This research proposal aims to study the effects of three different English reading instruction methods (Sustained Silent Reading, Shared Reading, and General Reading Instruction) on the English language acquisition of Thai students in grades 1-3, as measured by standardized tests. 420 students across three grades and three treatment groups will be pre-tested and tested at regular intervals over one year. The researcher hypothesizes that Sustained Silent Reading and Shared Reading will lead to greater improvements in English proficiency than General Reading Instruction, based on prior studies. Precise methodology and procedures are outlined to train teachers, administer treatments, and analyze results.

1. Research Proposal
Purpose:
Research proposal as partial fulfillment
of graduate study.
For: Ajarn Ra Shane
By: David Bakewell
Student number: 568 34687 27

2. Title:
A one year study to determine whether Sustained
Silent Reading, Shared Reading or General Reading
Instruction (traditional teaching methods) would
be a better choice for English language acquisition,
as measured by internationally accepted
standardized testing of 4 skills (reading, writing,
speaking, listening), amongst 1st , 2nd and 3nd
grade (Prathom 1,2,3) Thai students who are
enrolled in a bilingual English/Thai program in
Thailand.

3. Background and significance of the study:

4. Background and significance of the study:
• In his paper, “Lifting Literacy Levels in Developing Countries” (Elley,
1996) it says, “In thousands of schools around the world, pupils are
required to learn in a language different from that of their homes.
• For such children, the usual problems of lack of resources and lack
of competent teachers are compounded by a lack of exposure to
the target language.”
• Within Thai schools a number of methods of EFL instruction are
carried out with varying levels of success.
• They range from the more traditional “Audio Lingual” / “listen and
repeat” methods often found in many government schools through
a more traditional cognitive approach, often involving the learner's
first language, commonly found in MEPs (Modified English
Programs), IEPs (Intensive English Programs) or sometimes found in
various Bilingual Programs.

5. • In Thai schools there are a number of factors that affect
English language acquisition.
– These range from a general apathy amongst administrators (Hallinger
et al., 2000)
– to poorly trained teachers, “The training of staff at all levels is often
not adequate. Where there is training it often tends to be fragmented,
uncoordinated and inadequate.” (UNESCO, 2012)
• It is suggested in her study that English language teaching
staff often lack specific education and training in
second/foreign language teaching (Pimpom Chandee, 2000).
• Budget issues also come into play with Thailand spending
approximately 29% of its annual budget on education (World
Bank 2011) - ~460 Billion Baht (Thai MOE, 2012).

6. Two methods of language acquisition that are
often favored by some of the more prominent
language acquisition researchers: Stephen
Krashen, Warwick Elley, R.A. McCracken, and
others are:
1. “Sustained Silent Reading” (SSR)
• Also known as “Free Reading” or “Voluntary Reading”
2. “Shared Reading” (SR)
• also known as “Big Books”.

7. • The reason for my interest in the 3 approaches
• SSR (sustained silent reading)
• SR, (shared reading)
• GRI (general reading instruction – what they do now)
to ELT is to try to find some way to address:
• the issues of poor levels of training for teachers
• in a budget friendly way
• that still addresses the needs of the students in the
quest for English language learning in Thai schools.

8. • While I have been unable to find any significant research
about these particular treatments in reference to Thailand or
Thai students that were written or translated into English
there has been some research done in other countries within
the Oceana and the South East Asian regions such as:
– the “Singapore REAP Program” done in the late 1980s by Warwick
Elley et al.,
– “The Fiji Book Flood” (1980-1981) done by Francis Mangubhai, et.al.,
– and other similar studies that have shown significant improvements in
English language acquisition, as a first or second language, that
accompany the increased literacy from these types of programs.

9. • For these reasons I propose doing a:
• 2 dimensional,
• multi-variant study
• to determine if further research along these
lines would be warranted in Thailand
• and to determine if these particular methods
of teaching can be utilized as:
• an effective,
• cost efficient method
of addressing the English language learning needs of
young, Thai EFL students in Thailand.

10. Research questions/study questions:

11. 1. Can a Sustained Silent Reading program significantly improve
English language acquisition in a Thai classroom environment?
2. Can a Shared Reading program significantly improve English
language acquisition in a Thai classroom environment?
3. Can a General Reading Instruction program significantly improve
English language acquisition in a Thai classroom environment?
4. Do any of these three options yield a better overall improvement
when compared to the other two?
5. Do the results vary by age/grade level of the students (e.g. Do
grade 1 students improve more with shared reading as compared
to silent reading? Do grade 2 students improve more with silent
reading as compared to shared reading, etc.?)

