The effects of using internet based materials in developing learner autonomy in learning english reading skill for students at my hao high school hung yen

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES    NGUYỄN THỊ HỒNG THÚY THE EFFECTS OF USING INTERNET-BASED MA

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

  

NGUYỄN THỊ HỒNG THÚY

THE EFFECTS OF USING INTERNET-BASED MATERIALS IN DEVELOPING LEARNER AUTONOMY IN LEARNING ENGLISH READING SKILL FOR

STUDENTS AT MY HAO HIGH SCHOOL, HUNG YEN

Hiệu quả của việc sử dụng tư liệu trên Internet

để phát huy tính tự chủ trong việc học kĩ năng đọc hiểu tiếng Anh của học sinh trường trung học phổ thông Mỹ Hào, tỉnh Hưng Yên

MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY

CODE: 601410 SUPERVISOR: DO BA QUY, MEd

HANOI – 2010

PART II: DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

1.2.2 Why develop learner autonomy ?

1.2.3 Characteristics of autonomous learners

1.2.4 The role of teachers in learner autonomy ?

1.3 Internet-based reading materials

1.3.1 Internet-based reading materials improve reading comprehension

1.3.2 Types of internet-based reading

1.3.3 Criteria for choosing Internet-based reading materials

1.3.4 Considerations in using Internet-based materials

1.4 Summary

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18 CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODS

CHAPTER 3: DATA AND DATA ANALYSIS

3.1 Students‟ motivations, learning experiences and attitudes towards learning reading before the experiment

3.1.1 Interview

3.1.2 Questionnaire 1

3.2 Students‟ attitudes and ability after the experiment: Questionnaire 2

CHAPTER IV: MAJOR FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

4.1 Major findings

4.2 Suggestions for the using of internet-based reading materials

PART III: CONCLUSION

PART A: INTRODUCTION

This part introduces the rationale, the aims, the research questions, the methods and the scope of the study It concludes with a presentation of the organization of the thesis

1 Rationale for the study

In all of the educational contexts in Vietnam (including primary, secondary, and higher education), no significant steps are being undertaken to promote autonomous language learning within and beyond the classroom, and learning is mainly directed and evaluated by the instructors With the predominance of teacher-led English language instruction in Vietnam, learners are seen as passive receivers of new information and are, therefore, unlikely

to develop the necessary skills to learn how to assess and control their own progress In such cases, learners do not sufficiently develop the skills to perform real-life communicative tasks effectively Consequently, although Vietnamese learners are more and more highly motivated

to learn English for socio-cultural and economic reasons, teacher feedback and classroom observation at various institutions lead to the conclusion that their proficiency in English is not at the desired level In such a context, Vietnamese learners need to develop a critical awareness of language learning and learning communication These are the main considerations of learner-centred language curricula which promote language learning autonomy as proposed by Brindley (1990), Coleman (1988), the Council of Europe (2001), Hutchinson and Waters (1988), Munby (1991), Nunan (1989), and Wilkins (1976) The Common European Framework (CEF) (Council of Europe 2001) further elaborates upon the concept of language learning autonomy, describing in a comprehensive way what language learners have to learn to do in order to use a language for communication and what knowledge and skills they have to develop to act effectively as autonomous learners

Of the four language skills, reading seems to be the most important one because in the learning process, it helps students develop other skills and provides knowledge on the target language Educational researchers have found that “there is a strong correlation between

reading and academic success” In other words, a student who is a good reader is more likely

to do well in school and pass exams than a student who is a weak reader

Being aware of the importance of learning reading, authors of new English 11 have chosen interesting topics for reading lessons with the aim to promote students in reading and improve their reading comprehension However, some of them are not familiar with students, genres and contents of the readings in the textbooks only are not enough to enhance students‟interest in reading and reading comprehension From the researcher‟s teaching experience, successful reading depends on many factors such as reading stratergies for processing the text, background knowledge and linguistic competence Thus, besides the reading texts in the textbooks students need to read more outside the classroom to enrich their vocabulary as well as their background knowledge That means students must read extensively

Through daily conversations with the teachers and students, the reseacher has found that the main reasons why students are not interested in reading lessons are their lack of background knowledge as well as vocabulary about the topics they are reading Some topics are unfamiliar, some others are boring so the students find it difficult to understand them Some students say that there are texts that they have read several times without understanding anything Moreover, time for reading lesson at high school is limited There are 3 English lessons every week In five or six lessons, there is only one for reading, it means that there is not much time for reading In extra classes at school the teachers tend to pay more attention to grammar exercises The students have opportunities to practise vocabulary but in separated sentences, not in reading texts Because teaching reading is time consuming, the teachers often neglect it Large class size adds to the difficulties the students encounter in the reading lessons Another important reason is their lack of motivation „Practice makes perfect‟, that is the reason why teachers have to find ways to enhance students to read more so that they can improve their reading ability

