Expanding grade 11 students’ vocabulary through extensive reading an action research project

ABSTRACT The study aimed at determining how extensive reading influenced vocabulary development of high school students, what students‟ attitudes towards extensive reading stories in enr

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES

*********

NGÔ MẠNH HÙNG

EXPANDING GRADE 11 STUDENTS’ VOCABULARY THROUGH EXTENSIVE READING: AN ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT

( PHÁT TRIỂN TỪ VỰNG CỦA HỌC SINH KHỐI 11 BẰNG

PHƯƠNG PHÁP ĐỌC MỞ RỘNG: MỘT NGHIÊN CỨU HÀNH ĐỘNG)

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Language Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01

HANOI – 20 2019

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES

*********

NGÔ MẠNH HÙNG

EXPANDING GRADE 11 STUDENTS’ VOCABULARY THROUGH EXTENSIVE READING: AN ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT

( PHÁT TRIỂN TỪ VỰNG CỦA HỌC SINH KHỐI 11 BẰNG

PHƯƠNG PHÁP ĐỌC MỞ RỘNG: MỘT NGHIÊN CỨU HÀNH ĐỘNG)

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Language Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01

Supervisor: Assoc Prof Dr Lê Văn Canh

HANOI – 20 2019

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost, I would like to express my deep gratitude to Assoc Prof Dr.Le Van Canh, my supervisor for his encouragement and inspirational review during this process of writing the thesis Without his precious support and invaluable guidance, this thesis would never have been completed

Besides, I would like to thank the authority of Dong Thanh High School for allowing me to carry out this study and thank my colleagues and all the students in class 11A3 for their participation in the study process

Finally, an honorable mention goes to my families and friends for their assistance and support for me in completing this thesis

ABSTRACT

The study aimed at determining how extensive reading influenced vocabulary development of high school students, what students‟ attitudes towards extensive reading stories in enriching their vocabulary knowledgeprogram were and what can be learned from this action research project about extensive reading that can be applied in Vietnamese high schoolsbenefits other than learning vocabulary of extensive reading program from this action research project were The participants were 38 students from a grade 11 class

at a high school in Quang Ninh province They were asked to read 10 short stories within a twelve – week EFL extensive reading program The vocabulary pretest and posttests were administered to measure learners‟ incidental vocabulary learning through the program The results indicated that there were significant vocabulary improvements gained by the participants after the EFL extensive reading program, suggesting that the extensive reading program had created a beneficial effect on the incidental word learning gained by the participants

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

ABSTRACT iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iv

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xvii

LIST OF TABLES xiviii

LIST OF FIGURES xiviii

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1

1 Rationale of the study 1

2 Aims of the study and the research questions 2

3 The scope and significance of the study 2

4 Method of the study 3

5 Design of the thesis 3

CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW 5

2.1 Vocabulary 5

2.1.1 The definition of vocabulary 5

2.1.2 The importance of vocabulary in foreign language teaching and learning 6

2.1.3 Approaches to Vocabulary Acquisition Incidental vocabulary acquisition and intentional vocabulary learning 8

2.2 Extensive reading 9

2.2.1 Definition of extensive reading 9

2.2.2 The benefits of extensive reading 10

2.2.3 The basic principles of extensive reading 13

2.3 Graded readers 15

CHAPER III: METHODOLOGY 17

3.1 Research questions 17

3.2 Description of participants 17

3.3 Materials 17

3.4 Action research 18

3.5 Data collection instruments 23

3.5.1 Vocabulary tests 23

3.5.2 Vocabulary Knowledge Scale(The Post-test 2) 24

3.5.3 Questionnaire 25

3.6 Data presentation and data analysis 25

3.6.1 The pre-test and post-test 25

3.6.2 Minimum Mastery Criterion 27

3.6.3 Vocabulary knowledge scale 27

3.6.4 Questionnaire 28

In this research, the researcher asked participants to write answers to five open ended questions after they had finished each short story 28

CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 30

4.1 The results of the tests 3130

4.1.1 The result of pre-test 3130

4.1.2 The result of the post-test 3433

4.1.3 Data collected from the Vocabulary Knowledge Scale 3837

4.2 The results of questionnaire 3938

In this research, the researcher asked participants to write answers to five open ended questions after they had finished each short story 3938

4.2.1 Participants‟ attitudes towards the extensive reading stories in enriching their vocabulary knowledge 4745

4.2.2 The benefits other than learning vocabulary of extensive reading

program from this action research project 5048

4.3 Discussion of research questions 5451

4.3.1 Positive effects of extensive reading stories on participants‟ vocabulary development 5451

4.3.2 Students‟ attitudes towards the extensive reading program in enriching their vocabulary knowledge 5552

4.3.3 Applicability of extensive reading program to other contexts 5552

REFERENCES 6157

APPENDICES I APPENDIX 1: VOCABULARY PRE- TEST I APPENDIX 2: VOCABULARY POST- TEST 1 III APPENDIX 3: THE POST-TEST 2 (second measure) V APPENDIX 4: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH VERSION) VI APPENDIX 5: PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT (PHIÊN BẢN TIẾNG VIỆT) VII APPENDIX 6: A SAMPLE OF A LESSON PLAN VIII DECLARATION i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

