An investigation on reading stratgey use among non english specialized students at high school for gifted students

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES  NINH THỊ LAN ANH AN INVESTIGATION ON READING STRATEGY USE AMONG NON ENGLISH SPECIALIZED STUDENTS AT HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIFTED STUDENTS Nghiên cứu việc sử dụng chiến lược đọc hiểu học sinh không chuyên Anh trường THPT Chuyên M.A Minor Programme Thesis Field: English Language Teaching Methodology Code: 60.14.10 HANOI- 2013 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES  NINH THỊ LAN ANH AN INVESTIGATION ON READING STRATEGY USE AMONG NON ENGLISH SPECIALIZED STUDENTS AT HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIFTED STUDENTS Nghiên cứu việc sử dụng chiến lược đọc hiểu học sinh không chuyên Anh trường THPT Chuyên M.A Minor Programme Thesis Field: English Language Teaching Methodology Code: 60.14.10 Supervisor: Cao Thúy Hồng, M.A HANOI- 2013 LIST OF ABBREVIATION HSGS High School for Gifted Students SORS Survey of Reading Strategy LIST OF TABLES Figure A Heuristic for Thinking About Reading Comprehension Figure Sources of reading comprehension Figure Levels of the Barrett Taxonomy Figure Major Aspects of Levels of Comprehension Figure Distribution of students‘ proficiency levels Table Use of Each Strategy Category Table Use of Global Strategies Table Use of Support Strategies Table Use of Problem Solving strategies Table Five Most Frequently Used Strategies Table Five Least Frequently Used Strategies Table Reading strategy use between more and less proficient students Table Five most frequently used strategies by more and less proficient students Table Five Least Frequently Used Strategies by high and low proficient students iv TABLE OF CONTENT Declaration ……………………………………………………………………… i Acknowledgements ……………………………………………………………… ii Abstract………………………………………………………………………… iii Lists of tables ………………………………………………………………………iv Table of contents ……………………………………………………………………v PART I: INTRODUCTION Rationale for the study………………………………………………………… Aims of the study…………………………………………………………………2 The research questions………………………………………………………… Significance of the study…………………………………………………………3 Scope of the study……………………………………………………………… Method of the study………………………………………………………………3 Design of the study……………………………………………………………….3 PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Definition of reading……………………………………………………………5 1.2 Purposes of reading…………………………………………………………… 1.3 Reading process…………………………………………………………….… 1.3.1 Bottom-up model………………………………………………… .7 1.3.2 Top-down model…………………………………………………… 1.3.3 Interactive model…………………………………………………… 10 1.4 Reading comprehension ………………………………………………………11 1.4.1 Definition…………………………………………………………….11 1.4.2 Factors involved in reading comprehension…………………………12 v 1.4.3 Levels of comprehension…………………………………………….13 1.5 Reading strategy……………………………………………………………….16 1.5.1 Definition and characteristics…………………………………… .16 1.5.2 Categories of reading strategies………………………………… .17 1.6 Related studies……………………………………………………………… 19 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 2.1 Settings…………………………………………………………………… .23 2.2 Participants…………………………………………………………………….23 2.3 Instruments data collection……………………………………………………24 2.5 Data collection procedures……………………………………………………25 2.6 Data analysis………………………………………………………… ………26 CHAPTER 3: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 3.1 Profile of reading strategies by non English major students at High School for Gifted Students………………………………………………………………….……… 28 3.2 A comparison about the reading strategies employed by high proficiency and low proficiency students………………………………………………………… 35 PART III: CONCLUSION Conclusion………………………………………………………………………41 Pedagogical Implications…………………………………………………… 41 Limitations and recommendations for further study……………………………43 REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………44 APPENDIX ………………………………………………………………………………I vi PART I: INTRODUCTION Rationale for the study In the context of global integration, English plays an important role in most fields in both personal and professional life The need for English as an international language has put considerable pressure on the education system of many countries This is the same situation in Vietnam where learning English is not only the interest but also the practical demand for many people, especially for those who always have an intention of studying and working abroad Therefore, English is now taught as a compulsory subject to students at high schools in our country To have a good command of English, students are required to master four closely related language skills, namely listening, speaking, writing, and reading Among four skills, reading is considered to be the most important because it does not only provide students with knowledge but also help develop other language skills Reading is an important way of expanding the students‘ receptive knowledge of the language and in terms of classroom activities, it is also an effective way of stimulating students to talk and write Anderson (2003) states that reading is the most important skill to master in order to ensure success in learning and strengthened reading skills facilitates greater progress in other areas of language learning That is to say, teaching and learning reading effectively is a central issue in a language classroom My teaching experiences at High School for Gifted Students have pointed out some problems students encounter in reading lessons Firstly, while students are quite proficient in other skills, their reading comprehension and reading