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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

EFL: English as a Foreign Language

ESL: English as a Second Language

SPSS: Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Software

MSI: Metacognitive Strategy Index

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

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1 Conceptual Framework of the Study 13 Figure 2 Comparison of Post-Test & Pre-Test Average Scores between Experimental group and Control group 46 Figure 3 Participants' Perceptions of Difficulties in Learning the Reading Skill 51 Figure 4 Participants' Perceptions toward Effects of Reading Strategy Instructions 57

Chapter 1 Introduction

This chapter presents the rationale of the study, which includes theoretical and contextual background for the study that discusses why the researcher decided to undertake this research Also, details about the aim and objectives, research questions, scope, significance, and organization of the thesis are introduced

1.1 Research Rationale

1.1.1 Theoretical Reasons

English is widely utilized in a variety of fields, including politics, economy, tourism, telecommunication, culture, science, and technology Since Vietnam implemented its open-door policy toward regional and international integration, English has gained increasing importance As a result, to meet the expanding demands in a rising nation like Vietnam, Vietnamese students must have a strong command of English

Along with speaking, listening, and writing, reading is one of the four language skills taught in the English language learning process Reading is regarded as the most crucial skill among all others Snow (1998) stated that “reading is essential to success

in our society The ability to read is highly valued and important for social and educational advancement.” In addition, according to Komiyama (2009), “reading supports the development of overall proficiency and provides access to crucial information at work and in school.” Reading in a second or foreign language has been

a significant component of language learning over the past forty years (Zoghi et al., 2010) This significance has made reading education an important issue in educational policy and practice for English language learners (Cheung & Slavin, 2005)

However, reading is a complex, interactive cognitive process of extracting meaning from text There are a lot of difficulties for the learners to achieve the goal

of mastering the content of the text and completing the enclosed task in the reading

requirement In 1998, Vogel indicated that about 52% of adults with reading problems had difficulties in learning a foreign language (Vogel & Reder, 1998) Schiff and Calif (2004) further explained that EFL students had reading problems due to a lack

of understanding and awareness of how to use reading strategies The researcher needs to determine the causes of the learners' problems with English reading comprehension On the other hand, the main objective of all reading is about the competence to understand a reading text It implies that reading can be effective if readers can fully understand the reading text The process of comprehending the reading text is not an easy task for the students In this case, the teacher should employ various techniques to enhance the learners' reading comprehension It aims to aid students in remembering new lexical items from the reading text in addition to helping them quickly absorb general information in the reading text Olviyanti et al (Olviyanti et al., 2011) claimed, “Reading comprehension strategies are tools that proficient readers use to solve the comprehension problem they encounter in texts.”

As a result, EFL students must acquire sufficient reading strategies to construct the text's meaning

1.1.2 Contextual Reasons

Many high school students find reading comprehension to be one of the most difficult aspects of the graduation examination The difficulties encountered by these language learners may be explained by a lack of reading strategies and a lack of background knowledge of the given topics or the world in general It is easy to see that reading is an everyday ordinary task to which little thought is given, yet it is one

of the most important skills that learners acquire at school because it serves as the foundation for all further learning When reading in a foreign language is a laborious, unpleasant, and unsuccessful experience, readers are often unwilling to read in the target language This explains why most EFL students dislike reading in English

In addition, the parents’ unstable income which still depends much on the farm work influences partly the quality of education because most of the family cannot afford to invest in their children’s studies Another reason is that a few parents whose

thought is not progressive are unaware of the importance of English and let their children focus on Maths, Physics, and Chemistry Moreover, the student’s background of knowledge is rather lower than other schools in the region Besides, English is a foreign language in Vietnam, and English language students may have difficulties in comprehending reading text Many high school students find reading comprehension the most difficult when taking their graduation exams These language learners' difficulties may be explained due to a lack of reading strategies and background knowledge of the topics Locally, the issue is frequently raised in group meetings

As an English teacher, the researcher has always understood the significance of developing students' reading skills Teachers must discover what motivates students

to read Teachers must reawaken adolescent students' passion for reading Therefore, teachers must investigate the difficulties that individual students face By examining the issue, teachers can not only assist their students in overcoming reading challenges but also foster and develop the motivation that already exists in engaged readers In addition, practicing reading skills regularly is always an interest of the researcher After reviewing related studies in terms of content and subject, the researcher found some literature gaps that could be addressed in this study such as the research participants, sample size, local student population, and research tool This inspired

the researcher to carry out this study “Effects of reading strategy instructions on

eleven graders’ performance at a high school in Khanh Hoa Province”

1.2 Research Aim and Objectives

1.2.1 Research Aim

The general aim of this study is to investigate the effects of reading strategy instructions on eleven graders’ performance at the investigated highschool

1.2.2 Research Objectives

The specific objectives are set as follows:

- To investigate the difficulties in learning the reading skill perceived by EFL

The study aims to find out the difficulties in learning the reading skills perceived

by students in grade 11 and the effects of reading strategy instructions on their performance., The research scope was narrowed down to 80 students from two classes

in grade 11 at Nguyen Chi Thanh High School, in Khanh Hoa Province Students study all four English skills in the official textbook; however, the study is limited only to students’ English reading skills The study was conducted in the second semester of the academic year 2022 - 2023

