A study on demotivating factors in english reading comprehension lessons of the 10th form students at my duc a high school, hanoi

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** NGUYỄN THỊ PHƯƠNG A STUDY ON DEMOTIVATING FACTORS IN ENGLISH READING COMPREHENSION TH LESSONS OF THE 10 – FORM STUDENTS AT MY DUC A HIGH SCHOOL, HANOI (Nghiên Cứu Những Yếu Tố Gây Mất Hứng Thú Trong Các Giờ Học Đọc Hiểu Tiếng Anh Của Học Sinh Lớp 10 Trường THPT Mỹ Đức A, Hà Nội.) M.A Minor Programme Thesis Major: English Teaching Methodology Code : 60 14 10 HANOI, 2012 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** NGUYỄN THỊ PHƯƠNG A STUDY ON DEMOTIVATING FACTORS IN ENGLISH READING COMPREHENSION TH LESSONS OF THE 10 – FORM STUDENTS AT MY DUC A HIGH SCHOOL, HANOI (Nghiên Cứu Những Yếu Tố Gây Mất Hứng Thú Trong Các Giờ Học Đọc Hiểu Tiếng Anh Của Học Sinh Lớp 10 Trường THPT Mỹ Đức A, Hà Nội.) M.A Minor Programme Thesis Major: English Teaching Methodology Code : 60 14 10 Supervisor: NGUYỄN THỊ NGỌC QUỲNH HANOI, 2012 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** NGUYỄN THỊ PHƯƠNG A STUDY ON DEMOTIVATING FACTORS IN ENGLISH READING COMPREHENSION TH LESSONS OF THE 10 – FORM STUDENTS AT MY DUC A HIGH SCHOOL, HANOI (Nghiên Cứu Những Yếu Tố Gây Mất Hứng Thú Trong Các Giờ Học Đọc Hiểu Tiếng Anh Của Học Sinh Lớp 10 Trường THPT Mỹ Đức A, Hà Nội.) M.A Minor Programme Thesis Major: English Teaching Methodology Code : 60 14 10 HANOI, 2012 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** NGUYỄN THỊ PHƯƠNG A STUDY ON DEMOTIVATING FACTORS IN ENGLISH READING COMPREHENSION TH LESSONS OF THE 10 – FORM STUDENTS AT MY DUC A HIGH SCHOOL, HANOI (Nghiên Cứu Những Yếu Tố Gây Mất Hứng Thú Trong Các Giờ Học Đọc Hiểu Tiếng Anh Của Học Sinh Lớp 10 Trường THPT Mỹ Đức A, Hà Nội.) M.A Minor Programme Thesis Major: English Teaching Methodology Code : 60 14 10 Supervisor: NGUYỄN THỊ NGỌC QUỲNH HANOI, 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration Abstract Acknowledgements Table of contents List of tables and charts PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale Aims of the study Research questions Significance of the study Scope of the study Method of the study Organization of the paper PART B: DEVELOPMENT Chapter 1: Literature Review 1.1 Definitions of reading and reading comprehension 1.1.1 Reading 1.1.2 Reading Comprehension 1.2 Motivation 1.2.1 Concept of motivation 1.2.2 The importance of motivation in reading second language 1.3 Demotivation 1.3.1 Concept of demotivation 1.3.2 Previous studies on de-motivation iv CHAPTER 2: Methodology 2.1 Setting 2.1.1 The school 2.1.2 Participants 2.1.3 The English textbook 10 2.2 Data collection 2.3 Data analysis procedures CHAPTER 3: Data Analysis 3.1 Data analysis of students‟ responses 3.2 Data analysis of teachers‟ responses 3.3 Summary of the findings 3.4 Discussion 3.5 Implications PART C: CONCLUSION REFERENCES APPENDIX v LIST OF FIGURES Figure 3.1: Students‟ attitudes towards the learning of reading English Figure 3.2: Students‟ interest in English reading lessons Figure 3.3: Students‟ participation in English reading comprehension lessons Figure 3.4: Teachers‟ attitude toward the importance of teaching reading comprehension skills at school Figure 3.5 Teacher‟s perception of students‟ participation in activities in the reading lessons LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1: Students‟ purposes of learning English reading Table 3.2: Table 3.2: Students‟ opinions on factors demotivating them in learning reading English Table 3.3: Students‟ opinions on their teachers‟ teaching methods Table 3.4: Students‟ opinions on teachers‟ employment of activities Table 3.5: Students‟ expectations towards teachers of reading skills Table 3.6: Teachers‟ perceptions of students‟ demotivation in reading skills Table 3.7: Teachers‟ frequency of using activities in reading lessons Table 3.8: Techniques and activities by the teacher, and the preference of the students for those activities vi PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale of the study Since English was chosen as an international language, learning English has long been important to students of almost all levels in Vietnam The remarkable shift from traditional method to communicative language teaching approach emphasizes the