A study on the techniques for improving reading skills to non major students of english at haiphong foreign language center, haiphong university

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION

1. Rationale
English has experienced its popularity in teaching and learning in Vietnam over the last
few decades. Demand for learning English even gets stronger when Vietnam fosters its
international relations. English, in parallel with the knowledge of some other fields, turns
out to be a key to open the door into the bustling world. In any walk of life in Vietnam,
you can find people use English; from the big cities to mountainous areas; from the
international conferences to daily conversations, or just few pidgin words with the
foreign tourists. People learn and use English with different purposes, but there is a fact
that they are trying to learn English with the hope that they can use it effectively.
In Haiphong Foreign Language Center, Haiphong University (HFLC), English is the
foreign language dominating the teaching and learning programs for nearly 30 years.
Despite a prejudice that learning English at a center is less effective than that at some
universities, colleges, or international schools, learners at HFLC, regardless of their ages,
always strive for a good command of English as they are well aware of their learning
purposes.
Learners of English, naturally and obviously, want to become the masters of all the four
skills, and those at HFLC are not exceptions. Though there are some who propose what
they need is speaking a fluent English, therein they consider listening a tool for the
realization of their goal, there also are some who say writing is necessary because
documenting reports, letters, memos, etc is what they daily deal with in their office,
learning to read effectively remains the top in the targets of most learners here. However,
most of them say they find it difficult to focus on reading, and especially to have
effective reading. Some even say it is boring to start reading because there are piles of
new words, and lengthy reading texts.
From this fact, we teachers of this center have to do something new to promote reading
skill among learners. Thereby, if the learners do not know how to gain the reading fruits,

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we need to show them the way; if they do not realize the importance of reading or simply
they do not like it, it is our duty to light them up, set fire to them, and add fuel.
With this in mind, the researcher wishes to give a hand in promoting reading skills among
these learners, and as a result, the thesis title goes as:
“A study on the techniques for improving reading skills to non-major students of
English at Haiphong Foreign Language Center, Haiphong University.”

2. Aims of the study
The purpose of this study is to examine the areas of difficulties in reading encountered by
non-major students at HFLC so that techniques can be given to help them improve this
skill.
The specific aims are:
-

to investigate the learners’ attitude in HFLC

-

to find out the difficulties encountered by non-major learners at HFLC

-

to suggest techniques to help learners better their reading skill

3. Methods of the study
To achieve the aims mentioned above, quantitative method is used, and the following
tasks are involved:
-

Collecting data for the analysis from 240 learners of C level classes in 2005

-

Assessing what difficulties are dominant

-

Evaluating what techniques are best fit

4. Scope of the study
Though the study focuses on techniques to improve reading skills of the nonmajor students at HFLC, due to the limit of time, the researcher can just conduct survey
on learners of C level to investigate reading problems experienced by these learners, then
suggest certain techniques to help them better their reading skill. Also, such follow-up
activities after reading are left untouched.

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5. Design of the study
The study is divided into three parts.
The first part, ‘introduction,’ outlines the impetus from which the author decided
to conduct this study as well as the boundary within which the study is realized. This part
moreover presents feasible methods for the fulfillment of research objective.
The second part, ‘Development,’ consists of three chapters:

- Chapter one presents various linguistic concepts most relevant to the research
topic such as definition of reading, classification or reading, reading
comprehension, effective reading, etc.
-

Chapter two deals with analyses on general learning situation at HFLC, learning
requirements, teachers and their teaching methods, materials as well as material
assessment, this chapter also focuses on data collections – findings and
discussion.

-

Chapter three emphasizes the implication of the study in which certain techniques
for improving reading skills to non-major students at HFLC are suggested.

The last part of the study, ‘Conclusion,’ summarizes what is addressed in the study,
points out the limitations, and provides some suggestions for further study.

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PART TWO: DEVELOPMENT
Chapter one: Literature Review
1.1.

Introduction

To provide a theoretical background to the study, this chapter is devoted to the reexamination of concepts most relevant to the thesis’s topic. They are nature of
reading and reading comprehension, reading process, classification of reading.
Moreover, what is effective reading comprehension and the techniques for reading
comprehension will also be discussed.

1.2.

An Overview on the Nature of Reading

1.2.1. Definition of Reading
Attempts have been made to give a definition of what reading is. However, the act of
reading is not completely understood nor easily described.
Rumelhart (1977) defines “reading involves the reader, the text, and the interaction
between the reader and the text”. It means the role of learners and reading texts are
placed an important position in reading act.
According to Goodman (1971:135), reading is “a psycholinguistic process by which
the reader, a language users, reconstructs, as best as he can, a message which has
been encoded by a writer as a graphic display”, and the act of reconstruction is
viewed as “a cyclical process of sampling, predicting, testing and confirming.”
William (1986:3) shares the same view on reading when he argues that “written texts,
then, often contain more than we need to understand them. The efficient reader makes
use of this to take what he needs, and no more, to obtain meaning.”
Harmer (1989:153) views reading from a different perspective. He considers reading
as a mechanical process that “eyes receive the message and the brain has to work out
the significance of the message.”
Though definitions of reading are numerous, none can certainly capture all the ideas
and features of what reading is. However, what they all share is that they try to find

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out the nature of reading, and reading act, in which the readers, reading process, and
reading message are emphasized.

