An investigation into the effectiveness of using authentic materials in teaching ESP reading skills as upplementary materials for the second year students at vietnam university

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES DOÃN THỊ LAN ANH AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING A

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

DOÃN THỊ LAN ANH

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING AUTHENTIC MATERIALS IN TEACHING ESP READING SKILLS AS SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS FOR THE SECOND-YEAR STUDENTS

AT VIETNAM UNIVERSITY OF TRADITIONAL MEDICINE

(Khảo sát tính hiệu quả của việc sử dụng tài liệu gốc như là công cụ bổ trợ cho việc dạy kỹ năng đọc tiếng Anh chuyên ngành cho sinh viên năm

thứ hai tại Học viện Y-Dược học cổ truyền Việt Nam)

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111

HANOI - 2015

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

DOÃN THỊ LAN ANH

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING AUTHENTIC MATERIALS IN TEACHING ESP READING SKILLS AS SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS FOR THE SECOND-YEAR STUDENTS

AT VIETNAM UNIVERSITY OF TRADITIONAL MEDICINE

(Khảo sát tính hiệu quả của việc sử dụng tài liệu gốc như là công cụ bổ trợ cho việc dạy kỹ năng đọc tiếng Anh chuyên ngành cho sinh viên năm

thứ hai tại Học viện Y-Dược học cổ truyền Việt Nam)

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111

Supervisor: Assoc Prof Dr Nguyễn Văn Độ

HANOI - 2015

CANDIDATE’S STATEMENT -***** -

I hereby certify that the thesis entitled

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING AUTHENTIC MATERIALS IN TEACHING ESP READING SKILLS AS SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS FOR THE SECOND-YEAR STUDENTS AT VIETNAM

UNIVERSITY OF TRADITIONAL MEDICINE

Is the result of my own research for the Degree of Master of Arts at Vietnam National University, University of Languages and International Studies (ULIS) and that this thesis has not been submitted for any assessment in any other formal courses of study elsewhere

Hanoi, 2015

Doãn Thị Lan Anh

My sincere thanks go to all the lecturers of the Faculty of Post-Graduate Studies at the University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University for their interesting and useful lectures Without them, I could not have come up with the idea for my thesis

My special thanks are also extended to all my colleagues and the second-year students at Vietnam University of Traditional Medicine for their great contribution

to the data collection and their constructive recommendations for this study Without their outstanding cooperation, my thesis would not have been completed

Last but not least, my heartfelt thanks go to my parents, my husband, my son and especially my younger brother Without their love, understanding and encouragement, I could not have concentrated on my study and fulfilled my thesis

on schedule

ABSTRACT

Materials play an extremely important role in language teaching and learning (Robinson, 1991; Nunan, 1991) They are not only considered as a resource of useful and interesting information but a motivation for learners to study and acquire their language as well (Dudley-Evans & John, 1998; Nonaka, 2001) Therefore, developing suitable materials for learners is a necessary in English language teaching

This study is conducted with an attempt to investigate the effectiveness of using authentic materials as supplementary materials realized in an extensive reading program on the students’ reading proficiency and the attitude of students after exposure to program so as to meet the needs of the students at Vietnam University

of Traditional Medicine for a way to access real-life language

In order to collect information on the students’ reading ability, motivation and attitude towards the treatment given through the experiment, a pre-test, a post-test and an attitude questionnaire are chosen as the main instruments The study drew the participation of 58 non-English major students The findings suggest positive effects

of using authentic materials as supplementary materials and provide conclusive evidence of reading fluency improvement together with a positive attitude towards program

The findings are a good reflection of the research issue and draw some implications for the ESP teaching and learning, which necessitates the supplementation of authentic materials for extensive reading as a remedial approach to the teaching and learning reading comprehension not only in the context of Vietnam University of Traditional Medicine but to other similar contexts as well

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CANDIDATE’S STATEMENT……… i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……… ii

ABSTRACT……….… iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS……… iv

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS………vii

LIST OF TABLES………viii

PART A INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Introduction 1

1.2 Rationales 2

1.3 Aim and objectives of the study 3

1.4 The scope of study……… 4

1.5 Research hypotheses 4

1.6 Methods of the study 4

1.6.1 Research instruments 5

1.6.2 Data Analysis 5

1.7 Significance of the study 5

1.8 Design of the study 6

PART B DEVELOPMENT 7

CHAPTER I REVIEW OF LITERATURE 7

1.1 An overview of ESP 7

1.1.1 Definition of ESP 7

1.1.2 Characteristics of ESP 8

1.1.3 Features of ESP courses 8

1.2 English for medical purposes (EMP) and its characteristics 9

1.2.1 Definition of EMP 9

1.2.2 Characteristics of EMP 9

1.2.2.1 Characteristics of medical terminology 9

1.2.2.2 Grammatical features of English for medical purposes 10

1.2.2.3 Syntax 11

1.3 Textbook evaluation 13

1.4 Authentic materials for ESP course book 14

1.4.1 The role of reading materials 14

1.4.2 Definitions of authentic materials 14

1.4.3 Advantages of authentic materials 15

1.4.4 Possible problems in using authentic materials……… 17

1.4.5 The criteria for selecting authentic materials 18

CHAPTER II METHODOLOGY 20

2.1 Fast facts about teaching and learning reading ESP at VUTM 20

2.1.1 The course objectives 20

2.1.2 Textbook description 20

2.1.3 Students’ background and the current situation of learning and teaching ESP .20

2.2 Research method 21

2.2.1 Rationale for using quasi-experimental method 21

2.2.2 Research methods 22

2.2.3 Variables 23

2.2.4 Participants 24

2.2.5 Reading materials 25

2.2.5.1 Non-authentic materials 25

2.2.5.2 Authentic materials 25

2.2.5.3 Applying authentic materials in extensive reading program 25

2.2.5.4 Post-reading activities 26

2.2.5.5 Students and teacher’s role 27

2.2.6 Description of data collection instruments 28

2.2.6.1 Pre-test and post-test 28

2.2.6.2 The attitude questionnaire 29

CHAPTER III FINDINGS 30

3.1 Comparison of experimental and control groups’ reading proficiency after the program 30

3.1.1 Comparison of reading proficiency in the pre-test and post-test within groups 30

3.1.2 Comparison of reading proficiency between groups 31

3.2 Subjects’ opinions of the program 31

3.2.1 Subjects’ attitudes toward the program 32

3.2.2 Subjects’ preference of the post-reading activities 33

3.2.3 Subjects’ suggestions for future program 34

CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 35

4.1 Discussion of research questions 35

4.1.1 Comparison of experimental and control groups’ reading proficiency after the program 35

4.1.2 Students’ opinions of the extensive reading with authentic materials 36

4.2 Implications 37

4.2.1 Research implications 37

4.2.2 Pedagogical implications 37

4.3 Limitations of the study 40

4.4 Recommendations for further research 40

PART C CONCLUSIONS 42

REFERENCES 43 APPENDICES I APPENDIX 1 ……… I APPENDIX 2………III APPENDIX 3……….X APPENDIX 4………XI

: English for Specific Purposes : English for Medical Purposes : Extensive Reading Program : Number of cases

