Luận văn thạc sĩ VNU ULIS an investigation into the usefulness of the techniques for guessing the meaning of new words through context for the 11th form students at phuc thanh high school

VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGE & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** PHẠM THỊ HOA AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USEFULNESS OF THE TECHNIQUES FOR GUESSING THE MEANING OF NEW WORDS THROUGH CONTEXT FOR THE 11TH FORM STUDENTS AT PHUC THANH HIGH SCHOOL NGHIÊN CỨU LỢI ÍCH CỦA THỦ THUẬT ĐỐN NGHĨA TỪ MỚI DỰA VÀO NGỮ CẢNH CHO HỌC SINH LỚP 11 TẠI TRƯỜNG THPT PHÚC THÀNH M.A MINOR THESIS (SUMMARY OF THE THESIS) Field: English Methodology Code: 60.14.10 HA NOI – 2011 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGE & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** PHẠM THỊ HOA AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USEFULNESS OF THE TECHNIQUES FOR GUESSING THE MEANING OF NEW WORDS THROUGH CONTEXT FOR THE 11TH FORM STUDENTS AT PHUC THANH HIGH SCHOOL NGHIÊN CỨU LỢI ÍCH CỦA THỦ THUẬT ĐOÁN NGHĨA TỪ MỚI DỰA VÀO NGỮ CẢNH CHO HỌC SINH LỚP 11 TẠI TRƯỜNG THPT PHÚC THÀNH M.A MINOR THESIS (SUMMARY OF THE THESIS) Field: English Methodology Code: 60.14.10 Supervisor: Trần Hiền Lan, M.A HA NOI – 2011 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Declaration i Acknowledgements ii Abstract .iii Table of contents iv List of figures and tables vii Part I: Introduction .1 Rationale Aims and Objectives of the study Research Questions Method of the study .2 Scope of the study Significance of the study Design of the study .3 Part II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER ONE: Literature Review 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Theoretical background to acquiring vocabulary through reading 1.2.1 An overview of a context- based approach 1.2.1.1 Definition of context 1.2.1.2 Context-based approach to vocabulary acquisition 1.2.2 Some previous studies on contextual guesswork .6 1.2.3 Guessing or inferring technique 1.2.4 Types of context clues 1.2.4.1 Structural clues 1.2.4.2 Inference clues 11 1.2.5 Factors that affect contextual guessing 12 1.2.6 Summary 12 CHAPTER TWO: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 14 2.1 Introduction 14 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com v 2.2 Context of the study 14 2.3 The Rationale of Using Quasi-Experiment .15 2.4 Variables .16 2.5 Participants 16 2.5.1 The students .16 2.5.2 The teachers 18 2.6 Materials 18 2.6.1 Textbook 18 2.6.2 Handouts 20 2.7 Procedures 20 2.8 Instruments for Data Collection 22 2.8.1 Pretest and Posttest 22 2.8.2 Questionnaires 23 CHAPTER THREE: DATA ANALYSIS, FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS .25 DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS 25 3.1 Introduction 25 3.2 Reports of the results collected by means of Pretest and Posttest 25 3.2.1 Comparison of Pretest and Posttest Performance 25 3.2.2 Comparison of Both Groups' Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension Gains after the Experiment 28 3.3 Reports of the results collected by means of questionnaires 29 3.3.1 The results of the pre-experiment questionnaires 29 3.3.1.1 The results of the pre-experiment questionnaire for students 29 3.3.1.2 The results of the pre-experiment questionnaire for teachers 33 3.3.2 The results of the post-experiment questionnaire 36 DISCUSSIONS .39 4.1 Introduction 39 4.2 Discussion of Research Questions .39 4.2.1 Discussion of Both Groups' Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension Gain s after the Experiment 39 4.2.2 Discussion of the Experimental Students' Opinions of the Guessing Techniques 40 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com vi Part III: CONCLUSIONS 42 Conclusions 42 Limitations of the study 43 Recommendations for the Application of the Guessing Techniques 43 Suggestions for Further Study .44 REFERENCES 45 APPENDICES I Appendix 1: The pre-experiment questionnaire for the students (Vietnamese version) I Appendix : The pre-experiment questionnaire for the teachers .III Appendix The pretest .V Appendix The posttest X Appendix 5: The post-experiment questionnaire for the experimental students (Vietnamese version) .XV LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com vii LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES Figure 1: The differences between the mean scores on the paired pretests and the paired posttests Figure 2: Difference in gain values obtained by both groups after the experiment Figure 3: The experimental students' attitudes towards the guessing techniques Table 1: Background information about the subjects of the study Table 2: The results of the pretest and