Integrating task based instruction as an alternative approach in teaching reading comprehension at an upper secondary school in hanoi

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES TRẦN THỊ THỦY INTEGRATING TASK-BASED INSTRUCTION AS AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH IN TEACHING READING COMPREHENSION AT AN UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL IN HANOI: AN ACTION RESEARCH (Tích hợp phương pháp dạy học giao nhiệm vụ đường hướng thay giảng dạy kỹ đọc hiểu trường trung học phổ thông Hà Nội Một nghiên cứu cải tiến sư phạm.) M.A Minor Programme Thesis Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01 HANOI – 2019 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES TRẦN THỊ THỦY INTEGRATING TASK-BASED INSTRUCTION AS AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH IN TEACHING READING COMPREHENSION AT AN UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL IN HANOI: AN ACTION RESEARCH (Tích hợp phương pháp dạy học giao nhiệm vụ đường hướng thay giảng dạy kỹ đọc hiểu trường trung học phổ thông Hà Nội Một nghiên cứu cải tiến sư phạm.) M.A Minor Programme Thesis Field: English Teaching Methodology Supervisor: Prof Hoàng Văn Vân HANOI – 2019 DECLARATION I certify that I myself write this thesis entitled “Integrating Task-based Instruction as an Alternative Approach in Teaching Reading Comprehension at an Upper Secondary School in Hanoi: An Action Research.” It is not a plagiarism or made by others Anything related to others‟ works is written in quotation, the sources of which are listed on the list of references If then the pronouncement proves wrong, I am ready to accept any academic punishment, including the withdrawal or cancellation of my academic degree Signature i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Firstly, I would like to express my deepest thanks of gratitude to my respectable supervisor, Prof Dr Hoang Van Van for his friendly and sympathetic assistance and dedicated involvement throughout the process of this thesis I would also like to be grateful to all my dear colleagues of FPT high school, and my classmates of the Department of Post-graduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi for their helpful as well as practical suggestions My sincere thanks go to classes of FPT high school for their crucial participation in completing the survey questionnaires and their willingness to provide their ideas on this study as well Last but not least, I also own a great debt of gratitude to my family and friends for their immeasurable support bot all my degree and in this arduous process of this study ii ABSTRACT Developing reading comprehension ability is an important aspect in acquisition of a language The present study focused on improving reading comprehension ability through Task-based Instruction (TBI) TBI is a methodology that develops from a focus on classroom tasks The participants of the study were 100 students at from four classes of 11th grade at FPT high school through a quasi-experimental design The participants were divided into two groups, one control group (CG) and one experimental group (EG) An action research with a cycle of treatment was employed in this research The participants received a pre-test, the instruction, and a post-test The participants in EG were taught through TBI, whereas the others in CG were exposed to a traditional method The comparison between CG and EGs were made through paired sample t-tests The results revealed that the students in EGs outperformed CGs The results are also supported by the gathered data from the questionnaires, interviews, and class observations This study may have pedagogical implications for practitioners in the field and for syllabus designers to include appropriate tasks in English textbooks and English teachers/instructions to deliver the appropriate teaching methods to their students Key words: reading, reading comprehension, task based instruction iii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study 1.2 Rationale for the study 1.3 Aims and objectives of the study 1.4 Research questions 1.5 Significance of the study 1.6 A Summary of methodology .6 1.6.1 Participants 1.6.2 Research instruments 1.6.3 Research procedures 1.7 Structure of the study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Reading .9 2.1.1 Definition 2.1.2 Purposes of reading 10 2.1.3 Reading process 10 2.2 Reading comprehension 11 2.3 Task based instructions 13 2.3.1 Definition of task 13 2.3.2 Task based instructions 14 2.4 Theoretical frameworks: Framework by Willis (1996) 16 2.5 Previous studies 17 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 20 3.1 Research settings 20 3.1.1 FPT Upper Secondary