achievement have not met the demand of the course Students have had numerous difficulties in understanding school – related academic materials Secondly, when encountering a long and complicated reading passage, students are confused about the way to achieve understanding and gain information from the text In other words, they may have some problems with reading strategies Finally, despite having taken English as a compulsory subject in the entrance examination into the school, grade 10 students in different classes in our school are at different proficiency levels in general and at reading comprehension levels in particular Padron and Waxman (1988) indicates that the gap in reading comprehension levels between more proficient and less proficient students is in close relationship with the differences in reading strategies used As a teacher of English, I myself think that it is essential to conduct a research on reading strategies used among students to find out the reading strategies used by students as well as see whether high and low proficiency group differ in their strategy use As a result, I decide to choose the thesis title: “An investigation on reading strategy use among non English specialized students at High School for Gifted Students” Aims of the study The aim of the study is to investigate reading strategies used by non English major students at High School for Gifted students In particular, the study  uncovers the overall use of reading strategies among students when reading academic materials  explores the frequency of reading strategies that students use while dealing with academic reading text  finds out the differences (if possible) in reading strategies used by high proficiency and low proficiency students The research questions What reading strategies are used by non English specialized students at Grade 10 at High School for Gifted Students? Are there any differences between the reading strategies employed by high proficiency and low proficiency students at grade 10 at High School for Gifted Students? Significance of the study This study is significant for some reasons Firstly, for teachers who are teaching reading to high school students, it revealed students‘ general awareness and perceived use of reading strategies while reading academic materials Secondly, the study uncovered reading strategies used most commonly and least commonly by the students Finally, it may point out the differences in reading strategies between high and low proficiency students Thus, teachers can identify effective reading strategies for their students and have proper ways to promote more reading strategy instruction in class Scope of the study Reading strategies are interrelated with many other factors including reading comprehension, students‘ proficiency level, text types, etc In the scope of this study, reading strategies are only investigated in relationship with student‘s proficiency levels In addition, the sample of the study was drawn from non English major students at Grade 10 at High School for Gifted Students Method of the study To achieve the aims mentioned above, data were collected through the survey questionnaire and students‘ profile of proficiency levels The quantitative research method is used with the aim of obtaining information on reading strategies used among students in general and between more proficient students and less proficient students in particular Design of the study The study consists of three main parts: the introduction, the development and the conclusion Part I: Introduction: presents the rationale for the study, the aims, the method, significance, the scope of the study as well as the design of the thesis Part II: Development: consists of three chapters Chapter discusses the theoretical background relevant to the research topic including the reading, reading process, reading comprehension, reading strategies and reviews research conducted in the fields of reading strategies Chapter presents the research methodology of the study, which focuses on the participants, the instrument, data collection procedure, and data analysis Chapter presents the results of the study, analyzes the data and solves the requirements in the research questions Part III: Conclusion: offers major findings, pedagogical implications and provides limitations for the study, also some suggestions for future study PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter briefly discusses the theoretical background related to the study Review of aspects of reading in foreign language relevant to the study will be included in: reading comprehension, reading process, reading comprehension level, and reading strategies In addition, a brief overview on related studies will be presented 1.1 Definition of reading Reading is a very personal activity which can be omnipresent in various forms By reading a lot, people can grasp what is happening all over the world and keep pace with the humankind civilization At the times of explosion of information, reading plays a greater role in our lives However, the ability to read is such a natural part of human being that people find it impossible to give an exact definition of reading Different scholars define it in different ways According to Smith (1985: 102), ―reading is understanding the author’s thought‖ It means that the readers ―read the author’s mind not the author’s words.” If the readers only understand the words in isolation in the text without understanding the author‘s mind, their reading is useless Rumelhart (1997) indicates that reading involves the reader, the text, and the interaction between reader and