1.5 Research Significance

Practically, this research is likely to contribute to the following implications for many people Firstly, this research assists English teachers in selecting effective methods for boosting students' reading comprehension Secondly, students can understand the types of learning strategies to accelerate and improve their reading skills In addition, learners can practice the concept of a good learning strategy for reading on an academic and daily basis Today’s students must be standardized in English to “actively participate in the global community” (Vietnamese Ministry of Education, The Decision No 1400/QĐ-TTg, 2008) The Project of Teaching and

Learning Foreign Languages in the National Education System from 2008 to 2020 was formed in 2008 specifically to increase student achievement in these areas Improving students’ English standards has become the mandate across all schools in Vietnam (Vietnamese Ministry of Education, Decision No 1400/QĐ-TTg, 2008) The researcher believes that all teachers in schools can positively influence students’ achievement and can play a significant role in students’ reading development This paper is beneficial to both teachers and students in upper secondary school Thirdly, this research is considered a useful reference or source of future data and also helps future researchers move forward with a deeper insight for improving reading comprehension The role of reading skills in getting better other linguistic skills, as well as the role of reading skills in our educational systems, is considered

Theoretically, conducting reading strategy research in the context of multilingual developing countries likely helps curriculum developers to make constructive decisions about the improvement of programs This study contributes to studies on reading ability in Vietnam Collecting different sets of data is to depict a clearer picture of the use of strategies It is hoped that the findings of this study can contribute to basic reading knowledge and serve to stimulate curiosity and interest to know more about strategy instruction approaches to teaching reading comprehension

1.6 Structure of the Thesis

Thesis is presented in five chapters: Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology, Findings and Discussion, Conclusions and Implications

Chapter 1, Introduction, presents the rationale, which introduces the reasons why the researcher chose to conduct the study, the aim, the research questions, the scope, the significance and the structure of thesis

Chapter 2, Literature Review, examines several underlying theoretical constructs that framed this study It also examines the relevant literature regarding 1) Definition of reading, 2) Teaching reading, 3) Difficulties in reading comprehension, 4) Reading Strategies, 5) The importance of strategies in the learning process, 6)

Reading strategy instruction, 7) Types of reading tasks in the textbook “TIẾNG ANH 11” and strategies in reading comprehension, and 8) Previous related studies on the implementation of EFL students’ learning reading skills

Chapter 3, Methodology, explains the research methods Firstly, it presents the research approach Secondly, it describes the research setting and participants Thirdly, it introduces the research instruments used to collect data Lastly, this chapter comes to an end with the procedure to conduct the study

Chapter 4, Findings and Discussion, reports the results of the study First of all, the pre-test result is introduced Second, the post-test result is presented Then, the information collected from the questionnaire is analyzed to give an in-depth explanation of the findings Last, the interview transcription analysis is the final finding of this chapter

Chapter 5, Conclusions and Implications, concludes the report of the study First, it summarizes the main findings of the study Then, it suggests the research implications Finally, the limitations of the study and the suggestions for future research make the last part of this chapter

Chapter 2 Literature Review

This chapter presents the main concepts and terms building a theoretical foundation for the study In this chapter, the definition of reading, teaching reading, difficulties in reading comprehension, reading strategy instruction, types of reading tasks in the textbook “TIẾNG ANH 11” and strategies in reading comprehension are written and explained in detail Finally, previous related works conducted by other researchers are reviewed in terms of their focuses and findings

2.1 Theoretical Background

2.1.1 Definition of Reading

Reading is defined differently by each individual According to Antar Abdellah (2010), “Reading is an interactive skill In this respect, the mental processes involved are similar to those employed while listening In both, the students are engaged in decoding a message rather than encoding Both require more than just a passive knowledge of the vocabulary and structure of the language” It is iin accordance with Harris’s claim, “Reading is the meaningful interpretation of printed or written verbal symbols which also involves sensing, perceiving, achieving meaning, learning, reacting in a variety of ways” (Albert Josiah Harris, 1962) Additionally, Patel and Jain (2008) contend that reading is a skill that requires the capacity for recognition and comprehension and that it is an essential activity that keeps people up to date Nuttal (1982) defines reading as a meaningful interpretation of printed or written verbal symbols It means that reading is a result of the interaction between the students; perception of graphic symbols that represent a language and their knowledge of the world In this process, the reader tries to recreate the meaning intended by the writer

Also, Grabe et al (2011) assert that vocabulary and syntax are automatically recognized when someone is reading From these definitions, reading is an effort on the part of the learners to assimilate or convey the information and meaning from the text by

comprehending, absorbing, interpreting, and giving the written form meaning

Therefore, it can be concluded that reading involves more than just looking at words represented by symbols on a page; it also involves understanding the meaning

of individual words in order to comprehend a text's content and to extract information from it

2.1.2 Teaching Reading

Teaching reading is the act of instructing individuals or groups on how to derive meaning from text When learning to read, learners are instructed to "guess" the word they don't understand by using context clues and critical thinking techniques To put

it another way, teaching reading is a multi-stage process that includes pre-, during, and post-reading to drive a book's content and build students' reading skills so that they can read an English text efficiently Furthermore, Alysousef 2006) asserts that modern reading tasks have three procedural stages pre-, during-, and post-reading -

in contrast to conventional reading materials Pre-reading can help students engage the relevant schema While-reading is intended to improve students' ability to deal with literature by broadening their linguistic and technical knowledge, the post-reading stages include exercises, cut-up sentences, and comprehension questions to help students improve their comprehension abilities Alyousef also asserts that reading class activities are divided into three stages: pre-, while- and post-reading

