Effects of reading strategy instructions on eleven graders performance a study at a high school in khanh hoa province

Trang 1 PHAM THI HONG NGUYEN EFFECTS OF READING STRATEGY INSTRUCTIONS ON ELEVEN GRADERS’ PERFORMANCE: A STUDY AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN KHANH HOA PROVINCE Field: Theory and Methodology of Eng

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING QUY NHON UNIVERSITY PHAM THI HONG NGUYEN EFFECTS OF READING STRATEGY INSTRUCTIONS ON ELEVEN GRADERS’ PERFORMANCE: A STUDY AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN KHANH HOA PROVINCE Field: Theory and Methodology of English Language Teaching Code: 8040111 Supervisor: Assoc Prof Dr Nguyen Quang Ngoan BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUY NHƠN PHẠM THỊ HỒNG NGUYÊN ẢNH HƯỞNG CỦA VIỆC HƯỚNG DẪN CHIẾN LƯỢC ĐỌC VỚI KẾT QUẢ CỦA HỌC SINH LỚP 11: ĐIỂN CỨU TẠI MỘT TRƯỜNG TRUNG HỌC PHỔ THÔNG Ở TỈNH KHÁNH HÒA Ngành: Lý luận và phương pháp dạy học bộ môn Tiếng Anh Mã số: 8040111 Người hướng dẫn: PGS TS Nguyễn Quang Ngoạn i STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I confirm that the work presented in this research report has been performed and interpreted solely by myself except where explicitly identified to the contrary I confirm that this work is submitted in partial fulfilment for my M.A degree in Theory and Methodology of English Language Teaching and has not been submitted elsewhere in any other form for the fulfilment of any other degree or qualification This paper does not contain any material or content previously published or written by another paper or anyone else Binh Dinh, November 2023 Pham Thi Hong Nguyen ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all those who have contributed to the completion of this master's thesis First and foremost, I am deeply thankful to my esteemed supervisor, Assoc Prof Dr Nguyen Quang Ngoan, for his invaluable guidance, encouragement, and unwavering support throughout this research journey His expertise, insightful feedback, and dedication have been instrumental in shaping the direction and quality of this work I am also indebted to the lecturers of the Department of Foreign Languages for their encouragement and valuable input during my study Their lectures, seminars, and academic discussions have broadened my knowledge and honed my research skills I would like to offer my profound gratitude to all the participants who generously shared their time and insights, without whom this research would not have been possible Last but not least, special thanks are due to my family for their constant love, encouragement, and belief in my abilities Their unwavering support and understanding during moments of stress have been a constant source of motivation In one word, the successful completion of this thesis would not have been possible without the collective efforts and encouragement of all the individuals mentioned above Their contributions have left an indelible mark on my academic and personal growth, for which I am sincerely grateful iii ABSTRACT This study investigates the impact of reading strategy instructions on the academic performance of eleventh-grade students at a high school in Khanh Hoa Province The aim of this study is to explore whether explicit instructions on reading strategies positively influence students' reading comprehension and overall academic achievement The research employs a mixed-methods approach, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods A pre-test and post-test design is utilized to assess the students' reading abilities before and after the implementation of the reading strategy instructions Additionally, focused group interviews are conducted to gain insights into the students' perceptions and experiences regarding the intervention The findings reveal that the provision of explicit reading strategy instructions significantly improves the students' reading comprehension and academic performance Students demonstrate a higher level of engagement with the reading material and exhibit improved critical thinking skills, allowing them to better process and analyze the content The qualitative data further elucidates the students' positive attitudes towards the reading strategy instructions, highlighting the perceived benefits and challenges encountered during the intervention The implications of this research emphasize the importance of integrating explicit reading strategy instructions into the curriculum to enhance students' reading abilities and overall academic achievement Educators and policymakers can use these insights to develop effective