An investigation into the use of authentic materials in developing reading comprehension ability for non english majored students at university of technical education in ho chi minh city

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURES AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF AUTHENTIC MATE

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – HO CHI MINH CITY

UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURES

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF AUTHENTIC MATERIALS IN DEVELOPING READING COMPREHENSION ABILITY FOR NON-ENGLISH MAJORED STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITY OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION

IN HO CHI MINH CITY

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the degree of Master of Arts (TESOL)

Submitted by PHAN TH MÞ þ THI NÞ

Supervisor

LÊ TH THANH, Þ Ph.D

HO CHI MINH CITY - DECEMBER 2013

STATEMENT OF AUTHORITY

I hereby certify that this thesis entitled “AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE

USE OF AUTHENTIC MATERIALS IN DEVELOPING READING

STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN

HO CHI MINH CITY” is the result of my own work except the extraction and

citation in the references

This thesis has not been previously submitted for the candidature of any degrees or diplomas in any other institution

Ho Chi Minh City, December 24th, 2013

PHAN TH M Þ þTHI NÞ

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RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS

I hereby state that I, PHAN THI MY THIEN, being the candidate for the degree of Master in TESOL, accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of Master’s Theses deposited in the Library

In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original copy of my thesis deposited

in the Library should be accessible for purposes of study and research in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Library for the care, loan and reproduction of theses

Ho Chi Minh City, December 2013

Signature:

Name: PHAN THI MY THIEN

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The thesis has been completed with the help of all people who helped me to shape this thesis, and without whom this thesis would have never been finished First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Ms Le Thi Thanh, PhD for her patience, enthusiasm, encouragement, careful instructions and insights into pedagogical methodology and language competence

Furthermore, I am very grateful to all teachers and students at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technical Education for their assistance of providing data analysis

Besides, I am extremely indebted to all lecturers of the TESOL graduate program at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities for their attentiveness and helpful instruction during the course from the year 2009 to 2012

In addition, I hope to send many thanks to my classmates of TESOL 09 for their support, friendship and valuable recommendations during the course Finally, an extra special appreciation goes to my family who always encourage and facilitate me to conduct the study In particular, my toddler son is the strongest motivation for me to pursue the thesis

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ABSTRACT

This thesis aimed at investigating the current difficulties in teaching and learning reading at the UTE as well as teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards the use of authentic materials in reading class In addition, it also targeted at finding out the advantages as well as disadvantages of authentic materials when being used in reading class

245 non-English majored students from four General English 3 classes were asked to complete the two sets of questionnaires including pre-survey and post- survey questionnaires to students at the beginning and the nearly end of the course, respectively Ten teachers who also participated in the study through questionnaires to teachers at the thirteenth week of the semester The data collected was analyzed and conducted by measures of counts, means and percentages Class observation was also conducted within the course to find out the potential difficulties as well as satisfaction of the application of authentic materials

The findings from the study indicated that most participant students encountered the following obstacles and difficulties in learning reading, namely, low learning motivation, limited language knowledge, and lack of reading strategies Nevertheless, thanks to the suitable teaching techniques and educative ways, students have lessened their obstacles and become interest in reading English Particularly, the results of the study showed that most teachers and students have favorable attitudes towards the use of authentic materials In general, both teachers and students realized the benefits of authentic materials bringing to them with carefully selection and use from the teachers so as to make full use of the text types

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Statement of authority i

Acknowledgements …ii

Abstract ….iii

Table of contents ….iv

List of tables viii

List of charts ….ix

List of abbreviations x

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Background to the study 1

1.1.1 Rationale .1

1.1.2 Current problems associated with teaching reading at UTE 2

1.1.3 Teaching and learning English at UTE 3

1.1.4 Teaching and learning Reading of General English 3 at UTE 4

1.1.5 Material description 4

1.1.5.1 Objectives of “Starter TOEIC” 5

1.1.5 2 Reading comprehension section 6

1.2 The objectives of the study 6

1.3 Research question 7

1.4 Significance of the study 7

1.5 Limitation and Delimitation 7

1.6 The organization of the thesis 8

CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW 9

2.1 The Nature of Reading Comprehension 9

2.1.1 What is reading comprehension 9

2.1.2 Reading Purposes 10

2.1.3 Reading Strategies 12

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2.1.3.1 Scanning strategies 13

