Using graded readers ton improve grade 11th students vocabulary at nguyen gia thieu high school submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements of the degee of bachelor of pedagogy in english

HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY N0.2
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FACULTY

======

TRUONG QUOC DAT

USING GRADED READERS TO IMPROVE GRADE 11th
STUDENTS’ VOCABULARY AT NGUYEN GIA THIEU
HIGH SCHOOL

(SUBMITED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE
DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF PEDAGOGY IN ENGLISH)

SUPERVISOR: DANG NGOC NAM, M.A.

HA NOI, 2016


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my greatest gratitude to my supervisor, Mr. Dang Ngoc Nam,
M.A., for his invaluable advice, instruction and comments while I was doing this thesis.
Also, I would like to express my particular thanks to all the lecturers of Foreign
Languages Faculty whose lectures have enriched my academic knowledge of English in the
past.
Especially, I would like to show my sincere thanks to Mrs. Phung Thuy Oanh who gave
me the opportunity and autonomy to carry out the research at Nguyen Gia Thieu high school.
Besides, I am thankful to my lovely students in class 11A4 for their enthusiastic participation
as well as precious effort in the tests, and questionnaires.
My special thanks are expressed to my aunt, Mrs. Pham Hong Thuy, Ph.D., lecturer at

Hanoi University for her ideas, comments and instructions, as well as encouragement and
constant support.
Last but not least, I owe a debt of gratitude to my family and my friends for their
support, encouragement and love, which were extremely important for the completion of this
thesis.

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ABSTRACT

Vocabulary is an important key in teaching and learning language. In fact, there are
many ways of teaching vocabulary such as semantic mapping, language games, music and so
on. However, many EFL teachers are too dependent on the translation method when teaching
vocabulary, which is boring and somehow ineffective. Therefore, the main goal of this
research is to improve vocabulary learning and attitudes towards reading among the eleventh
graders of class 11A4 at Nguyen Gia Thieu high school. An action research with thirty-eight
students in class 11A4 was carried out in about three months. The data was collected using
questionnaires and tests (pre-test and post-test). The study shows that graded readers is of
great benefits for students‟ vocabulary learning. It not only helps students learn the
vocabulary incidentally but also better their attitudes towards reading.

ii


STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP
Title:
USING GRADED READERS TO IMPROVE GRADE 11th STUDENTS’
VOCABULARY AT NGUYEN GIA THIEU HIGH SCHOOL
(Graduation paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the Degree of Bachelor of

Pedagogy in English)
I certify that no part of the above report has been copied from any other person‟s work
without acknowledgements and that the report is originally written by me under instructions
of my supervisor.

Date submitted: May 2016

Student

Supervisor

Truong Quoc Dat

Dang Ngoc Nam

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART ONE
INTRODUCTION
I. RATIONALE ...............................................................................................................1
II. RESEARCH PRESUPPOSITION ..............................................................................2
III. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES ...................................................................................... 2
IV. RESEARCH SCOPE.................................................................................................2
V. RESEARCH METHODS ........................................................................................... 2
VI. RESEARCH TASKS ................................................................................................ 2
VII. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY.........................................................................2
VIII. DESIGN OF THE STUDY ....................................................................................3

PART TWO
DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER ONE
THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

I.1. LITERATURE REVIEW.......................................................................................... 4
I.2. AN OVERVIEW OF READING..............................................................................5
I.2.1. Reading...................................................................................................................5
I.2.1.1. The Role of Reading ........................................................................................... 5
I.2.1.2. Definition of Extensive Reading .........................................................................6
I.2.1.3. Extensive Reading versus Intensive Reading ..................................................... 7
I.2.2. Vocabulary .............................................................................................................8
I.2.2.1. The Importance of Vocabulary ...........................................................................8
I.2.2.2. The Role of Vocabulary in Second and Foreign Language Learning and
Reading ............................................................................................................................ 8
I.2.2.3. Vocabulary Acquisition ...................................................................................... 9
I.2.3. Graded Readers ....................................................................................................10

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I.2.4. Previous Research ................................................................................................ 11

CHAPTER TWO
METHODOLOGY

II.1. Action Research .....................................................................................................14
II.1.1. Rationale for the Research Design......................................................................14
II.1.2. Procedure of Action Research ............................................................................14

