How to improve reading comprehension skills for the 11 grade students at u minh thuong high school by using while reading activities master of tesol

-CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I certify my authorship of the Master’s Thesis submitted today entitled: HOW TO IMPROVE READING COMPREHENSION SKILLS FOR THE 11TH STUDENTS AT U MINH THUONG H

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

BA RIA-VUNG TAU UNIVERSITY

SOME WHILE–READING ACTIVITIES

Ba Ria-Vung Tau - Year 2021

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

BA RIA-VUNG TAU UNIVERSITY

- THESIS

HOW TO IMPROVE READING COMPREHENSION SKILLS FOR THE 11TH-STUDENTS AT U MINH THUONG HIGH SCHOOL BY USING

WHILE-READING ACTIVITIES

Submitted to the Postgraduate Institute in partial fulfillment

of the Master’s degree in TESOL Course code: 17110051

By

Huynh Thi Cam Hang

Supervised by

DR Bui Thi Kim Loan

Ba Ria-Vung Tau -Year 2021

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY 1

RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS 2

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 3

ABSTRACT 4

LIST OF TABLES 5

LIST OF CHARTS 6

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 7

1.1 The study's rationale 7

1.2 Aims of the study 8

1.3 Research questions 8

1.4 Significance of the study 9

1.5 Scope of the study 9

1.6 Thesis organization 9

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 11

2.1 Definitions of reading and reading comprehension 11

2.2 Types of reading 13

2.3 Factors in teaching and learning reading 18

2.4 Previous studies 25

2.5 Summary 28

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 29

3.1 Action Research: 29

3.2 The aims of the study: 33

-3.3 The reading program for grade 11 grade- students at U Minh Thuong high school 35

-3.4 The current situation of teaching the textbook at U Minh Thuong high school 39

CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 44

4.2 The action research procedures 44

4.3 Suggestions 71

4.4 Summary 73

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 75

5.1 Conclusion 75

5.2 Implications for more effective reading instruction 76

5.3 Limitations and suggestions for further studies 79

REFERENCES 80

APPENDIX 1 83

APPENDIX 2 85

APPENDIX 3 87

APPENDIX 4 90

APPENDIX 5 92

APPENDIX 6 94

-CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY

I certify my authorship of the Master’s Thesis submitted today entitled:

HOW TO IMPROVE READING COMPREHENSION SKILLS FOR THE 11TH STUDENTS AT U MINH THUONG HIGH SCHOOL BY USING WHILE–READING ACTIVITIES

In terms of the statement of requirements for Theses in Master’s programs issued by the Higher Degree Committee of Postgraduate Institute, Ba Ria-Vung Tau University

Ba Ria-Vung Tau, July 2021

Huynh Thi Cam Hang

RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS

I hereby declare that I, Huynh Thi Cam Hang, a candidate for the degree of TESOL, accept the University's requirements for the retention and use of Master's Thesis deposited in the Library

In accordance with these terms, I agree that the original of my Master's Thesis deposited in the Library should be accessible for study and research purposes, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Librarian for thesis care, loan, and reproduction

Ba Ria-Vung Tau, July 2021

Huỳnh Thị Cẩm Hằng

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To begin, I would like to express my appreciation to my supervisor, Dr Bùi Thị Kim Loan, for his insightful discussion, constructive criticism, and invaluable assistance in preparing and completing my thesis Without her continual guidance and encouragement, my thesis would never have emerged in its current shape

My heartfelt gratitude also goes to the instructors of the post-graduate department for the lessons they taught me and the resources they provided for the completion of this thesis

I'd also like to thank my colleagues for their helpful ideas and encouragement, as well as the instructors and grade11 students at U Minh Thuong High School for their active participation in my experimental testing

Finally, I'd like to express my heartfelt gratitude to members of my family for their unwavering support, inspiration, and encouragement throughout the

completion of this thesis

ABSTRACT

An action research project was carried out to answer the following questions

in order to help improve the reading comprehension of students at U Minh Thuong high school:

1) What difficulties do teachers and students face when teaching and learning a reading lesson?

2) How can the use of while-reading activities in reading lessons improve the reading comprehension skills of U Minh Thuong eleven-grade students ?

After that, a five-week action research project was carried out The subjects were 80 U Minh Thuong high school students from two classes (11A1 and 11A2) Data were gathered through the use of questionnaires (one for teachers and one for students) and class observations The preliminary data revealed that students' poor reading comprehension could be attributed to the inappropriate methods and techniques used by English teachers at U Minh Thuong high school Based on

preliminary findings, it was hypothesized that “How to improve Reading Comprehension skills for the 11 grade Students at U Minh Thuong high school

by using while–reading activities” The researcher implemented an action plan in

which the students were explicitly trained in some while-reading activities The project evaluation revealed that all of the students have positive attitudes toward using while-reading activities in teaching reading lessons and that their reading comprehension skill could be improved using these tools; a large majority of the participants reported progress in their reading comprehension skill in the post-improvement questionnaire survey While-reading activities were beneficial in assisting students in completing their reading tasks more effectively Furthermore, they felt more confident in their reading abilities

