English reading habits of grade 10 students at high school of education sciences

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ******************** NGUYỄN PHƯƠNG ANH ENGLISH READING HABITS OF

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES

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

NGUYỄN PHƯƠNG ANH

ENGLISH READING HABITS OF GRADE 10 STUDENTS

AT HIGH SCHOOL OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

THÓI QUEN ĐỌC TIẾNG ANH CỦA HỌC SINH LỚP 10

TẠI TRƯỜNG THPT KHOA HỌC GIÁO DỤC

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01

Hanoi, 2020

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES

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

NGUYỄN PHƯƠNG ANH

ENGLISH READING HABITS OF GRADE 10 STUDENTS

AT HIGH SCHOOL OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

THÓI QUEN ĐỌC TIẾNG ANH CỦA HỌC SINH LỚP 10

TẠI TRƯỜNG THPT KHOA HỌC GIÁO DỤC

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01

Supervisor: Prof Dr Hoàng Văn Vân

Nguyen Phuong Anh

Approved by

SUPERVISOR

(Signature and full name)

Prof Dr Hoang Van Van

Date:

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my most sincere gratitude to my respectable supervisor, Prof Dr Hoang Van Van for his restless and sympathetic encouragement, valuable advice and patient guidance until the completion

of this study

My sincere thanks also go to my dear colleagues at High School of Education Sciences for all their help, support and encouragement when I encountered difficulties

I wish to acknowledge my thankfulness to my students for their enthusiastic participation in the project

Finally, I am deeply indebted to my beloved parents, my siblings, and my post-graduate friends for their sacrifice, encouragement and care

Hanoi, May 2020

Student‘s signature

Nguyen Phuong Anh

ABSTRACT

This research investigated English reading habits and the effect of factors on English reading habits of grade ten students at High School of Education Sciences (HES) The quantitative approach was adopted for this research The data is collected from a survey of 170 high school students at HES The survey questionnaire is built based on the number of practicing reading, the length of time

to read, the number of the text read, the number of books read, the purpose of reading, English reading motivation, beliefs about reading English books and claims about their English reading habits Results showed that although students have faith

in reading English to improve knowledge as well as having good English learning engine but most of them read only to do English reading and do not build an English reading habit In addition, other students spend more regular time reading English which help them build an English reading habit better than others To conclude, the research suggested some possible ways to establish good English reading habits for students

LIST OF TABLES

Table 4.1: The Amount of Reading Practice 24

Table 4.2: The Length of Time of Having Reading Habits 25

Table 4.3: The Types of Text Read 27

Table 4.4: The Number of Books Read 28

Table 4.5: The Number of English writing exams that got basic level 29

Table 4.6: Students‘ Purposes of Reading English Texts 30

Table 4.7: The Motivation of the Students to Read English 31

Table 4.8: The Beliefs of the Students about Reading English 32

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

HES High School of Education Sciences

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

ABSTRACT iii

LIST OF TABLES iv

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS v

TABLE OF CONTENTS vi

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Rationale 1

1.2 Aim and objective of research 2

1.2.1 Aim of research 2

1.2.2 Objectives of research 2

1.2.3 Research questions 2

1.3 Research method 2

1.4 Scope of the research 3

1.5 Significance of research 3

1.6 The structure of research 3

CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW 5

2.1 Review of related theories 5

2.1.1 English reading habits 5

2.1.2 Social factors that affect English reading habits 6

2.1.3 Teachers as reading models and motivators 8

2.1.4 Adolescent readers 12

2.2 Review of related studies 15

CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 19

3.1 Research type 19

3.2 Participants 19

3.3 Data collection procedure 19

3.4 Sample-size determination 19

3.5 Questionnaire 20

3.7 Data analysis 23

CHAPTER IV: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 24

4.1 Results addressing the first research question: HES students‘ current situation of English reading 24

4.2 Results addressing the second research question: factors affecting HES students‘ English reading habits 29

4.3 Solutions to improving students‘ effectiveness in reading English 33

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION 36

5.1 Research conclusion 36

5.2 Implication of the study 39

5.3 Research limitations 40

5.4 Suggestions for further studies 41

REFERENCES 42 APPENDIX I

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Rationale

In developed societies, learning English may be the cornerstone for success, especially for students – the future generation of the country In the context of globalization, having proficiency in English helps you communicate and integrate well with the changing world Students are more likely to be able to study and work

in all sorts of exciting places Foreign languages in general and English in particular play an important role in education and training along with the development of the country The use of foreign languages well does not only bring in-depth knowledge

or capture the innovation of technology but also a necessary competence for modern Vietnamese

