& De Leeuw, he showed that his advanced students could achieve an average increase in their reading speeds of 57% over a three-year period. In terms of the speed categories used in the course, an average student therefore progressed from the 'slow' band (200 words per minute) through to the 'medium fast' category (314 wpm). Some of his subjects reached speeds of 600 words per minute or better leading him to claim that "students and others who read extensively for professional purposes should aim to cover routine material at speeds between 300 and 600 words per minute" (Hill 1981:271). Richard (1982), working in Japan, compared the reading speeds of students using traditional paper exercises with those using a reading machine (projector), and found that speeds in the latter group increased significantly more than in the former.
             Two areas of enquiry into reading speed seem to be suggested by the above. Comparisons of courses using traditional speed reading methodologies with programs emphasizing reading in quantity wou
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