Designing as supplementary reading syllabus for grade 10 English gifted students at Tuyen Quang Specialized Upper Secondary school = Thiết kế chương trình đọc h

1


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




ĐÀO THỊ THƢƠNG



DESIGNING A SUPPLEMENTARY READING SYLLABUS FOR
GRADE 10 ENGLISH GIFTED STUDENTS AT TUYEN QUANG
SPECIALISED UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL

THIẾT KẾ CHƢƠNG TRÌNH ĐỌC HIỂU BỔ TRỢ CHO HỌC SINH LỚP 10
CHUYÊN ANH TRƢỜNG THPT CHUYÊN TUYÊN QUANG

MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS



FIELD: METHODOLOGY
CODE: 601410

HANOI – 2010

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




ĐÀO THỊ THƢƠNG




DESIGNING A SUPPLEMENTARY READING SYLLABUS FOR GRADE 10
ENGLISH GIFTED STUDENTS AT TUYEN QUANG SPECIALISED UPPER
SECONDARY SCHOOL

THIẾT KẾ CHƢƠNG TRÌNH ĐỌC HIỂU BỔ TRỢ CHO HỌC SINH LỚP 10
CHUYÊN ANH TRƢỜNG THPT CHUYÊN TUYÊN QUANG

MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

FIELD: METHODOLOGY
CODE: 601410
SUPERVISOR: Dr. HOÀNG THỊ XUÂN HOA


HANOI – 2010

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List of abbreviations


TQSS Tuyen Quang Specialised Upper Secondary School
MOET Ministry of Education and Training

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List of Tables

Table 1: Teachers‟ perception of students‟ difficulties in terms of reading exercises
23
Table 2: Teachers‟ perception of the necessity and interest in reading topics
25
Table 3: Teachers‟ perception of the necessity and interest in reading topics
26
Table 4: Students‟ perceptions of difficulties in terms of reading exercises
28
Table 5: Students‟ perceptions of the necessity and interest in reading topics
31
Table 6: Students‟ perception of grammatical items needed in a new syllabus
32
Table 7: Teachers‟ and the students‟ perceptions of the students‟ difficulties in reading exercises.
33
Table 8: Teachers‟ and students‟ perceptions of students‟ difficulties in reading comprehension
34
Table 9: Teachers‟ and the Students‟ perceptions of the necessity and the interest in reading topics
36
Table 10: Teachers‟ and the students‟ perceptions of the necessity of grammatical items
37
Table 11: The proposed supplementary reading syllabus for grade 10 English gifted students
(see Appendix 1)

List of Figures

Figure 1: Teachers‟ perception of students‟ difficulties in terms of reading comprehension
24
Figure 2: Teachers‟ attitudes towards a supplementary reading syllabus
24
Figure 3: Students‟ difficulties in terms of reading comprehension
29
Figure 4: Students‟ attitudes towards a supplementary reading syllabus
30
Figure 5: Teachers‟ and Students‟ perceptions of necessity of a Supplementary Reading Syllabus
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table of contents
Declaration
i
Acknowledgements
ii
Abstract
iii
List of Abbreviation

iv
Lists of the tables
v
Part I: Introduction

1. Rationale
1
2. Aim of the study
2
3. Research questions
2
4. Scope of the study
3
5. Method of the study
3
6. Design of the study
3
Part II: Development

Chapter 1: Literature review
4
1.1. Theoretical background to Syllabus design
4
1.1.1. Syllabus and curriculum
4
1.1.2. Definitions of syllabus
4
1.1.3. Steps in designing a language syllabus
5
1.1.3.1. Needs analysis

6
1.1.3.1.1. Definitions of Needs
6
1.1.3.1.2. The importance of needs analysis
6
1.1.3.2. Goals and objectives of the syllabus
7
1.1.3.3. Selection of content
8
1.1.3.4. The organization of syllabus
8
1.2. Theoretical background to Reading comprehension

1.2.1. Definitions of reading and reading comprehension
9
1.2.2. Models of reading process
11
1.2.3. Reading skills and strategies
12
1.3. Summary
13
Chapter 2: Needs analysis of grade 10 English gifted students at

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Tuyen Quang Specialized Upper Secondary School
2.1. The context of the study
14
2.1.1. The school

14
2.1.2. The teaching staff
15
2.1.3. The students
16
2.1.4. Time allocation for English classes at TQSS
16
2.2. The study
17
2.2.1. The subjects
17
2.2.2. The instrument for data collection
17
2.2.3. Data collection procedures
18
2.2.4. Data analysis and major findings
19
2.2.4.1. Data from documents and the material
19
2.2.4.1.1. The requirements of the MOET on curriculum for gifted students
19
2.2.4.1.2. The requirements on tests for excellent students
20
2.2.4.1.3. The teaching materials
21
2.2.4.2. Data from survey questionnaires
22
2.2.4.2.1. Needs perceived by the teachers
22
2.2.4.2.2. Needs perceived by the students

