VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES POST-GRADUATE DEPARTMENT LÊ THỊ THÙY DUNG USING TIMED-READING ACTIVITIES TO INCREASE TENTH GRADERS’ READING RATE AND FLUENCY AT TRAN PHU HIGH SCHOOL, VINH PHUC PROVINCE: AN ACTION RESEARCH (NGHIÊN CỨU HÀNH ĐỘNG VỀ VIỆC ÁP DỤNG HOẠT ĐỘNG ĐỌC TÍNH GIỜ NHẰM NÂNG CAO TỐC ĐỘ ĐỌC VÀ ĐỘ TRÔI CHẢY CỦA HỌC SINH LỚP 10, TRƯỜNG THPT TRẦN PHÚ) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 6014.0111 HANOI – 2013 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES POST-GRADUATE DEPARTMENT LÊ THỊ THÙY DUNG USING TIMED-READING ACTIVITIES TO INCREASE TENTH GRADERS’ READING RATE AND FLUENCY AT TRAN PHU HIGH SCHOOL, VINH PHUC PROVINCE: AN ACTION RESEARCH (NGHIÊN CỨU HÀNH ĐỘNG VỀ VIỆC ÁP DỤNG HOẠT ĐỘNG ĐỌC TÍNH GIỜ NHẰM NÂNG CAO TỐC ĐỘ ĐỌC VÀ ĐỘ TRÔI CHẢY CỦA HỌC SINH LỚP 10, TRƯỜNG THPT TRẦN PHÚ) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 6014. Trần Xuân Điệp HANOI – 2013 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com DECLARATION Lê Thị Thùy Dung, hereby declare that the work contained in this thesis is my own research. It is recognized that should this declaration be found to be false, disciplinary action could be taken and penalties imposed in accordance with University policy and rules. Signature Lê Thị Thùy Dung i LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis would not have been completed without the help, assistance and support of many people to whom I am indebted.
First of all, I would like to express my deepest thanks to my supervisor, Mr. Tran Xuan Diep, Assoc. for the wholehearted guidance he gave me while I was doing this research. I am truly grateful to him for his ideas, comments and instructions, as well as his constant support throughout my research.
I would like to thank all the lecturers who taught me during the post graduate course. They provided me with valuable knowledge in various aspects that I used to carry out my study. I also would like to thank all the staff members of the Department of Post graduate study, Vietnam National University for providing me best help and assistance to fulfill my thesis. I wish to express my deep gratitude and appreciation to the administrators of Tran Phu High School, my colleagues at English Group for their constant support, co- operation, and encouragement while the study was in progress.
My sincere thanks go to the students of class 10B who participated in my study and helped me with data collection for this study. Finally, I owe my deep thanks to my dear family, specially my parents and my younger brother who were standing for me with love, help, consideration and encouragement. ii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ABSTRACT It has been acknowledged that reading rate and comprehension are closely linked. Slow readers read at low rate with poor comprehension.
The rate of 200 - 300 wpm is considered the target rate for L2 students to reach to gain full comprehension (Alderson, 1984; Anderson, 1999; Carver, 1990; Dubin and Bycina, 1991). However, the 10th graders‘ reading rate at Tran Phu High School was far below the target. It is necessary to increase the students‘ reading rate and timed reading activity was applied as a technique to help students reach the target. This action research has attempted to examine the effectiveness of timed reading activity in increasing 10th graders‘ reading speed and their fluency.
This study also has investigated into the students‘ attitudes towards timed reading activity. To reach these objectives, an action research was carried out. The participants of the study were 40 non - English - major 10th graders from one class at Tran Phu High School, which was divided into 2 groups, fast readers and slow readers. Timed reading activity was implemented during 8 weeks.
The data collection instruments were questionnaires (pre-questionnaire, post questionnaire), reading rare chart, and tests (pretest, posttest). The results obtained from the analyzed data show that the use of timed reading helped raise students‘ reading rate and comprehension, especially in fast reader group. Furthermore, most of the students expressed positive attitudes towards timed reading activity. iii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Participants’ background information 17 Table 2: Mean reading rate measured by wpm at the Pretest and 26 Posttest Table 3: The students’ reading comprehension at the Pretest and 28 the Posttest iv LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF CHARTS Chart 1: Changes in reading rate at the Pretest and Posttest 27 Chart 2: Changes in reading rate of slow readers and fast 28 readers Chart 3: Changes in reading comprehension of slow readers 29 and fast readers Chart 4: The pre-questionnaire’s result 30 Chart 5: The post-questionnaire’s result (part I) 30 Chart 6: General feelings about timed reading activity 32 Chart 7: Feelings about the operation in timed reading activity 32 Chart 8: Belief on the effects of timed reading activity 33 Chart 9: Opinions about the use of timed reading activity 34 v LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS wpm: words per minutes vi LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION………………………………………………………………….iii LIST OF TABLES……………………………………………………………….iv LIST OF CHARTS……………………………………………………………….v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS…………………………………………………….vi PART A: Introduction…………………………………………………………….Error! Bookmark not defined.Err or! Bookmark not defined.
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Design of the study……………………………………………………………Error! Bookmark not defined.Error! Bookmark not defined. vii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND……………………………….Error! Bookmark not defined.Error ! Bookmark not defined.Error! Bookmark not defined. Reading rate……………………………………………………………………Error! Bookmark not defined. Reading rate activities…………………………………………………………Error! Bookmark not defined.
Rate-buildup reading ……………………………………………………….Error! Bookmark not defined.Error! Bookmark not defined. Class-paced reading…………………………………………………………Error! Bookmark not defined. Self-paced reading………………………………………………………….Error! Bookmark not defined. Timed reading activity……………………………………………….Error! Bookmark not defined.
