The impact of using metacognitive stratergies on efl ninth graders’ reading comprehension

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY DUONG THI ANH THU THE IMPACT OF USING METACOGNITIVE STRATERGIES ON EFL NINTH GRADERS’ READING COMPREHENSION MASTER’S THESIS IN EDUCATION Nghe An, 2018 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY DUONG THI ANH THU (1989) THE IMPACT OF USING METACOGNITIVE STRATERGIES ON EFL NINTH GRADERS’ READING COMPREHENSION Major: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Code: 8140111 MASTER’S THESIS IN EDUCATION SUPERVISOR: Nguyen Gia Viet, Ph.D Nghe An, 2018 DECLARATION The thesis entitled “The impact of using Metacognitive Strategy on EFL ninth graders‟ Reading Comprehension” is conducted under the supervision of Nguyen Gia Viet Ph.D, Faculty of Foreign Language, Ha Tinh University I hereby declare that the information reported in this study is the result of my own work, except where due reference is made The thesis has not been accepted for any degree and is not concurrently submitted to any candidature for any other degree or diploma Duong Thi Anh Thu July, 2018 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In the preparation of the research, I am deeply indebted to many individuals who helped make this thesis a reality I would like to express my deep gratitude to Nguyen Gia Viet Ph.D for his supervision throughout this thesis Dear Viet Ph.D, thank you very much for accepting me as your MA student You had shown your role as a very responsible supervisor to a novice researcher like me When I started working on this study, you assisted me in making plans for how, when and where to commence writing the thesis You spent your valuable time reading and giving me your feedback and suggestions on the drafts of each chapter until the whole study was done You always gave helpful feedback to me in advance to make sure that they had great influence on the improvement of sections or chapters in my thesis You would be ready to arrange your valuable time for direct conversations with me if any issues in the thesis were unclear to me Most importantly, during the time working on the research, you were always beside me with your patience, enthusiasm and encouragement when I had good and hard times I greatly acknowledged your whole-hearted supervision, without which it would be very difficult for me to complete this thesis I am indebted to all professors who gave instructions on subjects prescribed to the MA‟s program, course-24 at Vinh University, for their indirect assistance Thanks to their teaching during this program, I have gained insight into conducting a research I would like to extend my special thanks to Long An Industrial Economics University, because of their assistance in helping me to have the best conditions for studying I would like to say thank you to the school principal Ngo Van Con and my colleagues Huỳnh Thị Ngọc Thy, Le Kim Ngan, Le Van Thang, who work in the secondary school where the thesis was conducted, for their good counsel and encouragement My sincere thanks are also owned to all the participants for their helpful involvement in the study Many thanks go to my fellow friends in the MA‟s program (2006-2018) at Vinh University for their spiritual guidance who are always by my side for sharing and encouraging Finally, my deepest gratitude goes to all of my relatives and parents for their moral and financial support TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS LISTS OF TABLES AND FIGURES ABSTRACT CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study 1.2 Aims of the research 1.3 Research questions and hypotheses 1.3.1 Research questions 1.3.2 Research hypotheses 10 1.4 Significance of the study 10 1.5 Organization of the thesis 11 CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 12 2.1 Language learning strategies (LLS) 12 2.1.1 The concept of LLS 12 2.1.2 Classification of LLS 14 2.1.3 The significance of LLS 16 2.2 Metacognitive strategies 18 2.2.1 Metacognition 18 2.2.2 Knowledge about metacognitive strategies 19 2.2.3 Metacognitive reading strategies 23 2.3 Reading comprehension 27 2.3.1 