Fifteen minutes a day can keep the grade of F away : Swedish pupils’ extent of extramural reading of English and its impact on language proficiency

Reading is an important part of a pupil’s learning of English and since time in the classroom is limited, reading outside the classroom, extramurally, is a method of extending a pupil’s exposure to English. The aim of this study is to increase knowledge about Swedish year 10 pupils’ extramural reading of English and determine the extent of impact it may have on their proficiency of English. In this paper, findings are presented about this empirical study on Swedish High School year 10 pupils’ extramural reading. Using a questionnaire, data is collected from 109 Year 10 pupils at a Swedish high school; they answer questions about the extent of their extramural reading activities and their reading experience. The findings reveal that respondents who receive the lowest grades often read less than those who receive the highest grades. The findings are statistically significant with a moderately strong positive correlation between the extent of extramural reading of English and grades received by the respondents. Further research is required to be able to further understand the connection between the size of vocabulary and its impact on the amount of reading done and the attitude towards reading and how it possibly plays a role in a pupil’s grade