Timed Reading Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Reading rate, usually measured in words per minute, is a common operationalization of reading fluency in second language (L2) research and pedagogy. However, the impact of word length is often not addressed. This paper presents two... more

Reading rate, usually measured in words per minute, is a common operationalization of reading fluency in second language (L2) research and pedagogy. However, the impact of word length is often not addressed. This paper presents two studies showing how the number of characters in a text influences L2 reading time, independent of word counts, within classroom-based activities for Japanese university English as a Foreign Language students. In Study 1, students (N = 160) read two sets of graded texts manipulated to differ only in the total number of characters. The texts with more characters required significantly more time to read, with a small effect size. In Study 2, the average reading times for students (N = 27) throughout a semester-long timed reading course were strongly associated with text length as measured in characters, controlling for differences in word counts. Together these studies support the inclusion of character-based counting units when measuring L2 reading rate or reading amount.

This paper introduces the standard word unit, which consists of six letter spaces including punctuation and spacing (Carver, 1990), and provides preliminary evidence of the importance of the standard word unit to accurate reading... more

This paper introduces the standard word unit, which consists of six letter spaces including punctuation and spacing (Carver, 1990), and provides preliminary evidence of the importance of the standard word unit to accurate reading measurement. This paper will illustrate the degree to which measuring the amount students have read using standard words is more precise than using the number of books, pages, or words, all of which vary widely depending on the book level, publisher, or type. The precision provided by standard words increases the measurement consistency of reading amount, allowing for a more accurate analysis of results within and across studies. Along with discussing the evidence from past research, this study aims to demonstrate the degree to which texts from various sample sets can vary according to the standard word unit compared with a simple word count.

This study utilized a quasi-experimental research design to determine students’ gains in reading fluency while maintaining a reasonable level of reading comprehension when reading texts of different lengths over a period of 10 weeks.... more

This study utilized a quasi-experimental research design to determine students’ gains in reading fluency while maintaining a reasonable level of reading comprehension when reading texts of different lengths over a period of 10 weeks. Analysis of the results revealed that Treatment Group 1 (n = 61), who used 400-word texts, improved their reading fluency by an average of 37.9 wpm (33.4%) and Treatment Group 2 (n = 53), who read 200-word texts, increased by an average of 14.9 wpm (13.3%). Further- more, Treatment Group 1 saw a gain in comprehension of an average of 11.4%, whereas Treatment Group 2 saw a gain of 11.3%, and the control group (n = 36) showed an average of 5.7 wpm (5.8%) change in reading fluency with an average drop in reading comprehension by 1.9%. The results of this study suggest that text length has an influence on L2 reading fluency for intermediate EFL students.