The use of theme-based short readings to improve vocabulary for freshmen at Hanoi Medical College = sử dụng các bài đọc ngắn theo chủ đề nâng cao vốn từ vựng ch

VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES




NGUYỄN THỊ MINH HUỆ



THE USE OF THEME - BASED SHORT READINGS
TO IMPROVE VOCABULARY FOR FRESHMEN
AT HANOI MEDICAL COLLEGE

(SƯ DỤNG CÁC BÀI ĐỌC NGẮN THEO CHỦ ĐỀ ĐỂ NÂNG CAO VỐN
TỪ VỰNG CHO TÂN SINH VIÊN TRUỜNG CAO ĐẲNG Y TẾ HÀ NỘI)

M.A. MINOR THESIS



FIELD : English Teaching Methodology
CODE : 601401
COURSE : 18


HA NOI - 2011

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii
ABSTRACT iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS iv
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vi
LIST OF TABLES & CHARTS vii
PART I: INTRODUCTION 1
1. Rationale of the study 1
2. Aims of the study 2
3. Research questions 2
4. Scope of the study 2
5. Method of the study 2
6. Significance of the study 3
7. Design of the study 3
PART II: DEVELOPMENT 4
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 4
1.1. Vocabulary in foreign language teaching and learning 4
1.1.1. Definition of vocabulary 4
1.1.2. The importance of vocabulary learning 5
1.2. Vocabulary pedagogy 5
1.3. Extensive reading 7
1.3.1. Extensive reading versus intensive reading 7
1.3.2. Characteristics of extensive reading 8
1.3.3. The benefits of extensive reading in foreign language learning 10
1.4. Previous studies on extensive reading in EFL 13
1.5. Summary 15
CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 16

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2.1. Research setting 16
2.2. Subjects of the study 16
2.3. Materials 17
2.3.1. Course book 17
2.3.2. Theme based short readings 17
2.4. Data collection instruments 17
2.4.1. Pre-tests and post- tests 17
2.4.2. Questionnaires 18
2.5. Procedure 19
2.5.1. Stage 1: Deliver pre – tests and post – tests 19
2.5.2. Stage 2: Deliver questionnaires 21
2.6. Summary 21
CHAPTER 3: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 22
3.1. The three pre-tests and post- tests 22
3.2. The questionnaires 25
3.3. Summary 27
PART 3: CONCLUSION 29
1. Recommendations for better teaching and learning vocabulary through theme
based short readings 29
2.1. Recommendations to teachers and learners 29
2.2. Recommendations to materials used for theme based short readings 31
2. Limitations and suggestion for further study 31
3. Conclusion 32
REFERENCES 34
Appendix 1: Pre – tests & Post – tests I
Appendix 2: Questionnaires i
Appendix 3: Theme based short readings ii
Appendix 4: Frequency Tables vi

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
ER: Extensive reading
EFL: English as a Foreign Language
ESL: English as a Second Language
ELT: English Language Teaching
L1: First language
L2: Second language
HMC: Hanoi Medical College
SLA: Second Language Acquisition
GERP: Guided Extensive Reading Program
FL: Foreign Language
GR: General English
ESP: English for Specific
SPSS: Statistic Package for Social Science
ULIS: University of Languages & International Studies
VNU: Vietnam National University








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LIST OF TABLES & CHARTS

Chart 1: Data of pre – test 1……………………………………………………… …23
Chart 2: Data of post – test 1 …………………………………………………… … 23
Chart 3: Data of pre – test 2 23
Chart 4: Data of post – test 2 23
Chart 5: Data of pre – test 3 24
Chart 6: Data of post – test 3 24

Table 1: Comparison of scores between the pre and post tests 25
Table 2: The students‟ attitudes questionnaires 26














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PART I: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale of the study
In learning a foreign language, vocabulary plays an important role. Words of a language
are just like bricks of a high building. Despite quite small pieces, they are vital to a great
structure. Vocabulary is one element that links the four skills of speaking, listening,
reading and writing all together. Kristen (1989, p. 439) stated that “a large vocabulary is,

