effects of mind mapping on freshmen’s reading comprehension ability at ho chi minh city university of transport

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY EFFECTS OF MIND MAPPING ON FRESHMEN’S READING COMPREHENSION ABILITY AT HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF TRANSPORT A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in TESOL Submitted by: NGO THI PHUONG THAO Supervisor: Assoc Prof Dr NGUYEN THANH TUNG HO CHI MINH City August 2017 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I certify that this thesis entitled is “Effects of mind mapping on freshmen’s reading comprehension ability at Ho Chi Minh city University of Transport is my original work Except where reference is made in the text of the thesis, this thesis does not contain material published elsewhere or extracted in whole or in part from a thesis by which I have qualified for or been awarded another degree or diploma No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the text of the thesis This thesis has not previously been submitted for any degree in any other tertiary institution Ho Chi Minh City, 2017 NGO THI PHUONG THAO i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to my supervisor, Assoc Prof Dr Nguyen Thanh Tung, for his encouragement, dedicated guidance and valuable comments in the preparation and completion of this study Becoming his student is a lucky and grateful opportunity for me in this MA course He has offered his precious time to give help and professional advice for my thesis Next, I would also like to express my gratitude to my colleagues at the Foreign Language Faculty of Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport who contributed their ideas to help my thesis be better and complete Especially, I would like to give my big thank to my eighty three dear students who enthusiastically participated in my study Then, I am very grateful to all my instructors who have taught me in the TESOL class with their valuable lessons and supports and my MA classmates at Ho Chi Minh Open University for their assistance Finally, I would like to thank my beloved family who always stand by me to encourage and give support during my study I am especially thankful to my beloved mother for her support and sacrifice for taking care of my newborn boy, and my kind husband for his help and sympathy so that I could have time to my thesis ii ABSTRACT Reading comprehension is one of the most important skills in learning a foreign language However, learners face some problems in receiving the information from a reading text, understanding itdeeply and having the motivation to read it Theoretically, mind mapping is a good technique to solve these problems by helping students comprehend a text easily through colorful visuals and feel interested in doing comprehension activities Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate whether the use of mind mapping had any effects on freshmen’s reading comprehension ability and theirattitude towardits use after the period of eight weeks The study employed the three main data collection instruments of tests, questionnaire and interview The data were collected from 83 freshmen of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport for the 20162017 academic year The independent samples t-test was used for proving that the disparity between the means of the pre- and post-tests of both groups was statistically significant, while the questionnaire and interview were used for determining the students’ attitude The findings show that after treatment, the students of the experimental group made a great progress in their reading comprehension while those of the control group did not present the remarkable improvement In addition, most of the students expressed their positive attitude towards the use of mind mapping in their reading lessons iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Statement of authorship i Acknowledgements ii Abstract iii Table of contents iv List of abbreviations ix List of figures x List of tables xi Lists of charts