An action reading strategy instruction for 11th grade students at an duong vuong high school

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES VŨ TUỆ MINH AN ACTION RESEARCH ON READING STRATEGY INSTRUCTION FOR 11TH GRAGE STUDENTS AT AN DUONG VUONG HIGH SCHOOL (NGHIÊN CỨU HÀNH ĐỘNG VỀ HƯỚNG DẪN CHIẾN LƯỢC ĐỌC CHO HỌC SINH LỚP 11 TRƯỜNG THPT AN DƯƠNG VƯƠNG) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Hanoi, 2014 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES VŨ TUỆ MINH AN ACTION RESEARCH ON READING STRATEGY INSTRUCTION FOR TH 11 GRAGE STUDENTS AT AN DUONG VUONG HIGH SCHOOL (NGHIÊN CỨU HÀNH ĐỘNG VỀ HƯỚNG DẪN CHIẾN LƯỢC ĐỌC CHO HỌC SINH LỚP 11 TRƯỜNG THPT AN DƯƠNG VƯƠNG) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Supervisor: Dr, Đỗ Thị Thanh Hà Hanoi, 2014 THE CANDIDATE’S STATEMENTS I, hereby declare that this submission is my own work and to the best of my knowledge it contains no materials previously published or written by another person, or substantial proportions of material which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at ULIS or any other educational institutions The thesis has not been submitted to any other examining body and has not been published Any contribution made to the research by others, with whom I have worked at ULIS or elsewhere, is explicitly acknowledged in the thesis The candidate Vũ Tuệ Minh i ACKNOWLEGEMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Do Thi Thanh Ha, for supporting me from the proposal stage to the completion of my thesis She helped me begin my project and provided guidance and suggestions throughout all of my drafts She spent a great deal of time working with me to help me through the multi-step research process by emails or in person She tirelessly edited my thesis proposals, drafts and final thesis I would also like to thank the staff and students at my school for their support They assisted my goals by being flexible, lending resources and engaging in informal discussions about my challenges over the course of the project Most importantly, I wish to acknowledge my family, who has patiently allowed me the time to work on my thesis They were invaluable to the success of this paper and I thank them for believing in my accomplishments Hanoi, September 2014 Vu Tue Minh ii ABSTRACT This action research project was conducted to enhance students’ reading th comprehension in a regular 11 grade classroom through their awareness and use of reading strategies Data were collected through a number of instruments: pre and post assessment tests, the Metacognitive Strategy Index (MSI) The results reveal the learners’ development in their use of reading strategies, better knowledge of the reading strategies These results raise interesting issues related to the use of reading strategy instruction in the context of foreign language learning This can help teachers think further what treatment should be conducted for the sake of the students' success in continuing their English learning However, given certain limitations in teaching, teachers should moderate any expectations of achieving rapid success iii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1- The Bottom- up and the Top- down Model Processing Figure 2- The Interactive Model Processing Figure 3- Percentage scores for the targeted 11 th grade students of the Pre- assessment Test Figure 4- Percentage of correct responses for MSI by the targeted 11 grade students Figure 5- Percentage of correct responses for MSI by the targeted 11 grade students Figure 6- Percentage of correct responses for MSI by the targeted 11 grade students Figure 7- A comparison of percentages of pre-test and post-test responses for the MSI for the targeted 11 grade students Figure 8- A comparison of percentages of pre-test and post-test responses for the MSI for the targeted 11 grade students Figure 9- A comparison of percentages of pre-test and post-test responses for the MSI for the targeted 11 grade students Figure 10- Pre-test and post-test scores for the Assessment Test for the targeted 11 grade students iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ULIS- University of Language and International Studies EFL- English as Foreign Language ESL- English as Second Language L1- The first language L2- The second language ELT- English Language Teaching ALPs- annual learning plans FL- Foreign Language MSI- Metacognitive Strategy Index PET- Preliminary English Test v LIST OF APPENDICES Page Appendix A- Pre -Assessment Test I Appendix B- Post -Assessment Test VIII Appendix C- Metacognitive Strategy Index XIV Appendix D- Sample Lesson Plan XXI vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CANDIDATE’S STATEMENTS……………………………………………… i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………………………………………… ii ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………… iii LIST OF FIGURES…………………………………………………………… iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS………………………………………………… v LIST OF APPENDICES……………………………………………………… vi TABLE OF CONTENTS……………………………………………………… vii PART A - INTRODUCTION………………………………………………… 1 General Problem Statement………………………………………………… Objectives of the Study……………………………………………………… The