Extensive reading: Top ten implementation issues

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to explore some of the main concerns that teachers might have about Extensive Reading (ER), which can range from teachers being concerned about the amount of time that ER may eat into the already crowded curriculum, lack of knowledge about ER, low student motivation to lack of resources or support from school leaders and administrators. We discuss each of the 10 concerns and offer suggestions on how teachers’ concerns about ER can be alleviated. We argue that unless we adequately address these concerns, the adoption rate of ER in schools may continue to be small. Even if it is adopted, the implementation may fall far below expectations, thus yielding minimal or no language learning benefits.