The suggestions concerning the ways to improve the teaching and learning the reading skills in English for the 10th form students at Cao Loc High School .... I selected "Improving the 10
INTRODUCTION
Rationale
English is chosen as a required subject and is regarded as the most significant foreign language in the majority of Vietnamese schools
Reading has traditionally gotten a lot of emphasis in Vietnamese language instruction and acquisition Reading is frequently seen as the most crucial of the four language skills for EFL learners, according to Erten & Razi (2003), as it gives them the chance to interact with the target language and get useful linguistic information that helps them become more proficient in it According to Carrell
(1984), who shares a similar viewpoint, "reading is by far the most important of the four macro-skills, particularly for many students in English as a second or foreign language." Consequently, in every unit of the new textbook "Tieng Anh 10," reading is the first ability that is covered This demonstrates the value of reading This makes sense as well since reading gives pupils the skills necessary to comprehend written content Nowadays, reading is not only a vital way for students to increase and broaden their general knowledge, but it also serves as a tool for future academic support
Having taught for a number of years, I have encountered several challenges The most difficult problems arise when teaching comprehension through reading One of the challenges my colleagues at my school have faced is the dearth of opportunity and motivation among students to practice speaking in the target language Teachers do their hardest, yet the pupils' reading comprehension remains stagnant Reading instruction will deteriorate and pupils will lose interest in studying English if such problems are not identified and no strategies are offered to lessen and resolve them I selected "Improving the 10th grade students’ reading abilities in English at a high school in Lang Son Province" because I realized how important it is to teach reading and reading comprehension
Reading comprehension is one of the most important language skills that students of foreign language need to have This is because the goal of most foreign language students is to get access to the knowledge, they need through the medium of the foreign language they are learning In addition, reading is a very important, even the most important source of linguistic input through which the students acquire the foreign language In this study, the 10 th graders were chosen because they are the first graders; if they build a solid foundation for using reading skills,
2 they will do well in the 11 th and 12 th years Especially in grade 12, they will have a graduation exam where reading skills account for about 4/10 of the total score In the test, two main skills used are reading and writing
The research helps to detect difficulties in teaching or learning reading skills for the 10th graders at Cao Loc High School and makes suggestions on how to teach or learn English reading skills in the surveyed classes, which has practical significance and contributes to the theory of skills teaching Reading ability was assessed not only in class but also for meaningful reference and sharing experiences with my colleagues at school and English teachers in general.
Aims and objectives
The purpose of the research is to improve the reading comprehension skills of 10th grade students at a mountainous school (Cao Loc High School in Lang Son province) with limited facilities and teaching materials, as well as their learning of English
To be more specific, the objectives of this study are:
- To investigate how the 10 th grade students at Cao Loc High School in Lang Son Province learn reading skills in English
- To identify major difficulties in teaching and learning reading comprehension skills in English the teacher and students may face
- To suggest the ways to improve the teaching and learning the reading skills in English for the 10 th grade students at Cao Loc High School.
Research questions
1 What are the Cao Loc High School teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards the teaching and learning of reading?
2 What difficulties do the teachers and learners meet when dealing with reading lesson?
3 What are the suggestions concerning the ways to improve the teaching and learning the reading skills in English for the 10th grade students at Cao Loc High School?
Methods of the study
To find the answers to the research questions in this study, survey research is employed Initially, a classroom observation was done to find out the real
3 difficulties the teachers were facing when teaching reading skills Following that, students and teachers in eight English classrooms at Cao Loc High School were randomly selected to take part in two different kinds of questionnaires Apart from administering a questionnaire, informal interviews were conducted with select instructors to obtain more insights into the real-world situations related to reading comprehension instruction at Cao Loc High School.
Scope of the study
This research is restricted to Cao Loc High School students in the tenth grade, English teachers at Cao Loc High School, and reading comprehension as it is presented in the textbook "Tieng Anh 10."
The results and recommendations were suitable for Cao Loc High School's English instructors and 10th grade pupils In other words, both educators and learners will be capable of discovering methods to enhance the process of imparting and acquiring reading abilities.
Significance of the study
The purpose of this study was to identify a more effective method for assisting students in developing their reading comprehension skills The goal of this study is to provide more effective methods for teaching reading comprehension skills to English teachers in schools, and specifically to the English teachers at Cao Loc High School.
Structure of Thesis
Chapter I The introduction presents the rationale for the study, the aims and objectives, scope and significance, research methodology, and organization of the study
Chapter II A literature review consists of a theoretical background and a literature review of reading comprehension skills
1 Data analysis and discussion of the findings, analysis, and discussion of the data that was collected at the second term of the academic year 2022-2023 at Cao Loc High School based on questionnaires, classroom observations, and interviews
2 Solutions makes some pedagogical suggestions for teachers and students at Cao Loc High School
Chapter V Conclusion summarizes all the issues in the research and suggests some ideas for further study
LITERATURE REVIEW
Review of previous studies
Research on the challenges of teaching reading comprehension skills is available Le Minh Sao (2008) conducted survey interview research to examine how students assessed their reading comprehension challenges in relation to the recently released Tieng Anh 10 textbook Her study's conclusions indicate that vocabulary is the most frequently encountered area of difficulty The opinions that children and instructors had toward reading abilities were still different "Teaching and acquiring reading comprehension skills for grade 11at Hong Quang High School: "Difficulties and Solutions" by Nguyen Thi Huong (2011) is another study that is relevant to reading comprehension abilities The study's conclusions demonstrated a number of methods applied in the initial reading instruction phase using the textbook "Tieng Anh 11." Also emphasized were the students' preferences for various methods Following that, certain recommendations to enhance the environment of instruction and learning at Hong Quang High School were developed in response to the feedback from the faculty and students Data for this study are exclusively gathered via a survey questionnaire Additionally, Vu Thi Thu Ha (2007) looked at the challenges faced by educators and learners while utilizing the new English 10 textbook for students in the fundamental and natural science streams at several Hai Duong schools The researcher has not highlighted the parallels and divergences between the two streams and the schools Robison, J E (2022) Peer Tutoring towards Improved Reading Comprehension of Grade 10 Learners in a National High School International Journal of Multidisciplinary: Applied Business and Education Research, 3(7), 1379-1389.
