A study on the teaching of reading skills to 10th form students at a High school in Ninh Binh = Nghiên cứu về việc dạy kỹ năng đọc hiểu cho học sinh lớp 10 ở mộ

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES



PHẠM THU THA
̉
O


A STUDY ON THE TEACHING OF READING SKILLS TO 10
TH
FORM
STUDENTS AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN NINH BINH

( Nghiên cứu về việc dạy kĩ năng đọc hiểu cho hoc sinh lớp 10 ở một
trường THPT, Ninh Bình)


MA. MINOR THESIS



Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 60.14.10

Hanoi, 2013

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES


PHẠM THU THẢO


A STUDY ON THE TEACHING OF READING SKILLS TO 10
TH
FORM
STUDENTS AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN NINH BINH

( Nghiên cứu về việc dạy kĩ năng đọc hiểu cho hoc sinh lớp 10 ở một
trường THPT, Ninh Bình)


MA. MINOR THESIS


Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 60.14.10
Supervisor: Dr. Huỳnh Anh Tuấn

Hanoi, 2013
i

DECLARATION

I hereby certify that the thesis entitled:
“A study on the teaching of reading skills to 10
th
form students at a high
school in Ninh Binh.” is the result of my research for the Degree of Master of Art
at University of Languages and International Studies, Ha Noi National University,
and the thesis has not been submitted for any degree at any other university or
tertiary institution.
Ha noi, September 2013
Student


Phạm Thu Thảo

ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, I would like to take the chance to express my great gratitude to
my supervisor, Dr. Huynh Anh Tuan for his helpful suggestions, valuable critical
feedback, close guidance, as well as his generous assistance in the process of
completing my thesis.
Secondly, I owe a debt of gratitude to all the English teachers at Nho Quan C
High School for providing me with precious knowledge from their practical and
useful lectures.
Special thanks must be also given to the beloved students at Nho Quan C
high school for their responsible cooperation in the data collection process.
Finally, I would like to thank my family for supporting me during my study.
Especially, I owe my deep thanks to my dear husband, my parents and my dear little
daughter for their special care and encouragement, due to which my paper is able to
be finished in time.

iii


ABSTRACT
This research was aimed at finding out: (1) the students‟ background of
English and their attitudes toward learning reading comprehension skill; (2) factors
causing their difficulties and the problems the teachers might encounter in the
teaching process of the reading comprehension skills; (3) suggested solutions. The
researcher carried out the study by three instruments: classroom observation, two
survey questionnaires and informal interviews. The research reveals that the
students‟ lack of knowledge, including linguistic and cultural background
knowledge, the teachers‟ teaching methods, some difficulties from the textbook all
cause problems for the teachers in the teaching process. Besides, the data from the
study confirm the fact that the students‟ poor attitudes towards the importance of
reading comprehension skills in learning English contributes to the problems in
teaching this skill. In addition, the school‟s lack of conductive facilities is also made
the situation worse. From the results inferred in the analysis, the study suggests
some feasible solutions to make teaching and learning English reading skills more
effective.

iv


LIST OF CHARTS AND TABLES CHARTS
Chart 1: Students’ attitudes toward the importance of learning reading
skills…………………………………………………………………………… 33
Chart 2: Students’ opinion on the reading text in the textbook……………….33
Chart 3: Students’ activities in pre-reading……………………………………34
Chart 4: Students’ activities in while-reading…………………………………34
Chart 5: Students’ expectation in post-reading ……………………………….35
Chart 6: Students’ way to overcome difficulties……………………………….37
Chart 7: The way teachers ask their students to read…………………………40
Chart 8: Teachers’ expectation of the students in the post-reading………… 41
TABLES
Table 1: The results of classroom observations……………………………… 29
Table 2: Factors affecting students’ comprehension of the text………………33
Table 3: Students’ problems in acquiring reading skill……………………….36
Table 4: Students’ expectation of teachers’ solutions to their difficulties……37
Table 5: Teachers’ attitudes towards reading skill…………………………….38
Table 6: Description of teachers’ opinions on the sections for reading in
Englis……………………………………………………………………………39
Table 7: Teachers’ perception of the students’ comprehension………………40
Table 8: Description of teachers’ problems in teaching reading skills……….41
Table 9: Description of the teachers’ solutions to face with the difficulties …42