2.1.2.1 Pre-reading Activities Pre-reading stages occur before students begin to

read This stage aims to acquaint students with the material they will be reading in order for them to gain a basic understanding of the content and purpose of reading At this point, teachers attempt to engage students' schema related to the topic or quickly explain the text's contents Giving children fundamental text-related questions and guessing the content of a reading text based on the title or image in a text are two activities that can be done at this level

2.1.2.2 While-reading Activities A reading activity is something the reader does

while reading This activity’s goal is to help the reader understand the content of a text At

this point, the teacher may assign students tasks such as highlighting key points, determining the purpose of the text, and determining its structure

2.1.2.3 Post-reading Activities A post-reading activity is something that readers

do after they finish reading This stage is intended to assess students'/readers' comprehension of the materials they have read In this section, the instructor can engage

in a variety of activities, such as asking understanding questions and leading small group discussions Furthermore, Duffy (Gerald G Duffy, 2009) states that when teaching reading comprehension, teachers should consider two factors First, reading comprehension is a knowledge-based skill It implies that in order to explain the reading text to students, teachers ought to be familiar with it Second, teachers must use effective strategies because reading is a complex cognitive and linguistic activity that requires deciphering alphabetic symbols

2.1.3 Difficulties in Reading Comprehension

The process by which students recognize and interpret their reading comprehension problems is referred to as students' perception Gunning (Gunning, 2002) separates the reading issues into three categories: (1) Problems of language knowledge, (2) Problems of background knowledge, (3) Problems of motivation, (4) Problems of reading strategies, and (5) Problems of reading knowledge It means that the students' reading comprehension problems are caused by more than one factor First, phonological knowledge, semantic knowledge, syntactic knowledge, morphemic knowledge, and pragmatic knowledge are all problems of language knowledge Second, background knowledge issues, or the condition in which readers discover discrepancies between their prior knowledge and what the author intended

in the text (Yi, 2006) Another issue with background knowledge is the difficulty in understanding some cultures' loaded words and phrases, even if the reader knows every word in the text (Gunning, 2002, p.8) Third, there are motivational issues, or students are less motivated to read Less motivation to read is also one of the reasons students struggle to meet their reading comprehension goals (Alderson, 2000) If students are not interested in the topic they are reading about, they may struggle with

reading comprehension On the contrary, if the students are truly interested in the topic, it can become an important factor because positive motivation plays a significant role in reading development, which promotes comprehension, so that the students may be motivated to read other topics Fourth, reading strategy issues or situations in which students used inappropriate reading comprehension strategies Readers can process the text more efficiently if they have a good reading comprehension strategy On the contrary, if readers use a poor strategy, they will struggle with reading comprehension In conclusion, reading strategy demonstrates how readers comprehend a text, read a text, and respond when they encounter difficulties with reading comprehension Finally, problems with the reading process

or the condition in which students are unable to focus until the end of a passage Readers appear to forget what they have already read at times, forcing them to go back and reread it In short, some aspects of reading problems can impair students' comprehension

2.1.4 Reading Strategies

2.1.4.1 Defining Strategies There have been some significant variances in the

concept of learning strategies The following is Rubin's general definition of learning strategies: “Learning strategies are strategies which contribute to the development of the language system which the learner constructs and effect learning directly” (Rubin, 1987) According to Oxford (Rebecca L Oxford, 1990), “Learning strategies are specific actions taken by the learner to make learning easier, faster, more enjoyable, more self-directed, more effective and more transferable to new situation” These definitions are thought to be extremely thorough because they include both the cognitive and emotive components of learning processes O'Malley and Chamot (1990) put out the definition that has been mostly accepted to this point They believe that learning techniques are “the special thoughts or behaviors that individuals use to help them comprehend, learn or retain new information” Despite being brief, the definition captures the most crucial features of learning strategies, namely that they are both behavioral and mental and may be uniquely described Their definition is thorough; thus, the current study uses it as the main focus of

its analysis The classification of language learning strategies has been done by numerous academics Nonetheless, O'Malley and Chamot's approach has received the most positive and helpful feedback (1990) According to the information processing model, on which O'Malley and Chamot's study is based, three major categories of strategies are recognized

in their framework: metacognitive, cognitive, and social/affective The three parts that follow will present the three categories of language learning methodologies

2.1.4.2 Metacognitive Strategies Metacognitive strategies are “higher order

executive skills that may entail planning or monitoring, or evaluating the success of a learning activity” (O’Malley & Chamot, 1990, p.44) All of the metacognitive learning techniques, which O'Malley and Chamot (1990) divide into seven categories, can be used for a range of learning tasks The following techniques would be applied as metacognitive techniques for language reading comprehension tasks:

1 Planning: previewing the main ideas and concepts of the material to be learnt, often by skimming the text for the organizing principle