Review of theoretical background
An outline of the research's theoretical foundation is given in this section It is broken up into four primary parts Definitions of reading and reading comprehension are covered in the first section Teaching reading comprehension is the subject of the next one The third one is reading instruction difficulties The Reading and Reading Comprehension at Cao Loc High School is the last one
2.1 Definitions of reading and reading comprehension
In our spare time, we frequently read novels, picture books, newspapers, magazines, books, and other materials After a long day of work, reading promotes
6 relaxation and lowers stress levels Reading is a totally personal activity that may be done in a variety of ways We comprehend the material, evaluate it, determine its significance, and provide insightful information Humans seldom try to describe reading since it is such an inherent aspect of their existence Diverse academics have provided varying perspectives about the definition of reading I'd want to discuss a few definitions of reading that I've pulled from various sites on the subject here
Reading is a necessary condition for comprehending written material, according to William (1984), Nuttall (1996), and Frank (1985) Furthermore, according to Goodman (1971, p.135), "reading is a psycholinguistic process by which the reader, the language user, reconstructs, as best he can, a message that has been encoded by the writer as a graphic display." Reconstruction is seen as a
"cyclical process of sampling, predicting, testing, and confirming." We can see his basic definition of reading as "reading means reading and understanding" from one additional definition that Ur (1996) supplied Evidently, reading is a concept that interests Harmer (1989) For him, reading is like watching a machine; "the eyes receive the message and the brain has to work out the significance of the message." Smith (1985) described "reading as understanding the author's thought," expressing a similar viewpoint This indicates that readers "read the author's thoughts, not the author's words."
Furthermore, reading is defined as "an active information-seeking process in which readers relate information in the text to what they already know" by Rubin and Thomson (1994q) According to this perspective, a reader's ability to read well depends on their level of world knowledge
It is obvious that there are concepts and characteristics that no description can fully capture We are unable to determine which author's concept of reading is superior because they are all focused on a different aspect of reading All of them, nevertheless, are interested in learning more about the nature of reading and the act of reading, which emphasizes the readers, the reading process, and the reading message It turns out that comprehension and reading are closely related Thus, in order to support our pupils in reading successfully, language teachers need to have a solid understanding of the nature of reading
Reading comprehension: When teaching and learning to read a foreign language, reading comprehension is crucial It may be interpreted as the capacity to quickly and effectively extract the necessary information from the reading text Three components come into play throughout the reading process These include the
7 text being read, the reader's prior knowledge, and the pertinent contextual elements for text interpretation It's important to comprehend the nature of reading comprehension while teaching reading The teacher's knowledge of it will greatly impact the lessons that are taught in the classroom As a matter of fact, several methodologists have been defining reading comprehension in different ways
According to Swan (1975), when we claim that a student is "good at comprehension," we imply that he can read precisely and quickly in order to extract the most information possible from a book with the least amount of comprehension Richard and Thomas (1987) share the same opinion when they state that "an understanding between the author and the reader is best defined as reading comprehension The focus lies on how each reader interprets the printed page in light of their own background and experiences Grellet (1981), who shares the same viewpoint as the writers above, states that "reading comprehension or understanding a written text means extracting the required information from it as efficiently as possible." According to the author, reading comprehension is an exercise that seeks to determine the meaning of word combinations in a as quickly and accurately as possible
In summary, the process of comprehending the information presented in a text is known as reading comprehension It is not necessary for readers to comprehend every word in the text; rather, they should actively engage with it and effectively extract the information they need It is critical that we comprehend what reading comprehension entails A thorough grasp of the nature of reading comprehension can aid instructors in identifying and assisting pupils who have challenges in their reading instruction
The definitions of reading and reading comprehension that have been seen from various angles have been covered thus far
Since reading is by its very nature a "understanding," readers deduce the author's "message" and evaluate texts pertaining to specialized fields in order to get knowledge that will be most useful for their future job and further studies It is also evident that different reading motivations have an impact on different reading styles because of the "relevance" aspects of those motivations Reading objectives set the
"what" and "how" of the reading process; as a result, the right reading techniques and strategies must be used
2.1.3 The importance of reading in learning a foreign language
Reading is important for developing language proficiency as well as background information for other language abilities Reading is seen to be the most efficient way for pupils to increase their language proficiency, according to Hoang et al (2006) Reading becomes more important when there is no setting where pupils may learn a second language since it broadens their vocabulary and background information while also enhancing other abilities
Learning to read well is usually a difficult endeavor that calls for a variety of talents, such as strong English grammatical proficiency, a large vocabulary, and reading strategies First and foremost, reading fosters better writing, a larger vocabulary in English, and the ability to think in the language Reading can "help to increase knowledge of the target language through exposure to new vocabulary and grammatical structures," according to Richard (1993) Reading and vocabulary knowledge are closely related since, when reading, readers are able to deduce the meaning of many unknown terms from the context and are already familiar with the majority of the words in the text Reading is therefore the greatest method for expanding one's vocabulary It seems sense that readers with vast vocabulary sets are typically proficient readers
In addition, Richard (1993) said that "reading in the new language is also an important way to learn about the target culture." This means that reading exposes students to a variety of fascinating material, aids in their understanding of the customs, beliefs, and other characteristics of the native population, and serves as a useful means of learning about novel concepts, information, and experiences As a result, they are able to grasp grammar, vocabulary, and any background information or cross-cultural issues they may come into
There are three reasons why reading is important, according to Byrne (1988): "It gives language learners another area of achievement We would acknowledge that not every student would be an excellent speaker and at the very least provide them recognition if they do well in reading." "It equips students with an independent skill that is essential for self-access work." Most pupils will probably require it as one of their long-term talents It is undoubtedly one that they will be able to utilize forever In other words, even if they are not given many opportunities to communicate, they can still read Proficiency in reading comprehension is crucial Without them, the reader is unable to obtain knowledge, apply it to carry out tasks effectively, and take in life's richness In general, reading
9 opens up a reader's mind to a vast array of information about a variety of topics
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research questions
1 What are the Cao Loc High School teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards the teaching and learning of reading?
