A study on students' motivation in reading skills at Quang Lower secondary school = Nghiên cứu về động lực học kỹ năng đọc hiểu của học sinh trường THCS Quảng Đ

------ HOÀNG THỊ HÀ A STUDY ON STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN READING SKILLS AT QUANG LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOL Nghiên cứu về động lực học kỹ năng đọc hiểu của học sinh trường THCS Quảng Đ

- -

HOÀNG THỊ HÀ

A STUDY ON STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN READING SKILLS

AT QUANG LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOL (Nghiên cứu về động lực học kỹ năng đọc hiểu của học sinh

trường THCS Quảng Định)

M.A MINOR THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60.14.10

Hanoi, 2011

- -

HOÀNG THỊ HÀ

A STUDY ON STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN READING SKILLS

AT QUANG LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOL (Nghiên cứu về động lực học kỹ năng đọc hiểu của học sinh

trường THCS Quảng Định)

M.A MINOR THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60.14.10

Supervisor: Nguyen Bang, M.A

Hanoi, 2011

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

1 LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: The reasons for students’ learning reading skills

Table 2: Factors affecting students’ motivation in reading

Table 3: The frequency of activities used by the teachers

Table 4: Techniques used by the teachers

Table 5: Results of classroom observation

Table 6: Teacher’s comments on the textbook

Table 7: Students’ comments on the topics of the textbooks

Table 8: Students’ comments on teachers’ employment of activities

2 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: The relationship between reasons for reading and types of reading Figure 2: Student’s attitudes towards the importance of learning English reading

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT i

ABSTRACT ii

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iv

PART 1: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Rationale of the study 1

1.2 Aims of the study 2

1.3 Research questions 2

1.4 Scope of the study 2

1.5 Methods of the study 3

1.6 Significance of the study 3

1.7 Design of the study 3

PART II: DEVELOPMENT……… 5

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 5

1.1 Theoretical backgrounds of motivation 5

1.1.1 Definition of motivation 5

1.1.2 Main types of motivation in second language learning 6

1.1.3 Role of motivation in second language learning 8

1.2 Theoretical backgrounds of reading 9

1.2.1 Definitions of reading 9

1.2.2 Reasons for reading 10

1.2.3 Types of reading 10

1.2.3.1 According to ways of reading 11

1.2.3.2 According to reasons of reading 12

1.2.4 The importance of teaching and learning reading 14

1.3 Motivation in reading 15

1.3.1 The importance of motivation in reading second language 15

1.3.2 Main factors affecting students’ motivation in reading second language 16

1.3.2.1 The reading materials 16

1.3.2.2 The teacher 17

1.3.2.3 The students 18

1.4 Summary 19

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 20

2.1 Context of the study 20

2.2 Participants 21

2.3 Instruments 21

2.3.1 Classroom observation 21

2.3.2 Survey Questionnaires 21

2.3.2.1 Survey questionnaires for the teachers 22

2.3.2.2 Survey questionnaires for the students 22

2.3.3 Interview 22

2.4 Data collection procedures 22

2.5 Summary 23

CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS 24

3.1 The identification of students’ motivation 24

3.1.1 Types of students’ motivation in learning reading 24

3.1.2 Students’ attitude towards reading 26

3.1.3 Factors affecting students’ motivation in learning reading 27

3.2 Activities and techniques employed by the teachers 28

3.3 Motivational strategies and techniques to motivate students 33

PART III: CONCLUSION 35

1 Summary of the major findings and discussion 35

2 Implications 36

3 Recommendations 37

4 Limitations 37

5 Suggestions for further study 38

REFERENCES……… 39

APPENDICES

PART I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale of the study

English has developed with an unprecedented speed in Viet Nam since the Government implemented the open-door policy to the regional and global integration English proficiency is, then, seen as vital requirement for employment and higher education As a result, almost learners have to study English as second language for job seeking, job promotion or overseas studies Nowadays, in lower secondary schools, English becomes one of the compulsory subjects on which Grade-9 students are tested at their State Graduation Examination

