An action research on improving 10th grade students’ reading comprehension through the teaching of lexical inference strategy at high school for gifted students

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES - NGUYỄN HÀ SÂM AN ACTION RESEARCH ON IMPROVING 10th GRADE STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION THROUGH THE TEACHING OF LEXICAL INFERENCE STRATEGY AT HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIFTED STUDENTS, HANOI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION (NGHIÊN CỨU HÀNH ĐỘNG VỀ VIỆC NÂNG CAO KHẢ NĂNG ĐỌC HIỂU CỦA HỌC SINH THƠNG QUA VIỆC GIẢNG DẠY CHIẾN LƯỢC ĐỐN NGHĨA CỦA TỪ VỰNG TẠI TRƯỜNG TRUNG HỌC PHỔ THÔNG CHUYÊN, ĐẠI HỌC SƯ PHẠM HÀ NỘI) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 6014.0111 Hanoi, 2014 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES - NGUYỄN HÀ SÂM AN ACTION RESEARCH ON IMPROVING 10th GRADE STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION THROUGH THE TEACHING OF LEXICAL INFERENCE STRATEGY AT HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIFTED STUDENTS, HANOI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION (NGHIÊN CỨU HÀNH ĐỘNG VỀ VIỆC NÂNG CAO KHẢ NĂNG ĐỌC HIỂU CỦA HỌC SINH THÔNG QUA VIỆC GIẢNG DẠY CHIẾN LƯỢC ĐOÁN NGHĨA CỦA TỪ VỰNG TẠI TRƯỜNG TRUNG HỌC PHỔ THÔNG CHUYÊN, ĐẠI HỌC SƯ PHẠM HÀ NỘI) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 6014.0111 Supervisor: Assoc Prof Dr Võ Đại Quang Hanoi, 2014 DECLARATION I hereby certify that the minor thesis entitled “An Action Research on th Improving 10 Grade Students’ Reading Comprehension through the Teaching of Lexical Inference Strategy at High School for Gifted Students, Hanoi National University of Education” is the result of my own work in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in English Teaching Methodology at Faculty of Post - Graduate Studies, Hanoi University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University The research has not been submitted to any other university or institution wholly and partially Hanoi, 2014 Nguyen Ha Sam i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This thesis could not have been completed without the help and support from a number of people First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Assoc Prof Dr Vo Dai Quang, my supervisor, who has patiently and constantly supported me through the stages of the study, and whose stimulating ideas, expertise, and suggestions have inspired me greatly through my growth as an academic researcher A special word of thanks goes to my students, without whom it would never have been possible for me to have this thesis accomplished Last by not least, I am greatly indebted to my family for the sacrifice they have devoted to the fulfillment of this academic work ii ABSTRACT This study was intended to investigate the impact of lexical inference strategy on th 10 grade students‟ reading comprehension ability More specifically, the researcher strived to (1) examine whether students‟ lexical knowledge had any correlation to their reading ability, (2) whether the teaching of lexical inferencing had a positive effect to enhance tenth grade students‟ reading comprehension, (3) investigate the students‟ attitudes towards the instruction, and (4) propose some recommendations for instructing this strategy to other teachers To achieve those abovementioned aims, an action research was conducted with the participation of 46 tenth grade students from a class at High School for Gifted Students, Hanoi National University of Education The teaching program aimed at instructing the students with lexical inferencing to help them enhance their reading comprehension ability The study included: (1) pretest and a questionnaire (2) the instruction of lexical inferencing, (3) posttest and a questionnaire, (4) teacher‟s notes and students‟ learning logs Later, (5) interviews were included to support the findings The main findings of the research were as follows: (1) Lexical competence served as good prediction of reading ability in a foreign language The higher scores students got in vocabulary tests, the higher scores they received in reading comprehension tests (2) Overall, the instruction of this vocabulary-learning strategy improved their reading comprehension (3) Most of the students held positive attitudes towards the instruction of lexical inferencing (4) The students had a habit of guessing words from context using local clues or information from around the target word iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS, TABLES AND FIGURES Figure 1: Action Research Model 18 Table 1: Classification of Reading Strategies .7 Table 2: Background Information of the Subjects 17 Table 3: Procedures of the Study 26 Table 4: Results of Question in the Questionnaire After the Pretest 28 Table 5: Results of Question in the Questionnaire After the Pretest 28 Table 6: Results of Question in the Questionnaire After the Pretest 28 Table 7: Results of Question in the Questionnaire After the Pretest 29 Table 8: Results of Question in the Questionnaire After the Pretest 29 Table 9: Correlation between the Two Tests Before Lexical Inferencing Instruction 30 Table 10: Correlation between the Two Tests After Lexical Inferencing