Luận văn NGHIÊN cứu về VIỆC sử DỤNG các THỦ PHÁP TRONG làm bài đọc TOEIC đối với SINH VIÊN TRƯỜNG đại học HÀNG hải VIỆT NAM

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This research has, in many senses, been accomplished with the help and
encouragement of many people. Therefore, I would like to express my deepest and
humblest gratitude also warmest appreciation to the following people.
First and foremost, I would like to send my deepest gratitude to my ever
supportive supervisor, Ms. Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Quỳnh, Ph.D. for her valuable
guidance, constructive advice, and unconditional support during the time I tried to
complete this thesis.
I would also express my huge thanks to all of my lecturers at Faculty of Post-
Graduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies as their
invaluable lectures and guidance laid the foundation for the fulfillment of this
thesis.
I would also like to show my gratefulness to my colleagues who spent a great
deal of time discussing some of the issues related to my research, offering their
insights and perspectives as well as my students at Vietnam Maritime University in
data collection process using survey questionnaire and semi-structured interview.
Last but definitely not least, I would like to dedicate this thesis to my family
for their unconditional support and words of encouragement.
i
ABSTRACT
This study was conducted at Vietnam Maritime University with a view to exploring
test-taking strategies relative to learners’ performance in TOEIC Reading
Comprehension as well as identifying differences in reading strategies among high
proficiency and low proficiency students at Vietnam Maritime University.
The subjects involved in the study are over 100 students of Vietnam Maritime
University (VMU) chosen randomly from 4 TOEIC classes. Two classes are at
Elementary Level (TOEIC Level 1), the other classes are at Intermediate Level
(TOEIC Level 2). The data was collected from survey questionnaires, interviews
and administration of two TOEIC tests for students. The results indicated that
students at VMU put more emphasis on using reading strategies when they attended
the TOEIC course. In addition, this study also revealed some differences in reading

strategy use among students of different proficiency levels. However, when looking
at the data, the researcher found some shared strategies between the two groups.
From the findings, the study suggested several pedagogical implications for
teachers, students and test-designers at VMU, acknowledged limitations of the
study and offered suggestions for further research.
ii
ABBREVIATIONS
CFL Center of Foreign Languages
IELTS International English Language Testing System
TOEFL Test of English as a Foreign Language
TOEIC Test of English for International Communication
VMU Vietnam Maritime University
LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES
Figure1: A Heuristic for Thinking about Reading Comprehension 8
Figure 2: Priority in Reading Passages 21
Figure 3: Reasons for Reading Single Passages First 22
Figure 4: Reading Approach 24
Figure 5: Comparison about the Priority of Reading Passage 27
Figure 6: Reasons for Reading Single Passages First 28
Figure 7: A Comparison about Reading Approach 29
Table 1: Types of Topic Texts often exploited 23
Table 2: Strategies to Deal with Reading Text 25
Table 3: Reading strategies in taking TOEIC Reading Comprehension 26
Table 4: Types of Topic Texts often exploited by Low Proficiency and
High Proficiency Students
29
Table 5: Comparison about reading strategies 30
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Declaration i
Acknowledgements ii

Abstract iii
iii
Lists of figures and tables iv
Table of contents v
PART I: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale for the study 1
2. Research aims and research question 2
3. Scope of the study 2
4. Significance of the study 2
5. Method of the study 3
6. Organization of the study 3
PART II: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
1.1. Reading 5
1.1.1. Definition of reading 5
1.1.2. Purposes of reading 6
1.1.3. Reading process 6
1.2. Reading comprehension 7
1.3. Reading TOEIC Test 8
1.3.1. Test 8
1.3.2. TOEIC Test 9
1.4. TOEIC reading comprehension strategies 10
1.5. Study of cognitive process 13
1.6. Summary 15
CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY
2.1. Settings 16
2.2. Participants 16
2.3. Research method 17
2.3.1. Data collection instruments 17
2.3.2. Data collection procedures 18

