(Skkn 2023) using extensive reading to improve teaching reading skill for the 11th graders at a high school

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CLT : Communicative language teaching EFL : English as Foreign Language ER : Extensive Reading ESP : English For Specific Purpose GER : Guided Extensive Reading PART I: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale of the study In recent years, English has become a language for global communication and has been considered as an effective means of access to scientific and technological development To meet these requirements, English has been widely taught almost everywhere in Vietnam, not only at all colleges and universities, but also at almost every senior high schools, and English is seen a compulsory subject In the process of teaching and learning English as a foreign language, reading is regarded as the most significant skill for students to gain the knowledge; Alan contends that “Reading is the most important skill a child can develop, learning to read is an important skill every child must develop to be successful in school” (2011:37) In order to develop reading skill, students have to learn strategies to enhance their vocabulary, their speed of reading, improve their motivation, attitude and proficiency However, due to some objective and subjective reasons, teaching and learning English in general and teaching and learning reading in particular does not come up to the study aims Although teachers always make great effort to provide students with many opportunities to learn and develop their communicative skills, how to teach and learn reading effectively is still a big challenge to both teachers and students at many high schools As the teachers of foreign language of a high school, we realize that students‟ reading skill is limited which affects the acquisition of their four language skills It is not easy for teachers to motivate students to take part in the activities of reading skill comfortably in reading lessons Most of them often feel hesitant and anxious when presenting before class They not pay more to their attention to their reading skill They usually keep silent in reading lessons or they often use mother tongue instead speaking English Moreover, it is also not enough time for students to complete all tasks in reading activities and the teacher may almost have not enough time for the lectures while students are passive through activities The authors, therefore, carried out an extensive reading to improve the students‟ reading learning This study aims to investigate the effects of extensive reading and their attitudes towards the extensive reading Our teaching experience is titled: “Using Extensive Reading to improve teaching reading skill for the 11th graders at a high school ” 1.2 The aims of the study: The study was conducted in order to improve students’ reading through Extensive Reading at a high school and to make them interesting, exciting and active in learning and practicing their English, especially reading skill by using Extensive reading and also to see whether it will be helpful and enjoyable or not for them in practicing their English 1.3 The significance of the study: The results of this study are expected for groups: - The teachers: the teachers based of this study, the writers expected Extensive Reading can be one of the effective method that it will be implemented by the teachers in term of teaching English reading skill and to solve problems of students’ difficulties in learning reading skill then it will make the learning process in and outside more interesting and active for students especially for the 11 th graders at a high school - The students: For students, this study expected to give the students the useful and wonderful English lessons By using extensive reading will make students feel excited and interested when they take part in learning English in classroom or at home Then it can solve their problems in understanding the meaning of words in the sentences easily, improve their motivation, attitude, proficiency and enhance speed of reading As a result, students are always eager to open their hearts , their mind to welcome to the new meaningful and cheerful English lessons 1.4 Methods of the study: Quasi- experimental design PART II: CONTENTS 1.THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 2.1.1 Nature of reading 2.1.1.1 Definitions of reading Reading, in general, is a natural and common habit in human life and in particular, is one of the four main language skills for the foreign language learners In teaching reading, it is very important for teachers to understand what reading is For teachers of foreign languages, understanding the nature of reading has much influence on what they will teach in a language classroom, especially in reading lessons Therefore, many theorists have studied and given definitions of reading Their definitions reflect different points of view The earliest definition of reading can be tracked back to Huey (1908) Huey viewed reading as gathering or choosing from what was written, suggesting that constant feeling of values which goes on in all effective reading Huey was concerned with the process used to gained information from printed page and