VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES NGUYỄN HOÀNG PHI USING MIND-MAPS TO IMPROVE THE STUDENTS’ READING SKILLS AT DONG NAI TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITY MA THESIS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE HANOI, 2019 VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES NGUYỄN HOÀNG PHI USING MIND-MAPS TO IMPROVE THE STUDENTS’ READING SKILLS AT DONG NAI TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITY Field: English Language Code: 8220201 Supervisor: Bùi Thị Thục Quyên, Ph.D HANOI, 2019 DECLARATION BY AUTHOR I certify this thesis entitled “USING MIND MAPS TO IMPROVE THE STUDENT’S READING SKILLS AT DONG NAI TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITY” is my own study All statements in this thesis which are not my own will be shown in the list of references Author’s signature Nguyễn Hoàng Phi APPROVED BY Suppervisor Bùi Thị Thục Quyên, Ph.D Date: …………………………… i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I would like to express my deepest thanks to my supervisor, Bùi Thị Thục Quyên, Ph.D who gave me precious guidance, assistance and encouragement during the time of conducting this study I also want to express my sincere thanks to all my students at Dong Nai Technology University for their contribution in completion this research Finally, I would like to express my thanks to my beloved family for supporting me during the time of my study ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page DECLARATION BY AUTHOR .i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii TABLE OF CONTENTS iii ABSTRACT v LIST OF TABLES vi LIST OF FIGURES .vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale of the study 1.2 Aims of the study .3 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Scope of the study 1.5 Significance of the study 1.6 Research Methods 1.7 Structure of the study .5 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Theoretical review 2.1.1 Reading 2.1.2 Reading skills .9 2.1.3 The mind map technique 13 2.2 Previous studies 18 2.3 Chapter summary 20 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 22 3.1 The research settings 22 3.2 Research Design 22 iii 3.3 Population and Sample 3.4 3.5 3.6 Data collection instruments 3.4.1 Test 3.4.2 Questionna Data analysis procedures 3.5.1 The analys 3.5.2 The analys Chapter summary CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 4.1 Data analysis of Test 4.1.1 Data descri 4.1.2 Data Analy 4.2 Analysis of Questionnaire 4.3 Discussion 4.4 Chapter summary CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 5.1 Recapitulation 5.1 Concluding Remarks 5.3 Implications 5.4 Limitations and suggestions for further studies REFERENCES Appendix 1: Questionnaire Appendix 2: PRE-TEST and POST-TEST Pre-test Post – test Appendix 3: Lesson Plans iv ABSTRACT This is an experimental research about reading skills at Dong Nai Technology University Its objective are to find out students’ perception about reading and mind maps as well as find out whether mind maps can help students in improving their reading skills or not The data were collected through test and questionnaire The test included pre-test and post-test were delivered before and after the experimental teaching for both control class and experimental class The questionnaire was delivered only to experimental class before and after the treatment The results of this study showed that mind maps technique really helps in improving the students’ reading skills v LIST OF TABLES Table 4.1.1.1: The results of pre-test score 29 Table 4.1.1.2: The results of post-test score 31 Table 4.1.1.3: The results of gained score .34 Table 4.1.2.1: The t-test of Pre-test .345 Table 4.1.2.2: The t-test of Post-test 347 Table 4.1.2.3: The t-test of Gained scores .348 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 4.2.1.1: Reading habit before the experimental teaching 39 Figure 4.2.1.2: Reading habit after the experimental teaching Error! Bookmark not defined Figure 4.2.2.1: Student’s excitement before the treatment 41 Figure 4.2.2.2: Student’s excitement after the treatmentError! Bookmark not defined Figure 4.2.3.1: Reading’s importance before the experimental teaching 42 Figure 4.2.3.2: Reading’s importance after the experimental teaching Error! Bookmark not defined Figure 4.2.4.1: Getting main idea before the treatment 44 Figure 4.2.4.2: Getting main idea after the treatment Error! Bookmark not defined.5 Figure 4.2.5.1: Comprehension ability before the treatment 45 Figure 4.2.5.2: Comprehension ability after the treatment Error! Bookmark not defined Figure 4.2.6.1: Reviewing the material habit before the treatment .47 Figure 4.2.6.2: Reviewing the material habit after the treatment 48 Figure 4.2.7.1: Before applying Mind maps 48 Figure 4.2.7.1: After applying Mind maps 49 vii Figure 4.2.8.1: Color and images effectiveness before the treatment 50 Figure 4.2.8.2: Color and images effectiveness after the treatment 51 Figure 4.2.9.1: Information organizing before the experimental teaching 51 Figure 4.2.9.1: Information organizing after the experimental teaching Error! Bookmark not defined Figure 4.2.10.1: Vocabulary improvement before the experimental teaching 53 Figure 4.2.10.2: Vocabulary improvement after the experimental teaching Error! Bookmark not defined Figure 4.2.11.1: Saving