Developing reading proficiency for the 1st year english non majors at nghe an JTTC through cognitive strategy training

Ministry of Education and Training VINH UNIVERSITY - - NGUYỄN THỊ LAN ANH DEVELOPING READING PROFICIENCY FOR THE 1st-YEAR ENGLISH NON-MAJORS AT NGHE AN JTTC THROUGH COGNITIVE STRATEGY TRAINING (SỬ DỤNG CÁC CHIẾN LƯỢC TRI NHẬN ĐỂ PHÁT TRIỂN KỸ NĂNG ĐỌC HIỂU THÀNH THẠO CHO SINH VIÊN KHÔNG CHUYÊN NĂM THỨ NHẤT, TRƯỜNG CAO ĐẲNG SƯ PHẠM NGHỆ AN ) Field: Theory and Methodology of English Language Teaching Code: 60.14.10 Master thesis in Education Supervisor: Assoc.Prof.Dr NGƠ ĐÌNH PHƯƠNG VINH, 2011 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I certify my authorship of the Thesis submitted today entitled: Developing Reading Proficiency for the 1st-year English Non-majors at Nghe An JTTC through Cognitive Strategy Training In term of the statement of Requirement for Thesis and field study reports in Masters’ Programme issued by the Higher Degree Committee ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In order to complete this action research I have received lots of help and assistances my supervisor, my colleagues and my students I am grateful to my supervisor, Mr Ngo Dinh Phuong who has given his time to advise, to guide and comment on various chapters of this work If it had not been for his help, this research wouldn’t have been completed My thanks go to students at Nghe An teacher’s training college for their enthusiastic cooperation with data for this work to be well done I‘d also like to express my gratitude to all lecturers and staff of the Department of Post Graduate Studies, Vinh University for their expertise to this work Finally I’d like to thank my husband and my two little sons, who energize me and ground me the busy time writing this research iii ABSTRACT Reading has played a very important part in learning a foreign language and it is recognized as the principle objective of language courses However, the English teaching procedure in many colleges in our country now focuses much on exploiting reading texts intensively, including syntactic, semantic, and lexical analyses and translation into L1 to study meaning This, as Alderson and Urquhart (1984) have argued, is not a reading but a language lesson It is, therefore, the need for teachers to instruct the students how to comprehend a reading text and guide them to “think about their thinking” about the reading text before reading the text, during reading the text and after reading the text This strategy of reading is known as cognition Cognition represents a strategy of acquiring knowledge, namely the ability to understand one’s method for learning and assimilating information It concerns "the knowledge of one’s thoughts," in addition to how various factors influence psychological thought processing Cognitive learning strategy offers help for individuals who struggle to analyze, utilize, memorize and/or retain information Consider several strategies to find the one that works best for oneself I intend to experiment “cognitive reading strategies” to my first year English non-majors specializing in pre-schooling education to see how effective this cognitive strategy training is to help my students develop their reading proficiency The study has made some contributions to training learning strategies to the learners at Nghe An JTT College It has attempted to measure the effectiveness of this training to improvement in learners’ reading proficiency While the study provides some implications for teachers and researchers in general, it is not free from limitations The limitations are found in the data collection instruments and the number of strategies to be taught iv LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1 Learning strategy definition and classification (O'Malley and Chamot, 1990; 119) Table 4.1 Central Tendencies, dispersions and t-value of the pre-tests and post-tests Table 4.2 Analysis of SS’ responses to the importance of reading comprehension to their language learning Table 4.3 Analysis of SS’ self-evaluation of reading proficiency Table 4.4 Analysis of SS’ self-evaluation of reading speed Table 4.5 Analysis of the students’ responses to grading the importance of reading comprehension affecting factors Table 4.6 Analysis of SS’ utilization of reading strategies Table 4.7 Students' application of experimented cognitive strategies Table 4.8 Coursebook tasks and students’ employment of instructed strategies to complete reading tasks v TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMEN ii ABSTRACT iii LIST OF TABLES iv CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Scope of the study 1.3 Aims and purposes of the study 1.4 Research hypothesis 1.5 Significance of the