Targeting the development of lower-proficiency (CEFR A2) English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ silent reading rates, this presentation reports on a quasi-experimental study of 56 learners at a private Japanese University. The semester-long treatment saw students engage in extensive reading, and practice timed reading and repeated oral reading during class time. Students sat reading rate and TOEIC® tests at the pre- and post-training stages to measure (a) changes in silent reading rate, and (b) changes to students’ overall reading proficiency. An analysis of these scores indicated (a) the program significantly elevated participants’ reading fluency, (b) that larger gains in reading fluency correlated with higher extensive reading word-counts, and (c) fluency gains transferred to a standardized reading assessment, the TOEIC® listening and reading test. This talk ought to be of interest to all foreign language teachers concerned with developing their students’ reading proficiency.
