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This research has, in many senses, been accomplished with the help and encouragement of many people. Therefore, I would like to express my deepest and humblest gratitude also warmest appreciation to the following people. First and foremost, I would like to send my deepest gratitude to my ever supportive supervisor, Ms. Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Quỳnh, Ph.D. for her valuable guidance, constructive advice, and unconditional support during the time I tried to complete this thesis. I would also express my huge thanks to all of my lecturers at Faculty of PostGraduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies as their invaluable lectures and guidance laid the foundation for the fulfillment of this thesis. I would also like to show my gratefulness to my colleagues who spent a great deal of time discussing some of the issues related to my research, offering their insights and perspectives as well as my students at Vietnam Maritime University in data collection process using survey questionnaire and semistructured interview. Last but definitely not least, I would like to dedicate this thesis to my family for their unconditional support and words of encouragement.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research has, in many senses, been accomplished with the help and encouragement of many people Therefore, I would like to express my deepest and humblest gratitude also warmest appreciation to the following people First and foremost, I would like to send my deepest gratitude to my ever supportive supervisor, Ms Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Quỳnh, Ph.D for her valuable guidance, constructive advice, and unconditional support during the time I tried to complete this thesis I would also express my huge thanks to all of my lecturers at Faculty of PostGraduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies as their invaluable lectures and guidance laid the foundation for the fulfillment of this thesis I would also like to show my gratefulness to my colleagues who spent a great deal of time discussing some of the issues related to my research, offering their insights and perspectives as well as my students at Vietnam Maritime University in data collection process using survey questionnaire and semi-structured interview Last but definitely not least, I would like to dedicate this thesis to my family for their unconditional support and words of encouragement i ABSTRACT This study was conducted at Vietnam Maritime University with a view to exploring test-taking strategies relative to learners’ performance in TOEIC Reading Comprehension as well as identifying differences in reading strategies among high proficiency and low proficiency students at Vietnam Maritime University The subjects involved in the study are over 100 students of Vietnam Maritime University (VMU) chosen randomly from TOEIC classes Two classes are at Elementary Level (TOEIC Level 1), the other classes are at Intermediate Level (TOEIC Level 2) The data was collected from survey questionnaires, interviews and administration of two TOEIC tests for students The results indicated that students at VMU put more emphasis on using reading strategies when they attended the TOEIC course In addition, this study also revealed some differences in reading strategy use among students of different proficiency levels However, when looking at the data, the researcher found some shared strategies between the two groups From the findings, the study suggested several pedagogical implications for teachers, students and test-designers at VMU, acknowledged limitations of the study and offered suggestions for further research ii ABBREVIATIONS CFL Center of Foreign Languages IELTS International English Language Testing System TOEFL Test of English as a Foreign Language TOEIC Test of English for International Communication VMU Vietnam Maritime University LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES Figure1: Figure 2: Figure 3: Figure 4: Figure 5: Figure 6: Figure 7: Table 1: Table 2: Table 3: Table 4: A Heuristic for Thinking about Reading Comprehension Priority in Reading Passages Reasons for Reading Single Passages First Reading Approach Comparison about the Priority of Reading Passage Reasons for Reading Single Passages First A Comparison about Reading Approach Types of Topic Texts often exploited Strategies to Deal with Reading Text Reading strategies in taking TOEIC Reading Comprehension Types of Topic Texts often exploited by Low Proficiency and 21 22 24 27 28 29 23 25 26 29 Table 5: High Proficiency Students Comparison