1.2.2. Reading Comprehension
Reading comprehension plays a key role in teaching and learning reading a foreign
language. It can be understood as the ability to obtain the information as required in

the reading lessons as efficiently as possible. Thus, three elements - reading text,
background knowledge of the reader, and the contextual aspects relevant for the
interpretation of the text - are involved in the reading process.
Swam (1975:1) proposes “a student is good at comprehension we mean that he can
read accurately and efficiently so as to get the maximum information of a text with
the minimum of understanding.”
Grellet (1981:3) considers “reading comprehension or understanding a written text
means extracting the required information from it as effectively as possible.”
Richard and Thomas (1987:9) points out “reading comprehension is best described as
an understanding between the author and the reader.”
Though these opinions are not exactly the same, what comes up as a common point is
that reading comprehension is the process in which the readers, as they read, can
recognize the graphic forms of the reading text and understand what is implied behind
these forms.

1.2.3. Reading Process
Bottom-up Models have been long known, and as for Cambourne (1979), it became
the basis of a large number of reading schemes.
In Bottom-up models, the reader begins with the written text (the bottom), and
constructs meaning from letters, words, phrases, and sentences found within, and then
processes the text in a linear fashion. In the process of meaning interpretation, the
language is translated from one form of symbolic representation to another (Nunan,
1991). Clearly, these are text-driven models so the reader plays a relatively passive
role as s/he builds comprehension by moving eyes from letters to letters, words to

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words, phrases to phrases, and sentences to sentences to identify their exact meaning.
Samuels and Kamil (188:301), in which the shortcomings of these models are stated,

says the lack of feedback makes it “difficult to account for sentence-context effects
and the role of prior knowledge of text topic as facilitating variables in word
recognition and comprehension.”
Next come Top-down models in which the reading process moves from the top, the
higher level of mental stages down to the text itself. This approach emphasizes the
reconstruction of meaning rather than the decoding of form, the interaction between
the reader and the text rather than the graphic forms of the printed pages. The readers
proves his active role in the reading process by bringing to the interaction his/her
available knowledge of the subject, knowledge of and expectations about how
language works, motivation, interest and attitudes towards the content of the text.
Apparently, the strong points of top-down models outnumber those of the bottom-up
as the reader – the central of the reading process as we personally assume – proves his
active role. However, to some researchers, these models still reveal certain
shortcomings because it sometimes fails to distinguish adequately between beginning
readers and fluent readers. Moreover, a purely top-down concept of the reading
process makes little sense for a reader who can be stymied by a text containing a large
amount of unfamiliar vocabulary. What is more, in top-down models, the generation
of hypotheses would actually be more time-consuming than decoding (Stanovich,
1980).
The third type – interactive models of the reading process – is proposed in the
thought of the perceived deficiencies of both bottom-up and top-down models.
Interactive theorists appreciate the role of prior knowledge and prediction, and at the
same time emphasize the importance of rapid and accurate processing of the actual
words of the text.
Hayes (1991:7) proposes “in interactive models, different processes are thought to be
responsible for providing information that is shared with other processes. The
information obtained from each type of processing is combined to determine the most
appropriate interpretation of the printed pages.”

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To sum up, the appearance and popularity of interactive models show that interactive
models can maximize the strengths and minimizes the weaknesses of the separate use
of either bottom-up or top-down models.

1.3.

Classification of Reading

1.3.1. Classification according to Manner
Reading, according to manner, is divided into reading aloud and silent reading in
which “reading aloud involves looking at the text, understanding it and also saying it.”
(Doff, 1988:70). Though reading aloud is considered a way to convey necessary
information to the others, it is an unpopular activity outside classroom.
In fact, reading aloud proves itself to be advantageous for the learners because it
helps them make the connection between sounds and spelling of letters and words,
and assists the teachers to check learner’s pronunciation. However, there are
contradictory opinions about it. While Nuttal (1996) says reading aloud is an aid for
beginners to improve their pronunciation, Greenwood (1985) criticizes the
overemphasis of the purpose of “teaching pronunciation” through reading aloud.
Unlike reading aloud, silent reading is more often used in both real life and
classroom, and “it is the method we normally use with our native language, and on
the whole the quickest and most efficient” (Lewis, 1985:110). Because reading is a
very personal skill so silent reading is a more effective skill for reading
comprehension because firstly learners do not need to read all the words in the text,
secondly they can read at their own speed and if they do not understand the sentence,
they can go back, thirdly students can not only attain the main ideas in a short time
but also understand its details thoroughly to answer the questions, and finally the
teacher can check his/her learners’ understanding easily and add reading materials

and exercises suitable to their ability.

