VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES VŨ THỊ TUYẾT NHUNG BUILDING READING HABITS FOR ENHANCING STUDENTS’ ENGLISH SELF-LEARNING: A CASE STUDY AT ĐỒN THỊ ĐIỂM ECOPARK ACADEMY SCHOOL (Hình thành thói quen đọc nhằm thúc đẩy việc tự học tiếng Anh học sinh: Nghiên cứu trường hợp trường Phổ thơng Đồn Thị Điểm Ecopark) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Hanoi, 2015 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES VŨ THỊ TUYẾT NHUNG BUILDING READING HABITS FOR ENHANCING STUDENTS’ ENGLISH SELF-LEARNING: A CASE STUDY AT ĐOÀN THỊ ĐIỂM ECOPARK ACADEMY SCHOOL (Hình thành thói quen đọc nhằm thúc đẩy việc tự học tiếng Anh học sinh: Nghiên cứu trường hợp trường Phổ thơng Đồn Thị Điểm Ecopark) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 60140111 Supervisor: Dr Ngô Tự Lập Hanoi, 2015 AUTHOR’S STATEMENT I hereby certify that the thesis entitled: “Building Reading Habits for Enhancing Students’ English Self-learning: A case Study at Đoàn Thị Điểm Ecopark Academy.” is complete my own research which was carried out at Đoàn Thị Điểm Ecopark Academy School during the school year 2014-2015, and the thesis has not been submitted for any degree at any other tertiary institution Hanoi, September 30th, 2015 Vũ Thị Tuyết Nhung i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis would not have been completed without the support of many people, to all of whom I am profoundly indebted First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Dr Ngô Tự Lập, my supervisor, for his great encouragement, constant guidance and enthusiastic support during all the stages of this study Without his advice and tireless persistence, I would not have been able to finish this work My sincere thanks are also sent to my colleagues as well as students at Đoàn Thị Điểm Ecopark Academy School who are willing to help me complete the survey questionnaires and the interviews Last but not least, I am really grateful to my family and friends for their continual encouragement during the time I conducted the research Especially, I would like to express my thanks to my husband and my son who are always beside me, taking care of me and supporting me mentally and physically Hanoi, September 30th, 2015 Vũ Thị Tuyết Nhung ii ABSTRACT Nowadays, learning a foreign language, especially English, is very important for international integration To master a language, students not only need the guiding and encouraging from teachers, but also must have the ability to study by themselves Nevertheless, students at Đoàn Thị Điểm Ecopark Academy School seem to lack methods and skills of self-learning Therefore, there is an urgent need to provide students with ways to enhance their autonomous learning Reading habits is best to be built up since students are young The more they read, the more knowledge and skills they gain Reading habits help broaden students’ knowledge, as well as, helps them be confident in learning and express more logically and cohesively When students feel confident about themselves and their learning, they will likely be able to control their studying and be responsible for their learning Owing to the above reasons, the researcher carries the study to investigate into the effectiveness of building reading habits in developing students’ self-learning at Đoàn Thị Điểm Ecopark Academy School Moreover, she would like to suggest some recommendations with the hope of helping students build effective reading habits and learn autonomously iii TABLE OF CONTENTS AUTHOR’S STATEMENT……………………………………………………… ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LISTS OF TABLES vi PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale for the study Aims and objectives of the study Research questions Scope of the study Design of the study PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Self-learning: 1.2 Building reading habits 1.3 Review of previous studies relevant to the study 13 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 16 2.1 Setting of the study 16 2.2 Research types 19 2.3 Research approach 19 2.4 Procedure of the study 20 CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 23 3.1 Results from the survey questionnaire 23 3.2 Results from the interview 28 3.3 Discussion of major findings 30 PART C: CONCLUSION 32 Recapitulation 32 Implications for teachers 33 Limitations and suggestions for further research 34 REFERENCES 35 iv APPENDIX I APPENDIX II APPENDIX III APPENDIX IV APPENDIX V APPENDIX XII v LISTS OF TABLES Table : Time for reading per week Table : Reasons for liking reading Table : Reasons for disliking reading Table : Effectiveness of reading habits in students’ self-learning LISTS OF FIGURES Figure : Students’ attitude toward reading Figure : Time for self-learning before building reading habits Figure : Time for reading per week Figure : Time for self-learning Figure : Students’ attitude toward effectiveness of reading habits vi PART A: INTRODUCTION