Because of the importance of English as a global communications language, many students in other countries are being required to get a working knowledge of English in order to graduate or advance in higher education, or even to be able to get a good job. In recent years, the Japanese Ministry of Education has focused on English reading fluency in high school students, and researchers have been looking for ways to help those students improve their reading skills. One group of researchers in Japan decided to test whether teaching Japanese students how to speed read would improve their overall English reading skills, in part after observing how word-by-word reading slowed down both speed and comprehension – a point we’ve discussed before.

The object of the research study was to determine if speed reading would improve reading comprehension, and if it would also help students learn the most frequently-used English vocabulary words (necessary to fluently read in English). They tested groups of students who (1) received speed reading training only; (2) received vocabulary improvement training only; (3) received both types of training; or (4) received neither type of training.

The results of these tests showed that students who had speed reading training made significant advances over students without the training, with improvement in both speed and comprehension. The study also found that students using speed reading techniques were better able to improve their English vocabulary knowledge (we’ve talked about that before, too).

It’s obvious that speed reading skills have many benefits, whether you’re a student in school, an ambitious professional looking to advance in your career, or the parent of a child that you want to have all possible advantages.

For more information on this research study, click here.