2.3.3. Data analysis 19
iv
CHAPTER 3: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
3.1. Research question 1 21
3.1.1. Types of Reading Passages and Topic texts often exploited 21
3.1.2. Reading Approach 24
3.1.3. Strategies to Deal with Reading Text 25
3.1.4. Reading strategies in taking TOEIC reading comprehension 26
3.2. Research question 2 27
3.2.1. A comparison about the Priority of Reading Passage 27
3.2.2. Types of Topic Texts often exploited by Low Proficiency and High
Proficiency Students 28
3.2.3. A comparison about Reading Approach 29
3.2.4. A Comparison about reading strategies 30
PART III: CONCLUSION
1. Summaries of the major findings 31
2. Pedagogical Implications 32
3. Limitations 34
4. Recommendations for further study 34
REFERENCES 36
APPENDIX 1 I
APPENDIX 2 VII
APPENDIX 3 VIII
APPENDIX 4 XVI
APPENDIX 5 XVII
v
PART I: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale for the study
In the age of economic growth and global integration, English obviously plays a
very important role. However, the criteria for evaluating one’s English competence

are more and more difficult. In today’s context, the A, B, C certificates used for
people wishing to find a job are out-of- date, and the so-called IELTS, TOEFL or
TOEIC have been the best choices. TOEIC, together with other requirements for job
seekers, is preferred by most companies in order to assess their employees’
qualifications. Therefore, a lot of people are trying hard to achieve the success in a
TOEIC Test.
In addition, being a lecturer of English at VMU, through my teaching experience, I
have found out that my students are always afraid of reading as compared to other
skills. Students find reading difficult and stressful, and unfortunately, they have to
sit for a TOEIC- based test which includes Reading and Listening comprehension
for the final examination. Therefore, many of the students get an awful results
because of low scores in English subject in which reading is always a target of
blaming.
Previously, although much literature has been devoted to TOEIC related topics;
little was revealed about the cognitive processes underlying the performance of
Vietnamese candidates in the TOEIC Reading Test, except for the exploratory study
by Phạm Đức Long (2013) on “teaching and learning of TOEIC reading
comprehension skill”.
For all of the reasons stated, this paper is among the first attempts putting the
emphasis onto “test-taking techniques for TOEIC Reading Comprehension to
students at Vietnam Maritime University” so as being help to solve out their
problems.
1
2. Research aims and research questions
The original aim of this study is to gain an insight into how test-takers employ
different reading strategies in TOEIC Reading comprehension. As the first attempt
to explore the ongoing thinking processes during performing reading tasks, once
finished the paper could serve as a useful source for TOEIC candidates who are
planning to sit for the test as well as TOEIC trainers who want to have a closer look
at how their trainees would actually perform in the real test for better TOEIC

preparation instruction. To achieve this aim, the following research questions will
be addressed:
1) Which test-taking techniques became more effective for TOEIC Reading
Comprehension test to the students at Vietnam Maritime University?
2) What are differences in reading strategies among high proficiency and low
proficiency students at Vietnam Maritime University?
3. Scope of study
This study aimed to document the test-taking techniques of 100 students who are
taking TOEIC preparation course at Vietnam Maritime University in Haiphong. 50
students are at Elementary level, 50 students are at Intermediate level.
Investigating the “test-taking techniques for TOEIC Reading Comprehension test to
students at Vietnam Maritime University”, this study is expected to make certain
contributions to the related populations including students taking TOEIC test,
teachers teaching TOEIC, and researchers of the same subjects.
4. Significance of study
First of all, through the problems pointed out and the suggestions made, the students
may improve their performance in reading TOEIC test.
Similar to the students, the study would help TOEIC teachers to realize their
problems in guiding their students in sitting for a test in order to achieve the best
2
results. Moreover, by noticing the students’ difficulties in reading, teachers can
have their in-time consideration and correction in teaching reading effectively.
In addition to the benefits given to the two above subjects, the study may serve as
the foundation based on which further related research would be carried out.
Particularly, future research could be made better after the limitations of the study
are considered.
5. Method of the study
In the current study, the researcher decided to employ immediate retrospective
verbal report approach to explore the test-taking strategies of 100 students as well
as the cognitive processes underlying their performance in reading TOEIC