2 What difficulties do the teachers and learners meet when dealing with reading lesson?
3 What are the suggestions concerning the ways to improve the teaching and learning the reading skills in English for the 10th grade students at Cao Loc High School?
Research approach
In this study, survey research is used to look for answers to the research questions First, observations of the classroom were made to learn more about the actual challenges the teachers had when instructing students in reading Following that, two different survey questionnaires were administered to informants, all the teachers of English, and students who were chosen at random from five Cao Loc High School classrooms (from 10A1 to 10A5) To gather more information regarding the actual circumstances of teaching reading comprehension at Cao Loc high school, qualitative data has been used in addition to the questionnaire, or it has been gathered through informal interviews with select instructors.
Data collection instruments
A variety of data collecting tools were employed to get information Surveys, interviews, and classroom observations were conducted In order to learn more about how teachers run reading times, how pupils work during them, and what challenges they face, observations of classrooms were made Data about the challenges and attitudes of instructors and students toward the reading subject and reading assignments in the textbook "Tieng Anh 10" were gathered through the use of two survey questionnaires Among these three techniques, interviews with the instructors were used to elicit further information
When observations are viewed as a cooperative effort that benefits all parties, they are most successful An observation can give the person being seen insightful comments that other techniques of assessment might miss
The researcher visited five classes during reading periods for this study's classroom observations, noting all activities that took place in each one, including the teacher's presentation of the reading lessons, the teacher's questions and explanations, and the students' English performance Five criteria were used in the reading class observation: Refer to the checklist
"Questionnaires are any written instruments that present respondents with a series of questions or statements to which they are to react either by writing out their answers or selecting from among existing answers," according to Brown (2001)
A questionnaire is used in this study to determine the main challenges faced by educators and learners, as well as the barriers that reduce the efficiency of teaching and learning Both closed-ended and open-ended questions were included in these two categories of surveys To ensure that the students understood the questions, the instructor questionnaire was prepared in English, while the student questionnaire was written in Vietnamese
Educators were asked to complete a questionnaire designed to gather data on their job experience, sentiments regarding the reading parts of the English 10 textbook, and challenges they had when teaching reading skills
Students' opinions regarding the value of reading comprehension abilities in studying English as a required subject in school, their assessment of their existing
23 reading competency, and the challenges they faced in acquiring reading skills were all surveyed using a questionnaire
A nine-question questionnaire was given to 50 students in this study in order to ensure that the questionnaire had sufficient reliability
Questions 1 and 2 (Part II) aim at finding out the students’ attitude about theimportance of reading skill and the sections for reading skills in the textbook ―Tieng Anh 10‖
Questions 3, 4, 5, 6 relate to the way the students often do in a reading lesson
Questions 7, 8 aim at finding out the problems the students face in reading teaching process with the textbook ―Tieng Anh 10‖.
Questions 9 focus on students‟ expectation of teachers‟ solutions to the difficulties.
Nine closed- and open-ended questions are developed in order to get feedback on the challenges Cao Loc High School instructors had when instructing 10th pupils in reading skills and potential remedies
Questions 1, 2, (Part I) request the matter concerning the teachers‟ educationand work experience
Questions 1 and 2 (Part II) aim at finding out the teachers‟ opinions on the importance of reading skill and the sections for reading skills in the textbook
Questions 3, 4, 5, 6 relate to the way the teachers often do in a reading lesson
Questions 7 aim at finding out the challenges the teachers face in reading teaching process with the textbook ―Tieng Anh 10‖
Questions 8, 9 focus on teachers’ suggested solutions to difficult situations theymeet
"Interview is a data-collection method in which an interviewer asks questions of an interviewee," according to Johnson B and Christensen L (2000) Hussey & Hussey (1997) express a similar opinion when they state that an interview is a research procedure in which chosen participants are questioned to learn their thoughts and feelings
Sager (1993) asserts that it is beneficial to generate pertinent facts and insights when conducting interviews in order to gather data Even though conducting an interview often takes a significant amount of time from both the interviewer and the interviewee, it's a great approach to get information Put otherwise, conducting an interview is a highly advantageous method of obtaining detailed and all- encompassing data They entail one person conducting a personal or in-depth interview with another
Vietnamese was the language used for all of the interviews so that the participants could express their opinions freely without feeling limited by speaking in a second language The researcher then thoroughly transcribed, translated, and examined them to identify any recurring patterns.
Data analysis methods
This study's goals were achieved by utilizing both qualitative and quantitative approaches (data analysis techniques).
Data collection procedures
Fifty students and ten instructors participated in the study A pair of questionnaires were designed with the aim of gathering data for the study Having used the textbook "Tieng Anh 10," they had all previously taught reading comprehension to tenth-form students
There were 5 classes of grade ten at the time of studying To have reliable variables, ten students per each class included in the survey To be objective, judgmental sampling was not possible because the students in each class was not at the same level So, they were picked by random sampling.
