Using mind mapping techniques to develop ly thuong kiet high school 11th grade students’ reading text summary skills

33 3.2.1 The effectiveness of mind mapping technique in developing students' reading text summary skills at LTK high school.... List of figures and tables Figure 1: Pretest and posttest

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

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PHẠM THỊ THÚY VÂN

USING MIND-MAPPING TECHNIQUES TO DEVELOP

READING TEXT SUMMARY SKILLS

NGHIÊN CỨU VIỆC ỨNG DỤNG BIỂU ĐỒ TƯ DUY ĐỂ PHÁT TRIỂN KỸ NĂNG TÓM TẮT BÀI ĐỌC CHO HỌC SINH LỚP 11

TRƯỜNG THPT LÝ THƯỜNG KIỆT

M.A MINOR THESIS

HANOI – 2012 Field: English Teaching Methodology

Code: 60.14.10

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PHẠM THỊ THÚY VÂN

USING MIND-MAPPING TECHNIQUES TO DEVELOP

READING TEXT SUMMARY SKILLS

NGHIÊN CỨU VIỆC ỨNG DỤNG BIỂU ĐỒ TƯ DUY ĐỂ PHÁT TRIỂN KỸ NĂNG TÓM TẮT BÀI ĐỌC CHO HỌC SINH LỚP 11

TRƯỜNG THPT LÝ THƯỜNG KIỆT

M.A Minor Thesis

TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of abbreviations iv

List of figures and tables v

Part A: INTRODUCTION 1

1 Rationale of the study 1

2 Aims of the study 2

3 Research hypothesis and questions 2

4 Method of the study 2

5 Significance of the study 3

6 Scope of the study 3

7 Organization of the study 3

PART B: DEVELOPMENT 5

Chapter I: Literature review 5

1.1 Reading and reading comprehension 5

1.1.1 Definition of Reading 5

1.1.2 Definitions of reading comprehension 5

1.1.3 The stages of a reading lesson 6

1.1.3.1 The pre- reading stage 6

1.1.3.2 The while- reading stage 7

1.1.3.3 The post- reading stage 7

1.2 Reading text Summary 9

1.2.1 Definition of a reading text summary 9

1.2.2 Steps to writing a reading text summary 9

1.2.3 Types of reading text summaries 10

1.2.3.1 Descriptive summary 10

1.2.3.2 Informative summary 10

1.2.3.3 Evaluative summary 11

1.3 Mind mapping 11

1.3.1 Definition of mind map 11

1.3.2 Steps to create a mind map 12

1.3.3 Definition of mind mapping techniques 13

1.3.4 The classification of mind mapping techniques 14

1.3.4.1 Network tree 14

1.3.4.2 Event chain 15

1.3.4.3 Cycle concept map 15

1.3.4.4 Spider concept map 16

1.3.5 Advantages and disadvantages of mind mapping techniques 17

1.3.5.1 Advantages of mind mapping techniques 17

1.3.5.2 Disadvantages of mind mapping techniques 17

1.3.6 Steps of summarizing the reading texts through mind mapping techniques 18

1.3.6.1 Skim 18

1.3.6.2 Read 18

1.3.6.3 Mind Map 18

1.3.6.4 Study 18

1.3.6.5 Personalise 18

1.4 Related studies of mind mapping 19

1.5 Summary 19

Chapter II: The study 20

2.1 The context of the study 20

2.2 Participants 21

2.3 Rationale for using quasi-experiment 22

2.4 Experiment design 23

2.5 Research Variables 24

2.5.1 Independent Variable 24

2.5.2 Dependent Variable 24

2.6 Data collection instruments and procedure 24

2.6.1 Data collection instruments 24

2.6.2 Data collection procedure 25

2.7 Data Analysis procedure 26

Chapter III: Data analysis and discussions 27

3.1 Data analysis 27

3.1.1 Tests 27

3.1.1.1 Comparison between pretest scores of experimental class and control class 27

3.1.1.2 Comparison between pretest and posttest scores of experimental class and control class 28

3.1.1.3 Comparison between posttest scores of experimental class and control class 29

3.1.2 Questionnaires 30

3.2 Discussion 33

3.2.1 The effectiveness of mind mapping technique in developing students' reading text summary skills at LTK high school 34