School 20 3.1.2 Teachers and students .20 3.1.3 Reading materials 21 3.2 Research method 22 3.2.1 Classroom action research (CAR) 22 iv 3.2.2 3.3 Treatment 28 Data collection instruments 29 3.3.1 Reading tests 29 3.3.2 Questionnaires 30 3.3.3 Class observation 31 3.3.4 Interview 32 3.3.5 Data collection procedure 33 3.4 Data analysis 33 3.5 Summary 34 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 35 4.1 Results from tests 35 4.1.1 The distribution of the test results 35 4.1.2 Descriptive statistics 37 4.2 Results from the questionnaires and interviews 38 4.2.1 Students‟ and teachers attitude toward the textbook 39 4.2.2 Students‟ assessments on teachers‟ teaching activities in reading lessons40 4.2.3 Accomplishment of students‟ performance in reading period 40 4.2.4 Learning reading skills of the 11th students 41 4.2.5 Students‟ attitudes towards the roles of teachers 43 4.2.6 Teachers‟ activities at reading stages 43 4.2.6.1 Teachers‟ activities at pre-reading stage 43 4.2.6.2 Teachers‟ activities at while-reading stage 44 4.2.6.3 Teachers‟ activities at post-reading stage 44 4.3 Results from observations 45 4.4 Discussions 45 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS 47 5.1 Recapitulation 47 5.2 Concluding remarks 48 5.3 Implications 50 5.4 Recommendations 51 v 5.4.1 Recommendations for teachers 51 5.4.2 Recommendations for students 52 5.5 Limitations 52 5.6 Suggestions for the further study 53 REFERENCES 54 APPENDIX I Appendix 1: Questionnaire for students I Appendix 2: Interview questions for teachers IV Appendix 3: Interview transcript summary V Appendix 4: Sample of classroom observation (two samples in four) VII Appendix 5: Reading tests XV Reading pre-test XV Reading post-test XX Appendix 6: Test results XXV Appendix 7: A sample of lesson plan with task based approach XXX vi LISTS OF ABBREVIATIONS GTM : Grammar translation method CG : Control Group EG : Experimental Group ESL : English as Second Language EFL : English as Second Language Ss : Students T : Teacher TBLM : Task-based language method TBM : Task-based method TBI : Task-based instruction TL : Target Language MOET : The Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training vii LISTS OF TABLES AND FIGURES Figure 2.1: A Heuristic approach for reading comprehension 12 Figure 3.1: The scheme of Classroom Action Research (CAR) 23 Figure 4.1 Comparison between pre-test and post-test score 36 Figure 4.2: Students‟ difficulties in doing reading tasks 42 Table 3.1: Procedures for test development 30 Table 3.2: Score interval for tests 30 Table 4.1: Paired sample t-test between means of CG and EG on pre-test 37 Table 4.2: Paired sample t-test between means of CG and EG on post-test .38 Table 4.3: The descriptive statistics of the two tests scores .38 Table 4.4: Students‟ attitude toward the textbook 39 Table 4.5: Students‟ assessments on the teachers‟ teaching activities in reading periods 40 Table 4.6: Accomplishment of students‟ performance in reading lessons .40 Table 4.7: Kinds of tasks 41 Table 4.8: Students‟ strategies of doing reading tasks 42 viii 20 The word elegant in the passage means A ugly B complicated design C something is carefully decorated D attractive and designed well V Read the passage and decide whether the following statements are True (T), False (F) or Not Given (NG) A Cruise Holiday As far as holidays are concerned, I usually choose something cheap, so you can imagine my surprise when my husband booked a cruise Compared to most cruise ships, ours was not particularly large or luxurious, and we were disappointed that there were no staff to help us with our luggage The situation got even worse, however, when we finally found our accommodation It was small, badly furnished, and dirty What we thought of first was a prison cell, not a luxury cabin Like many people, I don‟t find it easy to complain, but on this occasion I had to say something because the accommodation simply wasn‟t satisfactory Reluctantly, the staff agreed to move us to another, slightly more comfortable cabin, which proves that complaining can work But some of the passengers were heartbroken; they had been looking forward to the holiday of a lifetime, this cruise was a nightmare rather than a really enjoyable experience 21 From the first sentence of the passage, we know that the woman and her husband decided to book an expensive cruise 22 The woman‟s cruise holiday was small but good at service 23 It is hard for the woman to make a complaint because the cabin wasn‟t satisfactory 24 The staff agreed to move the woman to another cabin because she complained to the staff reluctantly 25 She was happy after this cruise because it was an enjoyable experience XIX Answer key I