To learn English well, students need to have good learning skills such as reading, writing, listening, speaking Reading is one of the most important skills of every language and it is an essential tool for lifelong learning and self-education to all learners Reading provides individuals with experience so that they may expand their horizons, identify, extend and intensify their interests and gain deeper understanding of themselves and other human being and of the world (Noor, 2011) Reading, therefore, is essential for students to keep knowledge up-to-date Especially, reading habits plays a crucial role in enhancing the proficiency of the students in the target language Regarding the importance of reading, it is essential for students to establish good English reading habits because they are much involved in and greatly benefit from English reading practices Yopp and Yopp (2003) summarized the belief of many professionals in the reading community when they asserted that ―time spent on reading is related to growth in vocabulary, fluency in word recognition, and comprehension‖ Therefore, this study analyses common English reading habits and the factors that affect English reading habits of

establish good English reading habits for HES students based on the author‘s findings

1.2 Aim and objective of research

1.2.1 Aim of research

The overarching aim of this study is to help grade 10 students at HES develop the habit of reading English, thereby improving their reading skills and complementing other skills in language acquisition

1.2.2 Objectives of research

To accomplish the above goal, the research sets for itself the following specific objectives:

- Exploring the reading habits of students

- Considering the factors that affect the student's English reading habits

- Offering some solutions to help students form and improve their reading English habits

1.2.3 Research questions

In response to the three objectives as set above, the study raises the following three research questions:

1 What is the HES students‘ current situation of English reading habits?

2 What are the factors affecting HES students‘ English reading habits?

3 What solutions should be offered to establish and nourish students‘ reading English habits?

1.3 Research methods

To accomplish the aim, the objectives and the research questions, the author used the quantitative method for this research Data will be collected through an English questionnaire and analysed quantitatively

1.4 Scope of the research

This study is confined to the data collected from 170 students in grade 10 at HES These students follow the mainstream curriculum of Ministry of Education and Training According to the placement test at the beginning of the year, students‘ levels vary from B1 to C1 The data was collected through a survey questionnaire which was conducted from January 1 to January 31, 2018 Then it was analysed and discussed to address the research questions as raised in Section 1.2.3

1.5 Significance of research

Although English Reading habits have been a fair center of interest in language learning, including many works on ESL students, there has not been any research that targets Vietnamese ESL students specifically This research is hoped to deepen the understanding of English reading habits among Vietnamese EFL students Specifically, the findings will reveal common English reading habits of Vietnamese EFL students which may be unique and totally different from those of EFL students

in other countries because reading habits can be positively and negatively affected

by environmental factors such as culture or economic conditions (Florence, 2012) The collected data will be used to investigate certain factors affecting English reading habit of grade 10 students at HES Apart from that, possible ways to establish good English reading habits for students at HES will also be suggested at the end of the research These suggestions will be very practical and easily adopted due to the fact that they have been suggested by researchers and linguists and applied by ESL students in over the world Correspondingly, this research may shed

a new light on instructional materials development within Vietnamese EFL context 1.6 The structure of research

The study is organized into three main parts: Introduction, Development and Conclusion

 Part A: Introduction - provides rationale of the study, aim and objective of

the study, and organization of the study

 Part B: Development, is divided into three chapters:

 Chapter I - Defines some key terms related to the research and provides

a critical literature review of previous related studies

 Chapter II - Provides the research methodology with the elaboration on the research type, participants, data collection and analysis instruments

as well as research procedure

 Chapter III - Analyses and discusses the findings found from the collected data to get the answer to the research questions