LIST OF TABLES

Table 4.1: Evaluating students' English reading competence

Table 4.2: Students' expectations of teachers' reading techniques

Table 4.3: The students are asked to participate in while-reading activities

Table 4.4: The reasons the students aren't interested in participating in

while-reading activities today

Table 4.5: The teachers-related-problems cause the students to feel unmotivated in

today's while-reading activity

Table 4.6: The difficulties the teachers face when teaching reading

Table 4.7: The reasons why the teachers don't usually use while-reading activities

in teaching

LIST OF CHARTS

Chart 4.1: depicts the difficulties that students face when learning to read

Chart 4.2: The students triumph over adversity

Chart 4.3: depicts the students' reactions to the while-reading activities

Chart 4.4: The use of while-reading activities in reading lessons has made English

easier to learn

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

This chapter establishes the study's rationale, outlines the objectives, research questions, and methodologies, as well as the scope and relevance of the study, as well as prior studies and design

1.1 The study's rationale

Reading is regarded as one of the most important skills for language learners

to develop because it contributes to the development of a wide range of linguistic expressions and structures, broadens general knowledge, and promotes lifelong learning and the improvement of first and second language skills "Reading is a necessary skill for students of English as a second/foreign language (SL/EFL); and for many, reading is the most critical ability to acquire," writes Anderson (1999, p 14) According to Carrell (1989, p.3), "for many students, reading is by far the most important of the four abilities in a second language, particularly English as a second

or foreign language." "There are other important factors to consider when teaching and learning to read." It's possible that it's because the instructional materials aren't appropriate It's possible that this is due to an unsuitable attitude on the part of instructors and students toward the subject It's possible that this is due to the ineffectiveness of the instructors' instructional methods and classroom tactics

Reading is more important in upper secondary school than the other three abilities of speaking, listening, and writing because students must take grammar and reading-based exams Nonetheless, even after implementing the new textbook, students' reading ability remains deficient.U Minh Thuong high school, established

in 2003, is one of the institutions chosen

They face five significant reading barriers, including word-by-word reading habits, an overemphasis on forms rather than meaning, an overemphasis on details rather than key concepts, a limited vocabulary, and a lack of prior knowledge In this scenario, teachers must examine the teaching and learning of English in

general, and reading skills in particular, in order to provide more effective methods for teaching and learning reading comprehension in high schools

I hopes to contribute to the promotion of reading abilities among 11-year-old students as an English teacher at U Minh Thuong high school This fact gave her the

opportunity to conduct research on "How to Improve Reading Comprehension Skills for 11 Grade Students at U Minh Thuong High School Using Specific While-Reading Exercises." I chose to conduct action research in order to

determine the problems that instructors and students encounter while delivering a reading lesson, as well as the importance of while-reading activities to English teachers at U Minh Thuong high school Certain modifications and enhancements should be made based on the findings of this action study

At U Minh Thuong High School, the majority of students have studied English for 7 years but they cannot speak English fluently, their English high school graduation exam scores are very low, about 17% of the year for many years 2017-

2018 and close, but the students failed to do the reading comprehension part They just randomly selected to complete the test The second reason I chose to conduct research in grade 11 is because in this class students learn a lot of new knowledge, new topics, vocabulary and grammar The third reason is, forming for students learning and practicing reading skills for students, students will know how to read and do exercises, which is very helpful for students students form good habits and practice good reading comprehension skills to participate in their graduation exams

1.2 Aims of the study

The goal of this study is twofold: first, to identify the issues that upper secondary teachers and students face when delivering reading courses

- Investigating whether incorporating while-reading exercises into reading courses can help upper secondary students improve their English reading skills

- Helping teachers and students have a more effective teaching and learning reading comprehension skills process

1.3 Research questions

To achieve these two objectives, the research questions were set for the study:

1) What difficulties do teachers and students face when teaching and learning a reading lesson ?

2) How can the use of while-reading activities in reading lessons improve the reading comprehension skills of U Minh Thuong eleven-grade students ?

For data collection and analysis, the study employed action research and mixed methods Two questionnaires (one for teachers and one for students) and class observation are used to collect data

1.4 Significance of the study

Reading has always been an important part of language education Nonetheless, effectively teaching and learning to read presents significant challenges for both teachers and students Reading is a difficult skill to teach in high school, according to English teachers The majority of traditional, test-oriented language teachers frequently focus on teaching English vocabulary and grammar, as well as exam-oriented grammatical exercises Nothing, on the other hand, is difficult unless we, as educators, make it so Hopefully, the variety of options presented in this study for effectively integrating while-reading activities into reading classes will encourage instructors to implement them

1.5 Scope of the study

Due to time and knowledge constraints, this thesis investigated the use of while-reading activities in teaching reading lessons to eleventh-grade students at U Minh Thuong high school during the second term of the 2019-2020 school year

1.6 Thesis organization

The dissertation is organized into five chapters, which are as follows:

Chapter I: Introduction, establishes the purpose of the study, outlines the

objectives, scopes, methods, and significance of the investigation, as well as the research questions, and study design

Chapter II: Theoretical foundations - discusses the current state of knowledge

about reading comprehension and teaching reading comprehension

Chapter III: Methodology -The action research and reading curriculum for

students in the 11th grade at U Minh Thuong high school are discussed and methodology apply in teaching to improve students’ reading comprehension skill

Chapter IV: Action Procedures The rationale for conducting action research and

the procedures for conducting action research are described in research

Chapter V: Conclusion and recommendations - this is the final section, and it

includes a summary and recommendations for more successful reading activities, as

well as some limitations and recommendations for future research

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter defines reading in general and reading comprehension in particular, as well as the various types of reading and teaching strategies for reading comprehension, previous study

2 1 Definitions of reading and reading comprehension

2.1.1 Definitions of reading

Reading is a completely personal activity that occurs in a variety of contexts, such as newspapers, magazines, written texts, phone directories, medication bottle labels, and notifications Reading is so ingrained in human beings that it is rarely attempted to be described However, opinions on what constitutes reading continue to differ

Reading, according to Goodman (1970, p 135), is a psycholinguistic process

in which the reader, or language users, reconstructs a message encoded by a writer

as a graphic display to the best of their ability Reconstruction is seen as a cyclical process of sampling, predicting, testing, and confirming

Goodman's perspective on reading, particularly the process of reconstruction, was shared by William (1984, p.3) He believes that "written texts frequently contain more information than is required to comprehend them." The astute reader takes advantage of this to extract only what he needs to understand."