v



TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION………………………………………………………………….i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT……………………………………………………… ii
ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………… iii
LIST OF CHARTS AND TABLES…………………………………………… iv
TABLE OF CONTENT………………………………………………………… v
PART I: INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………….1
1. Rationale of the study………………………………………………………… 1
2. Aims and objectives of the study 3
3. Scope of the study…………………………………………………………… 3
4. Research methodology 4
4.1. Research questions………………………………………………………… 4
4.2. Research approach……………………………………………………………4
4.3. Data collection instrumnts……………………………………………………4
4.4. Data analytical units………………………………………………………….4
4.5. Data analysis methods……………………………………………………… 4
4.6. Data collection procedures………………………………………………… 5
5. Significance of the study……………………………………………………….5
6. Organization of the study………………………………………………………5
PART II: DEVELOPMENT……………………………………………………5

CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND AND LITERATURE
REVIEW…………………………………………………………………………6
1. Definitions of reading and reading comprehension ………………………… 6
1.1. What is reading and reading comprehension? 6
1.2. Purposes of reading………………………………………………………… 8
1.3. The importance of reading………………………………………………… 9
1.4. Effective Reading Comprehension and Reading Comprehension Skills… 11
vi

1.4.1. What is Effective Reading Comprehension? 11
1.4.2. Reading Comprehension Skills………………………………………… 12
2. Teaching Reading Comprehension………………………………………… 12
2.1. Relationship between Reading and Other Skills……………………………12
2.2. Factors in teaching reading lesson………………………………………….13
2.2.1. The Roles of the Teacher…………………………………………………13
2.2.2. The Role of the Students………………………………………………….15
2.2.3. The role of reading material………………………………………………16
2.3. The Three Stages of a Reading Lesson…………………………………… 16
2.3.1. Pre-reading Stage…………………………………………………………17
2.3.2. While-reading Stage………………………………………………………17
2.3.3. Post-reading Stage 18
3. Difficulties in Teaching Reading 19
3.1. Reading Skill Problems…………………………………………………… 19
3.2. Language Problems…………………………………………………………20
3.3. Cultural background knowledge……………………………………………21
4. Previous studies relevant to the study……………………………………… 21
CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY…………………………… 23
2. Research methodology……………………………………………………… 23
2.1. Research questions………………………………………………………….23
2.2. Research approach………………………………………………………… 23

2.3. Research Instruments……………………………………………………….23
2.3.1. Classroom Observation………………………………………………… 24
2.3.2. Questionnaire…………………………………………………………… 24
2.3.3. Interview………………………………………………………………….26
2.4. Data analysis methods………………………………………………………26
2.5. Data collection procedures………………………………………………….26
2.5.1. The Participants………………………………………………………… 26
2.5.2. Teachers and Methods of teaching……………………………………… 27
vii

2.5.3. Procedure………………………………………………………………….28
2.6. Data analytical units……………………………………………………… 28
CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF THE
FINDINGS…………………………………………………………………… 29
3.1. Report the data analysis…………………………………………………… 29
3.1.1.Classroom observation…………………………………………………….29
3.1.2.Questionnaires …………………………………………………………… 32
3.1.2.1.Questionnaire for students……………………………………………….32
3.1.2.2. Questionnaire for teachers …………………………………………… 38
3.1.3.Interview………………………………………………………………… 44
3.2. Discussion of the findings………………………………………………… 45
3.2.1 Research question 1. What are the teachers‟ and students‟ attitudes towards
the teaching and learning of reading? 45
3.2.2. Research question 2. What difficulties do the teachers meet/encounter
when dealing with a reading lesson? 45
3.2.3. Research question 3. What are feasible solutions to overcome these
difficulties? 46
CHAPTER 4: SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS………………………………….47
4.1. Adapting and re-designing the tasks in the textbook to be more suitable to
students………………………………………………………………………… 47

4.2. Upgrading teaching aids…………………………………………………….48
4.3. Techniques for creating reading interest and enhancing motivation……… 48
4.3.1. Using visual aids………………………………………………………….49
4.3.2. Using brainstorming wed/ Networks…………………………………… 49
4.4. Techniques for enriching vocabulary ………………………………………50
4.4.1. Encourage students to have extensive reading habit…………………… 50
4.4.2. Using word games……………………………………………………… 50
4.4.3. Using word list……………………………………………………………51
4.5. Techniques for improving students‟ background knowledge………………51
viii

