Teachers perspectives on applying the mind mapping technique to improve grade 10 students reading comprehension a case study at a high school in dak lak province

Trang 1 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING UNIVERSITY OF QUY NHON HUYNH THI VAN ANH TEACHERS'''' PERSPECTIVES ON APPLYING THE MIND MAPPING TECHNIQUE TO IMPROVE GRADE 10 STUDENTS'''' READING CO

INTRODUCTION

Rationale

At present, English has become an international language used by many people all over the world It is taught in most schools, universities and other educational institutions It is used as a means of communication among countries, including in Vietnam, in either spoken or written form It is also considered one of the requisite languages in the world and is crucial to learn, especially for young learners This language can be used to give or receive information and advance education, technology and the arts Moreover, parents must prepare their children to study English as soon as possible since their brain is ready for learning and most of them have abilities to memorize well from a very early time

There are four primary basic learning skills in English: speaking, listening, writing and reading Among them, task is one of the most efficient ways to get a student's information Carrell and Grabe (2010) claimed that the capacity to read in a particular second language (L2) was considered a crucial skill for academic students; hence, it represented the prime way for independent language learning

Reading has played a fundamental role in our lives; it helps students get information from what they read, which is beneficial in learning English It relies on several processes, the most critical of which is reading comprehension It is considered the most important mental skill that directly connects and affects the academic achievement and learning process for a future career Therefore, reading comprehension has become a potential field for researchers who study all factors and aspects that may hinder strategies that might lead to its development

According to Ningrum and Widyawati (2015), reading is a way to get and interpret important information and knowledge, involving a complex process to construct students’ meaning from a written text In addition, comprehension in reading can be reached when students know how to apply a set of skills and strategies to accomplish their reading purposes Mastering reading comprehension can help students learn more about documentary items written in this international language

Reading comprehension is one of the most essential English aspects that language learners, including high school students, should master In Vietnam, high school students can answer the questions correctly when they can comprehend the text in the national exam Yet, some students still find it challenging to understand the text and so are these at Le Duan High School in Dak Lak province (DL-LDHS).It is difficult for high school students, such as tenth-graders, to obtain reading comprehension skills

Comprehending reading texts is sometimes challenging to achieve Grade

10 (G10) students at DL-LDHS have low reading comprehension achievements in reading question types like getting the main idea, supporting details and even deciding the schematic structure of the text They need more than just recalling information given in a text Mostly, the problems faced are getting the main idea and the statement stated Adding to students’ lazy reading habits, they think reading comprehension is too dull Consequently, these students keep making errors and mistakes, especially errors relating to reading comprehension without unintentionally or intentionally correcting these errors and mistakes It is clear that tenth-grade students are weak in learning English in general and reading comprehension in particular They lack suitable strategies that help them comprehend reading texts

These reasons come from both sides, including EFL teachers at DL- LDHS On the EFL teachers’ side, they focus mainly on grammar and vocabulary and pay little attention to students’ reading comprehension learning strategies Undeniably, many techniques are engaged in this problem (such as Vietnamese-English translation, visual illustration by pictures or short videos, etc.) In particular, EFL teachers also undertake an essential role in assessing those skills, including reading comprehension, to guarantee the quality of the learning process via classroom practices or learning activities that are by far the best support for the students’ learning lessons, supported by (Rohaniyah & Nasrullah, 2022) Moreover, EFL teachers cannot wholly transfer their perspectives to students because students and EFL teachers do not share the same levels of knowledge and experience Hence, it takes a long time for students to learn and even a great deal of effort for EFL teachers to teach these skills

To deal with these drawbacks, EFL teachers must use more effective teaching techniques to improve their students’ reading comprehension According to several researchers like Siriphanich and Laohawiryanan (2010), Christodoulou (2019), Liu, Chen and Chang (2010), using MMT to teach English reading comprehension skills has proven its efficiency in developing the level of reading competency among students

Buzan (2007) claims that MMT is a logical and hierarchical thinking technique that allows EFL teachers to guide students when recording ideas and information and to combine words with visual representations Mind mapping is said to be one of the techniques or activities that can be used in teaching and learning reading comprehension effectively Moreover, it is revealed from his study that MMT has become an appropriate and valuable teaching technique that improves students’ reading competency since, without it, students have difficulty understanding texts as well as developing creativity and imagination to identify the main idea of the passage or the keywords to answer the questions

As a result, this leads to synthesizing all the information in a newly created sentence, which becomes the main idea statement from now on Hence, the researcher decided to study “Teachers’ perspectives on using mind mapping technique to improve Grade 10 students’ reading comprehension: A case study at a high school in Dak Lak province” The study's findings are hoped to provide a personal perspective of the researcher and an excellent reference to discuss the use of MMT in reading comprehension of English language texts This technique may indirectly encourage EFL teachers to apply MMT to develop high school students' low achievement in reading comprehension, thus increasing their academic results.

Aim and Objectives of the Study

The study aims to examine the EFL teachers’ perspectives on using MMT to improve students’ levels of reading comprehension at a high school in Dak Lak province

To achieve this aim, the researcher tries to fulfill the following specific objectives:

(1) To explore EFL teachers’ perspectives on the benefits of using MMT to improve students’ reading comprehension;

(2) To examine EFL teachers’ perspectives on the drawbacks of using MMT to improve students’ reading comprehension;

(3) To identify solutions proposed by EFL teachers to drawbacks of using MMT to improve students’ reading comprehension.

Research Questions

Based on the objectives of this study, the following research questions are poised to guide the study:

1 What are EFL teachers’ perspectives on the benefits of using MMT to improve students’ reading comprehension?

2 What are EFL teachers’ perspectives on the drawbacks of using MMT to improve students’ reading comprehension?

3 What solutions do EFL teachers propose to drawbacks of using MMT to improve students’ reading comprehension?

Scope of the Study

First, the study cannot cover all aspects of reading comprehension teaching and learning because of the limited time and resources The study focuses only on identifying the EFL teachers’ perspectives on benefits, drawbacks and solutions for using MMT to improve G10 students’ reading comprehension in the ‘Tiếng Anh 10 Global Success’ coursebook at Dak Lak- based Le Duan High School (DL-LDHS) Specially, the study investigates the EFL teachers’ perspectives on benefits, drawbacks and their proposed solutions to drawbacks of using MMT to improve at DL-LDHS’s G10 students’ reading comprehension.

Significance of the Study

As the study is finished, it is expected to examine the EFL teachers’ perspectives (benefits, drawbacks and their solutions) on using MMT to teach reading comprehension at DL-LDHS By reading this study, EFL teachers at this high school can enrich their techniques in teaching reading comprehension Also, curriculum designing will be facilitated by providing appropriate tasks to assist students in improving English reading comprehension Lastly, for researchers of the same interest in teaching reading comprehension or applying MMT to teaching other language skills, the study could be a valuable and reliable source for related literature.

Structure of the Study

The research consists of five chapters:

Chapter 1, Introduction, consists of rationale, aim, objectives, research questions, scope, significance and organization of the study

Chapter 2, Theoretical Background and Literature Review, briefly presents the definitions of reading comprehension, MMT, teachers’ benefits, drawbacks and their solutions to using MMT to teach reading comprehension and the previous studies on EFL teachers’ perspectives on using MMT to improve high school students' reading comprehension

Chapter 3, Methodology, handles Research Design, Research Setting,

Participants, Research Instrument, Procedures of the Study, and Research Reliability and Validity

Chapter 4, Findings and Discussion, presents the findings based on the results of the data analysis

Chapter 5, Conclusions and Implication, summarizes the conclusions from the study of the EFL teachers’ perspectives on improving students’ reading comprehension using MMT.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Reading Comprehension

Nowadays, English has been taught as a compulsory subject and a part of the school curriculum in Vietnam There are four skills that students need to learn: speaking, listening, writing and reading Among them, reading comprehension is considered a language activity to gain information and knowledge from sources written in the original language It is a ‘spoken’ interaction between a reader and a writer through a text According to Spratt, Pulverness and William (2005), reading is an act that “involves responding to text, rather than producing it.” In other words, “reading involves making sense of the text” and then “connects the message of the text to our knowledge of the world” (p 21) While reading, students will practice it repeatedly, obtain information and gain knowledge of what they read and are connected automatically

According to Simanjuntak, Simanjuntak and Sihombing's study (2022),

“the human brain has extraordinary abilities in interpreting something that is seen, felt and read When a person reads and obtains information, the brain will create new conclusions based on their knowledge” (p 32) Therefore, reading has become an exchange activity between the brain and human feelings and understanding of what is being read To comprehend a reading text, a person will release their knowledge to get the meanings of what is read and try to understand them

Similarly, Maxom's (2009) and Haerazi, Prayati and Vikasari's study

(2019) shared the same ideas Reading comprehension is considered “not only one of the key skills in language learning but also a reinforcement of three other language skills (speaking, listening and writing)” (p 139) For high school students, reading comprehension is an essential method for acquiring independent ‘knowledge’ from other cultures and countries

