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A post-experimental design with 85 students applies five TRAs (2000-word corpus) and reports strong reading comprehension and speed outcomes.",{"@graph":14,"@context":71},[15,34,54],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/effectiveness-of-reading-license-technique-on-reading-comprehension-and-speed-among-efl-students/594304/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":48,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":49,"interactionStatistic":50},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/effectiveness-of-reading-license-technique-on-reading-comprehension-and-speed-among-efl-students/594304.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Kurz","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":51,"interactionType":52,"userInteractionCount":4},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":53},"ViewAction",{"@type":55,"mainEntity":56},"FAQPage",[57,63,67],{"name":58,"@type":59,"acceptedAnswer":60},"What is the “reading license” technique and how is it connected to TRAs?","Question",{"text":61,"@type":62},"The study introduces a “reading license” as an incentive to attract students’ attention to timed reading activities (TRAs) in the Reading Power 1 textbook, aligning TRA processes with the steps of obtaining a driving license.","Answer",{"name":64,"@type":59,"acceptedAnswer":65},"How was the study conducted and how many students participated?",{"text":66,"@type":62},"The research used a post-experimental design with 85 EFL students. Students were oriented to the reading license process and the technique was applied over one semester.",{"name":68,"@type":59,"acceptedAnswer":69},"What results were reported for reading comprehension and reading speed?",{"text":70,"@type":62},"Students achieved very good scores (mean 3.16 out of 5) and high reading speed (173.29 words per minute) using the reading license technique with TRAs.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":73,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":75,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":77,"site_id":7},594304,1792078906,{"code":4,"msg":80,"data":81},"success",[82,86,90,94,99,104,109,113,118,121,125],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":83,"show_sort_weight":84,"slug":85},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":87,"show_sort_weight":88,"slug":89},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":91,"show_sort_weight":92,"slug":93},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":95,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":96,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":98},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":100,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":101,"show_sort_weight":102,"slug":103},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":105,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":106,"show_sort_weight":107,"slug":108},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":110,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":111,"slug":112},8,30,"research-report",{"id":114,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":115,"show_sort_weight":116,"slug":117},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":116,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":119,"show_sort_weight":116,"slug":120},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":122,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":123,"show_sort_weight":122,"slug":124},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":126,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":127,"show_sort_weight":95,"slug":128},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":80,"data":130},{"doc_id":77,"user_id":131,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":132,"doc_module":4,"category_id":110,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":133,"file_id":134,"file_url":135,"file_type":136,"file_size":137,"view_count":4,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":138,"language":139,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":78,"read_time":143},2336478945635,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_6f874abed73319feea01a86fa6f0fab8","Australian Journal of Applied Linguistics ISSN 2209-0959  \n[https://www.castledown.com/journals/ajal/](https://www.castledown.com/journals/ajal/)  \nAustralian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 8 (3), 102627 (2025)  \n[https://doi.org/10.29140/ajal.v8n3.102627](https://doi.org/10.29140/ajal.v8n3.102627)  \nEffectiveness of reading license technique on reading comprehension and speed among EFL students  \nABDULJALIL NASR HAZAEA*a  WAGDI RASHAD ALI BIN-HADYb   \naDepartment of English Language Skills, Deanship of Preparatory Year, in addition to Sharia, Educational and Humanitarian Research Center, Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia  \nbDepartment of English, College of Education, Humanities and Applied Sciences, Hadhramout University, Yemen *Corresponding author: Abduljalil Nasr Hazaea  \nAbstract  \nIn exam-oriented English as a Foreign Language (EFL) foundation program, achieving a balance between high-stakes testing and skill-based learning remains a challenge. This study examines the limited efficacy of timed reading activities (TRAs) in contexts where students prioritize test preparation over fluency-building practices. In line with the license fashion of today, we provide a “reading license” as incentive to attract EFL students’ attention to TRAs manifested in the Reading Power 1 textbook. In doing so, we aligned the processes ofTRAs with those of obtaining a driving license. Accordingly, this study examines the effectiveness of the reading license technique on reading comprehension and reading speed among EFL students. Using a post-experimental research design, 85 students were recruited for this study. The study oriented the students on the process of getting a reading license. With these students, the first author used the reading license technique for one semester during which reading speed and reading comprehension were scaffolded with high-stakes tests. Then, five TRAs, with a corpus of 2000 words, were used to examine the comprehension level and reading speed among the students using the reading license technique to teach TRAs. The results showed that students achieved very good scores (a mean of 3.16 out of 5) and high reading speed (173.29 words per minute) using this technique. The results recommend that investing students’ background knowledge such as the processes of getting a driving license with TRAs is a great scaffolding strategy to motivate students and enhance reading comprehension and reading speed. This study contributes to teaching techniques for TRAs in the context of high-stakes tests.  \nKeywords: EFL reading, timed reading, reading fluency, reading license.  \nCopyright © 2025  \nAbduljalil Nasr Hazaea & Wagdi Rashad Ali Bin-Hady  \nIntroduction  \nReading is a hobby that enables readers to explore new life experiences of the world (Vanitha et al., 2021). Reading is linked with literacy or what Broz (2003) called “literacy license”(p. 43) . Reading is compared with other daily routines (Cartwright & Duke, 2019). McWilliams (1979) linked reading with driving as both skills require understanding some instructions. Drawing an analogy between driving and reading, we suggest that proficient readers should be awarded a“reading license”, much like drivers receive a driving license upon demonstrating competence behind the wheel.  \nThe complexities surrounding reading skills have sparked intense debate among researchers (Debbabi et al., 2019) . It is reported that students’ weakness in reading is linked to teachers’ use of inappropriate teaching techniques/methods (Pandiangan et al., 2021) . In response, researchers and methodologists have been prompted to develop innovative approaches to teaching reading. One of these techniques is Timed Reading Activities (TRAs) . TRAs to Hazaea and Almekhlafy (2022a) are affirmed to aid instructors in determining their students’ learning needs. Timed reading is a strategy that is used in mastering language skills. Several studies have measured reading comprehension and reading sp","cbCaiv9AkR4HPWQ4","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiv9AkR4HPWQ4","pdf",317729,13,"English","# Abstract\n# Introduction\n## Background and rationale\n## Timed Reading Activities (TRAs) in prior studies\n## Research gap and study purpose","[{\"question\":\"What is the “reading license” technique and how is it connected to TRAs?\",\"answer\":\"The study introduces a “reading license” as an incentive to attract students’ attention to timed reading activities (TRAs) in the Reading Power 1 textbook, aligning TRA processes with the steps of obtaining a driving license.\"},{\"question\":\"How was the study conducted and how many students participated?\",\"answer\":\"The research used a post-experimental design with 85 EFL students. Students were oriented to the reading license process and the technique was applied over one semester.\"},{\"question\":\"What results were reported for reading comprehension and reading speed?\",\"answer\":\"Students achieved very good scores (mean 3.16 out of 5) and high reading speed (173.29 words per minute) using the reading license technique with TRAs.\"}]","Effectiveness of Reading License Technique on Reading Comprehension and Speed Among EFL Students | PDF",33]