posttest of the two groups Table 3: The classifications of pretest and posttest scores of the two groups Table 4: Descriptive statistics for the pretest and posttest of the experimental and control groups Table 5: Mean gains of the experimental and control groups after the experiment Table 6: Experimental participants' feedback and evaluative attitudes towards the guessing techniques LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com PART I: INTRODUCTION Rationale Reading, as a basic and vital skill, has always received a great deal of attention in English teaching programs for foreign learners, especially at upper secondary education level in Vietnam For example, reading is the first skill in each unit in the textbook English 11 proves its important role This is understandable as reading is considered not only an essential means to gain knowledge but also a means by which further study takes place However, from my professional experience, I realize that most of grade 11 students in my school confront many problems while learning reading They often find it difficult to understand the reading texts in the textbook English 11; they encounter a lot of troubles in dealing with unknown words which occur frequently in the reading texts In fact, the main reason for this is that they are used to reading the texts word by word, looking up every unfamiliar word in the dictionary when reading and they never try to guess the meaning of unfamiliar words from the texts Consequently, although a great deal of time and energy is devoted to teaching and learning reading, the result has been dissatisfactory Many students are unable to read effectively in English and they perform poorly in their reading comprehension which is tested in almost all examinations Therefore, this problem is well worth being taken into consideration In spite of the evidence that the use of contextual clues can be one of the best ways to improve students' reading skills Also, the use of contextual clues can provide a means by which students can quickly increase their existing vocabulary base and guessing or deducing word meaning from context has proved to be an invaluable technique in the learning of English vocabulary and the teaching of reading, it has not attracted much attention in terms of classroom instruction Some research on reading techniques has mentioned this technique as a good one but little attempt has been made to integrate this technique training into normal teaching Even little has been made to investigate the usefulness of developing students' techniques for guessing unknown words through context on the improvement of their proficiency of vocabulary and reading comprehension All these have motivated the researcher to conduct this quasi-experimental research on the topic given, namely an investigation into the usefulness of the techniques for guessing the meaning of new words through context for 11th form students at Phuc Thanh High School LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 2 Aims and Objectives of the study Within a framework of a minor thesis, the study is aimed at improving the proficiency of vocabulary and reading comprehension for the 11th form students through developing the students' techniques for guessing the meaning of new words through context To achieve this aim, the study sets out to obtain the following specific objectives: - To discover whether or not the techniques for guessing the meaning of unknown words through context make students' vocabulary acquisition and their reading comprehension skill improve - To examine the experimental students' attitudes towards the application of guessing techniques to their reading process, and then to make some recommendations for further study Research Questions To achieve the aims and objectives of the study, an attempt is made to seek the answers to the following research questions: (1) Do techniques for guessing the meaning of unknown words through context make the 11th form students' vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension skill improve as measured by their scores in the pre-test and post-test? (2) What are the students' attitudes towards the application of guessing techniques to their reading process after experimental period? Method of the study The main research method employed in this thesis to find out the answers to the proposed research questions is a quasi-experimental research, with the uses of two instruments: survey questionnaires (including the pre-experiment questionnaires and the post-experiment questionnaire) and pre-test and post-test  The pre-experiment questionnaire for students was carried out to find out the students' perceptions and