An action research project on the effectiveness of using authentic materials on the internet to improve 12th form students extensive reading at b phu ly high school

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST - GRADUATE STUDIES -*** - NGUYỄN THỊ THÚY VÂN AN ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING AUTHENTIC MATERIALS ON THE INTERNET TO IMPROVE 12th FORM STUDENTS' EXTENSIVE READING AT B PHU LY HIGH SCHOOL ( Nghiên cứu hành động hiệu việc sử dụng tư liệu nguyên gốc Internet để nâng cao kĩ đọc mở rộng học sinh lớp 12 trường THPT B Phủ Lý, Hà Nam) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH METHODOLOGY CODE: 60140111 HANOI, 2016 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST - GRADUATE STUDIES -*** - NGUYỄN THỊ THÚY VÂN AN ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING AUTHENTIC MATERIALS ON THE INTERNET TO IMPROVE 12th FORM STUDENTS' EXTENSIVE READING AT B PHU LY HIGH SCHOOL ( Nghiên cứu hành động hiệu việc sử dụng tư liệu nguyên gốc Internet để nâng cao kĩ đọc mở rộng học sinh lớp 12 trường THPT B Phủ Lý, Hà Nam) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH METHODOLOGY CODE: 60140111 SUPERVISOR: PROF DR HOÀNG VĂN VÂN HANOI, 2016 CERTIFICATION OF ORIGINALITY I hereby certify that the minor thesis entitled “An action research project on the effectiveness of using authentic materials on the Internet to improve 12th form students' extensive reading at B Phu Ly High School” submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts at Faculty of PostGraduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi is my own study, and that it has not been submitted for any degree to any other universities or institutions Where other sources of information have been used, they have been identified and acknowledged Signature Nguyen Thi Thuy Van i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To accomplish this study, I am indebted to many people for their thoughtful help First and foremost, I would like to express my most sincere gratitude to my respectable supervisor, Prof Dr Hoang Van Van for his restless and sympathetic encouragement, and critical feedback, without which my thesis would be far from completion I would also like to acknowledge a particular debt to Assoc Prof Le Van Canh for his valuable advice and patient guidance though he is not my supervisor My sincere thanks also go to my dear colleagues at B Phu Ly High School for all their help, supports and encouragement when I encountered difficulties I wish to acknowledge my thankfulness to classes 12A2 and 12A3 at B Phu Ly High School for their enthusiastic participation in the experiment Finally, I would like to express my thanks to my friends who were willing to help me during the course In particular, I find myself indebted to my family especially my husband for their love, care and tolerance during the process of writing this thesis ii ABSTRACT Extensive reading is believed to develop good reading habits, to build up knowledge of vocabulary and structures, and to encourage a liking for reading Materials for extensive reading are available everywhere but Internet-based materials seem to be the most suitable for high school students because the World Wide Web now is easily accessible with an endless supply of authentic materials in the target language where students can start on their own The use of authentic materials in extensive reading is appropriate since they relate directly to the real world Other aspects which prove positive when using authentic materials are that they are highly motivating, giving a sense of achievement when understood and encourage further reading However, there has been insufficient research to explore the effects of extensive reading that utilizes authentic materials Thus, this study is conducted, adapting action research approach, to investigate the impact of authentic materials as the main source of extensive reading and students' attitudes toward these materials The findings indicate a positive effect of authentic materials on students’ language competence and favorable opinions from students iii TABLE OF CONTENTS CERTIFICATION OF ORIGINALITY i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vi LIST OF TABLES vii PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale of the study .1 Aims of the study and research questions Hypothesis: Scope of the study .2 Method of the study Organization of the study PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND AND LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Extensive reading 1.1.1 Reading 1.1.2 Extensive reading 1.1.3 The roles of extensive reading in