzing and responding to the texts, which
suggests that further assistance and guidance of teachers should be provided in time
to help their students accomplish the pre-determined learning goals of the
assignment.

ii


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Ackowledgements

i

Abstract

ii

List of abbreviations

v

List of tables

vi

List of figures

vii

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1

1.1.

Statement of the problem and rationale for the study

1

1.2.

Research aims and research questions

3

1.3.

Significance of the study

3

1.4.

Scope of the study

4

1.5.

Organization of the study

4

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

6

2.1.

Definition of extensive reading

6

2.2.

Extensive reading vs. Intensive reading

8

2.3.

Benefits of extensive reading

11

2.4.

Difficulties with extensive reading program

15

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY
3.1.

19

Research context

19

3.1.1. Settings

19

3.1.1.1. Fast-track Division

19

3.1.1.2. Reading log overview

20

3.1.2.

22

Sample and population

3.2.

Research design

23

3.3.

Data collection methods

24

3.3.1.

Interview

24

3.3.2.

Questionnaire for students

25

3.4.

Data collection procedure

26

3.5.

Data analysis

28

iii


3.5.1.

Interview

28

3.5.2.

Questionnaire

29

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

30

4.1.
Research questions 1 - Benefits of doing the Reading log as perceived
by the first-year students and their teachers in the Fast-track Division, FELTE,
ULIS 30
4.1.1.

Interview

30

4.1.2.

Questionnaire

33

4.2.
Research questions 2 - Challenges while doing the Reading log as
perceived by the first-year students and their teachers in the Fast-track Division,
FELTE, ULIS
35
4.2.1.

Interview

35

4.2.2.

Questionnaire

37

4.2.2.1. Level of difficulty when doing different parts of the Reading log

37

4.2.2.2. Problems in completing different parts in the Reading log

39

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION

42

5.1.

Summary of major findings

42

5.2.

Pedagogical implications

43

5.3.

Limitations and suggestions for further study

44

REFERENCES

46

APPENDICES

52

Appendix A – Interview questions for students

52

Appendix B – Interview questions for teachers

53

Apppendix C – Interview trsncripts

73

Appendix D – Questionnaire for students

54

iv


LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
CEFR: Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
EFL: English as a Foreign Language
ESL: English as a Second Language
FELTE: Faculty of English language teacher education
ULIS: University of Languages and international studies
VNU: Vietnam National University

v

LIST OF TABLES
Table

Name of table

Page

Table 1

The differences between intensive reading and extensive

8-9

reading
Table 2

Summary of international research on extensive reading

12-13

benefits
Table 3

The reading log marking scheme

19

Table 4

Benefits of doing the Reading log

30-31

Table 5

Level of difficulty of doing different parts in the Reading log

Table 6

Problems in completing different parts in the Reading log

vi

35
36-37


LIST OF FIGURES
Figure

Name of figure

Figure 1

Data collection procedure flow chart

vii

Page
24

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1.

Statement of the problem and rationale for the study
As an international language for various important aspects of social life,

English has continually gained popularity among Vietnamese. To promote the study
of English and to better the quality of English teaching and learning in Vietnam,
Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) issued the national plan
“Teaching and Learning Foreign Languages in the National Formal Educational
System in the period of 2008 - 2020” (Hoang, 2013). The project has brought
about considerable changes to the teaching and learning of English in Vietnamese
education system. In essence, the teaching of English in Vietnam has slanted
towards the view that places the learner at a focal point with the teacher seen in the
role of a facilitator. In accordance with this view, extensive reading has gradually
gained popularity among Vietnamese scholars and teachers (Le, 2005).
Extensive reading has long been a matter of interest among ESL and EFL
educators all over the world. There has not been a fixed definition of extensive
reading among researchers; however, most of them agreed that extensive reading
involves the reading of a large number of different materials and the emphasis is on
meaning rather than on form. Smith’s (1994) idea that people “learn to read by
reading” (p.76) and especially Krashen’s (1982) comprehensible input theory have
been regarded as having considerable influence on extensive reading. Evidence of
concern over extensive reading is shown by a noticeable number of studies on
different aspects of extensive reading. In view of benefits of extensive reading to
language learners, it is believed to have positive effects on reading comprehension
(Bell, 2001; He, 2014; Mason & Krashen, 1997; Robb & Susser, 1989; Sheu, 2003;
Taguchi, et al, 2004; Tanaka & Stapleton 2007), vocabulary acquisition (Horst et al,