27
2.2.4.2.3. Comparisons between the teachers‟ and the students‟ perceptions of needs
33
2.2.4.3. Major findings
38
Chapter 3: A proposed a Supplementary Reading Syllabus for grade
10 English gifted students at TQSS
39
3.1. Aims and Objectives of a reading syllabus for the English gifted students at TQSS
39
3.2 Content specification
39
3.2.1. Topics in the syllabus
40
3.2.2. Reading skills
40
3.3.3. Grammatical items
41
3.3. Time schedule
41
3.4. Syllabus organization
41
3.5. The Proposed Syllabus for grade 10 English gifted students at Tuyen Quang
Specialized Upper Secondary School
42
3.6. Summary
42
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Part III: Conclusion
43
References
45
Appendix
47














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Part I: Introduction
1. Rationale
In the era of integration and globalization of the world economy, one cannot deny
the role of English as a bridge to link closely the nations all over the world. English is the
language that has spread throughout the world most extensively and is dominating in a
number of important fields international commerce, communication, tourism and science
and technology. English is both a means of and the latest achievement of science and

technology. That is the reason why at present, learning English is not only the interest but
also the great and practical demand for many people, especially for students who are
anxious to explore the modern world. Therefore, English has become a compulsory subject
to all the secondary school students in Vietnam.
In Vietnam, however, English is taught and learned in a non-native environment, so
reading may be considered as the best way to help students to understand and use the up-
to-date information in their fields of study. Carrel (1984: 1) points out: “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” (cited in Sao 2008). Indeed, reading is of paramount
importance in making extensive use of academic materials written in English. Reading
these materials on different subjects is one of the best ways to help students improve their
English. Therefore, developing reading skills is very essential for all the students,
especially for the gifted students.
Training and nurturing the gifted require a special education that differentiates
from the regular students. This differentiated education is composed of a lot of factors,
among which curriculum and syllabus are the most crucial. On discussing about the
materials, O‟Neill (1982: 81) states: “each group is so unique that its needs cannot be met
by the materials which are designed for another group”. The Ministry of Education and
Training also suggests that the curricula used for the aptitude students are not similar to
those for the regular students but more advanced, flexible and open. Therefore, the
Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has been implementing the renovation to
textbooks on English on a large scale. The two new textbooks for upper secondary school
level are officially called “Tiếng Anh ” (i.e. standard English textbooks) used for students
pursuing Ban cơ bản (i.e. the non-specialization program) and Ban tự nhiên (i.e.
specialization in sciences), and “Tiếng Anh 10 nâng cao” (i.e. the advanced English
textbooks 10) used for Ban xã hội (i.e. specialization in humanities) in general and for the
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aptitudes in particular. Since 2006- 2007 academic year, the advanced English textbook 10

has been used to teach gifted students in nationwide schools. However, according to the
MOET, this textbook has not properly satisfied the talents‟ demand as well as met the
requirement of the national exam for the excellent. Hence, on November 6
th
, MOET issued
-a regulation No12856/BGDĐT- GDTrH - “A guideline in the contents for specializing
subjects taught for grade 10 at specialized upper secondary schools” (2006). According to
this regulation, gifted students are provided with 70 extra periods (including reading,
listening, speaking, writing and language focus) except for 140 compulsory periods in
order to enhance their level of English proficiency. This 70-period syllabus has not been
designed by MOET but it has been done by teachers themselves in each school who teach
the talents. In addition, MOET suggests that “the specific time allotment for each expanded
and advanced part depends on students‟ proficiency level as well as the real condition of
each school.” (A guideline in the contents for specializing subjects taught for grade 10 at
specialized upper secondary schools, 2006: 6). The flexibility and openness offer teachers
at specialized school in general and at Tuyen Quang Specialized Upper Secondary School
(TQSS) in particular more chances to select relevant materials to their class situation.
Because, however, the English supplementary materials specifically developed for the
gifted are inadequate, this flexibility also brings a lot of challenges to teachers of English
when making an attempt to find, select and adapt materials suitable for their students‟
needs. In order to help language teachers surmount the aforementioned difficulty and
provide students with a relevant supplementary reading syllabus, I have carried out a study
on “designing a supplementary reading syllabus for grade 10 English gifted students at
Tuyen Quang Specialized Upper Secondary School”.
2. Aims and objectives of the study.
The general aim of this study is to design a supplementary reading syllabus for grade 10

English gifted students at Tuyen Quang Specialized Upper Secondary School. Specifically,
the main objectives of this study are:
+ To find out the students‟ needs in terms of reading skills

+ To identify the objectives and contents of a supplementary reading syllabus.
3. Research questions of the study
As a basis of the study, the following research questions are to be answered:
1. What are the students‟ needs in terms of reading skills?
2. What are the objectives and contents of the supplementary reading syllabus?
4. Scope of the study
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In this thesis, the author only centers on designing the supplementary reading
syllabus for grade 10 English gifted students at Tuyen Quang Specialized Upper Secondary
School.
5. Method of the study.
In order to achieve the aims mentioned above, a survey questionnaire is used as one
of the tools to collect information about the students' difficulties in terms of reading skills
and their needs and interest regarding topics and language items. Also, document analysis
is aimed at finding out the requirements of the MOET for the gifted students and for the
excellent students' tests. At last, informal interviews with the teachers and the students are
also touched on in order to clarify information collected from survey. In this study,
therefore, both quantitative and qualitative methods are employed.
6. Design of the study
The study is divided into three parts:
 Part I is the introduction including the rationale, the aim, the scope, the method
and design of the study.
 Part II is the development that consists of 3 chapters:
- Chapter 1 is about literature review of Syllabus design and of Reading theories.
- Chapter 2 gives descriptions of context, instruments, data collection and analysis
of the results.
- Chapter 3 proposes a supplementary reading syllabus for grade 10 English
gifted students at Tuyen Quang Specialized Upper Secondary School .

