The effects of paraphrasing strategy on reading comprehension of non english major students at a univerity in hcmc m,a

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY — HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LINGUISTICS & LITERATURE THE EFFECTS OF PARAPHRASING STRATEGY ON READING COMPREHENSION OF NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT A UNIVERSITY IN HCMC A thesis submitted to the Faculty of English Linguistics & Literature in partial fulfillment of the Master‘s degree in TESOL By PHẠM TỐ QUYÊN Supervised by PHAN THANH HÙNG, Ph.D HO CHI MINH CITY, FEBRUARY 2022 ACKNOWLDEGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Dr Phan Thanh Hùng, my thesis supervisor, for his unwavering support During my preparation and completion of the thesis, he provided me with insightful discussion, considerable inspiration, and valuable guidance I deeply appreciate the way he read and corrected my thesis writing in detail with constructive feedback I would not have finished the thesis if it hadn't been for his incredible patience and professional expertise Second, I would like to express my gratitude to Mr Đinh Văn Chương and Mrs Võ Thị Thanh Lý for allowing me to conduct my research on students at HCM University of Information Technology Also, I would like to acknowledge my debt to all the students who supported me during the time I did the experiment Thirdly, I sincerely extend my profound gratitude to all the lecturers at Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities for their valuable guidance and encouragement in my education Throughout my tenure at the university, they were constant in their personal and professional support, which endowed me with many research skills Furthermore, I would like to thank Mr Tiêu Tiểu Long and Ms Nguyễn Thị Hoài Anh for their proofreading and comments on my writing They always gave me an impulse to accomplish my thesis Last but not least, I am deeply indebted to my family for their encouragement and assistance during the months I studied for my MA in TESOL i STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY I certify that this thesis, entitled ―The Effects of Paraphrasing Strategy on Reading Comprehension of Non-English Major Students at a University in HCMC,‖ is my own work This thesis has not been submitted to any other institution for the award of a degree or diploma Ho Chi Minh City, January 2022 Ho Chi Minh City, January 18th, 2022 Phạm Tố Quyên ii RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby state that I, Phạm Tố Quyên, as a candidate for the Master of Arts in TESOL degree, accept the university's requirements for the retention and use of master's theses deposited in the library Theses should be accessible for study and research purposes, in accordance with the library's normal conditions for the care, loan, and reproduction of theses Ho Chi Minh City, November 1st, 2021 Phạm Tố Quyên iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLDEGEMENTS i STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY ii RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS viii LIST OF TABLES ix ABSTRACT xi CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the study 1.2 Aims of the study 1.3 Research questions 1.6 Scope of the study 1.7 Organization of thesis chapters CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Definition of reading comprehension 2.2 Definition of paraphrasing strategy 2.3 The metacognitive process 2.2 Definition of reading strategies 2.4 The meta-cognitive process of paraphrasing 11 2.5 A paraphrasing strategy to improve main idea comprehension 12 2.6 Definition of attitudes 13 2.7 The importance of attitudes in language learning 14 iv 2.8 Readability formula 15 2.9 Previous studies on the use of paraphrasing strategy and Gaps 16 CHAPTER METHODOLOGY 21 3.1 Research design 21 3.2 Context of the study 22 3.3 Participants 22 3.4 Procedures for teaching the paraphrasing strategy 25 3.4.1 Develop and active knowledge 25 3.4.2 Discuss the paraphrasing strategy 26 3.4.3 Model the paraphrasing strategy 27 3.4.4 Support the paraphrasing strategy 27 3.4.5 Independent performance 27 3.5 Procedures for teaching the paraphrasing strategy in the experimental class 28 3.6 Research instruments 32 3.6.1 Tests 33 3.6.1.1 Pre-test 33 3.6.1.2 Post-test 33 