5.2 Teachers and Methods of teaching
Ten English instructors, ages thirty to forty-eight, work at Cao Loc High School Of them, three graduated from Thai Nguyen University of Education and seven graduated from Vietnam National University, Hanoi (University of
Languages and International Studies) With twenty years of experience as an educator, the oldest instructor is over ten years older than the youngest When it comes to their careers, they are all excited
Regarding methodology, teachers are aware of the modern trend in teaching approaches, which is a learner-centered approach By providing their students instructions and then asking them to go through the book or debate the material in groups or pairs, they aim to instill independence in their students' study habits But not all educators are able to do that, and little time is spent on these kinds of things Most pupils in the tenth grade are also unable to do tasks on their own As a result, while teaching reading classes, teachers frequently use the conventional approach The majority of the time, teachers take center stage in the classroom, serving as the primary instructors and guide students through the material New vocabulary and structural explanations are provided by the teachers, along with solutions to challenging challenges The pupils then behave passively Additionally, a teacher's ability to adjust to the demands of the classroom will determine how successful they are
Multiple instruments were created, as was covered in the preceding section For a period of seven weeks, five instructors' classrooms were observed during four reading lessons each class The investigator made copious field notes on everything witnessed in the classroom because the teachers felt uncomfortable having their classes videotaped or audiotaped Next, a questionnaire was created for both teachers and students based on observations made in the classroom Notably, 50 students in the tenth grade were polled to facilitate the data analysis The researcher chose a random member of each class for inquiry rather than the entire class Ten teachers and fifty pupils each received 1 copy of the questionnaire, which were all returned and utilized for analysis, respectively Every response to the inquiries was noted for future review.
Data analytical units
Using Microsoft Excel 2007, the data from the questionnaire was entered into the computer and examined In order to look at how instructors and students
26 feel about the value of reading comprehension abilities and what challenges they face while teaching reading courses, descriptive statistics, such as percentages, were used Additionally, data from interviews and classroom observations was combined.
Summary of the chapter
As the name of the chapter indicates, firstly this chapter deals with the discussion about the research approaches and data collecting methods which have been used in the study After that, the author has given an account on the ways of investigating how the students learn reading skills to find out how they feel, what difficulties they may meet with during the time and what could be done to improve the situation The results of the investigation will be discussed in the next chapter.
DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF THE FINDINGS
Report of the data analysis
With permission, the researcher also observed five teachers' classrooms over the course of seven weeks at Cao Loc High School in addition to administering the surveys The findings of the classroom observations accurately depicted the challenges that the teachers really faced when instructing students in reading comprehension in English.
1 Using textbook, chalk, board, lesson plan 100% 0%
3 Visual aids (real objects, pictures, miming, gestures, facial 20% 80% expression )
5 Games (Noughts and crosses, lucky number ) 40% 60%
1 Language of instructions is clear and concise and students are 80% 20% able to carry them on
2 Clarity, tone and audibility of voice 40% 60%
3 Pronunciation, intonation, fluency is in appropriate and 40% 60% acceptable use of language
4 Teacherss writing on the board is clear enough for student to 80% 20% carry on
5 Most of the lessons are smooth, sequent and logical 80% 20%
5 Time amount is distributed appropriately to the stages of the 60% 40% lesson
1 Patience in eliciting students’ responses 80% 20%
2 Pupils are engaged and pay close attention 40% 60%
4 Effective individual, pair, and group work 40% 60%
Table 1: The results of classroom observations
Every teacher had a similar basic format for their courses, which included warm-up exercises, a presentation, practice and consolidation exercises, and homework Language skills were the main emphasis of the class Before, during, and after are the three phases that are always present I saw that student-centered instruction predominated in most of the classes The professors engaged the students in a variety of activities That being said, there were still some issues
As seen in Table 1, every instructor meticulously prepared the lessons for their students Other than the textbook, chalkboard, and board—which are utilized in every reading lesson - many teachers do not prepare handouts, sub-boards, visual aids, or computer aids to pique students' interest or assist students in remembering new words and summarizing the lesson Forty percent of them, or two, employed games with fortunate numbers to pique pupils' interest
Most of the lessons went well and rationally because of the excellent preparation for them, and 80% of the teachers gave clear and simple directions It is sufficient for pupils to follow along with four of the teacher's writings on the board However, when directing pupils on how to complete the objectives in their classrooms, the lecturers spoke too much Vietnamese The requirements of the assignments given in the textbook were often translated into Vietnamese by them
While the exercises were going on, the majority of them moved around the classroom Each of the three of them gave the classes the proper length of time at each level One of them dedicated a lot of time to practice, but not as much to the presentation
He had a lot of work ahead of him when it came to new vocabulary and structures Eighty percent of them employed a conversational strategy In their class, three of them made use of flexible tactics
All educators use caution, and eighty percent are patient while getting answers from their students One of them is severe and demanding
Teacher-student contact was a concern in every class that was observed Students had a restricted amount of time, but professors had an excessive amount Instructors usually did practically everything for their students, including explaining the assignments Stated differently, instructors guided and managed the class based on the teachings
In the lesson, most of the pupils were obedient For learning and practice, they were overly reliant on the instructor and their practice partners They were too cautious and bashful to strike up a conversation They remained silent until someone called on them Some others were unable to talk or read at all They remained still That was a waste of the lesson's time This was one of the causes of the lesson's frequent time shortages
In addition, 60% of the teachers did a poor job of setting up group and pair work Pupils spoke in their mother tongue most of the time while completing the assignments and participated hesitantly Furthermore, one or two students in each group displayed extreme dominance, with the remaining pupils remaining mute and according to the commands of their peers It was evident that the pupils' proficiency in English varied Moreover, most of the pupils in the classrooms that were observed were not actively engaged They barely ever objected, asked questions, or voiced their own opinions It was challenging for the teachers to motivate the pupils to participate
In conclusion, the results of the observation of classes revealed that: teachers used Vietnamese excessively; real materials were used infrequently; students' English language skills were poor; group work was poorly organized; students learned passively; and there was no incentive for students to participate The questionnaire was created based on the conclusions drawn from the in-class observations