3.2.2 Students' attitudes towards using mind mapping techniques 34

3.3 Summary 34

PART C: Conclusion 35

1 Conclusions 35

2 Recommendations 36

3 Limitations 36

4 Suggestions for further research 37

References 39 Appendixes I

Appendix 1 I

Appendix 2 II Appendix3 VII Appendix 4 IX

Appendix 5 X Appendix 6 XII

List of figures and tables

Figure 1: Pretest and posttest scores of control and experimental group

Table 1: Activities in the post - reading stage

Table 2: Background information about the participants

Table 3: The design of the study

Table 4: Results of t-test for comparison between the pretest scores of experimental class and control class

Table 5: Descriptive statistics for the pretest and posttest scores of the experimental and control groups

Table 6: Results of t-test for comparison between posttest scores of experimental class and control class

Table 7: Students‟ attitudes towards teaching reading text summary through mind mapping

PART A: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale for the study

Nowadays, English is a compulsory subject in the school curriculum in Vietnam, and the teaching and learning of that international language has been recently paid great attention to Together with teachers‟ help and guidance, students have to try their best to master 4 language skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking in order to communicate in English successfully Among these four skills, reading skill is an essential skill for further learning Especially, reading text summary skills after reading is very beneficial to students to gain better understanding and memorizing of the text Thus, students can consolidate or reflect upon what has been read and relate it to their own knowledge In addition, reading text summary contributes enormously to develop writing, speaking and listening skills However, reading text summary is not easy for students to do It needs more useful techniques to help students summarize texts easily Because there are still a large number of students having poor reading comprehension not only in rural areas but also in urban ones

As a teacher of Ly Thuong Kiet high school (LTKHS), I find that teaching and learning reading comprehension here still focus on grammar, vocabulary and structures Hence, students always find it difficult to understand the content of the reading text, to find the main idea, synonym or antonym of the words, and general message of the text and most of them lack of motivation to read Beside that, there are still many teachers who seem not to pay enough attention to the importance of teaching reading text summary in post reading stage due to the limited time Consequently, Students can not remember and summarize the text after reading

From the above reasons, I decided to choose: “Using mind-mapping techniques to develop LTK High school 11th grade students‟ reading text summary skills” for my thesis of the MA course to help students read the text effectively and can summarize the text easily

Hopefully, this study will make a small contribution to the application of teaching reading text summary approach in the post reading stage at Vietnamese high schools in general and at LTK high school in Hai Phong in particular

2 Aims of the study

The aims of this study are to find out the more useful teaching methods for improving students‟ reading text summary skills To be more specific, the primary objectives of the study were set up as follows:

- To test the effectiveness of using mind-mapping techniques to develop 11thgrade students‟ reading text summary skills compared to conventional techniques

- To investigate the experimental students‟ attitudes towards teaching reading text summary through using mind mapping technique

3 Research hypothesis and questions

To achieve the aims and objectives, the study was designed to test the

hypothesis:

Teaching reading text summary in post reading stage through mind mapping techniques is more effective to the development of students’ summary skills than the traditional approach which emphasizes the memorization of words and contents of

the reading passage

In order to find out whether the research hypothesis would be accepted or rejected, the following research questions were formulated and to be answered

1 Why is using mind mapping techniques effective to improve students‟ reading text summary skills?

2 What are the students‟ attitudes towards teaching reading text summary in post reading stage through mind mapping techniques after the experimental period?

4 Method of the study

This study was conducted based on quasi-experimental research with pretest, posttest, and questionnaire in order to determine the causal relationship between

teaching reading text summary through mind mapping and the enhancement of students‟ summary skills

Two groups of students were not chosen randomly, they were two intact groups of students involved in the study, one group was labeled the control group and the other the experimental group

5 Significance of the study

Summarizing the reading text in the textbook series for high schools is presented in a traditional way which often focuses on the sentence based summarization Thus, this study will give an answer to the question whether it is practical to teach reading text summary in the post reading stage through using mind mapping technique in the context of the high school in Vietnam

6 Scope of the study

The study was designed to test the hypothesis that it is possible to teach reading text summary presented in the textbook through mind mapping Because of the time constraint, the researcher could just carry out an experimental research upon a small sample of 11th grade students who were not randomly chosen to a control class and an experimental class, (40 students for each class) at LTK High school The pretest and posttest scores were used to measure both groups‟ reading text summary competence before and after the treatment during ten weeks of the second semester of the 2011-2012 academic year The post program questionnaire was designed to get more feedback from experimental students

