Using graphic organizers to facilitate 11 graders reading comprehension

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY TRAN THI KHANH TOAN OPTIMIZING GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS TO FACILITATE 11 GRADERS’ READING COMPREHENSION Major: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Code: 60.14.01.11 MASTER’S THESIS IN EDUCATION Supervisor: Tran Ba Tien, Ph D Nghe An, 2017 STATEMENT OF THESIS ORIGINALITY I, Trần Thị Khánh Toàn, certify that the thesis “Optimizing Graphic Organizers to facilitate 11th graders reading comprehension”, partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts is the result of my own and has not been submitted for a degree to any other universities or institutions Vinh, August, 2017 Trần Thị Khánh Toàn i ABSTRACT This study aims at responding to the desire of 1 graders at a Nong Cong high school to have new alternatives in language acquisition that help them to strengthen their reading comprehension skill and identifying how the alternative affects EFL students Forty 11th graders participated in the experiment They were divided into two groups: one control group and one experimental group All of them did an English diagnostic test and were assessed with the results of all their experimental reading activities in class During the experiment, the experimental group was instructed to use Graphic Organizers in reading lessons while the control group was not This was carried out to see if Graphic Organizers helped the experimental group facilitate their reading skill It was found that Graphic Organizers helped the students to improve their reading comprehension On the basis of the results obtained, conclusions and recommendations are made: the use of graphic organizers was proved to be effective in improving reading comprehension in learning English The findings have revealed the implications for enhancing the effectiveness of teaching and learning reading skill It is hoped that the results of the study can be beneficial for both EFL high school students and teachers ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my deep gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Tran Ba Tien, for his assistance, guidance and critical comments so that I can complete my study I also wish to send my thanks to lecturers during the M.A course, who have helped me to fulfill the thesis I owe my sincere thanks to teachers and students at Nong Cong high school, Thanh Hoa province, who have been enthusiastic to participate in my research Finally, I would like to show my big gratitude to my family members, my colleagues and my friends who have encouraged me to overcome difficulties when I carried out the research iii TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF THESIS ORIGINALITY i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF TABLES vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS viii LIST OF FIGURES ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .1 1.2 Aims of the study and research questions 1.3 Scope of the Study 1.4 Methods of the study 1.5 Significance of the study 1.6 Design of the study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 The reading process 2.1.1 Reading Models 2.1.1.1 Bottom-up Reading Model 2.1.1.2 Top-down Reading Model 2.1.1.3 Interactive Processing .10 2.2 Reading Comprehension 11 2.2.1 The Nature of Reading Comprehension 11 2.2.2 Reading strategies 12 2.2.2.1 Skimming 12 2.2.2.2 Scanning 14 2.2.2.3 Intensive reading .15 2.2.2.4 Extensive reading .16 2.2.3 The factors influencing Reading Comprehension 17 2.3 Approaches to teach Reading 18 2.3.1 Grammar - Translation Approach 18 2.3.2 Communicative Language Teaching Approach .19 2.3.2.1 Content-Based 19 2.3.2.2 Task-based 20 2.4 Graphic Organizers 20 iv 2.4.1 Definition of graphic organizers 20 2.4.2 Benefits of graphic organizers 21 2.4.3 Types of graphic organizers employed in the research 23 2.4.3.1 The maps for organizing, categorizing, classifying and outlining 24 2.4.3.2 Main idea charts 26 2.4.3.3 Comparing and contrasting graphics 26 2.4.3.4 Showing cause and effect 28 2.4.3.5 Showing story sequence diagrams 29 2.5 Previous studies Error! Bookmark not defined 2.6 Summary .30 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 32 3.1 Research context .32 3.2 Textbooks and Materials for tests 32 3.3 Participants .34 3.4 Research Questions 35 3.5 Research Method 35 3.6 Timeline 36 3.7 Procedures 37 3.7 Data Collection Instruments 39 3.7.1 Diagnostic English test 40 3.7.2 Pre-test and post-test 40 3.7.3 Questionnaire: 40 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 42 4.1 Findings 42 4.1.1 Diagnostic English test .42 4.1.2 Pretest and Posttest 44 4.1.2.1 Pre-test 44 4.1.2.2 Post-test .45 4.1.3 The results of reading