Speaker
Abstract section 1: Relevance
For many years, extensive reading (ER) teachers in second language contexts have built programs and support systems that both foster reading engagement and which seek measurable outcomes language learning and/or student satisfaction (Strong, 2024; Zhang et al., 2025; Elam et al., 2025). However, there has been less attention given to the instructional processes teachers use, and how these connect to the strategies through which successful learners become avid readers. This gap can create significant mismatches between ER instructional practices and learners’ needs, which in turn weakens the impact of many ER classes and programs.
Abstract section 2: Contribution/research questions
This presentation reports on a JSPS-funded Grounded Theory study of Extensive Reading “Avidization.” It addresses three questions: (1) What social processes and strategies characterize students who become avid readers in ER, and how do these differ from those who do not? (2) What instructional processes and strategies do ER teachers commonly use, and under what conditions do they adapt them? (3) Where can teacher strategies often align with, or unintentionally subvert, student avidization processes?
Abstract section 3: Content/method
This project used a Critical Grounded Theory (Hadley, 2025) analysis of coded interviews with 42 university students, 15 ER university teachers, and 7 avid readers outside formal education, plus an analysis of 31 recorded ER conference presentations. Using constant comparison, analysis involved moving from open coding to focused coding and category development. This was further underpinned by iterative theoretical memoing throughout theory construction, which refined relationships among conditions, actions, and outcomes.
Abstract section 4: Outcomes/results
Results found that ER “avidization” is shaped by learners’ first-language reading histories. Most avid L2 readers were already avid L1 readers who transferred their pre-established reading identities and habits. Successful learners followed two main trajectories: "Bookmining" (extracting language from graded readers for language acquisition) and "Storyhunting" (reading for immersion in a “bookworld”). Less successful learners often relied on "Datagrinding" strategies—minimal-compliance routines and unsanctioned shortcuts. Teacher data indicated a focus on building programs (book stocks, tracking, assessment/surveillance systems). Many teachers were not avid readers themselves and often misjudged how their systems either supported or short-circuited learner reading processes.
Abstract section 5: References
Elam, J. R., Thomas, D., & Grimes-MacLellan, D. (2025). Online extensive reading: Japanese EFL university students’ attitudes, perceptions, and outcomes. Reading in a Foreign Language, 37(1): 1–27. https://doi.org/10.64152/10125/67506
Hadley, G. (2025). Grounded Theory in Applied Linguistics Research: A Practical Guide (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003501978
Strong, B. (2024). Word by word: Investigating L2 vocabulary acquisition through extensive reading. Reading Matrix: An International Online Journal, 24(2), 38–54. https://www.readingmatrix.com/files/33-4nwfo23q.pdf
Zhang, Y., Hashim, H. ., Sulaiman, N. A. ., & Karim, A. A. . (2025). Enhancing EFL Students’ Reading Competence through a Community of Inquiry-Based Mobile-Assisted Extensive Reading Approach. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 24(8), 517–540. Retrieved from https://www.ijlter.net/index.php/ijlter/article/view/2453
| Title | Aligning ER Teaching with Successful Learner Strategies |
|---|---|
| Teaching Context | College and university education |