Infobesity – Information obesity, which means information overload, reflects exactly what people are experiencing in this era of technologies. With technological advancements, people become indecisive when reading different writings written by different people with different viewpoints but about the same issue. Gradually, people’s critical mind gets eroded with the words they read. Being aware of the information trap, it is of the utmost importance for freshmen in the Fasttrack program of Faculty of English Language Teacher Education (FELTE) – University of Languages and International Studies (ULIS) to avoid being baited by developing critical reading proficiency.
VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION GRADUATION PAPER THE APPLICATION OF CRITICAL READING IN READING LOGS ASSIGNMENT AS PERCEIVED BY FRESHMEN OF THE FAST-TRACK DIVISION, FELTE, ULIS, VNU Supervisor: Phạm Thanh Thủy (M.Ed) Student: Nguyễn Phương Liên Course: QH2015.F1.E2 Hanoi – 2019 Signature of Approval: ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ KHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH KHÓA LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ VIỆC ÁP DỤNG KỸ NĂNG ĐỌC PHÊ PHÁN KHI LÀM READING LOGS CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM NHẤT HỆ CHẤT LƯỢNG CAO, KHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH, TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ, ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI Giáo viên hướng dẫn: Ths Phạm Thanh Thủy Sinh viên: Nguyễn Phương Liên Khóa: QH2015.F1.E2 HÀ NỘI – 2019 ACCEPTANCE PAGE I hereby state that I: Nguyen Phuong Lien, class QH2015.F1.E2, being a candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (Honours Programme) accept the requirements of the College relating to the retention and use of Bachelor’s Graduation Paper deposited in the library In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in the library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the care, loan or reproduction of the paper Signature Date ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To be honest, my journey to complete this graduation paper was long and arduous However, after all, I realized that I learnt more than what was written in this paper This part is dedicated to the wonderful people, without whom this paper would have never been completed First of all, I would like to show my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Ms Pham Thanh Thuy Her attentive guide and tremendous support in continuous months have been the motivation for me to complete this research paper Without her, I could not have had this paper completed Second, I would like to express my appreciation to my brothers and sisters in classes 18E1, 18E2 and 18E20, who not only helped me during the data collection process but also sent me continuous support They are Hai Anh, Huy Hoang, and Bui Ha Besides, I would like to say thank you to 72 participants for their time and effort taking part in this research Third, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to my seniors – Ms Nguyen Phuc Cam Nhi and Mr Nguyen Vu Quoc Duy for becoming my second supervisors by giving me precious advice and motivating me in the hardest time I want to say ‘thank you’ to my beloved family for the endless love and support in every moment of my life Thank you, my precious friends, including 9A10 girls, Benzen girls, Cam Tu, Thu Hang and 15E2 buddies You cried with me, you smiled with me, you stayed up all night with me to finish this paper Finally, thank you, my dearest Ong Seongwu, for your exceptionally inspiring support for me i ABSTRACT Infobesity – Information obesity, which means information overload, reflects exactly what people are experiencing in this era of technologies With technological advancements, people become indecisive when reading different writings written by different people with different viewpoints but about the same issue Gradually, people’s critical mind gets eroded with the words they read Being aware of the information trap, it is of the utmost importance for freshmen in the Fast-track program of Faculty of English Language Teacher Education (FELTE) – University of Languages and International Studies (ULIS) to avoid being baited by developing critical reading proficiency With an aim to foster and improve students’ critical reading proficiency, the Reading Logs assignment has been introduced to these freshmen in their very first semester In this paper, the researcher aims to investigate into the application of critical reading skills during the process of doing Reading Logs as well as the critical reading proficiency achieved by students after their completing the Reading Logs assignment To achieve the target, a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods was adopted for data collection and analysis Both questionnaires and interviews were utilized to collect quantitative and qualitative data, which then would be analyzed by statistical and thematic data analytic techniques Based on the framework proposed by Li (2010), the results reveal that students could exploit skills of different levels namely approaching skills, analyzing skills, meaning discovering skills, and evaluating skills Moreover, after the Reading Logs assignment, they could achieve a certain level of critical reading proficiency However, there still existed gaps