attitudes towards reading comprehension, as well as to identify what the students might commonly to deal with unknown words and what techniques they used to guess the meaning of unfamiliar words during their reading process The pre-experiment questionnaire for teachers was not only used to investigate the teachers' perceptions and attitudes towards reading comprehension but it also aimed at examining what activity the LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com teachers might frequently utilize to teach the meaning of new words and what techniques they used to teach their students to know how to deduce the meaning of unfamiliar words while reading  A design of pretest and posttest was employed as the main research method to measure both groups' English vocabulary and reading comprehension proficiency before and after the trial period  The post-experiment questionnaire was used as the supplementary instrument to elicit the experimental students' comments and evaluative attitudes towards the techniques for guessing the meaning of unknown words through context after the experimental period Scope of the study The study is concerned with investigating the usefulness of developing the techniques for guessing the meaning of unknown words through context for the 11 th form students at Phuc Thanh High School, Hai Duong province Given the time constraint, the researcher could just carry out an experiment upon a small sample of grade 11 students who were non - randomly assigned to a control class and an experimental class, (25 students each) As the study examined only grade 11 students at Phuc Thanh High School, few claims to generalization over a wider set of situations can be made, as students with different English proficiency or from a different background may yield different results, even where the text is of the same level of difficulty Significance of the study The present research was carried out with the hope that it would help reading teachers as well as grade 11 students to be able to aware of the important role of the guessing techniques in reading lessons Moreover, the findings of the study hopefully could help the 11th form students in particular and high school students in general improve their reading skills Design of the study The study comprises three main parts Part I, the introduction, presents an overview of the study, including the rationale for the study, aims and objectives, research questions, research method, scope, significance and design of the study Part II, the development, consists of three chapters Chapter one presents some general theories relating to guessing LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com techniques including an overview of a context- based approach, a summary of some research on contextual guesswork, guessing or inferring technique, types of context clues, and factors that affect contextual guessing Chapter two deals with the methodology, which provides the context of the study, the rationale for using quasi-experiment, the variables, the background information about the subjects of the study, the materials, the procedures as well as the data collection instruments Chapter three analyzes the data collected, reports and discusses the results of the research It gives details of the significant findings from data collection, i.e., the presentation of the two groups' pretest and posttest scores, reports of the results collected by means of questionnaires Part III, the conclusion of the study, recapitulates the findings of the research This part also points out some limitations of the study, several recommendations for the application of the guessing techniques as well as some suggestions for further study LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com I APPENDICES Appendix 1: The pre-experiment questionnaire for the students (Vietnamese version) Questionnaires for students (BẢN CÂU HỎI ĐIỀU TRA DÀNH CHO HỌC SINH) Các em học sinh thân mến! Bản câu hỏi đưới liên quan đến đề tài nghiên cứu "Nghiên cứu lợi ích thủ thuật đốn nghĩa từ dựa vào ngữ cảnh cho học sinh lớp 11 trường THPT Phúc Thành" nhằm giúp hoc sinh lớp 11 trường THPT Phúc Thành nói riêng, hoc sinh lớp THPT nói chung hình thành thói quen sử dụng thủ thuật đoán nghĩa từ dựa vào ngữ cảnh trình học kỹ đọc hiểu Vì câu hỏi nhằm mục đích nghiên cứu nên mong em trả lời với suy nghĩ cách đánh dấu chéo vào chọn viết câu trả lời vào phần để trống Xin chân thành cảm ơn giúp đỡ em! Phần Thông tin cá nhân Họ tên: Tuổi: Giới tính:  Nữ  Nam Em học tiếng Anh rồi?  < năm  3-4 năm  5-6 năm  > năm Phần Nội dung câu hỏi Theo em kỹ đọc hiểu có quan trọng không?  quan trọng  quan trọng  bình thường  khơng quan trọng Đối với em kỹ đọc hiểu học có khó khơng?  