significance of the study………………………………………………… Research questions…………………………………………………………… The scope of the study……………………………………………………… Methods of the study………………………………………………………… Organization of the study…………………………………………………… PART B- DEVELOPMENT………………………………………………… CHAPTER – THE LITERATURE REVIEW……………………………… 1 The concept of Reading and Reading Comprehension…………………… 1.1.Reading………………………………………………………………… 1.2 Reading Comprehension………………………………………………… 1.2 Reading Strategies………………………………………………………… Importance of Reading Strategies………………………………………… Components of Reading Comprehension Improvement………………… 4.1 Vocabulary……………………………………………………………… Reading Strategy Instruction…………………………………………… 4.3 Cognition………………………………………………………………… vii 1.5 Cognitive Strategy Instruction…………………………………………… 12 1.6 Previous Work on Reading Strategies in EFL…………………………… 14 CHAPTER – RESEARCH METHODS……………………………………… The Research’s Context…………………………………………………… 2.1 Immediate Problem Context…………………………………………… 2.1 2.National Context of the Problem………………………………………… 2.1 Problem Evidence……………………………………………………… 2.2 Methods of the Study……………………………………………………… 2.2.1 The Action Research Approach………………………………………… 2.2 Project Action Plan……………………………………………………… 2 Teaching Materials……………………………………………………… 22 2 The syllabus…………………………………………………………… 23 2 The Reading Strategy Instruction …………………………… 24 2 Data collecting instruments…………………………………………… 26 CHAPTER – DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION…………………… 29 The Findings of the Study………………………………………………… 29 Discussions………………………………………………………………… 32 PART C- CONCLUSION ………………….………………………………… 34 Conclusions………………………………………………………………… 34 Pedagogical Implications…………………………………………………… 34 Limitations and suggestions for further research…………………………… 35 Reflections…………………………………………………………………… REFERENCES………………………………………………………………… 37 APPENDICES…………………………………………………………… I viii 35 APPENDIX B Full name…………….……………………… POST-TEST FOR READING COMPREHENSION ( 60 MINUTE ALLOWED) PART QUESTION 1-5 Which notice ( A- H) says this(1-5) Write the correct letter A- H next to 1-5 You must have a ticket to go past here _ A If you want to travel Monday to Friday, this ticket is cheaper _ B Please let anybody carrying a lot of luggage sit here _ C You can only buy your ticket here if you have cash _ D People who are travelling can eat something here _ E These ticket machines take $20 and $10 No credit cash These seats are for people with heavy suitcases Sorry- restaurant is closed today’s London- Glasgow train Passengers only through this gate Have your ticket ready Station Café open all day (opposite ticket only) F Passengers with bicycles pay $5 extra on this train VIII G Please not leave luggage here H Save money: Buy a weekly travel ticket here PART QUESTIONS 6-10 Read the sentences about a lake Choose the best answer A, B or C for each space Maria likes to………………….lot of time at the lake A spend B keep C stay The weather there is warm and beautifully………………… A light B clear C nice In the summer, Maria sometimes………………………swimming in the lake A goes B plays C wants Some beautiful flowers………………….near the lake A stand B live C grow 10 When she goes to the lake, Maria usually takes some………………….with her A food B meal C dish PART QUESTIONS 11- 20 Read the text about Isaac Sydney, Australia Then look at the sentences at the bottom of the passages and write True (T) or False (F) in the box IX SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA Named after an ex-Governor of New South Wales, Sydney is the State's capital city Located on the south-east of Australia in the temperate zone it enjoys a mild climate, averaging 14.5 hours of sunshine per day in summer and 10.25 hours in winter It is also the largest, oldest and perhaps the most beautifully situated city in Australia First established by the British as a convict settlement in 1788, it is a modern cosmopolitan city that has developed into one of the nation's major industrial, business, and manufacturing centers Sydney is home to nearly 4.2 million people (as at 1995) The suburbs reach out from the city center and harbor creating a metropolitan area of about 3000 square kilometers The 57 square kilometer harbor is one of the largest in the world and famous for the unmistakable 134 high arch of the Harbor Bridge and the graceful sails of the Opera House It is a busy waterway with ferries, freighters, hydrofoils and pleasure craft Not far from the city center are the attractive old residential suburbs of Balman, Glebe, and Paddington where many people live in smart terraced houses Art galleries pubs, and restaurants abound in the cozy streets that end to be quite narrow, whereas the suburbs surrounding the city's colleges and universities consist mainly of family homes and multi-unit blocks -an ideal situation for students looking for a home stay or to rent Sydney's newer suburbs now have a large multicultural population and local shopping centers reflect the influences of many cultures As well as scores of cinemas and theatres throughout the city and suburbs there are numerous clubs which appeal to people of all ages and cater for all tastes Pubs are the venue for smaller modern bands, while the