about reading strategies 30 TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration i Acknowledgements ii Abstract iii iii Lists of figures and tables iv Table of contents v PART I: INTRODUCTION Rationale for the study Research aims and research question .2 Scope of the study Significance of the study Method of the study Organization of the study .3 PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Reading 1.1.1 Definition of reading 1.1.2 Purposes of reading 1.1.3 Reading process 1.2 Reading comprehension 1.3 Reading TOEIC Test 1.3.1 Test 1.3.2 TOEIC Test 1.4 TOEIC reading comprehension strategies 10 1.5 Study of cognitive process 13 1.6 Summary .15 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 2.1 Settings .16 2.2 Participants .16 2.3 Research method 17 2.3.1 Data collection instruments 17 2.3.2 Data collection procedures .18 2.3.3 Data analysis 19 iv CHAPTER 3: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 3.1 Research question 21 3.1.1 Types of Reading Passages and Topic texts often exploited 21 3.1.2 Reading Approach 24 3.1.3 Strategies to Deal with Reading Text .25 3.1.4 Reading strategies in taking TOEIC reading comprehension .26 3.2 Research question 27 3.2.1 A comparison about the Priority of Reading Passage 27 3.2.2 Types of Topic Texts often exploited by Low Proficiency and High Proficiency Students 28 3.2.3 A comparison about Reading Approach 29 3.2.4 A Comparison about reading strategies 30 PART III: CONCLUSION Summaries of the major findings 31 Pedagogical Implications 32 Limitations 34 Recommendations for further study .34 REFERENCES .36 APPENDIX I APPENDIX VII APPENDIX VIII APPENDIX XVI APPENDIX XVII v PART I: INTRODUCTION Rationale for the study In the age of economic growth and global integration, English obviously plays a very important role However, the criteria for evaluating one’s English competence are more and more difficult In today’s context, the A, B, C certificates used for people wishing to find a job are out-of- date, and the so-called IELTS, TOEFL or TOEIC have been the best choices TOEIC, together with other requirements for job seekers, is preferred by most companies in order to assess their employees’ qualifications Therefore, a lot of people are trying hard to achieve the success in a TOEIC Test In addition, being a lecturer of English at VMU, through my teaching experience, I have found out that my students are always afraid of reading as compared to other skills Students find reading difficult and stressful, and unfortunately, they have to sit for a TOEIC- based test which includes Reading and Listening comprehension for the final examination Therefore, many of the students get an awful results because of low scores in English subject in which reading is always a target of blaming Previously, although much literature has been devoted to TOEIC related topics; little was revealed about the cognitive processes underlying the performance of Vietnamese candidates in the TOEIC Reading Test, except for the exploratory study by Phạm Đức Long (2013) on “teaching and learning of TOEIC reading comprehension skill” For all of the reasons stated, this paper is among the first attempts putting the emphasis onto “test-taking techniques for TOEIC Reading Comprehension to students at Vietnam Maritime University” so as being help to solve out their problems Research aims and research questions The original aim of this study is to gain an insight into how test-takers employ different reading strategies in TOEIC Reading comprehension As the first attempt to explore the ongoing thinking processes during performing reading tasks, once finished the paper could serve as a useful source for TOEIC candidates who are planning to sit for the test as well as TOEIC trainers who want to have a closer look at how their trainees would actually perform in the real test for better TOEIC preparation instruction To achieve this aim, the following research questions will be addressed: 1) Which test-taking techniques became more effective for TOEIC Reading Comprehension test to the students at Vietnam Maritime University? 