Đa dạng hóa các hoạt động đọc trong sách giáo khoa lớp 8 một nghiên cứu hành động tại một trường cấp 2 ở hà nội​

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES HOANG LAN CHI DIVERSIFYING READING ACTIVITIES IN ENGLISH TEXTBOOK: ACTION RESEARCH STUDY IN A SECONDARY SCHOOL IN HA NOI (Đa dạng hóa hoạt động đọc sách giáo khoa lớp 8: Một nghiên cứu hành động trường cấp Hà Nội) M.A MINOR PROGRAM THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01 Hanoi, 2020 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES HOANG LAN CHI Diversifying reading activities in english textbook: action research study in a secondary school In noi Đa dạng hóa hoạt động đọc sách giáo khoa lớp 8: Một nghiên cứu hành động trường cấp Hà Nội M.A MINOR PROGRAM THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01 Supervisor: Dr Vu Thi Thanh Nha Hanoi, 2020 DECLARATION I hereby declare that I am the author of the report entitled “Diversifying reading activities in English textbook: Action research study in a secondary school in Ha Noi”, submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of master at the Faculty of Post-graduate Studies, Hanoi University of Languages and International Studies - Vietnam National University I declare that the material is original, and to the best of my knowledge and belief, contains no material previously published or written by another person, except where due acknowledgement is made in the text of the thesis, nor does the thesis contain any material that infringes copyright, and has not previously been submitted to this university or any other institution in application for admission to a degree, diploma or other qualifications i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Vu Thi Thanh Nha for her precious and continuous guidance throughout the year while I was doing this research Her invaluable support and encouragement, unconditional dedication and enthusiasm kept me inspired during the accomplishment of the research Without these, the thesis could not have been completed I am grateful to all the professors for their valuable lectures, which contributed to lay the foundation for this thesis I would like to thank my colleagues, who gave me important advice on implementing the plan, thank my students who were willing to participate in the research and fulfilling the questionnaire responsibly Their participation was so significant to the completion of my research Finally, I would like to thank my family for their encouragement and continuous support while I made every effort to complete this paper th Hanoi, May 30 2020 Hoang Lan Chi ii ABSTRACT th The research was conducted in a secondary school with grade English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students with a view to investigating the impacts of diversifying reading activities on the teaching and learning of reading skill, and students‟ attitudes toward its application The thesis followed the action research framework Participants of the research were 50 EFL students in grade 8, studying in the same English class at a secondary school in Hanoi Data were collected by questionnaires, filled by the students, and the teacher‟s observation Analysis of the data showed that the diversification of reading activities was useful in that it made the learning of reading skill more effective, motivating and accessible to students Also, there was a positive change of students‟ attitudes towards learning reading skill Therefore, it is concluded that diversification of reading activities was beneficial and should be employed EFL classes iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii LIST OF FIGURES vi LISTS OF TABLES vi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Aims of the study and research questions 1.3 Scope of the study Methods of the study 1.5 Significance of the study 1.6 Design of the study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Theoretical background of reading 2.1.1 Definitions of reading and reading comprehension 2.1.2 Classification of reading 2.1.3 Stages of a reading lesson 12 2.2 Teaching and learning reading 16 2.2.1 The importance of reading in foreign language learning .16 2.2.2 Factors in teaching and learning reading 16 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 22 3.1 Action research framework 22 3.1.1 What is action research? 