The effects of chunk reading strategy training on the word chunking skills of L1-Japanese English learners

Abstract

The Chunk-and-Pass model posits that language acquisition involves learning to effectively chunk linguistic input, thereby recoding it into larger linguistic sequences, such as from words to phrases, to form more abstract representations. This quasi-experimental study investigates the impact of Chunk Reading Strategy Training (CRST) on enhancing the word chunking skills of low-proficiency Japanese English learners. In the CRST intervention, English sentences were segmented into smaller units—each grammatically and semantically meaningful—and presented on a computer screen one chunk at a time. Using a pre-posttest design, 29 Japanese secondary school students underwent the CRST intervention (treatment group), while 21 students received block-format reading training (control group) in 10 sessions of 15–20 min each. Results from a self-paced reading task showed that the treatment group significantly improved their word chunking skills in the posttest, whereas the control group did not. These findings suggest that CRST has the potential to enhance word chunking skills among Japanese English learners and shed light on the pedagogical implications of the Chunk-and-Pass model.