Materials for extensive reading are available everywhere But Internet-based materials seem to be the most suitable for high school students There are several reasons for choosing Internet-based materials First of all, in recent years, the use of the World Wide Web (WWW) as a resource for language learning materials has gained increasing popularity among language teachers and learners The Internet can now be used for supplementing and reinforcing what we do in the classroom as well as providing rich opportunities whereby students can start learning languages on their own Moreover, students generally have positive feelings about learning languages via the Internet For example, Kung and Chuo (2002) conducted a study of students‟ attitudes towards learning English through websites Despite some difficulties encountered, they found that students had an overall positive attitude to using websites in their learning of English Secondly, the Internet facilitates individualization of instruction and introduces a more interesting platform to learn by incorporating multimedia into the process (Soboleva, & Tronenko, 2002) Thirdly, it enhances the accessibility of information, language materials in this case, as well as offering various ways to connect with the target speech community (Warschauer, 1996) Unlike traditional textbook-based teaching, language materials on the Internet can

be updated periodically Recent literature on methodological and pedagogical considerations requires language learners to become active participants in the process rather than passive recipients of information In this age of information explosion, language learners are encouraged to be explorers and creators of language, and assessors of their own linguistic progress (Brown, 2001; Su & Kinshuk, 2002) Two other important aspects are the issues of learner autonomy and motivation Learner-oriented Internet-based language teaching materials demand that the individual background of learners, their needs, and learning styles are accommodated (Soboleva, & Tronenko, 2002) In other words, learner-directed language instruction provides learners with the control of choosing materials, sequencing it, as well as deciding on the pace of delivery (Su & Kinshuk, 2002) Communicative language teaching and learner autonomy have become increasingly important for language teachers in the last few decades Students are no longer expected to memorize

lists of grammar rules and vocabulary items but to understand and convey meaning with an adequate knowledge of the form, use, and appropriacy of the language (Brown, 2001) They do not need to be spoon-fed all the time Mistakes are natural in the language acquisition process and learners are encouraged to be willing to learn and to take responsibility for their own progress Finally, students at this age are curious and they like reading something new, atractive and linked with modern technology Internet-based materials are plentiful with various topics

In fact, at My Hao High school, teaching and learning reading are mostly based on textbooks Therefore, the sutents don‟t seem to be interested in reading lessons Many of them find reading difficult and boring and even some are afraid of reading After reading a text, they don‟t understand much about its content or they misunderstand the author‟s ideas As a high school teacher, I think that something has to be done about raising students‟interest in reading and helping them comprehend the texts better This minor study is inspired from the idea that whereas many educators enthusiastically embrace the use of Internet-based reading materials, little theoretical and empirical research exists that demonstrates how Internet-based reading materials are useful in improving high school students‟ reading comprehension skills and how to organize Internet-based reading activities effectively Moreover, when seeking for materials to design the lessons, I realise that Internet is a useful source of information for high school students to increase their background knowledge And that‟s the reason why I decided

to choose the topic “The Effects of Using Internet-based Materials in Developing Learner

Autonomy in Learning Reading Skill for Students at My Hao High School, Hung Yen”

In light of these circumstances, this paper will investigate whether Internet-based materials are effective in developing learner autonomy in learning reading skill for students at

My Hao High School, Hung Yen To achieve this goal, the study will focus on the exploration

of factors that affect the students‟ reading comprehension in My Hao High school, whether they are able to set language learning goals and work towards them, how the Internet-based reading materials used within and beyond the classroom promote autonomous learning

2 Aims of the study

This study aims at improving the quality of teaching/learning to read English as a second language for grade 11 students at My Hao high school by using Internet-based materials

To achieve this aim, the study sets out to obtain the three following specific objectives:

1 To investigate the situation of learner autonomy in learning reading among high school students in My Hao high school

2 To apply Internet-based materials in teaching reading and find out how effective they are in helping develop learner autonomy in learning reading skill

3 To offer recommendations for the application of Internet-based materials to improve learner autonomy in reading comprehension skill of grade 11 students in My Hao high school

3 Research questions

In order to achieve the mentioned aims, the study is intended to find answers to the following questions:

1 What is the current situation of students‟autonomy in learning reading?

2 What are the effects of Internet-based reading materials on the level of students‟autonomy?

3 What are the recommendations for improving learner autonomy in learning reading

at My Hao high school?