Douglas (2007) wrote that "children who read frequently grow to become skillful readers" Many researchers also argue that reading is one of the most important skills for second language readers According to these researchers, reading is crucial for learning new information, explaining, interpreting, and combining it based on old information and expectations Its instrumental use is particularly important at the lower secondary school stage From my own observation and involvement as a part-time teacher of Quang Dinh Lower Secondary School since 2007, I realize that almost students find reading lessons tough and boring in which they often feel sleepy Only a few students get involved in the activities conducted by teachers while others keep silence or do something else Obviously, one of the biggest challenges to teachers is to find out effective ways to improve their students' reading skills

This study addresses the issue by looking at the students' motivation in learning reading skills as it is widely acknowledged that motivation plays a very important role in second language learning process Motivation is one of the key factors that determines the success

or failure of language learning While a considerable amount of research has been conducted to study the motivation and its effects on second language acquisition, little has been particularly taken on students' motivation in learning reading comprehension skills alone

For the above reasons, I would like to carry out ―A study on students' motivation in reading skills at Quang Dinh Lower Secondary School” with an attempt to investigate

the factors affecting students' motivation in learning reading skills and suggest some ways

to motivate them to learn reading comprehension skills better It is believed that the study will be helpful for those who are facing similar problems and those who want to improve students' motivation in learning reading skills

1.2 Aims and objectives

The study aims at investigating the motivation in learning English reading among grade-9 students at Quang Dinh Lower Secondary School To achieve this aim, the study sets out to obtain four specific objectives as follows:

1 To examine types of motivation possessed by the grade-9 students at Quang

Dinh Lower Secondary School

2 To identify the main factors affecting the students’ motivation in learning

English reading

3 To examine activities and techniques used by the teachers to motivate their

learners in reading lessons

4 To recommend how to use reading materials and suggest some motivational

strategies and techniques to enhance the grade-9 students’ reading comprehension skills

(iii) What are motivational activities and techniques employed by the teachers in

reading lessons? What are teachers and students’ opinions on the reading materials?

(iv) What motivational strategies and techniques should be applied to improve

students’ reading skills?

1.4 Scope of the study

Recent researchers show that motivation is the key factor which determines the success or the failure of second language learning among many factors in the second language acquisition process This study investigates motivation as a separate factor in learning English reading The result of the study will be applied to enhance the reading comprehension skills of grade-9 students at Quang Dinh Lower Secondary School

1.5 Methods of the study

This case study is carried out on the basis of material collection, classroom observation, survey questionnaires and interview The use of data striangulation insures that the information about the subject is tested in more than one way, so the most reliable data will

1.6 Significance of the study

The study focuses on the importance of motivation and identifies the factors affecting students’ motivation in learning English reading skills Its findings are believed to help teachers of English to be aware of vital role of reading materials to students’ motivation in reading lessons Since then, the study suggests some motivational strategies for better reading comprehension

1.7 Design of the study

The study is designed with three parts as follows:

PART 1: INTRODUCTION

The part presents the rationale of the study, aims of the study, research questions, scope of the study, methods of the study and the significance

PART 2: DEVELOPMENT

Chapter 1: Literature review

The chapter provides theoretical backgrounds of motivation and reading In this chapter, the theories for motivation, nature of reading, motivation in reading and main factors affecting motivation in English reading learning are discussed

Chapter 2: Methodology

The chapter presents the methodology used in this study including data collection, the procedure of data analysis and instruments

Chapter 3: Data analysis and findings

The chapter shows the results of the data analysis based on the classroom observation,

survey questionnaires and interview

PART 3: CONCLUSION

The part summarizes the major findings and discussion, implications, recommendations as well as suggestions for further study and some limitations of the study

PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter is concerned with the theories of motivation and second language reading Three main features will be presented: theoretical background of motivation, theoretical background of reading and motivation in second language reading

1.1 Theoretical backgrounds of motivation

1.1.1 Definition of motivation

Despite the divergence of the approaches used to study motivation, its definitions are surprisingly uniform In simple terms, motivation, based on the Latin verb for ―move,‖ is the force that makes one do something It is a process that involves goals, physical or mental activity, and is both instigated and sustained (Pintrich & Schunk, 1996: 4-5; Williams, 1997) It is characterized in terms of direction, duration and intensity Earlier theorists tended to portray motivation mechanistically, related to needs satisfaction (Maslow, 1987; Owens, 1987), while the more recent cognitive psychologists portray motivation as a product of conscious decision (Williams, 1997)

