Prototype lessons on developing textual skills of first year college students of thai nguyen university system

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BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Republic of the Philippines

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

PROTOTYPE LESSONS ON DEVELOPING TEXTUAL SKILLS
OF FIRST YEAR COLLEGE STUDENTS OF
THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY SYSTEM

A Dissertation
Presented to
The Faculty of Graduate School
Batangas State University
Batangas City, Philippines

In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements for the Degree
Of Doctor of Philosophy
Major in English

By:
HOANG HUONG LY
June 2015
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THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Republic of the Philippines

APPROVAL SHEET
This dissertation entitled “PROTOTYPE LESSONS ON DEVELOPING
TEXTUAL SKILLS OF FIRST YEAR COLLEGE STUDENTS OF THAI
NGUYEN UNIVERSITY SYSTEM” prepared and submitted by HOANG
HUONG LY in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of
Philosophy major in English has been examined and is recommended for Oral
Examination.

MATILDA H. DIMAANO, Ph.D.
Adviser
PANEL OF EXAMINERS
Approved by the committee on Oral Examination with a grade
of _________.
DR. AMADA G. BANAAG
Chairman
DR. MARIA LUISA A. VALDEZ
Member

DR. FELIX M. PANOPIO
Member

DR. MYRNA G. SULIT

External Representative
Accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
degree of Doctor of Philosophy major in English.
Comprehensive Examination: PASSED

_____________
Date
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MATILDA H. DIMAANO, Ph.D.
Dean, Graduate Studies



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Socialist Republic of Vietnam

ABSTRACT
Title

: Prototype Lessons on Developing Textual Skill of First Year

College Students of Thai Nguyen University System
Author

: Hoang Huong Ly

Course

: Doctor of Philosophy

Major

: English

Year

: 2015

Adviser

: Dr. Matilda H. Dimaano

Summary
This study aimed to assess the textual skill of first year college students
of Thai Nguyen System with prototype lessons as output of the study to
develop students‟ textual performance.
This study made use of the descriptive method of research using survey
questionnaire and teacher-made test. Respondents of the study were the 326
first year Basic English language students from selected Universities in Thai
Nguyen and 66 English teachers. The students answered the teacher –made
test on textual performance relative to combining sentences, constructing
sentences, connecting ideas, using words effectively, and developing
paragraph which served as the source of the quantitative data that were

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Republic of the Philippines

analyzed statistically. The students‟ demographic profiles in terms of gender;
parents‟ educational attainment; students‟ exposure to English media; place of
origin; and school graduated from were included in the study. Further, the
hypothesis that there are no significant differences between the students'
textual performance in English and the teachers' assessment scores is tested.
The data gathered were analyzed using the following statistics: frequency
distribution, percentage, weighted mean, standard deviation, and independent
t-test.
Findings of the study revealed that in the student respondents‟
demographic profiles in relation to gender, there were 55.83 percent males and
44.17 percent females in the group with the males exceeding the females by
11.66 percent. This means that the population under study has an almost equal
gender distribution and can be considered as gender-balanced. As to parents‟
educational attainment, out of 326 respondents there are 303 or 92.94 percent
whose parents have tertiary education, which means that majority of the
student respondents have well-educated parents.
With regards to exposure to English media more than half or 51.23

percent of the students had the least exposure to the English media, which
means that majority of the students are not well exposed to the English media
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and are therefore foreign to it. For place of origin, results showed that 188 out
of 326 student respondents or 57.67 percent originated from urban areas in
Vietnam which means that most of the respondents came from urban areas
where they grew up and obtained their early education in areas close to cities
where advanced learning technologies are available. Relative to school
graduated majority of the student respondents or 98.77 percent had their high
school education in public schools which means that most of the students
pursued their secondary education in public schools availing of the
standardized education program.
In students‟ textual skills performance relative to combining sentences
findings showed that the percent correct items of the students for combining
sentences is 69.8 percent with a verbal equivalent of average which means
that the student respondents have achieved a certain degree of skill in
sentence combining. For constructing sentences, the percent correct items of
the students are 53.3 percent with a verbal equivalent of average which means