study 1.6 Methods of the study .6 1.7 Organization of the thesis CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Cognitive Theory of Learning 2.2 Language as a cognitive skill 10 2.2.1 Acquisition of Declarative and Procedural Knowledge .11 2.2.2 Production System in Cognitive Skill Acquisition 15 2.2.3 Stages of Skill Acquisition 19 2.3 Learning strategies 20 2.3.1 Definition of learning strategies 20 2.3.2 Classification of learning strategies 21 2.4 Strategy Training 26 2.4.1 Strategy Training 26 2.4.2 Approaches to Strategy Training 27 2.4.3 Strategies-based Instruction 28 2.5 The theory of Reading 31 2.5.1 Definition 31 2.5.2 Models of Reading Process 32 2.5.2.1 Bottom-up Model 32 2.5.2.2 Top-down Model 33 2.5.2.3 Interactive Model .35 2.5.3 Reading strategies .36 2.5.3.1 Definition 36 2.6 Review of reading strategy research 37 2.7 Summary 40 CHAPTER METHODOLOGY 44 3.1 Participants and Setting of the Study .44 3.1.1 Participants 44 3.1.2 Setting of the Study 44 3.2 Methods and Procedures 45 3.2.1 Methods 45 3.2.2 Procedure .46 3.3 Instruments of Data Collection 47 3.3.1 Tests 48 3.3.2 Questionnaires .49 3.3.3 Interviews 50 3.3.4 Think-aloud Report .50 3.4 Data Collection Procedure .51 3.5 Analytic Procedure 53 3.5.1 Test Scores 53 3.5.2 Questionnaire Data 53 3.5.3 Think-aloud Report .54 3.5.4 Interview Data .55 3.6 Summary 55 CHAPTER RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 57 4.1 Results 57 4.1.1 Reading Tests 57 4.1.2 Questionnaires .58 4.1.2.1 Students’ Attitudes to Reading Comprehension 59 4.1.2.2 Investigation on Students’ Utilization of Cognitive Strategies 63 4.1.2.3 Students' Utilization of Instructed Cognitive Strategies 64 4.1.3 Think-aloud Reports .67 4.1.3.1 Transfer of Reading Strategies 68 4.1.3.2 Students’ Application of Cognitive Strategies 68 4.1.4 Interviews 71 4.2 Summaries of Main Findings 73 4.2.1 Reading Proficiency 73 4.2.2 Students’ attitudes to reading comprehension .73 4.2.3 Students’ Transfer of Cognitive Strategies 74 4.2.4 Students’ Application of Cognitive Strategies 75 4.3 Discussion of Main Findings 76 CHAPTER CONCLUSION 79 5.1 Conclusion .79 5.2 Pedagogical Implications 81 5.3 Limitations .82 5.4 Suggestions for further study 83 REFERENCES 84 APPENDIX 1: Questionnaire I APPENDIX 2: Pre-test & Post-test .V APPENDIX 3: Practice on instructed cognitive strategies XII APPENDIX 4: T- Test Analysis XX CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale Exploring ways of making teaching responsive to learner needs and interests and allowing them to play a fuller, more active and participatory role in the day-to-day teaching and learning processes has become one of the tremendous aims of English language teaching in the light of Communicative Language Teaching Approach in recent decades Besides being armed with linguistic knowledge, learners are now encouraging to look for effective learning strategies which best work for them in the process of seeking for their language learning progress Recent study results have indicated that an increased emphasis on helping learners develop learning strategies would be valuable for them to develop language proficiency Anderson, N J (1999) states that language learning will be facilitated if learners become more aware of the range of possible strategies that they can consciously select during language learning and language use This conscious selection is known as cognition This term concerns "the knowledge of one’s thoughts," in addition to how various factors influence psychological thought processing Cognitive learning strategy offers help for individuals who struggle to analyze, utilize, memorize and/or retain information, and consider several strategies to find the one that works best for oneself There have been plenty of various definitions of learning strategy, yet, perhaps the definition that has been widely accepted to date was proposed by O'Malley and Chamot (1990) According to them, learning strategies are "the special thoughts or behaviors that individuals use to help them comprehend, learn or retain new information" (1990:1) In spite of being quite short, their definition covers the most important aspects of learning strategies, that is learning strategies are both mental and behavioral (therefore both observable and unobservable), and learning strategies are individually characterized (i.e the use of strategies are individually different) Being highlighted by the above belief, we intent to experiment the cognitive learning strategies proposed by O'Malley and Chamot (1990) to improve the reading proficiency to my first-year English non-majored students specializing in preschooling education It is hoped that the findings of this study will give English teachers some implications