2) What are differences in reading strategies among high proficiency and low proficiency students at Vietnam Maritime University? Scope of study This study aimed to document the test-taking techniques of 100 students who are taking TOEIC preparation course at Vietnam Maritime University in Haiphong 50 students are at Elementary level, 50 students are at Intermediate level Investigating the “test-taking techniques for TOEIC Reading Comprehension test to students at Vietnam Maritime University”, this study is expected to make certain contributions to the related populations including students taking TOEIC test, teachers teaching TOEIC, and researchers of the same subjects Significance of study First of all, through the problems pointed out and the suggestions made, the students may improve their performance in reading TOEIC test Similar to the students, the study would help TOEIC teachers to realize their problems in guiding their students in sitting for a test in order to achieve the best results Moreover, by noticing the students’ difficulties in reading, teachers can have their in-time consideration and correction in teaching reading effectively In addition to the benefits given to the two above subjects, the study may serve as the foundation based on which further related research would be carried out Particularly, future research could be made better after the limitations of the study are considered Method of the study In the current study, the researcher decided to employ immediate retrospective verbal report approach to explore the test-taking strategies of 100 students as well as the cognitive processes underlying their performance in reading TOEIC comprehension Retrospection is a data-collecting method in which participants are asked to report their mental processes after solving a matter Firstly, apart from the surveyed 100 students, 15 students were chosen to participate in the semi-interviews as soon as they finished taking TOEIC Test With the aim of making the responses more confident in the interview, all the questions are simple and understandable for students to answer Secondly, questionnaires are delivered to the students after they take the TOEIC test They were offered to tick or circle the answer that best reflects their viewpoints Organization of the study The rest of the study includes two parts as follow: Part consists of: Chapter 1, Literature Review, presents related theoretical background of the study in which concepts of reading and test-taking strategies for TOEIC Reading Comprehension test would be discussed Chapter 2, Methodology, covers four major parts, namely, participants, instruments, data collection, data collection procedures, and data analysis Chapter 3, Results and Discussions, presents, analyzes and discusses the findings in order to answer the research questions of the study Part 3, Conclusion, provides summaries of the main findings, suggestions for better results, limitations of the study, and lastly, recommendations for further related researches PART II: DEVELOPMENT Chapter 1: Literature Review In this chapter, relevant knowledge collected from various sources will be presented so that it can suitably serve as a foundation for the research The paper is divided into two parts including theories on reading difficulties and TOEIC reading 1.1 Reading 1.1.1 Definitions of reading According to Longman Dictionary of Applied Linguistics, reading can be defined as the process of perceiving a written text in order to understand its contents which can be done silently, and the understanding that result is called reading comprehension However, the term reading can also be understood as saying a written text aloud which can be done with or without understanding the text Another definition of reading which can be found in Collins English Learners’ Dictionary is an act of looking at and understanding point This definition puts the emphasis on the involvement of the act of the eye during the process of reading and was supported by Harmer (1989) as eyes receive the message and the brain has to work out the significance of the message (p.153) So far, many scholars have been working out the definition of reading According to Smith (1985), reading is to understand the author’s thought Rumelhart (1997) proposed a different view on reading which is, in his opinion, actually an interaction between reader and text This view was shared by a number of researchers (Silberstein, 1994; Goodman, 1971; Alderson, 2003; Griffiths et al., 2011; Falke, 1982) Goodman (1971) in his book titled Reading: A Psycholinguistic Guessing Game put forward the definition that reading is a psycholinguistics process by which the reader, a language user, reconstructs as well as he can, a message which has been encoded by a writer as a graphic display, a cyclical process of sampling, predicting, testing and confirming (p.135) As Falke (1982) defined, in English the “graphic display” can be either printed or written Among the many definitions of reading that have arisen in recent decades, a comprehensive view should account for the active process of using one’s won prior language knowledge and experience and the cues found in