2 Monitoring: Checking one’s comprehension during listening or reading checking the accuracy and/ or appropriateness of one’s oral or written production while it is taking place

3 Self-evaluation: Checking the outcomes of one’s own language against a standard after it had been completed

2.1.4.3 Cognitive Strategies Cognitive strategies are “more directly related to

individual learning tasks and entail direct manipulation or transformation of the learning material”(O’Malley & Chamot, 1990) Cognitive learning strategies are classified into fourteen categories, according to O'Malley and Chamot (1990, p.119) These cognitive strategies, however, may be limited in their application to the specific type of task in the learning activity Typical reading comprehension strategies discussed in the cognitive category include:

1 Repetition: Imitating a language model, including overt practice and silent rehearsal

2 Grouping: Classifying words, terminology, or concepts according to their attributes or meaning

3 Deduction: Applying rules to understand or produce the second language making up rules based on language analysis

4 Imagery: Using visual images (either mental or actual) to understand or remember new information

5 Elaboration: Relating new information to prior knowledge, relating different parts of new information to each other, or making meaningful personal associations with the new information

6 Transfer: Using previous linguistic knowledge or prior skills to assist comprehension or production

7 Inferencing: Using available information to guess the meaning of new items, predict outcomes, or fill in missing information

8 Summarizing: Making a mental, oral, or written summary of new information gained through listening and reading

2.1.4.4 Social/ Affective Strategies Finally, social/affective strategies are known

as “a broad grouping that involves either interaction with another person or ideational control over affect” (O’Malley and Chamot, 1990, p.45) The following are definitions of the social/affective strategies:

1 Questioning for clarification: Eliciting from a teacher or peer additional explanations rephrasing, examples, or verification

2 Cooperation: Working together with one or more peers to solve a problem, pool information, check a learning task, model a language activity, or get feedback

on oral or written performance

3 Self-talk: Reducing anxiety by using mental techniques that make one feel competent to do the learning task

In general, the presented affective strategies are thought to be applicable to a wide range of tasks They would, however, be used for listening comprehension rather than reading comprehension

2.1.5 The importance of strategies in the learning process

2.1.5 The importance of strategies in the learning process

The goal of second language acquisition research has switched from identifying effective teaching methods to figuring out why some students acquire languages very well while others struggle despite putting a lot of effort into their studies Several researchers, including O'Malley and Chamot (1990) and Rubin et al (1982) have demonstrated that one of the most crucial elements separating effective learners from failed ones is their learning practices To put it another way, successful learners do use some effective learning techniques to address issues that arise during their learning process, whereas failing ones use inappropriate or inefficient strategies, which leads to their failure in language acquisition As a result, understanding techniques is crucial since it will help learners learn languages more successfully if

Figure 1

Conceptual Framework of the Study

they are aware of the processes that underlie their learning Their data have demonstrated that students who are taught study skills have higher levels of motivation than those who are not Nevertheless, not every learner is born knowing which approaches are the most effective for them On the other hand, since the terms

"self-learning," "lifelong learning," and "teaching techniques innovation" have become well known to both instructors and students, learning strategies in Vietnam

in general and in high school in particular have also gained attention recently For these reasons, explicit strategy training and trying out several techniques can result

in learning that is more successful According to Rebecca L Oxford 1990), tactics are significant for two reasons First, strategies “are tools for active, self-directed involvement, which is essential for developing communicative competence” Second, learners who have developed successful learning strategies are more self-assured and more productive in their learning Oxford lists these methods for acquiring a language:

- support the primary objective, communicative competence

- encourage learners to take more initiative

- enhance teachers' roles

- aid in both direct and indirect learning

When reading particular texts, most EFL/ESL learners frequently exhibit various issues and challenges With some texts, they consistently have trouble understanding the information and find it difficult to comprehend According to several psychologists and experts, people who have trouble reading may be lacking the reading techniques that could enable them to overcome their difficulties There is ample evidence to support the significance of reading techniques and their usefulness

in improving and developing reading comprehension According to McNamara et al (2007), teaching reading methods to students who exhibit a lack of reading knowledge and those with poorer reading proficiency is particularly beneficial, and

it is assumed that these students most urgently require such training

2.1.6 Reading Strategy Instruction

Garner (1987) defines a strategy as “generally deliberate activities undertaken

by active learners, many times to remedy perceived cognitive failure” Furthermore, Paris et al (1983) define a strategy as considerable, deliberate actions or skills Reading research has shown that skilled readers use a variety of flexible and teachable comprehension strategies before, during, and after reading (Loranger, 1994) Moreover, Wilhelm and Li (2008) state that "Effective readers appear to employ: i) bottom-up processes, ii) top-down processes, iii) use of schema, and iv) reader-text interaction" As a result, before tackling the text at lower levels, such as the sentence and paragraph level, EFL teachers should help students gain a global understanding

of the text What's more, reading strategy instruction teaches students how effective their reading strategies are (Li & Wilhelm, 2008) According to Brown (2001), EFL teachers should emphasize using both bottom-up and top-down strategies based on their students' needs and levels Reading instruction using this method teaches students that reading is an interaction between the reader and the writer (Vacca et al., 2004) To process the ideas of others, the reader draws on prior knowledge and language skills Many researchers have attempted to improve metacognition and comprehension by teaching strategies directly According to research on reading instruction and reading strategies, non-proficient L1 and L2 readers either do not know about strategies or use bottom-up strategies According to other studies, such