: Percentage

LIST OF TABLES

TABLES

Table 1 Descriptive statistics for the pre-test and post-test scores of the

experimental and control group 29 Table 2 Mean gains of the experimental and control group 30 Table 3 Experimental subjects’ attitudes toward the program 31 Table 4 Experimental subjects’ preference of the post-reading

activities 33

PART A INTRODUCTION 1.1 Introduction

One of the most challenging tasks constantly facing language teachers is how to capture the interest and to stimulate the imagination of their students so that they will be more motivated to learn To this end, the ongoing search for and the development of meaningful teaching materials, which often can be used to supplement the textbook for a course, is a critical planning activity to be done by teachers

On materials, textbook can be seen the visible heart of English Language Teaching (ELT) There are many advantages of using textbook suggested by the researchers For example, textbooks help to standardize instruction and assessment That is, by giving students in different classes the same textbook, teachers can teach and test them in the same way (Richards, 2005) Textbooks also provide syllabus for a program, thus supporting novice teachers, training them in methodology and saving their time and effort for more worthwhile pursuits than material production (Cunningsworth, 1995) What is more, since textbooks are always carefully tested before being brought into the market, so they give students credibility Students also expect to use a textbook in their learning program (Sheldon, 1998)

However, there have also been certain reservations about the uses of textbooks For example, textbooks are often implicitly prescriptive and thus might control the methods, process and procedures of classroom practice and “deskill” teachers (Allwright, 1982); textbooks are often written for global markets, thus may not suit all classrooms and might require adaptation to better meet students’ true needs (Rechards, 2005); non-authenticity is also the limited of almost textbook (Cunningsworths, 1995) Since textbooks were found insufficient in presenting the language in many ways, a new concept, “authentic materials” has been established According to Richards (2001), “Textbooks should be regarded as one

of the many resources teachers can draw upon in creating effective lessons, but teachers need training and experience in adapting and modifying textbooks as well as in using authentic materials and in creating their own teaching materials” Widdowson (1990:67)

wrote: “It has been traditionally supposed that the language presented to learners should be

simplified in some ways for easy access and acquisition Nowadays, there are many recommendations that the language presented should be authentic” In addition, Nunan (1998) argues that the outside world should be reflected through materials and this authenticity ought to be related to the source of the materials, students’ activities and tasks

In other words, these materials should include the language and its socio-cultural context in which the language is used together

In developing materials for English Specific Purposes (ESP), it is advisable from many experts to use authentic materials because they can provide students with up-to-date knowledge, expose them to the world of authentic target language, can bring the real world into the classroom and significantly enliven the class (Martinez, 2002; Kaprova, 1999; Leloup& Ponterio, 2000; Dumitrescu, 2000) By this way, authentic materials can motivate students and give them more stimulation in learning a language

1.2 Rationale

Since 1988, English has experienced its popularity in teaching and learning in Vietnam Learners of English differ in their ages, purposes as well as their level of proficiency However, all of them have the same desire of mastering English so that they can use it effectively in their current and future situations Teachers are required to teach English to students from various fields such as architecture, engineering, medicine, science, business, tourism, etc This is why the demand for learning English for Specific Purposes (ESP) has been spread nationwide

ESP is taught in almost universities due to the social needs Most of English departments offer courses in ESP as well as General English (GE) during the academic years Vietnam University of Traditional Medicine (VUTM) is a typical example of the training institutions that combines ESP within its current English teaching situation in response to the demand for specific language learning target

Being ambitious to provide society with high qualified doctors who are active, creative, flexible and adaptable to the rapid change of advanced health care system in the world, since the academic year 2005, English for medical purposes (EMP) has been paid attention and has been included as compulsory subject in the curriculum of training students for different discipline areas at VUTM such as: traditional medical doctor degree (6-year-course and 4-year-course), nursing college, traditional medical technicians Being aware of English serving as a bridge to connect Vietnam’s medicine to world’s advanced medicines, much attempt has been made to improve the teaching and learning English in medicine The principle purpose of this course is to help students cope with materials on Medicine in English, thus they can read medical books, journals and other related reference materials for current study as well as for further study for their work after graduation

However, up to now, teaching and learning ESP, especially teaching and learning ESP reading has been under our expectation It is believed the most difficult course by both the

teaching staff and the students After some years, the materials, which has been used revealed failure to meet the students’ needs and not very motivating them The materials so

do not appear helpful enough to assist students to improve their English for medicine Our students’ biggest obstacle in attending the ESP course that they often find it difficult to memorize and use the language due to the shortage of grammar structure and system of contents Thus, students are not usually engaged in the reading activities, or they do not concentrate on or involve in the reading tasks because materials are out of date

In addition, our observations and our experience of teaching English at VUTM suggested

us to think that English teaching at the institution tend to focus exclusively on intensive reading, concentrate on the teaching of grammar and giving a translation of the passage into Vietnamese word by word The pedagogical result of this approach is that students read slowly without a communicative purpose and they have had a passive way of learning that students only perform what their teachers ask them to do This results in students finding English very difficult especially when they have to deal with ESP

In an effort to look for a solution that can effectively help the process of teaching ESP reading skills, the writer has realized that many authors have asserted that authentic materials have positive effects on learners’ motivation and their language acquisition in foreign language classroom However, research to date of this topic is inadequate and the author suggest that testing these positive effects of authentic materials on medicine on students’ learning process and their motivation, will result in a better guidance for the selection and exploitation of reading materials used in ESP program

1.3 Aims and objectives of the study

This study is firstly aimed at supplementing the findings of the earlier study by providing empirical evidence for the effectiveness of authentic materials on the students’ reading proficiency and their involvement levels in class activities Secondly, it is an attempt to meet the need of the students at VUTM for a way to access real-life language Lastly, it is expected that the results of the study would serve as a useful source of reference for teachers who are teaching ESP or/ and interested in material development for ESP

Specifically, the main objectives in carrying out this study are as follows:

1 Introduces authentic materials as a tool to supplement the course-book to the second-year students at VUTM

2 Examines the effectiveness of the authentic materials on the students’ language acquisition

3 Finds out how students respond to the use of authentic materials and to lay grounds for the further research

1.4 The scope of study

Considering the problems that have been formulated above, as this is only a small-sized scale study, the scope of the study is to find out whether or not authentic material is effective to improve student’s reading proficiency for the second-year students who are trained to be traditional medical doctors at VUTM Also, a number of issues would be best deal with in a further study, for example, using authentic materials for other objects such as specialists, pharmacists, nurses or designing supplementary materials on ESP program, and

so on

1.5 Research hypotheses

According to Hatch and Farhady (1982:85-86), the most common hypothesis used in experimental study is null hypothesis, stating that there is no difference between the sample and the population after receiving the special treatment Since this study is aimed at investigating the effectiveness of using authentic materials in teaching ESP reading skills, it was designed to test the following hypothesis:

H1: There is a significant correlation between teachers’ use of authentic materials as supplementary materials and students’ reading performance as measured by their achievement test scores at the end of the experiment

The acceptance of this hypothesis would result in the rejection to the following null hypothesis or vice versa:

H0: There is no correlation between teachers’ use of authentic materials as supplementary materials and students’ reading performance as measured by their achievement test scores

at the end of the experiment

In order to test the hypothesis that is stated above, a quasi-experimental design was adopted This research design allows the researcher to either accept or reject the null hypothesis (H0)

In addition, a student questionnaire was developed and administered to the students in an attempt to find out their attitudes towards use of authentic materials as supplementary materials for reading comprehension It would also provide invaluable information about students’ evaluation of the use of authentic materials as supplement source on their ESP program

1.6 Methods of the study

As stated earlier, this study is aimed at examining the effectiveness of the authentic materials on the students’ language acquisition; therefore, the best method to be used in this

study is experimental research Experimental designs are proved to be especially useful in addressing evaluation questions about the effectiveness and impact of programs, as Shalkind has pointed out that in an experimental research “One factor is related to another

in such a way that changes in that factor are usually causally related to changes in the other

So, it is not just a relationship where two variables share something in common (as in the case with a correlation relationship); it is much more They share something, but one directly affects the other” (Shalkind, 2006:127)

The three designs within the scope of experimental method are true-experimental, experimental and pre-experimental designs They are different from each other in terms of the degree to which they impose control over the variables being studied and the degree of randomness that enters into the design (Shalkind, 2006:218) Considering the present

quasi-teaching and learning conditions at VUTM such as the grouping of students in advance, the quasi-experimental method has proved to be the best choice to yield the empirical result for

this study

1.6.1 Research instruments

In this study, reading test serves as the research instrument It is used to reveal the effectiveness of authentic materials in teaching reading In addition, questionnaire which also serves as the research instruments is used to support the data in finding out the students’ response to the use of authentic materials in learning reading skills According to Seliger and Shohamy (1995), questionnaire is an attractive means of collecting data on phenomena, which are not easily observed, such as motivation, attitude, etc They also point out that the questionnaire is self-administered and can be given to large groups of subjects at exactly the same time; hence the data are more uniform, standard and accurate 1.6.2 Data Analysis

The data of this research is analysed through quantitative and qualitative analysis Thus, the procedures of analysing the data are as follows:

1 Analysing test of normality distribution and homogeneity variance taken from student’s pre-test and post-test score in both groups

2 Analysing student’s pre-test and post-test score in both groups using t-test in order

to find out whether or not the mean in pre-test and post-test of both groups have significant difference

3 Determining the student’s point of view (response) using percentage

4 Interpreting the findings in order to give the explanation about the result of the study

1.7 Significance of the study

It has long been believed that material development plays an essential role in English teaching, therefore, it is hoped that the authentic materials to be used will help to facilitate and motivate students better in ESP classes and the results of this study might give the suggestions of using authentic materials as supplementary materials to the teachers so they can design and develop their new program and curricula in teaching ESP reading skills in order that they will be able to provide the best achievement in students’ acquisition of the language and also highest motivation of their students in ESP reading classes

1.8 Design of the study

The study is organized into three parts as follows:

Part A provides an overview of the study in which the introduction, the rationales for the

study, the aims and objectives, the research hypothesis and questions, the scope, the significance, the research method as well as the design of the study are briefly presented

Part B is organized in 4 chapters as follow:

Chapter One reviews the literature relevant and closely related to the study including the

features of ESP in general and medical English in particular, the textbook evaluation, textbook use and adaptation, authentic materials and the effect of using authentic materials

on ESP teaching and learning

Chapter Two is a detailed discussion of the method used in the study with all of its

components encompassing the justification for using the quasi-experimental design, the variables, the participants, the design of pre-test and post-test, a detailed description of exploited authentic materials and the designing of authentic task-based materials

Chapter Three which presents significant findings of the study

Chapter Four, which presents a discussion of the major findings from which some

pedagogical implications were derived from This chapter also points out some limitations

of the study that serve as the basis for the researcher’s recommendations for further study

Part C presents the review of the study

PART B DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I REVIEW OF LITERATURE 1.1 An overview of ESP

1.1.1 Definition of ESP

ESP which stands for “English for Specific Purposes” has developed rapidly to become a separate activity in ELT It originated from a famous saying “Tell me what you need English for and I will tell you the English that you need”

ESP has been defined by a multitude of writers and researchers The frequently cited definition of Hutchinson and Waters (1987:21) stipulates that ESP represents a type of language teaching in which all decisions as to content and method are based on the

learner’s motivation for education, “ESP is an approach to language teaching which aims

to meet the needs of particular learner” They see ESP as an approach rather than a product; they propose that teaching ESP does not mean teaching a ‘special variety’ of

English which is separated from the common language use There are not such things as matters of science words and grammar for scientist or a different kind from any other form

of language teaching, but it is an approach to language learning, which is based on the learners’ needs

Robinson (1991) also accepts the primacy of needs analysis in defining ESP Her definition

is based on two criteria and a number of characteristics that are generally found to be true

of ESP Her first criterion is that “ESP is normally goal directed” (Robinson, 1991:2) She

claims that a lot of students study English not because they are interested in English language or English - language culture, but because they need English for their job or study

proposes The second criterion is that “an ESP course is based on a needs analysis, which aims to specify as closely as possible what exactly it is that students have to do through the medium of English” (Robinson, 1991:3) She also gives a number of characteristics

explaining that ESP courses are generally constrained by a limited time period, in which their objectives have to be achieved; and are taught to adult in homogenous classes with the learning content related to the students’ work or specialist studies

Dudley-Evans and Jo St John (1998) believe that “a definition of ESP should reflect the fact that much ESP teaching, especially where it is specifically linked to a particular profession

or discipline, makes use of a methodology that differs from that used in General Purpose English teaching” In ESP class, the teachers are more of language consultants, enjoying

equal status with the learners who have their own expertise in the subject matter, and the

interaction between the teacher and learners may be very different from that in a general English class

