Using timed reading activities to increase tenth graders’ reading rate and fluency at tran phu high school, vinh phuc province an action research

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES POST-GRADUATE DEPARTMENT  LÊ THỊ THÙY DUNG USING TIMED-READING ACTIVITIES TO INCREASE TENTH GRADERS’ READING RATE AND FLUENCY AT TRAN PHU HIGH SCHOOL, VINH PHUC PROVINCE: AN ACTION RESEARCH (NGHIÊN CỨU HÀNH ĐỘNG VỀ VIỆC ÁP DỤNG HOẠT ĐỘNG ĐỌC TÍNH GIỜ NHẰM NÂNG CAO TỐC ĐỘ ĐỌC VÀ ĐỘ TRÔI CHẢY CỦA HỌC SINH LỚP 10, TRƯỜNG THPT TRẦN PHÚ) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 6014.0111 HANOI – 2013 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES POST-GRADUATE DEPARTMENT  LÊ THỊ THÙY DUNG USING TIMED-READING ACTIVITIES TO INCREASE TENTH GRADERS’ READING RATE AND FLUENCY AT TRAN PHU HIGH SCHOOL, VINH PHUC PROVINCE: AN ACTION RESEARCH (NGHIÊN CỨU HÀNH ĐỘNG VỀ VIỆC ÁP DỤNG HOẠT ĐỘNG ĐỌC TÍNH GIỜ NHẰM NÂNG CAO TỐC ĐỘ ĐỌC VÀ ĐỘ TRÔI CHẢY CỦA HỌC SINH LỚP 10, TRƯỜNG THPT TRẦN PHÚ) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 6014.0111 Supervisor: Assoc.Prof.Dr Trần Xuân Điệp HANOI – 2013 DECLARATION Lê Thị Thùy Dung, hereby declare that the work contained in this thesis is my own research It is recognized that should this declaration be found to be false, disciplinary action could be taken and penalties imposed in accordance with University policy and rules Signature Lê Thị Thùy Dung i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis would not have been completed without the help, assistance and support of many people to whom I am indebted First of all, I would like to express my deepest thanks to my supervisor, Mr Tran Xuan Diep, Assoc Prof Dr for the wholehearted guidance he gave me while I was doing this research I am truly grateful to him for his ideas, comments and instructions, as well as his constant support throughout my research I would like to thank all the lecturers who taught me during the post graduate course They provided me with valuable knowledge in various aspects that I used to carry out my study I also would like to thank all the staff members of the Department of Post graduate study, Vietnam National University for providing me best help and assistance to fulfill my thesis I wish to express my deep gratitude and appreciation to the administrators of Tran Phu High School, my colleagues at English Group for their constant support, cooperation, and encouragement while the study was in progress My sincere thanks go to the students of class 10B who participated in my study and helped me with data collection for this study Finally, I owe my deep thanks to my dear family, specially my parents and my younger brother who were standing for me with love, help, consideration and encouragement ii ABSTRACT It has been acknowledged that reading rate and comprehension are closely linked Slow readers read at low rate with poor comprehension The rate of 200 - 300 wpm is considered the target rate for L2 students to reach to gain full comprehension (Alderson, 1984; Anderson, 1999; Carver, 1990; Dubin and Bycina, 1991) However, the 10th graders‘ reading rate at Tran Phu High School was far below the target It is necessary to increase the students‘ reading rate and timed reading activity was applied as a technique to help students reach the target This action research has attempted to examine the effectiveness of timed reading activity in increasing 10th graders‘ reading speed and their fluency This study also has investigated into the students‘ attitudes towards timed reading activity To reach these objectives, an action research was carried out The participants of the study were 40 non - English - major 10th graders from one class at Tran Phu High School, which was divided into groups, fast readers and slow readers Timed reading activity was implemented during weeks The data collection instruments were questionnaires (pre-questionnaire, post questionnaire), reading rare chart, and tests (pretest, posttest) The results obtained from the analyzed data show that the use of timed reading helped raise students‘ reading rate and comprehension, especially in fast reader group Furthermore, most of the students expressed positive attitudes towards timed reading activity iii LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Participants’ background information 17 Table 2: Mean reading rate measured by wpm at the Pretest and Posttest 26 Table 3: The students’ reading comprehension at the Pretest and the Posttest 28 iv LIST OF CHARTS Chart 1: Changes in reading rate at the Pretest and Posttest 27 Chart 2: Changes in reading rate of slow readers and fast readers 28 Chart 3: Changes in reading comprehension of slow readers and fast readers 29 Chart 4: The