Chiến lược đọc nhằm cải thiện kỹ năng đọc hiểu cho sinh viên trường cao đẳng kinh tế kỹ thuật thái nguyên

In the process of teaching and learning English as a second or foreign language ESL/EFL, reading is an essential skill.. According to Carrell 1984:1: “for many students, reading is by fa

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

NGUYỄN THỊ LẬP

READING STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE READING COMPREHENSION OF STUDENTS AT THAI NGUYEN COLLEGE OF ECONOMICS AND TECHNOLOGY

Chiến lược đọc nhằm cải thiện kỹ năng đọc hiểu của sinh viên

Trường Cao đẳng Kinh tế - Kỹ thuật Thái Nguyên

M.A MINOR THESIS

FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 60 14 10

HA NOI - 2010

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

DEPARTMENT OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

Chiến lược đọc nhằm cải thiện kỹ năng đọc hiểu của sinh viên

Trường Cao đẳng Kinh tế - Kỹ thuật Thái Nguyên

M.A MINOR THESIS

FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 60 14 10

SUPERVISOR: ĐINH HẢI YẾN, M Ed

HA NOI - 2010

iv

Page

PART I: INTRODUCTION ……….1

1 Rationale of the Thesis ……….1

2 Aims of the Thesis ………2

3 Significance of the Thesis ……….2

4 Scope of the Thesis ……… 2

5 Research Methods used in the Thesis ……… 2

6 Design of the Thesis ……… 3

PART 2: DEVELOPMENT ……….4

Chapter 1: Literature Review………4

II.1.1 Definitions of Reading………4

II.1.2 Reading Comprehension……….4

II.1.2.1 Definitions……… 4

II.1.2.2 Reading Comprehension Models……….5

II.1.2.2.1 Bottom-up Model……… 5

II.1.2.2.2 Top-down Model……… 6

II.1.2.2.3 Interactive Model……… 7

II.1.2.3 Characteristics of an Effective Reader……….7

II.1.2.4 Teaching Reading Comprehension Skills……… 8

II.1.3 Reading Strategies……… 9

II.1.3.1 Defining Strategies……… 9

II.1.3.1.1 Metacognitive Strategies ………10

II.1.3.1.2 Cognitive Strategies ……… 10

II.1.3.1.3 Social/Affective Strategies ……….11

II.1.3.2.The Importance of Strategies in the Learning Process ……… 11

II.1.3.3 Strategies in Teaching Second Language Reading Comprehension ………… 12

II.1.4 Summary ……… 14

Chapter 2: Research Methodology ……….16

II.2.1 Research Questions ……….16

II.2.2 Participants and Settings of the Study ……….16

v

II.2.3 Instruments ………17

II.2.3.1 Tests ……… 18

II.2.3.2 Questionnaires ………19

II.2.4 Data Collection Procedures ……… 20

II.2.5 Coding of Questionnaire Data ……… 20

II.2.6 Summary ……… 22

Chapter 3: Data Analysis and Discussion ……… 24

II.3.1 Test Results ……… 24

II.3.1.1 Metacognitive Strategies ……….24

II.3.1.2 Cognitive Strategies ………25

II.3.1.3 Social/Affective Strategies ……… 26

II.3.2 Results of Questionnaires ……… 26

II.3.2.1 Readers’ Attitudes to Reading Comprehension ……… 27

II.3.2.2 Reading Strategies ……… 29

II.3.2.2.1 Metacognitive Strategies ……… 29

II.3.2.2.2 Cognitive Strategies ……….30

II.3.2.2.3 Social/Affective Strategies ……… 31

II.3.3 Discussion and Recommendations ……….31

II.3.4 Summary ……… 34

PART 3: CONCLUSION ……….35

1 Summary of Previous Parts ……… 35

2 Conclusions ……… 35

3 Limitations and Suggestions for Further Study ……… 36

REFFERENCES ……… 37

APPENDIXES……… I

Appendix 1 ……… I Appendix 2 ……… V Appendix 3 ……… XVII Appendix 4 ……… XX

vi

CFL : College of Foreign Language

VNU : Vietnam National University

TNCET : Thai Nguyen College of Economics and Technology

vii

Page Tables

Table 2.1: Background information about the participants………16

Table 2.2: Questionnaire: Reading strategy coding categories ……….20

Charts Chart 3.1: Test Results – Metacognitive Strategies ……… 24

Chart 3.2: Test Results – Cognitive Strategies ……… 25

Chart 3.3: Test Results –Social/Affective Strategies ………26

Chart 3.4: Questionnaire Results: Question 1 ……… 27

Chart 3.5: Questionnaire Results: Question 2 ……… 27

Chart 3.6: Questionnaire Results: Question 3………28

Chart 3.7: Questionnaire Results: Metacognitive Strategies……….29

Chart 3.8: Questionnaire Results: Cognitive Strategies ……… 30

Chart 3.9: Questionnaire Results: Social/Affective Strategies ……….31

PART 1: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale of the thesis

It is obvious that English language has been widely used in many areas such as politics, economics, tourism, telecommunication, culture, science and technology, and since Vietnam carried out the open door policy towards the regional and global integration, English language has become more and more important Therefore, it is necessary for Vietnamese students to have a good command of English to satisfy the growing requirements in a developing country like Vietnam

