About Case Studies
Case studies can tell us a lot about how we learn a langauge, and how we can teach a language. For more, take a look at Case Histories and the Comprehension Hypothesis by Stephen Krashen.
In the paper, he discusses several cases, but two in particular are the cases of Mr. Yeo, from Singapore, and Lomb Kato from Hungary.
Yeo Yew-Hock
In this video, sixty-four year old Yeo Yew-Hock tells us how his first contact with books was when his parents accidentally brought back a book in a bag of charcoal when five or six years old. You can also read about his experience in Language Magazine
Mr. Tanaka
This study, Impressive gains on the TOEIC after one year of comprehensible input, with no output or grammar study, shows impressive gains on the TOEIC after one year of comprehensible input, with no output or grammar study.
Mr. Tanaka is a former student, and the subject of my study. Here is Mr. Tanaka talking about his experience (In Japanese).
Kenta 2017
It was the summer semester in my second year when I first took Dr. Mason’s class. When I entered university my TOEIC score was… more…
Mr. Kashihara 2013
I began to read Penguin 200 word level books. Gradually I began to read 600 word level, 1100 word level, 1600 word level, 2200 word level and 3000 word level… more…
Publication: The Case of Mr. Kashihara: Another Case of Substantial Gains in Reading and Listening without Output or Grammar Study
Mr. Nakano 2013
Mr. Nakano made substantial gains in listening and reading ability in English as a second language from voluntary listening and reading in a 75 year old student. Publication…
Miyako 2018
Publication: The effect of pleasure reading 30 years ago…
Sawako 2019
Publication: A case supplying rich comprehensible input…
How did they do it? By self selected extensive reading, of course!