pre-questionnaire’s result 30 Chart 5: The post-questionnaire’s result (part I) 30 Chart 6: General feelings about timed reading activity 32 Chart 7: Feelings about the operation in timed reading activity 32 Chart 8: Belief on the effects of timed reading activity 33 Chart 9: Opinions about the use of timed reading activity 34 v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS wpm: words per minutes vi TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION………………………………………………………………….i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………………….ii ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………….iii LIST OF TABLES……………………………………………………………… iv LIST OF CHARTS……………………………………………………………… v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS…………………………………………………… vi PART A: Introduction…………………………………………………………….Error! Bookmark not defined I Rationale……………………………………………………………………… Err or! Bookmark not defined II Aims and objectives of the study……………………………………………….Error! Bookmark not defined III Research Questions…………………………………………………………….Error! Bookmark not defined IV Scope of the study…………………………………………………………… Error! Bookmark not defined V Methods…………………………………………………………………………Erro r! Bookmark not defined VI Significance of the study…………………………………………………… Error! Bookmark not defined VII Design of the study……………………………………………………………Error! Bookmark not defined PART B: DEVELOPMENT……………………………………………………….Error! Bookmark not defined vii CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND……………………………… Error! Bookmark not defined 1.1 Reading……………………………………………………………………… Error ! Bookmark not defined 1.2 Reading fluency……………………………………………………………… Error! Bookmark not defined 1.3 Reading rate……………………………………………………………………Error! Bookmark not defined 1.4 Reading rate activities…………………………………………………………Error! Bookmark not defined 1.4.1 Rate-buildup reading ……………………………………………………… Error! Bookmark not defined 1.4.2 Repeated Reading………………………………………………… .Error! Bookmark not defined 1.4.3 Class-paced reading…………………………………………………………Error! Bookmark not defined 1.4.4 Self-paced reading………………………………………………………… Error! Bookmark not defined 1.5 Timed reading activity……………………………………………… .Error! Bookmark not defined 1.6 Previous related studies……………………………………………………….Error! Bookmark not defined CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY…………………………………………………Error! Bookmark not defined viii APPENDIX 3: POSTTET POSTTEST Full Name: …………………………………… Class: 10B I READING TEXT Read the passage There are five multiple choice questions after the passage, choose and circle the right answer for each question How many ways are there to learn a language? Do you want to learn a language? We interviewed three people who learned a language in very different ways June is 36 and a mother of two She went evening classes ―I gave up working when I had my first child, but a year ago, I joined a French evening class At first, it was quite difficult We had to speak French all the time in the classroom and I didn‘t understand anything Also, when you have only one lesson a week, you have to a lot at home I studied when the children were in bed and I listened to French tapes in the car At the end of the year I could speak French quite well.‖ Tim is 23 He went to Italy to learn Italian ―When I finished university, I wanted to travel and learn a language I already knew a bit of Italian, so I decided to go there I didn‘t want to formal lessons, so I bought some tapes and listened to them before I went I traveled around the country for sic months It‘s the only way to learn! I didn‘t have much money, so I worked in bars That meant I met a lot of people and learned a lot of Italian I also had a great time I‘d definitely recommend it.‖ Sasha is 29 She did an intensive course in London ―I studied French and Spanish at university and got a job with computers I missed learning a language, so I asked my boss for a month‘s holiday and enrolled on an intensive German course in London We did six hours of lessons every day, so it was quite hard work We all communicated in German The problem was when I went home, I spoke English again The course was fun and I learned a lot, but I‘d like to a course in Germany next time.