7 Organization of the study

The study was divided into three parts which are presented as follows:

Part A is the introduction, which presents the rationale and the aim of the study,

hypothesis and questions, research method, significance, scope as well as organization of the study

Part B is the development, which includes 3 chapters

Chapter 1 reviews the literature relevant to the study which consists of

reading, reading comprehension, summary, and mind mapping techniques based on

theoretical and practical evidence

Chapter 2 presents information about the context of the study, the

participants, the instruments, the data collection procedure and data analysis procedure

Chapter 3 is the main part of the study that reports and discusses the main

findings according to research matter

Part C is the conclusion that presents the author‟s reflection and the outcomes of

the study as well as indicates some limitations of the study, and finally gives some suggestions for further research

PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter presents a brief review of the literature relevant to the study It consists of the theory of reading and reading comprehension, reading text summary, and mind mapping techniques

1.1 Reading and reading comprehension

1.1.1 Definition of Reading

In recent decades, reading becomes one of important and essential parts in language teaching and learning The meaning of “Reading” has been given a various ways

According to Nuttall (1982) reading is considered as the process of the interaction between language perception and the readers‟ language skill, cognitive skill and the knowledge of the words In this regard, reading can be defined as an active process of interaction between the reader and the information which consists

of the text

Harmer (1989:153) views reading from a different perspective In his definition, “reading is an exercise dominated by the eyes and the brain The eyes receive the message and the brain has to work out the significance of the message” Goodman (1971: 135) considers reading as “a psycholinguistic process by which the reader, a language user, reconstructs, as best as he can, a message which has been encoded by a writer as a graphic display”, and the act of reconstruction is viewed as “a cyclical process of sampling, predicting, testing and confirming” Based on the theories above, it can be concluded that reading can help the reader get information and knowledge from a text

1.1.2 Definition of reading comprehension

Reading comprehension plays an important role in teaching and learning reading a foreign language Thus, it is necessary to understand the nature

of reading comprehension Below are many different definitions of reading comprehension

Roe, Stood and Burns (1987:2) consider: “reading comprehension is reconstruction, interpretation and valuation of what author of written content means by using knowledge gained from life and experience”

According to Grellet (1981:3): “reading comprehension or understanding a written text means extracting the required information from it as efficiently as possible.” The author means that reading comprehension is an activity which aims

at decoding the meaning of word combination in the text in the most efficient way

and students can show their understanding by re-expressing the content of the text

in many ways such as summarizing the text, answering questions etc

From these theories above, it can be understood that reading for comprehension is the primary purpose for reading; raising students' awareness of main ideas in a text and exploring the organization of a text are essential for good comprehension

In conclusion, reading comprehension is a process of understanding what is conveyed in the text It does not mean that the reader needs to understand every single word in the text but actively work on the text and extract the required information efficiently

1.1.3 The stages of a reading lesson

A reading lesson can be divided into three stages which are pre- reading stage, while- reading stage and post- reading stage Each of these stages carries its own features and purposes and requires different techniques and strategies

1.1.3.1 The pre - reading stage

In a reading lesson, the pre- reading stage is an important one because it creates motivation and positive attitude towards the reading text for students This stage is to prepare the learners for what they are going to read Williams (1984:37) gave three purposes of pre-reading as follows:

- To introduce and stimulate interest in the topic

- To motivate students by providing a reason for reading

- To provide language preparation for the text

Therefore, students are to do the activities such as guess the topic of the text from the heading, brainstorming around a topic word on the board, predict what the text will say or write questions that may be answered by the text In addition, some pre reading techniques are applied as ordering statements or pictures, jigsaw dictation, True/False statement prediction, brainstorming or skimming questions

In general, in the pre- reading stage, it is necessary to set a good preparation for students, provide them the sense of what they are going to do in their reading lesson

1.1.3.2 The while - reading stage

While- reading stage is the main part of a reading lesson Students have the chance to deal with the text to understand the writer‟s purpose and clarify the text‟s content in detail Williams (1984:38) points out the aims of the while- reading stage:

- To clarify content and vocabulary of the text

- To help students understand the writer's purpose

- To help students understand the structure of the text

Beside a wide range of activities in the while- reading stage are given such as deducing meaning, questioning, recognizing, matching, ordering, following instructions, comparing, note- taking, completing, and decision- making/ problem- solving