However, the definition of motivation used in second language (SL) studies is less uniform As Crookes and Schmidt (1991) point out, even though almost every text has a chapter on motivation, it is used more as a general catch-all rather than a precise construct They quote McDonough in pointing out that ―motivation‖ is used ―as a general cover term – a dustbin – to include a number of possibly distinct concepts‖ (Crookes & Schmidt, 1991) Whatever the case, it has been traditionally corresponded with and measured by proficiency It is also defined as producing ―engagement in and persistence with the learning task‖ (Crookes & Schmidt, 1991) This is especially true among teachers rather

than second language researchers, who ―would describe a student as motivated if he or she

becomes productively engaged in learning tasks and sustains that engagement, without the need for continual encouragement or direction‖ (Crookes & Schmidt, 1991: 480)

A summary of definitions offered by Mitchell (1982: 81), even though he is not an SL researcher, is succinct, modern, and seems to cover the definitions offered in both fields It

is, in fact, quite similar to the definition offered by Williams and Burden (1997),

who are SL researchers Mitchell’s definition is: "Motivation becomes those psychological

processes that cause arousal, direction, and persistence of voluntary actions that are related"

goal-According to Gardner, a highly motivated individual will want to learn the language, enjoy learning the language, and strive to learn the language The Gardner’s theory of second

language learning motivation is based on the definition of motivation as ―the extent to

which the individual works or strives to learn the language because of a desire to do so and the satisfaction experienced in this activity‖ (Gardner 1985) In this definition,

motivation is described as goal-directed; the learners’ immediate goal is to learn the language Gardner proposed that in order to understand why learners were motivated, it is necessary to understand the learners’ ultimate goal or purpose for learning the language Gardner refers to this as the learner’s orientation He identified two distinct orientations for learning a language: integrative and instrumental

1.1.2 Main types of motivation in second language learning

The types of motivation are controversial and there has been many distinctions made in the literature so far

1.1.2.1 Integrative motivation verse instrumental motivation

Second Language research on motivation has followed a different track and has been dominated by one theory in particular (Crookes & Schmidt, 1991; Gardner, 1992) In

1959, Gardner and Lambert divided the motivation to learn a language into two types,

instrumental motivation and integrative motivation Integrative motivation is characterized

by a positive attitude towards the speakers and culture of the target language, while instrumental motivation is characterized by learning the language for practical purposes, such as gaining employment or passing a test

Integrative motivation is highly correlated with achievement, so of the two orientations, integrative motivation has usually been held as superior (Crookes & Schmidt, 1991) This

is not necessarily Gardner’s position since he states the social context might make an instrumental orientation better in some situations and an integrative orientation better in others (Williams, 1997)

―Gardner’s theories have influenced virtually all SL-related research in this area‖ (Crookes

& Schmidt, 1991: 471), but have also been criticized, especially in regard to the integrative motive hypothesis and the causality hypothesis Interpretation of the empirical data from research to validate these theories is controversial, since various studies have produced different results Clearly, other factors impinge Some factors, such as age, can be controlled for, but others, such as cultural values, cannot Gardner’s chief critic, Oller, suggests that the relationship between affective factors and language learning may be an

―unstable non-linear function of high variability‖ (Crookes & Schmidt, 1991: 48)

In his 1988 defense of the theory, Gardner indicated that across a large number of studies, there have been significant correlation between integrative attitudes and language proficiency, and in his own later study (1992), he found a strong correlation with the learning of vocabulary items Integrative motivation has been also correlated with persistence; Ramage (1991) conducted a study to find what relationship exists between various motivations and the likelihood of a student to continue in a program She found that an interest in the foreign culture and in learning the language, but not for instrumental reasons, thoroughly distinguished those students who would continue in a program from those who would not

