Extensive Reading vs. Blended Intensive and Extensive Reading for EFL Students at Korean Science and Engineering Universities

Abstract

Studies have investigated the effectiveness of extensive reading (ER) for university students (Anindita, 2020; Park, 2016). There are also studies on the effectiveness of blended intensive reading (IR) and ER for university students (Al-Homoud & Schmitt, 2009; Mart, 2015). However, few studies have done on the efficacy of ER and that of blended reading for science and engineering (SE) university students. This study examines the cases of two Korean SE universities, where at University A, students were taught reading through English novel reading (ER), while at University B, students were taught by reading passages from an EFL textbook and solving related problems and exercises (IR) alongside a homework assignment of reading an English novel (ER). In total, 83 students participated in the study, which lasted a semester of 16 weeks. Both groups were given the same pretest and posttest, and a questionnaire survey was conducted to examine their opinions on different reading approaches. For data analysis, descriptive statistics, the Likert scale, and sentiment analysis were utilized. Results show that students at University B, with the blended approach, attained a higher increase in the scores between the pretest and posttest than those at University A. Moreover, University B students showed more positive attitudes toward both IR and ER than their counterpart at University A. The blended approach appears more effective in developing students’ reading ability than ER only. The presentation will offer an opportunity to share challenges in developing effective reading approaches for SE students and university students in general.