language education 1.2 Authentic materials 1.2.1 Definition 1.2.2 The use of online authentic materials in improving extensive reading comprehension 1.2.3 Advantages and disadvantages of using authentic materials 11 1.3 Attitude 13 1.3.1 Definition .13 1.3.2 The effects of attitude in second language learning 15 iv 1.4 Some related studies 16 CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 18 2.1 Research context 18 2.3 Research approach 19 2.3.1 An overview of action research 19 2.3.2 Rationale for the use of an action research 20 2.4 Description of the research 21 2.4.1 Population .21 2.4.2 Data collection instruments 22 2.4.3 The action procedures 23 2.4.4 Data collection procedures 26 2.4.5 Data analysis procedure .27 2.5 Summary .28 CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 29 3.1 Initial data 29 3.2 Research question .30 3.3 Research question .32 3.3.1 Students’ attitudes towards authentic materials .32 3.3.2 Students’ suggestions for future program 36 3.3.3 Conclusion .37 PART C: CONCLUSION .39 Conclusion .39 Implications .40 Limitations of the study 41 REFERENCES 43 APPENDIX I: PRE-QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS I v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ANCOVA: Analysis of Covariance EFL: English as a Foreign Language ESP: English for Special Purposes GCSE: General Certificate of Secondary Education L2: Second Language SPSS: Statistical Packages for Social Sciences vi LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Advantages & Disadvantages of Authentic Materials Table 2: Range of students' attitudes to target language Table 3: An overview of an extensive reading program: Table 4: The levels of students’ interest in reading lessons, their needs and their attitudes toward reading skills Table 5: Significant difference between the pretest mean scores of the students taught using traditional method and that of those using authentic materials in the teaching of extensive reading Table 6: Significant difference between the post-test mean scores of the students taught using traditional method and that of those using authentic materials in the teaching of extensive reading Table 7: Significant effect of authentic materials in the teaching of extensive reading Table 8: Students’ attitudes towards authentic material program Table 9: Students’ suggestions for future program Table 10: Summary of the Research Findings vii PART A: INTRODUCTION This is a study on the influence of authentic materials on learning reading skills This chapter starts with the rationale of the study Then the aims, hypothesis, scope, significance and method of the study will be presented Rationale of the study Reading is an activity that can be considered as a crucial aspect of one's language ability because this skill helps to develop other language skills and provides knowledge on the target language However, many students experience difficulties in comprehending the reading texts These difficulties appear because the students have low motivation and possess limited vocabulary Students today have become more passive and reluctant in regard to reading, doing no more than what is required Educators are concerned about students' disinterest and therefore, are endeavoring to find ways and sources to encourage students to read Textbooks are widely adopted in classroom teaching but perhaps because textbook materials often break down language to discrete linguistic points, it may be too formulaic for students Additionally, textbooks are never enough, especially for those who are going to take the in GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) exams in which English is a compulsory subject Moreover, time for reading lesson at high school is limited There are three English lessons every week and in five or six lessons, there is only one for reading which means there is not enough time for reading - the most important language skill That is the reason why teachers have to find ways to enhance students to read more That means students have to read extensively Additionally, most of the coursebooks used in language classrooms are perceived as traditional materials because they serve a pre-planned goal, so texts are simplified and exercises are adapted, which sometimes seems impractical to learners Therefore, a new concept, "authentic materials" has been established Most linguists agree that in language teaching, the use of authentic materials is quite useful to the learning process because as Baddock (1981) stated, learners find Câu hỏi khảo sát học sinh Phiếu điều tra nhằm khảo sát tác động việc sử dụng tài liệu nguyên gốc Internet việc