Instruction 30 Table 11: Percentage of the Students’ Correct Answers in the Pretest and Posttest 31 Table 12: Results of Question in the Questionnaire After the Posttest .33 Table 13: Results of Question in the Questionnaire After the Posttest .33 Table 14: Results of Question in the Questionnaire After the Posttest .33 Table 15: Results of Question in the Questionnaire After the Posttest .34 Table 16: Results of Question in the Questionnaire After the Posttest .34 Abbreviations T: Teacher S1: Subject in the interview S2: Subject in the interview S3: Subject in the interview HNUE: Hanoi National University of Education L2: second language iv TABLE OF CONTENT DECLARATION……………………………………………………………………… i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT………………………………………………………… .ii ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………… iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS, TABLES AND FIGURES………………………………iv TABLE OF CONTENT…………………………………………………………… … V PART A: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale for the Study .1 1.2 Aims of the Research 1.3 Objectives of the Research 1.4 Research Questions 1.5 Scope of the Research 1.6 Significance of the Research .3 1.7 Structural Organization of the Thesis PART B: DEVELOPMENT Chapter 1: Literature Review 1.1 Theoretical Background 1.1.1 Definition of Reading Comprehension 1.1.2 Reading Comprehension Strategies 1.1.2 Lexical Inference Strategy 1.1.2.1 Definition of Lexical Inference Strategy 1.1.2.2 Value of Lexical Inference Strategy 11 1.1.2.3 Factors that Affect Lexical Inferencing 11 1.2 Review of Previous Studies Related to the Research Area of the Thesis 12 1.3 Summary 15 Chapter 2: Research Methodology 16 2.1 Research Setting 16 2.2 Subjects 16 2.3 Research Types 17 2.4 Research Approaches 17 2.5 Data Collection Instruments 19 2.5.1 Pretest and Posttest 19 2.5.1.1 Vocabulary Multiple-Choice Tests 20 2.5.1.2 Reading Comprehension Tests 20 2.5.2 Questionnaires 20 2.5.3 Interviews 21 2.5.4 Teacher‟s Notes and Students‟ Learning Logs 22 2.6 Intervention: Instruction of Lexical Inferencing in Class 22 v 2.6.1 Reading Materials 2.6.2 Steps of the Instruction in Lexical Inferencing 2.7 Data Collection Procedures 2.8 Data Analysis 2.9 Summary Chapter 3: Findings and Discussions 3.1 Preliminary Investigation 3.1.1 Findings 3.1.2 Discussion 3.2 Evaluation 3.2.1 Research Question 3.2.2 Research Question 3.2.2.1 Results from Pretest and Posttest 3.2.2.2 Discussion 3.2.3 Research Question 3.2.3.1 Results from Questionnaire After the Posttest 3.2.3.2 Discussion 3.2.3.3 Results of the Interview 3.2.3.4 Discussion 3.3 Summary PART C: CONCLUSION 3.1 Recapitulation 3.2 Conclusions 3.3 Limitations of the Research 3.4 Suggestions for Future Research REFERENCES APPENDICES……………………………………………………………………………I vi PART A: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale for the Study In the last few decades, second/foreign language vocabulary acquisition has been an increasingly interesting topic of discussion for researches, teachers, curriculum designers, theorists and others involved in second language learning All consider vocabulary as being a very important element in language, especially in reading skills When mentioning the relationship between vocabulary and reading comprehension, Nation (1990) claimed that vocabulary knowledge is one of the best predictors of reading ability and the ability to acquire new information from the text As a result, it can be said that the threshold for reading comprehension is, to a large extent, lexical Lexical problems will, therefore, hinder successful comprehension In fact, second/foreign language readers often cite lack of adequate vocabulary as one of the most common obstacles to text comprehension Kim‟s (1995) study also shows that learners‟ lack of vocabulary knowledge or their being unfamiliar with words is a major problem affecting readers‟ reading comprehension Many readers have claimed that they would like to read more, but when they encounter unknown lexis they lose their interest From observations, the researcher also realize that Vietnamese learners of English, in general, and grade 10 students at High School for Gifted Students (HNUE), in particular, after several years of learning English, turn out to be word-by-word readers They tend to read very slowly to understand the meaning of every single word Students feel insecure when they read without the aids of glossing or dictionaries When they encounter a new word in the reading context, they simply not show any effort to guess its meaning The reason is that they always rely on the glossing of Vietnamese translation of unfamiliar words in reading texts, or resort to using dictionaries immediately Yet, this habit was proved to be a bad habit and affect students‟ reading comprehension (Dechant, 1991) The results are limited vocabulary knowledge and inadequate reading ability One possible explanation for the abovementioned problem can be found in Miller and Perkins‟ study (1989), in which the researchers indicated that in most reading classrooms, students have received inadequate instructions on reading skills and strategies Teachers normally stress on the production of reading comprehension rather than the reading