Improving reading comprehension through context clues strategy for the eleventh grade students at vo thi sau high school master of tesol

54 Trang 5 The thesis entitled IMPROVING READING COMPREHENSION THROUGH CONTEXT CLUES STRATEGY FOR THE ELEVENTH GRADE STUDENTS AT VO THI SAU HIGH SCHOOL Trang 6 BA RIA VUNG TAU UNIVER

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

BA RIA VUNG TAU UNIVERSITY

- THESIS IMPROVING READING COMPREHENSION THROUGH CONTEXT CLUES STRATEGY FOR THE ELEVENTH GRADE STUDENTS AT

VO THI SAU HIGH SCHOOL

Submitted to the Postgraduate Institute in partial fulfillment

of the Master’s degree in TESOL

TABLE OF CONTENT

STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY viii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS x

ABSTRACT xi

LIST OF TABLES xii

LIST OF FIGURES xiii

APPENDICES xiv

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Background to the study 1

1.2 Statement of the problem 2

1.3 The aims of the study 4

1.4 Research questions of the study 5

1.5 Scope of the study 5

1.6 Significance of the study 6

1.7 Organization of the study 7

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 8

2.1 Reading comprehension skill 8

2.1.1 Definition of reading 8

2.1.2 Definition of reading skills 9

2.1.3 Definition of reading comprehension 11

2.1.4 Definition of Context Clue Strategy 12

2.2 The aspects of “Context Clues Strategy” 15

2.2.1 Definitions and Characteristics of “Context Clues Strategy” 15

2.2.2 Types of “Context Clues Strategy” 15

2.2.3 The positive and negative effects of “Context Clues Strategy” in reading class 18

2.3 Previous studies 19

2.4 Conceptual framework 22

2.5 Summary 22

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 24

3.1 Aims and research questions 24

3.2 Research design and participants 25

3.2.1 Research design 25

3.2.2 Research participants 26

3.2.3 Research instruments 26

3.3 Data collection instruments 29

3.3.1 The questionnaire 29

3.3.2 The interviews 30

3.3.3 The pre-test and the post-test 30

3.4 Data collection procedures 30

3.5 Data analysis procedures 32

3.6 Reliability and validity of the study 34

3.7 Summary 35

CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 36

4.1 Results 36

4.1.1 The types of Context Clues Strategy that teachers and students use 36

4.1.2 The students’ and teachers’ attitudes towards the use of Context Clues

Strategy 38

4.1.3 The effectiveness of Context Clues Strategy on improving 11th-grade grade students’ reading comprehension at Vo Thi Sau High School 43

4.2 Discussions 49

4.3 Summary 51

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 52

5.1 Introduction 52

5.2 Summary of the main findings of the study 52

5.2.1 The types of Context Clues Strategy teachers and students use 52

5.2.2 The attitudes of teachers and students towards the use of Context Clues Strategy 52

5.2.3 The effectiveness of Context Clues Strategy on improving students’ reading comprehension skill 53

5.3 Implications of the study 53

5.4 Limitations of the study 54

5.5 Recommendations for further studies 55

The thesis entitled IMPROVING READING COMPREHENSION THROUGH CONTEXT CLUES STRATEGY FOR THE ELEVENTH GRADE STUDENTS

AT VO THI SAU HIGH SCHOOL

was successfully defended and approved on ……… at Ba Ria – Vung Tau University

Academic Supervisor: Nguyen Xuan Hong, Ph.D

BA RIA VUNG TAU UNIVERSITY

POSTGRADUATE INSTITUTE & HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT

Ba Ria - Vung Tau, September 2023

MASTER’S THESIS REPORT

Student name: Vu Ngoc Lanh Sex: Female

Date of birth: 09/ 12 /1985 Place of birth: Nam Dinh Province

Major: English Language Student code: 21110026

I- Thesis title:

IMPROVING READING COMPREHENSION THROUGH CONTEXT CLUES STRATEGY FOR THE ELEVENTH GRADE STUDENTS AT VO THI SAU HIGH SCHOOL

II- Objectives and contents:

This study aims at investigating the teaching and learning of reading comprehension through Context Clues Strategy for grade 11 students at Vo Thi Sau High School in Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province The objectives of this study are as follows:

- To investigate teaching and studying of reading comprehension skill of the eleventh-grade students at Vo Thi Sau High School;

- To find out what Context Clues Strategy teachers and students at Vo Thi Sau High School use during learning reading comprehension skill;

- To explore the attitude of teachers and students at Vo Thi Sau High School to Context Clues Strategy used during learning reading comprehension skill

- To check whether Context Clues Strategy use can help to improve reading comprehension skill of students at Vo Thi Sau High School

- To suggest solutions to employ Context Clues Strategy successfully and effectively for teachers and students at Vo Thi Sau High School while learning reading comprehension skill

This study was conducted at Vo Thi Sau High School, Ba Ria – Vung Tau province The participants were 150 EFL (English as a Foreign Language) high school students who were in grade 11 In the hope of gaining the results, the researcher applied the mixed method: quantitative and qualitative, three instruments were put in use: a questionnaire, a semi-structured interview, and tests (pre-test, post-test) to obtain the data

III- Starting date: (as stated in the Decision issued by the University)

IV- Completing date:

STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY

I certify my authorship of the master’s Thesis submitted today entitled:

