Developing students reading proficiency through extensive reading in an IELTS prepation course a case of the 3rd year english majors at hanoi university of industry

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

*****************

HOÀNG THỊ QUỲNH NGÂN

DEVELOPING STUDENTS’ READING PROFICIENCY THROUGH
EXTENSIVE READING IN AN IELTS PREPARATION COURSE - A CASE OF
THE 3rd YEAR ENGLISH MAJORS AT HANOI UNIVERSITY OF INDUSTRY

(Phát triển khả năng đọc thông qua đọc mở rộng cho một khóa học tiền
IELTS - Nghiên cứu trường hợp sinh viên năm thứ 3 chuyên ngữ
trường
Đại học Công Nghiệp Hà Nội )

M.A. Minor Programme Thesis
Field: English Methodology
Code: 60 14 10

Hanoi – 2010


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

*****************

HOÀNG THỊ QUỲNH NGÂN

DEVELOPING STUDENTS’ READING PROFICIENCY THROUGH EXTENSIVE
READING IN AN IELTS PREPARATION COURSE - A CASE OF YEAR
ENGLISH MAJORS AT HANOI UNIVERSITY OF INDUSTRY
THE 3rd

(Phát triển khả năng đọc thông qua đọc mở rộng cho một khóa học tiền
IELTS - Nghiên cứu trường hợp sinh viên năm thứ 3 chuyên ngữ
trường
Đại học Công Nghiệp Hà Nội )

M.A. Minor Programme Thesis
Field: English Methodology
Code: 60 14 10
Supervisor: Dr. Dương Thị Nụ


Hanoi – 2010


iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Declaration ........................................................................................................................
Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................
Abstract .............................................................................................................................
Table of contents ...............................................................................................................
List of Abbreviations .......................................................................................................
List of figures, charts and tables .......................................................................................
Part I. INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................

1.

Rationale .........................................................................................................................

2.

Aims of the study ............................................................................................................

3.

Significance of the study..................................................................................................

4.

Research questions ..........................................................................................................

5.

Scope of the study ...........................................................................................................

6.

Methods of the study ......................................................................................................

7.

Design of the study .........................................................................................................

Part II. DEVELOPMENT ...............................................................................................
Chapter I: LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................................

1.1. Definition of reading comprehension in a Second Language .........................................
1.2.

Intensive Reading and Extensive Reading .....................................................

1.2.1. Intensive Reading .................................................................................

1.2.2. Extensive Reading ................................................................................
1.3

IELTS reading test ..........................................................................................

1.3.1. IELTS tests ............................................................................................

1.3.2. IELTS reading module .........................................................................

1.3.2.1. IELTS reading tasks ...........................................................................

1.3.2.2. IELTS reading skills .........................................................................
1.3.2.2.1. Scanning .......................................................................................
1.3.2.2.2. Skimming .....................................................................................
1.3.2.2.3. Making inferences.........................................................................


v

1.4. Extensive Reading and IELTS reading test.................................................................................. 15
1.5. Reading Proficiency.......................................................................................................................... 16
Chapter II: METHODOLOGY............................................................................................................... 17
2.1. Rationale for using experimental method................................................................................... 17

2.2. Variables............................................................................................................................................... 17
2.3. Participants.......................................................................................................................................... 17
2.4. Pretest and Posttest………………………………………………....................................... 18
2.5. The extensive reading program…………………………………………………….........19
2.5.1. Reading materials…………………………………………………….................20
2.5.2. Syllabus and activities…………………………………………………….........21
2.6. Procedures………………………………………………………………………..............24
Chapter III: FINDINGS…………………………………………………………….................. 25
3.1. Comparison of experimental and control groups’ reading proficiency after the extensive
reading program……………………………………………………............................................. 25
3.1.1. The results of experimental and control groups in the pre-test and post – test 25
3.1.2. Mean gains of experimental and control groups …..…………............................. 26
3.2. Surveyed students’ opinions on extensive reading for pre-IELTS course........................... 27
3.2.1 The students’ difficulties in reading IELTS reading texts......................................... 27
3.2.2. Experimental subjects’ attitudes towards extensive reading in the pre-IELTS
course............................................................................................................................................................ 28
3.2.3. Students’ suggestions for the extensive reading in pre-IELTS course..................29
Chapter IV: IMPLICATIONS.................................................................................................................. 31
4.1. Research implications....................................................................................................................... 31
4.2. Suggestions on the implementation of extensive reading in pre-IELTS class.....................32
4.2.1. Grouping and instructing................................................................................................. 33
4.2.2. Preparations and Presentation procedures……………………………................35
Part III. CONCLUSIONS..................................................................................................................... 37
1. Conclusions............................................................................................................................................. 37


vi

2. Limitations of the study........................................................................................................................ 37
3. Recommendation for further research.............................................................................................. 38

REFERENCES........................................................................................................................................... 39
APPENDICES............................................................................................................................................ I
Appendix 1: The pretest............................................................................................................................ I
Appendix 2: The post test………………………………………………………………… VIII
Appendix 3: Answer to the pretest and Answer to the posttest…………………. . .…….. ..XIV
Appendix 4: The students’ results in the pre-test, post – test and gain….………………….XV
Appendix 5: The post- program questionnaire…………………………………………......XVI
Appendix 5: Sample Reading…………………………………………………………...…XVII
Appendix 6: Sample
Report….......………………………………………………………..XVIII
Appendix 7: Sample Reflection…………………………………………………...………..XIX


iii

ABSTRACT

we ourselves are fully aware of the essential role that reading plays in the students’
performances as well as objectives they necessarily set for the subject. Extensive reading has
been widely known to have positive effects on students’ language ability in general and
reading proficiency in particular. English majors in our university, Hanoi University of
Industry (HaUI), seem not very active in learning IELTS reading though it has been so far
utilized to assess the academic achievement of the students. On the basis of those evidences,
we have come up with an idea that extensive reading activities in class should be introduced to
students with the aim to arousing their active attitudes towards reading as well as bettering
their ability when dealing with the skill in the IELTS tests. This prediction was tested by
comparing the reading proficiency achieved by 30 students who had participated in an
extensive reading program for a semester, i.e three months and that by other 30 students who
had just followed the traditional reading program. All the participants were third year English
major students at Hanoi University of Industry. To make the findings more persuasive, the

results of the questionnaire that followed the extensive reading program revealed the students’
opinions on the difficulties they have to deal with, their attitudes towards extensive reading in
the pre-IELTS course and their suggestions for more effective extensive reading in pre-IELTS
course. The results of this study support the conclusion that the extensive reading program is
beneficial to students and has positive effects on students’ reading proficiency in pre-IELTS
course and recommend the broad application of the extensive reading approach of similar
programs in the future.


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