4.6. Training students to become efficient readers………………………………51
PART III: CONCLUSION…………………………………………………….53
1. Summary of the study……………………………………………………… 53
2. Limitations and suggestions for further study……………………………… 53
3. Recommendations for further study………………………………………… 54
REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………55
APPENDICES……………………………………………………………………I
Appendix 1: Observation sheet………………………………………………… I
Appendix 2: Questionnaire for students (in English)………………………… III
Appendix 3: Questionnaire for students (in Vietnamese)…………………… VI
Appendix 4: Questionnaire for teachers……………………………………… IX
Appendix 5: Interview question (for teachers)……………………………… XII
Appendix 6: Adaptation lesson………………………………………………XIII
Appendix 7: Adaptation lesson………………………………………………XIV
Appendix 8: Pre-teaching technique………………………………………….XV

1

PART I: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale of the study
Nowadays, English has become a global language and has been widely used
in many countries in the world. In Vietnam, it plays an important role in the
increasing development of science, technology, economics, politics, culture and
international relation. This leads to an increasing demand of learning English. More
and more people want to acquire the language proficiency in a higher level because
of the globalization trend. Many people consider it as an inevitable factor in their
work and life. In most school throughout Vietnam, English is considered the most
important foreign language and chosen to teach as compulsory subject.
In teaching and learning as a foreign language in Vietnam, reading has
always received a great deal of attention. According to Erten & Razı (2003)
Reading is often referred to as the most important of the four language skills for
EFL learners, as it enables students to gain exposure to the target language and
receive valuable linguistic input to build up language proficiency. Sharing the same
point of view, Carrell (1984:1) shows that “for many students, reading is by far the
most important of the four macro-skills, particularly in English as a second or a
foreign language”. Therefore, Reading is always the first skill presented in each unit
in the new textbook “Tieng Anh 10”. This proves the important role of reading.
This is also understandable because reading provides students with the abilities to
understand the written materials. Reading has become not only an important means

to gain and enrich the students‟ general knowledge but also a means to help them
with their further study in the future.
This is the fourth year I have taught the new textbook “Tieng Anh 10” to the
10
th
form students. I have met a lot of difficulties. The biggest challenges emerge
from teaching reading comprehension. My colleagues in my school have confronted
a number of difficulties, one of which was students‟ lack of motivation and
opportunities to practice communicating in the target language. Despite the
teachers‟ efforts, the students‟ reading skills are unimproved. If those difficulties are
2

not found out and no solution to reduce and overcome are given, reading lesson will
become worst and students will be bored with learning English. Recognizing the
importance of teaching reading and reading comprehension, I decide on choosing
“A study on the teaching of reading skills to 10
th
form students at a high school
in Ninh Binh.” The study conducted at Nho Quan C High School which is located
in Nho Quan district, Ninh Binh province. This small school with 24 classes has
been in operation for only 5 years. Like other high schools, its duty is to train
students from the 10th form to the 12th form. The class size is generally large with
40-45 learners in one. The classrooms are equipped only with a chalkboard and
desks for four students sharing one. The school has only one projector which is
occasionally used by teachers of all subjects in teaching festivals. There is a library
at school but there are not many books for reference. Moreover, English newspapers
and magazines, which are good sources of current target language, are not available.
In this school, Math, Physics and Chemistry are chosen by most of the
students who wish to take the exams to colleges or universities. English is one of
the compulsory subjects at high school and in the school-leaving exam. However,

few students choose the colleges or universities which require an English exam.
The grade tenth students at Nho Quan C High School are approximately 16
years old. Lots of them come from comparatively poor families so their learning
condition is low. Their parents can hardly afford to pay extra expenses for their
children‟s schooling such as a dictionary, a cassette player or even some English
reference books. Some of them do not take care of their children.
Moreover, most of the students have low English level. The majority of
them have learned English for four years, a few of them have learned it for seven
years (three years at primary school). However, their English background
knowledge remains humble. For some students, things they have learned at
secondary school seem to be completely new at high school. They cannot express
their ideas even a very simple sentences. For example, in unit 3 “people‟s
3

