EFFECT OF EXPLICIT READING INSTRUCTION FOR NOVICE EFL WRITERS: L1 SUMMARY WRITING PERFORMANCE AND SELF–PERCEPTIONS

##article.authors##

  • Kana Ozaki Research and Education Center for Comprehensive Science, Akita Prefectural University, Akita, Japan

##semicolon##

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejfl.v10i3.6915

##semicolon##

summarization skills##common.commaListSeparator## reading instruction##common.commaListSeparator## novice EFL writers##common.commaListSeparator## title-based approach##common.commaListSeparator## self-reflection##common.commaListSeparator## improvement and challenge in summarization

##article.abstract##

This study investigated how explicit reading instruction, including a title-based approach, affects the summarization performance of novice English as a foreign language (EFL) writers. Conducted over 11 weeks, the study involved 95 Japanese undergraduate students who were new to summarizing. Participants completed a first-language (L1) summarization task based on an English expository text before and after instruction. Quantitative results from pre- and post-tests showed significant improvement in overall summarization performance, particularly in covering main ideas, while textual integration improved less substantially. Qualitative data from student questionnaires further indicated increased engagement, with learners reflecting on both their progress and ongoing challenges. Namely, the identification of important information improved, but comprehension of main ideas remained underdeveloped and integration skills were weak. Students’ self-monitoring revealed the spontaneous adoption of strategies such as reinforcing lexical and grammatical knowledge. The simplicity of explicit reading instruction, supported by teacher–student interaction, thus serves as an effective initial approach for developing summarization skills.

##submission.authorBiography##

  • ##submission.authorWithAffiliation##
    Kana Ozaki is an assistant professor in the Research and Education Center at Akita Prefectural University. She received her master’s degree in TESOL in 2016 from the Institute of Education at University College London. Her research interests reading-to-write and summary writing in the EFL context.

##submission.citations##

Chen YS, Su SW, 2012. A genre-based approach to teaching EFL summary writing. ELT Journal 66(2): 184–192. doi: 10.1093/elt/ccr061

Cho H, Brutt-Griffler J, 2015. Integrated reading and writing: A case of Korean English language learners. Reading in a Foreign Language 27(2): 242–261.

Choy C, Lee MY, 2012. Effects of teaching paraphrasing skills to students learning summary writing in ESL. Journal of Teaching and Learning 8(2): 76–89. doi: 10.22329/jtl.v8i2.3145

Cohen J, 1988. Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum.

Grabe W, 1991. Current developments in second language reading research. TESOL Quarterly 25(3): 375–406. doi: 10.2307/3586977

Hua VTT, 2024. Investigating the real situation of reading comprehension and summary writing and proposing some summarization strategies for EFL students at a University in Delta, Vietnam. European Journal of Foreign Language Teaching 8(1): 69–81. doi: 10.46827/efjl.v8i1.5260

Kato M, 2018. Good and poor summary writers’ strategies: The case of Japanese high school EFL learners. Journal of Language Teaching and Research 9(6): 1199–1208. doi: 10.17507/jltr.0906.09

Kato M, 2024. Developing an analytic rubric for Japanese EFL learners’ summary writing. English Language Teaching 17(12): 1–12. doi: 10.5539/elt.v17n12p1

Keck C, 2006. The use of paraphrase in summary writing: A comparison of L1 and L2 writers. Journal of Second Language Writing 15(4): 261–278. doi: 10.1016/j.jslw.2006.09.006

Kirkland MR, Saunders MAP, 1991. Maximizing student performance in summary writing: Managing cognitive load. TESOL Quarterly 25(1): 105–121. doi: 10.2307/3587030

Li J, 2014a. The role of reading and writing in summarization as an integrated task. Language Testing in Asia 4(3): 1–19. doi: 10.1186/2229-0443-4-3

Li J, 2014b. Examining genre effects on test takers’ summary writing performance. Assessing Writing, 22 (2014), 75-90.

Lyu B, McCrudden MT, Bohn-Gettler C, 2024. The effects of purpose instructions and strategy-focused instructions on reading processes and products. Reading and Writing 37(8): 2127–2250. doi: 10.1007/s11145-023-10464-w

Plonsky L, Oswald FL, 2014. How big is “big”? Interpreting effect sizes in L2 research. Language Learning 64(4): 878–912. doi: 10.1111/lang.12079

Rosenshine B, Stevens R, 1995. Functions for teaching well-structured tasks. Journal of Educational Research 88: 262–268.

Rupley WH, Blair TR, Nichols WD, 2009. Effective reading instruction for struggling readers: The role of direct/explicit teaching. Reading & Writing Quarterly 25(2–3): 125–138. doi: 10.1080/10573560802683523

##submission.downloads##

##submissions.published##

2026-08-03

##issue.issue##

##issue.vol## 10 ##issue.no## 3 (2026)

##section.section##

Articles

##submission.license##

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

 

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

 

  1. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

 

  1. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).