II.2. Subjects ..................................................................................................................16
II.3. The Graded Readers Project ..................................................................................16
II.4. Data Collection Instruments ..................................................................................18
II.4.1. Vocabulary Test ..................................................................................................18
II.4.2. Survey Questionnaire .......................................................................................... 18
II.5. Data Analysis .........................................................................................................19
II.5.1. The Mean Score Method of Descriptive Statistic ...............................................19
II.5.2. T-tests ..................................................................................................................20

CHAPTER THREE
THE RESULTS

III.1. Results ..................................................................................................................22
III.1.1. The Tests............................................................................................................22
III.1.2. The Pre-Test and the Post-Test..........................................................................23
III.1.3. The Questionnaire ............................................................................................. 25
III.2. Recommendations ................................................................................................ 26

PART THREE
CONCLUSION

I. Conclusion ..................................................................................................................27
II. Limitations and Suggestions for Further Studies...................................................... 27
v


REFERENCES ..............................................................................................................29
APPENDIX A Attitude Questionnaire ..........................................................................32
APPENDIX B Vocabulary Test .................................................................................... 33
APPENDIX C Reading Test ......................................................................................... 38

APPENDIX D The Reading Worksheet........................................................................40

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

AR

Action Research

EFL

English as a Foreign Language

ESL

English as a Second Language

ER

Extensive Reading

SPSS

Statistical Package for the Social Sciences

M

Mean

P

Probability value

SD

Standard deviation

TOEIC

Test of English for International Communication

VKS

Vocabulary Knowledge Scale

GRs

Graded Readers

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PART ONE
INTRODUCTION
I. RATIONALE
The English language has been making a considerable contribution to the increasing
development of various fields in modern life such as economy, politics, culture, science,
education and international relations. As a result, English learning and teaching are essential

needs in many parts of the world. English has become a compulsory subject not only in many
countries in the world but also in Vietnam. Therefore, to meet the demands for the
development and integration of Vietnam into the greater English-speaking world, over the last
two decades, English language teaching and learning have been carried out at every
educational level.
Learning a language is a lifelong process. Whenever a language is learnt or acquired,
one is faced with the problem of learning vocabulary. It cannot be denied that vocabulary
plays an important role in the language learning process and in language use. To mention the
important role of vocabulary in language acquisition, Wilkins (1972) has also claimed that
“without grammar, very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed”.
In other words, students need to enlarge their vocabulary if they want to enhance the overall
English proficiency.
However, for students at high schools in Vietnam, eleventh graders have to learn three
or four periods per week, each period lasts 45 minutes. In each reading lesson, students have a
chance to read two reading texts of about 180 words. It means that they only read about 360
words in one to two weeks. Thus, it is not enough time for the eleventh graders at high
schools to develop reading skills and vocabulary knowledge. In addition, the vocabulary in
the school English text book is limited. As a result, the students often complained that they
could not understand and answer the reading comprehension questions or do reading
comprehension exercises.
Furthermore, students often learn new words passively, they usually write down new
words in their notebooks. Through my observation, I have found out that the students often
learn new words by writing each English word with its Vietnamese meaning without other
kinds of practice. Then they leave it there with little revision or without revision. Hence, they
can quickly forget the words that they learned.
From the above analysis, it can be seen that students get difficulty in learning the
English due to the lack of vocabulary. All the reasons mentioned above motivated me to

1

conduct the study „Graded readers to improve grade 11th students‟ vocabulary at Nguyen Gia
Thieu high school‟.
II. RESEARCH PRESUPPOSITION
Through using action research, some questions are raised:
 To what extent can graded readers improve the students‟ vocabulary learning?
 What are the students‟ attitudes towards graded readers in improving vocabulary?
III. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
The research focus on thirty-eight students at 11A4 class in Nguyen Gia
Thieu high school. The study aims to improve vocabulary and change their attitudes towards
reading.
IV. RESEARCH SCOPE
This study‟s scope is limited to students at Nguyen Gia Thieu high school. There are
thirty-eight eleventh grade students taking part in this study.
V. RESEARCH METHODS
To obtain the results of this study, the following instruments are applied:
• Vocabulary test was conducted to evaluate the students‟ vocabulary meaning learning

through the given pre-test and post-test.
• The attitude questionnaire was designed to measure two aspects of reading-affect

(feeling) and cognition-affect (thinking).
VI. RESEARCH TASKS
The study involves completing the following tasks:
 Giving some persuasive reasons for choosing graded readers as the tool for vocabulary
acquisition improvement.
 Giving an overview of the definition of ER and graded readers, the benefits of ER to
English vocabulary learning or acquisition.
 Testing the effects of graded readers on vocabulary acquisition and readers‟ attitudes.
 Discussing and analyzing effects of graded readers as identified through the above

mentioned action research method.
VII. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
After the research, it is hoped that the results will be helpful:
 To contribute additional evidences that graded readers can well improve students‟
vocabulary knowledge.