1998; Kweon & Kim, 2008; Modirkhamene & Gowrki, 2011; Pigada & Schmitt,
2006) and writing performance (Mason & Krashen, 1997; Robb & Susser, 1989).
In addition, researchers also pay attention to student attitudes towards extensive
1


reading (Johnson, 2012; Shen, 2008) and their motivation (Apple, 2005; Takase,
2007). Extensive reading strategies are also investigated by several researchers such
as Mokhtari and Sheory (2002), and Burbuam, Charlton and Pette (2004).
Conducted in different settings and involving a wide range of learners’ ages, these
studies have provided valuable references for other investigations into the subject
matter.
As a leading university in Vietnam in the field of teaching and learning
foreign languages, especially English, ULIS has made progress toward including
extensive reading into its curriculum; nevertheless, the extent of implementation
still remains insufficient. According to Hoang (2007), as cited in Tran (2009),
extensive reading project is restricted to second-year students in 2005-2006
academic year, to third-year students in 2007-2008 and to second-year English
majors in 2008-2009. Despite the increasing interest in extensive reading, the
number of studies in Vietnamese context, especially ULIS is rather limited. Pham
(2006) examined how first-year students at the English department exploited the
internet for extensive reading materials, discovering students’ difficulties due to
lack of guidance and practice. Tran (2009) carried out a study into the practice of
extensive reading among second year students in the Mainstream Division, giving
a comprehensive account of different aspects of extensive reading, including
reading amounts, materials, purposes, strategies, difficulties and benefits. Since it is
highly original and rich in detail, it served as a primary reference for another study
into extensive reading by Nguyen (2013). Unlike the previous study conducted by
Tran, this one focused on investigating extensive reading among Mainstream
freshmen at FELTE, ULIS. She hypothesized that the result could be different since

the target sample was new to the university learning environment and their academic
abilities were not fully developed yet; nevertheless, the results were consistent with
those of the previous study. It is apparent that teachers’ viewpoints have not been
involved in these studies, and the two researchers conducted research into students’
2


general practice of extensive reading only, not a specific assignment. This paved the
way for the researcher to carry out this study to discover the perceptions of both the
first-year students in the Fast-track Division and their teachers of benefits as well as
challenges that students encountered when doing the Reading log – an extensive
reading assignment.
1.2.

Research aims and research questions
The study aims at investigating the perceptions of the benefits of extensive

reading, specifically the Reading log of first-year students and their teachers in the
Fast-track Division, ULIS. In addition, the researcher is interested in finding out
students’ difficulties to propose some tentative solutions to deal with such
challenges. In order to achieve these aims, the study deals with the following
questions:
1) What are the benefits of the Reading log as perceived by the first-year
students and the teachers in the Fast-track Division, FELTE, ULIS?
2) What are the challenges encountered by the students as perceived by those
students and those teachers?
1.3.

Significance of the study
In general, the study could be beneficial for students, teachers, policy makers

and researchers.
Firstly, as the study has finished, it will partly fill the research gap in ULIS
and in Vietnam in general. It can also be a reference source for further investigations
into extensive reading or related issues.
Secondly, the findings from this study can help teachers and policy makers
to better the Reading log for the succeeding academic years, and make more
informed decisions regarding the reading course syllabi or other courses involving
reading skills in the long run. The similarities and differences between students’
3


and teachers’ perceptions of benefits and difficulties when students do the
assignment can provide valuable ideas for teachers to adjust their teaching and to
motivate students to study more effectively.
1.4.

