Đang tải... (xem toàn văn)
thạc sỹ, luận văn, ngoại ngữ, tiếng anh, khóa luận, chuyên đề
Part I: Introduction I. Rationale Generally, English teaching for non-English-major learners in Vietnam aims at providing the learners with the ability to understand written materials. Thus, the acquisition of reading skills is a priority for most learners. In addition, English is taught and learnt in a non-native environment so reading is an important means to gain knowledge not only of the language itself but also of other fields. Motivation, as indicated by research, is an essential element in language learning in general and in learning reading in particular. The fact that the students at HaUI often participate in the reading lessons reluctantly and inactively has encouraged the author to investigate the reason why their motivation in learning reading is rather low and to give some suggestions for enhancing their motivation. It is hoped that the study will be helpful for the author and other teachers at HaUI in finding appropriate teaching methods to stimulate their students in their reading lessons. II. Aims of the Study The purposes of the study is to investigate the factors affecting motivation in learning reading among the first year non-English major students at Hanoi University of Industry. The principal purposes of the study are summarized as follows: 1. To examine kinds of motivation possessed by the first year students in learning reading. 2. To investigate factors affecting learners’ motivation in reading lessons. 3. To examine the methods and techniques used by teachers of English to motivate their learners in reading lessons. 4. To suggest some methods to stimulate learners to read in English and to give some recommendations for improving the reading materials for the first- year students. III. Research Questions The study was carried out in order to find the answers to two research questions: 1. What are the types of motivation possessed by the first- year students in learning reading? 2. What are the factors affecting the students’ motivation in learning reading skills? IV. Significance of the Study The study indicates kinds of motivation which are possessed by most of the first year students at Hanoi University of Industry, which is of benefit to teachers of English in this 1 university. It also describes the factors affecting motivation in classroom settings. Furthermore, it gives some suggestions for the teachers to improve the textbook and some techniques to stimulate students. Hopefully, it can help the students to improve their reading skills as well as the teachers to upgrade their teaching methods. V. Scope of the Study There are three levels of training at Hanoi University of Industry: College level, Junior College level and Vocational Training level (bậc Đại học, Cao Đẳng và Trung cấp). Within its scope, the study is limited only to the non-major first-year students of College level. VI. Methods of the Study In seeking answers to the research questions, survey questionnaires and class observation were chosen to obtain relevant information for the study. The strategic method of the study is quantitative one. That is all remarks, considerations, and conclusions are made largely based on the analysis of the statistic data collected through the questionnaire survey. Class observation is carried out as a supplementary to the survey questionnaires. VII. Design of the Study The thesis consists of three parts: the introduction, the development and the conclusion. The introduction provides the basic information such as the rationale of the study, aims, research questions, significance, scope and methods of the study. The main content includes four chapters. Chapter 1, Literature Review, conceptualizes the nature of the reading skills, motivation and factors affecting motivation in learning reading. Chapter 2, Research Methodology, presents the methodology used in the study. Chapter 3, Data Analysis, covers a comprehensive analysis on the data collected from the survey, interview and the observation. The last chapter, Major Findings and Suggestions, offers some major findings and suggestions for enhancing students’ motivation in learning reading skills. The conclusion is a review of the study, future directions for further research and limitations of the study. 2 Part II: Development Chapter 1: Literature Review Introduction This chapter involves different issues in the theories of the reading in a foreign language and motivation. It will present an overview on reading theories, motivation theories and motivation in learning the reading skill. 1.1. Overview on Reading Theories 1.1.1. Definition and Types of Reading * Definition Reading is an activity with a purpose. A person may read in order to gain information or verify existing knowledge, or in order to critique a writer's ideas or writing style. A person may also read for enjoyment, or to enhance knowledge of the language being read. The purpose(s) for reading guide the reader's selection of texts. Ur (1996: 38) defines "reading means reading and understanding". According to Harmer (1989: 153), "reading is an exercise dominated by the eyes and the brain. The eyes receive messages and the brain then has to work out the significance of these messages". Reading is an interactive process that goes on between the reader and the text, resulting in comprehension. The text presents letters, words, sentences, and paragraphs that encode meaning. The reader uses knowledge, skills, and strategies to determine what that meaning is. Reader knowledge, skills, and strategies include * Linguistic competence: the ability to recognize the elements of the writing system; knowledge of vocabulary; knowledge of how words are structured into sentences * Discourse competence: knowledge of discourse markers and how they connect parts of the text to one another * Sociolinguistic competence: knowledge about different types of texts and their usual structure and content * Strategic competence: the ability to use top-down strategies as well as knowledge of the language (a bottom-up strategy) The purpose(s) for reading and the type of text determine the specific knowledge, skills, and strategies that readers need to apply to achieve comprehension. Reading comprehension is thus much more than decoding. Reading comprehension happens when the reader knows which skills and strategies are appropriate for the type of text, and understands how to apply them to accomplish the reading purpose. 