1.3.2. Classification according to Purpose
According to purpose, reading is categorized into four types: skimming, scanning,
extensive reading, and intensive reading.

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Skim-read and scan-read are necessary reading techniques for general sense or the
gist of a reading text.
Nuttal (1982:36) says “by skimming, we mean glancing rapidly through the text to
determine whether a research paper is relevant to our own work or in order to keep
ourselves superficially informed about matters that are not of great importance to us.”
Grellet (1981:19) states that “when skimming, we go through the reading material
quickly in order to get its main points or the intention of the writer, but not to find the
answer to specific questions. … When scanning, we only try to locate specific
information and often we do not even follow the linearity of the passage to do so.”
Though these two reading techniques are important for quick and efficient reading,
they should not be selected separately because a text can be best tackled by a
combination of strategies. So after skimming and scanning, students need to have the
products of critical reading, which would be “chewed and digested” as stated in
Francis Bacon (1992:386) that “some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed,
and some few to be chewed and digested.”
Unlike skim-read and scan-read which to some extent still have something in
common, extensive and intensive reading are viewed differently. While extensive
reading is associated with reading outside the classroom and fluency and pleasure in
reading are expected as reading fruits while intensive reading, also called study
reading, involves the close guidance of the teacher and require great attention to the
text. Students need to “arrive at a profound and detailed understanding of the text not

only of what it means but also of how the meaning is produced” (Nuttal, 1989:23)

1.4.

Effective Reading Comprehension and Reading
Comprehension techniques

1.4.1. What is Effective Reading Comprehension?
Ur (1996:148) considers effective reading comprehension a process with the elements
that follow:
-

A clear purpose in mind

-

An enhanced motivation

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-

Appropriate reading comprehension strategies based on the purposes
and motivation

-

Good prediction

-

Sufficient background information and vocabulary

-

Close attention to the significant bits

-

Fairly high speed

Cook (1989:14), nevertheless, suggests effective reading comprehension would be
best viewed from the cognitive behaviors of good versus poor readers in different
reading stages: before-, during- and after-reading.

1.4.2. Techniques for Reading Comprehension
What constitutes effective reading comprehension has been unveiled. Mature readers
not only convey their clear purpose, close attention, prior knowledge and sufficient
vocabulary but also appropriate techniques for effective reading.
Grellet (1990) provides three groups of techniques:
1. Sensitizing
-

Inference

-

Understanding relations within the sentences

-

Linking sentences and ideas

2. Improving reading speed
3. From skimming to scanning
-

Predicting

-

Previewing

-

Anticipation

-

Skimming

-

Scanning

Nuttal (1982) provides a list of reading skills which consist of macro-skills with
Word-attack skills and Text- attack skills. While the former compose of
morphological information, structural clues, inference (or guessing the meanings of
unfamiliar words) from context, active, receptive and throw-away vocabulary,

learning to ignore difficult words, and using dictionary, the latter include two

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subgroups: significance and cohesion with understanding sentence syntax,
recognizing and interpreting cohesive devices, interpreting discourse markers, and
discourse with recognizing functional value, tracing and interpreting rhetorical
organization, recognizing the presuppositions underlying the text, recognizing
implications and making inferences, prediction, and integration and application.
The techniques are actually various, and in each case and for different purposes of
reading, one proves to be more advantageous than the other. However, hereby are
some suggested approaches which the researcher personally expects to help readers
get better reading fruits.
-

Activating and building background knowledge

-

Previewing the text to build expectations

-

Rereading activities for lower levels of language proficiency

-

Building and monitoring comprehension of the text

-

Adjusting reading strategies when necessary

-

1.5.

Establishing a purpose for reading

Reviewing reading information in the text

Summary

In short, this chapter focuses on the concepts useful for the accomplishment of the
study. First comes an overview on the nature of reading in which the definition of
reading and reading comprehension is focused. Then, dominant groups of models of
reading process are stated. Actually, each has its own strong points and drawbacks, so
what should be done is combining these models to make full use of the advantages
offered and minimize the shortcomings revealed so that reading process with its
models is always perceived as a “developmental process”(Vallette, 1977). What’s
more in the first chapter is the classification of reading into reading aloud and silent
reading in terms of reading manner and skimming, scanning, extensive reading, and
intensive reading in terms of reading purposes. Last comes in the first chapter is an
insight into what is effective reading comprehension and the techniques for effective
reading comprehension.

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Chapter two:
An Investigation into the Current Situation of
Teaching and Learning Reading at Haiphong Foreign
Language Center – Haiphong University
2.1.

