The Effect of Two Different Types of 
Reading Materials on Reading Development
Samuel P-H Sheu* 
Abstract
Despite the fact that a considerable variety of materials is currently available for extensive reading programs, graded readers (GR) are still the mainstream resource and have been reported as successful in improving learners’ reading ability. Some authorities have suggested that books for native English speaking children (BNESC) might be another useful source of reading material. This paper reports on a four-month extensive reading program involving two groups of EFL learners using GR and BNESC respectively. The measures of improvement included vocabulary, grammar, reading comprehension and reading speed tests. An interesting finding was that learners using GR were successful in all of the tests, while learners using BNESC were equally effective in reading comprehension and reading speed tests. This article concludes that while interesting materials will capture learners’ attention and the choice of materials will foster their interest, the appropriate structuring of language will enhance their reading ability.
Keywords: extensive reading, EFL graded readers, books for native English speaking children, reading development, reading speed