Extensive reading and authentic assessment

Abstract

The main contribution of this research study was to demonstrate the influence of extensive reading in authentic assessment of second language acquisition in students of an EFL classroom of the second semester parallel B from Pedagogía de los Idiomas Nacionales y Extranjeros major at Universidad Técnica de Ambato. Thirty students, who were in the 2nd semester of major, were selected. They have an age range from 19 to 22 years old, there were 16 female and 14 male students and most individuals possess a proficiency English language level of A2. In order to reach the objective of the study a Preliminary English Test (PET) was used as pre and post-test, it was used as a tool for measuring students’ English proficiency in reading skills during the experimental study. This study was conducted for 4 weeks from June to July 2020. The current study used qualitative and quantitative research methods, it is qualitative because it aims to describe, explain, and identify phenomena through the use of bibliographic data from verified sources, and quantitative because it uses data collection based on numerical measurements and statistical analysis to test hypotheses in order to establish codes of conduct, to see how both variables behaved and prove theories through the use of tables and graphs. In consequence, the results showed that the use of authentic assessment tasks affects the extensive reading skill development in students due to the fact that authentic assessment provides some benefits in students ‘reading development such as: they are likely to be more valid than conventional tests, particularly for learning outcomes that require higher-order thinking skills. Because they involve real-world tasks, they are also likely to be more interesting for students, and thus more motivating