HO CHI MINH UNIVERSITY OF BANKING FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES GRADUATION THESIS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE MORPHOLOGY COURSE IN IMPROVING READING COMPREHENSION AMONG ENGLISH MAJORS: EVIDENCE AND IMPLICATIONS MAJOR: BUSINESS ENGLISH UNDERGRADUATE MAJOR CODE: 7 22 02 01 NGUYEN NHI HAI HO CHI MINH CITY – 2023 HO CHI MINH UNIVERSITY OF BANKING FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES GRADUATION THESIS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE MORPHOLOGY COURSE IN IMPROVING READING COMPREHENSION AMONG ENGLISH MAJORS: EVIDENCE AND IMPLICATIONS Major: Business English Undergraduate major code: 7 22 02 01 Student’s name: NGUYEN NHI HAI Student’s number: 030436200050 Class: DH36AV05 Batch: K36 ACADEMIC ADVISOR: LE THI MINH THUY, M. HO CHI MINH CITY – 2023 THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE MORPHOLOGY COURSE IN IMPROVING READING COMPREHENSION AMONG ENGLISH MAJORS: EVIDENCE AND IMPLICATIONS by NGUYEN NHI HAI A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Foreign Languages in Partial Fulfillment of the requirements for The Bachelor of Arts in Business English Degree HO CHI MINH UNIVERSITY OF BANKING November 17, 2023 ABSTRACT The present research aimed to assess the effectiveness of the morphology course within the Bachelor’s program and its influence on the reading comprehension of 194 third-year English majors during the academic year 2023 - 2024 at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Ho Chi Minh University of Banking. To achieve comprehensive insights, the researcher employed a blend of quantitative and qualitative research methods, including pre-tests, post-tests, and a questionnaire. The analysis data obtained from pre-test and post-test results was conducted using the SPSS software (version 26.
The findings demonstrated that the morphology course significantly contributed to the students’ morphological knowledge and reading comprehension. Additionally, a qualitative survey was conducted to gather participants’ opinions on the morphology course. The results unveiled that third-year English majors highly valued the course’s impact on both their morphological knowledge and reading comprehension. This research aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the pivotal role played by morphological knowledge in L2 reading comprehension.
This will help teachers be more assured of its benefits, and learners can be better informed about the practical strategies they may adopt for their independent study, thereby achieving better performance in reading comprehension. This study also sets the stage for future research to explore in-depth the role of these courses on reading comprehension over a more extended period and with a larger sample population. Keywords: morphology course, morphological knowledge, reading comprehension, third- year English majors i STATEMENT OF THE AUTHORSHIP The author of this graduation thesis is Nguyen Nhi Hai, a senior student majoring in Business English, DH36AV05 class, at Ho Chi Minh University of Banking. I, the author, hereby declare that the thesis entitled “The Effectiveness of the Morphology Course in Improving Reading Comprehension among English Majors: Evidence and Implications” is my study.
I confirm that this thesis is entirely original, with no content that has been accepted for the conferral of any other academic degree or diploma at any educational institution. Furthermore, it does not include any previously published or authored material by any other individual unless proper citations are provided within the reference of the graduation thesis. The information used for this research was obtained through transparent, reliable, accurate, and unbiased procedures. Ho Chi Minh University of Banking, December 10th, 2023 Nguyen Nhi Hai (Place, Date) (Signature) Member of the thesis committee (Signature) ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my deep acknowledgement and appreciation for the following people who have supported and directed me along the way.
Without their empathy and encouragement, I would never have finished writing this graduation thesis and might have endured more hardship or even quit my research. First and foremost, I would like to express my profound gratitude and heartfelt appreciation to my academic advisor, Mrs. Le Thi Minh Thuy, for her continuous guidance, advice, and invaluable suggestions. Her expertise in language and linguistics, coupled with her thoughtful questions and reflections on my work, propelled me to delve deeply into my research.
Throughout the research, she taught me, and shared her immense knowledge, allowing me to increase my research skills while at the same time steering me in the right direction. I am also enormously grateful to Mr. Le Nguyen Bao and Mrs. Nguyen Hong Oanh for their incredible support and warm encouragement from the very outset to the completion of this study.
Furthermore, I express my sincere thanks to Ms. Vo Thi Bao Chau for a week of collaboration, during which I learned valuable lessons on the execution of her research project, how she contacted participants, and how she handled this project. Special thanks to third-year English-majored students who voluntarily participated in this research and wholeheartedly supported me in reaching the research objectives. They were at the core of my successful completion of the graduation thesis.
To all who piloted, responded to the survey, and showed interest in the thesis, your contributions have left an indelible mark, and I am deeply grateful for the vibrant picture painted in my mind. I acknowledge that the Department’s permission was crucial for the thesis’s successful completion. I am sincerely thankful to the Department Dean Board for granting me the opportunity to undertake this study and for providing a conducive environment. They were very supportive and extended a warm welcome to facilitate the research.
My special thanks would be sent to Ngan Nguyen, Tham Nguyen, and Hau Phan for their constant support and motivation. To all my friends, whom I cannot mention one by one, who played a crucial role in deliberating my problems and findings, as well as bringing joy to my life and helping me to rest my mind beyond my research. My beloved parents and two brothers always give me uncountable love, care, advice, and support. Endless appreciation to my family for their continuous prayers, encompassing material and spiritual realms, which propelled me through the journey of completing this thesis and for iii unwavering belief in and encouragement of my dreams.
Thank you for believing in me more than I believe in myself. Thank you for encouraging me to make life decisions that have made me wiser and more grateful than ever before. To conclude, it is imperative to acknowledge that nobody is perfect, and I am fully aware that there are still several weaknesses in my graduation thesis. Constructive critiques and suggestions to enhance the quality of this study would be highly beneficial.