‖ VI Length: 326 words Reading time: ……… Minutes ………… seconds Checking reading comprehension June found learning a language …………………… A easy B boring C hard She did a French class …………………………… A once a week B every night C during the day Tim went to Italy because he …………………………… A could speak Italian very well B knew some Italian C studied Italian at university When he was traveling, he …………………………… A met a lot of English people B spent a lot of money C spoke a lot of Italian When she as in class, Sasha spoke ………………………… A a lot of English B German all the time C in different languages II READING TEXT 2: Read the passage There are five multiple choice questions after the passage, choose and circle the right answer for each question Six months ago, Jane Walker felt moody and irritable She couldn‘t concentrate and the quality of her work a\was getting worse She knew she wasn‘t getting enough sleep, so she decided to see a sleep therapist VII ―I have a very stressful job Six months ago, I often worked until midnight, drove home, had something to eat, went to bed, and then got up at five in the morning I decided to see a sleeping therapist She said I needed to have a regular sleeping pattern, with seven or eight hours sleep every night This meant I had to go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time – even at weekends I decided to go to bed at eleven and get up seven At first I had problems getting to sleep, so my sleep therapist gave me a few ideas I often used to go to the gym late in the evening However this is a bad idea because exercise can wake you up So I started going for a walk or swimming at lunch time instead My therapist also suggested that I should create the right atmosphere in my room for sleeping Bright light tells the brain that it‘s time to wake up, so I bought some heavier curtains and made sure my room was nice and dark She told me not to fill my brain with exciting thoughts last thing at night I like reading thrillers, but I put them away and read romantic stories instead I also bought a relaxation tape and listened to it in bed After about a week I was more relaxed during the day and I had better concentration The result was that I did more work and it was better quality, too These days, I try to stick to my sleeping schedule However, it doesn‘t always work I sometimes go to bed after midnight at the weekend and I occasionally watch the odd scary movie!‖ Length: 329 words Reading time: ……… Minutes ………… seconds Checking reading comprehension Jane used to go to bed …………………… A at a.m B After midnight C without eating Exercising in the evening …………………………… VIII A can make sleeping more difficult B Doesn‘t change the way you sleep C can help you sleep better The therapist told Jane to make her room ………………… A darker B brighter C more exciting After ………………, Jane began to feel better A a day B about a week C a few weeks 10 Now, Jane ………………………… A always goes to bed really early B often breaks the rules C sometimes goes to the bed late ANSWER KEY C A B C B B A A B 10 C IX APPENDIX 4A: PRE QUESTIONNAIRE (English) Dear students, I am doing a research project on the use of timed reading activity to find out whether it is effective or not; therefore, some data regarding students‘ opinions are needed All information that you provide will be confidential and be used for research purpose only, not affecting your mark or studying result Please take time to answer all the questions and feel free to ask if there are any questions you not understand There is no right or wrong answer, so not be worried Your help and cooperation will be highly appreciated Instruction: Please circle the number that best reflects the extent to which you agree with each of the item is an average mark for any one item How much effort you put in reading tasks? Not very much 1 Very much so Very much so Very much so To what extent you get the reading comprehension? Not very much To what extent you enjoy the reading tasks? Not very much To what extent you concentrate on the reading tasks? Not very much 2 Very much so How fast is your reading rate in your perception? Not very fast Thank you so much for your cooperation! X Very much so APPENDIX 4B: PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT Ý KIẾN HỌC SINH (Vietnamese) Chào bạn học sinh, tiến hành nghiên cứu việc áp dụng hoạt động đọc có tính giờ, ý kiến bạn cần thiết cho vấn đề Tất thông tin bạn cung cấp giữ bí mật dùng để phục vụ cho mục đích nghiên cứu, khơng có ảnh hưởng tới điểm số hay kết học tập bạn Xin vui lòng dành thời gian trả lời tất câu hỏi yêu cầu giúp đỡ bạn khơng hiểu phần Bạn đừng lo lắng, khơng có câu trả lời coi hay sai Sự giúp đỡ cộng tác bạn đánh giá cao Hướng dẫn : Khoanh tròn vào số bên để thể mức độ trả lời bạn câu hỏi đưa Số năm nấc (1,2,3,4,5) mức độ trung bình cho câu trả lời Bạn có hăng hái tham gia hoạt động đọc không? Không thật hăng hái 2 Rất hăng hái Tập trung cao độ Rất hứng thú Rất hiểu Bạn có hiểu nội dung đọc khơng? Khơng thực hiểu 5 Bạn có hứng thú tham gia hoạt động đọc học không? Không thực hứng thú 4 Bạn có tập trung hoạt động đọc học không? Không thực tập trung 3 Tốc độ đọc bạn có nhanh khơng? Khơng thực nhanh Cảm ơn hợp tác bạn! XI Rất nhanh APPENDIX 5A: POST QUESTIONNAIRE (English) Dear students, The questionnaire is designed to