1 Absolute characteristics: a) ESP is designed to meet specific needs of the learners;

b) ESP makes use of the underlying methodology and activities of the disciplines it serves; and c) ESP is centered on the language (grammar, lexis, and register), skills, discourse and genres appropriate to these activities

2 Variable characteristics: a) ESP may be related to or designed for specific

disciplines; b) ESP may use, in specific teaching situations, a different methodology from that of general English; c) ESP is likely to be designed for adult learners, either at tertiary level institution or in a professional work situation; it could, however, be used for learners

at secondary school levels; d) ESP is generally designed for intermediate or advanced learners, and e) Most ESP courses assume basic knowledge of the language system, but it

can be used with beginners

The division of ESP into absolute and variable characteristics is very helpful in defining

what ESP is or not We can see that ESP is a language skill course which is different from other general language courses because its domains not only relate to distinctive content, but also to discipline-specific lexis, genres and registers (Munby, 1978) Therefore, in terms

of ESP teaching methodology, there could be some differences in comparison with that in the General English classes

1.1.3 Features of ESP courses

Considering the characteristics of ESP courses, Carver (1983) states that there are three common features to ESP courses:

Authentic materials: The use of authentic learning materials is possible if we accept the

claim that ESP courses should be offered at an intermediate or advanced level The use of such materials, modified by teachers or unmodified, is common in ESP, especially in self-directed studies or research tasks The students are usually encouraged to conduct research using a variety of different resources including the Internet;

Purpose-related orientation: refers to the simulation of communicative tasks required by

the target situation The teachers can give students different tasks to simulate the

conference preparation, involving the preparation of papers, reading, note-taking and writing

Self-direction: means that ESP is concerned with turning learners into users For

self-direction, it is necessary that teachers encourage students to have a certain degree of autonomy-freedom to decide when, what, and how they will study For high-ability learners

it is essential to learn how to access information in a new culture

Since ESP courses are of various types, depending on specific scientific field or profession, and have specific features, the teachers who teach such courses need to play different roles and acquire certain knowledge

1.2 English for medical purposes (EMP) and its characteristics

medical learners (e.g nurses, GP, dentists, etc.); (b) focuses on themes and topic specific to

the medical field; (c) focuses on a restricted range of skills which may be required by the

medical learners (e.g for writing a medical paper, medical history, preparing a talk for a medical meeting, etc.)

EMP can be considered as a specific sub-branch of ESP What distinguishes EMP from other ESP sub-branches is that EMP has its own set of medical discourse Medical discourse is a particular terminology employed to effectively and accurately achieve a communicative purpose in health care settings such as diagnosis (Gylys and Wedding, 1983)

1.2.2 Characteristics of EMP

1.2.2.1 Characteristics of medical terminology

1 English medical terms derive from Greece and Latin, especially derivatives and compound words Quite a few elements forming word originated from Greece such as:

Prefixes: anti, auto, hyper, neo, hypo, meta, para etc

Suffixes: -algia (pain), -pathy (disease), -oid (resemble), etc

2 Medical terms are compound nouns of Latin origins:

Noun + noun: ilio-costal, laterro - abdominal

Adj + noun: mal; mal – practice

3 Medical terms are French origins: E.g poison, physician, malady, plaque

4 Besides, we can find some other English medical terms that originate from Italian,

Spanish, German etc E.g influenza, epidemic, malaria, scarlet, mosquito, Fahrenheit, protein, etc.

5 Medical terms are derivatives that consist of one, two, three, four or even five affixes

E.g Endocardium: three affixes included: endo, cardi, um

Pneumohemopericardium: five affixes included: pneumo, hemo, peri, cardi, um

6 Medical terms are compound nouns: E.g sore-throat, cross-eye, outpatient

7 Medical terms are syntactic groups of noun without prepositions:

Noun + noun: lungs congestion, health condition, blood transfusion

Adj + noun: spinal cord, hepatic abscess

Ordinal number + noun: first labour, first aid

P1 + noun: whooping cough, dryheating sterilization

Adv + P2 + Noun: badly fed children, sexually transmitted diseases

8 Medical terms are syntactic groups of noun with prepositions:

E.g Resistance against medicine, Confinement to bed, Vaccination against the smallpox

9 Medical terms in abbreviation: SARS, AIDS, DOA (dead on arrival), MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging), TENS (Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation), NSAIDs (Non- steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)

1.2.2.2 Grammatical features of English for medical purposes

Grammatical items which are dominantly employed in medical English:

According to the time axis, tenses in English include past tense, present tense and future tense Tenses show the time of the actions In the other words, tenses indicate that the actions happen with time

ESP in medicine, present simple, present perfect and progressive are commonly used to describe diseases, medical history and medical procedures To describe diseases such as,

present simple is used like this “cholera is a serious bacterial disease spread through food and water which has been infected by Vibrio cholerae” (Collin, 2004:71) To ask for medical history of a woman who is in the Family planning clinic, a sentence “How long has the coil been fitted?” is used And to describe medical procedures doctors often say to patients these sentences “I’ll have to check their labels first However, you need to drink

some kinds of vitamins You should take an additional calcium supplement You need about 1,000 milligrams of calcium each day to keep your bones and teeth strong”

Mood is a set of contrasts which are often shown by the form of the verb and which express the speaker’s or writer’s attitude to what is said or written Three moods have often been

distinguished: indicative, imperative, subjunctive moods

Indicative mood is the form of the verb used in declarative sentences or questions In

medical English, declarative sentences or questions are commonly used in conversations between doctors and patients as the following example

Doctor: How are you felling today?

Patient: I don’t feel well

Doctor: What’s wrong? Can you tell me how you feel?

Patient: Well, I have a terrible headache

Doctor: Hmm… anything else? Does your throat hurt?

