MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HUE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES TRAN THI THANH TU EFL TEACHERS’ AND STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF REFLECTION IN ENGLISH MAJOR READING COMPREHENSION CLASSES AT BA RIA-VUNG TAU COLLEGE OF PEDAGOGY FIELD OF STUDY: THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING CODE: 60.10 MA THESIS IN EDUCATION HUE, 2011 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HUE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES TRAN THI THANH TU EFL TEACHERS’ AND STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF REFLECTION IN ENGLISH MAJOR READING COMPREHENSION CLASSES AT BA RIA-VUNG TAU COLLEGE OF PEDAGOGY FIELD OF STUDY: THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING CODE: 60.10 MA THESIS IN EDUCATION SUPERVISOR: PHAM THI HONG NHUNG, PH. HUE, 2011 BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ TRẦN THỊ THANH TÚ NGHIÊN CỨU NHẬN THỨC CỦA GIÁO VIÊN VÀ SINH VIÊN CHUYÊN NGÀNH TIẾNG ANH VỀ “ĐỌC CHIÊM NGHIỆM” TRONG CÁC LỚP HỌC ĐỌC HIỂU Ở TRƯỜNG CAO ĐẲNG SƯ PHẠM BÀ RỊA-VŨNG TÀU CHUYÊN NGÀNH: LÝ LUẬN VÀ PHƯƠNG PHÁP DẠY HỌC MÔN TIẾNG ANH MÃ NGÀNH: 60.10 LUẬN VĂN THẠC SỸ GIÁO DỤC HỌC GIÁO VIÊN HƯỚNG DẪN: T. PHẠM THỊ HỒNG NHUNG HUE, 2011 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I hereby acknowledge that this study is mine. The data and findings discussed in the thesis are true, used with permission from associates and have not been published elsewhere.
Author Tran Thi Thanh Tu ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am deeply indebted to a number of people for helping to make this thesis possible. First and foremost, I would like to express my deep gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Pham Thi Hong Nhung for her invaluable support and guidance, wise insights and counsel, constructive criticism and feedback throughout this research. Her generous and timely support and concern about the thesis were constants I could always rely on.
I would like to sincerely thank the anonymous participants who contributed data to this study. The colleagues and students of mine deserve a special note of thanks for their wholeheartedly and cooperatively taking part in my research in different ways: completing a questionnaire, joining an interview and/or being active learners during my trial reading reflection instruction programme. I am also grateful to my friends, in particular to Hoang Thi Linh Giang and Bach Quoc Hung for their unstinting help in providing me with lots of useful and up-to-date articles. I am indebted to all my former lecturers who have contributed to my education.
The research would not have gone this far if it hadn’t been for the education I received when I pursued my study at Hue College of Foreign Languages. My gratitude extends to Ms. Nguyen Thi Hanh Trang for her careful reading and useful comments on the thesis. I would also like to record here my deep appreciation to my relations especially my parents, parents-in-law, brothers and sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews for their mental and material support over time and distance.
Very special thanks are due to my beloved friend-husband for the unconditional love he has given me, the maturity and confidence that I have gained during our friendship and marriage. His daily support and assistance in doing household chores, taking care of our son, and his helpful advice and funny encouragement on my thesis throughout difficult times have given me extensive energy to continue with my research. And last, but by no means least, my heartfelt thanks go to my son, Book- Tran Huu Binh Nguyen for his growing up happily and healthily with my study and research. Playing with him, hearing him talk, seeing him laugh and watching him grow up have been great sources of inspiration to me and have encouraged me to complete this thesis to the best of my ability.
THESIS IN EDUCATION TABLE OF CONTENTS Contents Pages SUB COVER PAGE STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS. 1-4 LIST OF TABLES. Rationale of the study. Significance of the study.
Structure of the study. 12 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW. Definition of key terms. Overview of the reading reflection.
Reading reflection: A brief history. Reading refection as text/course book feature. Reading reflection and its effect on reading comprenhension level. Reading reflection and its impact on language competence.
Reading reflection and its impact on readers’ attitude towards reading. Reading reflection and its impact on the visibility of readers’ thinking. Reading reflection and its impact on readers’ imagination. Reading reflection and its impact on readers’ inner voice .5 Reading reflection and its impact on readers’ critical thinking.
THESIS IN EDUCATION 2. Methods of EFL readers’ reflection. Read Like a Writer. Forms of EFL readers’ reflection.
Reflection in EFL reading comprehension class in Vietnamese context. Rationale of research method triangulation. Participants of the study. Data collection instruments.
Coursebooks being used for reading classes. Data collection procedure. 45 CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION. Reading reflection in practice.
Frequency of Reading Reflection. Forms of Reading Reflection. Methods of Reading Reflection - Read Like A Writer. Methods of Reading Reflection – Making Connections.
Designers of students’ reflection. THESIS IN EDUCATION 4. The level of “interesting” of reflection upon class readings to reading lessons and language learning. The importance of reflection upon class readings to language learning.
The importance of reflection upon class readings to reading comprehension level. Difficulties in Doing/ Carrying out Reflection upon Class Readings. Benefits of Doing/ Carrying out Reflection upon Class Readings. Reading reflection in experiment.
Students’ feeling about different aspects of the trial reading reflection instruction. Students’ most/ least favorites of the trial reading reflection instruction. Benefits of taking part in a course integrated with reading reflection. 67 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS.
