Researching the effects of reading for pleasure in English on adult esl learners' acquisition of English

Many experts in the field of second language acquisition believe that reading for pleasure in a second language facilitates learning of that language, that it may be even more valuable to the learner than direct instruction. Little empirical evidence exits, however, to imply the effectiveness of pleasure reading for adult second language learners. This study was conducted as a first step in searching for such evidence. A web survey was designed and run with 70 English as a Second Language learners, international graduate students at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, to identify all their English language learning activities (including three pleasure reading activities) and the amount they had engaged in each. The amount they had engaged in each activity was then correlated to proficiency, and the correlations compared. For the EFL period, the correlations of the three pleasure reading activities were weaker than or comparable to the correlations of most other communicative activities, but stronger than the correlations of almost all form-based activities. For the ESL period, correlations for the three PR activities were stronger than those for almost all other activities, either communicative or form-based.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Teaching English as an International Language

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2003

Author dc:creator

• Maclin, Margorie J.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Davidson, Fred

• Teaching English as Second Language
• Reading Language Learning Activities
• Proficiency Correlations

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright by Margorie J. Maclin, 2003

Language dc:language

eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/125904

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/125904