Reading, according to Harmer (1989, p.153), is a mechanical process in which the eyes receive information and the brain decodes it He is concerned not only with the two actions controlled by the eyes and the brain, but also with the rate

at which the process occurs A reading text moves at the reader's pace, which means that the reader determines how quickly the text is read

Reading is also defined by Urquhart and Weir (1998, p.22) as "the act of acquiring and understanding information stored in linguistic form via the medium

of print." Reading is critical to the success of second language acquisition, and while understanding what reading is essential, it is difficult to do so succinctly and accurately

Reading is defined broadly as "an active, fluid activity in which both the reader and the reading materials participate in the construction of meaning; meaning does not exist solely on the printed page or in the reader." Other researchers have generally agreed with Anderson's [8, p.1] definition of reading

According to those viewpoints, reading is defined as the process by which a reader examines and comprehends what has been written

2.1.2 Definitions of reading comprehension

When teaching reading, it is critical to understand the nature of reading comprehension The instructor's knowledge of it will have a significant impact on what is taught in class He'd know what to teach and how to run a successful reading session Reading comprehension has been defined in a variety of ways by methodologists

Swam (1975, p.1) defined comprehension as "a learner's ability to read correctly and effectively in order to extract the greatest amount of information from a book with the least amount of comprehension."

Furthermore, Grellet (1981, p.3) defined "reading comprehension or comprehension of a written text" as "extracting the necessary information from it as effectively as possible." Reading comprehension, according to the author, is an activity that entails deciphering the meaning of word combinations in a book in the most effective way possible

Reading comprehension, according to the aforementioned authors, entails more than just comprehending what is written; it also serves as a catalyst for students

to recall their own experiences That knowledge is then used to extract meaning not only from the written page, but also from the minds of the readers, which includes not only facts or information, but also emotion, belief, and critical evaluation

As a result of these points of view, it is possible to define reading comprehension as the process of comprehending the information contained in a text This does not imply that the reader must understand every word in the text, but rather

that the reader must actively engage with the text and effectively extract the necessary information

2.2.1 According to manners of reading

There are two types of reading: aloud reading and quiet reading

2.2.1.1 Reading aloud

Reading aloud is an unnatural activity because most people do not read aloud

in everyday life, and it is difficult for the speaker to concentrate on the meaning of the text while reading aloud Indeed, for those who teach and learn foreign languages, reading aloud is primarily an oral activity, and thus is closer to

"pronunciation" than "comprehension"those who teach and learn foreign languages." "Asking a pupil to read aloud unseen also implies that he may focus so intently on pronouncing the words that he is unable to focus properly on their content," Lewis and Hill (1995, p.110) write He may be able to read correctly, but

he will be unable to recall what he has read."

This type of activity appears to be more common in language classes It is more concerned with how words in the text are pronounced than with comprehension Students come across many unfamiliar terms and phrases while reading a text In this case, the instructor may help his students pronounce words by reading the book aloud As a result, reading aloud is frequently used with beginners and is restricted in higher courses for a variety of reasons To begin with, it takes a long time because students frequently read slowly while concentrating on pronunciation As a result, they lack the time required to infer the meaning of the

text or complete comprehension tasks Second, because students are preoccupied with pronunciation, they have difficulty comprehending the text's content According to Doff (1988, p.67), "reading aloud" entails "seeing at a text, comprehending it, and then speaking it." Its purpose is not simply to comprehend a text but to communicate its implication to another.‖ This is why, at least during the early stages of foreign language learning, reading aloud should become an established part of a lesson to assist beginners in reading words, phrases, and sentences with proper stress and intonation

2.2.1.2 Silent reading

The most authentic type of reading is silent reading Because only by reading quietly can readers gain a thorough understanding of the written contents in the shortest amount of time Silent reading can be used effectively to teach and learn reading comprehension texts because it helps students focus on the meaning of the text According to Lewis and Hill, "it is the method we typically use with our native language, and is usually the quickest and most efficient" (1995, p.110) We can better understand reading materials when we read silently because we are not required to read every word in the text; we can read at our own pace and, if we do not understand what we are reading, we can read it again or slow down for intensive reading Quiet reading is beneficial to instructors in maintaining control of the class When students read silently, they are concentrating on the material, deciphering its meaning and extracting what they require

The depth and detail of our knowledge and comprehension improve as we progress through the various methods of silent reading Overall, silent reading is a beneficial method for students to use in their reading lessons, as well as a fantastic way for instructors to maintain control of the class

2.2.2 According to purposes of reading

Reading is classified into four types based on its function: skimming, scanning, significant reading, and intensive reading

2.2.2.1 Skimming

Skimming is a common strategy in reading comprehension It is one of the most advanced reading techniques available, and it is required for fast and effective reading Skimming is a technique for quickly obtaining the most important information, or 'gist,' of a document "We skim to absorb the core of the reading material, to comprehend how it is organized, or to get a sense of the writer's tone or intent," writes Grellet (1981, p.19)

Skimming is defined by Nuttal (2000, p.36) as "rapidly reading the text to determine the relevance of a research paper to our own work or to keep oneself superficially informed on trivial subjects."