xii Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the research 1.2 Statement of the problem 1.3 Research aims and questions 1.4 Significance of the research 1.5 Organization of the research Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Mind mapping overview 2.2 Types of mind mapping 12 2.2.1 Library mind maps 13 2.2.2 Presentation mind maps 14 2.2.3 Tunnel timeline mind maps 15 2.3 Advantages of using mind mapping in reading comprehension lessons 16 2.4 Stages to use mind mapping in teaching reading comprehension 17 2.4.1 Pre-reading stage 18 2.4.2 While-reading stage 20 iv 2.4.3 Post-reading stage 22 2.5 Mind map figures and how to make a mind map 23 2.5.1 Mind map figures 23 2.5.2 How to make a mind map 24 2.6 Prior studies on the related topic 26 2.7 Chapter summary 27 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 29 3.1 Study setting 29 3.2 Participants 30 3.3 Research design and method of investigation 32 3.3.1 Research design 32 3.3.2 Method of investigation 33 3.3.2.1 Experiment 33 3.3.2.1.1 Pre-test 34 3.3.2.1.2 Experimental teaching process 34 3.3.1.1.3 Post-test 36 3.3.2.2 Questionnaire 37 3.3.2.3 Interview 39 3.4 Analytical framework 40 3.4.1 Tests 40 3.4.2 Questionnaire 41 3.4.3 Interview 42 3.5 Validity and reliability of the instruments 42 3.5.1 Tests 42 3.5.2 Questionnaire 43 3.5.3 Interview 45 v 3.6 Summary 45 CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS 45 4.1 Results of the experiment 45 4.1.1 Resemblance in the pre-test 45 4.1.2 Difference in the post-test 49 4.1.3 Summary 53 4.2 Results of questionnaire 53 4.2.1 The students’ awareness of reading comprehension in learning English and their expectation in improving their reading comprehension ability 54 4.2.2 The students’ reflection on the using of mind mapping in reading comprehension 57 4.2.2.1 The students’ impression on mind mapping 57 4.2.2.2 The students’ reflection on the teacher’s application of mind mapping 58 4.2.2.2.1 The advantages of mind mapping 58 4.2.2.2.1.1 Enhancing students’ motivation 58 4.2.2.2.1.2 Stimulating and facilitating the reading comprehension process 60 4.2.2.2.1.3 Improving students’ group-work skill and students’ creativity 65 4.2.2.2.2 The difficulties of mind mapping 67 4.2.2.2.3 The frequency of using mind mapping 68 4.3 Results from the interview 69 4.3.1 Importance of reading comprehension in learning English 70 4.3.2 Students’ opinion about mind mapping 70 4.3.3 Results and factors affecting the tests 71 4.3.4 Characteristics of mind mapping 72 vi 4.3.5 Summary 73 4.4 Summary 74 CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS 75 5.1 Students’ performance in pre-test and post-test 75 5.2 Students’ attitude towards the application of mind mapping 76 5.2.1 Positive aspects 77 5.2.2 Negative aspects 78 5.3 Summary 80 CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 81 6.1 Answering the research questions 81 6.2 Evaluation of the study methodology 83 6.2.1 Strengths 83 6.2.2 Weaknesses 84 6.3 Recommendations for reading comprehension teaching and learning 85 6.3.1 For teachers 85 6.3.2 For students 87 6.4 Suggestions for further research 88 6.5 Summary 88 REFERENCES APPENDICES Appendix 1: The typical lesson plan of the experimental group 97 Appendix 2: The typical lesson plan of the control group 101 Appendix 3: List of students of two groups 103 Appendix 4: Pre-test 106 Appendix 5: Post-test 110 Appendix 6: Questionnaire (Vietnamese version) 114 vii Appendix 7: Questionnaire (English version) 117 Appendix 8: Interview questions 120 viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CG Control group EFL English as a Foreign Language EG The experimental group HCMCUT Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport SD Standard Deviation Sig.