comprehension. Retrospection is a data-collecting method in which participants are
asked to report their mental processes after solving a matter.
Firstly, apart from the surveyed 100 students, 15 students were chosen to participate
in the semi-interviews as soon as they finished taking TOEIC Test. With the aim of
making the responses more confident in the interview, all the questions are simple
and understandable for students to answer.
Secondly, questionnaires are delivered to the students after they take the TOEIC
test. They were offered to tick or circle the answer that best reflects their
viewpoints.
6. Organization of the study
The rest of the study includes two parts as follow:
Part 2 consists of:
Chapter 1, Literature Review, presents related theoretical background of the study
in which concepts of reading and test-taking strategies for TOEIC Reading
Comprehension test would be discussed.
Chapter 2, Methodology, covers four major parts, namely, participants, instruments,
data collection, data collection procedures, and data analysis.
3
Chapter 3, Results and Discussions, presents, analyzes and discusses the findings in
order to answer the research questions of the study.
Part 3, Conclusion, provides summaries of the main findings, suggestions for better
results, limitations of the study, and lastly, recommendations for further related
researches.
PART II: DEVELOPMENT
Chapter 1: Literature Review
In this chapter, relevant knowledge collected from various sources will be presented
so that it can suitably serve as a foundation for the research. The paper is divided
into two parts including theories on reading difficulties and TOEIC reading.
1.1. Reading
1.1.1. Definitions of reading

4
According to Longman Dictionary of Applied Linguistics, reading can be defined as
the process of perceiving a written text in order to understand its contents which can
be done silently, and the understanding that result is called reading comprehension.
However, the term reading can also be understood as saying a written text aloud
which can be done with or without understanding the text. Another definition of
reading which can be found in Collins English Learners’ Dictionary is an act of
looking at and understanding point. This definition puts the emphasis on the
involvement of the act of the eye during the process of reading and was supported
by Harmer (1989) as eyes receive the message and the brain has to work out the
significance of the message (p.153).
So far, many scholars have been working out the definition of reading. According to
Smith (1985), reading is to understand the author’s thought. Rumelhart (1997)
proposed a different view on reading which is, in his opinion, actually an interaction
between reader and text. This view was shared by a number of researchers
(Silberstein, 1994; Goodman, 1971; Alderson, 2003; Griffiths et. al., 2011; Falke,
1982). Goodman (1971) in his book titled Reading: A Psycholinguistic Guessing
Game put forward the definition that reading is a psycholinguistics process by
which the reader, a language user, reconstructs as well as he can, a message which
has been encoded by a writer as a graphic display, a cyclical process of sampling,
predicting, testing and confirming (p.135). As Falke (1982) defined, in English the
“graphic display” can be either printed or written.
Among the many definitions of reading that have arisen in recent decades, a
comprehensive view should account for the active process of using one’s won prior
language knowledge and experience and the cues found in the text to understand
what the writer has encoded (Saengpakdeejit, 2009), since reading is not simply a
cognitive skill, nor does it have a straightforward outcome as the same text can be
understood in different ways by different readers. For the recent study, however,
reading also refers to the active thinking process that TOEIC test-takers take so as
to understand and complete different reading tasks of the test.

5
1.1.2. Purposes of reading
The purposes of reading refer to readers’ aims and objectives. Therefore, different
readers may have different purposes in their mind with the reading text in their
hand. According to Ruiqi (2007), basically there are two main reading purposes
including reading for getting information and reading for pure fun or enjoyment.
Grabe and Stoller (2002), however, divided reading purposes into seven subtypes
which are more specific: reading for search for simple information, reading to skim
quickly, reading to learn from the text, reading to integrate information, reading to
write, reading to critique the text and reading for general comprehension.
1.1.3. Reading process
Reading process is claimed by Gascoigne (2005) to be a selective process which is
characterized as an active process of comprehending. So far, there have been three
widely accepted reading models developed to depict the act of reading or the way
and procedure that readers use to construct meaning from the reading texts. The
three reading models are bottom-up, top-down and interactive (Barnett, 1989).
In bottom-up model, reading is compelled by the text, proceeds from part to whole,
constructs meaning from letters, words, phrases, sentences. Readers process the text
in linear direction (Nunan, 1991). Therefore, in this model, readers are believed to
play a rather passive role. The basis of bottom-up reading model lies in the
linguistic knowledge of the reader (Samuel & Kamil, 1988).
In top-down model, the understanding of the text is constructed from whole to part.
The readers predict what come next, test their prediction and adjust or confirm. In
this model, readers actively use their background knowledge. Goodman (1967)
described reading using top-down model like a “psycholinguistic guessing game” in
which the “reader reconstructs, as best as he can, a message which has been
encoded by a writer as a graphic display” (p.135).
6
Interactive model is a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches. This
model was discussed as the process of combining textual information with the

