Rivet as a pre reading activity to enhance high school efl learners’reading fluency

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY NGUYEN THI TUYET MAI RIVET AS A PRE-READING ACTIVITY TO ENHANCE HIGH SCHOOL EFL LEARNERS’ READING FLUENCY FIELD: THEORY AND METHODS OF TEACHING ENGLISH MASTER THESIS IN EDUCATON NGHE AN, 2019 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY NGUYEN THI TUYET MAI RIVET AS A PRE-READING ACTIVITY TO ENHANCE HIGH SCHOOL EFL LEARNERS’ READING FLUENCY FIELD: THEORY AND METHODS OF TEACHING ENGLISH Code: 8.14.01.11 MASTER THESIS IN EDUCATON Supervisor: Dr Tran Thi Ngoc Yen NGHE AN, 2019 i STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I hereby acknowledge that this study is mine The data and findings discussed in the thesis are true, used with permission, and have not been published elsewhere Quang Binh, August 1st, 2019 Author Nguyen Thi Tuyet Mai ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Tran Thi Ngoc Yen for her considerable support for useful comments and fundamental criticism A word of thanks goes to school in which I carried out of thesis Thank you very much to participants including English teachers and students of Phan Dinh Phung High school Without their contribution, this research would not be done A special word of thanks is for the headmaster, Nguyen Thi Hai Yen for her help of giving the best conditions for my study My deep gratitude goes to my beloved family whose love and encouragement helps me overcome all difficulties through the duration of the research iii ABSTRACT Pre-reading activities have been considered as one of the major factors deciding the success of reading comprehension This study aims to examine the effects of RIVET technique on EFL high school student’s reading competence This research was carried out at Phan Dinh Phung High School in Dong Hoi city, in Quang Binh Province with 70 students in grade twelve divided into two groups, which followed the English program at High school For treatment group, the researcher used Rivet as a pre-reading activity In contrast, for control group the researcher applied other types of activities Data for the research were collected from the instruments It was found that both treatment group and controlled group improved speed and fluency However, the treatment outperformed the control group In the insight of reading competence, RIVET technique for reading comprehension and some samples for supplementary reading material sources of textbook Tieng Anh 12 were concerned to help students better their reading skill iv TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS .iv LIST OF TABLES .vi LIST OF FIGURES vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Aims of study 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Scope of the study 1.5 Thesis design CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 The reading process 2.1.1 The definition of reading 2.1.2 The role of reading in language learning 2.1.3 Reading skills and reading strategies 12 2.2 Reading fluency 14 2.2.1 Indicators of reading fluency 15 2.2.2 Factors affecting reading fluency 21 2.3 Teaching reading in a foreign language 24 2.3.1 Techniques to teach reading 25 2.3.2 Methods to develop reading fluency 26 2.3.3 Stages in a reading lesson 28 2.3.4 The importance of pre-reading activities 28 2.4 Rivet as a pre-reading activity 28 2.4.1 Introduction 28 2.4.2 Definition of the rivet technique 29 2.4.3 Benefits of the rivet technique 29 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 31 v 3.1 Research questions 31 3.2 Participants 31 3.3 Materials 32 3.3.1 The general English test 32 3.3.2 Pre-test and Post-test 32 3.3.3 Textbook 33 3.3.4 Lesson plans 34 3.4 Procedures 35 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 57 4.1 Results 57 4.1.1 General English test results 57 4.1.2 Pre-test results 58 4.1.3 Post-test results 62 4.2 Discussion 70 4.2.1 The effect of Rivet technique on reading comprehension 70 4.2.2 The effect of Rivet technique on reading speed 71 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 72 5.1 Pedagogical implications 72 5.2 Limitations of the study 74 5.3 Recommendation for further research 74 5.4 Conclusion 74 REFFERENCES 76 APPENDIX A 79 APPENDIX B 85 APPENDIX C 89 APPENDIX D 95 APPENDIX E 99 APPENDIX F 102 APPENDIX G 104 APPENDIX H 106 APPENDIX I 108 APPENDIX J 110 