gather information about your perception on reading after you have lessons with practicing timed reading activity On the following pages you will find statements and questions related to the timed reading activity Please read each carefully Please complete the questionnaire as seriously as possible There are no right or wrong responses to these statements The researcher is simply interested in your opinions I would like to thank you very much for your co-operate I Students’ perception on reading Instruction: Please circle the number that best reflects the extent to which you agree with each of the item is an average mark for any one item How much effort you put in reading tasks? Not very much Very much so To what extent you concentrate on the reading tasks? Not very much Very much so To what extent you enjoy the reading tasks? Not very much Very much so To what extent you get the reading comprehension? Not very much Very much so How fast is your reading rate in your perception? Not very fast II Very much so Students’ attitudes towards timed reading activity Instruction: Please circle the number that best reflects the extent to which you agree with each of the item 1= strongly disagree 4= agree = disagree 3= not sure 5= strongly agree Section 1: Your feeling about timed reading activity XII In general, practicing timed reading activity is a interesting b satisfying c encouraging d helpful When operating timed reading activity, you often felt a comfortable b confident c excited Section 2: Your belief on the effects of timed reading activity A Timed reading activity brings good learning atmosphere B Timed reading activity helps you improve your reading comprehension 10 C Timed reading activity helps you concentrate better while reading 11 D Timed reading activity helps you increase your reading rate 12 E Timed reading activity brings more pleasure towards reading 13 F Timed reading activity helps you increase reading confidence 14 G Timed reading activity helps you improve reading skills 15 H Timed reading activity helps you obtain a lot of knowledge 16 I Timed reading activity encourages you to practice more extensive reading at home XIII Section 3: Your opinions about the use of timed reading activity 17 Timed reading activity should be used for reading lessons in the future Thank you for your cooperation! XIV APPENDIX 5B: PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT Ý KIẾN HỌC SINH (Vietnamese) Chào bạn học sinh Phiếu điều tra thiết kế để thu thập thông tin hiệu hoạt động đọc tính sau bạn luyện kĩ đọc thông qua hoạt động Tất câu hỏi vấn đề liên quan đến hoạt động đọc tính Xin đọc câu hỏi hoàn thành câu trả lời cách cẩn thận Tuy nhiên khơng có câu trả lời sai Kết câu trả lời dùng cho mục đích nghiên cứu Sự giúp đỡ cộng tác bạn đánh giá cao I Nhận thức chung bạn kĩ đọc hiểu Hướng dẫn : Khoanh tròn vào số bên để thể mức độ trả lời bạn câu hỏi đưa Số năm nấc (1,2,3,4,5) mức độ trung bình cho câu trả lời Bạn có hăng hái tham gia hoạt động đọc không? Không thật hăng hái 1 Rất hăng hái Tập trung cao độ Rất hứng thú Rất hiểu Tốc độ đọc bạn có nhanh khơng? Khơng thực nhanh II Bạn có hiểu nội dung đọc không? Không thực hiểu Bạn có hứng thú tham gia hoạt động đọc học không? Không thực hứng thú Bạn có tập trung hoạt động đọc học không? Không thực tập trung 2 Rất nhanh Thái độ bạn hoạt động đọc có tính Hướng dẫn : Khoanh tròn vào số bên để thể mức độ trả lời bạn câu hỏi đưa 1= Hồn tồn khơng đồng ý 4= Đồng ý = Khơng đồng ý 3= Khơng chắn 5= Hồn tồn đồng ý Mục Cảm nhận bạn hoạt động đọc tính XV Luyện tập hoạt động đọc tính giờ, bạn cảm thấy a thú vị b hài lòng c khích lệ d hữu ích Khi tiến hành hoạt động đọc tính giờ, bạn cảm thấy a thoải mái b tự tin c hào hứng Mục Niềm tin bạn tác dụng hoạt động tính A Hoạt động đọc tính mang đến khơng khí học tập tích cực B Hoạt động đọc tính giúp bạn tăng mức độ hiểu đọc 10 C Hoạt động đọc tính giúp bạn tập trung đọc 11 D Hoạt động đọc tính giúp bạn tăng tốc độ đọc 12 E Hoạt động đọc tính mang lại thích thú việc đọc 13 F Hoạt động đọc tính giúp bạn tự tin kĩ đọc 14 G Hoạt động đọc tính giúp bạn cải thiện kĩ đọc hiểu 15 H Hoạt động đọc tính giúp bạn mở rộng kiến thức 16 I Hoạt động đọc tính khuyến khích bạn luyện tập kĩ đọc nhà nhiều Mục Ý kiến bạn việc sử dụng hoạt động tính 17 Trong tương lai, hoạt động đọc tính nên sử dụng học đọc Cảm ơn hợp tác bạn! XVI APPENDIX 6: SAMPLE OF LESSON LESSON 7: HELPING OTHERS I Before You Read Read these dictionary definitions and answer the questions below Volunteer (noun): a person who offers or agrees to something without being forced or paid to it: He does a lot of volunteer work at the hospital Volunteer (verb): to offer to something which you not have to or for which you will not be paid: She