Thus, the key to encouraging students to skim is to present them with a series

of texts and ask them to select appropriate titles from groups of one Furthermore, in order to effectively teach skimming, the teacher should have students read the beginning or end of a text or paragraph, as this may contain a relevant comment Students can predict the passage's objective, main topic or message, and possibly some of the passage's developing or supporting ideas by skimming When children begin, they will have a "head start" on more focused reading Furthermore, skimming assists students in organizing their thoughts and identifying the information they want to obtain from a book, thereby increasing retention

Finally, skimming is an important reading comprehension technique that allows readers to absorb the book's core concepts without being distracted by minor details As a result, skimming should be used at the start of the reading instruction process to familiarize children with the content they will read And there is no doubt that they will eventually comprehend the entire text As a result, skimming should

be included in reading instruction to assist students in getting a sense of what they are reading

2.2.2.2 Scanning

Scanning is when a reader quickly skims the text in search of specific information or to determine whether the content is appropriate for a specific reading objective

Brown (2001, p.308) defines scanning as the process of quickly searching within a text for a specific item or pieces of information Scanning is a technique for retrieving specific information without having to read the entire text."

Grellet (1981, p.19) provides a more detailed definition of scanning: "when

we scan, we are trying to find information and frequently deviate from the passage's linearity; scanning is much more limited in scope, because it involves collecting only the information pertinent to our goal."

All of these authors make the same point: a scanning reader does not need to read a book from cover to cover; instead, they seek information by quickly scanning the lines It can be applied to a wide range of products, such as dictionaries, maps, advertisements, and labels This reading style is ideal for selective reading

Skimming and scanning are both effective reading techniques in general It is suggested that they be used to help students enrolled in reading courses improve their reading comprehension skills

logical reasoning, rhetorical structure, the text's pattern, the writer's attitude and objectives, and the linguistic techniques he or she employs to achieve those goals through prolonged reading An intensive reading session includes the following components:

1 Because reading materials are chosen by teachers rather than students, they may be inappropriate for students' skills and interests

2 When students engage in intensive reading, the actual time spent reading

is minimal because a variety of procedures must be followed, such as listening to the teacher's instructions, reading comprehension questions, writing responses to comprehensive questions, discussing the text's content, and completing post-reading activities

3 Reading speed is frequently slower than writing speed because students must pause at various points during their classroom reading to look up unfamiliar words in a dictionary, seek clarification from the teacher, or analyze the text word

by word or phrase by sentence

4 Individual reading is not taken into account when students interact with the teacher rather than the text while using an intensive reading approach

The characteristics of concentrated reading mentioned above do not imply that it is bad; rather, they indicate that its objectives are constrained

n a nutshell, extensive reading is an essential component of classroom instruction It

is very successful if both the instructor and his students understand how to use reading tasks to maximize the effectiveness of this activity in class

2.2.2.4 Extensive reading

Extensive reading is also known as "fluency reading." Students read long books to broaden their knowledge, improve their reading fluency, and unwind According to Grellet (1981, p.4), this is a global comprehension activity: "Extensive reading entails reading longer texts, often for one's own enjoyment." This is a fluency exercise emphasizing broad comprehension."

Furthermore, Nuttal (2000, p.168) emphasized the importance of this type of reading for students seeking to broaden their horizons, writing: "The best way to improve one's understanding of a foreign language is to travel and live among its speakers." Immersing yourself in it is the next best thing."

"Extensive reading," according to Lewis and Hill (1995, p.109), refers to students who have a "general grasp" of the material without necessarily comprehending every word It is self-evident that when reading extensively, readers

do not require intense focus on the content of a lengthy text or complete comprehension, because the goal of extensive reading is to consume the greatest amount of information possible

To summarize, intensive reading is an effective method for improving one's understanding of a foreign language because it aims to cover the text's information

in as little time as possible Because it is beneficial for children to develop a positive reading habit, the instructor must provide appropriate reading resources in the language classroom

2.3 Factors in teaching and learning reading

2.3.1 Teacher’s role

The teacher, along with the students, is one of the two primary components that contribute to the teaching process In general, the teacher's job is to provide students with information and the most effective learning methods The teacher is merely a means to an end, a tool for ensuring that learning takes place Aside from this broad responsibility, teachers have specific responsibilities in the process of teaching reading comprehension Although the extent to which students learn without the instructor's assistance defines success in a reading class, this does not mean that the teacher has no role in a reading class There is, indeed, a lot It is difficult for students to learn without the assistance of an instructor

According to Nuttal (2000, p.35), "the first critical point that a teacher should constantly keep in mind while assisting pupils is to offer appropriate resources for

the students, and the second is to provide appropriate instructional activities for the students."