Reading comprehension is considered “the application of a skill that evolved for other purposes (listening or oral comprehension) to a new form of input (text)” (Kirby, 2007, p 1) It depends on two interconnected elements: word reading (the ability to explain the symbols on the page) and language comprehension (the ability to understand the meaning of the words and sentences) When someone reads a text, he/she does not just try to remember the exact words and phrases they read Instead, that person forms an intellectual pattern of the text's details by integrating the words and sentences into a meaningful message to the reader Moreover, if the reading activity has a purpose, the reader will automatically engage with and learn from a text; as a result, the reader will enjoy what they read and vice versa Therefore, the reading comprehension learning process requires continuous practice, advancement and refinement

Despite the importance of reading in education and daily life, some difficulties occur to young learners during the reading learning process, such as content, vocabulary, learning materials, environment, ineffective teaching instruction, lack of motivation and so on (Rojas, 2022) Vocabulary and word knowledge are other factors to facilitate reading comprehension Reading the text starts with identifying individual words, for instance, the process that converts the visual input into linguistic representation In addition, Lazarus & Aransiola (2016) also claimed that social-demographic problems, such as school social environment, type of school and gender of learners; which greatly affected young learners’ ability to learn reading comprehension

When students approach a reading text, their ability to comprehend it undeniably depends on how they understand what the writers imply and what they do not imply, but between the lines Indrayani (2014) pointed out five factors affecting students’ reading comprehension process, which are conceptual knowledge (concept of the text, like the plot of the story), language skills (such as vocabulary, grammar, etc.), text features (the concepts of genres, the schematic structures of texts and many other terms that related to the meaning of texts), strategies (such as summarizing, or paraphrasing important information, etc.) and fluent decoding (the ability of automatically decoding and recognizing the words quickly and accurately)

2.1.2 Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension

Oxford (2001) defines learning strategies as “specific actions, behaviors, steps, or techniques–i.e seeking out conversation partners or encouraging oneself to tackle a difficult language task used by students to enhance their learning” (p 2) She also claims the importance of learning strategies in the language-learning process because they are tools that have active and self- directed movement, which has become highly vital for improving students’ communicative competence Sharing Oxford’s idea, Waryanti (2013) states that language learning strategies play an important role in making students become better language learners These strategies work and support together as a system implemented one by one during the language-learning process, which contributes to a satisfactory result for language learners

Several components of reading comprehension that support students in comprehending reading material have been acknowledged According to Gilani et al (2012) and Waryanti (2013), six strategies are significantly involved in the reading comprehension learning process, as shown in Table 1

Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension

(cited in Gilani et al., 2012 & Waryanti, 2013)

It refers to the technique that readers use to guess the meaning or the message of the text using their prior knowledge through the topics, pictures, keywords, or constructions

It refers to the technique readers use to get the passages’ gist by reading them quickly, not looking for specific but general information

Its function is quite similar to skimming (requiring a glance at the text) However, it focuses on looking for specific information – the answers to readers’ questions, not the general ones

It refers to activities of reading between the lines, demanding readers’ ability to get the messages from the words and sentences in a text

5 Guessing (the meaning of new words)

It refers to the technique that readers use to find the meaning of new words by drawing inferences from the context rather than looking up in a dictionary

To regulate readers’ reading comprehension, this technique helps them deal with their problems in reading by themselves, combining with other strategies in their reading comprehension

Duffy (2009) proposes some strategies for reading comprehension teaching in the classroom Firstly, reading comprehension teaching was knowledge-based Hence, having material-related knowledge was required so that they could explain it to their students Secondly, the reading comprehension teaching process contained cognitive and linguistic complexity It involved decoding alphabetic symbols, drawing upon experiences and language and using strategies effectively to make meaning The teacher had to realize that reading comprehension was a multidimensional process (Rizka, 2019) Next, diverse learners mean diverse differences, either their ability, behavior, or both They also have a variety of capacities, especially for comprehending the meaning of a text Therefore, EFL teachers need to analyze their students' abilities to help themselves manage the classroom situation Last, Duffy (2009) also states that

“teachers are informed as decision-makers who make many instructional decisions every lesson.” To make instructional and informative decisions that would positively affect students' reading achievements, EFL teachers must be knowledgeable about the reading processes, practical instruction, the diversity of communities they serve and the expectations for teaching reading as outlined in the curriculum

Learners might face several problems when they learn a language These problems make young learners, especially high school ones, feel discouraged whenever they know English during reading comprehension periods It is impossible to solve all of the issues in the short term Therefore, the teacher needs effective teaching techniques that improve and master high school students’ reading comprehension, like MMT.

Mind Mapping Technique

2.2.1 Definition of Mind Mapping Technique

The Mind Mapping Technique (MMT), sometimes called ‘Mental Mapping’, is expressed as radiant thinking, including in the brain's natural function (Buzan & Buzan, 1996) Then, according to their study in 2006, MMT has become a powerful graphics technique that gives a universal key to opening the potential ability of the brain It is one of the chosen pieces of equipment that can improve students' English skills It is a helpful technique that assists students in learning English more effectively and develops how to gain information Mind Mapping is considered a technique that shapes creativity and advances students’ learning progress Typically, it can be written on paper and computer It is pretty time-consuming and tedious since this technique needs to be erased and rewritten

Buzan and Buzan (1996) also note that MMT arouses the brain’s participation in thinking and memorizing, such as logic, language, figures, etc In other words, it is a process that “transforms the traditional one-way and dominant thought into multi-dimensional and divergent thinking pattern.” It is claimed in Buzan's (2006) book that Mind Mapping is “a diagram that always starts and expands around a central point, each word or picture can make itself a sub-center or association, the whole combination linking from the center toward all directions in the form of endless branching chains, or coming back to a common center” (p 25) Graphically presenting the information and its relations to each other is described as brainstorming (see Figure 1)

(Sources: https://www.mindmeister.com/blog/why-mind-mapping/)

To teach reading comprehension to students through MMT, a teacher must understand the shape of a mind map The shape of the mind map is usually like a tree branch In the middle of the mind map, there is a major subject or main word; then, the term is divided into several parts of branches Based on the definition above, it is clear that MMT is a creative way to represent ideas, opinions, or information by listing them through a diagram The present study aims to investigate the EFL teachers’ perspectives on using MMT to improve G10 students’ reading comprehension and their opinions on its application in class

2.2.2 Use of Mind Mapping Technique

There are some steps to make an effective mind map

+ At first, determining the primary purpose of the mind map and writing it down, the main topic is placed in the center

+ Secondly, adding branches to the main concepts will outline the most basic sub-topics to organize the information Other images, symbols, codes and elements are chosen and put into the mind map

+ Thirdly, selecting and printing keywords in upper or lower case letters, developing a personal style of mind map

+ Next, expanding topics by adding more branches until you run out of valuable information (the most important things closer to the main conceptual topic)

+ Meanwhile, maintaining the organization of the mind map by using standard colors for different levels of the branches within your diagram Furthermore, ensuring the usage of images helps the viewers both easily visualize and memorize the researcher’s mind map

+ Finally, keeping the mind map clear to see and understand by radial hierarchy, numerical order, or outlines to embrace the branches as noted from Buzan's book (2006) (see Figure 2)

(Source: https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/mind-mapping-advantage-think- creatively-6554)

Furthermore, several procedures need implementing when EFL teachers use MMT for teaching reading comprehension proposed by Buzan (2006) as follows:

(1) The teacher chooses a reading text appropriate for students' reading levels;

(2) Students work in pairs or triads when the teacher gives keywords based on the text;

(3) The teacher asks students to write words related to the keyword by using the connecting line (can be in the form of branch or long lines);

(4) Students construct a visual diagram of the mind map with several basic keywords and a main idea in the middle of the mind map;

(5) Besides words, students can add pictures or other kinds of illustrations for the phrases they made before and they also can create symbols or anything that can attract their attention;

(6) The teacher then asks students to remember the mind map they had just made and then to read the words loudly

Using MMT during the reading learning process, students can understand the content of the reading text and lesson simply, especially for G10 students, with the help of media that can attract their attention Through MMT, students will be able to understand a text to improve their reading comprehension and remember vocabulary in English

As mentioned earlier in section 2.2.1, mind maps are a type of diagram as well Nevertheless, mind maps have striking features unlike other types, involving various criteria (as shown in Figure 2) Here are six most-used examples of mind maps (Retrieved from edrawmind com/article/9-popular- types-of-mind-map ):

 Brace Mind Map It aims to analyze and evaluate parts of the information provided to them, which can easily visualize all the data the users have (see Figure 3)

 Bubble Mind Map It serves the main purpose of clarifying the whole concept or an idea as short as possible, which helps the users utilize a good wordlist and enhance their knowledge about various forms of vocabulary (see Figure 4)

Types of Cells-Human Body

 Circle Map It is efficient to display and define any concept's details

It is the most popular in helping students understand different kinds of symbols, images and mono-themed descriptions (see Figure 5)

 Tree Mind Map It is highly efficient in showing and categorizing all the steps and details regarding the concept the users are working on, mostly involving vocabulary (see Figure 6)

 Flow Mind Map It is a wonderful tool for formulating a coherent sequence for data sets and various procedures in theoretical work, mainly relatively more detailed ones

 Fishbone Mind Map It conceptualizes the possible causes of a dilemma and organizes concepts into functional categories It is also a visual way to see the origin and effects of a problem to consider conceivable reasons

EFL Teachers’ Perspectives on Benefits and Drawbacks of Using MMT

Considered as a useful tool helping EFL teachers teach reading comprehension for tenth-graders at high schools, MMT has both pros and cons, as well as EFL teachers’ solutions they overcome that cannot be separated in its use In her graduation paper ‘Mind-mapping in the EFL classroom’, Hofland (2007) states that MMT is a tool that offers many possibilities for EFL teachers to adjust and apply to their further language teaching.