Scope of the study
The study aims to investigate the benefits and challenges while doing the

Reading log from the viewpoints of students and their teachers. To be more specific,
students and teachers’ self-reports through interview and questionnaire were
collected and analyzed. In addition, the study only involved first-year students from
three classes in the Fast-track Division and three teachers in charge of the reading
component in these classes.
1.5.

Organization of the study
The research paper comprises five chapters, illustrating the standard

procedure of a research project:
 Chapter 1: Introduction, providing background for the research and
outlining the most basic features (aims, scope and methodology) of the research.
 Chapter 2: Literature Review, examining related studies and constructing
theoretical frameworks to be applied in this study. In particular, this chapter offers
an overview on extensive reading (definitions, intensive reading vs extensive
reading, benefits, and difficulties).
 Chapter 3: Methodology, describing the research design, research
instruments and the procedure that the researcher aligned to in data collection and
analysis.
 Chapter 4: Results and Discussion, reporting major findings from data
analysis and giving critical comments on significant ideas/patterns in comparison
with the reviewed literature.

4


 Chapter 5: Conclusion, summarizing salient findings of the research,
presenting the limitations of the research as well as proposing several suggestions
based on the discovery.

5


CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
In this study, the researcher investigated the benefits and challenges while
doing the Reading log (an extensive reading program) as perceived by the students
and teachers in the Fast-track Division. This chapter is the review of related studies
as the background for better understanding of the current study. It presents
theoretical aspects of extensive reading including the definition of extensive

reading, differences between extensive reading and intensive reading, benefits of
extensive reading, and difficulties while implementing extensive reading in
academic settings.
2.1.

Definition of extensive reading
As one of the four skills involved in learning any language, reading is often

promoted as an effective way to improve learners’ language proficiency, especially
in input-poor environments. From its beginning time, there have been various
theories and approaches to teaching reading such as bottom-up, top-down or
interactive, resulting in a number of changes to the way reading is viewed and
studied. One of the most popular approaches is constructivism which views the
reading process as the reader’s practice of constructing his/her own message while
reading (Morrow & Tracy, 2002). Krashen’s well-known comprehensible input
theory (1987) whose notion is that receiving comprehensible input enables a learner
to acquire the target language has given rise to a new approach to reading extensive reading.
Despite a wealth of research into extensive reading, researchers, educators
and reading specialists have not been in agreement about a single definition. The
earliest definition of extensive reading can be traced back to Palmer (1936), who
defined extensive reading as “rapidly reading book after book where the reader’s
attention should be on the meaning, not the language of the text” (p. 111). Similarly,
Richards and Schmidt (2002) have explained the term as reading in quantity in order
6


to gain a general understanding of what is read. As can be seen from these
definitions, extensive reading requires reading of a large number of books and other
materials with the immediate focus on content rather than on form. Besides
mentioning these two characteristics, Bernard and Thomas (1990) have added three

other ones including the nature of reading, material selection and classroom activity
in an attempt to comprehensively define extensive reading:
Extensive reading is reading (a) of large quantities of material or long text;
(b) for global or general understanding; (c) with the intention of obtaining
pleasure from the text; (d) reading is individualized, with student choosing
the books they want to read, (e) the books are not discussed in class (p. 165).
These aforementioned definitions are consistent with top ten principles of
extensive reading by Day and Bamford (2002):
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)

The reading material is easy.
A variety of reading material on a wide range of topics must be available.
Learners choose what they want to read.
Learners read as much as possible.
The purpose of reading is usually related to pleasure, information and
general understanding.
Reading is its own reward.
Reading speed is usually faster rather than slower.
Reading is individual and silent.
Teachers orient and guide their students.
The teacher is a role model of a reader.

(p. 137 - 140)

The two researchers managed to address various aspects of extensive reading
namely reading materials, reading amount, reading purpose, reading speed and the
specific roles of teachers and learners. Nevertheless, not all of these principles can
be realized in particular academic settings since input of foreign language can be
limited and students may encounter various difficulties when choosing suitable
materials to read.
It is worth mentioning that learners can select their materials with the
suggestions of their teachers, classmates and others (Jacobs & Farrell, 2012).
7


Learners are also allowed to stop reading and choose another material within their
level if the materials seem boring or the language is too difficult for them.
From various definitions available in literature, the researcher has come up
with a working definition for the specific context of this study. Extensive reading is
reading a large quantity of self-selected materials according to pre-determined
requirements with the focus on meaning rather than language, and to gain
information and to acquire a foreign language rather than merely to get pleasure
from reading.
2.2.