2.1.3.2 Skimming Strategies 13

2.2 Types of Reading 13

2.2.1 Intensive Reading 14

2.2.2 Extensive Reading 14

2.3 Approaches in Teaching Reading in ESL classes 15

2.3.1 Bottom-up approach 15

2.3.2 Top-down approach 16

2.3.3 Schemata Theory 17

2.4 Authentic materials and authenticity 18

2.4.1 Authenticity in Language Learning 18

2.4.2 What are authentic materials/texts 20

2.4.3 Types of Authentic materials 22

2.4.3.1 Newspaper articles and magazines 22

2.4.3.2 Application (Job, CV, Class) 23

2.4.3.3 Leaflet, brochures 23

2.4.3.4 Timetables (Train, airport) 24

2.4.3.5 Program (TV listing, cinema, theatre) 24

2.4.3.6 Fictions and creative writing (story, poems, songs) 24

2.4.4 Choosing and Using authentic materials in Language classroom 25

2.5 Authentic materials as a tool to teach reading comprehension 26

2.5.1 Advantages of using authentic materials in teaching reading 27

2.5.2 Disadvantages of using authentic materials in teaching reading 30

2.6 Previous researches in related fields 31

2.7 Chapter summary 33

CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 34

3.1 Research Question 34

3.2 Research design 34

3.3 Research setting 35

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3.4 Participants 36

3.4.1 Teacher subjects 36

3.4.2 Student subjects 37

3.5 Instruments 39

3.5.1 The questionnaires 39

3.5.1.1 Questionnaires to students 39

3.5.1.1.1 Pre-survey questionnaires to students 39

3.5.1.1.2 Post-survey questionnaires to students 40

3.5.1.2 Questionnaires to teachers 41

3.5.1.3 Class observation 41

3.6 Data collection procedures 43

3.6.1 Students’ questionnaires 43

3.6.2 Teachers’ questionnaires 43

3.6.3 Class observation 43

3.7 Chapter summary 44

CHAPTER IV DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 45

4.1 Results 45

4.1.1 Results from teachers’ questionnaires 45

4.1.1.1 Teachers’ choices of using authentic materials 45

4.1.1.2 Teachers’ attitudes towards teaching reading comprehension through authentic materials 47

4.1.1.2.1 Results of Teachers’ Survey on Question 6 47

4.1.1.2.2 Results of Teachers’ Survey on Question 7 48

4.1.2 Results from students’ questionnaires 49

4.1.2.1 Results from pre-survey questionnaires to student 49

4.1.2.1.1 Students’ average grades in English and reading comprehension at the final test of GE-2 49

4.1.2.1.2 Students’ perception and attitudes to reading 51 4.1.2.1.3 Students’ expectation and suggestions for further reading class

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improvement 54

4.1.2.2 Choosing authentic materials 57

4.1.2.3 Results from post-survey questionnaires to student 57

4.1.2.3.1 Students’ perception of their current reading comprehension abilities 58

4.1.2.3.2 Students’ attitude towards the current reading classes of GE-3 59

4.1.2.3.3 Students’ attitudes towards the authentic reading texts used by teachers 61

4.1.2.3.4 Students’ viewpoints on the use of authentic materials 62

4.1.2.3.5 Students’ difficulties in learning reading 65

4.1.3 Results from the Class Observation 66

4.1.3.1 Classroom Environment 66

4.1.3.2 Reports on Class Observation 67

4.2 Findings and Discussion of Results 69

4.2.1 Current situation of teaching and learning reading comprehension at the UTE 69

4.2.2 Students’ attitude toward the application of authentic materials 71

4.2.3 Teacher’s attitude toward the application of authentic materials 72

4.2.4 The application of authentic materials at the UTE 74

4.2.5 Suggestions for using authentic materials to teach reading comprehension for English non-majored students 74

4.3 Chapter summary 75

CHAPTER V CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 76

5.1 Conclusion 76

5.2 Recommendations 79

5.2.1 Recommendations for teachers of English 79

5.2.2 Recommendations for students 81

5.3 Limitattions and Suggestions for further research 82

5.4 Chapter summary 82

REFERENCES 83-86 APPENDICES 87

APPENDIX 1A Pre-survey questionnaires to Students (Vietnamese version) 88

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APPENDIX 1B Pre-survey questionnaires to Students (English version) 89

APPENDIX 2A Post-survey questionnaires to Students (Vietnamese version) ……90-91 APPENDIX 2B Post-survey questionnaires to Students (English version) ……92-93 APPENDIX 3A Questionnaires to Teachers (Vietnamese version) ……94-95 APPENDIX 3B Questionnaires to Teachers (English version) 96-97 APPENDIX 4 Class Observation Sheet 98

APPENDIX 4A CLASS OBSERVATION SHEET 1 99-100 APPENXIX 4B CLASS OBSERVATION SHEET 2 101-102 APPENXIX 4C CLASS OBSERVATION SHEET 3 103-105 APPENDIX 4D CLASS OBSERVATION SHEET 4 106-107 APPENDIX 5A DESCRIPTION AND SUMMARY OF “STARTER TOEIC” 108-112 APPENDIX 5B COURSE SYLLABUS WITH AUTHENTIC MATERIALS 113-116 APPENDIX 6.1 WHAT IS THE BEST AGE TO GET MARRIAGE 117-118 APPENDIX 6.2 AT THE AIRPORT 119-120 APPENDIX 6.3 ENTERTAINMENT 121-122 APPENDIX 6.4.1 HEATHY AND UNHEALTHY FOOD 123-124 APPENDIX 6.4.2 IS THIS THE MOST DANGEROUS RESTAURANT IN THE WORLD? 125