Of the fifty students who participated in the poll, ninety-five percent had been studying English for more than four years Out of all the students, just 5 percent had studied English for more than 7 years (3 years in elementary school and 4 years in secondary school)
After finishing a high school year in Grade 10 Students’ English scores ranged from 3.5 to 9.6 on average Approximately 55% of them had scores between 5 and 6.4, 20% between 6.5 and 7.9, 4% above 8, and 21% below 5 It is evident that the participants' average scores were low, which may indicate that they were not very concerned with learning English
The difficulties students have in learning to read
Question 1: The importance of developing reading skills
Chart 1: Students’ attitudes toward the importance of learning reading skills
The views of the pupils regarding reading as compared to the other abilities are displayed in Chart 1 The majority of students (42%) said that having strong reading
6 a It is the most important b It is as important as other skills (speaking, listening and writing) c It is not as important as other skills (speaking, listening and writing) d Not important at all
31 comprehension was crucial Of them, 38% said that reading comprehension was just as crucial as the other abilities in the "Tieng Anh 10" textbook Twelve percent of them said that other abilities were more essential than reading comprehension Just 6% of them thought reading was unimportant at all
Chart 2: Students’ opinion on the reading text in the textbook
According to the statistics in Chart 2, most students (64% = 32 students) felt that the English 10 reading parts were appropriate for their reading ability Of these, 6% disagreed and 20% thought it was fascinating 8% of participants thought it was too advanced for them
Chart 3: Students’ activities in before reading
Discussion of the findings
By providing a quick response to the research question, the main points of the study are summed up as follows:
2.1.1 The teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards the teaching and learning of reading
Based on the data analysis above, the majority of Cao Loc High School instructors and students acknowledged the value of reading and stated favorable views toward both teaching and mastering reading comprehension abilities Reading comprehension was deemed to be the most crucial ability by the majority of students (21 = 42%) 38% (19 students) of them stated that reading comprehension was just as crucial as other subjects included in the "Tieng Anh 10" textbook 12% (6 students) said that other abilities were more essential than reading comprehension Just 6% (3 students) of them said that reading had no significance at all
Additionally, the study showed that 64% of students and 60% of instructors thought the reading parts were appropriate for the students' level
2.1.2 The difficulties do the teachers meet when dealing with a reading lesson
The data analysis clearly demonstrates that students' primary challenges, which affect both their motivation for reading and their understanding, are their limitations in vocabulary and grammatical structures (80%), their lack of appropriate reading strategies, and their background knowledge Dealing with reading lessons presented several challenges for both teachers and pupils The teachers all agreed that the main issue with reading is the restricted vocabulary and grammatical frameworks The researcher took into account a few theories, including the fact that the pupils in the tenth grade had a relatively little vocabulary and were overly reliant on their friends and instructors The way that pupils read has been impacted by new words Vocabulary is proven to be more difficult than background knowledge Students discovered that in several areas, they knew nothing As a result, students had several challenges when reading about an unusual subject
When asked what they thought of the reading skills subjects and sections in the textbook, the majority of the instructors responded that they were highly fascinating and appropriate for the students' level Nevertheless, as the study's earlier section noted, Cao Loc High School pupils' proficiency in English is poor
As a consequence, teaching new vocabulary or grammatical structures as well as how to complete assignments requires a lot of effort from the teachers The pre-, during-, and post-reading activities of a reading session must also be completed by the teachers They seldom ever finish all three of these phases, in fact They frequently overlook the post-reading stage in favor of the while-reading period
To put it briefly, there are three primary sorts of difficulties: those brought on by the textbook, the professors, and the students themselves
2.1.3 The suggestions concerning the ways to improve the teaching and learning the reading skills in English for the 10th form students at Cao Loc High School
Every single student anticipated that their teacher would make their reading lessons comfortable The majority of them requested encouragement from their teacher to use any prior knowledge they may have had of the subjects They also anticipated that their teacher would assist students in selecting appropriate reading methods for every reading content (74%) It seemed like all of the teachers had the same thoughts Ten out of ten instructors substituted easy activities for the harder ones when faced with them in order to get over their challenges Most of them (70%) encouraged students to activate their previous knowledge related to the topics and invested more time and effort to have well-prepared lesson plans before going to class 60% of them created a comfortable learning environment for their students in every reading lesson.
Suggested solution
According to this survey, Cao Loc high school teachers had a lot of challenges while instructing students in reading comprehension Drawing on the perspectives of Cao Loc High School instructors (as expressed in their responses to interview question 4), as well as the author's research on reading comprehension instruction theory, this chapter offers some recommendations To make the activities in the textbook more student-friendly, recommendations have been made to update teaching resources, spark students' interest, and increase motivation
3.1 Adapting and re-designing the tasks in the textbook to be more suitable to students
"Tieng Anh 10" is a textbook intended for students in the tenth grade nationwide Therefore, it can be problematic for some institutions, like Cao Loc High School, that have low-level pupils Therefore, it is the instructors' duty to modify the assignments so that they are appropriate for the level of our pupils It is crucial, therefore, that the adaptation has a strong relationship to the instructional goals
Teachers expressed dissatisfaction with the length and difficulty of various reading passage parts and reading problems in the new textbook, as was previously noted In the allotted 45 minutes, they were unable to complete every activity As a result, instructors must use their discretion while utilizing the textbook and refrain from having to follow it word for word and finish every activity In lengthy reading sessions, teachers might also remove one or two activities or assign them as homework, swapping out challenging assignments with simpler ones that are appropriate for the students' skill levels Here are a few instances of reading jobs that may be modified:
▪ Cutting out tasks that aren't necessary: For example, Task 3 in Unit 1 "A day in the life of " (see Appendix 6) can be cut out as the answers match those in Task 2
▪ Reducing the complexity of the assignments in the text: For instance In order to make it easier for the students to locate the necessary vocabulary, the instructor might reduce Task 1 in Unit 13 "Films and Cinema" (see Appendix 7) First letters of words that are required can be provided by the teacher
▪ A modification of the task requirements
E.g., Instead of reading "of their village better," the post-reading question for Unit 8, "The Story of My Village," should ask, "How can people with an education help make the life of the community better?"
