A study of the use of translation in improving non majored english students’ reading comprehension at the faculty of english, university of languages and international studies,

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES ****************************** ĐINH THI THU TRANG A STUDY OF THE USE OF TRANSLATION IN IMPROVING NON- ENGLISH MAJORED STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION ABILITY AT FACULTY OF ENGLISH, UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES, VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY (NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ SỬ DỤNG DỊCH TRONG CẢI THIỆN KỸ NĂNG ĐỌC HIỂU CỦA SINH VIÊN KHÔNG CHUYÊN ANH, KHOA TIẾNG ANH, TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ, ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI) M.A COMBINED PROGRAM THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60.14.00111 Hanoi, 2015 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES ****************************** ĐINH THI THU TRANG A STUDY OF THE USE OF TRANSLATION IN IMPROVING NON- ENGLISH MAJORED STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION ABILITY AT FACULTY OF ENGLISH, UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES, VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY (NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ SỬ DỤNG DỊCH TRONG CẢI THIỆN KỸ NĂNG ĐỌC HIỂU CỦA SINH VIÊN KHÔNG CHUYÊN ANH, KHOA TIẾNG ANH, TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ, ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI) M.A COMBINED PROGRAM THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60.14.00111 Supervisor: Assoc Prof Dr Tran Xuan Diep Hanoi, 2015 DECLARATION I hereby, certify the thesis entitled “ A Study of The Use of Translation Improving Non-majored English Students’ Reading Comprehension in Faculty of English, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi” is the result of my own research for the Degree of Master of Arts in English Teaching Methodology at University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi The thesis has not been submitted for any degree at any other universities or institutions I agree that the origin of my thesis deposited in the library can be accessible for the purpose of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the care, loan and reproduction of the paper Hanoi, January 2015 Signature Dinh Thi Thu Trang i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I owe the success of this paper to the following people without whom this research could not have been completed Firstly, I would like to express my deepest sense of gratitude to my supervisor, Associate Professor Doctor Tran Xuan Diep for his immeasurable help, valuable comments and supportive encouragements throughout the study and beyond My sincere thanks also go to all the staff, teachers and members at Faculty of Post-Graduate Studies – University of Languages and International Studies – Vietnam National University, Hanoi - for their work and services I am also obliged to seventy non-majored English students at Faculty of English who willingly participated in my study, contributed their efforts to provide me with valuable source of data Lastly, I am also thankful for the support and unconditional love and care I have had from my family, my husband and friends whose encouragements became my motivation to complete ii this study ABSTRACT The idea of using translation as a learning strategy as well as a teaching technique has received diverse compliments and criticisms during the EFL history Although some teaching methods are in complete disagreement with the use of translation in EFL classes, the fact cannot be neglected that nonmajored English learners, especially in their early stages of language learning, heavily rely on their mother tongue and deploy it in various skills such as speaking, listening, writing and reading In this research attempts have been made to verify whether there is a positive correlation between the use of translation as a facilitating strategy and the improvement of non-majored English students‘ reading comprehension It was hypothesized that translation activities organized by the teacher may facilitate the process of comprehension for learners Seventy non-majored English learners from Faculty of English, ULIS, VNU were asked to complete a pilot study in the form of questionnaires to express their opinions towards translation In the experimental phase, they were divided into two groups The experimental group was taught reading text through translation activities and the control group received no translation After eight weeks of instruction, the obtained results showed there was a meaningful difference between the performance of control and experimental groups in reading comprehension pre-test and posttest iii LIST OF TABLES No Tables Page Summary of contents in New English File Pre-Intermediate 38 Students‘ opinions about the use of translation 42 Students‘ opinions about translation