GRADUATION PAPER A STUDY ON READING STRATEGIES APPLIED BY THE THIRD YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT TAY BAC UNIVERSITY

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
TAY BAC UNIVERSITY




BUI THI NHIN




GRADUATION PAPER


A STUDY ON READING STRATEGIES APPLIED
BY THE THIRD YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS
AT TAY BAC UNIVERSITY




Field: English Methodology





Son La, 2013

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

TAY BAC UNIVERSITY




BUI THI NHIN




GRADUATION PAPER


A STUDY ON READING STRATEGIES APPLIED
BY THE THIRD YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS
AT TAY BAC UNIVERSITY



Field: English Methodology

Supervisor: Mrs. Do Thi Thanh Tra, MA





Son La, 2013

i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First, I would like to acknowledge my sincere gratitude to my supervisor,
Mrs. Do Thi Thanh Tra who has given me the support, guidance and invaluable
critical feedback during the process of carrying out the graduation paper.
I also want to thank the useful suggestions and detailed comments of the
teachers in Foreign Language Department and fellow classmates in 50
th
English
course.
In addition, I am grateful to teachers and students in 51
th
English course at
Tay Bac University who help me collect data for completing this research.
Finally, I am indebted to my family for their love, care and tolerance
encouraging me to do this study.

Son La, 10
th
April 2013
BUI THI NHIN

ii
ABSTRACT

English has undoubtedly become an international means of communication.
As its essential roles in communication, the language teaching and learning has
been changing rapidly to meet new demands. However, the English language
teaching and learning in Viet Nam in general, the teaching, and learning in
Son la in particular still leave much room to be expected. Especially, the
learning of reading skill and using reading strategies is still far from being
satisfactory. It is clear that if the students use learning strategies, their
learning will be more successful and obstacles while learning will not hinder
their understanding any longer.
The purpose of this research is to investigate the attitudes of teachers and
the third year English major students at Tay Bac University toward reading
strategies, afterwards, specific reading strategies applied by the students are
thoroughly examined, and some feasible recommendations are given to these
students to support them learn reading more effectively.
In order to achieve these objectives, three instruments, namely document
analysis, questionnaire and interview were used for teachers and students at Tay
Bac University. The result shows that the teachers always pay attention on
applying reading strategies during reading lessons. On the other hand, the
students do not usually apply reading strategies as a motivation in learning
reading. The rarely used activities are: placing new words into context, using
images, previewing and predicting (memory strategies), using background
knowledge, guessing meaning from context, taking note (cognitive strategies),
guessing intelligently and using other linguistic clues (compensation strategies)
identifying the purpose of reading texts (meta cognitive strategies ), giving
themselves valuable reward for a particular good performance in learning
(affective strategies ), asking for classification or verification, cooperating with
peers, developing cultural understanding, becoming aware of others thought and

feeling (social strategies ).

iii
TABLES OF CONTENT

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT i
ABSTRACT ii
TABLES OF CONTENT iii
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1
1.1. Rationale 1
1.2. Purposes of study 1
1.3. Research questions 2
1.4. Scope of the study 2
1.5. Methodology 2
1.6. Design of the study 2
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 4
2.1. Language learning strategies 4
2.1.1. Definition 4
2.1.2. Classification of language learning strategies 5
2.2. Reading strategies 10
2.2.1. Definition of reading comprehension 10
2.2.2. Classification of reading 11
2.2.3. Definition of reading strategies 12
2.2.2. Classification of reading strategies 13
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 17
3.1 Description of the subjects 17
3.2. Data collection instruments 17
3.2.1. Document analysis 17
3.2.2. Questionnaires 17
3.2.3. Interviews 18