background”, some students cannot find the answer for the question: when and
where was Marie Curie born?
In addition, their lack of awareness of the importance of English as well as
motivation makes them not interested in English. As a result, most of them do not
have the habit of learning independently and tend to depend on the textbooks and on
the teacher for knowledge.
2. Aims and objectives of the study
This study aims to investigate the areas of difficulty that the teachers at Nho
Quan C high school in Ninh Binh province are coping with in their daily teaching of
reading comprehension to the 10
th
form students with the new textbook “Tieng Anh
10” and to suggest some possiple solutions to reduce and overcome these
difficulties.
To be more specific, the objectives of this study are:
-to investigate the teachers‟ and students‟ attitude towards reading

comprehension skill.
-to identify the teachers‟ major difficulties in teaching reading
comprehension skills and examine the causes.
- to suggest ways to reduce the difficulties.
3. Scope of the study
This study is limited to:
- the 10
th
form students at Nho Quan C High School;
- the teachers of English at Nho Quan C High School; and
- reading comprehension in the textbook “Tieng Anh 10”.
The findings and suggested solutions most appropriately applied to the teachers
of English as well as 10
th
grade students at Nho Quan C High School. That is, the
teachers and the students will be able to find ways to improve their process of
teaching and learning reading skills.

4

4. Research methodology
4.1. Research questions
1. What are the teachers‟ and students‟ attitudes towards the teaching and
learning of reading?
2. What difficulties do the teachers meet/encounter when dealing with
reading lesson?
3. What are feasible solutions to overcome these difficulties?
4.2. Research approach
In order to seek answers to the research questions, survey research is adopted
in this research. Firstly, classroom observation was carried out to investigate the

reality of difficulties the teachers confronted in their teaching reading skills. Then,
two types of survey questionnaire were conducted with informants of teachers of
English and students selected randomly from 8 classes at Nho Quan C High School.
In addition to questionnaire, the qualitative data has been employed/ obtained by
informal interviews with some teachers to collect further information about the real
situations of teaching reading comprehension at Nho Quan C high school.
4.3. Data collection instruments
Classroom observation, two survey questionnaires and interview were used
in this study.
4.4. Data analytical units
The data from questionnaire were keyed into the computer and analyzed by
using Microsoft office excel 2007. Descriptive statistics including percentages was
implemented in order to investigate the teacher‟s and students‟ attitudes towards the
importance of reading comprehension skills and difficulties the teachers
meet/encounter when dealing with reading lesson. Besides, information from
classroom observation and interview was also synthesized.
4.5. Data analysis methods
The study is designed to use both qualitative and quantitative methods
(methods of data analysis) to achieve its aims.
5

4.6. Data collection procedures
Firstly, classroom observations were conducted for four reading lessons for
each class in seven weeks for five teachers. Then, based on the classroom
observations, the questionnaire was designed and delivered to 160 students of the
tenth form and 10 teachers. The researcher randomly selected the individual in
classes for investigation. All of the copies were returned and respectively used for
analysis. Lastly, to collect more information, four interview questions for teachers
were designed. All the answers to the questions were recorded to analyze.
5. Significance of the study

This study has been carried out to search for a better and more effective way
to develop students‟ reading comprehension skills. It is hoped that the result of this
study may offer the English teachers at schools in general and the teachers of
English at Nho Quan C high school in particular the ways to teach reading
comprehension skills more effectively.
6. Organization of the Study
The study is organized as follows:
Part I, Introduction, presents the rationale for the study, the aims and objectives,
scope and significance, research methodology and organization of the study.
Part II, Development, consists of the following chapters:
Chapter 1, Theoretical background and literature review of reading comprehension
skills.
Chapter 2, Research Methodology
Chapter 3, Data analysis and discussion of the findings, analysis and discusses the
data which was collected at the second term of the academic year 2012-2013 at Nho
Quan C high school based on questionnaire, classroom observations and interviews.
Chapter 4, Solutions, makes some pedagogical suggestions for teachers and
students at Nho Quan C high School.
Part III, Conclusion, summarizes all the issues in the research and suggests some
ideas for further study.
6

PART II: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
This chapter provides an overview of the theoretical background of the
research. It is divided into three main sections. The first section discusses the
definitions of reading and reading comprehension. The next one is about teaching
reading comprehension. Difficulties in teaching reading are the last one.
1. Definitions of reading and reading comprehension
1.1. What is Reading and Reading Comprehension?

