THAITESOL JOURNAL 34(1) 118

Book Review

Title: Teaching and Researching Reading (Third Edition)

Authors: William Grabe and Fredricka L. Stoller
Publisher: Routledge
Year of Publication: 2020
Pages: 320
ISBN: 9781138847941 (Paperback)

Reviewed by Sirawit Apairach

[email protected]
Chulalongkorn University Language Institute

Reading has been one of the significant skills in language education both in L1 and L2 contexts,
playing a vital role in language acquisition for beginners and concurrently serving as a principal input
to accommodate ranges of purposes for advanced learners. Whether a reading text is used to
demonstrate certain language features or to reevaluate the essence of the implied messages, the teaching
of reading is more than relevant to most, if not all, language teachers.
This third edition of Teaching and Researching Reading is a part of the Applied Linguistics in
Action series, which aims at providing readers with the skills they need to conduct a research project in
their contexts. The authors William Grabe and Fredricka L. Stoller are both professors of applied
linguistics at Northern Arizona University, USA. In this latest edition of the book, a number of
significant changes have been made which are generally outlined in the early part of the book. Added
to this edition are Chapters 3, 4, and 5: Chapters 3 and 4 provide recent studies in L1 and L2 reading,
while Chapter 5 discusses how research findings can inform the design and the development of reading
curriculum and instruction. Moreover, digital reading and new models for conducting action research
have been included in Parts III and IV respectively. Therefore, there are five parts covering the total of
ten chapters:
PART I: Understanding L2 Reading
1 The Nature of Reading Abilities
2 Comparing L1 and L2 Reading
PART II: Exploring Research in Reading
3 Key Studies in L1 Reading
4 Key Studies in L2 Reading
PART III: L2 Reading Curricula and Instruction
5 Principles for L2 Reading-Curriculum Design
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6 Teaching L2 Reading Using Evidence-Based Practice

PART IV: Investigating Reading through Action Research
7 Reading Teachers as Action Researchers
8 Action Research Projects: Set I
9 Action Research Projects: Set II
PART V: Resources
10 Resources for Exploring L2 Reading

PART I: Understanding L2 Reading

The first part introduces the theoretical conceptions in L2 reading which are essential for
teachers and researchers who need to familiarise themselves with the basics before exploring the issues
in depth.
Chapter 1: The Nature of Reading Abilities explains the reasons why reading is considered a
unique ability closely connected to the function of the human’s brain, yet no simple definition can
sufficiently portray the complexity of the reading process. The chapter further discusses different
purposes of reading, what it means to be fluent readers, and components of reading abilities (e.g.,
general cognitive processes) and how these processes relate to reading. In this specific section, readers
will be introduced to, for instance, lower-level and higher-level processes and the role they play in
aiding reading comprehension. The chapter concludes with useful reading models: namely, the Simple
View Reading Model, the Construction-Integration Model, and Landscape Model for Reading, along
with the Reading Systems Framework Approach.
For Chapter 2: Comparing L1 and L2 Reading, not only are certain differences between L1
and L2 central to the discussion included, but the issues of varying classroom instructions are also
examined: Linguistic and Processing Differences, Individual and Experiential Differences, and Socio-
Cultural and Institutional Differences. Finally, this chapter also discusses similarities between L1 and
L2 reading which could help clarify the extent to which the two overlap.

PART II: Exploring Research in Reading

Following the complexity of reading abilities of both L1 and L2 learners addressed in Chapter
2, this section reiterates the issues drawn from L1 and L2 reading research respectively in more detail.
In Chapter 3: Key Studies in L1 Reading, several aspects of L1 reading research are included.
Apart from topics related to vocabulary development, reading fluency, and strategy learning, the book
also explores new variables in L1 reading being studied. The chapter begins with an overview of the
development of relevant research milestones in chronological order by drawing on seminal work in
reading, paying attention in particular to the Reading System Framework (Perfetti & Stafura, 2014).
The chapter’s major component comprises 10 empirical studies covering different themes in L1 reading
research (e.g., cognitive skills, extensive reading, and relevant linguistic factors).
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Another 10 more studies are presented in Chapter 4: Key Studies in L2 Reading, comprising a
wide range of topics on L2 reading and how they are researched. All the studies cover the areas of 1)
extensive reading and cognitive abilities, 2) statistical learning and background knowledge, 3)
component skills, 4) the impacts of component skills on reading comprehension, and 5) L2 language
threshold and reading transfer. Not only is the chapter updated with new studies, but it also provides
research-based, instructional implications for L2 reading. Accordingly, Chapter 4 would be highly
relevant to teachers and researchers in L2 contexts.