“IMPROVING READING COMPREHENSION THROUGH CONTEXT

CLUES STRATEGY FOR THE ELEVENTH GRADE STUDENTS AT VO

THI SAU HIGH SCHOOL”

In terms of the statement of requirements for Thesis in master’s programs issued by

the Higher Degree Committee of Postgraduate Institute, Ba Ria Vung Tau University

Ba Ria - Vung Tau, September 2023

VŨ NGỌC LÀNH

RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS

I hereby state that I, VU NGOC LANH, being a candidate for the degree of TESOL

accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of master’s Thesis deposited in the library

In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my master’s Thesis deposited

in the library should be accessible for purposes of study and research, in accordance

with the normal conditions established by the librarians for the care, loan, and reproduction of theses

Ba Ria - Vung Tau, September 2023

Signature ………

VU NGOC LANH

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would first like to express my deepest gratitude to Dr Nguyen Xuan Hong, my supervisor, for his patience, guidance, insightful advice, and constant encouragement throughout the whole research process Without his support and guidance, this thesis would never have been completed

Next, I would like to thank the students and the English teachers at Vo Thi Sau High School, Ba Ria – Vung Tau province where I did my research They gave me a lot of time during the data collection process and they also encouraged me to complete the research

Finally, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my family, especially my mother and my husband, who have always been by my side to encourage and been a great source of encouragement and motivation to help me complete this thesis

VŨ NGỌC LÀNH

of this study is to find out how effective teachers use Context Clues Strategy to improve reading skill for students at a high school in Ba Ria – Vung Tau province The eleventh-grade students at Vo Thi Sau High School were the study's participants The research method used for this study was classroom action research The quantitative data was gathered during the tests (pre-test and post-test) According to the study's findings, just 11 students (14.66%) passed the Mastery Minimum Criteria

on the pre-test, whereas 53 students (70.66%) passed on the post-test The results of the study showed that students’ academic performance on the post-test had significantly improved The comparison between the pre-test mean score (4.86) and post-test mean score (7.41) demonstrated this improvement Additionally, it is evident from their complete focus throughout the teaching and learning process that students were interested in Context Clues Strategy As a result, Context Clues Strategy was a useful tool for teaching students reading comprehension

Keywords: improving, context clues strategy, reading comprehension, Vo Thi Sau high school

LIST OF TABLES

Table 3.1 Students’ scores and classification in the pretest and the post-test

Table 3.2 Procedures of the experiment

Table 3.3 Answers to the questionnaire of the experiment group

Table 3.4 Cronbach’ s Alpha of the pretest and the posttest

Table 4.1 Descriptive statistics of the control group students and the experimental group students’ mean scores in the pre-test

Table 4.2 Descriptive statistics of the control group students and the experimental group students’ mean scores in the post-test

Table 4.3 Descriptive statistics of the control group students and the experimental group students’ mean scores before and after the treatment

Table 4.4 Comparative results of the mean scores within each group in the pre-test and post-test

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 4.1 The types of Context Clues Strategy students use

Figure 4.2 Pre-test and post-test scores of the control group and the experimental group

APPENDICES

Appendix A: Pre-test and Post-test scores

Appendix B: Semi-structured interview questions for students and teachers Appendix C: Questionnaire for students

Appendix D: Students’ answers from the semi-structured interview

Appendix E: Teachers’ answers from the semi-structured interview

Appendix F: Paired sample test

Appendix G: Pre-test and post-test

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the study

Nowadays, as English is becoming a widely utilized language for communication, learning English is becoming increasingly popular among students and young learners Especially, in the age of technology and the influence of “the flat world", learners tend to emphasize listening and speaking skills but forget the function of reading skills when studying English Al-Nafisah (2011) stated that many students are unaware of how important reading has always been in academics and how it is regarded as the most crucial of the four language skills

Reading is a vital ability that helps learners learn more about English Students can learn things they did not know previously by reading Additionally, reading helps students develop their language and experience

Learning to read well is necessary for students' academic achievement It can aid them in passing standardized exams like the national high school exam or competence assessment exam in many universities Consequently, it is crucial to develop students' reading abilities in the classroom When reading a text, comprehension is just as important as reading ability Students who demonstrate comprehension can show that they have read the material and have learned the information it contains

Nunan (2003: 68) declares that “Reading is a fluent process of readers combining information from a text and their background knowledge to build meaning” Reading is a method for transferring scientific knowledge from the writer

of the book to the reader's brain, and if readers do not comprehend the text's meaning, they will not be able to absorb the information Pronunciation issues and a lack of vocabulary are further reading difficulties Therefore, the instructor should be better knowledgeable about tactics, techniques, and strategies for learning English as these will help the teacher's efforts to improve the effectiveness of his/ her instruction

According to Kruidenier (2002: 77), “Reading comprehension can be described as understanding a text that is read, or the process of constructing meaning from a text” Reading comprehension is an active activity that the reader must engage

in It is also a purposeful process that is teachable Words are associated with their meaning in the reader's memory as understanding takes place, and phrases and sentences are processed as clearly as possible to prevent the meanings acquired from one word, phrase, or sentence from being lost before the next is processed

It can be said that in Vietnam, reading skills are crucial for learning English since it is taught and mastered in a non-native language setting As a result, reading can be utilized for a variety of activities, including education, exploration, and amusement By improving their reading comprehension, learners will also improve their writing and speaking