In the process of teaching and learning English as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL), reading is an essential skill For many people, reading is the most important skill to gain the knowledge and the only means by which learners can access to further study So with well-developed reading skills, ESL/ EFL readers will have a chance to make greater progress and achieve greater development in all academic areas

Because under Vietnam circumstances, English language is taught and learnt in a native environment, reading is both a means to gain knowledge and a means by which further study takes place According to Carrell (1984:1): “for many students, reading is by far the most important of the four macro skills, particularly in English as a second or a foreign language” This is really true to the students at Thai Nguyen College of Economics and Technology (TNCET) They find that reading not only gives them a wide range of interesting information but also offers them chances to enlarge their vocabulary, structures and language expressions which are useful for developing other skills

non-Nevertheless, students at TNCET often have difficulties in reading lessons because of the lack of appropriate reading strategies which are essential for them – ESL/EFL readers Researchers believe that effective readers are aware of the strategies they use and that they use strategies flexibly and efficiently Therefore, teachers should consider and choose effective reading strategies to teach students, and help them develop the given strategies effectively

In the present process of teaching methods innovation in Vietnam generally, and at TNCET particularly, equipping students with learning strategies can help them be more active, take charge of their own learning, and have more positive learning spirit

For these reasons, it would be necessary to have an investigation into reading strategies and classroom practice Through the study, we could recognize useful reading strategies

and how efficiently they are used in an ESF/EFL classroom to improve reading comprehension skills of students at TNCET

2 Aims of the thesis

The aims of the study are:

 To investigate the reading strategies and equipping students with these reading strategies to improve students‟ ability of reading in English at TNCET

 To examine how efficiently the reading strategies are used in reading classes

3 Significance of the thesis

The findings of the thesis will be useful not only to the researcher, but also to the teaching staff and especially to the students at TNCET in learning reading skills Besides, the study will make a great contribution to improve the quality of teaching and learning English at TNCET Further more, it will offer the theoretical basis for the application of reading techniques in classroom

4 Scope of the thesis

In teaching and learning a language as an ESL/EFL, there are many factors that influence the learners‟ success or failure A part from reading, there are also other main skills in language learning including speaking, listening, and writing However, due to the limited scope of a minor thesis, this study only focuses on the investigation of reading comprehension needs of students at TNCET in the process of teaching methods innovation, the limitation and difficulties of their reading activity, and the application of reading strategies in classrooms

5 Research methods used in the thesis

To achieve the aims mentioned above, the author would like to employ tests and survey questionnaires to investigate how efficiently the reading strategies are used and analyze them through data collection instruments

6 Design of the thesis

There are three main parts in this thesis: introduction, development, and conclusion

The introduction provides the rationale, the aims, the significance, the scope, the methods, and the design of the thesis

The development consists of three chapters:

Chapter 1 presents a review of literature including definitions of reading comprehension and reading processes, reading comprehension models, teaching comprehension skills, and

reading strategies It discusses the three reading strategies: cognitive, metacognitive, and social/affective strategies; the importance of strategies in learning process; and strategies in teaching SL reading comprehension