This part includes the rationale, the aims and objectives, the research questions, the scope and the design of the study Its task is to help readers have a general view on the research Rationale for the study Learning cannot happen if learners are not willing to contribute, as Scharle and Szabo (2000, p.4) put it: “Success in learning very much depends on learners having a responsible attitude.” In Vietnam today, English is taught by a modern teaching and learning method named Communicative Language Teaching, in which students are considered as the center of the learning and teaching process Hence, students need to be active and responsible for their learning Learning process is not only passive information receiving but also is students’ frequent critical thinking That means that students themselves have to learn and practice their skills and knowledge day by day Moreover, each teachers have their own teaching styles, methods, and experience which are sometimes difficult to follow Especially, teachers not always teach and help students; therefore, it is necessary to raise students’ awareness of the significance of autonomous learning In addition, teachers should provide them with essential knowledge and skills to build up and develop their self-learning during school time and in their future lives Among the four major skills of learning a foreign language in school, reading seems to be the most important because of its obvious benefits Not only provides knowledge of the target language, reading helps students experience about the target culture and life And simply, reading brings them fun According to recent studies, children who read regularly from a young age examinations with more assurance, so that their performance is better As they grow into adults, this strong reading foundation stands them in good stead (Usha, 2008, p.1-4) Learning starts when students are at their very young ages through their sense When they observe their daily life, they are eager to know about and discover the strange and wonderful world Furthermore, it is obvious that books are available, cheap, informative, accurate, and systematic; meanwhile, teachers are changeable, not always available, and have different levels of English proficiency As a result, to have life-long learning, students need to build up self-learning ability, and one way to enhance autonomous learning is building reading habits As can be concluded from Takase’s study, students who gradually develop good reading habits can become autonomous learners However, at Đoàn Thị Điểm Ecopark Academy School, students have low selflearning ability They are often passive and depend much on teachers in learning The reason is that they not have good reading habits Moreover, they are not guided to read effectively Carrell and Eisterhold (1989) argue that there is a significant relationship between autonomous learning and reading skills (cited in Paweena, 2012, p.2) Poor reading proficiency can thus be a factor that may hinder students from gaining full language learning progress (Paweena, 2012, p.15) Because of these reasons, I my research on “Building Reading Habits for Enhancing Students’ English Self-learning: A case Study at Đoàn Thị Điểm Ecopark Academy School” Its purpose is to study the effectiveness of building reading habits as a tool for developing students’ self-learning ability at Đoàn Thị Điểm Ecopark Academy School Aims and objectives of the study The aim of the study is to investigate into possibility and effectiveness of developing students’ self-learning by building reading habits The objectives are: - To investigate the reading habits and self-learning of students - To study the influence of reading habits on students’ self-learning at Đoàn Thị Điểm Ecopark Academy School APPENDIX SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE (For the students) This survey questionnaire is designed for my research into “Building Reading habits for Enhancing Students' English Self-learning: A Case Study at Đoàn Thị Điểm Ecopark Academy School” Your assistance in completing this survey questionnaire is highly appreciated Your feedback is kept confidentially and for research purpose only Survey conductor: Vũ Thị Tuyết Nhung Please circle your answer Do you like reading? A Really like B Like C Neutral D Dislike E Hate How many hours per week you spend reading? A Less than one hour B 2-3 hours C 4-5 hours D 6-8 hours E More than hours If you like / dislike reading, circle the most important reason Reason for liking reading Reason for disliking reading A Reading materials are interesting and A Reading materials are boring and not suitable with your proficiency suitable with your proficiency B Teachers support useful reading B Teachers not support useful strategies reading strategies C Reading is your leisure activity C You not have free time to read D School library is comfortable and D There is not an informative and informative