The Impact of Extensive Reading on Thai Primary School Children’s Vocabulary Knowledge
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Abstract
The present study aimed to investigates the impact of extensive reading (ER) in Thai primary school EFL students’ vocabulary knowledge and students’ attitudes towards extensive reading(ER). The participants were twenty primary school learners, aged between 10-12 years old, at an opportunity extended school in the Northeastern part of Thailand. They were selected using voluntary participation. The students’ native language was Thai, and they had approximately three hours of English language a week. Moreover, none of the students had previously studied English with native English teachers. The research instruments consisted of the Vocabulary Knowledge Scale (VKS) test, a reading attitude questionnaire and reading report. All participants were requested to read ten graded readers during a ten-week reading program. The quantitative data were analyzed using means, standard deviation and percentage, while the qualitative data were coded into themes based on ER principles.
The results showed that participants’ receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge improved after the 10-week implementation of ER and Primary school participants’ attitudes toward ER (graded readers) were also positively increased. Overall, the current findings reveal the benefits of ER for vocabulary growth and attitudes toward reading. Other implications in light of pedagogical and methodological practice are also discussed.
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