本研究旨在探討自主閱讀對高中學生閱讀理解、字彙量及閱讀動機之影響。研究對象為北台灣兩所高中三個班級的高一學生，共有六十位學生分為實驗組及對照組接受為期十週的自主閱讀計畫。當中實驗組的三十位同學每節英文課的前十分鐘進行自主閱讀課程，每節英文課有五十分鐘，一週有五節英文課；對照組則接受傳統英文課程。本研究的測量工具分別為劍橋國際英語認證分級測驗（the KET）、Paul Nation的字彙量測驗、閱讀動機問卷以及教師訪談學生之紀錄。研究結果顯示，實驗組及對照組在參與自主閱讀計畫之後，實驗組的閱讀理解前後測進步平均值.57分大於對照組.33分（測驗總分35分），然而兩組的表現上並無顯著進步。此外，從字彙量測驗結果可看出，兩組皆有顯著進步，顯示字彙量增加可能受其他因素影響，例如在一般英文授課中所強化的字彙能力。實驗組學生的閱讀動機部份，在前後測的整體量化結果並未顯示顯著差異，然而在問卷中第二類別「對英文閱讀的態度」的第一、十五、十八、二十題，以及第三類別「社會文化環境」的第二十九題中呈現前後測的顯著差異。質性的學生面談結果分析則反映出大致上學生對此計畫持正面態度，並且因此強化了學生於課中及課後對於「樂趣閱讀」的感知與認同。本研究建議高中英文教師採用自主閱讀來引導及協助同學在英文閱讀中得到樂趣，並期望本研究對高中英文教師的教學上有所助益。

關鍵詞：自主閱讀、字彙量、閱讀動機

This study aimed to investigate the effects of free voluntary reading (FVR) on EFL high school students’ reading comprehension, vocabulary size and reading motivation. To address the issue, three research questions were proposed, including (1) Do high school students show a marked improvement in their English reading proficiency after the introduction of FVR to their curriculum? (2) Do high school students demonstrate a larger vocabulary size after the introduction of FVR to their curriculum? (3) Do high school students show a marked improvement in their English reading motivation after the introduction of FVR to their curriculum? Sixty tenth graders from three classes in two senior high schools located in northern Taiwan participated in the experiment. The researcher carefully selected those sixty members and divided them into the experimental group and the control group. Levene’s test confirmed the legitimacy with the pretest scores of the reading comprehension test (the KET) and the vocabulary size test in both groups. A ten-week FVR program was incorporated for the experimental group in the fall semester of 2017. The participants in the experimental group received ten-minute FVR treatment at the beginning of each English class. Each class was fifty minutes long, five times per week. The control group, on the other hand, devoted the whole class period to regular English learning.
The results of the pre- and post-tests of the reading comprehension tests demonstrated that the linguistic competence of the two groups showed no significant improvement, as measured by the KET. However, both the experimental group and the control group made significant improvements on their vocabulary size tests, implying other factors contributing to the success in both groups, for instance, the practice involved and textbook instructions during their regular class time. The overall motivation questionnaire results showed no significant effect of FVR, yet in this study, items 1, 15, 18, 20 and 29 in either Category 2 or Category 3 demonstrated significant improvements: “I like to read English materials after class,” “I think English reading will help me understand foreign cultures,” “I like my teacher to provide outside reading in addition to the regular English course materials,” “I have had good experiences learning English,” and “ I think I do more reading than most of my English class classmates.” Interview data also confirmed that the class experience raised learners’ awareness of the importance of reading for pleasure both in and out of the classroom. Based on the study results, it is advisable for high school teachers to apply free voluntary reading in teaching to help and guide them to the path of reading enjoyment. Finally, it is hoped that the study results could support EFL teachers in high school by providing insights into free voluntary reading.

Key words: free voluntary reading, vocabulary size, reading motivation

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