as that of Alsamadani (2009), the quality of reading strategies is critical, whereas the quantity of reading strategies used while reading does not guarantee greater reading comprehension All of these studies indicate that reading teachers can teach their students to use quality strategies not only to improve their reading comprehension but also to raise their awareness of their own performance while reading Some of these strategies are listed by (Brown, 2001) and Mikulechy (1990), and include, but are not limited to, automatic decoding, genre identification, questioning, skimming, and locating the topic sentence and main idea EFL teachers should not only teach strategies but also when and why they are used in a given context In strategic reading behavior, Garner (1987) emphasized the importance of teaching metacognitive skills

(conditional knowledge) A reader's metacognitive knowledge of reading includes an understanding of various reading strategies (Sheorey et al., 2001) Sheorey and Mokhtari (2001, p.433) state that "It is the combination of conscious awareness of the strategic reading processes and the actual utilization of reading strategies that distinguish the skilled from the unskilled readers” As a result, it is argued that learners' success or failure in using strategies is dependent on the context in which these strategies are learned Reading cannot be flexible and adaptive unless you know when and why to use a particular strategy Strategic readers are distinguished by the quality and selection of reading strategies that fit the text, the purpose of reading, and the time and place of reading (Paris et al., 1983; Alsamadani, 2009)

2.1.7 Types of Reading Tasks in the Textbook “TIẾNG ANH 11” and Strategies in Reading Comprehension

Psychologically, reading is seen as a two-way activity between language and thought Teachers should use an appropriate technique when teaching reading to help students understand what they are reading Strategy is a plan to achieve several goals designed by theory that includes the utilization of methods, sources, and techniques

It means that the formulation of strategy is limited to plan arrangement only Strategy

is designed to achieve certain objectives Several strategies can be taught by teachers

in readings as follows:

2.1.7.1 True/ False/ Not given statements “True/ False/ Not Given” is probably

the most difficult question type which requires you to identify if a number of factual statements given are true or not The most important thing to remember is what the words

‘true’, ‘false’, and ‘not given’ actually mean and therefore what you have to write

• If the text agrees with or confirms the information in the statement, the

answer is TRUE

• If the text contradicts or is the opposite to the information in the statement,

the answer is FALSE

• If there is no information or it is impossible to know, the answer is NOT

GIVEN

For this type of reading task, the reader can use several techniques as follows:

● Read all the statements carefully, trying to understand what the whole sentence means rather than simply highlighting keywords

● Match the statement with the correct part of the text

● Focus on the statement again and then carefully read the matching part of the text to establish if it is true or false

● Underline the words that give you the answer, especially words that qualify

the statement, for example, some, all, mainly, often, always, and occasionally, or verbs that qualify statements, such as suggest, claim, believe, and know Ignore

anything you already know about the topic and do not make assumptions Base your answers on the text only

● If you are really unsure or cannot find the answer, mark it as ‘not given’ (Bridget Aucoin, 2013, p.21)

2.1.7.2 Matching Headings In this type of question, you are asked to match

headings to sections of the text That means you have to understand the main idea of each paragraph and then pick the one that best summarizes the information in a paragraph The

readers can apply the following tips below:

● Quickly read through the paragraph headings to see what they say

● Look at each paragraph and watch out for synonyms, antonyms, and paraphrases

● Read the topic sentence carefully because the main idea and answer are there Then skim the rest

● Choose the headings that have the same idea as the topic sentence of the paragraph

(Bridget Aucoin, 2013, p.56)

2.1.7.3 Multiple Choice Questions MCQs test your ability to understand the main

ideas contained in a text and then look for specific information You will need to quickly identify the main idea in order to locate the correct section of the text When you do this,

it will seem like two or three of the options could be the correct answer and you therefore must read in much more detail to find the specific information that gives you the correct answer Multiple-choice questions have 3 or 4 answers, only one of which is correct Usually, there are such types of answers:

• Irrelevant answer that gives information, which is not stated in the text

• The answer that gives completely opposite information

• The answer that gives information that figures in the text, but not what you're asked about

• Correct answer

Some following strategies are useful for reading comprehension:

● Read the questions first and underline the keywords Think about synonyms and how you could paraphrase the statements

● Read the question statements again and predict which paragraph contains the answer

● Scan the text for the keywords and their synonyms

● Cross out the answers that are obviously wrong, this will help you identify the correct answers more quickly

● The order of the questions can help you The answer for question 4 will be between answers for questions 3 and 5 in the text

● Don’t rely on your own knowledge; the correct answer contains ONLY information stated in the text

(Bridget Aucoin, 2013, p.14)

2.1.7.4 Finding Out the Main Idea Once you can find the topic, you are ready to

find the main idea The main idea is the point of the paragraph It is the most important

thought about the topic To figure out the main idea, ask yourself this question: What is being said about the person, thing, or idea (the topic)?