of course, essential for mastery of a language” as “without vocabulary nothing can be
conveyed” Wilkins (1972, p.11). Vocabulary knowledge is generally considered an
important factor in the comprehension of language and the number of words acquired is
strongly related to competent language use.
Accidentally, the notion of “extensive reading” from the article by Pagoda & Schmitt
(2006) intrigued the researcher at first moment. Many studies on “extensive reading” have
shown considerable benefits for learners both in terms of learning gains and motivation
and seem to come ever more popular in the ELT world. Extensive reading has been
proclaimed as “the single most effective way to improve language proficiency” (Malay,
2005, p. 354, cited in Brown, 2008). Extensive reading can lead to students‟ improvement
in the areas of reading: writing, vocabulary learning, and overall proficiency while also
increase motivation (Day & Bamford, 1998). Extensive readings offer the potential for
reinforcing and recombining language learned in the classroom. A large amount of
comprehensible input provided by extensive reading materials may increase opportunities
to be exposed to words previously learned. It reinforces the learners‟ existing knowledge
of vocabulary and builds their new stock of vocabulary.
Nutgall (1982) suggests that „an extensive reading program is the single most effective way
of improving both vocabulary and reading skill in general‟.
Inspired by the studies on extensive reading in the second language classroom, the author
decided to choose the topic “the use of theme based short readings to improve
vocabulary for freshmen at Hanoi Medical College” for her M.A. thesis. Through this
small scale, the author hopes that using theme based short readings will improve college
students‟ vocabulary learning at Hanoi Medical College.



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2. Aims of the study
The aims of the research are to:
- Investigate the effect of theme based short readings on students‟ vocabulary learning

at Hanoi medical college;
- Discover HMC students‟ attitude towards theme based short readings;
- Provide suggestions for better learning and teaching at HMC through theme based
short readings.
3. Research questions
The study is hoped to find out effectiveness of theme based on short readings on HMC
students and how the method of teaching vocabulary is useful to teachers. Therefore, the
major questions interested in the study are:
- Question 1: How do the themes based short readings affect on HMC learners‟ vocabulary
acquisition?
- Question 2: What are HMC learners‟ attitudes towards theme based short readings?
- Question 3: What should be done to provide better teaching and learning vocabulary
through theme based short readings at HMC?
4. Scope of the study
This study focuses on vocabulary learning at HMC and especially bases on theme based
short readings which are supposed to create a reading habit in English to help the students
self - study to enrich their knowledge not only during the time at college but also for their
lifetime.
The study was carried out with 35 HMC students at elementary level of English. The
author hopes that the findings of the study can enrich teachers of English HMC the benefits
of reading theme based short readings in improving HMC learners‟ vocabulary as well as
their English level.
5. Method of the study
Quantitative and qualitative methods were both used in this paper with priorities given to
the quantitative. In other word, the writer collected test scores from pre and post tests and
questionnaires to investigate the effects of theme based short readings on HMC learners‟
vocabulary learning and their attitudes towards theme based short readings. In addition,

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such methods as descriptive, analytic, comparative and contrastive were also utilized to

describe and analyze, to compare and contrast the database.
6. Significance of the study
By investigating the effects of theme based short readings on HMC learners‟ vocabulary
learning, this study gives teachers of English at HMC a chance to understand and apply
theme based short readings to vocabulary teaching . If the theme - based - short - readings
procedure is used, it can develop learners‟ knowledge of vocabulary. More importantly, it
can create a reading habit in English which is necessary for the learners. It is believed that
theme based short readings will not only improve HMC learners‟ vocabulary learning, but
also show them a new path to more independent learning.
7. Design of the study
The thesis consists of 3 main parts:
Part I- Introduction: presents the rationale of the study, states the aims of the study, scope
of the study, methods and significance of the study.
Part II – Development: consists of three chapters:
Chapter 1- Literature Review: provides the basic concepts of vocabulary, extensive
readings, the importance of extensive readings and previous studies
relating to the scope of the study.
Chapter 2 – Methodology: describes the research design including setting, subjects,
data collection instruments, and procedure of the study.
Chapter 3 – Results and Discussion: presents the collected data from pre and post
tests and questionnaires.
Part III – Conclusion: provides the summary of the whole study: major findings,
suggestions of teaching vocabulary by theme based short readings, limitations and
suggestions for further study





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PART II: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter presents theoretical backgrounds related to teaching vocabulary through
theme based short readings (extensive reading) and summaries previous studies on
extensive reading in EFL.
1.1. Vocabulary in foreign language teaching and learning
1.1.1. Definition of vocabulary
The term vocabulary has been defined quite differently according to its various aspects
such as criteria, features and functions. According to Ur (1996, p.60), vocabulary can be
defined as “the words we teach in foreign language. However, a new item of vocabulary
may be more than a single word: a compound of two or three words or multi word
idioms”. Pyles & Algeo (1970, p.96) also emphasizes that “it is words that sounds and
meaning interlock to allow us to communicate with one another, and it is word that we
arrange together to make sentences, conversation and discourse of all kinds”.
The two notions of vocabulary give a general look at vocabulary. However, vocabulary can
be interpreted as knowledge of words or word meanings. Firstly, words are virtually
manifested in the two forms: spoken form and written form. Oral vocabulary including the
words, phrases or sentences are used for listening and speaking, and the words which we
recognize and use for reading and writing can be identified as written vocabulary. The
words that we use to write and speak are considered as productive vocabulary and the
words that we hear from the people around us and see or read from stories, books,
newspapers, and so on are recognized as receptive vocabulary. It is possible to state that
the word vocabulary mean both the knowledge of words and word meanings in both oral
and print language and in productive and receptive forms. Of course, lexical meanings vary
from context to context. In language communication, there are many cases in which the
lexical meaning cannot be deducted from analysis of the individual components of that
word. Therefore in language learning and teaching, helping students to gain vocabulary
from the different contexts is a must for all the instructors. If this is regularly done, the
learners will not only know how to use appropriate vocabulary in communication, but also
develop their vocabulary repertoire themselves.