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 4.1: The average total scores of general English test in the two experimental groups 57 Table 4.2: The mean and standard deviations of general English test in the two experimental groups 57 Table 4.3: The mean and standard deviations of reading speed of both groups in pre-test 59 Table 4.4: Means and standard deviations of comprehension levels of both groups in pre-test 60 Table 4.5: Means and standard deviations of reading speed of both groups in post-test 62 Table 4.6: Means and standard deviations of comprehension levels of both groups in post-test 64 Table 4.7: Frequent distribution of Post-test of two groups 65 Table 4.8: The increase difference between the pre-test and the post-test on reading speed by all participants in both groups 66 Table 4.9: Summary of pre-test and post-test speeds and speed increases for both groups 67 Table 4.10: Initial comprehension levels (Pre) and final comprehension levels (Post) for all participants (P) 68 Table 4.11: Means and standard deviations of comprehension levels in the pretest and post-test for both groups 69 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 4.1: Pie chart of the general English test scores for both groups 58 Figure 4.2: Number of words per minute on Pre–test on reading speed 59 Figure 4.3: Results of scores on pre–test on reading speed by participants from two groups 60 Figure 4.4: Results of scores on Pre- test on reading comprehension by participants from two groups 61 Figure 4.5: Pie chart of the pre-test’s results for both groups 62 Figure 4.6: Number of words per minute on Post –test on reading speed 63 Figure 4.7: Results of scores on post–test on reading speed by participants from two groups 63 Figure 4.8: Results of scores on Post –test on reading comprehension by participants from two groups 64 Figure 4.9: Pie chart of the Post-test’s results on reading comprehension for both groups 65 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale Studies of pre-reading activities for native speakers have demonstrated the facilitative effects of activating reader s prior knowledge relevant to understanding of the new text (Mayer, 1994) Not only pre-reading activities prepare native speakers for the concepts that follow, but making the reading task easier and connecting the new concept more meaningfully to prior knowledge, pre-reading activities make reading a more enjoyable task (Hansen, 1981) Prereading activities are thus intended to activate appropriate knowledge structures or provide knowledge that the reader lacks The present study intends to investigate the effects of a pre-reading activity on engineering students’ reading fluency It is hypothesized that employing pre-reading activities would significantly improve student’s reading ability “Reading is one of the most important skills in study and daily life” West (1941) Because of powerful reading ability, various researchers have attempted to investigate ways to improve students’ reading ability in reading programs West (1941) believed that reading ability is powerful because it transfers from one language to another language Therefore, if a person’s reading speed in his mother language improves, it is likely that his foreign language reading rate will increase as a transfer effect I have been myself a teacher of English for a long time, which is full enough for an experienced one In my teaching process, I always try my best to find out the appropriate methods to teach lesson effectively The innovation in English teaching method has been promoting actively in the teaching and learning It is not teacher-centered but learners-centered The purpose of teaching is to develop English communication skills of students including reading, speaking, listening and writing In the development of modern technology today, the more popular pre-reading activities are, the more abundant the sources of reading materials are As a result, students have a 97 A Right B Wrong C Doesn’t say Howard’s parents took him out to restaurants A Right B Wrong C Doesn’t say Howard has always spent a lot of money on clothes A.Right B Wrong C Doesn’t say 10 Howard has written books about French cooking A.Right B Wrong C Doesn’t say 11 It costs a lot of money to eat in Howard’s restaurant A.Right B Wrong C Doesn’t say 12 Howard says cooking for a lot of people is easy A Right B Wrong C Doesn’t say 98 PART QUESTIONS 13-20 Read the article about line dancing Choose the best word (A, B or C) tor each space (13-20) For questions 1320, mark A, B or C on the answer sheet LINE DANCING Thousands of people in Britain (0) _ a new hobby - line dancing In almost (13) _ town, you will find clubs and classes for this new activity Line dancing is easy to learn If you have two feet and can walk, then you can it!’ Fiona Lever, a teacher, (14) _ ‘You don’t need a partner because you dance (15) groups It’s the (16) _way to make new friends In my classes, (17) _ are young and old people The boys like it because they can make a lot of noise with their feet (18) the dances!’ When (19) fine dancing begin? Most people think it started about fifteen years (20) _when American country music became famous in Britain EXAMPLE 132 A A have all B B had some C C having every 14 A say B says C saying 15 A at B to C in 16 A best B better C good 17 A here B there C they 18 A among B across C during 19 A has B is C did 20 A after B ago C since 99 APPENDIX E READING COMPREHENDSION POST- TEST PART QUESTIONS 1-5 Read the sentences about cooking a meal Choose the best word (A, B or C) for each space For questions 1-5, mark A, B or C on your answer sheet Example: Last week Louise some friends at her new school A made B started C played She all of them to dinner at her house on Saturday evening A phoned B invited C said Louise wrote the things she needed to buy for the meal on a of paper A piece B slice C part She was on Saturday morning so she went shopping in the afternoon A full B busy C difficult Louise two hours cooking the meal A waited B spent C passed When the meal was , everyone sat down to eat A right B sure C ready PART QUESTIONS 6-12 Read the article about Bill Bryson, a writer Are sentences 6-12 ‘Right’ (A) or ‘Wrong’ (B)? If there is not enough information to answer ‘Right’ (A) or ‘Wrong’ (B), choose Doesn’t say’ (C) For questions 6-12, mark A, B or C on your answer sheet 100 I was born in the United States but I have written several travel books about England I lived there with my wife and four children for 20 years, but for the last three years we have lived in the United States Our children are now learning about life in the United States I'm sure they will be happier because they have lived in two countries I like Britain and I want to return, but my daughter, Felicity, is going to start college here soon, so it won't be for another four years I have just been to England for six weeks to work on a radio programme about the English language and also to talk about the book I've just written Most writers don’t like doing this; they don't like travelling around the country, selling their book I don't mind it I like visiting new places and meeting lots of people It's very different from the life i have in the United States when I'm writing In England, people drove me around in big cars and I stayed in expensive hotels It was good because I didn't have to pay any bills Everyone was kind to me and it was fun Example: Bill has written about a country he has visited A Right B Wrong C Doesn't say Bill returned to the United States after living in England for a long time A Right B Wrong C Doesn't say Bill thinks it will be good for his children to live in more than one country A Right B Wrong C Doesn't say Bill's daughter didn’t want to go to college in England A Right B Wrong C Doesn’t say Bill has just visited England to finish writing his new book A Right B Wrong C Doesn’t say 10 Bill is happy with the things he has to to sell his books A Right B Wrong C Doesn’t say 11 Bill has travelled to many different places in the United States A Right B Wrong C Doesn't say 12 It cost Bill a lot of money to travel around England for six weeks A Right B Wrong C Doesn't say 101 PART QUESTIONS 13-20 Read the article about crocodiles Choose the best word (A, B or C) for each space For questions 13-20, mark A, B or C on your answer sheet CROCODILES We can find crocodiles in tropical parts of (0) _ world, for example Africa, South America and Northern Australia They spend most of the time (13) slow-moving water but they (14) move fast through the water and on land You often see crocodiles together in large groups They (15) _ everything they catch, (16) fish, birds and small animals And sometimes they make a meal of large