Chapter 2 focuses on the methodology employed in this thesis including research questions, participants and instruments The instruments consist of tests and classroom observation

Chapter 3 reports the results of tests and classroom observation This chapter discusses in the three strategies

The conclusion provides a brief summary of main parts being present in the study, the conclusions drawn out and the limitations of the study It also suggests directions for further study

PART 2: DEVELOPMENT Chapter 1: Literature Review

This chapter reviews theories related to reading, reading comprehension, and reading strategies All of these serve as a basis for the aim of the thesis which is to use reading strategies to improve reading comprehension skills of students at TNCET

II.1.1.Definitions of reading

The act of reading is not easily understood and described In the most general terms we

may say that reading involves the reader, the text, and the interaction between reader and

the text (Rumelhart 1977)

The process of reading has been intensively studied, and there have been many different approaches to it, and the term „reading‟ has been given many interpretations

Mitchell has a basic definition of reading:

Reading can be defined loosely as the ability to make sense of written or printed symbols The reader uses the symbols to guide the recovery of information from his

or her memory and subsequently uses this information to construct a plausible interpretation of the writer’s message

(Mitchell 1982:1) Goodman (1971:35) defines reading as

a psycholinguistic process by which the reader, a language user, reconstructs, as best as he can, a message which has been encoded by a writer as a graphic display

Simply and clearly, Eddie Williams (1984: 2) defines reading as “a process whereby one

looks at and understands what has been written” This definition of reading does not mean

that a reader needs to understand everything in text Reading can be a struggle after understanding, especially where language learners are concerned He emphasizes that part

of the teacher‟s job is therefore to develop within the learner strategies that will help them

Reading comprehension plays a very important part in teaching and learning reading a foreign language It is the ability to obtain the information as required in the reading lessons as efficiently as possible Thus, three elements – reading text, background knowledge of the reader, and the contextual aspects relevant for the interpretation of the text – are involved in the reading process

Research on ESL/EFL reading comprehension, there are some definitions of reading comprehension from researchers

Richard and Thomas, (1987:9), state: “Reading comprehension is best described as an

understanding between the author and the reader”

According to Swam, (1975: 1)

A student is good at comprehension we mean that he can read accurately and

efficiently so as to get the maximum information of a text with the minimum of understanding

In line with Swam, Grellet, (1981:3) accepts that

Reading comprehension or understanding a written text means extracting the

required information from it as effectively as possible

The definitions of reading comprehension above are general ones In order to understand more about reading comprehension, it is necessary to take a closer look at actual process that really takes place in the reader‟s mind So far, several models of reading have been proposed to describe this process The next section is going to present these models of reading and their strengths and weaknesses

II.1.2.2 Reading comprehension models

In looking for ways to describe the interaction between the reader and the text, researchers have created models that describe what happens when people read According to the researchers, there are three main models of how reading occurs

II.1.2.2.1 Bottom-up model

With the bottom-up model, reading was viewed as “the process of meaning interpretation”

in which “the language is translated from one form of symbolic representation to another” (Nunan, 1991)

According to Carven, bottom-up model describes reading as being a linear process from graphic symbols to meaning responses, and the readers check words individually, and sound them out phonetically With this type of reading, the readers passively perceive

input which progresses from the lowest level of reading – the interpretation of symbols – to the higher levels such as the assigning of meaning

According to Gough (1972), reading should be bottom-up He believes readers should follow five stages: eye fixation, absorption of the visual stimulus, letter identification, phonological representation, and understanding of words serially from left to right

Gough specifically assumes that the reader is not a guesser However, many researchers have shown his bottom-up explanations are not adequate

Rumelhart (1977a) showed that bottom-up models fail to allow for the fact that the comprehension of letters, words, and sentences are all affected by higher level processing

In most cases, higher level processes are not suitable to lower level input It is clear that the process of reading can not be a simple linear progression from lower processes upwards Having the same opinion with Rumelhart, Samuel and Kamil (1988: 31) pointed out the shortcomings of these models as follows:

Because of the lack of feedback loops in the early bottom-up models, it was difficult to account for sentence – context effects and the role of prior knowledge of text topic as facilitating variables in word recognition and comprehension