4 Methods of the study

With the aim of finding out the role of Internet-based reading materials in helping improve learner autonomy in learning reading comprehension skill for students in high school, a survey approach is adopted for this study Participants will be 48 students of class 11A12 of My Hao high school First, interviews will be conducted on a group of 24 students These students will be randomly selected among the students of class 11A12 All the

interviews will be fully written down and analysed At the same time, a questionnaire will be given to discover the students‟attitudes towards reading skill and their learning experiences Data will be analyzed to identify the situation of learning reading, the factors affecting their reading comprehension Then all 48 students will be guided to use Internet-based reading materials for 2 months Questionnaires will be conducted after that to find out if Internet-based materials help improve the students‟autonomy in learning reading comprehension skill

5 Scope of the study

Internet-based reading materials play a more and more important part in raising the effectiveness of teaching and learning foreign languages in general, English in particular This study focuses on the role of Internet-based reading materials in helping improve reading comprehension skills for students in My Hao High school and offers some suggestions for the intergration of Internet-based materials in high school teaching and learning curricular in Vietnam

6 Organization of the thesis

This minor thesis consists of three parts

The first part “Introduction” includes the rationale for the study, the aims, research questions, methods, scope of the study as well as the organization of the thesis

Part B “Development” consists of four chapters The first chapter “Literature Review” discusses the knowledge relevant to the research topic including the theoretical background of reading comprehension, learner autonomy and the roles of Internet-based materials The second chapter “Research methodology” presents the context of the study, the participants, research methods The third chapter deals with data and data analysis The fourth chapter mentions the major findings and recommendations to use Internet-based materials in improving learner autonomy in learning reading

The last part of the study “Conclusion” summarizes the findings, giving out some limitations and recommendations for further study

PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter reviews the relevant literature relating to reading comprehension, learner autonomy and the role of Internet-based materials in improving reading comprehension skill The chapter begins with definitions of reading and some information about extensive reading The second section of the chapter presents background knowledge about learner autonomy The last section discusses the role of internet-based materials in helping to develop students‟autonomy in learning reading

1.1 Reading

1.1.1 Definitions of reading

Reading is a huge topic It is a receptive skill Reading can be defined as a process, which involves a reader, a text and a resultant interaction between the two (Goodman, 1996; Rumelhart, 1977 as cited in Singhal, 1998) Brindley (1994) in her introduction to

the reading section of teaching English offers a helpful starting point: “Reading is a complex

area We can use the term to mean the process itself, or a respond to literary text It can mean the retrieval of information in a non-literary text, or take on the wider meanings like „reading the situation‟ Reading is not confined to print in a book It is central to the debate about meaning and the construction of the reader It is linked to the issues of standards in education, and to one of the functions of education itself – the production of the literate society” This is

a relatively focused view of reading Anderson et al (1985) provides a broader view of the

same territory: “The majority of scholars in the field now agree on the nature of reading: Reading is the process of constructing meaning from written texts It is a complex skill requiring coordination of a number of interrelated sources of information.”

Reading is a holistic act Success of reading comes from practice over long periods of time And also, there may be more than one interpretation of a text The interpretation depends on the background of the reader, the purpose for reading, and the context in which the reading occurs Reading is very necessary for daily life Harmer (2003) emphasized the

importance of reading as follow “it will helps us to achieve some clear aims Thus, for example, we read a road sign so that we know where to go We read the instructions on a ticket machine because we need to know what to do next”

Different scholars of different approaches provide different definitions of reading However, “In spite of the constant shift in focus throughout the history of reading research, it has been generally recognized that reading is a very complicated process involving a variety of factors that interact with one another” (Kim, 2002) Due to this complex nature of reading and the fact that it is one of the most important language skills, most scholars in language methodology agree that there is a need for incorporating multimedia into reading instruction Reading should be supported with pictures, diagrams, video, and audio (Brown, 2001) Learners need to be provided with sufficient scaffolding to be able to achieve more effective reading comprehension (Brandl, 2002)

be “unable to promote its students‟ language development in all aspects as effectively as if such a programme were present” (1995:335), he also claimed that such a programme would make students more possitive about reading, improve their overall comprehension skills, and

give them a wider passive and active vocabulary Strong (1996) also stated that “extensive reading of literature can encourage students to develope possitive attitudes toward reading”

1.2 Autonomy

1.2.1 Definition

Since the primary concern of this study is EFL student teachers'autonomy as language learners, definitions of autonomy here refer to both students and teachers'autonomy just as learners Holec (1981, p.3) defines the term as "the ability to take charge of one's own directed learning" Little (2003) points out more precisely that "the practice of learner autonomy requires insight, a positive attitude, a capacity for reflection, and a readiness to be proactive in self-management and in interaction with others" (cited on line) In this sense, autonomous learners decide what to learn, when and how to learn it by taking responsibility for their learning This process of personal responsibility in monitoring their own progress entails the use of self-assessment as one of the instruments to determine their level of knowledge and skills (Gardner, 1999) It is seen as one of the pillars of learner autonomy because it helps learners to focus on their own learning (Harris, 1997)