text It can be seen that the reader and the text are two essential components of reading process; it is, however, the interaction between them that composes actual reading Sharing the same idea with Rumelhart, Silberstein (1994: 12) states that ―reading is a complex cognitive process in which reader and text interact to (re)create meaningful discourse‖ From these definitions, it is apparent that reading is a process in which the reader interacts with the text to (e.g., dictionary)‖ (SUP, M = 3.84), and Global strategies: ―Using text features (e.g., table, figures)‖ (GLOB, M = 3.90) Probably, students at HSGS are very familiar with using dictionary when they encounter new words Those students use a bilingual dictionary (i.e., the English-Vietnamese dictionary) or even a monolingual dictionary (i.e., the English-English dictionary) especially when they look up pronunciation Furthermore, they are encouraged to use the dictionary for their English learning, particularly for unknown words they encounter while they read English texts Thus, those learners are very much aware of how to use the dictionary and they use it frequently This might be able to explain why students at High School for Gifted Students reported using the reading strategy, ‗using reference materials‘, very frequently Five least frequently used strategies by students at HSGS were ―noting text characteristics‖, ―determining what to read‖, ―asking oneself questions‖, ―paraphrasing (restate ideas in my own words) for understanding‖, and ―analyzing and evaluation what is read‖ As shown in Table 6, three of five strategies were at the moderate level of usage and two strategies at low level of usage There were no Problem Solving strategies Table Five Least Frequently Used Strategies (N = 120) CATEGORY STATEMENT MEAN LEVEL GLOB GLOB SUP SUP Noting text characteristics (e.g., length, organization) 12 Determining what to read 26 Asking oneself questions 18 Paraphrasing (restate ideas in my own words) for understanding 21 Analyzing and evaluating what is read 2.59 2.56 2.45 MODERATE 2.37 2.29 LOW GLOB MODERATE MODERATE LOW Three of the five least frequently used strategies fell into the category of Global strategies: ―noting text characteristics‖ (GLOB, M=2.59), ―determining what to 34 read‖ (GLOB, M=2.56), ―analyzing and evaluation what is read‖ (GLOB, M=2.29) Two of the five least frequently used strategies fell into the category of Support strategies: ‗asking oneself questions‘ (SUP, M = 2.45), and ‗paraphrasing for understanding‘ (SUP, M = 2.37) As explained above, these strategies seem to require more sophisticated techniques or actions beyond just decoding words Therefore, unless specific instructions for reading strategies like these ones are given, it might be difficult to know what these strategies are, how to use them, when to use them, and why to use them It is difficult to implement these strategies without that knowledge Considering Vietnamese EFL teaching and learning environments in classrooms where resources including time, materials, and qualified teachers are very limited and a size of the class is big, Vietnamese EFL learners in general and students at HSGS in particular are more likely to have few chances for the specific instructions to develop those reading strategies through their English classes This might be a reason that those students reported using these reading strategies less frequently 3.2 A comparison about the reading strategies employed by high proficiency and low proficiency students The overall use of reading strategies by high proficiency and low proficiency students shows significant differences While high proficient students were reported high usage of reading strategies (M = 3.5), low proficient students were reported moderate usage (M = 3.05) With regard to each category of reading strategies, there were both similarities and differences between two groups of proficiency 35 Table Reading strategy use between high and low proficiency groups As shown in table 7, more proficient students show higher usage at three categories of strategies than less proficient students Specifically, students of higher proficiency were reported high usage of Global (M = 3.52) and Problem Solving strategies (M = 3.82) Meanwhile, students of low proficiency were reported moderate usage of these two strategies with M = 3.01 and M= 3.35 respectively In terms of Support Strategies, although both groups were reported moderate usage high proficiency students show higher usage It can be seen that high proficiency participants reported higher frequency of the perceived use of reading strategies than low proficiency participants In other words, reading strategy use is related to students‘ proficiency level This is consistent with the results of Sheorey and Mokhtari (2001) when examining differences in the reported use of reading strategies of native and non-native English speakers when reading academic materials There have been some explanations for the disparity in reading strategy use between two groups First, students from HSGS come from different parts of the country, which lead to inequality in English proficiency level among students, especially between those in urban areas and those in rural areas Those in urban areas have chance to study English at convenient learning environment right at the 36 age of five or six; therefore, their English is usually better than those in rural areas where students have fewer chances to have access to English Once students are instructed and practiced frequently reading strategies, they are better reading strategy users On the other hand, low