 Part C is the conclusion of the study which summarizes and synthesizes the main issues discussed in the thesis, points out some implications of the research and recommends certain suggestions for teachers and students

CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter will present a review of literature that studied English and English Language Arts teachers‘ early reading experiences, current reading habits, and modelling practices in the classroom The first section will define reading and reading habit The next section will discuss social factors that affect English reading habits Next, the review will explore the idea of teachers as reading models and motivators to create lifelong readers in adolescents The author will then look specifically at adolescents and their attitudes toward reading and teachers‘ influence

on that experience Finally, the writer will wrap literature review chapter up by synthesizing certain findings from related studies

2.1 Review of related theories

2.1.1 English reading habits

To begin with, reading is a way of making meaning from printed or written materials which requires the reader to be an active participant (Florence, 2012) Shen (2006) refers to reading as how often, how much and what a student reads at a particular time Several scholars have looked at reading at different levels These include Fatimayin and Lawal (2010), Potter (2011) and Bright and McGregor (1971), among others Reading, according to Fatimayin and Lawal (2010), connotes the ability to read well not only English language and literature texts, but also newspapers, magazines, journals, periodicals, etc (cited in Florence, 2012) Potter (2011) opines that reading encourages imagination, curiosity and the ability to handle complex ideas Reading plays a vital role in any worthwhile effort to learn English (cited in Florence, 2012) Above all, reading is related to other language skills Bright and McGregor (1971) describe it as the ―core of the English language syllabus‖ by explaining that the acquisition of the large vocabulary needed for clear and accurate oral and written expression largely depends on reading (Florence,

2012, p 153)

Meanwhile, a habit is a repeated action which people do often and regularly, sometimes without knowing that they are doing it It is a pattern of behaviour which acquires constant, regular, often unconscious inclination to perform an act through frequent repetition which is applied to any activity established during a course of time as a part of the personality of an individual (Iftanti, 2012)

Thus, a habit of English reading is established by having the frequent repetition of English reading practices in a course of time so that it becomes the second nature of EFL students‘ daily activities This habit is usually considered in relation to the number of materials read, the frequency of reading and also the average time spent on reading (Wagner, 2002) According to Palani (2012), reading habit is an essential and important aspect of creating the literate society in this world It forms the personality of a person and helps to develop the proper thinking methods and provoke new ideas Conversely, reading habit depicts the behaviour which expresses the likeness of reading of individual types of reading and tastes of reading (Sangkaeo in Rout and Chettri, 2013) Reading habit is best formed at a young impressionable age in school, but once formed it can last one‘s lifetime (Greene, 2001)

2.1.2 Social factors that affect English reading habits

Reading is as much a social act as an academic action As a social act, reading can be shared and enjoyed with others Reading, either reading something oneself or being read to, can convey feelings which potentially evoke both positive and negative emotions This sharing can have a significant impact on how individuals engage in reading If reading is seen as being important to significant others in a person‘s life, that person is more likely to read (Henderson & Berla, 1994; IRA, 2012) At the same time, what an individual chooses to read can also be influenced by other people This appears to be significant in the case of developing readers Several researchers have documented the role of a literate environment in fostering literacy development This aspect, including the modeling and recommendations of significant others, appears to impact the reading of children

from early grades through high school (Endowment, 2007; IRA, 2012; Lesesne, 2006) Readers‘ attitudes and development are influenced by early reading experience, such as having books available in the home and classroom, visiting the public library, observing family and teachers engaged in reading, and being encouraged by teachers to read for the pure joy of reading