3.6.2 Questionnaire 35 3.6.2.1 The content of the questionnaire 36 3.6.2.2 The content of the questionnaire on attitudes and perception 36 3.6.2.3 Reliability of the questionnaire 37 3.7 Data collection procedure 39 3.8 Data analysis procedure 42 3.8.1 Analyzing the pre-test and post-tests 42 v 3.8.2 Analyzing data from the questionnaire 42 3.9 Summary of the chapter 43 CHAPTER RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 44 4.1 Descriptive analysis of the tests 44 4.1.1 Descriptive analysis of the pre-test results 44 4.1.2 Descriptive analysis of the post-test results 45 4.1.2.1 Post-test 46 4.1.2.2 Post-test 47 4.1.2.3 Post-test 49 4.2 Questionnaire 51 4.2.1 Students‘ attitudes toward their use of paraphrasing strategy in the classroom 51 4.2.2 Descriptive analysis of the questionnaires 51 4.2.2.1 Enjoyment 51 4.2.2.2 Confidence 52 4.2.2.3 Students‘ reactions 53 4.2.2.4 Reading Comprehension perception 54 4.3 Discussion 55 4.4 Summary of the chapter 56 CHAPTER CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 57 5.1 Summary of findings 57 5.2 Implication of PS 58 5.3 Limitations of PS 58 5.4 Recommendations for future studies 59 vi REFERENCES 61 APPENDICES 68 APPENDIX A - PRE-TEST 68 APPENDIX B – POST-TEST 79 APPENDIX C – POST-TEST 89 APPENDIX D – POST-TEST 98 APPENDIX E – THE VIETNAMESE VERSION OF THE QUESTIONAIRE 108 APPENDIX F – QUESTIONNAIRE FOR THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP 110 APPENDIX G – SAMPLE READING LESSON PLAN OF THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP 112 APPENDIX H – SAMPLE LISTENING LESSON PLAN OF THE CONTROL GROUP 115 vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS PS Paraphrasing Strategy RC Reading Comprehension UIT University of Information Technology CG Control Group EFL English as a Foreign Language EG Experimental Group ESL English as a Second Language SPSS Statistical Package for the Social Sciences viii LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1 Description and estimated reading grade for Flesch Reading Ease Score (Flesch, 1948) 15 Table 3.1 Levels of English classes based on students' placement test scores 23 Table 3.2 lists general information about the study participants and the participants' gender 25 Table 3.3 Readability level and length of reading passages in the book ‗ETS TOEIC TEST 2019‘ 34 Table 3.4 Readability level and length of reading passages in the book ‗ETS TOEIC TEST 2020‖ 34 Table 4.10 The organization of the questionnaire and its related categories 36 Table 4.11 A summary of the questionnaire on attitudes and perception 37 Table 4.12 The summary of the questionnaire 38 Table 4.13 The Cronbach‘s Alpha statistic of the questionnaire 38 Table 4.14 The total statistics of all items in the questionnaire 38 Table 3.5 Coding scheme for the two Likert scales 43 Table 4.1 Descriptive statistics of the participants' scores in the pre-test 44 Table 4.2 The participants‘ homogeneity in RC competence 45 Table 4.3 Results of post-test of the experimental and control groups 46 Table 4.4 Independent samples t-test for post-test of the experimental and control groups 46 Table 4.5 Results of post-test of the experimental and control groups 47 Table 4.6 Independent samples t-test for post-test of the experimental and control groups 48 Table 4.7 Results of post-test of the experimental and control groups 49 Table 4.8 Independent samples t-test for post-test of the experimental and control groups 49 Table 4.9 Summary of the results of the three post-tests 50 ix C Make an error D Play a trick According to the e-mail, what will Jason McGraw next? A Fire an employee B Ask a question C Send an new invoice D Disregard a fee Questions 9-13 refer to the following invitation and e-mail reply You're invited Please join us for an open house to meet our daughter Cathleen's first-born, Keegan Schlitmeier and welcome him into the world Where: Diane and Ken's house 23847 47th Pl W., Bear Creek, WA, 98007 When: p.m to p.m Saturday, Dec 5th What: Hors devours and drinks will be provided All you need to bring is yourselves, but if you want to bring a gift, Cathleen has a registry of needs at babies.com and Tot Toys RSVP: Call us at home 555-7362 or e-mail: dadkinson52@hotmail.com We hope to see you! To: dadkinson52@hotmail.com From: dragon001@zmail.com Hi Di, I got your