ABSTRACT iii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vii

LIST OF TABLES viii

LIST OF FIGURES viii

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1

1 Rationale of the study 1

2 Aims of the study and the research questions 2

3 The scope and significance of the study 2

4 Method of the study 3

5 Design of the thesis 3

CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW 5

2.1 Vocabulary 5

2.1.1 The definition of vocabulary 5

2.1.2 The importance of vocabulary in foreign language teaching and learning 6

2.1.3 Approaches to Vocabulary Acquisition 8

Incidental vocabulary acquisition and intentional vocabulary learning 8

2.2 Extensive reading 9

2.2.1 Definition of extensive reading 9

2.2.2 The benefits of extensive reading 10

2.2.3 The basic principles of extensive reading 13

2.3 Graded readers 15

CHAPER III: METHODOLOGY 17

3.1 Research questions 17

3.2 Description of participants 17

3.3 Materials 17

3.4 Action research 18

3.5 Data collection instruments 23

3.5.1 Vocabulary tests 23

3.5.2 Vocabulary Knowledge Scale(The Post-test 2) 24

3.5.3 Questionnaire 25

3.6 Data presentation and data analysis 25

3.6.1 The pre-test and post-test 25

3.6.2 Minimum Mastery Criterion 27

3.6.3 Vocabulary knowledge scale 27

3.6.4 Questionnaire 28

CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 29

4.1 The results of the tests 29

4.1.1 The result of pre-test 29

4.1.2 The result of the post-test 32

4.1.3 Data collected from the Vocabulary Knowledge Scale 36

4.2 The results of questionnaire 37

4.2.1 Participants‟ attitudes towards the extensive reading program 43

4.2.2 The applicability of extensive reading program to high schools 46

4.3 Discussion of research questions 49

4.3.1 Positive effects of extensive reading on participants‟ vocabulary development 49

4.3.2 Students‟ attitudes towards the extensive reading program 50

4.3.3 Applicability of extensive reading program to other contexts 50

PART V: CONCLUSION 52

REFERENCES 55 APPENDICES I APPENDIX 1: VOCABULARY PRE- TEST I APPENDIX 2: VOCABULARY POST- TEST 1 III APPENDIX 3: THE POST-TEST 2 (second measure) V APPENDIX 4: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH VERSION) VI APPENDIX 5: PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT (PHIÊN BẢN TIẾNG VIỆT) VII APPENDIX 6: A SAMPLE OF A LESSON PLAN VIII

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1.1: Results of Studies of the Benefits of Extensive Reading Program 12 Table 3.1: individual results of pre-test 323130

Table 3.2: individual results of pre-test 343332

Table 3.3: The participants‟ vocabulary score of pre-test and post-test1 373635

Table 3.4: Sample item requiring demonstration of word knowledge 393837

Table 3.5: Sample questionnaire 403938

Table 3.6: The result of questionnaire of 10 lessons 414038

Table 3.7: Mean result of questionnaire from 10 lessons 474443

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 2.1: Action Research Cycle (McBride & Schostak, 1989) 21 Figure 3.1: Pie chart shows percentage of what participants like about extensive reading 484644

Figure 3.2:Pie chart shows percentage of what participants do not like about extensive reading 494745

Figure 3.3: What participants gained from ER program 514846

Figure 3.4: What participant learnt about reading skill after ER program 524947

Figure 3.5: Participants‟ changes in English reading skill after ER program 535048

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale of the study

As a teacher at a high school in Quang Ninh province, I realized that in spite

of great investment in the physical conditions for teaching and learning English by the province, the learners‟ ability to use English remained unsatisfactory One of the main reasons for this fact was student‟s limited vocabulary knowledge Because of having a small vocabulary size, the students encountered great challenges in developing their language skills such

as listening, speaking, reading and writing Most students who were studying English at the school did not know how to enrich their vocabulary to use and communicate every day