as an enabling strategy to 43 help them increase their reading comprehension Statistics of pre-test for experimental and control groups 51 Statistics of post-test for experimental and control groups Paired samples test of the means of the post test of control and 53 experimental groups iv 53 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS L1: First language L2: Second language EFL: English as a Foreign Language CLT: Communicative Language Teaching ULIS: University of Languages and International Studies VNU: Vietnam National University, Hanoi v TABLE OF CONTENTS DECRALATION…………………………………………………………… i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………… ii ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ………………… iv LIST OF TABLES…………………………………… vi LIST OF ABREVIATIONS……………………………………………… vii CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION…… …………………………………… 1.1 Statement of the problem…………………………………………… 1.2 Objectives of the study …………………….……… …………… 1.3 Research questions……………………………………………… … 1.4 Significance of the study…………………………………………… 1.5 Scope of the study…………………………………………………… 1.6 Design of the study………………………………………………… CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND………………………….6 2.1 Reading and Reading Comprehension Theories………………… 2.1.1 Theories and Approaches to Reading As a Language Skill… 2.1.2 Theories on Reading Comprehension………………………… 2.2 The Role of Translation In Teaching EFL…………………… .10 2.2.1 Definition of Translation…………………………… .10 2.2.2 Translation in Foreign Language Teaching……… ……… 13 2.2.2.1 Objections and Disadvantages of Using Translation….13 2.2.2.2 Advocacy and Advantages of Using Translation…… 15 2.2.3 Approaches to Translations in EFL…………………… …….19 2.2.3.1 Bilingual Immersion……………………………… 19 2.2.3.2 Co-teaching……………………… …………… … 20 2.2.3.3 Using Bilingual text……………………………… 21 vi 2.2.3.4 Combination Approach…………………………… 23 2.2.4 Translation Activities in EFL classroom………………….… 23 2.2.4.1 Principles of Designing Translation activities…… 23 2.2.4.2 Suggested activities…………………………… ……25 2.3 The Role of Translation in Reading Comprehension…… … 27 2.4 Previous studies…………………………………………….… 30 CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY……… ……………………… 34 3.1 Participants……………………….…………………………… 34 3.2 Research instruments…………………………………………… 35 3.3 Materials……………………………………………………… 36 3.4 Procedures………………………………………………… 39 CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 41 4.1 Findings from pilot study……………………………….……… 41 4.2 Research question 1…………………………………… ……… 45 4.3 Research question 2…………………………………… …… .51 CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION…………………………………………55 5.1 Recapitulation……………………………………………………55 5.2 Pedagogical implications 56 5.3 Limitations of the research…………………………………… 58 5.4 Suggestions for further research …………………….……… 59 REFERENCES 60 APPENDICES I vii CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION This initial part states the problem and the rationale of the study, together with the aims, objectives and the scope of the whole paper Above all, it is in this part that the research questions are identified to work as clear guidelines for the whole research 1.1 Statement of the problem With the new framework of learner-centered approach and the advent of Communicative Language Teaching in the realm of teaching English as a foreign language, translation has always been the core of the controversies on whether it can be a valid and effective tool in foreign language learning Until recently, translation was out of favour with the language teaching community Translation as a language learning activity was considered to be unsuitable within the context of foreign language learning (Brown, 2002) It was critized because of the close association with traditional Grammar Translation Harbord (cited in Cunningham, 2000) stated: ―A return to Grammar-Translation with all of its negative connotations; as well, the isolation of lexis from any real context prevents students from gleaning insight into the multiple uses and meanings of the word‖ Even today translation can be regarded as a mechanical linguistic transfer of meaning from one language to another It isn‘t considered to be a useful language learning tool because of being not a communicative activity that is not suited to the general needs of the language learner However, the idea of abandoning the native tongue is too stressful to many learners, who need a sense of security in the experience of learning a foreign language (Kavaliauskienë, & Kaminskienë, 2007) In this respect, some scholars aired different viewpoints concerning the use of translation and opened new horizons, which showed that not only a judicious use of translation is not 5.4 Suggestions for further research From the indicated limitation, several points scan be suggested as follows: Further investigation on the studied issue could be made with a larger population in order to draw more generic conclusions for the research Future researchers may also place