The effects of extensive, timed, and repeated oral reading on grammatical and sentential processes

Abstract

Improving reading fluency is crucial for learners of English as a second language (L2). This skill is vital in achieving their personal and professional goals. L2 reading research has identified effective techniques to improve learners’ fluency such as extensive reading (ER), timed reading (TR), repeated reading (RR), and oral reading (OR) (e.g., Beglar et al., 2012; Chung & Nation, 2006; Milliner, 2021; Taguchi & Gorsuch, 2002). However, understanding how these fluency treatments affect the cognitive processes used in reading is not well understood. While reading theories have suggested that consistent exposure to reading material automatizes bottom-up processes such as grammar and sentence comprehension, empirical evidence supporting these assertions is scant, particularly in L2 English as Foreign Language (EFL) settings. Therefore, the aim of this study is to elucidate how treatments of extensive, timed, and repeated oral reading have on the automatization of grammatical and sentential cognitive processes among L2 English Japanese university learners over one academic year.

The presenter will report on the automatization of the grammatical and sentence comprehension among Japanese university students (N = 76) after receiving reading fluency treatments over one academic year. In this experiment, the participants were divided into three groups. The first group engaged in a combination of timed reading, oral reading, and extensive reading. The second group practiced timed and extensive reading. Finally, a comparison group did mainly speaking and communication activities.

The participants’ reaction time data of a grammaticality judgment task and a true/false sentence task were collected three times during year using Superlab computer software. Automaticity will be evaluated based on (a) a decrease in reaction time, (b) a decrease in the coefficient of variation, and (c) a positive correlation between the coefficient of variation and reaction times. The results will show how various reading fluency activities impact these cognitive reading processes. While it is expected that all the treatments will have a positive effect on the automatization of these processes, it is hypothesized that the first group, which had the most comprehensive reading fluency treatment, would make the most improvement.