Imperative mood is the form of the verb in imperative sentences which are mainly used in

giving medical orders or instructions such as a doctor asks a nurse to take her patient to the lab to do some tests or she/ he instructs her/his patient when performing a physical

examination For instance, imperative sentences “Take a couple deep breaths” to a patient

or “Take her /his temperature, please!” to a nurse

Subjunctive mood is the form of the verb often used to express uncertainty, wishes, desires,

etc In contrast to the indicative mood, the subjunctive usually refers to non- factual or hypothetical situations In English, little use of the subjunctive forms remains Therefore, in medical English subjunctive sentences are hardly used due to its nature

According to Richards and Platts (1992:402), voice is the way in which a language expresses the relationship between a verb and the noun phrases which are associated with it Two sentences can differ in voice and yet have the same basic meaning; active voice and passive voice However, there may be a change in emphasis and one type of sentence may

be more appropriate Passive voice appears the most predominant grammatical item found

in medical English It can be seen in treatment; patient-care procedures, prevention, disease description or diagnosis

1.2.2.3 Syntax

Syntactically, English includes basic noun phrase and complex noun phrase, simple sentences and complex sentences, super-ordinate clause and sub-ordinate clause and main clause which consists of clause of time, clause of condition and clause of cause and effect

and so forth Basic noun phrase and complex noun phrase are discussed in the following part

Simple sentence which covers all seven structures is employed in EMP, for examples:

1 S V O : Acupuncture stimulates your body

: Diabetes affects more than 20 million Americans

2 S V C : Shock is a life-threatening condition

: Tuberculosis is preventable and curable

3 S V A : Cancer can appear anywhere in the body

: The patient is wheeled into the operating room

4 S V O O : I’ll give you some herbal medicine

5 S V O C

(positions)

: I’m going to take a small sample of blood from your middle finger

6 S V O A : Nuclear medicine technicians introduce radioactive materials into the patient’s

bloodstream for diagnosis or treatment of disease or injury

7 S V : He is recovering

Furthermore, kinds of complex sentence are commonly used in EMP According to Cob

Build (1990), conditional clauses are used to talk about a possible situation and its

consequences Sentences containing conditional clauses are called conditional sentences

and usually begin with if or unless These clauses are often used to give instructions or

warning in medical English For examples:

- If you feel queasy, nauseous or faint, please let me know

- If you have a parent or sibling with Type I diabetes, your chance of developing the disease increases

Reason clauses are used to indicate the reason for something These main conjunctions used in reason clause are: as, because, in case, just in case or since…….are often used to give explanations on causes of diseases such as: “Lack of insulin results in diabetes because insulin plays an important role in making glucose -the body’s fuel available to cells.”

Time clauses are used to say when something happens by referring to a period of time or to another event Such adverbs of time as when, while, after, before, until… are often used to

describe symptoms or nursing, treating procedures or development of diseases For examples:

- One or two days after the fever begins, painful sores develop in the mouth (Pagina, 2000)

- When fluid ceases to flow, remove both the needle and the syringe together (Dougherty and Lister, 2006)

- You may need to lower your insulin dose before an unusual physical activity (Epstein and Perkin, 2003)

1.3 Textbook evaluation

In spite of the fact that textbook is regarded as “the visible heart of any ELT programme” (Sheldon, 1988:237) and that “The textbook is an almost universal element of ELT teaching” (Hutchinson, 1994:315), controversy over the roles of EFL textbook in teaching

and learning a foreign language still apparently exists Sheldon (1988:239) reveals both

theoretical and practical problems with textbooks, the main idea being “ textbooks merely grow from and imitate other textbooks and do not admit the winds of change from research, methodological experimentation, or classroom feedback” Hutchinson and Torres (1994),

on the other hand, argue that the textbook has a vital and positive role to play in the

teaching and learning process, especially during periods of change “Textbooks, we shall argue, survive and prosper primarily because they are the most convenient means of providing the structure that the teaching-learning system-particularly the system of change- requires” The situation has shown us that problems do exist with our teaching materials,

yet the necessity of the textbook can not be neglected The situation also implies that as teachers it is important for us to evaluate, select and adapt teaching materials to meet our teaching and students’ learning needs in order to minimize the negative effects and maximize the positive ones

Textbook evaluation, according to Cunningsworth (1995), would involve the careful

selection of materials examining whether they reflect the needs of the learners, the aims, methods and values of a specific teaching program Textbook evaluation helps the teachers move beyond impressionistic assessments and it further facilitates them to acquire useful, accurate, systematic and contextual insights into the overall nature of textbook materials (Cunningsworth, 1995; Ellis, 1997) Hutchinson (1987) also suggests an interactive view of materials evaluation He emphasises the deeper level of materials evaluation by asking the

question why materials are the way they are He claims that “ materials evaluation plays such an important role in language teaching that its potential for influencing the way teachers operate is considerable Materials evaluation can and should be a two-way process which enables teachers not just to select a textbook, but also to develop their awareness of their own teaching/learning situation”

Evaluation of textbooks is also considered to function as a kind of educational judgement

Hutchinson and Waters (1987:96) gives this definition“Evaluation is a matter of judging the fitness of something for a particular purpose” Cunningsworth (1984:64) puts forward the idea “ that the process of evaluation could not be a purely mechanical one and that professional judgement was involved at every stage” He goes on to say, “professional

judgement, founded on understanding of the rationale of language teaching and learning and backed up by practical experience, lies at the base of evaluation procedure”

To conclude, the evaluation of a textbook has brought about an overview of benefits and reservations textbook use that helps teachers identify the strength and weakness of a particular textbook that is already in use This is to inform teachers in the process of textbook adaptation and decision-making for the next course (Ellis, 1997)

1.4 Authentic materials for ESP course book

1.4.1 The role of reading materials

To all Vietnamese students in classes for non-language majors in general and to traditional medical students at Vietnam University of Traditional Medicine (VUTM) in particular, reading is a task that they do every day It is an integral part of their work to pass the exam

or to improve their knowledge

Alderson (2000) defines reading as “ an enjoyable, intensive, private activity, from which much pleasure can be derived, and in which one can become totally absorbed” Reading

means different things to different people, for some it is recognizing written words, while for other it is an opportunity to teach pronunciation and practice speaking However, reading always has a purpose, and reading for learning is considered to be the type of reading done in the classroom and is goal oriented Referring to materials, Alderson

(2000:28) defines reading materials as “anything which is used to help to teach language learners” Brown (1985:139) defines materials as “any systematic description of the techniques and exercises to be used in classroom teaching”

Materials not only play an active part in a curriculum, but also are one of decisive elements

in enhancing students’ motivation According to Dudley-Evans & St John (1998:171), there are some reasons why materials are used, which are really significant in the ESP context: a)

as a sort of language; b) as a learning support; c) for motivation and stimulation; d) for

references And “Materials then play a crucial role in exposing learners to the language, which implies that the materials need to present real language, as it is used, and the full range that learners requires”

1.4.2 Definitions of authentic materials

The term “authentic materials” has been defined in a number of ways Nunan 102) provides the conventional definition of authentic texts like this: “Authentic materials are usually defined as those which have been produced for purposes other than to teach language”, in contrast to non-authentic texts that are especially designed for language purposes Also, authentic materials are materials created for native speaker of the language

(1988:99-and use in a class in its original form (1988:99-and design In other words, they are not changed in any way

Sharing the same points of view, Wallace (1992:145) defines authentic materials as

“…real-life texts, not written for pedagogic purposes”; they are therefore designed for native speakers while not for language students and they contain “real” language

