EFL Students’ Attitudes Toward Online Extensive Reading: Insights From an Extensive Reading Club Experience

This study explores Thai EFL university students’ attitudes toward reading in English, extensive reading (ER), and reading graded readers online through the Xreading platform. The participants included eight English major students at a Thai university who volunteered to participate in a small-scale ER club in semester one of 2024 as an out-of-class activity. A mixed-methods research design was employed. A reading attitude questionnaire adopted from Puripunyavanich’s (2021) study was used to collect quantitative data. Qualitative data were gathered from semi-structured interviews. Findings from the questionnaire and interviews reveal that students held a positive attitude toward reading in English. They recognized its importance for language learning and showed a strong interest in improving their reading skills. Additionally, students had positive attitudes toward online ER on Xreading because reading simple graded readers increased their reading motivation, expanded vocabulary knowledge, and increased enjoyment in reading short texts. Students enjoyed Xreading’s convenience of use, accessibility, and wide range of books. However, the problem of eyestrain while reading on a screen was reported. Students were satisfied with the ER club activities, mentioning the benefits of both ER and Xreading in enhancing their English skills and reading motivation. Students also recommended continuing the club activity and inviting other interested students to participate. The study offers implications for implementing ER in reading programs.