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 To provide us with a great amount of useful information that graded readers may help
develop their positive attitudes towards reading skills as well as build up the students‟
effective reading habits.
VIII. DESIGN OF THE STUDY
The thesis is divided into three main parts, namely: Introduction, Development, and
Conclusion.
Part One: INTRODUCTION. This part explains the rationale for choosing the topic and
methodology, as well as the tasks and objectives.
Part Two: DEVELOPMENT consists of three chapters.
➢ Chapter One: LITERATURE REVIEW briefly presents theoretical background

about Graded readers.
➢ Chapter Two: METHODOLOGY presents the methods used in the study.
➢ Chapter Three: RESULTS shows the detailed results and analysis on the data

collected.
Part Three: CONCLUSION summarizes the whole the thesis before discussing some
limitations of the study and then gives some suggestions for further study.

3

PART TWO
DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER ONE
THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

I.1. LITERATURE REVIEW
Graded readers in improving students‟ vocabulary acquisition has been the topic of
much research as well as books mentioned by Bamford (1984), Simensen (1987), Hill &
Thomas (1988), Hill (1997), Nation & Ming-Tzu (1999), Richard & Schimidt (2002), Rob
Waring (2001) and so on. They each have their own way to talk about graded readers.
Generally, they often focus their attention on the ways of giving the definitions, models,
characteristics and benefits of graded readers.
First of all, Simensen (1987) distinguishes three types of graded reader: (a) authentic
readers, not written for pedagogic purposes; (b) pedagogic readers, specially written for
EFL/ESL students; and (c) adapted readers, which have been adapted from authentic texts.
She pays much attention to kinds of graded readers.
Hill & Thomas (1988) defines a graded reader as a book „written to a grading
scheme,‟ whether it is a simplified version of a previously written work or an original work
written in simple language.
In additions, Richard & Schimidt (2002) regards graded readers as „A text written for
children learning their mother tongue, or for second language content is based on a language
grading scheme. A graded reader may use a restricted vocabulary or a set of grammatical
structures‟.
Besides, Bamford (1984) says, „For all but advanced learners, the best way to promote
extensive reading is by means of graded readers‟. According to Hill (1997), he points out
„Graded readers are extended texts, mostly fiction, written in language reduced in terms of
structures and vocabulary‟. This definition includes two of the most important properties of
language learner literature: firstly, the texts are of a certain length suitable for extensive
reading – and secondly, they contain linguistic structures, which are easy for the intended

audience.
Wodinsky, M. & Nation, P. (1988) describes graded readers as books written within a
limited vocabulary which are in common use in second and foreign language teaching. Also,
they mention that graded readers need to provide enough repetition of all or most of the words

4


at a particular level to firmly establish them in the learners‟ memory and to enrich their
meaning.
Moreover, Waring, R. (2001) describes that graded readers is written at specific levels
for language learners to develop their reading ability. He finds that graded readers is made
easy to read by simplifying and using vocabulary and grammar limited to that level, so the
learner can easily understand the story.
Finally, stated by Nation & Ming-Tzu (1999), graded readers are defined as books
which are specially written or adapted for second language learner. This involves severely
restricting the vocabulary that can occur, controlling the grammatical structures that can
occur, and matching the length of text to the vocabulary and grammar controls. It is stated that
a graded reading scheme consists of a series of vocabulary and grammar levels with several
readers available at each levels of the scheme. A low proficiency learner would begin reading
books at the lowest level of the scheme, and when reading at that level was comfortable,
students would move on to books at the next level.

I.2. AN OVERVIEW OF READING
I.2.1. Reading
I.2.1.1. The Role of Reading
Teachers of English often ask themselves why reading is important when learning a
language. Actually, the importance of reading in language learning and language proficiency
is well documented in the literature.
Gradman & Hanania (1991) investigates the relationship between ESL learners‟

language achievement and forty-four background variables, including formal learning
experiences, exposure to the language in class and outside, and attitudes to English. The
results of their multiple regression analysis showed „the strongest effect to be that of
extracurricular reading‟.
Krashen (2005) discusses evidence for the „power of reading‟. He refers to four studies
that „consistently report a positive relationship between the amount of free reading done and
various aspects of second and foreign language competence.‟ – as Lee, Krashen, and
Gribbons (1996) regarding the acquisition of relative clauses; Stokes, Krashen, and Kartchner
(1998) regarding the acquisition of the present subjunctive in Spanish; Constantino, Lee, Cho,
and Krashen (1997) regarding TOEFL scores; and Lee, S. Y. (2001) regarding factors which
make writing difficult. He also refers to later studies in which he is involved regarding the use
of teen romances in ESL learning, where „recreational reading is the only plausible

