Using Supervised Extensive Reading (SER) for Improving English as a Language of Instruction (LoI) and Learning: An Exploratory Study based on Observational Evidence

Abstract

Supervised Extensive Reading (SER) for 180 second language secondary school learners provided extra input in English.The learners read books graduated according to difficulty for two lessons a week.They made mandatory writtenreports on given forms and oral reports to their classmateson what they had read, as they gained confidence in self-expression. This went on for two years. Observationsshowed that there werelanguage in the areas of reading, grammar, writing and vocabulary improvementsand a spill-over into the performance of other subjects. While more studies are needed in the area, these observations show that SER holds promise for foreign and second language learners who use other languages as languages of instruction and learning and for whom the classroom is the main source of input in the target languages.