 Part III is composed of concluding ideas and limitation of the study.







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Part II: Development
Chapter 1: Literature review
1.1 Theoretical background to syllabus design
1.1.1. Syllabus and curriculum
The concept of a syllabus is hardly new in education but giving an exact definition
what a syllabus is in current literature is an uneasy task. Nunan (1988: 5) states that
“There are some confusing views on just what it is that distinguishes syllabus design from
curriculum development”. Therefore, showing a difference between syllabus and
curriculum is badly in need.
According to Allen (1984: 61), curriculum is a general concept. It involves
consideration of the whole complex of philosophical, social and administrative factors
which contribute to the planning of an educational program. Syllabus then refers to that
subpart of curriculum which is concerned with a specification of what units will be taught.
Curriculum as defined by Candlin (1984: 31) includes language learning, learning
process, and experience, evaluation, and the role relationships of the teachers and learners.
Syllabus, on the other hand, is based on accounts and records of what actually happens at
the classroom level as the teachers and learners apply a given curriculum.
In short, curriculum is a broader notion concerned with the planning,
implementation, evaluation, management, and administration of education programmes

whilst syllabus centers narrowly on the selection and grading of content. Therefore,
syllabus design has traditionally been seen as a subsidiary component of curriculum
design.
1.1.2. Syllabus definitions
Many different writers have given out dissimilar definitions of syllabuses which are
reflected in broad and narrow views on syllabus design.
The broad view argues that with the advent of communicative language teaching the
distinction between content and tasks is difficult to sustain. Yalden (1984: 14) states: “The
syllabus replaces the concept of “method” and the syllabus is now seen as an instrument
by which the teacher, with the syllabus designer‟s help, can achieve a degree of “fit”
between the needs and aims of the learner (as social being and as individual) and the
activities which will take place in the classroom”
To advocate this opinion, Been (1984, cited in Nunan, 1988: 8) points out: “Any syllabus
will express, however indirectly, certain assumptions about language, about the
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psychological process of learning, and about the pedagogic and social process within a
classroom”
Contrary to those adopting a broader view, authors advocating the narrow view
draw a clear distinction between the syllabus design and the methodology. For them,
syllabus design is concerned with the selection and grading content, while methodology is
concerned with the selection of learning tasks and activities. Allen (1984: 49) states that “a
syllabus is concerned with a specification of what units will be taught (as distinct from
how they will be taught, which is matter of methodology)”. Sharing with Allen‟s point of
view, Hutchinson and Waters (1987: 80) also indicate that “A syllabus is a document
which says what will (or at least should) be learnt”. Clearly, all these authors reveal
syllabus in terms of the selection and grading content.
In a word, some linguists consider syllabus design and methodology as separate
options, others think otherwise. Therefore, it is essential for the designer to decide on

which view to follow when designing a syllabus. As a point of departure to design a
supplementary for the gifted, the term "syllabus" only centers on the content of learning
and its organization, which means being narrowly defined.
1.1.3. Steps in designing a language syllabus
Different stages of designing a syllabus are proposed by different linguists.
According to Nunan (1988: 75-96), all the language programs should take their form of
departure from the goals and objectives that have been derived from an analysis of
learners‟ needs. For him, designing a syllabus is composed of such the steps as (i) needs
analysis, (ii) setting goals, (iii) selecting and grading content and (iv) selecting and grading
learning tasks. Taba (1962, cited in Brumfit, 1984: 268), however, points out seven steps
in designing a syllabus as follows: (i) needs analysis, (ii) formulation of objectives, (iii)
selection of content, (iv) organization of content, (v) selection of learning activities, (vi)
organization of learning activities and (vii) decisions about what needs evaluating and how
to evaluate. However, on discussing some issues related to communicative approach,
Munby (in Read, 1984: 58) suggests that designing a syllabus involves a logical sequence
of three stages: (i) need analysis, (ii) content specification, (iii) syllabus organization.
A syllabus design for an upper secondary school means designing a general-
purpose syllabus, but learner needs is also considered as the starting point of the syllabus
because, according to Hutchinson and Waters (1897: 53), any course should be based on an
analysis of learner needs. Moreover, Richards (1984: 7) points out that “students learning
English for general purposes for whom mastery of the language for its own sake or in order
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to pass the general examination is the primary goal”. Therefore, designing a syllabus for
gifted students who also learn general purpose English consists of a following logical
sequence four steps: (i) Needs analysis (ii) Formation of objectives (iii) Selection of
content (iv) Syllabus organization
1.1.3.1. Needs analysis
1.1.3.1.1. Definitions of needs