focused particularly on the ideas represented in printed form and the means by which the mind takes note of them Thorndike (1917: 323 - 332) characterized reading as reasoning and assumed that it was an active process related to problem solving Huey and Thorndike both reflect the belief that reading requires both visual and non-visual information, which supports recent findings that prior knowledge about experience involving language - the syntactic, semantic, and orthographic elements used to create text - is stored in the reader's mind, enabling them to predict meaning Reading can be seen as "a process whereby one looks at and understands what has been written" (Williams, E., 1986:2) It is noted that reading aloud without understanding does not count reading However, it does not mean that a reader needs to understand everything in a text as well as to look at all written symbols that appear on the page Simply, reading means "reading and understanding" (Ur, P 1996: 138) Harmer J (1991: 190) seems to be interested in the notion of reading He says "reading is an exercise dominated by the eyes and the brain The eyes receive message and the brain then has to work out the significance of these message" Moreover, Rubin, J and Thompson, I (1982:91) offer another definition of reading as follow: "Reading is an active informationseeking process in which readers relate information in the text to what they already know" From this point of view, the reader's knowledge of the language and knowledge of the world is of important to their reading success In the book "Becoming an effective reading teacher" (1941) Robinson and Good write "Reading comprehension is best described as an understanding of the printed page based on the individual's unique background of experience Reading is much more than just pronouncing words correctly or simply knowing what author intends It is the process whereby the printed page stimulates ideas, experiences and responses that are unique to an individual Reading can simply be thought of as a personal encounter with the printed page." In addition, reading in language teachers' opinions is "a developmental process" Students learn to read and achieve the accomplishment not in one effort but gradually through continuous and sequential learning and practice 2.1.1.2 The importance of reading skill: Reading is one of the four main language skills that a learner must acquire in the process of mastering a foreign language "Reading is a complex act that must be learnt It is also a means by which further learning takes place" ("Teaching Reading in Today's Elementary Schools," 1984) Burns-RoeRoss point out the role of reading in learning a foreign language Foreign language learners would read to get information and learn rather than for pleasure For this purpose, reading comprehension becomes a means of learning First of all, reading comprehension helps learners get necessary information and widen their knowledge through reading; through which, new words and ideas are learnt, concepts are enlarged and clarified, and information is digested and combined with what known before To make it clearer, Bright and Gregor (1970, p.52) write, "Books provide most pupils with the situation in which learning takes place Where there is little reading there will be little language learning Next, reading offers language learners ground to improve other language skills and language elements in learning a foreign language Reading enriches learner's vocabulary and grammar as well Reading well will help students learn writing, speaking and listening much better Last but not least, reading activity occurs not only at school but also in students’ daily life They are curious about everything and they always wish to discover things by themselves Hence they tend to read more to meet their everyday needs In conclusion, reading really plays a significant role in learning a foreign language It helps students widen their knowledge, improve other languages skills and succeed in their future life Having an effective way of reading, students will learn English much better 2.1.1.3 Model of the reading process a) Bottom-up vs Top-down: Researchers have confined the interaction between reader and text to bottom-up and top-down models In bottom-up model, the reader constructs meaning from the smallest units (from letter to words to phrases to sentence, ect) and then processes the text in a linear fashion Bottom-up mode can be understood C.33.44.55.54.78.65.5.43.22.2.4 22.Tai lieu Luan 66.55.77.99 van Luan an.