on training learning strategies to improve English learners’ language proficiency in general and reading proficiency in particular 1.2 Scope of the study Reading proficiency can be affected by many different factors, such as learner motivation, linguistic competence, level of reading skill, relevant knowledge, texts etc However, in order to make our tasks manageable in keeping the aims of the study within the time allowance, it is intended that the measure of how effective the training cognitive strategies are to develop my 1st-year English non-majored students’ reading proficiency will be paid the most attention The study of other factors affecting learners’ reading proficiency, such as motivation, interest, texts etc would like to set aside for further study 1.3 Aims and Objectives Within the scope of the study, we focus on measuring the effectiveness of the training of cognitive reading strategies proposed by O'Malley and Chamot (1990) on improving my 1st-year English non-majored students’ reading proficiency The study findings will be used as the base in giving some pedagogical implications for training learning strategies in general and cognitive reading strategies in particular To complete the overall aim of the study, the following objectives must be obtained:  Getting to know how much the 1st-year English non-majored students specializing in pre-schooling education become aware of the use of appropriate strategies to improve their reading proficiency a Không b Hiếm c Thỉnh thoảng d Thường xuyên e Rất thường xuyên 13 Em sử dụng thơng tin có sẵn đọc để điền vào chỗ trốn a Không b Hiếm c Thỉnh thoảng d Thường xuyên e Rất thường xuyên 14 Em liên hệ kiến thức có sẵn với thông tin xuất đọc để trả lời câu hỏi a Không b Hiếm c Thỉnh thoảng d Thường xuyên e Rất thường xuyên 15 Em viết từ khóa số liệu đọc để nhớ thơng tin tốt a Không b Hiếm c Thỉnh thoảng d Thường xuyên e Rất thường xuyên 16: Em tóm tắt ý miệng cách viết giấy sau khai thác kỹ nội dung đọc a Không d Thường xuyên b Hiếm e Rất thường xuyên c Thỉnh thoảng IV APPENDIX 2: PRE-TEST READING TEST Time : 30 minutes Full name:………………………………………Class : …………………… Read the article about a young man and woman who lost a ring Are sentences 21 - 27 " right" ( A) or "Wrong" ( B), choose " Doesn't say"(C) For questions 21 - 27, mark A,B or C on your answer sheet THE RING AND THE FISH Thomas and Inger, who live in Sweden, are the happiest couple in the world Two years ago, they were on a boat a few kilometres from the beach Thomas asked Inger to marry him and he gave her a gold ring He wanted to put the ring on Inger's finger, but he dropped it and it fell into the sea They were sure the ring was lost for ever That is, until last week, when Mr Carlsson visited them He has a fish shop and he found the ring in a large fish which he was cutting up for one of his customers The fish thought the ring was something to eat! Mr Carlsson knew that the ring belonged to Thomas and Inger because inside the ring there were some words They were, " To Inger, All my love, Thomas ” And so Mr Carlsson gave the ring back to them Inger now has two rings When they lost the first one, Thomas bought Inger another one But they think the one the fish ate is the best one V Example: Thomas and Inger's home is in Sweden A Right B Wrong C Doesn't say Answer: B C 21 Thomas asked Inger to marry him when they were on a boat A Right B Wrong C Doesn't say 22 Thomas put the gold ring on Inger's finger A Right B Wrong C Doesn't say 23 They returned from their boat trip without the ring A Right B Wrong C Doesn't say 24 Mr Carlsson often visited Thomas and Figer A Right B Wrong C Doesn't say 25 Mr Carlsson caught the fish A Right B Wrong C Doesn't say 26 Mr Carlsson found the ring when he ate the fish A Right B Wrong C Doesn't say 27 Thomas and Inger prefer the first ring A Right B Wrong C Doesn't say Questions 28 - 35 Read the article about a woman called Jahan Begum Choose the best word ( A,B or C) for each space For questions 28 - 35, mark A, B or C on your answer sheet VI A Jahan Begum Jahan Begum (0) born on a farm in the hills She lived there with her family (28) thirteen years The family grew their own food and (29) animals But then one year it didn't rain so they decided to move to (30) country The journey (31) the mountains was long and difficult (32) first home in the new country was a tent Then Tahan's brothers made a house with wood and stones so the family had somewhere better to live Now, (33) day Jahan makes things like hats and socks out of wool She sells (34) in the market to get money for food She is happy with her home and her work, but she (35) hopes to return to her farm in the hills one day Example: A is B was C there Answer: 28 A for B after C since 