Due to this limitation, the bottom-up model of reading fell into disfavor

II.1.2.2.2 Top-down model

In this model, reading has been seen as the process in which reader moves from the top, the higher level of mental stages down to the text itself This theory focuses on the reconstruction of meaning rather than the decoding of form, the interaction between the reader and the text than the graphic forms or printed pages

Top-down theory argues that readers bring a great deal of knowledge, expectations, assumptions, and questions to the text and, given a basic understanding of vocabulary, they continue to read as long as the text confirms their expectations (Goodman, 1967) Goodman also suggests that reading is driven by hypotheses – the readers follow a cyclical procedure of sampling the text, predicting what will come next, testing predictions, and adjusting of confirming them (Goodman, 1975)

In this model, the reader, far from being a passive receiver, plays an active part in the text interpretation, using background knowledge to form inferences, and only decoding symbols when it is necessary for comprehension

Having the same ideas with Goodman, Smith (1998) assumes that “Readers can go straight

to meaning in the text by means of prediction Reading is not a matter of identifying words after words.”

Clearly, the strong points of top-down model are that it proves the readers‟ active role and the readers‟ center position of reading process However, for some researchers, top-down models still reveal certain weak points According to Stanovich (1980), Goodman and Smith‟s top-down theory is on a belief that the actual decoding process is slow, and that is therefore faster and more economical for the reader to get to know what the text will contain next, so that the slow decoding process can to some extent be avoided He accepts that the readers do form inferences while reading, and the background knowledge has a powerful effect on comprehension, but assumes that it is false to imply the generation of hypotheses concerning subsequent words in a text is quicker than processing the words according to purely visual information

Due to limitations of both bottom-up and top-down models, a new and more insightful reading process has been proposed under the name of interactive model

II.1.2.2.3 Interactive model:

Interactive theorists appreciate both the role of knowledge and the prediction, and at the same time emphasize the importance of rapid and accurate processing of the actual words

of the text According to Grabe (1988), the expression “interactive” is sometimes

interpretered to refer to the interaction between the text and the reader, and sometimes to the interaction between top-down and bottom-up reading processes

According to Hayes (1991:7),

In interactive models, different processes are thought to be responsible for providing information that is shared with other processes The information obtained from each type of processing is combined to determine the most appropriate interpretation of the printed pages

With the strong points of the interactive model, the reading teachers can develop it in their reading classrooms The teachers also need to develop the ability to take the advantages of these models and therefore can anticipate the types of processes and potential problems that the students will experience

II.1.2.3 Characteristics of an effective reader

This concept from Eddie Williams (1984) will begin with characteristics of an effective

reader:

The effective reader knows the language of the text he is reading He knows the

content words and what they mean (through perhaps not all of them) He also

knows the syntax (or grammar) of the language, that is to say the operation and

effect of structural words, or word form, or word order He may not be able to talk

about or explain these issues but he can use this knowledge to help him read the

text

Eddie Williams (1984:4)

In other words, many researchers have generally shown that an effective reader knows how

to use reading strategies that work for himself/ herself According to Wassaman and

Rinsky (1993:5), an effective reader needs „an understanding of the reading process and an

understanding of how to go about reading different types of printed information‟ In this

way, if a second or foreign learner wants to become an effective reader, he/ she can

practice techniques that will help him/ her succeed Besides, they also assume that there are

two ingredients for an effective reader The first is the willingness to change reading habits

that limit the learner‟s reading ability and the second is the willingness to practice Apart from these, there are other factors that can help the readers to become effective such

as organize properly for reading and study, improve the concentration, and maintain

confidence

II.1.2.4 Teaching reading comprehension skills

According to Day and Bamford (1998:124-141), there are at least four distinctive

approaches to the teaching EFL/ESL reading around the world These are given below:

- Grammar – translation: Under this approach, students may be taught to read texts written

in a foreign language by translating them into a native language As a result, meaning is

taken at the sentence level with less attention paid to the meaning of the text as a whole

and meaning is constructed via the native language, not directly from the foreign language