nâng cao kĩ đọc mở rộng học sinh ý kiến em loại tài liệu Sự tham gia em kết khảo sát đóng góp quan trọng vào nghiên cứu góp phần nâng cao chương trình giảng dạy tiếng Anh Nhà trường Mọi thông tin cung cấp khảo sát đảm bảo bí mật khơng ảnh hưởng đến kết đánh giá học tập em Chúng mong em trả lời trung thực câu hỏi phiếu khảo sát Xin trân thành cảm ơn cộng tác em! Em đánh dấu vào cột thể ý kiến nhận xét sau mơn tiếng Anh học kì I vừa qua: Mục Hồn Đồng Khơng Khơng Hồn tồn ý có ý đồng ý tồn đồng (4) kiến (2) khơng ý (5) Các tài liệu nguyên gốc mang lại cho em niềm vui thích việc học kĩ đọc Việc sử dụng tài liệu nguyên gốc không giúp cho việc đọc thú vị Em có hội học thêm từ vựng cấu trúc đọc tiếng Anh nguyên gốc Việc sử dụng tài liệu nguyên gốc không giúp em mở rộng vốn từ vựng VI (3) đồng ý (1) ngữ pháp Những tiếng Anh nguyên gốc giúp em học nhiều sử dụng ngơn ngữ khác Điều giúp em lĩnh hội ngôn ngữ cách xác trơi chảy Em khơng gặp khó khăn đọc hiểu ý đọc ngun gốc Đơi em cảm thấy nản lòng đọc tiếng Anh ngun gốc ngơn ngữ khó hiểu Các tài liệu nguyên gốc giúp em cải thiện kĩ đọc Các đọc nguyên gốc giúp em nâng cao kĩ ngơn ngữ khác nghe, nói, viết 10 Các đọc nguyên gốc giúp em mở rộng kiến thức 11 Chương trình nên áp dụng vào kĩ ngôn ngữ khác 12 Học sinh nên tiếp xúc sớm với tài liệu nguyên gốc 13 Nếu khóa học kết thúc, em tiếp tục đọc thêm nguyên gốc Internet 14 Thầy cô nên chọn tài liệu đọc nguyên gốc cách kĩ 15 Thầy cô nên giải thích rõ hoạt động đọc dành cho đọc VII APPENDIX III: AN INTERVENTION COURSE 10 authentic texts and designed activities Text 1: Girl is saved A seven-year-old Colombian girl who went missing in the jungle nearly three weeks ago and was thought to be dead has been found alive The young girl went missing in northen Colombia’s natural reserve Tayrona Park where she was collecting cocnuts with her parents After an 18-day air and land search from hundreds of officers, the seven-year-old was located after an anonymous tip-off was made to the family She was discovered in an abandoned hut in the jungle Authorities not know how the little girl arrived at the abandoned hut or how she survived her jungle ordeal but said she was found in a bad state Injuries on the girl’s feet indicate she may have travelled long distances The girl was reunited with her worried parents on her way to hospital where she is receiving medical treatment Authorities are investigating the girl’s disappearance amid questions over the anonymous call made to the police and how the seven-year-old survives in the jungle * Difficult words: tip-off (a piece of information), abandoned (without any people), hut (a small, simple building), ordeal (a terrible experience), amid (among; in the middle of) * Activity: Write a summary of the text Text 2: Ronaldo wins another Golden Shoe Cristiano Ronaldo has won the European Golden Shoe award for the fourth time The Real Madrid striker is the first player to bag four Golden Shoes, but the competitive sportsman says it’s not enough “I am not satisfied I always want more I know I am the only one who has four boots, but I want more I want a fifth and sixth one, if possible Obviously, that VIII means winning things collectively with the team, trophied, but for me Real Madrid is the greatest club in the world and is must win titles every year This year will obviously be no different.” The award recognises Cristiano as the top scoreer in Europe’s domestic leagues He scored 48 goals in 35 appearances for Real last season, edging out Barcelona’s Lionel Messi who netted 43 goals in 38 outings The sports star picked up the trophy along with his son Cristiano Junior at a ceremony in Madrid Ronaldo became Real Madrid’s top scorer in history in September, surpassing Raul Gonzalez with 324 goals * Difficult words: bag (to manage to get something), domestic (happening inside a country; not international), net (to score), edge out (to defeat by a small margin), surpass (to better than something or someone else) * Activity: Talk about your favourite footballer Text 3: Boy hits a painting A trip to the art museum could have turned into a very costly trip indeed for one child in Taiwan when he lost his balance and put his hand through a painting worth around $1.5 million “Flowers” by Italian master Paolo Porpora is part of a Taipei exhibition of artwork by or influenced by Leonardo da Vinci Organisers don’t believe the boy intentionally vandalised the oil painting saying, “it’s obviously he didn’t mean to push it I merely think the kid might have been focusing on what the teacher was saying and his eyes were elsewhere, so he accidentally steped on the platform and had a bit