Reading of all its types, is of a particular importance in transferring knowledge from one generation to another and in keeping the cycle of literacy and
development going (see 2.1). ER is no exception. In addition to contributing to building that bridge between generations, ER “in the EFL/ESL context is an approach to teaching reading whose goal is to get students reading in the English Language and enjoying it” (Day et al., 2011, p.10). ER means reading large amounts of text and easy materials for pleasure, enjoyment and general
information. The golden principle on which ER is based is that we learn to read by reading (Smith, 1994; Krashen, 2011).
Many different names and terms have been used when referring to ER. Michael West (1936 cited in Day & Bamford, 1998, p.5), the designer of the methodology of ER, calls it supplementary reading. Elley (1981 cited in Day & Bamford, 1998,
39 p.5) calls it book flood, which suggests the continuity of reading as a main principle of ER, i.e., reading book after book. Another name suggested for ER by Mikulecky (1990) is pleasure reading, which insists on reading for pleasure and enjoyment as a main characteristic of ER. In his book, The Power of Reading, Krashen (1993b) terms ER as free voluntary reading. ER has also been called “sustained silent reading, drop everything and read, or independent reading” (Day & Bamford, 1998, p.5). All these terms relate to the same objective - to build lifelong readers and provide pleasurable reading for learners. In addition, their aim is to assist struggling or reluctant readers to become effective readers.
According to Preddy (2007), there are three types of readers: “the resistive and struggling reader, the apathetic and reluctant reader, and the effective reader” (p.24). Resistive and struggling readers lack reading competency and have low confidence in their reading abilities. Resistive readers also seem to intentionally avoid reading and that leads to poor performance in school. They experience frustration in their academic life which can lead to failing at school or even self- concept deficiencies (Worthy, 1996). In contrast, apathetic and reluctant readers show reading competency. However, apathetic readers are likely to be reluctant to read: they do not read unless there is an external force which pushes them to read such as a school assignment or a test. Although apathetic and reluctant readers have reading competency, unlike resistive readers, they are unmotivated to read, mainly due to the unavailability of books that interest them. The last type is the effective reader, who reads effectively and is motivated to read. Effective readers show a great deal of reading ability, competency, intrinsic motivation and a positive attitude towards reading (Preddy, 2007).
Linking to the current study, Chapter 1 explained the poor reading experience of Jordanian EFL students, mostly as struggling readers; thus, the provision of equal learning opportunities for all types of learners and readers needs addressing and this could be achieved through free reading or ER. Also, providing a significant amount of interesting reading materials and sufficient time for individual reading are vital steps in the process of building effective readers. A large body of literature stresses the importance of free reading in enhancing learners’ motivation and fostering positive attitudes towards reading (Takase, 2007; 2009; Chen & Ro, 2014; Ro, 2014). More importantly, free reading could be the pathway for reluctant and resistive readers to be effective readers (Krashen, 2011).
40 Over the past two decades, ER has attracted the attention of many language educators in the field of language pedagogy and language learning, especially FL/L2 learning. This focus on ER has led to many publications discussing ER as a style and also as an approach to FL/L2 learning. Language educators and reading specialists have defined ER in various ways. The earliest definition of ER can be traced back to Palmer who was the first academic to call it extensive reading. The term extensive reading, for Palmer, meant “rapidly reading book after book. A reader’s attention should be on the meaning, not the language, of the text” (Palmer 1917 cited in Day & Bamford, 1998, p.5). This definition identifies two of the main characteristics of ER. The first is that the continuity of reading leads to building efficient readers. In other words, learners should read as much as possible, so they learn reading by reading. The second is that the attention and the focus of learners should be focused on the general meaning of texts rather than their language.
Another very simple definition suggested by William and Moran (1989) is that ER is a way or style of reading in language-teaching terms. Skimming, scanning, intensive reading and ER are the four suggested styles. Clearly, this definition does not disclose much information about ER, but it states that ER is a style of reading. Brown (1994) views ER as one of the two subcategories of silent reading: oral and silent reading (intensive and extensive reading). It includes skimming, scanning and global reading to create a general meaning and sense to the text being read. ER “is carried out to achieve a general understanding of a text. All pleasure reading is extensive. It is a relatively rapid and efficient process of reading a text for global or general meaning” (Brown, 1994, pp.297-298). Brown’s definition also implements some of the main principles of ER: reading for general meaning, reading for pleasure and fluent reading.