The very concept of language needs has never been clearly defined and remains at
best ambiguous. Numerous researchers have debated definitions of needs. Berwick (1989:
52) suggests a basic definition of need: a need is a “gap or measurable discrepancy
between a current state of affairs and a desired future state”. According to Brindley (1984:
28), the term “needs” sometimes refers to wants, desires, demands, expectations,
motivations, lacks, constraints and requirement, while “needs” is defined as “what the
user- institution or the society at large regards as necessary or desirable to be learnt from
program of language institution” (Mountford, 1981: 27). Sharing with the two
aforementioned points of views, Nunan (1988: 14) reveals that needs analysis is not only
mentioned why the learners want to learn the target language, but also things as societal
expectations, and constraints and the resources available for implementing the syllabus.
The notion of “needs” here not only refers to the needs of the learners but also takes into
account the user-institution or the society. It is important for the researcher to take the
needs of the management into account as to what the learner needs the language for, so that
the syllabus that is designed will include both the needs of the learner and the needs of the
establishment.
1.1.3.1.2. The importance of needs analysis
Needs analysis (also known as needs assessment) has a vital role in the process of
designing and carrying out any language course. According to Nunan (1988: 43), needs
analysis is considered as the initial process for specification of behavioral objectives. It is
from these objectives that detailed aspects of the syllabus such as functions, topics and so
on are derived.
Richards (1984: 5) indicates the importance of needs analysis as follows: “ Needs
analysis serves three main purposes: it provides a means of obtaining wider input into the
content, design and implementation of a language program; it can be used in developing
goals, objectives and content; and it can provide data for reviewing and evaluating an
existing program”. Furthermore, in order to satisfy various needs of particular learners, it is
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of great importance to designers to analyze their learners‟ needs to design appropriate
course for them, motivate them and help them learn English more quickly and more
effectively. When discussing the significant role of the analysis of the learners‟ needs,
Hutchinson and Waters (1987: 53) argue that “If learners, sponsors and teachers know why
the learners need English, that awareness will have an influence on what will be acceptable
as reasonable content in the language course, and on the positive side; what potential can
be exploited”. With the share of Hutchinson‟s and Waters' view, Tudor (1996: 70) suggests
that “course content should be based on an analysis of the situations in which the learner
will be required to use the language”.
Thus, needs analysis has an importance in all kind of language learning and
teaching situations whether for specific purpose or general purposes and makes a learning
programme more relevant to the real life needs of the learners.
1.1.3.2. Goals and Objectives of the syllabus
The identification of learning goals and objectives is of great importance in the
development of a language program. These will provide a rationale for the course or
program.
Vale et al (1996: 32) draw an important distinction between goals and objectives. In
their opinions, goals are general statements from the teacher‟s perspective and provide
direction to the teaching and learning, while objectives spell out what learners will actually
be able to do. Sharing with Vale et al‟s ideas, Nunan (1988: 61) suggests that “goal
statements are relatively imprecise. While they act as a signpost, they need to be fleshed
out in order to provide information for course and programme planners. This can be
achieved through the specification of objectives”. In other words, goals are generally stated
whereas objectives express the specific ways in which the goals will be achieved.
In conclusion, clear-cut understanding of goals and objectives will help teachers to
make sure what materials should be taught, and when and how it should be taught.
1.1.3.3. Selection of content
After having specified the language needs of the learner, forming the goals and
objectives, the next step would be to decide on the content of the syllabus, i.e. specifying
the content that needs to be taught and then organizing it into a teaching syllabus of

appropriate learning units. According to Shaw (1975), the selection of content is mainly
concerned with two questions: how much can we teach or how much can be learned by
learners in questions and which items should be included. In his opinion, criteria for
selection are based on the “relative usefulness” or “relative difficulties” of content matter.
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He argues that students‟ point of entry level and duration of the course provide a good
indicator of how much should be included and how difficult the content matter should be.
Purposes and types would determine the usefulness of the content. Based on these criteria,
Shaw proposes the following general procedure for selection of content:
- determine previous knowledge of learners
- decide the amount of content in general terms
- list items in rough order of specific frequency
- group for relative difficulty
- check that both functional and notional categories are present
- check coverage of grammatical items
In this section, therefore, we are provided with some means by which we can go about
selecting content matter for a language syllabus.
1.1.3.4. Syllabus organization
Having once determined on what to teach, the next stage is to decide on an appropriate
strategy of presentation. Gibbons (in Read 1984: 137) points out that "the objective of
organizing a syllabus is not to produce an adequate description of the language, but to
promote learning". Thus the content should be organized in such a way in order to
facilitate teaching and learning. The unit organization should also be suitable for the
particular purpose of learning.
According to Allen (1984), there are three approaches which can be utilized to
sequence and organize content: the traditional structural-analytic approach in which the
highest priority is given to formal grammatical criteria; the functional-analytical approach
which defines objectives in terms of categories of communicative language use and a non-