22 3.1.2 Action research cycle 23 3.1.3 Reasons to choose action research 24 3.2 Context of the study and the material used 25 3.3 Participants of the research 26 iv 3.4 Procedures 27 3.5 Data collection instruments and analysis 31 3.5.1 Questionnaires 32 3.5.2 Classroom observation 32 3.5.3 Data analysis 33 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 34 4.1 Data collected from the pre-questionnaires 34 4.1.1 Students‟ attitudes toward the importance of reading skill and its benefits 34 4.1.2 Students‟ interest in reading and reading lessons 35 4.1.3 Students‟ opinions on the difficulty level of the reading skill, reading essons and individual reading activities in the textbook 37 4.1.4 Students‟ problems in learning reading skill 41 4.2 Data collected from observation 42 4.3 Data collected from the post-questionnaires 44 4.3.1 Students‟ attitudes towards diversifying reading activities 44 4.3.2 Students‟ interest in reading and reading lessons after the diversification of reading activities 45 4.3.3 Students‟ opinions on the benefits of diversifying reading activities 46 4.3.4 Students‟ opinions on the usefulness of diversified reading activities 48 4.4 Summary 50 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 51 5.1 Recapitulation 51 5.2 Implications 54 5.3 Limitations 56 5.4 Recommendations for further research 57 REFERENCES 58 APPENDIX I v LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1– A model for thinking about reading comprehension (Snow, 2002, p.12) Figure The action research spiral (Kemmis, McTaggart & Nixon, 2014, p.19) 23 Figure Students‟ attitudes toward the importance of reading skill 34 Figure Students‟ attitudes toward the benefits of learning reading skill 35 Figure Students‟ interest in reading 36 Figure 4 Students‟ interest in reading lessons 36 Figure Students‟ opinions on the difficulty level of reading skill 37 Figure Students‟ opinions on the difficulty level of reading lessons 38 Figure Evaluation of students‟ behaviour and class atmosphere 42 Figure Students‟ opinions on the usefulness of diversifying reading activities 44 Figure Students‟ interest in reading and reading lessons after the diversification 45 LISTS OF TABLES Table The topics and focused reading skills in grade English textbook .25 Table The diversified reading activities 28 Table Students‟ opinions on the difficulty level of the reading activities in the textbook Table 2Students‟ deman Table 3Students‟ difficu Table 4Students‟ attitude Table 5Students‟ opinio vi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION This chapter mentions the background and rationale to conduct the study, states the aims, scope, and organization of the graduation thesis 1.1 Rationale English is widely considered the international language in many countries in the world and is popularly used by people from different countries to communicate with each other when they meet Due to the popularity of English in both social and work-related situations, the ability to use this language has become a criterion to evaluate job applicants in a number of companies and organization around the world Aware of the important role of English, in Vietnam, a national project on enhancing the teaching and learning of English was issued over ten years ago English has become a compulsory subject in school curriculum the teaching and learning of that international language has received increasing attention English teachers, therefore, are expected to their jobs well to improve their students‟ English ability To be able to use English, language learners are supposed to have sufficient exposure and practice different skills, among those, reading is one of the most important ones Reading is not just a means of maintaining social interaction or gaining word knowledge but also important to the process of learning (Watkins, 2017) Reading plays a very crucial role in learning and mastering of foreign language like English (Pathan & Al-Delsi, 2013) In learning a foreign language, reading is an essential skill to acquire knowledge and exchange information (Dlugosz, 2000), as Watkins (2017) stated, reading is “a crucial source” of comprehensible input, and the sufficient exposure to a huge amount of such input is essential to be successful (Watkins, 2017, p.14) Obviously, the excellence of reading skill eases students reading process, thus helps them acquire more knowledge from a variety of reading materials in English Being good at reading also has the potential to help improve students‟ overall language skills due to the fact that their vocabulary knowledge and exposure to the target language use are increased, which is supposed to enhance students‟ vocabulary retention and increase the possibility for the words learnt to be used in students‟ speaking and writing This is because good reading texts provide models for writing and even speaking, also introduce new topics, thus stimulate discussion and the opportunities to study the language knowledge Thanks to this, it is true to say that learners “read to learn” (Burns, 1988, p.1) Though important, reading is a complex and multifaceted activity (Demiröz, 2010) and it is a complicated skill since