(2-tailed) Significance (two-tailed) SPSS Statistical Package for the Social Sciences TESOL Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages TPP Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement WTO World Trade Organization ix APPENDIX 4: PRE-TEST Name: ………………………………………… Class: ………………… PRE-TEST Time allotted: 30 minutes PART 1: Read the article about some birds Are sentences 1-7 ‘Right’ (A) or ‘wrong’ (B)? If there is not enough information to answer ‘Right' (A) or ‘Wrong’ (B), choose ‘Doesn't say’ (C) CANADA GEESE Canada Geese are large blue and white birds When autumn arrives, they have to fly south where the weather is warmer The winters are so cold in Canada that the birds die if they stay there Last spring, Bill Lishman found sixteen young Canada Geese on his farm They had lost their parents Bill thought, 'These young birds won't know what to in the autumn.' Bill had a small plane and he decided to teach the birds to follow him All through the summer, he went on short trips in his plane and the young geese flew after him When the cold weather arrived in autumn, Bill flew to Virginia in the United States, 600 miles south of his home in Canada The geese followed him all the way Bill left the geese in Virginia and he returned home This spring, Bill was waiting for the birds to come back They didn't arrive, so Bill flew to Virginia to get them He locked for them for two weeks but he couldn't find them When he arrived back home, Bill found the geese waiting for him They had found their way home without him! - 106 - Bill Lishman is a farmer A Right B Wrong C Doesn't A Right B Wrong C Doesn't say Bill lives with his parents say Bill carried the geese in his plane A Right B Wrong C Doesn't say This was Bill's first visit to Virginia A Right B Wrong C Doesn't say Bill wanted the geese to stay at his home for the winter A Right B Wrong C Doesn't say Bill stayed in Virginia all winter A Right B Wrong C Doesn't The geese returned to Canada in the spring A Right B Wrong C Doesn't say say PART 2: Read the article about bicycles Choose the best word (A, B or C) for each space (8-15) BICYCLES The bicycle (8) cheap and clean way to travel The first bicycle (9) …… made about one hundred and fifty years ago At first, bicycles were expensive Only rich people (10) …… buy one These early bicycles looked very different from the ones we have today Later, (11)…… bicycles became cheaper, many people (12) one People started riding bicycles to work and in (12) free time Today, people use cars more than bicycles; cars are much (13) ………… and you don't get wet when it rains! But some people (14) ……… prefer to cycle to work They say that (15) ……… are too many cars in town centers and you can't find anywhere to park! - 107 - A was B is C were A must B could C may 10 A when B if C that 11 A buy B buys C bought 12 A their B his C its 13 A fast B faster C fastest 14 A yet B still C already 15 A they B there C here PART 3: Read the article about Esther and then answer the questions For questions 16-22, mark A, B or C on the answer sheet ESTHER’S STORY When Esther left school at the age of sixteen, her aunt Flory gave her $500 for her birthday Most of Esther's friends decided to go to college, but Esther used her aunt's money to start her own business She bought fruit, sugar and some glass jars and began making her own jam She sold the jam to her friends for $1 a jar and she soon doubles her aunt's $500 At first, her parents didn't want Esther to spend her time making jam and the thought that she should study instead The hoped that one day she would be a teacher or a doctor But she didn't listen to them She just kept on making jam After a few months, she started selling it to the local market Then she started making orange juice She sold this to a school where one of her friends worked After years, her business was very large and her parents were very pleased with her She made all kinds of food which she sold to shops and supermarkets She was so busy that she had to get some people to work for her - 108 - 16 Why did Aunt Flory give Esther some money? B Esther‘s friends needed it A Esther asked for it C It was a present 17 After she left school, Esther A went to college B started her own business C worked for her aunt 18 Why did Esther make jam? A She liked to eat it B She had a lot of fruit C She wanted to make money 19 When Esther left