time opinion before the treatment 54 Figure 4.2.11.2: Saving time opinion after the treatmentError! Bookmark not defined Figure 4.2.12.1: Getting genaral idea ability before the treatment .56 Figure 4.2.12.2: Getting genaral idea ability after the treatment Error! Bookmark not defined Figure 4.2.13.1: Confident feeling before the experimental teaching 58 Figure 4.2.13.2: Confident feeling after the experimental teaching Error! Bookmark not defined.9 viii TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC CÔNG NGHỆ ĐỒNG NAI BẢNG CÂU HỎI KHẢO SÁT *** Bảng khảo sát nhằm mục đích phục vụ đề tài nghiên cứu luận văn thạc sĩ “Sử dụng Sơ đồ tư để cải thiện kỹ đọc sinh viên” Mục đích bảng hỏi lấy thơng tin thái độ bạn kỹ đọc sơ đồ tư Câu trả lời bạn quan trọng thành công nghiên cứu nên mong bạn nhiệt tình cộng tác Các bạn vui lòng chọn đáp án phù hợp cách khoanh tròn vào số tương ứng theo quy ước đây: Hoàn toàn đồng ý Ví dụ: “Tơi thích đọc sách, báo, tài liệu tiếng Anh.”   Nếu bạn đồng ý với phát biểu khoanh tròn vào số 4: Nếu bạn không đồng ý khoanh tròn vào số 2: 1 Tơi thích đọc sách, báo, tài liệu tiếng Tôi cảm thất hào hứng suốt học “Reading” trường Tôi thấy việc đọc quan trọng viên Tôi nắm ý cách nhanh chóng III qua từ khóa 10 11 12 13 Tơi hiểu nội dung đọc dàng Tôi thường xuyên xem lại tài liệu môn R suốt học kỳ Tôi học cách áp dụng Sơ đồ tư v đọc hiểu Tôi cho màu sắc hình ảnh Sơ đồ giúp tơi ghi nhớ thơng tin đọc tốt Tôi nghĩ sơ đồ tư giúp giúp tổ chức th đọc tốt Tôi thấy sơ đồ tư giúp tăng cường kh từ vựng Tơi nghĩ sơ đồ tư giúp tiết kiệm thời đọc Sơ đồ tư giúp tơi nắm ý mà k cần đọc hết nội dung Tôi nhận thấy sơ đồ tư giúp giúp tự tin hơ đọc Rất cảm ơn cộng tác nhiệt tình bạn! IV Appendix 2: PRE-TEST and POST-TEST Pre-test Read the passage and answer the following questions Colors are one of the most exciting experiences in life I love them, and they are just as important to me as emotions are Have you ever wondered how the two are so intimately related? Color directly affects your emotions Color both reflects the current state of your emotions, and is something that you can use to improve or change your emotions The color that you choose to wear either reflects your current state of being, or reflects the color or emotion that you need The colors that you wear affect you much more than they affect the people around you Of course they also affect anyone who comes in contract with you, but you are the one saturated with the color all day! I even choose items around me based on their color In the morning, I choose my clothes based on the color or emotion that I need for the day So you can consciously use color to control the emotions that you are exposed to, which can help you to feel better Color, sound, and emotions are all vibrations Emotions are literally energy in motion; they are meant to move and flow This is the reason that real feelings are the fastest way to get your energy in motion Also, flowing energy is exactly what creates healthy cells in your body So, the fastest way to be healthy is to be open to your real feelings Alternately, the fastest way to create disease is to inhibit your emotions V Question 1: What is the main idea of the passage? A Colors are one of the most exciting B Colorful clothes can change your mood C Emotions and colors are closely related to each other D Colors can help you become healthy Question 2: Which of the following can be affected by color? A Your need for thrills B Your friend's feelings C Your mood D Your appetite Question 3: Who is more influenced by colors you wear? A You are more influenced B Your family C The people around you are more influenced D Anyone Question 4: According to the passage, what color, sound, and emotion all have in common? B They are all forms of motion A They are all related to health C They all affect the cells of the body D None is correct Question 5: According to this passage, what creates disease? A Wearing the color black C Being open to your emotions B Ignoring your emotions D Exposing yourself to bright colors Question 6: The term “intimately” in paragraph is closest in meaning to A Clearly B Closely C Simply VI D Obviously Question 7: The term “they” in paragraph refers to A emotions B colors C people D none of these Question 8: Why does the author mention that color and emotions are both vibrations? A Because vibrations make you healthy B Because they both affect how we feel C To prove the relationship between emotions and color D To show how color can affect energy levels in the body Question 9: The phrase “saturated with” in paragraph is closest in meaning to A covered with B bored with C in need of D lacking in Question 10: What is the purpose of the passage? A to give an objective account of how colors affect emotions B to prove the relationship between color and emotion C to persuade the reader that colors can influence emotions and give a person more energy D to show that colors are important for a healthy life VII Post – test Read the passage and answer the following questions Telecommuting is some form of computer communication between employees’ homes and offices For employees whose job involve sitting at a terminal or word processor entering data or typing reports, the location of the computer is of no consequence If the machine can communicate over telephone lines, when