Extensive Reading (ER) plays an important role not only in developing general reading skills and improving reading comprehension, but also in raising learning motivation levels. Although part of all English proficiency tests, reading remains challenging for many Taiwanese students because they lack sound reading habits and have little recourse to practical reading programs that support ER. For this reason, the Extensive Reading Program includes two component projects to use at the university level: “The Unified Reader” and “Reading Passport.” The purpose of this study is to illustrate how to use this plan and how to compare teacher and student perspectives by taking classic reading activities as a practical approach to support teaching reading. The participants for this research were first- and second-year students in two- and four-year programs, either in English or non-English disciplines. A survey was conducted of the perspectives of teachers and students and data was gathered from more than 1000 respondents. To measure internal consistency, the study used SPSS statistical software. Moreover, various attitudes toward the Classic Reading Program among teachers and students were found. Results show that most participants were classic readers, and most teachers and first-year students prefer to include the reading passport as part of their regular reading classes. While non-English major seniors often lack confidence in extensive reading because of limited fluency and busy schedules, different ways to overcome these problems have been suggested. However, we recommend mixing reading activities with regular curricula, which bolsters confidence since many students feel they are learning something practical. By such means students cultivate sound reading habits and a lifelong love of reading.
Keywords: Classic Reading Program, Extensive Reading, Perspectives, Reading Passport