khó  khó  bình thường  dễ  dễ Tốc độ đọc hiểu em theo mức sau đây?  nhanh  nhanh  bình thường  chậm  chậm Em tự đánh giá việc đọc hiểu em có hiệu khơng?  hiệu  hiệu  bình thường  không hiệu Việc đọc hiểu em khơng hiệu ngun nhân chủ yếu  đọc có nhiều từ  ngữ pháp đọc khó LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com II  kiến thức em hạn chế  khơng đủ thời gian Trong q trình đọc hiểu, em thường dành thời gian để tìm hiểu nghĩa  tất từ có đọc  hầu hết từ có đọc  số từ quan trọng có liên quan đến nội dung đọc  bỏ qua từ Khi muốn biết nghĩa từ đọc em làm nào? (1: luôn 2: thường xuyên 3: 4: 5: không bao giờ) Tra từ điển Hỏi giáo viên Hỏi bạn bè Đoán nghĩa từ dựa vào ngữ cảnh đọc Theo em việc tra, hỏi nghĩa từ q trình đọc hiểu có ảnh hưởng đến tốc độ, hiệu đọc khơng?  có ảnh hưởng  không ảnh hưởng Em sử dụng thủ thuật đoán nghĩa từ q trình đọc hiểu? (Em đánh dấu nhiều lựa chọn cần thiết)  Morphology ( Hình vị- tiền tố, hậu tố)  Synonyms and antonyms ( Từ đồng nghĩa, trái nghĩa)  Hypernyms (Từ khái quát)  Restatement ( Diễn đạt lại cách khác)  Definitions (Định nghĩa)  Reference words (Từ quy chiếu)  Punctuation (Dấu câu)  Alternatives (Dùng từ thay thế)  Ý kiến khác (Xin ghi rõ) LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com III Appendix : The pre-experiment questionnaire for the teachers Survey questionnaires for teachers Dear my colleagues, This questionnaire is designed to provide information for my thesis on "An investigation into the usefulness of techniques for guessing the meaning of new words in context for the 11th form students at Phuc Thanh High School" Its purpose is to find out how the 11th form students deal with new words in reading process and their attitudes towards techniques for guessing the meaning of new words in context Please feel free to write down the answer in the space provided or put a cross (x) in the box which shows your choice, as all details will be strictly confidential Your cooperation is highly appreciated Thank you very much! Part 1: Personal Information Name: Age: Gender:  male  female How long have you been teaching English?  < years  3-4 years  5-6 years  > years Part 2: Teachers' Attitudes to Reading Comprehension and Unknown Words in Context What you think of the importance of reading comprehension in teaching and learning English?  very important  important  not very important  not important How many new words of the reading text you often teach your students in a reading session?  all new words in the reading text  almost all new words in the reading text  only some key words relating to the main idea of the reading text  ignore new words What you when you teach your students the meaning of a new word in the reading text? LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com IV (1: always 2: usually 3: sometimes 4: rarely 5: never) Provide students with the Vietnamese equivalent of the new word immediately Ask students to look it up in a dictionary Ask students to ask their classmates Ask students to try to guess its meaning from context Do you think it is necessary to teach the techniques for guessing the meaning of new words through context to students?  Yes  No Which of these following techniques for guessing the meaning of new words through context have you used to teach your students? (You can choose more than one options if you want)  Morphology  Synonyms and antonyms  Hypernyms  Restatement  Definitions  Reference words  Punctuation  Alternatives  Others (Please specify) Does your teaching of the techniques for guessing the meaning of new words through context to your students help them improve their reading ability?  Yes  No LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com V Appendix The pretest preTest Name: Group: vocabulary and Reading Comprehension test Time allowed: 55 minutes The paper consists of 05 pages (Note: Students are not allowed to use dictionaries or any form of reference) Section 1: Vocabulary Instruction: This section consists of 10 items Choose A, B, C, or D that best substitutes the underlined part in each of the following sentences Solar energy is not only plentiful and infinite but also clean and safe A boundless B unlimited C uncountable D inflexible Your failure is the consequence of not study hard enough for the test A cause B motive C result D status I keep stamps However, I would not call myself an avid stamp collector A keen B private C major D complete The course can be as simple as bricklaying or as sophisticated as making your own stock market decisions A external B intensive C advanced D complicated Scientists and engineers can work to find out ways to lessen the amount of pollution A provide