【Teaching Practice Report】

Students’ Perceptions of Reading Circles in the EFL Classroom
Kathryn Mabe
Abstract
Reading circles require students to engage in peer-led discussions on a chosen text. A key element of reading
circles is that the learners read the text and prepare for the discussion from the point of view of an assigned role
(Daniels, 2002). Reading circles can motivate students to read and participate in discussions (Elhess and Egbert,2015) and furthermore, encourage cooperation and peer learning in the classroom (Maher, 2018). Four classes
taking an English Reading & Writing Course (RW1) participated in reading circles on three occasions and provided
feedback in a questionnaire administered at the end of the semester. This study explores the benefits and drawbacksof utilizing reading circles based on the feedback from 68 students, and the instructor’s own observations of theprocedure. Suggestions regarding the implementation of reading circles are also proposed.
Keywords: reading circles, literature circles, discussion, extensive reading

Introduction
First-year students at Rikkyo University taking the mandatory RW1 course in the springsemester are required to read extensively in their own time. Since April 2020, this course has been
conducted entirely online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Classes of approximately 20 students areheld once a week. One of the goals of the 14-week long course is to “develop reading fluency andvocabulary knowledge through reading graded readers” (English Reading & Writing Committee,2021). Students typically demonstrate their reading by writing brief book reports or summaries,
participating in class discussions or giving short presentations, with instructors having relativeautonomy as to how these activities are conducted. This research explores a possible alternative
method of fulfilling this part of the course through the use of reading circles.

Literature Review
Reading circles, also known as literature circles, were introduced in the United States in the
1990s in L1 literature lessons at primary and secondary schools. Based on the concept of book clubs,
they were created in an attempt to engage students’ interest in reading (Daniels, 2002). Daniels
describes how youngsters “shared responses with their peers, listening respectfully to one another,sometimes disagreeing vehemently, but dug back into the text to settle arguments or validate
different opinions” (p.1). According to Daniels’ initial guidelines, students make a consensual
decision about what they want to read in various groups, and each student takes notes according toa certain role to contribute to the frequent peer-led discussions with the instructor serving as a
facilitator.
As the popularity of reading circles grew, the benefits of their usage in ESL classrooms were also
widely investigated. Elhess and Egbert describe how the interactive nature of the discussions
engages and motivates students (2015). A key element of reading circles is the students’ individualassigned roles. Maher highlights the value of their use in terms of collective learning, “thecollaborative nature of role-work allows the students to scaffold what they don’t know, into what they129

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collectively learn with their peers” (2018, p.104). In addition, reading the text from the point of viewof one role helps to break down various strategies needed for successful reading into manageableparts for second language learners (Furr, 2007).
Various adaptations of the roles in reading circles have been suggested over the years. However,research by Furr is considered to be influential in a Japanese university teaching context (2004,
2007). Furr clearly outlined five basic roles and prepared role sheet handouts (2007). These roles are
the discussion leader, summarizer, connector, word master and passage person. The discussion
leader is responsible for keeping the discussion flowing and acts as a facilitator in the group. The
summarizer uses their own words to give a brief summary of the plot. The connector tries to establish
connections between the text and the actual world, such as between characters or events and theirown lives or the environment around them. The word master chooses five words or short phrases
that they feel are the most crucial to the text and explains their meaning. The passage person selects
important, interesting, or puzzling passages from the text and asks the group to share opinions aboutthem.
As reading circles were initially conceptualized for usage in L1 literature classes, discussion has
also focused on selecting suitable texts for ESL lessons. Furr adapted the initial procedure suggested
by Daniels with ESL reading circles in Japanese universities, proposing that the instructor rather
than the students selects the text, which could be a graded reader rather than an original text, toensure it is acceptable for students (2004). Shelton-Strong also recommends using graded readers inreading circles as they can be read easily (2012).