Study Purposes and Results. Contributions of the Study. Implications of the Study. Limitations of the Study.
75 APPENDICES Appendix 1: Questionnaires Appendix 1A: Student Questionnaire (A). i Appendix 1B: Student Questionnaire (B). iv Appendix 1C: Letter of transmittal and Teacher Questionnaire. vi 3 READING REFLECTION _ M.
THESIS IN EDUCATION Appendix 2: Interview Guide Headings and Questions Appendix 2A: Student Interview (A) Guide Headings and Questions. x Appendix 2B: Student Interview (B) Guide Headings and Questions. xi Appendix 2C: Teacher Interview Guide Headings and Questions. xii Appendix 3: Samples of Reading Reflection Appendix 3A: Sample 1 (English is more genuinely universal than Chinese) xiii Appendix 3B: Sample 2 (A Happy Ending).
xv Appendix 3C: Sample 3 (A Talk with Mr. xvi Appendix 3D: Sample 4 (The Late Regret). xvii Appendix 3E: Sample 5 (When you pick up one end of a stick, you also pick up the other). xix Appendix 3F: Sample 6 (A mixed blessing).
xxii 4 READING REFLECTION _ M. THESIS IN EDUCATION LIST OF TABLES Numbers Tables Names Pages 1 Table 3.2 Information of the study participants 36 2 Table 4.1 Frequency of Reading Reflection 46 3 Table 4.2 Forms of Reading Reflection 47 4 Table 4.3 Methods of Reading Reflection - Read Like A 48 Writer 5 Table 4.4 Methods of Reading Reflection – Making 49 Connections 6 Table 4.5 Who Suggests What Students Reflect 50 7 Table 4.6 Reflection upon class readings and Reading 51 lessons, Language Learning – The Level of “Interesting” 8 Table 4.7 Reflection upon class readings and Language 53 Learning – The Level of Importance 9 Table 4.8 Reflection upon class readings and Reading 55 Comprehension level – The Level of Importance 10 Table 4.9 Difficulties in Doing/ Carrying out Reflection 57 upon Class Readings 11 Table 4.10 Benefits of Doing/ Carrying out Reflection 59 upon Class Readings 12 Table 4.a Students’ feeling about different aspects of 61 the trial reading reflection instruction 13 Table 4.b Students’ feeling about different aspects of the 63 trial reading reflection instruction 14 Table 4.2 Students’ most/ least favorites of the trial 65 reading reflection instruction 15 Table 4.3 Benefits of taking part in a course integrated 66 with reading reflection 5 READING REFLECTION _ M. THESIS IN EDUCATION ABSTRACT The paper discusses key terms fundamental to the research like reading, reading comprehension and reading reflection, outlines a critical account of the history and development of reading reflection. It also offers an insight into the impact of reading reflection on reading comprehension level and on language competence as well.
The paper presents the methods and forms of EFL readers’ reflection and an overview of the reality of reflection in Vietnamese reading comprehension classes. The paper generally suggests that reflection upon class readings in Vietnamese classroom context has not been paid due attention to by researchers and educators. The study, which sets its context at Ba Ria-Vung Tau College of Pedagogy, is to seek answers to three questions namely: (1) EFL teachers’ and students’ perception of reading reflection, (2) the reality of the use of reading reflection in EFL reading classes and (3) EFL students’ attitude towards a fully instructed reading reflection programme. Two types of research triangulation were used, which are method triangulation and data source triangulation.
Findings show a difference between attitude and practice. Reflecting upon class reading was perceived by a majority of teachers and students as interesting, important to language teaching and learning, important to students’ reading comprehension and was positively responded by the treatment student group. Meanwhile reading reflection was only sometimes carried out and done in reading classes. Besides, while the implementation of reflection upon class readings highlights the high level of interest students had reflecting in the speaking and doing form - the spoken reading reflection with colorful pictures and funny physical movements, reality shows that reading reflection was carried out and done with so little a focus on the form of doing.
The paper suggests relevant implications and ends with some suggestions for further research. THESIS IN EDUCATION CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale of the study If I had to live my life without you near me The days would all be empty The nights would seem so long With you I see forever oh so clearly I might have been in love before But I’ve never felt this strong Our dreams are young And we both know they'll take us Where we want to go (Chorus 1) Hold me now Touch me now I don't want to live without you (Chorus 2) Nothing's gonna change my love for you You ought to know by now how much I love you One thing you can be sure of I'll never ask for more than your love (Chorus 3) Nothing's gonna change my love for you You ought to know by now how much I love you The world may change my whole life through But nothing's gonna change my love for you If the road ahead is not so easy, Our love will lead the way for us Like a guiding star I'll be there for you if you should need me You don't have to change a thing I love you just the way you are So come with me and share the view I'll help you see forever too … 7 READING REFLECTION _ M. THESIS IN EDUCATION What have you just done facing the words on the previous page? Have you seen whether they are familiar or new to you? If they are familiar, have you recognized that they are the lyrics of the song Nothing’s gonna change my love for you by Goffin and Masser (1987).
If yes, have you (1) sung and enjoyed the melody and/or (2) sung and enjoyed the lyrics. If they are really new to you, have you read and enjoyed the meaning of those words? And no matter whether the piece of music is familiar or new to you, you should have a certain feeling about it and a certain attitude towards the “I” and “You” there.