comfortable reading place How many hours per day you spend self-learning? A Less than one hour B 1-2 hours C 3-4 hours D More than hours Thank you for your support! I APPENDIX SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE (For the students) This survey questionnaire is designed for my research into “Building Reading habits for Enhancing Students' English Self-learning: A Case Study at Đoàn Thị Điểm Ecopark Academy School.” Your assistance in completing this survey questionnaire is highly appreciated Your feedback is kept confidentially and for research purpose only Survey conductor: Vũ Thị Tuyết Nhung Please circle your answer How many hours per week you spend reading? A Less than one hour B 2-3 hours C 4-5 hours D 6-8 hours E More than hours How many hours per day you spend self-learning? A Less than one hour B 1-2 hours C 3-4 hours D More than hours Do you agree that reading habits has a big influencing on your self-learning? A Strongly agree B Agree C Neutral D Disagree E Strongly disagree What aspects does reading habits influence on your self-learning? A Reading habits improves your learning progress B It helps you learn more actively and independently C It shortens your learning time D It helps you set learning goals effectively Thank you for your support! II APPENDIX INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 1 What you think about your students’ self-learning? Do your students have good reading habits? Why or why not? What you think about the influence of reading habits on students’ selflearning? III APPENDIX INTERVIEW QUESTIONS How effective does reading habits influence on your students’ self-learning? What you suggest for building more effective reading habits? IV APPENDIX INTERVIEW TAPESCRIPT Teacher 1: Nguyễn Thị L Interviewer: Good morning! How are you today? Teacher 1: I’m great Interviewer: I’m doing a study on “Building Reading Habits for Enhancing Students’ English self-learning” I intend to carry the study 1at our school, Đoàn Thị Điểm Ecopark Academy School I would like to invite you to join my study Are you willing to participate in the study? Teacher 1: I am very happy about this Interviewer: In this interview, I would like to elicit information about students’ English self-learning ability and their reading habits at our school, as well as, to find out your judgement about the effectiveness of building reading habits in students’ English self-learning So I will ask you three questions about these My first question is What you think about your students’ self-learning? Teacher 1: Oh, I think my students have low self-learning ability Most of the students not spend much time learning individually Whenever they find the difficulty, they ask me for a help Interviewer: I see your point What about reading habits? Do your students have good reading habits? Why or why not? Teacher 1: In that case, I have to say that my students not have good reading habits The time they spend reading is limited, I think, around or hours per week Some students tell me that they are scared of reading because of the new words and structures When facing up with the new words and structures, some students look up the dictionary, which take them lots of time and make them read very slowly Others give up and are not interesting in reading anymore Interviewer: So if we help students build reading habits, you think it has influence on students’ self-learning? V Teacher 1: I think yes In my opinion, reading habits can enrich students’ vocabulary and develop their grammar because the more they read, the more information they get And maybe they will be more confident and express their ideas better One more important thing is that regular reading improve students reading speed, why not? Interviewer: Ok Thanks for your sharing Have a nice day! Teacher 1: You’re welcome Bye! Teacher 2: Nguyễn Thị A Interviewer: Good morning! How are you today? Teacher 2: I’m fine And you? Interviewer: I’m great, thanks I’m doing a study on “Building Reading Habits for Enhancing Students’ English self-learning” I intend to carry the study at our school, Đoàn Thị Điểm Ecopark Academy School I would like to invite you to join my study Are you willing to participate in the study? Teacher 2: It’s my pleasure Interviewer: In this interview, I would like to elicit information about students’ English self-learning ability and their reading habits at our school, as well as, to find out your judgement about the effectiveness of building reading habits in students’ English self-learning So I will ask you three questions about these My first question is What you think about your students’ self-learning? Teacher 2: My students … Oh, I think most of my students have low self-learning ability Normally, they just what I ask them to They not set their goal for learning, as well as, what they intend to get at the end of the school year and what they are going to to get their goals Interviewer: I get your