B increase C reduce D enforce He got the stamps but threw away the envelopes A discarded B kept C gathered D collected There are many other pursuits such as listening to music, reading and gardening A sports B hobbies C courses D decisions Courses like shoemaking or glass engraving provide people with practical skills A sophisticated B simple C interested D useful There are two parallel school systems in England The first is the state school system, which is free for all students and paid for by the state A fee-paying schools B independent schools C private schools LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VI D Schools in which all students can attend without paying tuition fees 10 Numerous marriages now end in divorce, that is, couples stop living together under a roof A wedding party B formal ending of a marriage by law C birthday anniversary D marital status Section 2: Reading Comprehension Directions: In this section you will read passages Each is followed by a number of questions about it Read them carefully Try to guess the meaning of the words/phrases from the passages by circling one best answer A, B, C, or D to each question Passage 1: Questions 1-5 Literacy means the ability to read and write Being able to read and write is an important skill in modern societies Usually, people learn how to read and write at school People who can read and write are called literate; those who can not are called illiterate According to the United Nations, illiteracy is not being able to write or read a simple sentence in any language The UN estimated, that in 1998, about 16% of the world's population were illiterate Illiteracy is the highest among the states of Arab peninsula, and in Africa, around the Sahara In those countries about 30% of men, and 40-50% of women are illiterate One of the causes of illiteracy is that someone who can get by without being able to read and write often does not have the incentive to learn to read and write Cultural factors, like most oral tradition, often also play a role A tribe that mostly herds livestock, for example, may have no need to read and write What is meant by the word 'literate' in the passage? A people who are able to read and write B people who aren't able to read and write C people who can read but can't write D people who can write but can not read Circle the word that is an antonym of the word 'literate' in the passage A literacy B illiteracy C illiterate D unliterate By the UN definition, the word 'illiteracy' means A 'cannot read and write a simple word in any language' LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VII B 'cannot read and write a simple sentence in any language' C 'cannot read and write many sentences in English' D 'cannot read and write some simple phrases in many languages' The word "oral" in paragraph is closest in meaning to _ A listening B reading C speaking D writing Which of the following could best be substituted for the word 'herbs' in the last paragraph? A looks like B looks at C looks for D looks after Passage 2: Questions 6- 11 REMEMBER? Your mind's ability to bring back experiences you have had is your memory There are two kinds of remembering, recall and recognition For instance, you may not be able to recall the poem you read yesterday in class, but if you see it again, you will know it instantly because you recognize it Some few people have 'total recall,' often spoken of as photographic memory A person with total recall can recite a whole page of a book he has read only once, or play a musical composition after hearing it once This is very unusual, however, and most people have difficulty in remembering even names they heard the day before This is not because most people lack the ability to remember, but because they had not paid much attention to what they heard They felt no personal reasons to remember What does the word 'memory' in the first paragraph mean? A ability by which things are recalled to or kept in the mind B ability by which things kept in the stomach C ability by which things kept in the nose D ability by which things are kept in the mouth Circle the word that is a synonym of the word 'recall' in the first paragraph A retelling B rewriting C repeating D remembering Which word means the same as 'instantly' in the first paragraph? A urgently B immediately C constantly D quickly A person with photographic memory A can only remember things if he looks at a photograph LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIII B can be found in mental hospitals C can remember every detail of what he sees or hears D brings his camera everywhere he goes 10 Which of the following could best be substituted for the word 'unusual' in