Concerning the while- reading stage‟s activities, the teacher will choose suitable activities for students based on the nature of the reading text and the level

of the students as well as selecting suitable activities, during the while- reading stage, the teacher should bear in mind his roles of an organizer, observer, assessor and prompter as mentioned in the last part, the roles of teacher

1.1.3.3 The post- reading stage

The post- reading stage is the final but not the less important stage of a reading lesson because it is time for students to apply what they have got from the

text into real life communication Williams (1984:39) pointed out the aim of the post- reading stage

- To consolidate or reflect upon what has been read

- To relate the text to the students‟ own knowledge interest or views

- To provide a stimulus for other language activities

After students finish tasks in while-reading part, a wide range of activities in the post - reading stage are suggested as follows:

1 Summarize the text - Gap fill

- Write a summary paragraph

- Rewrite the text from jumbled sentences/ words/ visual cues…

- Summarize the text either orally or in writing

- Make a spider map/ diagram or mind map

2 Role play, Interview - Integrated skills from reading to speaking

- Students take the role of the interviewer and interviewee about the topic of the reading comprehension

3 Give comments, opinion

on the characters/ matters in

the text

- Teacher can ask students to present their points

of view, their thought of characters or issues relating to the text

4 Personalized tasks - This skill is to help the learners to connect what

they have read with their own ideas and experience in life

5 Discussion - Students are required to discuss about issues in

life relating to the reading text

Table 1: Activities in the post - reading stage

It can be concluded that each of the reading stage carries its own aims and activities It is very effective if these three stages are combined flexibly and

appropriately for an efficient reading lesson in general In the post- reading stage, it

is necessary to help students improve and develop their reading text summary skills

1.2 Reading text summary

1.2.1 Definition of a reading text summary

One strategy for improving reading comprehension is to write summaries It

is a way to measure reading comprehension, but can also help a reader to come to a new understanding of a text There are many definitions of summary mentioned as follows:

A summary, as Troyka (1995) defines, is a condensation of an original writing A summary relays the main points of a passage and reports what the author

is really saying A summary is not an explanation of, or a substitute for, the original It adds no interpretation of evaluation and retains the approach and tone of the original author It omits minor details, illustrations, quotations, anecdotes, and other inessential material

In addition, Byrne (1987:76) states that summarizing - producing a shortened version of a text which has been read or heard - is best viewed as a skill which is realized through different kinds of writing, rather than as a special form of writing

In short, summaries are made to reduce the amount of information to be remembered and to organize the information in a way that aids understanding and remembering

1.2.2 Steps to writing a reading text summary

In teaching a reading text summary, some preliminary steps are presented below by Swales, John M and Christine B Feat (1994:105-130)

Step 1: Skim the text, noting in your mind the subheadings If there are no subheadings, try to divide the text into sections Consider why you have been assigned the text Try to determine what type of text you are dealing with This can help you identify important information

Step 2: Read the text, highlighting important information and taking notes Step 3: In your own words, write down the main points of each section

Step 4: Write down the key support points for the main topic, but do not include minor detail

Step 5: Go through the process again, making changes as appropriate

To write a good summary, they also recommended three main requirements

as follows:

- The summary should cover the original as a whole

- The material should be presented in a neutral fashion

- The summary should be a condensed version of the material, presented in your own words

1.2.3 Types of reading text summaries

Summarizing is the most effective way of understanding a text and expressing the same in your own words briefly and clearly In other words, it saves time of the intended readers According to Sarada (2008:99), summary is divided into three types below:

1.2.3.1 Descriptive summary

Descriptive summary gives an overview of what the source is about but does not give specifics of the content This summary describes that basic information about the program It does not give specific information on the actual programs described It also uses descriptive language like “excellence”, “internationally renowned” and “leading-edge” In brief, it tells what the initial content is about without getting into the specifics

type is the most common summary because it gets into the specifics and covers all the main concepts in a very shortened form and similar to an outline

1.2.3.3 Evaluative summary

Evaluative summary is one that gives not only the gift of a book or article but also evaluates it concisely and effectively, giving critical remarks on the original The writer who summarizes the original may comment on any one aspect or all aspects of it Besides, the evaluative summary includes the writer‟s thoughts, feelings and reactions, unlike the other two kinds of summaries However, many people except writers and critics may not have experience of preparing this summary