Introduction

To realize the objectives of this study, this chapter first starts with an overview on
Haiphong Foreign Language Center, in which background, facility, trend of development
of the Center is briefly presented. Then for a better understanding about the Center, some
information about the learners and learning requirements are addressed. In addition, an
analysis on teachers, teaching methods, materials, and material assessments will be very
important for the realization of the study, for without it the researcher will find it
impossible to sort out reasonable techniques to improve reading skill for his students.

2.2.

An Overview on Haiphong Foreign Language Center

Haiphong Foreign Language Center (HFLC) was established in 1976 and has become a
reliable address for those who are eager to learn foreign languages. In this center, the
scale of study is widely expanded for learners, from children aged 8 to adults aged over
50, from school pupils to city authorities. In this center, English has been taught with
different levels: elementary (A level), pre-intermediate (B level), intermediate (C level),
and upper-intermediate (tertiary level).
Currently, HFLC has over 170 classes with nearly 7,000 students. Students come here
desiring to have a good faculty of English with four fluent skills. Generally, in the Center,
students at A level classes occupy the largest proportion, next come students at B level,
and the smallest is students at C level. In the last few decades there has been an

increasing number of learners attending tertiary education. In 1990, the number was
about 6 classes annually, but it doubled in 2000 with 12 classes, and tripled in 2004 with
nearly 20 classes. These figures show that it is potential for teachers at this center to

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access to students of various levels, different competence, and variable requirements,
thereby can develop their teaching methods as much as they can.
Alongside with hundreds of evening classes, HFLC has full-time classes and classes for
upgrading teachers. Apart from this, the center also has training cooperation with other
colleges, universities, or institutes both within Vietnam and from other countries such as
Hanoi Foreign Language College, Hanoi Open University, English Language Institute of
USA, Finish Lahti Polytechnic College, Irkutsk National University, etc.
Together with teaching foreign language and upgrading teachers, HFLC has taken part in
other activities: translation and translating, giving assistance for teachers of English in the
city’s schools or other centers.
With its new position as a member of Haiphong University (Decision No.84/2000 signed
by the Government on April 20th, 2000), the Center goes on with upgrading teaching and
learning facilities, training teachers, expanding the teaching areas.

2.3.

Learners and Learning Requirements

The learners of English at HFLC are quite different in age, sex, and learning purposes.
According to statistics of the center, learners’ age ranges from 8 to over 50. This means
that some classes of students are still very young, and they learn English sometimes
under the pressure of their parents. In such cases, the motivation is not strong and clear
enough. There are also many school children attending English classes to get a good

ability of English grammar to do well in their examination. So apart from grammar, other
skills are not paid much attention to. To adult learners, all of the four skills are essential
both in communication and working management. However, it is hard for them to acquire
a foreign language as their development often “fossilizes” into permanent error patterns
that no teaching or correction can undo, though they are well aware of their learning
purposes. Of course, there are great individual differences, which depend on effort,
attitudes, amount of exposure, quality of teaching, and plain talent, but there seems to be
a gap for the best adults in the best circumstances.
Despite some clear distinctions in learners’ age as shown above, most of learners here are
from 15 to 35. They are either students of some high schools or universities, who need

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English for their study or future jobs, or employees at offices which require English for
the accomplishment of their jobs, or workers at foreign invested companies, in which
English is the key factor for successful communication. The learners are, therefore,
strongly activated.
Also, there are a considerable number of teachers from different primary or secondary
schools in Haiphong whose English knowledge needs upgrading regularly. These learners
have certainly experienced certain methods of teaching and learning English before
joining the lessons the Center.
With learners of various ages, language competence, learning purposes, etc., it is hard for
teachers in the Center to find the best way to give their lectures, especially when four
skills of English are interwoven and required simultaneously but only one teacher takes
the class.

2.4.

Teachers and Teaching Methods

In HFLC, there are totally 65 teachers of English aged 22 to 58. Thirty of them had
formal ELT training in different tertiary institutions inside Vietnam. The others had
informal or in-service ELT training courses. The oldest teachers have more than 30 years
of teaching experience, and the youngest just more than a year. Three of them have ever
had times attending intensive English courses abroad, mainly in Russia, Findland,
Australia etc.
The teachers in HFLC are assigned to teach at different levels, and different classes.
Class time is often 1 hour and a half (equivalent to 2 periods), and teachers have to go to
class at least once a day. In classes of A, B, or C level, each teacher is responsible for one
class separately. This means he/she has to perform his/her task with four skills
simultaneously. Hence it is not easy at all for a teacher to do well all the time with four
different skills. If he goes further for speaking, there will be less time for the other. But if
reading is placed an important post in the teaching syllabus, the other skills may receive
less attention.
In addition, most of the teachers especially who used to be teachers of Russian and had
informal or in-service ELT training courses though experienced enough still reveal their