Design and Procedure
This section will explain the rationale behind the version of reading circles I used in this study
and explain the procedure for instructors who are interested in incorporating reading circles into
their own lessons. It also includes my personal reflections on the procedure. The following tableshows the schedule for the implementation of reading circles.
In order to assimilate reading circles into the pre-existing course requirements, I made anumber of deviations from previous research. I chose to use only four roles in the reading circles
Table 1
Class Schedule for Reading Circles
Lesson 1

Course orientation. Students took the Macmillan Readers online level test for homework andinformed me of the result through a Google form. I made groups according to the levels.

Lesson 2(1) An input session introduced the concept of reading circles, the roles and assessment procedure.
PowerPoint slides were used as explanation and shared with students for their independent reference.
(Please see the Appendix).
(2) Following the explanation, students met their groups in Breakout Rooms on Zoom, chose a
graded reader at the correct level from Macmillan readers online library and decided the roles.
(3) Students read the text out of class, completed their role sheet (a Google form) and submitted it
by week 5.

Lesson 5

Reading Circle 1. Students discussed the book in a reading circle in Breakout rooms on Zoom. They
also decided the next book/different roles for Reading Circle 2. I acted as a facilitator and provided
feedback at the end on discussions and shared good examples from Google forms.

Lesson 8

Reading Circle 2.

Lesson 12

Reading Circle 3. Students were invited to fill out a voluntary, anonymous feedback survey using
Google forms at the end of the lesson.

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rather than the five suggested by Furr (2007). As extensive reading is only one of many aims on theRW1 course, I needed to simplify the reading circle procedure to reduce the potential burden on
students. In addition, fostering discussion skills is not an aim of this course. Therefore, I ensured thatthe emphasis remained on improving reading abilities. I selected the roles (discussion leader,connector, word master, and summarizer) as I felt they would be effective even if the students werereading a low-level graded reader. The explanation of the roles was based on Furr’s role sheets as
described in the literature review in a simplified manner (2007). They can be seen in the Appendix.
Furr recommends that all groups read the same book selected by the instructor, proposing thatit makes post-reading extension activities easier to be implemented (2007). On a different type ofcourse, I believe this would be effective. However, after consideration of the differentiation in
students’ reading ability levels and limitations on the online availability of graded readers, I opted foreach group to select a reader by themselves according to their level. This also meant that it was not
feasible to follow Furr’s suggestion of temporary groups as it would be too complicated to reform into
new reading circles and then find a new text that no member had previously read (2007).
In his study, Furr describes the optimum number of group members as about five or six (2007).
As I was using four roles, the ideal number of students in each group in my lessons would be four.
However, it was not possible for me to control the number of members in each group to this extent
as the students had to be grouped according to the result of the Macmillan reading level test thatthey took online. Generally, six to eight pupils in a class were classified as pre-intermediate andintermediate, with a few members classified as elementary level or upper intermediate. However,with a little flexibility regarding the number of roles within each group, this did not pose any serious
difficulties. After forming the groups, there were six groups consisting of the ideal number of four
members. Eleven groups had three members; in this scenario, the discussion leader’s mandatoryrole was fixed; however, there was a probability of either a connector, summarizer or word master tobe removed from each reading circle. Two groups had five members. I asked these groups to electtwo discussion leaders for each reading circle. There was one upper-intermediate reading level groupwith only two members who chose to remain together rather than moving to a lower-level group. Twogroups initially assigned as four and three member groups became a six-member circle as one
student from the group of three withdrew from the university. I based this decision on individual
dynamics within the pre-existing reading circles.
Students were required to submit a Google form with the notes they made for their individualrole before each of the three reading circles and these were used as the formal assessment of thissection of the course. Even within a regular, face-to-face classroom environment, I believe thatmonitoring all groups simultaneously and effectively evaluating each individual contribution would
be unfeasible. In each class, there were approximately five or six groups simultaneously holding
reading circles in Breakout Rooms.
A summary of the process of a typical reading circle in my classes and informal notes taken frommy observation of an initial reading circle are presented below, followed by my overall reflections of
the procedure.
The essence of reading circles is that they are peer-led while the teacher monitors the procedureand intervenes only when absolutely necessary (Daniels, 2002). In the first reading circle, one or twogroups in each class needed encouragement from me to begin answering the discussion leaders’questions. However, in subsequent lessons, the reading circles were largely managed effectively by
the group members without my intervention. Overall, my impression was that students, in general,
greatly enjoyed the opportunity to discuss and share ideas in small groups. I believe that this was a131