Acknowledging these limitations marks the initial step toward refining the thesis. Seeking input from peers, supervisors, and experts in the field is an effective approach to address these issues and upgrade the thesis to a higher standard. Therefore, I firmly believe that this process is an integral part of the pursuit of academic excellence, ensuring that the final result offers a comprehensive and well-informed exploration of the study. My heartfelt thanks for your understanding, and support, and for being such a great companion along the way in finishing this journey.
Ho Chi Minh University of Banking, December 10th, 2023 Nguyen Nhi Hai (Place, Date) (Signature) iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT. i STATEMENT OF THE AUTHORSHIP. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS. v LIST OF TABLES.
viii LIST OF FIGURES. ix LIST OF APPENDICES. x LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. xi CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION.
Background of the study. Rationale of the study. Significance of the study. Structure of the thesis.
3 CHAPTER 2 – LITERATURE REVIEW. The concept of morphology. Definition of morphology. The concept of morphemes.
Definition of morpheme. Classification of morpheme. Free and bound morphemes. Derivational and Inflectional morphemes.
Lexical and Functional morphemes. Morpheme analysis and synthesis. Classification and its characteristics. Reading comprehension assessment.
Significance of morphology knowledge in improving reading comprehension. Sample of the study. Data collection instruments. The Morphological Knowledge Test.
The Morphological Structure Test (Morpheme Synthesis). The Morpheme Identification Test (Morpheme Analysis). Reading Comprehension Test. Data analysis tools.
Criteria of scientific quality. 27 CHAPTER 4 – DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION. Interpretation of quantitative data. Effects of the Morphology course on morphological knowledge.
Effects of the Morphology course on reading comprehension. Interpretation of qualitative data. Students’ opinions of the effect of the Morphology course on morphological knowledge. Students’ opinions of the effect of the Morphology course on reading comprehension.
Discussion of data analysis. Summary of the answers to three research questions. Time allotted for tests. Attitudes of participants.
For the FFL teachers and students at HUB. For future research. 89 vii LIST OF TABLES Tables Page Table 3.1 The time of the research 19 Table 3.2 Date and time allotted to conduct research 19 Table 3.3 Summary of Instruments 22 Table 4.1 Descriptive statistics on the Morphological Knowledge Test (MKT) 29 aspects between pre-test and post-test results (N=194) Table 4.2 Paired Samples Statistics (MKT) 31 Table 4.3 Paired Samples Correlations (MKT) 31 Table 4.4 Paired Samples Test (MKT) 31 Table 4.5 Descriptive statistics on the Reading Comprehension Test (RCT) aspects 32 between pre-test and post-test results (N=194) Table 4.6 Paired Samples Statistics (RCT) 32 Table 4.7 Paired Samples Correlations (RCT) 32 Table 4.8 Paired Samples Test (RCT) 33 Table 4.9 Students’ opinions toward the morphology course at HUB 34 Table 4.10 Results of qualitative analysis of the first open-ended question among 32 35 respondents Table 4.11 Results of qualitative analysis of the second open-ended question among 38 32 respondents viii LIST OF FIGURES Figures Page Figure 3.1 Research process 18 Figure 3.2 Scoring of the Morpheme Identification Test (Analytic aspect) 25 ix LIST OF APPENDICES Appendices Page Appendix A. The Morphological Knowledge Test and Reading Comprehension 55 Test as a Pre-test Appendix B.
The Morphological Knowledge Test and Reading Comprehension 60 Test as a Post-test Appendix C. The answer key for the Morphological Knowledge Test and Reading 65 Comprehension Test pre-test and post-test Appendix D. Analyzing quantitative data (pre-test and post-test) from the SPSS 66 software Appendix E. Qualiatative survey questionnaire 69 Appendix F.
The participant’s responses to a qualitative survey 71 Appendix G. A course outline of the morphology course at HUB 85 x LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Abbreviation Explanation CEFR Common European Framework of Reference EFL English as a Foreign Language ELLs English Language Learners ESL English as a Second Language FFL Faculty of Foreign Languages HUB Ho Chi Minh University of Banking L1 First language learning L2 Second language learning MIT Morpheme Identification Test MK Morphological Knowledge MKT Morphological Knowledge Test MST Morphological Structure Test RCT Reading Comprehension Test SPSS Statistical Package for the Social Sciences WD Word Definition WF Word Familiarity WR Word Recognition xi CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION 1. Background of the study Among essential linguistic and cognitive competencies for English proficiency, knowledge of morphology stands out as a critical factor. It is synonymous with one’s comprehension of the rules governing word formation in a given language, as highlighted by Kuo and Anderson (2008).
The direct correlation between morphology knowledge and English reading comprehension is evident, given that morphologically complex words constitute a substantial portion of 60-80% of new vocabulary encountered in English reading texts (Nagy & Anderson, 1984; Guz, 2010). In third-level education, students should be equipped with essential language skills to enhance their academic performance. Vocabulary plays a pivotal role in achieving proficiency in the English language since it forms the foundation for various language competencies. The acquisition of vocabulary is a gradual process, placing emphasis on practical application rather than theoretical understanding.
English learners’ knowledge of morphology may have been obtained unofficially during their previous learning processes. Only at the university stage do English majors have an opportunity to delve into the theory of word formation rules and come closer to acquiring knowledge of morphology through official courses. There has been broad consensus among researchers on the essential contribution of morphological knowledge to improving students’ reading comprehension (Nagy & Anderson, 1984; McBride-Chang et al., 2008; Guz, 2010; Zhang & Koda, 2012).