- Comprehension questions and language work: This approach focuses on teaching a

textbook, containing short passages that demonstrate the use of foreign language words or

points of grammar These texts, short enough to encourage students to read them word by

word, are followed by comprehension questions and exercises

- Skills and strategies: In this approach, the teacher has to prepare for students to read one

or two – page passage from a textbook by providing or activating any background knowledge needed for comprehension This preparation may include pre-teaching vocabulary that appears in the reading passage Then students read the passage silently while keeping in mind two or three while reading questions

- Extensive Reading: This approach‟s goal is for students to become willing and able

readers in a second a foreign language Students individually read books and other materials at their own speed mainly for homework

The four reading teaching approaches with the characteristics above should be used flexibly in each case of reading classrooms The teachers also need to distinguish and develop the ability to take the advantages of these and therefore can use them efficiently to help students in their reading comprehension

II.1.3 Reading strategies

II.1.3.1 Defining strategies

The study of learning strategies has been contributed for over the last two decades According to R.Ellis, 1994, the study of learning strategies has seen an „explosion of activity‟ There have been many contributions from well-known researchers such as Tarone (1981), Weinstein and Mayer (1986), Rubin (1987), O‟Malley and Chamot (1990), Oxford (1990) and Cohen (1998) Their studies have helped figure out a comprehensive overview of learning strategies

Concerning the definition of learning strategies, there have been some considerable differences Rubin (1987:23) gave a general definition of learning strategies:

Learning strategies are strategies which contribute to the development of the language system which the learner constructs and effect learning directly

According to Oxford (1990: 5)

Learning strategies are specific actions taken by the learner to make learning easier, faster, more enjoyable, more self directed, more effective and more transferable to new situation

These definitions are judged as quite comprehensive because they cover both cognitive and affective aspects of learning strategies

The definition that has been widely accepted to date was proposed by O‟Malley and Chamot (1990) They assumed that learning strategies are “the special thoughts or

behaviors that individuals use to help them comprehend, learn or retain new information” (1990: 1) Although the definition is short, it covers the most important aspects of learning strategies that is learning strategies are both mental and behavioral, and learning strategies are individually characterized Because their definition is comprehensive, the present study utilizes it as the key direction in its investigation

Language Learning Strategies have been classified by many scholars But the framework that has been most widely welcomed and useful is the framework of O‟Malley and Chamot (1990) In O‟Malley and Chamot‟s framework, three major types of strategies named as metacognitive, cognitive, and social/affective are distinguished in accordance with the information processing model, on which their research is based The three categories of language learning strategies will be presented in the three following parts

II.1.3.1.1 Metacognitive strategies

Metacognitive strategies are “higher order executive skills that may entail planning or, monitoring, or evaluating the success of a learning activity” (1990:44) The metacognitive learning strategies identified into seven categories by O‟Malley and Chamot (1990:119) and all of them are applicable to a variety of learning task Among the strategies that would

be used as metacognitive strategies for language reading comprehension tasks are:

1 Planning: previewing the main ideas and concepts of the material to be learnt, often by skimming the text for the organizing principle

2 Monitoring: Checking one‟s comprehension during listening or reading checking the accuracy and/ or appropriateness of one‟s oral or written production while it is taking place

3 Self-evaluation: Checking the outcomes of one‟s own language against a standard after

it has been completed

II.1.3.1.2 Cognitive strategies

Cognitive strategies are “more directly related to individual learning tasks and entail direct manipulation or transformation of the learning material” (1990: 8) According to O‟Malley and Chamot (1990:119), the cognitive learning strategies are identified in fourteen categories However, those cognitive strategies may be limited in application to the specific type of task in the learning activity Typical strategies that have been discussed in the cognitive category for reading comprehension are:

1 Repetition: Imitating a language model, including overt practice and silent rehearsal

2 Grouping: Classifying words, terminology or concepts according to the attributes or meaning

3 Deduction: Applying rules to understand or produce the second language making up rules based on language analysis

4 Imagery: Using visual images (either mental or actual) to understand or remember new information

5 Elaboration: Relating new information to prior knowledge, relating different parts of new information to each other, or making meaningful personal associations with the new information

6 Transfer: Using previous linguistic knowledge or prior skills to assist comprehension or production

7 Inferencing: Using available information to guess meaning of new items, predict outcomes or fill in missing information