Definition of Reading 27 2.3.2 The nature of L2 reading 28 2.3.3 The role of metacognitive strategies in reading comprehension 31 2.3.4 Reading comprehension of good and poor readers 31 2.4 Studies related to metacognitive strategy use and reading comprehension 33 2.5 Summary of the literature and justification of the current study 39 CHAPTER METHODOLOGY 42 3.1 Research design 42 3.2 Participants 43 3.3 Research instruments 43 3.3.1 Reading comprehension test 43 3.3.2 Metacognitive reading strategy questionnaire 45 3.4 The Pilot Study 46 3.4.1 Piloting the research study of the instruments 46 3.4.2 Results of the pilot study 47 3.5 Data collection procedures 47 3.6 Statistical Methods 48 CHAPTER FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 49 4.1 The metacognitive strategy used by the participants 49 4.1.1 Global Reading Strategies 49 4.1.3 Problem-Solving Strategies 52 4.14 Participants‟ frequent use of metacognitive strategy categories 53 4.2 The differences of participants‟ achievement when they use of metacognitive strategies in reading comprehension 54 4.2.1 Participants‟ achievement in reading comprehension 54 4.2.2 The differences of students‟ achievement when they use the metacognitive strategies in reading comprehension 56 4.3 Discussion 56 4.3.1 The metacognitive strategy use by the participants 57 4.3.2 The differences in achievement in the use of metacognitive strategy in reading comprehension 58 CHAPTER CONCLUSION 60 5.1 Summary 60 5.1.1 Theoretical framework 60 5.1.2 Summary of key research findings 61 5.2 Conclusion 61 5.3 Limitations 62 5.4 Implications 63 5.4.1 Pedagogical implications 63 5.4.2 Suggested further research 64 REFERENCES 66 APPENDICES 78 APPENDIX QUESTIONNAIRE 78 APPENDIX TEST ON READING COMPREHENSION 92 APPENDIX SURVEY RESULTS 100 APPENDIX REDING COMPREHENSION SORES, AND STATISTICAL TABLE 106 LISTS OF TABLES AND FIGURES List of Tables Table 2.1: Metacognitive strategies useful for reading (adapted from Rebecca L Oxford (1990) 24 Table 4.1: Global Reading Strategies Table 4.2: Support Reading Strategies Table 4.3: Problem-Solving Reading Strategies Table 4.4: The overall metacognitive strategy use by the participants 46 Table 4.5: Statistical table of participants‟ achievement in reading comprehension 48 List of Figure Figure 3.1 Variables in the present study 40 ABSTRACT Regarding the important role of metacognitive strategies in the field of language learning, numerous scholars have paid their interest in investigating the effect of metacognitive strategy use on English as second or foreign language reading comprehension (Chumpavan, 2000; Shmais, 2002; Phakiti, 2003; Aegpongpaow 2008; Subasi, 2009; Zhang and Wu, 2009) These researchers have indicated results to suggest that metacognitive strategy use has a positive relationship with learners’ reading comprehension As an attempt to contribute to providing and widening empirical evidences to these previous findings, this research aims to investigate metacognitive reading strategies used by English as foreign language learners, and the differences in students' achievement when they use metacognitive strategy in reading comprehension Both qualitative and quantitative methods, including questionnaires, reading comprehension tests for collecting data, were used in the study Forty students, who were in class 9A of a secondary school in Long An province, participated in this study Findings from the study showed that the participants were aware of metacognitive strategies at the average level, and there are also the differences of participants’ achievement when they use of metacognitive strategies in reading comprehension CHAPTER INTRODUCTION This chapter introduces the rationale underlying this present study Background of the study, aims of the research, significance of the study, and general organization and coverage of the study included in this chapter will be presented in detail 1.1 Background of the study The Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training (MOET, 2012) emphasizes that developing communicative competence for students is one of the most essential targets in building