According to Carrell (1989), for many students, of the four language acquisition skills, reading is the most crucial and is regarded as a prerequisite for lifelong learning Today's students must read a variety of books and publications in English in order to learn new concepts and theories in addition to the English-language reading materials that they are required to use Thus, to acquire other language skills and the necessary professional information, students will need to improve their English reading comprehension

Thereby, how to improve reading comprehension for learners and what strategy is used by teachers to improve reading comprehension for learners must be taken into consideration during the teaching and learning process, especially in the teaching and learning context of high schools where the learners are still young and lack of language learning experiences

1.2 Statement of the problem

A large number of students did not understand the value of reading According

to Utara (2020), many students struggled to understand the meaning of the words, extract general and specific information from the text, and interpret the reading text

Nevertheless, Anggraini (2018) claimed that a lack of vocabulary made it difficult for students to comprehend the reading passage It was due to the student’s lack of reading habits and laziness when it came to looking up unknown words in dictionaries The students were unable to achieve high marks on their reading tests as

a result

Besides that, due to their lack of comprehension skills, students find reading

to be incredibly boring and find it very challenging to deal with They, therefore, require certain methods or strategies that could aid them in reading narrative texts with comprehension Finding engaging strategies to teach reading comprehension of narrative texts requires creativity on the part of the teacher

According to Denton et al (2007: 201), students may find the Context Clues Strategy useful in determining the meaning of a word Whether it is in the same sentence as the unfamiliar word or in sentences that come before and after it, hints are placed around it Hence, the Context Clues Strategy helps students become more adept at understanding what they read

Furthermore, according to Yuen (2009:5), “The use of context clues is to gain knowledge of new words during reading” The ability to read texts more fluently will

be improved Teachers who use the Context Clues Strategy will gain new knowledge about the teaching methodology to improve their teaching-learning process and add excitement to the study As a result, the students' reading motivation will increase

For the above demonstrations, using Context Clues Strategy to improve reading comprehension for students is certainly necessary and its study results will

be beneficial for education managers, teachers, and students in teaching and learning English in general and reading comprehension in particular

At Vo Thi Sau High School in Ba Ria – Vung Tau province, language teaching, especially English teaching is highly focused Among the four skills of English including reading, writing, speaking, and listening, reading comprehension

is much paid attention to by teachers and students because they all know the

importance of this skill A lot of strategies are employed to teach reading comprehension to students at the school, and Context Clues Strategy is one of them However, how effective teachers use this strategy to develop reading comprehension abilities for students is still questioned

Therefore, a study on the effectiveness of Context Clues Strategy in enhancing the reading comprehension abilities of students, teachers and students’ attitudes towards Context Clues Strategy should be done at Vo Thi Sau High School in order

to gain insights into the effectiveness of Context Clues Strategy in developing reading comprehension abilities of students Hence, study results will reveal implications for teachers, students, and administrators during the English teaching and learning process

1.3 The aims of the study

In the context of the increasing number of English learners in Vietnam, research on learning strategies in general, and reading comprehension strategies in particular, is still limited Within the scope of teaching and learning English at high schools in Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province, there have been no studies that provide scientific data demonstrating the effect of using Context Clues Strategy to develop reading skills of students

This study aims at investigating the teaching and learning of reading comprehension skill through Context Clues Strategy for grade 11 students at Vo Thi Sau High School in Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province The goals of this research are as follows:

- To investigate teaching and studying of reading comprehension skill for the grade 11 students at Vo Thi Sau High School;

- To find out what Context Clues Strategy teachers and students use during teaching and learning reading comprehension skill;

- To explore the attitudes of teachers and students to Context Clues Strategy used during teaching and learning reading comprehension skill;

- To check whether Context Clues Strategy used can help students to improve their reading comprehension skill;

- To suggest solutions to employ Context Clues Strategy successfully and effectively for teachers and students during teaching and learning reading comprehension skill

1.4 Research questions of the study

To achieve the required aims as mentioned above, the following research questions were formulated:

RQ1 What Context Clues Strategy do teachers and students use when teaching and studying reading comprehension skill?

RQ2 What are the attitudes of teachers and students towards the use of Context Clues Strategy when teaching and studying reading comprehension skill?

RQ3 How effective does Context Clues Strategy used help students to improve their reading comprehension skill?

1.5 Scope of the study

The study will be conducted at Vo Thi Sau High School in Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province This study mainly finds out what Context Clues Strategy teachers and students use during teaching and learning reading comprehension skill; and focuses

on investigating the effectiveness of Context Clues Strategy in improving reading comprehension for students at Vo Thi Sau High School

There will be 150 students from grade 11 of the school year 2022 – 2023 They are divided into 2 groups: 75 students belong to the experimental group; the other 75 students belong to the control group The experimental group will be taught Context Clues Strategy for 6 weeks whereas the control group will not be given any knowledge about Context Clues Strategy After that, the experimental group is asked

to complete a questionnaire The researcher also interviewed 5 random students for their attitudes about Context Clues Strategy and the way Context Clues Strategy

affects their reading comprehension In addition, five teachers who are in charge of teaching English for grade 11 at Vo Thi Sau High School will be invited for semi-structured interviews

Besides, the study used a mixed-methods approach Information was gathered through questionnaires and a semi-structured interview SPSS (20.0) and content analysis were used to evaluate the data

1.6 Significance of the study

As mentioned above, the goal of this study is to help grade 11 students at Vo Thi Sau High School to read more effectively by using Context Clues Strategy As a result, it is possible to anticipate that the study results will have both theoretical and practical implications for English teaching and learning in Vietnam in general and in