information the reader brings to a text (Widdownson, 1979); therefore, the meaning
of the text is, in fact, “synthesized based on information provided simultaneously
from several knowledge sources” (Stanovich, 1980, p.35)
1.2. Reading comprehension
Sedita (2001) claimed that reading comprehension is the ability to determine
meaning from text. It is a complicated, interactive process where readers construct
meaning based on information they get from the text combine with their own
knowledge. Gough and Tunmer (1986) supported that reading comprehension is
actually a process of decoding. According to the RAND Reading Study Group,
reading comprehension is the process of simultaneously extracting and constructing
meaning through interaction and involvement with written language which entails 3
elements: the reader who doing the comprehending (bring his own capacities,
abilities, knowledge and experiences), the text to be comprehended and the activity
(the purposes, the processes, the consequences). The dynamic interaction between
these elements of reading comprehension can be depicted in the following figure.
7
Figure1: A Heuristic for Thinking about Reading Comprehension (RAND
Reading Study Group, 2002)
1.3. Reading TOEIC Test
1.3.1. Test
Towards the meaning of a test, many different authors have different definitions.
According to definition cited in Longman dictionary, a test is: “any procedure for
measuring ability, knowledge or performance”. Alphonse (2008), on the other hand
says that testing is one of the best ways to enable the teacher to monitor students’
performance and progress. However, the researcher finds that the definition made
by Rubayee (2008) is the most effective in which “tests are important in
determining the students’ learning achievements in the classroom; at the same time
they also help teachers to monitor his/her teaching methods in the classroom” (cited
in To and Nguyen, 2008).
There are many ways to classify tests including basing on their uses and purposes,

the ways to mark them, or on the types of test tasks, etc. According to test purposes
as the grouping principle, we can classify tests into four common types as below:
Types of test Purposes
Proficiency
tests
To see how good students are at language, or use of the language. The
contents of a proficiency tests are not chosen according to what has
been taught, but according to what is needed for a particular purpose.
Achievement
tests
To see how well students have learnt the language taught in class.
Achievement tests are often at the end of term or end of the year and
test the main points of what has been taught in that time.
Placement
tests
To identify a student’s level of language and find the best class for
them. These are essential in large institutions that frequently receive
8
new students.
Diagnostic
tests
To identify problems that students have with language. They help
teachers diagnose the language problems students have and to plan
what to teach in future.
1.3.2. TOEIC Test
In 2005, the Ministry of Education and Education testing Institute- based in US
regarded the use of TOEIC to asset students’ English language proficiency. Thus,
universities in Vietnam can apply the TOEIC program to teach and evaluate
students’ learning outcomes instead of the old program and tests for A, B, C
certificates.

Firstly, the TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication) is a
standardized, multiple-choice proficiency test which is built to measure
communicative English for “non-native speakers” (Wilson, 2000, p.1). In order to
score well on the new TOEIC test, you must have two goals: improve your
proficiency in English and improve your test- taking skills. The test has two
sections: Listening Comprehension (100 multiple choice questions) and Reading
Comprehension (100 multiple choice questions). Total time allowed for the test
(including administrative tasks) is approximately 2.5 hours. The Listening
Comprehension section takes 45 minutes; the Reading section takes 75 minutes.
The content of the TOEIC is not specialized; the vocabulary and content are
familiar to those individuals who use English in daily activities.
In TOEIC reading section, there are 100 multiple-choice questions which take 75
minutes. Reading score scale ranges from 5 to 495 (Examinee handbook – Listening
& Reading, 2012, p.2). TOEIC reading test is divided into three parts including
incomplete sentences, text completion, and the last one is reading comprehension.
Part 5- Incomplete Sentences has 40 sentences in which test-takers are asked to
select the best answer to complete the sentence, then mark the letter (A), (B), (C), or
9
(D) on their answer sheet. Regarding part 5, 40 questions are presented to test
learners’ grammar and vocabulary extensively.
Part 6- Text Completion consists of 12 questions in which there will be 4 texts and
3 questions for each text. In this part, test-takers are asked to select the best answer
to complete the text (type of questions and the way to do are as same as part 5).
Part 7- Reading Comprehension includes 48 questions in which there will be 28
questions in single passages. Test takers will only read advertisement, form, letter,
e-mail, fax, memo, table, index, chart, instruction, or notice separately. There are at
least 2 questions and 20 questions in double passages. The test-takers, in this part,
must choose the best answer among four for each question.
1.4. TOEIC reading comprehension strategies
As in all reading comprehension exercises, a variety of skills are required to deduce

