MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HUE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES _________________ NGUYEN KIM THAO IMPROVING READING COMPREHENSION SKILLS THROUGH COOPERATIVE LEARNING FOR THE SECOND-YEAR NON-ENGLISH MAJORED STUDENTS AT TIEN GIANG UNIVERSITY FIELD OF STUDY: THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING CODE: 60.10 MA THESIS IN EDUCATION SUPERVISOR: TRUONG BACH LE, D. HUE, 2013 i BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ _________________ NGUYỄN KIM THẢO CẢI THIỆN KỸ NĂNG ĐỌC HIỂU THÔNG QUA VIỆC HỌC HỢP TÁC CHO SINH VIÊN KHÔNG CHUYÊN TIẾNG ANH NĂM THỨ HAI TẠI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC TIỀN GIANG CHUYÊN NGÀNH: LÝ LUẬN VÀ PHƢƠNG PHÁP DẠY – HỌC MÔN TIẾNG ANH MÃ SỐ: 60.10 LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ GIÁO DỤC NGƯỜI HƯỚNG DẪN KHOA HỌC: TS. TRƯƠNG BẠCH LÊ HUẾ, 2013 ii STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I hereby acknowledge that this study is mine. The data and the findings discussed in the thesis are true, and have not been published elsewhere.
Author Nguyen Kim Thao iii ABSTRACT The purposes of this research were: (1) to investigate whether cooperative learning enhances reading comprehension skills for non-English majored students in the second year at Tien Giang University, and (2) to find out students’ attitudes towards the cooperative learning activities applied in reading sessions. This was an experimental research study, which was conducted on one group with pre- and post- test design. The data were collected by means of questionnaires, pre-/ post- tests on reading comprehension skill, and in-depth interviews. Forty- five questionnaires for students were delivered and returned, and 9 interviews were conducted with 9 students.
The data were analyzed in descriptive statistics, i. statistical frequency and percentage. The findings showed that the second-year non-English majored students at TGU improved their reading comprehension skills when exposed to cooperative learning activities, and they had positive attitudes towards cooperative learning. However, five students (11% of the participants) had a negative attitude on cooperative learning.
These students liked working alone. Besides, based on some limitations of this study, suggestions for further research and pedagogical implications were mentioned. iv In the process of choosing and writing the thesis, I am fortunate to receive invaluable assistance and support. First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Doctor Truong Bach Le, for his careful instructions through the course, great advice, and especially his invaluable documents, experienced suggestions and comments without which this thesis could not have been fulfilled.
I would like to show my heartfelt gratitude to Assoc. Tran Van Phuoc, Assoc. Truong Vien, Assoc. Le Pham Hoai Huong, Doctor Pham Hoa Hiep, Doctor Pham Thi Hong Nhung, and Doctor Ton Nu Nhu Huong for their helpful instructions during the post-graduate course.
I would like to express my sincere thanks to all the participating students at Tien Giang University for their cooperation during the time carrying out this study. Finally, it is my pleasure to acknowledge my debt to my parents, my husband, and my dearest friend as well as my colleague – Nguyen Thi Anh Thu for all of their support and encouragement that has helped me overcome the difficulties during the time I was working on this thesis. TABLE OF CONTENTS Contents Pages SUB COVER PAGE. i STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP.
v TABLE OF CONTENTS. vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. xi v LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS. xii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION .1 Background of the research .2 Rationale for the study .6 Significance of the study.
4 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW .1 Definition of cooperative learning .2 Types of cooperative learning .1 Formal cooperative learning groups .2 Informal cooperative learning groups .3 Cooperative base groups .3 Basic elements of cooperative learning .2 Face-to-face interaction .4 Cooperative learning models and cooperative learning activities .1 Student Teams Achievement Division model .2 Think-Pair-Share activity .3 Numbered Heads Together activity .4 Round Robin Brainstorming activity .5 Possible challenges with cooperative learning in EFL classroom and some ways to overcome them .1 Possible challenges with cooperative learning .2 Some ways to overcome the challenges .2 Teacher’s role in structuring formal cooperative learning groups. 21 Definitions of reading comprehension .4 Related research on the positive effects of cooperative learning on improving students’ reading comprehension skills .5 Summary of the literature review. 24 vii CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .4 Procedures for data collection and data analysis .1 Procedures for data collection .1 Administering the reading comprehension tests .2 Administering the questionnaire .3 Administering the interview. 38 CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION .1 The effects of cooperative learning on improving students’ reading comprehension skills after the experiment .1 Learners’ English reading ability within two groups .2 Score differences between the pre-test and post-test for two groups .2 Participants’ attitudes towards cooperative learning applied in reading sessions…….1 From the questionnaire .1 The participants’ ideas about cooperative learning .2 The effects of cooperative learning .3 The participants’ interest in participation .4 The teacher’s monitoring and encouragement .2 From the interview.
57 CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS. Restatement of the Study Purposes .1 To what extent does cooperative learning improve reading comprehension skills for the second year non-English majored students at Tien Giang University? .2 What are the students’ perceptions of cooperative learning employed during the reading sessions .3 Limitations of the study and suggestions for further research. 73 Appendix 2 List of interview questions for students. 77 Appendix 3 Reading Text: Driving in London.