school, her parents A wanted her to go to college B were a businesswoman C worked in a market 20 Esther sold orange juice to A the local market B a school C her friends 21 Esther’s parents were happy because Esther A cooked for them B was busy C had a good business 22 After two years, Esther A paid people to help her B worked in a supermarket C opened a shop GOOD LUCK - - 109 - APPENDIX 5: POST-TEST Name: ………………………………………… Class: ………………… POST-TEST Time allotted: 30 minutes PART 1: Read the article about some birds Are sentences 1-7 ‘Right’ (A) or ‘wrong’ (B)? If there is not enough information to answer ‘Right' (A) or ‘Wrong’ (B), choose ‘Doesn't say’ (C) HOW DO THE IRISH POP-GROUP ‘BOYZONE‘ LIVE A HEALTHY LIFE? Stephen: Sleeping well is very important When I can get home to my mother's house, I sleep for ten hours But I find it very difficult to sleep at night after a concern because my head is full of music Keith : Sport is important Before I had a car accident I was at the sports center two and a half hours a day, five days a week I can't that now so I about 150 sit-ups a day Flonan: I don't drink alcohol or smoke I try to eat well Also I drink a lot of water because it's good for your health I should have about eight glasses a day but I don't always drink so much Shane : People shouldn't work all the time I love my job but there are other things I like doing too In my free time I just listen to music or watch TV lt‘s good for you to nothing sometimes Mikey: I don't get tired any more since the doctor told me to eat better Now I eat lots of things like canals and spinach every day But I still eat burgers sometimes! - 110 - Stephen thinks a lot about music after a concert A Right B Wrong C Doesn‘tsay Keith's accident happened last year C Doesn'tsay A Right B Wrong Keith goes to the sports center five days a week now A Right B Wrong C Doesn'tsay Flonan thinks he drinks enough water every day A Right B Wrong C Doesn't say Shane is only happy when he's working C Doesn'tsay A Right B Wrong Mikey was often tired before he started eating vegetables A Right B Wrong C Doesn't say Mikey's favourite food is burgers A Right B Wrong C Doesn't say PART 2: Read the article about ostrich Choose the best word (A, B or C) for each space (8-15) OSTRICH The ostrich is the (8) ……… bird in the world, and an adult can be more (9)…… 90 kilos Most wild ostriches live (10) ……… southern Africa, but there are only a (11) …… of them left Like all birds, ostriches have wings, (12) …… they cannot fly They use them wings to help (13) ……… turn when they are running Ostriches can run very fast, from 60 to 90 kilometersan hour, so it is very difficult (14) ……… other animals to catch them Baby ostriches are the same size as chickens and take about years to become adults Ostriches (15) ……… plants and can live for many days without water A large B larger C largest A than B of C like - 111 - 10 A on B in C at 11 A few B little C lot 12 A or B and C but 13 A them B their C its 14 A for B to C by 15 A ate B eats C eat PART 3: Read the article about a young woman and then answer the questions For questions 16-22, mark A, B or C on the answer sheet REBIECCA STEVENS Rebecca Stevens was the first woman to climb Mount Everest Before she went up the highest mountain in the world, she was a journalist and lived in a small flat in south London In 1993, Rebecca left her job and her family and travelled to Asia with some other climbers She found that life on Everest is hard ‘You must carry everything on your back,’ she explained ‘So you can only take things that you will need You can't wash on the mountain, and in the end I didn't even take a toothbrush I am usually a clean person but there is no water, only snow Water is very heavy so you only take enough to drink! ’ When Rebecca reached the top of Mount Everest on May 17 1993, it was the best moment of her life Suddenly she became famous Now she has written a book about the trip and people often ask her to talk about it She has a new job too, on a science programme on television Rebecca is well known today