3.3. Results and discussions 18
3.3.1. Results collected from document analysis 18
3.3.2. Results collected from questionnaires 20

iv
3.3.2.1. Students’ attitude towards reading strategies 20
3.3.2.2. Students’ use of reading strategies 21
3.3.3. Results collected from interview 26
CHAPTER 4: MAJOR FINDINGS AND SUGGESTIONS 29
4.1. Major findings 29
4.2. Suggestions 30
4.2.1. Arouse students' awareness of the importance of reading strategies 30
4.2.2. Suggestions of using reading strategies 31
4.2.2.1. Suggestion of using memory strategies 31
4.2.2.2. Suggestion of using cognitive strategies 33
4.2.2.3. Suggestion of using compensation strategies 36
4.2.2.4. Suggestion of using metacognitive strategies 39
4.2.2.5. Suggestion of using affective strategies 41
4.2.2.6. Suggestion of using social strategies 42
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 44
REFERENCES
APPENDIX

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LISTS OF CHARTS AND TABLES

Table 1: Students’ attitude toward reading strategies………………………… 20
Chart 1: Students’ use of memory strategies………………………… ………21
Chart 2: Students’ use of cognitive strategies………………………… …… 22
Chart 3: Students’ use of compensation strategies……………………….…….23

Chart 4: Students’ use of metacognitive strategies……………….…………….24
Chart 5: Students’ use of affective strategies…………………………… ……25
Chart 6: Students’ use of social strategies 26

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1. Rationale
It is undeniable that English is an international language, which plays an
important role in social life. It links people over the world in many fields:
science, technology, business, communication, education, etc. It also helps
people to approach the endless knowledge of the human being. Therefore,
teaching and learning English have become the necessity in every country.
Reading is considered one of the most important skills which language
learners should master, particularly as it helps to build a variety of language
expression and structures, widen general knowledge and lead to lifelong
learning and improvement in the first and second language skills. But acquiring
and mastering this skill is likely to become a big hindrance to many learners
while they often find it difficult to exploit this skill in their learning experience.
In Viet Nam, English is one of the foreign languages, which is compulsory
from primary to university. In upper secondary school, listening, speaking,
reading and writing are four main skills that students have to learn when they
learn English. Reading seems to be the most challenging skill for many students.
They find difficult in reading texts, reading tasks and reading exercises. There
are several reasons for this problem, and lack of using strategies during reading
process seems to be the biggest reason. Therefore, it is necessary, meaningful,
and practical to do the research “A study on reading strategies applied by the
third year English major students at Tay Bac University”
1.2. Purposes of study
For the above-mentioned reasons, the main purposes of the thesis are as
the following:

+ To investigate the students’ and teachers’ attitudes toward reading strategies.
+ To find out what reading comprehension strategies have been employed
by the third year English major students at Tay Bac University.
+ To give some suggestions in order to support the third year English major
students at Tay Bac University read more effectively.

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1.3. Research questions
The study aimed at answering the questions as follows:
+ How do the teachers and the third year English major students at Tay Bac
University percieve the importance of reading strategies in learning to read in
English?
+ Which specific reading strategies are applied by the third year students
majoring in English at Tay Bac University to facilitate their reading
comprehension? How often do they utilize each kind of strategies?
+ what recommendations should be made to help these students to read
more effectively?
1.4. Scope of the study
Due to the lack of time, condition, and material, this study only focus on
investigating reading strategies employed by the third year students majoring in
English at Tay Bac University
1.5. Methodology
The methodologies were used in this study:
+ Analysis
+ Questionnaires
+ Interview
1.6. Design of the study
The study is composed of five chapters:
Chapter 1, Introduction, provides the background to the study, aims of the
study, research questions, and methodology.

Chapter 2, Literature review, involves different issues in the theories of
language learning strategies in a foreign language as well as reading strategies.
Chapter 3, Data collection and analysis, consists of two parts: the first part
focuses on the description of the subjects. The second part is an analysis on the
data collected from the survey questionnaires for students and interview questions
for teachers.

3
Chapter 4, Major findings and solution, consists of two parts: The first part
focuses on the major findings inferred from the data analysis in Chapter 3. From
these findings, some strategies and activities are recommended.
Chapter 5, Conclusion, is the conclusion and the weakness of the study as
well as some suggestions for further study.