the text to understand what the writer has encoded (Saengpakdeejit, 2009), since reading is not simply a cognitive skill, nor does it have a straightforward outcome as the same text can be understood in different ways by different readers For the recent study, however, reading also refers to the active thinking process that TOEIC test-takers take so as to understand and complete different reading tasks of the test TYPES OF ADVERTISEMENTS • Products • Job openings • Events TYPES OF QUESTIONS GENERAL QUESTIONS Questions about the advertisement What is the advertisement about? What position is advertised? Who is the advertisement intended for? DETAILED QUESTIONS When will the offer be effective? Where will the conference be held? Who are invited to the event? What are the requirements for the job? For your convenience, The State Street Bank is opening a new full-service branch at the City Airport Now it will be easier than ever to take care of all your banking needs as you leave or return from your trips TACTIC PRACTICE Join us at our new location for our Next Saturday, September 15, from 1:00 – 4:00 P.M Gr an O pen d ing ! ENTERTAINMENT ACTIVITIES There will be food, music, and a variety of entertainment activities for the whole FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY family Representatives of local TV station WXYZ will be there to report on the event MU SI C So come on by and bring the whole family Customer service specialists will be on D! hand to explain all the services our bank has to offer OO F IX The special benefits of opening a State Street checking or savings account Find out about: • • How to qualify for our special low-interest loans • State Street’s custom-designed financial planning services Prizes! Prizes! Prizes! SKIMMING Look quickly at the advertisement to answer this question What kind of information does this advertisement give? (A) A list of things for sale (B) An explanation of an event SCANNING Look quickly at the advertisement to answer these questions What is the name of the bank? (A) State Street Bank (B) City Bank What is the name of the airport? (A) City Airport (B) Bank Street Airport What hours you see in the advertisement? (A) 1:00-4:00 A.M (B) 1:00-4:00 P.M CONTEXT Find these words and phrases and guess their meanings in this advertisement Branch Grand opening (A) Part of a tree (A) A special celebration for a new business (B) A business location (B) The hours that a bank does business READING COMPREHENSION Mark the best answer What is being advertised? (A) A bank X (B) A restaurant (C) A concert (D) A travel agency Where will the grand opening take place? (A) On State Street (B) At the airport (C) At a TV station (D) In a park The word “Representatives” in paragraph 2, line 2, is closest in meaning to (A) Legislators (B) Staff (C) Siblings (D) Specialists 10 When will the grand opening take place? (A) In the morning (B) In the afternoon (C) In the evening (D) At night XI READING COMPREHENSION Mark the best answer What kind of position is advertised? (A) Director of Human Resources (B) Lawyer (C) Administrative assistant (D) Computer programmer What is one skill required for this job? (A) The ability to talk pleasantly on the telephone (B) The ability to write legal documents (C) The ability to develop computer programs (D) The ability to find new clients What is a benefit of this job? (A) They will pay for your vacation expenses (B) You can make all the phone calls you want (C) You only have to work from 10-4 (D) They will pay for your health insurance The word “Duties” in line is closest in meaning to (A) Taxes (B) Benefits (C) Classes (D) Responsibilities EXTRA PRACTICE OFFICE SUPPLY SALE This week only • Computer paper (white only) 25% off • Envelopes (all colors, including pink, purple, and gold) 50% off • Notebooks – buy five, get one free • Pens (blue, black, and red ink) 12 for $1 Sale ends Saturday Store closed Sunday What kind of computer paper is on sale? (A) White (B) All colors XII (C) Pink, purple and gold (D) Red, blue and black How can you get a free notebook? (A) Pay one dollar (B) spend $25 on computer paper (C) buy colored envelopes (D) Buy five notebooks When is the sale? (A) All weekend (B) On Sunday only (C) All week On Saturday only What is this ad for? (A) an airline (B) a travel agency (C) a vacation place (D) a sports club What is one thing you cannot at Sea Island Resort? (A) swim (B) play tennis (C) eat (D) play golf The word “private” in line is closest in meaning to (A) not public (B) large (C) sandy (D) personal How can you make reservations for Sea Island Resort? (A) Call a travel agent (B) Write a letter