Using extensive reading activities to enhance reading skills for 7th graders at a secondary school in nam dinh

INISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY M.A THESIS USING EXTENSIVE READING ACTIVITIES TO ENHANCE READING SKILLS FOR 7th GRADERS AT A SECONDARY SCHOOL IN NAM DINH (Sử dụng hoạt động đọc mở rộng để nâng cao kỹ đọc hiểu cho học sinh lớp trường THCS Nam Định) vũ VĂN THƠ Hanoi - 2023 INISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY KH w M.A THESIS USING EXTENSIVE READING ACTIVITIES TO ENHANCE READING SKILLS FOR 7th GRADERS AT A SECONDARY SCHOOL IN NAM DINH (Sử dụng hoạt động đọc mở rộng để nâng cao kỹ đọc hiểu cho học sinh lớp trường THCS Nam Định) VŨ VĂN THO Field: English Language Code: 8.22.02.01 Supervisor: Dr Le Thi Minh Thao Hanoi - 2023 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I, the undersigned, hereby certify my authority of the study project report entitled “USING EXTENSIVE READING SKILLS FOR READING 7th graders ACTIVITIES TO ENHANCE AT A SECONDARY SCHOOL IN NAM DINH” submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in English Language Except where the reference is indicated, no other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement thesis text Hanoi, 2023 Vũ Văn Thơ Approved by SUPERVISOR Dr Lê Thị Minh Thảo Date: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to start by expressing my gratitude to everyone who made it possible for me to finish my thesis wish to express my gratitude to the Ha Noi Open University Department of Postgraduate Studies for approving the start of this thesis and the necessary research In addition, I am profoundly grateful to Dr Le Thi Minh Thao, my supervisor, who has provided me with insightful advice, direction, and corrections, as well as for her brilliant ideas, ongoing support, and useful suggestions while I was conducting the research This undertaking was successful because to the direction and assistance he provided I would like to thank all of the survey participants, who arc also my dear students, for their enthusiastic involvement Their accurate information was very beneficial to my research Finally, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all of my classmates, coworkers, and friends for their heartfelt support and encouragement ii ABSTRACT The current study is to use extended reading exercises to assist grade 7th students at a lower secondary school in Nam Dinh in developing their reading comprehension skills Hai Hau lower secondary school was the institution selected for the investigation This study seeks to determine how extensive reading activities affect students' reading comprehension The thesis details the features of the comprehensive reading program and how its implementation affects the participants' understanding The author used an action research methodology to conduct the study with a sample of 60 seventh graders at a lower secondary school in Nam Dinh The author used surveys with well picked questions arranged into categories to gauge the students' attitudes toward reading substantial materials iii LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES TABLE 3.1 Plan of the research 20 FIGURE 3.1: Model of action research by Kemmis and McTaggart (as cited in Bums, 2010, p 9) 23 TABLE 4.1: The comparison of students’ best and worst scores BEFORE and AFTER the test 27 FIGURE 4.1: Score gaps between students' pre-test and post-test 28 TABLE 4.2: Students’ comparison of mean scores BEFORE and AFTER experiment 29 TABLE 4.3: Students’judgment on English reading BEFORE experiment 30 TABLE 4.4: Students’ judgment on English reading AFTER experiment 30 TABLE 4.5: Students’ enjoyment level in reading English BEFORE experiment 31 TABLE 4.6: Students’ enjoyment level in reading English AFTER experiment 32 TABLE 4.7: Students’ confidence in reading English BEFORE experiment 33 TABLE 4.8: Students’ confidence in reading English AFTER experiment 33 TABLE 4.9: Students’ reading habit BEFORE experiment 34 TABLE 4.10: Students’ reading habit AFTER experiment 34 TABLE 4.11: Students’ confidence in reading English BEFORE experiment 35 TABLE 4.12: Students’ confidence in reading English AFTER experiment 