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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter involves different issues in the theories of language learning
strategies in a foreign language as well as reading strategies.
2.1. Language learning strategies
2.1.1. Definition
This section presents several definitions of language learning strategies by
leading figures in the second and foreign language field: MacIntyre (1994),
O'Malley and Chamot (1990) and Oxford (1990).
Language learning strategies are “the actions chosen by language students
that are intended to facilitate language acquisition and communication”
(MacIntyre, 1994, p.190). MacIntyre emphasized learners’ deliberate action of
language learning strategies. This definition highlights the awareness and
intention of learners’ use of language learning strategies (to facilitate language
acquisition and communication).

Language learning strategies are "the special thoughts or behaviors that
individuals use to help them comprehend, learn, or retain new information"
(O’Malley and Chamot, 1990, p.1). In O’Malley and Chamot’s definition,
language learning strategies can be either observable (behaviors) or
unobservable (thoughts). Additionally, the explicit goals of learning strategies
are to assist students to gain comprehension and learn new information (Lan,
2005, p.17).
Language learning strategies are “operations employed by the learner to
aid the acquisition, storage, retrieval, and use of information ; specific actions
taken by the learners to make learning easier, faster, more enjoyable, more self-
directed, more effective, and more transferable to new situations” (Oxford,
1990, p. 8).
These definitions share one commonality: language learning strategies are
“what students do to assist their learning” (Bremner, 1999, p. 8). However, they

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have been defined in many different ways. In fact, the terms used to describe
strategies and to account for their goals vary.
As clearly shown in Oxford's (1990) definition, several explicit goals are
evident. “These are related to aspects of learning and use of information, as well
as to the changed nature of learning when learning is enhanced by strategies
("easier, faster, more self-directed ")” (Lan, 2005, p.17). In addition, Oxford
believes that appropriate language learning strategies could help learners gain
self-confidence and improve proficiency. In this paper, Oxford’s points of view
is mostly considered because they care about specific actions taken by the
learners to make learning enjoyable, easier, more self-directed and they are
suitable for kind of students under this study.
The next sub-section describes and comments on some of the most
common classifications of language learning strategies by Oxford (1990), with
the aim to select the most relevant classification schemes for coding reading

comprehension strategies in the present study.
2.1.2. Classification of language learning strategies
According to Oxford’s way of classification, there are direct strategies
and indirect strategies. The former consists of mental processing of the language
that includes memory, cognitive and compensation strategies. The later are meta
cognitive, affective, social strategies that support and manage language learning
without directly involving the target language.
* Direct strategies
As it is stated by Oxford (1990, 80), “language learning strategies that
directly involve the target language are called direct strategies”. All direct
strategies require mental processing of the language and use for different
purposes.
Direct strategies are classified into :
+ Memory strategies
+ Cognitive strategies
+ Compensation strategies

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● Memory strategies
Memory strategies help students memorize, store, and retrieve new
information. Memory strategies require very simple principles such as arranging
things in order, making association and reviewing. Although memory strategies
can be powerful contributor to language learning, stressed by Oxford, some
researchers have shown that students are rarely reported using these strategies.
Memory strategies include the following techniques:
a. Grouping
b. Associating/elaborating
c. Placing new words into a context
d. Using imagery
e. Using keywords

f. Representing sounds in memory
g. Structured reviewing
h. Using physical response or sensation
● Cognitive strategies
The common feature unifying cognitive strategy is manipulation and
transformation of the target language by learners. In Oxford’s view point,
cognitive strategies are essential in language learning, and thus they are
considered the most popular strategy used by language learners.
Cognitive strategies consist of the following techniques:
a. Recognizing and using formulars and patterns
b. Repeating language material
c. Practicing with sounds and writing systems
d. Practicing naturalistic
e. Getting the ideas quickly
f. Using resources for receiving and sending messages.
g. Reasoning deductively
h. Analyzing expressions
i. Analyzing contrastively