Comprehension activities in the Textbook .45 4.1.4 Questionnaires 46 4.2 Discussion: .51 4.2.1 Analysis of pretests 51 4.2.2 Analysis of posttest 52 4.2.3 The improvement the two groups made 54 4.2.4 Analysis of the performance of the experimental group in the activities during the application of graphic organizers in reading comprehension 57 v 4.2.5 Individual performance of the students of the experimental group in the application of the reading activities 57 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 59 5.1 Recapitulation 59 5.2 Pedagogical implications 61 5.3 Limitations of the study 61 5.4 Recommendation for future study 62 5.5 Conclusion 63 REFERENCES 64 APPENDIXES I Appendix 1: Diagnostic Test I Appendix 2: Pre-test III Appendix 3: Post-test VIII Appendix Final Questionnaire (English Version) XIII Appendix : Diagnostic test result XVII Appendix 7: CONTRAST PRE-TEST TO POST-TEST OF TWO GROUPS XVIII Appendix 8: Reading Comprehension Activity XIX Appendix 9: Reading Activity result XXII Appendix 10: Reading Comprehension Activity XXIII Appendix 11: Reading Activity result XXV Appendix 12: Reading comprehension Activity XXVI Appendix 13: Reading Activity result XXVIII Appendix 14: Reading Comprehension Activity XXIX Appendix 15: Reading Activity result XXXI Appendix 16: Reading comprehension Activity XXXII Appendix 17: Reading Activity XXXV vi LIST OF TABLES Table 3.3: Background information about the subject of the study 34 Table 4.1.1 Means and standard deviations of participants’ diagnostic test 42 Table 4.1.1: Numbers of students in score levels according to Diagnostic test results of the Control and Experimental Group 42 Table 4.1.2 Means and standard deviations of participants’ pre-test measured by score of two groups 44 Table 4.1.2: Numbers of students in score levels according to pretest results of the Control and Experimental Group 44 Table 4.1.2 Means and standard deviations of participants’ post-test measured by score of two groups 45 Table 4.1.2: Numbers of students in score levels according to posttest results of the Control and Experimental Group 45 Table 4.2.2: Numbers of students in score levels according to posttest results of the Control and Experimental Group 52 Table 4.2.3 Contrast pretest and posttest (Mean and Standard Deviation) 54 vii EFL LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS : English as a Foreign Language ELT : English Language Teaching FL : Foreign Language L2 : Second language N : The number of students GOs : Graphic Organizers GO : Graphic Organizer CG : Control Group EG : Experimental Group CLT : Communicative Language Teaching viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Components of Reading Figure 2: Top-down chart (Source: Taken from Ray and Tree – English) Figure 3: Chart sample: Classification of Mammals and Reptiles 25 Figure 4: Web sample: Classification of Mammals and Reptiles .25 Figure 5: Main idea and details template 26 Figure 6: Venn diagram sample 27 Figure 7: Comparison matrix template .27 Figure 8: Cause and Effect map sample 28 Figure 9: Cause and Effect fishbone template 29 Figure 10: Story sequence diagram template 29 Figure 11: Timeline of the research 36 Figure 12: The Three Stages of collecting data 39 Figure 13: Numbers of students in score levels according to the diagnostic 43 Figure 14: Numbers of students in score levels according to the diagnostic results of the experiment group .43 Figure 15: Results of five reading comprehension activities during application of graphic organizers 46 Figure 16 Students’ attitudes toward the use of Graphic Organizers in the experiment group 47 Figure 17: Questionnaire: Question Result 48 Figure 18: Questionnaire: Question result .49 Figure 19: Questionnaire: Question Result 49 Figure 20: Questionnaire: Question Result 50 Figure 21 Number of students in score levels according to pretest results of the 51 ix B The Earth - a happy planet C Conditions for a peaceful co-existence D People’s interference with the environment Task Answer the questions What are the four ways by which human beings are changing the world? What are the serious consequences of people’s interference with the environment? What has been done to protect the environment? Procedures to create cause and effect map - Have students identify the problem in the text and write it in the diamond at the top of the template labeled Cause and effect map - Ask students to find out what specifically make this a problem Have the students write the given evidence for defining this as a problem in the box labeled Cause - Let students list each of the solutions presented in the text in the box labeled Effect - Have students predict and write the results expected from the chosen solutions in the box labeled Solution (Optional) - Students