In summary, instructors must to take the time to consider if the reading assignments in the textbook are suitable for their pupils and, if not, to modify them
First, in terms of supplies and facilities, the library should have a variety of reading materials, and the classroom should have contemporary technology like laptops and overhead projectors The state-of-the-art resources will save teachers a great deal of time when putting down assignments on the board and enable them to employ pre-reading strategies and more effective correction of students' reading assignments Second, stocking the library with a variety of reading resources not only helps students study on their own but also teachers create more engaging lesson plans In addition, instructors will need to utilize the Internet-connected computers in the library to create lesson plans and look for reading materials online Ultimately,
44 additional teaching tools like sub-boards and graphics should also be designed to encourage students to participate more actively in reading activities.
3.3 Techniques for creating reading interest and enhancing motivation
Depending on the student's interests, experiences, background, and subject matter, there are a wide range of approaches of raising motivation and sparking interest at Cao Loc High School It would be beneficial to make some recommendations for the development of students' interest and motivation prior to reading for Cao Loc High School English 10th-form pupils
Visual aids undoubtedly have a significant role in promoting foreign language acquisition Due to its ability to demonstrate the meaning of words through actual objects, drawings, photographs, gestures, and facial expressions, the use of visual aids in instruction is therefore regarded as one of the most effective teaching strategies Any reading lesson may make use of visual aids (Seen appendix 8)
One of the group work tasks is to discuss ideas in a workshop and then write the article title in the middle Next, in order to carry out the following tasks, a group leader has to be appointed: Ensure that the language spoken by everybody is
English Ensure that every member of each group participates Take on the role of group writer in the brainstorming session below
1) Do you like listen to music?
2) What band do you like best?
3) What singer do you like best?
4) What sort of music do you often listen to?
5) Can you name some singers or bands that play pop music?
Groups write in the circles whatever they already know and anything they believe the text could include about the subject As many circles as necessary can be added In actuality, brainstorming sessions help students remember their prior knowledge and prepare them to absorb new material Stated differently, a brainstorming tool may be utilized to boost students' interest, curiosity, and motivation on any English 10 topic while also activating their schemata
Vocabulary is a language component that plays an important role in deciding the learner’s language proficiency since vocabulary is one of three dimensions of a language (phonetics, grammar and vocabulary)
Without grammar, very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed‖ Some 10th-form students often find reading tasks are difficult and boring because of their limitation of vocabulary and grammatical structures The teachers can encourage the students to have extensive reading habit, use word games, use word list.
3.4.1 Encourage students to have extensive reading habit
The pupils will be able to experience the pleasures of reading in a second language through the vast reading resources Additionally, it helps support language comprehension, improve vocabulary, and solidify grammar in the children Selecting reading material is up to the pupils, and the selection is quite straightforward
There should be more word games in the classroom, particularly while the students are consolidating Students' vocabulary learning will increase if they are forced to participate in word games on a voluntary basis This will make them more engaged and diligent Additionally, these kinds of activities can help to foster student connection in the classroom It draws students closer to one another Better
46 study conditions are the consequence, which is a critical component that greatly aids in producing high-quality learning outcomes
Noughts (O) and crosses (X), the fortunate digits, can be used by a teacher in any class
Another efficient method for reviewing vocabulary is to use a word list Teachers should assist students in creating word lists so they may grow accustomed to the new method of vocabulary acquisition, which promotes their independence The assignment requires students to make their own record sheets, on which they must list every word they have chosen, along with its pronunciation, meaning, synonyms, and related forms
Example: English 10, Unit 3: People’s background, p32 science (n) khoa học scientific (adj) thuộc về khoa học scientist (n)nhà khoa học
English 10, Unit 4: Special education, p44 educate /v/giáo duc, đào tạo education (n): sự giáo dục educational (adj): sự giáo dục, đào tạo educationally(adv)
3.5 Techniques for improving students’ background knowledge
The teacher assigns the class to conduct research on a certain topic that interests them and to study as much as they can about it The instructor would then ask her pupils for further information after sharing some of the material she had gathered with the class as a whole during a class encounter As an alternative, educators might break a subject down into many smaller themes and assign each one to a separate group within the class After that, each student group should read aloud so that in the next class, they can debate or share the material with other groups
3.6 Training students to become efficient readers
If the pupils are not proficient readers, they will never meet their reading objectives Furthermore, the study indicates that the most challenges faced by kids
CONCLUSION
Recapitulation
To find the answers to the research questions in this study, survey research is employed Initially, observations were conducted in the classroom to find out more about the real difficulties the instructors encountered when teaching reading to the kids After that, eight Cao Loc high chool classrooms' worth of randomly selected students, English instructors, and informants were given two separate survey questionnaires Qualitative data has been collected in addition to the questionnaire, or it has been obtained through informal interviews with specific instructors, in order to obtain additional information about the real conditions surrounding the teaching of reading comprehension at Cao Loc high school.