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limitations in language knowledge and are not used to applying communicative approach
in their teaching. They often attach themselves to the traditional teaching method, i.e.
grammar translation, in which grammar and vocabulary always become the focus of their
attention every lesson and three teaching stages: presentation, controlled practice and
free-practice are dominantly used. In teaching reading, the skill that learners demand for
most as it is always in the testing list of any examination, or in the reading list of any
company in which English is used, teachers resist in using teacher-centered approach and
it seems that they have never made reading an interactive skill. New words or structures
are always written down on the blackboard and the meaning of every word is provided

right away without any requirement for students’ prediction or guessing from context.
Students are then ordered to read new words aloud one by one, frequently after the
teachers. After that, they are asked to read the text for the first time, sometimes with
some guided questions, mainly to find other words or structures still unfamiliar to them.
Then, teachers again order the students to read. This time is to answer the questions given
at the end of the reading text. Finally, students are required to translate the text from
English into Vietnamese, or complete the exercises provided in each lesson. Actually, in
all three stages of the lesson, teachers remain the center of the class and they seem to be
practicing a golden rule of traditional Vietnamese education: teacher is father and
whatever he says is true.
From what mentioned above, it is apparent that learner-centered approach has not been
widely used in teaching reading at HFLC. The teachers still take the key role in
classroom activities and corner the students to be active listeners. Therefore, there should
be more appropriate teaching techniques to change reading from a “hard nut to crack”
into “a sweet cake to taste”.

2.5.

Materials and Assessments

English, as mentioned above, is taught at different level (A, B, C level, and tertiary
education). At C level, the book “Streamline English – Destination” by Bernard Hartley
& Peter Viney is used. It consists of 80 units, which are covered in 160 periods (each
period lasts 45 minutes).

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Because this book is designed as a textbook, four skills are at the same time emphasized.
In each unit, the first section is a text, in which it depends on the teacher if vocabulary or

grammar is analyzed. Also from the text, speaking skill is taught through discussion on
relevant topics set by the teachers. Reading activities are also based on the text. Whether
writing skill is considered or not also depends on the teachers. If they ask their students to
do follow-up activities by writing a paragraph or a composition, teaching writing is
covered. Otherwise, it is left untouched. After the text come exercises. Usually this is the
part for learners to practise certain words, or structures, or phrases mentioned in the text.
And at last, further practice exercises are given in the workbook. Various forms of
exercises are presented but they are mainly concerned with grammar consolidation rather
than communication or reading stimulation.
Being a textbook, “Streamline English – Destination” provides reading passages of
various topics but not theme-based. They are about “job” (as in unit 5 and 6), about
“travelling” (unit 12 & 13), “food” (unit 41), “a day in a week” (unit 38 & 39), etc.
Mainly they are designed for the aims of teaching grammar more than reading skill. For
example, unit two emphasizes the way to present greetings, introductions, enquiries,
responses, thankings, apologies. Unit four introduces the use of future perfect . Unit 5, 6,
7 is about “verb + ing form” and “verb + infinitive”.
Moreover, of total 80 units presented in the book, 33 are reading texts. A large number
(40) are presented in form of dialogues or daily conversations. Five of them are just
pictures to serve the purpose of teaching description or listening and one is for grammar
consolidation.
Furthermore, reading texts are not designed specially for teaching reading so reading
activities are not set: no pre-reading activities, no while-reading activities and no postreading activities. What are given at the end of the reading texts are exercises for
grammar revision. In addition, all the reading texts are presented in form of a narrative.
Thus, learners will not have chance to get access to varied forms of text presentation.
From the combination of the four skills in one text, and probably poor organization of the
book, teachers at HFLC find it hard to develop intensively each skill separately,
especially reading. What they often do in reading lessons are writing the words and

15

structures possibly new on the blackboard, explaining their meanings mainly dictionary
but not contextual ones, then ordering the students to read for the first time usually
without purposes but to find the words or phrases that still remain unfamiliar. After that
the teachers explain any words that come in lists then ask the students to read the text for
the second time and do the exercises given.
Seemingly, various topics given in the reading texts are beneficial for reading
comprehension development. However, these are not designed for reading skill
improvement, so it is hard for the teachers to foster their students’ reading ability if they
do not set tasks for reading and employ suitable reading techniques. Teachers at HFLC
have already tried some ways such as providing further practice reading exercises but
these materials are not well systemized and reading topics are not closely related to one
another. These are certainly temporary solutions, so goals should be set for a long-term
measure in which appropriate techniques must be worked out to improve reading skill for
learners.

2.6.

Data Collection, Findings and Discussion

2.6.1. Data Collection
2.6.1.1.

The Subject

The survey was conducted with the participation of 240 learners (aged 14-45) at 6 C level
classes in 2005. These classes did not start at the same time. This means the students are
not learning the same lesson when the survey is carried out. However, they have ever
finished unit 40 in the book Streamline English – Destination, so they all know what their
teacher in each practice skill often presents. Of the learners, 46 of them are from 14 to 18

years old; 20 are from 31 to 45, and the rest from 18 to 30. The youngest group (from 14
to 18) is attending secondary and upper secondary school education, and the oldest (from
30-45) are holding certain positions in many offices and they have ever graduated from
university or colleges. All of them have one thing in common, that is they all officially or
unofficially experienced at least three years learning English. These figures show that the
data collected from the survey will surely be reliable because the learners are well aware
of their mission, and have enough knowledge of English to answer the questions given.