The instructor occasionally has difficulty selecting appropriate reading material, because the first step is to select a book that is appropriate for the students' level of difficulty They will become bored if the text is too difficult Second, it is critical to remember to select books that are appealing to the students If the material is interesting to children and they enjoy reading it, they will be motivated

to read more, and vice versa Finally, the variety and type of workouts should be varied A book with a variety of exercises will most likely cover a wide range of abilities

Furthermore, the teacher's appropriate activities may draw students' attention

to the specific skills required for effective reading A reading comprehension text typically includes three major activities: pre-reading, while-reading, and post-reading As a result, the teacher's role is inextricably linked to these stages The instructor must inform students of the material they will read and complete during the session during the pre-reading stage The primary responsibility of the teacher at the while-reading stage is to assist students as needed Furthermore, the instructor is regarded as a consultant or advisor throughout the post-reading stage, assisting students in expressing themselves

To summarize, the teacher's two primary responsibilities in assisting children

in becoming efficient readers are to provide appropriate reading materials and activities To do his or her job well, the teacher should be familiar with the reading skills expected of students

2.3.2 Students’ role

The student, like the teacher, is one of the two primary factors in the teaching and learning process This procedure can only be carried out if both of them are present Students are both the subject and the object of the teaching and learning process Students, in particular, take on the role of readers in a reading lesson The role

necessitates that the students interpret the text for themselves The student is the heart of the reading lesson and the factor that determines the success of a reading lesson That is, students must be very active in the lesson from the start, reading texts to get the correct meaning of the texts

They must also complete other exercises and may be required to encounter and solve difficulties on their own As a result, students can gain a wealth of knowledge from the reading texts and thoroughly comprehend them On the other hand, understanding from the reading text provides an opportunity for students to improve other language skills, because only when they truly master the knowledge can they apply it flexibly

In fact, students frequently deal with problems that are beyond their ability, such as proverbs, idioms, poly-semantics, or background understanding, and so on

In this case, in order to achieve the target reading, the students must work under the supervision of the teacher and actively participate in guided activities However, the teacher should only serve as a guide, making suggestions to help students think about and understand the reading texts on their own As a result, the teacher can encourage students' creativity as well as their imagination Otherwise, the students will be passive, and the reading lesson will fail

Students may also play an important role in assisting the instructor in carrying out his responsibilities The instructor cannot teach if there are no students Students, on the other hand, provide feedback to the instructor through their expression and comprehension of reading materials The instructor has no idea how

to improve the effectiveness of the reading session without input from the students Furthermore, because the student is at the center of a reading lesson, the teacher's actions are geared toward providing the students with as much knowledge as possible If the instructor is unaware of the amount of information his students may obtain from his grasp, he will be unable to devise an effective technique for his students to use in their learning process

As a result, the student may bargain with the instructor in order to determine the most effective method of study and to select appropriate reading materials and activities Furthermore, the teacher can identify his or her own errors and rely on his

or her own experience to improve his or her teaching and self-improvement through the students' comments

To summarize, the teacher and students have an interdependent relationship

in the teaching and learning process in general, and in a reading lesson in particular Students must be active in order to participate in the activities provided by the teacher in order to understand the reading texts and complete the exercises Teachers, on the other hand, must be aware of the problems that students face in order to assist them in overcoming their difficulties and to correctly assess the students' ability in order to have an appropriate teaching method The teaching and learning process cannot take place unless one of the two elements – the teacher and the students – is present As a result, the relationship between the teacher and the students is also co-participants

.2.3.3 The reading texts

Because a suitable text is critical for developing students' reading competence, the responsibilities of reading texts in teaching and acquiring reading abilities must be considered According to William (1984), reading material is any item of written language It could come from the integrated course book, which contains reading texts, the supplemental reading comprehension and reading skills books, which contain texts and activities, real-world situations (genuine texts), or simulated texts He then discusses some factors that teachers should consider when selecting texts for reading sessions

Reading materials should not contain an excessive amount of vocabulary that

is beyond the majority of the class's comprehension Intentional reading can also occur through the use of carefully crafted texts that mimic real-world counterparts but use straightforward language The subject of the text is also important, because

the difficulty or ease of a text is determined not only by the language of the book, but also by the learners' prior knowledge and enjoyment of reading it

The text book is the primary source of reading materials for a secondary school teacher's students in the reading class He may occasionally use non-textbook readings that are both appropriate for the students' level and interesting enough to hold their attention and entice them to read

2.3.4 The three stages of a reading lesson

Pre-reading, while -reading, and post-reading are the three stages of a reading lesson Each of these phases has unique characteristics and objectives, necessitating the use of unique methods and tactics

2.3.4.1 The pre-reading stage

This step is crucial to the entire process of teaching reading comprehension, which is why most experienced readers use pre-reading and other techniques to help them read Pre-reading attempts to acquaint students with the material and assist them in making thoughtful preparations prior to reading the text It is suggested that the instructor encourage students' reading motivation and a positive attitude toward reading in order for them to achieve a high level of success and develop confidence

in their ability to read successfully

The pre-reading stage's objectives, according to Williams (1984, p.37), are to: - Introduce and stimulate students' interest in the subject;

- Motivate students by providing a reason for reading; and

- Provide some linguistic preparation for the text

Depending on the course, the pre-reading period usually lasts between two and ten minutes The class teacher should use prior knowledge of the students to provide context for the material This is to help students anticipate the content of the material they are about to read Prediction is a critical skill that students should develop in order to comprehend a wide range of texts, particularly those with which

they are unfamiliar In general, it is essential to offer enough preparation for children at the pre-reading stage, giving them a feel of what they will be doing throughout their reading session

2.3.4.2 The while-reading stage

Later in the session, students are introduced to the primary reading exercise, which is designed to assist students in comprehending the particular material and being aware of the text's rhetorical structure According to Williams (1984, p.38), the while-reading stage is the primary component of a reading lesson, with the following specific goals:

- To improve comprehension of the author's intent;

- To improve comprehension of the text structure;

- To improve comprehension of the text content

-A variety of methods are used at this level, ranging from guessing new terms in context to asking questions and taking notes Teachers must assist students

in fully comprehending the text during the while-reading stage, while students must use their reading abilities such as skimming, scanning, guessing, and so on to grasp both the text and the writer's objectives communicated through the reading text The time allotted for this appears to be nearly two-thirds of the entire class

Concerning the tasks associated with the while-reading stage, William (1984, p.39) offers a more generative idea: "while-reading activity should begin with a broad or global comprehension of the text and then progress to smaller units such as paragraphs, phrases, and words."