point What about your students’ reading habits? Do they have good one? Why or why not? Teacher 2: Um…, some of my students love reading However, they not know about much the reading materials which are suitable with their interests and VI proficiency Sometimes, I give my students reading assignment such as reading and giving the feedback about the books they have read I also suggest them with the books I have read and I think they are interesting and suitable for them Unfortunately, just only students with better English proficiency finish the tasks Interviewer: So you think that building reading habits has effectiveness in developing your students’ self-learning? Teacher 2: I agree with this idea In my opinion, reading habits help to broaden students’ knowledge It also helps students to improve their vocabulary and grammar I think when they are confident about their knowledge, they can learn more individually and effectively Interviewer: That sounds interesting, I think Thanks for your sharing Have a nice day! Teacher 2: Ok, see ya! Teacher 3: Nguyễn Thị Thu T Interviewer: Good morning! How are you today? Teacher 3: I’m great, thanks Interviewer: I’m doing a study on “Building Reading Habits for Enhancing Students’ English self-learning” I intend to carry the study at our school, Đoàn Thị Điểm Ecopark Academy School I would like to invite you to join my study Are you willing to participate in the study? Teacher 3: Of course, I agree Interviewer: In this interview, I would like to elicit information about students’ English self-learning ability and their reading habits at our school, as well as, to find out your judgement about the effectiveness of building reading habits in students’ English self-learning So I will ask you three questions about these My first question is What you think about your students’ self-learning? VII Teacher 3: My students’ self-learning is low, I think Normally, they are not confident about their learning, they keep asking me the questions without trying to find the answers themselves They also don’t set their goals for learning; they just what they have to Interviewer: I see What about reading habits? Do your students have good reading habits? Why or why not? Teacher 3: I think my students don’t have good reading habits In my opinion, there are two main reasons First, their vocabulary and grammar are weak It is difficult for them to understand the texts without teachers’ help Second, they don’t have reading skill They don’t know about reading strategies such as scanning or skimming Interviewer: Why you teach these reading strategies for your students? Teacher 3: Because of limited time in the curriculum, I’m not able to teach students useful reading strategies Interviewer: That’s a pity So if we guide students to build reading habits, you think it has influence on students’ self-learning? Teacher 3: Oh, it’s great Personally, useful reading strategies will helps students understand the main ideas of the texts, so they can save time for learning Frequent reading can improve students’ vocabulary and grammar, as well as, their reading speed And maybe when they list the reading materials they want to read regularly, they will build up the habits to set the goals for their learning Interviewer: Thanks for your sharing Goodbye! Teacher 3: That’s my pleasure, bye Teacher 4: Bùi Vân A Interviewer: Good morning! How are you today? Teacher 4: I’m fine Interviewer: I’m doing a study on “Building Reading Habits for Enhancing Students’ English self-learning” I intend to carry the study at our school, Đoàn Thị VIII Điểm Ecopark Academy School I would like to invite you to join my study Are you willing to participate in the study? Teacher 4: It sounds interesting and useful I definitely agree to participate in your study Interviewer: In this interview, I would like to elicit information about students’ English self-learning ability and their reading habits at our school, as well as, to find out your judgement about the effectiveness of building reading habits in students’ English self-learning So I will ask you three questions about these My first question is What you think about your students’ self-learning? Teacher 4: Oh, I think my students have low self-learning ability Anytime, they always ask me to get the information and when they have problems in learning They hardly find the answers for the questions themselves Interviewer: That a general problem of our students, I think So what about reading habits? Do your students have good reading habits? Why or why not? Teacher 4: I think my students not have good reading habits Because the time they spend reading is limited Most of my students state that they read only hours per week And they just read only the texts in their course books They indicate that the problem when they read and the reading exercises is lack of reading strategies They not know how to catch the main ideas Although, they read again and