Vo Thi Sau High School in particular and it is also hoped to be useful for other high schools of Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province in English teaching and learning

Theoretically, it is hoped that this study’s results will add detailed knowledge

on enhancing reading comprehension to the literature on the use of Context Clues Strategy in Vietnam The results of this study may encourage future researchers and scholars in education to develop methods for incorporating the Context Clues Strategy into English teaching to meet the various needs of students and develop productive learning environments for English in the classroom

Practically, these research results may aid English teachers in better understanding how Context Clues Strategy is used in teaching reading comprehension at Vo Thi Sau High School Additionally, it is hoped that the study results will lay a solid basis for other teachers so that they will be more inspired to use the Context Clues Strategy in their English teaching and research the related issues to enhance the caliber of English teaching and learning in the Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province

1.7 Organization of the study

This study consists of five chapters which are structured as follows:

- Chapter 1: Introduction

This chapter presents the problem and gives an overview of the study It also covers the scope of the study, the significance of the study, the aims and objectives, and the research questions

- Chapter 2: Literature Review

This chapter discusses the literature review which aims to discuss published information on previous related works in the research area Additionally, for a deeper comprehension of the study, it provides relevant information about definitions of key terms, and conceptual framework

- Chapter 3: Methodology

This chapter explains the details of the selected methodology that is going to

be used in the study, including details on the setting, participants, research designs, instruments, data collection, and data analysis procedures

- Chapter 4: Results and Discussions

This chapter presents the results for each of the research questions beginning with the quantitative data followed by the qualitative evidence and includes a discussion of the findings

- Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations

This chapter discusses the conclusion, limitations, recommendations, and suggestions for future research

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter provides an in-depth analysis of the literature pertinent to the current study, focusing in particular on the main concepts and studies that are linked

to the research issue First, an overall picture of the background is presented with some key terms in detail Then, to further clarify the principles, certain relevant national and international studies are then carefully reviewed

2.1 Reading comprehension skill

2.1.1 Definition of reading

The concept of "reading" is construed differently by different scholars The definition of "reading" provided by Anderson (1999) is that it is "an active, competent process involving the reader and the reading material in constructing meaning." Taking context-based information and mixing it with other parts to create a new whole is the process of reading comprehension It is a process where the reader uses the knowledge they already possess (schemas) to interpret the text and create meaning It is a cognitive process where the reader extrapolates meaning from a text

According to Anderson et al (1985), reading is the process of interpreting written content It requires the harmonization of numerous connected informational sources Besides, Wixson, Peters, Weber, and Roeber (1987) mentioned that reading

is the act of making sense of a text using the reader's prior knowledge, the text's content, and the reading setting Additionally, Gilakjani and Sabouri (2016) asserted that the main goal of reading is to extract the message from a book that the author intended for the reader to retain

Aebersold and Field (1997) state that reading is composed of three components: the reader, the text, and their relationship with it According to them, reading is the process by which a reader examines a text and gives the symbols within its meaning The reader and the text are two actual physical beings that are required

for reading to occur The real meaning, however, is created by the reader and the text's interaction

Grabe and Stoller (2002: 9) stated that reading is the ability to infer information from a written page and apply it effectively It is a method through which individuals acquire knowledge and concepts via publications such as books, newspapers, letters, magazines, and other materials Reading involves engaging in a dialogue with the author through the text, which is another cognitive process

In a nutshell, reading is a fundamental part of everyday life Also, reading is the process through which a reader creates meaning by interacting with prior knowledge, information provided by the written word, and context Dubin (1982) stated that for students in non-English-speaking nations, reading appears to be the language skill that is the easiest to pick up

2.1.2 Definition of reading skills

Reading skills refer to a person's ability to read, understand, interpret, and decode written language and texts Comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, and strategies are several important aspects that help readers interpret and find meaning

in texts Reading abilities, or how effectively a learner can read and comprehend what they are reading, are influenced by reading skills Students grow and work on a wide range of reading abilities throughout their education and after On the words of Foorman and Torgesen (2001), decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and interference are the four basic categories that can be used to group these abilities The majority of a student's reading ability is made up of these fundamental reading skills Overall, its aim is to provide students with the tools they need to comprehend what they read This is not only essential for their English lessons and their other school subjects, but also for all areas of life beyond their education Essential skills needed for reading comprehension include:

Decoding

Decoding is a skill that depends on students’ capacity to pronounce words they have only ever heard orally Phonemic awareness, or the capacity to distinguish between particular sounds in words and relate those sounds to letters, is a necessary component The first stage in "sounding out" or decoding words is to correlate the sounds that a letter or set of letters make with each other

Fluency

A variety of factors combine to make up fluency It starts by emphasizing students' capacity for fluent, unambiguous reading Fluency also emphasizes a reader's capacity to quickly decode new words while reading Fluency is how reading sounds, which directly affects a reader's capacity to understand what they read For instance, when a student improves their reading fluency, he or she will be able to quickly understand and discover meaning in what they have read, which helps them comprehend the text

Vocabulary

Reading comprehension can also be impacted by the reader's capacity to decipher or interpret new words Students can boost their capacity to make assumptions, create concepts, and overall better understand the texts they read when they can swiftly interpret new meanings and recognize connections between new terminology and well-known phrases