of a fall.” The incident may prompt a change in the way valuable paintings are displayed here in the future IX “I think that the painting should have been displayed behind glass becuase displaying it in the open is very dangerous There’s just nothing to protect the painting as people go up it and carelessly touch it because a lot of people will be looking at it.” Luckily, the exhibition organisers have decided not to charge the boy for the damage and say the painting can by easily restored * Difficult words: intentionally (on purpose), vandalise (to damage), merely (just) * Activity: Summarize the text in your own words Text 4: Smog in Beijing Poor air quality is making breathing hard for residents in Beijing China’s capital has been placed on special alert after dangerous smod reached its highest level for more than a year Pollution has soared to 17 times higher than levels deemed safe by the World Health Organisation As a result, highways have been closed, construction work has stopped and residents have been advised to stay indoors According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the choking pollution is caused by the “unfavourable” weather Emissions in northern China soar during winter months as urban heating systems are switched on and low wind speeds mean that polluted air is not dispersed It comes as President Xi Jinping joins other world leaders in Paris for a critical UN conference aimed at agreeing a new global approach to climate change China launched a “war on pollution” last year following a spate of smog outbreaks in Beijing and surrounding regions * Difficult words: resident (a person who lives somewhere), alert (a signal of danger), soar (to increase rapidly), deemed (considered), disperse (to spread over a X wide area and disappear), spate (a large number of similar things that happen in a short period of time) * Activity: List some causes of air pollution in big cities Text 5: End of one-child policy These children could be the first in generations to have a brother or sister China has decided to end its decades-long one-child policy All couples can now have two children as the country’s ruling Communist party announced an ease of family planning restrictions It’s estimated that the controversial policy prevented about 400 million births since it began in 1979 It was enforced to reduce the country’s birth rate, in turn slowing the rapid growth of population Back in the 1950s, China’s population was increasing by around 1.9% each year, after people were encouraged to have children to increase the workforce But he government decided that this was unsustainable, resulting in the one-child policy Those who flouted the rules were either fined, lost their jobs, or in some cases, mums were forced to abort their babies or be sterilised Some desperate parents gave up their babies, leaving them is so-called baby hatches It was poor for mums and dads who could not afford to keep their sick or disabled baby and was parents simply place a child in the hatch, press an alarm button and then leave them behind to be taken care of by the state Chinese families traditionally favour boys and so, if they can have only one child, some parents abandon girls and try again for a boy Under the 2013 reform, couples in which one parent is an only child were allowed to have a second child China’s working age populationcontinued to shrink in 2013, for the first time in decades, made worse by the one-child policy The drop means that China could be the first country in the world to get old before it gets rich Currently, there are no immediately details on the new policy or a time-frame for implementation XI * Difficult words: policy (a rule), announce (to say something officially), controversial (a lot of people have a strong opinion about this), unsustainable (not able to exist for along time), flout (to choose not to follow), fine (to tell somebody to pay some money for doing something illegal), sterilise (to block or remove somebody’s sex organs so he or she can’t have children), baby hatch ( a place where you can leave a baby), shrink (to get smaller and smaller), implementation (implementing something – to put something into effect) * Activity: Discuss the equality between men and women in modern society now Text 6: Attacks in Paris A state of emergency has been declared in France after at lest 120 people were killed in gun and bomb attacks across Central Paris President Hollande called the almost simultaneous attaxks a horror and vowed to wage a merciless fight against terrorism The French leader also imposed border controls and deployed 1,500 extra troops following