again they still can’t catch the ideas and the exercises Interviewer: Do you teach the reading strategies in your class Teacher 4: Because of the design of the book and limited time, I am not able to teach and have students practice useful reading strategies in the class Interviewer: That’s a pity So if we support students with reading strategies, you think it has influence on students’ self-learning? Teacher 4: I think it works Personally, useful reading strategies will shorten students’ time for reading Therefore, they can read more and save time for learning other things Daily reading can help students improve their reading speed IX Interviewer: Oh, that’s all Thanks for your sharing Have a nice day! Teacher 4: You’re welcome Teacher 5: Nguyễn Thị N Interviewer: Good morning! How you do? Teacher 5: How you Interviewer: I’m doing a study on “Building Reading Habits for Enhancing Students’ English self-learning” I intend to carry the study at our school, Đoàn Thị Điểm Ecopark Academy School I would like to invite you to join my study Are you willing to participate in the study? Teacher 5: Yes, of course Interviewer: In this interview, I would like to elicit information about students’ English self-learning ability and their reading habits at our school, as well as, to find out your judgement about the effectiveness of building reading habits in students’ English self-learning So I will ask you three questions about these My first question is What you think about your students’ self-learning? Teacher 5: Sadly, I think my students have low self-learning ability Instead of searching the information, some of my students ask me or their friends to have the answers They say that they spend only one or two hours per day learning individually Interviewer: The same as my class So what about reading habits? Do your students have good reading habits? Why or why not? Teacher 5: I think my students not have good reading habits Due to a number of homework, the time for reading is shortened They don’t have time or suitable places to read regularly and comfortably They feel difficult to find the books which are suitable for their proficiency Interviewer: Why don’t you suggest them some reading materials? X Teacher 5: Oh, I did I gave some assignments related to reading and suggested them with some reading materials, however, you know, just one or two students gave me the feedback later The reason was that they had lots of other exercises to and the main reason, I think, is due to their laziness Interviewer: Really? If we encourage students to build reading habits, you think it has effectiveness in your students’ self-learning? Teacher 5: Oh, maybe If students have reading habits, they can enrich their vocabulary and structures As a result, they can be more confident and active in learning However, we need to set free time and suitable places for them to read Interviewer: It sounds interesting Thanks for your sharing Have a nice day! Teacher 5: You, too Bye! XI APPENDIX INTERVIEW TAPESCRIPT Teacher 1: Nguyễn Thị L Interviewer: Good morning! How are you today? Teacher 1: Hi, I’m great Interviewer: So after months building reading habits, what you think about the effectiveness of building reading habits in enhancing students’ self-learning? Teacher 1: Oh, I think it is useful My students’ learning results are better With useful reading strategies, students can read quickly and understand the texts better Not only their reading skill, but also other skills are improved They said they were not afraid about new words and structures anymore Students feel more confident and active in learning, as well as, their time for self-learning increases Interviewer: That’s great Can you share another ways to improve students’ autonomous learning? Teacher 1: In my opinion, practicing makes better If students have regular reading, they can gain a lot They should list reading materials they will read per week and try to finish reading these After that, they can share what they have read with their friends Interviewer: So they can learn from each other and develop their autonomous learning Right? Teacher 1: Yes Interview: Thank you very much for your sharing! Teacher 1: You’re welcome Teacher 2: Nguyễn Thị A Interviewer: Good morning! How are you today? Teacher 2: Hi, I’m fine How about you? XII Interviewer: I’m great So after months building reading habits, what you think about the effectiveness of building reading habits in enhancing students’ selflearning? Teacher 2: Oh, I think it works Students’ learning results are improved dramatically They not depend much on the teacher as before They prefer to discuss with their friends and they can the tasks themselves They feel more confident in learning Oh, can you believe that my students start set their own learning goals? It is true Interviewer: Wow, really? Can you share another ways to improve students’ autonomous learning? Teacher 2: In my opinion, the more