Teaching reading comprehension from the viewpoint of discourse analysis

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – HOCHIMINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES -o0o TEACHING READING COMPREHENSION FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF DISCOURSE ANALYSIS A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF TESOL SUBMITTED BY: HỒ THỊ MỸ VÂN SUPERVISOR: NGUYỄN HOÀNG TUẤN, PhD HO CHI MINH CITY, MAY 2006 Certificate of Originality I certify my authorship of the thesis submitted today entitled: Teaching Reading Comprehension from the Viewpoint of Discourse Analysis in terms of the statement of Requirements for Theses in Master’s Program Issued by the Higher Degree Committee Hochiminh city, May 2006 Hồ Thị Mỹ Vân i Retention and Use of the Thesis I hereby state that I, Hồ Thị Mỹ Vân, being the candidate for the degree of Master of TESOL, accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of Master’s Theses deposited in the Library In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my thesis deposited in the Library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Library for the care, loan or reproduction of theses Hochiminh city, May 2006 Hồ Thị Mỹ Vân ii Acknowledgements I would like to express my appreciation to all who have been concerned about me and given thankful to me so far Firstly, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my thesis supervisor, Mr Nguyen Hoang Tuan, PhD., who provided insightful discussions, valuable comments, criticisms and consistent support in the preparation and completion of this thesis I would wish to thank Ms Dang Thi Huong, PhD., and Mr Truong Hon Huy, MA, who gave me a great deal of thought to selecting the topic of my thesis Special thanks to my classmates in class TESOL 2002 sharing the happiness and difficulties with me during the course, I will never forget the time I have been studying with them as brothers and sisters in a big family I am also grateful to my colleagues, those who are now working with me in the Practical High School – University of Pedagogy, Hochiminh city, for their consideration and participation in the survey I am deeply indebted to them for all their help Most of all, I can never express enough my appreciation to my father, mother, brother, husband, and my little daughter Without their endless love, I can never overcome all difficulties facing in my life to stand here as who I am now I love them always and forever iii Abstract The main focus of the thesis is to point out the application of Discourse Analysis (DA) into teaching reading comprehension in a high school From the viewpoint of DA, we have a critical look at high school English course books Approaches currently employed in teaching and learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in high school are also carefully surveyed and criticized Those extensive observations provide a solid foundation for suggesting a DA-centered approach to efficiently improve the ELT in high school This study is mainly carried out in the Teaching Demonstration High School (Thuc Hanh High School) – University of Pedagogy, Hochiminh city The English 12 course book is considered Firstly, in order to identify all major difficulties that most teachers and students have been facing in reading comprehension, two questionnaires are designed and delivered to a large number of teachers and students The collected results in the questionnaires have conclusively demonstrate that the traditional approach commonly used in most high schools nowadays is very inefficient and thus applying DA in teaching the reading comprehension is strongly desired As a result, a number of relevant DA-based strategies are then suggested to help teachers and students to cope with those problems Basically, the lesson plan for a reading text should be prepared with relevant activities to activate students’ existing background, to arouse students’ attention to the text’s discourse genre, and to encourage students’ predictability Based on those principles, a number of activities are suggested, e.g., describing pictures or completing a semantic map related to the topic of interest, discussing the topic in iv pairs or in groups, guessing the meaning exercises, cloze tests, guessing/supplying the ending of a narrative/a passage, etc Finally, the benefits of our suggested strategy are evaluated by an experiment In the experiment, a large number of high school students are divided into two groups and they are asked to the same reading comprehension test The experiment results clearly indicate that students who are trained by our discourse-analysis-based approaches can the test much better than those who are trained with traditional reading comprehension strategy Therefore, it is believed that our suggested strategy should be applied in high schools or in other similar situations such as foreign language centers, colleges, and universities v Table of Contents Certificate of Originality i Retention and Use of the Thesis ii Acknowledgement .iii Abstract iv Contents vi List of Figures .viii List of Tables ix List of Abbreviations x Chapter 1: Introduction Background to the Study Statement of Purpose… …………… ………………………………… Research Questions…………………… …… ………………………….5 Significance of the Study ……… ……………………………………….6 Overview of Thesis Chapters Chapter 2: Literature Review Discourse Analysis A Review on Related Studies 24 Chapter 3: Research Methodology 32 Research Subjects 32 The Questionnaire for Teachers 35 The Questionnaire for Students 37 The Reading Comprehension Test 