to improve in order to reinforce students’ critical reading proficiency through this assignment In this research, some suggestions would also be offered for the betterment of the assignment ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgement i Abstract ii List of figures, tables and abbreviations v CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale of the research Objectives of the research & research questions Scope of the research Significance of the research Organization of the research CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW The concept of critical reading Critical reading proficiency framework Reading Logs Assignment 10 Research gap 10 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 12 Research methodology 12 Participants 12 Data collection instruments and procedure 13 3.1 Data collection instruments 13 iii 3.1.1 Questionnaire 13 3.1.2 Interview 21 3.2 Data collection procedure 21 Data analysis method and procedure 22 4.1 Quantitative analysis strategies 22 4.2 Qualitative analysis strategies 23 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 24 Data analysis 24 Findings and discussion 43 Pedagogical implications and suggestions 47 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 49 Summary of major findings 49 Limitations and suggestions for further studies 49 References Appendices iv List of Figures The degree of following guiding questions among Fast-track 25 freshmen while reading for Reading Logs assignment Average rate of Fast-track freshmen in each level of CRP 26 inventory The performance of Fast-track Freshmen at Level of CRP 27 inventory The performance of Fast-track Freshmen at Level of CRP 29 inventory The performance of Fast-track Freshmen at Level of CRP 30 inventory The performance of word determination among Fast-track 31 freshmen while reading texts The performance of Fast-track Freshmen at Level of CRP 33 inventory The performance of Fast-track Freshmen at Level of CRP 35 inventory The average rating of Fast-track freshmen on each level of CRP 36 based on Four-level Framework of CRP developed by Li (2010) 10 The rating of Fast-track freshmen on Structure Analysis Level 37 based on Four-level Framework of CRP developed by Li (2010) 11 The rating of Fast-track freshmen on Rhetoric Analysis Level 39 based on Four-level Framework of CRP developed by Li (2010) 12 The rating of Fast-track freshmen on Social Relevance Level 40 based on Four-level Framework of CRP developed by Li (2010) 13 The rating of Fast-track freshmen on Holistic Evaluation Level based on Four-level Framework of CRP developed by Li (2010) v 42 List of Tables Summary of definitions of critical reading (Li, 2010) A Four-level Framework of CRP (Li, 2010) Table of Critical Reading Proficiency inventory (Li, 2010) 14 Table of CRP inventory divided into levels based on Li’s 18 framework List of Abbreviations CR Critical Reading CRP Critical Reading Proficiency CLAST College Level Academic Skills Test FELTE Faculty of English Language Teacher Education ULIS University of Languages and International Studies VNU Vietnam National University vi detailed and precise information regarding the performance of critical reading Furthermore, ways to integrate critical reading in not only one project but also the overall study curriculum should be under consideration Hopefully, this research could provide the ground for further study with the same research area 50 References Bamberger, M (2012) Introduction to mixed method in impact evaluation (1st ed.) New York: The Rockefeller Foundation Bean, J.C., Chappell, V A & Gillam, A (2002) Reading Rhetorically: A Reader for Writers London: Longman Brace, I, (2018) Questionnaire Design: How to plan, structure and write survey material for effective market research (4th ed.) New York: Kogan Page Limited Clegg, C S (1988) Critical Reading and Writing Across the Discipline New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc Creswell, J W (2009) Research design Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches (3rd ed.) Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Dahlberg, L & McCaig, C (2010) Research and Evaluation Design Practical research and evaluation (1st ed., pp 29-40) Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications Debois, S (2019) 10 Advantages and Disadvantages of Questionnaires Retrieved from https://surveyanyplace.com/questionnaire-pros-and-cons/ Goatly, A (2000) Critical Reading and Writing: An Introductory Coursebook London: Routledge Garrigus, R (2002) Design in Reading: An Introduction to Critical Reading New York: Longman 10 Hafner, L E (1974) Improving Reading in Middle and Secondary Schools New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc 11 Hancock, O H (1987) Reading Skills for College Students Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall 12 Li, H (2010) Chinese Journal of Applied Linguistics Developing a Hierarchical Framework of Critical Reading Proficiency, 33(6) Retrieved from http://www.celea.org.cn/teic/94/3.pdf 51 13 Maker, J & Lenier, M (1986) College Reading (2nd ed.) Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company 14 Nguyen, T.K.P & Tran, T.H.T (2016) Promoting students’ critical reading abilities through Reading Scrapbook project Retrieved from http://www.vnseameo.org/TESOLConference2016/materials/5_1.pdf 15 Phillips, A N & Sotiriou, P (1992) Steps to Reading Proficiency Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company 16 Pirozzi, R (2003) Critical Reading Critical Thinking (2nd ed.) New York: Longman 17 Raygor, A L & Raygor, R D (1985) Effective Reading: Improving Reading Rates and Comprehension New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company 18 Reading Closely for Details: Guiding Questions (n.d) Retrieved from https://www.engageny.org/file/90706/download/guiding-questions-handout.pdf 19 Rev, X (2014) WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation UNCTAD Trade Facilitation Technical Note Information Available Through Internet, 11(1.2) Retrieved from https://unctad.org/en/Docs/TN11_Information_available_through_Internet.pdf 20 Spache, G D & Berg, P C (1984) The Art of Efficient Reading New York: Machmillan Publishing Company 21 Schwegler, R (2004) Patterns of Exposition (17th ed.) London: Person Education, Inc 22 Vu, H.H (2015) The Exploitation of Case Studies in Developing Critical Reading Skills Vietnam National University Journal of Science: Education Research, 31(2), 15-26 23 Wallace, C (2003) Critical Reading in Language Education New York: Palgrave Macmillan 52 24 Wassman, R & Paye, A (1985) A Reader’s Handbook New York: HarperCollins Publishers 25 Woodbeck, A (2014) Critical Reading: Assessment of Critical Reading Skills in Your Classes Retrieved from https://www.paradisevalley.edu/sites/default/files/docs/al/al_fall_2014_crit ical_reading.pdf Appendix 1: Guiding questions for Reading Logs 53 54 APPENDIX 2: COURSE GUIDE 1A* Updated August, 2018 Course objectives On completing the course, learners should be able to: Language knowledge and skills Understand texts that consist mainly of high frequency everyday or job-related language; Understand texts that describe events, feelings and wishes; Read texts concerned with contemporary problems in which the writers adopt particular attitudes or viewpoints; Write paragraphs of different development patterns on topics of interest expressing personal experiences, and feelings; Write personal letters describing experiences, and expressing thoughts with some awareness on registers; and Write brief reports which pass on factual information within their field and state opinions and reasons for actions; Transferable skills Apply certain computer software in learning activities; Design effective visual aids; Work cooperatively to accomplish assigned tasks; and Demonstrate creatively and problem-solving skills in learning activities Attributes Demonstrate their commitment and responsibility to contribute to their discipline or profession as an effective leader and as a member of collaborative, cooperative and successful teams; and Apply professional standards, practices, and ethics, not limited to the tenets of the Code of Professional Conduct, to their work Reading logs (Group assignment) (20%) - - In week 1, students form groups of four to the assignment Each group will have to conduct over three reading log entries The order and genres of the entries will be decided by ballots There will be 03 entries in the reading logs For each entry, the procedure for this assignment is as follows: Each group: Finds one text of between 400-500 words for the indicated purpose/genre each entry (i.e.: Entry 01: Informative Reading; Entry 02: Fiction/ Literature Reading; Entry 03: Argumentative Reading), which can be an extract of an article, a chapter, or a book 55 Cites the source of the text following the APA style Reads and analyzes the chosen text closely based on the following guiding steps and questions: Approach text: Reading closely begins by considering your specific purposes for reading and important information about the text, by taking note of information about the text: What is the title? Who is the author? What type of text is it? Who published the text? When was the text published? Questioning text: Reading closely involves: (1) initially questioning a text to focus your attention on its structure, ideas, language and perspective, then (2) questioning further as you read to sharpen your focus on the specific details in the text Structure How is the text organized? Topic, Information and Ideas What information/ ideas are presented at the beginning of the text? What information/ ideas are described in detail? What is the text mainly about? What you learn about the topic as you read? How the ideas relate to what you already know? Language What words or phrases stand out to you as you read? What words and phrases are powerful or unique? What the author’s words cause you to see or feel? What words you need to define to better understand the text? Perspective Who is the intended audience of the text? What is the author’s stance or attitude about the topic or theme? How does the author’s language show his/her perspective? Adapted from: Reading Closely for Details: Guiding Questions Retrieved August 2017 from: https://www.engageny.org/file/90706/download/guiding-questionshandout.pdf Remember to annotate the text while you read by: Read with a pen or highlighter in hand Make comments in the margins Write your notes and summaries 56 Each member must read the text closely and answer the guiding questions by his/her own After individual reading, all group members work together to discuss and analyze the text using their notes Each group must have a meeting minute, which reports what happened in