Learning English reading in a mobile-assisted extensive reading program

Previous studies on Extensive Reading Programs (ERPs) have reached positive conclusions, namely, that an ERP for language learners is effective in improving their linguistic abilities related to reading and promoting their motivation and attitudes toward reading. Current mobile devices, even though suitable for reading, have not yet been applied to develop language learners' linguistic proficiency and affective abilities in any ERP. The aim of the present study was to address this gap in literature by investigating the effects of using mobile tablet PCs in an online ERP on adolescent English learners' online activities, reading ability and users' perceptions. Two intact classes taught by a same English teacher in a senior high school in Taiwan were recruited to participate in a ten-week online ERP. One class was assigned to the mobile group reading their assignments on their tablet PCs and the other, the PC group, reading theirs on desktop PCs. During the online ERP, each class dedicated one class period every week for in-class reading and the participants in both classes were encouraged to read as many as possible after the class period. The results favored the mobile group who not only outperformed the PC group in online activities and reading achievement but also showed greater appreciation of the online ERP than their PC counterparts. The study also proposed two directions for future studies on mobile-assisted reading. They included learners' studying textbooks and their reading strategies on mobile devices.