Preparing Students for Post Covid-19 Transnational Study with Unassisted Repeated Reading and Extensive Reading Materials

Abstract

As Covid-19 restrictions promise to loosen and international borders begin to open, transnational students are again preparing for language education abroad. However, due to students’ low reading rates (RRs), target institutions’ courses’ large reading demands pose potential challenges to students’ success. To address this, this study explored the potential of employing an unassisted repeated reading procedure (rate build-up, RBU) to increase prospective transnational students’ RRs. The study investigated the RBU procedure’s potential with this population by comparing the procedure’s effects on traditional degree-seeking learners’ RRs in a Taiwanese university setting and those of potential transnationals targeted for studies in a similar setting. Assessing each group’s pre and post-reading gains using inferential statistics, significant reading gains and large Cohen d effect sizes were found for both groups, indicating the generalizability of this procedure. It was further found that students with higher starting RRs demonstrated greater gains. Limitations and suggestions for further research are also addressed.