● Skim the whole of the passage for general understanding

● Look at the first and last sentences of the passage

● Look for repetition of ideas

2.1.7.5 Dealing With Vocabulary The reading test uses articles and extracts that

cover a wide range of topics and no specialist knowledge is needed to answer the questions However, you will encounter unfamiliar words and you need to work on strategies to deal with these You should not waste time reading and re-reading a sentence just because you don’t understand one word Good readers can understand the general meaning of a sentence or paragraph without knowing what every word means Furthermore, when skimming, do not waste time thinking about a word as you can deal with a difficult word later when you come to answer the questions

● Skip unknown words that are not needed to answer questions

● Use the context

● Use prior knowledge

● Use word parts, such as word root, prefix, suffix

● Use information from connecting words

2.2 Previous Related Studies

Reading is one of the most studied topics in EFL Hundreds of studies have been conducted around the world to investigate, examine, and explore various issues related to EFL reading, all motivated by a genuine desire to better understand reading and the reading process The ultimate goal is to help learners become better readers who can use reading for personal, academic, and professional advancement A few studies have been conducted to investigate EFL students' learning reading skills Nguyen Thi Lap (Nguyen Thi Lap, 2010) conducted the reviewed study, entitled

“Reading strategies to improve reading comprehension of students at Thai Nguyen

College of Economics and Technology (TNCET)” The study aimed to examine how efficiently the reading strategies were used in reading classes in English at TNCET The participants in this study were 30 first-year non-English majors specializing in Economics and Business Management at TNCET The instruments included tests and questionnaires to collect data on the reading strategies employed by the first-year Economics and Business Management students Reading strategies were regarded as essential in Vietnam for improving reading comprehension and overcoming reading comprehension failures The concepts of "self-learning", "life-long learning‟, and

“teaching methods innovation” were familiar to both teachers and students Students could efficiently acquire and use most of the L2 reading strategies in reading classes

if teachers provided clear guidelines and ample practice time A small number of reading strategies, such as transfer and imagery strategies, should be given more time and practice A study looked at the reading strategies used by students in the same major as well as those from different majors at TNCET to see if different reading strategies yielded the same efficiency The study was conducted in a short period, so the results' validity was limited

Yaseen & Awad (2013) conducted the reviewed study, entitled “The reading difficulties in English and how to deal with them as perceived by teachers and students in Nablus District” This study sought to identify the most common reading difficulties in English and how to address them for tenth graders in the Nablus district,

as perceived by English teachers and students alike The study looked at how teachers' variables (gender, qualification, and years of experience) and students' variables (gender) affected having reading difficulties in English and how to deal with them The researcher created two different data collection instruments to achieve the study objectives: two questionnaires and an interview The study's findings revealed that students' reading difficulties in learning English were exacerbated by their reading behaviors Furthermore, the content (textbook), teaching aids, and teaching methods all had an impact on the reading difficulties Based on the study's findings, the researcher suggested holding training courses for teachers to provide them with the necessary experience to teach their students reading skills correctly

The previous study, entitled “Students' perceptions on the use of reading strategies, reading difficulties, and factors affecting their reading performance: A case study of a technical English class”, was carried out by Viriya Paksasuk (Paksasuk, 2013) This case study investigated Thai university students' perceptions

of reading strategies, reading difficulties, and factors influencing their reading performance Thirty-one students participated in this study Students' reflective journals and semi-structured interviews served as research tools When the students practiced reading English texts and wrote about their reading experiences in their reflective journals, they reported that they used a variety of reading strategies learned

in class, gained a better attitude toward reading English, and improved their reading ability Their reading difficulties stemmed from a lack of vocabulary, pronunciation issues, and L1 interference in translation The findings assisted teachers in better preparing reading instructions and activities to help students become better readers

Vu Tue Minh (2014) conducted the reviewed study, entitled “An action reading strategy instruction for 11th grade students at An Duong Vuong High School” This action research project was designed to improve students' reading comprehension in

a regular 11th-grade classroom by increasing their awareness of and use of reading strategies Data were gathered using a variety of instruments, including pre and post- assessment tests, the Metacognitive Strategy Index (MSI), and questionnaires The findings showed that the learners' use of reading strategies improved, along with their comprehension of the reading strategies These findings raised intriguing questions about the application of reading strategy instruction in the context of foreign language learning Because of the limitations in teaching, teachers should temper any expectations of achieving rapid success Despite some positive findings, the study revealed some limitations that might be noted before the results could be generalized Among them, the limitation originated from the sample size of the study which was restricted to only a group of 20 students Therefore, the researcher’s study on more participants was overcome in order to get more evidence on the effects of applying the reading strategy instruction in teaching and learning English reading skills

Roshan Ali Teevno & RB Raisani (2017a) conducted the study under review,

“English reading strategies and their impact on students’ performance in reading comprehension” The goals of this study were to investigate the strategies that students use to learn English and to determine the impact of these strategies on students' reading comprehension performance at the secondary school level The fundamental techniques for learning English in Pakistan are learning strategies A survey was conducted to identify the learners' learning strategies and their impact on the learners' reading comprehension performance A sample of 359 students was drawn at random from the Higher Secondary Schools and Intermediate Colleges in the district of Naushahro Feroze in Sindh Pakistan The study's data were gathered using a questionnaire, an interview protocol, and a reading comprehension test According to the findings, students used a variety of reading learning strategies, including reading aloud, silent reading, summarizing the reading texts, outlining grammatical structures and patterns contained in the reading texts, answering simple questions, looking up the meaning of new vocabulary, and translating English texts into their mother tongue The conclusion reached was that students employed various reading strategies and that these strategies had an effect on their reading comprehension In terms of gender, there was no significant difference in the use of strategies and their impact on reading performance, while students in urban areas outperformed their peers in rural areas