that the student respondents find sentence construction as the most difficult
component of textual performance and further implies that it doesn‟t mean that
if the skill is more basic, it would be easier for the students. In connecting
ideas, the percent correct items obtained by the students for connecting
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sentences are 62.0 percent with a verbal equivalent of average which means
that the student respondents find combining sentences as one of the less
difficult components of the textual skills.
Moreover, in using words effectively the percent correct items of the
students for using words effectively is 54.3 percent with a verbal equivalent of
average which means that it is one of the more difficult components of the
textual skills for the student respondents. In relation to developing paragraph,
the percent correct items of the students for using developing paragraphs is
59.5 percent with a verbal equivalent of average which means that in general
the students do not find this skill to be very difficult nor too easy and further
means that the students have developed a certain degree of paragraph
construction skills although not fully mature but enough to support their
continuing growth in their tertiary years.

In relationships between the students‟ textual skills performance and
their profile variables results indicated that for gender, the p-value for three out
of five component skills is below 0.05 indicating that the performance of the
male and the female students are significantly different which means that male
students‟ performance in combining sentences, connecting ideas and
developing paragraphs is different from the female students‟ performance.
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Meanwhile, for the other two component skills pertaining to constructing
sentences and using words effectively, the p-values are above 0.05 which
means they are not significantly different. For Parents‟ Education, it can be
noted that in three out of five component skills were the p-value is below 0.05
or significantly different, specifically in secondary vs. tertiary educated parents.
For the degree of exposure to the English media, a p-value less than 0.05 was
obtained only in connecting ideas for means involving least and moderate
exposure and least vs. high exposure. This indicates that it was only in
connecting ideas did the media exposure significantly affect the students‟
performance.
For place of origin, all the five component skills, the p-values were below

0.05 and are significantly different for urban and rural origin which means that
demographic factor is important in the learning performance of the students. In
the case of the type of High School, only in using words effectively that the pvalue was below 0.05 indicating that performance of the students in this area is
significantly different which means that education in the public schools is
generally not different from private schools.
As for the teachers‟ assessment of the students‟ textual skills
performance in English, findings revealed that all of the 11 items obtained an
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“agree” score of >50 percent which means that the teacher respondents
unanimously consider all the listed items as pertinent items to assess the
performance skills of the freshman students. According to frequency of use by
the students, results showed that seven out of the 11 items got ratings of 3.5 to
3.9 or equivalent to Often and five items out of 11 had a rating of 2.8 to 3.3 or
equivalent to Sometimes which means that in general, the teachers perceived
that the students are performing their textual skills often.
As regards degree of importance results showed 10 out of the 11 items
had mean scores close to 4.0 or equivalent to moderately important, and one
item had a score close to 5.0 or very important which indicates that the teacher

respondents had a very high assessment of the degree of importance of the
different items under the textual skills.
In the relationship of teacher‟s assessment and the students‟ textual
performance in English findings revealed that the textual performance of the
students in three out of five areas is significantly different from the frequency
ratings of the teachers which implies that the students‟ performance in the
areas of combining sentence, constructing sentences and connecting ideas are
not related to the teachers‟ assessment. In contrast, the students‟ performance
score in using words effectively and developing paragraphs are not significantly
different from the teachers‟ assessment and are thus, related to each other.
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The t-test results on the component skills pertaining to using words
effectively and developing paragraphs demonstrate a linkage between the
student‟s performance and the teacher assessment and thus could be
predictable of each other. Hence, interventions pertinent to these areas that
would be done by the teachers can be expected to influence the students‟
performance along these areas.
For the preparation of the proposed prototype lessons to develop

students‟ textual skills performance, there are some elements considered for
this particular group of Vietnamese teachers and students which include the
following low performance score of the students in the component areas of the
textual skills, meaningful relationship of the performance scores with the profile
variables, and meaningful relationship of the performance scores with the
teachers‟ assessment.
From the findings and conclusions, the study recommended that the
prototype lessons may be presented to school administrators for their review
and suggestions; that improvement of the designed prototype lessons should
be made; and further studies may be conducted along this line in private
universities.