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2.6.1.2.

Instrument for Data Collection

To arrive at the reliable data, survey was conducted and questionnaires were administered
to 240 learners of 6 C level classes. The questionnaire used as instrument for data
collection was designed to get information concerning:
1. Students’ attitude towards the reading text in Streamline English – Destination
(Question 1&2)
2. Students’ attitude towards the way their teachers create reading interest and motivate them.
(Question 3-6)
3. Students’ attitude towards the activities of their teachers in the reading lesson
(Question 7-9)
4. Students’ activities before reading the text (Question 10-11)
5. Students’ activities while reading the text (Question 12-15)
6. Students’ activities after finishing text reading (Question 16-18)
All the questions in the survey were designed with a hope that the researcher can get the
students’ opinions about the reading material they are using, the teachers they are
contacting with, and the methods of teaching reading they are adapting to. These

questions were close to the techniques that the researcher expects to be appropriate for
the improvement of students’ reading ability.

2.6.2. Findings and Discussion
2.6.2.1.

Students’ attitude towards the reading text in Streamline English –
Destination (Question 1&2)

Option
Question

a

B

c

d

1

2.5%

25%

50%

22.5%

2

4.1%

12.5%

53.3%

30%

Table 1
The scores on the students attitude towards the reading text in Streamline English –
Destination were tabulated for each of the four suggested answers (a, b, c, or d). Half of

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the students being questioned find the reading texts in this book rather interesting. Only a
very small number (2.5%) agree that the reading texts are very interesting. It is actually a
contradict when 25% think it interesting to read the texts and a nearly equal number
(22.5%) state it is boring.
As for the length of the reading texts, a large number (53.3%) suppose it is moderate. But
not a small number (30%) consider the readings texts short. 4.1% of the students involved
in the survey choose the option that the reading texts are very long and 12.5% decide they
are long.
The figures indicate that it is acceptable to use this book because three times as much as
the number of students who consider the reading texts are boring (75%) agree that these
texts are interesting and rather interesting and most of them say the length of the reading
texts are suitable with their ability. However, more attention should be paid to figure out
the reasons why not a small number of students do not feel like the reading section.

Therefore, it should be first the teacher’s task to sort out and apply appropriate teaching
techniques in order to stimulate their students’ interest for the book. The teacher with his
techniques is like a good cook, in food-art with his own recipe, who can make nice dishes
to suit the taste however simple the ingredients may be.

2.6.2.2.

Students’ attitude towards the way their teachers create reading interest
and motivate them. (Question 3-6)

Option
Question

a

B

c

d

e

3

50%

14.1%

4.1%

25%

6.6%

4

4.1%

33.3%

50%

12.5%

5

3.3%

16.6%

50%

25%

6

4.1%

37.5%

50%

8.3%

5%

Table 2
As shown in Table 2, most of the teachers often create the interest for their reading lessons
by presenting some new words and structures on the blackboard (50% students agree that).
Just a few students (4.1% equivalent to 10 students) say their teachers often give guiding
questions to help them think about the text before they go ahead and not a large number
(14.1%) suppose their teachers give brief introduction to the text before start. Perhaps the

18


teachers think new words and structures usually remain the obstacles to their students’
concentration. However, if this is the major problem of the students’ reading
comprehension, why there are only 4.1% students say they are much interested and 33.3%
rather interested in the way their teachers create reading interest in compared with 50% say
just little and 12.5% not at all.
The figures show that there must be certain changes in the way the teachers create reading
interest for their students. It can be inferred that most of teachers at HFLC apply the
traditional way of teaching reading English. By writing words and structures down on the
blackboard in presentation section, they will not be able to activate their students to guess
the word meanings or to predict the content of the reading texts. The students, as a result,
become very passive.
Also in Table 2 we can see how much the students are interested in the way their teachers
motivate them as well as what their teachers often do to motivate. A majority of the

teachers (69.9%) often try to motivate their students every reading lesson. However just a
few teachers (3.3%) attempt to help their students understand the purpose of the text. Most
of them (50%) activate their students by provide them any words or structures that they ask
for. It is surprising that only 16.6% of the teachers set some tasks for their students before
reading but up to 25% ignore the effectiveness of motivation as asking the students read
straightaway. This figure indicates that the teachers realize the importance of motivation for
their students in every reading lesson. And this attitude is well-worth. However, the ways in
use are not appropriate as it is shown that a very low number of students (4.1%) say much
interested but 8.3% say not at all and up to 50% agree just little.

2.6.2.3.