big-name popular music artists, both local and international, attract capacity audiences at the huge Entertainment Center in the heart of the city 11 Sydney is the capital city of Australia 12 The weather in Sydney is warm and pleasant 13 Originally, Sydney was built as a place for convicted people from Britain 14 Sydney is the biggest and the most exciting city in Australia X 15 Sydney harbor is the largest in the world 16 The Harbor Bridge in Sydney is always very busy 17 The streets in Paddington are not wide and contain houses arrange in rows 18 Sydney's new suburbs include people of several different races, languages or national traditions 19 There are pubs for locals of different ages and tastes 20 The Entertainment Center is only for international popular artists who attract large audiences PART QUESTIONS 21- 25 Read the text below and then choose the best answer A, B, C or D Probably the most famous film commenting on twentieth-century tech-neology is Modem Times, made in 1936 Charlie Chaplin was motivated to make the film by a reporter who, while interviewing him, happened to describe working conditions in industrial Detroit Chaplin was told that health young farm boys were lured to the city to work on automotive assembly lines Within four or five years, these young men's health was destroyed by the stress work in the factories The film opens with a shot of a mass of sheep making their way crowded ramp Abruptly the scene shifts to a scene of factory workers job thing one another on their way to a factory However, the rather bitter criticism in the implied comparison is not sustained It is replaced by a gentler note of satire Chaplin prefers to entertain rather than Probably the most famous film commenting on twentieth-century technology is Modern Times, made in 1936 lecture Scenes of factory interiors account for only one third of the footage of Modern Times, but they contain some of the most pointed social commentary as well as the most comic situations No one who has seen the film can ever forget Chaplin vainly trying to keep pace with the fast-moving conveyor belt almost losing his mind in the process Another popular scene involves an automatic feeding machine brought to XI the assembly line so that workers need not interrupt their labor to eat The feeding machine malfunctions, hurling food at Chaplin who is strapped into his position on the assembly line and cannot escape This serves to illustrate people's utter helplessness in the face of machines that are meant to serve their basic needs Clearly, Modern Times has its faults, but it remains the best film treating technology within a social context It does not offer a radical social message but it does accurately reflect the sentiments of many who feel they are victims of an overmechanized world 21 The author's main purpose in writing this passage is to …………… A criticize the factory system of the 1930s Banalyze an important film Cexplain Chaplin's style of acting D discuss how film reveals the benefits of technology 22 According to the passage, Chaplin got the idea for the film Modern Times from………… A a newspaper article B a scene in a movie C a job he had once held D a conversation with a reporter 23 It can be inferred from the passage that two thirds of the film Modern Times ………… A is extremely unforgettable B takes place outside a factory C is more critical than the other third D entertains the audience more than the other third 24 According to the passage, the purpose of the scene involving the feeding machine is to show people's ……………… A ingenuity B adaptability C helplessness D independence 25 The author would probably use all of the following words to describe the film Modern Times XII A revolutionary B entertainment C memorable D satirical PART QUESTIONS 26-35 Read the text below and choose the best answer A, B, C or D for each space FILM MUSIC In the (26) days of the cinema, before sound was introduced, silent films were (27) by a pianist, or even a small orchestra playing in the cinema itself One reason for this was to cover up the noise of the projector However, a more important role was to provide (28) for what was going on in the film and (29) the audience through the story Different kinds of music were associated with different situations, such as fights, chases, romantic scenes and so on Music was also used to identify the geographical location or historical (30) individual characters often had their own tune, which could also (31) person they were Music added something extra to what was happening on the flat screen It could create atmosphere and (32) encouraging them to relax, the next developing a (33) done without any words being spoken Audiences at that time would have been (34) connected with the traditions of popular theatre, and many of these were transferred to the new medium of the cinema Today, (35) very different from before, much of musical history still remains 26, A early 27.A imaged 28.A comment 29: A persuade 30.A making 31.A point 32.A increase 33 34 35 A sight A popular A because =============THE END============== XIII APPENDIX C Student's Name Metacognitive Strategy Index Part I Directions: Listen carefully