volunteered for the school’s social committee A Think of something you volunteered to for a friend, family member, or organization Who did you help? What did you do? B Think of two more volunteer organizations and complete the chart NAME OF VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION The International Red Cross PURPOSE To help people after disasters II While You Read Reading Passage: Target reading rate: 143 wpm Target reading time: minutes 02 seconds HELPING OTHERS By Mariko Asano Introduction Habitat for Humanity International – or Habitat – is a nonprofit organization that helps people in need build houses Since 1976, volunteers for Habitat have built more than 100,000 houses worldwide According to Habitat, however, there are still more than 1.5 billion people in the world without decent housing In the article below, Mariko Asano talks about her experience as a Habitat volunteer She has traveled to the Philippines three times to help build houses for people who need them XVII I am 24 years old and I grew up in Nishinomiya, Japan Several years ago, I went to Negros Island in the Philippines as a Habitat volunteer This was the first of three trips I have taken to the Philippines as a volunteer For me, the idea of building somebody‘s house abroad was very exciting The next year I returned to Negros Island as a Habitat volunteer This time I went as a student leader with 28 classmates from Kyoto University of Foreign Study Both the staff and the families on Negros Island became dear friends of the work team I led Meeting these people was wonderful for each of us Their lifestyle reminded us of the meaning and value of life The people also helped us appreciate the more valuable things in life, such as spending time with your family, friends and neighbors; developing close relationships; helping each other; and appreciating what you have These things are sometimes forgotten in an affluent country like Japan We thought we came to the Philippines to help the Filipino people, but they helped us to see something valuable They generously offered their food, space, and hearts in a way we were not accustomed to When I took my third trip to the Philippines as a Habitat volunteer, I as assigned to a house with young people from around the world In my group, there were Filipinos, American, Indians, Koreans, and Japanese We worked together to complete a house for a family we met on the site On the last day, all of us stood inside a room we had built in just a week, feeling a sense of fulfillment Even now we keep in touch across the world Some of us are actively involved in Habitat in different countries Habitat brings people together and helps us realize that people all over the world care about each other Habitat sends the very important message that we can all be friends Being involved with Habitat for Humanity has changed my life I‘ve learnt that I can make a difference in the world Length: 433 words Reading time: ……… Minutes ………… seconds XVIII Checking comprehension For each item below, circle the best answer The writer‘s purpose in writing the article was to …………… A convince people to travel B discourage people from giving money for housing C share a valuable experience about volunteering Which statement is true? A Habitat for Humanity is more than 25 years B The writer is an employee of Habitat C The writer has helped to built houses in more than one country Mariko Asano ………………………………… A is still a student at Kyoto University of Foreign Studies B studied at Kyoko University of Foreign Studies C was a teacher at Kyoto University of Foreign Studies The phrase keep in touch means …………… A communicate B make money C walk You can infer that Mariko Asano ……………………… A knew the family before she went to the Philippines B didn‘t finish building the house C was happy with the house her team built III After You Read: Work with a partner to answer the questions below In your opinion, what are some of the positive and negative things about volunteering for Habitat? Add four ideas to the chart below POSSITIVE THINGS NEGATIVE THINGS you can help other people you don‘t earn money 2 3 XIX XX ... through timed reading activity Objectives of the study are to examine the effects of timed reading activity on tenth graders‘ reading rate and fluency at Tran Phu High School, Vinh Phuc Province and. .. their reading rate and comprehension? IV Scope of the study The study focuses on testing the hypothesis ? ?Timed- reading activity can increase tenth graders‘ reading rate and fluency at Tran Phu High. .. Evaluation In order to clarify to what extend the timed reading activity would affect the students‘ reading rate and fluency, information and results from the students‘ reading rate chart, tests and