The Role of Extensive Reading in Raising L2 Students’ Awareness about Developing their Higher-Order Thinking Skills

Abstract

It is common in the language classroom that the ability of students to think at higher levels is among the worthiest benefits that learners aim to fulfil from language study. Such a result cannot be left to chance; nevertheless, it should be planned in advance carefully. This present research work aims at investigating the role of extensive reading (ER) in developing L2 (Second Language) students’ higher-order thinking skills (HOTSs) and the advantages that they may achieve through this kind of reading, especially when it is coupled with the purpose of improving their thinking skill. Extensive reading as an approach to language teaching and learning is given a little consideration , and it is mostly neglected at the level of the Algerian universities. The absence of a reading module in the LMD (License, Master, and Doctorate) system has lessened the opportunity for students to read and develop their thinking abilities. Therefore, it is hypothesized in this study that students who read extensively would develop their higher-order thinking skills. In order to investigate the previous hypothesis, quantitative and qualitative methods are used based on administering a questionnaire to third year LMD students of English in addition to an interview that is conducted with a population of English language teachers, at the department of English, in Mila University Centre (Algeria) in order to assess to what extent students are aware of the role that ER plays in developing their HOTSs, and finding out to what extent teachers support their students to read extensively in order to achieve higher levels of thinking. In the light of the result obtained, our research findings suggest that the status of ER should be reconsidered in EFL (English as a Foreign Language) classes owing to its significant role in the enhancements of students’ HOTSs along with some recommendations for both students and teachers.