Other reasons (please specify)

PART II DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I – THEORETICAL BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

E. Other reasons (please specify)

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number of choices

A B C D E

reasons

Reasons for not using learning strategies for reading skills

Series1

Graph 2 – Reasons for not using learning strategies for reading skills

Reasons why sophomores of IT Faculty, UET, VNU participating in the study do not use learning strategies for reading skills are various. However, the most common reason lies in the application of the strategies in the reading process as well as in reading practice to improve their performance. 76 respondents constituting 59.8% of the subjects in the study claimed that they did not know to carry out the strategies even though they knew there were such strategies. Accounting for 36.2%, 46 subjects said that they were never aware of these learning strategies for reading skills. A similar percentage of respondents, 31.5% of the sophomores (or 40 students) blamed the lack of time for their not using these strategies.

When being interviewed why the lack of time could prevent them from taking advantage of useful ways to enhance their reading performance, interviewees came up with different reasons. Some pointed out that they did not have much time to get acquainted let alone master how to apply those strategies to their reading practice and process. Others thought that it would take them a lot of time to apply those strategies during their reading process;

therefore, their reading speed may be greatly influenced. Especially, 27 subjects who constitutes 21.2% of the total respondents affirmed that they did not use learning strategies for reading skills because they did not want to. They thought the utilization of those strategies was time-consuming, ineffective and it required too much effort. Other reasons shared by 7 respondents include the lack of habit, lack of actual effort, laziness, or lack of guide from others. They also did not use the strategies as they did not find them necessary or they had never thought of using them before.

II.2.3. Findings

This section of the study presents the answers to the two research questions proposed at the beginning of the thesis.

Research question 1: What are the attitudes of IT sophomores, UET, towards English learning strategies for reading skills?

The findings indicate that sophomores of IT Faculty are not acquainted with the term

“learning strategies for reading skills” though they have unconsciously used some learning strategies to facilitate their reading process. The large majority of them (or 80% of the respondents) find those strategies necessary to improving their reading performance, and most of them prefer to be introduced with those strategies through lectures and practice as well as sources (on the Internet or books) provided by teachers. This finding is strengthened by the number of respondents who consider the teachers‟ introduction of learning strategies to students quite essential.

Research question 2: What are English learning strategies for reading skills that IT sophomores, University of Engineering and Technology, have already used?

Sophomores in the study tend to use more direct learning strategies for reading skills than indirect ones. There are only two direct strategies that are used by more than half of the respondents. The majority of direct strategies are used by around more than 20% subjects while the contrary can be said about indirect ones. Students have numerous reasons for not using learning strategies for reading skills, but the most noticeable reasons are lack of knowledge on the strategies themselves and the knowledge on how to apply those strategies in their reading process and practice.

To sum up, this chapter has described in details the setting of the study exploring learning strategies for reading skills used by IT sophomores at UET, VNU, the population, the sample, the instrumentation and data collection procedures. The data collected through a questionnaire and online general guided interviews have been carefully and critically analyzed to find out students‟ awareness and attitudes towards the necessity of learning strategies for reading skills, and the necessity of teachers‟ introduction and provision of practice activities for those strategies. The study has also found out the ways students prefer to be introduced with the strategies, and the reasons why they have not used a number of strategies to assist their reading process. Direct and indirect learning strategies for reading skills that IT sophomores at UET, VNU have already used are also discovered.

Types of language learning strategies

Affective strategies Lowering your anxiety