Effects of extensive reading on the number of reading materials and the writing style in English of grade seven students in a francophone school in Lebanon

Abstract

Reading is the basis of all activities students do in all school subjects and this skill has been given more attention than any other feature in education. Knowing how to read at school is an important accomplishment in itself for any student's language growth and is the source of success whether in academic years or later in life (DeStefano, 1982, p.388). Since to "read" is to decipher and understand the meaning of letters and symbols (Merriam Webster Online, p.!), comprehension is a key element in this skill. ESL/EFL students find reading in English difficult because they do not understand a given material. This might be due to the choice of the wrong material either concerning the language level used in it or even the topic dealt with, which may not necessarily be interesting to them. Extensive reading, associated with pleasure reading, is a type of program in which students read large amounts of material that are up to their level and deal with topics that interest them (Shelton, 2005, p.1). Students in the class are the center in this program. They choose what they want to read and what they want to read about. The teacher guides them in making sure that the chosen materials are suitable for their language level and plays the role of a good reader (Bamford, Day, 2002). The fact of reading somehow easy and interesting materials motivates learners to read more (Bell, 1998, p.2). ER also contributes to improving the students' writing style due to their exposure to large amounts of English. Krashen (1984) emphasizes the subconscious language acquisition process through pleasure reading. To him, voluntary pleasure reading improves writing style for the reader focuses on the message leading thus to the development of writing ability (pp.6, 23). Sixty EFL grade seven students in a francophone school in Beirut, who are divided into an experimental and a control group, participate in an experiment measuring the impact of motivation on the number of materials read in an extensive reading program as well as its effect on writing style in English. Both groups answer a first questionnaire including issues on their attitude towards reading in general and reading in English in particular, the types of material they like to read, their number and the difficulties they encounter while reading English. The two groups read a common book and fill a book report to be used in evaluating writing style based on vocabulary, syntax and sentence structure. Then, ER is implemented in the experimental group during a month and a half, and students read material and fill reports stressing on their opinion about the material, the summary, the characters, vocabulary and the difficulties faced when reading. At the same time, the control group follows usual English language sessions. At the end of the experiment, both groups have to fill a second questionnaire where they mention the number of material they read in English during this month and a half, what type they like to read the most and the difficulties they face. Analysis of the results shows an important increase in the number of materials in English read by the experimental group during the time of the study and a difference between this number and the one of the control group. Moreover, an improvement in the writing style of participants in the experimental group is noticed. The limited time scope of the study affects these results. Consequently, installing ER for a whole academic year is recommended to give the students enough time for language acquisition and thus improvement in writing style.