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1.1.2. The importance of vocabulary learning
Vocabulary is a very important element that links the four skills of speaking, listening,
reading and writing all together. Vocabulary knowledge is generally considered an
important factor in the comprehension of language and the number of words acquired is
strongly related to competent language use. In other words, in order to enhance overall
English proficiency, ESL students need to attain a certain level of vocabulary knowledge.
According to Richards & Rernandya (2002, p.255),
“Vocabulary is a core component of language proficiency and provides much of
the basis for how well learners speak, listen, read and write. Without an extensive
vocabulary and strategies for acquiring new vocabulary, learners often achieve less than
their potential and may be discouraged from making use of language learning opportunities
around them such as listening to the radio, listening to native speakers, using the language
in different contexts, reading, or watching television.”
Some theories state that the lexical level is the most important as it makes basic
communication possible. The acquisition of vocabulary has assumed a more central role in
learning a second language. They also argue that errors of grammar can still lead to
understand but lack of vocabulary will interfere with communication. McGinnis & Smith
(1982, p.236) believed that “without words students can seldom understand what is being
communicative to him nor can he express his thoughts to others”. Rubin & Thompson
(1994, p.79) also shared the same view that „one cannot speak, understand, read or write a
foreign language without knowing a lot of words. Vocabulary learning is at the heart of
mastering a foreign language‟. To any learners, vocabulary learning is essential element in
their language learning. Cook (1996) states that virtually all second language learners and
their teachers are well aware of the fact that learning a second language involves the
learning of large numbers of words. Second language teachers find that the major obstacle
in teaching English is not learning the grammar but in helping learners master sufficient
vocabulary so that they can engage in meaningful conversations and read materials other
than the textbook.

1.2. Vocabulary pedagogy
Central to research into vocabulary teaching and learning are key questions concerning
how words can best be learned. In the literature, two opposing views on this matter have

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emerged. On the one hand, there is an explicit vocabulary teaching approach where
learners are given the meaning of target words right away, usually by the teacher. On the
other hand, there is an implicit vocabulary learning method where learners learn words
implicitly such as learning word meanings incidentally through reading extensively.
Regarding vocabulary pedagogy, Carter (2001) points out that teacher can help learners
with vocabulary directly or „explicitly‟ by mean of words lists, paired translation
equivalents, and they can also help learners by more indirect or „implicit‟ means, such as
exposure to words in the context of reading real texts so that learners can infer words from
context and thus learn words incidentally through reading.
There has been much discussion in the literature on whether vocabulary is best learned
through direct study or incidentally through reading. Nation (2001, p.157) believes that
direct vocabulary instruction has a place in SLA and should be directed towards the high
frequency words of the language. He puts forwards several points supporting the notion.
First, he notes that non- native speakers beginning their study of English generally know
very few English words. Because the high frequency words of the language are so
important for language use and consist of a relatively small number of words (about
2,000), it is practical and feasible to directly teach a substantial number of them. Second,
direct vocabulary learning is a way of trying to bridge the gap between second language
learners‟ present proficiency level and the proficiency level needed to learn from
unsimplified input. Third, direct vocabulary study is a way to speed up the second
language learning process.
However, there are still limitations with explicit vocabulary learning. Nagy (1985) believes
that teaching vocabulary directly is time wasting. His major argument is that there are a
large number of words in English and therefore a large amount of time is needed
deliberately and explicitly teaching vocabulary. He concludes that direct teaching can only

account for a very small proportion of vocabulary, it may be better for learners to read in
context. Hence, Nation and Coady (1988) take the position that L2 learners have to learn
vocabulary implicitly. This can be done in the form of extensive reading. According to
Schmitt (2000) extensive reading should be structured in the vocabulary program. It is
important for at least two reasons: meeting a word in different context expands what is
known about it and the addition exposures help consolidate it in memory.