36 iv TABLE OF CONTENT CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES iv TABLE OF CONTENT V CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Aims and objectives of the research 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Methods of the study 1.5 Scope of the study 1.6 Significance of the study 1.7 Structure of the research CHAPTER II: 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Theoretical background 2.2.1 Reading comprehension definition 2.2.2 Aspects influencing Reading Comprehension General Overview of Extensive Reading .10 2.3.1 Definition of Extensive Reading 10 2.3.2 Goals and Objectives of Extensive Reading .12 Implementing Extensive Reading in English Class 13 2.4.1 Selecting the Books or the reading material 13 2.4.2 Engaging effective Activities in English Class 15 Summary 17 CHAPTER 3: 3.1 3.2 LITERATURE REVIEW Previous studies RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 18 Research questions 18 Methodology 18 3.2.1 Role of the researcher 18 3.2.2 Participants of the research 18 V 3.2.3 Research setting 18 3.2.4 Extensive Reading Program for secondary students with new text book 19 3.3 Class profiles .21 3.4 Assessment of Extensive Reading 21 3.5 Research approach 22 3.6 Data Collection Instruments 23 3.6.1 Questionnaire 23 3.6.2 Semi-structured Interview 24 3.6.3 Pre-test and Post-test 25 3.6.4 Data Collection Procedure 25 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 27 CHAPTER 4: 4.1 The findings of the research 27 4.1.1 How does extensive reading affect students’ reading comprehension 27 level? 4.1.2 How does extensive reading affect students’ attitudes towards reading in English? 29 4.1.3 4.2 Students’ Attitudes towards Reading 30 Discussion 37 CHAPTER 5: 5.1 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATION 39 Conclusion 39 5.2 Concluding remarks 40 5.3 Recommendations 41 5.4 Limitations and Suggestions for Further Study 42 REFERENCES 44 APPENDICES 47 vi CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale English has experienced its popularity in teaching and learning in Vietnam over the last few decades Demand for learning English even gets stronger when Vietnam fosters its international relations English, in parallel with the knowledge of some other fields, English is a key to open the door to the bustling world On any walk of life in Vietnam, you can find people who use English; from the big cities to mountainous areas; from the international conferences to daily conversations, or just few pidgin words with the foreign tourists People learn and use English for different purposes, but there is a fact that they are trying to learn English with the hope that they can use it effectively In order to acquire English proficiency, all English learners maintain contact with the four skills One of the key aims of teaching English as a second language in Vietnam is to increase students' reading comprehension, so reading is likely the most essential skill that Vietnamese English language learners will focus on Moreover, becoming an effective and fluent reader in a second language has a number of significant advantages for the learner First, reading in the target language helps students consolidate previously acquired knowledge Second, by exposing students to new vocabulary, grammatical structures, or cultural issues, it may assist them in acquiring a deeper understanding of the target language Carrell (1984) concluded that "For many students, reading is by far the most important of the four macro skills, especially in English as a foreign or second language." As a result, English instructors and students arc focusing more on literacy instruction Unfortunately, teaching and acquiring reading skills are still a long way from being satisfactory for a variety of reasons Learners frequently remark that they find it difficult to concentrate on the reading process or to cope with an overwhelming number of new words, etc When students lack motivation and interest in reading lessons, it is difficult for instructors to fulfill their duties As a consequence, many reading lessons cause English language learners to become bored or less interested in reading The