need for developing the communicative competence of the learners in four language skills namely speaking, reading, reading and writing Though a great deal of effort has been made to achieve the goal, there are still a lot of shortcomings in teaching and learning English in general and reading comprehension in particular To much extent, the reason is due to the fact that the students have to pass their exams which mainly focus on extensive vocabulary and grammatical rules In most of Vietnam high schools, English teaching and learning is taken place in a non-native environment, so reading English is not only an important means to gain knowledge but also a means by which further study takes place For many students, reading is so far the most important of the four language skills It is commonly acknowledged that reading is one of the most complex skills When one reads, they are not able to control the message or the language used like they can in speaking and writing Reading is also a skill that must be carried out under the real time pressure if it is done fluently In addition, there is no chance for readers to ask for additional information or clarification like they can in speaking or listening Moreover, “the range of vocabulary encountered in reading is much greater than is typically used in speaking and listening settings” (Stanovich, 2000: 252-258) It is fairly clear that developing L2 reading abilities represents a serious challenge for both the learners and the teachers Being aware of the importance of reading skill, all the teachers of My Duc A high school have been trying their best to make their students motivated in learning English reading lessons, but their efforts seem not to be effective yet The students seem to be still demotivated in learning English in general, and in learning English reading comprehension in particular For all of those reasons, it would be necessary to have a study on factors causing demotivation in reading lessons for students at My Duc A High School, Hanoi Aims of the study The main purposes of the study are: - To investigate the demotivating factors in reading lessons of the 10th form students at My Duc A High School, Hanoi - To give some suggestions to minize the demotivating factors in reading lessons in order to improve the students‟ reading skills Research questions To achieve the aims mentioned above, the following research questions were proposed: (1) What are demotivating factors in reading lessons of the 10th form students at My Duc A High School, Hanoi? (2) What should be done to minimize the demotivating factors of the students in their reading lessons? Significance of the study This study points out factors causing demotivation in reading lessons of the 10th form students at My Duc A High School, Hanoi Besides, it can be used as an evidence for demotivating factors when learning English reading that Vietnamese SecondarySchool students encountered The findings and recommendations of this study will be useful to improve the teaching and learning of reading of Upper Secondary School students in general and of the 10 th form students at My Duc A High School, Hanoi in particular Scope of the study This study mainly focuses on the demotivating factors that the 10 th form students at My Duc A High School have in their reading lessons It does not cover the scope of demotivating factors in other skills It involves the participants of 10 teachers of English and 105 students in the 10th form at My Duc A High School Methods of the study The study uses two main methods to achieve its aims Firstly, two types of survey questionnaires were conducted with 10 teachers of English and 105 students from three classes at My Duc A High School In addition to the questionnaires, informal interviews with the 10 randomly selected students, who have done the survey questionnaires, were also employed Organization of the thesis paper The thesis paper is organized as follows: Part A, Introduction, provides rationale for the study, states what the study is aimed at and what specific tasks it resolves, specifies the scope of the study, and sketches the general structure of the study Part B, Development, consists of the following chapters: Chapter 1, Literature Review, presents the theoretical background related to reading and reading