The impact of repeated reading on efl learners reading speed and reading comprehension

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY NGUYEN HUONG GIANG THE IMPACT OF REPEATED READING ON EFL LEARNERS’ READING SPEED AND READING COMPREHENSION MASTER’S THESIS IN EDUCATION NGHE AN - 2016 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY NGUYEN HUONG GIANG THE IMPACT OF REPEATED READING ON EFL LEARNERS’ READING SPEED AND READING COMPREHENSION Major: Theory and Methods of Teaching English Code: 60.14.01.11 MASTER’S THESIS IN EDUCATION Supervisor: Dr Tran Thi Ngoc Yen NGHE AN - 2016 ABSTRACT The main goal in this study is to find out if repeated reading has any effect on EFL learners’ reading speed and reading comprehension In order to achieve the mentioned goal, an experiment was carried out among 70 students at Vinh University of Industry The participants did a general English test and 70 students were divided into two groups: control group and treatment group Both groups were asked to complete a pre-test before participating in the repeated reading sessions and a post-test after taking part in the repeated reading sessions This was to see how many words per minute can they read and how much they comprehended The data were mainly collected through sixteen lessons for both groups The collected data were analyzed in terms of reading speed (words per minute) and reading comprehension (accuracy) The research findings indicated that the experimental group’s reading speed and reading comprehension increased during the treatment Based on the findings, some implications for teaching the reading skill were proposed Limitations of the study were pointed out and further research was suggested i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I would like to express my deep gratitude to Dr Tran Thi Ngoc Yen, who directly supported and encouraged me during the preparation of this study I am truly grateful to her for her professional advice, invaluable support and guidance she offered to help me carry out the study I wish to express my sincere thanks to the students of the two classes I worked with in order to gather data for my study I would also like to thank my friends for their friendship and proofreading in the preparation of my thesis Last but not least, I owe special heartfelt appreciation to my parents without whose unceasing support, patience and understanding I could not have been able to complete my study ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii TABLE OF CONTENTS iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vi LIST OF TABLES vii LIST OF CHARTS x CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 1.2 Aims of the study 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Scope of the study 1.5 Design of the thesis CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 The reading process 2.1.1 The definitions of reading 2.1.2 Models of reading 2.1.2.1 Bottom-up model 2.1.2.2 Top-down model 2.1.2.3 Interactive model 10 2.2 The role of reading in learning 11 2.3 Reading purposes 12 2.4 Classification of reading 14 2.4.1 According to manners of reading 14 2.4.1.1 Reading aloud 14 2.4.1.2 Silent reading 16 2.4.2 According to purposes of reading 17 2.4.2.1 Skimming 17 2.4.2.2 Scanning 18 iii 2.4.2.3 Intensive reading 20 2.4.2.4 Extensive reading 21 2.4.2.5 Repeated reading 22 2.5 Reading comprehension 23 2.5.1 Comprehension and reading comprehension 23 2.5.2 Factors involved in reading comprehension 25 2.5.3 Factors affecting reading comprehension 26 2.5.4 Assessing reading comprehension 28 2.6 Reading speed 30 2.6.1 The nature of reading speed 30 2.6.2 The importance of reading speed in EFL 31 2.6.3 Factors hindering reading speed 32 2.6.4 Measuring reading speed 33 2.7 Repeated reading 33 2.7.1 What is repeated reading? 33 2.7.2 Background of repeated reading 34 2.7.3 Strategies of repeated reading 36 CHAPTER THE EXPERIMENT 39 3.1 Methodology 39 3.1.1 Research questions 39 3.1.2 Participants 39 3.1.3 Materials 39 3.1.4 Procedures 40 3.2 Results 42 3.2.1 Pre-test results 42 3.2.1.1 Reading speed 42 3.2.1.2 Reading comprehension 43 3.2.2 Repeated reading results 44 3.2.2.1 Reading speed and reading comprehension for the first week 44 iv 3.2.2.2 Reading speed and reading comprehension for the second week 47 3.2.2.3 Reading speed and reading comprehension for the third week 49 3.2.2.4 Reading speed and reading comprehension for the fourth week 52 3.2.2.5 Reading speed and reading comprehension for the fifth week 54 3.2.2.6 Reading speed and reading comprehension for the sixth week 56 3.2.2.7 Reading speed and reading comprehension for the seventh week 58 3.2.2.8 Reading speed and reading comprehension for the eighth week 59 3.2.3 Post-test results 61 3.2.4 Comparison of results and means 62 3.3 Discussion of the main findings 64 CHAPTER CONCLUSION 67 4.1 Pedagogical implications 67 4.2 Limitations of the study 68 