Training Saudi English Majors in extensive reading to develop their standard-based reading skills

Abstract

Saudi English majors’ level in reading achievement has been reported to be of low quality. Lack of extensive reading materials at the secondary stage is assumed to be one reason behind this low level. As a remedial treatment, the study proposes an extensive reading program composed of 90 simplified supplementary materials (each student should finish at least 10 of these by the end of the program). A list of performance standards in reading is developed and a standard-based test in reading is administered to measure the effectiveness of the proposed program in extensive reading. Students (n = 100) were treated as a control and an experimental group, both registered at the reading course in Taibah University. The control group studied the normal reading course without submission to any experimental treatment, while the experimental group was treated by the proposed program. Results showed that reading extensively (mostly fiction) had a positive effect on students’ skills in other nonfiction readings. Students’ scores after the experimentation reflected their motivation for reading and raised their performance toward meeting the set reading standards.