II III IV V B C 11 A 16 A 21 FALSE C A 12 B 17 B 22 FALSE A A 13 C 18 C 23 TRUE D A 14 C 19 A 24 TRUE B 10 D 15 A 20 D 25 NOT GIVEN Reading post-test Time allowance: 30mins Full name: Mark: I Read the passage and choose the word or phrase to fill in each numbered blank: Dutch children enjoy their freedom "Let them be free" is the golden rule for child-rearing in the Netherlands No wonder Dutch kids have been (1) Europe's most fortunate From a tender age, their opinions are valued, their wishes respected, and there is no homework until their last year in preparatory school Dutch society tends to encourage its infants to explore and experience whatever they please, offering maximum freedom and minimum responsibility Some would argue that this has turned a whole generation into spoilt, undisciplined brats Others say family members are remarkably (2) with their children‟s anxieties means that the children are well-adjusted, which is backed up by the results of the survey Dr Gerrit Breeusma, head of development psychology at the university of Groningen says the survey‟s results came as no (3) _ Children have always played a very important role in Holland but there were conflicts within families during the sixties, usually over matters of discipline and conformity (4) _a result, the generation growing up at that time have made sure they get on better with XX their kids,” he added However, in several Dutch police precincts, such liberalism is not viewed positively In an attempt to tackle underage heavy drinking, police have taken to bringing home teenagers and threatening parents with obligatory attendance at courses on excessive alcohol problems or hefty unless they keep their children under (5) _ 1.A compared B put C rated D assessed 2.A alike B true C careful D open 3.A doubt B difference C surprise D consequence 4.A As B Like C On D With 5.A control B limits C restriction D rule II Choose the word or phrase (A, B, C, or D) that best fits each space in the following passage To many people, their friends are the most important in their life Really good friends always (6) joys and sorrows with you and never turn their backs on you Your best friend may be someone you have known all your life or someone you have grown (7) _with There are all sorts of things that can (8) about this special relationship It may be the result of enjoying the same activities and sharing experiences Most of us have met someone that we have immediately felt relaxed with as if we had known them for ages However, it really takes you years to get to know someone well (9) _to consider your best friend To the majority of us, this is someone we trust completely and (10) _understands us better than anyone else It's the person you can tell him or her your most intimate secrets A give B have C share D spend A on B in C through D up A cause B provide C result D bring XXI A so B enough C such D too 10 A whose B which C whom D who III Read the passage and choose one correct answer for each question Parents’ Dreams Parents often have dreams for their children‟s future They hope their children will have a better life than they had They dream that their children will things that they couldn‟t Parents who come to the U.S from foreign countries hope their children will have better education here They think their children will have more career choices and more successful lives They make many sacrifices so that their children will have more opportunities They think their children will remain close to them because of this Some children understand and appreciate these sacrifices and remain close to their parents However, other children feel ashamed that their parents are so different from other Americans 11 Parents often dream of A Their children‟s making a lot of money in the future B One day living on their children‟s money C One day seeing their children become famous people D A bright future for their children 12 The word career in line is closest in meaning to _ A Education B Profession C Travel D Subject 13 Parents who come home from U.S from foreign countries hope that their children _ A Become successful directors B Will have a lot of careers c Will make a lot of sacrifices D.Will have more opportunities for good education XXII 14 Parents think their children will remain close to them because _ A They give their children a lot of money B They are living in a foreign country C They know their children will be successful in the future D Of the sacrifices 15 The word close in line is closest in meaning to _ A kind B helpful C friendly D dear IV Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answer Volunteering can be the experience of a lifetime and for some people it is a life