A study on the teaching of reading skills to 10th form students at a high school in ninh binh languages

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES PHẠM THU THẢO A STUDY ON THE TEACHING OF READING SKILLS TO 10TH FORM STUDENTS AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN NINH BINH ( Nghiên cứu việc dạy kĩ đọc hiểu cho hoc sinh lớp 10 trường THPT, Ninh Bình) MA MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60.14.10 Hanoi, 2013 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES PHẠM THU THẢO A STUDY ON THE TEACHING OF READING SKILLS TO 10TH FORM STUDENTS AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN NINH BINH ( Nghiên cứu việc dạy kĩ đọc hiểu cho hoc sinh lớp 10 trường THPT, Ninh Bình) MA MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60.14.10 Supervisor: Dr Huỳnh Anh Tuấn Hanoi, 2013 DECLARATION I hereby certify that the thesis entitled: “A study on the teaching of reading skills to 10th form students at a high school in Ninh Binh.” is the result of my research for the Degree of Master of Art at University of Languages and International Studies, Ha Noi National University, and the thesis has not been submitted for any degree at any other university or tertiary institution Ha noi, September 2013 Student Phạm Thu Thảo i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I would like to take the chance to express my great gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Huynh Anh Tuan for his helpful suggestions, valuable critical feedback, close guidance, as well as his generous assistance in the process of completing my thesis Secondly, I owe a debt of gratitude to all the English teachers at Nho Quan C High School for providing me with precious knowledge from their practical and useful lectures Special thanks must be also given to the beloved students at Nho Quan C high school for their responsible cooperation in the data collection process Finally, I would like to thank my family for supporting me during my study Especially, I owe my deep thanks to my dear husband, my parents and my dear little daughter for their special care and encouragement, due to which my paper is able to be finished in time ii ABSTRACT This research was aimed at finding out: (1) the students‟ background of English and their attitudes toward learning reading comprehension skill; (2) factors causing their difficulties and the problems the teachers might encounter in the teaching process of the reading comprehension skills; (3) suggested solutions The researcher carried out the study by three instruments: classroom observation, two survey questionnaires and informal interviews The research reveals that the students‟ lack of knowledge, including linguistic and cultural background knowledge, the teachers‟ teaching methods, some difficulties from the textbook all cause problems for the teachers in the teaching process Besides, the data from the study confirm the fact that the students‟ poor attitudes towards the importance of reading comprehension skills in learning English contributes to the problems in teaching this skill In addition, the school‟s lack of conductive facilities is also made the situation worse From the results inferred in the analysis, the study suggests some feasible solutions to make teaching and learning English reading skills more effective iii LIST OF CHARTS AND TABLES CHARTS Chart 1: Students’ attitudes toward the importance of learning reading skills…………………………………………………………………………… 33 Chart 2: Students’ opinion on the reading text in the textbook……………….33 Chart 3: Students’ activities in pre-reading……………………………………34 Chart 4: Students’ activities in while-reading…………………………………34 Chart 5: Students’ expectation in post-reading ……………………………….35 Chart 6: Students’ way to overcome difficulties……………………………….37 Chart 7: The way teachers ask their students to read…………………………40 Chart 8: Teachers’ expectation of the students in the post-reading………… 41 TABLES Table 1: The results of classroom observations……………………………… 29 Table 2: Factors affecting students’ comprehension of the text………………33 Table 3: Students’ problems in acquiring reading skill……………………….36 Table 4: Students’ expectation of teachers’ solutions to their difficulties……37 Table 5: Teachers’ attitudes towards reading skill…………………………….38 Table 6: Description of teachers’ opinions on the sections for reading in Englis……………………………………………………………………………39 Table 7: Teachers’ perception of the students’ comprehension………………40 Table 8: Description of teachers’ problems in teaching reading skills……….41 Table 9: Description of the teachers’ solutions to face with the difficulties …42 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION………………………………………………………………….i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT……………………………………………………… ii ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………… iii LIST OF CHARTS AND TABLES…………………………………………… iv TABLE OF