The Effect of Self-Monitored Intensive Reading Aloud Program on the Participants' English Proficiency

Abstract

Self-monitoring is one of metacognitive strategies, through which learners control their own learning. This study examines the effect of intensive reading aloud program encouraging its participants to use the strategy on their English proficiency. Twenty Japanese English-major university students voluntarily join the program in order to achieve a goal of reading five sets of English stories aloud ISO times within one month. During this period the participants record their oral reading twenty times so that they can monitor their own oral performance. Two reading aloud tasks and TOEIC tests conducted before and after the participation are used to measure the students' improvement in English. The analyzed data suggest that significant score gains are shown in both reading and listening parts of TOEIC while no significant progress is observed in oral performance.