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j. Translating
k. Transferring
l. Taking notes
m. Summarizing
n. Highlighting major points by using emphasis techniques
● Compensation strategies
Compensation strategies allow learners to use the new language for either
comprehension or production despite their gaps in knowledge. Oxford observed
that learners skilled in compensation strategies communicative better than those
who know many more target language words and structures but are not skilled in

these strategies.
Compensation strategies include the following techniques:
a. Using linguistic clues
b. Using other clues
c. Getting help
d. Using mime or gesture
e. Selecting the topic
f. Adjusting the massage
g. Coining words
h. Using a circumlocution or synonym
* Indirect strategies
According to Oxford (1990), all strategies that support and manage
language learning without directly involving the target language are called
indirect strategies. They are strategies that underpin the business of learning
language, allow learners to control their own cognition, help learners learn
through interaction with others as well as regulate their emotions, motivations
and their attitudes. Indirect strategies are divided into three groups:
+ Metacognitive strategies
+ Affective strategies
+ Social strategies

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● Meta-cognitive strategies
Metacognitive strategies are “actions which go beyond purely cognitive
device, and which provide for learners to coordinate their own learning process”
(Oxford 1990:136). He further indicated that those metacognitive strategies are
extremely important; learners use these strategies sporadically and without much
sense of their importance. In several studies of second and foreign language
learning, reported by Oxford, “students used metacognitive less often than
cognitive strategies and were limited in their range of metacognitive strategies,

with planning strategies most frequently employed and with little self-evaluation
or self-monitoring”
Metacognitive strategies consist of the following techniques:
a. Over viewing and linking, with already known material
b. Paying attention
c. Finding out about language learning
d. Organizing learning
e. Setting goals and objectives
f. Identifying the purposes of a language task
g. Planning for a language task
h. Seeking practice opportunities
i. Self-monitoring
j. Self-evaluating
● Affective strategies
Affective strategies are strategies through with language learners can gain
control over their emotions, attitudes, motivations, and values. These strategies
are useful for language learners, especially for those who have ordinary hang-
ups and difficulties. However, Oxford (1990, 20) stressed, “These strategies are
woefully underused-reported by 1 in every 20 language learners”. This situation
is distressing, given the power of affective strategies.
Affective strategies have the following techniques:
a. Using progressive, deep breathing, or meditation

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b. Using music
c. Using laughters
d. Making positive statements
e. Taking risks wisely
f. Rewarding oneself
g. Listening to the body

h. Using a checklist to assess feelings about language learning
i. Writing a language learning diary
j. Discussing feelings with someone else
● Social strategies
Social strategies are used to create and maintain language communication
between and among people. Language is a form of social behavior. Learning a
language, thus “involve other people, and appropriate social strategies are very
important in this process” (Oxford, 144)(Oxford
Oxford (1990) noted that there is a large overlap among six groups in her
strategy classification system. For instance, metacognitive strategies help
students regulate their own cognition by assessing how they are learning and
planning often requires reasoning, which is itself a cognitive strategies.
Similarly, the compensation strategies of guessing, which is clearly used to
make up for knowledge gaps, also require reasoning as well as involve socio-
cultural sensitivity typically gained through social strategies.
Social strategies consist of the following techniques:
a. Asking for clarification or verification
b. Asking for correction
c. Cooperating with peers
d. Cooperating with proficient users of the new language
e. Developing cultural understanding
f. Becoming aware of others’ thought and feeling
Apparently, there is a strong mutual support among all the types of
strategies among direct and indirect ones. Oxford (1990) even compared the