Previous related studies……………………………………………………….Error! Bookmark not defined. CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY…………………………………………………Error! Bookmark not defined. viii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Participants and setting of the study………………………………………….Error! Bookmark not defined.Error! Bookmark not defined.
Setting of the study………………………………………………………….Error! Bookmark not defined. Methods and procedures………………………………………………………Error! Bookmark not defined.Error! Bookmark not defined.Error! Bookmark not defined.3 Instruments of data collection……………………………………………….Error! Bookmark not defined.1 Pretest and posttest ……………………………………………………….Error! Bookmark not defined. Students‘ reading rate chart…………………………………………….Error! Bookmark not defined.Error! Bookmark not defined. Data collection procedure………………………………………………….Error! Bookmark not defined.
CHAPTER III: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS……………………………Error! Bookmark not defined. ix LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Students‘ reading rate…………………………………………………………Error! Bookmark not defined. Students‘ reading comprehension…………………………………………….Error! Bookmark not defined.
Students‘ attitudes towards timed reading activity……………………………Error! Bookmark not defined. The pre-questionnaire and part I of the post-questionnaire: The participants‘ general perception on reading…………………………………………………….Error! Bookmark not defined. Part II of the post-questionnaire: The participant‘s attitudes towards timed reading activity…………………………………………………………………….Error! Bookmark not defined. The participants‘ feelings about timed reading activity………………….Error! Bookmark not defined.
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x LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Recapitulation……………………………………………………………………Err or! Bookmark not defined. Limitations of the study…………………………………………………………Error! Bookmark not defined. Suggestions for further research……………………………………………….Error! Bookmark not defined.E rror! Bookmark not defined.
I APPENDIX 1: READING RATE CHART. II APPENDIX 3: POSTTET .VI APPENDIX 4A: PRE QUESTIONNAIRE (English). X APPENDIX 4B: PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT Ý KIẾN HỌC SINH 1 (Vietnamese). XI APPENDIX 5A: POST QUESTIONNAIRE (English).
XII APPENDIX 5B: PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT Ý KIẾN HỌC SINH 2 (Vietnamese) .XV APPENDIX 6: SAMPLE OF LESSON.XVII xi LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com xii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com PART A: Introduction I. Rationale Reading skill is one of the four language skills that language learners need to master. The four skills, which are interdependent, are of importance in the success of one‘s language acquisition. In regard to reading skill, it is vital for learners to acquire this skill, because they can receive information on vocabulary, grammar as well as knowledge about life.
Reading keeps their cognitive abilities developed. Thus, teaching reading plays an important role in teaching a foreign language in general and English in particular. However, teaching reading is a really challenging job. It takes much time and energy to make progress in this skill.
For teachers, it is a difficult task to get students complete reading activities accurately and punctually. For students, they often have to struggle with reading tasks because of the lack of specific skills necessary for proficient reading especially in a limited time, which is popular in Vietnamese high schools. And in Tran Phu High school where the writer is working, this problem happens in the same way. The 10th graders at Tran Phu High School had great difficulty in doing reading tasks in allotted time.
Their reading rate, which was measured in the reading test before the research, was very slow (around 80 wpm) whereas many authors prove that the optimal reading speed for L2 readers should be around 200 – 300 words per minute (wpm) (Alderson, 1984; Anderson, 1999; Carver, 1990; Dubin and Bycina, 1991). According to Nuttall (1996), slow reading rate leads to the frustration in her description of the ―vicious cycle of the weak reader‖. Faster reading encourages the reader to read more; as a result, comprehension improves. Increasing reading rate, which is essential, can be done through reading rate activities.
Later studies show that readers achieve not only rapid-reading skills but also better comprehension when specifically taught rapid-reading techniques (Cranney, Brown, Hansen, and Inouye 1982). There have been a lot of reading rate 1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com activities such as rate-buildup reading, repeated reading, class-paced reading and self-paced reading (Neil J. Timed reading activity is one of reading rate activities which can help improve 10th graders‘ reading rate. Therefore, I conducted a research to find out how timed reading activity helped increase the student‘s reading rate and improve their fluency.
Aims and objectives of the study The study is aimed at to improving the students‘ reading skills through timed reading activity. Objectives of the study are to examine the effects of timed reading activity on tenth graders‘ reading rate and fluency at Tran Phu High School, Vinh Phuc Province and to explore their attitudes towards timed reading activity III. Research Questions In correspondence with the aforementioned aims and objectives, the researcher attempted to answer the following questions: RQ 1: To what extent does timed reading activity affect learners‘ reading rate and fluency? RQ 2: What are the students‘ attitudes towards timed reading activities as a technique used to improve their reading rate and comprehension? IV. Scope of the study The study focuses on testing the hypothesis ―Timed-reading activity can increase tenth graders‘ reading rate and fluency at Tran Phu High School, Vinh Phuc Province‖.
The study of factors affecting learners‘ reading rate would be beyond the scope of the study. Methods The study is to be conducted as an action research that utilizes quantitative research method. The quantitative analysis is used to deal with the data collected from reading rate chart, pretest and posttest, pre-questionnaire and post questionnaire. 2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.
Significance of the study The study is significant for the followings. Firstly, the study will help the researcher suggest a better way to improve students‘ reading skills in certain contexts. Secondly, the study will bring about possible insights into the reading skill development and motivation of the students in the 10th class at Tran Phu high school in Vinh Phuc. Thirdly, the study will help increase the student‘s reading rate and comprehension.