1.3 Mind mapping

1.3.1 Definition of mind map

Mind map, according to Buzan (2006), is a technique of making outline which used the represent words, ideas, tasks, or another linked to an arranged radically around a central key word or idea by lines and typically it contains words, ideas, short phrase or pictures

Furthermore, Marton & Booth (1997) state that Mind map is a tool for enhancing learning and thinking It provides a structure to reveal various aspects of

a story such as the sequence of events, the key points, the cause and effect, the relation of ideas and so on Students can use mind maps for revising and clarifying thoughts so as to get the deep meaning of a story Additionally, Murley (2007) affirms that mind maps are a non linear visual outline of complex information that can aid creativity, organization, productivity, and memory With the same opinion,

Paul Emmerson (cited in the article “Using Mind Map in BE”, 2010) affirmed that

“a mind map is a way of making notes that is intuitive and highly personal You put

„your world‟ down on paper as a visual diagram and then use it as the basis for a speaking activity There is a central topic in the middle, surrounded by sub-topics linked to it with lines The sub-topics have further branches, according to the

ideas/imagination of the person who draws the mind map (or the instructions of the teacher)”

In brief, mind map is a diagram used to visually outline information It is often created around a single word or text, placed in the center, to which associated ideas, words and concepts are added

1.3.2 Steps to create a mind map

There are many approaches in teaching reading One of the techniques is by

using mind mapping According to Buzan (2010), some steps to create a mind map

are presented as follows:

1 Start in the centre of a blank page turned sideways - Because starting in the

centre gives your brain freedom to spread out in all directions and to express

itself more freely and naturally

2 Use an image or picture for your central idea - Because an image is worth a

thousand words and helps you use your Imagination A central image is more interesting, keeps you focussed, helps you concentrate, and gives your Brain

more of a buzz

3 Use colors throughout - Because colors are as exciting to your brain as are

images Color adds extra vibrancy and life to your mind map, adds

tremendous energy to your creative thinking, and is fun

4 Connect your main branches to the central image and connect your second-

and third-level branches to the first and second levels, etc - Because your

brain works by association It likes to link two (or three, or four) things

together If you connect the branches, you will understand and remember a

lot more easily

5 Make your branches curved rather than straight-lined - Because having

nothing but straight lines are boring to your brain

6 Use one key word per line - Because single key words give your mind map

more power and flexibility

7 Use images throughout - Because each image, like the central image, is also

worth a thousand words

(See the example of mind map guidelines)

1.3.3 Definition of mind mapping techniques

Buzan (cited in Yusuf Effendi 2004) states that a mind mapping is a powerful graphic technique which provides a universal key to unlock the potential

of the brain It is visual map of ideas, laid out in a radial format around a central thought and it involves a unique combination of imagery, colour and visual-spatial arrangement which is proven to significantly improve recall when compared to conventional methods of note-taking and learning by rote It needs imagination and association to activate our brain in remembering something

Based on DePotter and Hernacki as translated into English (2008) mind mapping is the use of whole brains technique by using the visualization and other graphic infrastructure to make an impression

Antonacci (1991) advocates that mind mapping as an effective post reading strategies as well because it provides students with a tool to recall, organize, and represent visually the new information in conjunction with the old information

In summary, Mind mapping can help poor readers to read more effectively because the format can show the relative importance of individual points and the way in which facts relate to one another

(see the example of mind mapping Buzan‟s principles below)

1.3.4 The Classification of mind mapping techniques

Trianto (2009:160) mind mapping can be divided into four kinds:

- technical terms which can be used to explain some correlations

The great pyramid of

Giza

Who built

it?

When and where

What was it built for?

How was it built?

Why is it considered one of the famous wonders in the world?

west bank of the River Nile

around the year 2560B.C

straight

or spiral ramps or the blocks of stone

to protect the burial chamber from the weather and from thieves

1.3.4.2 Event chain

The event chain can be used for giving an accident order, steps in a procedure, or steps in a process and connecting words are not necessary in an events chain It is suitable for visualization An events chain map describing the steps might look like the one on unit 15: Space Conquest

