English as a foreign language reading fluency analysis: a pilot study

• Main Author: Mohd Muzhafar Idrus
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: OCERINT International 2016
• Subjects: Fluency; EFL foreign language; Reading; EFL foreign language, reading, miscue analysis
• Online Access: http://ddms.usim.edu.my:80/jspui/handle/123456789/12837
• Institution: Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia

Within the context of reading in English, fluency plays an important role with regards to readers‟ reading comprehension performance. Deficit in reading fluency may affect the efficiency of phonological processing, which in turn affects reading comprehension performance. Within the realm of English as foreign language (EFL) reading, the role of reading fluency is of similar importance. Considering the significance of reading fluency within the context of EFL reading comprehension performance, the current pilot study attempted to analyze reading fluency performance in a non-rich target language environment for the purpose of informing EFL reading comprehension instruction with regards to reading fluency. The participant was a middle school aged, EFL reader who received EFL reading comprehension instruction for the period of seven years at the time the study was conducted but had never received phonics instruction. The data in this study were acquired within the period of two months. The data collection was spread within the period of two months in order to acquire standardized performance and to avoid contamination. Two reading fluency diagnosis instruments were used to evaluate the participant‟s fluency: Fluency rate per minute for grade-level and non- grade level texts and miscue analysis. The texts used in this study were the ones provided in Leslie and Caldwell‟s Qualitative Reading Inventory IV. The findings show that although the participant in this study had never received any phonics instruction, he was not able to read at the grade-level and above grade-level fluency rates. The findings from the miscue analysis show that the participant was not able to meet the required grade-level accuracy. The findings are discussed within the realm of reading instruction in the foreign language reading context and with regards to their implications in EFL reading comprehension instruction.