CONTENT………………………………………………………… v PART I: INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………….1 Rationale of the study………………………………………………………… Aims and objectives of the study 3 Scope of the study…………………………………………………………… Research methodology 4.1 Research questions………………………………………………………… 4.2 Research approach……………………………………………………………4 4.3 Data collection instrumnts……………………………………………………4 4.4 Data analytical units………………………………………………………….4 4.5 Data analysis methods……………………………………………………… 4.6 Data collection procedures………………………………………………… 5 Significance of the study……………………………………………………….5 Organization of the study………………………………………………………5 PART II: DEVELOPMENT……………………………………………………5 CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND AND LITERATURE REVIEW…………………………………………………………………………6 Definitions of reading and reading comprehension ………………………… 1.1 What is reading and reading comprehension? 1.2 Purposes of reading………………………………………………………… 1.3 The importance of reading………………………………………………… 1.4 Effective Reading Comprehension and Reading Comprehension Skills… 11 v 1.4.1 What is Effective Reading Comprehension? 11 1.4.2 Reading Comprehension Skills………………………………………… 12 Teaching Reading Comprehension………………………………………… 12 2.1 Relationship between Reading and Other Skills……………………………12 2.2 Factors in teaching reading lesson………………………………………….13 2.2.1 The Roles of the Teacher…………………………………………………13 2.2.2 The Role of the Students………………………………………………….15 2.2.3 The role of reading material………………………………………………16 2.3 The Three Stages of a Reading Lesson…………………………………… 16 2.3.1 Pre-reading Stage…………………………………………………………17 2.3.2 While-reading Stage………………………………………………………17 2.3.3 Post-reading Stage .18 Difficulties in Teaching Reading 19 3.1 Reading Skill Problems…………………………………………………… 19 3.2 Language Problems…………………………………………………………20 3.3 Cultural background knowledge……………………………………………21 Previous studies relevant to the study……………………………………… 21 CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY…………………………… 23 Research methodology……………………………………………………… 23 2.1 Research questions………………………………………………………….23 2.2 Research approach………………………………………………………… 23 2.3 Research Instruments……………………………………………………….23 2.3.1 Classroom Observation………………………………………………… 24 2.3.2 Questionnaire…………………………………………………………… 24 2.3.3 Interview………………………………………………………………….26 2.4 Data analysis methods………………………………………………………26 2.5 Data collection procedures………………………………………………….26 2.5.1 The Participants………………………………………………………… 26 2.5.2 Teachers and Methods of teaching……………………………………… 27 vi 2.5.3 Procedure………………………………………………………………….28 2.6 Data analytical units……………………………………………………… 28 CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF THE FINDINGS…………………………………………………………………… 29 3.1 Report the data analysis…………………………………………………… 29 3.1.1.Classroom observation…………………………………………………….29 3.1.2.Questionnaires …………………………………………………………… 32 3.1.2.1.Questionnaire for students……………………………………………….32 3.1.2.2 Questionnaire for teachers …………………………………………… 38 3.1.3.Interview………………………………………………………………… 44 3.2 Discussion of the findings………………………………………………… 45 3.2.1 Research question What are the teachers‟ and students‟ attitudes towards the teaching and learning of reading? 45 3.2.2 Research question What difficulties the teachers meet/encounter when dealing with a reading lesson? 45 3.2.3 Research question What are feasible solutions to overcome these difficulties? 46 CHAPTER 4: SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS………………………………….47 4.1 Adapting and re-designing the tasks in the textbook to be more suitable to students………………………………………………………………………… 47 4.2 Upgrading teaching aids…………………………………………………….48 4.3 Techniques for creating reading interest and enhancing motivation……… 48 4.3.1 Using visual aids………………………………………………………….49 4.3.2 Using brainstorming wed/ Networks…………………………………… 49 4.4 Techniques for enriching vocabulary ………………………………………50 4.4.1 Encourage students to have extensive reading habit…………………… 50 4.4.2 Using word games……………………………………………………… 50 4.4.3 Using word list……………………………………………………………51 4.5 Techniques for improving students‟ background knowledge………………51 vii 4.6 Training students to become efficient readers………………………………51 PART III: CONCLUSION…………………………………………………….53 Summary of the study……………………………………………………… 53 Limitations and suggestions for further study……………………………… 53 Recommendations for further study………………………………………… 54 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………55 APPENDICES……………………………………………………………………I Appendix 1: Observation sheet………………………………………………… I Appendix 2: Questionnaire for students (in English)………………………… III Appendix 3: Questionnaire for students (in Vietnamese)…………………… VI Appendix 4: Questionnaire for teachers……………………………………… IX Appendix 5: Interview question (for teachers)……………………………… XII Appendix 6: Adaptation lesson………………………………………………XIII Appendix 7: Adaptation lesson………………………………………………XIV Appendix 8: Pre-teaching technique………………………………………….XV