comprehension, motivation and the important of motivation in second language learning Besides, it reviews the concept of demotivation and previous studies on demotivation Chapter 2, Methodology, provides information about the study This includes the setting of the study, the participants and the research instruments used for the study Chapter 3, Data Analysis, gives a detailed analysis of data Besides, the chapter also presents some discussion and interpretations of the findings of the study, and then gives suggestions for the teachers and the students at Part C, Conclusion, summarizes the major findings and points out implications for the improvement, its limitations and suggestions for future research University Press Hoang, V V., Hoang, T X H., Do, T M., Nguyen, T P., & Nguyen, Q T (2006) Tieng Anh 10: Nha Xuat Ban Giao Duc Karlin, R., & Kartin (1992) Teaching of elementary reading Harcourt Brace: Tovanovic publisher Keller, J M (1984) The use of the ARCS model of motivation in teacher training In K S A J T (Eds.) (Ed.), Aspects of Educational Technology (Vol XVII staff Development and Career Updating) London: Kogan Page Lamie, J M (1999) Making the Textbook More Communicative Retrieved May 19th, 2012, from http://iteslj.org/Articles/Lamie-Textbooks.html Littlewood, W (1998) Foreign and Second Language Teaching Cambridge: CUP Luu, Q K., & Hoang, X Q (2010) An investiagation into high school students' difficulties in learning reading communicatively with Tieng Anh 12: reality and solution Retrieved 25th August, from http://www.kh sdh.udn.vn/zipfiles/so40quyen3/20-LUUQUYKHUONG.pdf McDonough, J., & Shaw, C (1993) Materials and Methods in ELT: A Teacher's Guide: Blackwell McKay, H., & Tom, A (1999) Teaching adult second language learners New York: Cambridge University Press Nguyen, T M H (2010) Investigation of demotivators in English speaking lessons of the 10th grade students at Nam Sach High School Vietnam National University Of Languages and International Studies Oxford, R L (1998) The unravelling tapestry: Teacher and course characteristics associated with demotivation in the language classroom Smith, F (1985) Reading Cambridge: CUP Stanovich, K (2000) Progress in understanding reading New York: Guilford Swan, M (1975) Inside Meaning Cambridge: CUP 44 Tran, T T T., & Richard, B B J (2007) Demotivation: Understanding Resistance to English Language Learning - The Case of Vietnamese Students The Journal of ASIA TEFL, 4(1), 79 - 105 William, E (1990) Reading in the Language Classroom Oxford: Macmilian Publishers Limited 45 Appendix PHIẾU ĐIỀU TRA (CHO HỌC SINH) PHIẾU ĐIỀU TRA HỌC SINH Phiếu điều tra nhằm phục vụ cho đề tài Nghiên Cứu Những Yếu Tố Gây Mất Hứng Thú Trong Các Giờ Học Đọc Hiểu Tiếng Anh Của Học Sinh Lớp 10 Trường THPT Mỹ Đức A, Hà Nội Thông tin bạn cung cấp để hồn thiện phiếu điều tra có ý nghĩa quan trọng đề tài nghiên cứu Dữ liệu điều tra nhằm mục đích phục vụ cho việc nghiên cứu người cung cấp thông tin không bị nhận dạng nội dung thảo luận Trân trọng cảm ơn! Em nghĩ tầm quan trọng việc học đọc hiểu Tiếng Anh? A quan trọng D quan trọng E quan trọng C không B không quan trọng quan trọng chút Mức độ thích học đọc Tiếng Anh em nào? A thích B thích C bình thường D khơng thích E khơng thích chút Mục đích học kỹ đọc hiểu tiếng Anh em (có thể chọn đáp án) A Để nâng cao trình độ tiếng Anh B Để thi Đại Học C Để đạt điểm cao kiểm tra D Để đọc tin tức, sách báo tiếng Anh E Học sở thích F Lý khác (hãy nêu rõ) Em thường làm vào học đọc? I A tham gia tích cực vào tất hoạt động B ý vào hoạt động mà em thích C khơng tham gia vào hoạt động D làm việc riêng E thấy chán tập trung Đánh dấu (√) vào cột với câu trả lời em nhất: Nội dung Có nhiều từ đọc Các chủ đề đọc nhàm chán khó Bài đọc dài khó Các tập đọc khó khơng phù hợp với trình độ học sinh Thời gian dành cho tiết học đọc không đủ Thiếu thiết bị đại máy chiếu (khơng Tính cách giáo viên thân thiện, khơng nhiệt tình, thiếu quan tâm, hay thiên vị) II lực giáo viên (thiếu kinh nghiệm, phát âm không chuẩn) Em không tự tin học đọc tiếng Anh em thiếu kiến thức Tiếng Anh Em khơng thích phương pháp dạy học giáo viên (không sáng taọ, phương pháp truyền đạt kiến thức nhàm chán, khó hiểu, daỵ nhanh) 10 Các hoat động lớp buồn tẻ tải Suy nghĩ em cách mà giáo viên dạy đọc tổ chức hoạt động đọc học? A