the incidents The attacks started at around 9:30 on Friday night after blasts were heard near the Stade de France i nthe north of the city Police confirmed these were three simultaneous bombings An hour later, there were reports of a shooting at Le Carillon Café bar and le Petit Cambodge restaurant in the 10th arrondissement around miles away from the stadium Fourteen people were killed in the incidents The dealiest attack took place at the Bataclan Concert hall at around 11 p.m when four gunmen stormed an Eagles of Death Metal concert They began to fire indiscriminately into the rownd, throwing explosives as they went One of the attackers reportedly shouted “God is great” in Arabic during the massacre Dozens of hostages were taken inside the venue A short time later, security forces launched an assault on the theater The two attackers were killed after detonating explosive belts More than 80 concert goers died at the venue XII Less than a mile away, eighteen diners at La Belle Equipe were shot dead during another attack Five people were also killed in La Casa Nostra Pizzeria in the 11 th arondissement Police say there eight attackers in total All of them are now dead Seven are believed to have donated suicide vests These are the deadliest attacks in Europe since the 2004 Madrid bombings Leaders across the world have condemned the attacks with US President Obama branding the incidents an attack on all humanity * Difficult words: simultaneous (happening at the same time), vow (to promise), wage (to carry on), merciless (showing no mercy – forgiveness), impose (to order), troops (soldiers or police), blast (an explosion), arrondissement (an administrative district in Paris), storm (to attack), indiscriminately (without thinking), venue (a place for concerts or meetings), assault (to attack), detonate ( ), condemn (to disagree with), brand (to call) * Activity: Write a paragraph of about 150 words about your ideal world Text 7: The rich are helping people Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced that he and his wife will give away 99% of their Facebook shares to a new charity In a letter addressed to their daughter Max, who was born last week, they pledged to give away shares currently worth 45 billion dollars On his Facebook page, Zuckerberg posted a photo of himself, his wife Priscilla Chan and their new daughter Max, along with a post entitled “A letter to our daughter” It said, “Dear Max, Your mother and i don’t yet have the words to describe the hope you give us for the future Like all parents, we want you to grow up in a world better than our today.” XIII The couple go on to mention issues including health, education, Internet access and learning before announcing the Chan Zuckerberg initiative which aims to advance human potential and promote equality The letter ends, saying, “Max, we love you and feel a great responsibility to leave the world a better place for you and all children We can’t wait to see what you gring to this world.” It is signed “Love, Mum and Dad.” The plan mirrors a move by other high-profile billionaire like Warren Buffet and Bill and Melinda Gates who have pledged and set up foundations to give away their fortunes to charity Facebook said Zuckerberg is expected to be controlling stockholder of the company for the foreseeable future He would give away up to one billion dollars of Facebook stock each year for the next three years Last month, Zuckerberg announced he would take two months of paternity leave after the birth of his daughter He and Chan said they will share more details when they return from their paterinty and maternity leaves * Difficult words: CEO (Chief Executive Officer), announce (to officially say something), share (noun: a part of a big business which you can own), pledge (to promise), initiative (a plan, organisation to change something), advance 9make better), mirror (to show something in a very clear and accurate way), high-profile (famous), foreseeable (soon) * Activity: Discuss a question: Why people charity? Text 8: Poaching in South Africa As Prince Harry visits a crime scene, he is visibly moved The prince has been meeting rangers at the Kruger national Park in South Africa to raise concern over the illegal trade of rhino horns Last week, a rhino and her calf were killed here by poachers, taking their valuable horns “Already this year, 1,500 rhinos have been killed in this country That is four everyday If current poaching rates continue, there’ll be no wild African elephants or rhinos left by the time children born this year, like my niece Charlotte, turn 25.” XIV The prince was with South Africa’s environmental