This study was undertaken to investigate students' oral reading proficiency as well as their perceptions of using tape recording as an alternative to improve oral reading proficiency in large classes. Two hundred and twelve technology students participated in this study. A survey was conducted after students had practiced tape recording their own oral reading five times in class. The survey illustrated that more than 60% of the participants have learned English in a silent way instead of reading out loud. They seldom read a sentence out loud, even though they realized that oral reading did help listening comprehension and the accuracy of pronunciation. They thought repeating after the teacher, listening to the tape or the recorded sound of the electronic dictionaries, and most important of all, practice would help improve their oral accuracy and fluency. What could substantially enhance the quality of their oral reading, in their opinion, was the teacher's correction and guidance.