Nguyen Thi Thanh (2019) performed a related study, entitled “An investigation into reading strategies used by EFL students at high school” This study attempted to investigate some of the difficulties that high school readers might face The second focus of the study was to identify effective reading strategies that might assist students in better comprehending a reading task The study included 75 students from various high schools in Quang Ninh The majority of the chosen students reported difficulties with vocabulary and comprehension of the subject matter Reading under time constraints was also difficult According to the study's findings, appropriate reading strategies and adequate reading practice might be solutions to the problems presented

The International Journal of Instruction published the previous study reviewed Fathi, J., & Afzali, M (2020) conducted a study, which was entitled “The effect of second language reading strategy instruction on young Iranian EFL learners’ reading comprehension” The study sought to investigate the impact of second language reading strategy instruction on young Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners' reading comprehension To achieve this goal, 48 Iranian EFL students aged

11 to 13 were randomly assigned to one of two groups: experimental or control The study used a quasi-experimental design, with the experimental group receiving 12-week reading strategy instruction and the control group receiving regular method instruction with no strategy instruction, but they were measured in terms of reading comprehension before and after the strategy instruction The reading component of the Cambridge Preliminary English Test (CPET) was given as a pre-test and post-test

of the study to assess the participants' reading comprehension performance The data was analyzed using the paired samples t-test and one-way ANCOVA The study's findings revealed that after receiving the strategy instruction intervention, the learners

in the experimental group outperformed those in the control group in terms of reading comprehension Reading strategy instruction's pedagogical implications were also discussed

Valizadeh, M (2021) uploaded an article to the Shanlax International Journal

of Education with the title “The effect of reading strategies instruction on EFL

learners' reading performances” The purpose of this reviewed study was to see if

instructing English as a foreign language (EFL) for learners in the use of reading strategies when reading English passages affects their English reading performance Based on the results of the Oxford Quick Placement Test, the participants were 51 Turkish English learners at the elementary level The entire treatment/control period lasted 20 sessions over 10 weeks on a Reading course The experimental group (n = 26) received reading strategy instruction, while the control group (n = 25) received traditional teaching methods instruction A reading proficiency test was used to collect data The independent samples t-test revealed that the experimental group outperformed the control group significantly

Hayati Fardasatul Jinan (Fardasatul Jinan, 2022) conducted the study Its title is

“EFL teachers’ perception of the effectiveness of teaching strategies in reading

comprehension for High School Students in Surabaya” This study examined EFL

teachers' perceptions of the efficacy of teaching strategies in reading comprehension and discovered various strategies that teachers used when teaching reading To address this issue, 35 English teachers from various high schools in Surabaya were given survey questionnaires According to the results, EFL teachers' teaching strategies were effective in improving students' comprehension abilities Furthermore, this study discovered 12 strategies used by EFL teachers when teaching reading, and these strategies were thought to be effective in improving students' comprehension of what they were reading Teachers used effective reading strategies

to help students improve their comprehension skills The researcher suggested that future research shift its focus from teacher perceptions to student perceptions so that

it could provide information not only from the teachers' perspective but also from the students' perspective

On the SAGE and Open Access pages, the article titled “The impact of reading strategy instruction on reading comprehension, strategy use, motivation, and self-efficacy in Chinese University EFL students” was conducted by Li et al (2022) This study looked at the impact of explicit reading strategy instruction on reading comprehension, reading strategy use, reading motivation, and reading self-efficacy in Chinese university EFL students A total of 117 first-year university students were randomly assigned to either the experimental or control groups Students in the experimental group received a 16-week reading strategy training that was integrated into their English reading classes The information was gathered using five major instruments: a reading comprehension test, a reading strategy questionnaire, a reading motivation questionnaire, a reading self-efficacy questionnaire, and a semi-structured interview Independent-sample t-test results revealed a significant difference in reading comprehension between the experimental and control groups following reading strategy instruction, implying that students who received reading strategy instruction improved their reading comprehension significantly An ANCOVA

analysis of pre-and post-questionnaire results revealed no significant differences in reading strategy use, reading motivation, or reading self-efficacy after the strategy instruction Furthermore, interview data revealed that students in the experimental group had very positive attitudes toward reading strategy training The results of the interviews also suggested that a dynamic interplay of individual and contextual factors could explain the lack of significant changes in strategy use, motivation, and

self-efficacy at the end of strategy training

Unlike the majority of previous research addressing the research participants who were university students, tenth graders, twelfth graders, or English teachers, this study focused on the eleventh-grade level This is a critical transitional period in the Vietnamese educational system, where students are preparing for important examinations and future academic endeavors This thesis exclusively targeted eleventh-grade students at a high school in Khanh Hoa Province These students might have specific needs, challenges, and aspirations that differ from those in other regions Understanding these local dynamics is essential for tailoring effective teaching strategies Moreover, this study generalized more than Vu Tue Minh's research because the sample size was twice as large as hers Also, the supplemented interview research tool added more value to the research compared to Mohammadreza Valizadeh's article In general, the studies in this section looked at either reading problems or reading strategies However, little research focused on the two issues concurrently and on the perceptions of eleventh graders in Vietnam As a result, it motivates the implementation of this study, which can fill a gap in the literature while also producing some theoretically and practically significant conclusions and implications