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Table 2
Summary of Reading Circle Process
Approximate
time frame

Description of activity in the reading circle process

10 minutes

The discussion leader asks the group their pre-prepared questions and facilitates the discussion,
encouraging reticent students to speak.

5-8 minutes

The connector explains how they thought the book connected to their own life or the world aroundthem. Depending on the group, members comment and share their own thoughts.

5-8 minutes

The word master shares five words or phrases from the book that they thought were important ordifficult. They explain why they thought they were important and teach their group the meaning.
Depending on the group, members comment and share their own thoughts.

2 minutes

The summarizer summarizes the book in about one minute.

10 minutes

Students choose the next book and assign new roles. In some groups, this stage was done out ofclass through the LINE groups they formed.

3 minutes

I share good examples from Google forms and student discussions in the main Zoom session.

Table 3
Informal Observation Notes from May 13th, 2021
One group using a lot of Japanese. Silence after discussion leader asked a question.
A couple of very effective connectors. In one group of all female students, members very active and able to relate
the story (about a romance) to their own lives, “would you like a boyfriend like X?”. By the end, they were sharing
boyfriend stories and having a laugh in English.
Helping each other to understand, for example “what is holy bread?” and the vocabulary master explains.
Summarizer role seems difficult as we have not studied summarizing in depth yet.
The discussion leader part seemed the most effective in terms of creating an active reading circle environment.
The majority of discussion was prompted by the discussion leader.
Word master and summarizer do not seem to hold very communicative roles and do not generate much discussion.
Some groups could continue for much longer than set time, other discussions dried up before the set time.

vital opportunity for students to communicate, especially because most of the spring semester washeld exclusively online, limiting students’ opportunities to interact with their peers. A key element ofreading circles is having fun. According to Furr, “a spirit of playfulness and fun pervades the room”(2007, p.17).
In terms of the use of role sheets, my perception was that these were effective in encouraging
students to actively participate and cooperate together to understand various elements of the book. I
observed in particular that the role sheets seemed to benefit students of a lower level of ability or
those more reticent to participate in reading circles in as the content was prepared in advance.
One challenging issue for an instructor was the varying lengths of discussion within the reading
circles. This was partly due to the varying group sizes in this study and also factors such as individual
motivation and group dynamics. Groups that finished before the allotted time often needed myassistance to prompt additional discussion. Other groups appeared to be able and willing to engage
in in-depth discussions for much longer than the set time. Overall, however, as discussion skills do
not form part of this course’s aims, I believe the time I allocated, i.e., approximately 30 minutes per
reading circle, was appropriate.

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Methodology
Participants
All four RW1 classes involved in the study were first years at Rikkyo University and on Level 2
courses (TOIEC scores above 480). A total of 75 students took part in the reading circles from fourcolleges; Arts, Sociology, Contemporary Psychology and Tourism in the spring semester, 2021.

Instruments
An anonymous Google form, written in both Japanese and English, was used to collect responses,
which could be written in either language. Responses that were written in Japanese were translatedby the author. Information about the research was written in both languages and explained verballyby the instructor. A total of 68 responses were received. Students were asked for their feedback
regarding reading circles for the following areas:• how much they enjoyed them
• if they felt their reading skills improved through participating in them
• whether or not the roles helped them when reading the book• which roles they liked or disliked• if they felt reading circles helped them to improve any skills other than reading.

