The Effect of Expansion of Vision Span on Reading Speed: A Case Study of EFL Major Students at King Khalid University

The objective of the study is to demonstrate how and to what extent the expansion of vision span could be a decisive factor in enhancing the reading speed of EFL major students in the English Department at King Khalid University while maintaining their previous level of comprehension. The reading speed of students in the English Department at KKU is very low, which hampers their overall proficiency in the language. The sample of the study consisted of two groups (a control group and a test group), each consisting of 25 students who were in the final year of the EFL undergraduate program. The methodology includes comprehension tests to examine the sample for reading speed and comprehension at the beginning of the study. Then training in increasing the span of vision was extended to the students in the test group. At the end of the training, both the groups were tested again for reading speed and comprehension. The study illustrates that the test group increases their reading speed, while the control group shows no increase in reading speed. Comprehension remains unchanged for both the test group and the control group. The study concludes that the techniques adopted for training the study sample can be very efficacious in bringing about a significant change in the reading habits of college-going students.