Inference

An important aspect of reading comprehension is inference When students draw conclusions from texts, they relate information to their thoughts and viewpoints, which aids them in understanding the meaning of what they have read A student might assume, for instance, that recycling will help them to limit the quantity of plastic garbage they generate after reading an article about plastics in the oceans When pupils read a work with its aim and meaning not explicitly indicated, they infer Additionally, the capacity for connecting concepts and drawing conclusions can aid

in improving retention

2.1.3 Definition of reading comprehension

Kintsch (1998) and Van Dijk (2006) defined reading comprehension as the process of deriving meaning from text The objective is to understand the text in its entirety, not to infer meaning from certain words or sentences A mental picture of a text's meaning combined with the readers' past knowledge is the result of reading comprehension Keenan, Betjemann, and Olson (2008) contended that for reading comprehension to be successful, a variety of lower- and higher-level processes and skills must be properly enlarged and ordered

Reading, R A N D Study Group (2002) defined comprehension as the process of extracting and generating meaning from written language through engagement and interaction This process, according to McNamara and Magliano (2009), takes place within a larger social context and takes into account both reader and text characteristics According to Duke (2003), comprehension is a process in which readers engage with the content to make sense of it by utilizing a combination

of prior knowledge and experience, the data in the text, and their judgments about the text

Comprehension is the goal of reading McNamara (2007) stated,

“Comprehension is the interpretation of the information in the text, the use of prior knowledge to interpret this information and, ultimately, the construction of a coherent representation or picture in the reader’s mind of what the text is about” It implies that comprehension is the ability to understand and express the subject matter of the text For students to comprehend a text, they must have adequate vocabulary or a sufficient understanding of the meanings of an appropriate number of words

Snow (2002: 11) indicated that “Reading comprehension is defined as the process of simultaneously extracting and constructing meaning through interaction and involvement with written language” In order to fully understand the written text, the reader must connect words to their meanings, drawing on both prior knowledge and new information from the text Also, according to Durkin (1993), reading comprehension has evolved into the "essence of reading” Pritchard et al (1999), and

Strydom (1997) also mention that reading comprehension plays a crucial role in lifelong learning as well as academic learning across all subject areas

Davis (1994) proposed that “Comprehension skills are deemed most important

by authorities in the field of reading” According to Davis, there are nine basic skills for comprehension in reading:

- Understanding of word meaning

- The capacity to decide which meaning, given a word or phrase's specific context is suitable

- Being able to follow a passage's arrangement and recognize its antecedents and references

- Ability to identify a passage's key idea

- Ability to respond to inquiries that a text specifically answers

- The capacity to respond to inquiries that are addressed in a passage but not in the words used to pose the inquiry

- The capacity to infer information about the content of a passage from it

- Ability to assess the tone and mood of a piece and identify the literacy strategies used

- Ability to deduce information about a writer, such as their goals, intentions, and points of view

According to McNamara (2007), word reading proficiency, vocabulary knowledge, syntactic knowledge, memory, and discourse level skills such as the ability for inference, familiarity with text structure, and metacognitive abilities are some of the abilities that contribute to successful reading comprehension

2.1.4 Definition of Context Clue Strategy

The term "context clues" refers to a fact or idea that suggests the meaning of unidentified words The hints are occasionally inserted into the same sentence as an unknown term or in sentences that are close by It suggests defining unknown terms and hints that are connected to the text's substance so that students can respond to questions after becoming comfortable with the hints

Context clues are used to describe small pieces of information included in a text that can act as pointers to help a reader comprehend the content of a phrase or passage that is unfamiliar or odd Context clues are essentially anything that enables readers to determine or speculate on the meaning of a word or passage when they are not certain of it Context clues can be found in a statement itself, the text immediately before or after it, or both Readers must be able to recognize and use context clues because reading is how readers learn the majority of the vocabulary

Another definition of context clues is clues that are intentionally or unintentionally included in texts to aid students in understanding the meaning of new words

Students infer the meaning of a word by carefully reading the material around

it, according to Nagy, Scott, and Kamil (2000) It suggests that the meaning of the unknown words can be inferred from the context of the reading in which they are found

According to Pennock (1979: 36), context clues are an indication of the meaning of an unfamiliar word Readers may be able to deduce the meaning of the unknown term by examining these words' ties to it

Contextual analysis is described as the "reader's attempt to understand the intended meaning of a word by scrutinizing surrounding context", according to Johnson and Pearson (1978: 114)

Beck et al (2002) also mention that context clues are terms that are used in conjunction with an ambiguous word to provide hints about that word's meaning Students may frequently identify a word's meaning without the aid of a dictionary or

an instructor by looking at the context in which it is used Using context is one technique students can employ to aid in their independence as word learners and explain the words they pick up outside the structured direction

In other words, Hartmann & Blass (2007) propose that context clues are words

or phrases that assist students in understanding the meaning of a new term Also, contextualization aids in the understanding and efficient use of the target language by

language learners If a context clue is given, it will be easier to understand the various shades of meaning that certain words may have in a certain situation

There are various categories of Context Clues Strategy, according to some scholars, including Langan & Lan (2008), Tompkins (2016), and Gerace (2001) Definition, example, synonym, antonym, contrast, logic, general sense of phrase, part

of speech, grammar, and root word and affix can be used to summarize these categories In this study, each of these categories will be utilized