4.3 Recommendation for further research 69 4.4 Conclusion 69 REFERENCES 70 APPENDIX v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS EFL: English as Foreign Language L2: Second language IR: Intensive reading ER: Extensive reading L1: First language FL: Foreign language RR: Repeated reading RC: Reading comprehension CG: Control group 10 TG: Treatment group 11 WPM: Word per minute 12 MCQ: Multiple choice question vi LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1 Means and standard deviations of participants’ reading speed measured by words per minute (wpm) for two groups 42 Table 3.2 Means and standard deviations of participants’ reading comprehension measured by percentage (%) for two groups 44 Table 3.3 Means and standard deviations of participants’ reading speed measured by words per minute for two groups 45 Table 3.4 Reading speed of Treatment group for four reading times at the first week 45 Table 3.5 Means and standard deviations of participants’ reading comprehension for two groups at the first reading 46 Table 3.6 Reading comprehension of Treatment group for four reading times at the first week 47 Table 3.7 Means and standard deviations of participants’ reading speed measured by words per minute for two groups 47 Table 3.8 Reading speed of Treatment group for four reading times at the second week 48 Table 3.9 Means and standard deviations of participants’ reading comprehension for two groups at the first reading 48 Table 3.10 Reading comprehension of Treatment group for four reading times at the second week 49 Table 3.11 Means and standard deviations of participants’ reading speed measured by words per minute for two groups 50 Table 3.12 Reading speed of Treatment group for four reading times at the third week 50 Table 3.13 Means and standard deviations of participants’ reading comprehension for two groups at the first reading 51 vii Table 3.14 Reading comprehension of Treatment group for four reading times at the third week 51 Table 3.15 Means and standard deviations of participants’ reading speed measured by words per minute for two groups 52 Table 3.16 Reading speed of Treatment group for four reading times at the fourth week 52 Table 3.17 Means and standard deviations of participants’ reading comprehension for two groups at the first reading 53 Table 3.18 Reading comprehension of Treatment group for four reading times at the third week 53 Table 3.19 Means and standard deviations of participants’ reading speed measured by words per minute for two groups 54 Table 3.20 Reading speed of Treatment group for four reading times at the fourth week 54 Table 3.21 Means and standard deviations of participants’ reading comprehension for two groups at the first reading 55 Table 3.22 Reading comprehension of Treatment group for four reading times at the fifth week 55 Table 3.23 Means and standard deviations of participants’ reading speed measured by words per minute for two groups 56 Table 3.24 Reading speed of Treatment group for four reading times at the sixth week 56 Table 3.25 Means and standard deviations of participants’ reading comprehension for two groups at the first reading 57 Table 3.26 Reading comprehension of Treatment group for four reading times at the sixth week 57 Table 3.27 Means and standard deviations of participants’ reading speed measured by words per minute for two groups 58 viii Meat and cheese are the best sources of usable animal protein and next come milk, fish and eggs Slow and careful cooking of meat makes it more digestible and assists in the breaking down of the protein content by the body When cooking vegetables, however, the vitamins, and in particular the water-soluble vitamin C, should not be lost through over-cooking With fruit, vitamin loss is negligible, because the cooking water is normally eaten along with the fruit, and acids in the fruit help to hold in the vitamin C Most nutrition experts today would recommend a balanced diet containing elements of all foods, largely because of our need for sufficient vitamins Vitamins were first called 'accessory food factors' since it was discovered, in 1906, that most foods contain, besides carbohydrates, fats, minerals and water, these other substances necessary for health The most common deficiencies in Western diets today are those ofvitamins The answer is variety in food A well-balanced diet having sufficient amounts of milk, fruit, vegetables, eggs, and meat, fish or fowl (i.e any good protein source) usually provides adequate minimum daily requirements of all thevitamins New words: succulent (adj): ngon, bổ; physiological (adj):thuộc sinh lí học; consistent (adj): phù hợp; bulk (n): chất xơ; digestive (adj): tiêu hóa; advocate (v): ủng hộ lacto-vegetarianism (n): chế độ ăn chay cho phép ăn số sản phẩm động vật Task 1:Read the total passage once and record your reading time Task 2: Select the answer which is most accurate according to the