The purpose of this paper is to show the effects an extensive reading activity had in assisting students in a self-paced learning, large class-size English environment. As the student body was diverse, encompassing varying levels of ability, learning styles, interests and proficiency, it is essential that teachers pay attention to these differences and adapt the materials to each learner's individual differences. However, it is difficult for a teacher to satisfy all of their individual students' learning requirements, particularly in large-sized classes. In order to help bridge this gap, the author introduced an extensive reading activity in a large sized English reading class in order to improve the student's self-paced learning.
The effect of the extensive reading activity was assessed by analysing the change in students' reading speed. This was done by assessing any improvement in students' reading ability when measured by how many words were read per minute (WPM). This was accompanied by a questionnaire which asked students to provide feedback indicating positive aspects of the reading activity as well as any areas that could be improved on.
The results of the WPM analysis showed that students' reading speed did increase between the beginning and the end of the semester. The results of the questionnaire also showed that students had generally positive attitudes towards the reading activity. However, the questionnaire also indicated that some students struggled to keep their concentration whilst completing the reading activities. This is clearly an area for further improvement.