The strong correlation between integrative motivation and achievement implies causality, but, as in all correlations, making such an assumption is speculative Integrativeness and achievement might both be products of another, not yet identified causes Savignon and Strong (cited in Crookes & Schmidt, 1991: 474), have even proposed that the causality might work in reverse as well Rather than a positive attitude towards the target language leading to proficiency, proficiency and success in the second language might cause a positive attitude, while failure produces a negative attitude (Crookes & Schmidt, 1991)

1.1.2.2 Intrinsic motivation verse extrinsic motivation

Harmer, J (1994) classifies motivation into two main categories: intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation According to him, intrinsic motivation concerns with what is taken place in the classroom whereas the extrinsic is concerned with factors outside the classroom Therefore, he considered integrative motivation and instrumental motivation as

of extrinsic motivation

In 1992, Moore, K.D (p 173) proposes the distinction of the two concepts, that is:

―Intrinsic motivation is what learners bring to the learning environment, that is, their

internal attributes: attitudes, values, needs and personal factors In contrast, extrinsic motivation originates outside the individual and is concerned with external environmental factors that help shape students’ behavior.‖

It can be said that the main difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is the goals of the students With intrinsic motivation, the student studies subject material for the sake of learning These students find studying enjoyable and learning new ideas as a reward itself Extrinsically motivated students study for the sake of outside influences such

as getting teacher and peer praise, acquiring a good grade or some other type of reinforcement that a teacher or peer might offer

Another difference that is worth mentioning is that research shows that intrinsically motivated students learn more than extrinsically motivated ones This could be due to the fact that intrinsically motivated students are also extrinsically motivated But on the other note, extrinsically motivated students are seldom found to be intrinsically motivated Motivating students to become intrinsically motivated is not an easy task for teachers To some students, they enjoy learning For the others, this is where the challenge really comes

in From what perceived, Moore, K.D (1992: 178) suggests the ways to motivate those learners that ―in intrinsic motivation, the external incentives and rewards that are used to get students to learn or work modify their action are artificially devised techniques Ideally, once extrinsic motivation has been used to help develop intrinsic motivation, it should be phased out.‖

1.1.3 Role of motivation in second language learning

Most motivation theorists assume that motivation is involved in the performance of all learners’ responses; that is, a learner behavior will not occur unless it is energized As a result, motivation affects the extent of active, personal involvement in second language learning Obviously, unmotivated students are insufficiently involved and therefore unable

to develop their potential second language skills Thus, motivation is one of the main determining factors in success in second language learning Oxford and Shearin (1996:121-122) point out:

―Motivation is important because it directly influences how often students use second

language learning strategies, how much students interact with native speakers, how much input they receive in the language being learned (the target language), how well they do in curriculum- related achievement tests, how high their general proficiency level becomes, and how long they persevere and maintain second language skills after language study is over”

Therefore, motivation is crucial for second language learning, and it is essential to understand what the students’ motivation is As a general rule, teachers are advised to use

as much of the intrinsic suggestions as possible while recognizing that not all students will

be appropriately motivated by them However, both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation should be paid attention to teaching and learning second language learning

1.2 Theoretical backgrounds of reading

1.2.1 Definitions of reading

―Reading‖ is a complex cognitive process of decoding symbols for the intention of constructing or deriving meaning It is the mastery of basic cognitive processes to the point where they are automatic so that attention is freed for the analysis of meaning

The definitions ―reading‖ has been investigated under numerous perspectives by different linguists, educators and second language researchers, but each of them can be only the reflection of its author’s particular view of reading process

According to Harmer, J (1991: 190), ―reading is an exercise dominated by the eyes and the

brain The eyes receive message and the brain then has to work out the significance of these messages‖

Another definition of reading by Goodman, K.S (1971: 135) is that ―Reading is

psycholinguistics process by which the reader, language user, reconstructs, as the best as

he can, a message which has been encoded by writer as a graphic display.‖ He views

reconstruction as ―a cyclical process of sampling, predicating, testing, and confirming.‖ Richard and Thomas (1987: 9) do believe that reading is best described as ―an

understanding between the author and the reader Reading is much more than just pronouncing words correctly or simply knowing what the author intends; it is the process

whereby the printed page stimulate ideas, experiences and responses that are unique to an individual‖ The researchers, then, have common background defining reading as the

understanding

Deriving from above definitions, reading is a means of language acquisition, of communication, and of sharing information and ideas Like other languages, it is a complex interaction between the text and the reader which is shaped by the reader’s prior knowledge, experiences, attitude, and language community which is culturally and socially situated The reading process requires continuous practices, development, and refinement