Concluding remarks
According to this study, the students' reading comprehension increased, particularly when it came to reading passages from the tenth grade textbook They have changed their attitudes towards the learning of reading It means that there was a big difference
Since reading is one of the receptive skills that allows students to learn the target language more thoroughly than other methods, it is crucial for students to have strong reading abilities in order to become proficient readers The reading instructors at Cao Loc high school are expected to be aware of a variety of elements influencing their students' reading comprehension in the context of this study Of these, the pupils in the tenth grade should focus on the following four primary factors: The deficiency of students' motivation, their restricted vocabulary and grammatical structures, their lack of prior knowledge and global knowledge, and their inappropriate reading practices
The 10th grade students at Cao Loc high school reported experiencing reading challenges, and this study analyzes these issues and their apparent causes Specifically, reading difficulties with vocabulary, reading techniques, background knowledge, and global knowledge are examined In an effort to determine how well instructors comprehend their students' reading acquisition process, the study also
49 examined how teachers perceive their students' challenges with reading The study's conclusions show a significant disconnect between the preferences of the pupils and the things that teachers have done to inspire them Most kids would rather get reading methods and effective reading techniques from teachers.
Limitations of the study
Due to the shortage of time and the lack of practical experience, all the issues of the teaching process cannot be covered as a whole, shortcomings were unavoidable
Initially, the researcher gathers information on the demands for teaching and learning reading as well as the opinions of the instructors and the 10th-form students on reading comprehension challenges through class observation, two survey questionnaires, and interviews There may not be enough students for the researcher to reach accurate conclusions since the 50 students that take part in the surveys are selected at random from 5 classes
Secondly, the researcher is unable to determine the efficacy of some recommended reading instruction strategies since they have not all been thoroughly tested As a result, the recommendations for enhancing reading comprehension abilities for Cao Loc High School pupils in the tenth grade may be arbitrary and lacking
Lastly, because this thesis was conducted in the vicinity of Cao Loc High School, the teaching strategies discussed may not be appropriate to use in other high schools due to variations in the language competency of the students and other societal limitations Notwithstanding these drawbacks, the researcher is adamant that the study was somewhat effective Even though this is only a small-scale study, it offers some very useful recommendations for teaching reading comprehension abilities to kids in the tenth grade.
Recommendations for Further studies
The following recommendations for more research are offered in light of the study's limitations and findings:
- How to solve vocabulary problems while learning reading comprehension techniques, games, and exercises to keep pupils engaged throughout reading classes To assist pupils, acquire reading comprehension more effectively, modify challenging assignments.
- An investigation of the effectiveness of teaching Cao Loc high school pupils other English language skills, such speaking, listening, and writing
- An investigation on methods and exercises designed to enhance the reading comprehension abilities of Cao Loc high school pupils.
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Date……… School………Grade ……… Lesson……… Period/Time (from/to)……… Teacher……… Observer………
1 Using textbook, chalk, board, lesson plan
3 Visual aids (real objects, pictures, miming, gestures, facial expression )
5 Games (Noughts and crosses, lucky number )
1 Language of instructions are clear and concise and students are able to carry them on
2 Clarity, tone and audibility of voice
3 Pronunciation, intonation, fluency are in appropriate and acceptable use of language
4.Teacher‟s writing on the board is clear enough for student to carry on
5 Time amount is distributed appropriately to the stages of the lesson
1 Patience in eliciting students’ responses
2 Students are attentive and involved
4 Effective individual, pair, and group work
This survey questionnaire is designed to help me to complete the thesis: entitled
“Improving the 10th grade students’ reading abilities in English at a high school in Lang Son Province” Your assistance in completing the following items is highly appreciated All the information provided by you is solely for the study purpose, and you can be confident that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data Thank you very much for your cooperation!
1 How long have you been learning English? …… years
2 Your average marks in English in the first and second term of Grade 10: ……
PART II: STUDENTS’ PROBLEMS IN ACQUIRING READING SKILLS
For all the questions, please provide your answers by ticking one or more of the boxes or writing in the given space
1 What do you think about the importance of developing reading skills in the textbook ―Tieng Anh 10‖? a It is the most important. b It is as important as other skills (speaking, listening, and writing) c It is not as important as other skills (speaking, listening, and writing) d not important at all e Others (please specify) ………
2 The reading text in the textbook are a Interesting b Boring c suitable to your level d not suitable to your level
3 What do you often do in the pre-reading stage? a Guess the content of the text through the topic of the reading b List learnt words and structures relating to the reading c Read the requirement of the reading tasks d Do nothing but read the text e Others (please specify) ………
4 How do you often read in while-reading stage? a Read slowly from the beginning to the end in order to understand the meaning of every word in the text, then the reading tasks b Read each paragraph, stop to find the meaning of the new words, then continue c Skip new words and base on the context to guess the general meaning of the text. d Others (please specify) ………
5 You usually understand the texts: a When you have known the meanings of the new words and grammatical structures in the reading text. b By basing on your background knowledge c After completing all the tasks d After you or the teacher translates the text into Vietnamese e Others (please specify) ………
6 After reading lesson, you expect to be able to: a Summarize and report the text in your own words b Remember the key words in the text c Use the words in the text in your daily life d Others (please specify) ………
7 As for you, what problems are you facing in learning reading?
Yes No a I lack vocabulary and grammatical structures b I lack confidence and motivation c I lack knowledge about the topic I am reading d Some reading passages are too long and full of new words e The tasks for reading in the textbook are not suitable to you f Some topics in the textbook are too difficult g Time to exploit reading lessons is limited h The teacher doesn’t teach us sufficient reading strategies. i The teacher’s lesson is not interesting and efficient k The teacher is too strict and demanding
8 What do you often do when you have difficulties in doing reading tasks? a Discuss with friend to find out the right answer b Wait for the right answer from the teacher’s correction c Ask the teacher for help d Others (please specify) ………
9 What do you expect the teacher do to help you overcome the difficulties?
(Choose as many as possible) a Teacher corrects reading tasks carefully b Teacher explains clearly about the reading context. c Teacher encourages you to activate your previous knowledge related to the topics d Teacher offers as you many chances to read the passage as you expect e Teacher helps students to choose suitable reading strategies for each reading text. f Teacher exploits different kinds of reading materials suitable to your ability and your interest g Teacher creates comfortable environment for you in every reading lesson h Teacher gives students more communicative exercises to help remember vocabulary more easily i Others (please specify) ………
BẢN CÂU HỎI CHO HỌC SINH
Mục đích của những câu hỏi dưới đây là để tìm ra những khó khăn mà học sinh lớp 10 trường THPT Cao Lộc gặp phải trong quá trình học kĩ năng đọc Câu trả lời của các bạn sẽ được nghiên cứư và là nguồn đóng góp rất có giá trị để hoàn thiện cách dạy và học Tiếng Anh.