the right answer. These include skimming, scanning, paraphrasing, and
understanding vocabulary in context. Readers must be able to identify synonyms
and implied information. A clue is that the order of the questions follows the order
to the information in the reading passage.
Lougheed (2007b) suggests that reading skills such as “skimming, scanning, using
the context and reading fast” (p.228, see more in the 5
th
Appendix) should be
practiced sharply to enhance reading comprehension. He goes on to add that a
competitive tip is to “read the questions before read the passage” (Introductory
Course, p.151). It might be inferred that when readers have a particular question in
their mind, they can read fast and purposefully. Furthermore, TOEIC examinees “do
not read the answer before they read the passage” (Lougheed, 2007a, p.151). It may
be understood that when test-takers master each reading question, they should find
the answer in the passage instead of looking for answer options (A), (B), (C), (D)
after each question. It can be seen that Lougheed (2007c) reveals that TOEIC
examinees should find not only direct answer but also “synonyms, paraphrases, and
implied answers” (p.170). It is not enough without mentioning four main question
10
types: “main idea questions, detail questions, inference questions and vocabulary
questions” (Lougheed, 2007a, p.151) which readers are highly recommended to
prepare for the new TOEIC test.
According to www.masterthetoeic.com, one of the most important skills readers
will need to develop for the TOEIC is Skimming - this will help readers with many
Questions in Part 6: Text Completion and Part 7: Reading Comprehension,
especially with Inference Questions. Skimming means to quickly look through a
Text, focusing only on certain words. These words give you an understanding of
the general information or ideas in the Text. The key to Skimming is to NOT READ
every word.
Instead, focus on the following kinds of Key Words:

• Subject or Object of each sentence
• Action Verbs (i.e., verb that describe a clear action, such as “delete”)
• Helping Verbs (i.e., verbs such as “need to”, “can”, or “will”)
• Strong Adjectives
• Skimming will help readers: more quickly understand the General Ideas
of Texts, without having to read every word.
• Skimming will also help readers: know the Location of different kinds of
information.
Another TOEIC skill you need to develop is the ability to quickly Scan Questions,
Answer Choices and Paragraphs for Words and Ideas. The key to Scanning is to
NOT READ. Instead, Look.
When readers scan, they look for specific words - Key Words -from an Answer
Choice or Question. These Key Words give the most important information or the
information that makes that answer choice unique (different from the other Answer
Choices).
After they have chosen Key Words from an Answer Choice, go to the Text. Take
their pencil and run it across the sentences of the Text, moving from one word to
11
the next in each sentence. Their eyes should follow just behind the pencil as it
moves over the words.
As they move the pencil, be looking for the Key Words, or synonyms of the Key
Words, from the Answer Choices. When you find a Key Word from an Answer
Choice, look for Key Words from the Question–are they nearby? If “Yes”, then
that is probably the correct answer.
Another strategy is time management (time limit strategy). Good time management
is essential when taking tests such as TOEFL, TEFL, etc. It is especially true of the
TOEIC test. The time limit strategy is the easiest way to improve TOEIC score. The
strategy involves planning how much time test-takers should spend on each
question and limiting yourself accordingly.
For example, if test-takers had a 10 minute test with a total of 10 questions and each

question was worth 1 point, they should spend about 1 minute on each question. If
they spent 9 minutes doing the first question, they would have less than 1 minute for
the other 9 questions!
By not wasting time on the hard questions, test-takers should have time at the end of
the test to come back and do the rest. It is possible that you may even find hints for
hard questions further on in the test. This strategy is best applied to the TOEIC
Reading section.
Forster et al. (1997, p.129) continue to reveal that reading the questions with
carefulness is the first step followed by predicting possible correct answers. The
second step comes to information-identifying skills. In “Strategies 1: Building
TOEIC/TOEFL test-taking skills”, it is pointed out that the questions asked may not
impose as the orderly information in the text. In addition to that, from my teaching
experience, I agree with such researchers in term of wrong answers in TOEIC
reading comprehension which may be resulted in by choosing “too general, too
vague or too specific” answers (p.129).
As Forster et al. (1997, p.9) recommend, answers B and C are the two most popular
answer to questions in TOEIC, so it is worthy to advise students to mark B or C
12
when they have no idea for the answer to a specific question. Moreover, these
researchers suggest that when students encounter a new word which they have not
seen before, it is better to depend on surrounding words in the sentences for
guessing the new word in the context.
1.5. Study of cognitive processes
To study the content of cognitive process which cannot be observed, a number of
research techniques can be employed. The following table summarizes the
procedure of the five common methods with the use of verbal protocol.
Method Description
Retrospection
The subject solves a problem and is questioned afterwards about
the thought processes during the solving of a problem.