the passage? A rare or exceptional B common C unsure D precious 11 Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word 'lack' in the passage? A have a sufficiency B have less than enough C have more than enough D have the same as needed Passage 3: Questions 12- 20 Surfing, the island's most famous sport, started in Hawaii many years ago The Hawaiians called it "he'enalu," which means "to slide on a wave." Long before the arrival of the Europeans, the Hawaiians would ride on the waves on long, narrow wooden boards When the first Europeans came to the islands, they were amazed by these surfing Hawaiians Since that time, surfing has become a very popular sport not only in Hawaii, but also on the California coast and in Australia, among other places The two popular sports in Hawaii are scuba diving and snorkeling These sports allow you to look at what is under the surface of the ocean Of the two, scuba diving allows you to see the most the most interesting undersea sights because you can go farther underwater "SCUBA" means "self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus," which is the equipment used for breathing and swimming far under water In Hawaii, you must take special courses to learn how to scuba dive because it can be dangerous If you are less adventuresome, you might try snorkeling in stead of scuba diving Less equipment is needed to snorkel- just a face mask, a breathing tube (snorkel), and flippers for your feet Unlike scuba diving, snorkeling is easy to learn and does not require any special instruction You breathe through the snorkel, float on the surface of the water, and look down through the mask Often, fish will come close to you and eat out of your hand 12 What is meant by the word 'surfing' in the first paragraph? A riding on an elephant B riding on a horse's back C riding on the winds D riding on the waves on boards 13 What does 'it' in the first paragraph refer to? LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com IX A Hawaii B sport C surfing D a wave 14 The word 'they' in the first paragraph is a reference to A the first Europeans to arrive in Hawaii B the Hawaiians C the divers D the fish 15 Circle the word that best substitutes the word 'amazed' in the first paragraph A amused B frightened C astounding D surprised 16 What does the phrase 'scuba diving' in the second paragraph mean? A a sport of swimming under water using a breathing tube B a sport of swimming under water using special breathing equipment C a sport of floating on the surface of the water using a face mask D a sport of swimming under water without using any equipment 17 The word undersea in the second paragraph means _ A below the surface of the sea B above the surface of the sea C over the surface of the sea D on the surface of the sea 18 The word 'it' in the second paragraph refers to? A Hawaii B snorkeling C scuba diving D the wave 19 Which word in the second paragraph means the same as 'a breathing tube'? A a flipper B a face mask C a board D a snorkel 20 Circle the word that is a synonym of the word 'need' in the second paragraph A breathe B require C float D take LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com X Appendix The posttest POSTTEST Name: Group: vocabulary and Reading Comprehension test Time allowed: 55 minutes The paper consists of 05 pages (Note: Students are not allowed to use dictionaries or any form of reference) Section 1: Vocabulary Instruction: This section consists of 10 items Choose A, B, C, or D that best substitutes the underlined part in each of the following sentences There are many other pursuits such as listening to music, reading and gardening A sports B hobbies C courses D decisions Courses like shoemaking or glass engraving provide people with practical skills A sophisticated B simple C interested D useful Numerous marriages now end in divorce, that is, couples stop living together under a roof A wedding party B formal ending of a marriage by law C birthday anniversary D marital status I keep stamps However, I would not call myself an avid stamp collector A keen B private C major D complete Your failure is the consequence of not study hard enough for the test A cause B motive C result D status There are two parallel school systems in England The first is the state school system, which is free for all students and paid for by the state A fee-paying schools B independent schools C private schools D Schools in which all students can attend without paying tuition fees Scientists and engineers can work to find out ways to lessen the amount of pollution A provide B increase C reduce D enforce He got the stamps but threw away the envelopes A discarded B kept C gathered D collected LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com XI Solar energy is not only plentiful and infinite but also clean and safe A boundless B unlimited C uncountable D inflexible 10 The course can be as simple as bricklaying or as sophisticated as making your own stock market decisions A external B intensive C advanced D complicated Section 2: Reading Comprehension Directions: In this section you will read passages Each is followed by a number of questions about it Read them carefully Try to guess the meaning of the words/phrases from the passages by circling one best answer A, B, C, or D to each question Passage 1: Questions 1- Surfing, the island's most famous sport, started in Hawaii many years ago The Hawaiians called it "he'enalu," which means "to slide on a wave." Long before the arrival of the Europeans, the Hawaiians would ride on the waves on long, narrow wooden boards When the first Europeans came to the islands, they were amazed by these surfing Hawaiians Since that time, surfing has become a very popular sport not only in Hawaii, but also on the California coast and in Australia, among other places The two popular sports in Hawaii are scuba diving and snorkeling These sports allow you to look at what is under the surface of the ocean Of the two, scuba diving allows you to see the most the most interesting undersea sights because you can go farther underwater "SCUBA" means "self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus," which is the equipment used for breathing and swimming far under water In Hawaii, you must take special courses to learn how to scuba dive because it can be dangerous If you are less adventuresome, you might try snorkeling in stead of scuba diving Less equipment is needed to snorkel- just a face mask, a breathing tube (snorkel), and flippers for your feet Unlike scuba diving, snorkeling is easy to learn and does not require any special instruction You breathe through the snorkel, float on the surface of the water, and look down through the mask Often, fish will come close to you and eat out of your hand What is meant by the word 'surfing' in the first paragraph? A riding on an elephant B riding on a horse's back C riding on the winds D riding on the waves on boards LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com XII What does 'it' in the first paragraph refer to? A Hawaii B sport C surfing D a wave The word 'they' in the first paragraph is a reference to A the first Europeans to arrive in Hawaii B the Hawaiians C the divers D the fish Circle the word that best substitutes the word 'amazed' in the first paragraph A amused B frightened C astounding D surprised What does the phrase 'scuba diving' in the second paragraph mean? A a sport of swimming under water using a breathing tube B a sport of swimming under water using special breathing equipment C a sport of floating on the surface of the water using a face mask D a sport of swimming under water without using any equipment The word undersea in the second paragraph means _ A below the surface of the sea B above the surface of the sea C over the surface of the sea D on the surface of the sea The word 'it' in the second paragraph refers to? A Hawaii B snorkeling C scuba diving D the wave Which word in the second paragraph means the same as 'a breathing tube'? A a flipper B a face mask C a board D a snorkel Circle the word that is a synonym of the word 'need' in the second paragraph A breathe B require C float D take Passage 2: Questions 10-14 Literacy means the ability to read and write Being able to read and write is an important skill in modern societies Usually, people learn how to read and write at school People who can read and write are called literate; those who can not are called illiterate According to the United Nations, illiteracy is not being able to write or read a simple sentence in any language The UN estimated, that in 1998, about 16% of the world's population were illiterate Illiteracy is the highest among the states of Arab peninsula, and in Africa, around the Sahara In those countries about 30% of men, and 40-50% of women are illiterate One of the causes of illiteracy is that someone who can get by without being able to read and write LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com XIII often does not have the incentive to learn to read and write Cultural factors, like most oral tradition, often also play a role A tribe that mostly herds livestock, for example, may have no need to read and write 10 What is meant by the word 'literate' in the passage? A people who are able to read and write B people who aren't able to read and write C people who can read but can't write D people who can write but can not read 