1.2.2 Reasons for reading

People generally do not read unless they have a reason for reading, that is, they have a need of some kind that can be satisfied through reading The reason for reading depends very much on the purpose of reading Reading can have three main purposes, for survival, for learning or for pleasure These are also three personal reasons for reading according to Wallace, C (1992)

Reading for survival is considered to be in response to our environment, to find out

information and can include street signs, advertising, and timetables It depends very much

on the daily needs of the reader and often involves an immediate response to a situation

Reading for learning, in contrast, is considered to be the type of reading done in the

classroom and is goal orientated Reading is the fundamental skill upon which all formal education depends Research now shows that a student who doesn’t learn the reading basics early is unlikely to learn them at all

Any student who doesn’t learn to read early and well will not easily master other skills and knowledge, and is unlikely to ever flourish in school or in life Low reading achievement, more than any other factor, is the root cause of chronically low-performing schools, which harm students and contribute to the loss of public confidence in our school system When many children don’t learn to read, the public schools cannot and will not be regarded as successful—and efforts to dismantle them will proceed

Reading for pleasure is an activity that is commonly taken for granted Although many

readers are initially interested in developing their reading skills for very practical reasons, teachers have an ideal opportunity to introduce their learners to a range of experiences,

including fiction and non-fiction, travel writing, graphic novels - both on-screen and based

paper-1.2.3 Types of reading

Reading has been classified into different types according to ways of reading and purposes

of reading

1.2.3.1 According to ways of reading

Reading is classified into aloud reading and silent reading

Aloud reading is an unnatural activity because most people do not read aloud in real life,

and it is difficult for the speaker to pay attention to the meaning of the text while reading

aloud According to Doff (1988: 67), ―aloud reading involves looking at a text,

understanding it and also saying it Its purpose is not just to understand a text but to

convey the implication to someone else.‖

This kind of activity seems to be more popular in the language classroom It focuses on the pronunciation of words in the text rather than understanding In reading texts, students come across many new words and phrases that they do not know how to pronounce The teacher, in this case, may help his students pronounce words by reading the text orally and loudly

Aloud reading is often applied for the beginners including lower secondary students and limited in upper classes due to some reasons stated as follows: It takes up a long time as students often read slowly when they focus on pronunciation Consequently, they do not have enough time to deduce the meaning of the text or complete comprehension exercises

Lewis and Hill (1995: 10) wrote: ―Asking students to read aloud also mean that they may

concentrate inadequately on their meaning He may read correctly but afterward will not

be able to tell what he has read.‖

From above mentioned, this kind of reading should be used in teaching reading to students

of low levels

Silent reading is the nearest approach to the essence of reading By reading silently, the

readers can best comprehend the written materials in the limited time The nature of silent

reading is far from uniform It is changeable according to the use to which it is being put

Some of them are mentioned as follows:

(i) To survey material which is to be studies, to look through indexes, chapter

headings and outlines

(ii) To skim particularly when one item of information is being sought in a mass of

other printed information

(iii) To gain superficial comprehension, as when reading for pleasure or preparing to

read aloud

(iv) To study the content of what is read in some detail

(v) To study the language in which the material is written

Through these ways of reading, the readers would comprehend the written materials more deeply and in details

1.2.3.1 According to reasons of reading

According to Williams (1984), reading is classified into four main types, namely skimming, scanning, extensive reading and intensive reading Below are different types of reading in relation to reasons of reading

REASONS

STYLES

Figure 1: The relationship between reasons for reading and types of reading

(Adapted from Williams, 1984)

Reading for pleasure/ interest

Reading for general information Reading for brief information

Reading

 Skimming

Skimming is used to quickly gather the most important information, or ―gist‖ Run your eyes over the text, noting important information Use skimming to quickly get up to speed

on a current business situation It's not essential to understand each word when skimming