2.3.1 EFL Teachers’ Perspectives on Benefits of Using MMT to Teach Reading Comprehension

Boosting creative and logical thinking If EFL teachers need a technique to visualize their ideas on a lesson or project, MMT will be a great way to achieve The visual organization of knowledge promotes their creative faculties, helps them generate, arrange, and explain the ideas more accurately, smoothly and efficiently when they work alone or with others (Indrayani,

2014) Moreover, MMT also allows EFL teachers to organize ideas on any topic in a systematic manner by using it as a centralized reference for all information relating to their classroom Hence, EFL teachers can easily visualize and understand educational concepts, such as lesson plans, daily tasks, homework, student information, and so on

Incorporating mind maps into lessons Mind maps are highly effective teaching tools They help students throughout the brainstorming, discussion, and presenting processes Teachers can use them as a replacement for PowerPoints or to create printouts as study aids Mani (2012) indicates that MMT is an effective way for EFL teachers to plan a presentation, lesson, or speech Teachers can create a mind map starting with the main topic of a lesson and continue to fill out relevant information as time goes on And mind maps can help G10 students visualize what’s to come in the teachers’ lessons at school Therefore, organising their thoughts into a colourful, insightful diagram inspires the students’ motivation for further reading comprehension learning as they can see the product of their efforts almost instantly

Promoting joy and motivation into the curriculum MMT, as an interesting outlet, can be an exciting and joyful warm-up activity that helps engage tenth-graders in EFL teachers’ reading comprehension curriculum, so they would not feel bored and be much motivated to participate in the reading comprehension lessons Hence, students would feel enthusiastic and enjoyable to look at, read, muse over and remember the vocabularies, keywords, etc with ease According to Nia and Pratama (2019), high motivation would increase students’ confidence so that students do not hesitate and shy They would be willing to developed potential inherent in themselves, especially the potential associated with creativity

Time-saving for teaching and revision MMT is a useful tool for EFL teachers to save a lot of time because they are so easily digestible and mainly focused on visible keywords instead of blocks of text Specially, it’s easy for students to become stressed when they experience information overload, making it easy for students to understand and remember better In their study, Duong et al (2020) notify that students can memorize the subject material in the reading text much faster so it may take EFL teachers less time to teach and/or review it to them MMT enables to eliminate the anxiety of racking the students’ brains to remember earlier concepts or ideas in the given texts, then tie information together in a cohesive and comprehensive way

2.3.2 EFL Teachers’ Perspectives on Drawbacks of Using MMT to Teach Reading Comprehension

Not covering all the details and specific information in the lessons

Mind maps often simplify complex information, which can be beneficial for understanding the big picture However, MMT accidentally lacks the depth required for more advanced topics or in-depth discussions and decrease the students’ note-taking ability since the amount of detail and specific information is unable to be input Hence, MMT can be a great device for the students to prepare essays, lessons, and presentations; but it is not appropriate to present as the final piece of work As a result, the lack of a comprehensive guide those students can refer to when revising material may affect their performance (Nia & Pratama, 2019)

Becoming inconsistent In his study, Indrayani (2014) identifies that if a person creates a Mind Map, it will become so personal and difficult for others to understand or memorize easily Both teachers and students may need time to get used to and proficient in using MMT effectively This learning curve can be a barrier, especially if this technique is introduced suddenly without proper training Moreover, while mind mapping is effective for organizing information in certain subjects, it may not be the best fit for all types of reading texts Some topics may be better suited to linear formats or other organizational structures Therefore, teachers have to spend much time guiding their students to understand how and when so that they would be able to employ a Mind Map in a proper reading text later

Time-consuming for creating According to Buzan (2006), a lot of time is repeatedly wasted to write unnecessary words or images having no relationship with important information from the reading text With MMT, teachers could not represent new information in a creative way but rather using pre-existing knowledge in a new form Neither did the students, it took a longer time for the students to finish their work with MMT at first (Fadillah,

2019) Therefore, some teachers may find that reading through texts is better and more convenient than spending time creating mind maps

In short, MMT is a tool that has both positive and negative sides Despite the pros of the technique, the teachers and students can take advantage of its cons It mainly depends on how they utilize this technique efficiently and effectively for their own’s sake From a pedagogical perspective, implementing MMT helps the EFL teachers guide and simplify the process of language teaching to improve G10 students’ levels of reading comprehension

By embracing it, EFL teachers can cultivate a more interactive and comfortable learning environment, foster creativity and critical thinking among their students.

Previous Studies

According to some research on teaching English with MMT, there still appears to be strong support for its effectiveness in reading comprehension learning Because of the benefits it provided for students in terms of performance and learning attitude, researchers believe it was an excellent teaching approach for teaching reading comprehension The researcher found several researchers showing how to improve students’ reading comprehension through MMT

The first previous study was taken from Dr Nehru's study in ‘English Teachers’ View on Mind Mapping on How to teach Reading Comprehension’ published on the Ijariie website (an Open-Access, peer-reviewed International Journal) in 2019 (p 1544-1547) By interviewing 25 teachers in the English Language on their perspectives on reading comprehension, mind mapping and any other strategies to enhance learners’ reading comprehension, the findings of the study concluded that MMT increased students’ motivation and creativity to comprehend the reading texts better and also helped EFL teachers improve their lesson planning, giving instruction and so on

Another study was conducted by Indrayani in 2014 entitled “The Effectiveness of Using Mind Mapping in Improving Students’ Reading Comprehension of Narrative Text.” The aim of the study was to find the effectiveness of Mind Mapping in improving students’ reading comprehension achievement, especially for narrative text for the second-grade students of SMA Mathla’ul Huda Parung Panjang Bogor in Jakarta, Indonesia, in the academic year 2013 – 2014 Using a quasi-experimental design (focusing on treatment and outcome) to find out whether MMT was effective in improving students’ reading comprehension achievement, a pre- test, a treatment stage and a post-test were applied to the 70 second-grade students While the experiment class was taught through MMT, the controlled class was taught by Expository Technique In conclusion, MMT effectively improved second-grade students' reading comprehension of narrative text at SMA Mathla’ul Huda Parung Panjang Bogor

The third study, entitled ‘Elementary Teachers’ View on Mind Mapping’, was carried out with 24 elementary teachers experience periods in their job between two and 21 who were enrolled in a “Teaching Thinking Science Consulting Course” by Keleş in 2012 The study aimed to investigating elementary teachers‟ views on mind mapping by using interviews Interviews were analyzed using qualitative research methods To sum up, the findings of this study revealed that using mind mappings in instruction helps teachers improve their instruction, planning and evaluating lessons and makes the lecture more entertaining The technique can be said to extend by analyzing its relation with different variables like different lessons and participants

In Vietnam, there have been several studies on using MMT to teach and learn different English skills in various grades Specially, the first research was carried out in Diem's study for a BA degree, ‘Using Mind Maps and

Diagrams to teach Vocabulary for first-year mainstream students in the Faculty of English Language Teacher Education’, in 2011 The study aimed to discover the current application of the techniques to teach vocabulary for first-year mainstream English majors at Division I, FELTE of their second semester in the academic year 2010 – 2011, which focused mainly on Mind Mapping and Diagrams Technique It included a paper-based questionnaire, a pre-test, two post-tests and a semi-structured interview (30 participants), all for students only To conclude, the study claimed the effectiveness of using mind maps and diagrams as they positively influenced students’ learning and remembering words

Another study was carried out at the Faculty of English, University of Foreign Language Studies at University of Danang, Vietnam, by Trang and Oanh (2021) entitled “The English-majored Students’ Practices of Mind Maps in Writing Skills” This study aimed to investigate the practices of using mind maps by English-majored first-year students at FE, UFLS – UD, which include the occurrence, writing phases and perceptions 240 first-year students of English aged 18 to 21 were invited to participate during the academic years of 2019-2020 The study consists of a writing classroom observation and an online questionnaire (via Google Drive), all for students only The findings of the study proved that the first-year students advocated the effectiveness of mind maps in writing skills at different rates and often used mind maps during the pre-writing stage