Vocabulary plays the most important part in learning foreign languages Students need to have a rich vocabulary if they want to be good at any skills such as reading, listening, writing or speaking Enriching vocabulary is not a quick progress because it must be a process of preparation, practicing, learning and long-term accumulation In general, most students often have difficultiesin mastering or remembering vocabulary They do not know how

to use vocabulary in situations or real contexts exactly and they tend to learn Vietnamese meanings of vocabulary by heart If they do not learn vocabulary

in contexts they may not know how to use vocabulary appropriately

In the process of making efforts to try many different techniques of teaching vocabulary, the researcher found that reading is an effective way to enhance students‟ vocabulary Krashen (2004) believes in the power of reading for the development of the first, second or foreign language competence He displays some case studies to support his claim of the power of recreational reading for progress Extensive reading leads learners to acquire the language if they are

sufficiently exposed to the language and if they have the materials that are interesting for them Krashen (2004) brings in the term “narrow reading” for the extensive reading the learners do on the areas of their own interest Reading can broaden learners‟ language competence by providing automaticity of recognizing and decoding words and written symbols of a printed message (Grabe, 1991) Moreover, it can increase the learners‟ exposure to the language However, the quality of exposure to language is very important to their motivation to acquire new forms of the input This exposure to language is more likely to reduce the gap between L1 and L2 From these reasons, the researcher has intended to apply extensive reading as

a good way to enhance students‟ vocabulary It led the researcher to do this

study entitled “Expanding grade 11 students’ vocabulary through extensive reading: An action research project” The researcher expected to help his

students to enrich their vocabulary through extensive reading program

2 Aims of the study and the research questions

The research was carried out to find out how extensive reading influenced students‟ vocabulary development through an action research project The project was carried out in an attempt to answer the following questions:

1 How does extensive reading influence students’ vocabulary development?

2 What are the students’ attitudes towards the extensive reading stories in enriching their vocabulary knowledgeprogram ?

3 What are benefits other than learning vocabulary of extensive reading program from this action research project?

3 The scope and significance of the study

The present study was conducted at the second semester on the students who were in grade 11 and used the seven –year English textbook of MOET They had three English every week and the researcher decided to choose one

English optional lesson a week to apply extensive reading program of the research In total, the researcher carried out ten lessons in three months during the research and the 10 short stories were from the book “Stories for reproduction: introductory” (L.A Hill, 1965) used as the main materials of the study After three month –period s of conducting the research, the researcher hopes hoped that the student will would enhance their vocabulary knowledge and develop their positive attitudes towards extensive reading storiesactivities

If the research succeeds, it will be made an effective contribution to an improvement in teaching and learning English vocabulary at the researcher‟s School.[t1]

4 Method of the study

An action research approach was adopted for this study Instruments of data collection include the pre-test, post-test, and a student questionnaire The pre-test and post-test were used to measure the change of the students‟ vocabulary size as an impact of the intervention, which is an extensive reading program The questionnaire was administered to explore what the students‟ attitudes towards the extensive reading program were and what can be learned from this action research project about extensive reading that can be applied in Vietnamese high schools

5 Design of the thesis

Structure of the thesis is divided into three main parts Each part deals with different aspect of the research

Chapter I: Introduction: shows an overview of the research which the

researcher presents the rationale for the research, the aims, the research questions, the scope and significance of the research, the research method as well as the design of the research briefly

Chapter II: Literature Review contains a literature review in which the

researcher analyzes [t2]and describes the general theories in connection with importance of vocabulary and extensive reading

Chapter III Methodology shows the research method, the rationale for the

research and data collection instruments The researcher describes detailed information about the participants of the research, the design of questionnaire, the pre-test and two post-test as well as the data collection procedures

Chapter IV Findings and discussions presents significant findings of the

research and discusses the results of the research relating to the research questions

Chapter V: Conclusion includes some pedagogical implications, some

limitations and conclusion of the research

CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Vocabulary

2.1.1 The definition of vocabulary

Linguists define vocabulary differently based on different criteria The most

popular one from “ Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied linguistics”, according to (Richards & Schmidt, 2013), vocabulary is defined

as “ a set of lexemes, including single words, compound words and idioms” Similar to the above definition, Hornby (2010) defines vocabulary as : 1) all the words that a person knows or uses; 2) all the words in particular language; 3) the words that people use when they are talking about a particular subject; 4) a list of words with their meanings Then, vocabulary is a collection of words in a particular language that an individual knows and that has a meaning It means that a language consists of a number of words that form a meaningful language

Lehr, Osborn, and Hiebert (2004) define vocabulary as knowledge of words and word meanings in both oral and print language and in productive and receptive forms More specifically, they use vocabulary to refer to the kind of words that students must know to read increasingly demanding text with comprehension

Diamond and Gutlohn (2006) say that vocabulary is the knowledge of words and word meanings As Steven Stahl (2005) puts it, "Vocabulary knowledge

is knowledge; the knowledge of a word not only implies a definition, but also implies how that word fits into the world." Vocabulary knowledge is not something that can ever be fully mastered; it is something that expands and deepens over the course of a lifetime

From these definitions of vocabulary, vocabulary is the basic means of

communication and vocabulary can be understood as the total number of all the words that a language possesses, including single words, two or three word items expressing a single idea and multi-word idioms