Findings and Discussion
Prompts 1 and 2
Students were asked how much they had enjoyed the reading circles and to give reasons fortheir answers.
Figure 1
Participants’ Responses to Prompt 1

I enjoyed reading circle activities
45
40

Frequency

35
30
25
20

39

15
10
5
0

14

13
Strongly agree

Agree

I'm not sure

1
DisagreeStrongly disagree

Opinions

A total of 67 students answered this question. Over three quarters of the respondents strongly
agreed or agreed that reading circles were enjoyable. Most of the remaining students stated that they
were not sure, with just one student disagreeing. Sixty-four students provided reasons for their133

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answers (prompt 2). The reasons given by those who enjoyed reading circles primarily fell into three
categories; enjoyment due to social reasons, pleasure gained from the material being interesting andin English, and enjoyment of the discussions. Below is a selection of student comments:• Because I read English book[s] in earnest for the first time.
• I needed a lot of time to read stories, but I like to read stories and it was fun to share opinions withfriends. Also, I could make friends through this activity.
• These activities w[e]re [a]good chance to read some books in English. I got new thing[s] about
old stor[ies] and life in foreign countr[ies], and it was very interesting for me.
• I can enjoy talking with our group members. The talking was exciting and the time is not enough!
• Because I can be friend[s] with my team members.
The comments appear to support my own observations that reading circles were not only
valuable from a pedagogical viewpoint but also formed an important chance for students tocommunicate with their classmates, in addition to some students benefitting from longer discussion
time. Reasons provided by students who did not feel positive about reading circles centered mainlyon the reason of reading in English being difficult and a time-consuming activity:• For me, it’s [to]o hard to read long sentence[s] in English.
• I need explanation sometimes.
• The number of words was too much.
• I enjoyed sharing my opinion with group members, but it was hard to find time to read books.
These comments are pertinent as in my view; the RW1 course has a fairly heavy workload interms of assignments. Reading circles could place an additional burden on weaker students and theemphasis on them being peer-led may be less effective for students who prefer more teachercentered instruction.

Prompt 3 and 4
Respondents were asked to what degree and how they felt reading circles improved theirreading skills.
Figure 2
Participants’ Responses to Prompt 3

Reading Circles improved my reading skills
40
35Frequency

30
25
20

36

15
10
5
0

16

13

3
Strongly agree

Agree

I'm not sure

DisagreeStrongly disagree

Opinions

Of the 68 respondents, 49 agreed that reading circles improved their reading skills to a certain
degree, 16 were unsure, and 3 perceived the activity as not improving their reading skills. Sixty-two
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responses were recorded for prompt 4; however, some students misunderstood the question.
Therefore, those answers were not included in this report. Fifteen of the comments received
pertained to a perceived improvement in reading speed. Nine students felt it improved their
vocabulary. From these positive comments, it can be deduced that students felt the act of reading
graded readers improved their reading skills. However, no student mentioned the reading circles
themselves as beneficial in terms of aspects discussed in the literature review, such as learning frompeers. Therefore, it is difficult to confirm that the reading circles themselves were of value in this
aspect. Only a few comments were received from students who did not feel reading circles improved
their reading skills and these focused on the difficulty level of the task. A section of the student
responses is listed below:• These books have some difficult words, so it improve[d] my vocabulary skills and helped me infer
their meaning.
• I honestly didn’t read everything but I read by skimming. This helped me to read faster.
• When I understood the gist of the story, it was interesting but because there were a lot of characters,
I was often confused.
• The story was interesting but because it takes time, it was a heavy burden.