The third study, “Improving Reading Comprehension for non-English Majors through Mind-Mapping Technique in reading lessons”, was conducted with 20 non-English first-year majors at Thai Nguyen University of Education (TNUE) by Yen and Thao in 2021 The research aimed to examine the impact of mind maps on the reading comprehension of non- English majors in reading lessons and to investigate students' attitudes toward MMT before and after the experiment Published in TNU Journal of Science and Technology, the study's data was collected from a pre-post-test, a classroom observation and a questionnaire, all for students only The researcher put all the volunteered students in one group; no control or comparison group was employed The findings of the study noted that despite the lack of vocabulary and background knowledge at first, the students’ English reading comprehension was improved and motivated significantly after the reading lessons with mind maps

A study entitled “The Effects of Mind-Mapping on Vietnamese EFL Students’ Reading Skills” was conducted by Anh, Thao, Khoi and Quynh

(2020) In this study, the authors intended to investigate whether Mind-

Mapping is an effective learning tool to facilitate Vietnamese EFL undergraduate students’ reading skills and students’ perception of using Mind-Mapping at a public university in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam The study consisted of a pre-test, a post-test, a questionnaire and an interview for

40 (15 males and 25 females) randomly chosen freshmen in one class from the beginning of the semester The findings of the study proved the use of

MMT was effective in teaching English reading skills as the students could memorize the new vocabulary, remember the main ideas after class, review the reading passages quickly, engage their excitement and encourage them to develop creativity skills However, it depended on students’ preferred learning styles to apply the teaching technique, as some do not like group work for Mind-Mapping activities Before introducing the technique, EFL teachers need thorough instructions so students can engage and know how to make a mind map by selecting the right main ideas from the readings

However, from the look back on national and international previous studies related to the research problems, few references in Vietnam have investigated the effectiveness of using MMT on high school students’ reading comprehension learning, but other English learning skills, i.e., vocabulary, writing and so on In addition, there has not been much research involved in the EFL teachers’ perspectives on applying MMT to improve G10 students’ reading comprehension achievement at a high school in Vietnam

To address this gap, the researcher decided to conduct this study to assist students in improving their reading competence and enhancing their motivation to learn reading comprehension.

METHODOLOGY

Research Design

To help answer the research questions successfully and prove the reliability of the study, a mix-method design was chosen According to Creswell (2015), a mixed-method design was considered a superior tool as it was founded on the strengths of both quantitative and qualitative data More specifically, both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used in collecting and analyzing the data

 Quantitative analysis approach was used for collecting and analyzing questionnaire about the EFL teachers’ perspectives on applying MMT to improve G10 students’ reading comprehension

 Qualitative one was used for describing the result from the interviews of EFL teachers at DL-LDHS

The present research study is a case study based on a mixed-methods approach Specially, a case study is defined as “a strategy of inquiry in which the researcher explores in depth a program, event, activity, process, or one or more individuals”(Creswell, 2009, p 13) It was appropriate to select a case study designed for this research because it sought to investigate in depth the effects of L2 learning on critical thinking skills by focusing on a small group of participants (10 EFL teachers) in DL-LDHS.

Research Setting and Participants

DL-LDHS is located at 129B Phan Huy Chu Street in Buon Ma Thuot City, Dak Lak province, with an area of 2.5 hectares It is a public school established under the Department of Education and Training of Dak Lak under Decision No 602/QD UBND by the Director of the Department of Education and Training of Dak Lak on March 22, 2007

After 16 years of development, LDHS has grown in size, training types and teaching staff There are 73 EFL teachers, of whom: 46 are female and 27 male Currently, 10 EFL teachers teach English to students in grades 10, 11 and 12 at this school In the 2 nd semester of the school year 2022–2023, 1050 students study in 28 classes with X grades, Y grades and Z grades

The participants were 10 EFL teachers at LDHS in Buon Ma Thuot City, Dak Lak province

Table 2 summarizes the demographic data of the participants

The participants for this study were mainly female (60%) and male (40%) EFL teachers, who received English language training at various universities In this study, 70% of participants are between 30 and 40 years old; 70% have Bachelor’s degrees and 30% Master’s degrees Regarding teaching experience, nearly half of EFL teachers (40%) had spent between 5 and 16 years teaching language and 60% of them have been teaching for 17 -

28 years, as shown in Table 2.

Research Instruments

This section describes the data collection instruments that were used in the study The study employed a mixed-methods research design of qualitative and quantitative approaches to find the answers to the two research questions The questionnaire and interview were used to collect data for the study

A questionnaire is a usual technique for gathering data and is used to elicit responses, attitudes, or views, according to McMillan and Schumacher

(2001) It was conducted to examine EFL teachers’ views on benefits and drawbacks to using MMT to improve their G10 students’ reading competency

The questionnaire was delivered to the 10 EFL teachers teaching at DL- LDHS It was divided into two parts: Teachers’ Personal Information and Teachers' Perspectives on Applying MMT to improve G10 students’ Reading Comprehension Two areas making the questionaire were used to evaluate teachers’ perspectives on using MMT to teach tenth-graders’ reading comprehension

The purpose of the first section was used to get some demographic data from the participants, such as their gender, qualification, and the year of teaching

2 Part II: Teachers' Perspectives on Applying MMT to Improve G10 students’ Reading Comprehension

This section included 15 items dealing with benefits and drawbacks of using MMT to teach reading comprehension to tenth-graders In 15 items, 5 statements for benefits, 5 statements for drawbacks and 5 statements for solutions The objectives of the questions from 1 to 5 were to gather data regarding teachers’ views on benefits of using MMT to teach reading comprehension to G10 students The purpose of the questions from 6 to 10 was to gather information about what teachers think about drawbacks to using MMT to teach reading comprehension to G10 students The last questions from 11 to 15 represented EFL teachers’ solutions to overcome drawbacks while using MMT to teach reading comprehension to G10 students

On a scale of 1 to 5, the participants were given a rating for each item that related to their perspectives The mean values were interpreted as follows:

0 – 1.49 Strongly disagree This part of the research would describe the accurate mind map used in classroom activities based on EFL teachers’ perspectives The questionnaire delivered to examine EFL teachers’ views on applying MMT to improve English reading comprehension will be displayed in Appendix A

According to Merriam and Tisdell (2015), the primary goal of an interview is to obtain a particular sort of information; as a result, employing interviews is intended to acquire a more profound knowledge of people's perspectives In this study, the interview was designed with the requirements about the EFL teachers’ perspectives on applying MMT in improving students’ English reading comprehension

As a result, the researcher chose to use the semi-structured interview method This type of interview allowed the researcher to get more in-depth responses and double-check the validity of observational data The interview used to achieve the study's aims included two parts, as shown in Appendix B written in English These questions would be about:

 EFL teachers’ points of view on the benefits of using MMT to teach reading comprehension to G10 students;

 EFL teachers’ points of view on the drawbacks to using MMT to teach reading comprehension to G10 students;

 EFL teachers’ points of view on proposed solutions to drawbacks of using MMT to teach reading comprehension to G10 students

Except for the researcher herself, all 10 EFL teachers at DL-LDHS, were invited to do the interview.

Research Procedures

Based on the research questions and purposes of the study, the purposive sampling technique was adopted to select data sources for the present study The purposive sampling technique is often used in quantitative and qualitative analyses to gain an in-depth and detailed understanding of the researched topic The procedure consisted of the Questionnaire and Interview

In the first three weeks, the researcher analyzed the international and national documents involving teaching and learning through MMT and reading comprehension in reliable sources of information in the written books, i.e., Buzan's books (1996) and (2006), or online websites, i.e scholar, pdfdrive, zlib and so on The researchers proposed to give the students more profound insight into the reading text of ‘Unit 8: New ways to learn’ in the course book, shown in Appendix D (A reading lesson plan and A possible mind map about ‘Ways of learning’ of ‘Unit 8: New ways to learn’)

Next, four weeks later, the questionnaire and interview samples were designed to examine what EFL teachers think of using MMT to teach reading comprehension to G10 students During this time, the researcher made a short introduction to remind EFL teachers’ of MMT Later, the researcher delivered

15 - question questionnaire via online Google Form through the link Questionnaire on EFL teachers’ perspectives on the use of MMT to teach English reading and sent them to 10 EFL teachers, who had one month to think and give their opinions After a month, the research received all 10 replies At the same time, the researcher also emailed 10 participants to ask them to join the interview, and all of them accepted to join the interview All interviewees were identified as T1, T2, through T10 to protect their identification when the writer quoted or summarized their responses to three research questions

For the questionnaire, this was the first step in the data analysis procedure for three research questions (‘What are EFL teachers’ perspectives on the benefits of using MMT to improve G10 students’ reading comprehension?’, ‘What are EFL teachers’ perspectives on the drawbacks of using MMT to improve G10 students’ reading comprehension?’ and ‘What solutions do EFL teachers propose to drawbacks of using MMT to improve G10 students’ reading comprehension’)

Quantitative data from the questionnaire would be calculated by using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) for Windows to find out the value It was examined by descriptive statistics analysis to calculate the mean and standard deviation Descriptive statistics gave a concise summary of the data, allowing researchers to obtain a better general knowledge of the data set (Mackey & Gass, 2005) As mentioned earlier, the mean values were interpreted as follows:

For the interview, the first step in the procedure was to convert the data from the audio recording into text After that, the researcher reviewed the information transcribed from the audio tape and made important notes for addressing the study questions Then the answers from the participants were collected and analyzed There were three questions in the interview Answers should be in the form of short answers because of the limit of time There could be tables or diagrams for the analysis of the interview Quotations and summaries were used to interpret EFL teachers’ responses accurately The findings from questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were combined to address the research questions.

