Read to learn English
In her letter (Aug. 20, page 8), Lee Sy-ying of the Department of Foreign Languages and Applied Linguistics, National Taipei University shared her research results. She reported that the amount of recreational reading students did was a significant predictor of their writing competence in English as a foreign language (EFL), but the amount of formal study they did was not related to how well students wrote.
My purpose in writing this letter is to share some interesting news: What is true for university students of English in Taiwan is also true for university students of English in Japan. I have conducted a series of studies over the last decade, comparing English language competence of students who participate in extensive reading classes with those who follow the traditional curriculum; in every case, the readers did better. They did better on tests of reading, of writing and grammar. And they enjoyed the classes a lot more than traditionally-taught students did.
In my recently completed doctoral dissertation I confirmed that adding extra writing in English, with or without error correction, made no extra contribution to English proficiency: It is the reading that counts.
The Taipei Times has reported that Taiwan is considering making English an official second language. Including extensive reading in the curriculum, and making sure EFL students have access to interesting reading in English are, in my opinion, the best ways to make sure all students have a chance to become proficient.
Lee is on the right track.
Beniko Mason
Osaka, Japan
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