3 * Types of Reading Nutall (2000: 38) indicates two main types of reading: intensive and extensive reading. For him, these are not just two contrasting ways of reading but an infinitive variety of interrelated and overlapping strategies. Actually, both of these two types are complementary and necessary. Intensive Reading Nutall (2000: 38) states that intensive reading involves approaching the text under the guidance of a teacher or a task which forces the student to focus on the text. According to Brown (1990: 297), intensive reading "is usually a classroom-oriented activity in which students focus on the linguistic or semantic details of a passage". The objective of intensive reading is to understand not only what the text means but also how the meaning is produced. Extensive Reading Extensive reading is generally associated with reading large quantities with the aim of getting an overall understanding of the material. Lewis and Hill (1992: 109) point out that "extensive reading means students have a general understanding of the text without necessarily understanding every word". This type of reading is suitable for students' self- learning in order to train them to read directly and fluently in the foreign language for their own enjoyment without the aid of the teacher. However, extensive reading can be best achieved only through an instructional program. Extensive reading sometimes involves skimming and scanning as strategies to gain general sense of a text, skimming for the gist and scanning for some key details. In short, for second or foreign language learners, both intensive and extensive reading are of great importance as they act as a means to gain knowledge but also to develop learners' language skills. 1.1.2. Characteristics of an Effective Reader According to Wassman and Rinsky (1993: 5), an effective reader needs "an understanding of the reading process and an understanding of how to go about reading different types of printed information". Reading research shows that good readers * read extensively * integrate information in the text with existing knowledge * have a flexible reading style, depending on what they are reading * are motivated 4 * rely on different skills interacting: perceptual processing, phonemic processing, and recall * read for a purpose 1.1.3. Approaches to Teaching Reading Skills Bamford and Day (1998: 124-141) state that around the world there are at least four distinctive approaches to the teaching of second or foreign language reading: grammar- translation, comprehension questions, skills and strategies, and extensive reading. Grammar-Translation By this approach, students may be taught to read text written in the foreign language by translating them into the native language. Comprehension Questions This approach focuses on teaching textbook containing short passages that demonstrate the use of foreign language words or points of grammar. Texts are short enough to encourage students to read them word by word. After reading the text, students answer comprehension questions and do exercises. Skills and Strategies By this approach, the teacher has to prepare for students to read one or two-page passage maybe by pre-teaching vocabulary that appears in the reading passage. Students then read the text silently while keeping in mind two or three "while-reading" questions. After reading, they have to share their answers in pairs or groups. Finally, they complete various tasks or exercises that require them to demonstrate a global comprehension of the passage and their grasp of particular reading skills or strategies. Extensive Reading The goal of extensive reading is for students to become willing and able readers in a second or foreign language. Students individually read books and other materials at their own speed mainly for homework. In short, the four approaches to the teaching of reading a second or foreign language are not exclusive and in reality they may be mixed in any particular course or classroom. However, in the context of Hanoi University of Industry, comprehension question approach is mainly applied to teaching reading for non-English-major students. 1.1.4. Stages of a Reading Lesson It is a common knowledge that a reading lesson consists of three important stages: pre-reading, while-reading, and post-reading. Obviously, each stage has its own characteristics and time allocation. 