1.2.2 Why develop learner autonomy?

Good learners are learners who are capable of take responsibility for their own learning They know how to make all the decisions involved In other words, “… They know how to learn” (Holec, 1981, p.147) More and more research has been done on learner autonomy and independence (Holec, 1981; Benson, 2000) and its importance to a successful learning process Learner autonomy as described by Holec (1981) promotes the independence

of the learner throughout the entire learning process within a course of study and beyond Borrowed from the field of language learning is the notion that learner autonomy is central to the learning process and promotes the idea of the effectiveness of a resource centre in which learners can actively learn (Esch, 1994; Sheerin, 1989, 1997; Sturtridge, 1997; Benson, 2000)

In language teaching, teachers can provide all the necessary circumstances and input, but learning can only happen if learners are willing to contribute Learner autonomy is crucial to

an effective language learning experience.There‟s a saying “you can bring the horse to water, but you can not make him drink”

It‟s obvious that autonomy is essential in the learning process and it is the goal of the current dominant learner-centered approach In classes, learners are the centre of the learning process, they should be provided with chances to show their activeness, creativeness and abilities Autonomy “empowers learners within the learning process and prepares them to be lifelong learners” (Pulist, 2000, p.1) To promote learning results of the students, developing learner autonomy is “an unavoidable methodological option” (Narcy, 1994)

1.2.3 Characteristics of autonomous learners

Rousseau ([1762] 1911, cited in Candy, 1991: 102) regards the autonomous learner as someone who is obedient to a law that he prescribes to himself Within the context of education, though, there seem to be seven main attributes characterising autonomous learners (see Omaggio, 1978, cited in Wenden, 1998: 41-42):

1 Autonomous learners have insights into their learning styles and strategies;

2 take an active approach to the learning task at hand;

3 are willing to take risks;

4 are good guessers;

5 attend to form as well as to content, that is, place importance on accuracy as well as appropriacy;

6 develop the target language into a separate reference system and are willing to revise and reject hypotheses and rules that do not apply; and

7 have a tolerant and outgoing approach to the target language

(cited on line) However, to develop learner autonomy, besides the above characteristics need to be taken into considerations the following skills:

1 Choosing instructional materials;

2 Setting learning objectives and prioritizing them;

3 Determining when and how to work on each objective;

4 Assessing progress and achievements;

5 Evaluating the learning program

1.2.4 The role of teachers in learner autonomy?

The language teacher had a significant role as a resource person for autonomous language learning Railton and Watson (2005, p.192) likewise emphasize the significance of guidance in the autonomous learning process: "Autonomous learning is as much a skill as learning to drive - it must be taught, it requires practice, and it is assessed against specific criteria Unless they are taught, how to take the wheel for themselves, learner students, like learner drivers, may be at risk."

Holden and Usuki (1999) who questioned Japanese students'perceptions of learner autonomy likewise concluded that it was not the learners who were innately passive, but it was the educational system that created an environment which discouraged learner autonomy The follow-up studies of Usuki (2001; 2002) provided more evidence that Japanese students were aware of their needs as autonomous learners, but a gap between their awareness and their actual behavior seemed to be the main problem because of the negative effect of the educational system Ho and Crookall (2000), in investigations into learner autonomy in the more traditional organization of classrooms in China, discussed in detail the cultural traits that both hindered and encouraged autonomy in such a setting, concluding that it was through concrete actions of taking responsibility that genuine autonomy was learnt

The general impression is that the Vietnamese educational system is mainly directed and evaluated by the authority and, as a result, has a significant influence on learner autonomy in Vietnamese context The majority of the students lacked necessary critical thinking and reflection skills to cope with the requirements of academic life such as skills of how to plan, conduct and evaluate research Most importantly, there is reality in Vietnamese High schools that teacher factors hindered the development of learner autonomy because the teachers themselves had been trained within the same education system, and were unable to change their habits

Little (1995), McGrath (2000), Smith (2000), and Tort-Moloney, (1997) also provide evidence that teachers who themselves are not autonomous language learners may have a negative influence on the development of autonomy in their students Stiller and Ryan (1992), and Clemente (2001) likewise suggest that teacher autonomy support and involvement (and parental support for autonomy and involvement) have direct links with students'assimilation

of their classroom context and subsequent academic outcomes Usuki, (2002) attracts attention to teachers'attitudes towards their students which may play a key role in learner autonomy Probably, those are the reasons why most of the things have stayed the same in Vietnamese educational system although it has been changed periodically for decades For example, the last trend is towards the innovation in teaching and learning methods Yet, traditional approaches to learning and teaching are still being used by many teachers with old beliefs since the beliefs that individuals have play a decisive role in the process of autonomous learning (Cotterall 1995)