5


explanation for progress.‟ This research is reported more recently by Cho in the International
Journal of Foreign Language Teaching (Cho, 2005).
In conclusion, many researchers have agreed upon the inevitable role of reading in
language learning. Many aspects of a language including vocabulary can be learnt incidentally
through reading. As Nuttall (1982) says that the best way to improve one‟s knowledge of a
foreign language is to go and live among its speakers and the next best way is to read
extensively in it.
I.2.1.2. Definition of Extensive Reading
ER has been the interest of numerous linguists and language experts. Therefore, many
trials to work out a thorough definition of ER have been made by those who are interested in
this approach.
Richard & Schimidt (2002) gives an interesting definition of extensive reading. ER
means reading in quantity and in order to gain a general understanding of what is read.
Besides, they point out that ER is intended to develop good reading habits, to build up

knowledge of vocabulary and structure, and to encourage a liking for reading.
Ellis (1997) regards ER as the activity when students only have general understanding
of the text without necessarily understanding every word. Obviously, this definition fails to
depict ER since it only describes one aspect of it.
In additions, Susser & Robb (1990) defines ER as a language teaching or learning
procedure is „…reading (a) of large quantities material or long texts; (b) for global
understanding; (c) with the intention of obtaining pleasure from the text. Further, because (d)
reading is individualized, with students choosing the books they want to read, (e) the books
are not discussed in class.‟ This definition is distinctive from others because it provides the
general characteristics of ER including the amount and primary purpose as well as the role of
learners in such a kind of reading. However, since ER cannot be implemented in isolation
from an instructional program, the last characteristic mentioned in this definition is
questionable.
Notably, Day & Bamford (2002) proposes the „Top Ten Principles for Teaching
Extensive Reading‟ in order to help teachers „consider their beliefs about how best to help
their students become proficient foreign-language readers.‟ The principles are:
1.

The reading material is easy.

2.

A variety of reading material on a wide range of topics must be available.

3.

Learners choose what they want to read.

4.

Learners read as much as possible.

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5.

The purpose of reading is usually related to pleasure, information and general

understanding.
6.

Reading is its own reward.

7.

Reading speed is usually faster rather than slower.

8.

Reading is individual and silent.

9.

Teachers orient and guide their students.

10. The teacher is a role model of a reader.
I.2.1.3. Extensive Reading versus Intensive Reading
Extensive reading develops at the student‟s own pace according to individual ability. It
will be selected at a lower level of difficulty than that for extensive reading. Where frequency

word counts are available for the language being learnt, extensive reading will conform to a
lower frequency word count than intensive reading. Material will be selected whose choice of
structure is habitually less complex and whose vocabulary range is less extensive. The
purpose of extensive reading is to train the students to read directly and fluently in the target
language for enjoyment without the aid of the teacher. Where graded texts are available,
structures in texts for extensive reading will be already familiar, and new items of vocabulary
will be introduced slowly in such a way that their meaning can be deduced from context or
quickly ascertained. The student will be encouraged to make intelligent guesses at the
meaning of unfamiliar items. Material consists of authentic short stories and plays, or
informative or controversial articles from newspaper and magazines. A few adaptations of
vocabulary and structure will be made. The style of writing should entail a certain amount of
repetition without monotony. Novelties of vocabulary should not coincide with difficulties of
structure. It means reading in quantity in order to gain a general understanding of what is
read. It is intended to develop good reading habits, to build up knowledge of vocabulary and
structure and to encourage a liking for reading, increase total comprehension, acquaint the
student with relevant socio-cultural material, and encourage recreational reading.
According to Day & Bamford (1998), there are ten features of an ER approach. First,
the material is usually selected by the teacher, not the students. Second, all the learners read
the same material at the same time (usually in class). Third, the text is quite short (often these
texts are no more than 300 words). Forth, there is a heavy emphasis on using the text to learn
vocabulary and grammar. Fifth, there are many difficult words (the aim is to teach them).
Sixth, vocabulary is taught by translation. Seventh, there is a pre-reading task (an activity
before the reading begins). Eighth, comprehension is tested. Ninth, there are „post-reading‟