In addition, ER has been regarded as a language teaching approach. ER is a very powerful approach to teaching reading as it introduces students to the key elements of real-life reading-purpose and choice (Davis, 1995). Reading is an individual activity that students should learn and read at their own level and pace in their own time. They choose to read what interests them based on their linguistic competence. When they read on the basis of their own interest, choice and competency level, their motivation for learning and reading increases (see 3.3.2). Davis (1995, p.229) offers a useful ER definition from a classroom perspective:
41 An extensive reading programme is a supplementary class library scheme, attached to an English course, in which pupils are given the time, encouragement, and materials to read pleasurably, at their own level, as many books as they can, without the pressures of testing or marks. Thus, pupils are competing only against themselves, and it is up to the teacher to provide the motivation and monitoring to ensure that the maximum number of books is being read in the time available.
Davis stresses the importance of sufficient time and materials, variety of materials, students’ choice of what to be read and reading for pleasure as essential elements of ER implementation in the classroom.
Bamford and Day (2004, p.1) describe ER as an approach to language
education “in which learners read a lot of easy material in the new language. They choose their own reading material ... They read for general, overall meaning, and they read for information and enjoyment.” In the same vein, ER has become a main feature of many EFL/ESL programmes. It has also gained the attention of many language educators and curriculum designers to adopt it and make it an integral part of language education process. ER is an approach to reading pedagogy that aims to encourage students to read more in the target language and enjoy it (Day et al., 2011).
In a more recent definition, Jacobs and Farrell (2012, p.2) clarify that “ER is a simple idea. By reading regularly and in quantity, students learn to read better and come to enjoy reading more”. This definition establishes a widely-held notion, in the field of ER, that students learn to read by reading.
Another way of defining ER is by contrasting it with intensive reading (IR). Not only important to the literature, this contrast is also essential to this study, taking into account the fact that Jordanian EFL students rely intensively on IR, which has created a learning problem, as described in Chapter 1.
ER is frequently contrasted with IR in most of the literature on reading (Grabe, 2009; Day et al., 2011; Jacobs & Farrell, 2012). For example, Bamford and Day (1997, p.1) explain that “intensive reading often refers to the careful reading (or translation) of shorter, more difficult FL texts with the goal of complete and detailed understanding”. ER greatly differs from IR in many ways. In IR, students translate short and difficult texts or passages into their first language. Then, they study the passage for language analysis, usually grammar rules. This approach to language learning surely enriches students’ translation competence and might help them to become good translators but definitely not good readers (Day, 2013). The
42 reading lesson in IR appears to be a language lesson rather than a reading lesson. The second big difference between ER and IR is that students in IR usually read very short and difficult passages, followed by some comprehension questions to check their understanding (Day et al., 2011). Then, they analyse the passage (s) for certain grammatical aspects (e.g., present perfect, question tags or passive voice). A large body of literature draws some significant and critical differences between ER and IR (Day & Bamford, 1998; Grabe, 2009; Day et al., 2011; Jacobs & Farrell, 2012). Table 3.1 compares these two approaches to learning to read.
Table 3.1. A comparison between ER and IR
Extensive Reading (ER) Intensive Reading (IR)
General comprehension 100% comprehension
Read as much as possible Passages are short and reading is limited
Easy texts Difficult texts
Each learner chooses their own reading material
The teacher chooses the reading material
The focus is on fluency, confidence and pleasure
The focus is on word-for-word reading, learning new grammar, vocabulary and translation
No direct teaching of grammar or reading strategies
Direct teaching of grammar and reading strategies
Learners read in and out of class when and wherever they choose to
Learners usually read only in class
Reading is not usually followed by comprehension questions or follow-up activities
Reading is usually followed by
comprehension questions and language activities
Learners either ignore new words or predict meaning out of context
Learners use dictionaries for new words
Teachers, if at all, assess learners through book reports, diaries, book discussions, etc.
Teachers always assess learners through tests, exercises, comprehension
questions, etc.
43 or both in the classroom. The key to a successful reading programme is balance. Too much IR leads to insufficient work on developing a fluent reader. Too much ER can lead to a learner not noticing certain language and too much work focused only on reading skills will lead to insufficient practice of the skill of reading. A lack of adequate work on vocabulary leads to learners who cannot develop their reading fast enough. The balance of these elements for learners at different ability levels must be determined before the programme can take shape (Waring, 2010).
ER, in the early part of this century, took on a special meaning and attention in the context of teaching and learning modern languages (Day & Bamford, 1998). It is defined as an approach to teaching and learning FL/L2 in general and, as a method or style, to teaching and learning FL/L2 reading in particular. However, all these definitions share virtually the same idea; that is, that ER involves reading large quantities of easy materials. ER is reading for pleasure; ER is flooding learners with books and easy reading materials and ER is focusing on the content being read rather than on the language of the text. In addition, the main goal of ER is to establish good reading habits, to develop knowledge of the target language and to foster positive attitudes towards reading (see 3.3).