Douglas Brown wrote that ―Skimming consists of quickly running eyes across the whole

text for its gist Skimming gives the readers the advantage of being able to predict the purpose of the passage, the main topic, or massage, or possibly some of the developing or supporting ideas‖ Therefore, skimming is commonly used in reading comprehension and

it is one of specific techniques for quick and efficient reading Skimming should be applied

in teaching reading to help students have an overview of what they read

 Scanning

According to Douglas Brown (2001: 308), ―Scanning was quickly searching for some

particular piece or pieces of information in a text‖ Scanning is used to find a particular

piece of information When scanning, you run your eyes over the text looking for the specific piece of information you need You use scanning on schedules, meeting plans, etc,

in order to find the specific details you require If you see words or phrases that you don't understand, don't worry

Grellet (1981: 19) gives a detailed definition of scanning: ―When scanning, we only try to

locate information and often we do not even follow the linearity of passage to do so, and scanning is far more limited since it only means retrieving what information is relevant to our purpose‖ This kind of reading is very useful in reading selectively

Both skimming and scanning are effective techniques for quick and efficient reading It is advisable to make use of them to improve reading comprehension skills for secondary students

 Extensive reading

It could be defined from different points of view (Hedge, 2003: 202) Some authors define

it as activities of skimming and scanning For others, it is the amount of reading of material Hafiz and Tudor (1989: 5) claim that the pedagogical value attributed to extensive reading is based on the assumption that exposing learners to large quantities of

meaningful and interesting second language material will, in the long run, produce a beneficial effect on the learners’ command of the second language

Extensive reading inspired by Krashen’s Input Hypothesis, has been readopted in different EFL institutions and universities since students are asked to read independently using available material online or at their reach (Hedge, 2003: 200-201)

Extensive reading is an individual activity that can be not only in class but also at home It helps students to find their way to be independent Learners can be allowed to select their own reading materials according to their interests and level of language they have

Hedge describes the advantages of extensive use in the following lines:

―Learners can build their language competence, progress in their reading ability, become

more independent in their studies, acquire cultural knowledge, and develop confidence and motivation to carry on learning.‖ (ibid, 204-205)

 Intensive Reading

Intensive reading is associated with short texts used to make students explore the meaning and get familiar with the writing mechanisms They are used to practice or focus on specific lexical, syntactical or discoursal aspects of the target language or to practice a

selected reading strategy However, Hedge states that it is "only through more extensive

reading that learners can gain substantial practice in operating these strategies more independently on a range of materials." (ibid, 202) These strategies can be either text-

related or learner-related: the former includes an awareness of text organization, while the latter includes strategies like linguistic, schematic, and meta-cognitive strategies

In this regard, Douglas Brown (2001: 312) defines: ―Intensive reading is usually a

classroom oriented activity in which students focuses on linguistic or semantic details of a passage Reading calls students’ attention to grammatical forms, discourse markers and other surface structure details for purpose of understanding literal meaning, implication, rhetorical relationships and the likes‖

Intensive reading is considered as a basic classroom activity It is really effective if the teacher and the students know how to fully exploit this activity in class with the help of reading exercises

1.2.4 The importance of teaching and learning reading

"Research findings in applied linguistics and reading research consistently show a strong

correlation between reading proficiency and academic success at all ages, from the primary school right through to university level: students who read a lot and who understand what they read usually attain good grades." (Pretorius, 2000) In other words,

a student who is a good reader is more likely to do well in school and pass exams more than a weak reader-student In fact, the relationship between reading and learning begins even earlier in the pre-primary school years Children who are exposed to the storybook reading before they go to school tend to have larger vocabularies, greater general knowledge and better conceptual development than their peers Moreover, several teachers and researchers argue that reading is probably the most important skill for second language student in academic or learning context

Hedge (2003) states that any reading component of an English language course may includes a set of learning goals for:

(i) the ability to read a wide range of texts in English This is the long-range goal

most teachers seek to develop through independent readers outside EFL/ESL classroom

