ABSTRACT

Audio-assisted Repeated Reading (RR) is a method which scaffolds L2 readers to build fluency. This study focused on 27 U.S. college-level learners of Japanese comprising three ability groups from mid-beginner to low-intermediate. It aimed to explore whether a modest semester-long RR program facilitates learners’ fluency growth, and see how the learners perceive the method itself using a questionnaire. We found beneficial effects of audio-supported RR in terms of reading rate growth while learners maintained good comprehension. The study showed a significant practice effect, in which learners increased their reading rates while re-reading the same passage. Further, learners in one of the three groups read significantly faster with a new, unpracticed passages representing transfer of the practice effect. Additionally, questionnaire responses demonstrated that learners perceived beneficial effects from RR. Finally, we make a proposal on measuring learners’ reading comprehension in fluency intervention programs such as RR. We proposed that measurement of learners’ reading comprehension have two different purposes, pedagogical purposes and research purposes. Thus the reading comprehension measures would have different designs and cut scores.

摘要

音频辅助重复阅读 (RR) 是一种帮助 L2 阅读者建立流畅性的方法。这项研究的重点是 27 名美国大学水平的日语学习者，他们包括三个能力组，从初级到中级。它旨在探讨适度的为期一学期的 RR 计划是否有助于学习者的流利度提高，并通过问卷调查了解学习者如何看待该方法本身。我们发现音频支持的 RR 在阅读率增长方面的有益效果，同时学习者保持良好的理解力。该研究显示出显着的练习效果，学习者在重新阅读同一段落的同时提高了阅读率。此外，三组中的一组学习者阅读代表练习效果转移的新的、未练习的段落明显更快。此外，问卷答复表明，学习者从 RR 中感受到了有益的影响。最后，我们提出了在 RR 等流畅性干预项目中衡量学习者阅读理解能力的建议。我们提出测量学习者的阅读理解有两个不同的目的，教学目的和研究目的。因此，阅读理解测量将有不同的设计和分数。