Effects of Extensive Reading on Thai EFL Students’ Reading Comprehension and Reading Motivation

Abstract

This research aimed to examine reading comprehension improvement and reading motivation enhancement after exposure to extensive reading for six weeks during the academic year 2022. The participants were 30 Thai EFL students at a secondary education level. The research instruments consisted of a reading report and the questionnaire of motivation of reading. A reading report was analyzed by using the reading comprehension rubric, descriptive statistics, and the SPSS program. Moreover, the four-point Likert scale questionnaire of motivation of reading as the pretest and posttest was administered to collect the quantitative data and the data were analyzed by using descriptive and correlation statistics through SPSS. The results revealed that extensive reading positively affected participants' reading comprehension over time. The results showed a significant improvement from the first to the last week of the study: from a moderate to a high level. Additionally, the results of reading motivation questionnaires found that ER positively affected participants' reading motivation, specifically increasing their reading involvement, recognition of reading, reading for grades, and compliance while remaining the level of their dislike of reading, without negatively impacting other aspects of their reading motivation. These findings also offered several significant implications. Other valuable recommendations for future studies and the limitations of this study were also discussed.

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