Rasinksi et al (2008: 20) stated “The help that context provides may be semantic, based on the meaning of surrounding words or sentences It may also be structural, based on grammatical or syntactic markers within a word or sentence” Definitions, synonyms, antonyms, examples, contrast, and reasoning can all serve as semantic hints Prefixes, suffixes, and word roots can all be used as sources of meaning through morphological analysis Which form to employ depends heavily on the sentence's context Students can become independent learners by employing the context-based reading strategy, which will be applied as a systematic teaching method

In summary, the strategy that is used for determining a word's meaning in a text by inferring its meaning from the surrounding sentences is known as context clues Students are given an arsenal of strategies (such as reading response questions)

to access unfamiliar terms in order to assist them in better understanding the text by using context clues to determine a word's meaning Learners are less able to understand meanings for themselves without knowledge of the different forms of context clues

By fostering self-agency, this skill helps students define unfamiliar words on their own The following tools are used by students to add context cues to their writing They do not need to memorize every kind of context clue More importantly, learners realize that clues are provided in many forms to help readers in deciphering word meanings

2.2 The aspects of “Context Clues Strategy”

2.2.1 Definitions and characteristics of “Context Clues Strategy”

The term “context clues” is used as a way of referring to the bits of information within a text that can serve as hints to help a reader understand the meaning of an unfamiliar or unusual word or passage In practice, context clues can be anything that aids in determining or inferring the meaning of a phrase or passage when readers are unsure of it Context clues can be found in a statement itself, the text immediately before or after it, or both

According to Denton et al (2007), Context Clues help students understand what a term might signify The text's unfamiliar words are surrounded by hints In other words, context clues are details from the text that can be used to determine the meaning of words that are unclear

Pirozzi (2000) defines that the surrounding words in a sentence are what gives

a word its particular meaning So, without using a dictionary, students can use context, particularly Context Clues, to help them comprehend the meanings of unknown or new words Therefore, using Context Clues can aid students in understanding new or obscure words They can quickly understand reading content

as a result

2.2.2 Types of “Context Clues Strategy”

Humes (1978) indicated that contextual clues include the use of synonyms, antonyms, explicit examples, contrasts, and restatement

Glass (2015) stated that Context Clues Strategy can be used in reading comprehension in seven different ways

Word parts: The concept is to determine a word's meaning by dissecting each

component, including the base word (also known as the word stem or root word), prefixes, and suffixes Some words have a prefix only (reread), a suffix only (reading), both prefix and suffix (prereading), a combination (unreasonableness), or

neither (read)

For example: The story is incredible

The root word “cred” means “to believe”, while the prefix “in” indicates “not” Therefore, if a story is incredible, it is unbelievable

Definition/explanation: The principle is to seek out a definition or an

explanation within the sentence

For instance: His emaciation, that is, his skeleton-like appearance, was frightening to see

“Skeleton-like appearance” is the definition of “emaciation”

Synonym: The concept is words that are close to an unfamiliar word may

serve as a clue that a synonym exists

For example: Discrimination or bias can cause distress towards the targeted group

“Bias” means “discrimination”

Example: The concept is that by providing examples of unknown words,

readers can better comprehend what they mean

For instance: Celestial bodies, including the sun, the moon, and the stars, have

fascinated man through the centuries

“Celestial” objects are the things in the sky

Antonym/Contrast: The concept is that words and phrases like unlike, as

opposed to, and different from can be used to express opposing information about an unfamiliar word

For example: Discrimination, as opposed to fairness for all people, can have

damaging effects on a targeted group

“Fairness” means the opposite of “discrimination”

Analogy: The concept is that comparisons help to understand the meaning of

a word

For example: Vulnerable people can be like fragile glass in need of care and attention

“Fragile glass” is compared to the state of “vulnerable” people

Appositive: The concept is to search for grammatical structures of appositives

that can provide a definition, synonym, or example

For example: Discrimination, the act of showing bias to one group, can have

damaging effects

“The act of showing bias” means “discrimination”

According to Innaci and Sam (2017), Context Clues Strategy is divided into four categories, including:

Definition or Restatement: The sentence in which the vocabulary first

appears either defines or restates the word

For example: The arbitrator, the neutral person chosen to settle the dispute, arrived

at his/ her decision

“The neutral person” is the definition of “the arbitrator”

Synonym: A similar term is used in the sentence to describe the meaning of

the vocabulary

For example: The slender woman was so thin, so her clothes were too big for her

“Thin” means “slender”

Antonym / Opposite / Contrast: The sentence uses a term with a definition

that is the opposite of the vocabulary word in order to explain its meaning

For example: Unlike Jamaal’s room, which was immaculate, Bob’s room was very messy

“Immaculate” means the opposite of “messy”

Example or Explanation: The reader can derive the meaning of the

vocabulary term from this type of context information by using examples

For example: Piscatorial creatures, such as flounder, salmon, and trout, live in the

coldest parts of the ocean

“Piscatorial” clearly refers to fish

The researcher adopted the theory of Glass (2015) about Context Clues Strategy to the study

2.2.3 The positive and negative effects of “Context Clues Strategy” in reading class

Carnine, Kameenui, and Coyle (1984) stated that Context Clues Strategy has

a lot of advantages over other strategies First of all, it does not rely on a dictionary

or glossary Next, by using Context Clues Strategy, the reader's focus can stay on the text, thus decreasing the likelihood that the reading process will be interrupted Lastly, because this method is independent of previous teacher input concerning the passage being read, the reader can use it independently

