This study investigated the effect of implementing the literature circle activities which integrated journal writing practices on college L2 learners’ writing development and their perceptions on integrating literature circle activity in an academic writing classroom. Students’ writing development was measured focusing on complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF) through the paired t-test and writing proficiency test In both computer-based analysis and manual analysis, the results showed that there were statistically significant improvements in the participants’ lexical diversity and variation, in such measures as the number of diverse words, type/token ratio, and lexical variation. In the syntactic complexity, in the use of complex nominal phrases per T-unit, complex nominal clauses per clause, coordinate phrases per T-unit and clause per T-unit, statistically significant results were found. All three measures of accuracy showed statistically significant improvement. The participants’ fluency were also found to be improved with statistically significant results. Regarding participants’ perceptions on the journal writing practices and discussion for literature circle activity, over 75% of students positively responded in a questionnaire survey. The results suggest that integration of literature reading and writing can positively influence on L2 learners’ writing development.

Although reading is part and parcel for the development of L2 literacy skills, such as in reading and writing, the skill has been practiced more often for grammar instruction and literal translation in EFL contexts. While realizing there is less focus on the development of L2 skills through extensive reading (ER) in EFL university contexts,the purpose of the present study was to explore the outcome of an in-class ER approach in English university classrooms. With 249 students, the study reports on the implementation of a university level ER class and the outcome for L2 development via the measures of L2 reading speed, L2 speed reading comprehension, and L2 lexical writing ability. Results indicated positive outcomes for the development of students’ L2reading ability, productive retrieval of academic words and lexical variety. The outcome of the ER program validates the effort and time expended on such programs when graded readers are utilized at matching student Lexile levels.

This study investigates the implementation of a new EFL course, English Practice. This is designed to enhance English reading and writing skills, and increase literary experiences among university students. For this study, literature for young adults and e-mail writing were introduced to change teaching/learning conventions in an EFL setting. The research framework was practitioner research. Data collection consisted of a survey, students’ writing in the classroom, and the instructor’s field notes and journal. Data were analyzed to address the following research question: What happens when university EFL students read and write English for real purposes? Data analysis revealed that: 1) the students viewed literature and e-mail writing as a new experience of language learning, 2) the students showed changes in their learning, and 3) the students’ experiences with the literature went beyond language learning. The author concludes that the unique course program provided students with new ways of developing understanding English as a foreign language and provided opportunities to express individual experiences of the texts they read.