This study explores challenges and effective approaches in moving from graded readers up to ungraded novels. A case study will be reported about university students in Japan who experienced two years of extensive reading with graded readers. The effects of their previous ER experience and effective strategies will be explored.
One of the important missions for extensive reading instruction should be to nurture L2 readers who will eventually become lifelong readers, through preparing learners for unsimplified texts. Without such vision of post-ER, the goal for an institutional ER program can be marginalized as just a requirement for grades. However, Nation (2018) pointed out the challenges and the lack of effects of having L2 readers read a whole book. The gap between graded readers and unsimplified books seems too large for those who have done reading with 4000 word family level to obtain 98% coverage of the running words for independent reading in unsimplified texts, whose vocabulary level is 8000-9000 word family. However, there are some promising results which suggest possible ways for transition from graded readers to ungraded novels (McQuillan, 2016; Uden, Schmitt, & Schmitt, 2014; Tse, 1996). Taking an ethnographic approach, this study attempted to explore some effects and challenges L2 readers experience in proceeding from controlled vocabulary materials to more challenging texts, such as ungraded novels, and explore desirable materials and effective strategies for the transition. In order to identify how they go about reading more challenging texts, and the challenges they face in the post-extensive independent reading program, the study followed a small group of English major students in a Japanese university, utilizing questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Other data from the reading log reflecting their progress, motivation, wordcounts, reading ease, and the density of unknown words in addition to their previous learning experiences (two years’ extensive reading), were analyzed. The results showed previous ER experience and book selection strategies influence whether they can successfully make a smooth transition to more challenging books. Pedagogical implications such as desirable materials and effective strategies, and possible pitfalls of the institutional self-reading program will be discussed.