analytic, experiential, or “natural growth” approach, which aims to immerse learners in
real-life communication without any artificial preselection or arrangement of items.
Wilkins (1976) feels that staging and sequencing should be carried out according to the
criteria of simplicity, regularity, frequency, and contrastive difficulty. With the share of
Wilkins‟s idea, Yalden (1983) suggests that more simple language should be taught before
the more complex so as to facilitate learning. Moreover, it should be noted that the syllabus
sequenced on particular views of learning may not only have to start with subject matter
which is more “familiar” to the learner before moving on to something which is
“unfamiliar”, but it may also represent a particular view of conditions offered by the
specific classroom situation.
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In other words, if language is viewed as learned, then the logic of grammar rules
imposes a sequence. If language is viewed as acquired, then the linguistic content is not
restricted. If a syllabus is based on language use, a needs analysis would be required. In
this study, the selection of the topic-based or theme-based syllabus as the primary principle
organizing for the reading course, the syllabus will be organized in an integrated manner
including components: topics, skills, grammar and vocabulary.
1.2. Theoretical background to reading comprehension
1.2.1. Definitions of Reading and Reading comprehension
Along with the macro-skills, reading is also considered as the major centre of teaching and
learning a second or foreign language. This skill has received a great deal of attention as
well as investigation from a lot of researchers. Just like any other words our huge
vocabulary, reading may have a number of meanings depending on the different contexts.
We, therefore, should never expect one single definition of this term.
This is true considering the fact that in the history of pedagogy, different
pedagogists have made an attempt to define reading and reading comprehension in
different ways.
+ Reading

Rumelhart (1997) indicates that “reading involves the reader, the text, and the
interaction between reader and text” (cited in Aebersold & Field, 1998: 5). As can be seen,
the reader and the text are two essential components of the reading process; it is, however,
the interaction between them that constitutes actual reading where meaning can be
extracted from the text. Sharing with Rumelhart‟s idea, Silberstein (1994: xii) states that
“reading is a complex cognitive process in which reader and text interact to (re)create
meaningful discourse”. From these definitions, it is apparent that reading is a process in
which the reader interacts with the text to achieve some kind of meaning. This meaning
does not already lie in the text, waiting to be discovered but it largely depends on the
reader. Widdowson (1979) states that “meaning does not reside in text, but rather text has
potential for meaning”. (cited in Alderson & Urquahart, 1986: xxv). In other words, it is
the reader that assigns meanings to the text basing on his personal knowledge and
experience, etc. This can help to explain why different readers may come up to different
conclusions about the same text.
+ Reading comprehension
Grellet (1981: 3) states: “reading comprehension or understanding a written text
means extracting the required information from it as effectively as possible”. In this sense,
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reading comprehension simply means reading and understanding. It should be noted that
reading comprehension is composed of two equally important components. Decoding- the
ability to translate text into speech- is only part of the process reading comprehension. The
other part is language comprehension- the ability to understand spoken language. The
readers, as they read, receive information from the writer via words, sentences and
paragraphs and so on, and make an attempt to understand his/her feelings. According to
Harris and Hodges (1995: 39), “reading comprehension is the construction of the meaning
of a written communication through a reciprocal, holistic interchange of ideas between the
interpreter and the message” (cited in Brassell and Rasinski, 1997: 16). In this case,
reading comprehension requires an action on the part of the reader. That action involves

the use of the existing knowledge that the reader has on the topic of the text as well as the
text itself in order to create meaning.
From these ideas above, it can be concluded that there is no consensus of what
reading comprehension is as each writer comprehends and gives its different definitions
through his own point of view. However, they share some certain characteristics. Reading
comprehension not only includes linguistic recognition and cognitive understanding but
also tends to be affected the reader‟s appreciation. When reading, readers need to
understand, analyze, and response to what is written in order to comprehend the content of
the text and apply it in their own life as effectively as possible.
1.2.2. Models of reading process
As can be seen, there have been a great number of discussions and arguments among
methodologists about the reading process. According to Nuttall (2005), this process is
shown such some ways as bottom-up approach, top-down approach and the interaction of
top-down and bottom-up processing.
+ In the bottom-up reading process, Nuttall (2005: 17) points out that the reader
constructs meaning from a written text such as recognizing letters and words, working out
sentence structure. This model pays special attention to grammatical skills and vocabulary
development. Alderson (2000: 16), sharing with Nuttall‟s idea, states that “the reader
experiences an automatic process in which he begins with the printed words, recognizes
graphic stimuli, decodes them to sounds, recognizes words and decodes meanings”.
Comprehension at this process results in a relatively shallow understanding of what the
text stated directly. As a result, this process underestimated the contribution of the reader.
+ Top-down processing emphasizes the importance of the reader‟s background
knowledge, or the schemata. This theory argues that when reading a text, a reader has his
21


own knowledge, expectations, and questions, which he matches with the text. Silberstein
(1994: 7) presents that “readers use prior knowledge to make predictions about the data
they will find in a text”. According to Nuttall (2005: 16), this process helps readers see the