Prompts 5 and 6
Respondents were asked to what degree they perceived their role as helpful whilst reading andfor reasons to explain their answer.
Figure 3
Participants’ Responses to Prompt 5

My role was helpful to me when reading the book
50
45
40

Frequency

35
30
25

47

20
15
10
5
0

11
Strongly agree

10
Agree

I'm not sure

DisagreeStrongly disagree

Opinions

The responses to this prompt provided the clearest evidence in the survey; 58 of the 68
respondents felt the role was helpful to some degree, while the remaining students stated that they
were unsure of the role’s value. This data supports both my own observations of the value of the rolesdetailed previously in this report and the findings of previous research described in the literature
review. Students felt that having a role helped them concentrate on the book, gave them a purpose toread and helped them to personalize the story and interact with it. However, one student felt that therole placed an additional burden on them.
• I could think the story as my thing.
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• These roles helped us not only read the story smoothly but also have my own opinions and ideas
about the story. For example, connector should think about the similar parts of our lives andexpress it in English. And also, discussion readers pay attention to find the important points,
which can improve our reading skills.
• While reading the story, I was aware of my rol[e] and thinking about it. So[,] it is useful to think
deeply.
• The story in English is not easy to understand. So[,] I [couldn’t] afford to think about my role.

Prompts 7 and 8
Students were asked which role they preferred and why.
Figure 4
Participants’ Responses to Prompt 7

Which role did you enjoy being the most?
40
35

Frequency

30
25
20

36

15
10

12

5
0

Discussion leader

Connector

865Word master

Summarizer

No role I disliked

Roles

The most popular role was discussion leader, chosen by 36 of the 67 respondents. The connector
the second favored role, was selected by 12 respondents. From the reasons provided in prompt 8, itappears that as highlighted by Daniels, reading circles can serve as a book club where readers canenjoy sharing their ideas (2002). In addition, it appears that the roles encouraged some students toengage in critical thinking too.
A selection of the reasons given is listed below:• We can interpret books just like reading in Japanese, and it’s interesting. (connector)• Because I often do this in my mind but I have not told other people. (connector)• Because I can share some idea about the book with friends. (discussion leader)• It is because I can hear other’s opinions and it is interesting and surprising. (discussion leader)

Prompts 9 and 10
Respondents were asked which role they disliked and why.
Over a third of the 68 respondents reported that there was no role they disliked. A quarter of thestudents selected the summarizer and all of their explanations highlighted the difficulty of that role.
Twelve respondents disliked being the connector or word master respectively. The data reflects my
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STUDENTSʼ PERCEPTIONS OF READING CIRCLES IN THE EFL CLASSROOM

Figure 5
Participants’ Responses to Prompt 9Which role didn't you enjoy being?
30

Frequency

25
20
15
24

10

17
12

5

12

3

0

Discussion leader

Connector

Word master

Summarizer

No role I disliked

Roles

own perceptions of the summarizer role. During the course of observing the reading circles, I notedthat this appeared to be the most difficult role for students. However, the skill of summarizing is a
key component of the RW1 course, therefore I believe it was useful for students to focus upon this.
Some of the comments from prompt 10 reveal the personal anxiety that certain roles caused. Thiswas enlightening to me as I had been unaware of potential stress caused to the students by the roles.
A selection of comments provided is shown below:• Because I couldn’t concentrate on the book’s content. (word master)• I mind telling words which I thought difficult to other members because others maybe think thosewords [are] easy. (word master)• I read a sad book so I couldn’t connect to my life. [A]lso when I connect[,] I become sad.
(connector)• Because it is hard to summarize the story. (summarizer)

Prompt 11
Students were asked if they felt other skills improved through reading circles and if so, whichskills.
Figure 6
Participants’ Responses to Prompt 11

Did reading circles help you to improve other skills (notjust reading)? If so, what skills?
12Frequency

10
8
6
4

10
7

2
0

Speaking skills

Vocabulary6

4

Summarizing Thinking skills

Other skills

137

3

3

Wri�ng

Explaining

1
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Fifty responses were recorded. However, 16 of the respondents misunderstood the question,
stating that their reading skills had improved, and therefore their answers were omitted from thisprompt. The majority of respondents selected speaking abilities, which is not unexpected consideringthat reading circles are discussion-based. The fact that the students believed their vocabulary andsummarizing abilities had improved matches my predictions for the possible advantages of the roles
associated with those areas. Four students answered “thinking skills,” defining this as being able tothink more in English or to be able to empathize more with characters in the books. Even for acourse such as this, which aims to develop reading and writing skills, I believe it is beneficial tostudents when other skills also are fostered during lessons. As Shelton-Strong comments, reading
circles can provide “a collaborative, multi-dimensional learning platform” (p.222, 2012). Selected
responses are listed below:• I found many words that I didn’t know. My vocabulary was enriched.
• I think my skill to think in English [has] improved.
• Thinking skill. For example, read English book and think the character`s feelings.
• I could express what I want to say in English.