There may be some other factors hindering teachers from effectively involving themselves in this process Firstly, they may be afraid of the students who improve fast independently while the teachers make little or no progress because they are not autonomous learners themselves Secondly, some schoolteachers can earn money without trying hard, and then they do not strive to learn new things In that connection, introducing new things to students can be a good starting point

1.3 Internet-based reading materials

1.3.1 Internet-based reading materials in improving reading comprehension

Thanks to the ever expanding flexibility and versatility of IT in performing many jobs, most of the language teaching authorities support using it in facilitating teaching in general, teaching English in particular With recent advancements in software technology, multimedia computing and extensive use of the Internet (Soboleva, & Tronenko, 2002), computers have become so widespread in schools and language institutions and their uses have expanded so dramatically that language teachers must now begin to reconsider the implications of using computers for teaching languages (Warschauer, 1996; Blake, 1997)

Internet technology is a “medium of global communication and a source of limitless authentic materials” (Warschauer, 1996) With the emergence of the Internet technology, e-mail, list-serves, streaming audio-video, chat rooms, audio-video and message boards, language learners now have more chances to improve their language competence Easier access in terms of distance and time considerations, self-paced language study, low affective filter, increased motivation, opportunities to access and use authentic language, and hence enhanced learner autonomy are among the advantages of using the web in language teaching and learning Internet-based reading provides language learners with a much better opportunity for initiative in language learning, enhancement of learning strategies Engagement in meaningful authentic exercises promotes enthusiasm and motivation on the part of the learners Internet-based reading helps create relaxed (in terms of learner anxiety) environments Internet-based reading establishes a basis for reflecting on the experience of language learning, self-correcting, self-evaluating, and searching for information on any linguistic and/or socio-cultural aspect learners might want to learn more about right on the spot, something that cannot be realized easily in traditional type of media (Kennedy, 1989)

The Internet as a resource can enrich and expand language instruction There are numerous reasons in favor of integrating the Internet into a language curriculum Chun and Plass (2000, p 161) mention general capabilities of features of the WWW that have the potential to enhance language learning These are a) the universal availability of authentic materials, b) the communication capabilities through networking, c) the multimedia capabilities, and d) the nonlinear (hypermedia) structure of the information The most compelling reason is definitely the convenience in accessing and obtaining an endless supply

of authentic materials in target languages The WWW has brought the world to the fingertips

of each learner Applying the WWW to foreign language teaching also provides the opportunity to meet the Standards in several ways (Walz, 1998): "Competence in more than one language and culture enables people to gain access to additional bodies of knowledge; … all students learn in a variety of ways and settings; … language and culture education

incorporate effective technologies; and using the Web is consistent with learning theories about learning to read authentic materials" (p 104)

Son (2003) carried out a research study to examine the effectiveness of three different types of reading text formats, namely paper-based format, computer-based non-hypertext format, and computer-based hypertext format The motivation in conducting this research study was to find out the degree of usefulness of hyperlinks on the online lexical resources, which provide readers with optional assistance during independent reading Another question Son was interested in was the learner attitudes towards the effectiveness of incorporation of hyperlinks into reading materials Defining hypertext as „non-sequential text which is organized to allow readers to access to non-linear information‟ and pointing out that hypermedia applications can enrich learning tasks by providing learners with various types of online information, Son (2003) contends that the integration of text with sound and images eventually paves the way for greater comprehension of the reading text as well as better pronunciation and contextual use of lexical items in a way that traditional paper-based texts cannot achieve

In his article on net-based reading Brandl (2002) investigated the ways of exploration of authentic reading materials on the World Wide Web and found out that there are a lot of possibilities of integrating online reading resources into reading classes whereby higher motivation, more effective and faster reading comprehension can be attained

1.3.2 Types of Internet-based reading

In this section, I will present three different types to Internet-based reading, which can help students improve their reading comprehension skills using the materials from the Internet Based on these three types of reading I will conduct the study to find out how Internet-based materials help improve reading comprehension skills of the students at My Hao High school

* Teacher-determined lessons

The reading activities and materials of this type are comparable to the computer as an online electronic workbook The teacher prescreens and selects reading materials or cultural readings from Internet-based, designs comprehension activities, and makes them available through his/her Web page By pre-selecting and preparing the readings, the instructor tailors the contents and tasks to the students' proficiency level The tasks are designed to support the reader'scomprehension process focusing on textual, linguistic and cultural features Reading is

a silent process that is best done individually The learners get to explore authentic reading materials outside of class at their own pace This frees up classroom time that can be spent more effectively getting students involved in communicative language learning activities Furthermore, depending on the instructional program design, students'answers may be forwarded to the instructor Students'responses to reading tasks are limited by the capacity of the teachers‟packages Tasks can be true/false, matching, or multi-choice answers, or short answers To create such activities, skills and expertise in language pedagogy, instructional design, and some programming are required The latter may include experience with HTML editors, HTML or Internet-based authoring packages such as Half-Baked Software, or WebCT Other technological skills such as the use of scanners and graphic programs are recommended