and she has more money, but she still lives in the little flat in south London among her pictures and books about mountains! - 112 - 16 Before Rebecca climbed Everest, she worked for Aa bookshop B a newspaper C a travel agent 17 Rebecca went to Everest A with her family B with a climbing group C without anyone 18 Rebecca didn't take much luggage because she A didn't have many things B had a bad back C had to carry it herself 19 Rebecca didn't wash on Everest because A it was too cold B there was not enough water C she is a dirty person 20 Rebecca carried water for A drinking B cooking C cleaning her teeth 21 Rebecca became famous when she A got to the highest place in the world B wrote a book about her trip C was on a television programme 22 After her trip, Rebecca Aeamed the same money B stayed in the same flat C did the same job GOOD LUCK - - 113 - APPENDIX 6: QUESTIONNAIRE (VIETNAMESE VERSION) Trường Đại học Giao thông vận tải TPHCM -PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT Các em sinh viên thân mến, Tôi Ngô Thị Phương Thảo, giảng viên thuộc môn Ngoại ngữ trường Đại học Giao thông vận tải TPHCM Tôi theo học thạc sĩ chuyên ngành Lý luận phương pháp giảng dạy tiếng Anh trường Đại học Mở TPHCM Hiện nay, Tôi thực đề tài luận văn mang tên “ Hiệu việc sử dụng sơ đồ tư vào việc đọc hiểu sinh viên năm Trường Đại học Giao thông vận tải TPHCM” Vì vậy, mục đích bảng khảo sát khảo sát thái độ bạn sinh viên việc học đọc hiểu sử dụng sơ đồ tư Sự đóng góp bạn có ý nghĩa to lớn cho nghiên cứu tơi Tồn câu trả lời bạn để sử dụng cho nghiên cứu khơng sử dụng cho mục đính khác Tôi xin chân thành cảm ơn giúp đỡ bạn Phần 1: Thông tin cá nhân Tên : ……………………………………… Tuổi: ………………………………………… Giới tính: Nam Nữ Phần 2: Tầm quan trọng việc đọc hiểu việc học tiếng Anh Theo bạn, vai trò việc đọc hiểu việc học Tiếng Anh có tầm quan trọng nào? 1.1.Rất quan trọng 1.2 Quan trọng 1.3.Ít quan trọng - 114 - 1.4 Khơng quan trọng Cụ thể, việc đọc hiểu giúp cho bạn 2.1.Tăng thêm vốn từ vựng 2.2 Thuận lợi cho việc học tập rèn luyện kĩ khác nghe, nói, viết… 2.3 Có thêm kiến thức nhiều lĩnh vực sống 2.4.Tất ý kiến Bạn đánh giá khả đọc hiểu nào? 3.2 Tương đối tốt 3.1.Tốt 3.3 Trung bình 3.4.Kém Bạn có muốn phát triển kĩ đọc hiểu không? 4.1 Rất muốn 4.3 Không muốn 4.2 Muốn 4.4 Không ý kiến Phần 3: Phản hồi sinh viên việc sử dụng sơ đồ tư vào việc đọc hiểu Đối với việc dạy đọc hiểu sơ đồ tư duy, bạn thấy 1.2 Không 1.1 Mới Khi giáo viên dạy đọc hiểu sử sụng sơ đồ tư duy, bạn cảm thấy: 2.1.Rất hứng thú 2.2 Hứng thú 2.3 Không hứng thú 2.4 Rất không hứng thú 3.1 Lôi 3.2 Sinh động, không nhàm chán 3.3 Thoải mái trao đổi với bạn bè - 115 - Rất không đồng ý Không đồng ý Không ý kiến Đồng ý Items Rất đồng ý Ý kiến đặc điểm việc sử dụng sơ đồ tư vào học đọc hiểu 3.4 Người học chủ động 3.5 Phát huy trí tuệ người học 3.6 Dễ hiểu 3.7 Dễ áp dụng 3.8 Có thể nắm bắt ý tưởng người viết 3.9 Dễ nhận liên kết đoạn văn đọc 3.10 Sắp xếp thông tin xoay quanh chủ đề định 3.11 Dễ nắm nội dung nội dung thể ngắn gọn qua từ khóa 3.12 Hiểu nhanh lớp 3.13 Nhớ lâu 3.14 Ghi nhớ thông tin dễ dàng 3.15 Tăng khả làm việc nhóm 3.16 Tăng khả sáng tạo thơng qua việc sử dụng màu sắc, hình ảnh 3.17 Mất thời gian nhiều cho việc trình bày vào giấy 3.18 Khó cho sinh viên có lượng từ vựng 3.19 Khó hiểu với người khơng trực tiếp xây dựng sơ đồ tư Trong tương lai, bạn tiếp tục sử dụng phương pháp sơ đồ tư cho việc đọc hiểu 4.1 Luôn 4.2 Thường xuyên 4.3 Thỉnh thoảng 4.4.Không CHÂN THÀNH CẢM ƠN SỰ GIÚP ĐỠ CỦA BẠN! - - 116 - APPENDIX 7: QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH VERSION) Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS Dear all students, I am Ngo Thi Phuong Thao - an English teacher at Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport I am taking a master program in TESOL at Ho Chi Minh City Open University Now, I am doing a research with the title “Effects of mind mapping on students’ reading comprehension ability of the first year students at Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport” Therefore, this questionnaire aims to investigate the students’ attitude toward the use of mind mapping to enhance reading comprehension Your contribution makes a great value for my research Your answers will be used in my research only, not for any other purposes Thank you so much for your help Part I: Personal information Name : ……………………………………… Age: ………………………………………… Gender: Male Female Part II: The importance of reading comprehension in learning English In your opinion, how important is reading comprehension in learning English? 