process Therefore, a better way of teaching and learning reading skills, as many researchers have suggested, is to equip students with the strategy of guessing word meaning from context and to help them become independent readers Particularly, th 10 grade students may have not been taught any reading strategy before They have acquired a range of vocabulary and grammar after five to seven years of learning English Now it is urged that they be taught learning strategies to become better and more efficient learners With a view to gaining some insight into reading strategies and reading strategy instruction, I chose to study how to improve students‟ reading comprehension through the teaching of lexical inference strategy The rationale for my focus is that lexical inference strategy plays a critical role in successful reading (Sullivan, 1978) Although the importance of lexical inferencing has been highlighted in a number of empirical studies, much remains to be learned about it 1.2 Aims of the Research th The study aimed at improving reading comprehension ability of 10 grade students at High School for Gifted Students (HNUE) through lexical inference strategy instruction, and giving recommendations on how to teach students to use lexical inference strategies effectively to enhance their reading abilities 1.3 Objectives of the Research The specific objectives of the research were as follows:  Examine whether there is a correlation between lexical knowledge and reading comprehension  Apply the teaching of lexical inference strategy to improve reading th comprehension ability of 10 grade students at High School for Gifted Students  Explore the students‟ attitudes towards lexical inference strategy instruction  Give recommendations to other teachers of English on how to teach the students to use lexical inference strategy effectively to improve their comprehension in reading classes APPENDICES APPENDIX First Reading Article Used in the Pretest and Posttest The Amazon Rainforest There are thousands of species of animals in the Amazon rainforest, each colored differently Most rainforest animals use their colors for survival Some animals use color to protect themselves from predators An example is the green iguana Young iguanas are bright green and hide among the bright green lower leaves of the trees where they live As they get older, their color becomes duller Older iguanas live higher in the trees, where the colors all around are less bright Other animals are predators and use color to hide from their prey The boa constrictor snake is a good example Some boas are gray or brown, and these colors help them hide on branches The emerald boa is green and white, so it can easily hide in the leaves A boa hides in a tree and waits for a bird to fly by When one does, the boa grabs the bird from the air and then squeezes it to death before eating it Poison arrow frogs don‟t try to hide They want everyone to see them These colorful frogs can be orange, red, or green Their bright colors let everybody know where they are The bright color warns other animals that the frog is poisonous, so they stay away These tiny frogs are very poisonous! One frog has enough poison to kill 100 people The colors of the rainforest are beautiful to us, but to the animals they are very important They help the animals survive I APPENDIX Second Reading Article Used in the Pretest and Posttest Movie Stunts A stunt actor‟s job looks exciting, but it is often difficult and dangerous Stunt actors jump off high buildings, fall off mountains, get shot, crash cars, or catch on fire They need special training to these stunts safely, and they need good acting skills to make stunts look real Stunt actors have to know different punches and kicks for stunt fighting They have to make the audience believe the fight is a real fight If they receive a punch or a kick, they have to make the pain look real Sometimes stunt actors have to fall or jump from very high places They usually fall onto an airbag, but while they fall they have to act For example, maybe someone shoots the character while he is falling The stunt actor has to pretend he is really in pain Stunt actors often have to driving stunts like making the car spin around, turn over, and finally crash Then they have to run away from the burning car before it explodes Fire stunts are very risky Stunt actors use real fire Even though they use fire suits, gloves, powder, and other things to protect themselves during fire stunts, the flames are still hot Of course, stunts aren't real, but they are still risky Stunt actors have to look injured At the same time, they have to protect themselves from really being injured You need a lot of skill to stunts You also need to be brave II APPENDIX First Vocabulary Test Used in the Pretest and Posttest What does the word "predator" mean in the article? A an animal that hunts B an animal that other animals hunt C a small town D a young child What does the word "prey" mean? A an animal that hunts B an animal that other animals hunt C a place for dead people D a spots trainer What does the word "grab" mean? A a feeling B change C take quickly D die What does the word "dull" mean? A full of color B very big C strong enough D weak in color What