information given in the passage A strict vegetarian A rarely eats animal products C never eats any animal products B sometimes eats eggs D never eats protein We feel weak when we go without meat and other animal products A because we are reducing our food intake B because we not get enough protein C because vegetables not contain protein D unless we take plenty ofexercise Proteins are built up from A approximately twenty different foods B about twenty different vegetables C various fats and sugars D about twenty different amino-acids Physiologically, life-long vegetarianism may not be good because A it makes people very thin B the body must process too much waste C the farmers lose money D vitamin-deficiency diseases may result One thing in favour of vegetarianism is that A vegetable food is easier to digest C vegetable food is cheaper B animal food is less expensive D it is good for the digestion The body's daily need for proteinis A 90 grams B 50 grams C 70 grams D at least 100 grams The digestive organs can comfortably deal with A any quantity of food per day B A limited quantity of food per day C less than 70 grams of food per day D any amount of vegetable foods Vegetarianism is not suitable for growing children because they A need more protein than vegetables can supply B cannot digest vegetables C use more energy than adults D cannot easily digest milk and milk products Slow and careful cooking of mest A preserves the vitamins C makes it easier to digest B breaks down thevitamins D reduces the protein content 10 Most nutrition experts today believe the food weat should contain A more meat than vegetables B more vegetables than meat C fruit, cereals and fish as well as meat andvegetables D as many different kinds of vegetables aspossible TIME READING SPEED READING COMPREHENSION APPENDIX C Reading speed scores (wpm) and means of the Pre-test Participants Treatment group scores (wpm) Participants Control group scores (wpm) A1 100 B1 98 A2 118 B2 98 A3 98 B3 100 A4 88 B4 125 A5 121 B5 110 A6 94 B6 120 A7 123 B7 99 A8 112 B8 129 A9 114 B9 99 A10 99 B10 92 A11 112 B11 126 A12 125 B12 126 A13 90 B13 110 A14 115 B14 95 A15 135 B15 125 A16 119 B16 122 A17 108 B17 99 A18 99 B18 96 A19 111 B19 86 A20 125 B20 118 A21 119 B21 123 A22 109 B22 139 A23 129 B23 109 A24 145 B24 122 A25 114 B25 114 A26 107 B26 97 A27 108 B27 98 A28 105 B28 115 A29 98 B29 95 A30 132 B30 125 A31 112 B31 99 A32 95 B32 85 A33 110 B33 105 A34 118 B34 110 A35 113 B35 106 N= 35 ∑ X = 3920 N= 35 ∑ X = 3815 Mean 112 Mean 109 APPENDIX D Reading comprehension scores (%) and means of the Pre-test Participants Treatment group scores (%) Participants Control group scores (%) A1 40 B1 50 A2 30 B2 30 A3 30 B3 20 A4 70 B4 40 A5 30 B5 50 A6 40 B6 40 A7 80 B7 70 A8 50 B8 50 A9 40 B9 40 A10 20 B10 20 A11 30 B11 30 A12 60 B12 60 A13 50 B13 50 A14 40 B14 60 A15 30 B15 30 A16 60 B16 60 A17 40 B17 50 A18 50 B18 50 A19 60 B19 40 A20 50 B20 50 A21 40 B21 20 A22 30 B22 30 A23 60 B23 60 A24 50 B24 50 A25 40 B25 40 A26 20 B26 20 A27 30 B27 30 A28 60 B28 60 A29 20 B29 20 A30 30 B30 30 A31 50 B31 50 A32 20 B32 20 A33 70 B33 40 A34 30 B34 30 A35 40 B35 40 N= 35 ∑ X = 1490 N= 35 ∑ X = 1430 Mean 42.6 Mean 40.9 APPENDIX E POST-TEST DriedFood Centuries ago, man discovered that removing drops of water from food helps to preserve it, and that the easiest way to this is to expose the food to sun and wind In this way the North American Indians produce pemmican (dried meat ground into powder and made into cakes), the Scandinavians make stockfish and the Arabs dried dates and 'apricot leather' All foods contain water – cabbage and other leaf vegetables contain as much as 93% water, potatoes and other root vegetables 80%, lean meat 75% and fish anything from 80% to 60% depending on how fatty it is If this water is removed, the activity of the bacteria which cause food to go bad is checked Fruit is sun-dried in Asia Minor, Greece, Spain and other Mediterranean countries, and also in California, South Africa and Australia The methods used vary, but in general, the fruit is spread out on trays in drying yards in the hot sun In order to prevent darkening, pears, peaches and apricots are exposed to the fumes of burning sulphur before drying Plums, for making prunes, and certain varieties of grapes for making raisins and currants, are dipped in an alkaline solution in order to crack the skins of the fruit slightly and remove their wax coating, so increasing therate of drying Nowadays most foods are dried mechanically The conventional method of such dehydration is to put food in chambers through which hot air is blown at temperatures of about 110° C at exit This is the usual method for drying such things as vegetables, minced meat, and fish Liquids such as milk, coffee, tea, soups and eggs may be dried by pouring them over a heated horizontal steel cylinder or by spraying them into a chamber through which a current of hot