Reliability and Validity

3.5.1 Reliability and Validity of Questionnaire

In the question of the study, a five-point Likert scale was going to be included in the questionnaire for the EFL teachers’ perspectives on using MMT to improve G10 students’ reading comprehension The identical limitation was that it was difficult to tell whether participants’ responses were truthful and reliable All the subjects might not have thought enough or been less honest while completing the questionnaire to protect their privacy Some of their answers might have been chosen before reading the questions; therefore, the validity might have been affected

Additionally, the researcher calculated Cronbach’s  coefficient for internal consistency reliability to check the reliability of the code Internal consistency reliability measures which items in an instrument are consistent and to what extent they can be trusted among themselves and with the overall instrument, as shown in Table 3

Specifically, considering that the questionnaire used in this research had a satisfactory reliability measure of Cronbach’s  (Table 3) with the help of SPSS, which was 767, the questionnaire used in this research was regarded as a valid instrument

3.5.2 Reliability and Validity of Interview

The interview was conducted with 10 EFL teachers to examine their perspectives on applying MMT to improve G10 students’ reading comprehension To get better and more accurate data and enhance the study's reliability, informal interviews were planned between the researcher and teachers The interview and its transcription (see Appendix B and Appendix C) aimed at the EFL teachers’ perspectives on applying MMT to improve G10 students’ reading comprehension, including the benefits, drawbacks and solutions During the interviews, detailed notes were taken The interviews were carried out in English, depending on the convenience and interest of the interviewees.

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

EFL Teachers’ Perspectives on Benefits of Using MMT to Teach

4.1 EFL Teachers’ Perspectives on Benefits of Using MMT to Teach Reading Comprehension

The researcher employed a questionnaire designed for 10 EFL teachers at DL-LDHS to investigate their perspectives of using MMT to teach reading comprehension

The first section of the questionnaire presented 5 statements aimed at eliciting the EFL teachers' views on the application of MMT to enhancing students’ reading comprehension, which addresses the first research question,

‘What are EFL teachers’ perspectives on benefits of using MMT to improve G10 students’ reading comprehension?’

A Likert scale with five possible responses - 1 for “strongly disagree” and

5 for “strongly agree” - was used for the statements of the questionnaire It could be understood that the level of agreement among the participants was high when the mean score was high The questionnaire was interpreted cautiously since the researcher was aware that it was difficult to say whether participants’ responses were reliable and truthful All the participants might have been more or less untruthful while completing the questionnaire so as to protect their privacy; therefore, the validity of the data might have been affected The results were shown in Table 4

Questionnaire of EFL Teachers’ Perspectives on Benefits of MMT

No Benefits N Min Max Mean Std

1 MMT visualizes my ideas on lesson plans for a presentation, lesson, or speech 10 2 5 3.8 1.03 Agree

2 MMT aroses my students’ enthusiasm with the reading comprehension lessons 10 3 5 4.2 0.79 Agree

3 MMT is time-saving for revision because it mainly focuses on visible keywords 10 2 5 4.1 0.99 Agree

MMT helps my students remember vocabulary and keywords in the reading texts faster and longer

5 MMT allows me to organize ideas on any topic in a systematic manner 10 1 5 3.8 1.03 Agree

As seen from Table 5, the overall mean score was 4.0, which indicates a positive perspective among the EFL teachers regarding the benefits of using MMT to teach reading comprehension The scale data demonstrated unanimous support from most of the EFL teachers for the use of MMT in enhancing students’ reading comprehension Notably, the highest level of agreement among the EFL teachers pertained to the ability of MMT to stimulate students’ enthusiasm during reading comprehension lessons (M 4.2) Additionally, MMT was acknowledged for its capacity to enable the EFL teachers to systematically organize ideas on various topics (M = 3.7) Time-saving benefits for revision and the enhancement of vocabulary and keyword memorization by students emerged as the second and third benefits of MMT, both with mean scores of 4.1 The use of MMT to visually represent the EFL teachers’ ideas for presentation, lessons or speeches ranked fourth with a mean score of 3.8

The detailed descriptions helped answer the first research question of the study Furthermore, these benefits were shared more clearly through the interviewing of the EFL teachers about their perspectives on the benefits of using MMT to teach reading comprehension

Firstly, the EFL teachers’ perspectives on the use of MMT to visualize their ideas on lesson plans is illustrated in Table 5

EFL Teachers’ Views on Use of MMT to Visualize Ideas on Lesson Plans

Table 6 presents some insight into the EFL teachers’ viewpoints on the use of MMT to visualize ideas within lesson plans for presentations, lessons, or speeches The majority of teachers either agreed or remained neutral on the proposed idea, indicating a widespread acknowledgment of the effectiveness of using MMT for visualizing ideas in their lesson plans for a presentation, lesson, or speech Only one teacher opposed it indicating he/she did not believe MMT could do that

The rationale behind these perspectives became apparent when examining the responses gathered during the interviews Several participants highlighted the benefits of MMT in their teaching of reading comprehension, aligning with the questionnaire findings They consistently conveyed the belief that MMT aids in visualizing ideas within lesson plans for presentations, lessons, or speeches For instance, T1 remarked, “ MMT helps them visualize, understand and memorize lessons easily” and T5 emphasized, “Since MMT makes a reading text visual, it provides learning to be permanent for L2 process” Similarly, T6 shared, “I can easily visualize and understand my teaching work, i.e lesson plans, homework, etc thanks to MMT” However,

T7 pointed out a limitation, commenting, “the given information was too complex to visualize, ” The findings about EFL teachers’ perspectives aligned with (Indrayani, 2014), which indicated that the visual organization of knowledge enhanced EFL teachers’ creative faculties, facilitating more accurate, smooth, and efficient generation and explanation of ideas when working independently or collaboratively

Table 7 provided a summary and data pertaining to the second item of the questionnaire, which focuses on the use of MMT to arouse students’ enthusiasm with the reading comprehension lessons

EFL Teachers’ Views on Use of MMT to Arouse G10 Students’ Enthusiasm With Reading Comprehension Lessons

As presented in Table 7, 80% of the participants expressed agreement with the statement, signifying that the EFL teachers used MMT to evoke enthusiasm among students in reading comprehension lessons, while the remaining 20% adopted a neutral stance To elucidate this result, insights from three EFL teachers participating in the interview affirmed the use of MMT for this purpose T2, for instance, affirmed, “When I applied MMT to the reading lesson, my students were highly enthusiastic about finding main idea, keywords, vocabulary, etc.” Moreover, T8 shared, “They also makes my reading lesson at school more observable and enjoyable” and T9 mentioned,

“Mind maps could also promote the joy of learning for better learning quality.” Two teachers showed neither good nor bad comments on this statement

The findings of the EFL teachers’ perspectives on the use of MMT to save time for revision while using MMT are shown in Table 7

EFL Teachers’ Views on Use of MMT to Save Time for Revision

As seen from Table 7, the majority of EFL teachers, accounting for 80%, agreed with the suggested idea, MMT was time-saving for revision because it mainly focused on visible keywords and vocabulary The questionnaire findings and the responses from the semi-structured interview were in line There were three participants shared the same idea Specially, T1 stated

“MMT summarizes and revises the reading content I taught earlier ” T3 claimed “Well, mind mapping helps my students memorize and revise the vocabulary” Also, T10 added “It helps the students understand the reading texts and revise them later.” However, there was one teacher who was not satisfied with this statement, “I used to use MMT for revision, but not all the reading text can be drawn into a mind map”, said by T5

The fourth item in the questionnaire asked how EFL teachers thought about the use of MMT to remember vocabulary and keywords in the reading texts faster and longer, the detailed information was shown in Table 8

EFL Teachers’ Views on Use of MMT in Vocabulary and Keywords Memorization

According to Table 8, 8 out of 10 EFL teachers, making 80% supported this item, claimed using MMT to teach reading comprehension would enhance students’ vocabulary and keywords memorization, with 20% of the EFL teachers had neither good nor bad comments on this item During the interview, T1 proposed, “By organizing and classifying the vobulary and keywords learned in the students’ minds” Similarly, T3 advocated for the use of MMT to memorize and revise her students’ vocabulary and keywords, emphasizing their “awareness of the main idea and keywords in reading texts” Remarkably, these shared opinions align with the findings of Dr

Nehru (2019) in his study, which highlighted that employing MMT engages students’ motivation, creativity and flexible thinking, enabling them to create effective mind maps

The final statement was about the EFL teachers’ views on the use of MMT to organize their ideas on topics in a systematic manner shown in Table

EFL Teachers’ Views on Use of MMT to Organize Ideas on Topics in a Systematic Manner

As seen from Table 9, the final statement in this section of the questionnaire sought the EFL teachers’ views on organizing their ideas on topics in a systematic manner 6 out of 10, making 60% supporting this item; however, while one teacher held an opposing view This could be explained by some interviewed teachers, like T2 asserted, “It is definitely a creative tool that arranges my lesson planning and teaching instruction” T4 also revealed,

“It is an effective device for me to promote my teaching lessons in an organized way i.e arranging and planning my lesson plans and activities”

Sharing this idea, T10 shared, “In my view, MMT is a technique that can be applied freely, is easy to be prepared systematically and fertile in starting and after the course” However, T6 complained, “But sometimes I have to spend hours to redraw and rewriting a Mind Map Quite annoying.”