1.3.4.3 Cycle concept map

As in the events chain map, you first decide on an initiating event and then

list each event in order Because there is no outcome and the last event relates back

to the initiating event, the cycle repeats itself Look at the cycle map for

photosynthesis and respiration shown above

In this concept map, the accident combination has no final result It is suitable to show a correlation how a combination accident is interacting to produce

a group of result repeatedly At the post reading stage of Unit 12: The Asian Games, the teacher should give the year when the first games happened then continue with other years and give students some questions to help students revise the events

space

A view on Earth Uncertainties to human being in space

Congratulations for the success of Gagarin’ s

flight March 1968, a tragic accident happened He

died in a plane crash

1.3.4.4 Spider concept map

The spider concept can be used for sharing opinion from a central idea until

get more various big ideas It is suitable to visualization

- something which is not based on hierarchy

- a category which is not parallel

- the result of sharing opinion

In conclusion, Mind mapping is similar to a road makes study, work and think

enjoyable, it can help to solve the lack of stock of students‟ vocabulary in

memorizing some words which are related from universal word as a key word and

help to memorize and consolidate the reading lesson See the sample at the

post-reading lesson of unit 13

1.3.5 Advantages and disadvantages of mind mapping techniques

1.3.5.1 Advantages of mind mapping techniques

Buzan (2007) proposes to use mind mapping technique because it makes students to be imaginative, to find new idea, to save time, to be creative, to keep note, to develop a concept, and to perform a presentation

Similarly, Hofland (2007) argues that mind mapping can contribute to learner‟s motivation because of its creative aspects This statement is supported by Bono (1969 cited in Hofland) who states that “creativity is a great motivator because it makes people interested in what they are doing Creativity gives hope that there can be a worthwhile idea Creativity gives the possibility of some sort of achievement everyone Creativity makes life more fun and more interesting”

Additionally, Stanley (2004) affirmed that mind mapping techniques can help students generate their ideas more easily

Based on theories above, it can be concluded that the use of mind mapping technique in classroom is effective because it could increase student‟s motivation and make the teachers easier to explain the learning material

1.3.5.2 Disadvantages of mind mapping techniques

Although using mind mapping technique in teaching reading text summary has many advantages, there are some disadvantages when using them for both teachers and students Firstly, using MM in summarizing the text is time consuming for teachers, they have to spend a lot of time preparing MM by either hand made or software on computer in advance Besides, using MM is only effective and easy when the classrooms have a computer and projector However, not every classroom has these teaching aids Furthermore, making MM costs the teachers a lot of money

if they draw mind maps by hand For instance, teachers have to print, or buy pictures or posters from the bookshops to stick on mind maps Moreover, the students also have difficulties in constructing MM, and the way they solve it Most

of students were still confused with new words, finding the key words and making

branches in making MM Last but not least, students have less collaboration with

friends because each student was busy with her/ his work

1.3.6 Steps of summarizing the reading texts through mind mapping techniques

As we begin to explore in more detail issues and approaches in development,

MM can help us understand, remember and classify important issues we come across in written texts It is suggested that there is 5 steps in creating mind maps

which summarize texts

1.3.6.1 Skim

Firstly, read the abstract, introduction, conclusion, key headings or chapter headings When skimming through the text observe any diagrams, pictures or graphs This gives us an overview of what we are about to read, puts it in context and may already give us some clues as to where the most relevant parts are located

The mind map we have just done is very valuable as it will show both areas

we have understood and also areas you are not sure of Study our mind map to discover the gaps in our knowledge and refer back to the source material to fill in any of these gaps

1.3.6.5 Personalise

Using different colors or symbols, add our own comments and questions to the mind map Questions relating to relationships, implications, alternative approaches, usefulness, clarity, personal experience could all be considered at this stage It is in this personalizing stage where our mind map really starts to help us

with our learning The trick now is to address all those questions we have raised and

to keep returning to our mind map with the answers

1.4 Related studies of mind mapping

Since Mind mapping was introduced more research and theory building on every field has been done because many researchers are interested in exploring this technique Although mind mapping plays an important part in consolidating and memorizing, the studies conducted this technique in teaching English remain limited In Vietnam, English language teachers have been introduced this approach

to language teaching in many workshops However, it is not sure of how many teachers, especially teachers at high schools, have ever tried this approach Although there are many approaches to the teaching of summarizing reading text, mind mapping technique is still one of the challenging areas for teachers and students at high schools