Extensive reading vs. Intensive reading
While dealing with extensive reading, it is advisable to distinguish it from

intensive reading. According to Palmer (1968) as cited in Day and Bamford (1998),
intensive reading can be described as below:
Intensive reading often refers to the careful reading (or translation) of
shorter, more difficult foreign language texts with the goal of complete and

detailed understanding, and the teaching of reading in terms of language
skills by studying reading texts intensively in order to practice reading skills.
(p. 56)
From this detailed description, it is apparent that the emphasis was placed on
length and difficulty of reading materials, learning and teaching goals as well as the
content to be covered in a lesson. Meanwhile, Nutall (1995) as cited in Carell and
Carson (1997) focused on the role of teacher, the study of language elements of the
text and reading goals:
Intensive reading involves approaching the text under the close guidance of
a teacher, or under the guidance of a task which forces the student to pay
close attention to the text. The aim of intensive reading is to arrive at a
profound and detailed understanding of the text: not only of what it means
but also of how the meaning is produced. The “how” is as important as the
“what”, for the intensive reading lesson is intended primarily to train students
in reading strategies. (p. 49-50)

8


From these two aforementioned definitions, intensive reading differs from
extensive reading in various aspects such as reading purposes and reading materials.
Richards and Renandya (2002) have addressed that intensive reading refers to
reading a few books carefully to obtain detailed information while extensive reading
requires reading a large number of books for general understanding. In intensive
reading, students focus more on analyzing short and difficult texts along with the
teacher, which is believed to aid students in knowing the detailed meaning of a text,
developing their vocabulary, reading skills and also grammatical knowledge. In this
regard, Day and Bamford (1998) argued that intensive reading may produce all the
skills to be a good reader but it fails to create a skilled reader. On the other hand,
the approach of extensive reading encourages learners to read for general

understanding, information, pleasure and enjoyment (Jacobs & Farrell, 2012).
Wang (2011) has stated that the slow and careful method of intensive reading allows
students to use a dictionary when they need so that they can develop better
understanding of the sentences; however, he claimed that the method of intensive
reading is not always useful as it requires students to read detailed information such
as grammar and vocabulary, which in turn may reduce students’ interest in reading.
Overall, the distinctive features of each approach can be summarized as
Waring (n.d) has presented in his article “Getting an Extensive Reading Program
going”:
Table 1: The differences between intensive reading and extensive reading
INTENSIVE READING
Analysis of the language
Usually difficult
Little
Teacher selects
All learners study the
same material

Linguistic focus
Difficulty
Amount
Selection
Materials

9

EXTENSIVE READING
Fluency and skill
forming
Very easy

A lot
Learner selects
Learners read different
things (something
interesting to them)


In class
Checked by specific
questions

Where
Comprehension

Mostly at home
Checked by reports/
summaries

By differentiating intensive reading from extensive reading, researchers can
have a clearer idea of the characteristics of each approach. Benefits of extensive
reading can also be highlighted in comparison with the other approach to teach the
reading skill, and it is essential not to consider extensive reading to be the entire
answer to the teaching and learning of the reading component. Extensive reading
alone is not sufficient for developing reading skills and “a more focused approach
(intensive reading), including explicit instruction is also needed: it deals with more
detailed comprehension and has an important role in teaching reading strategies”
(Paran 2003, p.40). Students’ ability to read and their habit to read should be of
equal concern of the teachers (Day & Bamford, 1998).
In spite of the emphasis on pleasure from reading, extensive reading cannot
be fully realized without the post-reading activities. Unlike intensive reading,