EFL Teachers’ Perspectives on Drawbacks of Using MMT to Teach

This section interpreted an analysis of the questionnaire and interview findings pertaining to EFL teachers’ perspectives on drawbacks of using MMT to teach reading comprehension to G10 students There were 5 items in this part regarding the lack of necessary information, decrease of note-taking, exchange mind maps with others, waste of time for drawing a mind map and difficulty of drawing a mind map without proper training; shown in Table 10

Questionnaire of EFL Teachers’ Perspectives on Drawbacks of MMT

No Drawbacks N Min Max Mean

MMT makes me lack several necessary information relating to the reading topics

MMT decreases my students’ note- taking ability for specific information in the reading texts

8 MMT reduces the ability to exchange ideas of my Mind Map with others 10 3 5 4.1 0.88 Agree

9 MMT is time-wasting for drawing for adding or/and rewriting over and over 10 1 5 3.7 1.42 Agree

MMT can be difficult for my students to be able to draw a mind map on their own without proper training

As depicted in Table 10, the total mean score of these statements was 3.7, which meant that most of the teachers agreed on these drawbacks of using MMT to teach reading comprehension More specifically, teachers’ highest dissatisfaction was EFL teachers’ difficulties of exchanging mind map with others (M = 4.1) Item 6 and Item 10 shared the lowest rank (M = 3.5), showing lacking necessary information relating to reading topics and drawing a mind map on their students’ own without proper training Decreasing G10 students’ note-taking ability and time spent drawing ranked second (M = 3.9) and third (M = 3.7)

The detailed analysis of the item with one of the lowest mean scores in this section is displayed in Table 11

EFL Teachers’ Views on Students’ Lack of Necessary Information Due to Use of MMT

According to Table 12, 50% of the EFL teachers expressed agreement with the notion that students lacked necessary information related to reading topics when employing MMT for learning reading comprehension For example, T1 expressed, “Um When the reading text has a lot of information and details, they pick some keywords to draw a mind map, removing other necessary information because it is too long or too complex to connect in the mind map.” Similarly, T7 replied, “Sometimes, a mind map is so simple that I cannot use with a complicated reading text with a lot of necessary information.” Surprisingly, these shared opinions found support in Keleş's

(2012) study, where interviewed elementary teachers identified their students’ difficulties in arranging general and specific concepts while preparing a mind map Of the remaining 5 teachers, 3 adopted a neutral stance, while 2 opposed it T8 stated, “Well, although MMT is very suitable for organzing vital information relating to the topics, ” T10 also revealed, “Well, my students have no difficulty in classifying general and more specific concepts thanks to MMT.”

Concerning the decline in note-taking for specific information due to the use of MMT, Table 12 shows that 60% of the teachers expressed their agreement, which presented most of the EFL teachers claimed that MMT decreased G10 sts’ note-taking ability for specific information in reading texts Conversely, 20% of the remaining respondents opted the neutral option, signifying their uncertainty in whether to agree or disagree with the statement Notably, none of the respondents opposed this idea

EFL Teachers’ Views on Use of MMT in Decreasing Students’ Note-taking Ability

This questionnaire findings were strengthened by the interviewees’ responses to this statement Responding this item, T2 conveyed, “I think using MMT prevents my students from taking notes in class, they become lazy” And T6 confirmed, “…it also decreases their ability of note-taking in class.” However, some EFL teachers had unsure opinions, as T4 stated, “I do not pay attention to whether MMT decreases their note-taking or not”

Similarly, T9 affirmed, “I am not sure whether my students take note the reading text more or less after using MMT,” leading them to select the

‘neutral’ option in the questionnaire These responses suggested that certain EFL teachers had to adapt their students’ reading performance using additional reading strategies in class to enhance their levels of reading competency

In examining EFL teachers’ perspectives on whether using MMT would reduce the ability to exchange ideas for mind map with others, the findings were shown in Table 13

EFL Teachers’ Views on MMT Leading to a Reduction of Peer Interaction

As seen from Table 13, the majority of the EFL teachers, accounting for 70%, agreed with the suggested idea, saying that MMT reduced their ability to exchange ideas of mind map with others 3 remaining respondents which indicated that they neither had difficulty in nor identified this drawback Supported by Indrayani (2014), she also mentioned that the personalized characteristics of MMT prevented the learners from sharing ideas for a mind map with others T2 claimed, “Itcan not easily exchange the users’ ideas of mind maps to each other because they all have different opinions on the keywords or information put into the mind map” Sharing this idea, T3 suggested, “In my opinion, it was difficult to choose the right type of mind map, the perfect layout or different ideas for a mind map to share with others.”

The summary and data for the ninth item of the questionnaire, pertaining to EFL teachers’ perspectives on time-wasting for drawing due to the use of MMT, were presented in Table 14

EFL Teachers’ Views on Use of MMT as a Waste of Time for Drawing

As displayed in Table 14, 60% of the participants agreed with this item that ‘drawing a mind map was time-wasting for adding or/and rewriting over and over’ Conversely, 20% expressed their disagreement with this item and the remaining 20% adopted a neutral option To clarify this result, six EFL teachers participating in the interview confirmed that drawing a mind map took a lot of time in the first place T4 replied, “Drawing good mind maps can be quite time-wasting at first with students and teachers.” Similarly, T10 noted that the students “easily feel discouraged after rewriting or redrawing the mind map over and over.” Otherwise, T1 stated, “Um I myself and some students in my class can draw a mind map instantly without difficulty.”

Additionally, T5 highlighted, “The advancement of online tools and software for mind map drawing saves me a lot of time when redrawing and rewriting a mind map…” They showed their support with the use of MMT to teach reading comprehension

The data analysis of the final statement, which is about the EFL teachers’ views on students’ mind map drawing without proper training is shown in Table 15

EFL Teachers’ Views on Students’ Mind Map Drawing Without Proper Training

As indicated in Table 15, the final statement in this section of the questionnaire sought EFL teachers’ views on students’ ability to draw mind map without proper training 6 out of 10 respondents, making 60% supported this statement However, two EFL teachers opposed it, while 2 others were neutral about this statement The divergence in opinions can be elucidated through insights from interviewed teachers For instance, T5 mentioned, “all my students who are at A1 or A2 level hardly can do it without proper training” T8 also shared, “it is quite difficult for my students to be able to draw a good mind map in the first place.” In contrast, T6 held an opposing view, stating, “some reading texts are so simple that my students can draw a mind map immediately ” Sharing this idea, T9 expressed “due to limited time and inexperience, some kinds of reading texts are too complicated for my students to draw a mind map without my proper training”, indicating the crucial role of EFL teachers in providing patient and careful instruction to G10 students.

