Practice-Oriented Papers

Introducing Science Content ThroughScience World Magazines

Dr. Wendy M. Gough
Bunkyo Gakuin University, Tokyo
Second year students in an upper-intermediate (CEFR B2) general reading and writingclass at a Japanese marine science university were given the option of reading Scholastic
Science World magazines or graded readers during in-class sustained silent reading time. In
book reports and a survey, the students reported that they enjoyed reading about science
topics and learning vocabulary associated with their majors in English. This paper discusses
introducing content through Mary Glasgow and Science World magazines in a general
English class.

University English classes in Japan often follow a curriculum that teaches English
for general purposes (EGP) rather than focusing on students’ interests or English
needs. EGP materials tend to teach formulaic language that does not necessarily
spark interest in language learning or help students find real-life connections withthe language they are being taught (Guo, 2012). Thus, students have difficulty
understanding how English is used in real-life contexts or situations in which
they might use English in the future. EGP classes though, provide students witha base set of language skills that can lead to studying the language in more specificcontexts (Zohrabi, 2015). One method of developing interest in learning English
is to bring elements of English for specific purposes (ESP) or content English
into the EGP classroom. ESP and content English teach vocabulary, structures,and style that are specific to a certain field, and students can draw on backgroundknowledge learned in their first language to understand content presented inEnglish (Zohrabi, 2015). Using authentic materials can also be motivating forstudents, and exposure to such authentic materials helps create interest in learning
English through reading because they provide exposure to language as it is used in93

Goughcontext (Berado, 2006).
Introducing content English has been shown to spark interest in language
learning, but at the same time, issues arise because instructors might not havetraining in the specific content field (Amiri & Fatemi, 2014). When the author
was teaching at a marine science university in Japan, many of her students
indicated in end of semester surveys and class discussions that they wanted tolearn English related to science and marine topics. The author does not have abackground in these fields though. Also, the English curriculum at the university
emphasized EGP and the syllabi left little room for introducing content outsideof the required textbooks. The reading and writing class syllabi did, however,allow using sustained silent reading (SSR), typically with graded readers fromthe university library. When the author found the Scholastic Mary Glasgow
and Science World magazines in a search for science and contemporary topics
her students could read, she decided to give the students the option of readingthem during SSR. This paper discusses student reactions to the introduction ofScholastic magazines as an option for students to use in SSR time in EGP classes.

Methods

In the fall 2018 semester, students (N = 18) in a high-intermediate (CEFR
B2) compulsory reading and writing class at a Japanese marine science andtechnology university took part in a 20-minute SSR activity at the beginningof each twice weekly 100-minute class. They were given the choice of reading
graded readers from the university’s library; or Scholastic Mary Glasgow Club,
Current, or Science World magazines that the instructor brought to class. Mary
Glasgow magazines are graded, and Club and Current, are appropriate for CEFR
B2-C1 level (Scholastic, n.d.-a). Science World is not graded, but it is designed
for secondary level students in the United States (Scholastic, n.d.-b). Thus, while
the Science World content is authentic, it is not presented in a highly academic
manner, and the language level in the magazines is suitable for CEFR B2-C1 level
students. The author was given permission from the university to conduct anaction research project, and she ordered several subscriptions of the magazines.
This way, each student could read a magazine during SSR if they chose to do so.
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Science Content Through Science World Magazines, OCJSI 2, pages 93-98

When they finished reading a book or magazine, the students wrote a book reportto summarize and give their opinion about what they read. Then at the end of thesemester they took a short survey about their opinions of the SSR time, theirreading preferences for SSR, and their opinions about reading the magazines.
The survey, which was written in English and Japanese, consisted of five multiple
choice questions asking the students’ reading preferences, their opinions about
the SSR time, and their opinions of the benefits of SSR for developing theirEnglish reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. It also included one
open-ended question where the students were asked to comment on the reading
time and reading materials. The author translated any Japanese responses to theopen-ended questions with the help of a Japanese colleague. In the results below,
following the four student samples, the phrase "original response in Japanese"or "original response in English" was added. Then she analyzed the surveys and95 book reports to get an understanding of student perceptions of SSR and theintroduction of science content through Science World magazines during SSR inthe EGP course.