invitation today to the open house for Cathleen and Keegan I'm so sorry that I have to miss it! 102 Brad and I are going skiing in Utah that weekend We've been planning the trip for months, and it's too late to change even though we wish we could I'm dying to meet little Keegan! We'll be back on the ninth, and I'd like to get together ASAP after that Would that be OK? You must be so proud, grandma! Wow, I never thought I'd be calling you that so soon I'm glad that Cath had a smooth delivery, and that Keegan is healthy Thanks for sending his picture He's a cute little guy Anyway, we'll check the gift registries you mentioned, and I'll look forward to seeing Cath and Keegan shortly Hope the open house goes well I know it takes a lot to plan and host one I'll e-mail Cathleen separately and say sorry and hi Please give my love to Ken See you soon, Robin What event is the open house celebrating? A A marriage B A graduation C An engagement D A birth 10 In the invitation, the letters “RSVP” are closest in meaning to A Obey B Respond C Come D Affirm 11 In the invitation, the term “Hors devours” is closest in meaning to A Snacks B Gifts C Dinner D Photographs 103 12 Why can't Robin attend the open house? A Her husband is sick B She has to work C She will be on vacation D Her car needs repair 13 What can be inferred about Robin? A She is a relative of Keegan's B She is impulsive C She is inconsiderate D She is good friends with Diane Questions 14-17 refer to the following fax and response Fax No To: Bob Atom, Atom Inc From: Fred Savage, Regulatory Services Re: Receipt of Application Page: Number of pages: The Minneapolis Health and Wellness Group received your request for a research grant on Monday, Feb 14, and is currently processing your application This process takes about six months Your proposal will be brought before the regulatory services department and the board of directors Both must agree to the terms before your proposal is approved You will be notified by phone after the decision has been made Please not call us 104 NOTE: The following documentation was not included in your grant proposal application: A detailed list of any grants for which you have applied This includes grants you did not receive Thank you, Minneapolis Health and Wellness Group Fax No To: Minneapolis Health and Wellness Group From: Bob Atom Attn: Regulatory Services To Whom It May Concern, We received your fax today regarding the grant application from Minneapolis Health and Wellness Group This grant is very important to our organization, as we are determined to provide safe cosmetic alternatives for women with allergies and sensitive skin Unfortunately, our previous executive assistant did not keep good records, and I don't have a list of all of the grants we have applied for I could put together a list of those that I was personally involved with; would that be sufficient? Please e-mail me at your earliest convenience so that I can begin gathering the necessary documentation Thank you, Bob Atom Atom Inc batom@atominc.com 105 14 What does the first fax say about the grant application? A It's been lost B It's been received C It's been rejected D It's been accepted 15 To whom was the first fax sent? A Bob Atom B Andrea Karmer C Fred Savage D Columbia Cosmetics 16 What does the initial fax say was missing from the grant proposal application? A Detailed list of grants applied for B Name of applicant C Contact information D Detailed product information 17 Who is blamed for not keeping good records in the responding fax? A Bob Atom B Fred Savage C Previous owner D Previous executive assistant Questions 18-20 refer to the following email 106 To: satty980hatmail.net From: bcy099ralions.co.sp Subject: Recordings Hi Samantha, This is just a quick email to let you know that we have found enough voice actors to make the recording for the radio advertisement The Heartful Acting Agency is providing us with three children who will work with the man and the woman you had already found They are charging $50 an hour per child, so let's try to get it done as quickly as we can to keep costs down I have given the agency the scripts See you at the studio Brian 18 Why did Brian send this email? A To ask Samantha to find more actors B To let Samantha know they have enough actors C To tell Samantha about a