We often spend time reading books, newspapers, magazines, novels, picture
books etc in the free time. Reading helps people relax and reduce stress after the
all day work. Reading is a completely individual activity which takes place in all
different ways. We understand and analyze the text, find its meaning, give out
meaningful information. The ability to read is such a natural part of human beings
that they seldom try to define reading. Different researchers have given different
points of view on the definition of reading. Herein, I would like to mention some
definitions of reading extracted from different sources on the theme.
William (1984), Nuttall (1996), and Frank (1985) share the same view that
reading accounts for understanding what has been written. Also, Goodman (1971:
135), states that: “reading is psycholinguistic process by which the reader, language
user, reconstructs, as best as he can, a message which has been encoded by writer as
a graphic display”, and the act of reconstruction is viewed as “a cyclical process of
sampling, predicting, testing and confirming. ”
One more definition offered by Ur (1996: 138) showed us his simple
definition “reading means reading and understanding”. Harmer (1989: 190) seems
to be interested in the notion of reading. He considers reading as a mechanical
process that “eyes receive the message and the brain has to work out the
significance of the message”. Sharing the same view, Smith (1985: 102) defined
7

“reading is understanding the author‟s thought”. It means that the readers “read the
author‟s mind not the author‟s words”.
Moreover, Rubin, and Thomson, (1994: 91) offers another definition of
reading: “Reading is an active information-seeking process in which readers relate
information in the text to what they already know”. From this point of view, the
reader‟s knowledge of the knowledge and knowledge of the world is of importance
to their reading success.
It is clear that no definition can give all the ideas and features of what
reading is. Each author can have a different definition of reading we cannot tell

which is better because each of them focuses on one important matter of reading.
However, what they all share is that they try to find out the nature of reading, and
reading act, in which the readers, reading process, and reading message are
emphasized. We find that there is a close relationship between reading and
understanding. Therefore, being a language teacher, we must understand the nature
of reading thoroughly to help our students read effectively.
Reading comprehension
Reading comprehension plays an important 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 text as efficiently as possible. There are three
elements appearing in the reading process. They are the text being read, the
background knowledge of the reader and the contextual aspects relevant for
interpreting the text. In teaching reading, it is necessary to understand the nature of
reading comprehension. What the teacher understands about it will have a great
influence on what he or she teaches in the class. In fact, methodologists have been
providing different definitions of reading comprehension.
Swan (1975: 1) states that when we say “a student is good at comprehension
we mean that he can read accurately and efficiently, so as to get the maximum
information a text with the minimum of understanding”. Having the same point of
8

view, Richard and Thomas (1987: 9) claim that “Reading comprehension is the best
described as an understanding between the author and the reader. The emphasis is
on the reader understanding of the printed page based on the individual reader‟s
unique background of experience.”
Having the same point of view with the authors above, Grellet (1981: 3)
takes the point that “Reading comprehension or understanding a written text means
extracting the required information from it as efficiently as possible.” The author
means that reading comprehension is an activity which aims at decoding the
meaning of word combination in the text in the most efficient way.

It can be concluded that reading comprehension is a process of understanding
what is conveyed in the text. It does not mean that the readers need to understand
every single word in the text but actively work on the text and extract the required
information efficiently. It is important for us to understand what reading
comprehension is. For the teachers teaching reading, a profound understanding
about the nature of reading comprehension may help them find out the students‟
difficulties in learning reading and help them to overcome it.
So far we have looked at some definitions concerning reading and reading
comprehension which have been seen from different points of views. It is more
significant to have a more in-depth look at the reading process to make the bridge to
the focus of the study.
1.2. Purposes of reading
Because the nature of reading is “understanding”, the readers extract the
“message” of the author, interpret texts of the specialized subjects in order to get
information for their further studies, their future work in the most appropriate way.
And obviously, various ways of reading are influenced by different reasons for
reading due to the “relevance” features to the purposes. Reading purposes determine
the “what” and the “how” of the reading process, and consequently reading skills/
strategies need to be adopted appropriately.
9