Teachers’ activities towards their students in the reading lesson
(Question 7-9)

Option
Question

a

B

c

d

7

3.3%

17.5%

66.6%

8.3%

8

2.5%

6.3%

2.5%

78.6%

9

0%

66.6%

25%

8.3

Table 3

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e

10%


The summary of the ratings of what teachers often ask their students to do every reading
lesson given in Table 3 signals that the teachers are aware of their duty in class. They
have attempted to help their students understand what should be done to get a good
comprehension of the reading text. However, what they do indicates that teacher-centered
approach is still widely used in HFLC. Most of the students (66.6%) say their teachers
rarely help them to be aware of the purpose of their reading. They added that their
reading purpose is always to get information (but exactly what is seldom suggested) and
answer the questions at the end of the section. 17.5% say sometimes and only 3.3%
usually. The number of the students who suppose that their teachers never help them to
understand their reading purpose is only 4.1%.
Also from Table 3, it is a big surprise to know that teachers scarcely help their students
understand the text before hand by asking them to predict the content of the text. Only
2.5% of the students answer they often follow this activity. Also astonishingly, when
exactly the same number (2.5%) propose their teachers ask them to scan it and 6.3% say
they often skim the text. However, it is ironical when these students themselves reveal
that they do not know exactly what skim or scan is. What they have in mind for these
skills is reading as quickly as possible for the first time. It is foreseeable when 78.6%
agree that their teachers often ask them to move their eyes line by line for unknown
words or structures.
The numbers in Table 3 also indicate that teachers at HFLC are not well aware of the
importance of extensive reading or more exactly they do not recognize the importance of
encouraging their students have extensive reading habit. Of 240 students questioned,
71.8% answer they sometimes have extensive reading, 10.8% say they rarely, and 8.2%
say never. Only 8.3% agree they have such reading habit.
Clearly, students are not encouraged in extensive reading. And actually this is a

shortcoming because the teachers must be those who stimulate their students passion in
reading by extensive materials, and it is also the teachers who help their students feel so
interested in reading that they want to “digest” any pieces of written papers in hand. They
need to realize that a tiny tip of games can have mighty power to get learners involved;
beautiful songs reveal meaningful messages laying underneath their charming melodies,

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and reading materials even small ads in newspapers or authentic novels are also the fuel
that adds fire to learners’ passion for the English reading.

2.6.2.4.

Students’ activities before reading the text (Question 10-11)

Option

a

B

c

d

10

2.5%

20%

52.5%

25%

11

5.8%

2.5%

25.8%

65.8%

Question

Table 4
Figures shown in Table 4 tell us that most students do not have the habit of predicting the
content of the reading text before reading. 2.5% say they usually do this activity at the
reading lesson, 20% say sometimes, 52.5% seldom, and not small number (25%) answer
they never. The students do not realize that predicting the content often helps them read
better and faster as they have certain clues about what they are going to set their eyes on.
However, this is understandable when referring to Table 3 from which it is indicated that
their teachers rarely ask them to do so.
The result is not better when students are asked what they often do to have an overview
of the text. Only 5.8% of the students involved in the study agree that they often glance at
the title, the heading or subheading, however, this is not what their teachers ask them to
do. Actually, this activity is resulted in as their habit but not a built-up skill thanks to

their teachers. Reading the first and the last sentence of the text is also far beyond the
student’s knowledge. Only 2.5% say they often follow this activity. It is unbelievable that
25.8% of the students reveal they depend on their teachers’ suggestion for an overview of
the text and up to 65.8% answer reading line by line is their best (more exactly the
unique) choice.
From this figure, it is easy to realize that teachers of reading at HFLC- HPU have not
helped their students realize what they should do before starting to read. In other words,
the teachers themselves have not mastered the use of communicative method with
different stages in teaching reading as well as the activities set for each stage. To get
students ready for the lesson, teacher’s presentation such as writing down the new words,

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explaining grammatical structures, introducing the main ideas of the text dominates the
class-time.

2.6.2.5.

Students’ activities while reading the text (Question 12-15)

Option

a

B

c

d

e

12

44.1%

46.6%

4.1%

5%

13

2.5%

2.5%

80.7%

8.3%

5.8%

14

50%

0%

20%

6.6%

23.2%

15

0%

8.3%

60%

27.4%

4.1%

Question

Table 5
Findings from Table 5 indicates that a large number of students (45.7%) read the text
attentively from the beginning to the end after having general view. 46.6% move their eyes
line by line for unknown words and structures. 4.1% read only the first and the last sentences
of each paragraph in the reading text and the rest do other activities.
Being asked what they often do to find the main idea of the text, almost all the students
(80.7%) say they read the text attentively from the beginning to the end. 2.5% and exactly
the same number (2.5%) respectively propose they skim and scan the text while admitting
that what actually is the nature of these skills is still unclear to them.