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.33.44.55.54.78.655.43.22.2.4.55.22 Do an.Tai lieu Luan van Luan an Do an.Tai lieu Luan van Luan an Do an as text-driven process in which the reader plays a relatively passive role in performing two tasks of reading process; namely decoding and comprehending From this point of view, the process of constructing the text from small units becomes so automatic that the reader is not aware of how it operates In contrast, top-down theory argues that reader is at the heart of the reading process, and that he or she brings knowledge, past experience, language intuitions, expectation, assumptions and questions to the text in order to confirm their predictions The top-down school of reading also argues that reader fit the text into knowledge he or she already possess then checks back when new or unexpected information appears b) The interactive model Stannovich, K (1980, in Nunan, D., 1991) b) The interactive model Stannovich, K (1980, in Nunan, D., 1991) shows the major deficiency of the bottom-up model that it assumes the initiation of higher-level processes, such as use of background knowledge, must wait lower level decoding processes On the other hand, the top-down model does not allow lower level processes to direct higher-level ones He claims that the interactive model is the best description of reading process because it deals with the shortcomings inherent in bottom-up and top-down model The interactive theorists argue that both top-down and bottom-up processes are occurring either alternatively or at the same time It is a process that moves both bottom-up and top-down depending on the type of text as well as on the reader's background knowledge, language proficiency level, motivation, strategy use and culturally shaped belief about the reading c) Reasons for reading It is clear that people generally read when they have a reason for reading, i.e they have need of some kind that can be satisfied through reading Wallace, 10 C (1992) mentions three personal reason for reading, namely reading for survival, reading to learn and reading for pleasure - Reading for survival: reading in response to the living environment is called reading for survival Survival reading is to serve immediate needs or wishes, for example, reading forms, bills, official notices, directions, bus and train tables, etc - Reading to learn: It is nearly almost everyone has to learn to read because learners "read to learn" The point of teaching reading curriculum is partly to develop the ability to learn from books Although there are many other reasons for reading but reading to learn closely relates to the reader's general intellectual growth that is a crucially important skill to acquire Stt.010.Mssv.BKD002ac.email.ninhd 77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77t@edu.gmail.com.vn.bkc19134.hmu.edu.vn.Stt.010.Mssv.BKD002ac.email.ninhddtt@edu.gmail.com.vn.bkc19134.hmu.edu.vn C.33.44.55.54.78.65.5.43.22.2.4 22.Tai lieu Luan 66.55.77.99 van Luan an.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.33.44.55.54.78.655.43.22.2.4.55.22 Do an.Tai lieu Luan van Luan an Do an.Tai lieu Luan van Luan an Do an - Reading for pleasure: When readers read for pleasure, they read frequently with a habit of reading and they often follow their own reading interests The foreign language teachers should recognize that language is not for classroom purposes only but for other necessary living activities Nuttall, C (2000:3) believes that "the motivation of needing to read is powerful" Clearly, the learners have a variety of purposes for reading as they have when dealing their mother tongue The teacher can, thus motivate the students by making their foreign language reading lesson interesting in itself by giving more purposeful reading activities and making class livelier 2.1.1.4 Types of reading People usually read different reading materials in different ways Williams (1986, p.10) says: “There are different styles of reading, and that these are determined not only by the text, but by the readers’ reason for reading” The reasons and purpose of reading determines the styles of reading and relevant reading strategies the readers may use According to him, there are four main different styles of reading, namely skimming, scanning, intensive and extensive reading - Skimming: Skimming is an important skill for reader to an overview, by 12 skimming we mean the eyes going through the reading materials quickly in order to discover what the main ideas and the gist are about According to Williams in “Reading in the language classroom” (1996, p.96), “skimming differs from general rapid reading in that the reader goes through the text extremely quickly, merely dipping into it or sampling it at various points The purpose of skimming is simply to see what a text is about” - Scanning: According to Nutall, C (1989), scanning means the reader goes through the text quickly in order to find particular point of information or to get an initial impress of whether the text is suitable for a given purpose Scanning is the reading skill we use when we want to find the answer to a specific question - Extensive reading: Extensive reading is considered as a type of reading outside the classroom because of the lack of time and the great amount of reading, which is needed to achieve in classroom Levis, M and Hill, J (1985: 100) defines "extensive reading means students have a general understanding of the text without necessarily understanding every word" Extensive reading is a fluency activity, mainly involving global understanding It is considered to be useful for students' self-learning Their reading habit and passion for reading are also formed through ER The students can choose the topics they like and read for their own purpose for pleasure or entertainment However, it is more effective if students" extensive reading is followed an instructional program with the help of the reading teacher Intensive reading Stt.010.Mssv.BKD002ac.email.ninhd 77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77t@edu.gmail.com.vn.bkc19134.hmu.edu.vn.Stt.010.Mssv.BKD002ac.email.ninhddtt@edu.gmail.com.vn.bkc19134.hmu.edu.vn C.33.44.55.54.78.65.5.43.22.2.4 22.Tai lieu Luan 66.55.77.99 van Luan an.