1.3. The importance of reading in learning a foreign language
Reading plays a significant role in building both linguistic and background
knowledge for other language skill. Hoang et al (2006) considers reading as the
most effective means of improving students‟ language competence. When there is a
lack of the second language environment, reading becomes more significant
because it helps enlarges students‟ background knowledge and vocabulary as well
as improves other skills.
To master reading skill is always challenging task that requires students a
number of factors: a good competence of English grammar, rich vocabulary, and

reading techniques. First of all, reading helps students learn to think in English,
enlarge their English vocabulary, improve their writing. Richard (1993:4) claimed
that “reading may help to increase knowledge of the target language through
exposure to new vocabulary and grammatical structures”. There is a close
relationship between reading and vocabulary knowledge, because while reading, the
readers know most of the words in the text already, and they can also determine the
meaning of many of the unfamiliar words from the contexts. Therefore, the best
way to acquire a large vocabulary is to read. It is understandable that anyone who
has a large vocabulary is usually a good reader.
Besides, Richard (1993: 4) also stated that “reading in the new language is
also an important way to learn about the target culture”, which means that reading
provides the students with a wide range of interesting information, helps them
understand the ways of life, behaviors, thoughts and other aspects of the native
people and it is also a good way to find out about new ideas, facts and experiences.
Therefore, they can master vocabulary, grammar and the background knowledge or
cross-cultural problems that they encounter.
According to Byrne (1988:46) there are three reasons for the importance of
reading as follows:
10

“It offers language learners another area of success. We would accept that
not all students will be good speakers and at least give them credit if they become
god readers.”
“It gives the students a skill which they can use on their own (i.e. it is a key
to self-access work)”
“It is likely to be one of the skills that most students will need in the long
term. Certainly, it is one that they will always be able to put to use. That is, they can
read even if they do not get any opportunities to speak”
Reading comprehension skills is very important. Without comprehension,
reading is simply following words on a page from left to right while sounding them

out. The words on the page have no meaning. And while people read for many
different reasons, the chief goal is to derive some understanding of what the writer
is trying to convey and make use of that information – whether for fact gathering,
learning a new skill, or for pleasure. That‟s why reading comprehension skills are so
important. Without them the reader cannot gather any information and use it to
efficiently function and enjoy the richness of life. General speaking, No one can
deny that reading bring readers an ocean of knowledge of different areas. They can
learn more experience of life. They have necessary benefits to avoid difficulties in
mutual understanding in communication such as culture shock, language shock due
to different cultures, habits and languages. Moreover, reading is also an important
way of expanding students‟ receptive knowledge of language and stimulating
students to talk and write.
In other words, reading is very important to the foreign language learners
because it widens their knowledge of language and life. It seems to be the most
important skill to the students of English since their main purpose is to understand
the written texts.


11

1.4. Effective reading comprehension and Reading comprehension skills
1.4.1. What is Effective Reading Comprehension?
According to Ur (1996), reading comprehension as a process combining such
elements as: A clear purpose in mind; an enhanced motivation; appropriate reading
comprehension strategies based on the purposes and motivation; good prediction;
sufficient background information and vocabulary; close attention to the significant
bits; and fairly high speed.
Cook (1989), on the other hand, contends that effective reading
comprehension would be best reflected if we bring distinct cognitive behaviors of
good versus poor readers before, during and after reading an assignment into a

comparison.
Stage
Good or mature readers
Poor or immature readers
Before reading
- Active prior knowledge
- Understand task and set
purpose
- Choose appropriate
strategies
- Start reading without
preparation
- Read without knowing why
- Read without considering
how to approach the material
During reading
- Focus attention
- Anticipate predict
- Use fix-up strategies when
lack of understanding occurs
- Use contextual analysis to
assist comprehension
- Self-monitor comprehension
by
+ knowing comprehension is
- Are easily distracted
- Read to get done
- Do not know what to do when
lack of comprehension occurs
- Do not recognize important

vocabulary
- Do not see any organization
- Add on rather than integrate
new information
12

occurring
+ knowing what is understood
- Do not realize they do not
understand
After reading
- Reflect on what was read
- Feel success is a result of
effort
- Summarize major ideas
- Seek additional information
from outside sources
- Stop reading
- Feel success is a result of luck
1.4.2. Reading Comprehension Skills
Nutall (1982) provides a list of reading skills which consist of macro-skills
with word-attack skills and text-attack skills.
Word-attack skills are composed of processing morphological information,
distinguishing structural clues, inferencing (or guessing the meanings of unfamiliar
words) from context, active, receptive and throw-away vocabulary, learning to
ignore difficult words and using dictionary.
Text-attack skills include two subgroups:
Significance and cohesion: understanding sentence syntax, recognizing and
interpreting cohesive devices and interpreting discourse markers.
Discourse: recognizing functional value, recognizing the presuppositions

underlying the text, recognizing implications and marking inferences, and
prediction.
2. Teaching Reading Comprehension
2.1. Relationship between Reading and Other Skills
In the process of teaching and learning English, it is very crucial for learners
to realize the integration of language. That is the possibilities of other aspects of
foreign program. Therefore, reading skill is closely related to writing, listening and
speaking skills. Understanding relations will help learners succeed.
13