39 vi Delivering the Questionnaires and the Test 41 Chapter 4: Results and Discussions 43 Problems in Teaching Reading Comprehension 43 Problems in Learning Reading Comprehension 47 Discourse-Analysis-Centered Approach 51 Chapter 5: Conclusions and Implications .77 Appendices 81 Appendix A: The Contents of English Course Books in High Schools 81 Appendix B: Some Irrelevant Activities in the English 12 Course Book 82 Appendix C: A Sample Test of Academic Year 2003-2004 85 Appendix D: A Sample Test of Academic Year 2004-2005 86 Appendix E: A Sample Test of Academic Year 2005-2006 87 Appendix F: The Questionnaire for Teachers 89 Appendix G: The Questionnaire for Students 92 Appendix H: The Lesson Plan Prepared with the Conventional Approach 95 Appendix I: The Lesson Plan Prepared with the DA-centered Approach 101 Appendix J: The Reading Text in Unit – Air Pollution 108 Appendix K: The Reading Comprehension Test 110 References 116 vii List of Figures Figure 2.1 A model for reading comprehension 21 Figure 2.2 The discourse processing model for reading comprehension 23 Figure 3.1 The distribution of average scores of all subjects in four classes……………………………………………………….….34 Figure 3.2 The distribution of scores of the English subject in four classes………………………………………………………… 34 Figure 4.1 A sample of using a semantic map to teach unit 57 Figure 4.2 A sample of summarizing unit with a diagram 61 Figure 4.3 The overall test scores of (a) group and (b) group 70 Figure 4.4 The test result of part in each group 70 Figure 4.5 The test result of part in each group 71 Figure 4.6 The test result of part in each group 73 viii Burning garbage and paper wastes pollutes the air with unpleasant odours Dangerous chemicals can be released from burning plastics or hairspray containers 109 Appendix K The Reading Comprehension Test Part (1 mark) Arrange the following paragraphs in the logical order to make a meaningful passage Solar energy, which reaches the earth through sunlight, is so abundant that it could meet the needs of worldwide energy consumption 6,000 times over And solar energy is easily harnessed through the use of photovoltaic cells that convert sunlight into electricity In the United States alone, more than 100,000 homes are equipped with solar electric systems in the form of solar panels or solar roof tiles And in other parts of the world, including many developing countries, the use of solar systems is growing steadily In this era of increase global warming and diminishing fossil fuel supplies, we must begin to put a greater priority on harnessing alternative energy sources Fortunately, there are a number of readily available, renewable resources that are both cost-effective and earth-friendly Two such resources are solar power and geothermal power Solar and geothermal energy are just two of a number of promising renewable alternatives to conventional energy sources The time is long overdue to invest in the development and use of alternative energy on a global scale Another alternative energy source, which is abundant in specific geographical areas, is geothermal power, which creates energy by tapping heat from below the surface of the earth Hot water and steam that are trapped in underground pools are pumped to the surface and used to run 110 generators, which produce electricity Geothermal energy is 50,000 times more abundant than the entire known supply of fossil fuel resources And as with solar power, the technology needed to utilize needed geothermal energy is fairly simple A prime example of effective geothermal use is in Iceland, a region of high geothermal activity, where over 80 % of private homes are heated by geothermal power The correct order is: A 3,1,2,4 B 1,4,2,3 C 4,2,1,3 D 2,1,4,3 Part (4 marks) Conservation, sustainable use of natural resources, such as soils, water, plants, animals, and minerals In economic terms, the natural resources of any area constitute its basic capital, and wasteful use of those resources constitutes an economic loss From the aesthetic and moral viewpoint, conservation also includes the maintenance of national parks, wilderness areas, historic sites, and wildlife In certain cases, conservation may imply the protection of a natural environment from any human economic activity Natural resources are of two main types, renewable and non-renewable Renewable resources include wildlife and natural vegetation of all kinds The soil itself can be considered a renewable resource, although severe damage is difficult to repair because of the slow rate of soil-forming processes The natural drainage of waters from the watershed of a region can be maintained indefinitely by careful management of vegetation and soils, and the quality 111 of water can be controlled through pollution control Non-renewable resources are those that cannot be replaced or that can be replaced only over extremely long periods of time Such resources include the fossil fuels (coal, petroleum, and natural gas) and the metallic and other ores For discussions of conservation problems in this area, see individual entries on the substances concerned Answer the questions by selecting the best choice: What is the main topic of this passage? A The benefits of renewable resources in our human life B Two types of natural resources C Non-renewable resources are taken from the Earth in immense quantity D Factors that are related to conservation Choose the incorrect statement A Sustainable use of natural resources is a part of conservation B Conservation includes the protection of a natural environment from any human