changing experience Volunteer Bolivia is the international volunteer organization that combines a volunteer service learning experience with a program for an unforgettable intercultural experience They offer an affordable way for community volunteer positions provide you with the opportunity to make new friends, define a new career, develop new skills, and share your skills with others Short term volunteers are a crucial part of their program allowing you to fulfill the needs of a variety of children‟s centers scattered around the region These centers provide services for children Long term volunteers, are those who stay with them more than five months, speak immediate Spanish and are specialized volunteers who have an expertise that matches their Bolivian colleagues needs Many long term volunteers contribute in a collaboratively designed volunteer position such as helping in the office, translating, and working with the Bolivian staff If you have a specialized skill, they can place you in your profession Long term volunteers have also contributed as healthcare workers, physical therapists, graphic designers, by teaching advanced computer skills or in project development 16 According to the writer, volunteer work is _ A a combination B an experience C an organization D a lifetime 17 If you take part in Volunteer Bolivia, you have a chance _ A to work in a foreign country B to lose your career C to work in your hometown D to change experience XXIII 18 According to the passage, _ A there is only one kind of volunteers B there are two kinds of volunteers: long term volunteers and short term volunteers C volunteers are not allowed to make friends D if you are a short term volunteer you will work with patients 19 The word crucial means _ A necessary B not easy C very difficult D important 20 Long term volunteers work as _ A designers B professors C healthcare workers D teachers of English V Read the passage and decide whether the following statements are True (T), False (F) or Not Given (NG) Many young people strive to be independent That means you are able to take care of yourself, and you don't have to rely on anyone else However, to live independently, you need a number of life skills in order not to depend on your parents and older brothers or sisters One of the most important skills is time management which can help you build your confidence and self-esteem With good time management skills, you can perform your daily tasks, including your responsibilities at school and at home with pleasing results Moreover, you will not feel stressed when exam dates are approaching These skills can also help you act more independently and responsibly, get better grades at school and have more time for your family and friends Developing time-management skills is not as challenging as you may think Firstly, make a plan for things you need to do, including appointments and deadlines Using a diary or apps on mobile devices will remind you of what you need to accomplish and when you need to accomplish it Secondly, prioritize your activities You need to decide which tasks are the most urgent and important and then, concentrate on these first This way, you may not be at a loss to deal with too much work at the same time Thirdly, develop routines because routines, when established, take less XXIV time for you to your tasks Time management skills are not hard to develop; once you master them, you will find out that they are great keys to success and you can become independent 21 Not only young people try to be independent 22 People will be independent when they are mature 23 Time-management is the only thing you need to be independent 24 Teenagers can have more confidence and self-esteem when they are good at managing their time 25 Good time-management can help teenagers get better grades at school Answer key I II III IV V C C 11 D 16 B 21 FALSE D D 12 B 17 D 22 NOT GIVEN C D 13 D 18 A 23 FALSE A B 14 D 19 D 24 TRUE A 10 D 15 D 20 C 25 TRUE Appendix 6: Test results Case Pre-test Post-test Gain 60 80 20 60 60 40 60 20 48 68 20 32 52 20 64 88 24 80 88 8 40 40 80 80 XXV 10 36 44 11 60 80 20 12 72 76 13 20 28 14 36 40 15 48 88 40 16 60 68 17 36 56 20 18 76 80 19 40 48 20 76 88 12 21 44 52 22 40 60 20 23 28 60 32 24 32 60 28 25 60 84 24 26 80 88 27 76 96 20 28 72 76 29 60 64 30 44 52 31 68 92 24 32 52 56 33 84 84 34 76 80 35 36 56 20 36 68 72 37 80 92 12 38 56 64 XXVI 39 48 68 20 40 80 88 41 68 68 42 52 76 24 43 60 80 20 44 80 100 20 45 88 88 46 76 80 47 76 76 48 60 60 49 20 40 20 50 44 64 20 51 56 68 12 52 80 84 53 92 96 54 88 100 12 55 88 92 56 80 84 57 76 76 58 64 84 20 59 92 92 60 80 80 61 84 88 62 88 96 63 32 52 20 64 68 68 65 80 88 66 76 76 67 24 44 20 XXVII 68 84 