viii APPENDIX BẢN CÂU HỎI CHO HỌC SINH Mục đích câu hỏi để tìm khó khăn mà học sinh lớp 10 trường THPT Nho Quan C gặp phải trình học kĩ đọc Câu trả lời bạn nghiên cứư nguồn đóng góp có giá trị để hồn thiện cách dạy học Tiếng Anh PHẦN I: THÔNG TIN CÁ NHÂN Bạn học tiếng Anh bao lâu? …………năm Điểm trung bình mơn tiếng Anh năm lớp 10 em: ………… PHẦN II: NHỮNG VẤN ĐỀ HỌC SINH GẶP PHẢI TRONG QUÁ TRÌNH HỌC KĨ NĂNG ĐỌC Em cảm thấy kĩ đọc tiếng Anh quan trọng nào? A Rất quan trọng B Quan trọng kĩ khác (nghe, nói, viết) C Em đánh giá kĩ khác (nghe, nói, viết) cao D Em chưa nhận thấy tầm quan trọng kĩ E Ý kiến khác (nếu có)………………………………………… Theo em chủ đề đọc sách giáo khoa A Hay B Tẻ nhạt C Phù hợp với trình độ em D khơng phù hợp với trình độ em Em thường làm trước đọc khoá? A Đoán nội dung khoá qua tiêu đề đọc B Liệt kê tất từ cấu trúc học có liên quan đến chủ đề đọc C Đọc yêu cầu tập đọc D Em khơng làm mà đọc nội dung đọc E Ý kiến khác (nếu có): …………………………………………………………… Trong đọc, em thường đọc nào? A Đọc từ đầu đến cuối vào yêu cầu đọc VI B Đọc đoạn, dừng để tìm hiểu nghĩa từ đọc tiếp C Bỏ qua từ dựa vào ngữ cảnh để hiểu nghĩa tổng quát đọc D Ý kiến khác (nếu có):………………………………………………………… Em thường hiểu khoá: A Chỉ em biết nghĩa tất từ cấu trúc B Bằng cách dựa vào kiến thức biết em C Sau hoàn thành tất tập đọc D Sau dịch giáo viên dịch khoá sang tiếng Việt E Cách khác (nếu có):……………………………………………… Sau đọc, em mong muốn A Hiểu tóm tắt khoá theo cách hiểu riêng em B Nắm ý nghĩa cách dùng từ khoá C Vận dụng từ khoá vào sống hàng ngày D Ý kiến khác (nếu có):………………………………… Theo em khó khăn mà em gặp phải trình học đọc với sách giáo khoa “Tiếng Anh 10” gì? A Em thiếu vốn từ vựng cấu trúc ngữ pháp B Em thiếu tự tin động lực học tập C giáo viên nghiêm khắc yêu cầu cao D Một số đọc dài nhiều từ E Các nhiệm vụ đọc không phù hợp với khả em F Một số chủ đề q khó G.Q thời gian để tìm hiểu H.Giáo viên khơng dạy chiến lược đọc I Bài học giáo viên khoong hấp dẫn K.Em thiếu kiến thức chủ đề học Em thường làm gặp khó khăn phần làm tập sau đọc? A Thảo luận với bạn để tìm câu trả lời VII B Đợi câu trả lời thầy cô chữa C Hỏi thầy cô D Ý kiến khác (nếu có):………………………………… Em muốn giáo viên làm để giúp em vượt qua khó khăn học đọc? A Giáo viên chữa phần nhiệm vụ cẩn thận B Giáo viên giải thích rõ ràng ngữ cảnh đọc C Giáo viên khuyến khích em sử dụng kiến thức lien quan đến chủ đề đọc D Giáo viên tạo cho em nhiều học đọc khoá E Giáo viên giúp em lựa chọn chiến lược đọc phù hợp cho F Giáo viên khai thác chủ đề đọc khác phù hợp với khả em G Giáo viên tạo môi trường học tập thoải mái tiết học đọc H Giáo viên cho học sinh thêm tập giao tiếp để em nhớ từ dễ I Ý kiến khác (nếu có):…………………………………………………………… VIII APPENDIX QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS This survey questionnaire is designed to help me to complete the thesis: “A study on the teaching of reading skills to 10th form students at a high school in Ninh Binh” Your assistance in completing the following items is highly appreciated All the information provided by you is solely for the study purpose, and you can be confident that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data Thank you very much for your co-operation! For all the questions, please answer by ticking one or more of the boxes or writing in the given space PART I: PERSONAL INFORMATION Your name…………………………… Years of teaching English: ……………… PART II: TEACHERS’ PROBLEMS IN TEACHING READING SKILLS FOR THE GRADE 10 STUDENTS What you think about the importance of reading skills in the textbook “Tieng Anh 10”? a It is the most important b It is as important as other skills (speaking, listening, and writing) c It is not as important as other skills (speaking, listening, and writing) d Others (please specify)……………………………………………… What you think about the reading text in the textbook “Tieng Anh 10”? a Interesting b Boring c suitable to your level d not suitable to your level e Others (please specify)………………………………………………………… What you often in the pre-reading stage? IX a Introduce the topic of the reading b Introduce new words appearing in the reading text c Elicit students‟ background knowledge d Ask students to predict what they are going to read e Do nothing f Others (please specify)………………………………………………………… You often ask your students to read the text: a From the beginning to the end, then the reading tasks b Each paragraph, stop to see the meaning of the new word, then continue c Read, skip new words and base on the context to guess the general ideas of the text d Others (please specify)………………………………………………………… In your opinion, your students usually understand the texts: a When they know the meanings of the new words in the text b By basing on their background knowledge c After you translate the text into Vietnamese d Others (please specify)………………………………………………………… After the reading lesson, you always expect your students to be able to: a Read