the meeting and its results, and a separate sheet of the analysis of the text/ the answers to the guiding questions Makes a list of vocabulary (of – 10 words/phrases) you find powerful/ interesting/ unique that worth sharing with the class For each vocabulary item, students: give its definition and pronunciation demonstrate its usage by giving an example of the item in a sentence consider whether and how they can use it in writing or speaking To prepare for the sharing in class, students: Prepare a Powerpoint file including the following main points: o The general information of the text o The main idea and key points presented in the text o The viewpoint or attitude of the author about the topic o The techniques the author uses to show his/her perspective o The vocabulary sharing (For this part, students are encouraged to design a game/ an activity creatively to introduce the prepared list of words/ phrases to the class, rather than lecturing) o Your overall analysis and assessment of the text o Your personal thought on the topic after reading the text Prepare enough copies of the text for the class On the designated weeks (week 5, week 9, and week 13), students bring the Powerpoint file and copies of the text to share their reading log with the class Each group has NO more than 20 minutes to present in class Students must well prepare the necessary file(s) and copies of the text before the sharing to avoid wasting time of the lecturer and the class Late presentation results in 10% reduction of the total grade for each minute late Also, on the designated weeks (week 5, week 9, and week 13), students must be ready to submit their printed reading log to the lecturer with proper cover including: The text with proper citation The meeting minute The analysis of the text The in-class sharing (the Powerpoint file) Failure of on-time submission results in 10% reduction of the total grade for each day late Criteria Text selection (1 point) 57 - The selected texts are of the assigned genres/ purposes and of the required length - The selected texts are from reliable sources with citation following the APA style In-class sharing (4 points) Group report (5 points) - The report includes all of the required components - The text analysis shows a close reading of the text with: detailed answers of all guiding questions rigorous examination of the text critical reflection of the topic - The list of vocabulary is worth learning with accurate explanation of the usage 58 APPENDIX 3: QUESTIONNAIRE AND INTERVIEW QUESTIONS The application of critical reading in Reading Logs, as perceived by FELTE, ULIS Fast-track freshmen Research conducted by: Nguyen Phuong Lien Class: QH2015.F1.E2 Supervisor: Ms Pham Thanh Thuy (M.A) A Introduction Reading is part and parcel of our lives, especially of our study Fully aware of that fact, Reading Logs has been designed to promote reading proficiency of Fast-track freshmen of FELTE, ULIS However, how to read critically and effectively has always been questioned Whether Reading Logs can successfully promote students critical reading proficiency is under consideration This research is conducted to answer the question Researcher will look into your application of critical reading during the time you the Reading Logs To achieve this goal, this research is completely in need of your collaboration by answering the following relevant questions about your real experience Your responses to this questionnaire are of great value to this research All your personal information and responses will be kept confidential and I ensure that they are only used for research purposes Thank you for your cooperation! B Question Did you Reading Logs during the 1st semester? How many reading texts did you read for Reading Logs? What have you done while reading texts for Reading Logs? Put a tick in the corresponding box if you have done it while reading No While reading, I have Tick 3.1 Known why I am reading the text 3.2 Known what the title is 3.3 Known who the author is 59 3.4 Known when the text is written 3.5 Known what the text is about 3.6 Located main ideas using signals, highlighting and/or underlining 3.7 Identified unstated main idea 3.8 Known what type of writing it is 3.9 Known writers' purposes to write (Reporting and recording Expressing and reflecting Inquiring and exploring Informing and explaining Analyzing and interpreting Taking a stand (argumentation-persuasion) Evaluating and judging Proposing solutions Seeking common ground Influencing others Responding emotionally Combination) 3.10 Identified the patterns of organization of the text (Chronological order Spatial order Deductive order: from general to specific Inductive order Emphatic order) 3.11 Generally understood the methods of the writing development (Description/support Whole /part Opinion/reason Problem/solution Time sequence Analogy Combination) 3.12 Determined words: 60 a • Identified outstanding words or phrases to me b • Identified words and phrases are powerful or unique c • Identified what the author’s words cause me to see or feel d • Been able to explain figuratuve language (Simile, metaphor, analogy) e • Tried to define words using dictionaries to better understand the text f • Tried to define words based on context to better understand the text g • Analyzed how the words or phrases influence my reading h • Identified repeated words and