Chapter 3 Methodology

This chapter discusses the research approach, the setting, and the participants

of the study It also describes instruments for collecting data as well as procedures including data collection and data analysis

3.1 Research Approach

The study followed the experimental research design According to Gay et al (2003, p.355), experimental research is the most genuine way of analyzing the links between variables For this study, a specific type of experimental design, referred to

as a quasi-experimental design, was used to assess the effects of reading strategies on eleventh graders’ performance This kind of research is often used in the educational context In this study, an effort was made to follow some of the principles guiding true experimental research designs by keeping variables constant, using pre- and post-tests before and after the intervention, and using the same subjects throughout the study Worobey (2015) argues that a quasi-experimental design requires a minimum

of two intact groups of subjects: the control and intervention Thus, two intact groups were used and these were randomly assigned to control and intervention groups respectively The study was a pretest-treatment-posttest as well as a comparison-group one There were two independent variables called ‘Reading Strategies Instruction’ and ‘Traditional Instruction of Reading Skill’ There was a dependent variable named ‘English Reading Performance’

To collect and analyze the data, the study used the mixed-methods approach Creswell (2014) states that “Mixed methods involve combining or integration of qualitative and quantitative research and data in a research study Qualitative data tends to be open-ended without predetermined responses while quantitative data usually includes closed-ended responses such as found on questionnaires or psychological instruments.” According to Creswell (2014), the rationale for the choice of a mix-method approach is its strength of drawing on both qualitative and

quantitative research and minimizing the limitations of both approaches The combination of research designs for data collection and analysis helped the researcher

to develop a more thorough understanding of the issue being investigated

Quantitative data were collected from the survey using the questionnaire ranging from question 1 to question 36 A survey design looked at a sample of the population to generate a quantitative or numerical description of trends, attitudes, or views According to Creswell (2014, p.154), the researcher extends or makes generalizations about the population based on sample results

The qualitative data were collected from the interview with the assistance of the researcher including the clarification and explanation of difficult terms and ideas According to Creswell (2014, p.180), the qualitative approach contrasts sharply with the quantitative one The qualitative approach makes use of a variety of knowledge claims, inquiry techniques, and data-gathering and analysis methods Although the methodologies are comparable, qualitative procedures use text and image data, have distinct data processing steps, and make use of a range of inquiry strategies

3.2 Research Setting and Participants

This research was conducted at Nguyen Chi Thanh High School from January

to June in 2023 when the students were in the second term of the academic year By the time of the study, they had finished the second term examination There are five high schools and one continuing education center in Ninh Hoa Among them, Nguyen Chi Thanh High School is situated in a rural commune in Ninh Hoa, Khanh Hoa Province The whole school has 36 classes equipped with televisions a free wi-fi system, and a laboratory room for English, which is proof that teaching and learning English are concerned As a working teacher at school, the researcher is encouraged

to carry out this study

The population of this study consisted of two classes with 80 students in grade

11 at Nguyen Chi Thanh High School randomly selected Among them, there were

33 males and 47 females, all of whom were chosen to answer the questionnaire through Google Forms This research was conducted as a students’ perspective

analysis of the difficulties in their reading comprehension At the time after going through the learning process of reading, the researcher chose one class assigned as the control group with the traditional teacher-led reading approach while the other was the experimental group receiving reading strategy instructions The reason the researchers chose these two classes was because both classes were currently studying the 11th-grade English pilot program and had the same proficiency level

The intervention lasted for 12 weeks, which excluded the time for data collection with 80 students included in this study – 40 in the control group and 40 in the experimental group The chosen classes were observed by the researcher, assessing the aspects of experience gained by students during the study, and what results were obtained There are some reasons why the researcher chose those participants Firstly, students in grade 11 had experienced the program of Tieng Anh 10; therefore, they were familiar with the reading types Secondly, compared to the 10th and 12th graders, they have enough awareness to follow the reading strategies the teachers instruct Grade 10 is still new with the 2008 general English program whereas 12th grade seems to deviate from the majors they choose for the future Finally, the researcher hopes to create a foundation for 11th graders in reading skills so that they have a better ability for reading tests in the examinations

3.3 Research Instruments

In the study, three instruments were used to collect the data on the effects of reading strategy instructions on eleven graders’ performance including the questionnaire, the reading measure, and the interview

Therefore, the researcher was very careful with the questionnaire This questionnaire was developed based on Nguyen Thi Thanh’s (2019) reading difficulties and Mokhtari and Reichard’s (2002) metacognitive awareness of reading strategies inventor

The questionnaires including closed-ended questions were distributed to two classes with 80 EFL students in grade 11 through Google Forms The study did not put the names form, because the responses were anonymous Particularly, data discussed in the present study were obtained from two sections in order to answer the research questions In section 1, the questionnaire was delivered to all the participants