2.1.2 The importance of vocabulary in foreign language teaching and learning

Vocabulary plays an important role in teaching and learning foreign languages because it is impossible for someone to get into conversation if he

or she cannot understand or recognize the meaning of the key words used by other people To express an idea or ask some information, a person must be able to produce lexical items to convey his or her meanings Thus, it is very difficult for someone to participate in a conversation when he or she only has

a little vocabulary

Morgan and Rinvolucri (2004) point that vocabulary has played its part in the more general movement towards giving greater prominence to the teaching of vocabulary that has taken place since its initial publication They suggest that teachers and learners of foreign languages should understand the nature and functions of vocabulary, what it means to know a word, and how best to acquire vocabulary

Moreover, Thornbury (2002) states that vocabulary means a large collection

of items He adds that learning vocabulary is important because it enriches someone’s knowledge of words This implies that the success of the learner in learning a language depends on not only the size of vocabulary he or she has learned but also vocabulary building

Furthermore, Cameron (2001) believes that building a useful vocabulary is central to the learning of a foreign language at primary level Vocabulary is fundamental to using the foreign language as discourse, since it is both learnt from participating in discourse and is essential to participating in it

Vocabulary acquisition is important in reading Without enlarging their vocabulary, students cannot read successfully Having a good mastery of vocabulary makes it possible for them to use the language for communication because they are aware of the ideas and attitudes that are represented by words Therefore, anyone who learned a language successfully must enlarge his or her vocabulary acquisition

To show how important vocabulary is, Bromley (2004) states that vocabulary holds some important roles in teaching-learning process They are as follows:

Promoting fluency Students who recognize and understand many words read

more quickly and easily than those with smaller vocabulary fluent readers read at a faster rate, process more material more quickly and have better comprehension than less fluent readers

Boosting comprehension Vocabulary knowledge strongly influences

comprehension On a component analysis of comprehension, word meanings were found to make up 74% of comprehension

Improving achievement A large vocabulary means a large fund of

conceptual knowledge which makes academic learning easier Students with large vocabularies score higher on achievement tests than those with small vocabularies

Enhancing thinking and communication Words are tools for analyzing,

inferring, evaluating and reasoning A large vocabulary allows for communicating in ways that are precise, powerful, persuasive and interesting

In conclusion, realizing that the knowledge of vocabulary is very important, learners have to pay a greater attention to the vocabulary teaching The teacher must have a good, effective and efficient method in order that the teaching vocabulary is successful If someone can master vocabulary well, she

or he will be able to promote fluency, boost comprehension, improve

achievement, and enhance thinking and communication

2.1.3 Approaches to Vocabulary Acquisition Incidental vocabulary acquisition and intentional vocabulary learning

Many linguists have stated their definitions of incidental vocabulary learning

I Nation and Nation (2001)[t3] says that incidental vocabulary learning is an important strategy in vocabulary learning It refers to the learning which occurs without specific intention to focus on vocabulary One can develop vocabulary knowledge subconsciously while being engaged in any language activities, especially reading I.S.P Nation and Nation (2001) claims incidental learning is a by-product of learning something That means learners master vocabulary when they are involved in some learning activities, such as reading, speaking, doing a task, and interacting with others

Richards (2002) also defines that incidental learning is the process of learning something without the intention of doing so It is also learning one thing while intending to learn another

Incidental vocabulary learning motivates learners in extensive reading It involves learners' ability to guess the meaning of new words from the contextual clues Incidental learning occurs more frequently through extensive reading in input-rich environments (Coady, 2001, as cited in Ahmad, 2011: 67) According to Ahmad (2011) incidental vocabulary promotes deeper mental processing and better retention The learners get themselves fully involved in the process of deciphering the meaning through the clues available in the text They think and rethink about the new words involving cognitive process which helps the learners retain the words for a longer period

of time Cognitive process includes both receptive and productive aspects of vocabulary Learners understand not only the meanings in the given text but the related grammatical patterns, common lexical sets and typical association

of the word with the context

On the other hand, intentional learning of vocabulary is the method of learning vocabulary by using tools to bring the learner’s attention into direct contact with the form and meaning of words, such as dictionaries, vocabulary lists, and direct vocabulary explanation Intentional learning is quick and usually preferred by learners, but it also causes some problems Learners often encounter vocabulary in an isolated form and remain incapable of using

it correctly in context (Ellis, 1999, as cited in Shokouhi and Maniati (2009)) Ahmad (2011) claims intentional vocabulary learning based on synonyms, antonyms, word substitution, multiple choice, scrambled words and crossword puzzles, regardless of context In addition, students often cram the meaning of the new words without undergoing cognitive process Moreover, when students learn vocabulary in this way, they are more prone to rote learning Therefore, a very few words learned through this method get transformed into active process