A series of studies have found that social situations impact a person‘s reading habits Pozzer-Ardenghi and Roth (2010) agreed ―reading is social practice We learn it in social situations‖ (p 239) Children‘s reading behaviors develop in social situations where they share the reading experience with others—family, friends, and peers Pozzer-Ardenghi and Roth‘s (2010) review of the literature suggested that students learn and understand more of the concepts ―in social situations‖ involving teachers and peers if students have the opportunity to observe different ways of reading These can be academic and out-of-school reading Students acquire reading habits and practices from their community Snow (1983), drawing upon research and a case study of a child learning to talk and read, outlined the similarities between learning to talk and literacy development A major component in language and literacy development was parental involvement and the literacy events that occurred in a child‘s home environment Children from a home with a high degree

of literacy and parents who engaged in intentional oral and literate acts (i.e., speaking to the child, playing word games with the child, reading, writing, and purposefully engaging the child in those acts) developed higher levels of both oral language and literacy Purcell-Gates (1996) conducted a descriptive study of the literacy practices of 20 lower socio-income families Within these 20 families, she measured the literacy knowledge of 24 children, ages four to six The results strongly suggested that a pattern of relationships existed between home literacy practices and a child‘s emergent literacy knowledge Those children whose parents engaged in intentional reading had higher measures of literacy both at home and in school

2.1.3 Teachers as reading models and motivators

One key element of closing the education gap that exists in the United States

is effective teachers In Becoming a Nation of Readers, Anderson, Hiebert, Scott, and Wilkinson (1985) emphasized the role of teachers as role models and instructors from the elementary through secondary grades Teachers from the middle through high school grades are in a unique position to influence students‘ views on reading According to the National Center for Educational Statistics (2011), it is estimated that the average child spends up to 1,289 hours a year in school That means the average middle school or high school students spend as much or more time with teachers than they do with parents (OECD, 2011; Wolk, 2008)

As McKool and Gespass (2009) stated, ―If teachers serve as role models, the modelling or demonstrating their own reading preferences, passions, and puzzlements most likely will affect how their students respond to reading‖ (p 264) Carlsen and Sherrill (1988) examined thousands of reading autobiographies in which generations of students wrote about reading habits One of their findings affirmed the role of adults and teachers in creating a positive experience with books They also noted that sharing experiences with other readers helped guide developing readers in what they read and, to a lesser extent, how they read materials

Nathanson, Pruslow, and Levitt (2008) conducted a study with 747 education graduate students The graduate students were asked seven questions about their more recent reading attitudes and practices Their findings suggested that teachers have a significant impact on students‘ enthusiasm for reading Those labelled as enthusiastic readers reported having high school teachers who discussed their personal reading, shared insights into literature, and recommended literature to their students It should also be noted here that the researchers of this study agreed with Purcell-Gates (1996) and Snow (1983) Nathanson, Pruslow, and Levitt (2008) found that the early reading experiences of the most enthusiastic readers were positive and associated with a literate environment, encouragement, and access to

print These findings suggested that teachers should be ―reading role models,‖ when they engage in personal reading regularly and share that with their students in an effort to pass on their love for reading, choose more appropriate reading strategies, and improve reading instruction in the classroom As Schmidt (1997) admitted ―the experiences I had as a reader and learner in my own school experience as a child, adolescent, and a college student preparing to enter the teaching profession had been haunting my own teaching‖ (p.3)

Benevides and Peterson (2010) conducted a study of 227 preservice teachers

in a preservice education program in the fall of 2005 All the preservice teachers in this program had completed at least three years toward a bachelor‘s degree and had

a B average The sample came from different sections of language arts courses in the teacher education program The preservice teachers completed a questionnaire, the Nelson-Denny Reading Test, and provided a writing sample The results showed that the teachers‘ reading comprehension was not high, nor did they possess positive attitudes toward reading and reading-related tasks Benevides and Peterson determined that teachers needed to possess a certain level of reading comprehension abilities, a positive attitude toward reading, and pleasant childhood literary experiences in order to share their enthusiasm and their love for reading in the classroom and to be effective in their reading instruction In those preservice teachers who indicated that they frequently read and enjoyed doing so, reading test scores were significantly higher Teachers who are good reading models will get students enthusiastic about reading and foster a love for it Students will then hold

on to those pleasant memories and experiences This, in turn, fosters reading development and promotes lifelong reading

