Battling With Books: The Gamification of an EFL Extensive Reading Class

Background Extensive reading (ER) classes have become a popular way to promote reading in EFL (English as a Foreign Language) classrooms because ER supports the idea of reading for pleasure. However, reading in the classroom can still become stale if students have little chance to reflect on what they have read or if they become burdened by the reading requirements. Aim In an attempt to create a more energetic ER classroom, we converted the classroom into a game-based environment with the aim of promoting L2 reading enjoyment and motivating students to read in a more focused manner . Method As for specifics, 55 female Japanese university students—divided into two groups based upon English proficiency—participated in a social book reading game called Bibliobattle whereby students discussed their favorite books in small groups. Three iterations of the game were incorporated into the ER classroom as a way to enliven reading activities. Results The game proved largely successful. From the data obtained in the debriefing questionnaires, students mentioned that they were motivated by the activities through reflection on their book’s content and through the sharing of specific details about what they had read with their peers. Although both groups of students indicated their motivation to play the game, this was especially true for the lower level readers—a group that had demonstrated more apathy towards ER in the past. Based upon our experiences while running the game, we recommend that Bibliobattles be implemented as specialized events in the ER classroom as a means to help stimulate a love for reading in a second language; however, it should also be noted that student preparation for such battles is time-consuming, so the number of battles per semester should be limited to a maximum of two per semester.

EXPRESS: The letter position coding mechanism of second language words during sentence reading: Evidence from eye movements

We conducted three eye movement experiments to investigate the mechanism for coding letter positions in a person’s second language during sentence reading; we also examined the role of morphology in this process with more rigorous manipulation. Given that readers not only obtain information from currently fixated words (i.e., the foveal area) but also from upcoming words (i.e., the parafoveal area) to guide their reading, we examined both when the targets were fixated (Exp. 1) and when the targets were seen parafoveally (Exp. 2 and Exp. 3). First, we found the classic transposed letter (TL) effect in Exp. 1, but not in Exp. 2 or Exp. 3. This implies that flexible letter position coding exists during sentence reading. However, this was limited to words located in the foveal area, suggesting that L2 readers whose L2 proficiency is not as high as skilled native readers are not able to extract and utilize the parafoveal letter identity and position information of a word, whether the word length is long (Exp. 2) or short (Exp. 3). Second, we found morphological information to influence the magnitude of the TL effect in Exp. 1. These results provide new eye movement evidence for the flexibility of L2 letter position coding during sentence reading, as well as the interactions between the different internal representations of words in this process. Altogether, this is helpful for understanding L2 sentence reading and visual word recognition. Thus, future L2 reading frameworks should integrate word recognition and eye movement control models.

The Predictive Role of Grapho-Morphological Knowledge in Reading Comprehension for Beginning-Level L2 Chinese Learners

Reading comprehension entails a set of distinct, yet interdependent cognitive, linguistic, and nonlinguistic processes. Previous second language (L2) Chinese studies have identified significant and positive impacts of grapho-morphological knowledge at the character and subcharacter (radical) levels on passage reading comprehension; however, little is known regarding how early L2 grapho-morphological knowledge at the character and radical levels jointly predict later L2 reading comprehension. This study aimed to fill this gap. One hundred and five beginning-level L2 Chinese collegiate learners were recruited, and completed two character-related and two radical-related tasks in Week 8, as well as one reading comprehension tasks in Week 18. The main findings, based on correlational and path analyses, suggested that L2 Chinese learners’ early character-level and radical-level grapho-morphological knowledge significantly predicted later reading comprehension, yet the interrelations among grapho-morphological knowledge at the character and radical levels were complex. Path analyses identified direct and indirect paths from early character-level grapho-morphological knowledge to later reading comprehension, as well as indirect paths from early radical-level grapho-morphological knowledge to later reading comprehension. Methodological and pedagogical implications for L2 Chinese reading research and practices are discussed.

Personality Types and L2 Reading: correlation between University Students MBTI Profiles and Reading Proficiency

Personality types have a considerable impact on our understanding of the outer world, perception and energy. Personality influence on language learning and proficiency, however, is controversial. This study demonstrates the relationship between the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) profiles and L2 reading proficiency of L1 Arab undergraduates. First, learners' reading proficiency levels were associated with their Introversion/Extraversion preferences. Then, function pairs of both introverts and extraverts that contributes to the highest score of L2 reading proficiency were determined. As most reading tests are based on choice, it is very logical to consider the MBTI function pairs as they represent the mental functions used for decision-making and information gathering. Fifty (50) Arab male students from the College of Business Administration (Saudi Arabia) were randomly selected. Two instruments were used to collect data; MBTI as a personality instrument, and TOEIC Bridge as a reading test. Findings showed a lack of statistically significant relationship between Introversion/Extraversion and L2 reading proficiency. Yet, Intuitive personalities (NT/NF) preferences achieved higher scores in the TOEIC Bridge compared to their counterparts of the Sensing personalities (ST/SF). Personality types have undoubted influence on our lifestyle and attitudes. Yet, considering personality as a weighty factor in language learning and proficiency is still debatable.