79 Appendix 4 Illustration of means of transportation. 80 ix Appendix 5 Pre-test. 83 Appendix 6 Post-test. 86 LIST OF ABBREVIATONS CL : Cooperative Learning EFL : English as a Foreign Language ESL : English as a Second Language NHT : Numbered Heads Together x RRB : Round Robin Brainstorming STAD : Student Teams Achievement Division TPS : Think- Pair- Share TGU : Tien Giang University LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES TABLES Table 3.1 Distribution of the participants’ characteristics Table 3.2 The aspects of the questionnaire items Table 3.3 Research design for implementing cooperative learning method Table 4.1 Control group’s English reading ability Table 4.2 Experimental group’s English reading ability Table 4.3 Score differences between the pre-test and post-test for the control group xi Table 4.4 Score differences between the pre-test and post-test for the experimental group Table 4.5 The experimental participants’ ideas about cooperative learning Table 4.6 The effects of cooperative learning Table 4.7 The participants’ interest in participation Table 4.8 The teacher’s monitoring and encouragement Table 4.9 Summary of the respondents’ positive comments Table 4.10 Summary of the respondents’ negative comments FIGURES Figure 4.1 The description of the control group participants’ English reading ability before and after the intervention Figure 4.2 The description of the experimental group participants’ English reading ability before and after the experiment Figure 4.3 Reading ability Figure 4.4 The teacher helped students a lot when they got difficulties in reading Figure 4.5 The participants were pleased with the teacher’s monitoring when she used cooperative learning in reading lessons.
xii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION This chapter presents (1) the background of the research, (2) the rationale of the study, (3) the research purposes, (4) research questions, (5) the research scope, (6) the significance of the study and (7) the research outline.1 Background of the research In recent years, cooperative learning has emerged as a significant concept and instructional practice in the field of second language education. Attention has been paid to the pedagogical and psychological rationale of its use in second language classrooms (Long & Porter, 1985) and to the possible benefits it might have in bilingual programs and second or foreign language settings (Coelho, 1992, 1994; Cohen, 1994; Holt, 1993; Kessler, 1992; McGroarty, 1989, 1992). The use of cooperative learning in the ESL/ EFL classroom has been advocated on the assumption that it promotes classroom interaction and enhances learners’ cognitive and communicative development (Kagan, 1985; Kessler, 1992; McGroarty, 1993). These educators and researchers, among others, have claimed that cooperative learning makes it possible for learners to have maximum opportunities “for meaningful input and output in a highly interactive and supportive environment” (Ghaith, 2003, p.
451) Johnson & Johnson, and Stanne (2000) reviewed that cooperative learning is one of the most widespread areas of theory, research and practice in education. According to Slavin (1991), the researchers found out that among the 67 studies of the achievement effects of cooperative learning, 61% found greater achievement in cooperative than in traditionally taught control groups. Cooperative learning methods have also been found to have positive effects on improving reading comprehension. To the National Reading Panel (2000), the readers need to work in groups to help one another promote effective reading comprehension.
The readers joining cooperative 1 learning activities learn to focus and discuss the reading texts together. Miritz (1989) conducted a study on the effects of cooperative learning approach on enhancing reading achievement for the fifth grade students in one public school in Wisconsin. The conclusion of this study was that there was positive effect concerning the use of cooperative learning and students’ reading achievement.2 Rationale According to Fry (1997), reading is a basic tool of learning and one of the most important skills in everyday life. Hence, it is necessary for students to be good readers when they want to study higher.
Unfortunately, students’ reading abilities are not good. As an EFL teacher at Tien Giang University (TGU) for 10 years, I notice that non-English majored students have many difficulties in reading comprehension. For instance, many students read without any particular strategies for making use of clues in the text, or recognizing the topic sentence, so they do not comprehend the gist of what they are reading, and consequently they gain little information. Therefore, they get bored with the reading texts in English.
In fact, the teachers usually use traditional methods to teach reading. For example, students read without peer interaction. Moreover, the teachers do not pay much attention to the students’ reading process in class. That is the reason why I would like to help the students overcome difficulties in reading comprehension.
I really want to engage them in reading activities, and motivate them to read. So I will use cooperative learning strategies in reading lessons. It is hoped that the cooperative learning can enhance the students’ achievement in the reading process because to the National Reading Panel (2000), the readers need to work in groups to help one another promote effective reading comprehension. According to Kagan (1995), the two major components of communicative language teaching (1) socially oriented lessons, and (2) small group interaction corresponded to the essence of cooperative learning.
In cooperative learning groups, group members can complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses in English. Moreover, 2 cooperative learning activities have been found to develop students’ reading ability effectively as these activities provide students with a supportive environment in which they can learn how to interpret texts (Gambrell, Mazzoni & Almasi, 2000), enhance reading strategies (Palincsar and Brown, 1984), and improve literal and higher-order reading comprehension (Ghaith & El-Malak, 2004; Stevens, 2003). The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of cooperative learning on TGU’s second-year non-English majored students reading comprehension ability.3 Research purposes There are two purposes for this research: (1) to investigate whether cooperative learning enhances reading comprehension skills for non-English majored students in the second year at TGU. (2) to find out students’ attitudes towards the cooperative learning applied in reading sessions.4 Research questions This study will attempt to answer the following questions: 1) To what extent does cooperative learning improve reading comprehension skills for the second year non-English majored students at TGU? 2) What are the students’ perceptions of cooperative learning employed during the reading sessions? 1.5 Research scope Due to the constraints of time, the project is only restricted to the participants who are the second year students at TGU.6 Significance of the study After finishing my research, I hope that this study brings several benefits.