* Teacher-facilitated lessons

Internet-based reading activities that have gained most wide-spread attention and popularity among language teachers and students are those in which the instructor provides a set of learning tasks that engage the learners in exploring reading materials in their authentic environments The instructor determines a particular topic and set of goals for his lesson, such exploring English wedding, American education The teacher prescreens and selects a set of sites to ensure its contents are appropriate for their pedagogical goals Through a particular task design, the instructor facilitates the students'reading process and guides the learners to explore a variety of pre-selected resources, thus providing a clear goal to be accomplished by the students Furthermore, the tasks should be designed so that they are not so broad that students wander aimlessly through the material yet open enough to provide multiple paths, outcomes, and interpretations, which can form the basis for classroom interaction In this way,

the teacher controls the navigational scope and the number and kind of Internet sites that the students access Despite the restriction, the learner has some autonomy as the tasks provide the learner a choice in the sites he or she accesses and explores Task types usually include comparisons, gathering factual information, descriptions, and short summaries The outcome

of the student assignments is clearly defined, but open-ended The teacher's role can best be described as a guide and facilitator The students follow the teacher's lead but get to explore the contents themselves Teachers should list the most popular search engines such as Google, Yahoo

* Learner-determined lessons

Learner-determined lessons follow an approach to integrating Internet-based resources that is entirely learner-centered The learners determine the topics, reading materials, and the way they go about exploring the readings themselves They decide on the process and the product, formulate the goals, identify Internet-based resources, and make a decision on how the outcomes should be evaluated In this way, the students take on the roles of self-directed and autonomous learners, and take full charge and responsibility for their outcomes The teacher only gets involved in the role of a facilitator offering support and guidance throughout the process as much as necessary Types of assessment may include teacher-, self-, or group-assessment Assessment of learner outcomes may be teacher-directed or student-determined Examples are short writing assignments, essays, or mini-projects or presentations that show the students'analytical and interpretative skills of cultural readings and texts The technological skills required to implement this approach are minimal If the teacher is to provide guidance to his/her students on searching the Internet, then knowledge about Web browsers, search engines and their effective use are indispensable

There is no doubt, the vast amount of authentic resources on the Internet provides learners an opportunity to improve their reading skills Yet, to make the integration of WWW-based activities a successful learning experience, it requires effective organization and presentation of that information

1.3.3 Criteria for choosing Internet-based reading materials

The number one selection criteria for Internet-based materials is that they help fulfill the learning outcomes for the students The teachers as well as the students should pay attention

to choosing appropriate materials because there may be some criteria that prevent achieving the primary goal If the reading level is too far beyond the level of the students or if the content is too complex for the target group, then the students will never access the information Here are some criteria for choosing Internet-based reading materials

Criteria 1 Topic The materials provide opportunities for reading more in depth on a subject, which can facilitate second-language acquisition, especially when most of the vocabulary and structures are recycled

Criteria 2 Background Knowledge of the Reader Materials should make sure that the passage

is on a topic known to students Reading texts with so many new words is as hard as learning about scientific programming

Criteria 3 Exploitability: Will the passage allow the teacher to accomplish the objectives of the reading lesson? Consider thematic, lexical and structural appropriateness in light of the text you chose Do they have the potential to match up with the objectives of the subject? Can students explore the text meanings through the structure and text conventions, and acquire some new vocabulary as well?

Criteria 4 Lexical Appropriateness Materials is considered suitable if the new vocabulary matches the level of the students‟ abilities

Criteria 5 Readability and Length of Passage Consider also the length of the passage and how long it would take you to complete the reading lesson Five relatively short mini texts might be better than one infinitely long text

Criteria 6 Syntactic Appropriateness Syntactic constructions in a passage affect its readability If the new structures have been taught, the students can be instructed to scan the text and underline syntactic constructions that are new or difficult, or which they do not quickly recognize or understand Otherwise you may need to reteach certain structures

Criteria 7 Organization: Logical/Rhetorical Ordering of Ideas One of the main objectives of reading lessons is understanding the main ideas and significant details of a text

Criteria 10 Appearance of the Reading Passage: layout, print, type size It is a good idea to choose the text that has accompanying photos or pictures with captions that illustrate the topic? Are paragraphs in each text/file clearly defined? Are the lines numbered? Is the font clear and attractive? This can enhance reading speed Materials that are visually appealing can reinforce students‟motivation