12. Purposes of the study / research objectives:

13. • Ultimately, questions 1-3, in regard to the three treatments, will
have either a yes or no answer. They will also yield a result that is
quantifiable in regards to the gains in language acquisition as
measured by internationally accepted, standardized tests that will
allow for a comparison between the 3 treatments.
• The purpose of the 4th question is to determine which, if any, of the
3 treatment methods would provide the most significant
improvements over time and/or provide a basis for further study of
these treatments within the context of a Thai classroom and Thai
learning environment in a more extensive study.
• The purpose of question 5, since the subjects are of a young age, is
to determine if age might be a significant factor in the measured
effects between the 3 treatments and a positive finding would
indicate that future, further study along those lines would also be
warranted.

14. Research hypothesis:

15. • From previous research in other regions
• “Singapore REAP Program”,
• “The Fiji Book Flood”
• and others
• it has been found that
• SSR (Sustained Silent Reading) and
• SR (Shared Reading)
• have consistently outperformed more traditional, conventional
methods of GRI (General Reading Instruction)
when second language acquisition in all four skill areas:
• reading,
• writing,
• speaking
• listening)
is the intended goal.

16. It is hypothesized:
1. Within the context of Thai learners, in Thai classrooms, in an EFL
environment that Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) and Shared Reading
(SR) will outperform other methodologies of General Reading
Instruction (GRI) for the acquisition of English language proficiency
by Thai learners.
2. Within the context of Thai learners, in Thai classrooms, in an EFL
environment that age may be a significant factor when comparing
SSR and SR and GRI.

17. Delimitation / Scope of the Study
(population/variables/context/time):

18. • This study is a base line study intended to look at:
– 3 different but related reading treatments (SSR, SR, GRI)
– within a population of approximately 420 Thai students in grades P1,
P2 and P3
– in an EFL environment,
– in a Private, Thai, Basic Education School in Suphanburi, Thailand
• and then examine the students’ performance in English
language acquisition:
– at the beginning of the study (pretest)
– and at 3 month intervals over a 1 year period.

19. Basic assumptions:

20. • Because the treatments in this study are being done by
the teachers in the school and not directly by the
researcher we have to assume that after a short, initial
training session on the correct procedures for their
prescribed treatment and testing they will be
consistent in the delivery of the treatment and testing.
• That said, however, the teachers will be observed
periodically without advance notice to verify the
consistency of the treatment.
• Additionally, teachers will be supported within the
school to ensure consistency and compliance with the
requirements of the study.

21. Limitations of the study
(time/tools/budget/etc.):

22. • This base line study is preliminary in nature and focused on the
Prathom 1,2,3 students in one school, in one town in one province in
western Thailand due to limitations in budget and for reasons of
convenience:
• The researcher is on staff at the school,
• The researcher has the support of the school,
• The researcher has access and the ability to utilize Cambridge YLE tests and
examiners.
• The validity of the results are limited in nature due to localization of
the test subjects within a moderately prosperous province in a socio
economically fragmented larger society (socio economic factors were
not controlled for in this study and poverty is a known factor in
studies of this nature).
• Certainly, while the results of this study may be highly suggestive as
to the validity of the treatments in general when applied to a larger
population, they are not necessarily valid, without further study, for
extrapolation to the general population at large.

23. Definition of terms (variables, etc.):

24. Various terms and acronyms are used within this study.
• Bilingual - using 2 languages.
• Bilingual English/Thai program in an EFL setting – A program that uses both
English and Thai languages as the medium of instruction in a setting where
English is typically not spoken outside of the school environment. In this
specific case, a school where English and Thai are the languages used for
instruction and Thai is the predominant language spoken outside of the
classroom environment.
• EFL – English as a Foreign Language.
• English Language Acquisition (ELA) – improvements or gains in English
language proficiency as demonstrated and measured by a 4-skill (reading,
writing, listening, speaking), internationally accepted, standardized test.
• ELT – English Language Teaching.
• ESOL – English for Speakers of Other Languages

25. • Grade 1, 2, 3 students – Students enrolled in a primary/elementary school
program. They would be between the ages of 6 and 9 years old. In Thailand they
would be referred to as Prathom 1, 2, 3 students.
• GRI - General Reading Instruction - This is a treatment whereby students are
instructed by the teacher in regards to what they should read and the expected
output from their reading. Readings are teacher assigned passages or stories. The
output may take the form of book reports, worksheets, comprehension quizzes,
class exercises and discussions.
• SR - Shared Reading - This is a treatment whereby the teacher selects a book or
other material then reads to the students in a “story time” setting where the
students can see and follow along. Students are permitted to ask questions or
make comments during the reading. The reading is followed by a short, teacher
moderated discussion of the story. For the purposes of this study the treatment will
be of 20-30 minutes duration, once or twice per week (40-60 minutes per week).
• SSR – Sustained Silent Reading - This is a treatment whereby students are allowed
~10 minutes of class time every day to read English Language books or material of
their choosing. There is no expected output or reporting by the students as a result
of their reading. Total class time should be in the range of 40-60 minutes per week.
• YLE – Young Learners of English.