29 A keep B keeping C kept 30 A any B another C that 31 A against B through C at 32 A TheirB Its 33 A some B each C this 34 A they B It C them 35 A yet B ever C still C His VII B C A POST-TEST READING TEST Time : 30 minutes Full name:………………………………………Class : …………………… Read the article about Ingrid McFarlanne and then answer the questions For questions 21 - 27, mark A, B or C on your answer sheet Ingrid McFarlane Zoo Keeper When I left school at eighteen, I got a job at a zoo as a student keeper Now, five years later, things have changed - I have passed my exams and I am a full animal keeper The money is not good I only get $9,000 a year You have to be outside in rain and snow, which is hard work, and you get very dirty But this doesn't matter to me because animals are the most important thing in my life ! There are a hundred monkeys and fifty deer in my part of the zoo and I give them their food and clean their houses I also need to watch them carefully to be sure that they are all well In fact, rhinos are my favourite animals and so last year I went to Africa with a colleague for a month to study them The zoo is open every day and I work five different days each week I live in a small flat twenty minutes away and I get up at ten to seven and start work at eight The first thing I when I get home at quarter past five is have a shower! Example: Ingrid left school A five years ago B nine years ago C eighteen years ago Answer: 21 Ingrid would like to VIII B C A A take some exams B earn more money C change her job 22 How does Ingrid feel about working in bad weather? A She hates getting dirty B She doesn't mind it C She likes the snow 23 If Ingrid doesn't check the moneys A they may become ill B they may get hungry C they may run away 24 The animals Ingrid likes best are the A mokeys B deer C rhinos 25 Ingrid travelled to Africa A to have a month's holiday B to visit a colleague there C to learn more about some animals 26 The zoo is open A only five days a week B seven days a week C on different days every week 27 Ingrid arrives at her flat in the A five fiftee evening at B twenty past five C ten to seven Questions 28 - 35 IX Read the article about penguins Choose the best word ( A, B or C) for each space For questions 28 - 35, mark A, B or C on your answer sheet PENGUINS There (0) .seventeen different types of penguins They can be (28) forty centimetres to more than one metre tall They all (29) in the south part of the world In winter, they swim (30) long way to find warmer weather In spring, (31) penguins come together on the beaches of Antarctica The female penguin has one or two eggs She put (32) eggs on the ground and sits there to keep (33) .warm But she doesn't sit all the time because penguins can move with one egg between their legs (34) the female penguin is sitting on the eggs, the male penguin brings her food He also (35) this when the baby penguins are born Example: A is B are C be Answer: B C 28 A from B by C between 29 A lives B live C lived 30 A one B the C a 31 A lots B much C many X A 32 A her B hers C she 33 A it B them C their 34 A when B how C who 35 A does B C doing APPENDIX 3: Practice on Instructed Cognitive Strategies XI PROGRESS READING TEST TIME: 30 MINUTES Full name: ………………………………………Class: K17D Mầm non Reading text 1: Read the article and the tasks given below WHAT I THINK … This week journalist Andrea Wu gives her opinion about cooking Cooking in the US is now a spectator sport We love watching famous chefs cook on TV, and we buy their books But we use them? Many young Americans can’t even boil an egg and many never or hardly ever cook One teenager said “I can’t cook – but it doesn’t matter You must go to the supermarket and buy a pizza and put it in the microwave “Cooking is a waste of time.” A lot of adults think the same, and don’t cook They buy pre-cooked meals from the supermarkets or get take-out food And if parents hate cooking, they don’t teach their children to cook Many schools don’t teach cooking – they prefer to teach computer skills and foreign languages I think as this is very bad For me, cooking is a very important skill Everybody loves having a delicious meal, but restaurants are expensive People who can cook well always have a lot of friends Men love women who can cook – and women love men who can cook How would you prefer as a husband or wife? Somebody who can use a computer or a good cook? Task 1: Read the above article and answer the questions: What does the writer think? XII a Many young people today can’t cook, and this is a bad thing b Many young people today can’t cook, but this isn’t a problem Underline three reasons why young people can’t cook Task 2: Read the text again Match the highlighted words/expressions with their meanings