Otherwise, according to Peacock (1997), authentic materials are materials that have been produced to fulfil some social purposes in language communities It means that they are aimed for learning proposes Richards (2001) holds that authentic materials refer to the use

in teaching of text, photographs, videos selection, and other teaching recourse that were not specially prepared for educational purposes

There are many different viewpoints which view authentic materials from different angles but all the authors share things in common in their definitions: Authentic materials refer to

“exposure to real language and its use in its own community”, “appropriateness” and

“quality” in terms of goals, objectives, learner needs, interest and "naturalness" in terms of

realized and meaningful communication

Obviously, authentic materials are not produced for pedagogic purposes but they can be and should be introduced into language classrooms generally to help bridge the gap between

classroom knowledge and “a student’s capacities to participate in real world events”

(Wilkins 1976:79)

1.4.3 Advantages of authentic materials

By using authentic materials in the classroom, even when it is not in an authentic situation,

it still provides the learners with many significant advantages (Martinez, 2000) The following are the benefits students could gain from authentic materials:

First, one important aspect of authentic materials is their significant impact on learners’ motivation They engage learners’ attention in the language being taught They have a high

interest value because of their relevance to the real world keeping learners informed about what is happening in the world they live Therefore, they have an intrinsic educational

value (Martinez, 2002) Sharing the same view, Nuttall (1996:172) also states, “Authentic texts can be motivating because they are proof that the language is used for real-life purposes by real people” As Beraro (2006) mentions authentic materials can be used to promote motivation and give learners a “sense of achievement” and encourage them for

further reading When learners get out of the “safe” situation of the classroom they need to face the real world and need to have learned skills which can help them in coping with real situations outside of the class, so the teacher has to prepare the learners for the actual use of

the language which can be accomplished by using authentic materials Besides, a variety of text types and language styles of authentic materials also affect learners’ motivation positively It is very difficult to find this variety in conventional teaching materials, particularly in textbooks, which include only the proper and fluent language (Martinez, 2002) It also means that it is easier to find something in authentic materials that will interest learners and may encourage them to read and enjoy reading since they are likely to contain topics of interest to learners, especially if learners are given the chance to have a say about the topics used in the class As a result, learners will keep high motivation and interest in language learning through these meaningful interactions with the materials

Nunan (1999:212) also supports: “The use of authentic sources leads to greater interest and variety in the material that learners deal with in the classroom This authentic material helps bring the contact to life, and ultimately makes learning and using language more meaningful, and, ultimately, easy for students”

Second, authentic materials provide authentic cultural information According to Spelleri

(2002), authentic materials have at least three layers of learning embedded within them:

language (the structure and vocabulary), cultural insights (cultural norms and values of the community in which this language is used) and practical application (using the item in the

way it was intended) These layers motivate learners intrinsically because they have the chance to enjoy both learning the language and the culture where this language is spoken and putting what they have learned into practice as used in real world In that way, they can

understand the value of learning a language Also, Shanahan (1997:168) states: “Cultural content [richly found in authentic materials] provides exposures to living language that a foreign language student lacks So, culture is not something consisting of facts to be learnt, but a helpful tool to make learners feel the need to speak and use the target language” Third, authentic materials provide exposure to real life Martinez (2000) points out that

using authentic materials is an ideal way to contextualize language learning When used in class, authentic materials provide learners with the chance to read, rehearse, practice and use the language via the materials that they can see, examine, touch and listen to Learners can enjoy watching their favourite programs in English, following the lyrics of their favourite songs, viewing the photographs of famous places in the world, participating in a quiz show, etc without going to the country where the language they learn is spoken

Spelleri (2002:3) states that authentic materials can help “bridge the gap from the classroom lessons to real life by making immediate use of classroom lessons in their lives”

Exposing learners to authentic language can help them develop their predication skills and

improve their strategies for dealing with uncertainty in understanding or using target language

Last but not least, authentic materials are available everywhere A vast amount of materials

can be accessed on the Internet, selected from newspapers, magazines, books or documentaries Teachers can take these materials to the class, integrate the technology into the class, or even cooperate with learners to access them on the Internet right in the classroom When putting different types of authentic materials into lessons, teachers can enliven his or her class with the materials rich in content and create a more positive attitude toward learning

Because of these benefits, authentic materials result in an overall increase in motivation and

a more positive attitude towards learning

1.4.4 Possible problems in using authentic materials

Although authentic materials have plenty of advantages as discussed earlier, there have been several problems that teachers should take into consideration while using authentic materials

The first problem is the complexity of the language Authentic materials may be too

linguistically difficult for learners to understand outside the language community, thereby making them inaccessible to learners, especially to beginners or elementary learners (Matinez 2002; Peacock, 1997) Authentic materials created purposefully for native speakers may contain unnecessary or/and inappropriate structures and vocabulary items for teaching and learning a language, which may impose a burden on learners, especially those

in lower-level classes when decoding the texts As a result, learners might become less motivated, or even develop negative attitudes towards these kinds of materials (Richards 2001: 253; Matinez 2002; Peacock, 1997)

The second problem may be caused by the too culturally biased content of the authentic materials (Matinez, 2002) Often being prepared for native speakers in a specific language

community, some authentic materials can only be understood with readers’ good knowledge of cultural background This may discourage both teachers and learners from using authentic materials in language teaching and learning

The third problem is that obtaining and adapting authentic materials can be consuming because they require careful selection and special preparation to suit every teaching situations and objectives Teachers may need to spend hours and hours selecting

time-and preparing these materials until they finally have what they need time-and figure out how to use them effectively in the classroom What’s more, since these materials can become

outdated easily, such as stories, news in newspapers or magazines, so updating new materials to fit learners’ needs and interest is considered to be so time-consuming (Matinez

2002; Peacock, 1997)

Another possible shortcoming of using authentic materials may come out when students

learn a language for the sole purpose of getting success in an examination that focuses

largely on the knowledge of a language such as grammatical structures or/and lexical items This problem obviously has a negative impact on developing learners’ language skills In fact, if learners are presented with authentic texts that may not give the rules, patterns, or structures they need in order to pass an exam, they may get frustrated and consider them as

an obstacle to their success It even becomes worse if the wrong type of text is chosen with linguistic demands irrelevant to learners’ needs and interest (Murdoch, 1999)

Regardless of the limitations above of using authentic materials, if our teachers are enthusiastic and take advantage of the benefits and use them properly and in sufficient quantities, we may motivate our learners (Gardner & Miller, 1999)

1.4.5 The criteria for selecting authentic materials

The situation we actually have is that practitioners are faced with rich resources of materials that need to be selected, adapted and possibly graded to match the learners’ level, needs, age, culture and even their learning styles Therefore, for the materials to be effective, to fit the teaching situation and meet learners’ needs and interests, some criteria have to be taken into account Nuttall (1996) gives three main criteria when selecting

authentic materials to be used in the classroom: suitability of content, exploitability and readability