students' low English proficiency at the outset is partially to blame, but there must be additional underlying causes for their lackluster progress The author has observed that most students lack any reading habits According to some of the students, they only peruse English language material when they are at home when they have their duty In the end, they complain about having to acquire an excessive amount of new vocabulary and misinterpreting test instructions Another common justification for students' sloth in reading English materials is that they dislike and care little for academic reading Nevertheless, some claim to be interested in perusing materials in their native language In addition, the author makes the observation that students often only study textbooks that have been altered for educational reasons and school tests, and that these texts have probably lost some helpful qualities This may be one factor that contributes to the students' lack of interest in reading books written in English It is important to note that there is no denying the fact that a sizeable portion of the student body has not yet read vast English textbooks They not read anything outside of their textbooks; rather, they just read excerpts from their textbooks The important thing is that these reading passages from the textbook are abridged, simplified, and accompanied by new vocabulary, idioms, collocations, and expressions Reading a wide variety of sources is the single most effective approach to obtain the great majority of the knowledge and information that is essential for living a successful life An observation made by the author reveals that teachers not make considerable efforts to present their students with a wide variety of reading materials This is demonstrated by the fact that the author made this observation This is because both teachers and students have a common dread of extended reading materials, which, from the author's point of view, can be attributed to a widespread phobia of extensive reading materials The reason for this concern is that longer reading materials are intimidating In order to be more specific, the dread that is brought on by this phobia presents itself as an avoidance of lengthy reading materials due to the perception that they are too difficult to comprehend Students that have this phobia are terrified of reading, and it's possible that this is because they focus an unhealthy amount of attention on learning new vocabulary and grammatical concepts In the meantime, educators who are plagued by this worry are reticent to offer their students a large assortment of reading materials Both teachers and students are, as a direct result of this, throwing away a beneficial and unsurpassable wellspring of reading material for which they will need to draw on a broad range of reading styles and techniques Reading and Writing PART QUESTIONS 25-30 For each question, write the correct answer Write ONE word for each gap Example: from We’re back (0) our family holiday in the US It was amazing! It’s (25) biggest country I've ever been to We travelled from Los Angeles to Seattle (26) car It’s nearly 2000 km and the trip took us (27) very long time - nearly a week My family liked Los Angeles best, (28) I didn’t agree - Seattle was my favourite place It’s smaller (29) Los Angeles, and the food was better Seattle is near the sea and we ate lots of fish The only problem was that (30) rained almost every day! Let's meet for a chat soon I have a present for you! 56 APPENDIX Pre and Post-test Results Name No Pre-test Post-test Vũ Thị Thùy Chi 5.0 9.4 Trần Minh Anh 5.0 9.4 Phạm Ánh Ngọc 5.0 8.8 Nguyền Yen Vy 8.8 8.8 Lại Hồng Hạnh 8.0 8.5 Trần Ngọc Hà 9.0 9.0 Nguyễn Hải Yen 8.0 10 Nguyền Quốc Hùng 7.2 7.5 Trần Thế Sơn 7.0 8.5 10 Lâm Thị Diệu Huyền 8.2 8.8 11 Nguyễn Quỳnh Anh 8.2 8.8 12 Nguyền Xuân Lộc 7.3 9.7 13 Vũ Minh Trí 8.8 9.1 14 Nguyền Tiến Mạnh 5.0 9.0 15 Trần Thị Minh Ngọc 7.6 8.5 16 Nguyễn Quang Vinh 8.2 8.8 17 Vũ Thiện Nhân 8.2 8.8 57 18 Mai Quốc Hiệu 8.8 9.0 19 Nguyễn Thuận Nhân 7.3 8.0 20 Hoàng Mạnh Đoàn 7.3 8.2 21 Nguyễn Trung Hiếu 7.6 8.5 22 Vũ Đinh Trung 7.0 9.0 23 Nguyễn Việt Cường 7.6 7.6 24 Nguyễn Minh Tú 7.0 9.1 