then have presentation about the discussed topic, using the template as a guide Remind students to use the key organizing words to help connect ideas XXI Appendix 9: Reading Activity result Topic: Nature in danger (Unit 10, page 114, Tieng Anh 11) Week: GENERAL DIRECTION ACTIVITIES NO E1 E2 E3 After you read the Use the box on the left to state E4 following passage, the cause and link it to the E5 complete the Cause- andcorresponding effect in the E6 effect diagram in 20 box on the right E7 minutes E8 E9 E10 E11 E12 E13 E14 E15 E16 E17 E18 E19 E20 Mean SD Figure 18: Chart Reading Results of Activity XXII SCORE 7 7 8.5 8 7 6.27 2.173 Appendix 10: Reading Comprehension Activity UNIT 11: SOURCES OF ENERGY Read the text carefully and the required activities in 20 minutes At present, most of our energy comes from fossil fuels (oil, coal, and natural gas) However, such reserves are limited Because power demand is increasing very rapidly, fossil fuels will be exhausted within a relatively short time Therefore, people must develop and use alternative sources of energy One alternative source is nuclear energy Nuclear energy can provide enough electricity for the world’s needs for hundreds of years, but it can be very dangerous Another alternative source of energy is geothermal heat, which comes from deep inside the earth Scientists use this heat to make energy However, this energy is available only in a few places in the world The sun, water, and the wind are other alternative sources of energy The wind turns windmills and moves sailboats It is a clean source of energy, and there is lots of it Unfortunately, if the wind does not blow, there is no wind energy When water moves from a high place to a lower place, it makes energy This energy is used to create electricity Water power gives energy without pollution However, people have to build dams to use this energy And as dams cost a lot of money, so water energy is expensive The sun releases large amounts of energy every day This energy can be changed into electricity Many countries use solar energy for their daily life Solar panels on the roofs of houses can create enough energy to heat or cool an entire house Solar energy is not only plentiful and infinite but also clean and safe Although there are some disadvantages, the potential of alternative sources of energy is great However, how to make full use of these sources of energy is a question for researchers all over (Vietnam MOET (2006).Tiếng Anh 11, p.125, 126 Hanoi: Vietnam Education Publishing House ) XXIII PART Scan the passage and write down the advantage(s) and disadvantage(s) of each alternative source of energy COMPARE AND CONTRAST MATRIX Nuclear Solar Water Wind Geothermal power energy power power Heat Reserve Level of safety when used expense PART Answer the questions What is our major source of energy? How many sources of energy are mentioned in the text, and which one you think has the most potential? Procedures to create compare and contrast matrix - Copy the compare and contrast matrix template for students - Help the students create headings for major concepts on the vertical and horizontal axis - Discuss the similarities and differences with them if necessary - Make sure the students are recording details from the text in appropriate places on the matrix organizers XXIV Appendix 11: Reading Activity result Topic: Sources of Energy (Unit 11, page 124, Tieng Anh 11) Week: GENERAL DIRECTION After you read the following passage and fill in the information in the Compare and Contrast matrix ACTIVITIES ACTIVITY 1: Fill in the matrix given ACTIVITY 2: Answer the two questions in Task (page 126) NO E1 E2 E3 E4 E5 E6 E7 E8 E9 E10 E11 E12 E13 E14 E15 E16 E17 E18 E19 E20 Mean SD Figure 19: Chart Reading Results of Activity XXV SCORE 9 8 8 6.5 4.5 7.2 1.601 Appendix 12: Reading comprehension Activity UNIT 10: HEALTHYLIFESTYLE AND LONGEVITY PART Read the text and fill in The Okinawans' secret lies in two things - their food and their attitude towards life Their regular diet is based largely on rice, fish and vegetables They also eat plenty of tofu and sweet potato The elderly have surprisingly low depression levels On the street of Okinawa, people aged 90-100 are found riding motorcycles or mountain bikes, practising karate and kendo, walking several kilometers daily, and even working in vegetable gardens Sardinia's secret to longevity is diet and lifestyle Local residents' diet is rich in healthy nutrients from fresh vegetable, prepared simply with olive oil and served with lemon, garlic and other spices In Sardinia, the elderly continue to be held in high regard and actively take part in family life as well as social activities (Vietnam MOET (2006).Tiếng Anh 11: Student book 2, p.125, 126 Hanoi: Vietnam Education Publishing House and Pearson) SARDINIA Life styles BOTH eating habit OKINAWANS Attitude to life PART Who what: Eating simply food with a kind of vegetable oil: _ Playing sport: Mainly eating fish: Often having spices in their food: Eating a lot of tofu: Procedures to create Venne diagram - Copy the Venn diagram template for students XXVI - Identify and label above each circle the two people, places or things to compare and contrast - Discuss the similarities and differences with students - Record shared traits or characters in overlapping section of the circle - Record unique traits and list them in the appropriate XXVII Appendix 13: Reading Activity result Topic: Healthy Lifestyle and Longevity (Unit 10, page 69T, new Tieng Anh 11teacher’s book) Week: GENERAL DIRECTION ACTIVITIES Read the following passage ACTIVITY 1: Read the and list the similarities and reading passage differences in secrets to longevity of Okinawan and ACTIVITY 2: In the Sardinia and fill in the following Venn diagram Venn Diagram below place differences and similarities in the corresponding part of the graphic XXVIII NO E1 E2 E3 E4 E5 E6 E7 E8 E9 E10 E11 E12 E13 E14 E15 E16 E17 E18 E19 E20 Mean SD SCORE 9.5 8 7 18 7 8 7.5 6.5 8.22 2.457 Appendix 14: Reading Comprehension Activity UNIT 8: OUR WORLD HERIATGE SITE Read the text carefully and the required activities in 20 minutes Ha Long Bay, located in Quang Ninh Province, Viet Nam, was recognised as a World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1994 Over the years, Ha Long Bay has attracted numerous visitors who come to enjoy its breathtaking views and experience other activities Ha Long Bay is well-known for its beautiful scenery With its thousands of rocks and caves emerging out of the water, Ha Long Bay has won international recognition As visitors explore magnificent place, there are always new surprises for them Cruise tours are very popular in Ha Long Bay There are different cruise itineraries so tourists can visit many different caves, and experience the local culture and life on the water Thus, a tour may last from several hours to a day, or even a night on board, which gives the visitors a truly superb experience Ha Long Bay cuisine presents another attraction for tourists It is famous for its fresh seafood, such as crabs, prawns, and sea clams A trip to Ha Long Bay is not complete without tasting the authentic local food served in many restaurants in the area Tourists can also and see a lot in Ha Long Bay at a reasonable price They can save money thanks to the availability of low-cost hotels and cruise tours For those with more abundant travel budgets, there are also many options They can enjoy the comfort and elegance of fivestar hotels and luxury cruise ships The experiences of each visitor to Ha Long Bay vary Some may remember walking up to a beautiful sunrise among the rocks, islets, and caves Others may never forget their cave dinner or the breathtaking view from a mountain top overlooking the bay However, they will all be left with the unforgettable memories of their Ha Long Bay tour (Vietnam MOET (2006).Tiếng Anh 11: Student book 2, p.34, 35 Hanoi: Vietnam Education Publishing House and Pearson) Part 1: Fill in the chart below the ideas of the reading text: Main idea of paragraph 1: + Main idea of paragraph 2: + Main idea of paragraph 3: + Main idea of paragraph 4: = The Main idea of the text: PART 2: Read the text quickly What is it about? A Geographical features of Ha Long Bay XXIX B Job opportunities in Ha Long City C How Ha Long attracts tourists Where in the reading text can you find the information about: cruise tour famous type of food in Ha Long expense for Ha Long Bay tour scenery in Ha Long Bay unforgettable experience of Ha Long Bay tour Procedure to create Main idea - Copy the Main idea Web for students - Help students create ideas of each paragraph for the four boxes in order - Walk around to observe while the students are reading the text individually or together and record the information in each box - Discuss the connection of the idea in each box if necessary - Make sure the students are recording detail from the topic in appropriate places on the Main idea Web Similar to the graphic organizers above, teacher can fill in the information from a topic in the textbook: drawing from four supporting ideas -Teachers can ask students questions to elicit and fill in their answers in the Main idea box (providing them with assistance when needed) XXX Appendix 15: Reading Activity result Topic: Our World Heritage site (Unit 8, page 34, new Tieng Anh 11) Week: GENERAL DIRECTION ACTIVITIES Read the following passage ACTIVITY 1: Read the about Ha Long Bay and fill reading passage in the Main idea chart below ACTIVITY 2: Place the