crime team calling attention to an issue which is close to his heart Rhino poaching is a growing problem in South Africa The number killed has tripled since 201 In the summer, the prince spent 10 days working with conversation experts here Footage and pictures from his own phone have now been released This photo is on Instagram and with it, Prince Harry’s description of how a young female black rhino called Hope was wounded by poachers in the eastern cape of South Africa He said that certain poachers tranquillse the animal before hacking off the horns After two operations, vets saved Hope’s life The image shows the Prince’s hands-on approach, but with it, his sadness and frustration with the issue * Difficult words: calf (a young animal), tranquillise (to calm down with a drug), hack (to cut roughly), hands-on (practical and active) * Activity: Talk about some measures to protect wildlife Text 9: Old wreck is found Burried within the wreckage of a Spanish galleon is thought to be thousands of emeralds, and gold and silver coins Gold worth hundreds of thousands of pounds have previously been found under the Caribbean seas and the Gulf of Mexico Historians think the precious jewels and coins contained within the San Jose sank off the coast of Cartagena in 1708 A team of international experts, the Clombian navy and the country’s archaeological institute discovered the wreckage last week near the island of Baru The Columbian president said the ship, which sank off the Caribbean coast, was found in Columbian waters He explained that 600 people died in the shipwreck and that the archaeological discovery corresponds to the lost of San Jose galleon ship XV Sonar images have so far revealed bronze cannons made sepcially for the ship, ceramics and other artefacts Archaeological excavation and scientific tests on the wreck will continue to ensure it can be properly preserved The San Jose has been the subject of a legal dispute between Colombia and the SSA, a US-based salvage company who claims they found the area where the ship sank In 2011, a US court agreed the proceeds from the wreckage would belong to Colombia It’s unclear yet whether the remains will be brought to dry land * Difficult words: galleon (an old and large sailing ship from Spain), emerald (a bright green stone), precious (of great value), artefact (a historical object), excavation (digging), salvage (to find something in a destroyed place), claim (to say) * Activity: Write a summary of the text in your own words Text 10: Joke about a clever blonde woman There is a blonde woman who sitsnext to a lawyer on a plane The lawyer keeps asking the blonde to play a game of intelligence with him The blonde doesn’t want to play, so the lawyer says to her, “If I can’t answer your question, I will give you 50 dollars If you can’t answer my question, you will give me dollars.” The lawyer thinks he cannot lose and the blonde finally accepts his offer The lawyer asks first, “What is the distance between the Earth and the nearest star?” Without saying a word, the blonde gives him dollars Then the blonde asks, “What goes up the hill with legs and comes back down the hill with legs?” The lawyer is confused He takes several hours, he looks up everything on his laptop, calls his friends but finally, angry and frustrated, he gives up and pays the blonde 50 dollars XVI The blonde puts the 50 dollars into her purse without saying a word, but the lawyer keeps asking, “What is the answer to your question?” Without saying a word, the blonde gives him dollars * Activity: Retell the story XVII APPENDIX IV: PRETEST AND POSTTEST SCORES Experimental Group: No Pretest Posttest 5 4 7 8 10 11 6 12 13 7 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 8 27 7 28 29 30 5 31 32 33 34 Notes XVIII 35 36 37 6 38 39 40 41 42 10 43 7 44 7 45 Control Group: N0 Pretest Posttest 7 6 6 7 6 10 11 5 12 13 14 6 15 16 17 5 18 6 19 20 21 8 22 5 23 Notes XIX 24 25 7 26 27 28 5 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 6 38 39 40 41 7 42 43 7 44 45 8 XX ... minor thesis entitled An action research project on the effectiveness of using authentic materials on the Internet to improve 12th form students' extensive reading at B Phu Ly High School submitted... which the language is used together From this suggestion and above initial problems, the author decided to an action research project on the effectiveness of using authentic materials on the Internet. .. the two groups of students were calculated by using ANCOVA through SPSS 2.3.2 Rationale for the use of an action research Cohen and Manion (2007) state that the aim of action research is to improve