Recent theory and research on teaching reading in a foreign language has often been divided into two different approaches, namely intensive reading and extensive reading (Hedgcock and Ferris 2009, Nation 2008, Urquhart and Weir 1998). Since this distinction between the two approaches is mainly a pedagogical one, as argued by Urquhart and Weir (1998: 216), and both of these approaches can be used with works of fiction, they will be discussed here in the context of reading and teaching fiction in foreign language, instead of the context of reading skills.
While intensive reading focuses on the close analysis of shorter texts, extensive reading focuses on the general meaning of a text that is usually longer (Hedgcock and Ferris 2009).
Even though many sources clearly distinguish these approaches from each other and treat them separately, a case can be made for the usefulness of the simultaneous use of both approaches when working with the same text, and it is our intention to utilize both intensive and extensive reading in the context of a course where the students read a novel. First, however, a closer look at both approaches needs to be taken.
Intensive reading lessons consist of texts carefully selected by the teacher, all students reading the same text and completing the same exercises, the teacher focusing on specific linguistic features and content aspects of the text and various useful reading strategies introduced by the teacher (Hedgcock and Ferris 2009: 161). As the name suggest, the intense analysis of a text is integral to this approach. The importance of reading strategies, already discussed in a previous chapter, is often noted in descriptions of intensive reading instruction. Nation (2009: 25) states that intensive reading can increase learners’ awareness of language features and reading strategies, and also improve their comprehension skills.
According to Hedgcock and Ferris (2009: 92), text selection is a particularly crucial part of any intensive reading lesson. As the intention of intensive reading is to take a close look at the text, it is crucial that the teacher selects a text which is suitable and not overly difficult for their students in terms of vocabulary, grammar and context. Choosing a suitable text is also one of the main concerns when teaching fiction in a foreign language classroom, a concern which will be discussed later in this chapter. While the texts often selected for intensive reading instruction, such as news articles, can be described as non-fiction, Hedgcock and Ferris (2009: 261) also argue that the majority of the features of intensive reading “can and should apply to the presentation of literary texts”. For example, short stories often have the length and detail necessary for intensive reading. Longer works of fiction, such as novels, might be included in intensive reading instruction in the form of short excerpts.
Hedgcock and Ferris (2009: 162) point out that an intensive reading lesson is often conceived of in terms of what the students are required to do before, during and after
reading. Not only does this provide a clear basic structure for designing intensive reading lessons, but these three phases also clearly correspond to the commonly accepted three principal phases for task-based lesson design, namely pre-task, during task and post-task (Ellis 2003). Hedgcock and Ferris (2009: 163) emphasise the importance of pre-reading activities since they can build the student’s motivation and interest, and also give the teacher the opportunity to introduce reading strategies that can be very useful for the students in later stages. Devoting time for the introduction of reading strategies, while possibly time-consuming, is something from which the students will certainly benefit later.
Nation (2008: 27) agrees that intensive reading lessons present the opportunity for developing useful reading strategies, such as guessing from context, using a dictionary, simplifying difficult sentences and taking notes. Many of these strategies can and should be used when reading a work of fiction, as discussed in the previous chapter on reading strategies.
Extensive reading is often defined also as voluntary reading and reading for own enjoyment. While Hedgcock and Ferris (2009: 206) acknowledge that these aspects may not always be a practical part of classroom teaching, extensive reading is, according to them, always “reading for quantity and for general meaning”. Nation (2008: 50) argues that because most of the learning that occurs during extensive reading is incidental and the main focus is on the story being read, the results of learning may be limited and it is thus vital to
“have quantity of input with substantial opportunities for vocabulary repetition”. Since extensive reading does not include the same sort of focus on detail as intensive reading, the repetition of language items in a longer text read in extensive reading lesson ensures the learning of these language items.
Some of the benefits of extensive reading include improving comprehension skills, enhancing background knowledge, building up vocabulary and grammar knowledge, and also promoting confidence and motivation of the learners (Hedgcock and Ferris 2009: 210-217). It is clear that extensive reading is particularly suited for teaching works of fiction, as they are longer pieces of text that are mainly read for own enjoyment and which have the advantage of a story and characters that can help maintain the interest and motivation of the
reader. It is also likely that managing to read a whole novel in a foreign language will boost the confidence of language learners, particularly those who may have struggled with the amount of reading required.
According to Hedgcock and Ferris (2009: 161), intensive reading is the more widely used approach in foreign language reading instruction and even though extensive reading is invariably considered not only beneficial but also necessary for language learning, it is definitely underused and largely ignored in foreign language teaching (Hedgcock and Ferris 2009: 208). Urquhart and Weir (1998: 216) also argue that intensive reading is seen solely as a classroom activity whereas extensive reading is perceived mostly as reading done outside the classroom, in spare time and often for pleasure. However, it can be argued that reading for pleasure is something that should be encouraged in teaching as well, particularly since many students may feel intimidated by longer texts and struggle with an extensive approach to reading where they do not need to understand every single detail in order to understand the text. Grabe and Stoller (2002: 90) argue that extensive reading alone is not enough to develop fluent reading skills, but without extensive reading those abilities cannot be fully developed. Why then has the use of extensive reading methods been so limited? According to Hedgcock and Ferris (2009: 209-210), part of the reason is that even though foreign language teachers might be aware of the many benefits of an extensive reading program, they often lack the necessary skills for planning and organising such a syllabus. Thus there is clearly a need for course material that includes extensive reading. Also a wider use of extensive reading methods in foreign language teaching may well encourage more teachers to use them. The importance of extensive reading is acknowledged also by those who argue for a balance between the two approaches (Hedgcock and Ferris 2009: 210).
As there are clear merits to both intensive and extensive reading approaches we will utilize both methods in the material package. Clearly some of the reading purposes outlined earlier are better suited for intensive reading instruction, while extensive reading instruction mostly utilizes reading for general comprehension. Also, the use of a novel as the main reading material in our material package justifies the use of both approaches to reading
instruction. While extensive reading is better suited for a novel as a whole, intensive reading can be utilized when working with short excerpts from the novel and other short pieces of text included in our material.