similar texts b Remember the key words in the text c Understand and summarize the text in their own words d Use the words in the text in their daily life What challenges you often have in teaching reading with the textbook “Tieng Anh 10”? a The students‟ limitation of vocabulary and grammatical structures b The sections for reading in the textbook are not suitable for the students c The limited time d Some topics in the textbook are too difficult e Students lack motivation to develop reading skills X f The lack of students‟ background knowledge g Multi-level class h Others (please specify)………………………………………………………… What have you done to solve the above problems? (You can choose more than one) a I replace some difficult tasks by easier ones b I encourage students to activate their previous knowledge related to the topics c I provide students various reading activities d I explain clearly about the reading context e I invest more time and effort to have well-prepared lesson plans before going to class f I help students to choose suitable reading strategies for each reading text g I exploit different kinds of reading materials suitable to students‟ ability and interest h I create comfortable environment for my students in every reading lesson i I give students more communicative exercises to help them remember vocabulary more easily l Others (please specify)………………………………………………………… Can you give some suggestions to have an effective reading lesson for the grade 10 students? ……………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………… XI APPENDIX INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR TEACHERS These interview questions are designed to help me to complete the thesis for “A study on the teaching of reading skills to 10th form students at a high school in Ninh Binh” Your assistance in completing the following items is highly appreciated All the information provided by you is solely for the study purpose, and you can be confident that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data Thank you very much for your cooperation! What you think about the reading passages and the reading tasks in the textbook “Tieng Anh 10”? What problems you often cope with in teaching reading with the textbook in -the preparation of the lesson? -the Pre-reading stage? -the While-reading stage? -the Post-reading stage? What you think is the most typical difficulty when teaching reading comprehension with the textbook? What have you done to overcome these difficulties? XII APPENDIX * Task in Unit “A day in the life of…”: Answer the following questions: What is Mr.Vy‟s occupation? What time does he get up and what does he after that? What does he in the morning? What Mr.Vy and his wife in the afternoon? Are they happy with their lives or not? Why? * Task in Unit “A day in the life of…”: Scan the passage and make a brief note about Mr.Vy and Mrs.Tuyet‟s daily routines Then compare your note with a partner In the morning 4:30: the alarm goes off and Mr.Vy gets up ………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………… In the afternoon ………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………… After dinner ………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………… XIII APPENDIX Task in Unit 13 “Films and Cinema”: Find the word in the passage that can match with the definition on the right column ……………………… Film-making industry …………………… Series of related events or actions …………………… A period of ten years …………………… Quickly and in a short time …………………… Part of a film …………………… A person in a film XIV APPENDIX Pre-reading technique: Unit „People‟s background‟ Work in groups Match the picture with its appropriate name Then choose the person you like best and why? 1.Ngô Bảo Châu is a Vietnamese mathematician He received the Fields Medal in 2010 Born June 28, 1972 Hanoi, North Vietnam XV Citizenship Fields Vietnam France Mathematics 2.Archimedes Born c 287 BC Syracuse, Sicily Magna Graecia Died c 212 BC (aged around 75) Syracuse Residence Fields Syracuse, Sicily Mathematics Physics Engineering Astronomy Known for Invention Archimedes' principle Archimedes' screw Born 3.Nguyễn Sinh Cung- Uncle Ho 19 May 1890 Nghệ An Province, French Indochina Died September 1969 (aged 79) Hanoi, North Vietnam Nationality Vietnamese Political party Workers‟ Party of Vietnam XVI ... reading and reading comprehension, I decide on choosing ? ?A study on the teaching of reading skills to 10th form students at a high school in Ninh Binh. ” The study conducted at Nho Quan C High School. .. study aims to investigate the areas of difficulty that the teachers at Nho Quan C high school in Ninh Binh province are coping with in their daily teaching of reading comprehension to the 10th form. ..ch question What are the teachers’ and students? ?? attitudes towards the teaching and learning of reading? From the all above data analysis, most of the teachers and students at Nho Quan C High Scho