Reading approaches in Japan and other EFL settings have typically focused on accuracy at the expense of fluency. However, reading rate and fluency are important components of reading that are currently being neglected. A review of the literature reveals growing interest in investigating the effectiveness of reading rate and fluency enhancement…

Fluency development instruction lacks in reading in Japanese as a foreign language instruction. This study examined how 34 upper-intermediate level learners of Japanese responded when they first experienced pleasure reading and speed reading. The participants also engaged in intensive reading, the main component of which was translation. Survey…

Fluent reading is essential for successful comprehension. One dimension of reading fluency is reading rate, or reading speed. Because of the importance of reading fluency, fluency development activities should be incorporated into classroom practice. One activity that meets the fluency development conditions proposed by Nation (2007) is speed…

Eye fixation is a frequent problem that faces foreign language learners and hinders the flow of their reading comprehension. Although students are usually advised to read fast/skim to overcome this problem, eye fixation persists. The present study investigates the effect of using a paper-based program as compared to a computer-based software in…

This study aimed to investigate whether pedagogically guided web-based reading can improve skimming and scanning significantly (i.e., increased productive outcomes) and whether it can enhance student participation and motivation (i.e., increased affective outcomes). Forty-six students enrolled in two German 3 classes at the high school level were…

Describes the present emphasis on improvement of reading rates and discusses seven controversial issues in speed reading. Includes a pro-reaction and a con-reaction paper. Bibliography. (WB)

Describes how to adapt a film study technique (Richard Lacey's image sound skim) to literary study (the image or scene skim) to develop students' skill in perceptive reading. (DD)

As students move through the grades, the demands of comprehending increasingly complex text increase, and some students begin to struggle. What are the differences between skilled and struggling readers? How can educators teach students to become more proficient readers? This Teaching Tip describes research into middle-level students' reading…

The rationale and techniques for developing skimming and scanning skills with college students are discussed, and it is noted that perfecting these skills involves changing some basic attitudes towards reading such as the ideas that one needs to read every word and that increasing speed decreases comprehension. Lengthy passages in regular college…

Speed reading is an issue of how fast a person can comprehend rather than how fast he can read. Research and experience have shown that speed reading can be taught and that the need for the skill is tremendous. The first challenge of the 70's is to enlighten school administrators and parents to the important need of teaching speed reading skills.…

How successful are speed reading courses for adults? Author, who teaches speed reading and improvement of reading comprehension, backs up his assertion of their effectiveness with test result tables showing businessmen in particular benefit from such training. (PD)

A speed reading technique is described for use with reluctant readers. The technique uses timed probes with practically any reading material, to heighten student motivation in addition to increasing fluency. Methods for self-recording progress data and strategies for building fluency are described. (JDD)

A BASIC (Behaviour, Attitudes, Skills, Intentions and Contexts) approach which teaches verbal and non-verbal skills is applied to training managers and employers in reading efficiency. (BP)

Suggests ideas for using content area texts, newspapers, magazines, and phone books to teach skimming and scanning. (MKM)