does the word "squeeze" mean? A help B hold very tight C move toward D arrive at III APPENDIX Second Vocabulary Test Used in the Pretest and Posttest What does the word "stunt" mean? A a person between the ages of 13 and 19 B a difficult physical trick C a person who takes care of something D a sports trainer What does the word "audience" mean? A people who prefer to be indoors B a leader of a group C a group of musician D the people who watch a performance What does the word "spin" mean? A turn around very quickly B go under the water C go away D move forward What does the word "explode" mean? A get in the way; prevent B blow up like a bomb C go down D try to fight or attack What does the word "flame" mean? A farming B things you need to a job C a safe place D fire IV APPENDIX First Reading Comprehension Test Used in the Pretest and Posttest What is this passage mainly about? (A) Predators of the rainforest (B) How rainforest animals live (C) Poisonous rainforest animals (D) How colors protect rainforest animals (A) (B) (C) high (D) Which statement is true in the second paragraph? The color of lower leaves is brighter than that of higher leaves The color of higher leaves is brighter than that of lower leaves Young iguanas live in the tree of lower leaves because they cannot climb too The color of older ignuanas is more colorful than younger iguanas Which statement is true in the third paragraph? (A) The emerald boa usually hides in the leaves because its color is gray and brown (B) The reason why the boas hide on the branch or in the leaves depends on the color they have (C) The boa constrictor snake always hides to prevent itself from been eaten by birds (D) Birds can easily see the boa and then fly away What is true about poison arrow frogs? (A) They like to hide (B) They are predators (C) They have bright colors (D) They aren't very poisonous Why might a bird fly near a boa constrictors? (A) Because it moves faster than the boa constrictor (B) Because it isn't afraid of the boa constrictor (C) Because it wants to eat the boa constrictor (D) Because it can't see the boa constrictor V APPENDIX Second Reading Comprehension Test Used in the Pretest and Posttest What is this passage mainly about? (A) How to become a stunt actor (B) Safety while doing stunts (C) Learning stunt skills (D) A stunt actor‟s job What skills does a stunt actor NOT need? (A) Acting (B) Driving (C) Punching and kicking (D) getting injured What fire stunts to protect themselves from fire? (A) They may wear gloves to make themselves safe (B) They may fall off high buildings and run away (C) They try to be brave to protect themselves (D) They may use airbags to protect them from fire (A) (B) (C) (D) Which of the following is NOT true? Actors use real fire during fire stunts Most stunts are not really dangerous Stunt actors pretend to feel pain A stunt fight looks real to the audience Which paragraph mentions fighting stunts? (A) The first paragraph (B) The second paragraph (C) The third paragraph (D) The fourth paragraph VI APPENDIX Questionnaire After the Pretest Name:……………………………………… Phone number:……………… My dear students, I am conducting my MA thesis on the topic: An Action Research th on Improving 10 Grade Students’ Reading Comprehension through the Teaching of Lexical Inference Strategies at High School for Gifted Students, Hanoi National University of Education I would like you to help me by completing this survey questionnaire This is not a test so there is no “right” or “wrong” answers All the information that you give in this survey only serves for the purpose of carrying out this paper and will be kept secret I ask for your personal information just because I would contact you later to conduct an interview Please give your answers sincerely as only this will guarantee the success of the investigation Thank you very much for your kind cooperation! DIRECTIONS: Please put a tick next to the statement that seems the most appropriate for you Question 1: How you deal with unknown words while reading? Ignoring them Consulting a dictionary Asking the teacher Guessing from context Question 2: Do you learn new words during your ordinary reading? A lot Some Few None Question 3: Did the new words you encountered in the second article influence your comprehension? A lot Some Little None Question 4: Do you think that the second article provided you with rich information or clues for guessing words from context? Very rich Rich enough Some Little None Question 5: What you think about the degree of reading difficulty in the second article? Very difficult Difficult Appropriate Easy Too easy VII APPENDIX Questionnaire After the Posttest Name:……………………………………… Phone number:……………… My dear students, I am conducting my MA thesis on the topic: An Action Research th on Improving 10 Grade Students’ Reading Comprehension through the Teaching of Lexical Inference Strategies at High School for Gifted Students, Hanoi National University of Education I would like you to help me by completing this survey questionnaire This is not a test so there is no “right” or “wrong” answers All the information that you give in this survey only serves for the purpose of carrying out this paper and will be kept secret I ask for your personal information just because I would contact you later to conduct an interview Please give your answers sincerely as only this will guarantee the success of the investigation Thank you very much for your kind cooperation! DIRECTIONS: Please put a tick next to the statement that seems the most appropriate for you Question 1: After receiving the vocabulary instruction, will you try to use the strategy when you encounter new words in reading? Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree No comment Question 2: After receiving the vocabulary instruction, did you learn new words from reading? A lot Some Few None Question 3: Do you think the vocabulary instruction was helpful when you read the second article? Very helpful Helpful Not very helpful No help Question 4: Do you think that the second article provided you with rich information or clues for guessing words from context? Very rich Rich enough Some Little None Question 5: What you think about the degree of reading difficulty in the second article after the posttest? Very difficult Difficult Appropriate Easy Too easy VIII APPENDIX Interview Questions (1) What you think this article is about? (2) How did you learn the meaning of the word “stunt”? (3) Do you think the article is difficult? (4) How you deal with new words while reading? (5) Does the instruction of inferring words from context make any difference for you? IX APPENDIX 10 Sample Instruction Sheet During the Six Weeks The five steps and the column adapted from Clarke and Nation (1980) Take the article “Acid Rain” for example Step 1: Look at the unknown word and decide its part of speech Step 2: Look at the clause or sentence containing the unknown word Step 3: Look at the relationship between the clause or sentence containing the unknown word and other sentences or paragraphs Step 4: Use the knowledge you have gained from Steps1-3 to guess the meaning of the word Step 5: Check that your guess is correct Word Line X APPENDIX 11 Date/ Lesson No Reading title XI APPENDIX 12 Teacher’s Notes Date/ Reading Lesson No title XII APPENDIX 13 A Reading Article Sample Acid rain Acid rain is one of the biggest environmental problems today It has many long-term effects, like damage to trees and buildings It can lead to skin and breathing problems It can also cause animals to become extinct Acid rain is caused by air pollution from cars and factories These machines burn fuel for energy When fuel burns, it produces smoke and invisible gases that mix with clouds These dark clouds rain harmful chemicals onto the earth Although the rain is not acidic enough to burn skin, it coats tree leaves, buildings, and the ground with toxic water Acid rain has actually been around since the mid – 1800s It was discovered by Robert Angus Smith Smith found a relationship between acid rain and air pollution However, scientists did not start studying acid rain seriously until the 1950s Acid rain can be prevented by burning less dangerous fuels Factories have also experimented with special filters that remove harmful chemicals from the smoke These are good solutions, but governments have to act fast If they wait, the damage may be unstoppable (Taken from “Power Content Reading 1”) Target words for students to guess: long-term, damage, extinct, toxic, filters XIII Reading comprehension questions: What is the main idea of the passage? A Acid rain is the newest environmental disaster B Acid rain is as dangerous as other forms of pollution C Acid rain destroyed the environment in the mid-1800s D Robert Angus Smith found a solution for acid rain Which of the following is NOT correct according to the passage? A Acid rain is a serious problem today B Acid rain is as dramatic as piles of garbage and rising oceans C Cars and factories are main reasons for acid rain D Acid rain has been known for more than 150 years Which of the following is correct about acid rain? A It can cause humans to become extinct B Toxic water from cars and factories causes acid rain C Serious research on acid rain only started around 50 years ago D It can make people get lung cancer What can be inferred from the passage? A The current measures are not enough to stop acid rain B Scientists should pay more attention to acid rain C Governments are mostly responsible for acid rain D Acid rain can be gotten rid of by funding more research Which of the sentences below best expresses the information in the underlined sentence in the passage? A Governments usually make good solutions B Governments are not interested in making good solutions C There are no good solutions D Solutions need to be put into effect to work XIV ... on th Improving 10 Grade Students? ?? Reading Comprehension through the Teaching of Lexical Inference Strategy at High School for Gifted Students, Hanoi National University of Education” is the result... abovementioned aims, an action research was conducted with the participation of 46 tenth grade students from a class at High School for Gifted Students, Hanoi National University of Education The teaching. .. comprehension? What are the students? ?? attitudes towards the lexical inference strategy instruction? 1.5 Scope of the Research This study only focused on the teaching of lexical inference strategy to grade