7


grammar and vocabulary exercises. Tenth, students rarely meet the same vocabulary items
presented in earlier chapters again in later chapters.
In contrast, the primary goal of intensive reading is to practice and learn the grammar

and vocabulary of the target language through reading. This type of reading is called intensive
reading because learner is intensively involved in looking inside the text at the vocabulary and
grammar, and is concentrating on a „careful reading‟ of the text. Intensive reading aims to
develop language knowledge rather than reading skill.
This is not to say that intensive reading is necessarily bad, only that it is limited by
what it tries to do. This is a result of the type of texts the learner is reading and the types of
tasks involved. What the learner needs in addition to this kind of reading, is fluency practice
through ER, and the development of the skills of reading.
I.2.2. Vocabulary
I.2.2.1. The Importance of Vocabulary
Vocabulary is an inseparable part of any language learning process. It would be
impossible to learn a language without vocabulary. The important role that this component
plays has been emphasized in all the different methods of language teaching. As River (1987)
states, “vocabulary cannot be taught. It can be presented, explained, included in all kinds of
activities, but it must be learnt by individuals” (p.28). She further states that, “As language
teachers, we must arouse interest in words, a certain excitement I personal development in
this area” (p. 29). Besides, she also suggests that language teachers must help their students
by giving them some ideas on how to learn vocabulary and some guidance on what to learn.
Vocabulary as a major component of language learning has been the object of numerous
studies each of which has its own contribution to the field. Laufer (1988) considers
vocabulary learning as the heart of language learning and language use. In fact, it is this
vocabulary learning that makes the essence of any language. Without vocabularies, speakers
cannot convey meaning and communicate with each other in any particular language.
It seems that this problem is due to lack of vocabulary knowledge and that the students‟
criterion in choosing words in context is surface structure and they fail to address the depth of
vocabulary knowledge. Therefore, it is important to know how to teach and learn vocabulary
effectively.
I.2.2.2. The Role of Vocabulary in Second and Foreign Language Learning and Reading
Vocabulary is central to English language teaching because without sufficient
vocabulary students cannot understand others or express their own ideas. This is true since

with some useful words and expressions only, we can still communicate in a foreign language

8


even when we do not follow the grammar rules of that language. Vocabulary is undeniably
crucial to second and foreign language learning. Lewis (1993) further argues, “Lexis is the
core or heart of language.” Particularly as students develop greater fluency and expression in
English; it is significant for them to acquire more productive vocabulary knowledge and to
develop their own personal vocabulary learning strategies.
According to Richard & Renandya (2002), “vocabulary is the 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”.
To any language learners, vocabulary learning is an essential element in their language
learning. Many language teachers also find that the major obstacle in teaching a language is
not about teaching grammar but in helping students gain sufficient vocabulary so that they can
engage in meaningful conversations or read and enjoy different materials other than the
textbooks only.
I.2.2.3. Vocabulary Acquisition
According to Ellis (1997), there are several different aspects of vocabulary acquisition
including two separable types of learning mechanism: (i) the acquisition of a word‟s form, its
lexical specifications, its collocations, and its grammatical class information all result from
predominantly unconscious (or implicit) processes of analysis of sequence information; (ii)
acquisition of a word‟s semantic and conceptual properties, and the mapping of word form
labels onto meaning representations, result from conscious (or explicit) learning processes.
Nation (1990) proposes the following list of the different kinds of knowledge that a
person must master in order to acquire or know a word.
- The meaning(s) of the word
- The written form of the word

- The spoken form of the word
- The grammatical behavior of the word
- The collocations of the word
- The register of the word
- The associations of the word
- The frequency of the word
These are known as types of word knowledge, and most or all of them are necessary to
be able to use a word in the wide variety of language situations one comes across.

9


Chun & Plass (1996) finds that especially the availability of picture annotations
facilitated vocabulary acquisition, and that vocabulary words learned with picture annotations
are better retained than those learned with textual annotations. Besides, they show that
incidental vocabulary acquisition and text comprehension are best for words where learners
look up both picture and text annotations.
In this study, the term “vocabulary acquisition” and “vocabulary learning” are used
interchangeably and the researcher decided to test the aspect “the meaning of the word” to
decide if a student has acquired it or not.
I.2.3. Graded Readers
According to Wikipedia, graded readers are „easy reading‟ books with specific levels
of grammatical complexity in mind and with vocabulary that is limited by frequency
headword counts.
Nation & Ming-Tzu (1999) defines graded readers as books which are specially
written or adapted for second language learners.
Besides, Su-Su Hung (2011) points out graded readers are books that have had the
language level simplified to help language learners read them. The language is graded for
vocabulary, complexity of grammar structures, and also by the number of words from
beginners to advanced students.