teaching methodologies that promote a deeper understanding of texts and foster a more positive learning environment This study contributes to the existing literature on reading instructions and provides valuable insights for educators seeking to optimize reading comprehension skills among high school students Keywords: reading strategy instructions, reading comprehension skills, performance, benefits, challenges, intervention, reading abilities iv TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP .i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vii LIST OF TABLES viii LIST OF FIGURES ix Chapter 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Research Rationale 1 1.1.1 Theoretical Reasons 1 1.1.2 Contextual Reasons 2 1.2 Research Aim and Objectives 3 1.2.1 Research Aim 3 1.2.2 Research Objectives 3 1.3 Research Questions 4 1.4 Research Scope 4 1.5 Research Significance 4 1.6 Structure of the Thesis .5 Chapter 2 Literature Review 7 2.1 Theoretical Background 7 2.1.1 Definition of Reading 7 2.1.2 Teaching Reading 8 2.1.2.1 Pre-reading Activities .8 2.1.2.2 While-reading Activities 8 2.1.2.3 Post-reading Activities 9 2.1.3 Difficulties in Reading Comprehension 9 2.1.4 Reading Strategies 10 2.1.4.1 Defining Strategies 10 v 2.1.4.2 Metacognitive Strategies .11 2.1.4.3 Cognitive Strategies 11 2.1.4.4 Social/ Affective Strategies 12 2.1.5 The Importance of Strategies in the Learning Process 13 2.1.6 Reading Strategy Instruction 15 2.1.7 Types of Reading Tasks in the Textbook “TIẾNG ANH 11” and Strategies in Reading Comprehension 16 2.1.7.1 True/ False/ Not Given Statements 16 2.1.7.2 Matching Headings 17 2.1.7.3 Multiple Choice Questions .18 2.1.7.4 Finding Out the Main Idea 18 2.1.7.5 Dealing With Vocabulary .19 2.2 Previous Related Studies .19 Chapter 3 Methodology 26 3.1 Research Approach 26 3.2 Research Setting and Participants 27 3.3 Research Instruments 29 3.3.1 The Questionnaire 29 3.3.2 The Pre-Test and Post-Test 30 3.3.3 The Interview 32 3.4 Research Procedure 32 3.4.1 Pilot Study 32 3.4.2 Data Collection 33 3.4.3 Data Analysis 33 Chapter 4 Findings and Discussion 38 4.1 Findings from the Pre-Test 38 4.1.1 Summary of Pre-Test Administered to Participants 38 4.1.2 Presentation of Pre-Test Scores and Performance 38 4.2 Findings from the Post-Test 41 4.2.1 Summary of Post-Test Administered to Participants 41 4.2.2 Presentation of Post-Test Scores and Performance 42 vi 4.2.3 Comparison between Pre-Test and Post-Test Results 44 4.3 Findings from the Questionnaire 47 4.3.1 Participants' Perceptions of Difficulties in Learning the Reading Skill 47 4.3.1.1 Summary of the Questionnaire Administered to Participants 47 4.3.1.2 Results of Participants' Perceptions of Difficulties in Learning the Reading Skill 47 4.3.2 Participants' Perceptions Toward Effects of Reading Strategy Instructions 54 4.3.2.1 Summary of the Questionnaire Administered to Participants 54 4.3.2.2 Results of Participants' Perceptions of Difficulties in Learning the Reading Skill 54 4.4 Findings from the Interview 62 4.4.1 Students' Perceptions of Difficulties in Learning the Reading Skill 63 4.4.2 Participants' Perceptions Toward Effects of Reading Strategy Instructions 66 Chapter 5 Conclusion 73 5.1 Summary of Key Findings of the Study 73 5.2 Pedagogical Implications .75 5.3 Limitations and Suggestions for Further Research 76 References 78 Appendices PL.1 Appendix 1 Questionnaire PL.1 Appendix 2 Interview questions PL.9 Appendix 3 Interview transcription PL.10 Appendix 4 Pre-test (T1) PL.20 Appendix 5 Post-test (T2) PL.27 vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS EFL: English as a Foreign Language ESL: English as a Second Language EL: English Language SPSS: Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Software MSI: Metacognitive Strategy Index L1: First Language L2: Second Language T1: Pre-test T2: Post-test viii LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Participants’ Specifications .28 Table 2 Mean Pre-Test Scores of the Experimental Group and Control Group 39 Table 3 T-test Result 39 Table 4 Distribution of Pre-Test Scores by Question Type .40 Table 5 Mean Post-Test Scores of the Experimental Group and Control Group 42 Table 6 Distribution of Post-Test Scores by Question Type 43 Table 7 Comparison of Pre-Test and Post-Test Results 44 Table 8 Participants' Perceptions of Difficulties in Learning the Reading Skill .48 Table 9 Participants' Perceptions toward Effects of Reading Strategy Instructions 54 Table 10 Results from Interview Question 1 63 Table 11 Results from Interview Question 2 67 Table 12 Results from Interview Question 3 70