Results and Discussion

The survey and book reports showed that eight students read mostly or only
magazines, seven sometimes read magazines and sometimes read graded readers,
three mostly read graded readers, and no students only read books. An analysisof the opinion sections of the book reports and the open-ended survey question
showed the majority of the students liked the Science World magazines and felt
interested in reading content related to their majors. Of the 95 book reports,
49 were written by 11 students on topics from the Science World magazines.
These reports showed positive attitudes about reading the science content inEnglish. The students explained that reading Science World motivated them tolearn English because they could learn content vocabulary through reading about
topics related to their majors. The students had similar opinions in book reports
on science and technology topics in the Scholastic Club and Current magazines
as well.
In relation to the science topics, the students indicated that even though95

Goughthe Science World magazines are not graded, they could easily understand thecontents. For example, one student noted in a book report, “I could improve
my vocabulary skills by reading science magazine because they are easy to guessmeanings” (original response in English). Others indicated that the magazines
would be of interest not only to themselves, but also to their friends at theuniversity. For example, students wrote “I think people who are in this college
are interested in learning this topic in English. Because we learn about marine
creatures in danger in our science classes too,” or “This magazine is interestingfor those who like creature. I will recommend it to member of my club” (originalresponse in English) in their book reports. Thus, the students showed an overall
positive attitude toward reading the magazines.
In addition, the students mentioned that the story length and layout of theScience World magazines, which included pictures, charts, and captions, helped
them understand the content of the stories and learn new English vocabulary
related to the topics. These student reactions aligned with findings from Berado(2006) about introducing authentic reading materials in English language
classes. These materials also help students engage in critical thinking to help
them understand the texts and increase their comprehension of new vocabulary(Yasrida, Sutarsyah, & Sukirlan, 2017). By introducing content through Science
World magazines in the SSR portion of an EGP course at the marine science andtechnology university, the author was able to help students become interested
in language learning because they were able to read content related to their livesand interests. The pictures, captions, and charts in the magazines also helped thestudents activate prior knowledge while reading, which helped them understandthe topics that were presented in the magazines. Connecting English with topics
of interest helped the students become engaged in the SSR content. This wasindicated by one student who wrote in the open-ended question on the survey,“Reading science magazines was the most interesting part of the class for me”(original response in Japanese).

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Science Content Through Science World Magazines, OCJSI 2, pages 93-98

Conclusion

While this action research was limited to one class, it showed that introducing
a variety of reading resources, including those connected to the students’ majors
in an EGP course, promoted interest in reading and helped some students learn
language related to their majors. The Scholastic magazines provided a nicealternative to graded readers for SSR because the students could read about avariety of topics related to their majors that were not written specifically forlanguage learners. They could also read about topics of interest to university age
students in the Scholastic Club and Current magazines, which helped them learn
English as it is used in real-life contexts and feel connections with similar aged
people in other parts of the world. While the language and topic presentationin the Science World magazines was not academic or suitable for preparing thestudents to read or write academic science papers, it was authentic and exposed
the students to vocabulary and structures that would be useful for discussing
scientific topics among their peers or with their content professors. Thus, theauthor feels giving the students the option of reading Scholastic Science World
magazines during SSR time in the EGP class was useful for introducing content
and creating interest in language learning.

References

Amiri, M., & Fatemi, A. H. (2014). The impact of content-based instruction
on students’ achievement in ESP courses and their language learningorientation. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 4(10), 2157–2167.
doi: 10.4304/tpls.4.10.2156-32167
Berado, S. A. (2006). The use of authentic materials in the teaching of reading.
The Reading Matrix, 6(2), 60–69.
Guo, S. C. (2012). Using authentic materials for extensive reading to promoteEnglish proficiency. English Language Teaching, 5(8), 196–206.
Scholastic (n.d.-a). Science World. https://scienceworld.scholastic.com/
Scholastic (n.d.-b). Mary Glasgow Language Learning. Retrieved from https://maryglasgowplus.com/
Yasrida, Y., Sutarsyah, C., & Sukirlan, M. (2017). Using authentic materials in97

Goughreading comprehension of students’ low and high proficiency levels at Sman
3 Bandar Lampung. UNILA Journal of English Teaching, 6(3). https://www.neliti.com/publications/194581/using-authentic-materials-inreading-comprehension-of-students-low-and-high-profZohrabi, T. (2015). Trends in ESP and EGP. Journal of Language Teaching andResearch, 6(3), 679–684. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.0603.27

Author bioDr. Wendy M. Gough is currently an associate professor at Bunkyo Gakuin
University in Tokyo, Japan. She previously taught general English courses at Tokai
University’s campus of Marine Science and Technology. Her research interests include
intercultural communication development through authentic experiences in Japan,
creating academic writing curriculum, and extensive reading. <gwendy@bgu.ac.jp>
Received: October 20, 2019
Accepted: September 9, 202098