Bamford (1984) says, „For all but advanced learners, the best way to promote
extensive reading is by means of graded readers.‟ Besides, Hill (1997) states that graded
readers are extended texts, mostly fiction, written in language reduced in terms of structures
and vocabulary. This definition includes two of the most important properties of language
learner literature: firstly, the texts are of a certain length suitable for extensive reading – and
secondly, they contain linguistic structures, which are easy for the intended audience.
Nation & Ming-Tzu (1999) defines graded readers as books which are specially
written or adapted for second language learner. This involves severely restricting the
vocabulary that can occur, controlling the grammatical structures that can occur, and
matching the length of text to the vocabulary and grammar controls. Graded readers are
becoming more and more popular in language teaching and learning for its benefits.
Typically, a graded reading scheme consists of a series of vocabulary and grammar
levels with several readers available at each levels of the scheme. A pre-intermediate
proficiency learner would begin reading books at the pre-intermediate level of the scheme,
and when reading at that level was comfortable, would move on to books at the next level.
Therefore, students need different treatments when reading extensively.

10


I.2.4. Previous Research
To date, there have been numerous studies conducted to investigate the effect of ER
and graded readers on different students‟ aspects of learning. The effectiveness of ER has
been demonstrated rather impressively through those researches. In the narrow extent of my
thesis proposal, I would like to review the previous studies focusing on the way that previous
ER programs were organized and the benefits of ER to vocabulary learning.
Nation & Ming-Tzu (1999) did a research to look at the potential for vocabulary
learning using a corpus of forty-two graded readers from one series of graded readers. The
study indicated that in order to have 95% coverage or the words at a level in the series, it was
necessary to already know the vocabulary of the current level in the scheme. Most of the

words in the scheme should be met often, particularly if learners systematically read several
readers at each of the various levels in the scheme. Words that were introduced in the early
levels of the scheme occur often in books written for the later levels of the scheme. Learners
need to read about one graded reader per week in order to meet repetitions of the new words
soon enough to reinforce the previous meeting.
The study by Nation & Ming-Tzu (1999) above gives me a lot of useful advices. First, it
gives me an idea about using graded readers as the material for my study. Graded readers
provide graded vocabulary and grammar levels suitable for different levels of learners. Many
other vocabulary experts also agree that adequate reading comprehension depends on a person
already knowing between 90 and 95 percent of the words in a text (Hirsch, 2003). Knowing at
least 90 percent of the words enables the reader to get the main idea from the reading and
guess correctly what many of the unfamiliar words mean, which will help them learn new
words. Second, it is very important to choose the right level of graded readers for the subject
of the graded reading scheme or ER program.
In another study by Horst (2005), 21 adults ESL immigrant learners at a community
center in Montreal participated in an ER project using 35 graded readers; most of the reading
was done independently at home. About an hour of class time each week was devoted to
activities that support ER such as discussing books in pairs, completing worksheets, adding
entries to vocabulary notebook. In a relatively short period (about two months), the researcher
managed to build “a large-computer-readable corpus of ER materials” and identify the “wordlearning opportunities that occurred in them in a systematic manner”. To assess the learning
gains, numbers of words rated YES (I know the meaning of this word) on the pre and posttests were tallied and compared. After collecting and analyzing the results, the figures showed
a significant mean post-test increase of about seven words rated YES and an overall mean

11


gain of about 17 words. Horst (2005) concludes that vocabulary was learned “through
encountering them in the reading materials rather than through other exposure”.
The study above suggested a good way of implementing the project and creating
activities at class. However, in the current research situation, it would be convenient if