proficient students are normally short of reading strategy practice and they usually resort to Problem Solving Strategies when dealing with reading materials because these strategies are quite easy to handle Table Five most frequently used strategies by high and low proficiency groups LOW PROFICIENCY GROUP CATE GORY STRATEGY 15 Using text features GLOB (e.g., table, figures) HIGH PROFICIENCY GROUP MEAN CATE GORY STRATEGY MEAN Trying to stay 3.9 PROB focused when losing 4.15 concentration Trying to stay focused PROB when losing 3.75 GLOB 17 Using context clues 4.15 concentration 25 Re-reading for 29 Translating into a SUP native language better understanding 3.7 PROB when text becomes 4.1 difficult GLOB Using prior knowledge Using prior 3.65 GLOB 3.65 GLOB 22 Going back and forth SUP in the text to find knowledge Setting purpose for relationship among ideas reading 4.1 4.05 As shown in table 8, there are similarities and differences in five most frequently used strategies between high and low proficiency students Both high and low 37 proficiency groups always employ strategies ―trying to stay focused when losing concentration‖, and ―using prior knowledge‖ Seemingly, students at both groups show high awareness of self-adjusting their concentration while dealing with reading materials In addition, Problem Solving strategy like ―trying to stay focused when losing concentration‖ does not require sophisticated knowledge and is easy to apply; therefore, it is understandable when learners employ this strategy regardless of their reading ability However, it is quite surprising to know that both high and low proficiency students employ a Global strategy like ―using prior knowledge‖ with high frequency because Global strategies are normally known as demanding strategies requiring additional resources and actions One possible explanation for this is more proficient students make use of what they know about the content of the text to increase their reading speed and less proficient students employ their prior knowledge to guess the content of the text and facilitate their understanding because of their limited number of vocabulary High proficiency and low proficiency groups differ in other three strategies While students with higher ability mainly apply such sophisticated Global strategies as ―Using context clues‖ and ―Setting purpose for reading‖, students with lower ability resort to such Support strategies as ―Translating into a native language‖ and ―Going back and forth in the text to find relationship among ideas‖ to make it easier to understand the text In other words, high proficiency group use more Global strategies than the other group; meanwhile, low proficiency group use more support strategies than the other It can be seen that more proficient students are more familiar and aware of implementing these Global strategies What is more, their greater sources of vocabulary make them easier to apply these strategies Low proficiency group, however, usually employ less demanding strategies to support their understanding due to their lack of knowledge and practice in complicated strategies 38 Table Five Least Frequently Used Strategies by High and Low Proficiency Groups LOW PROFICIENCY GROUP CATE GORY STRATEGY HIGH PROFICIENCY GROUP MEAN CATE GORY STRATEGY MEAN Reading aloud GLOB 17 Using context clues 2.5 SUP when text becomes 2.75 difficult 18 Paraphrasing (restate SUP ideas in my own words) 2.35 SUP for understanding 23 Checking my GLOB understanding when 29 Translating into a native language 2.7 21 Analyzing and 2.3 GLOB new information comes evaluating what is 2.65 read 18 Paraphrasing SUP 26 Asking oneself questions 2.25 SUP (restate ideas in my own words) for 2.6 understanding GLOB 21 Analyzing and evaluating what is read 1.9 SUP 26 Asking oneself questions 2.45 As can be seen in Table 9, learners at two groups not use frequently strategies ―Paraphrasing‖, ―Asking oneself questions‖, and ―Analyzing and evaluating what is read‖ As discussed above, these strategies seem to require more sophisticated techniques or actions beyond just decoding words Thus, without specific instructions for reading strategies like these ones, it is difficult to apply them In current English learning environment in Vietnam, limit to time, materials, qualified teachers and lack of students‘ thorough self-study make it difficult for both high and low proficiency students to develop these strategies 39 On the other hand, both groups of learners show differences in other strategies Students with higher reading ability seldom use Support strategies like ―Reading aloud when text becomes difficult‖ and ―Translating into a native language‖ Meanwhile, those with lower language proficiency seldom employ such sophisticated strategies as ―Using context clues‖ and ―Checking my understanding when new information comes‖ In summary, the results of the study revealed two important issues First, students at High School for Gifted Students showed moderate usages of reading strategies when reading academic materials in English and they used Problem Solving strategies more frequently than Global and Support strategies Second, there were differences in the overall use of the reading strategies between high and low proficiency students, that is, high proficiency group use more Global strategies such as ―using context clues‖, ―setting purpose for reading‖; meanwhile, low proficiency group use more Support strategies like ―translating into a native language‖, and ―going back and forth in the text to find relationship among ideas‖ However, when looking at five most frequently used strategies and five