it requires the combination of “attention, memory, perceptual processes, and comprehension processes” (Kern, 1989, p.31), therefore, in order to help students‟ improve this skill, it is essential for English teachers to provide enough opportunities for their students to practice reading (Pathan & Al-Delsi, 2013) In Vietnam, especially at secondary school level, reading has always received a great deal of attention from both the teachers and the students However, despite the teachers‟ and students‟ effort, students “do not have very strong feelings that reading in English is enjoyable” (Sùentürk, 2015) So far, a number of methods have been employed by teachers to deal with the obstacles in teaching and learning reading Diversifying reading activities is among the techniques applied by a number of teachers of English in their teaching process However, researches focusing on such specific technique as diversifying reading activities to investigate its impacts on the teaching of reading and students‟ attitudes towards its application remain insufficient Nor there is any similar study looking at this issue at secondary schools Similar problems occur in my school My students often complain that reading is rather difficult, boring, thus demotivating Therefore, as a teacher, I tried diversifying reading activities in the textbook in the hope to make students more interested in reading Besides, there have not been any statistical reports on the application of this technique; therefore, in order to investigate the impacts of the diversification technique on my secondary students‟ learning as well as their Changing open-ended questions into multiplechoice questions Changing open-ended questions into gap-filling exercises Changing open-ended questions into True/ False questions Changing the type of question which requires students to write a full question for a given answer into choosing/ filling the correct question word to complete a question Finding the words/ expressions that have similar meaning to the given words/ phrases 10 Translating the texts/ difficult sentences in the texts into Vietnamese 11 Completing a sample presentation by filling the right information from the text into the gaps 12 Completing a mind-map based on given information Thank you! VI VIETNAMESE QUESTIONAIRE (Bảng khảo sát 1) Khảo sát nhằm tìm hiểu yêu thích, thói quen vấn đề học kĩ đọc em Hãy chọn câu trả lời em cách khoanh vào câu trả lời tích vào tương ứng Cơ cảm ơn em Em thấy kĩ đọc quan trọng việc học tiếng Anh? A Rất quan trọng B Khá quan trọng C Không quan trọng D Không quan trọng Theo em, lợi ích việc học kĩ đọc gì, tích câu trả lời em vào tương ứng Lợi ích việc học kĩ đọc nâng cao kĩ khác hiểu biết thêm giới làm giàu vốn kiến thức từ vựng biết thêm kiến thức ngữ pháp đóng vai trị hình thức giải trí Ý kiến khác: ………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………… Mức độ yêu thích em hoạt động đọc nào? A Rất thích thích B Khá thích C Khơng thích D Khơng Em có cảm thấy hứng thú tham gia học kĩ đọc không? A Rất hứng thú B Khá hứng thú C Không hứng thú D Không hứng thú Em đánh giá độ khó kĩ đọc? A Rất khó B Khá khó C Khơng khó D Khơng khó VII Em đánh giá độ khó tập đọc hiểu sách so với khả đọc hiểu thân? A Rất khó B Khá khó C Khơng khó D Khơng khó E Ý kiến khác: …………………………………………… Em có thường xuyên cần trợ giúp thầy cô bạn bè học kĩ đọc không? A Rất thường xuyên B Thường xuyên C Thỉnh thoảng D Không Những khó khăn em học kĩ đọc gì? Hãy tích vào tương ứng với câu trả lời em A: Hoàn toàn đồng ýB: Đồng ý C: Phân vân Khó khăn học kĩ đọc Kiến thức từ vựng cịn hạn chế Khó hiểu câu có ngữ pháp phức tạp Hiểu nhầm ý câu từ vựng đa nghĩa Chủ đề học không quen thuộc Câu hỏi diễn đạt khác so với cách diễn đạt đọc Khơng có đủ thời gian để hoàn thành Em chưa quen cách làm số dạng tập Khó phân biệt ý ý bổ trợ Kĩ đọc em chưa tốt Tốc độ đọc chậm Vấn đề khác: ……………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………… VIII Em đánh giá độ khó dạng đọc sau đây? Hãy tích vào tương ứng với câu trả lời em A Rất khó stt 10 11 12 Trả lời câu hỏi trắc nghiệm Xác định đúng/ sai Trả lời câu hỏi có từ để hỏi Xác định tiêu đề đoạn văn Tìm từ đọc để hoàn thành câu/ đoạn văn Viết câu hỏi cho câu trả lời Đoán nghĩa từ dựa vào ngữ cảnh Tìm đoạn văn có chứa thơng tin chi tiết đưa câu hỏi Chọn từ/ cụm từ có ý nghĩa tương đương với từ/ cụm từ đọc Chắp nối vế câu để tạo thơng tin hồn chỉnh Hồn thiện sơ đồ thơng tin Cảm ơn em! IX VIETNAMESE QUESTIONAIRE (Bảng khảo sát 2) Khảo sát nhằm tìm hiểu quan điểm em việc đa dạng hóa hoạt động đọc hiểu Hãy chọn câu trả lời em cách khoanh vào câu trả lời tích vào tương ứng Cơ cảm ơn em Em thấy việc đa đạng hóa hoạt động đọc hữu ích nào? A Rất hữu ích B Hữu ích C Khơng hữu ích D Khơng hữu ích Em cho biết mức độ hứng