animals or even people There are (17) _ than ten types of crocodile They all have very sharp teeth They often lose (18) _ teeth, but soon get new ones Crocodiles are usually about 3.5 metres long, but some are much (19) Crocodiles live (20) a long time The oldest one kept in a zoo was 66 years old Example: A the B an C a 13 A in B on C at 14 A are B can C have 15 A eats B eat C ate 16 A by B like C to 17 A more B most C many 18 A this B that C these 19 A bigger B big C biggest 20 A for B since C during 102 APPENDIX F Score and means of general test for both groups GROUP A GROUP B Participants Score Participants Score A1 B1 8.5 A2 B2 A3 4.5 B3 A4 B4 4.5 A5 4.5 B5 A6 9.5 B6 A7 4.5 B7 A8 7.5 B8 A9 B9 A10 4.5 B10 6.5 A11 B11 5.5 A12 6.5 B12 A13 B13 10 A14 6.5 B14 A15 B15 4.5 A16 5.5 B16 A17 4.5 B17 A18 B18 4.5 A19 B19 6.5 A20 B20 6.5 A21 B21 6.5 A22 6.5 B22 A23 6.5 B23 A24 B24 103 A25 6.5 B25 6.5 A26 6.5S B26 A27 6.5 B27 6.5 A28 B28 A29 B29 A30 7.5 B30 6.5 A31 10 B31 A32 B32 A33 B33 A34 B34 A35 B35 Mean 7.17 Mean 6.57 SD 1.38 SD 1.53 104 APPENDIX G Means and standard deviations of two groups’ results on reading speed on Pre-test GROUP A Participants GROUP B Speed (Number of words per minute) Participants Speed (Number of words per minute) A1 93 B1 69 A2 56 B2 61 A3 67 B3 58 A4 69 B4 75 A5 96 B5 80 A6 60 B6 76 A7 68 B7 88 A8 61 B8 65 A9 58 B9 55 A10 62 B10 68 A11 68 B11 96 A12 100 B12 88 A13 79 B13 72 A14 64 B14 68 A15 76 B15 58 A16 69 B16 68 A17 89 B17 65 A18 100 B18 58 A19 68 B19 98 A20 81 B20 100 A21 70 B21 90 A22 79 B22 73 A23 92 B23 69 105 A24 70 B24 87 A25 90 B25 94 A26 62 B26 58 A27 96 B27 66 A28 88 B28 70 A29 55 B29 96 A30 98 B30 102 A31 87 B31 88 A32 56 B32 93 A33 95 B33 70 A34 58 B34 97 A35 76 B35 62 Mean 76 Mean 77 SD 14.50 SD 14.37 106 APPENDIX H Means and standard deviations of two groups’ results on readingspeed on Post –test GROUP A Participants GROUP B Speed (Number of words per minute) Speed (Number of Participants words per minute) A1 105 B1 74 A2 70 B2 68 A3 70 B3 62 A4 90 B4 80 A5 104 B5 88 A6 88 B6 80 A7 90 B7 93 A8 80 B8 71 A9 90 B9 60 A10 88 B10 72 A11 103 B11 98 A12 104 B12 91 A13 103 B13 78 A14 102 B14 71 A15 104 B15 62 A16 89 B16 72 A17 102 B17 72 A18 105 B18 62 A19 104 B19 100 A20 103 B20 102 107 A21 100 B21 93 A22 104 B22 77 A23 105 B23 72 A24 93 B24 91 A25 104 B25 96 A26 102 B26 62 A27 104 B27 71 A28 100 B28 74 A29 90 B29 98 A30 105 B30 104 A31 90 B31 90 A32 103 B32 96 A33 105 B33 75 A34 90 B34 100 A35 104 B35 68 Mean 97 Mean 88 SD 9.61 SD 13.46 108 APPENDIX I Reading comprehension scores and means of the Pre-test for both groups GROUP A GROUP B Participants Score Participants Score A1 15 B1 15 A2 10 B2 13 A3 B3 16 A4 13 B4 13 A5 B5 11 A6 B6 11 A7 17 B7 A8 11 B8 A9 B9 A10 15 B10 15 A11 10 B11 16 A12 12 B12 16 A13 11 B13 11 A14 18 B14 15 A15 16 B15 12 A16 12 B16 16 A17 12 B17 12 A18 B18 11 A19 B19 15 A20 11 B20 11 A21 11 B21 11 A22 13 B22 16 A23 15 B23 17 109 A24 15 B24 15 A25 17 B25 11 A26 16 B26 13 A27 16 B27 12 A28 12 B28 11 A29 12 B29 16 A30 11 B30 12 A31 10 B31 A32 B32 A33 B33 A34 14 B34 11 A35 15 B35 11 Mean 12.20 Mean 12.34 SD 3.02 SD 2.88 110 APPENDIX J Reading comprehension scores and means of the Post-test for both groups GROUP A GROUP B Participants Score Participants Score A1 18 B1 16 A2 14 B2 15 A3 13 B3 14 A4 16 B4 12 A5 16 B5 12 A6 15 B6 11 A7 20 B7 11 A8 17 B8 11 A9 16 B9 12 A10 19 B10 17 A11 17 B11 16 A12 18 B12 15 A13 16 B13 12 A14 20 B14 16 A15 19 B15 16 A16 17 B16 17 A17 17 B17 16 A18 16 B18 13 A19 14 B19 16 A20 17 B20 11 A21 16 B21 11 A22 18 B22 16 A23 19 B23 16 111 A24 18 B24 17 A25 19 B25 13 A26 19 B26 16 A27 19 B27 12 A28 16 B28 16 A29 16 B29 17 A30 15 B30 12 A31 16 B31 11 A32 14 B32 12 A33 16 B33 11 A34 17 B34 13 A35 19 B35 16 Mean 16.91 Mean 13.94 SD 1.81 SD 2.27 ... importance of pre- reading activities Pre- reading activities help students prepare for the reading activity by activating the relevant schemata, and motivating them to read Pre- reading activities can... to transmit knowledge in the teaching and learning language Teachers are no longer dominant in the class; a teacher has to be a facilitator, a tutor, an instructor and so on In order take that... Pre- Reading Stage While -Reading Stage Post -Reading Stage Pre- Reading activities are activities that helps students think about what they know about a topic and predict what they will read or hear