PART III: L2 Reading Curricula and Instruction

The third part might be of particular interest for those whose work involved curriculum design
and teaching reading skills in their classes.
Chapter 5: Principles for L2 Reading-Curriculum Design features 14 “evidence-based”
principles informed by the previous chapters. These principles are categorized into 3 sets: Core reading-
curriculum principles, reading skill development principles, and instructional-design principles that are
easy to navigate through the chapter. The chapter highlights, for instance, how to promote discussion
surrounding a text, how to make students more aware of discourse structure, and the process of text
selection and adaptation considering students’ proficiency and needs.
Chapter 6: Teaching L2 Reading Using Evidence-Based Practices is a collection of practices
informed by the three sets of principles in Chapter 5, underlying how to translate all the principles into
actual classroom practices. This chapter could be helpful especially for teachers who wish to see
available options and possibilities in the form of feasible teaching frameworks and classroom activities.

PART IV: Investigating Reading through Action Research

The authors of the book emphasise that, in addition to learning some of the core principles and
practices in the earlier section, the efforts should also go into understanding our classroom practices.
Through action research models, this part of the book can be used as what the authors call
“springboards” for teachers to begin examining their practices of teaching reading.
In Chapter 7: Reading Teachers as Action Researchers, readers will be guided by eight steps
for carrying out an action research project. It first describes what action research is and what might
entail in the process, followed by possible reading aspects which can be addressed by action research.
In brief, the process includes 1) identify an area of interest, 2) narrow down area of interest and pose
research question(s), 3) make an action research plan, 4) consider plan from the perspective of ethical
data collection and reporting, 5) implement action-research plan and collect data, 6) draw conclusions,
7) adopt or adapt and monitor new ideas, and 8) share insights with colleagues. The authors, quite
convincingly, discuss in detail how teachers can exploit action research given its flexible, practitioner-
friendly nature of the steps provided. Furthermore, the chapter encompasses two action research
projects in which the eight steps are incorporated to demonstrate the step-by-step implementation.
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To complement the research endeavor underlined in Chapter 7, the other two chapters in this
part Chapter 8: Action Research Projects Set I and Chapter 9: Action Research Projects Set II comprise
a total of 12 action research projects (six each) which can be easily adapted and used as guidelines for
teachers to carry out their own projects. The first six projects focus on deliberate practice, motivation,
vocabulary, discourse structure awareness, and fluency, while the other six concern strategic-reader
training, main-idea comprehension, the pre-, during-, and post-reading lesson format, and digital
literacy.

PART V: Resources
The final part of the book consists of a brief chapter Chapter 10: Resources for Exploring L2
Reading which serves as a convenient gateway for accessing more relevant research, both theoretically
and empirically. Despite being labelled L2 Reading, the chapter in fact references both L1 and L2
reading research by categorising them into 9 sections ranging from relevant research journals to a
comprehensive reference list of key studies in L1 and L2 reading from the suggested reading lists at the
end of each chapter. Some of the interesting studies in the L2 context include Wang and Koda (2007),
Gorsuch and Taguchi (2008), and Al-Homoud and Schmitt (2009).
This book, in contrast to many other textbooks, is truly one of the most reader-friendly
publications. The organization of the book starting with a brief introduction of the structures and topics
to be covered in each chapter not only provides an overview of the content, but it also enables readers
to locate their specific interest with ease. The headings and sub-headings are clearly labelled with
numbers and digits according to their corresponding chapter, again, making it easier for readers to
follow along. What I really like about this book is that each chapter also consists of relevant quotes and
concepts labelled separately in boxes making it even more convenient to cross-reference within a
chapter. Concise definitions of certain research terms (e.g., meta-analysis and motivation for reading)
provided are extremely useful for teachers who may not be familiar with research in reading. What
makes the book exceptionally stand out is the action research components which encourage personal
classroom inquiry and enhance teaching practices. In my view, this particular goal of the book that aims
to transform reading teachers to action researchers is a distinct advantage for its readers.
Given the updated elements in this latest edition, Teaching and Researching Reading is an
undeniably ideal reference for those who teach and will be teaching reading with its extensive coverage
and state-of-the-art research. I believe the book would specifically appeal to teachers and practitioners
who would like to research their reading lessons/classes and understand more about their own practice
as well as their students following a separate chapter on action research.

References
Al-Homoud, F., & Schmitt N. (2009). Extensive reading and a challenging environment: A
comparison of extensive and intensive reading approaches in Saudi Arabia. Language
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Teaching Research, 13(4), 383-401.

Gorsuch, G., & Taguchi, E. (2008). Repeated reading for developing reading fluency and reading
comprehension: The case of EFL learners in Vietnam. System, 36(2), 253-278.
Perfetti, C. A., & Stafura, J. (2014). Word knowledge in a theory of reading comprehension. Scientific
Studies of Reading, 18(1), 22-37.
Wang, M., & Koda, K. (2007). Commonalities and differences in word identification skills among
learners of English as a second language. Language Learning, 57(s1), 201-222.

About the Reviewer

Sirawit Apairach is a lecturer at Chulalongkorn University Language Institute. He is now a
postgraduate research student in the iPhD Programme in Applied Linguistics: ELT at the University
of Southampton, UK. His research interests include learner individual differences, critical literacy in
language teaching, language education, English as a lingua franca (ELF), and extensive reading.