Conclusion
Overall, based on the feedback received and my personal classroom observations, it can beconcluded that using reading circles in class was valuable in various ways. In particular, it seems thatthe using roles while conducting an extensive reading program was beneficial in helping students topersonalize the reading experience. Moreover, the majority of students reported that they enjoyed
the procedure, which I believe is an important facet as it could encourage students to persevere withextensive reading. However, I would urge caution if using reading circles with students of a lowerlevel reading ability. The feedback reveals that reading circles could potentially place an additionalburden on students who find reading in English difficult. The use of reading circles with lower-levelclasses is an area of further potential research.

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References
Daniels, H. (2002). Literature Circles: Voice and Choice in Book Clubs and Reading Groups. (2nd ed.).
Portland, ME: Stenhouse.
Elhess, M. & Egbert, J. (2015). Literature circles as support for language development. English
Teaching Forum 53(3), 13-22. https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/03_
etf_53-3_3_elhess_egbert.pdf
English Reading & Writing Committee. (2021). Teaching guidelines: English Reading & Writing spring
2021. Center for Foreign Language Education & Research, Rikkyo University.
Furr, M. (2004). Literature circles for the EFL classroom. Proceedings of the 2003 TESOL Arabia
Conference, Dubai. United Arab Emirates: TESOL Arabia. https://www.academia.edu/1982840/
Literature_circles_for_the_EFL_classroom
Furr, M. (2007). Reading circles: Moving great stories from the periphery of the language classroom
to its centre. The Language Teacher, 31(7), 15–18. https://jalt-publications.org/files/pdf/the_language_teacher/05_2007tlt.pdf
Garside, P., Beck, D., Hammond, C., Shrosbree, M., Truxal D., & Wakasugi, L. (2019). Reading the
Future. (4th ed.). Rikkyo University.
Macmillan Education. (n.d.). Macmillan readers level test. https://www.macmillanreaders.com/leveltest/
Maher, K. (2018). Not losing the EFL plot: L2 engagement through literature (reading circles) andproducing short stories (creative writing circles). International Journal of Applied Linguistics &English Literature 7(5), 102-105 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327684790_Not_
Losing_the_EFL_Plot_L2_Engagement_through_Literature_Reading_Circles_and_
Producing_Short_Stories_Creative_Writing_Circles
Shelton-Strong, S. J. (2012). Literature circles in ELT. ELT Journal 66(2), 214-223. https://doi:10.1093/elt/ccr049

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Appendix
Explanation of the roles in reading circles (lesson 2)/prompts for the Google forms
Reading Circle Roles
Discussion Leader
You need to make the discussion interesting and make sure everyone speaks.
Make at least six discussion questions. You can use some questions from pages 10 and 11 in Reading
the Future if you want but you must also have your own questions too!
Summarizer
You need to make a short summary of the book. Only talk about the most important events/points/
themes in the story.
Write your summary and try to keep it to about 1 minute in length.
Word Master
Find at least five words or phrases that you think are difficult in the story and IMPORTANT. (Words
you didn’t know the meaning of and had to check).
Teach your group the meaning and why you think these words/phrases are important
Connector
You need to think about how the story can be connected to your life or the world around you.
Think about things like:-Something that happened in the story that is similar to something that happened to you-Something that happened in the book that is similar to something in the news recently- A character in the book similar to you or someone you know.
Talk for approximately 1 minute about it.

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