1.3.4 Considerations in using Internet-based materials

As pointed out above, there are numerous convincing arguments in favor of integrating Internet-based materials into a foreign language curriculum At the same time, several arguments can be made that ask for a more cautious approach when using the Internet The Internet is not an ideal way of delivering instruction, and there are numerous challenges to overcome First, there are still many limitations on interactivity and bandwidth Second, the hyper-linked structure and presentation of information on the Internet may easily cause students to get lost Third, we have no control over the quality and accuracy of the contents of the information In other words, the use of the Internet resources completely depends on reader judgment, which presupposes solid language proficiency and critical reading skills Fourth, little theoretical and empirical research actually exists that demonstrates how to make use of Internet-based materials or how to design tasks that allow the learners to explore these materials and yield expected learning outcomes In the same vein, little is known about students'attitudes towards the integration of Web-based readings in the foreign language curriculum

1.4 Summary

Through the brief literature review, it is clear that there are many factors involved in L2 reading comprehension process Autonomy is seen as a capacity or ability for active and independent reading The relevant literature emphasizes the role of Internet-based materials

in language learning It can be concluded that internet-based reading materials can help develop learner autonomy in learning reading skill

CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODS

This chapter deals with the methods that have been applied to achieve the aims and objectives of the study It gives a detailed description of the setting and participants of the study as well as data collection instruments

2.1 Setting of the study

Founded in 1961, My Hao High school is located in My Hao district, a highly developed industrial area Having got good teaching and learning traditions, it is considered one of the best high schools in Hung Yen province

Having been upgraded to a national standardized high school, in recent years, the school management board has considered the application of IT in not only managing but also in teaching and learning to make real innovation on its way to develop The school has a local network with nearly 100 computers granted to learning activities The computers are connected to the LAN, providing access to the Intranet and Internet 25 computers of these are installed with software called Magic Class, which supports teaching and learning English Many other softwares are installed to help the teachers prepare E-lessons more easily Available Internet-based materials are useful sources that help motivate students in learning English

The English division has 13 qualified and responsible teachers who know how to attract their students to learning environment and encourage them to take part in extracurricular activities Many students here are interested in learning English They find English an important subject

2.2 The participants

The subjects of this study are the students of class 11A12 It is a selected class It has

48 students (41 females and 7 males) The students are interested in learning English All of them desire to enter a foreign language college after they finish school They have been learning English for 6 years Generally, they are at the same proficiency level However, during the years in lower secondary schools, the main method that their teachers often used to teach them was the grammar-translation one Furthermore, they were not provided with

modern facilities that were necessary for their learning such as cassettes, videos, computers… Therefore, the students are not very active in class

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2.4 Data collection instruments

The data is collected by means of questionnaires and interviews

2.3.1 Interview

Kvale (1996) states that interviews are a particular useful research method for getting in deep information about a specific research issue or question He supposes that this is a personal form of research and interviewer works directly with the respondents, the information about opinions or impressions is often easier to collect through oral interviews Nunan (1992) characterized interviews in terms of their degrees of formality In an unstructured interview, the interviewee is allowed to talk freely with little intervention from the interviewer In a semi-structured interview, the interviewer does not prepare questions in advance but can control the scope of the talk by raising a topic or an issue Predetermined questions are only needed in a structured interview which is mostly a “questions and answers” session

In this study, a structured interview was carried out among twenty four students of class 11A12 at My Hao high school Here, the researcher would like to get information about the students‟reading habits, the factors affecting their reading comprehension and whether they use the Internet-based materials for extensive reading

2.3.2 Questionnaires

A questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of a series of questions and other prompts for the purpose of gathering information from respondents According to Richards (2003) questionnaire is an effective way of information gathering about some aspects of learners “such as beliefs, attitudes, motivation and preferences” Questionnaires have advantages over some other types of surveys in that they are cheap, do not require as much effort from the questioner as verbal or telephone surveys, and often have standardized answers that make it simple to compile data (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

2.3.2.1 Questionnaire 1

Questionnaire 1 (see Appendix 2) was given to 48 students before the experiment to investigate the goals of the students in learning English, their attitudes towards learning reading skill, the current situation of the students‟autonomy in learning reading and the materials they use in learning reading Forty eight copies of the questionnaire were given to the students and collected in class after 45 minutes Questionnaire 1 consists of 5 questions Question 1 aimed to investigate the students‟ goals in learning English

Question 2 investigated their attitudes towards reading skill

Question 3 asked information about the types of reading materials they often used for independent learning

Questions 4, 5 aimed to discover the students‟opinions about Internet-based reading materials and if Internet-based reading materials could promote autonomous learning or not

2.3.2.2 Questionnaire 2

Questionnaire 2 (see Appendix 3) was given to the 48 students after the experiment to find out the students‟attitudes towards Internet-based reading materials and to see if they helped the students promote autonomous learning There were six questions in the questionnaire The questionnaires were given to the students and collected after 30 minutes

Question 1 aimed to find out what they thought of the Internet-based materials provided for this study