In the first place, reading is related to writing. Reading and writing are
inseparable skill for the second language classes. For instance, when a person is
exposed to an audible target language, he or she is expected to speak more fluently
compared to those who are not exposed to the target language. In the same way,
students reading more can do better in the writing activities both as content and as
form. Besides, Reading and writing skill should be considered as integrated
language skill. Reading texts are model for the students who are intended to write.
In doing so , the students will be able to see the examples of the reading texts and
they will be exposed to these communication tools that are grammatically connected
and logically linked.
Secondly, reading is concerned with listening comprehension. Students may
listen to a story, a play…then read it or read first and “listening to a worthwhile
reading or dramatic presentation of what they have read.” (Rivers and
Temperly,1978: 259).
Lastly, that is integration of reading and speaking. Reading materials serve as
fundamental source for oral presentations as they can base on these ideas they have
read, discuss or debate for their own purposes. This is the best way for them to
share what they have been reading with others.
In other words, reading skill is not a single skill but an integrated-language
skill. Those combinations should be put into serious consideration when teaching

and learning English as a foreign language.
2.2. Factors in teaching reading lesson
2.2.1. The Roles of the Teacher
Discussing the roles of the teacher in teaching reading, Richard and Amato
(1988) emphasize:
“The first role is to facilitate communicative process between all participants
in the classroom, and between these participants and the various activities and text.
The second role is to act interdependent within the learning teaching group.”
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Besides, linguistics point out an essential element of the teacher‟s role-a
model reader. According to Nuttall (1982: 192) showing that “you are a reader
means carrying books around with you, referring to books as you teach, reading out
brief passages that may interest students, talking about what you are reading at the
moment, and handling books as if you loved them”. He also states that “teacher‟s
job as providing, first, suitable texts and second, activities that will focus the
students‟ attention on the texts”
Harmer (2001) gives an opinion that the teacher needs to create interest in
the topic and task. He also needs to work as an organizer, observer, feedback
organizer and prompter.
▪ An observer: While students are reading, the teacher can observe
their progress since it will give him valuable information about how well his
students are doing individually or collectively, and will tell him whether to give
them extra time, or move to organize feedback more quickly than he has
anticipated.
▪ A feedback organizer: When the students have completed the given
tasks. The teacher can lead a feedback session to check if they have completed the
tasks successfully or not.
▪ A prompter: When students are reading the text, it is also necessary
to draw their attention to the language features in that text. He may direct his

students to certain features of the text construction clarify ambiguities and make
them aware of issues of the text structure which they have not come across
previously.
Anderson (2003) and Hedge (2000) pointed out six major principles of
teaching reading in the classroom as follows: exploit students‟ background
knowledge; build a strong vocabulary base; teach for comprehension; teach reading
strategies; encourage students to transform strategies into skills; set criteria to select
reading texts.
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Broadly speaking, the teacher must be aware of what they need to do in a
reading lesson. Playing their roles well will certainly helps the teacher lead
successful reading lessons.
2.2.2. The Role of the Students
In communicative language teaching, the learners are regarded as the centre
of every reading lesson. During the reading process, the students play the roles of an
active and creative listener and as well as reader.
In a reading lesson, students must take an active role as a listener. They need
listen to the teacher‟s instructions and explanation carefully to find out the way of
recognizing information and the way of deducing new words or grammatical
structures.
The students must also be active and flexible readers, it is wise if they work
on their own during the reading process, make full use of the class time to read and
do the exercise to achieve a full understanding of the text. It is necessary for them to
find out suitable reading strategy and use their background knowledge to fulfill their
tasks because the significance of the text as well as the information is not always
directly stated in printed pages.
Nuttall (2003) mentions several main roles for students in the reading lesson
as follows:
-taking an active part in learning: This is the first and foremost responsibility

of the learners. They have to be active and take charge of what they do.
-monitoring comprehension: students need to understand how texts work and
what they do when they read
-learning to talk: it is clear that a good reader carries on a dialogue with the
text . Consequently, the students have to learn how to do this. To talk about the text
in class is an effective way to promote this skill.
-taking risks: Students have to take the risk of making mistakes because
making mistake is an opportunity to learn