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There is evidence that both the explicit and implicit approaches are both necessary in
learning vocabulary. There needs to be the proper mix of the explicit teaching and
activities from which incidental learning can occur because both methods are used together
to supplement each other. The researcher hopes that explicit vocabulary instruction in the
class plus extensive reading is much more effective for vocabulary acquisition.
1.3. Extensive reading
Theme based short reading is a specific activity of extensive reading. Therefore, theoretical
background of extensive reading presented in this part also provides basic features of
theme based short reading.
1.3.1. Extensive reading versus intensive reading
The term “extensive reading” was originally coined by Palmer (1917), cited by Day &
Bamford (1998) to distinguish it from “intensive reading”. Intensive reading focuses
mainly on the careful reading of short, complex texts for detailed understanding and skill
practice. Extensive reading involves the reading of large amounts of longer, easy to
understand materials, usually done outside classroom and at each student‟s own pace and
level. According to Lewis and Hill (1985, p.109), extensive reading means “students have
a general understanding of the text without necessary understanding every word”. As
pointed out by Richards (1992), extensive reading means reading in quality and in order to
gain a general understanding of what is read. It is intended to develop good reading habit,
to build up knowledge of vocabulary and structure, and to encourage a linking for reading.
It has since acquired many other names: Mikulecky (1990), cited in Day and Bramford,
1998) call it “pleasure reading”; Grabe (1991, p.375-406) and others use the term

“sustained silent reading”, while Mason and Krashen (1997, p.91-102) call it simply “free
reading”
Let‟s compare intensive reading and extensive reading:






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Extensive reading
Intensive reading
 Overall understanding
 Reading a lot
 Easy texts
 Fluent reading
 Ignore unknown words
 Reading for pleasure
 100% understanding
 Limited reading
 Difficult texts
 Word for word
 Using dictionaries

According to Robb & Susser (1989, p.3) cite “extensive reading” as a language teaching/
learning procedure because it is reading (a) of large quantities of material or large texts; (b)
for global or general understanding; (c) with the intention of obtaining pleasure from the
text. Further because (d) reading is individualized; (e) the books are not discussed in class,
because the aim is for overall understanding rather than word by word decoding or
grammar analysis. The characteristics of extensive reading will be described in details in

next section.
1.3.2. Characteristics of extensive reading
In extensive reading, English language learners read large quantities of books and other
material that are well within their linguistic competence. They read for information and
enjoyment, with the primary goal of achieving a general, overall understanding of the
reading material. Students select which books they are interested in reading, and read at
their own speed. Day and Bamford (1998, p.7-8) identify ten characteristics of successful
extensive reading programs:
a. The reading material is easy. The teacher should make sure that students read
material that contains vocabulary and grammar within their linguistic competence.
When students find no more than one or two difficult words on a page, then the text is
appropriately easy; it is well within their reading comfort zone. Hu and Nation (2000,
cited in Day and Bamford, 2002) suggest that learners must know at least 95 % of the
words in a fiction text for unassisted understanding. In addition, reading easy material
helps the affective dimension of learning to read. The students discover that they can

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read FL material, and as they read more and more material, they see themselves as
readers in the target language.
b. There must be a wide variety of materials on a wide range of topics. Having variety
allow students to find material they want to read. Different kinds of reading material
also encourage a flexible approach to reading. Students learn to read for different
reasons (e.g., entertainment, information, passing time) and in different ways
(skimming, scanning, more careful reading).
c. Students choose what they want to read. Self-selection of reading material means
those learners can select texts as they read, that is, they can choose texts they expect to
understand, to enjoy or to learn from. Students are free to stop reading material that is
boring, too difficult or that turns out not to be of interest.
d. Learners read as much as possible. This is the "extensive" of extensive reading,
made possible by the previous principles. The most critical element in learning to

read is the amount of time spent actually reading. There is no upper limit to the
amount of reading that can be done. The more the students read, the greater the
benefits.
e. The purposes of reading are usually related to pleasure, information, and general
understanding and are determined by the nature of the material and the interest of
the students. Students are encouraged to read for a variety of real-world reading
purposes from entertainment to finding specific information. Also in common with
real-world reading, 100% comprehension is not usually the goal. Only sufficient
understanding to achieve one‟s purpose is required.
f. Reading is its own rewards. Because the goal is for students to experience reading,
they are not required to demonstrate their understanding by answering
comprehension questions. However, teachers may need to ask students to engage in
follow-up activities after reading for a number of reasons: 1) to discover what the
students understood and experienced from reading; 2) to keep track of what
students read; 3) to monitor the student‟s attitude toward reading; and 4) to link
reading with other aspects of the curriculum.
g. Reading speed is usually faster rather than slower. Because students read material
that they can easily understand, they begin to read faster. Over time, they move
from word-by-word decoding to fluent reading. Students are advised against using

