The aim of this study was to find out if there were any differences in scientific literacy test scores between third-year pre-cadets students who participated in a free voluntary reading (FVR) experiment (Krashen, 1993) and those pre-cadets who did not participate. The study was carried out in 2015 at the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School (AFAPS) in Thailand for over a six-week period.
The participants were third-year class pre-cadets (grade twelve students), 32 pre-cadets in each class. One of the classes was assigned to be the experimental group and the other became the control group. Both classes were similar in terms of gender (all students were male) and in achievement scores in science.
The instrument for data collection was an adaptation of the science achievement test of the Program for International Student Assessment program (PISA). The test consisted of forty questions. It was administered to both groups before the experiment began, and 6-weeks later. Individual test scores were compared to determine whether the scores of the students who participated in the FVR program achieved higher scores on the post test than the control group.
The comparison showed the mean ( x ) difference in post-test results was 3.88. A test of significance showed that the achievement level of the experimental group was significantly higher than the control group. The difference was significant (p=0.00), meaning that the FVR program appears to have been a factor in enhancing the third-year class pre-cadets’ scientific literacy test scores.
It is recommended that future research should be carried out to investigate the effectiveness of FVR for other academic subjects, not only in schools such as the Armed Forces Preparatory Schools of Thailand, but also in Thai government schools