During the while-reading stage, the teachers may ask students to predict the title, match the header, and so on to help them gain a basic understanding of the material He may also instruct students to elicit specific information from the book

by answering questions, or to use the text's content to fill out tables or diagrams Students can also focus their attention on a single language item by deducing the meaning of new lexical words, for example

During this time, the instructor can choose from a variety of activities for his students However, adaptability is essential in this position Which one is chosen is determined by the nature of the reading material and the level of the students In addition to selecting appropriate activities, the teacher should remember his or her responsibilities as an organizer, observer, assessor, and prompter during the while-reading stage, as stated in the previous section, the teacher's roles This stage is very important for students’ learning reading comprehension skills They can apply it to practice in real life, their exams I also carry out the study in this stage

2.3.4.3 Post-reading stage

The post-reading stage is the final but most important step in a reading session because it allows students to apply what they have learned from the book to real-world communication One of the goals of post-reading activities is to determine whether or not students understood the material The instructor may ask students questions about texts not covered in the book or may require group and pair discussions

According to Williams (1984, p.39), the post-reading stage aims to consolidate or reflect on what has been read as well as to connect the text to the learners' own knowledge, interests, or points of view To accomplish this, the instructor should help students focus on critical aspects such as the author's point of view, the book's key themes, or a specific paragraph or phrase in the reading text Another goal of the post-reading activity is to expand on the subject or language of the reading material and possibly apply what was learned in another situation As a result, students will be able to relate the book to their prior knowledge and interests,

as well as express their own reactions to the material Furthermore, post-reading exercises give students real-world experience with language

To summarize, each reading stage has its own set of goals and activities To create an efficient reading lesson, it is very beneficial to combine these three phases flexibly and properly Throughout the while-reading stage, it is critical to assist students in improving and developing pre-reading abilities such as skimming,

scanning, and reading for details If students develop these skills, it will be easier for them to understand the meaning of the text Students may be taught to participate in a variety of activities to help them develop these skills There are numerous activities available on this level When choosing them for reading sessions, the instructor should exercise caution.While reading, it is also a good idea

to assign students to work in pairs or groups This may make reading more enjoyable for children and encourage them to work harder to improve and develop good reading skills

2.4 Previous studies

There has been little research into the impact of reading comprehension activities on reading comprehension The study that follows looked at the effectiveness of reading comprehension activities in assisting students in improving their reading comprehension skills

Nhữ Văn Lược (2005) also conducted a study on non-major English students' reading skills at the Haiphong Foreign Language Center, Haiphong University In

2005, 240 students (aged 14-45) from six C level classes participated in this study These classes did not begin concurrently This meant that when the survey was conducted, the students were not learning the same lesson They had, however, completed unit 40 of the book Streamline English - Destination, so they were all aware of what their teacher frequently presented in each practice skill 46 of the students were between the ages of 14 and 18; 20 were between the ages of 31 and

45, and the rest were between the ages of 18 and 30

Bùi Thị Mỹ Linh (2007) investigated the use of while-reading techniques to improve reading comprehension in 11th Form students at Phan Dang Luu high school One hundred eleventh-form secondary students from Phan Dang Luu high school participated in the study, with the majority of them having studied English for nearly six years, as well as ten English teachers, the majority of whom taught English to the school's eleventh-form students To complete the thesis, she used two survey questionnaires, one for students and one for instructors, as well as some

reading class observations, to investigate the current state of reading comprehension instruction and learning for 11 grade students She discussed the advantages and disadvantages of reading classes for both instructors and students, and she suggested effective methods According to the findings of this study, incorporating While-reading Techniques into reading classes aided both students and teachers in the 11th form at Phan Dang Luu high school in improving their reading skills

Nguyễn Thị Minh Hồng (2008) conducted research at the Military Science Academy on various useful pre-reading exercises for second-year English majors The study included 30/45 full-time teachers between the ages of 25 and 45 (half of whom had received additional training in the United Kingdom, Australia, America, or India) and 80/110 second-year students studying the text book More Reading Power Every teacher has a diploma in English, twenty have master's degrees in education, linguistics, or international relations, and one has a PhD in linguistics With the majority of them having taught for at least three years, they were undoubtedly experienced and enthusiastic teachers who were always eager to assist their students

Yeeding (2007) investigated the effect of pre-reading activities on reader comprehension ability The study involved 60 grade 9 students at Muslim Witaya Phuket for 11 weeks, totaling 22 sessions The goal of this study was to assess learners' comprehension skills before and after introducing two types of pre-reading activities: content guessing from pictures and pre-reading questions, as well as to investigate learners' attitudes toward the two pre-reading activities According to the findings of the study, the participants were highly motivated and enthusiastic about reading Following the experiment, the children's scores significantly improved

These instructors were now instructing students enrolled in full-time and part-time English language courses at the MSA (These courses last for about two years and they are used for Army Officers who had Diploma Degree in other foreign languages and now were serving in different branches of the Army belonging to the Ministry of Defense) The 80 students who were investigated were

enrolled in the MSA's English Department during the second trimester of their second year (both cadet and civilian students, male and female) These students were between the ages of 20 and 22 Because the vast majority of them had spent at least seven years studying English, Prior to entering the MSA, they were expected

to have an equal command of the language (from grade 6 to grade 12 at school)