1.5 Summary

In this chapter, all the concerning theoretical background has been presented First, some definitions of reading, summarizing, and mind mapping basing on some linguistic scholars‟ works have been presented Then classification and significance

of these parts have also been mentioned

CHAPTER II: THE STUDY

As introduced in part A, this chapter was to test the effectiveness of teaching reading text summary through mind mapping In order to meet the aim of the study,

a quasi-experimental research was conducted in two intact 11th grade groups of students This chapter starts with the context of the study This will be followed by a discussion of the research methods, procedures and outcomes

2.1 The context of the study

The study took place at LTK high school, which is located in Thuy Nguyen district of Hai Phong city There are some factors that affect the process of teaching and learning English in the school as follows:

Concerning the students, most of them come from farmer families and poor workers in the region They have little time for further English learning They seem not to pay much attention to reading text summary after reading because they concentrate on grammatical structures, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and writing skills which are needed for written examinations That is the reason why the students at LTK high school, for many years, have not paid much attention to reading texts in general and reading text summary in particular Consequently, after learning a reading lesson, students can not remember and revise what they have learned Therefore, it can be concluded that their English comprehending abilities are still limited and their attitude towards using mind mapping techniques to summarize the texts is also a matter to be considered

In terms of the English materials, the textbook used in the school is the basic standard one compiled by Vietnamese teachers Tieng Anh 11 includes 16 units about all the topics which are relevant to many aspects of daily life: friendship, personal experience, party, volunteer work, competitions, world population, celebrations, the post office, nature in danger, sources of energy, Asian Games, hobbies, space conquest, and the wonders of the world Each unit is divided into five lessons: reading, speaking, listening, writing and language focus The problem here is that among 16 units the requirement for the summary of the reading passage

is only focused on units 11 and 15, and the time for teaching reading comprehension

is 45 minutes, so time for a reading text summary is about 10-12 minutes, which requires students to be very active and eager to finish this task Besides, each unit

was divided into 3 parts They are Before you read, While you read and after you

read The aim of Before you read is to help students get used to the content of the

topic, brainstorming, pre-teaching new vocabulary to help student read the text

easily While you read consists of two or three tasks which require the students to

guess meaning in context, identify main idea, passage comprehension, scan for specific information, multiple choice questions, gap-fill, decide on the True or False

statements After you read committed of discussing the question, answering the

questions, completing the summary, summarizing and retelling the reading text help students to consolidate the language skills

Concerning the teaching staff and their teaching methods, in the English Department of LTKHS, there are eleven teachers of different ages from 30 to 50 Most teachers of English, not only at LTKHS, but also in other high schools, tend to focus on teaching grammatical structures, vocabulary, reading and writing skills to help their students get good scores in examinations Besides, they tend to apply conventional methods, for example, only use given tasks in the textbooks and do not design more tasks that helps students understand the reading text more thoroughly, giving questions for students to answer Consequently, the students have little interest in English lessons and their learning is passive and unsuccessful Moreover, their reading ability is not practiced and improved

2.2 Participants

The study was carried out to two existing groups of 11 grade students, 11 B10 and 11B11 who were from 16 to 17 years old Total number of students in both groups was 80, 40 for each and included 32 males and 48 females Students in the two classes are equal in terms of English proficiency and are roughly from elementary to pre-intermediate level of English, basing on not only the result of the

English final test in the first semester but also their pretest scores These two intact classes are taught by the same Vietnamese teacher of English

Table 2: Background information about the participants

This study was carried out during ten weeks for both groups according to the English major curriculum for English teachers‟ training set by the MOET Teaching reading text summary in the two classes is different Students in the experimental class were taught by using mind mapping technique to develop students‟ reading text summary In contrast, students in control class were required to do some tasks

in after you read without using mind mapping

2.3 Rationale for using quasi-experiment

Campbell and Stanley (1966) provide a rationale for using

quasi-experimental design in natural social setting to answer practical questions in

evaluating learning assistance centers They propose that the overall purpose of evaluation is to answer important questions concerning program improvement, accountability, finding and knowledge Besides, in comparison with true experimental designs, it is easier to take and compare subjects or groups of subjects that are not chosen randomly than that are randomly chosen in true experimental designs so that its result is not generalized

Additionally, a quasi-experiment is not really time-consuming It does not necessarily mean that it can be done shortly This method was often designed to gather data in such a way that threats to the reliability and validity of the research might be minimized as this study was carried out in 10 weeks The results of the quasi-experiment are often demonstrated in numerical expression such as scores of