air passes In the first case, the dried material is removed from the roller as a thin film which is then broken up into small, though still relatively coarse flakes (thick pieces) In the second process it falls to the bottom of the chamber as a fine powder Where recognizable pieces of meat and vegetables are required, as in soup, the ingredients are dried separately and then mixed Dried foods take up less room and weigh less than the same food packed in cans or frozen, and they not need to be stored in special conditions For these reasons they are invaluable to climbers, explorers and soldiers in battle, who have little storage space They are also popular with housewives because it takes so little time to cook them Usually it is just a case of replacing the dried-out moisture with boiling water New words: pemmincan (n): ruốc, scandinavian (n): người X căng-đi-na-vi, stockfish (n): cá khô không muối, Mediterranean (adj): (thuộc) Địa Trung Hải, tray (n): khay, raisin (n): nho khô, minced meat (n): thịt băm Task 1:Read the total passage once and record your reading time Task 2: Select the answer which is most accurate according to the information given in the passage The open-air method of drying food A is the one most commonly usedtoday B was invented by the AmericanIndians C has been known for hundreds ofyears D tends to beunhygiennic The water content A does not vary from food tofood B is greater in green vegetables than in leanmeat C is greater in fish than invegetables D has never been accuratelycalculated Bacteria which cause food to go bad A cannot live insunlight B are killed bydrying C are in no way dependent on the watercontent D have their activity greatly reduced bydrying Fruit is sun dried A always by the samemethod B generally ontrays C in every country in theworld D by spreading it out under glasspanels Sulphur fumes are used before drying some fruits A to dry them morequickly B to preserve theircolour C to prevent the skin fromcraking D to kill offbacteria Nowadays vegetables are most commonly dried A on horizontalcylinders B in hot-airchambers C in the sun andwind D using the open traymethod Powdered coffee is made A by spraying the liquid over acylinder B in one of two differentways C in the same way as mincedmeat D by passing through a machine which crushes it into very smallpieces If soup requires recognizable pieces of meat, they are A treatedseparately B allowed to fall to the bottom of the dryingchamber C mixed in later as a finepowder D sold separately in sealed plasticbags Dried foods A are often packed in cans orfrozen B are used by soldiers andclimbers C need more storage space than soldiers usually haveavailable D are much cheaper than canned or frozenproducts 10.Housewives like dried foods because they A are quick toprepare B tastebetter C can be preserved by boiling inwater D look fresh and appetizing whencooked Time : Speed : Comprehension : APPENDIX F Reading speed scores (wpm) and means of the Post-test Participants Treatment group scores (wpm) Participants Control group scores (wpm) A1 171 B1 108 A2 168 B2 107 A3 170 B3 111 A4 169 B4 130 A5 161 B5 117 A6 172 B6 130 A7 178 B7 106 A8 168 B8 135 A9 171 B9 108 A10 172 B10 102 A11 170 B11 134 A12 173 B12 135 A13 175 B13 120 A14 172 B14 112 A15 174 B15 133 A16 176 B16 130 A17 170 B17 108 A18 179 B18 111 A19 176 B19 105 A20 178 B20 126 A21 171 B21 132 A22 172 B22 144 A23 174 B23 120 A24 169 B24 133 A25 167 B25 125 A26 174 B26 115 A27 170 B27 110 A28 160 B28 118 A29 165 B29 106 A30 170 B30 132 A31 163 B31 109 A32 170 B32 103 A33 172 B33 114 A34 170 B34 121 A35 175 B35 115 N= 35 ∑ X = 5985 N= 35 ∑ X = 4165 Mean 171 Mean 119 APPENDIX G Reading comprehension scores (%) and means of the Post-test Participants Treatment group scores (%) Participants Control group scores (%) A1 70 B1 50 A2 80 B2 30 A3 60 B3 50 A4 70 B4 40 A5 70 B5 50 A6 60 B6 40 A7 80 B7 50 A8 70 B8 50 A9 50 B9 40 A10 70 B10 30 A11 80 B11 40 A12 60 B12 60 A13 70 B13 50 A14 50 B14 60 A15 60 B15 40 A16 70 B16 60 A17 60 B17 50 A18 70 B18 50 A19 60 B19 40 A20 60 B20 50 A21 70 B21 30 A22 70 B22 30 A23 60 B23 60 A24 50 B24 50 A25 70 B25 40 A26 60 B26 20 A27 50 B27 30 A28 80 B28 60 A29 70 B29 20 A30 70 B30 30 A31 60 B31 50 A32 70 B32 20 A33 80 B33 40 A34 70 B34 30 A35 50 B35 40 N= 35 ∑ X = 2300 N= 35 ∑ X =1480 Mean 65.7 Mean 42.3 ... Reading speed and reading comprehension for the second week 47 3.2.2.3 Reading speed and reading comprehension for the third week 49 3.2.2.4 Reading speed and reading comprehension for the. ..MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY NGUYEN HUONG GIANG THE IMPACT OF REPEATED READING ON EFL LEARNERS? ?? READING SPEED AND READING COMPREHENSION Major: Theory and Methods of Teaching... 3.2.2.5 Reading speed and reading comprehension for the fifth week 54 3.2.2.6 Reading speed and reading comprehension for the sixth week 56 3.2.2.7 Reading speed and reading comprehension for the