10
former and the later to the Director of a play. The Director acts as an internal
guide who administers the Performers, who cooperate and realize the play. In
other words, both direct and indirect strategies interact closely and actively for
the best possible outcome. Using language learning strategies help learners

develop their competence in all reading, speaking, writing and listening skill.
2.2. Reading strategies
2.2.1. Definition of reading comprehension
Reading has been the subject of research for over a century (Cheng, 1985).
In fact, a lot of trials have been made by those who are interested in this
approach. However, working out a thorough definition of reading is a hard nut
to crask since different researchers have various points of view about it.
Anderson (1999, p.7) confirmed that “reading is an active, fluent process which
involves the readers and the reading materials in building meaning”. What can
be inferred from this definition is that reading is considered as a process of
working out the intended meaning from a reading text. Harmer’s definition
(1998, p.70-71) has some points in common “reading is an exercise dominated
by the eyes and the brain. The eyes receive messages and the brain then has to
work out the significance of these messages”. Obviously, this definition fails to
the ways that help readers understand messages in the text. The definition is
given by William (1990, p.2), which says that “reading is a process whereby one
looks at and understands what has been written” also encounters this shortcoming.
The definition that seems to be more satisfying than those mentioned above
is the one introduced by Rumelhart (1977). In Rumelhart’s words, reading
entails three elements: the reader, the text, and the interaction between the reader
and the text. Sharing the same point of view Aebersold and Field (1977, p15)
stated that reading is what happens when people look at a text and assign
meaning to the written symbols in that text. The text and the reader are the two
physical entities necessary for reading process to start. It is, however, the
interaction between the text and the reader that costitute actual meaning.

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What makes the definitions of reading by Rumelhart (1977) and Aebersold
and Field (1977) different is the interaction between the purpose and the manner
of reading that determines how people read a text or what reading strategies they

bring to reading process.
To sum up, it is obvious that attempts to define reading have been various
but only Aebersold and Field’s (1977) definition reveals the features and ideas
of reading as it indicated that reading takes three elements for the occurrence of
process of transferring meaning from writer to reader. The reader, the text and
the interaction between these two factors.
So far, general views on reading have been mentioned, the next section will
look into the models that describe the reading process in order to have a full
understanding about the nature of reading.
2.2.2. Classification of reading
Depending on the purpose of reading, each person has different methods of
reading. In other words, the purpose of reading will determine the manner in
which the reader access to reading materials. This study will classify reading
according to the criteria of the manner of reading and the purpose of reading.
- Classification according to the manner
Doff (1988), there are two ways of reading: reading aloud and silent reading.
"Reading aloud is the process that the readers look at the text to understand
the text and read aloud" (Doff: 70). Doff said that reading aloud is one way
transmission of necessary information, Nuttall (1996) considered read aloud a
useful tool to practice pronunciation.
Reading aloud aims at practicing the ability to communicate with others,
the ability to express thoughts and feelings. So, reading aloud as a procedure
to form the reader the technical skill of reading as: pronunciation, intonation,
fluency, etc. On the other hand, reading aloud allows the reader to
comprehend the letters of the language, so it helps the reader to remember the
text more easily.

12
Silent reading is as the link between the visual stimulus and the meaning or
process of seeing and understanding. Silent reading helps the reader to

understand and master content of the text. Therefore, silent reading is used
popular in learning reading skill.
- Classification according to the purpose of reading
According to Wood (1985), Williams (1986) and Grellet (1990) there are
four ways to read: skimming, scanning, extensive reading and intensive reading,
Grellet (1990) stated that skimming and scanning are necessary techniques to
require speed. Skimming is reading through the entire text and finding the main
idea, the structure of the text, and purpose of the author. But when looking for
specific information, readers often use scanning.
Extensive reading and intensive reading have some differences. The two
main points of extensive reading are smooth and relaxed while the purpose of
intensive reading is to understand the specific details of the content of the
reading and to transmit the reading content (Nuttall, 1989, p.23).
2.2.3. Definition of reading strategies
Reading strategies, as defined by Brantmeier (2002, p.1) are “the comprehension
processes that readers use in order to make sense of what they read and reading
strategies are summarized as follows :
“The strategies may involve skimming, scanning, guessing, recognizing
cognates and word families, reading for meaning, predicting, activating
knowledge, making inference, following references, and separating main ideas
from supporting ideas”.
According to Anderson (1999, p.12), there are six reading strategies:
1.activate prior knowledge, 2.cultivate vocabulary, 3.teach for comprehension,
4.increase reading rate, 5.verify reading strategies, 6.evaluate progress.
Brown (1990, p.3) considered reading strategies as the ways that help
learners read more quickly and more effectively.
In short, reading strategies can be defined as the ways show readers how to
manage their interaction with the written text to comprehend and learn new