(ii) building knowledge of language which will facilitate reading ability

(iii) building schematic knowledge

(iv) the ability to adapt the reading style according to reading purpose (i.e

skimming, scanning)

(v) developing an awareness of the structure of written texts in English

(vi) taking a critical stance to the contents of the texts

1.3 Motivation in reading

1.3.1 The importance of motivation in reading second language

It is generally acknowledged that reading motivation plays a crucial role in second language reading process Reading motivation is a kind of desire to read and it has a major role in students’ success because most academic knowledge is gained through reading To become effective readers throughout their school years, students must read early and often

Motivation for reading is essential so that students choose to develop their reading skills and persist and make strong efforts to overcome any limitations Students only become skilled readers when they read a lot, and motivation is critical for addressing this challenge Students with high intrinsic motivation are relatively active readers and high achievers If a person is intrinsically motivated to read, he or she will not shrink from reading difficult texts Thus, motivation increases the amount of reading and leads to high reading achievement

Being aware that ―it is an important part of a reading teacher’s job to motivate learners‖

(Girard, D 1977: 120), teachers should arouse their students’ interest and curiosity in the text, encourage their expectation and activate them in reading activities

1.3.2 Main factors affecting students’ motivation in reading second language

Almost students take a dim of becoming good, fluent second language learners They know that reading development is hard work and they need effective motivational support from their teachers and the curriculum Second language motivation researches strongly argue that motivation is significantly affected by what happens regularly in classroom

1.3.2.1 The reading materials

The reading materials (or printed information) also play a very important role in reading learning environment Reading provides with access to information and today’s world information is power

Because printed information is a permanent visual representation, it allows the users to reflect on form or content and constantly refers back to them in a way that oral transmission of information do not The importance of being able to read to learn is particularly imperative when seen in the light of the role that textbooks and other books

play in the learning context Grabe (1991: 389) point out that ―literacy in academic settings

in developed countries exists within the content of massive amount of printed information‖

Even in developed countries, textbooks constitute the main medium whereby new information and knowledge acquired It has been estimated that about 75% of the information which senior secondary students need is via textbooks rather than being transmitted by teachers The importance of textbooks can not be denied in case of lower secondary students although the teacher plays a crucial role in this stage Texts not only

help to reinforce those aspects of knowledge dealt with during class periods, but they also provide learners with access to information outside the classroom

Thus, textbooks are rich source of formal knowledge Texts increasingly contain frequency words that do not usually occur in ordinary conversational discourse, the texts become conceptually more complex, especially at the academic levels

low-1.3.2.2 The teacher

It is said that the importance of teacher factor in achieving high level of students’ motivation in second language reading can not be neglected The success of the teacher in school reading has a direct affect the students’ reading success Ericksen (1978: 3) wrote

that ―Effective learning in the classroom depend on the teacher’s ability…to maintain the

interest that brought students to the course in the first place.‖

The teacher’s personality and attitude have a great impact on secondary students’ learning motivation and learning progress It is admitted that the teacher owning warmness, sensitiveness, enthusiasm, empathy and sense of humor would be more likely successful in her teaching than the ones without those characteristics The teacher can raise the students’ love for second language reading by establishing their rapport and respect to them because

most of them are very sensitive and most affected by their teacher ―To a very large

degree, students expect to learn if their teachers expect them to learn‖ (Stippek, 1988)

The teacher has a key role in creating an effective classroom environment which has highly motivated students and necessitates strong interpersonal and social interaction This classroom environment has powerful effect on the encouragement or discouragement of motivating students to read The choice of teaching strategy has an effect upon the motivation and interests of the students The manner in which the teacher approaches the teaching strategy will have effect upon motivation: an enthusiastic approach is more likely

to motivate than a dull approach In order to achieve effect learning environment, the teacher has to create a competitive atmosphere in which the students are not afraid to make mistakes and encouraged to take risks In her lessons, the teacher gives students opportunities to talk about them, their interests and their learning needs The teacher should recognize the ―little success‖, improvements and progress of all students both individually and with the entire group

A good teacher should know her students and can find ways to pull the students and the texts together

1.3.2.3 The students

Oxford and Shearin (1994) identified six factors that impact second language learning motivation in which five factors is related to students These five students’ factors can be listed as follows:

