The Effects of a Short-Term Extensive Reading Course in Spanish

Abstract

The study investigates the effects of a seven-week extensive reading course in college-level Spanish. A stand-alone course in extensive reading was offered as an elective for students at the intermediate through low-advanced levels of Spanish. Subjects completed two pre- and post-course tests of Spanish proficiency, a questionnaire about their attitudes toward reading and their motivation to read in Spanish, and they wrote weekly reflections about their reading. Study participants improved significantly on one of the two measures of Spanish proficiency. Results also showed an overall increase in intrinsic motivation, and a decrease in extrinsic motivation to read in Spanish. Subjects also reported significantly less use of a dictionary at the end of the course. Students’ weekly reflections complemented the quantitative results and revealed highly favorable reactions to extensive reading.