2.2 Extensive reading

2.2.1 Definition of extensive reading

Louis Kelly (1969), in his volume 25 centuries of Language Teaching, credits Harold Palmer with first applying the term “extensive reading” in foreign

language pedagogy (1969, p.131) Day and Bamford (1998) state that extensive reading purposely focuses on students’ reading as much as possible: not only in classroom but also out of classroom The variety of reading material on different topics is available; students themselves select the books according to their level and interest If they choose a book suitable to their own level, they will understand an interesting text composed of mostly familiar vocabulary and grammar elements While Richards (2002) claims that extensive reading is a form of reading instruction Its definition and

purpose are expressed as follows: extensive reading means reading in quantity and in order to gain a general understanding of what is read It is intended to develop good reading habits, to build up knowledge of vocabulary and structure, and to encourage a liking for reading.”

In addition, Bamford and Day (2004) state extensive reading as a good strategy to improve reading proficiency, and built linguistic competence (e.g., reading ability, vocabulary, writing and spelling skills)

From the above definitions of extensive reading, it can be concluded that extensive reading is a language teaching procedure where students have to read large quantities of materials for general understanding and the main goal

of it is obtaining pleasure from the text

2.2.2 The benefits of extensive reading

There are many benefits of extensive reading that have been reported by many language researchers.Nuttall (1996) states that extensive reading is effective way to improve vocabulary Students might have many chances to see words repeatedly by reading a large quantity of materials and become familiar with them This helps students study vocabulary or words that are recognized automatically Once students learn many words from extensive reading, they can improve the speed of reading with better comprehension skills In this way, students will be more confident in reading English texts.Davis (1995) and his colleagues have discovered many benefits of extensive reading through from long-term feedback from teachers and students in Singapore These may be categorized under four interrelated headings:

Reading skills: students were more positive about starting new texts Their

imaginative responses improved, as did their personal engagement with what they read Their overall comprehension skills improved, and they found it easier to read on other subjects Overall they came to see reading as

pleasurable, rather than a stressful activity

Language skills: Students developed a wider active and passive vocabulary

They used more varied sentence structure, and were better at spotting and correcting grammatical mistakes in their writing and speaking

Personal growth: Students showed a more positive attitude to studying in

general

Examinations: Better results were obtained in all English –medium subjects

Krashen (2004) states that extensive reading is the promotion of confidence and motivation, and it also develops a positive attitude to reading and studying English Students who do not feel confident in reading English texts tend to give up reading a whole book This is because they are not interested

in reading complicated reading materials At this point, extensive reading is

an effective way to motivate students to choose what, when, how, and where

3) Improving vocabulary Students need to meet words or vocabulary in a context many times to acquire it Extensive reading seems to be a good way to achieve this

4) Improving listening, speaking and spelling abilities If listening and speaking are unsuccessful in the class, extensive reading can support these skills It increases exposure to English vocabulary and discourse

5) Facilitating acquisition Most current theories of second language acquisition recognize the roles of language input and intake Extensive reading provides these necessities

Moreover, Elley and Mangubhai in Day and Bamford (1998: 34) show the great effect of extensive reading on the second language learners that shows good development in language proficiency Extensive reading can increase the other aspects of second language learning because there are two factors involved Firstly, learning vocabulary is one of the keys to learning a new language Without knowledge of the second language’s vocabulary, no progress can be made Thus, extensive reading impacts on writing, listening, and speaking because students know more vocabulary Secondly, students have positive attitudes and can increase motivation for learning the second language

Table 2.1: Results of Studies of the Benefits of Extensive Reading Program

Janopolous (1986) ESL;

university ; USA

Gains in writing proficiency

Hafiz and Tudor

(1989); Tudor and

Hafiz (1989)

ESL ; adolescents ; England

Gains in reading proficiency, positive effect, and general linguistic competence, including writing; slight, non-significant increase in vocabulary base

Pitts et al (1989) ESL ;

adult ; USA

Gains in vocabulary

Robb and Susser

(1989)

EFL ; university ; Japan

Gains in vocabulary

Hafiz and Tudor

(1990)

EFL ; primary ; Pakistan

Gains in vocabulary base and writing

Elley (1991) EF ;

primary ; Singapore

Gains in reading proficiency and positive affect

1993b)

EFL ; secondary , Hong Kong

Gains in reading proficiency and vocabulary

Cho and Krashen

(1994)

ESL ; adults ; USA

Gains in reading proficiency, vocabulary, positive affect, and oral skills

Rodrigo (1995) Spanish ;

university ; USA

Gains in positive affect; no statistically significant gains in vocabulary

Gains in reading strategies and motivation

(Day and Bamford, 1998: 34)