84 69 88 88 70 68 76 71 72 76 72 84 88 73 80 80 74 60 80 20 75 64 80 16 76 72 76 77 84 92 78 56 80 24 79 60 68 80 68 88 20 81 16 20 82 36 52 16 83 40 44 84 16 36 20 85 60 80 20 86 88 92 87 60 60 88 88 88 89 76 92 16 90 80 88 91 40 60 20 92 32 52 20 93 68 68 94 56 96 40 95 44 48 96 56 76 20 XXVIII 97 92 92 98 72 92 20 99 88 96 100 100 100 XXIX Appendix 7: A sample of lesson plan with task based approach Unit 3: BECOMING INDEPENDENT Part 3: Reading I Objectives By the end of the lesson, students will be able to gain: (i) Knowledge: time-management skills (ii) Skill: Reading: scanning, skimming (iii) Attitude: be aware of the importance of time-management skills II Teaching method: Integrated, mainly communicative III Teaching aids: Board, chalks, textbook and notebook IV Procedure Class organization: Date Period … / / Class Attendance 11A6 … / … Absentees/Notes Lesson T’s and Ss’ Activities Warm up Knowledge Chatting - T plays a video about timemanagement and ask Ss some questions to set the topic of reading? - Ss give their answers - T encourages Ss to give different viewpoints * Activity 1: - T introduces the title of the reading text Have Ss work with a partner Group-work - Ss read the text quickly and * Activity 2: Read the text and select the statement that expresses its main idea * key: D XXX choose the statement they think it‟s the main idea of the text - T goes around the class to help * Activity 3: Read the statements Decide if Ss with some difficult if they are true, false or not given necessary NG - T asks Ss compare with the F (However, the ability to be an independent others - T doesn‟t give feedback - T asks Ss to read through the person does not develop naturally.) F (… You need a number of life skill to stop relying on your parents and older siblings.) passage, check if the statements T are true, false or no given, T referring to the text if necessary - T asks them to underline the * Activity 4: Read the text again Answer the key words in the statements and questions relevant words/ phrases in the With good time-management skills, you don‟t text feel very stressed when exam dates are - Ss read the text and underline approaching; the key words in the statements independently and responsibly, get better and relevant words/ phrases in grades at school and have more time for the text family and friends you can act more - Ss work individually to the Write the things you will have to on a task, then discuss their answers planner or an app on your mobile device, and with their partners put time limits on them - T calls on some Ss to give their So you can check them later answers and asks them to give Decide what is important to you and give it clues from the reading text the most of your time or add it to the top of - T gives feedback your list - T asks Ss to this exercise Once routines are developed, they take less individually, then compare with time to XXXI a partner + ask them to scan the text to find answers to the questions + let them highlight the keys words both in the questions and in the text + let them take turns asking and answering in pairs.- Ss this task, then discuss their answers with their partners * Activity 5: Work in groups - T checks Ss‟ answers and give - Making plans further explanation if necessary - Prioritizing activities - T asks Ss to look back at the - Developing routines text to locate the highlighted words - Ss try to guess the meaning of each of the highlighted words, based on the context - Some representatives read aloud their answers - T checks Ss‟ answers Group-work - T has Ss work in groups of to note down the time-management skills mentioned in the text - Ss express giving opinions that they know - Ss take turns speaking - T joins some group and XXXII reminds Ss to take turns speaking - T asks some representatives from groups to perform in front of the whole class - Feedback by listening to each other Consolidation - Summarize the main points: Reading for general information and specific ideas about time-management skills Homework: - Practice the tasks - Prepare for the next lesson XXXIII ... researcher conducts a classroom action research on ? ?Integrating task- based instruction as an alternative approach in teaching reading comprehension at an upper secondary school in Hanoi: An action research”... related to reading and reading comprehension in English language, task based instructions, theoretical frameworks of task based approach and the previous researches concerning task based approach. .. English reading teaching and learning English at FPT upper secondary school in Hoa Lac, Hanoi; (3) Determining the meaningful effects of the task based approach on the students‟ improvement in reading