Firstly, authentic reading materials are selected on the basis of suitability of content, which

means that authentic reading texts should be suitable to learners' age, background knowledge, interest and need Authentic materials should interest the readers by providing new, interesting information through natural and learnable language that suits the course objectives Furthermore, it should be the type of material that students will use outside of the class for enhancing students' reading skills They should fit the proficiency level of students; the input should be challenging enough to sustain their motivation Kennedy and Bolitho (1984) strongly suggest the use of authentic materials appropriate to the conceptual level of learners Authentic reading materials should be used in accordance with ability of students, with suitable tasks so they feel more confident when handing authentic materials They should be applicable to the students' knowledge of their foreign culture or to their functional needs

Secondly, authentic reading materials should match up with the criterion of readability

This refers to the combination of structure and lexical difficulty It is important to know at which level the students' language proficiency is in order to find out about what vocabulary and structures the students are familiar with and choose authentic reading materials at the right level balancing different levels of proficiency How to choose materials appropriate to

students is suggested by Widdowson (1990:67) as follows: "It has been traditionally supposed that the language presented to learners should be simplified in some ways for easy access and acquisition." (p.67) Teachers can collect authentic materials from the most

common sources such as; internet, television, magazines, newspapers and literature but some of them are full of errors, typos, and spelling mistakes so teachers should check the quality of the materials while selecting and consider the organization of the text are clear and the content appropriate with the text or not More important, the impression authentic reading materials should make is: the students feel that they are interacting with quality

materials because there is “an essential interaction between language and thought”

Goodman (1988:12)

Thirdly, authentic materials should meet the criterion of exploitability These materials

should facilitate learning Authentic reading texts will be exploited if it can develop ESP reading skills with various kinds of activities that are designed not only for the purpose of entertainment but also for language practice Davies (1984:192) gives an interesting

explanation of what an authentic material really is: “It is not that a text is understood because it is authentic but that it is authentic because it is understood Everything the learner understands is authentic for him”

Above all, selecting authentic materials are supposed to make learners want to read or listen for themselves, tell themselves something they do not know as well as to introduce new and relevant ideas to them Therefore, being aware of different types of authentic materials, what these materials can offer and how to incorporate them into classrooms is very important to every language teacher When selected and used properly in the language environment, authentic materials may have many benefits for both teachers and learners

CHAPTER II METHODOLOGY 2.1 Fast facts about teaching and learning reading ESP at VUTM

2.1.1 The course objectives

English for Medical Purposes (ESP) is a common course for all medical students at VUTM after the course of General English The students of 6-year training course will take the course in their first term of the second year

Trained to become doctors, they have to communicate with patients to find out their physical situations and to explain the doctor’s request as well as the use of drugs; with colleagues about diseases treatment, and/or medical equipment installation They also have

to understand drug instructions and medical equipment instructions which are written in English Sometimes, they have to communicate with foreign patients or foreign colleagues who are interested in Vietnam Traditional Medicine Besides, they need to read medical documents written in English for improving their career-related knowledge Therefore, the objectives of the course are:

1 To help students improve their vocabulary and to enable them to use words appropriately in different context

2 To familiarize students with difficult medical terms

3 To help learners students improve their ability to communicate in English about common social situations and career-related situations

2.1.2 Textbook description

The textbook entitled “English for Medical Purposes (EMP)” which has been being used at

VUTM is selected and edited by the English Division of the university The course book is intended for pre-intermediate students taking course of English in Medicine It consists of

14 units and the usual format of each unit is coherence among 4 parts: Listening Activities, Speaking Activities, Reading Activities and Writing Activities The students of 6-year course learn the whole textbook and their course takes 4 months and the total number of periods is 90 The period allotted for each unit is 6 The rest are used for progress test during the course The students are required to read book, be able to participate in class regularly and involve in the lessons, to do mid-term test at week 8th and the final test at the end of the term

2.1.3 Students’ background and the current situation of learning and teaching ESP Students who passed the entrance exam to VUTM are quite good at science because they had to take Mathematics, Chemistry and Biology tests in order to get a seat at medical schools in general and at VUTM in particular However, their foreign language knowledge

is very different Most of them are from the countryside where foreign languages, especially English, are not paid much attention to and their learning conditions are poor Moreover, they learn English or another foreign language which is a compulsory subject at High School, just for passing the High School Graduation Examination When attending the University, their English proficiency is very low or even zero since at high schools in many provinces where French, Russian, Chinese, or even Japanese and German are taught instead

of English Thus, these students are required to take the course of GE (relatively equal to Elementary level) to gain basic knowledge of English grammar and vocabulary to help themselves well-prepared for the following course of ESP

Vietnam University of Traditional Medicine was established eight years ago on the base of Tuệ Tĩnh High School of Traditional Medicine It has some main kinds of training: high school for pharmacist assistants; college for registered nurses, university for 6-year and 4-year doctors training course, university for 5-year-pharmacists It was also agreed to offer post-graduate studies (Master and Doctor Degree) four years ago

At present, two kinds of foreign languages, English and Chinese, are taught at VUTM In reality, the number of students who have to learn English is much smaller than those who learn of Chinese It is undeniable that Chinese is much more helpful to students of Traditional Medicine Apart from college for registered nurses and university for 5-year-pharmacists who have to take English as their compulsory subject, students at 6-year-training course have the right to choose between English and Chinese

Students of Traditional medical doctors need English for their future job In order to work

as professional doctors in any hospitals, they have to learn English to achieve general medical knowledge whereas their knowledge of traditional medicine will be a great support for patient care However, it is a factual that the teachers of ESP at VUTM have to face with a great deal of difficulties in dealing with the ESP course such as their lack of knowledge about the field, lack of authentic materials and their students’ poor conditions of learning English In addition, difficulties for teaching and learning ESP, especially that of ESP reading skills due to the lack of vocabulary also arises from students’ low motivation

of learning English, the time constraints of the course and students’ low English proficiency

2.2 Research method

2.2.1 Rationale for using quasi-experimental method

With the attempt on investigation of the cause-and-effect relationship between supplementary authentic materials and the student’s reading proficiency, it can therefore, be

best assisted by an experimental research method According to Nunan (1990), experiments

are often carried out to explore the strength of the relationship between variables Also, Shalkind (2006) points out those causal relationships between variables may be established with this type of research To put it in another way, an experimental method, when done correctly, can provide a tremendous amount of power and control over the understanding of the causal relationship between variables

