The Effects of Extensive Reading on the Reading Fluency and Reading Comprehension of Primary Grade Students in a Bhutanese ESL Context

Abstract

A few extensive reading (ER) studies have been carried out with children in second- or foreign-language contexts. This study adds to the studies in this field, of the impacts of ER on young learners by investigating the effects of extensive reading over a twelve-week ER instruction on the reading fluency and reading comprehension of Bhutanese primary grade students. A quasi-experimental mixed method design was employed with one group of fourth grade primary students (n=16). The participants received 50 minutes of extensive reading instruction twice a week. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test revealed significant differences between the pre- and post-tests, indicating a drastic improvement in reading fluency and reading comprehension after the ER instruction. Similarly, qualitative analysis of the second- and eleventh-week’s reading logs showed improved reading fluency, with the highest reading speed score, compared to the second week. Likewise, participant's reading comprehension responses were comparatively more improved in the eleventh week. These findings suggest that extensive reading instruction be implemented in Bhutanese second-language learning classrooms to promote reading fluency and reading comprehension, and hint at the possibility that extensive reading may contribute to academic achievement in other English-related content subjects.