Phonological Short-term Memory’s Contribution to the L2 Reading Proficiency of Japanese EFL Learners

This study investigated whether phonological short-term memory (PSTM) capacity has a significant relationship with the reading proficiency of Japanese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners, and the degree to which PSTM capacity contributes to L2 reading proficiency. For this purpose, the PSTM of 208 Japanese university students majoring in education and engineering was measured using an L1-based digit span test and an L1-based pseudoword span test, and reading proficiency was examined with a reading section of a standardized English proficiency test (Visualizing English Language Competency Test). The results of the regression analyses revealed that PSTM had significant positive effects on L2 reading, including its subcomponents. The study demonstrates the positive influence of PSTM on L2 reading proficiency, which previous studies have failed to do and provides insight into our understanding of the effects of PSTM on L2 reading proficiency. 本研究は、日本人英語学習者のリーディング力に、言語適性の一つである音韻的短期記憶力が与えている影響を調査することを目的に実施した。工学と教育学を専攻とする日本人大学生208名を対象に実験を実施した。実験参加者の音韻的短期記憶力は、日本語の数字暗証課題と非単語暗唱課題で、そして英語のリーディング力は語彙、文法、読解のセクションで構成されるVELCテストで測定した。各テストスコアを回帰分析によって検査したところ、音韻的短期記憶力は日本人英語学習者の英語のリーディング力に有意な影響を与えていることが示された。本研究は、先行研究ではまだ十分に調査がなされていない外国語のリーディング力の個人差要因としての音韻的短期記憶力の影響の理解に貢献できるものである。

A Meta-Analysis of the Effect of Phonological Awareness and/or Phonics Instruction on Word and Pseudo Word Reading of English as an L2

Despite considerable efforts made to understand the impact that instructional interventions have upon L2 reading development, we still lack a clear picture of the influence that PA and phonics instruction has upon reading in English as an L2. A search of the research literature published from 1990 to 2019 yielded 45 articles with 46 studies containing 3,841 participants in total. Effect sizes were recorded for the effect of various PA and/or phonics instructional interventions on word and pseudo word reading. Results demonstrated that L2 PA and phonics instruction has a moderate effect on L2 word reading ( g = 0.53) and a large effect on pseudo word reading ( g = 1.51). Moderator analyses revealed effects of a number of moderators including testing method, type of PA/phonics intervention, and context where the intervention occurred. Based upon these conclusions, policymakers and educators can provide beginning learners of English as an L2 with PA and phonics instruction that will enable them to read, understand and enjoy English better. Future research should also strive to adhere to more stringent standards of excellence in educational research.

Manipulation of the Involvement Load of L2 Reading Tasks: A Useful Heuristic for Enhanced L2 Vocabulary Development

Ensuring second language (L2) learners have an adequate breadth and depth of L2 vocabulary knowledge is a key pedagogical objective in L2 learning contexts. For this reason, establishing guiding principles that successfully enhance the efficacy of L2 vocabulary knowledge development is of strong importance. The current study investigated the value of applying principles from the Involvement Load Hypothesis (ILH) as part of a reading comprehension task among 40 intermediate English as a foreign language (EFL) students. Half of the group undertook a high involvement reading task, whereas the other half undertook a low involvement reading task. After the reading task, an unannounced Vocabulary Knowledge Scale test was administered to measure incidental vocabulary gains. Results showed the high involvement group remarkably outflanked the low involvement groups in terms of the target words learned from the reading task. A delayed post-test indicated that the retention of target word knowledge was more robust among the high involvement group, but that this difference did not maintain a level of statistical significance after 2 weeks. We conclude with suggestions about how EFL/ESL instructors can apply the principles of the ILH in efforts to systematically enhance learners’ L2 vocabulary knowledge.

Investigating the impact of a semester-long study abroad program on L2 reading and vocabulary development

This study investigates the impact that a semester-long study abroad program has on the L2 reading and vocabulary development of a group of Catalan/Spanish bilinguals learning English as an L2 (n = 30). Another objective is to determine whether gains in participants’ vocabulary and reading – if any – are related to their initial L2 proficiency and L2 vocabulary level. Participants were administered (1) a reading text, (2) the Updated Vocabulary Levels Test, (3) a written essay, (4) a placement test and (5) an online questionnaire before and after their SA experiences. The results suggest that the sojourn was positive for participants’ reading comprehension, receptive vocabulary and lexical accuracy, but not for reading fluency, lexical fluency, lexical density and lexical sophistication. It was also found that the students’ initial L2 vocabulary and proficiency level were related to gains in receptive vocabulary and reading comprehension.

INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN L2 LITERACY ACQUISITION

Statistical learning (SL) approaches to reading maintain that proficient reading requires assimilation of rich statistical regularities in the writing system. Reading skills in developing first-language readers are predicted by individual differences in sensitivity to regularities in mappings from orthography to phonology (O-P) and semantics (O-S), where good readers rely more on O-P consistency, and less on O-S associations. However, how these regularities are leveraged by second-language (L2) learners remains an open question. We utilize an individual-differences approach, measuring L2 English learners’ sensitivity to O-P, O-S, and frequency during word-naming, across two years of immersion. We show that reliance on O-P is leveraged by better readers, while reliance on O-S is slower to develop, characterizing less proficient readers. All factors explain substantial individual variance in L2 reading skills. These findings show how SL plays a key role in L2 reading development through its role in assimilating sublexical regularities between print and speech.