They also all passed a difficult admissions test Some were from Hanoi, while others were from other parts of the country These individuals were chosen from a pool of 110 second-year students during the 2006-2007 academic year They had completed the first three terms of a four-year program Of course, choosing a sample of people was difficult given that the students had already been assigned to four different courses The primary objectives of the study were to examine the pre-reading methods used by English instructors at the MSA and to suggest some potential pre-reading activities that could be used to teach the text book More Reading Ability for Second-Year English Students

The results of this study revealed that pre-reading activities were highly valued by both instructors and students at the MSA By using Pre-reading exercises, teachers were able to engage students' current knowledge, teach additional vocabulary, and stimulate students' desire to read to the texts Pre-reading exercises,

on the other hand, were clearly beneficial to students because they were more motivated, could comprehend the texts better when reading, and, most importantly, assisted them in improving their reading abilities

Nhữ Văn Lược (2005) also conducted a study on non-major English students' reading skills at the Haiphong Foreign Language Center, Haiphong University In

2005, 240 students (aged 14-45) from six C level classes participated in this study These classes did not begin concurrently This meant that when the survey was conducted, the students were not learning the same lesson They had, however, completed unit 40 of the book Streamline English - Destination, so they were all aware of what their teacher frequently presented in each practice skill 46 of the

students were between the ages of 14 and 18; 20 were between the ages of 31 and

45, and the rest were between the ages of 18 and 30

The youngest group (aged 14 to 18) was enrolled in secondary and upper secondary school, while the oldest (aged 30-45) held various positions in various offices and had graduated from university or colleges They all had one thing in common: they had all spent at least three years, either officially or unofficially, learning English The goal of this study was to look into the areas of reading difficulty encountered by non-major students at HFLC so that techniques could be developed to help them improve this skill According to the findings of this study, students became more active and aware of what they needed to do during each reading lesson, and the teacher

To summarize, after reviewing prior research conducted both within and outside of Vietnam, the findings of many of the aforementioned studies indicate that incorporating reading activities into reading courses has positive outcomes These findings provide promising evidence that incorporating reading activities into reading courses improves learners' understanding of the effectiveness of reading activities in improving reading comprehension As a result, the researcher wants to conduct this research in order to improve reading instruction at her school

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY

This chapter discusses the subjects of action research and study, data collection tools, and the grade 11 students reading curriculum at U Minh Thuong High School

3.1 Action Research:

I chose to conduct action research in order to determine the problems that instructors and students encounter while delivering a reading lesson, as well as the importance of while-reading activities to English teachers at U Minh Thuong high school Certain modifications and enhancements should be made based on the findings of this action study

3.1.1 Concepts of the action research

Kurt Lewin, a German social psychologist, is credited with developing the concept of action research He discovered that experimental techniques were frequently insufficient and unsatisfactory at first He then aimed a technique based

on people's real-world experiences, and action research entered the realm of researchers at that point Action research, according to Kurt Lewin [23, p.35], is a comparative study of the conditions and effects of various forms of social action and research that leads to social action; this type of research employs a "spiral step" structure, with each step "composed of a circle of planning, action, and fact-finding about the action's outcome."

Carr and Kemmis (1986, p.220) emphasize the goals of action research as a type of self-reflective inquiry carried out by participants in social situations in order

to improve the rationality and justice of their own practices, their understanding of these practices, and the situations in which they are conducted

According to O'Brien (1998, p 2), while action research has been referred to

by a variety of terms, including participatory research, collaborative inquiry, emancipatory research, action learning, and contextual action research, it is truly understood as "learning by doing," in which a group of people encounters a problem

and takes action to resolve it, They also document their findings According to Dick (2002, p.3), "activity research is a natural method of performing and studying concurrently." To clarify, Dick claims that action research is a true representation of its name because it aims to do both action and study at the same time It is particularly well-suited to educational settings where instructors want to effect change or improvement in their teaching while also developing an understanding that informs the change and adds to what is known

3.1.1.1 Reason for carrying out action research:

Action research is a type of scientific study that is frequently carried out in the classroom by a teacher or educator to address a practical issue It is primarily concerned with both student and instructor behavior As a result, it can resolve issues related to all classroom actions and activities Action research issues are frequently practical and beneficial to educators

3.1.1.2 Reason for carrying in Class observaion:

Class observation is a fast and effective way for researchers to identify problems students and teachers face in order to make changes Through observation,

it will be possible to assess the success or success of the project to quickly change

to suit the actual situation In addition, the observation method has little impact on the psychology of students and teachers involved in the research, so the research will be successful and not take too much time

3.1.2 The importance of the action research

To improve and expand instruction, classroom research is required As teachers, we must understand what happens in our classrooms, what students are thinking, why they behave in certain ways, which aspects of the classroom we should focus on to most effectively improve our teaching, how we should change these characteristics, and the consequences of such a change It is important to note that more than half of the items on this list are devoted to defining and comprehending the current classroom environment, rather than evaluating the

implementation of a new method If we do not first gain a thorough understanding

of our classroom circumstances, we are more likely to be motivated by personal whimsy rather than what is most likely to have a positive impact

Action research in schools, colleges, and universities addresses "practical problems" encountered by teachers rather than "theoretical problems" identified by non-teaching researchers It should be done either by the instructors themselves or

by someone they hire

3.1.3 The Action Research Process:

Figure 3.1: Based on Kemmis and McTaggart, a cyclical AR model was developed

(1988)

Action research, according to Kemmis and McTaggart (2998, pp.11-14), two leading authors in this field, typically consists of four broad stages throughout the study cycle