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information from the reading texts effectively.
2.2.2. Classification of reading strategies
According to Oxford’ way of classification, in this study, reading strategies
are divided depending on learning strategies. These are direct strategies, which
include memory strategies, cognitive strategies, compensation strategies and
indirect strategies which consist of metacognitive strategies, affective strategies
and social strategies.
A. Direct strategies
I. Memory strategies
1. Placing new word into context: readers should place new words and
expressions into a meaningful context or a real situation, such as a spoken or
written sentence, to remember information better and longer.
2. Using imagery: readers create meaningful visual imagery of the spoken
input either in the mind or in real drawing to comprehend and store information.
3. Previewing and predicting: readers focus on previewing key elements
(titles, headings, etc.) to determine what they already know about a reading text.
Then predict what they will learn.
4. Employing action: readers use body movement, total physical response,
physical response or sensation to remember information better. For example: use
your finger to help your eyes follow lines of text, underline or highlight words
you don’t understand, and circle or highlight key words in a bright color.
5. Grouping words: readers list all words in the assignment that may be
important for them to understand. Arrange words to show the relationships to
the learning task. Add words they probably already understand to connect
relationships between what is known and the unknown.
II. Cognitive strategies
6. Using background knowledge to infer information: readers are
encouraged to use what they already know before reading new material, or how
much background knowledge they have in order to do the tasks more quickly
and easier.

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7. Skimming and scanning: readers should moving their eyes quickly down
a page, not reading every word, in order to get an idea of what the text is about.
Then sweeping their eyes (like radar) over part of a text to find specific pieces of
information
8. Guessing meaning from context: sometimes readers do not need to look
up the words they don’t know. The first thing to do should be to look at the
context and actually try to guess the meaning of the words without having to
look up in the dictionary.
9. Making inference and drawing conclusion: Before doing a reading text,
readers may use available information to guess meaning of new items, predict
outcomes, or fill in missing information. Then drawing conclusion about the text
to remember it longer.
10. Taking note: readers had better write down keywords or concepts in
abbreviated verbal, graphic, or numerical form while reading.
III. Compensation strategies
11. Guessing intelligently\using linguistic clues: readers seek and used
language-based clues to guess the intended meaning of speech. Suffixes,
prefixes, and word order, etc. are useful triggers for guessing.
12. Using other linguistics clues: Using synonym, antonym, restatement,
list, definition, etc. to define unfamiliar words are the good ways for readers to
remember the words.
B. Indirect strategies
IV. Metacognitive strategies
13. Identifying the purpose of reading texts: Before reading, readers
should establish the purpose by asking themselves questions such: Why are you
reading this article or chapter, and what do you want to get out of it? When you
have accomplished your purpose, stop reading. For instance, your purpose in
seeking a number in the telephone book is specific and clear, and once you find

the number, you stop "reading." This principle helps readers to get the focus or
theme, or main ideas, or main facts or figures, or evidence, arguments and

15
examples, or relations, or methods, that can prompt them to use what they want
in the minimum time.
14. Self-monitoring: readers check their comprehension during reading by
asking themselves questions to know how much they understand about the text.
15. Advance organizers: Before reading an assignment, readers should be
pointed out such as cause-effect or problem-solution. It can be beneficial to call
attention to specific plans of paragraph or text organization such as signal
words, main idea sentences, highlighted phrases, headings and subtitles. A
review of skimming techniques might also be appropriate as these various areas
are covered.
V. Affective strategies
16. Rewarding you: Readers had better give themselves valuable rewards
for a particular good performance in learning to make them feel happy and
encourage them to learn.
17. Writing a language-learning diary: readers write a diary or journal to
keep track of events or feeling in the process of learning to review when
necessary.
18. Seeking practice opportunities: readers create opportunities to practice
reading skill outside classroom setting such places as in the library, on the bus,
or in the garden, etc. depending on learner’s choice.
VI. Social strategies
19. Asking for clarification or verification: readers ask the speakers or
language instructors in classroom setting to slow down, paraphrase, repeat, or
explain what has been said. They ask for classifying to make sure that something
has been understood.
20. Cooperating with peers: readers work with their friend in pairs or