McKool and Gespass (2009) explored the connection between teachers‘ personal reading habits and their instructional practices They surveyed 65 elementary teachers from schools in three states One of the findings was that teachers who valued their personal reading were more likely to use literacy instructional strategies

concluded that it is important that teachers read Teachers should read more than the reading associated with their curriculum Reading outside of school for pleasure and their own interests inspired the use of literary practices in the classroom which allowed their students to talk about books and reading

Commeyras, Bisplinghoff, and Olson (2003) conducted a study that focused

on teachers‘ weekly responses to their personal reading As part of this study, the authors designed a graduate seminar course in which in-service teachers (students) maintained a journal and came into class and discussed their personal reading and their roles as readers in the classroom This was an attempt to address concerns of the teacher‘s role in the classroom as reader and motivator The teachers agreed that there is much to learn about the teachers as readers and their influence on students They stated that ―our conversations that evening and thereafter blended sharing what we were reading with one another, what we were doing to share our reading selves with our students, and further imagining the possibilities for connecting ourselves as readers with ourselves as teachers‖ (p 10) The authors identified 13 stances, attitudes, or views that help teachers meet the level of excellence desired Teachers as readers:

(1) Let their students see them reading a variety of texts

(2) Talk with students about their reading lives

(3) Talk about how their reading influences their writing

(4) Talk about new vocabulary in their reading and how they go about understanding it

(5) Tell students about the reader relationships they form with students, family, and friends and with fiction and nonfiction characters

(6) Tell students about the questions they have while reading

(7) Tell students how they select something to read, why they sometimes do not finish as text, and why they sometimes reread a text

(8) Talk to students about who influences them as readers—who inspires them

(9) Tell students about troubles they have had with reading

(10) Tell students about the strategies they find helpful as readers

(11) Tell students about what they are learning from reading

(12) Find connections between their reading and their teaching of students (13) Teach passionately (pp 163-172)

Morrison, Jacobs, and Swinyard (1999) conducted a study of 1974 teachers nationwide that addressed and revealed the characteristics of elementary teachers who motivated students to become lifelong readers and take time to read daily Their study identified some of the characteristics of teachers as readers: as teachers get older they are more likely to be a reader, and teaching experience was not a predictor However, the teachers with fewer years of teaching experience were more likely to use literacy strategies during their classroom instruction The authors concluded that a source of reading motivation could be the classroom teacher, more specifically their personal reading in and out of school

Modeling is effective when teachers are aware of their own mental processing when they read challenging texts and are able to share that information with students Students then develop awareness of their mental processes and learn how to use that knowledge to address challenging texts This sharing and motivating are also empowering (Schoenbach & Greenleaf, 2009) Students are also motivated

by having someone read aloud to them, whether an entire book or excerpt Modeling reading and the thinking process associated with reading are powerful (Lesesne, 2006) It helps develop students‘ listening, speaking, and fluency

As researchers (Benevides & Peterson, 2010; Carlsen & Sherrill, 1988; Commeyras, Bisplinghoff, & Olson, 2003; McKool & Gespass, 2009; Morrison, Jacobs, &Swinyard, 1999; Nathanson, Pruslow, & Levitt, 2008) have found, modeling practices can be accomplished by simply allowing students the opportunity to discuss what they are reading with both or the teacher and peers This involves sharing, talking about, listening to, encouraging, and expressing ideas The

comments and behavior Talking about books and reading provides a connection to books for students (Lesesne, 2006) This is a shared reading experience that builds background knowledge and promotes critical thinking Researchers posit that teachers who serve as reading models help students become lifelong readers (Morrison, Jacobs, & Swinyard, 1999; Mour, 1977)

2.1.4 Adolescent readers

Adolescent is the term generally used to describe teenagers, young people between childhood and adulthood The term has been used to describe this population since the late 19th century and continues to be used today (Christenbury, Bomer, & Smagorinsky, 2009; Hall, 1904; IRA, 2012) This is a period of great physical and cognitive change (IRA, 2012; Lesesne, 2006) It is during this time period that a person‘s reading develops so that he or she can function at an academically high level It is also a time when a person can formulate reading habits and abilities that help determine future success (Alliance for Excellence in Education, 2011; Schoenbach & Greenleaf, 2009) The development of adolescent readers is an area about which much has been written, particularly in recent years