economic activity C The quality of water can be controlled by careful management of vegetation and soils D Conservation consists of the maintenance of national parks, wilderness areas, historic sites, and wildlife Conservation, Microsoftđ Encartađ 99 Encyclopedia â 1993-1998 Microsoft Corporation All rights reserved 112 What are the two main parts of natural resources? A Soil and water B Wildlife and natural vegetation of all kinds C Renewable and non-renewable resources D Plants and animals Which statement is correct? A Coal belongs to renewable resources B Conservation is concerned with the maintenance of national parks, wilderness areas, historic sites, and wildlife C Some examples of an economic loss are soils, water, plants, animals, and minerals D .Conservation just includes sustainable use of natural resources and the maintenance of national parks, wilderness areas, historic sites, and wildlife What are the examples of non-renewable resources? A Coal, petroleum, and natural gas B Soil and water C Wildlife animals D Natural vegetation of all kinds What is the best definition of non-renewable resources? A They cannot be replaced B They can be replaced only over extremely long periods of time C They are the fossil fuels and the metallic and other ores 113 D They cannot be replaced or can be replaced only over extremely long periods of time What does such resources refer to? A Renewable resources B Non-renewable resources C Natural resources D Fossil fuels After the 2nd paragraph, the following paragraph should be about A The protection of a natural environment from any human economic activity B The wasteful use of those resources constitutes an economic loss C The maintenance of national parks, wilderness areas, historic sites, and wildlife D The sustainable use of natural resources Part (5 marks) Complete the passage with the most suitable suggested word increases manage second and insects in forests range timber animals protection forestry for trees principle The management of forest trees for (1) involves three fundamental principles The first is (2) of the growing trees from fire, insects, and disease However, fire, once regarded as a destroyer of (3), is now recognized as a 114 management tool when carefully employed Some important timber trees actually require fire for successful regeneration (4), such as the gypsy moth, spruce budworm, and pine sawfly, and disease, still take a heavy toll However, biological control measures and some aerial spraying, proper cutting cycles, and slash disposal are increasingly effective The (5) principle concerns proper harvesting methods, ranging from removal of all (6) (clearcutting) to removal of selected mature trees (selection cutting), (7) provision for reproduction, either naturally from seed trees or artificially by planting The rate and frequency of any cutting should aim for sustained production over an indefinite period The third (8) of timber management is complete use of all trees harvested Technological advances, such as particleboard and gluing, have created uses for branches, defective logs, trees too small to be milled into boards, and so-called inferior trees As demand (9) wilderness areas and recreational use of forests (10), management of commercial forests will become more intense This is the end of the test 115 References Ames, W S (1966) The development of a classification scheme of contextual aids Reading Research Quarterly, 2, 57-82 Anderson, R.C and Pearson, P.D (1984), Handbook of Reading Research, New York: Longman Bartlett, Frederick C 1932 Remembering London: Cambridge University Press Been, S (1975), Reading in the Foreign Language Teaching Program TESOL Quarterly, 9(3), 233-242 Blau, E (1982), The Effect of Syntax on Readability for ESL Students in Puerto Rico, TESOL Quarterly, 16(4), 517-528 Block, E (1986), The Comprehension Strategies of Second Language Readers, TESOL Quarterly, 20(3),463-494 Brown, G and Yule, G (1983), Discourse Analysis, Cambridge University Press Brutten, S and Perkins K (1998), A Behavioral Anchoring Analysis of Three ESL Reading Comprehension Tests, TESOL Quarterly, 22(4),607-622 Carrell, P (1982), Cohesion Is Not Coherence, TESOL Quarterly, 16(4), 479-488 116 Carell, P (1985), Facilitating ESL Reading by Teaching Text Structure, TESOL Quarterly, 19(4), 727-752 Casanave, C (1988), Comprehension Monitoring in ESL Reading: A Neglected Essential, TESOL Quarterly, 22(2),283-302 Celce-Murcia, M, and Olshtain, E (2000), Discourse and Context in Language Teaching, New York: Cambridge University Press Chimombo, M & Roseberry, L (1998), The power of Discourse, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Cook, G (1994), Discourse and Literature: The Interplay of Form and Mind, Oxford University Press Dao, N (2000) Suggestions to improvement teaching reading comprehension at high schools Hochiminh City University of Social Sciences and Humanity Davies, P (2000) Success in English Teaching, Oxford University Press Dulin, K L M (1969) New research on context clues Journal of Reading, 13, 33-53 Feldman, D (1978), A Special Reading System for Second Language Learners, TESOL Quarterly, 12(4),415-428 Firth, J R (1986) The psychology and pedagogy of reading Cambridge, MA: MIT Press 117 Fowler, R (1996), Texts and Practices: Readings in Critical Discourse Analysis, UK: Routledge Garnett, B (1998), Reading effectively, Edith Cowan University Goodman, Kenneth S (1971) Psycholinguistic universals in the reading process In P.Pimsleur and T Quinn (Eds.) 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