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Republic of the Philippines

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The researcher expresses her profound gratitude to the valuable
contributions of the following persons:
Dr. Matilda H. Dimaano, Dissertation Adviser, for her guidance, critical

comments, suggestions and recommendations to improve this dissertation. Her
research expertise and sound advice make this academic work a reality;
Dr. Corazon C. Cabrera, Dr. Myrna G. Sulit, Dr. Amada G. Banaag, Dr.
Maria Luisa A. Valdez, and Dr. Felix M. Panopio, Panel Members, for their
insights and valuable inputs;
Dr. Remedios P. Magnaye, Recording Secretary, for her dedication in
encoding the minutes during the oral defense;
All the personnel of the International Training Center (ITC), Thai Nguyen
University of Agriculture and Forestry, for their assistance;
The English teachers and students from the four selected universities of
Thai Nguyen University System, who were the respondents of the study for
their cooperation; and
Pham Hong Thai, her husband and Pham Hoang Minh, her son, her
parents and her parents in-law for all the support, love and encouragement.
Hoang Huong Ly
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DEDICATION
This work is lovingly dedicated to my husband Pham Hong Thai, my son

Pham Hoang Minh, and my mother for being my inspiration.

Hoang Huong Ly

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
TITLE PAGE........................................................................................ i
APPROVAL SHEET............................................................................ ii
ABSTRACT......................................................................................... iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENT........................................................................ x
DEDICATION....................................................................................... xi
TABLE OF CONTENTS...................................................................... xii
LIST OF TABLES................................................................................ xv
LIST OF FIGURES............................................................................. xvii
CHAPTER
I. THE PROBLEM
Introduction............................................................

1

Statement of the Problem .....................................

6

Scope, Delimitation and Limitation of the Study.....

7

Significance of the Study .......................................

8

II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Conceptual Literature.............................................

11

Research Literature................................................

46

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Synthesis ...............................................................

55

Theoretical Framework .........................................

58

Conceptual Framework .........................................

59

Hypothesis.............................................................

62

Definition of Terms.................................................

62

III. RESEARCH METHOD AND PROCEDURE
Research Environment ..........................................

65

Research Design ..................................................

67

Subjects of the Study ............................................

68

Data Gathering Instrument.....................................

69

Data Gathering Procedure.....................................

72

Statistical Treatment of Data ................................

73

IV. PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
OF DATA .................................................................... 74
V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Summary of Findings.............................................

126

Conclusions ...........................................................

137

Recommendation ..................................................

139

BIBLIOGRAPHY............................................................................. 140
APPENDICES………………………………………………………….. 146
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A. Questionnaires........................................................ 147
B. Letters of Request.................................................. 163
C. Documentations...................................................... 169
D. Psychrometric Conversion Table............................ 175
CURRICULUM VITAE ……………………………………………….. 178

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LIST OF TABLES
Table

Title

Page

1

Distribution of the Population and Sample............................. 68

2

Gender Profile of the Student Respondents……..…………... 76

3

Parents‟ Education Profile of the Student Respondents........ 77

4

Profile of Students‟ Exposure to English Media..................... 79

5

Types of English Media Exposure.......................................... 80

6
7

Place of Origin of the Student Respondents........................... 81
Type of High School of the Student Respondents.................. 82

8

Students‟ Performance in the Different Textual Skills............. 85

9

T-test Comparison of the Students‟ Performance in the
Textual Skills Tests Stratified According to the
Students‟ Profile Variables..................................................... 94

10 Textual Skills Performance of the Students as
Assessed by the Teachers...................................................... 98
11

Students‟ English Language Textual Skills and
their Frequency of Use........................................................... 99