nhàm chán B.linh hoạt C.gây hứng thú cho người học D căng thẳng E gây hứng thú người học F thú vị Mức độ thích thú em hoạt động mà giáo viên sử dụng nhằm tạo hứng thú cho em học đọc III Hoạt động Rất thích Thíc h Ổ n Khơng Khơng thíc h thích chút Đưa câu hỏi thảo luận trước vào đọc Dạy trước từ cấu trúc có khóa Giới thiệu vắn tắt khóa Đặt mục tiêu đọc rõ rang Yêu cầu học sinh thực nhiệm vụ khoảng thời gian định Sử dụng trò chơi tạo sôi cho đọc Sử dụng giáo cụ trực quan (tranh ảnh, âm nhạc, ) Yêu cầu học sinh thảo luận theo cặp, theo nhóm sau đọc Đưa nhận xét thường xuyên phù hợp 10 Cung cấp cho học sinh tài liệu bổ trợ kỹ nắng đọc hiểu IV Phương pháp dạy học giáo viên gây hứng thú học cho em theo khía cạnh đây? A Chỉ dạy hoc giới hạn sách giáo khoa B Không hướng dẫn cách làm tập rõ ràng C Dạy q nhanh D Khơng đưa lời giải thích đầy đủ E Không linh hoạt việc thiết kế tập hoạt động Appendix QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS DEAR COLLEAGES, This survey questionnaire is designed to gather information for my research into “Demotivating factors in English reading lessons of the 10th grade students at My Duc A High School, Hanoi” Your assistance in completing the questionnaire is highly appreciated Data collected will remain confidential and be used only for the study purpose Thank you very much for your cooperation! General information Full name: Gender: Male Female Age: How long have you been teaching English: year(s) What you think about the role of reading comprehension skill? A Very important B As important as other language skills (e.g listening, speaking, writing) V C Not important as other language skills D Not important at all What the majority your students often in reading sessions? A Only the assigned tasks they like B Enthusiastically participate in all class activities C not participate in any classroom activity D concentrates on doing other things Put a tick (√) to the answer you think it demotivates your students to learn reading English (more than one answer is acceptable) Items difficult learning facilities such as projector, etc.) Teacher‟s (unpleasant, enthusiasm, competence inexperienced, fail to pronounce) They lack knowledge of English Teacher‟s (uncreative, VI conveying knowledge, difficult to understand, too fast teaching rate) Classroom activities are boring and overloaded read? How often you use the following techniques to motivate students to Techniques Creating a competitive atmosphere Giving some pre-reading questions Giving short discussion before reading Pre-teaching new vocabulary in the reading text Giving a brief introduction of the text Setting up a goal for student to read Using games Using visual aids VII 10 Asking students to write summary of the text after reading 11 Asking students to discuss about the text 12 Giving students supplementary reading materials In your opinion, what can be done to motivate the students in My Duc A High School in English reading sessions? …………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………… ……… Thank you very much! Appendix QUESTIONS FOR INTERVIEW Theo em kỹ đọc có quan trọng khơng? Tại sao? Em có thích học Tiếng Anh khơng? Em có nhận xét học đọc nói chung? (Đã thật lơi làm cho em cảm thấy hứng thú chưa?) Theo em yếu tố ảnh hưởng đến việc gây hứng thú cho em việc học đọc hiểu tiếng Anh? VIII Giáo viên có hay tổ chức hoạt động cặp, nhóm khơng?, em có thích tham gia vào hoạt động học đọc theo cặp, theo nhóm khơng? Em nhận xét phương pháp giảng dạy giáo viên dạy em môn tiếng Anh đọc hiểu ? Theo em, cách dạy có lơi cuốn, gây hứng thú cho người học hay không? Theo em giáo viên phải làm để làm cho học đọc sơi sinh động gây hứng thú giúp cho em học kỹ đọc hiểu tốt hơn? IX ... of the students in their reading lessons? Significance of the study This study points out factors causing demotivation in reading lessons of the 10th form students at My Duc A High School, Hanoi. .. out the demotivating factors in English reading lessons of 10 th grade students at My Duc A High School From data analysis, the following major demotivating factors are found out: (1) The reading. .. What are demotivating factors in English reading lessons of the 10th form students at My Duc A High School? (2) What should be done to minimize demotivation of the students in their English reading