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dictionaries as it interrupts the reading process, making fluent reading impossible.
When encountering unknown vocabulary items, students are advised to either
ignore the word or guess the meaning.
h. Reading is individual and silent. Silent, individual extensive reading contrasts with
the way classroom texts are used as vehicles for teaching language or reading
strategies or (in traditional approaches) translated or read aloud. It allows students
to discover that reading is a personal interaction with the text, and an experience
that they have responsibility for. Thus, together with freedom to choose reading
material, individual silent reading can be instrumental in students discovering how

foreign language reading fits into their lives. Extensive reading means learners
reading at their own paces. It can be done both in the students' own time when and
where the student chooses, or inside the classroom when part or all of a classroom
period is set aside for silent, self-selected reading.
i. Teachers orient and guide their students. Students need careful introduction to
extensive reading. The teacher could begin by explaining the benefits of ER – it
leads to gains in vocabulary knowledge as well as reading, writing, and oral
fluency. The choice of easy materials, self-selection and reading for overall
understanding could be discussed. Teachers can keep track of what and how much
their students read, and the students‟ reactions to what was read. Teachers may also
wish to point out that there are no tests or comprehension questions.
j. The teacher is a role model of a reader for students - an active member of the
classroom reading community who demonstrates what it means to be a reader and
the rewards of being a reader. Example is the most powerful instruction. If the
teacher read the same material that the students read, and talks to them about it, this
gives the students a model of what it is to be a reader and also makes it possible for
the teacher to recommend reading material to individual students. In this way, the
teacher and students form an informal reading community, experiencing together
the value and pleasure that may be derived from the written word.
1.3.3. The benefits of extensive reading in foreign language learning
Reading is good for you. The research supports a stronger conclusion, however: Reading is
the only way, the only way we become good readers, develop a good writing style, an

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adequate vocabulary, advanced grammar, and the only way we become good spellers
(Krashen, 1993, p.23, cited in Rosszell, 2006).
Reading, in general, can enhance learners‟ language knowledge and especially, research
has shown that extensive reading offers a wide range of learning benefits to second
language learners. It can help students improve vocabulary, reading skills, writing, and
speaking, as Brown & Gakuin (2000, p.3) remark:

…… Student readers benefit a great deal from extensive reading. As there are
components for developing fluent reading and true comprehension such as a large
sight vocabulary (those words that a child can recognize at sight in reading), a large
general vocabulary (common vocabulary), knowledge of how the target language is
used, knowledge of various text-types, and increased knowledge of the world in
which we live.
Firstly, gains in vocabulary are among the most commonly cited benefits of extensive
reading. Nutall (1982) maintains that “an extensive reading program is the single most
effective way of improving both vocabulary and reading skill in general”. Extensive
reading has been shown to be a highly successful way of reinforcing, confirming and
deepening knowledge of vocabulary and expressions hitherto only imperfectly known, and
of developing an implicit understanding of when and how words are used, by experiencing
language in context, Coady (1997, p.225-237) when students read widely, they will get
ideas on what they have read and remember vocabulary on that topic. Nation (1990) also
has the same point of view when saying that “if the small amount of learning of a word is
not soon after reinforced by another encounter, then that learning will be lost”.
Moreover, extensive reading can help students remember vocabulary and grammar
structures they have just learned. Reading widely may be one of the best ways to increase
the repetition of seeing the same vocabulary. In the book “Working with words”, Gainns &
Redman (1985) pointed out two basic theories about remembering words. One theory
suggests that information which is not activated regularly disappears in time from memory.
This means that unless new words are practiced and revised they will soon be forgotten.
Learners can practice and revise new words in order not to forget them in different ways
and reading is one of the most effective ways. When reading they see words that they have
just learned. The more they see the word the better they can remember it. Bell (1998)