relevant information of each paragraph of the text in the corresponding box XXXI NO E1 E2 E3 E4 E5 E6 E7 E8 E9 E10 E11 E12 E13 E14 E15 E16 E17 E18 E19 E20 Mean SD SCORE 8.5 8.5 10 8 9 7.5 8.5 7.5 8 14 8.37 1.580 Appendix 16: Reading comprehension Activity UNIT 7: FURTHER EDUCATION Read the text carefully and the required activities in 20 minutes After completing senior secondary school, students can choose to pursue further education which is generally divided into higher education and vocational education and training Higher education courses are mainly offered by 43 universities in Australia- 40 public universities, two international universities, and one private university Most of them rank highly for quality of education and student satisfaction Among these are 15 universities ranked in top 100 in the latest Times Higher Education ranking results (2014) There are three main types of higher education, which provides students with bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in a wide range of courses in both natural and social sciences Higher education qualifications include: Qualification Duration Required entry qualifications Associate Degree years Year 12 or equivalent Bachelor’s Degree years Year 12 or equivalent Bachelor’s Degree (Honors) years Bachelor’s Degree Graduate Certificate months Bachelor’s Degree Graduate Diploma year Bachelor’s Degree Master’s Degree 1-2 years Bachelor’s Degree or Bachelor’s Degree (Honors) Doctoral Degree years (or Mater’s Degree more) Most of the program are flexible, allowing students to enrol in a double degree programme, and obtain two bachelor’s degrees Vocational courses which lead to Australian Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualifications offer opportunities for practical work to students who prefer to focus on finding a job These courses are taught by experienced teaching staff and experts to ensure all students are prepared for the workforce (Vietnam MOET (2006).Tiếng Anh 11: Activity book 2, p.13, 14 Hanoi: Vietnam Education Publishing House and Pearson) PART 1: Read the following text about the Australian education system and fill in all gaps in Network Tree below XXXII Further Education Higher education Vocational Ed PART 2: Based on the information from the text, complete the following sentences with no more than five words In Australia, students in further education can pursue _ Australian universities can be categorized as _ Students can _when they successfully complete double degree course Students in vocational education are often taught and trained _ in the field Procedures to create a Network tree - Copy the network tree template for students - Help students create headings for top large oval and subheadings for the other large ovals - Walk around to observe while the students are reading the text individually or together and record the information in each branch - Discuss the connection of the idea in each oval if necessary - Make sure the students are recording detail from the topic in appropriate places on the network tree organizer - Similar to the graphic organizers above, teacher can fill in the information from a topic in the textbook - Teachers can ask students questions to elicit and fill in their answers in the circles (providing them with assistance when needed) XXXIII - Students can fill in the information in a network tree graphic organizer themselves, as they listen to, watch, or read information) - Students can fill in the information based on their knowledge of a story, lecture, etc they have heard in the past - Students can use the information plugged into the graphic organizer to generate sentences for a paragraph, essay, or upcoming speech XXXIV Appendix 17: Reading Activity Topic: (Unit 10, page 69T, new Tieng Anh 11-teacher’s book 2) Week: GENERAL DIRECTION ACTIVITIES Read the following passage ACTIVITY 1: Read the and fill the information reading passage about education in Australia in the Network ACTIVITY 2: In the Tree below following Network tree, fill in the information XXXV NO E1 E2 E3 E4 E5 E6 E7 E8 E9 E10 E11 E12 E13 E14 E15 E16 E17 E18 E19 E20 Mean SD SCORE 10 10 7.5 7 7.5 6.5 10 6.5 7.5 7.67 1.238 ... attitudes 11th graders hold about the use of graphic organizers in learning reading comprehension skill? 2.2 Can graphic organizers facilitate students’ reading comprehension? If so, to what extent?... can improve their reading comprehension As a result, the author decided to carry out the entitled study: “Optimizing graphic organizers to facilitate 11th graders? ?? reading comprehension? ?? The... With a view to gaining some insight into reading strategies and reading strategy instruction, I chose to study how to improve students’ reading comprehension through using graphic organizers The