to the resort owner (C) Call the airport (D) Sea Island Resort Spend your next vacation with us Enjoy our: • private beach • two swimming pools • four tennis courts • five restaurants • beautiful weather all year It's easy to get here LESSON 23 DOUBLE PASSAGE • FOCUS Useful Tips • • • • Quickly read through the passages and the questions Select the easy questions to answer first Questions that require careful reading of the whole passages should be answered later Quickly read through the questions and the answer choices to grasp the key information Identify the passage that contains the key information Focus on that passage and choose the correct answer Pay attention to paraphrasing Answer the remaining questions from step Identifying the passage that contains the keywords/ the information needed Exercise 1: Questions 1-5 refer to the following letter and form ENVIRONMENT DEFENSE 317 Adelaide St W., Suite 705 – Toronto, Oritario, Canada – MSV 1Pg Tel: 617.323.9521 Fax: 617.323 9301 www.environmentaldefense.ca April 6, 2006 Henrietta Rose 49 Brennan Drive Shelburne, ON L9P 7R4 Dear Mrs Rose, Thank you for being an Environment Defender and supporting Environmental Defense with monthly donations from your credit card Our records show that the credit card number you have given us is expiring in May 2006 To assist us in processing your valued contributions, we are enclosing a new monthly donation form Please complete and return it in the enclosed envelope If you have any further questions or concerns, please not hesitate to contact me at (617) 323-9521, ext 250 Again, thank you for your continued generous support ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE MONTHLY CREDIT CARD DONOR FORM Types of credit card: VISA _√ _ MasterCard American Express Name appearing on card: Henrietta Rose-Williams Credit card number: _5446 7809 3343 1002 Expiry date: (MM/ YY): 07/09 Monthly contribution amount: $10 $25 $50 _ $100 √ _ other amount: $15 _ Cardholder signature: _ Why did the group send this letter? (A) To request she become a member (B) To ask for more money (C) To defend the environment (D) To continue receiving her support Why does Mrs Rose support this group? (A) She cares about nature (B) She likes to grow flowers (C) She has a credit card (D) She has questions and concerns How much is Mrs Rose giving each month? (A) $10 (B) $15 (C) $25 (D) Other How is Mrs Rose making her donation? (A) By check (B) VISA (C) MasterCard (D) American Express Why might this form be rejected? (A) They don’t accept her credit card (B) She has been a member for too long (C) Her credit card has expired (D) She forgot to sign it APPENDIX 4: THÔNG BÁO TUYỂN SINH LỚP TOEIC TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC HÀNG HẢI VIỆT NAM TRUNG TÂM NGOẠI NGỮ HÀNG HẢI Add: P.102 Nhà A5 – Trường Đại học Hàng Hải Việt Nam Tel: 0316.280.167 Facebook: Trung tâm Ngoại ngữ Đại học Hàng Hải LUYỆN THI TOEIC 350+, 450+ CAM KẾT ĐẦU RA Khóa luyện thi TOEIC đảm bảo đầu 350+, 450+ (học viên nộp học phí lần nhất) khóa học Trung tâm Ngoại ngữ cam kết học viên đạt theo nhu cầu Trường hợp học viên chưa đủ điểm tiếp tục học miễn phí đạt điểm chuẩn - Học viên trang bị đầy đủ kiến thức từ vựng, ngữ pháp, kĩ làm thi TOEIC đạt kết mong muốn - Các tập luyện sát đề thi TOEIC quốc tế - Giáo viên đặc biệt trọng luyện kĩ nghe, đọc tiếng Anh cần thiết để học viên đạt kết cao kỳ thi TOEIC quốc tế - Tài liệu luyện thi TOEIC cập nhật phát miễn phí - Liên tục làm test trước kì thi thức để rèn luyện kĩ làm tự tin bước vào phịng thi *Mức học phí phụ thuộc vào trình độ đầu vào sinh viên: Khóa học Trình độ đầu vào Thời gian Điểm đầu TOEIC Level Elementary 100h 350+ TOEIC Level Pre-Intermediate 100h 450+ Lịch học: buổi/tuần Giờ học: Sáng: 8h00 - 10h00 Chiều:14h30 - 16h30 viên chọn học ca cố định) Học phí 2.900.000đ 2.900.000đ Tối:17h30 - 19h30 (sinh Để biết thêm thông tin, liên hệ trực tiếp: Văn phòng Trung tâm Ngoại ngữ - P.102 Nhà A5 & P.101A Nhà C1 - ĐHHH - 484 Lạch Tray, Ngơ Quyền, Hải Phịng Điện thoại: 0316.280.167 TOEIC S APPENDIX 5: READING STRATEGIES ... điều tra Hiện em học lớp nào: TOEIC Level TOEIC Level Cách sử dụng chiến lược việc làm thi đọc hiểu TOEIC khác việc sử dụng chiến lược làm thi sinh viên trình độ Elementary với sinh viên trình độ... PHIẾU ĐIỀU TRA DÀNH CHO HỌC VIÊN Tôi Nguyễn Thị Thi, giáo viên Trung tâm Ngoại ngữ Hàng hải, Trường Đại học Hàng hải Việt Nam Tôi thực nghiên cứu chiến lược đọc hiểu TOEIC (Full-Test) hướng dẫn... kĩ đọc tốt Quen thuộc với em Khi làm đọc hiểu, em: Học viên vào cột bên cạnh tương ứng N A Đọc câu hỏi trước đọc đọc B Phân loại câu hỏi từ dễ đến khó để đọc C Đánh giá cấu trúc, bố cục đọc