Investigating reading fluency and comprehension in two English courses

Fluent reading is thought to be essential for developing efficient reading and comprehension abilities. Studies on reading fluency indicate that it can be developed through various means such as extensive reading, repeated readings and timed readings. This article reports on an investigation of the reading rate gains of Shimane University freshman in two classes during a one-semester general English course. One class did timed reading practice (Class A, N =17) and the other class did timed writing practice (Class B, N = 15). Class A achieved higher reading rate gains (14.4 standard wpm) than Class B (7.64 standard wpm), without a decrease in comprehension. These results inform pedagogy as well as give us a reference point to evaluate the effects of timed reading and writing practice on reading fluency development in this particular setting.