EFL Teachers’ Perspectives on Solutions to Drawbacks of Using MMT to

Following some solutions recommended by several researchers (Indrayani, 2014; Keleş, 2012; Nehru, 2019) aimed to assist EFL teachers in addressing drawbacks when using MMT to teach reading comprehension

Narrowing the learning curve between EFL teachers and students

EFL teachers can gradually introduce MMT into the curriculum, starting from simple exercises to more complex ones In particular, they need to ask students different types of questions to search for specific information in the text These questions should also help the learners to identify the main ideas, infer meaning using contextual clues and connect the ideas with their personal knowledge Hence, it allows students and teachers to become comfortable with the technique over time

Supplementing Mind Maps with detailed resources Mind maps are excellent for providing an overview, but they may not cover all the details Teachers should supplement them with additional resources such as handouts, or visual content (images, videos, etc.) that contain specific information and details of the reading text Furthermore, Nehru (2019) implies EFL teachers could prepare lesson plans carefully in advance using mind maps by outlining the lessons, their topics, links among topics and the various aids they will be using Teachers ought to encourage students to make notes using mind maps during reading and make notes on their own based on individual lesson/unit using mind maps, then swap them with students or other colleagues as a visual guide and the summary of teaching

Establishing consistency EFL teachers should create a standardized structure for their mind maps that students consistently follow It includes specific branches or categories for different types of information (e.g., main ideas, supporting details, vocabulary) This consistency helps both teachers and students understand and navigate the mind maps more effectively Therefore, mind maps constructed by individuals can be shared in the class among peers for assessing the level of comprehension achieved (Nehru,

Balancing time allocation Teachers should carefully allocate time for mind mapping activities, ensuring that it complements, rather than hinders, other essential teaching responsibilities This involves strategic planning and prioritization of activities to maximize the benefits of mind mapping (Keleş,

2012) Mind mapping should be integrated as part of a varied set of instructional methods by combining with other pedagogical approaches Besides, there are various online tools and software (i.e Mind Meister, Edraw Mind, and so on) that offer templates specifically designed for teaching reading comprehension This can save time while ensuring a consistent and organized approach

In this questionnaire section, it delved into the questionnaire results, specifically focusing on the solutions proposed by EFL teachers to drawbacks of employing MMT to teach reading comprehension to G10 students The analysis encompasses 5 key items, namely the introduction of MMT into the curriculum, the addition of other resources to MMT, the preparation of the mind maps for the appropriate reading texts in advance, the preferential points for drawing mind maps and the use of online tools and sofware into MMT, as detailed in Table 16

Questionnaire of EFL Teachers’ Perspectives on Solutions

No Solutions N Min Max Mean Std

MMT into the curriculum by guiding

EFL teachers add other resources

(handouts, images, videos, etc.) to

EFL teachers prepare mind maps in advance for the appropriate reading text to teach G10 students

EFL teachers give preferential points to encourage G10 students to draw mind maps

EFL teachers save time to create a good mind map with the aid of online tools and software

Analysis of Table 16 revealed a total mean score of 3.9 for the statements, which indicate a consensus among the majority of EFL teachers regarding proposed solutions to overcome drawbacks when employing MMT for teaching reading comprehension to G10 students Specifically, the highest level of agreement among the EFL teachers was observed in the inclusion of additional resources (handouts, images, videos, etc.) to MMT (M = 4.3) Concurrently, item 11 and 15 shared the second rank in EFL teachers’ opinions, gradually introducing MMT into the curriculum and saving time to draw a good mind map with the aid of online tools and software were highly appreciated (M = 4) Ranked third was Item 13, MMT was used to prepare lesson plans in advance (M = 3.8) Finally, awarding students preferential points for using mind maps was another solution suggested to overcome drawbacks of using MMT to teach reading comprehension (M = 3.6)

The EFL teachers’ perspectives on gradually introducing MMT into the curriculum by guiding students carefully is shown in Table 17

EFL Teachers’ Views on Introducing MMT Into the Curriculum

Table 17 offers some insight into the EFL teachers’ perspectives on gradually introducing MMT into the curriculum by guiding G10 students carefully 7 out of 10 EFL teachers, making 70%, agreed with the suggested idea, showing that most of them acknowledged the effectiveness of gradually introducing MMT into the curriculum by guiding G10 students carefully

However, one teacher held a dissenting opinion, indicating skepticism about the efficacy of this approach in addressing drawbacks This could be explained by some interviewed teachers For instance, T2 advocated combining MMT with existing reading strategies in the curriculum, saying, “I think mind mapping should combine with reading strategies in the curriculum, like skimming, brainstorming, etc.” Similarly, T5 recommended,

“Well, we can gradually introduce MMT into the curriculum, starting from simple exercises to more complex ones.” However, opposing the idea, T1 said, “I do not support the idea of putting MMT into the curriculum due to limited time and strict lesson plans in the coursebook Maybe we can add it in warm-up or revision activities, not the main part.”

The twefth item in the questionnaire asked how the EFL teachers thought about adding other resources (handouts, images, videos, etc.) to MMT The detailed information was shown in Table 18

EFL Teachers’ Views on Addition of Other Resources to MMT

Table 18 reveals a robust consensus among the EFL teachers, with 90% of them, or 9 out of 10, expressing support for the notion that employing MMT enhances vocabulary and keyword memorization for students in reading comprehension exercises Remarkably, only one teacher refrained from providing a clear stance on this matter, and none expressed a negative opinion During interview, T4 proposed, “We should add MMT to other resources such as handouts, images, videos, etc .” Sharing this idea, T6 added: “ outlining the lessons, their topics, links among topics and the various aids (handouts, pictures, video, etc.) they will be using with the mind map.” Additionally, T10 shared that she would give studens a mind mapping exercise relating to a reading lesson before teaching it in class and “They can add pictures, videos, etc to their mind maps to get preferential points” to promote students’ motivation in learning reading comprehension at school Regarding the use of MMT to prepare the mind maps for appropriate reading texts in advance, Table 19 shows that 60% of the EFL teachers chose from agree to strongly agree with this item, which shows that most of these teachers claimed that using MMT for preparing lesson plans in advance was helpful and effective Conversely, 40% of respondents opted for a neutral stance, indicating that they were not sure whether to agree or disagree with the statement None of them opposed this idea

EFL Teachers’ Views on Preparation of Mind Maps in Advance

The affirmation that the EFL teachers engage in preparing mind maps for relevant reading texts in advance, as indicated in Table 19, was further substantiated by insight from the interviewees For example, T1 said, “We can prepare a mind map with the main idea, keywords, pictures, etc before class ” Like T10 mentioned earlier, who expressed her opinion: “I think I will ask students (individually or in pairs) to a mind mapping exercise relating to a reading lesson before teaching it.” The findings on the EFL teachers’ perspectives on the preparation of the mind maps for appropriate reading texts before class are line with the results of (Keleş, 2012) (Nehru, 2019)(Nehru, 2019)According to Keles, the interviewed elementary teachers thought preparing a mind map can promote their students’ motivation and enjoyment since they could act freely, draw pictures, and so on However, though T3 had no negative opinion on this item, she preferred presenting mind maps in class to doing it at home as she was worried that her students

“ hardly can do it without proper training.”

The data analysis of Statement 14 in this section is shown in Table 20

EFL Teachers’ Views on Giving Preferential Points for Drawing Mind Maps

According to Table 20, 6 out of 10 EFL teachers, making 60% supported this statement, saying that giving students preferential points for drawing mind maps proved effective However, contrasting viewpoints were noted, with some of the EFL teachers expressing neutrality or disagreement For example, T7 said: “ In my opinion, I sometimes give bonus points to my students for their mind map drawing in L2 lessons, including reading periods.” And T8 added “We can encourage all the students to join the group-work by giving compliments or preferential points for the most hard- working students ” On the other hand, T6 showed no support in this item

“It’s no need for bonus points, so tempting that they may ask other people to draw a better mind maps than themselves to get the reward.”

The final statement is about EFL teachers’ views on saving time to draw a good mind map with the aid of online tools and software shown in Table 21

EFL Teachers’ Views on Saving Time With Online Tools and Software

As seen from Table 21, 6 out of 10, 60% of the participants agreed with this item that “EFL teachers save time to create a good mind map with the aids of online tools and software”; however, one chose disagree and two remaining teachers chose neutral about this solution This could be explained by the interviewed teachers, as T7 added: “Besides, they can get help from online apps (i.e MindNote, Xmind, etc.) at home.” Sharing this opinion, T9 said: “There are various online tools and software that will support students to draw a mind map better, they can rewrite and redraw without difficulties.”

Nevertheless, T5 complained “I do not think online apps will help much, many students are too easily distracted with the Internet to draw a good mind map online” He added that EFL teachers should “gradually introduce MMT into the curriculum…This allows the students and teachers to feel comfortable with the technique over time.” This opinion quite opposed Fadillah's study

Summary of the Major Findings

In conclusion, the findings gathered from the questionnaire and interviews were analyzed and interpreted in this section to ascertain the opinions of the EFL teachers in 3 areas of using MMT to improve students’ reading comprehension, including the benefits, the drawbacks and the solutions they proposed to overcome these drawbacks

On the benefit side, most of the EFL teachers agreed with the benefits of using MMT to teach reading comprehension, in terms of visualizing ideas on lesson plans, arousing students’ enthusiasm with the reading comprehension lessons, saving time for revision, remembering vocabulary and keywords, and organize ideas on topics in a systematic manner

For drawbacks, the EFL teachers showed moderate agreement with the items regarding lacking necessary information, decreasing students’ ability to take notes for specific information, reducing the ability to exchange ideas of mind map with others, wasting time, and drawing a mind map on their own without proper training

As for the solutions to the drawbacks, the EFL teachers made five suggestions regarding the introducing of MMT into the curriculum, adding other resources to MMT, preparing mind maps for appropriate reading texts in advance, giving preferential points for drawing mind maps and using online tools and sofware into MMT to improve students’ reading comprehension.

CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS

Conclusion

To sum up, this research explored the EFL teachers’ perspectives on using MMT to improve students’ reading comprehension at a high school in Dak Lak province, including the benefits, drawbacks and solutions to drawbacks of using MMT for reading learning and teaching lessons in the future The researcher used a mixed-methods case study research to gather information on the following research questions, including quantitative (questionnaires) and qualitative (semi-structured interviews) data:

1 What are EFL teachers’ perspectives on the benefits of using MMT to improve G10 students’ reading comprehension?

2 What are EFL teachers’ perspectives on the drawbacks to using MMT to improve G10 students’ reading comprehension?

3 What solutions do EFL teachers propose to drawbacks of using MMT to improve G10 students’ reading comprehension?

The result of the first research question indicated that the majority of EFL teachers had positive perspectives on the benefits of using MMT to improve G10 students’ reading comprehension In other words, it is said that most of EFL teachers supported the use of MMT in reading comprehension teaching and learning More specially, many EFL teachers believed using MMT could arouse G10 students’ enthusiasm with the reading comprehension lessons Additionally, they also expressed their agreements on mind mapping’s effectiveness of saving time for revision and remembering vocabulary and keywords Furthermore, visualizing ideas on lesson plans for a presentation, lesson or speech and organizing ideas on any topic in a systematic manner were also appreciated by most participants

Concerning the second research question, the study has shown the moderate results of EFL teachers’ views on drawbacks to using MMT to improve G10 students’ reading comprehension The result indicated that many teachers believed that the drawbacks of using MMT were balanced regarding reducing the ability of mind map with others, decreasing the students’ note-taking ability for specific information and being time-wasting for drawing Drawing a mind map on the students’ own without proper training and lacking necessary information were also less supported by several EFL teachers In general, there were some teachers having negative opinions about these disadvantages of applying MMT to teach reading comprehension to G10 students with their reasons presented in the interview The findings related to the last research question illustrated that EFL teachers’ different perspectives on proposed solutions to drawbacks of using MMT to teach reading comprehension to G10 students The EFL teachers showed relatively high agreement with the addition other resources to MMT, the introduction of MMT into the curriculum and the use of online tools and sofware into MMT, but some EFL teachers had no or negative opinions on these items from their different teaching viewpoints Besides, surprisingly, EFL teachers were moderately enthusiastic about preparing of the mind maps for the appropriate reading texts and giving the preferential points for drawing mind maps in order to improve G10 students’ reading comprehension at DL-LDHS.

Limitations

Despite the researcher’s research capabilities, certain limitations in this study could be identified due to the number of observations, time constraints and other unexpected factors In the first place, the number of participants (EFL teachers) is limited Only ten EFL teachers were involved in the study Second, the result of the research is meaningful only in a specific context, which is the implementation of reading comprehension periods in LDHS Therefore, if the study was conducted on a large scale with more participants and over a more extended period, the results would be more reliable Additionally, the discussion of this thesis only focuses on some main points regarding the three research questions At the same time, the interviews of EFL teachers provide a lot of issues related to the effects of using MMT in the classroom It is impossible to cover all the aspects emerging from the questionnaire and the interviews in the field of reading comprehension periods at school The time limit due to the inconvenience of the academic schedule did not allow researchers to conduct more trial lessons or enlarge the number of participants Despite the shortcomings mentioned above, the researcher’s serious work, data collection and research methodology retained the validity and reliability of the results

In light of the conclusions drawn from the study, the pedagogical implications for EFL teachers should be taken into consideration

The current study provides further supportive evidence of the EFL teachers’ perspectives on using MMT to improve students’ reading comprehension, as EFL teachers showed their highly positive views on this approach Therefore, EFL teachers should encourage students to use MMT more in comprehending the reading texts as long as it is suitable for any mind maps Simultaneously, not all EFL teachers have the same teaching methods; they may have a variety of principles for effective reading teaching In addition, the results gained from this study highlight that EFL teachers should set precise reading tasks and provide students with clear instructions and guidance for them to be able to design a good mind map on their own

One implication emerging from the study is that the gradual rising length of a reading text in the tenth-grade learning curriculum can raise students’ levels of discouragement In addition, MMT may not be appropriate for certain kinds of reading text Hence, students will get confused without proper training Therefore, EFL teachers need to teach and guide students more consciously on how to apply MMT appropriately and effectively, as well as other helpful learning techniques

Considering the contributions and limitations of the research, several suggestions for further studies have been made For this study, only ELT teachers were selected as participants Adding DL-LDHS students to the research would have allowed for a more comprehensive understanding of the criteria and potential issues In the same way, a more comprehensive comparison viewpoint would have been obtained had EFL teachers from other cities been included

In order to extend the use of MMT, this technique can be offered to the EFL teachers’ perspectives on different branches of language learning, such as writing, listening, or speaking There were several noticeable studies learning about the effects of using MMT in reading comprehension learning However, just a few researches involving the EFL teachers’ perspectives or points of view on using MMT in improving students’ levels of reading comprehension were found online Still, none was in a Vietnamese high school In addition to the findings, the study also proved that these techniques can work in the context of teaching reading comprehension to the population of the study Other researchers hope to do similar research with a similar topic by using a broader scope and larger population so the result will be more applicable at a tertiary level Hence, it is inevitable that the study is also a reference for those who want to research reading comprehension, EFL teachers’ perspectives, or the use of MMT in further language learning and teaching

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APPENDICES APPENDIX A QUESTIONNAIRE ON EFL TEACHERS’ PERSPECTIVES ON APPLYING MIND MAPPING TECHNIQUE TO IMPROVE GRADE

This questionnaire is designed to gain a better understanding of the EFL teachers’ perspectives on the use of MMT to teach English reading comprehension Thus, this questionnaire is delivered to you in the hope of contributing to the accuracy and reliability of the results of the research This questionnaire is used for research purposes only

Please read carefully and complete all the questions as fully as you can Any information you provide will be kept confidential

 Qualification: a) Bachelor’s Degree b) Master’s Degree c) Other

 Years of teaching English: a) Less than 5 years b) 5-10 years c) More than 10 years

Part 2: Teachers’ Perspectives on Applying MMT to improve G10 Students’ Reading Comprehension

Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly

1 MMT visualizes my ideas on lesson plans for a presentation, lesson, or speech

2 MMT arouses my students’ enthusiasm with the reading comprehension lessons

3 MMT is time-saving for revision because it mainly focuses on visible keywords

4 MMT helps my students remember vocabulary and keywords in the reading texts faster and longer

5 MMT allows me to organize ideas on any topic in a systematic manner

6 MMT makes me lack several necessary information relating to the reading topics

7 MMT decreases my students’ note- taking ability for specific information in the reading texts

8 MMT reduces the ability to exchange ideas of my Mind Map with others

9 MMT is time-wasting for drawing for adding or/and rewriting over and over

10 MMT can be difficult for my students to be able to draw a mind map on their own without proper training

MMT into the curriculum by guiding

12 EFL teachers add other resources

(handouts, images, videos, etc.) to

13 EFL teachers prepare mind maps in advance for the appropriate reading text to teach G10 students

14 EFL teachers give preferential points to encourage G10 students to draw mind maps

15 EFL teachers save time to create a good mind map with the aids of online tools and software

Thank you for your kind cooperation!

APPENDIX B SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW ON EFL TEACHERS’

PERSPECTIVES ON APPLYING MIND MAPPING TECHNIQUE TO IMPROVE GRADE 10 STUDENTS' READING COMPREHENSION

This interview is designed to gain a better understanding of the EFL teachers’ perspectives on the use of MMT to teach G10 students’ English reading comprehension Thus, this interview is delivered to you in the hope of contributing to the accuracy and reliability of the results of the research This interview is used for research purposes only

Please listen carefully and answer all the questions as fully as you can Any information you provide will be kept confidential

The interviewees will give answers to the following questions:

1 According to you, what are the benefits of using MMT to improve G10 students’ reading comprehension?

2 According to you, what are the drawbacks to using MMT to improve G10 students’ reading comprehension?

3 According to you, what solutions do you propose to the drawbacks of using MMT to teach reading comprehension to G10 students?

Thank you for your assistance!

APPENDIX C THE TRANSCRIPTION OF SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW

“Hmm… MMT summarizes and reviews the reading content I taught earlier by organizing and classifying the vobulary and keywords learned in the students’ minds, then helps them visualize, understand and memorize lessons easily.”

“Um I myself and some students in my class can draw a mind map instantly without having difficulty

However, when the reading text has a lot of information and details, my students pick some keywords to draw a mind map, removing other necessary information because it is too long or too complex to connect in the mind map.”

“I do not support the idea of putting MMT into the curriculum due to limited time and strict lesson plans in the coursebook Maybe we can add it in warm-up or revision activities, not the main part And I think we can prepare a mind map with the main idea, keywords, pictures, etc in advance so that the students can understand the text faster and longer.”

“It is definitely a creative tool that arranges my lesson planning and teaching instruction When I applied

MMT to the reading lesson, my students were highly enthusiastic about finding main idea, keywords, vocabulary, etc needed for mind map and reading exercise.”