11 Circle the word that is an antonym of the word 'literate' in the passage A literacy B illiteracy C illiterate D unliterate 12 By the UN definition, the word 'illiteracy' means A 'cannot read and write a simple word in any language' B 'cannot read and write a simple sentence in any language' C 'cannot read and write many sentences in English' D 'cannot read and write some simple phrases in many languages' 13 The word "oral" in paragraph is closest in meaning to _ A listening B reading C speaking D writing 14 Which of the following could best be substituted for the word 'herbs' in the last paragraph? A looks like B looks at C looks for D looks after Passage 3: Questions 15- 20 REMEMBER? Your mind's ability to bring back experiences you have had is your memory There are two kinds of remembering, recall and recognition For instance, you may not be able to recall the poem you read yesterday in class, but if you see it again, you will know it instantly because you recognize it Some few people have 'total recall,' often spoken of as photographic memory A person with total recall can recite a whole page of a book he has read only once, or play a musical composition after hearing it once This is very unusual, however, and most people have difficulty in remembering even names they heard the day before This is not because most people lack the ability to remember, but because they had not paid much attention to what they heard They felt no personal reasons to remember 15 What does the word 'memory' in the first paragraph mean? LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com XIV A ability by which things are recalled to or kept in the mind B ability by which things kept in the stomach C ability by which things kept in the nose D ability by which things are kept in the mouth 16 Circle the word that is a synonym of the word 'recall' in the first paragraph A retelling B rewriting C repeating D remembering 17 Which word means the same as 'instantly' in the first paragraph? A urgently B immediately C constantly D quickly 18 A person with photographic memory A can only remember things if he looks at a photograph B can be found in mental hospitals C can remember every detail of what he sees or hears D brings his camera everywhere he goes 19 Which of the following could best be substituted for the word 'unusual' in the passage? A rare or exceptional B common C unsure D precious 20 Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word 'lack' in the passage? A have a sufficiency B have less than enough C have more than enough D have the same as needed LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com XV Appendix 5: The post-experiment questionnaire for the experimental students (Vietnamese version) Questionnaires for students (PHIẾU ĐIỀU TRA DÀNH CHO HỌC SINH) Các em học sinh thân mến! Bản câu hỏi đưới liên quan đến đề tài nghiên cứu "Nghiên cứu lợi ích thủ thuật đốn nghĩa từ dựa vào ngữ cảnh cho học sinh lớp 11 trường THPT Phúc Thành" nhằm giúp hoc sinh lớp 11 trường THPT Phúc Thành nói riêng, hoc sinh lớp THPT nói chung hình thành thói quen sử dụng thủ thuật đoán nghĩa từ dựa vào ngữ cảnh nhằm nâng cao khả đọc hiểu đọc cho học sinh Vì câu hỏi nhằm mục đích nghiên cứu nên mong em trả lời với suy nghĩ cách cách đánh dấu chéo (x) vào chọn ( Đồng Ý, Khơng Đồng Ý, Khơng Có Ý Kiến) Xin chân thành cảm ơn giúp đỡ em! Họ tên: Tuổi: Giới tính:  Nam Ý KIẾN  Nữ ĐỒNG Ý KHƠNG ĐỒNG Ý KHƠNG CĨ Ý KIẾN Sử dụng thủ thuật đoán nghĩa từ ngữ cảnh giúp cho khả đọc hiểu em nâng cao Tốc độ đọc hiểu em nâng cao nhờ việc áp dụng thủ thuật đoán nghĩa từ dựa vào ngữ cảnh trình học đọc hiểu Trong q trình đọc hiểu em khơng phải dừng lại tra, hỏi nghĩa từ thường xuyên trước Em xử lí từ đọc dễ dàng trước Em thấy tự tin học đọc hiểu kể không sử dụng từ điển, hay khơng có giúp đỡ thầy cô, bạn bè Em khuyên tất bạn học Tiếng Anh tích cực sử dụng thủ thuật đoán nghĩa từ dựa vào ngữ cảnh giúp bạn nâng cao nhanh từ vựng đọc hiểu Nếu sử dụng thủ thuật đoán nghĩa từ ngữ cảnh trì thường xuyên, khả đọc hiểu em nâng lên nhiều LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ... aimed at improving the proficiency of vocabulary and reading comprehension for the 11th form students through developing the students'' techniques for guessing the meaning of new words through context. .. results of this study, some usefulness of the techniques for guessing the meaning of new words through context can be drawn out First, application of the techniques for guessing the word meaning. .. through context for 11th form students at Phuc Thanh High School LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 2 Aims and Objectives of the study Within a framework of a minor thesis, the