(i) Attitude (i.e sentiments toward the learning community and the target

language)

(ii) Beliefs about self (i.e expectancies about one’s attitudes to succeed, self-

efficacy and anxiety)

(iii) Goals (perceived clarity and relevance of learning goals as reasons for learning) (iv) Involvement (i.e extent to which the learner actively and consciously

participates in the language learning process)

(v) Personal attributes (i.e aptitude, age, sex, and previous language experience) Students’ attitude plays a significant role in the second language reading classroom They have a close relationship with motivation Krashen (1985) proposes that attitudes can act as barriers or bridges to reading a new language and are the essential environmental ingredient for language reading The author also states that learning can only happen if certain affective conditions, such as positive attitudes, self- confidence, low anxiety, exist When these conditions are presented, input can pass through the affective filter and can be used by the learners

Sharing his own ideas regarding factors affecting learning motivation, Davies (1996) wrote:

―In learning how to use a language effectively, students must be actively engaged in using

language The teacher of English must create opportunities within the classroom situation, which enable students to think through language and to express their learning through the language models of speaking, listening, reading and writing A variety of strategies have been developed which encourage students as active meaning- makers, using language to

go beyond the literal in investigating how language works and is used as a form of thinking and communication.‖

The following chapter is intended to introduce the context and the methodology of the study

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY

The research methodology plays an important role in any research which determines considerably the reliability and validity of the study Therefore, it required the researcher prudence and caution to single out the method that best suits the aims and objectives of the study In the light of this philosophy, combined quantitative and qualitative methods are employed within the framework of the study

2.1 Context of the study

The study was conducted at Quang Dinh Lower Secondary School, a suburban secondary school in Thanh Hoa province The students have to take a four-year course of English as one formal subject In their four years of learning, they must study general English through pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary as well as the practice of four macro language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing The subject is mainly taught in formal settings

The textbooks used for secondary teaching are designed by Ministry of Education and Training The textbook ―Tieng Anh 9‖ is designed to develop all four skills that students need for success in secondary school and daily life Students will read, interpret, and create

a variety of informational, literary, and graphic texts Each of ten (10) units included in

―Tieng Anh 9‖ has been divided into seven (7) sections in which reading section aims at providing students with new vocabularies and structures and enriching their background knowledge about the world An important focus of reading section is on identifying and using appropriate strategies and processes to improve students’ comprehension of texts From my own observation, the English teaching and learning at Quang Dinh Lower Secondary School was not very good in terms of the student’s achievement At the end of the school years recently, the performance of grade-9 students in reading comprehension tests was rather poor and only about 55% of them got an average mark of 5 in their English final test These figures displeased the Principal and disappointed the teachers of English at the school

More things must be done to change the situation for the better To the end, the Principal and the teachers of English have met with each other and discussed what should be done to solve the problem During the discussion, the word ―motivation‖ has been mentioned by

100 percent of the teachers and they have come to a conclusion that their students had not been motivated enough that led to their poor achievement in English learning in general as well as English reading in particular

The students who read a lot and who understand what they read often attain good grades Therefore, it is necessary for the teachers to find out the different ways to arouse their students’ interest in English reading, preventing them from being bored with the subject Students need to have various opportunities to practice their reading kills basically and systematically in an encouraging learning environment

2.2 Participants

The study was conducted with the participation of all the grade- 9 students (65 students) from classes 9A and 9B, Quang Dinh Lower Secondary School, Thanh Hoa province They aged from 14 to 15 and the ratio of boy students to girl students is 30/65 All of them have been living in Quang Dinh commune, a suburban commune of Thanh Hoa province They have all finished three years at grades 6-8 and in their second term of grade 9 Through the final first term test, only 45 percent of the grade- 9 students got marks 5-7 while the balance 55 percent got below 5

Two teachers (66% of the population) who had been teaching English at grade 9 at least for one year were invited to join in the research Both of them were graduated from Hong Duc University, Thanh Hoa province Their average age was 35 These are the two teachers who were teaching English in the school year 2010-2011 when the study was being conducted