According to Munthe (2017), Context Clues Strategy has certain benefits First, the reader can expand their vocabulary by using context clues to help them understand unfamiliar words Second, readers can determine how to pronounce words thanks to Context Clues Strategy Third, readers who can understand what they are reading by using Context Clues Strategy may find reading to be enjoyable

Besides, in the words of Al-Jumaily (2021), students' vocabulary, reading comprehension, and writing skills can all be enhanced by using Context Clues Strategy

Schatz & Baldwin (1986) also stated that Context Clues Strategy should make

it easier for readers to deduce the meanings of challenging or unfamiliar terms, which will speed up comprehension and eliminate the need for readers to stop reading to consult dictionaries, glossaries, or other external sources of information

The usage of Context Clues Strategy, according to Innaci & Sam (2017), also spares students from wasting time looking up unfamiliar words in dictionaries Also,

it promotes students’ confidence and stimulates their critical thinking Students are not required to consult the dictionary each time they come across a new word Only

by paying attention to the context in which a term is used can students choose the right definition for the situation Another advantage is that students may complete tests more quickly and simply

In contrast, Rynette & Kjesbo (2010) mentioned that the use of Context Clues Strategy has some drawbacks First, it takes more time for beginning readers It calls

for more flare and inventiveness from novices Second, sometimes the context information is insufficient and causes the reader to guess incorrectly Unknown word contexts in literature are not always useful and, in certain situations, can lead students

to draw erroneous conclusions about word meanings Thirdly, prior knowledge is especially important to take intelligence into account when using context clues

Innaci & Sam (2017: 67) asserted that because students lack awareness of the part of speech, it is also challenging to infer the significance of unknown terms A second possibility is that they lack the knowledge necessary to determine whether unknown words are independent nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc Additionally, students may find it challenging to employ the Context Clues Strategy if they are unsure of the connection between clauses and sentences with unknown words Because the students did not understand, they misunderstood the context of the words and committed blunders

2.3 Previous studies

Many scholars and professionals are interested in this topic according to a review of the literature on the use of the Context Clues Strategy as a useful tool in teaching and learning reading comprehension

Context Clues Strategy was used by certain researchers to conduct their research Herinovita et al (2016) previously looked into the impact of employing the Context Clues Strategy on first-year students' reading comprehension There were 28 students in the experiment class and 33 students in the tryout class The results of the data analysis demonstrated a considerable impact of the Context Clues Strategy on reading comprehension Additionally, the results demonstrated that while students' average scores were only 71.17 on the pre-test, they increased to 84.00 on the post-test Herinovita et al (2016) recommended that teachers adopt Context Clues Strategy

as a substitute method for assisting students in improving their reading comprehension

Then, Harahap (2018) conducted a research on the impact of eleventh-grade students' knowledge of Context Clues Strategy on their reading comprehension of

procedural texts Before mastering the use of Context Clues Strategy, students' reading comprehension of procedure material was rated on the mean at 73.23; however, after mastering the use of Context Clues Strategy, their reading comprehension of procedure text was rated on the mean at 85.81 It is clear that students performed better on the reading comprehension test for procedural texts after mastering the use of Context Clues Strategy than they did before Besides, Harahap also suggested that the students become more engaged in their reading comprehension of procedural texts after mastering Context Clues Strategy

Apriliyanti & Pangaribuan (2018) conducted a study on the eighth students of SMP Dharma Wanita Medan The findings of the study showed that the student’s performance on the post-test had significantly improved The comparison between the pre-test mean score (47.26) and the post-test mean score demonstrated this improvement (80.33) Additionally, it is evident from their complete focus throughout the teaching and learning process that the students were interested in the Context Clues Strategy They came to the conclusion that the Context Clues Strategy was a useful tool for teaching students to read comprehension, particularly in narrative texts

The 23 eighth-grade students in Utara's earlier study (Utara, 2020) were examined for their mastery of Context Clues Strategy in reading comprehension of descriptive texts In terms of literal understanding, the pre-test mean for students was 6.73, and the post-test mean was 7.64 While the students’ average score before treatment was 4.13, it increased to 6.08 on the post-test The outcome has shown that applying Context Clues Strategy significantly increased the students' comprehension

Similarly, Indriana et al (2021) completed a survey of the eighth-grade students of SMPN 20 Sigi The results of the data analysis indicated that when it comes to literal comprehension, the Context Clues Strategy helps students' reading comprehension By comparing the experimental group's mean score before and after

the treatment, it may be demonstrated It suggests that by utilizing the Context Clues Strategy, students' reading comprehension might be enhanced

In the context of Vietnam, Tran & Tran (2018) conducted a study to find out how boosting students' awareness and reading comprehension skills at the Vietnam National University of Agriculture affected the use of English reading techniques To take part in the research that would last for 10 weeks, 170 students were chosen as a sample The findings of the study showed that using Context Clues Strategy helped students' reading comprehension abilities to grow Additionally, it assisted readers in overcoming reading-related challenges and improving their comprehension of material written in foreign languages Through it, the lecturer assisted them in developing into self-sufficient learners who were capable of interpreting, integrating, critiquing, inferring, analyzing, connecting, and evaluating ideas in texts They would thus continue to improve in terms of reading comprehension