meeting D To complain to Samantha 19 How many voices will be used in the advertisement? A Three B Four C Five D Two 107 APPENDIX E – THE VIETNAMESE VERSION OF THE QUESTIONAIRE BẢNG CÂU HỎI KHẢO SÁT Bảng câu hỏi phát cho bạn nhằm mục đích thu thập liệu cho nghiên cứu có tiêu đề ―Khảo sát quan điểm việc sử dụng sách Tiếng Anh điều chỉnh theo trình độ (Graded Readers) sinh viên đại học khía cạnh đọc lưu lốt đọc hiểu‖ Vui lịng trả lời bảng câu hỏi với hiểu biết cao bạn Tôi cam đoan câu hỏi sử dụng cho mục đích nghiên cứu Xin chân thành cảm ơn bạn I Thông tin cá nhân Giới tính: Tuổi: 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 II Câu hỏi: Vui lòng khoanh tròn số thê câu trả lời bạn 5=Hồn tồn đồng ý, 4=Đồng ý, 3=Khơng chắc, 2=Khơng đồng ý, 1=Hồn tồn khơng đồng ý THÁI ĐỘ Phần khảo sát cảm xúc bạn việc dùng chiến lược diễn giải Tôi thích chiến lược diễn giải Tơi khơng thích chiến lược diễn giải 3 Nhờ chiến lược diễn giải, trở nên tự tin 5 5 đọc hiểu Chiến lược diễn giải giúp thấy đọc hiểu khơng q khó Thậm chí sau học chiến lược diễn giải tơi cảm thấy khó khăn việc đọc hiểu 108 Sau học chiến lược diễn giải cảm thấy tơi có 5 Tôi không sử dụng chiến lược diễn giải làm 5 11 Chiến lược diễn giải giúp tăng khả nhận diện 5 5 thể dùng thời gian cho việc đọc hiểu Trong tương lai tiếp tục sử dụng chiến lược diễn giải đọc hiểu Tôi giới thiệu chiến lược diễn giải cho người khác kiểm tra đọc hiểu 10 Tôi sử dụng chiến lược diễn giải giáo viên yêu cầu SỰ NHẬN THỨC từ 12 Sau chiến lược diễn giải tốc độ đọc hiểu tơi khơng có thay đổi 13 Chiến lược diễn giải giúp cải thiện khả đọc hiểu 14 Sau chiến lược diễn giải tìm ý phụ đọc tốt 15 Chiến lược diễn giải giúp tăng khối lượng từ vựng BẢNG HỎI ĐẾN ĐÂY LÀ KẾT THÚC CẢM ƠN RẤT NHIỀU VÌ SỰ HỢP TÁC CỦA BẠN! 109 APPENDIX F – QUESTIONNAIRE FOR THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP I Personal information: This questionnaire is provided to you for the purpose of collecting data for the study entitled ―THE EFFECTS OF THE PARAPHRASING STRATEGY OF RC ON NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT A UNIVERSITY IN HCMC‖ Please answer this questionnaire to the best of your knowledge Your answer is critical to the success of this research The data collected will only be used for research purposes Thank you very much for your cooperation Gender: Age: 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 II Questions: Please circle the number that represents your answer (1) = strongly disagree, (2) = disagree, (3) = not sure (4)= agree, (5) = strongly agree ATTITUDES This section investigates your attitude towards the paraphrasing strategy I enjoyed the paraphrasing strategy in RC I didn‘t enjoy the paraphrasing strategy in RC 3 Thanks to the paraphrasing strategy, I became more 5 The paraphrasing strategy taught me that RC is not so 5 After the paraphrasing strategy, I feel that I can spend confident about RC difficult Even after reading the paraphrasing strategy, I still feel frustrated RC 110 less time doing RC In the future, I will continue to use the paraphrasing 5 5 5 5 strategy in the RC I will recommend the paraphrasing strategy to other people I will not use the paraphrasing strategy anymore when I the RC tests 10 I will use the paraphrasing strategy only when Í am required by teachers PERCEPTION 11 The paraphrasing strategy helped me increase my word recognition 12 Even after the paraphrasing strategy, my reading speed is still the same 13 The paraphrasing strategy helped me improve my RC 14 After the paraphrasing strategy, I become better at finding the main idea and details of a text 15 The paraphrasing strategy helped me deepen my vocabulary knowledge THIS IS THE END OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE VERY MUCH FOR YOUR COOPERATION! 