26. Related Literature:

27. • I could find no evidence of any stated policy in regards
to SSR or SR in Thailand.
– There is no mention of it in the National Basic Curriculum.
• There is however some research on the subject of SSR
both in the field of EFL/ESL and surprisingly in medical
journals not directly related to EFL/ESL but related to
language learning in a more general context in the
United States.
• Examples of some of these medical studies were:
– The Impact of Clinic Based Literacy Intervention on
Language Development - Mendelsohn et al
– Impact of Early Literacy on Language Skill - Theriot et al.,
– Exposure to “Reach out and Read” and vocabulary
outcomes in inner city preschoolers - Sharif et al.,

28. • Evidence for the value of free voluntary reading, or
recreational reading (SSR), continues to accumulate.
• In the last few decades, evidence from several areas
continues to show that those who do more recreational
reading show better development in reading, writing,
grammar and vocabulary.
• These results hold for first and second language acquisition,
and for children and adults.
(Stephen Krashen – Paper presented at the RELC Conference, Singapore,
April, 2004)
• RELC is the SEAMAO Regional Language Center.

29. • Studies in second language acquisition report:
– a positive relationship between the amount of
free reading done and various aspects of second
and foreign language competence
– when the amount of formal instruction students
received is statistically controlled
Y.O. Lee, Krashen, and Gribbons, 1996;
Stokes, Krashen and Kartchner, 1998;
Constantino, S.Y. Lee, K.S. Cho and Krashen, 1997;
S. Y. Lee, 2001.
(Keynote address of KOTESOL conference 2011)

30. • In reviews of the research on in-school free
reading (Krashen, 1993), it was concluded
that:
– with very few exceptions, students in these
programs progress in reading at least as well as
those in comparison groups, and often do
considerably better.
– The most successful studies are those that last for
longer than one academic year.
• Short-term studies produce less than spectacular
results, most likely because it usually takes readers
some time to settle in and find suitable reading
material.

31. • Not only do we see triangulation among three
different sources of evidence, all supporting
the effectiveness of free reading,
– the Reading Hypothesis basically states that
• the more we read in a second language the greater our
vocabulary will be,
– and is also consistent with the more general
Comprehension Hypothesis,
• the hypothesis that we acquire language by
understanding it.

32. • SSR or “free reading” should therefore allow
students to build their vocabulary and sustain
language acquisition at levels above what has
consistently been the norm for language
learning in primary schools in Thailand.

33. Conceptual Framework

34. • 3 treatments (SSR, SR, GRI) with each
treatment being undertaken in each of 3
grade levels (P1, P2, P3) will lead to some
learning outcome.
• Those learning outcomes in each of the 4
primary skills (reading, writing, listening and
speaking) will be measured and compared
with each other to determine which of the 3
treatments might be most effective in
language acquisition among young Thai
learners.

35. This framework is based on the table following.

36. Time  Pretest 3 months 6 months 9 months 12 months
Grade/Treatment Scores Scores Scores Scores Scores
P1 / SSR Scores Scores Scores Scores Scores
P1 / SR Scores Scores Scores Scores Scores
P1 / GRI Scores Scores Scores Scores Scores
P2 / SSR Scores Scores Scores Scores Scores
P2 / SR Scores Scores Scores Scores Scores
P2 / GRI Scores Scores Scores Scores Scores
P3 / SSR Scores Scores Scores Scores Scores
P3 / SR Scores Scores Scores Scores Scores
P3 / GRI Scores Scores Scores Scores Scores
further subdivided by skill type: Reading
Writing
Listening
Speaking
Scores

37. 7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Pretest 3-months 6-months 9-months 12-months
SSR-p1
SR-p1
GRI-p1
SSR-p2
SR-p2
GRI-p2
SSR-p3
SR-p3
GRI-p3
Graph of Scores vs time and
compared (color coded) by treatment and grade level.
(hypothesized sample – not real data.)

38. Research method and procedure
(method/strategy/sampling design/measurement design/analysis design):

39. • The study will be undertaken with the
informed consent of the parents/guardians of
the subjects of the study and should any
detrimental effect be observed in the test
groups then remedial teaching/assistance will
be undertaken to correct that effect at the
conclusion of the study.