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shares the same idea when saying that extensive reading helps consolidate previously
learned language.
Secondly, extensive reading can improve students‟ reading speed and reading

comprehension. Robb & Susser‟s (1989) experiments prove that extensive reading can
help students read faster. Reading is a skill. Like many other skills, it needs a lot of
practice to be perfect. One way to improve reading ability is by reading a lot (Day &
Bamford, 1998). Students only read a lot when they feel interested. And when do students
feel interested in reading? The answer is that when the reading text is about something they
really want to read or are really interested in. Moreover, when learners read extensively
texts that are of the same level, or are slightly below, their reading abilities will enhance
fluency, recover lost confidence and begin to provide enjoyment in reading. Also the
experience of extensive reading will show many students that they need to drop the habit
of literal translation – reading, a bad routine formed in traditional high school classes. This
habit limits the speed at which students read and reduce the efficiency with which they are
able to comprehend.
Bell (2001) did a research to measure the reading speed and comprehension in two groups
of learners exposed to “intensive” and “extensive” reading programs. Results indicate that
subjects exposed to extensive reading achieved both significantly faster reading speeds and
significantly higher scores on measures of reading comprehension. Wodinsky & Nation
(1988) stated that graded readers provide much more favorable conditions for reading and
vocabulary learning than unsimplified texts does. Sometimes reading difficult texts in the
classroom does not interest students. These texts are designed to present grammar
structures, to give students input for a discussion or to improve reading skills (skimming,
scanning). Each text used in the classroom is for a certain purpose of language teaching
and learning. Therefore, the language used in these texts is not as natural as those read
outside the classroom. And not all the topics of the reading texts in the classroom can
interest students. Once the reading text is not attractive enough for students, they will be
lazy to read and learn less effectively. Meanwhile, extensive reading is used in the class,
which means they encourage their students to read what they really want to read, or know
about. Students are free to choose what they can read; they do not have the feeling of being
forced. This will help increase their motivation to learn. As a result, the more they read, the
better their reading ability will be.

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Thirdly, many researchers have found extensive reading to have a positive effect on
listening, writing and other areas of language competence. Extensive reading provides
input for speaking and writing skills. Once students have a large vocabulary and ideas on
some topic, it will be much easier for them to write or speak about that topic as one of the
main reasons preventing students from speaking and writing is that they do not have ideas.
Moreover, extensive reading of high-interest material offers the potential for reinforcing
and recombining language learned in the classroom. When reading extensively, students
automatically receive the necessary reinforcement and recycling of language required to
ensure that new input is retained and made available for spoken and written production.
Finally, extensive reading helps to increase motivation and create a good habit of reading.
Constantino (1994), Mason & Krashen (1997, p.91-102), and Hayashi (1999, p.114-132)
report that reading extensively increase motivation to read and the development of a
positive attitude toward reading. If reading is a “pleasure” like playing music or watching
television, it still takes time to be interested in. By having students read extensively what
they are interested in, teachers can help them to spend more time reading and make it a
habit. Having a good reading habit is very important for students, who are expected to
mainly self-study in their university course. Moreover, by eliminating follow-up checks
and exercises and encouraging students to go for understanding the general meaning rather
than detailed comprehension, students are gradually weaned off word-by-word decoding at
the sentence level, something Japanese students find very difficult, as shall be seen. Then
the goal is to turn "learning to read into reading to learn."
In conclusion, the research on extensive reading shows that there is a wide range of
extensive reading are thus both cognitive as well as affective. Not only does it lead to
improvement in reading, writing, and vocabulary acquisition but it also leads to a positive
attitude towards reading, which would help to increase students' language proficiency in
the long term. Grabe and Stoller (1997) stated that students need to read extensively. If
both the teachers and the learners know this, they will make full use of it.
1.4. Previous studies on extensive reading in EFL
The past two decades have seen a considerable amount of research investigating the effects

of reading on students‟ vocabulary acquisition. Many scholars have agreed that much

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second language vocabulary is learned incidentally while learners are engaged in extensive
reading.
Nation (2001, p.149) states that incidental learning of vocabulary through meeting words
in reading has number of benefits. It requires less teacher effort and classroom time, which
can be used in other strands of language learning. He also argues that although research
shows only small amounts of incidental vocabulary learning occur from reading but these
small amounts become big if learners read large quantities of comprehensive text Nagy and
Herman (1987) concluded in their research that teachers should promote extensive reading
because it can lead to greater vocabulary growth than any program of explicit instruction
alone ever could (cited in Coady and Huckin, 1997, p. 225).
Pigada and Schmitt (2006, p.133) did a study on the topic “Vocabulary acquisition from
extensive reading”. This case study of a learner of French explores whether an extensive
reading program can enhance lexical knowledge. The study assessed a relatively large
number of words, and examined whether one month of extensive reading enhanced
knowledge of these target words' spelling, meaning, and grammatical characteristics. The
measurement procedure was a one-on-one interview that allowed a very good indication of
whether learning occurred. The study also explores how vocabulary acquisition varies
according to how often words are encountered in the texts. Overall, the results showed that
extensive reading appears to lead to substantial vocabulary learning, but it is not consistent
across all word knowledge types.
A Vietnamese researcher, Pham (2008), did a case study on exploring the vocabulary
development through extensive reading practice without formal instructions. The subject of
her research is the 44-year-old government official practicing extensive reading for a
period of nearly three months. The study aims to find out whether extensive reading lead to
vocabulary development in this type of subject in terms of the number of words and word
knowledge (word meaning and using). The study results demonstrated that extensive
reading really helps improve vocabulary.