111 APPENDIX G – SAMPLE READING LESSON PLAN OF THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP UNIT 1: READING TEST Stages Time Aims What does teacher (T) do? 10 -Develop and T shows Ss short Preparaphraphs on the reading minutes activate background board knowledge - T asks Ss to read Determine Ss‘ aloud, then identify reading the main idea and two fluency and details comprehension - T writes the answers on the board - T introduces Ss to the strategy - T asks Ss to read another parapgraph, identify main ideas and details and respond to questions - T corrects the answers What students (Ss) do? -Ss read aloud a paraphraph -Ss find out the main idea and two details of two paragraphs Discuss the While- 20 reading minutes paraphrasing strategy Help Ss understand the uses for the strategy -Ss discuss in group -Ss set individual goals -Ss record their score on each graph - Ss read the paraphraph, underline the main idea, circle details, and briefly orally summarize the paraphraph - T help Ss activate goal setting + T shows a graph of Ss‘ previous performance + T asks Ss discuss in pairs ―How you can improve your performance by using the paraphrasing strategy?‖ - T encourages Ss 112 develop a plan to make sure they follow each step of the strategy 20 Model the minutes paraphrasing strategy Help Ss strongly understand the reason behind the step of the strategy 25 Support the minutes paraphrasing strategy Ss can use the strategy without T‘s assistance -T reminds the importance of PS -T shows paragraphs and the following questions - T models the strategy by using the think-aloud procedure (T speaks aloud what she is thinking throughout the process +Read the paragraph +Ask myself ―what is the main idea and two important details?‖ + Paraphrase + Choose the correct answers -T asks Ss to use the strategy to answer the questions in the third paragraph - T asks Ss to give and explain the answer - T correct the answer -T shows paragraphs -T supports Ss through all the steps of the strategy in the first paragraph - T goes around and observes Ss -T‘s support is -Ss follow the T‘s model -Ss use the strategy to answer questions in the third paragraph - Ss give and explain the answer - Ss check the answer -Ss practice the strategy with T‘s support in the first paragraph -Ss practice last paragraph with T‘s support reduced -Ss share their answers and explain 113 systematically reduced -T asks Ss share their answers and explain -T corrects the answers 15 Independent - T gives Ss Postparagraph and the reading minutes performance -Monitor Ss‘ following questions performance -T asks Ss to practice -Ensure proper the strategy and consistent independently use of the -T observers Ss strategy - T shows the answers -Ss practice the strategy independently -Ss check their answers 114 APPENDIX H – SAMPLE LISTENING LESSON PLAN OF THE CONTROL GROUP UNIT 1: READING TEST Stages Time Aims What does teacher (T) do? 10 Provide T shows Ss a short Preparaphraph on the reading minutes background knowledge of board the text - T asks Ss to read aloud - T helps Ss identify the main idea and two details - T writes the answers on the board - Get familiar - T delivers a handout While- 20 reading minutes with reading to Ss exercises -T guides Ss to an exercise 1(answers questions below paragraphs) - T asks Ss to read the questions and underline key words, then read the paraphraph, identify the main idea, and provide details to answer the questions - T corrects the answers 20 Practice - T asks Ss to an minutes reading exercise individually (answers questions below paragraphs) -T asks Ss to compare the answers in pairs What students (Ss) do? -Ss read aloud a paraphraph -Ss find out the main idea and two details -Ss exercise as T‘s guide - Ss read the questions and underline key words, then read the paraphraphs, identify the main idea, and provide details to answer the questions -Ss check their answers - Ss an exercise individually (answer questions below paragraphs) -Ss compare the answers in pairs 115 - T asks Ss to give and - Ss to give and explain explain their answers their answers - T corrects the - Ss check the answers answers 25 Practice minutes reading 15 Review Postreading minutes vocabulary and grammar -T divides Ss into six groups of four (one group has only members) -T asks Ss to exercise in a group of four (answers questions below three paragraphs) - T goes around and supports Ss if they need help - T asks each group to give and explain their answers -T corrects the answers - T asks Ss which new vocabulary they have learnt from the reading -T asks Ss to discuss the problems they have in reading -T helps Ss clarify their problems -Ss exercise in a group (answer questions below three paragraphs) - Ss give and explain their answers -Ss check the answers -Ss share their new vocabulary or problems -Ss clarify their problems under T‘s help 116