2.2.3 The basic principles of extensive reading

Extensive reading is one of the teaching and learning approaches, which has been emphasized to improve vocabulary and to encourage a liking for reading

In extensive reading, students may choose reading materials which are interesting and read them in the class and out of class

Day and Bamford (1998:136-141) presents ten characteristics that are found

in successful extensive reading programs Dealing with the nature of extensive reading and the conditions and methodology necessary for its success, the ten characteristics are also offered as “Top Ten Principles for Teaching Extensive Reading”

1 The reading material is easy Students read material that contains few or no

unfamiliar items of vocabulary and grammar There should be no more than one or two unknown vocabulary items per page for beginners and no more than four or five for intermediate learners Students would not succeed in reading extensively if they have not struggle with material

2 A variety of material on a wide range of topics is available There should

be a variety in the library for students to choose what they really like This contains graded reading for students at different levels

3 Students choose what they want to read Self-selection puts students in a different role from that in a traditional classroom, where the teacher chooses the textbook or supplies reading material This is what students really enjoy about extensive reading They are also encouraged to stop reading anything that is not interesting or that they find too difficult;

4 Students read as much possible The language learning benefits of extensive reading come from quantity of reading For the benefits of extensive

to take effect, a book per week is an appropriate goal This is a realistic target

as books written for beginning language learners are very short

5 Reading speed is usually faster rather than slower The reading material is easy to understand for students They are discouraged from using dictionary

as this interrupts reading and makes fluency impossible Instead, they are encouraged to ignore or guess the meaning of a few unknown items from context

6 The purpose of reading is usually related to pleasure, information and general understanding In spite of intensive reading which requires detailed understanding, extensive reading encourages reading for pleasure and information

7 Reading is individual and silent Students read at their own speed Sometimes silent reading period reserves from the class time when students

read themselves selected books in the classroom However, most of the reading is homework They read out of the classroom, in their own time, when and where they choose

8 Reading is its own reward Extensive reading is not usually followed by comprehension questions The goals of reading are reader’s own experience and joy of reading These are designed to reflect student’s experience of reading rather than comprehension

9 The teacher orients and guides the students Before starting an extensive reading, they have to be familiarized what it is, why they are going it, what benefits it will bring them and how are they going to proceed The teacher keeps track of what and how much students read, he/she is interested in their reactions to what was read in order to guide them in getting the most out of their reading

10 The teacher is a role model of a reader The teacher gives a model of what

is to be a reader e.g during the silent reading periods teacher should read as well He/she should also be familiar with all the books students are reading in order to recommend reading to individual students and their share reading experiences If teacher and students talk about what was read, they create an informal reading community, experiencing together the value and pleasure to

be found in written word

In the list above, the writers have addressed five important issues in extensive reading, namely reading materials, reading amount, reading purpose, reading speed, and the role of the reader and the language teacher Although all the principles regarding these issues are important and should be applied in an extensive reading program, teachers are advised to consider situations and apply these principles flexibly

2.3 Graded readers

According to Nation and Ming-Tzu (1999), Graded Readers are books which are especially written or adapted for second language learners This involves severely restricting the vocabulary can occur, controlling the grammatical structures that can occur, and matching the length of text to the vocabulary and grammar controls Reading Graded Readers can have several learning goals These include gaining skill and fluency in reading, establishing previously learned vocabulary and grammar, learning new vocabulary and grammar, and gaining pleasure from reading Bamford (1984) claims that Graded Readers are short books of fiction and non-fiction which are graded structurally and lexically, that is, they are controlled in terms of vocabulary and grammar and are grouped for particular age groups from primary (age 8)

to adult (over 16) According to Richards (2002) graded readers are “a text written for children learning their mother tongue, or for second or foreign language learners, in which the language content is based on a language grading scheme A graded reader may use a restricted vocabulary or a set of grammatical structures”

After investigating the available materials at the bookstores and the level of

my students, the researcher decided to choose Graded Readers of the Elementary Stories for Reproduction of L A HILL (1965)

Despite a large body of empirical studies on extensive reading conducted in different contexts, the issue is not adequately researched in the context of Vietnamese high schools This issue motivates the research to undertake this action research Short stories in the series seem to be interesting and suitable for the students in this study

CHAPER III: METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents rationale for choosing action research design, research questions, the participants, research method, and data collection instruments

3.1 Research questions

The study was carried out to answer three research questions:

1 How does extensive reading influence students’ vocabulary development?

2 What are the students’ attitudes towards the extensive reading stories in enriching their vocabulary knowledge?

3 What are benefits other than learning vocabulary of extensive reading program from this action research project?

2 What are the students’ attitudes towards the extensive reading program?

3 What are benefits of extensive reading program from this action research project?

3.2 Description of participants

Participants of this research were 38 students from class 11A3 Among them, there were 23 boys and 15 girls who had over 4 years of learning English and most of them were at the age of seventeen There are three English lessons and one English optional lesson every week, 45-minute periods for one lesson