4.2.Very important 1.2 Important 1.3 Rather important 1.4 Not important Particularly, reading comprehension could help you 5.1.Enrich your vocabulary stock 5.2 Be advantageous in learning and practicing other language skills - 117 - 5.3 Broaden your knowledge about life 5.4 All the things mentioned above What level you self-evaluate your current reading comprehension ability? 6.1.Good 3.2 Fairly good 3.3 Average 3.4.Bad Do you want to improve your reading comprehension ability? 7.1 Want so much 4.3 Don’t want 4.2 Want 4.4 No ideas Part 3: The students’ reflection on the using of mind mapping in reading comprehension How did you feel about mind mapping? 5.1 New 1.2 Not new When the teacher used mind mapping in reading comprehension lessons, you felt 6.1.Very excited 2.2 Excited 2.3 Not excited 2.4 Not excited so much Your opinion about the following characteristics of mind mapping in reading 3.1 Attractive 3.2 Lively and not bored classroom atmosphere 3.3 Free to exchange the ideas with friends 3.4 Help students be more proactive 3.5 Develop students' brainpower - 118 - Strongly disagree Disagree Uncertain Agree Items Strongly agree comprehension 3.6 Be easy to understand 3.7 Be easy to apply 3.8 Be able to catch the writer’s ideas 3.9 Be easy to recognize the logical linking between the paragraphs in the reading texts 3.10 Arrange the branches of information related to the specific topic 3.11 Be able to quickly find out the main content of reading text presented through the key words 3.12 Quickly understand the lesson at class 3.13 Remember the lesson longer 3.14 Memorize the information easily 3.15 Be able to improve group work skills 3.16 Be able to improve creativity through using colors and pictures… 3.17 Consuming a lot of time for presenting mind maps on papers 3.18 Being hard for students whose vocabulary stocks are limited 3.19 Being hard for students who don't directly make the mind map to understand and use it In the future, you are going to continue to use mind mapping 8.1 Always 4.2 Usually 4.3 sometimes 4.4.Never THANKS FOR YOUR HELP! - - 119 - APPENDIX 8: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS Contents PART A Personal information Importance PART B Questions comprehension of in Can you introduce something about yourself? reading How importance is reading comprehension in learning your English learning? English Opinion about mind mapping What you think about using mind mapping in your reading comprehension lessons? Results and factors affecting the Were there any differences between your pretests test and post-test scores? Were there any changes in your attitude when finishing the pre-test and post-test? Were there any physical and mental factors PART C that affected you during the time taking the tests? Characteristics of mind mapping Did you recognize any advantages of mind mapping to your learning? Did you face to any difficulties when using mind mapping in class? - 120 - ...STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I certify that this thesis entitled is ? ?Effects of mind mapping on freshmen’s reading comprehension ability at Ho Chi Minh city University of Transport is my... gives without any encouragement For these reasons, it is worth drawing attention to reading comprehension 1.2 Statement of the problem In the context of Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport. .. awareness of importance of reading comprehension Chart 4.2.1b: Students’ opinion on reading comprehension benefits Chart 4.2.1c: Students’ self-evaluation of their current reading comprehension ability