Introspection
The subject is instructed to report not after completing the
problem-solving task but at intermediate points chosen by the
subject
Questions and
prompting
The subject is questioned during the problem-solving process or
may be prompted at given intervals to tell what he is thinking or
doing.
Dialogue
observation
This method can be applied for problem-solving tasks which
involve dialogue.
Think aloud
The subject is asked to talk aloud while solving a problem and
this request is repeated if necessary during the problem-solving
process thus encouraging the subject to tell what he or she is
thinking.
(Someren, Barnard & Sanberg, 1994)
In the current study, the researcher decided to employ immediate retrospective
verbal report approach to explore the test-taking strategies of 100 students as well
as the cognitive processes underlying their performance in reading TOEIC.
Retrospection is a data-collecting method in which participants are asked to report
13
their mental processes after solving a problem. Among all of the five methods used
for studying cognitive processes, retrospection is claimed to produce the list
disturbance to the participants’ cognitive process since the subjects are not
interrupted during the problem-solving process (Someren, Barnard & Sandberg,
1994). The use of retrospective verbal protocol, however, has its own disadvantage
since it may affect the cognitive process itself as a consequence of being aware that

“one is going to be asked questions afterwards” (Someren, Barnard & Sandberg,
1994, p.25) and produce “incomplete verbalization” (Xiangdong & Chunyan, 2012,
p.405).
Nevertheless, this method has been utilized in a number of second language studies
to investigate students’ test-taking strategies (Wu, 1998; Weir, Hawkey, Green, &
Devi, 2006; Xiangdong & Chunyan, 2012). To lessen the negative points of the
method, in the current study, the researcher choose to conduct retrospective
interview immediately after the reading process along with the use of action
protocol which, in this case, would be the reading answer sheets, the immediate
products of the reading task, to help the subjects better recall their cognitive
processes while reading.
1.6 Summary
To sum up, this chapter provides different current theories of both reading and
sources of reading difficulty in order to give a clear overview on the matter of the
study. The following chapter will deal with the methodology with which the study
was conducted.
14
CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY
After reviewing a theoretical basis for the study in the previous part, in this chapter,
the researcher will discuss the methodology used to implement the research. The
chapter will cover four major parts, namely, participants, data collection
instruments, data collection procedures, and data analysis procedures.
2.1. Settings
This study was conducted at the Center of Foreign Languages, VMU. At VMU,
students have to take sit for a TOEIC-test which includes Reading and Listening
comprehension for the final examination. Therefore, in each English class, normally
ranging from 25 to 30 students per class, there is a mixture of different students-
15
that means students came from different departments and levels of English. Often,
students coming from Maritime Economics Department are better in English than

the other Departments, and Navigation students are normally worse. To make the
situation better, CFL held the placement test to classify students into different
levels. Low proficiency students took part in TOEIC Level 1 that TOEIC score
ranged from 200 to 300, high proficiency ones did in TOEIC Level 2 that TOEIC
score ranged from 350 t0 450. At the end of 50 classes, they are asked to sit for a
full TOEIC- based test.
They must get scores of 450 as one of the conditions to graduate. To meet the
requirements for a TOEIC 450 course, students should be at intermediate level of
English in order to catch up with advanced curriculum. However, the English
abilities of students are different, using strategies is the most effective way to get
the score. The subject is mainly taught in formal settings according to the
nationwide course distribution.
2.2. Participants
The number of participants in the study was 100 who had been chosen from 4
TOEIC preparation classes at the CFL. Most of them were second year students in
the academic year 2013-2014 at VMU. They came from different departments at
different levels. Most of them were ranging their age from 19 to 20. Of the 100
students, 50 were at elementary level whose current TOEIC band scores ranged
from 200 to 300, attend TOEIC Level 1, the other 50 were at intermediate level
whose TOEIC band scores ranged from 350 to 450, attend TOEIC Level 2. The
band score 450 was then considered as the level border line.
2.3. The research method
2.3.1. Data collection instruments
2.3.1.1. Immediate retrospective account of strategy use.
16
Immediate retrospective interviews will be conducted and audio recorded with the
use of semi-structured guiding questions so that it encourage the participants
express their thoughts while performing reading tasks. The questions will be
changeable in advance but still flexible enough to encourage the participants to talk
of their thinking processes and they will be mostly “what” questions rather than

