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Extensive Reading to Assuage Primary ESL Learners Reading Difficulties: A Systematic Review

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Extensive reading is acknowledged as one of the approaches to encourage ESL learning and acquisition. With the integration of technology in education, extensive reading is evolving to accommodate the current teaching and learning environments. However, the amount of literature reviews on extensive reading in primary schools is limited, as many studies are focused on learners in secondary schools or tertiary institutions. Hence, this review systematically identifies the implementation of extensive reading to assuage Primary ESL learners reading difficulties. Using three databases, namely; Google Scholar, Scopus, and Educational Resources Information Centre (ERIC), 15 articles published between 2018 and 2023 were extracted. Two significant findings are presented in this review. First, poor reading comprehension is the main factor that contributes to primary learners' reading difficulties. Second, extensive reading can assuage reading difficulties when the learners’ unique abilities and needs are addressed optimally. These findings suggested that there are gaps in this research area that could be further explored in the future. Substantially, this systematic review is valuable to researchers and educators as it offers more insights into the implementation of extensive reading to assuage ESL learners’ reading difficulties specifically in the primary school context while identifying the gaps in this research area.
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