8 Summarizing: Making a mental, oral or written summary of new information gained through listening and reading

II.1.3.1.3 Social/ Affective strategies

Finally social/ affective strategies are referred to as “a broad grouping that involves either interaction with another person or ideational control over affect” (1990: 45) The social/ affective strategies and their definitions are as follow:

1 Questioning for clarification: Eliciting from a teacher or peer additional explanations rephrasing, examples or verification

2 Cooperation: Working together with one or more peers to solve a problem, pool information, check a learning task, model a language activity, or get feedback on oral or written performance

3 Self-talk: Reducing anxiety by using mental techniques that make one feel competent to

do the learning task

Generally, the given affective strategies are considered applicable to a wide variety of tasks However, they would be used in listening comprehension task rather than in reading comprehension one

II.1.3.2 The importance of strategies in the learning process

In the field of second language acquisition research, focus has been shifted away from finding teaching methodologies to investigating why some learners are very successful in

their language learning while others are not successful though they have made much effort learning the language Many researchers such as O‟Malley and Chamot (1990), Nunan (1991), Rubin and Thompson (1994) and Cohen (1998) have shown that one of the most important factors that distinguish successful learners from unsuccessful ones is their learning strategies In other words, successful learners do use some effective learning strategies to deal with problems that emerge during their learning process while unsuccessful ones employ inappropriate or ineffective strategies resulting in their failure in their language learning

Therefore, knowledge of strategies is very important because if a learner is conscious of the processes underlying the learning, he/she will be more effective in language learning The fact showed that learners who are taught learning strategies are more highly motivated than those who are not However, not all learners automatically know which strategies work best for them On the other hand, learning strategies in Vietnam in general and in TNCET in particular have also become a topic of interest in recent years when the concepts of “self-learning”, “life-long learning”, and “teaching methods innovation” have been familiar to the ears of both teachers and students For these reasons, explicit strategy training and experimenting with different strategies can lead to more effective learning Oxford (1990:1) assumes that strategies are important for two reasons In the first one, strategies “are tools for active, self-directed involvement, which is essential for developing communicative competence” The second one is that learners who have developed appropriate learning strategies have greater self-confidence and learn more effectively According to Oxford, language learning strategies:

- contribute to the main goal, communicative competence

- allow learners to become more self-directed

- expand the role of teachers

- support learning both directly and indirectly

1.3.3 Strategies in teaching second language reading comprehension

Much attention has been paid to the study of reading in general and reading strategies in particular The current explosion of research in second language reading has begun to focus on reader‟s strategies Reading strategies are of interest for what they reveal about the way readers manage their interaction with written text and how these strategies are related to text comprehension Research in second language reading suggests that learners

use a variety of strategies to assist them with the acquisition, storage, and retrieval of information (Rigney, 1978) Reading strategies, on the other hand, indicate how readers conceive of a task, how they make sense of what they read, and what they do when they don‟t understand Reading strategies enhance reading comprehension and overcome comprehension failures

Many researchers have similarities in categorizing reading strategies For example, Anderson (1999), Brantmeier (2002), Almasi (2003) and Sugirin (1999) emphasized the role of prior knowledge in reading Brantmeier (2002) and Brown (1990) introduced skimming, scanning and guessing as effective strategies in reading However, there have been some differences in their classification

According to C.R Adler (2004), comprehension strategies are conscious plans – sets of steps that good readers use to make sense of text He gives seven strategies to have a firm scientific basis for improving text comprehension: monitoring comprehension, metacognition, graphic and semantic organizers, answering questions, generating questions, recognizing story structure, and summarizing

Brantmeier (2002) summarizes reading strategies as follow: “The strategies may involve skimming, scanning, guessing, recognizing cognates and word families, reading for meaning, predicting, activating general knowledge, making inferences, following references, and separating main ideas from supporting ideas” (2002: 1)

Furthermore, reading strategies can consist of evaluating content, such as agreeing, making

an association with prior knowledge or experience, asking and answering questions, looking at the key words, using sentence structure analysis such as determining the subject, verb or object of the sentences, skipping and rereading (Almasi, 2003; Sugirin, 1999) It is clear to see that not all strategies are equal effectiveness due to the different types of reading texts and tasks, and reading strategy use by each reader