PHẦN I: THÔNG TIN CÁ NHÂN
1 Bạn đã học tiếng Anh bao lâu? …………năm
2 Điểm trung bình môn tiếng Anh cả năm lớp 10 của em: …………
PHẦN II: NHỮNG VẤN ĐỀ HỌC SINH GẶP PHẢI TRONG QUÁ TRÌNH HỌC KĨ NĂNG ĐỌC
1 Em cảm thấy kĩ năng đọc tiếng Anh quan trọng như thế nào? A Rất quan trọng
B Quan trọng bằng các kĩ năng khác (nghe, nói, và viết) C Em đánh giá kĩ năng khác (nghe, nói, và viết) cao hơn
D Em chưa nhận thấy tầm quan trọng của kĩ năng này
2 Theo em các chủ đề bài đọc trong sách giáo khoa
C Phù hợp với trình độ của em D không phù hợp với trình độ của em
3 Em thường làm gì trước khi đọc bài khoá?
A Đoán nội dung của bài khoá qua tiêu đề của bài đọc
B Liệt kê tất cả các từ hoặc cấu trúc đã học có liên quan đến chủ đề bài đọc C Đọc các yêu cầu của bài tập đọc
D Em không làm gì mà đọc luôn nội dung của bài đọc
4 Trong khi đọc, em thường đọc như thế nào?
A Đọc từ đầu đến cuối rồi đi vào yêu cầu của bài đọc
B Đọc mỗi đoạn, rồi dừng để tìm hiểu nghĩa của từ mới rồi đọc tiếp
C Bỏ qua từ mới và dựa vào ngữ cảnh để hiểu nghĩa tổng quát của bài đọc.
5 Em thường hiểu bài khoá:
A Chỉ khi em đã biết nghĩa của tất cả các từ và cấu trúc mới trong bài B Bằng cách dựa vào kiến thức đã biết của em
C Sau khi đã hoàn thành tất cả các bài tập của bài đọc
D Sau khi dịch hoặc giáo viên dịch bài khoá sang tiếng Việt
6 Sau khi đọc, em mong muốn
A Hiểu và tóm tắt được bài khoá theo cách hiểu riêng của em B Nắm được ý nghĩa và cách dùng của các từ khoá
C Vận dụng các từ trong bài khoá vào cuộc sống hàng ngày D Ý kiến khác (nếu có): ………
7 Theo em những khó khăn mà em gặp phải trong quá trình học đọc với cuốn sách giáo khoa ―Tiếng Anh 10‖ là gì?
A Em thiếu vốn từ vựng và cấu trúc ngữ pháp
B Em thiếu tự tin và động lực học tập
C giáo viên quá nghiêm khắc và yêu cầu cao D Một số bài đọc quá dài và nhiều từ mới
E Các nhiệm vụ trong bài đọc không phù hợp với khả năng của em F Một số chủ đề quá khó
G Quá ít thời gian để tìm hiểu bài
H Giáo viên không dạy các chiến lược đọc
I Bài học của giáo viên khoong hấp dẫn
K Em thiếu kiến thức về chủ đề đang học
8 Em thường làm gì khi gặp những khó khăn trong phần làm các bài tập sau khi đọc?
A Thảo luận với bạn để tìm câu trả lời đúng
B Đợi câu trả lời đúng khi thầy cô chữa bài
9 Em muốn giáo viên làm gì để giúp em vượt qua khó khăn trong các bài học đọc?
A Giáo viên chữa các phần nhiệm vụ cẩn thận
B Giáo viên giải thích rõ ràng về ngữ cảnh của bài đọc
C Giáo viên khuyến khích em sử dụng kiến thức nền lien quan đến chủ đề đang đọc
D Giáo viên tạo cho em nhiều cơ học đọc bài khoá
E Giáo viên giúp em lựa chọn những chiến lược đọc phù hợp cho mỗi bài F Giáo viên khai thác những chủ đề đọc khác phù hợp với khả năng của em G Giáo viên tạo môi trường học tập thoải mái trong các tiết học đọc
H Giáo viên cho học sinh thêm bài tập giao tiếp để em nhớ từ dễ hơn
This survey questionnaire is designed to help me to complete the thesis: entitled
“Improving the 10th grade students’ reading abilities in English at a high school in Lang Son Province” Your assistance in completing the following items is highly appreciated All the information provided by you is solely for the study purpose, and you can be confident that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data Thank you very much for your co-operation!
For all the questions, please answer by ticking one or more of the boxes or writing in the given space
PART II: TEACHERS’ PROBLEMS IN TEACHING READING SKILLS FOR THE GRADE 10 STUDENTS
1 What do you think about the importance of reading skills in the textbook ―Tieng Anh 10‖? a It is the most important b It is as important as other skills (speaking, listening, and writing) c It is not as important as other skills (speaking, listening, and writing) d Others (please specify) ………
2 What do you think about the reading text in the textbook ―Tieng Anh 10‖? a Interesting b Boring c suitable to your level d not suitable to your level e Others (please specify) ………
3 What do you often do in the pre-reading stage? a Introduce the topic of the reading b Introduce new words appearing in the reading text. c Elicit students‟ background knowledge. d Ask students to predict what they are going to read. e Do nothing f Others (please specify) ………