The action research procedure was divided into four stages: planning, acting, observation, and reflection/evaluation

Stage 1: Planning

- Identifying the problem and its root causes: Low-quality English learning as a result of ineffective methods and tactics used by English teachers at U Minh Thuong high school Inappropriate approaches and strategies contribute to low motivation and underdeveloped English reading skills in students The researcher attended a class that exemplified the problem and then polled the students to elicit feedback

teaching Developing improvement initiatives (action plans): Plan lessons to experiment with the use of while-reading activities to help students in the 11grade students of U Minh Thuong high school enhance their reading comprehension skills

- The results of class observation were used to assess the efficacy of the action aimed at improving reading comprehension skills at U Minh Thuong high school through the implementation of While-reading activities

Stage 4: Reflection/Evaluation

- A questionnaire survey was distributed to students to determine the extent

to which the use of while-reading activities aided in the improvement of their reading ability

- Based on the results of the surveys, conclusions and recommendations were developed

3.2 The aims of the study:

The English program for grade 11 students is pre-edited and has been taught for a long time since 2004 There are old passages, exercises, and question types for students to practice, so teachers often use exercises in textbooks to teach reading comprehension Therefore, the efficiency is not high Teachers only let students read and find the answers to complete the reading lesson Students learn very passively or deal with teachers by using guide book to answer without completely knowing how to read, skills to do reading comprehension exercises Gradually students are afraid to learn reading comprehension skills Teachers mainly use the old method, grammar translation to teach reading, so students become bored to learn to reading They get low mark in English

However, reading is the first part to study in textbook Vocabularies and grammar which connect with speaking, listening, writing and language focus Studying well this reading part is very important to students learning process, so I want my students to prepare well for the next lessons, so I conducted this research

to make it easier for them to solve their difficulties in reading comprehension and to learn English better

3.2.1 The researcher - the teacher

During the second semester of the school year, I and my colleagues also teaches courses 11A1 and 11A2 at U Minh Thuong high school in semester

II (2019-2020) I have been teaching English at U Minh Thuong High School for over thirteen years

3.2.2 The participants

This action research study included 80 grade 11 students from classes 11A1 and 11A2 at U Minh Thuong high school; 34 males and 46 females students took part Their average age is between 16 and 17, and they are almost all from rural areas Their English ability was discovered to be basic, and they currently have

seven English instructors To be more specific, none of the seven instructors who took the surveys were men The ages of the instructors range from thirty to forty-nine Their teaching careers ranged from one to twenty years The research was carried out at U Minh Thuong High School during the second term of the 2019-

2020 academic year

3.2.3 Data collection instruments

To collect data for this study, two questionnaires (one for instructors and one for students) and class observation were used The information on these instruments can be found in the section that follows

Instrumental one that is useful: A series of questions that students must answer throughout the reading stage: The surveys included five questions designed

to elicit information from students about their class's circumstances during the while-reading stage, as well as how the instructor carried out these activities The questionnaire is made up of multiple-choice questions

Instrumental two: A questionnaire was collected by teachers: This questionnaire was designed to elicit instructors' attitudes toward teaching while-reading activities in a reading lesson, as well as the problems they frequently encounter when performing these activities and strategies for resolving the problem Their recommendations for implementing successful while-reading activities were also provided To complete the surveys, teachers were required to check the appropriate boxes or provide responses

Instrumental three: During the post-reading stage, students completed a series of questionnaires: This was done to examine both the changes made by instructors to improve the situation and the changes made by the students themselves

Instrumental four: A collection of pre- and post-improvement response papers from students The researcher wants to know how while-reading exercises

affect students' reading comprehension abilities Analyses of the students' response papers were carried out in order to erase the comparative findings

3.3 The reading program for grade 11 grade- students at U Minh Thuong high school

3.3.1 The objectives of the program

According to new textbooks developed by the Ministry of Education and Training, English is taught using four skills and Language Focus, which focuses on grammar and pronunciation The reading curriculum at U Minh Thuong High School is intended to assist students in improving their reading skills The reading exercises in the English 11 textbook cover a wide range of topics, including friendship, personal experience, natural resources, population, vacations, and outdoor activities

Students must learn basic study skills in terms of approach Self-study, peer collaboration, and group collaboration should all be actively pursued by students They gain an in-depth understanding of the reading teaching and learning process,

as well as the ability to read effectively

3.3.2 The teaching materials

English 11 textbooks were used to teach reading skills to U Minh Thuong

High School's 11 grade pupils

3.3.3 The schedule of the course

A week consists of three English sessions At our school, a unit lasts two weeks because it is taught throughout the course of five to six periods

The following timetable will be used to plan teaching and learning activities during the first semester of the academic year:

Week 2 +3 Unit 1: Friendship

Theme: Friendship

Week 4+ 5 Unit 2: Personal experience

Theme: Personal experience

Week 6 + 7 Unit 3: Party

Theme: Party

Week 8 Midterm test and correction

( Unit 1-3)

Week 9 Unit 4: Volunteer work

Theme: Volunteer work

Week 10 +11 Unit 6: The competitions

Theme: All kind of contest Week 12+ 13 Consolidation unit 4 and 6 for second test

Week 14 Progress test two and correction

( Unit 4-6)

Week 15

Unit 7: World population Theme: Problems and solutions about over population

Week 16+17 Unit 8: The celebrations

Theme: Some holidays The teaching and learning tasks for the second term will be scheduled as follows:

Week 19+ 20

Unit 9: The Post office Theme: The Post office Week 21+22 Unit 10: Nature in danger