Huynh et al (2019) explored the impact of Context Clues Strategy on 80 majored English students at Hue University of Foreign Languages Two sets of students received a questionnaire with 30 items covering three categories of reading methods: global strategies, problem-solving strategies, and supporting strategies Results revealed that both groups utilized nearly all of the tactics They reflectively acknowledged using those strategies at a medium level, despite some disparities in the two groups' levels of English ability In order to consciously improve students' lifetime learning, reading strategy training should be given more thought by both EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers and students

non-In short, the studies on the advantages of the Context Clues Strategy showed some beneficial effects on students' reading comprehension More significantly, teachers and students generally consider the Context Clues Strategy as a useful tool

in reading comprehension lessons

Nevertheless, studying the effectiveness of using Context Clues Strategy to enhance reading comprehension abilities for students at a particular high school has

still not been done yet This may be considered a research gap for the study of this thesis The study results will provide true data for related parts so that they can have suitable adjustments to improve student’s reading comprehension abilities during English teaching and learning Hence, English academic achievements were obtained

as expected

2.4 Conceptual framework

The conceptual framework of the study

The teaching graph that will be offered to students can be seen from the study

of the conceptual framework presented above Students' prior knowledge from the old method will be processed with the new connection analysis, which will be processed through several stages of Context Clues Strategy This new output of student reading comprehension and their capacity for very clear analysis will allow them to be more aware when reading conditions in text The utilization of Context Clues Strategy to infer the meaning of words and the development of reading comprehension for students at Vo Thi Sau High School are thought to be positively correlated

2.5 Summary

This chapter has presented some concepts of reading comprehension and the theory of Context Clues Strategy Moreover, it gives some effects of Context Clues Strategy on reading comprehension, which were studied by previous studies In

Student’s previous

knowledge

Context Clues Strategy

The student’s achievement in learning reading comprehension

addition, previous studies have been mentioned The conceptual framework is provided at the end of the chapter

CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the methodological approach used in this study It includes information about the research site, research design, sample and sampling procedures, participants, instruments questionnaire, and data collection and data analysis procedures

3.1 Aims and research questions

This study aims at investigating the teaching and learning of reading comprehension through Context Clues Strategy for grade 11 at Vo Thi Sau High School in Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province The objectives of this study are as follows:

- To investigate teaching and studying of reading comprehension skill for the grade 11 students at Vo Thi Sau High School;

- To find out what Context Clues Strategy teachers and students use during teaching and learning reading comprehension skill;

- To explore the attitudes of teachers and students to Context Clues Strategy used during teaching and learning reading comprehension skill;

- To check whether Context Clues Strategy used can help students to improve their reading comprehension skill;

- To suggest solutions to employ Context Clues Strategy successfully and effectively for teachers and students during teaching and learning reading comprehension skill

To achieve these required aims, the following research questions were formulated: RQ1 What Context Clues Strategy do teachers and students use when teaching and studying reading comprehension skill?

RQ2 What are the attitudes of teachers and students towards the use of Context Clues Strategy when teaching and studying reading comprehension skill?

RQ3 How effective does Context Clues Strategy used help students to improve their reading comprehension skill?

3.2 Research design and participants

3.2.1 Research design

This study used a control group and an experimental group in a experimental design Context Clues Strategy was introduced to the experimental group during instruction, but it was not introduced to the control group The goal of the study was to examine how the Context Clues Strategy affected students' reading comprehension Each member of the experimental group and the control group took

quasi-a pre-test quasi-and quasi-a post-test The study quasi-also employed quasi-a ququasi-antitquasi-ative resequasi-arch method by using a questionnaire Additionally, it used a qualitative research methodology by using interviews

To make the research aims clearer, the researcher intended to blend quantitative and qualitative methods The quantitative data about the student's perceptions of the enhancement of the Context Clues Strategy in reading comprehension was cross-checked with the qualitative portion of the study To aid in the comprehension and interpretation of the findings, the qualitative data from the interview were used in the context of the current study after the quantitative data from the pre-test and post-test In every research or series of research, data are acquired and reviewed using a combination of quantitative and qualitative forms to identify a study issue, according to Creswell & Clark (2011)

The results offer a better understanding of a study topic thanks to the combination of qualitative and quantitative methods instead of using only one of the approach ways (the qualitative or quantitative method) As a result, the research method can be quickly represented and declared; it may be useful if a previous study comes to an unexpected conclusion; the qualitative evidence can be more easily generalized; creating and certifying an instrument is also made easier; and the research can be posted in a different model

3.2.2 Research participants

The study was conducted at Vo Thi Sau High School in Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province This study mainly found out what Context Clues Strategy teachers and students use during teaching and learning reading comprehension skill; and focused

on investigating the effectiveness of used Context Clues Strategy in improving the reading comprehension of students at Vo Thi Sau High School

There were 75 students from classes 11A5 and 11A6 of the school year

2022-2023 (the experimental group) taking part in the research of 6 weeks They were asked to do a pre-test, a post-test, and complete a questionnaire Also, five students among them were chosen to complete a semi-structured interview 75 students from classes 11A3 and 11A4 were in the control group The control group learned reading comprehension without knowledge about Context Clues Strategy The experimental group was introduced to Context Clues Strategy during their reading comprehension learning In addition, five teachers who were in charge of teaching English for grade

11 at Vo Thi Sau High School were invited for semi-structured interviews

Gender: In the experimental group, there were 25 male students and 50 female

students respectively, making up 33.33% and 66.67% of the total enrollment The gender numbers show a small variance The fact that there were more girls than boys was undeniable

Age: The age of participants was 16 to 17 years old