as I read each statement and the choices Circle the one choice which tells a good thing to to help yourself understand a story better before you read it Before I begin reading, it’s a good idea to: A See how many pages are in the story B Look up all the big words in the dictionary C Make some guesses about what I think will happen in the story D Think about what has happened so far in the story Before I begin reading, it’s a good idea to: A Look at the pictures to see what the story is about B Decide how long it will take me to read the story C Sound out the words I don’t know D Check to see if the story is making sense Before I begin reading, it’s a good idea to: A Ask someone to read the story to me B Read the title to see what the story is about C Check to see if most of the words have long or short vowels in them D Check to see if the pictures are in order and make sense Before I begin reading, it’s a good idea to: A Check to see that no pages are missing B Make a list of the words I’m not sure about XIV C Use the title and pictures to help me make guesses about what will happen in the story D Read the last sentence so I will know how the story ends Before I begin reading, it’s a good idea to: A Decide on why I am going to read the story B Use the difficult words to help me make guesses about what will happen in the story C Reread some parts to see if I can figure out what is happening if things aren’t making sense D Ask for help with the difficult words Before I begin reading, it’s a good idea to: A Retell the main points that have happened so far B Ask myself questions that I would like to have answered in the story C Think about the meanings of the words which have more than one meaning D Look through the story to find all the words with or more syllables Before I begin reading, it’s a good idea to: A Check to see if I have read the story before B Use my questions and guesses as a reason for reading the story C Make sure I can pronounce all the words before I start D Think of a better title for the story Before I begin reading, it’s a good idea to: A Think of what I already know about the things I see in the pictures B See how many pages are in the story C Choose the best part of the story to read again D Read the story aloud to someone XV Before I begin reading, it’s a good idea to: A Practice reading the story aloud B Retell all of the main points to make sure I can remember the story C Think about where the story might be taking place D Decide if I have enough time to read the story 10 Before I begin reading, it’s a good idea to: A Check to see if I am understanding the story so far B Check to see if the words have more than one meaning C Think about where the story might be taking place D List all of the important details Part II Directions: Listen carefully as I read each statement and the choices Circle the one choice which tells a good thing to to help yourself understand a story better while you are reading it 11 While I’m reading, it’s a good idea to: A Read the story very slowly so that I will not miss any important part B Read the title to see what the story is about C Check to see if the pictures have anything missing D Check to see if the story is making sense by seeing if I can tell what’s happened so far 12 While I’m reading, it’s a good idea to: A Stop to retell the main points to see if I am understanding what has happened so far B Read the title to see what the story is about XVI C Read only the beginning and the end of the story to find out what it is all about D Skip the parts that are too difficult for me 13 While I’m reading, it’s a good idea to: A Look all of the big words up in the dictionary B Put the book away and find another one if things aren’t making sense C Keep thinking about the title and the pictures to help me decide what is going to happen next D Keep track of how many pages I have left to read 14 While I’m reading, it’s a good idea to: A Keep track of how long it is taking me to read the story B Check to see if I can answer any of the questions I asked before I started reading C Read the title to see what the story is going to be about D Add the missing detail to the pictures 15 While I’m reading, it’s a good idea to: A Have someone read the story aloud to me B Keep track of how many pages I have read C List the story’s main character D Check to see if my guesses are right or wrong 16 While I’m reading, it’s a good idea to: A Check to see that the characters are real B Make a lot of guesses about what is going to happen next C Not look at the pictures because they might confuse me D Read the story aloud to someone 17 While I’m reading, it’s a good idea to: A Try to answer the questions I asked myself XVII B Try not to confuse what I already know with what I’m reading about C Read the story silently D Check to see if I am saying the new vocabulary words correctly 18 While I’m reading, it’s a good idea to: A Try to see if my guesses are going to be right or wrong B Reread to be sure I haven’t missed any of the words C Decide on why I am reading the story D List what happened first, second, third, and so on 19 While I’m reading, it’s a good idea to: A See