extensive reading does not require students to demonstrate their understanding
through comprehension questions, but it does involve some follow-up activities.
Several studies have highlighted that the success of extensive reading programs lies
in the implementation of these activities provided that they are undemanding
(Pilgreen, 2000). Writing book reports and giving oral presentations (Bell, 2001),
writing short summaries and keeping a personal reading log (Mason & Krashen,
1997), and discussing the reading and writing of two short essays (Lao & Krashen,
2000) are some common activities suggested by researchers and practitioners. The
use of these activities actually serve a wide range of purposes, which are to (1)
reinforce what students have learned from their reading; (2) give students a sense of
progress; and (3) help students share information about materials to read or to avoid
(Richards & Renandya, 2002). Swain’s output hypothesis (1993) has further
supported this approach by claiming that production of comprehensible output can
10


supplement the comprehensible input by pushing learners to notice features of the
target language and to form and test hypotheses about the language.
2.3.

Benefits of extensive reading
Many researchers have conducted research to investigate the effects of

extensive reading on learners over decades, leading to the conclusion that benefits
of extensive reading are manifold and wide-ranging. Developing reading
comprehension, increasing reading speed, improving vocabulary acquisition,
developing writing skills and positive attitudes toward reading are some benefits of
extensive reading proved by researchers all over the world in different contexts.
In a study on first-year students in a Hong Kong university, Lao and Krashen
(2000) have found a close relation between extensive reading and students’ reading

speed, vocabulary range and interest in reading. In their study, six experimental
classes were involved in an extensive reading program and two other classes
received the traditional teaching of four skills. After 14 weeks, the students in the
experimental classes increased their reading speed from 235 to 327 words/minute,
acquired an increase of 3,000 words and held more positive attitude towards reading
in English.
Other investigations by Bell (2001) and Tanaka (2007) have not only proved
positive effects of extensive reading on students’ reading speed as presented in Lao
and Krashen’s study but also indicated improvement in reading comprehension. Bell
conducted a study on EFL learners at elementary level. One group was subjected to
an extensive reading program using graded readers while the other studied an
intensive reading program in which the students were required to read short
passages and to complete follow-up tasks to learn vocabulary and grammar. The
students who participated in the extensive reading program demonstrated better
results in both reading comprehension and reading speed than those studying
intensive reading in a cloze test and comprehension test after one year of study. In
11


Tanaka’s study (2007), approximately 113 students in their first year in high school
in Japan were involved in an extensive reading program in which they were
provided with 39 short reading passages in accordance with their interests. Eighteen
students in this group were given extra graded readers. As the course finished, the
students in the experimental groups improved in their reading comprehension,
especially those who read graded readers. As regards reading speed, all the students
performed considerably better than other students in this school regardless of their
reading of graded readers or not.
Pazhakh and Soltani (2010) administered a study to two groups of 40 upper
intermediate and 40 lower intermediate students selected from a proficiency test to
examine the effectiveness of extensive reading on vocabulary acquisition.

Participants in each group were further divided into experimental group and control
group, and the experimental one received five more short stories for ten weeks. After
the experiment, experimental groups of both level scored higher in a vocabulary
recognition test than those in control groups.
Students also develop their writing ability by reading extensively. 48 students
from King Suad University were selected and divided into experimental and control
group in Mansour and Shorman’s investigations (2014). The experimental group
received extra classes on extensive reading while the other group was not exposed
to any extensive reading class. Students’ performance in a written exam before and
after the program clearly favored students participating in the extensive reading
classes.
A summary of studies on the benefits of extensive reading can be found in
Day and Bamford’s (1998) study as below:

12


Table 2: Summary of international research on extensive reading benefits
Study
Iwahori 2008

Population
Results
EFL; secondary; Japan Increase in reading rate & general

Nishono 2007

language proficiency
EFL; secondary; Japan Increase in reading strategies &
ESL; adults; Canada

EFL; adults; Japan
EFL; adults; Japan
EFL; junior high

motivation
Increase vocabulary
Increase in reading rate
Increase in reading rate
Increase in general

school; Taiwan

proficiency

Asraf & Ahmad

EFL; middle school;

Increase in attitude

2003
Takase 2003
Bell 2001

Malaysia
EFL; secondary; Japan Increase in motivation
EFL; university;
Increase in reading rate & general

Mason & Krashen

Yemen
language proficiency
EFL; university; Japan Increase in writing proficiency

1997
Tsang 1996

EFL; secondary; Hong Increase in writing proficiency

Masuhara et al.