40. • Teacher training for teachers administering the treatments will be
done initially as a workshop where the teachers are instructed in
and have an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of the
teaching method they will use and be responsible for.
• Regular observations of the classes will take place and further
seminars will be conducted for additional teacher training if they
are deemed necessary or appropriate.
• Additional teacher support will include:
– having access to the researcher when needed to answer questions on
treatment methods or make suggestions on students’ behavior issues
during treatment if they arise,
– an adequate supply of age and reading level appropriate reading
material being available,
– suitable classroom facilities to allow for their respective treatments
and
– Facilitation / consideration of any other requests or needs as they
become apparent during the term of the study.

41. • The sample for this study will consist of the population
of P1, P2 and P3 students at Sahavith School in
Suphanburi, Thailand.
• Since the entire population of students within the
target range is being used for the study there is no
general randomization in the selection of test subjects
for the study.
• Within each grade level the sample groups will consist
of each individual class and each test group (class) will
have approximately 25-30 test subjects within it.
• Selection of any particular group for any particular
treatment will be by random draw.
– This randomization of assignment to a treatment is done in
an attempt to minimize bias due to particular groups (eg:
better readers) getting particular treatments (eg: SSR).

42. • Measurement will take the form of a set of
standardized proficiency tests in the 4 primary skill
areas – reading, writing, listening and speaking.
• A pretest will be performed at the start of the study
and it will then be followed by standardized English
proficiency tests at the 3rd, 6th, 9th and 12th month after
the commencement of the study.
• Performance will be compared within each group for
the magnitude of change within each group over time
to determine incremental and overall improvement
over the span of the study.
• Performance will also be compared between groups at
each interval for evaluation as to relative differences in
gain due to the different methodologies and possibly
differences due to variation in ages of the test subjects.

43. • It is intended, for practical and utilitarian reasons to use the
Cambridge YLE suite of tests (Starters and/or Movers) as
the main tests used within the study.
• The justifications for use of this group of tests rather than
the creation of independently created tests are:
– The tests already assure validity, reliability and consistency
among and between tests.
– They are internationally accepted as a standardized test of
English proficiency in young learners allowing for further, future
testing in other areas, regions and countries to be compared
with this study or to allow this study to be easily replicated by
others.
– They are accepted by the parents of the test subjects as valid
and acceptable tests.
– Because the school being tested is an authorized Cambridge
ESOL training and assessment center the resources (tests and
examiners) for testing are readily available and costs are
minimized.
– By using outside, Cambridge qualified/certified, quality
controlled ESOL examiners there is consistency of testing across
groups, ages and time.

44. • Although not included as part of the initial research
questions/objectives the data will exist in this study to also
allow for a cursory examination on whether the initial
language level is a variable that needs to be considered to be
controlled for or added post facto to the study.
• A MANOVA (multivariate analysis of variance) or
• A MANCOVA (multivariate analysis of covariance)
will most likely be utilized for data analysis.

45. Duration of research procedure:

46. • This study is expected to take:
• 1 month to set up, train the teachers and then
pretest the sample,
• 12 months for the research,
• 2-3 months for the analysis and interpretation
of the data post facto.

47. Research budget:

48. No budget has been allocated but there will be
minor costs involved for:
• Copying and test reproduction costs,
• testing of the students (examiner wages),
• costs associated with the acquisition or
creation of suitable books or other reading
material.
It is estimated that the cost of obtaining suitable
reading material (purchase of books, etc.) may
approach 85,000 baht (about 200 baht per
student).

49. Usefulness and utilization of the study:

50. The usefulness of the study should not be
misunderstood.
If in fact the findings are as hypothesized then
further study along similar lines to confirm that the
results can in fact be extrapolated to the population
at large would be justified.
In his paper, “Finding the Middle Way to the Future
of Thai Schools” (Prepared for the Chulalongkorn
Educational Review, November 23, 2000) Dr. Philip
Hallinger and others assert that “successful school
reform in the Thailand will not result from copying
policies imported from abroad.”

51. • After confirmation of the results through further study
it may well be indicative that:
– one or more of the methodologies examined in this study
could very well be
• a cost effective,
• easily implemented and
• easily utilized
– general teaching methodology for use in ordinary Thai
Basic Education Schools
• with little or no additional training or re-training needed by the
Thai teaching staff and
• A reduced need for the inclusion of Native English Speaking
Teaching staff
– essentially making for a
• home grown,
• Thai solution
– to one of the problems facing English education in
Thailand.