students could read mostly at home since there was lack of time for class activities. Besides,
35 graded readers are not feasible in my situation. Due to the financial limit, my project could
only run with a small number of books.
Kweon & Kim (2008) conducts an experimental research to investigate the effects of
selected authentic written texts on vocabulary acquisition among adult Korean FL learners
and to examine factors affecting vocabulary acquisition including frequency and word class.
The participants were 12 students (11 male and 1 female) taking the intermediate English
reading course at Pohang University of Science and Technology. On the first day of the class,
the students completed a 15-minute self-report test (pretest) on word knowledge for the 367
words. The 367 words were alphabetized after the technique in Horst & Meara (1999) and
Horst (2005), as cited in Kweon & Kim (2008). After that, the class met for 100 minutes
every day from Monday to Friday. Each day, the students were assigned three or four chapters
of a chapter book (over 100,000 words) to read at home. Every class began with a
comprehension quiz of 15 questions, answers to clarification questions and report of
interesting or best part. Then the students were divided into small groups to discuss provided
topics. After that it took about 20 minutes for small-group leaders to present their on-stage
discussion. Finally, during the last 20 minutes of each class, the students wrote an in-class
response journal on a topic selected from the chapters used in the class on that day. These
journals were submitted at the end of each class. To examine the results, posttest 1, the
immediate posttest, was given on the last day of instruction. Posttest 2, the delayed posttest,
was given 4 weeks after the Posttest 1.
The results of the tests showed significantly differences in student understanding
between the Pretest and Posttest 1 but no significant differences between Posttest 1 and 2.
Therefore, the researchers concluded that vocabulary was incidentally acquired through ER
and that most words acquired were retained without much attrition. They also found that the
retention rate of the words gained incidentally through ER was quite high one month later.
The study above gave me useful suggestions of how to examine the results. However,
regarding the material, the authentic written texts (chapter books) that were uncontrolled for
vocabulary and grammatical complexity are too difficult for Nguyen Gia Thieu high school
students. Another kind of material that can offer controlled, systematic, and comprehensive

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development of vocabulary and grammar as well as cater to the different interests and levels
of the learners may be more appropriate. Besides, the ER program above was applied for four
weeks and the class met for 100 minutes every day from Monday to Friday. At Nguyen Gia
Thieu school, the English program needs to follows the exact routines strictly ruled by the
MOET, so it is impossible to spend time for such class activities. In the situation of my study,
I could only support and encourage the students to read extensively at home and reminded
them not to use the dictionaries.
Another recent quantitative study carried out by Guo (2012) using authentic materials
for ER to promote English proficiency among EFL learners at a college in Taiwan indicated
“a strong relationship between ER and vocabulary development”. The study employed a preand post-test design using a simulated TOEIC English proficiency very helpful in giving the
researcher important information about the effectiveness of ER on vocabulary learning and
about how to arrange an ER project/program. Firstly, they gave me useful ideas about
choosing the materials for my ER projects. After carefully reviewing the literature, I decided
to choose graded readers as the materials for this project. Secondly, the reviewed research
also gave me suggestions about how to monitor the students‟ reading at home. I decided that
the students in my study had to fill in the weekly reading worksheet after reading and they
could write them in English or Vietnamese. Thirdly, I also decided to adopt the vocabulary
test by Horst (2005) to measure for its mentioned advantages. Fourthly, after reviewing the
literature, I decided to apply and modify Day and Bamford‟s (2002) Top ten Principles for
Teaching Extensive reading in my research. As far as I know, most of the research on ER
were done outside Vietnam and used an experiment as a research methodology. However, the
author of this study would like to explore the effects of ER on vocabulary learning in the way
of an action research.

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CHAPTER TWO
METHODOLOGY

In this chapter, the study aimed to answer the research questions related to graded
readers in improving students‟ vocabulary. The first research question sought to find what
extend can graded readers improve the students‟ vocabulary learning. The second research
question asked what the students‟ attitudes are towards reading. This chapter will go on to
describe the research methodology including the participants, a detailed description of the ER
program, data collection instruments and research procedures.
II.1. Action Research
II.1.1. Rationale for the Research Design
There are some research methods offered to be used in the field of applied linguistics
such as experimental research method and case study. However, because of its advantages
discussed below, AR was selected as the research method for this study. The rationale for
choosing AR as a research method and the AR procedure for this study will be explained in
details.
As the name suggests, AR is a methodology, which has the dual aims of action and
research. „Action research‟ as defined by Wallace (1998) is done by systematically collecting
data on teachers‟ every day practice and analysing them in order to come to some decision
regarding future practice. According to him, AR can be helpful for two reasons: (1) It can
have a specific and immediate outcome which can be directly related to practice in the
teacher‟s own context; and (2) the findings of such research might be primarily specific, that
means it is not claimed that they are necessarily of general application and therefore the
method might be more free-ranging than those of conventional research. Nunan (1992) states
AR is “problem focus”, mainly concerned with a single case in a specific situation and tries to
find solutions to the problem in focus. Kemmis & McTaggart (1998) defines AR as “teacherinitiated classroom research which seeks to increase the teachers‟ understanding of classroom
teaching and learning, and therefore, bring about improvement in classroom practices”.
AR was selected as the main method for this study, because it can help to identify the
problem and evaluate the solutions.