overall purpose of the text as well as enables them to predict the writer‟s purpose.
Goodman (1982, cited in Alderson, 2000: 17) calls reading “a psycholinguistic guessing
game” in which the reader has an active role. This approach, therefore, emphasizes the
importance of building and activating the reader‟s background knowledge in enhancing his
reading skill.
However, reading process is not full understanding without the combination of these
approaches. Only with a combination of those two approaches can the process of reading
be adequately characterized. This combination is referred to as the interactive processing
whose advocates argue that “top-down and bottom-up processes are occurring, either
alternatively or simultaneously” (Alderson, 2000: 18). With the share of Alderson‟s point
of view, Nuttall (2005: 17) suggests that “bottom-up and top-down approaches are used to
complement each other”.
In short, the abilities to approach a text both top-down and bottom-up are of equal
importance as these processes cannot be separated. There, only when the language teacher
develops in students both these abilities is their reading skill to be improved.
1.2.3. Reading skills and strategies
Duffy (1993: 232) reveals that “reading strategies are plans for solving problems
encountered in constructing meaning”. The two terms “reading skills” and “reading
strategies” are often used interchangeably. Nevertheless, different scholars have their own
different opinions about them.
Munby (1987: 123-132) makes a list of reading skills as follows:
1. Recognizing the script of a language
2. Deducing the meaning and use of unfamiliar lexical items
3. Understanding explicitly stated information
4. Understanding information in the text, not explicitly stated
5. Understanding conceptual meaning
6. Understanding relations within the sentence
7. Understanding relations between part of a text through lexical cohesion devices
8. Recognising indicators in discourse
9. Understanding relations between part of a text through grammatical cohesion devices

10. Identifying the main point or important information in a piece of discourse
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11. Distinguishing the main idea from supporting details
12. Extracting salient points to summarise
13. Basic reference skills (understanding and use of graphic presentation, table of
contents and index, cross-referencing, card catalogue, phonetic transcription/
diacritics)
14. Skimming to obtain the gist of the text or a general impression of the text
15. Scanning to locate specifically required information
16. Transcoding information presented in diagrammatic display
On the other hand, on talking the ways to exploit the reading texts, Nuttall (2005) has
given several reading skills which are divided into three groups: word attack skills
(Structural clues, Inference from context, Using a dictionary, Ignoring), text attack skills
(Understanding syntax, Recognizing and interpreting cohesive devices, Recognizing text
organization, Recognizing the presuppositions underlying the text, Recognizing
implications and making inferences, Prediction) and Integration and application.
Even though the aforementioned lists of reading skills are more or less different from one
another, it is inevitable that they have some features in common such as recognitions skills,
decoding skills For the sake of the study, Nuttall‟s taxonomy will be selected since it best
describes skills that are relevant to those required in the textbook and the national exam for
the English aptitude students, who are the objects of this study.
1.3. Summary
In this chapter, the author has revealed the literature review of syllabus design and reading
theories, which will be the theoretical background for the study. As regards syllabus
definitions, the different points of views are discussed by such linguists as Yalden (1983),
Hutchinson and Waters (1987), Allen (1984) and Been (1984). Four main steps have been
identified in the process of designing the intended syllabus namely needs analysis,
objective settings, content selection and syllabus organization. Moreover, definitions of

needs and its importance are also touched on. At the end of the chapter, reading theories
were reviewed and reading skills from Nuttall‟s taxonomy will be employed to specify the
content of the syllabus.




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Chapter 2
Needs analysis of grade 10 English gifted students at
Tuyen Quang Specialized Upper Secondary School
In this chapter, the situation of teaching English at Tuyen Quang Specialized
Upper Secondary School and that of teaching reading for grade 10 English gifted students
will be discussed. Such factors as teachers, students and a current syllabus will also be
taken into consideration. More importantly, the requirements of the MOET on curriculum
for the gifted, tests for the excellent students and survey questionnaires will also be analyzed.
2.1. The context of the study
2.1.1. The school
Tuyen Quang Specialized Upper Secondary School is in the system of specialized
schools. Therefore, like other specialized schools, its major objective is to train and foster
the gifted for the province in particular and for the nation in general. Since it was
established in 1987, it has endlessly enhanced the education and training career both in
quantity and in quality. It first had only six classes with eighty seven students for two
specialized subjects math and literature and Russian was taught at school at that time.
Currently, the number of classes has increased to twenty three with eight hundred and
fifteen students for seven specialized subjects: mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology,
informatics, literature and English. After twenty three years of development and tirelessly
striving, it has become a reliable education address of students and their parents in the