When unfamiliar words or structures appear, most students (50%) rely on dictionaries for
the meanings or explanations. 20% ignore them so as not to let them steal their
concentration. They added the whole content of the reading text does not depend on just a
few sentences that do not make sense to them. 6.6% agree that they do not know what to
do so they often stop reading if many unfamiliar words appear. Surprisingly, no one say
they try to figure out the meanings of the words from the context but with the help from
the teachers, and up to 23.2% admit, as a matter of fact, that asking the word meaning
from the teachers is the easiest and most effective way.
Also shown in Table 5, when students are questioned what they often do if they fail to
understand the text, most of them (60%) answer they do not let that part distract their
reading process so they ignore it and read on. 27.4% confess that they often ask the
teachers for explanation and 8.3% say they give up reading. 4.1% agree they do not know

22


what to do. No one who involved in the survey say they have used fix-up strategies
because they do not know exactly what they are.
It can be concluded that students at their reading lessons depend too much on their
teachers. This can be traced back to the traditional teaching method that the teachers
applied, i.e. teacher-centered approach. Instead of teaching the students how to fish,
teachers usually fish for their students and even feed them with fish. They still let
themselves involve too much in the reading process.

2.6.2.6.

Students’ activities after finishing text reading (Question 16-18)

Option
Question

a

B

c

d

16

5%

33.3%

44.9%

20.8%

17

5%

75%

2.5%

13.3%

18

0%

12.5%

55%

e

32.4%

4.1%

Table 6
Data in Table 6 states clearly that students do not have the habit of summarizing the text
after reading though this skill is very beneficial for them to gain better understanding and
memorizing of the text. Only 5% of the students often apply this technique and much
larger number say never (20.8%). 33.3% propose they sometimes do this as they do not
have enough time in class and 44.9% say they rarely for the lack of time and more
importantly they do not know how to do it. However, it should be a must that the teachers
help their students recognize the importance of this skill after reading.
From the Table, we know that follow-up activities have also been developed in reading
lessons at these C level classes but not effective since what most students (75%) often do
is completing the exercises given at the end of the reading text. Obviously, these
exercises should not be a choice for reading improvement because they are mainly of
grammar concentration. Only 5% summarize the text and much fewer (2.5%) take writing
as a follow up activities. Attention also should be paid to those who do nothing after
reading section (13.3%).

23

Also from the figures in this table, one matter that may worry teachers of reading is not
many students are aware of the importance of increasing their reading speed. Ironically,
no one say they often try to faster their reading, and up to 32.4% answer never, adding
that they do not care what their reading speed is and exactly they do not know what to do
to speed up their reading. 55% propose they rarely attempt to increase their reading pace
and 12.5% agree that they sometimes.
It can be inferred that teachers may have glimpsed the idea of follow-up activities in mind
but they do not know what activities should be used to activate their students to work further after
the reading section. The seemingly unique and best choice is asking the students do the
exercises. This is understandable because the teachers’ technique may partially be
influenced by their background, not accessing to ELT training or updating with modern
teaching techniques, and the design of the textbook, Streamline English- Destination, in
which reading section is presented in form of a text at the end of which is a series of
grammar exercises.

2.7.

Summary

In this chapter, from the overview on the current teaching and learning situation, HFLC
proves itself to be a potential center in which facility, learners, and teachers are focus of
the development.
First, the number of learners keep increasing so far. Although they are of various age,
occupations, background and come to HFLC for different purposes, their top priority is to
gain a good knowledge of language. Thus, they are strongly motivated in the process of
acquiring English.
In addition, teachers at HFLC always try their best to meet the surging needs of their
students, but still reveal some shortcomings in the way they deliver their lessons because

of the lack of experience (in case of the young teachers), their persistence in using
traditional teaching method (the older teachers), or their limitations in language
knowledge (the in-service training).
Also in chapter two, findings from the survey show that most of the students at C level
classes (HFLC) agree with the use of the book Streamline English – Destination despite a

24


number of disadvantages for example this is a textbook not the one specially designed for
reading, the presentation of the reading texts is mainly in form of dialogues and narrative,
some units are just pictures or guided questions, etc. However, extensive reading
materials should also be provided so as to satisfy the reading demand of certain learners
of high level of proficiency, who find such reading texts boring or not long enough.
From the survey we need to keep in mind that there are still mismatches between the
teachers and the students in the way the teachers create reading interest or motivation.
Actually the teachers need to diversify the activities to activate the students and make full
use of communicative approach in teaching reading so as to increase the students’ interest
in reading sections.
The analysis reveals that students are more active and become more aware of what they
need to do every reading lesson. However, what they have done seem not efficient
enough to improve their reading skill.
Additionally, statistics gained from the questions identifying the habit of extensive
reading and increasing reading speed indicate that students do not realize the benefits of
such reading activity, and do not have any effective ways to speed up their reading.
Therefore, teachers, as an instructor, an educationist, and a father, should work out
appropriate techniques to help handle the difficulties or clear away the obstacles faced by
students in their reading process so as to gradually better their reading skill.

25