Tran (2008) in his MA thesis studied a GERP in helping grade 10 students at Ha Tinh
special school develop their English vocabulary. He did “the quasi- experimental method”
to find out whether guided extensive reading helps develop learners‟ vocabulary
acquisition. The data collection instruments of the thesis are pretest, posttest and
questionnaire. The results of the thesis revealed that learners gained some progress in

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vocabulary learning. Furthermore, learners‟ perception of the effectiveness of the GERP
was significantly improved.
In conclusion, much research provides good evidence that vocabulary is learned
incidentally from reading on L2 learners language acquisition and extensive reading is part
of the ESL/FL curricula in many countries, it has attracted little attention in Viet Nam, so
far, in Vietnam very little research has been done on extensive reading in teaching and
learning English in general as well as in teaching and learning vocabulary in particular.
More importantly, as far as the researcher knows, most of the research on extensive
reading has been used an experimental method or a case study as a research methodology.
The author of this study would like to explore the effects of extensive reading on
vocabulary learning by the way of quasi- experimental, qualitative and quantitative
analysis.
1.5. Summary
From the theoretical background to extensive reading as well as the review of the previous
studies on extensive reading, it can conclude that extensive reading brings a lot of benefits
to the learners. It can develop students‟ vocabulary, writing, reading, speaking… Most of
the researchers who have done research on extensive reading strongly recommend that
extensive reading should be used as a second language teaching procedure, and in many
countries, extensive reading has become part of the ESL curricula. Inspired from these
researches, the author of this study would like to improve student‟s vocabulary learning
through using theme based short readings.

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CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY
In this chapter, the research setting, subjects, data collection instruments, and procedure of
the study will be presented in detail.
2.1. Research setting
Hanoi Medical College was founded 45 years ago. It has become a college training two
different levels: college and lower college with various departments. All the subjects are
taught in Vietnamese. In Hanoi Medical College, English is a compulsory subject to all
students. English is learnt for 5 semesters and the lesson in total are 225 periods, of which
135 periods are for general English (GE) and 90 periods are for English for specific
purpose (ESP). Life- lines series (Hutchinson, 1998) have been chosen as the course books
for the students. In the first semester, the students learn 7 units of Lifelines Elementary
course book within in 45 periods. In the second semester they learn the last 7 units of
Lifelines Elementary. In the third semester, they learn 7 units of Lifelines Pre-
Intermediate within 15 weeks, 3 periods a week. The students are required to learn all four
skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing. However, they have to cope with many
difficulties in learning vocabulary. Many students complain that they do not know how to
remember new words and their meanings for a long time, how to improve vocabulary and
use them properly in different contexts. They still maintain their old learning habits such as
writing words down on notebooks, learning new words by heart, heavily depending on
wordlist in the textbook or passively waiting for their teacher‟s explanations of new words.

They do not have any habits of learning vocabulary which help them to know how to use
vocabulary appropriately in different contexts. Hence, teaching and learning vocabulary
become a big question to teachers and learners at Hanoi Medical College.
2.2. Subjects of the study
The respondents chosen in this study are 35 first year students at HMC. They are all at
elementary level of English. There are 8 males and 27 females, mainly from 19 to 23. They
come from different districts in Hanoi. All of them have learned English at their high
school. Also, they have already learnt for 24 periods of English from unit 1 to unit 4 during
the first semester with Lifelines Elementary by Tom Hutchinson (1998). At present, they
are learning from unit 5 to unit 7 in Lifelines Elementary course book. With the basic

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knowledge of general English and knowledge equipped in the first semester, the students
can take part in this theme - based - short - reading program in this study.
2.3. Materials
2.3.1. Course book
Lifelines - Elementary is used in this study as the main course book. This course book is
divided into fourteen topic- based units presenting and practicing vocabulary and grammar,
as well as developing the four language skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking).
The interesting feature of this course book is that vocabulary is learnt according to topics.
Because the time limitation, the researcher only chose 3 units (unit 5: Food and drinks, unit
6: Daily Activities and unit 7: Parts of a house) to do the experiment for this study. Each
unit is taught within 6 periods in two weeks and each period is 45 minutes.
2.3.2. Theme based short readings
The researcher of this study chose theme based short readings in accordance with topics
related to the three vocabulary lessons provided in class and selected from New Headway,
New English File and Know How at elementary level. The selection ensures the reading
material of the study is suitable to HMC students‟ level and various enough to interest
these students in the extended reading process.
Therefore, the interested theme based short readings chosen in this study are:

- Lesson 1: Food around the world
Food in the United States
- Lesson 2: Everyday living
Louisa, a singer mother
- Lesson 3: The lady who lives on a plane
Living in the bubble
2.4. Data collection instruments
2.4.1. Pre-tests and post- tests
In this study, the researcher designed three tests about vocabulary corresponding with 3
chosen topics. The tests given to the learners immediately at the end of the lessons are
called pre – tests. The tests given one week after the theme based short readings are called
post - tests. The pre – tests and post – tests are similar in format and content. The purposes

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of pre – tests and post – tests are to assess how could the students remembers the new
words taught in the class and compare the effectiveness of doing the test and improvement
of vocabulary before and after using theme based short readings. The tests were done with
the supervision of the researcher.
The tests consist of 3 exercises with 20 items practiced within 20 minutes. Five points is
given to a correct answer; the maximum score that a learner could get would be 100. The
tests were designed in different types in order to measure vocabulary knowledge and
reading comprehension as follow:
 Match the verbs in column A with the nouns in column B
 Match the pictures and the verbs in the box
 Choose the best word in the box to fill in the gap
 Match the pictures and the verbs in the box
 Choose the best word in the box to fill in the gap
 Look at the picture and choose the correct word
 Fill in the blanks with the name of the object you see in the picture
 Complete Unfinished words

The key of pre – tests and post – tests consists of 50% of new words taught in the lesson
and 50% of the number of new words found in the theme based short readings. The
purpose is to improve HMC students‟ vocabulary knowledge both in quality and quantity.
2.4.2. Questionnaires
The attitude questionnaires used in this research consist of 9 closed questions. They were
designed on a five-point Likert scale (strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, and
strongly disagree). The five- point rating scale was used in this study because “it is very
popular with educational researchers and has been shown to work well” (Johnson and
Christensen, 2000, p.134). The participants were asked to tick the items which they chose
into the respective columns. Question 1 asks them what they think about the theme based
short readings given. Questions 2, 3 and 4 are designed to discover the learners‟ sense of
improvement in their reading after experiment. Questions 5 and 6 ask the learners whether
the theme based short reading activity helped to expand their vocabulary and improve
other skills or not. Question 7 asks the learners to give their opinions about the follow – up
activities. Questions 8 and 9 aim at getting information about the learners‟ reading habits
with an aim to discover whether the extensive reading helps change their reading habits or

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not. When designing the questionnaires, the researcher has asked for recommendations
from her colleagues so that the questionnaires are sufficient to the aims of the study and
are clear enough to the students. Moreover, before delivering the questionnaires to the
respondents of the study, the researcher administered sample questionnaires to other five
HMC students who are at the same level but do not belong to the population of the
research. Until she determines the questionnaires are well answered by the five sample
students, does she carry on the research with the 35 chosen students?
2.5. Procedure
2.5.1. Stage 1: Deliver pre – tests and post – tests
The stage 1 is expressed by the following sessions:
Session 1:

Session 2:




Session 3:






Teach vocabulary on the following topic:
Food and Drinks
Deliver pre – test 1

Explain & deliver theme based short readings 2:
+ Everyday living
+ Louisa, a singer mother

Discussion & reflection on the theme based short readings 1

Teach vocabulary on the following topic:
Daily activities

Deliver pre – test 2

Explain & deliver theme based short readings 1:
+ Food around the world
+ Food in the unite states
Deliver post – test 1

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Session 4:



Session 5:







Session 6:




Deliveries of pre – tests and post – tests were carried out as follow: the teacher provided
vocabulary lesson to 35 HMC students firstly. When finishing the lecture, the teacher

delivered a pre-test designed corresponding with the vocabulary topic of the lesson to
them. After that, the teacher collected the pre – tests. Before leaving the class, the learners
were explained benefits of theme based short readings relating to the topic of vocabulary
which had been planned to deliver to them. The content of theme based short readings
were explained carefully by the teacher and required to read outside the class hours by the
students. The next lecture, the teacher discussed and reflected the theme based short
readings of the previous week by asking her students related questions such as: “what is
the main idea of the passage?”, “what is your favorite food?” The post- test was given to
Discussion & Reflection on the theme based short readings 2

Teach vocabulary on the following topic:
Parts of a house

Deliver pre – test 3

Explain & deliver theme based short readings 3:
+ The lady who lives on a plane
+ Living in the bubble
Discussion & Reflection on the theme based short readings 3

Deliver post – test 2

Deliver post – test 3