5 * Pre-reading Stage This stage is carried out before the students begin reading the texts. It plays an essential part in the whole process of a reading lesson. According to Williams (1984: 37), the purposes of the pre-reading stage are: - To introduce and arouse interest in the topic - To motivate learners by giving a reason for reading - To provide some language preparation for the text Normally, pre-reading phrase often lasts from two to ten minutes depending on each lesson. Before delivering activities for this stage, the teacher needs to take the objectives of the lesson, the situation of teaching and learning, the students' needs into account. * While-reading Stage Williams (1984: 38) states that while-reading stage is the main part of a reading lesson with the following specific aims: - To help understanding of the writer's purpose - To help understanding of the text structure - To help clarify text content At this stage, the teacher needs to help students comprehend the text thoroughly while the students have to apply to the best their reading skills like skimming, scanning, guessing, etc. to understand the text as well as the writer's purposes conveyed through the reading text. Apparently, time allocation for this is nearly two thirds of the whole lesson. * Post-reading Stage Post-reading stage is the last step of a reading lesson so it is the time for students' production. What they produce will reflect how well they comprehend the text. "The post- reading stage is aimed at consolidating or reflecting upon what has been read and relating the text to the learners' own knowledge, interests or views" (Williams, 1984: 39). Normally, it takes ten or fifteen minutes to complete all activities at this stage. 1.2. Overview on Motivation 1.2.1. Definition of Motivation Most definitions of motivation reflect the consensus that motivation is an internal state or condition that serves to activate or energize behavior. Woolfolk (2001: 366) states that "motivation is an internal state that arouses directs and maintains behavior". Sharing the same point, Brown (2000: 160) suggests that "motivation is some kind of internal drove which pushes someone to do things in order to achieve something". Williams and Burden (1997: 119) also point out that the reason for and factors affecting your choice of behaving in 6 this way but not in others and how much effort you decide to make in order to obtain your objects are all aspects relating to motivation. Motivation also refers to the need and desire. According to McKay and Tom (1999: 2), the need and desire to communicate with others in the new language provide strong motivation for most newcomers. In a similar but more specified way, Lightbown and Spada (1999: 6) state that motivation in second language learning is a complex phenomenon which can be defined in terms of two factors: learners' communicative needs and their attitudes towards the second language community. If learners need to speak the second language in a wide range of social situations or to fulfill professional ambitions, they will perceive the communicative value of the second language and will therefore be motivated to acquire proficiency in it. Likewise, if learners have favorable attitudes towards the speakers of the language, they will decide more contact with them. 1.2.2. Types of Motivation There are many different kinds of motivation: - "Integrative": the desire to identify with and integrate into the target-language culture. According to Garner and Lambert (1972), (cited in Ellis, 1997: 509), motivation is strongly influenced by integrative orientation to language learning. In their words, "an integrative orientation involves an interest in learning an L2 because of a sincere and personal interest in the people and culture represented by the other group". - "Instrumental'': the wish to learn the language for purposes of study or career promotion. Ellis (1997: 75) regards instrumental motivation as some functional reasons for learning-to pass an examination, to get a better job, or to get a place at university. - "Intrinsic": the urge to engage in the learning activity for its own sake. It has been termed "cognitive drive", very typical of young children and tends to deteriorate with age. Intrinsic motivation "comes from the individual" (Harmer, 2001: 51) or "stems from factors such as interest or curiosity" (Woolfolk, 2001: 368). - "Extrinsic": motivation that is derived from external incentives. Extrinsic motivation "is caused by any number of outside factors such as: the need to pass an exam, the hope of financial reward or the possibility of future travel" (Harmer, 2001: 51). Ur (1996: 277) points out that extrinsic derives from the influence of some kind of external incentives, as distinct from the wish to learn for its own sake or interest in learning tasks. Many sources of extrinsic motivation are beyond the influence of important people, 7 such as parents. However, other sources are certainly affected by teacher action, including success and its rewards, failure and its penalties, authoritative demands, tests, competition. - "Global": the overall orientation of the learner towards the learning of the foreign language. According to Brown (1987), (cited in Ur, 1996: 276), it may be affected by previous education, a large number of social factors as well as the teacher's own attitudes conveyed either unconsciously or through explicit information and persuasion. - "Situational": Brown (1987), (cited in Ur, 1996: 276) states that situational motivation refers to the learning context: classroom, total environment which is assumed to be influenced by teacher action. - "Task": In some learning situations, many learners' reason for learning a foreign language is not because of the interest in the culture and target language community but the interest in learning tasks. They may find the kind of learning activities enjoyable and become productively engaged in learning tasks, and sustain that engagement. In other words, these learners are intrinsically motivated (Ellis, 1997: 76). Brown (1987) (cited in Ur, 1996: 276) also states that task motivation occurs when learners are encouraged to invest efforts and energy in doing a particular task attractively designed by the teacher and they succeed. - "Resultative": Ellis (1997: 76) claims that "motivation is the result of learning. Learners who experience success in learning may become more, or in some contexts, less motivated to learn". Truly, in some contexts like Vietnam, success in learning Korean may intensify Vietnamese students' liking for Korean culture, and thus, stimulates them to learn more. Among them, intrinsic and extrinsic motivations have an important part to play in classroom settings. Most writers agree that intrinsic and extrinsic interact with each other. As a result, learners can be either motivated by internal or external factors depending on the circumstances and conditions the activity is performed. 