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.33.44.55.54.78.655.43.22.2.4.55.22 Do an.Tai lieu Luan van Luan an Do an.Tai lieu Luan van Luan an Do an "Intensive reading means reading short text to extract specific information Intensive reading is also called study reading so it is very significant for foreign language learning in EFL classroom While extensive reading aims at maintaining interest and does not require the help of the teacher, this "study reading" involves the close study of a text under the close guidance 13 of the teacher The students are expected to "arrive at a profound detailed understanding of the text, not only of what it means, but also of how the meaning is produced" (Nutall, 1989, p.23) In short, types of reading are not mutually For instance, the readers often skim through the passages to see what they are about before deciding whether it is worth scanning a particular paragraph for the information they are looking for Similarly, intensive and extensive reading are not contrastive but complementary in terms of an important and necessary means for students not only to gain knowledge but also to develop other language skills 2.1.2 Extensive reading 2.1.2.1 Definitions of extensive reading Extensive reading (ER) has been defined in various ways by educators, researchers, and reading specialists The first person to apply the term “extensive reading" in foreign language (FL) or second language (L2) pedagogy (Louis 1969 cited in Day and Barmford 1998: 5) was Harold Palmer (1949) one of the most prominent applied linguists in British twentieth-century language teaching, who defines the extensive reading as rapidly reading book after book where the reader's attention should be on the meaning, not the language of the text He chose the term "extensive reading" to distinguish it from intensive reading (IE) which often refers to the careful reading (or translation) of shorter, more difficult foreign language texts with the goal of complete and detailed understanding and skills practice such as distinguishing the main idea of the text from the detail, finding pronoun referents, or guessing the meaning of unknown words (Bamford and Day, 1997) The relevant definition of extensive reading on basis of theory and practice which was developed from the earliest definition stated above is an approach to learning to read a second language, ER may be done in and out of the classroom Outside the classroom, extensive reading is encouraged by 14 allowing students to borrow books to take home and read In the classroom, it requires a period of time, at least 15 minutes or so to be set aside for sustained silent reading, which is for students - and perhaps the teacher as well - to read individually anything they wish to (Day and Bamford 1997:7) Aebersold, J A., & Field, M L (1997) also assert that extensive reading is reading large amounts of material to get an overall understanding while focusing on the meaning of the text than the meaning of individual words or sentences As an approach to teaching reading, it may be thought of in terms of purpose or outcome Additionally, an ER approach introduces students to the dynamics of reading as it is done in real life by including Stt.010.Mssv.BKD002ac.email.ninhd 77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77t@edu.gmail.com.vn.bkc19134.hmu.edu.vn.Stt.010.Mssv.BKD002ac.email.ninhddtt@edu.gmail.com.vn.bkc19134.hmu.edu.vn C.33.44.55.54.78.65.5.43.22.2.4 22.Tai lieu Luan 66.55.77.99 van Luan an.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.33.44.55.54.78.655.43.22.2.4.55.22 Do an.Tai lieu Luan van Luan an Do an.Tai lieu Luan van Luan an Do an such key elements of real-life reading as choice and purpose.' That is, reading is an individual activity and thus students can read at their own level and pace in their own time including when and where they choose, this increase their motivation for learning and fosters them to engage in sustained silent reading Different researchers define extensive reading differently Parrot (1993) says that extensive reading is usually for one's own pleasure For Lewis and Hill (1985), ER means students have a general understanding of the text without necessarily understanding every word They also pointed that ER means reading in quantity to gain a general understanding of what is read and develop good reading habit or encourage a liking for reading Therefore, in the early part of this century, ER took on a special meaning in the context of teaching modern languages (Bamford and Day 1997) It is defined as an approach to foreign language teaching and learning in general, and as a method or procedure in the teaching and learning of a foreign language reading in particular The theory and practice of ER has been worked out by pioneers such as Harold Palmer in Britain and Michael West in India, the parents of second language ER in modem times (Day and Bamford 2004) And 15 whatever name is used, the characteristics of extensive reading generally include (a) fast reading of large quantities of material or long texts; (b) global or general understanding; (e) with the intention of obtaining pleasure from the text Further, because (d) reading is individualized, with students choosing the books they want to read; (e) the books are not discussed in class" (Robb and Susser (1989, p3) ER often ensures three aspects as follow: large quantities, general comprehension and pleasure reading Large quantities are essential for this procedure to be "extensive", but there is no agreement on how much "extensive" is Each author or researcher has different views on it Some measure it in page or word, as the following examples: thirty pages an hour (Hill and Thomas, 1988, p.50) ; three pages an hour (Susser and Robb, 1990); one page per day and three pages per day during summer vacation (for Japanese high school students) (Matsumura, 1987,cited in Susser and Robb, 1990, at a rate of at least 200 words thirty pages an hour (Hill and Thomas, 1988); other authors think of reading measure in hour or minutes: an hour per evening (Krashen, 1981, cited in Susser and Robb, 1990 ); five hours by a specified date (Bowen, Madsen and Hilferty, 1985, cited in Susser and Robb, 1990 ) an hour of extensive for every hour of intensive; thirty minutes per day for five stories, poems, or essays per week (Dalle, 1988, cited in Susser and Robb, 1990): many researchers believe that reasonable quantity should be measured by chapter or reader: a chapter per week, one reader per week (Stoller, F.L 1994), at least two books a week (Carroll, 1972, cited in Susser and Robb, 1990 ); a minimum of 36 simplified readers per year (Hill, 1983, cited in Susser and Robb, 1990); 60 books a year (Bright & McGregor, 1970 , edited in Susser and Robb, 1950.This variety suggests that quantity of reading is Stt.010.Mssv.BKD002ac.email.ninhd 77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77t@edu.gmail.com.vn.bkc19134.hmu.edu.vn.Stt.010.Mssv.BKD002ac.email.ninhddtt@edu.gmail.com.vn.bkc19134.hmu.edu.vn C.33.44.55.54.78.65.5.43.22.2.4 22.Tai lieu Luan 66.55.77.99 van Luan an.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.33.44.55.54.78.655.43.22.2.4.55.22 Do an.Tai lieu Luan van Luan an Do an.Tai lieu Luan van Luan an Do an not absolute number of hours, pages or words, it depends on teacher and student perceptions The amount of extensive reading will y according to type of 16 program, level and other variables By focusing ont general comprehension, this procedure reduces both teacher demands on the student and student demands on the text to attain the objectives of fluency and speed as well as comprehension Broughton et al.'s comment that extensive reading must imply a "relatively low degree of understanding" (1978, cited in Susser and Robb, 1990 ) must be taken in context: we want students to achieve a degree of understanding sufficient for pleasure reading If the student finds the book too difficult to enjoy, the extensive reading procedure requires that the book be changed, and not that the student be made to study it more closely The level of global understanding required varies with the student's language proficiency, the nature of the text, and other factors Pleasure may seem dubious, because, after all, the reading is an assignment, and most of us not take pleasure in assignments However, pleasure, like quantity, is relative The procedure assumes that students will enjoy reading books that they have chosen on topics of interest to them more than they will enjoy assigned readings from a reader If they have chosen correctly, the book should be easy to read for general understanding Any EFL reading teacher can supply anecdotal counter-evidence Further, even learners who are far from fluent derive pleasure from the very experience of reading a book in a foreign language Students in extensive reading courses regularly comment on their joy at having finished whole books in the target language Having some ideas and aspects of extensive reading, the following section will present some its benefits in EFL context 2.1.2.2 The benefits of extensive reading in foreign language learning A large amount of research has been conducted over the last 20 years in order to reveal its benefits in different aspects of language learning in EFL/ ESL context According to Nutall, "The best way to improve your knowledge of a foreign language is to go and live among its speakers The next best way is to 17 read extensively in it" (Nutall, 1982) Therefore, reading extensively is the best way for EFL students to improve their English ER has been proved a large number of benefits to different aspects of learning Grabe & Stoller (2002) reviewed eight benefits of ER on learners’ reading: ER helps readers develop automatic word recognition, a large recognition vocabulary, general background knowledge, and reading proficiency It also has positive effects on readers' motivation to read, their learning and using of strategies, their ability to "read to learn", and their continuous learning on their own when instruction is absent Stt.010.Mssv.BKD002ac.email.ninhd 77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77t@edu.gmail.com.vn.bkc19134.hmu.edu.vn.Stt.010.Mssv.BKD002ac.email.ninhddtt@edu.gmail.com.vn.bkc19134.hmu.edu.vn