The influence of reading topics on students’ motivation to read at Vinh Bao high school, Hai Phong

The influence of reading topics on students’ motivation to read at Vinh Bao high school, Hai Phong Nguyễn Thị Thúy Minh Trường Đại học Ngoại ngữ Luận văn Thạc sĩ ngành: English teaching methodology; Mã số: 60 14 10 Người hướng dẫn: M.A. Nguyễn Thị Mai Hữu Năm bảo vệ: 2012 Abstract. Motivation is a key factor in second language acquisition, for which teachers of EFL (English as a foreign language) have always tried to find out strategies and techniques. In an attempt to investigate the role of reading topics to the students’ motivation in learning reading skill and their preferences for the current reading topics, the study was conducted with 82 grade 11 students and 10 teachers at Vinh Bao High School by means of survey questionnaires and interview. The study focuses on 4 main issues: (1) students’ attitude towards reading skill, (2) types of motivation possessed by the 11th - form students at Vinh Bao High School, (3) the students’ attitudes towards the current reading topics, (4) the inluence of reading topics on students’ motivation to read. The findings hereof are supposed to be of interest of not only the EFL teachers but the EFL materials developers as well. Keywords. Phương pháp giảng dạy; Kỹ năng đọc; Tiếng Anh Content 1. Rationale for the study Krashen & Terrel (1983:131) state that “Reading may contribute significantly to competence in a second language. There is good reason, in fact, to hypothesize that reading makes a contribution to overall competence, to all four skills”. Reading is one of the major skills of learning a second or foreign language and it has a prominent position in the design of a foreign language teaching program. Reading skill helps the students to increase their knowledge of English through exposure to language expressions, and structures, and language contents as well. Therefore, teaching reading is gaining more attention from both language teachers and language teaching materials developers. However, in Vietnam, many English learners complain that reading always makes them feel bored and stressful. They seem to lack motivation to read. In fact, motivation is an essential element in learning in general and in learning reading in particular, but creating a motivated atmosphere for students in a reading lesson is a challenging task. For the above reasons, I would like to carry out “The influence of reading topics on students’ motivation to read at Vinh Bao high school, Hai Phong” to investigate the role of reading topics in learners’ motivation to learn reading skill and to study their interests in reading topics. It is hoped that the study will be helpful for English teachers in general and those at Vinh Bao high school in particular to stimulate their students in a reading lesson. 2. Aims of the study The study is aimed at: - Identifying students’ motivation in learning reading skill at Vinh Bao high school; - Identifying students’ interests in the reading topics; - Studying the influence of the reading topics on students’ motivation to learn reading skill. 3. Research questions The study was carried out in order to find out answers to the following research questions: 1. What is students’ attitude towards learning reading skill? 2. What types of motivation do they have in learning reading? 3. How interesting do the students find the current reading topics? 4. What is the influence of the reading topics on students’ motivation to read? 4. Scope of the study With the limitation of the time, I will focus on the 11 th - form students’ attitudes at Vinh Bao high school towards learning reading skill, the types of motivation possessed by students, the students’ attitudes on current reading topics and the influence of the reading topics on students’ motivation to learn reading skill. Needless to say, it is necessary for the teachers to know what their students like to read. 5. Significance of the study The study highlights the influence of reading topics on the motivation in learning reading skills. The findings of the study are believed to be useful for English teachers to be aware of the essential role of reading topics in the students’ motivation to learn reading. Hopefully, it can help them to motivate students in learning reading skills. 6. Methods of the study The theoretical background of the study mainly is developed basing on the references of and analysis on relevant theories about motivation and reading. The study is carried out on the basis of survey questionnaires. Firstly, for the theoretical basis, a lot of reference materials on motivation and reading have been gathered, analyzed and synthesized thoroughly with the clue consideration on the teachers’ and students’ teaching and learning situations. Secondly, interviews and questionnaires are carried out with teachers and students of English to gather the most reliable data for the thesis. 7. Design of the study The study is organized in three parts: Part A: Introduction presents the rationale, the aims of the study, the research questions, the scope of the study, the significance of the study, the methods of the study and the design of the study. Part B: Development consists of three chapters: Chapter 1: Literature review provides theoretical background for the study. Its focus is on introducing important relevant concepts, discussions of issues and ideas on theories for motivation, nature of reading and motivation in learning reading as well as factors affecting motivation in learning reading. Chapter 2: Methodology presents the methods used in the study including research methods, research setting , participants of the study, data collection instruments, data collection and data analysis procedure. Chapter 3: Data analysis and major findings shows the detailed results together with a comprehensive analysis on the data collected from the survey questionnaires and the interview. Part C: Conclusion presents the conclusions, implications, limitations and the suggestions for further study. References Abbott G., Wingard P. (1985), The Teaching of English as an International Language, Collins, London. Aebersold, A. J. & Field, L. M. (1997), From Reader to Reading Teacher, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Bright J. A., McGregor G. P. 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(2002), Motivation in Education, Merrill, USA. Petty W. T., Petty D. C., Salzer R. T. (1989), Experiences in Language, Allyn and Bacon, London. Rebeccal & Jill Sheorin. (1996), Language Learning Motivation in a New key, Inr. Oxford. Robinson R., Good T. L. (1987), Becoming an Effective Reading Teacher, Harper & Row Publishers, London. Ur P. (1996), A Course in Language Teaching, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Wlodkowki, R. J. (1995), Enhancing Adult Motivation to learn, Jossey – Bass Publishers, Sanfancisco. . by the 11th - form students at Vinh Bao High School, (3) the students’ attitudes towards the current reading topics, (4) the inluence of reading topics on students’ motivation to read. The. reading lesson is a challenging task. For the above reasons, I would like to carry out The influence of reading topics on students’ motivation to read at Vinh Bao high school, Hai Phong to. the students’ attitudes on current reading topics and the influence of the reading topics on students’ motivation to learn reading skill. Needless to say, it is necessary for the teachers to