In their curriculum, they must learn English in both semesters and the teaching material was English textbook grade 11 from seven year English Textbook Series of MOET Before the study was carried out, they had finished their first semester examination tests and they had not involved in any English extensive reading activity The researcher decided to choose one English optional lesson every week to carry out the research and 38 students were selected in the second semester with the assumption that they could get used to the teaching and learning extensive reading activity

3.3 Materials

In addition to English textbook grade 11, a set of ten short stories from the book: “elementary stories for reproduction” of Hill and Mallet (1965) were collected as the main material The researcher collected ten stories to teach his students every week in three-month period of the research Each short story trained students to reproduce material they read Ten stories are followed by both questions and also a variety of other exercises

3.4 Action research

Action research has been defined in many different ways Kurt Lewin was the

pioneer of action research and he mentioned the term “action research” in

about 1944 According to Lewin (1946), he described action research as "a comparative research on the conditions and effects of various forms of social action and research leading to social action" that uses "a spiral of steps, each

of which is composed of a circle of planning, action, and fact-finding about the result of the action" In addition, Reason and Bradbury (2001) claim that action research is a participatory, democratic process concerned with developing practical knowing in the pursuit of worthwhile human purposes, grounded in a participatory worldview which we believe is emerging at this historical moment It seeks to bring together action and reflection, theory and practice, in participation with others, in the pursuit of practical solutions

to issues of pressing concern to people, and more generally the flourishing of individual persons and their communities Moreover, Coghlan (2019) says that action research is an approach to research which aims at both taking actions and creating knowledge or theory about that action as the action unfolds The outcomes are both an action and a knowledge outcome, unlike traditional research approaches which aim at creating knowledge only

In the Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics

(Jack C Richards and Richard Schmidt, 2013) action research in teacher

education is defined teacher-initiated classroom research that seeks to increase the teacher‟s understanding of classroom teaching and learning and

to bring about improvements in classroom practices Action research typically involves small-scale investigative projects in the teacher‟s own classroom, and consists of the following cycle of activities:

The teacher (or a group of teachers) selects an aspect of classroom behavior to examine in more detail (e.g the teacher‟s use of questions)

The teacher selects a suitable research technique (e.g recording classroom lessons)

The teacher collects data and analyzes them

The teacher develops an action plan to help bring about a change in classroom behavior (e.g to reduce the frequency of questions that the teacher answers himself or herself)

The teacher acts to implement the plan

The teacher observes the effects of the action plan on behavior

In addition, according to Mertler (2009) action research is not only a means of conducting classroom-based research It is also a mechanism for engaging teachers in reflective practice and customizing professional development opportunities in order to capitalize on the unique interests of individual teachers or teams of teachers

Burns (2009) gives the three reasons why a teacher needs action research:

- Action research can reinvigorate our teaching

- It can lead to positive change

- It raise[t4]s our awareness of the complexities of our work

The researcher is also a teacher of English and found that that action research

is a good choice for the purpose of improving the students‟ vocabulary through extensive reading

Different researchers have given different models on action research procedures as well as steps in action research According to Fraenkel, Wallen, and Hyun (2011), action research involves four basic stages: (1) identifying the research problem or question, (2) obtaining the necessary information to answer the question(s), (3) analyzing and interpreting the information that has been gathered, and (4) developing a plan of action McNiff (2010) gives steps

of an action research process: reviewing current practice; identifying an aspect that researcher wants to investigate; imagining a way forward; trying it out; taking stock of what happens; modifying what researcher is doing in the light of what we have found, and continue working in this new way (try another option if the new way of working is not right); monitoring what researcher does; reviewing and evaluating the modified action; and so on …

On the other hand, Burns (2009) suggests eight steps on procedures of an action research: Identify a puzzle area; Refine researcher‟s thinking about that puzzle area; Select a particular topic to focus upon; Find appropriate classroom procedures to explore it; Adapt them to the particular puzzle researcher wants to explore; Use them in class; Interpret the outcomes; Decide on their implications and plan accordingly;

On the whole, different researchers have given different steps and the number

of steps in action research It depends on different points of view held by researchers.[t5]

McBride and Schostak (1989) suggest that action research should be followed eight steps which could be measured as circle as follows:

Figure 3.1: Action Research Cycle (McBride & Schostak, 1989)

In this research, the researcher followed the action research procedures suggested by McBride & Schostak (1989) because it is clear and easy to apply

In this research, an AR was conducted based on the above process The stages

of this AR were described in details:

Step 1 Identifying the problem

Based on the researcher‟s observation and experience of teaching English, the researcher discussed with his students and found that one of main reason why

his students could[t6] not speak English well and had difficulty in expressing their own ideas is lacking vocabulary Therefore, the researcher decided to choose this feature to focus on this study