APPENDIX 6.5 LESSONS LEAVE NO TIME FOR PLAY IN SEOUL 126-127 APPENDIX 6.6 A LIFE OF LEISURE 128

APPENDIX 6.7 ADVERTISEMENT AND JOB ANNOUNCEMENT 129

APPENDIX 6.8 MUSIC PERFORMANCE 130

APPENDIX 6.9 ART PERFORMANCE 130

APPENDIX 6.10 BOSTON MARATHON 131-132 APPENDIX 6.11 NEW FOODS 133

APPENDIX 6.12 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 134

LIST OF TABLES

Pages Table 1.1 First stage of three General English courses for non-English majored

students at the UTE 3

Table 2.1 Successful Extensive Reading 15

Table 3.1 Timeline of investigation 35

Table 3.2 Details of English 3 classes’ timetable .36

Table 3.3 Demographic data of teacher participants 37

Table 3.4 Demographic data of student participants 38

Table 3.5 Details of four class observations 44

Table 4.1 Types of authentic materials teachers have used for teaching Reading 46

Table 4.2 Advantages of using authentic materials in teaching reading comprehension 47

Table 4.3 Disadvantages of using authentic materials in teaching reading comprehension 48

Table 4.4 Students’ average grade in English and reading comprehension at the final test of GE-2 50

Table 4.5 Students’ attitudes to the difficulty of reading skill 52

Table 4.6 Students’ expectations of reading text types 55

Table 4.7 Students’ suggestions for further reading class improvement 56

Table 4.8 Case Summary of students’ suggestions for reading class improvement 57

Table 4.9 Students’ attitudes to GE-2 reading classes versus students’ attitudes to GE- 3 reading classes 60

Table 4.10 Students’ perception of reading texts in starter TOEIC versus students’ perception of authentic reading texts 62

Table 4.11 Students’ attitude towards the use of authentic materials 63

Table 4.12 Types of authentic materials that students like to read 64

Table 4.13 Students’ difficulties in learning reading 65 Table 4.14 Sections of Class Observations 67-68

Table 4.15 Level of students’ attitudes 73

Table 5.1 Strength of authentic materials in teaching and learning reading comprehension 79

LIST OF FIGURES Pages Figure 2.1 Levels of processing in reading comprehension 17

Figure 2.2 Text as object 28

Figure 2.3 Text as process 28

Figure 4.1 Types of authentic materials that teachers have used for teaching Reading 46

Figure 4.2 Students’ average grade in English at the final test of GE-2 49

Figure 4.3 Students’ average grade in Reading Comprehension at the final test of GE- 2 49

Figure 4.4 Student’s viewpoints on the role of reading skill in foreign language learning 51

Figure 4.5 Students’ attitudes to the difficulty of reading skill 52

Figure 4.6 Student’s attitudes to the previous reading classes (GE-2) 53

Figure 4.7 Student’s attitudes to reading texts in the Starter TOEIC 54

Figure 4.8 Students’ self-assessment of their current reading comprehension abilities 58

Figure 4.9 Students’ perception of reading comprehension difficulties (%) 59

Figure 4.10 Students’ attitude to the current reading classes of GE-3 60

Figure 4.11 Students’ attitudes to the authentic materials used in reading classes of GE-3 61

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

AM : Authentic Materials

B.A : Bachelor of Art

EFL : English as a Foreign Language

ELA : English Language Acquisition

ELT : English Language Teaching

ESL : English as a Second Language

ESP : English for Specific Purposes

ETM : English Teaching Materials

FFL : Faculty of Foreign Languages

GE : General English

GE-2 : General English 2

GE-3 : General English 3

M.A : Master of Art

MOET : Ministry of Education and Training

HCMC : Ho Chi Minh City

PhD : Doctor of Philosophy

SL : Second Language

TESOL : Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages TOEIC : Test of English for International Communication UTE : University of Technical Education

USSH : University of Social Sciences and Humanities VNU : Vietnam National University

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CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter begins with the discussion of the general background of the study as well as the reasons for choosing the topic It then presents the current problems associated with teaching and learning reading skill In addition, the study focuses on the objectives and the significance of the thesis Besides, some limitations of the study are also taken into consideration

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

1.1.1 Rationale

It is widely acknowledged that reading plays an important role in language acquisition It is the process of recognition, interpretation, and perception of written materials According to Richard and Renadya (2002: 273), in most EFL situations, the ability to read in a foreign language is that all students want to acquire

In the light of reading as an active process, it is really important to draw students’ attention to learning reading in language classroom Once readers read a text, they need to bring their own experience and knowledge to interpret the text Therefore, we can say reading is a tool to touch a successful life Reading serves a variety of pedagogical purposes such as: reading for information and entertainment, for their careers or for study purpose Moreover, the ability to read enables us to access to the real world, to get more knowledge and to enjoy daily things Likewise, Blake (1989:1) stated that reading is one of our keys to the world

Nowadays, along with the development and modernization of information technology, students are overwhelmed by internet, films, cable TV, apps, etc Thereby, they seem less interested in reading a book, especially, book with pedagogical purposes Indeed, students do not read or do not like to read at all

To increase students’ motivation, Davies and Widdowson (1974:172) cited a suggestion in Routledge (2009:29) as a contribution to dealing with the above situation that