and implementing foreign language teaching After finishing the English curriculum in high schools, students are required to achieve certain linguistic knowledge and improve communication strategies and skills However, due to various reasons, such as the learnercentred method and time pressure, learners‟ lack of motivation to learn the language, and the washback effect of examinations on learners‟ ability to use English communicatively (Le & Barnard, 2009), the low quality of English language teaching and learning from secondary school to upper secondary school has not been improved significantly More particularly, it is found that reading comprehension is a difficult task for most students to learn (Aegpongpaow, 2008) Reading comprehension is considered as an important language skill because it fosters the process of language acquisition and helps students to read different materials for a variety of purposes (Poorahmadi, 2012) According to Grabe (1991), reading is an essential skill and probably the most important shops or banks People never throw their rubbish in the streets, so the village is always clean The air is also very clean because there‟s not much heavy traffic It‟s much friendlier here than in a city Everyone knows everyone and if someone has a problem, there are always people who can help However, there are some things I don‟t like about Henfield One thing is that there‟s not much to in the evening We haven‟t got any cinemas or theatres Another problem is that people always talk about each other and everyone is doing But I still prefer village life to life in a big city A Read the text again Complete the sentences with the information from the text (20pts) The population of the village is _ 10.There‟s not much heavy traffic so _ 11.According to the writer, city dwellers are than country dwellers 12.There aren‟t in Henfield B Read and decide whether the statements are True (T) or False (F) for each sentence (25 pts) 13 The writer lives in a small village near Henfield 14 Villagers have to queue in shops or banks 15 The village is always kept clean 16 Villagers are very friendly and helpful 17 There are not much entertainment in Henfield Answer Key: Part I: A Christmas begins on 24th December 94 They hang up a pillow case or a sack for their presents On Boxing Day, most people go out to see friends, watch sports events, go to the theatre to see pantomime, or go shopping - Total marks: 30 (10 points for each correct item) B custom chimney spirits Pantomime - Total marks: 25 (5 points for each correct item) Part II: A Possible answers about five-hundred 10 the air is very clean 11 less friendly 12 cinemas or theatres - Total marks: 20 (5 points for each correct answer) B True (T), False (F) 13 F 14 F 15 T 16 T - Total marks: 25 (5 points for each correct item) 95 T 8.sleep off TEST ON READING COMPREHENSION Time allotted: 30 minutes Student name: Class: _ Age: _ Date: Marks Teacher’s signature In words Part I: Read the passage and the tasks that follow (40 pts) The weekend picnic I enjoyed most was just a few weeks ago My class decided a pay a visit to the Botanic Garden It was a glorious Sunday We assembled at the school gate punctually and traveled to the Botanic Garden by bus It was a long way to our destination and we sang merrily all the way The Botanic Garden is very beautiful place We made a short tour round the garden and took some pictures of the whole class Then we played a lot of games on a spacious piece of grassland One of the boys brought, we all took a rest Some of us slept very soundly because it was so peaceful and quiet there In the afternoon, we went on playing some more games Then we packed up the left-overs and started home at four We all felt very happy A Read and decide whether the statements are True (T) or False (F) for each sentence (25pts) The writer went for a picnic with his family Everyone assembled on time Everyone went round the Botanic Garden and videoed the whole class _ After lunch everyone started home _ It was enjoyable picnic B Read the text once and answer the questions (20pts) 96 Which was the picnic the writer enjoyed most? _ _ What did they in the Botanic Garden? _ _ Part II: Read the passage and the exercises below Northern Japan has been rocked by a series of earthquakes and aftershocks that began on 23 October 2004 and left at least 23 people dead and thousands more injured and homeless The initial quake that struck the Nniigata prefecture on Honshu Island measured 6.5 on the Richter Scale, with a depth of 9.8 miles, according to the U.S Geological Survey (USGS) The earthquake‟s epicenter was located about 162 miles northwest of Tokyo in Ojiya City,where several deaths were reported, housing was destroyed and landslides a added to the devastation Tremors from the initial quake were said to have been felt as far away as Tokyo, with two aftershocks measuring 6.2 and 6.0 on the Richter Scale and another 5.7-magnitude earthquake occurred on Monday, October 25th The quakers demolished more than 1,000 buildings, caused widespread power and gas outages and damaged water mains Rescue efforts were hindered by impassable roads, lack of electricity and collapsed bridges A Match the word with its definition (30pts) outage a an area of administration rock b prevent 10 epicenter c slight shakings 11 tremors d a period of time when the supply of electricity, gas,etc stops woring 97 12 prefecture e shake violently 13 hinder f central point (of an earthquake) B Complete the following sentences (25 pts) 14 A series of earthquakes and aftershocks happened in in October, 2004 15 The strength and the depth of the earthquake were measured by _ 16 The center of the earthquake were 17 More than 1,000 buildings were 18 Impassable roads, lack of electricity, and collapsed bridges prevented Answer Key: Part I: A.True (T), False (F) F T F F T - Total marks: 25 (5 points for each correct item) B Answer the questions The picnic the writer enjoyed most was the recent one They went round the garden, took some pictures, played games, sang their favorite songs and danced - Total marks: 20 (10 points for each correct item) Part II: A Match the words 98 8.d 9.e 10.f 11.c 12.a 13.b - Total marks: 30 (5 points for each correct answer) B Complete the following sentences 14 northern Japan 15 the U.S Geological Survey 16 about 162 miles northwest of Tokyo in Oijya City 17 demolished 18 rescue efforts - Total marks: 25 (5 points for ea 99 APPENDIX SURVEY RESULTS Global Reading Strategies Question 10 11 12 13 Student 3 4 5 2 Student 2 3 2 4 Student 3 3 3 4 Student 3 3 3 2 Student 5 2 5 Student 5 3 Student 5 4 4 Student 4 4 3 Student 3 3 Student 10 5 4 2 3 Student 11 2 3 4 Student 12 3 2 3 Student 13 5 Student 14 5 4 Student 15 2 4 Student 16 5 3 4 Student 17 3 4 Student 18 3 4 Student 19 5 3 3 4 Student 20 5 Student 21 4 4 Student 22 2 5 3 4 100 Student 23 4 5 3 1 Student 24 4 5 2 Student 25 5 3 4 Student 26 3 3 4 4 Student 27 5 4 3 2 Student 28 3 3 2 3 Student 29 4 3 4 3 Student 30 4 4 Student 31 5 3 2 Student 32 5 5 4 Student 33 5 5 4 3 Student 34 5 5 3 Student 35 4 4 2 3 Student 36 5 5 3 Student 37 2 4 3 Student 38 4 3 Student 39 4 5 3 Student 40 4 3 Mean 3.5 3.5 3.3 3.5 3.6 3.0 3.2 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.0 3.4 2.9 Mean 3.29 Support Reading Strategies Question 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Student 3 3 Student 3 Student 4 2 3 Student 1 4 101 Student 5 4 Student 3 Student 3 4 Student 3 Student 4 2 Student 10 3 1 2 Student 11 4 Student 12 3 4 Student 13 3 3 2 Student 14 4 5 Student 15 3 4 4 Student 16 3 Student 17 3 Student 18 3 4 2 Student 19 4 3 4 Student 20 3 3 Student 21 3 3 4 Student 22 3 4 Student 23 3 Student 24 3 4 Student 25 3 3 Student 26 4 Student 27 4 4 Student 28 4 3 4 Student 29 4 Student 30 4 4 102 Student 31 4 5 Student 32 3 Student 33 4 5 Student 34 5 Student 35 4 Student 36 4 5 Student 37 5 Student 38 3 5 Student 39 4 Student 40 5 4 Mean 3.2 3.0 2.9 3.3 3.1 3.4 3.3 3.4 3.4 Mean 3.23 Problem-Solving Strategies Question 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Student 4 5 Student 5 4 Student 3 3 Student 3 5 4 Student 5 4 3 Student 5 Student 5 Student 5 Student 4 4 Student 10 3 4 Student 11 4 4 Student 12 5 103 Student 13 4 5 4 Student 14 4 Student 15 4 3 Student 