Brown (1990: 3) gives five strategies that can help students read more quickly and effectively: previewing, predicting, skimming and scanning, guessing from context, and paraphrasing

Anderson (1999: 4) introduces six strategies for consideration when teaching reading: A - Active prior knowledge, C - Cultivate vocabulary, T - Teach for comprehension, I - Increase reading rate, V - Verify reading strategies, and E - Evaluate progress

Based on O‟Malley and Chamot‟s (1990), reading strategies can be understood as the special thoughts and behaviors that individuals use to help them to comprehend, learn and retain new information from the reading text These strategies are both observable and unobservable and individually different According to O‟Malley and Chamot, reading strategies can be classified into three main types including the metacognitive, cognitive and social/affective strategies A categorization scheme of these strategies has been provided in section II.1.3.1

II.1.4 Summary

This chapter has reviewed related theories on reading, and reading comprehension in general, and reading strategies in particular Some of the main points can be summarized as follows

In the first two parts of this chapter, some important definitions of reading and reading comprehension have been reviewed Reading is considered to be a complex process which involves a triangular interaction between the reader, the write, and the text It is highly agreed with J.A Aebersold and M.L Field‟s point of view that reading is an interaction between purpose and manner of reading, and it is an interaction through reading strategies Concerning reading comprehension definitions, some researchers see reading comprehension as an understanding between the author and the reader, and extracting the required information from a text as effectively as possible These researchers view reading based on the three reading models namely bottom-up, top-down, and interactive ones The interactive model, which most researchers currently endorse, assumes that both top-down and bottom-up processes occur in reading, either alternative or at the same time depending

on the type of text as well as the reader‟s background knowledge, language proficiency, motivation, and strategy use

It has also been mentioned that characteristics of an effective reader and teaching reading comprehension skills in this part Wassaman and Rinsky (1993) assume that an effective reader needs an understanding of the reading process and how to go about reading different types He/She is willing to change reading habits and practice, improve the concentration and maintain confidence In order to help students to be more effective in reading, Day and Bamford (1998) give the four reading teaching approaches which should be used in each case of reading classrooms

The last part of the chapter discusses reading strategies, the focus of the thesis, in details Before emphasizing the importance of strategies in the learning process in Vietnam in general and in TNCET in particular and reviewing some prominent studies on reading strategies that have been conducted so far, this part presents some definitions of learning strategies by some researchers It reviews the classification of learning strategies from O‟Malley and Chamot‟s schemes Their framework has been most useful and generally accepted to date In O‟malley and Chamot‟s framework, there are three major types including metacognitive, cognitive, and social/ affective strategies The detailed strategies and classification of learning strategies in part II.1.3.1 and appendix 1 is going to be adopted for the investigation of reading strategies for this study

The next chapter is study on reading strategies used by TNCET students, which will be conducted in the light of the theories discussed above

Chapter 2: Research Methodology

The previous chapter has presented a literature review on theory of reading comprehension, learning strategies in general and reading strategies in particular It has also provided a theoretical background for the present study This chapter presents the methodology and analysis of the study

II.2.1 Research questions:

This study seeks to answer the following research questions:

1 What are effective reading strategies that help students improve their ability of reading comprehension in English at TNCET?

2 How efficiently the reading strategies are used in reading classes?

II.2.2 Participants and setting of the study

II.2.2.1 Participants

The participants in this study are 30 first-year non-English majors specializing in Economics and Business Management at TNCET Of them there are twenty-two females and eight males, who mostly come from the countryside and mountainous area Only two students are twenty years old and the other twenty-eight students are nineteen years old All of them spent between 3 – 10 years learning English (two students learnt English for 3 years, twenty-one students learnt English for 7 years, and seven students left learnt English for 10 years) Their English proficiency levels were generally reported to be at pre-intermediate Table 2.1 summarizes the background information about the participants such as the genders, ages, number of years learning English and their self-assessed proficiency

English Proficiency Male Femal

e

years

7 years

10 years

Pre - intermediate

Table 2.1.Background information about the participants

These students belong to the Department of Economics and Business Management They had high scores in the entrance exam to college, which means they are excellent in Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry At TNCET the English course, which is designed