groups to improve their reading comprehension ability in cooperative spirit
21. Developing cultural understanding: readers try to enrich their
knowledge of the target culture to understand the discourse. This helps them
complete the task quickly and easily.

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22. Becoming aware of others thought and feeling: learners keep aware of
fluctuations in the thought and feeling of speakers in order to get the messages
more appropriately
Summary: This chapter has presented the revelant literature, which has
helped to form the theoretical framework for the study. Different aspects of
language learning strategies and reading strategies have been discussed.


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CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY

This chapter focuses on methodology. The first section shows the description
of subjects, and the second deals with the description of data collection
instruments and procedures.
3.1 Description of the subjects
The subjects of this study include the following groups:
The first group is 53 third year English major students at TBU. The
majority of them are minority communities. Learners, who come from different
provinces in the Northwest of Viet Nam, are aged around 20-23, and have had
from 5 to 9 years of learning English. These students have different backgrounds
of learning English.
The second is 5 English teachers at TBU, aged from 29 to 36. They all have
from 6 to 12 working years. They were invited to complete the questionnaire
while they were teaching the students of English at TBU.

3.2. Data collection instruments
3.2.1. Document analysis.
The documents which were analyzed are: Newly published English books
which have been using since school year 2004-2008, the books according to the
3-year English program at secondary schools, and the reading materials
introduced for English major students by teachers of Foreign Language
Department at Tay Bac University such as Concept and comments (Patricia
Ackert, 2005), Practice your reading skills (Hanoi National University, 2006),
Effective Reading (Simon Greenall and Michael Swan, 1986),etc.
3.2.2. Questionnaires
The questionaires for the students (see appendix 1) was conducted in order
to investigate students’ attitudes toward reading strategies and students’ use of
reading strategies.
The questionnaire consists of two parts, which was designed with two main
purposes. The first part aims at collecting students’ attitude toward the importance

18
of reading strategies. The second part focuses on six kinds of strategies with 22
techniques so as to evaluate the students’ frequency in using reading strategies.
The strategies are : memory strategies (1 to 5), cognitive strategies ( 6 to 10 ),
compensation strategies ( 11 to 12 ), metacognitive strategies (13 to 15 ), affective
strategies (16 to 18 ), social strategies (19 to 22). Both six strategies require
students to answer by choosing one of four answers, answers 1 = usually,
answers 2 = often, answers 3 = sometime, answer 4 =never .
The questionnaires were distributed to students in period 2 of the reading
lesson and collected after 20 minutes.
3.2.3. Interviews
As mentioned above, there were five English teachers, aged from 29 to 36.
They all have from 6 to 12 working years at Tay Bac University attended the
interview. The interview questions related to reading strategies and its

importance in learning reading skill.
The interview for teachers consists of five questions (see appendix 2). The
first and the second questions aim at identifying the teachers’ general ideas about
the importance of reading strategies and their attitudes toward reading strategies.
The third and fourth questions find out about the teachers’ evaluation at their
students’ reading competence. The rest question finds out the difficulties that the
third year English major students often meet when they learn reading skill as well
as applying reading strategies through perception and evaluation of teachers.
3.3. Results and discussions
3.3.1. Results collected from document analysis
The majority of the students (75.5%) have learned English from the grade 6
according to Newly published English books which have been using since
school year 2004-2008. The books consists of 16 units, each unit of lesson
includes: reading, speaking, listening, writing, language focus. The book
provides a wide range of different reading texts and tasks at each stage with a
view to help the students improve their reading skills such as skimming, finding
the main ideas, matching, guessing meaning of unknown words and so on.