II.1.2. Procedure of Action Research
It is said that AR project should be seen as flexible and researchers may have different
processes in different certain solutions. AR study can have a number of steps or phrases,

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which progress as a spiralling and evolving process. AR project in McBride & Schostak
(1991) consists of the following steps:
(1) identifying
the probelm

'Spiral to next
circle'

(2) Collecting
data

(7) Analysis and
Evaluation

(3) analysing
data

(6) Collecting
data to monitor
change

(4) Planning
action steps

(5)
Implementing
action steps

I decided to use the above process in my study. In the following section, the stages of
this action research are described in details:
1. Identifying the problem
The researcher‟s experience and observation helped him find that one of the students‟
biggest problems is lack of vocabulary. Therefore, this aspect was selected to be the research
focus in this study.
2. Collecting and analysing the data
To find more information regarding the problem, I had to collect data regarding
students‟ vocabulary knowledge, their reading comprehension ability and reading habits by
doing several things. First, I investigated the course book and saw that it provided very little
vocabulary. Second, I noticed that the students often complained about having difficulties
when reading in English. Third, I talked directly to the students and asked them whether they
have habit of reading or not. All of the students admitted that they had never read anything in

15


English at home and none of them had a habit of reading in English extensively. That leads to
a hypothesis that the students‟ lack of vocabulary would probably result from the fact that
they did not read a lot in English outside the classroom. On the other hand, if students read
extensively, they would improve their vocabulary knowledge and attitudes towards reading.
With this hypothesis in mind, I reviewed the literature and found that reading
extensively might be the solution to the problem and reading graded readers might help
students increase their vocabulary. That is also the second hypothesis of this study.
3. Planning and implementing the action
Based on the hypothesis, the researcher developed an action plan. An action plan, a

procedure was developed based on the literature review concerning the topic to bring about
the improvements in the specific areas of the research context. In this study, the researcher
decided to use graded readers to help learners to improve their vocabulary.
4. Collecting data to monitor change
In order to collect data to monitor changes, the researcher asked the students to read the
graded readers, do the tests and answer the questionnaires.
5. Analysing and evaluating
After collecting the data, the researcher analysed the data to evaluate the action plan to
find out whether the hypothesis is right or wrong.

II.2. Subjects
The subjects of this study are thirty-eight students including 18 girls and 20 boys of
class 11A4, Nguyen Gia Thieu High School. Before this project, they had not involved in any
English extensive reading activity before.

II.3. The Graded Readers Project
TABLE 1
The Graded Readers Project

Date
Feb23th& 25th, 2016

Activities
+ Carry out Pre-test
+ Carry out Questionnaire 1
+ Deliver reading worksheet 1
+ Deliver chapt.1 – The Little Mermaid (530 words)

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Feb 29th

+ Collect reading worksheet 1
+ Deliver chapt.2 – The Little Mermaid (650 words)
+ Deliver reading worksheet 2

Mar3rd

+ Collect reading worksheet 2
+ Deliver chapt.3+4 – The Little Mermaid (600 words and 490
words)
+ Deliver reading worksheet 3 + 4

Mar10th

+ Collect reading worksheet 3 + 4
+ Deliver chapt.5 – The Little Mermaid (430 words)
+ Deliver reading worksheet 5

Mar17th

+ Collect reading worksheet 5
+ Deliver chapt.6 – The Little Mermaid (430 words)
+ Deliver reading worksheet 6

th

Mar24

+ Collect reading worksheet 5.2
+ Deliver chapt.1 – The Little Match Girl (430 words)
+ Deliver reading worksheet 7

Mar 31th

+ Collect reading worksheet 7
+ Deliver chapt.2 – The Little Match Girl (450 words)
+ Deliver reading worksheet 8

Apr7th

+ Collect reading worksheet 8
+ Carry out Post-test 1
+ Hand out Questionnaire 2
th

Apr 13

+ Collect Questionnaire 2
+ Carry out Post-test 2

Table 1 summarises the graded readers‟ project of this study. The project lasted from
February23th to April 13th, 2016. Before they started reading, they had to do a vocabulary pretest and answer the questionnaire. These activities were carried out in two extra-curricular
periods with the permissions of the head-teacher of the class. Each week the participants had
to read one 430-to-650-word chapter of two stories at home, The Little Mermaid, The Little
Match Girl from the Happy Readers Series, published by First News publishing company.
Among the stories, the Little Mermaid is the longest story with six chapters. The Little Match
Girl has two chapters. The students were not to look up the new words in the dictionary when

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