province with the leading number of the students gaining the provincial and national prizes
and especially the annual number of students passing the university entrance exam. In spite
of the fact that it is the only specialized school in the province, the school still meets such
difficulties as materials, facilities and so forth.
Like many other upper-secondary schools in the province, the facilities of TQSS
are not paid much attention to. The school‟s only two modern classrooms which are
equipped with projectors and videos are used by teachers who teach different subjects. The
lack of modern classrooms causes teachers a lot of trouble in following communicative
language teaching approach. Moreover, reference materials for all the subjects are
extremely insufficient, especially English - the only foreign language taught at the school
for the time being. In fact, in the school library there is nothing but few English textbooks,
teachers‟ manuals and English reference books for university entrance exam, which were
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all published years ago. No special rooms such as a multi-media room or a language
laboratory are equipped, no English magazines and newspapers are provided and the only
facilities for learning English are cassette players and tapes, which are in poor condition.
Actually, the school has an open policy for buying materials. Every two years, about three
or four subjects are provided reference materials but in the local bookshops there are not
enough appropriate English materials for teaching and learning at school. Therefore,
teachers usually have to go to Hanoi to seek for materials.
Since 2006- 2007 academic year, the English materials used to teach grade 10

students at school have been two new textbooks called the English textbook 10 (Tiếng Anh
10), and the

advanced English textbook 10 (Tiếng Anh 10 nâng cao), which are published
by Education Publishing House. The former consisting of 16 units with 105 periods for
two terms is used for the students of all the classes, the latter comprising 16 units with 140

periods is used for the gifted only. Except for the aforementioned compulsory periods, the
students of the English classes are provided with 70 extra periods.
2.1.2. The teaching staff of the English group at TQSS.
Out of a total of 9 teachers of English aged from 30 to 50, two of them are male.
Four of them graduated from English Department at Thai Nguyen University with their
teaching experience from 17 to 25 and the others, their time of teaching experience from 8
to 15 years, were trained in English Department, College of Foreign Languages, and Hanoi
National University. Two of the teachers of language have taken degrees of Master of Art,
the other six hold B.A degree in English; one is studying for M.A degree. None of them
has an opportunity to study abroad or to communicate with foreigners or native English speakers.
English teachers at the school, especially those teaching English specializing
classes face up with a heavy workload such as teaching the provincial and national teams
for the excellent students. Moreover, they are always worried about how to have a
supplementary reading material required by MOET in order to teach the aptitude-students
because they have few opportunities to get further training in courses or workshops and the
only workshops they participated are the ones for using the new textbooks held by MOET
some years ago, but only one or two teachers were invited. Another problem is that the
teachers stand no chance of working or contacting with academic specialists, experts or
even native speakers, who may offer a valuable assistance and a proper consultation.
For all the above reasons, the author has carried out a study on designing a
supplementary reading syllabus for grade 10 gifted students with a view to helping the
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teachers reduce the anxiety about preparing materials and providing somewhat relevant
syllabus for teaching at school situation.
2.1.3. The students at TQSS
The students of the school range from fifteen to eighteen years old. Some come
from different parts in the province, others are from Tuyen Quang Town. In order to be
admitted to this school, the students who have finished the 9

th
year grade with good results
have to take part in a very hard examination of two compulsory subjects: mathematics,
literature and a specialized subject. For English gifted students, not all of them are good at
English, some of them are selected owing to their good results in mathematics and
literature. This will be a challenge for the school and the language teachers because having
good record in the provincial and national exams means that they need really potential
candidates who have an excellent command of English.
Since the academic year of 2007, the number of English gifted students who have
passed the university entrance exam and won the provincial exam is about 85 % - 90% on
average, the number of students gaining the achievements from the annual national exam
for the excellent students is lower than years ago. For example, in 2008, six students took
the national exam for excellent students, only two won the consolation prizes. In 2009, no
students got the prize, and only one student won the consolation prize in 2010. Apparently,
the students‟ English proficiency level is not high, which makes school leaders and
language teachers express their great concern as to what should be done and how this
should be done in order to improve their students‟ level of English proficiency and increase
the number of the students winning the national prizes, which is also one of the school‟s
main objectives in coming years.
2.1.4. The time allocation for English classes at TQSS
As discussed in the introduction, apart from 140 periods for the compulsory
textbook, the English gifted students are given 70 extra periods for further practice by the
MOET in order to enhance their communicative competence. These are used for the whole
academic year. However, the MOET has not fixed the time for four skills such as reading,
speaking and listening, writing and language focus, so the specific time for these skills is
assigned by the school itself. Of 70 periods, 30 periods are spent on teaching reading skills,
with which grammatical items are also taught in combination. Perhaps because the gifted
students at our school hardly have difficulty in grammar. The other periods are used for
speaking and listening and writing.

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2.2. The study
2.2.1. The subjects
The subjects of the study consist 5 English teachers and 35 grade 10 English gifted
students. The teachers are 35 to 47- year-old female teachers of the English group who are
in charge of teaching English for the gifted students and the annually provincial and
national teams for the excellent students. Among these teachers, two of them hold M.A
degrees in English. They all have good English knowledge and are experienced because
they have been teaching English at school for at least 10 years. The students under
investigation mainly coming from the different parts of the province have been learning
English since they were in grade 6. Although all of them are motivated to study English,
they do not have homogeneous level of English proficiency. The participants who are all
aged between 15 or 16 have just finished their second term.
2.2.2. The instruments for data collection
Hutchinson and Waters (1987: 59) suggest that there are a large number of ways in
which information can be gathered about target needs such as interview, observation,
questionnaires and so on. In this study, three instruments chosen to collect information are
document analysis, interview and the questionnaires.
The documents for analysis are composed of a guideline in the contents for
specializing subjects taught for grade 10 at secondary schools issued in 2006, tests for the
excellent students from 2007- 2010 and the current textbook, are analyzed. The analysis of
documents is not only to seek for the gap between the MOET‟s requirements for the gifted
and the current textbook, but to find out MOET‟s requirements for the tests in the national
exam for the excellent students.
Informal interviews with the teachers and the students are also touched on in order
to clarify and supplement information collected from survey.
A survey questionnaire is used as one of the tools in order to collect information.
The questionnaires designed are based on a rating scale. By using this method, the author