the work is completed, employees can dial the office computer and transmit the material to their employers A recent survey in USA Today estimates that there are approximately 8,7 million telecommuters But although the numbers are rising annually, the trend does not appear to be as significant as predicted when Business Week published “The Portable Executive” as its cover story a few years ago Why hasn’t telecommuting become more popular? Clearly, change simply takes time But in addition, there has been active resistance on the part of many managers These executives claim that supervising the telecommuters in a large work force scattered across the country would be too difficult, or, at least, systems for managing them are not yet developed, thereby complicating the manager’s responsibilities It is also true that employees who are given the option of telecommuting are reluctant to accept the opportunity Most people feel that they need regular interaction with a group, and many are concerned that they will not have the same consideration for advancement if they are not more visible in the office setting Some people feel that even when a space in their homes is set aside as a work area, they never really get away from the office VIII Question 1: With which of the following topics is the passage primarily concerned? A The advantages of telecommuting B A definition of telecommuting C An overview of telecommuting D The failure of telecommuting Question 2: How many Americans are involved in telecommuting? A More than predicted in Business Week B More than million C Fewer than estimated in USA Today D Fewer than last year Question 3: The phrase “of no consequence” means A of no use B of no good C unimportant D irrelevant Question 4: The author mentions all of the following as concerns of telecommuting, EXCEPT A the opportunities for advancement B the different system of supervision C the lack of interaction with a group D The work place is in the home Question 5: The word “executives” in line 10 refers to A telecommuters B managers C employees IX D most people Question 6: The word “them” in line 11 refers to A systems B Telecommuters C Executives D Responsibilities Question 7: The reason why telecommuting has not become popular is that the employees A need regular interaction with their families B are worried about the promotion if they are not seen at the office C feel that a work area in their home is away from the office D are ignorant of telecommuting Question 8: It can be inferred from the passage that the A a telecommuter C a statistician Question 9: The word “reluctant” in line 13 can best be A opposite Question 10: When Business Week published “The Portable Executive”, it implied that A systems for managing telecommuters were not effective B there was resistance on the part of many managers about telecommuting C the trend for telecommuting was optimistic D most telecommuters were satisfied with their work X LESSON PLAN The first period Teacher: Nguyễn Hoàng Phi Textbook: Idiscover Time: 45 minutes I Objectives Knowledge: After this period, sts will know what mind maps is Skill: - Sts know how to make mind maps from the text AI Materials: - Teacher: lesson plan, pictures, projector, computers - Students: textbook, notebooks, power point file III Procedure: Stages/ Time Warm-up (3’) Introduce Mind maps (12’) Making mind maps (30’) IV Homework - The teacher gives students another reading text and asks them to read at home and then make a map about that text XII LESSON PLAN The second period Teacher: Nguyễn Hoàng Phi Textbook: Idiscover Time: 45 minutes I Objectives Knowledge: After this period, sts will know some more vocabularies and structures about travelling Skill: - Sts know how to use scanning and skimming technique to quickly find the topic of the text AI Materials: - Teacher: lesson plan, projector, computers - Students: textbook, notebooks, power point file III Procedure: Stages/ Time Warm-up (10’) Reviewing Scanning and skimming technique (10’) Making mind maps (20’) IV Homework (5’) - The teacher gives students another reading text and asks them make a map about that text XIV LESSON PLAN The third period Teacher: Nguyễn Hoàng Phi Textbook: Idiscover Time: 45 minutes I Objectives Knowledge: After this period, sts will know some more new vocabularies of the topic Skill: AI - Sts can use their own words to rewrite the idea of the text Materials: - Teacher: lesson plan, projector, computers - Students: textbook, notebooks, power point file III Procedure: Stages/ Time Warm-up (5’) Read the text (10’) Making mind maps (25’) IV Homework (5’) - The teacher gives students another reading text and asks them make a map about that text XVI ... for the following questions: To some extend does the mind maps technique improve the reading skills of students at Dong Nai Technology University? What are the attitudes of the students toward reading. .. and mind maps technique? 1.4 Scope of the study The focus of this study is on using mind maps to improve the students’ reading skills at Dong Nai Technology University After teaching at this university. .. DECLARATION BY AUTHOR I certify this thesis entitled USING MIND MAPS TO IMPROVE THE STUDENT’S READING SKILLS AT DONG NAI TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITY is my own study All statements in this thesis