Step 2 Collecting and analyzing the data

The researcher had to collect the data relating to students‟ vocabulary knowledge, their reading habits and their reading ability to have more information investigated how the student‟s vocabulary knowledge, reading habits and reading ability were[t7] by iFnterviewing them.[t8] [u9] Firstly, the researcher found that his students felt bored with intensive reading lessons in the course book and had difficulties in reading in English Secondly, the researcher investigated intensive reading lessons in the course book Thirdly, the researcher had small discussions with studentsinterviewed his students to know more about their reading habits[t10] The researcher decided to apply an extensive reading program that his students had never read before The researcher collected ten short stories from the book: “elementary stories for reproduction” of L.A Hill to teach his students in connection with intensive reading lessons in the course book A question was raised that how extensive reading influenced the student‟s vocabulary development

Step 3 Planning action

The researcher applied an extensive reading project to the action research In the project, the researcher collected ten short stories from the book:

“elementary stories for reproduction” of L.A Hill (1965) for his students The researcher chose a short story each week and made a lesson plan to teach his students during three months All of his students read a short story containing comprehension question, grammatical or vocabulary exercises that were written by L.A Hill every week They had three English lessons every week, with a 45-minute period for one lesson In addition, the researcher chose a short story to and thet each[t11] [u12] his students read every each week, with a

45[t13]-minute period for one lesson After the students had finished each lesson, they spent 5 minutes at the end of each lesson to write reflection about what they liked when reading about each story and why they like, what they didn‟t like about each story and why they didn‟t like, what they learned about English language after finishing each story, what they learned about English reading skill and whether they changed attitudes towards reading skill or not and gave specific examples if answered “Yes”

Step 4: Implementing action

First of all, the researcher introduced the project and (what extensive reading is; what benefits of extensive reading are; why they need to read extensively; what they need to do if they take part in an extensive reading project) Secondly, the students didhad to do a pre-test Thirdly, the researcher chose a short story and taught his students every week Fourthly, the researcher instructed his students how to read extensively, how to find the meanings of new words effectively and encouraged them to share their feeling about each story

Step 5: Collecting post-data to monitor change

The instruments which the researcher used in this research consisted of a test, two post-tests and a questionnaire consisting of 5 open ended questions

pre-To collect the data, the students researcher had encouraged students to read the selected short stories, do the tests and answer five open ended questions

Step 6: Analyzing and evaluating

The action research was evaluated based on the results from the pre data, action data and post data From the findings of the action research evaluation, some conclusions as well as pedagogical implications were made.[t14] In this study, the researcher carried out 1 cycle.[t15][u16]

3.5 Data collection instruments

3.5.1 Vocabulary tests

A pre-test and post-test was designed to check students‟ vocabulary retention before and after conducting the research The researcher analyzed and compared the results from these tests in order to measure the students‟ improvement in incidental vocabulary acquisition by using extensive reading program The tests were adopted from Horst (2005)who examined students‟ vocabulary knowledge

Pre-test

A list of 50 words which appear in ten short stories from (Hill & Mallet, 1965) that students would read were selected for the test The list of words was given to the students, who were asked to choose one of the three options: YES (if they know what this word means); NS (if they have an idea about the meaning of this word, but they are not sure); and No (if they don‟t know what this word means) The NS option would allow the students to register partial knowledge of the word and encouraged them to give an honest answer According to Horst (2005) “The test is easy to construct, administer, and score, and it allows for quick assessment of a large number of items.”

Post-test

The 50 word items which were selected from the keys words listed at the end

of the ten short stories and the most high-frequency words which the researcher scanned from the materials In the pre-test, participants were asked

to mark a check before they took part in the ER program The post-test was given after the students had finished all the readings to evaluate the students‟ vocabulary learning through the program The post-test had the same level with the pre-test

3.5.2 Vocabulary Knowledge Scale(The Post-test 2)

After participants did the post-test 1, the researcher asked participants to do the post –test 2 (second measure) two weeks later The post-test 2 was

composed according to the format of the Vocabulary Knowledge Scale.The Vocabulary Knowledge Scale (VKS) is a 5-point self-report scale developed byWesche & Paribakht (1996) that lets students show how well they items of words by using one of these following scales:

1 I don’t remember having seen this word before

2 I have seen this word before but I don’t know what it means

3 I have seen this word before and I think it means…………

4 I know this word; it means …

5 I can use this word in a sentence, e.g………

(Wesche & Paribakht, 1996)

3.6 Data presentation and data analysis

3.6.1 The pre-test and post-test

In this research, the researcher used the vocabulary test was adapted from Horst (2005) then the results were analyzed according to his Vocabulary Knowledge