a focus on the effectiveness of translation activities in foreign language classroom from both teachers‘ and learners‘ perspectives in order to get more comprehensive and reliable findings Besides, as non-majored English students in this study only refer to students whose majors relate to natural sciences, the results of this study may need more justification in order to be applicable to all non-majored English students Similar studies on other types or groups not only in VNU but also in Hanoi or Vietnam may be conducted as participants come from various majors, such as Law, Social Sciences, Economics and Technology, Sports, Arts and so on A variety of participants with different traits and learning styles may provide a wealth of data for the study, contributing to the development of translation in larger foreign language teaching contexts 59 REFERENCES Akmajian, A R Demers, A.K Farmer, and R.M Harnish (1995) Linguistics: An introduction to language and communication, The MIT Press, Masssachusetts Barnett, M (1988), ―Reading Through Context: How Real and Perceived Strategy Use Affects L2 Comprehension‖, The Modern Language Journal, 72, pp.150-162 Bonyadi, A (2003), Translation: Back from Siberia Translation Journal 7(3).Retrieved from http://accurapid.com/journal/25edu.htm Brown, H D (2002), Principles of Language Learning and Teaching 4th ed, Longman, New York Campbell, S (1998), Translation into the Second Language Longman, New York 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Please circle the numbers that best reflect your answers – Strongly disagree – Disagree – Neutral – Agree Translating helps me understand textbook readings Translating helps me learn English phrases Translating does not help me make progress in learning English Using Vietnamese translation while studying helps me better recall the content of a lesson later I like to use Vietnamese translation to learn English Vietnamese translation reduces the amount of English input I receive At this stage of learning I cannot learn English without Vietnamese translation I feel pressure when I am asked to think directly in English I tend to get frustrated when I try to think in English 10 When using English, it is best to keep my Vietnamese out of my mind 11 Translation does not help processing information in my mind 12 I feel a given translation of the text increases my self-confidence in answering the comprehension questions 13 A given translation of the passage in Vietnamese makes my attitude positive toward understanding it in English 14 If I receive translation of the gist in Vietnamese after reading the passage, it has a positive effect on my comprehension 15 A given translation of the gist of the passage in Vietnamese makes me feel confident toward understanding it VII – Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 5 1 2 3 4 5 5 5 5 5 To what extent you agree that the statements below demonstrate your use of translation as an enabling strategy to help you increase your reading comprehension? Please circle the numbers that best reflect your answers – Strongly disagree – Disagree – Neutral – Agree – Strongly agree When reading an English text, I first translate it into Vietnamese in my mind to help me understand its meaning After I read English passages, I use an available English-Vietnamese dictionary to check if my comprehension is correct When I watch English TV or movies, I use Vietnamese subtitles to check my comprehension I memorize the meaning of new English vocabulary words by remembering their Vietnamese translation I learn English idioms and phrases by reading their Vietnamese translation I use English- Vietnamese dictionaries to help myself learn English I use an electronic translation program to help myself understand reading passages in English I ask questions about how to translate English phrases into Vietnamese I write Vietnamese translations in my English textbooks 5 5 5 5 10 When reading English, I try to grasp the meaning of what I read without thinking of Vietnamese equivalents 11 I never try to translate an English reading passage into Vietnamese in my mind and just try to think in English 12 I try to paraphrase an English text rather than translating it into Vietnamese in my mind 13 I get into the habit of asking teacher to provide Vietnamese translation of English reading passages 5 5 VIII ... USE OF TRANSLATION IN IMPROVING NON- ENGLISH MAJORED STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION ABILITY AT FACULTY OF ENGLISH, UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES, VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY. .. the research gap and rationalize the aims and objectives of this paper 2.1 Reading and reading comprehension theories 2.1.1 Theories and approaches to reading as a language skill Reading is the. .. Objections and Disadvantages of using translation in EFL context A great deal of research has been written on the use of translation in EFL/ESL classes When talking about the application of translation