The effects of teachers using authentic materials on reading comprehension and learning motivation of efl lower secondary students (tt)

iii ABSTRACT This research was conducted to investigate the effects of teacher’s using authentic material on EFL lower secondary students’ reading comprehension.. In addition, the resea

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ABSTRACT

This research was conducted to investigate the effects of teacher’s using authentic material on EFL lower secondary students’ reading comprehension In addition, the researcher also wanted to discover the effects of teacher’s using authentic materials on EFL lower secondary students’ motivation To find out the answers to the two research questions, the researcher used authentic materials to teach reading skill in class An experimental mixed method was used to analyze and synthesize data which was collected from a Pre- and Post- test paper and two phases of questionnaire delivery The results showed that authentic materials had a positive effect on EFL lower secondary students’ reading comprehension and motivation It helped students improve their reading comprehension skill on learning English It also engages students in learning reading and helps to raise students’ confidence

Key words: Authentic materials, reading comprehension, motivation

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TABLE CONTENT

DECLARATION ……… i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ……… ii

ABSTRACT……… iii

TABLE CONTENT……….……….iv

LIST OF TABLES……… ………… …vii

LIST OF FIGURES……… viii

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION…… ……… ……… 1

1.1 Rationale……… 1

1.2 Research aims……… …2

1.3 Research questions………3

1.4 Research hypothesis……… ……3

1.5 Significant of the study……… …… 3

1.6 The structure of the study……….4

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW……… ……….……5

2.1 Reading 5

2.2 Authentic materials 7

2.2.1 Authentic texts………9

2.2.2 Authentic tasks……… 9

2.3 Motivation 10

2.3.1 Definition of motivation……… …10

2.3.2 Types of motivation in Second Language Learning……… 11

2.4 Learners’ reading comprehension ability in relations to authentic materials……….……… 12

2.4.1 Reading comprehension ability in relations to visual aids………… ….……12

2.4.2 Reading comprehension ability in relations to authentic text………13

2.5 Reading motivation and in relations to authentic materials……….… 14

2.5.1 Reading motivation in relations to visual aids………… ………14

2.5.2 Reading motivation in relations to authentic text……… ……….14

2.6 Related studies……….……… ……15

CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY……… …21

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3.1 Research design……… 21

3.2 Course specifications……… ……22

3.3 Participants……… 23

3.4 Research instruments……… 24

3.4.1 Pre-test and post- test paper……….……… 25

3.4.2 Questionnaires……….… 25

3.4.3 Interviews……… 26

3.5 Materials……… …… 26

3.6 Data collection procedures ………27

3.6.1 Administering test……… … 28

3.6.2 Administering questionnaire……… … 28

3.6.3 Administering interview……… … ………29

3.7 Measurement……… … 30

3.7.1 Learners’ reading comprehension ability……… 30

3.7.2 Learners’ motivation……… ……… 30

CHAPTER FOUR: RESEARCH FINDINGS……… 31

4.1 Effects of authentic materials on reading comprehension of EFL lower secondary students………31

4.2 Effects of authentic materials on reading motivation of EFL lower secondary students………34

CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION………… ………….…40

5.1 Summary of findings………40

5.1.1 Teacher’s using authentic materials on reading comprehension of EFL lower secondary students………40

5.1.2 Teacher’s using authentic materials on reading motivation of EFL lower secondary students………41

5.2 Implication and suggestion……….42

5.3 Limitation of the study………42

5.4 Conclusion……….…42

REFERENCE……….…… …44

APPENDIX 1:Questionnaire……….………….1

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APPENDIX 2: Transcription of individual interview ………5 APPENDIX 3 Tests……… 10 APPENDIX 3: Raw calculation test……… 19

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 3.1: Course program………23

Table 3.2: Research procedures……… 28

Table 3.3: Research design………29

Table 3.4: The interviewees’ personal information……… 30

Table 4.1: Descriptive statistic of participants’ reading comprehension ability… …33

Table 4.2: Mean scores of Control group and Experimental group 1 on Pre- intervention………33

Table 4.3: Mean scores of Control group and Experimental group 2 on Pre- intervention………33

Table 4.4: Descriptive statistics on Pre- and Post- intervention of the three groups (Tests) ……….35

Table 4.5: Descriptive statistics on Pre- and Post- intervention of the three groups (Questionnaire)……… 37

Table 4.6: Students’ motivation in reading……… 38

Table 4.7: Students’ attitude toward the reading texts, pictures and tasks………38

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1 The number of male and female participants……….24 Figure 2 Mean scores of the three groups in Pre- intervention……… 34

Figure 3 Comparision between Pre-test and Post-test of the three groups… ………36

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CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

The first chapter includes five main sections The rationale of the research presents the current picture of teaching and learning English in EFL context It leads

to reasons for conducting the present study The next parts are related to research

aims, research questions, significance and structures of the thesis

1.1 RATIONALE

Teaching and learning English has been becoming extremely popular in Vietnam today Playing an important role in Vietnam education, English is considered as a compulsory subject, together with Math, Physics, Chemistry, Literature; without English students can not complete their lower secondary education In particular, Prime Minister has announced Decision No 1400/QĐ-TTg “Teaching and Learning Foreign Languages in the National Education System, Period 2008 to 2020” to enhance English language teaching and learning in Vietnam in all school levels The general goal of this project is:

“by the year 2020 most Vietnamese youth whoever graduate from vocational schools, colleges and universities gain the capacity to use a foreign language independently This will enable them to be more confident in communication, further their chance to study and work in an integrated and multi-cultural environment with variety of languages This goal also makes language as an advantage for Vietnamese people, serving the cause of industrialization and modernization for the country” (MOET, 2008)

In addition, it is now a main concern of everyone from parents to students to school administrators Educators in general and teachers in particular always try to make innovations to improve the quality of teaching and learning English However, it is really hard to admit a reality that students can not use English as a mean of communication in their real life although they easily pass their examinations at school There is a gap between what is expected from EFL students and what they are performing at school In my place, I focus on learners’ reading comprehension skill in

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which learners can only answer some simple questions or comprehend some simple text One of the most prominent factors that influence students’ reading skill is the series of coursebook from grade three to grade twelve, and mainly used as the primary source for teaching and learning English in public secondary system in Vietnam Within the scope of the thesis I mainly focus on the course book used for grade seventh, the level that I have been teaching for 6 years What take my concern is authenticity in the course book content and texts is almost ignored The pictures in the reading session of the course book are not real and suitable enough to attract students’ interest and the texts designed are not related to the real life In addition, one challenge for the teachers in charge is the curriculum designed by MOET in terms of teaching time and learning activities Furthermore, the detailed syllabus is designed by the department of education and training of Ben Tre province; therefore, there is no space for the teachers’ intervention and adjustability The things are fixed and based on the course book

In contrast, the use of authentic materials in an EFL classroom has recently been discussed by many researchers in foreign language teaching According to Harmer (1994), authentic materials help language learners to become better readers and learners with the ability to produce good language Authentic materials also help language acquisition process be better and faster In addition, students feel satisfied over their achievement in the proficiency of the language because the skills they gain make them feel that they can face the situations in their real life too

Furthermore, authentic materials help to motivate learners to learn the language by exposing the 'real' language to them (Guariento & Morely, 2001) Hyland (2003) stated that authentic materials help increase learners’ motivation and reflect on their learning process positively Learners were encouraged to learn a particular language successfully with the help of authentic materials because they notice they are dealing with the language in real life (Azri & Majid, 2014) Therefore the English presented in the classroom should be authentic; not produced only for instructional purpose In the story, I will focus first on examining the effects of using authentic materials on reading comprehension ability and motivation of EFL lower secondary students, aged 12 It is expected that the findings of the research will contribute to increasing EFL lower

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secondary students’ reading comprehension and motivation in learning language, English

1.2 RESEARCH AIMS

This study is conducted to:

- Investigate the effect of teachers’ using authentic materials on reading comprehension of EFL lower secondary student

- Investigate the effect of teachers’ using authentic materials on reading motivation of EFL lower secondary student

1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Two major research questions were carefully investigated:

1 What is the effect of teacher’s using authentic materials on reading

comprehension of EFL lower secondary students?

2 What is the effect of teacher’s using authentic materials on reading motivation

of EFL lower secondary students?

1.4 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

Relying on research aims and research questions, the following hypotheses are formed:

1 Authentic materials help EFL lower secondary students develop their reading comprehension

2 Authentic materials motivate EFL lower secondary students on learning English, particularly reading skill

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Reading is considered one of the most important skills that EFL students need to acquire (Levine, 2010) Reading is significant in developing language intuition and determining academic success and completing certain task However, acquiring reading skill requires one to be able to comprehend the text itself Whereas authentic materials offer significant benefits for the improvement of teaching and learning

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especially for learning reading skills Nunan (1995, p 216) mentions that authentic materials have an important advantage in teaching-learning processes He claims that using authentic materials at beginner classes will give the students exposure before they meet real world language used outside the classroom In addition, Nuttall (1996,

p 172) states that “authentic texts can be motivating because they are proof that the language is used for real life purposes by real people” Guariento and Morley (2001) stated that authentic materials is very important in learning since it increases students' motivation for learning, makes the learner be exposed to the 'real' language Bacon and Finneman (1990) showed that authentic materials provide an appropriate context to relate form to meaning in the language acquisition process ( p.459)

However, in Ben Tre province, research relating to authentic materials for young learners was rarely conducted, especially research on the effects of using authentic materials on reading comprehension ability and motivation of EFL grade seventh students In addition, people in general complaint that students can not apply the language they have learned in their real life although they can pass the course exam It

is expected that the finding of this study will help the learners as well as the language teachers to perceive better about the effectiveness of using authentic materials on students’ reading comprehension ability and motivation As a result, this study will be

a future guideline for the English language teachers regarding the issue

1.6 THE STRUCTURE OF THE STUDY

The thesis consists of five chapters: Introduction, Literature Review, Research Methodology, Research Findings, Discussion and Conclusion

Chapter One presents chapter one presents the rationale, research aims, research questions and hypotheses It also comprises significance and the structure of the study Chapter Two reviews literature related to using authentic material including reviews theoretical background that is necessary for conducting the research There are two parts in this chapter; the first part states the definitions of terminologies used in the research and the second one reviews some related studies

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Chapter Three describes whole picture of research methodology including design

of study, participants, measurements, course specifications, data collection and analysis and reliability of research instruments

Chapter Four reports the results from the data collected through the use of tests, questionnaires and interview

Chapter Five presents the summary of the major research findings and the discussion Moreover, the limitations of the study as well as implications and suggestion for further research are recommended at the end of the chapter

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ESL Reading Comprehension Skills: A Mixed-Method Study Language Education in Asia , 6 (2), 122-134

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Reading and Writing: An interdisciplinary Journal, 3, 413- 425

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human bahavior New York: Plenum

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