cook in hot water 2. young people between 13 and 19 a sport people like watching it’s not important a bad use of time good to eat food you take home to eat, e.g, pizza Reading text 2: Read the text and complete the tasks given Food Can Be Dangerous For Your Health When you go to a restaurant, you often think that the food you are ordering is good for you But many restaurants serve healthy food, like fish and salad, with a sauce or dressing that uses a lot of oil, fat, or sugar Some food agencies want all restaurants to say in their menus exactly what is in each dish, how many calories, how much fat, and what additives They think that restaurants don’t give their customers enough information, and that this new plan could help people have a healthier diet But chefs are not happy with this idea One top chef said, “People are not stupid They know that many sauces have butter and cream in them But we are put on a menu that a dish has 1,000 calories, nobody is going to order it!” However, many doctors agree with the plan, Bruce Ward, professor of Medicine, said “People know that cigarettes are bad for them, because it tell you on the pack But when they go to a restaurant, they often have no idea if the food is healthy or not Food products that have a lot of calories, fat, and sugar need a health warming, exactly like cigarettes.” XIII Task 1: Read the article Circle A, B, or C Many restaurants … A serve healthy food B only serve fish and salad C serve healthy food but with unhealthy sauces Some food agencies want restaurants … A to serve healthy food B to give more information about their dishes C not to use fat and additives Chefs think that … A people are not going to order their dishes B People are stupid C cream and butter are good for you Doctors think that people … A need more information about cigarettes B need more information about food C need to stop eating in restaurants Task 2: Read the article again Underline all the words connected with food or cooking _ _ _ _ ……………………………… THINK-ALOUD REPORT Phần 1: XIV Bài đọc Bài tập 1 Trong tập 1, câu hỏi 1, em lựa chọn đáp án nào? Vì em lại chọn đáp án đó? ………………………………………………………………………………… … …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… Em làm nào? (hãy thuật lại chi tiets tốt) …………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… ………………… Đối với câu 2, tập 1, để tìm lí ngày nhiều người khơng biết nấu ăn, em làm nào? ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………… Bài tập 2: Tìm nghĩa từ ngữ cảnh a) Từ có nghĩa tương đương với ; cook in hot water ; theo em la từ ? b) Tại em lại chọn từ ( Hãy giải thích thật chi tiết) XV a) Từ có nghĩa tương đương với ; young people between 13 and 19; theo em từ gì? b) Tại em lại chọn từ ( giải thích thật chi tiết) a) Từ có nghĩa tương đương với : sport people like watching: theo em từ gì? b) Tại em lại chọn từ đó? ( giải thích thật chi tiết) a) Từ có nghĩa tương đương với : it’s not important: theo em từ gì? b) Tại em lại chọn từ đó? ( giải thích thật chi tiết) a) Từ có nghĩa tương đương với : a bad use of time: theo em từ gì? XVI b) Tại em lại chọn từ đó? ( giải thích thật chi tiết) a) Từ có nghĩa tương đương với : good to eat: theo em từ gì? b) Tại em lại chọn từ đó? ( giải thích thật chi tiết) a) Từ có nghĩa tương đương với : food you take home to eat: theo em từ gì? b) Tại em lại chọn từ đó? ( giải thích thật chi tiết) Bài đọc Bài tập Vòng vào lựa chọn ( A,B,C,D) A Tìm hiểu chung Chủ điểm khóa có gần gũi với em không? XVII Em có khó khăn cấu trúc ngữ pháp từ vựng đọc không? B Bài tập Bài tập 1: a) Em lựa chọ đáp án nhất? b) Vì em lại chọn đáp án ? ( Em rõ chứng suy luận giúp em có lựa chọn trên) a) Em lựa chọ đáp án nhất? b) Vì em lại chọn đáp án ? ( Em rõ chứng suy luận giúp em có lựa chọn trên) a) Em lựa chọ đáp án nhất? b) Vì em lại chọn đáp án ? ( Em rõ chứng suy luận giúp em có lựa chọn trên) a) Em lựa chọ đáp án nhất? b) Vì em lại chọn đáp án ? ( Em rõ chứng suy luận giúp em có lựa chọn trên) Bài tập 2: Bài tập yêu cầu em làm gì? Để tìm câu trả lời em nghĩ em cần làm gì? Nêu chi tiết phương pháp suy luạn khác em để có câu trả lời cho tập XVIII ...CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I certify my authorship of the Thesis submitted today entitled: Developing Reading Proficiency for the 1st- year English Non- majors at Nghe An JTTC through Cognitive Strategy. .. the reading proficiency for the 1st- year English non- majored students specializing in pre-schooling education at Nghe An JTTC The other part of this chapter covers the important theories related... subheadings and diagrams o look for important information while reading and pay greater attention to it than other information 38 o attempt to relate important points in text to one another in order