Reading Comprehension of Thai Students Improved by Extensive Reading When Learning English as a Foreign Language
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Abstract
The present study had three purposes: (a) to examine students’ reading comprehension after they participated in an extensive reading program for 10 consecutive weeks; (b) to explore if there were any gender differences in the outcomes, and (c) to examine students’ reading motivation after they completed the program. Thirty-three first-year students from a university in Thailand participated in the study. The study used a quasi-experimental research design to determine whether extensive reading impacted the students’ ability to learn English. A pre-test was given before the program/intervention and a post-test after the intervention. In addition, the students responded to a questionnaire on their reading motivation. The results showed that students’ English reading comprehension improved after taking part in the reading program. All students reported improvement in their English reading comprehension. There were no gender differences in the post-test, even though female students spent more time reading than their male counterparts. The study highlighted a need for further research in extensive reading, specifically using control groups to ascertain how much ER contributes to reading comprehensive improvement.
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