It is also a topic that has drawn a great deal of attention from educators Dating back to 1997, Jack Cassidy has authored, with different co-authors, a survey of literary experts to determine what is ―hot‖ in reading In the first survey (Cassidy & Wenrich, 1997), ―adolescent literacy‖ was not even listed as one of the topics on the list However, in 2001, it appeared on the list as a ―hot‖ and ―should be hot‖ topic Five years later, Cassidy, Garrett, and Barrera (2006) focused on adolescent literacy They found that not only was it a ―hot‖ topic, but it was getting hotter each year, especially hotter than the year before Adolescent literacy proved to be something that secondary teachers and researchers wanted to talk about more, and its importance was revealed by the surveys and research each year (Cassidy & Cassidy, 2002; Cassidy & Cassidy, 2004; Cassidy & Cassidy, 2009; Cassidy, Garrett, & Barrera, 2006; Cassidy & Loveless, 2011; Cassidy, Ortlieb, & Shettel, 2010; Cassidy & Grote- Garcia, 2012; Cassidy, Valadez, Garrett, & Barrera, 2010)

A major reason for this attention has been a series of studies and reports that have focused attention on a perceived reading problem among adolescents Biancarosa and Snow (2004) coauthored the report Reading Next: A Vision for Action and Research in Middle and High School Literacy to address the needs of the eight million struggling readers in grade four and up The report presented the findings of a panel of five nationally known educational researchers; it included some alarming statistics about the state of adolescent literacy and its impact on students after high school According to Biancarosa and Snow (2004), only an estimated 32 percent of college-bound high school students will likely be successful

in English courses at the college level Schoenbach and Greenleaf (2009) agreed that many adolescents are underprepared for college, especially in the areas of comprehension of college-level text, reading, writing, and speaking skills Biancarosa and Snow, in their report, concluded that making our struggling readers successful in college and life is a collaborative effort between home, school, and community Lesesne (2006) shared an eye-opening statistic that ―more than 75 percent of teens graduating from high school indicated that they will never read another book again (p 17).‖ The findings of these reports are supported by additional studies

The National Endowment of the Arts (2007) compiled data from a 30-year period that addressed voluntary reading and school achievement among students‘ ages 9,

13, and 17 This study surveyed approximately 38,000 American students from these ages about their reading skills and habits It found, among teenagers, that reading declined with age In 2005, the number of 17-year-olds reading for pleasure was lower than it was 20 years previously Among 13-year-olds, less than one-third was reading daily The reading rates, how often students read, decreased by 50 percent from age nine to age 17, with only 22 percent of 17-year-olds reading almost every day for pleasure Over the 30 year period researched, 17-year-olds have not improved their reading test scores

The National Endowment of Arts reported three conclusions that were a result of the trends seen in the 30-year study:

(1) There is a historical decline in voluntary reading rates among teenagers and young adults

(2) There is a gradual worsening of reading skills among older teens, year-olds

17-(3) There is a declining proficiency in adult readers (Endowment, 2007, p 21)

These declines reflected how the lack of pleasure reading impacts not only adolescents in their teens, but can also carry over into adulthood On a larger scale,

a decline in reading can impact the job market and the economy as a whole A strong economy is contingent on a literate workforce

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) assesses the educational progress of youth in the United States periodically in various subject areas Reading has been measured every two years since 1971 NAEP scores indicate that while reading abilities of students might be improving, reading ability, both overall and within specific ethnic groups, remains an area of concern For example, while the overall reading scores for 8th grade White, Black, and Hispanic students have increased since 1992, the achievement gaps between White and Black and Hispanic students have not measurably changed in that time period (NCES, 2011) The NAEP results for 2010 found that more than 60 percent of middle and high school students scored below the ―proficient‖ level in reading achievement According to the NAEP, ―proficient‖ represents ―solid academic performance‖ and competency over challenging subject material (NCES, 2011, p 6)

