Should Reading Aloud Be Allowed?: A study of the attitudes of teachers and students of English as a second language related to the role of reading aloud in second language development

Abstract

Reading aloud has been a widespread practice throughout history in many societies, both in everyday life and in education. Research findings about its relationship to reading comprehension are mixed and somewhat ambiguous; and it often generates very negative feelings in students, both in mainstream English classrooms and in second-language classrooms (including English as a Second Language). Oral reading is nonetheless frequently used in many, perhaps most, language classes: to the point where its use has been described as 'ritualistic' (Goodman 1984) and 'a fixture' (Bruder & Biggs 1988). This study was aimed particularly at examining the experiences and attitudes of a group of ESL teachers (n=7) and their teenage and adult students (n=23) with regard to the value of reading aloud in learning ESL. Participants were interviewed and completed a Likert-style survey eliciting their views on a range of reading-aloud issues. Their responses were then correlated with several factors which the literature on second-language development suggests may be significant influences on second-language learning: age, sex, first language, level of education reached in their country of origin, prior study in English length of time in their current course in Australia, the setting of the class, and learning style factors (ascertained with a version of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Kolb Learning Style Inventory or the Willing (1988) AMES survey). Student and teacher responses were also compared and contrasted.