16 3 4 Student 17 4 5 Student 18 Student 19 5 Student 20 3 Student 21 5 5 Student 22 4 3 Student 23 4 5 Student 24 4 Student 25 5 5 Student 26 4 4 Student 27 4 3 Student 28 3 3 Student 29 4 Student 30 3 Student 31 3 Student 32 3 3 4 Student 33 4 Student 34 3 3 Student 35 3 Student 36 4 Student 37 3 4 Student 38 2 3 4 104 Student 39 4 3 Student 40 3 3 3 3.5 3.6 3.3 3.6 3.7 3.4 3.6 3.5 Mean Mean 3.52 The overall metacognitive strategy use by the participants STRATEGY MEAN Global Reading Strategies 3.29 Support Reading Strategies 3.23 Problem-Solving Strategies 3.52 The overall metacognitive strategy 105 3.346 APPENDIX REDING COMPREHENSION SORES, AND STATISTICAL TABLE EXPERIMENTA CONTROL EXPERIMENTAL CONTROL L GROUP GROUP GROUP GROUP Student 90 Student 41 35 Student 85 Student 41 50 Student 95 Student 42 55 Student 90 Student 42 85 Student 70 Student 43 60 Student 80 Student 43 35 Student 55 Student 44 55 Student 65 Student 44 50 Student 65 Student 45 40 Student 55 Student 45 50 Student 80 Student 46 75 Student 75 Student 46 45 Student 80 Student 47 55 Student 70 Student 47 55 Student 60 Student 48 65 Student 70 Student 48 75 Student 90 Student 49 50 Student 85 Student 49 65 Student 10 100 Student 50 55 Student 10 95 Student 50 90 Student 11 85 Student 51 40 Student 11 100 Student 51 75 Student 12 85 Student 52 30 Student 12 95 Student 52 60 Student 13 70 Student 53 75 Student 13 65 Student 53 65 Student 14 50 Student 54 65 Student 14 55 Student 54 60 Student 15 45 Student 55 35 Student 15 50 Student 55 35 Student 16 75 Student 56 90 Student 16 60 Student 56 70 Student 17 45 Student 57 40 Student 17 40 Student 57 65 Student 18 85 Student 58 80 Student 18 75 Student 58 30 Student 19 80 Student 59 45 Student 19 75 Student 59 45 Student 20 95 Student 60 45 Student 20 85 Student 60 65 Student 21 45 Student 61 60 Student 21 80 Student 61 50 Student 22 90 Student 62 40 Student 22 70 Student 62 90 Student 23 60 Student 63 65 Student 23 70 Student 63 65 106 Student 24 95 Student 64 20 Student 24 90 Student 64 60 Student 25 85 Student 65 25 Student 25 100 Student 65 95 Student 26 95 Student 66 75 Student 26 85 Student 66 50 Student 27 55 Student 67 50 Student 27 65 Student 67 40 Student 28 75 Student 68 50 Student 28 80 Student 68 50 Student 29 75 Student 69 65 Student 29 70 Student 69 75 Student 30 80 Student 70 85 Student 30 75 Student 70 85 Student 31 65 Student 71 90 Student 31 70 Student 71 90 Student 32 60 Student 72 85 Student 32 55 Student 72 60 Student 33 65 Student 73 55 Student 33 55 Student 73 90 Student 34 75 Student 74 50 Student 34 65 Student 74 40 Student 35 80 Student 75 85 Student 35 70 Student 75 50 Student 36 85 Student 76 80 Student 36 75 Student 76 80 Student 37 50 Student 77 90 Student 37 45 Student 77 60 Student 38 45 Student 78 50 Student 38 85 Student 78 65 Student 39 95 Student 79 35 Student 39 90 Student 79 85 Student 40 90 Student 80 85 Student 40 70 Student 80 75 Test Experimental Group (9A) Control Group (9B) STATISTICAL TABLE STATISTICAL TABLE Classificatio Number Percentage Classification Number Percentage n of scores of Test (%) of scores of Test (%) - 45 10 - 45 12 30 50 - 65 10 25 50 - 65 16 40 70 - 80 11 27.5 70 - 80 12.5 85 -100 15 37.5 85 -100 17.5 Test 107 Experimental Group (9A) Control Group (9B) STATISTICAL TABLE STATISTICAL TABLE Classificatio Number Percentage Classification Number Percentage n of scores of Test (%) of scores of Test (%) - 45 - 45 17.5 50 - 65 10 25 50 - 65 19 47.5 70 - 80 16 40 70 - 80 15 85 -100 12 30 85 -100 20 108 ... such as the definition of reading, the nature of L2 reading, the role of metacognitive strategies in reading comprehension, and reading comprehension of good and poor readers The fourth section deals... metacognition has a primary role to play in the field of reading Therefore, in this section issues concerning reading comprehension such as the definition of reading, nature of L2 reading, the role of metacognitive. .. discussion about reading comprehension concerning the nature of L2 reading, the role of metacognitive strategies in reading comprehension, and reading comprehension of good and poor readers then