Another consideration taken by the researcher, Selinger and Shohamy (1989) and Shalkind (2006) identified three designs within the scope of experimental method which are true-experiment, quasi-experimental and pre-experimental designs They are different from one another in terms of the degree to which they impose control over the variables being studied and the degree of randomness that enters into the design (Shalkind, 2006:218)

Considering the conditions in which the study would be carried out, the quasi-experimental design is chosen for the study for the following reasons Firstly, the researcher has no

control over who would be in each group because the students who would take part in the study have already been assigned prior to the study (Shalkind, 2006:234) In this study, two groups of second-year students were assigned to the researcher as well as a teacher by the person who was in charge of arranging the teaching schedule for the teaching staff In

addition to this, the quasi-experimental design is more likely to have external validity because “it is conducted under conditions closer to those normally found in educational contexts” (Selinger & Shohamy, 1989:149) Considering the two groups selected in the

study, the two groups in the study were not removed from the normal teaching and learning context This characteristic made up the external validity of the study which helps to increase the validity of the later generalization of the result to the population Furthermore,

since this design is less intrusive and disruptive than the true-experimental design, it is

easier to gain access to the subject population and thus easier to conduct such research (Selinger & Schohamy, 1989:149) As a result, it saved the researcher a lot of time and effort in grouping the participants, which was impossible under the present conditions In

short, the quasi-experimental design is the most practical and feasible for the researcher

2.2.2 Research methods

In the researcher’s attempt to conduct valid research, some measures were taken Two groups of student were chosen as a control group and an experimental one And to minimize the limitations, two groups selected have similarities such as they are both students trained to be traditional medical doctors and they are in groups whose English scores of the first year are not very different The control group attended medical English

course with the textbook only while the experimental group took the course with the textbook and authentic materials as a supplement The differences in scores between the pre-test and post-test were taken into consideration when comparing the reading proficiency

in the two groups Apart from the quasi-experimental design that acts as the major method, unofficial interviews with students, medical specialists were made use to collect their opinions on the valuation of the current textbook as well as their feedback on the used authentic materials

2.2.3 Variables

As mentioned earlier, the quasi-experimental design was used in this study as a means to establish the cause-and-effect relationship between authentic materials and the students’ reading proficiency Therefore, a detailed discussion of those variables is necessary The treatment and the outcome were measured respectively by the authentic materials use (time spent on dealing with authentic materials and the quality of authentic materials) and the students’ reading proficiency) To put it technically, the study was designed to examine the

relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variables This

relationship is a key to experimental research, which focuses on testing how the independent variable affects (or causes a change) in the dependent variable The followings describe the variables used in the study:

Independent variable

In this study, the values of the independent variable were defined from the students’

post-reading activities which include summary, role play, history cases, diagnosis report or close exercises designed from supplementary authentic reading materials All these post-class values were then summed up to yield the final one for later analysis

Dependent variable

With regard to the dependent variable, the values of this variable were measured from

 The scores of the reading proficiency

 The scores of the students’ positive attitude to authentic materials

that students gained in a test designed and administered to the students in both control and experimental groups Students are tested and given scores for reading proficiency and attitudes, which are measured using the instruments below:

 Reading proficiency is measured by using pre-test and post-test

 Students’ attitude is measured by using the post-program questionnaire

For reading proficiency, there were not many choices of variable as authentic materials since the reading proficiency test score has been widely assumed to be valid What

mattered, if there was, would be the construction of the proficiency test used To ensure the reliability and validity of measurement of reading proficiency, a test that is considered to be standard for doing this job was designed and administered

2.2.4 Participants

The sample included two groups of second-year Vietnamese students who are trained to be traditional medical doctors and study English as a foreign language at VUTM They were selected firstly on the basis of cluster sampling

Students were enrolled from a wide residential and family background and homogeneously grouped, the relatively high degree of representatives was ensured This contributed to the increased validity of the later generalization to the whole population On the other hand, since students were assigned to the researcher as well as the teacher by the person who was

in charge of arranging the teaching schedule for the teaching staff so that the removal of any individuals from one group to the other is impossible Therefore, cluster sampling proved to be convenient, inexpensive and time-saving (Salkind, 2006:92-93) All the students in the two sample groups were at the ages from 19 to 21 and had been living in a variety of provinces in the north and central of Vietnam This may be inferred that their social and cultural background was relatively homogeneous The participants all attended English course of general and traditional science in medicine However, this medical English course is often provided before the participants study their specialist subject presenting both advantages and disadvantages Almost the participants appear curious and are eager to explore their specialist knowledge in English The new and interesting explorations do enhance their motivation in learning English yet unfamiliar topics create some difficulties in their language learning Moreover, the two sampling groups were not the same in size, which numbered 32 and 35 respectively After considering all these factors in sampling with regard to a sudden event that one or more students in each group dropped either the pre-test or the post-test during the experimental study, the final sample

of 58 were chosen and divided equally into two groups (29 in each), that is the experimental group and the control group The rest students still attended the program but no data were collected on these students

In sum, these students’ features were representative of the second-year students who were studying English as foreign language at VUTM, made up the targeted population of the study

2.2.5 Reading materials

2.2.5.1 Non-authentic materials

The non-authentic materials employed in this experiment were the reading texts taken from

the textbook, “English for Medical Purposes (EMP)” Basically, each unit has a reading

text and it organized as follows:

The before you read stage starts with some words as clues for students to predict the

content of the text, or some pre-reading questions to generate interest and give students a reason for exploring the topic

In the while you read stage, the exercises are designed to give students chances to practice

new words in the context of the reading or to identify word types and to recognize reference words The part of this stage is a series of comprehension questions which ask for specific information from the reading text to help students review the main points of the reading Some of the questions require students to make inferences based on the information presented in the reading Since all of the texts in the textbook do not have post-reading activities, in all the text chosen for this experiment, post-reading activities are designed to remedy the weakness of the textbook

2.2.5.2 Authentic materials

Authentic materials were the reading texts collected from different sources; medical journals, doctor’s handbook and the internet by the researcher with the help of medical specialists at VUTM

However, there are two types of language that medical materials written in are the languages for the professional and non-professional The materials for specialists are likely much more difficult to understand due to not only professional language but also complicated content Accordingly, it is so hard for teacher of English and the students who have not had much medical knowledge to digest That is the reason why authentic materials for the non-professional were chosen for the program All the chosen reading materials based on the students’ language proficiency

Comprehensive reading exercises are also included in each reading text that help students to get information, contact, predict new medical terms then remember them after the lesson After students reading thoroughly these readings, post-reading activities are organized to get them involve as well as for teachers to check how well they read at home

2.2.5.3 Applying authentic materials in extensive reading

Nuttall (1996) regards an extensive reading program as the single most effective way of improving skills in general An extensive reading brings in students to be dynamic of