“why” to enable the participants recall more information relevant to their test-taking
processes (Xiangdong & Chunyan, 2012) and to collect a direct report rather than
just interpretation (Someren, Barnard & Sandberg, 1994).
2.3.1.2. Questionnaire
A questionnaire for students who had finished TOEIC courses (see Appendix 1)
with items relating to the subjects’ strategies , current level of English as well as
their English learning experience will be used to provide the researcher with a
comprehensive knowledge of the subjects’ experience in learning English and their
understanding of different reading strategies. In order to help the participants to
understand the questionnaire completely, Vietnamese was used.
2.3.1.3. Reading test
The reading tests include one full TOEIC Reading Test administered by the center
which the researcher learn about the subjects’ current English reading proficiency
marked in accordance with the TOEIC marking scale and two other partial tests.
These two tests are carefully chosen from TOEIC Preparation materials so that they
include three parts: Incomplete Sentences, Text Completion, Reading
comprehension.
Also, the test paper with the marks that the subjects make during the reading
process would serve as useful data for further analysis. Every notes or marks on the
paper will be kept to help the researcher trace back the subjects’ cognitive process
as they perform the reading tasks.
2.3.2. Data collection procedure
17
The procedures of data collection went through three main phases in chronological
order: delivering questionnaires, holding semi-structured interviews and carrying
out the observations.
2.3.2.1. Delivering questionnaires
120 questionnaires for students were randomly distributed to four classes having
students from different levels in foreign language center at VMU. The reason to
deliver such number of questionnaires was to eliminate the invalid ones and get

back 100 most comprehensible ones, and to avoid losing the questionnaires made
by the students.
On the day of giving questionnaires, the researcher asked for the help of the
teachers teaching those periods to deliver the papers to the students after
introducing the purposes and explaining some necessary information in case of
having any problems. The reason to let the teachers send out the questionnaires was
that under the “authority” of the teachers, students would complete the papers
seriously.
2.3.2.2. Holding the semi-structured interviews
One-by-one interviews for the students were done in their dormitory rooms. The
first part of the interviews was to introduce and establish the close rapport between
the interviewer and the interviewees. Then, the researcher started the interviews and
asked the permission to the use of tape-recording along with the confirmation of
confidentiality of the interviews. Under a friendly and open atmosphere, the
respondents were encouraged to express their views and share their opinions
towards the questions raised by the researcher. During the interviews, in addition to
asking for the respondents’ point of views, the researcher also let them chances to
clarify and explain what strategies they used. A part from the use of tape-recording,
the researcher took notes on some important information through the interviews for
the sake of later transcription.
18
The data collection procedure will include three phases. Firstly, the participants
who are asked to join the research will be informed of the purpose as well as
instructed on the procedure of the study. At this phase, they will also take some
reading tasks and perform pilot immediate retrospection afterwards. At the second
phase, they will do the reading and their immediate retrospection protocol will be
collected. Finally, the transcription phase of data will be conducted.
2.3.3. Data analysis
As the data collected from immediate retrospection is transcribed, it will be
categorized and analyzed to reveal the answers to the focused research questions

concerning.
1) Which test-taking techniques became more effective for TOEIC Reading
Comprehension test to the students at Vietnam Maritime University?
2) What are differences between the reading strategies employed by high
proficiency and low proficiency students at Vietnam Maritime University?
For the first category, the descriptive statistics of frequency method was employed
to illustrate the most strategically-planned strategies and the most popularly-
exploited practical experience among the students.
For the second category, the researcher also exploited the descriptive statistics
between the reading strategies by high proficiency and low proficiency students.
2.3.4. Summary
The second chapter gave a clear view on the methodology of the research including
participants, data collection instruments, data collection procedure and data analysis
procedure. Based on the aims of the study, using triangulation of questionnaires,
observations and semi-structured interviews was considered as the best choice to
collect the thorough and in-depth information from the respondents and can make
the data gained afterward reliable and comprehensive. All of those findings are as
follow in the next chapter.
19
CHAPTER III: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The data, after being collected from the questionnaires, the observations, and the
semi-structured interviews, would be analyzed and interpreted to answer the two
research questions.
3.1. Research Question 1
Which test-taking techniques became more effective for TOEIC Reading
Comprehension test to the students at Vietnam Maritime University?
20