25 Ngô Đức Thành 7.0 8.0 26 Nguyễn Thế Duy 5.5 8.5 27 Ninh Đức Thuận 5.0 8.0 28 Bùi Nguyền Thanh Sơn 7.6 7.5 29 Nguyễn Mạnh Cường 6.7 8.5 30 Nguyễn Quang Chiến 7.6 7.8 31 Nguyễn Ngọc Thùy An 6.5 7.5 32 Vũ Thị Diệu Anh 7.5 8.5 33 Lê Ngọc Ánh 7.0 9.0 34 Vương Thùy Châm 7.5 9.5 35 Phạm Minh Châu 7.5 9.5 36 Trần Nam Cường 7.0 9.0 37 Nguyễn Tiến Duy 7.5 10 58 38 Trần Châu Giang 8.5 39 Vũ Hương Giang 7.0 9.0 40 Mai Thu Hiền 7.5 8.0 Lại Anh Quân 7.0 10 42 Vũ Gia Khánh 7.5 9.5 43 Cao Phạm Thùy Linh 4.5 8.0 44 Phạm Thị Cát Linh 8.5 8.5 45 Bùi Cẩm Ly 8.0 8.5 46 Vũ Phúc Diệu Linh 4.5 7.5 47 Phạm Thu Phương 8.5 9.5 48 Nguyền Phú Quốc 8.5 10 49 Trần Như Quỳnh 7.0 50 Đinh Thị Phương Thảo 8.0 8.0 51 Ngô Thị Thu Thào 4.5 7.0 52 Trần Vũ Phương Thảo 8.5 8.5 53 Lương Minh Thư 7.0 8.0 54 Phạm Anh Thư 7.5 7.5 55 Vũ Minh Trang 7.5 9.5 56 Lê Phương Uyên 6.5 9.5 57 Đồ Phương Vy 7.0 8.5 41 59 58 Nguyễn Thị Ánh Diệp 8.0 9.0 59 Nguyễn Thế Anh 6.0 7.0 60 Nguyền Gia Bão 9.1 9.5 60 APPENDIX Motivational Questionnaire Adapted from Takase (2007) Strongly Disagree Strongly Neutral Agree agree disagree 1 Reading is the aspect of English studies that I enjoy the most I enjoy English reading as a leisure I appreciate reading books in English 4 5 I find perusing English reading to improve my English level I read English books in preparation for the English entrance exam I read English books because I have to read learn it at school 5 5 5 5 5 I read English books because it is required by the teacher Our teachers recommend that we should read English literature I am reading English books so that I can readily comprehend challenging passages on the entrance exam By reading English books, can understand 10 and appreciate English literature 11 I learn English reading in order to read English newspapers and magazines I am taking English reading classes so that I 12 may improve my employment prospects in the future I acquire English reading because I want to 13 access Internet information in English I am learning English reading because I 14 want to exchange information in English on the Internet 15 I am reading English books to become more knowledgeable 16 I am reading English to compete with my 61 classmates 17 read in English to train my memory 18 My mind may be widened if I read more in English 19 I want to deeply understand about Englishspeaking countries 20 Reading English books help me read more quickly 21 I would like to become a better reader 5 5 22 I dislike being interrupted while reading English literature 23 dislike reading English novels with difficult vocabulary I wish to look up unfamiliar words in the 24 dictionary as I read 25 I prefer intensive reading to extensive reading The speaking skill is more vital than the 26 reading skill 27 I prefer listening to English to reading it 62 APPENDIX Interview questions - Adapted from Nishino (2007) and Judge (2011) Are you excited about extensive reading? Do you think that you can read English faster after taking part in extensive reading activities? Can you accumulate new vocabulary during extensive reading? Can you guess the meanings of words from context? Is it possible for you to read English without translation?? Are you interested in attending some more reading activities? Do you find which books were easy or difficult to read? Do you find which books were interesting or boring to read? What books or stories you suggest your friends read? 10 What you want to gain from reading in English? 11 What is your weakest skill? 12 What is your strongest skill? 13 How often you use the dictionary for looking up new words when reading in English? 14 What is your target/goal when learning English? 15 When you like reading in English? 63 APPENDIX Teacher Interview Questions - Adapted from Loh (2009) Do you like reading in English? Why? Yes/No What you like reading in your free time? When you read? (a) Free time (b) weekends (c) school holidays Do you think English reading is vital? Why? _ Yes/No Do you believe reading helps students in their learning English? Yes/No What you to help your students to read better? Do you often use different kinds of reading in your lesson at school? Yes/No What you to help your students to overcome their difficulty in English reading? 