phrases i • Analyzed what the repetition of words or phrases suggests j • Indentified misused or abused words and phrases 3.13 Distinguished among fact, opinion and belief 3.14 Distinguished among opposing viewpoints 3.15 Identified the tone 3.16 Understood graphics 3.17 Uncovered the arguments in the text (Stated or underlying purpose; stated or unstated assumptions; intended audience) 3.18 Assessed the arguments in the text (Inductive arguments and valid evidence Deductive arguments Argument flaws (flawed analogy, flawed causal arguments, flawed definition, false arguments) Balance News and feature articles in the newspapers and magazines) 3.19 Assessed the appeals in arguments (Appeals to the emotions (transfer, plain folks, testimonial, bandwagon appeal, flattery) Appeal to authority 61 Appeal to fear Appeal to patriotism, Appeal to prejudice Appeal to sympathy, Appeal to tradition) 3.20 Assessed the logical fallacy (Ad hominem argument Begging the question Either/or fallacy False analogy Oversimplification Slippery slope Two wrongs make a right) 3.21 Identified other manipulative techniques (deceptive techniques) (Authority Bias Lying with facts Misleading statistics) 3.22 Examined the source (The reliability, recency, accuracy, and competence of the writer) 3.23 Examined the text ideology (Detecting propaganda) 3.24 Summarized with paraphrasing 3.25 Expressed my personal viewpoint with marginal note or during discussion and presentation (Similar of different from own? Go along or challenge? Fit with purpose for reading? Your reaction to the text, convinced or not?) 3.26 Other: ……………………………………………………………… (Please write in detail) 62 Reflecting your own proficiency, what can you after doing Reading Logs? Put a tick in the corresponding box No Abilities 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 Being able to guess words in context Being able to summarize the main idea of the paragraph Being able to summarize the main idea of the text Being able to deduce sentence inference in context Being able to separate major ideas from minor ideas Being able to recognize developing methods Being able to recognize the pattern of paragraph organization Being able to distinguish facts and opinions Being able to distinguish among opposing viewpoints Being able to understand graphics Being able to recognize text register and genre Being able to recognize the writer’s purposes Being able to recognize the writer’s tone Being able to evaluate word choice Being able to recognize misused and abused language Being able to explain figurative language Being able to recognize and understand the rhetorical devices Being able to uncover arguments Being able to assess arguments Being able to recognize appeals in arguments Being able to recognize logical fallacies Being able to recognize manipulative techniques Being able to relate the text to culture background Being able to relate the text to event background Being able to relate the text to author background Being able to relate the text to situational context Being able to relate the text to intertextual context Being able to read from critical distance Being able to evaluate the text objectively Being able to summarize the questions the text addresses Being able to critique information presentation channels Being able to examine the source Being able to examine a text’s ideology Being able to know who are the intended audience Being able to understand how the author supports the thesis with reason and evidence Being able to perceive how the author hooks the intended reader’s interest Being able to read and then write a reasonable brief summary of the text 36 37 63 Check Do you follow the guidance in Course Guide? Yes, I strictly follow them Partly I did base on my own way of reading No, I completely use my own way of reading to read texts for Reading Logs This is the end of the questionnaire! If you are pleased to take part in our follow-up interview, could you kindly provide us with your information? All your personal information will be protected and kept confidential Your name:.…………………………………………………… Class:……………… Email/Facebook:.……………………………………………………………………… Phone number:.……………………………………………………………………… INTERVIEW QUESTIONS Which kinds of reading texts have you read for Reading Logs? Please tell about your procedure of reading a book/text for Reading Logs Please tell about your experience of sharing it with your friends and lecturers Do you follow the guiding questions is the course guide? If yes, how did you follow them? Do you think the guiding questions influence your reading process? 64 ... Approval: ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ KHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH KHÓA LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ VIỆC ÁP DỤNG KỸ NĂNG ĐỌC PHÊ PHÁN KHI LÀM READING LOGS CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM NHẤT HỆ CHẤT... HỆ CHẤT LƯỢNG CAO, KHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH, TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ, ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI Giáo viên hướng dẫn: Ths Phạm Thanh Thủy Sinh viên: Nguyễn Phương Liên Khóa: QH2015.F1.E2 HÀ NỘI – 2019... application of critical reading skills during the process of doing Reading Logs as well as the critical reading proficiency achieved by students after their completing the Reading Logs assignment To