if I can recognize the new vocabulary words B Be careful not to skip any parts of the story C Check to see how many of the words I already knew D Keep thinking of what I already know about the things and ideas in the story to help me decide what is going to happen 20 While I’m reading, it’s a good idea to: A Reread some parts or read ahead to see if I can figure out what is happening if things aren’t making sense B Take my time reading so that I can be sure I understand what is happening C Change the ending so that it makes sense D Check to see if there are enough pictures to help make the story ideas clear Part III Directions: Listen carefully as I read each statement and the choices Circle the one choice which tells a good thing to to help yourself understand a story better after you have read it XVIII 21 After I’ve read a story it’s a good idea to: A Count how many pages I read with no mistakes B Check to see if there were enough pictures to go with the story to make it interesting C Check to see if I met my purpose for reading the story D Underline the causes and effects 22 After I’ve read a story it’s a good idea to: A Underline the main idea B Retell the main points of the whole story so that I can check to see if I understood it C Read the story again to be sure I said all of the words right D Practice reading the story aloud 23 After I’ve read a story it’s a good idea to: A Read the title and look over the story to see what it is about B Check to see if I skipped any of the vocabulary words C Think about what made me make good or bad predictions D Make a guess about what will happen next in the story 24 After I’ve read a story it’s a good idea to: A Look up all of the big words in the dictionary B Read the best parts aloud C Have someone read the story aloud to me D Think about how the story was like things I already knew about before I started reading 25 After I’ve read a story it’s a good idea to: A Think about how I would have acted if I were the main character in the story XIX B Practice reading the story silently for practice of good reading C Look over the story title and pictures to see what will happen D Make a list of the things I understood the most Adapted from: Schmitt, M.C (1990) A questionnaire to measure reader’s awareness of strategic reading processes The Reading Teacher, 43,454-461 The correct responses Part I C A Part II 11 D 12 A Part III 21 C XX APPENDIX D A SAMPLE LESSON PLAN (Time allowed: 60 minutes) th Date: July 2014 I Class profile: 20 students with different levels of English II The reading text: My neighborhood in the United States/ Part 1/ Interaction Access III Objectives: Students will know how to categorize new words, guess the meaning of new words from the context and identify of the reading passage III Method: integrated, mainly communicative IV Teaching aids: Reading text, listening tape, handouts V Class procedure Time 10’ 15’ Teacher’s instructions and activities Warm- up T asks SS to look at the pictures and ans questions: What kind of neighborhood is this? Bu Interesting? Crowded? What country you think it is in? Does it look like your neighborhood? T asks Ss to brainstorm words related to neighborhood T asks Ss to read while listening, then re the passage silently again and write dow maximum of new words they come acr while reading After reading, Ss work in group of four, discussing and trying to share with each other the meaning of new words T asks Ss to look at Previewing Vocabula listen to their pronunciation, and check t words they know XXI If there are any words they don’t know a discussing and listening, T helps them by eliciting the meaning of the words T has Ss pronounce new words T draws Ss’ attention about prepositions place and ask them to Exercise Check the answer as a game between gro Dogs and group Cats T asks Ss to identify the main idea of t text before looking at the Exercise T sets out some comprehension questi a Where is Elena Sanchez living now? b Where people in her neighborhood come from? c Does she like her neighborhood? d What does she mention when she says like my neighborhood, but I ask myself o question Where are the Americans?”? T gives out Exercise and Exercise asks Ss to work in groups of to the t after explaining ways of learning new words 10’ 10’ categories characteristics or opposite meanin T asks Ss to Exercise based on the reading text T carries out a game with groups to th crossword in Exercise after reminding them about word forms and their sho forms T reminds Ss the Ss to summarize the reading passage as t homework 10’ 5’ Note: XXII ... of reading skills in English using the regular English text book 11 and Interaction Access and to its participants of 11th grade students at An Duong Vuong High School The choice of participants... strategy of getting the idea quickly involves skimming strategy and scanning strategy As stated by Oxford (1990), the strategy of getting the idea quickly constitutes with skimming strategy and... of reading strategy instruction is applied to improve student performance and more positive attitudes toward learning” The results in her study indicated that reading strategy instruction created