Questions 2, 3 aimed to investigate the difficulties they encountered when they used Internet-based materials and their opinions about the role of Internet-based materials in helping to promote autonomous learning

Question 4 asked the students to evaluate their progress

The last two questions investigated the benefits of Internet-based materials in improving reading comprehension skill and what should be done to improve learner autonomy in learning reading skill

CHAPTER 3: DATA AND DATA ANALYSIS

This chapter provides information about the current situation of learning English reading skill at My Hao high school before the experiment and the students‟attitudes towards learning reading after the experiment It consists of two sections of data analysis, which aim at answering the three research questions at the beginning of the study

3.1 Students’ motivations, learning experiences and attitudes towards learning reading before the experiment

3.1.1 Interview

Twenty four students (randomly selected) were interviewed for about 20-30 minutes for each student from February 15th to March 6th, 2010 The interviews took place in an informal atmosphere, so that the students felt free to express themselves The researcher took notes during the interviews since the students did not feel comfortable talking on tape Four main questions constructed for the students are as follows:

1 Are you interested in learning reading? Why and why not?

2 What are the main factors that affect students‟ reading comprehension?

3 How much time do you spend for independent learning?

4 Have you ever used Internet-based reading materials? If yes, how do you find them? The students' responses to the questions have been classified and calculated as percentages Below is the detailed data:

3.1.1.1 Responses to question 1:

Are you interested in learning reading? Why and why not? Please explain

The interview data showed that 71% of the students (see Chart 1) were not interested in reading lessons The main reasons are their lack of background knowledge as well as vocabulary about the topics they are reading Some topics are unfamiliar, some others are boring so the students find it difficult to understand them Some students say that there are texts that they have read several times without understanding anything Moreover, time for

reading lesson at high school is limited There are 3 English classes every week In five or six classes, there is only one for reading, it means that there is not much time for reading In extra classes at school the teachers tend to pay more attention to grammar exercises The students have opportunities to practise vocabulary but in separated sentences, not in reading texts Because teaching reading is time consuming, the teachers often neglect it Large class size adds to the difficulties that the students encounter in the reading lessons Another important reason is their lack of motivation To solve the problem, teachers should find ways to enhance students to read more so that they can improve their reading ability

Chart 1: Students’interests in learning reading

3.1.1.2 Responses to question 2:

What are the main factors that affect students’ reading comprehension?

Most of the students stated that the most influential factor that affected students‟reading comprehension was the limited capacity of vocabulary Some said that if there were too many new words in a text, they would find it difficult to comprehend the text and as a result, they couldn‟t do the tasks Another factor was the lack of background knowledge About 20% of the students said that if the topics of the text were strange or they had never read about those

topics before, they would hardly understand the text The same number of the students claimed that the reading passages were not interesting enough to motivate them to read Nearly 30% of the students believed that they didn‟t have appropriate reading strategies, which influenced their comprehension Some others (3 students) told that the long reading texts and time limitation also affected their reading comprehension See the table below:

Table 1: Main factors affecting students’ reading comprehension

3.1.1.3 Responses to question 3:

How much time do you spend for independent learning?

Amount of time the students spend for independent learning Number of

The information from Table 2 showed that the students were not very interested in learning reading They didn‟t spend much time for extensive reading 7 out of 24 students read every day, of which only one student spent more than one hour a day, the rest spent less than one hour a day 62% didn‟t read often (41.2% read several times a week, 20.8% sometimes read) Worse than that more than 10% of the students never read extensively at all

3.1.1.4 Response to question 4:

Have you ever used Internet-based reading materials? If yes, how do you find them?

As can be seen from the table below, one third of the students (33.3%) have never used Internet-based materials Meanwhile, two thirds have ever used Internet-based materials (66.7%) That is a rather high rate Most of them said that it was interesting to use this kind of material because the topics were various The students could freely choose the texts that were suitable for their abilities and amount of time they had However, some said that it was time-consuming to find suitable reading passages

materials

B - The number of students having never used Internet-based materials

Chart 2: Number of students using Internet-based materials

3.1.2 Questionnaire 1

3.1.2.1 Question 1:

What are your goals in learning English?

Question 1 aimed to find out the students‟goals in learning English Motivation is an essential factor determining their willingness to take the responsibility of their own learning The data

in Table 3 showed that the most common reason why students learned English is because they had to pass university exams and that English was a compulsory subject at school (92.7% and 85.4% of students respectively) Many students responsed that they would like to please their parents and teachers (77.1%) This means that the students were not highly motivated in learning English Therefore, it is difficult to say that they will actively take charge of their own learning and that they are autonomous learners To motivate the students, great efforts and appropriate teaching methods from the teachers are required

See the table below:

responses

%

Table 3: Students’ goals in learning English

3.1.2.2 Question 2:

What are your attitudes towards reading skill? Give reasons for your choice