Kong
EFL; university; Japan Increase in reading proficiency & rate

1996
Cho & Krashen

ESL; adults; USA

Horst 2005
Kusanagi 2004
Taguchi et al.
Sheu
2004 2003

1994

language

Increase in reading proficiency, oral
fluency, vocabulary knowledge, &

Lai 1993a, b

attitude & motivation
EFL; secondary; Hong Increase in reading proficiency &

Elley 1991

Kong
EFL; primary;

vocabulary
Increase in reading proficiency &

Hafiz & Tudor

Singapore
EFL; primary;

attitude & motivation
Increase in writing proficiency &

1990

Pakistan

vocabulary knowledge

13


Robb & Susser

EFL; university; Japan Increase in reading proficiency &

1989

attitude

Pitts, White, &

ESL; adults; USA

Increase in vocabulary knowledge

EFL; university; USA
EFL; primary; Fiji

Increase in writing proficiency
Increases in reading proficiency &

Krashen, 1989
Janopoulos 1986
Elley &
Mangubhai

general

language

1981

including

listening

proficiency
&

writing;

increase in attitude & motivation
In the context of teaching and learning English in Vietnam, there has been
a modest number of studies investigating the benefits of extensive reading. The
research by Quach (2007) and Hoang (2007) as cited in Tran (2009) showed positive
correlation between the implementation of extensive reading and students’ reading
proficiency. Both of these studies were carried out at university level, utilizing a
combination of questionnaire and interview. Tran (2009) conducted a highly
original and rich in details study which was conducted solely on the grounds of selfreports of 110 second-year students in the Mainstream Division, ULIS. It dealt with
virtually all problematic aspects of extensive reading, including reading amount,
materials, purposes, strategies, difficulties and benefits. After distributing the
questionnaire and interviewing five students based on their answers in the
questionnaire, she found out that students highly appreciated the positive effects of
reading extensively on their vocabulary, reading skill, pronunciation, background
knowledge and pleasure for reading. Her findings were further supported by the
study by Nguyen (2013), which focused on the same research topic but involved
different participants – first-year students in the Mainstream Division. Despite this
difference, the results were consistent, indicating positive correlation between

reading extensively and students’ knowledge and skills. Another research by Jacobs
and his colleagues targeted at Vietnamese adult learners, although it was not carried
out in the Vietnamese context. After a two-month English course in Singapore with
14


the inclusion of extensive reading, the adult learners were reported to benefit from
extensive reading just like the younger ones.
From the above-mentioned research on the benefits of extensive reading, the
researcher has concluded that these benefits can be divided into the following
categories:

2.4.



Language skills (mostly reading and writing)



Knowledge of language competence (vocabulary and grammar)



Background knowledge



Positive attitudes and motivation in reading and learning in general

Difficulties with extensive reading program
For extensive reading brings about positive effects in various aspects of

teaching and learning, it is apparently beneficial to integrate extensive reading into
the curriculum. As Day and Bamford (1998) have suggested, it can be included in
the teaching process in four ways: as a separate course, as a part of an existing
reading course, as a non-credit addition to an existing reading course, and as an
extracurricular activity. Each of the approaches has its own benefits and drawbacks;
therefore, they might be suitable for a particular academic setting but not for the
others.
Although the benefits of extensive reading have been widely studied and
supported by researchers and practitioners, the actual implementation of extensive
reading poses myriad challenges to a wide number of parties, especially students
and teachers who are directly involved in the process. A number of studies have
been carried out to examine the problems with implementation of extensive reading
program in different contexts. According to Grabe and Stoller (1997), there are five
main reasons why extensive reading is not widely applied:
1. Fluent reading is not really the goal of a reading class or a reading
curriculum.
15