1.2.3. Importance of Motivation in second Language Learning Most motivation theorists assume that motivation is involved in the performance of all learned responses; that is, a learned 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 L2 skills. Therefore, motivation is one of the main determining factors in success in foreign or second language learning . Oxford and Shearin (1996: 121- 8 122) point out: "Motivation is important because it directly influences how students use L2 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 on curriculum- related achievement tests, how high their general proficiency level becomes, and how long they preserve and maintain L2 skills after language study is over . Therefore, motivation is crucial for L2 learning, and it is essential to understand what our students' motivations are". In addition, Harmer (1999: 51) confirms that "it is accepted for most fields of learning that motivation is essential to success". Ellis (1997: 515) concludes that the relationship between motivation and achievement is an interactive one. A high level of motivation does stimulates learning, but perceived success in achieving L2 goals can help to maintain existing motivation and even create new types. 1.2.4. Characteristics of Motivated Learners Actually, the term motivation on its own is rather difficult to define. It is easier and more useful to think in terms of the "motivated learner". Motivated learners are those who participate willingly and actively in learning activities in class. According to Naiman et al (1978) (cited in Harmer, 1999: 42), "the most successful learners are not necessarily those to whom a language comes very easily; they are those who display typical characteristics, most of them clearly associated with motivation". Below is the list: - Positive task orientation: the learner has confidence in his or her success. - Ego involvement: the learner finds it important to succeed in learning. - Need for achievement: to overcome difficulties and succeed in what he or she sets out to do. - High aspirations: the learner goes for demanding challenges and high proficiency. - Goal orientation: the learner is very aware of the goals of learning. - Perseverance: the learner is not discouraged by setbacks or apparent lack of progress. - Tolerance of ambiguity: the learner is not frustrated by a temporary lack of understanding; he or she thinks it will come later. Sharing the same point, Crookes and Schmidt (1989) (cited in Ellis, 1997: 42) describe a motivated student as someone "becomes productively engaged on learning tasks, and sustains that engagement, without the need for continual encouragement or direction". Additionally, Lightbown and Spada (1999: 57) state that motivated students are usually those 9 who participate actively in class, express interest in the subject-matter, and study a great deal. 1.2.5. Strategies to Encourage Motivation and Thoughtful Learning According to Woolfolk (2001: 421), there are five necessary conditions that must exist in a classroom namely: fulfilling basic requirements, building confidence and positive expectations, showing the value of learning, helping students to stay focused on the tasks, and instrumental value. Basing on these conditions, he points out strategies to boost students’ motivation as follows: The first strategy is fulfilling basic requirements. These requirements consist of an organized class environment, a supportive teacher and challenging but reasonable work. Secondly, it is necessary to build students’ confidence and positive expectation by asking students to make their learning goals clear, specific and attainable. Moreover, students will feel more confident when they are guided to work at their own levels, when they are assured that academic ability is improvable. Thirdly, students will be fully aware of the value of their learning when the teacher ties class activities to students’ interests, arouses their curiosity, and makes the learning task fun. The fourth strategy is helping students stay focused on the task by giving students opportunities to respond to the task, providing them chances to create a finished product. The teacher should teach them appropriate learning tactics for different kinds of exercises. Finally, for instrumental value, it is essential to explain to students the connections between school and life outside of school. Besides, teachers should provide them incentives for learning when needed and using authentic tasks. As motivation plays an important role in teaching and learning a foreign language, the teacher should know strategies to boost students’ motivation and to obtain success in teaching. 1.3. Motivation in Learning Reading 1.3.1. Importance of Motivation in Learning Reading Resnick and Lester (2000: 5) state that "motivation is one of the most important ingredients in skilled reading". Most of the English learners complain that they feel bored with the reading lesson. One reason is the fact that reading is the most difficult and boring of the four practical skills. Students often lose interest in the reading text and are reluctantly participate in the reading lesson. From this fact, it is an important part of a reading teacher's job to motivate learners (Girard, 1977: 20). 10 . examine kinds of motivation possessed by the first year students in learning reading. 2. To investigate factors affecting learners’ motivation in reading. What are the factors affecting the students’ motivation in learning reading skills? IV. Significance of the Study The study indicates kinds of motivation