12

Students‟ English Language Textual Skills and
their Degree of Importance..................................................... 101

13

Students‟ Performance and Teachers‟ Assessment
on the Students‟ Textual Skills.............................................. 102

14

Bases in the Design of Prototype Lessons to Develop
Students‟ Textual Skills Performance................................... 104
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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure
1

Title

Page

Conceptual Paradigm of the Study........…………….............61

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CHAPTER I
THE PROBLEM
Introduction
The English language is one of the foreign languages taught in various
stages of the educational system, especially in countries that have adopted it
as their second language. A number of reasons justify this grand educational
decision as the English language has risen to a global status and has fast
become the lingua franca of the entire world.

Although English is only the third in rank among the world languages,
the first of which is Chinese Mandarin and the second is Spanish, the wide
adoption and acceptance of modern English in business communication drive
its continuous success. In fact, countries in Africa and Asia for example who
are multi-lingual and multi-dialect have made English as their common
language bridging the communication gap among their regional constituents.
Therefore, English has risen from its former status as the language of the
colonialists to a language of democracy and progress.
Globalization has created a demand for proficiency in the English
language. Important business transactions in the world‟s biggest economies
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are crafted in the English language. The movement of people either for
tourism, business, education or migration to a foreign country requires a
minimum level of English language proficiency. These are some of the several
reasons why English language schools have proliferated, that is to cater to the
increasing need of the wider speaking public. While the teaching of the English
language has taken a full and formalistic engagement like the programs for
English as the Second Language (ESL) or English as a Foreign Language

(EFL) assumed by designated language teaching institutions, deficiencies
have been and continuously being identified. The ESL and EFL pedagogical
styles were seen to follow the scholastic or traditional approaches of teaching
English.
With traditional approaches, it is meant that the English language is
taught in the way that it is taught in schools, like building vocabularies and
putting heavy emphasis on grammar. This approach has been challenged as
evaluations of the non-native speakers in various foreign educational
institutions that showed preponderance of ineffective English communication
skills. In fact, the ESL program was primarily geared towards developing
written English proficiency, not spoken English proficiency. Thus, the trend of
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focusing on spoken English proficiency is gaining ground among the different
language learning institutions in the recent time.
However, people cannot use only spoken language to communicate
because written language plays very important role in every field. As can be
seen in four skills, writing or textual skill is the most creative and difficult skill
that learners at different levels of English especially elementary encounter

because they need to gain basic knowledge of English in general as well as
writing in particular. If they are taught textual skill thoroughly and often practice
writing, they are able to use words and compound or complex sentences
exactly and effectively to express their ideas logically.
Language learning proceeds in a longitudinal and sequential fashion and
several researches have provided evidence to this effect. In fact, there were 5
stages identified in communicative development that L1 learners need to
undergo. ESL/EFL learners were also found to undergo communicative
development in a similar process, suggesting the universality of the language
learning process. And following L1 learners‟ pattern in acquiring linguistic skills
of their native language that occur in stages, macro and micro skills are
acquired as well.
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The four macro language skills that occur in sequential process include
listening first, then speaking, followed by reading, and finally writing. These
macro skills as indicated are related to each other in two ways, and these are
the direction of communication - the in or out, and the method of communication
the spoken or written. The micro-skills acquired would include grammar,

vocabulary, pronunciation, and spelling.
The linguistic skills development and maturity of the second language
learners can be evaluated cross-sectionally through a sampling assessment of
their macro skills as well as their micro skills. Such is particularly important
especially among freshman students of the University, where a linguistic
performance assessment would be critical in making a decision for English
language remedial programs. Aware of the academic tasks of a tertiary
education, a minimum skill and proficiency in the English language is
required for them to successfully tackle the requirements of their courses.
In the spectrum of the macro-linguistic skills of the first year college
students, writing or textual skill will be evaluated. One reason for this choice is
the apparent expectation that these students are in fact mature EFL learners
and their years of exposure and use of the English language have gained their
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competence to tackle the advanced task of writing. According to Omaggio
(1993) writing is a continuous activity that range from the more mechanical or
formal aspects of writing down on the one end, to the more complex act of
composing on the other end. Through experience writing skills can be learned

and practice.