10 Which methods you often use to teach English reading? What activities you often hold for your students to read effectively? 64 APPENDIX A sample lesson teaching plan Date of teaching: 06 February 2023 Class: EXTENSIVE READING Objectives: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to present the main I content of chapter of the book - Class description: 60 students of A2 level II Teaching content J Skills: Skimming, scanning J Attitude: team work spirit and confidence in what they read and present about - III Time: 90 minutes - Teaching aids: laptop, PowerPoint, hand-out - Assumed knowledge: students may have already read the book Anticipated problem(s): students may not have good presentation skill and time - management skill when making their presentation IV Project procedures: Stages / Time I Presentation (55 mins) Teaching contents Ss’ activities Teacher collects students’ homework Teacher delivers marking rubrics and explains criteria in the - Hand in homework - Listen to the teacher marking rubric Call randomly some students to go the front to present their product - summary - Present their Call some students to give 65 Give feedback Teaching aids Handouts of marking rubric PowerPoint feedback II Prereading (30 mins) Teacher gives feedback Skimming: get the main ideas PowerPoint, /.Teacher elicits and introduces - Listen to the skimming skills (10’) chalk, board teacher + Read the introductory paragraph(s) + Read the first sentence of each body paragraph + Read the final paragraph Practice skimming (20’) + Deliver reading worksheets - Do the task + Have students to the reading in 10 minutes Reading + Give feedback worksheets III While reading Deliver handout of chapter - Listen to the teacher of the two books Have students to read and summarize at home 66 Handouts of chapter of the two books READING WORKSHEET FOR READING COMPREHENSION Full name: Class: READING FOR MAIN IDEAS I The Masai of East Africa raise cattle for a living Very little grain is raised in the area, so the people depend on the cattle for food Most people drink a gallon of milk a day and beef is a popular meat Cow's blood is also used as food It doesn’t spoil, it provides protein and minerals, and it can be taken from cows while traveling What is this passage about? a There is much grain raised in the world b People in different areas of the world cat odd foods c Cows provide food for the Masai d There are many different kinds of cattle raised by the Masai Native Americans dried strips of meat, pounded it into a paste, and then mixed it with fat Sometimes they added berries and sugar Then they pressed it into small cakes They called these cakes pemmican Pemmican didn't spoil, and it provided lots of energy for people traveling or going hunting Today explorers still cany and eat this food What is this passage mainly about? e who uses pemmican today f what can be put into pemmican g how pcmmican is prepared and used h why people eat and store pemmican today Lisa knew all of the seven dwarfs except one She remembered Grumpy, Sleepy and Bashful And of course she couldn't forget Doc and Dopey Dopey was her favorite But there was one she just could not remember Let's see There's also 67 Sneezy, and that's six But she could not remember that last one What was his name? What is the main idea of the passage? i Dopey was Lisa's favorite dwarf j Lisa could not remember the name of one of the dwarfs k There were seven dwarfs in all Lisa had a good memory 68 Sample Scoring Rubrics for Presentations I PRESENCE I 5 5 body language & eye contact contact with the public poise -physical organization II LANGUAGE SKILLS correct usage appropriate vocabulary and grammar understandable (rhythm, intonation, accent) spoken loud enough to hear easily III ORGANIZATION clear objectives logical structure signposting IV MASTERY OF THE SUBJECT pertinence depth of commentary spoken, not read able to answer questions V VISUAL AIDS transparencies, slides handouts 69 audio, video, etc VI OVERALL IMPRESSION very interesting / very boring -pleasant / unpleasant to listen to very good / poor communication TOTAL SCORE/ 30 70