The Alliance for Excellent Education (2011) examined adolescent reading in the context of a world economy They concluded that a literacy plan addressing adolescent reading was necessary They based their recommendations on the following statistics:

 Only 16 percent of eighth-grade students on free and reduced-price lunch reach the proficient level, compared with 42 percent of their more affluent peers

 Only 14 percent of African American, 17 percent of Hispanic, and 21 percent of Native American eighth-graders score at or above the proficient level These results reveal that millions of young people cannot understand

or evaluate text, provide relevant details, or support inferences about the written documents they read

 Only 36 percent of Asian and Pacific Islander American, 26 percent of American Indian and Alaska Native, 20 percent of Hispanic, and 16 percent

of African American twelfth-graders score at or above proficient on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in reading, compared

to 43 percent of white students

 Half of the incoming ninth-graders in urban, high-poverty schools read three years or more below grade level

 On average, African American and Hispanic twelfth-grade students read at the same level as White eighth-grade students

 About 40 percent of employers indicate they are dissatisfied with high school graduates‘ ability to read and understand complicated materials, think analytically, and solve real-world problems (pp 1-2)

Christenbury, Bomer, and Smagorinsky (2009) stated that there is a gap between what we know about adolescent literacy and what we are doing about it Therefore, there is still much work needed to implement the research that has been conducted

to date and a need to continue researching this area

2.2 Review of related studies

Five outstanding researches studying English reading habits are used as the reference for this research They are ‗A Survey of the English Reading Habits of

L2 Students‘ of Strauss (2008), ‗Reading Habits and Preferences of EFL Post Graduates: A Case Study‘ of Noor (2011), ‗Evaluation of the possibility and habits

of using English documents for students, master students and reality at Can Tho University material center‘ of Huong Duyen (2014) and ‗Some factors affecting English learning recruitment skills for grade 6 students‘ of Dao Thi Dieu Linh (2017)

Iftanti (2012) investigated the English reading habits of Indonesian students

of EFL The data were collected through a questionnaire survey and interview validation The questionnaires were distributed to 546 EFL college students in East Java in 2012 Based on the statistical analysis of the data, it was concluded that although the students had read English since elementary school, they did not indicate to have good English reading habits Only a few of them were identified to have good English reading habits as suggested by their eagerness to regularly spend time reading various types of English texts and their high motivation to read English for pleasure Besides, the findings showed that Indonesian EFL students read English for some purposes, i.e for school assignments, for pleasure, and for knowledge and English skills improvement Their positive belief about reading did not motivate them to read English for pleasure; rather, it was school assignments that appeared to be their biggest motivation

In Strauss‘s study (2008), he explored the reading habits of three Thai students between their early twenties to early thirties Although the focus of interest was on their English reading, their reading habits in Thai and English, both fiction and non-fiction, were studied None of the three subjects read fiction in Thai or English, and non-fiction books were read almost exclusively for the purpose of the study The research confirmed the hypothesis that present reading habits were determined by positive and negative reading experiences in the past Subjects who enjoyed positive experiences reading fiction or non-fiction in their early years had become regular readers of fiction or non-fiction; meanwhile, the subject who had negative early reading experiences was not a regular reader of any kind of books in

either Thai or English The study, nevertheless, also suggested that positive reading experiences in the present could help adults become engaged readers in spite of the strong effect of early reading experiences

Apart from that, in the paper titled ‗Reading Habits and Preferences of EFL Post Graduates: A Case Study‘, Noor (2011) tried to examine the reading habits and preferences of 52 postgraduate students at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) The findings revealed that the EFL postgraduate learners read different types of reading materials, had different reasons for reading as well as demonstrated language preference in reading It was indicated that students primarily preferred to read online materials, especially fiction type materials In terms of reasons for reading, this study identified two main reasons cited for reading: pleasure and study From that, the study suggested that students should be motivated and encouraged to read different text types in the foreign language as part of both compulsory and elective courses