thú em tiết học kĩ đọc hoạt động đọc đa dạng hóa? A Rất hứng thú B Khá hứng thú C Khơng hứng thú D.Khơng hứng thú Em có cảm thấy đọc dễ tiếp cận hoạt động trước/trong/sau đọc đa dạng hóa khơng? A Có B Phân vân C Khơng Mức độ u thích em hoạt động đọc nào? A Rất thích B Khá thích C Khơng thích D Khơng thích Em đánh giá mức độ phù hợp tập đọc hiểu sau điều chỉnh so với khả đọc hiểu thân? A Rất phù hợp B Phù hợp C Không phù hợp D Không phù hợp E Ý kiến khác: …………………………………………… Em có thường xun cần trợ giúp thầy bạn bè làm tập đọc điều chỉnh không? A Rất thường xuyên B Thường xuyên C Thỉnh thoảng D Không Việc đa dạng hóa hoạt động đọc mang lại lợi ích cho em? Hãy tích vào tương ứng với câu trả lời em A: Hoàn toàn đồng ý B: Đồng ý C: Phân vân X D: Khơng đồng ý Lợi ích việc đa dạng hóa hoạt động đọc Em bổ sung kiến thức từ vựng Em hiểu thêm số kiến thức ngữ pháp Em có thêm kiến thức chủ đề đọc Em đốn nghĩa từ dựa vào ngữ cảnh Em hiểu số cách diễn đạt tương đương Em làm quen với nhiều dạng câu hỏi khác Em biết cách áp dụng kĩ đọc phù hợp với dạng Tốc độ đọc hiểu em nhanh Em thời gian làm Em hiểu nội dung đọc cách dễ dàng Em hoàn thành tập đọc hiểu cách dễ dàng Em thấy học đọc trở nên thú vị Em tự tin làm tập đọc hiểu Em thấy bớt căng thẳng học kĩ đọc Lợi ích khác: ……………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………… Em đánh giá mức độ hữu ích hoạt động đọc đa dạng hóa sau đây? Hãy tích vào tương ứng với câu trả lời em A Rất hữu ích Khơng hữu ích Stt XI Giải thích từ Giải thích cấu trúc khó Bổ sung kiến thức chủ đề đọc Nhắc lại kĩ trả lời phù hợp dạng câu hỏi đ Chuyển câu hỏi dạng mở thành câu hỏi lựa chọ Chuyển câu hỏi dạng mở thành câu hỏi dạng điền trống Chuyển câu hỏi dạng mở thành câu hỏi dạng c Sai Chuyển dạng viết câu hỏi cho câu trả lời ch thành dạng chọn/ điền từ để hỏi phù hợp Tìm từ/cụm từ có ý nghĩa tương đương với từ cho sẵn Dịch khóa/ số câu khó khóa Việt Điền thơng tin phù hợp để hồn thàn trình mẫu Hồn thành sơ đồ thơng tin dựa thô sẵn 10 11 12 Cảm ơn em! XII OBSERVATION SHEET FOR TEACHER Lesson: Date: _Time _ stars = very good; stars = good; 2stars = slightly good; star = not any good Students’ behaviour during the lesson stars = moderately good; Evaluation - following teacher‟s instructions - actively working in pairs/ groups - participating in all class activities - being willing to share the answers with the whole class - class atmosphere - students‟ attention important notes: …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… XIII SAMPLE LESSON PLAN Unit7: Pollution Period 62: Lesson 5: Skills I Objectives: By the end of this unit, students can: Read for general and specific information about water pollution Talk about the causes and effects of water pollution as well as ways to reduce it II Teaching aids: Flashcards/ Pictures Powerpoint lesson, projector Worksheets Student‟s book III Procedures: Activities 1.Warm up (5’) To review the previous lesson and lead in the new lesson Waste from households will gradually the lake Tree can’t grow here because the soil is too A pollute B polluted *Answers: poisoning XIV 2.Pre reading(5’) Activity 1: To lead SS to the main content of the text XV 3.While- Reading (15’) To focus on reading for general and specific information about water pollution Activity 2: XVI Activity 3: XVII - Give time for Ss to the exercises - Check the answers with the class Key 3: cholera polluted water aquatic plants die dead - Give students some key expressions and the paraphrased ones picked up from the reading text and activities and ask them to match the key expressions with the paraphrased ones Post -Reading – Speaking(15’) To focus on talking about the causes and effects of water pollution as well as ways to reduce it Activity 5: XVIII Activity 6: *Ask one group to give a presentation about water pollution Each member of the group has to present some parts of the diagram -Have other groups listen and give comments - If the class size is small and time allows, all the groups can present Homework (2’) - Give Ss some exercises in the workbook D1,D2,D3(page 7,8,9) - Prepare a summary of the reading with some gaps, ask students to choose a word from the text to fill in each blank to complete the summary XIX ... school In noi Đa dạng hóa hoạt động đọc sách giáo khoa lớp 8: Một nghiên cứu hành động trường cấp Hà Nội M.A MINOR PROGRAM THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 81 4 023 1.01 Supervisor:... 22 3.1 Action research framework 22 3.1.1 What is action research? 22 3.1 .2 Action research cycle 23 3.1.3 Reasons to choose action research 24 3 .2 Context... Stages of a reading lesson 12 2 .2 Teaching and learning reading 16 2. 2.1 The importance of reading in foreign language learning .16 2. 2 .2 Factors in teaching and learning reading