can get ideas about the level of students‟ difficulties in terms of reading skills and topics as
well as grammatical items for a supplementary syllabus. Two questionnaires, including
teacher questionnaire and student questionnaire, were conducted. The teacher
questionnaire (see Appendix 3) was administered to the English teachers at the school. The
questionnaire was divided into the two parts with each item designed on a 5-point Likert Scale.
Part 1 includes two questions about difficulties in terms of reading skills
experienced by students.
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Part 2 comprises three questions which deal with the topics and grammatical items
that are in need of being consolidated in a supplementary reading syllabus.
The student questionnaire (see Appendix 4) was designed and written in Vietnamese for 35
gifted students of grade 10. The structure of the student questionnaire is the same as the teachers‟.
2.2.3. Data collection procedure.
The data collection was performed as follows:
For the survey questionnaire: Before directly delivering the questionnaire to the
students, the author explained clearly in Vietnamese the aim of the survey questionnaire.
When the students received the questionnaire, the author went over with the students in
class question by question to make sure that they could fully understand all the questions
before giving their final answers. After the students freely completed the questionnaire, the
author collected immediately. For the teachers, a survey questionnaire was delivered to
them at the English group meeting and all the teachers asked was expounded. It was
collected three days later in order for them to have enough time to respond to all the
questions exactly and fully.
For the informal conversational interview: 5 English teachers and 8 randomly
chosen students participated in the interviews. The informal interviews were conducted
after the survey had been obtained to clarify and supplement information from the surveys.
As mentioned above, data for this study were gathered from two main sources:
documentary analysis and survey questionnaire. Therefore, it requires both analytical and

statistical analysis.
2.2.4. Data analysis and major findings
2.2.4.1. Data from documents and the material
2.2.4.1.1. The Moet’s requirements on curriculum for gifted students
Time allocation and the aims of English teaching for the talents are suggested in a
“guideline in the contents for specializing subjects taught for grade 10 at specialized upper
secondary school” issued by MOET (2006) and a curriculum allotment for secondary high
schools (2009). English taught to the gifted students consists of 210 periods (140
compulsory periods and 70 periods for further practice) per 35 weeks.
In 2006 MOET issued a new curriculum which defines English as a compulsory
subject, which is "instrumental to the access of world science and technology as well as
world cultures” (MOET, 2006: 111). The particular objectives of grade 10 English students
who study the advanced English textbook are pointed out in “Documents for teachers of
English at grade 10” by MOET. After finishing grade 10, students will be able to:
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- listen and understand the main ideas and details of monologues/ dialogues of 140-
160 words on the 6 topics covered. Understand texts that are delivered at a slow speed.
Recognize and distinguish sounds, words and intonation.
- ask and answer about the topics covered. Perform some basic language functions
such as giving instruction, expressing opinions, asking direction, asking and giving
information, expressing attitudes and points of view, etc.
- read and understand the main ideas and details of texts of 200-250 words on the
topics covered. Develop vocabulary strategies: using words in contexts, dictionary skills, etc.
- write texts of 100-130 words on familiar topics based on models or prompts for
personal or basic communicative purposes.
(MOET, 2006: 114)
According to the MOET, however, apart from achieving above objectives, grade 10

English gifted students ought to enhance linguistic knowledge and master language skills
(listening, speaking, reading and writing), the contents and language items are more
complex and more difficult than those mentioned in the advanced English textbook 10
(Tiếng Anh 10 nâng cao).
With regard to topics, an emphasis the Ministry puts is that the contents of
language skills such as listening, speaking, and reading are not fixed in order to create
openness for teachers‟ material selection. However, the scope and the complexity of topics
should be paid attention so that their difficulty and contents are not too far from those
mentioned in the secondary educational curriculum.
Methodologically, the new curriculum is claimed to follow learner-centered
approach and the communicative approach with task-based teaching is the central teaching
method, which means that communication skills is the goal of the teaching and learning
process; linguistic knowledge is the means by which communication skills are formed and
developed and students play an active role in the teaching and learning process; teachers
are only organizers and guides. Therefore, the methodology used for specializing
curriculum must be followed the above mentioned approach.
In order to meet the students‟ demand for being specialized in English, some
reference materials are recommended. The aims of these materials are giving deeper
introduction of some contents that are not fully presented in compulsory curriculum. These
are composed of English textbooks and materials at pre-intermediate and intermediate
level, which are published by prestige publishing houses in the world.