In 2014, Huong Duyen did a research ‗Evaluation of the possibility and habits of using English documents for students, master students and reality at Can Tho University material center‘ This research was based on 800 survey samples about habits, abilities to use English materials, demands of undergraduate and graduate students at Can Tho University The result showed that two groups of study surveyed had a little disparity in both habits and abilities to read English materials These two groups both admitted having many difficulties in reading materials in foreign languages such as lack of effective reading methods, limited reading skills, depending greatly on dictionary, lack of supplementing general knowledge, and so on Based on these analytic results above, the group of authors stated measures and proposals in order to support the Learning Resource Center‘s (LRC), Can Tho University (CTU) establishment of policy which supplements appropriate materials in foreign languages to meet the demands of learning and researching of these two groups

Another research of Dao Thi Dieu Linh in 2017 ―Some factors affecting English learning recruitment skills for grade 6 students‖ The ability to memorize words is one of the important skills needed for learning a foreign language in general and learning English in particular Researching 216 grade 6 students and 11 English teachers at 2 secondary schools in Hanoi using methods such as observation, experimentation, investigation, and interviewing about this skill, we found that English memory memorization skills of 6th graders are influenced by a number of factors such as: students' awareness of the role of vocabulary, interest in learning English, teaching methods of teachers, and facilities and equipment for English learning activities Among these factors, on the student side (subjective factor), their interest in learning has the most obvious influence The student‘s interest in learning English is positively and positively correlated with the level of memorization of English word usage and the level of memorization of characteristics of English words On the objective side, the factors of facilities and equipment for students‘ English learning activities are the most influential factors to the extent that students memorize words It can be said that the more often students use English to chat, the more they communicate, the more effective the level of memorizing, reproducing and applying English words Teachers need to be aware of these learning characteristics of 6th grade students to organize lessons effectively, stimulate interest in learning, and actively study them

CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter provides the research methodology with the elaboration on the research type, participants, data collection procedure as well as analytical instruments

3.1 Research type

This study used a quantitative research type Having used a sampling method, 170 questionnaires were delivered to respondents who are grade 10 students at HES The data will be analysed by Microsoft Excel application Descriptive statistics will be used to analyse the habit of English reading

3.2 Participants

The study was carried out with 170 door-to-door surveys The participants of the questionnaire were composed of grade 10 students Their ages were generally in the sixteen and they are all selected on a voluntary basis They were quite competent in the English language

3.3 Data collection procedure

The convenience sampling model was applied in this study because it is fast, inexpensive and based on the availability of the respondents The researcher has the freedom to choose the respondents who are in free time and ask them to fill in the survey

The surveys were conducted at different times on the weekdays, to capture all demographic profiles

Each survey lasted on average about 40 minutes

Surveys were conducted from Jan 1 to Jan 31, 2018

3.4 Sample-size determination

To ensure than 170 responses are useful, the researcher must collect more than the number calculated Therefore, the number of questionnaires spreading out

After gathering enough data for the study, the whole data set must be cleansed to identify the incorrect, irrelevant and blank responses

3.5 Questionnaire

The questionnaire of this study was based on the study of Erna Iftanti (2012), titled ―A survey of the English reading habits of EFL students in Indonesia‖ The questionnaire then was conducted among high school students and their general reading habits were explored

There are 2 main parts of the questionnaire The first part consists of 3 questions asking about demographic data of the gender, intention to study abroad and GPA The second part includes questions about the English reading habits of grade 10 students at HES This part was designed to address three research questions as raised in Section 1.2.3 It based on hypothesis in literature review to set

up questions It focused on the seven most independent factors that are reading time, length of having English reading habit, kind of English book, good exam result, quantitive, motivation and purpose The writer used interval scale to make the answers for the research questions

RD1  I read more than five hours every day

RD2  I read about five hours every day

RD3  I read about four hours every day

RD4  I read about three hours every day

RD5  I read about two hours every day

RD6  I read about one hour every day

RD7  I read less than one hour every day

RD8  I do not always read every day

RD9  I seldom read

LE Length of having English reading habit