Composing as one among attributes of writing centers on telling or
retelling pieces of information. It can be in the form of narrative or description
or transforming information into new texts. Writing is learned through formal
instructional environment and not in a naturally acquired skill. It needs
conscious effort and practice. Students are taught the importance of stating
assumptions through writing as well as creating texts and building relationships
among words, sentences and paragraphs based from their experiences.
In the aspect of macro- skills, there is no other fitting choice but to
examine the students‟ writing skills as these also mirror the kind of
performance they have along this language component. There are identified
writing

problems

which

the

students

encountered.

These

include

inconsistencies in spelling, punctuations and capitalizations, unnecessary
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shifting in the use of simple tenses, and wordiness. Students also have
problems in sentence and paragraph coherence as well as word order and
sentence structure.
These difficulties can be attributed to students‟ weaknesses in their prior
learning experiences as well as lack of exposures and practice in writing. The
researcher being an English teacher handling Basic English Course, observed
these scenario among her Vietnamese students taking up this course. That
prompted her to conduct this study to probe the textual skills of the
Vietnamese first year Basic English students in comparison to the
assessments of the responses of their respective English teachers.
Statement of the Problem
This study assessed textual skill of first year college students of Thai
Nguyen University System, Vietnam.
Specifically, it sought answers to the following questions:
1. What is the demographic profile of students in terms of:
1.1 gender;
1.2 parents‟ educational attainment;
1.3 students‟ exposure to English media;

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1.4 place of origin; and
1.5 school graduated from?
2. What is the respondents' textual skills performance in terms of:
2.1 combining sentences;
2.2 constructing sentences ;
2.3 connecting ideas;
2.4 using words effectively; and
2.5 developing paragraph?

3. Are there significant relationships between the students' textual skills
performance and their profile variables?
4. How do teachers assess the textual skills performance of students in
English?
5. Are there significant differences

on students‟ textual

skills

performance and teachers‟ assessment on the same areas?
6. What prototype lessons may be proposed to develop students‟ skills
textual skills performance?
Scope, Delimitation and Limitation of the Study
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This study determined the textual skills of first year college students of
Thai Nguyen System, Vietnam. This study was limited to the responses of
379 first year Basic English language students from selected Universities in
Thai Nguyen and their respective English teachers. The students answered
the teacher–made test on textual performance relative to combining
sentences;

constructing

sentences;

connecting

ideas;

using

words

effectively; and developing paragraph which served as the source of the
quantitative data that were analyzed statistically. The students‟ demographic
profiles such as gender; parents‟ educational attainment; students‟ exposure
to English media; place of origin; and school graduated from were included in
this study.

The student respondents were enrolled in the Basic English

course in the University. The teacher respondents were the respective
teachers of the evaluated students and the teacher‟s assessment of the
student and the students‟ scores in questionnaire were compared.
Comparison of means and t-test were done as well as correlation analysis
but not limited to these statistical parameters. Demographic data were
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presented as graphical figures.

The study was limited only to first year

college students enrolled in the four Thai Nguyen University Systems.
Those students who were not enrolled in the Basic English Course as well
as those who were in the upper year levels were excluded in the study.

Significance of the Study
This study is believed to have profound significance to the
administrators, teachers of English and first year college students in Thai
Nguyen University, and future researchers.
Administrators. Results of the study will provide them information
regarding the textual performance of their students for them to make the
decision to establish an English language remedial program for the affected
student population or make an evaluation as to whether the teacher‟s
strategic intervention and the prototype lessons which are the output of this
study would suffice to supplement the deficiency needs of the students.
Policy-Makers. Results of the study will provide them with the latest
textual performance of the first year college English students which will serve
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