least frequently used strategies, the researcher found out some common strategies between two groups such as ―trying to stay focused when losing concentration‖ and ―using prior knowledge‖ 40 PART III: CONCLUSION The final part would summarize major findings of the study as well as provide some pedagogical implications Limitations of the study and suggestions for further studies would also be presented in this part Conclusion The research has been conducted with a view to investigating reading strategies used by students at Grade 10 at High School for Gifted Students and differences (if possible) between high and low proficiency students in reading strategy use This study contributed to an understanding of reading strategy use of students at High School for Gifted Students when reading academic materials in English Based on the results and discussions, this study draws the following conclusions Firstly, students at High School for Gifted Students use reading strategies with moderate frequency when they read academic materials in English Secondly, those students‘ proficiency levels seem to be related to their reading strategy use to some degree; the higher their proficiency level is, the more they seem to use sophisticated reading strategies, such as ―using prior knowledge‖, ―using context clues‖, ―setting purpose for reading‖ Pedagogical Implications The findings of this study can suggest some educational implications for EFL teaching and learning in Vietnam The implications are obviously intended for students at High School for Gifted Students who were the target subjects for this study, but the implications might not be limited only to them First, students at HSGS were reported moderate use of reading strategies In other words, students‘ reading strategy use should be improved to meet the requirement of the course as well as develop their language proficiency in general Therefore, Vietnamese EFL 41 teachers might strengthen reading strategy instruction in class to improve students‘ overall reading strategy use and their critical thinking as well Second, as shown in this study, students who have high language proficiency seem to use a certain type of reading strategies (i.e., Global strategy) and some specific reading strategies, such as ―using context clues‖, ―re-reading for better understanding when text becomes difficult‖, ―using prior knowledge‖, ―setting purpose for reading‖ more often than their colleagues who have less proficient reading comprehension ability Therefore, it is suggested that Vietnamese EFL teachers introduce high proficiency students‘ characteristics of using these reading strategies to their students, especially low proficiency English readers, and encourage them to use these reading strategies Third, students at High School for Gifted Students showed that they not frequently use certain reading strategies, such as ―noting text characteristics (e.g., length, organization)‖ ―asking oneself question‖ and ―analyzing and evaluating what is read‖, for successful comprehension These strategies help readers monitor and evaluate if their comprehension is successful or unsuccessful during or after reading It is quite probable that students at High School for Gifted Students are not familiar with sophisticated reading strategies including these two Additionally, it is recommended that Vietnamese EFL teachers provide their students with instruction that helps them know what those reading strategies are, how to use them, why to use them, and when to use them, and finally leads the students to be more active strategic English readers In the mean time, Vietnamese EFL teachers should keep in mind that reading strategy use might be able to help the improvement of their students‘ language proficiency, and students also develop their own awareness of reading strategies 42 Limitations and recommendations for further study While the study contributed to understanding reading strategies used by students at High School for Gifted Students, shortcomings are unavoidable The first limitation is about the reliability of the questionnaire responses Although students reported use of some strategies, it is difficult to know whether they are actually using these strategies Future research should incorporate on-line thinkaloud protocols or interviews to further examine students‘ actual strategy use Another limitation lies in the limited number of participants; therefore, generalization of the results of this study should be acted with caution Finally, considering that the participants in the study were from a specialised high school in Vietnam, their overall EFL proficiency may be relatively higher than those in other high schools, which might have indirectly contributed to their overall moderate usage of strategies Therefore, findings from the study should be interpreted with caution Further studies are needed to examine how students‘ awareness of reading comprehension strategies interacts not only with their perceived use of the strategies but also with their actual 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NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES  NINH THỊ LAN ANH AN INVESTIGATION ON READING STRATEGY USE AMONG NON ENGLISH. .. strategy use among non English specialized students at High School for Gifted Students? ?? Aims of the study The aim of the study is to investigate reading strategies used by non English major students. .. questions What reading strategies are used by non English specialized students at Grade 10 at High School for Gifted Students? Are there any differences between the reading strategies employed by high