students read, the better they are Therefore, I think the best way to improve students’ self-learning is reading more and more They need to list reading materials they want to read every week, and then strictly obey them They also should pay a visit to the library or bookshop to update new and interesting books Interviewer: That’s great Thank you very much for your sharing! Teacher 2: Never mind Bye! Teacher 3: Nguyễn Thị Thu T Interviewer: Good morning! How you do? Teacher 3: How you do? Interviewer: Today, I would like to have an interview with you to evaluate the effectiveness of building reading habits in enhancing students’ self-learning So after months, you think that reading habits has positive effect on students’ autonomous learning? Teacher 3: Definitely, yes With the new information got from the books, my students feel more confident Recently, my students can the reading tasks individually or with their pairs or groups Their listening and speaking skills are better, too They not feel difficult to express their ideas as before One more thing is that my students’ reading speed rises because of reading strategies Now, they can XIII catch the main ideas more quickly and the tasks more accurately As a result, they can save time for learning and feel more interested in learning They also can make their own learning goals every month Interviewer: Wow, It’s very great The last question is Can you share another ways to improve students’ autonomous learning? Teacher 3: In my case, I always encourage my students to read and express their ideas I myself go to the bookshop once or twice a week to update the up-coming and useful books So I think that is another way to develop learning autonomously Interviewer: That’s a great idea Teacher 3: Thanks Interview: Thank you very much for your sharing! Teacher 3: You’re welcome Teacher 4: Bùi Vân A Interviewer: Good morning! Teacher 4: Good morning! Interviewer: Today, I would like to have an interview with you to evaluate the effectiveness of building reading habits in enhancing students’ self-learning So after months, you think that reading habits has positive effect on students’ autonomous learning? Teacher 4: Yes, I think Clearly, my students learning results are better The more they read, the more information they can get With the useful information, they are easy to express their ideas and these ideas are very amazing and surprise me a lot The second thing is that my students are more active and independent in learning They can read and the tasks much more quickly than before Interviewer: Wow, I am very happy to hear about that The last question is Can you share another ways to improve students’ autonomous learning? Teacher 4: I always encourage my students to set their goals for learning They need to decide what they have to gain at the end of the year and try to get their goals They XIV should regularly evaluate their learning progress and know what are their strengths and weaknesses; try to develop their good points and improve their weaknesses Interview: You are such an enthusiastic and experienced teacher Thank you very much for your sharing! Teacher 4: Oh, thank you Teacher 5: Nguyễn Thị N Interviewer: Good morning! Teacher 5: Good morning! Interviewer: Today, I would like to have an interview with you to evaluate the effectiveness of building reading habits in enhancing students’ self-learning So after months, you think that reading habits has positive effect on students’ autonomous learning? Teacher 5: Obviously, I think Students’ learning result is improved They can the tasks faster and more accurately Their vocabulary and grammar are improved, too Because of frequent reading and useful reading strategies, their reading speed is faster and they enjoy reading more Some of my students say, their individual learning time is raised dramatically Surprisingly, they start making their goals for learning Interviewer: Wow, it sounds great My last question is Can you share another ways to improve students’ autonomous learning? Teacher 5: Because of the modern technology, students can find the vast information in the Internet I also support them with useful and interesting websites, English learning links, so that they can find the information they like and can develop their self-learning Interview: You are such a enthusiastic and experienced teacher Thank you very much for your sharing! Teacher 5: You’re welcome! XV ... VŨ THỊ TUYẾT NHUNG BUILDING READING HABITS FOR ENHANCING STUDENTS’ ENGLISH SELF-LEARNING: A CASE STUDY AT ĐỒN THỊ ĐIỂM ECOPARK ACADEMY SCHOOL (Hình thành thói quen đọc nhằm thúc đẩy việc tự học. .. tự học tiếng Anh học sinh: Nghiên cứu trường hợp trường Phổ thơng Đồn Thị Điểm Ecopark) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 60140111 Supervisor: Dr Ngô Tự Lập... Students’ English Self-learning: A case Study at Đoàn Thị Điểm Ecopark Academy.” is complete my own research which was carried out at Đoàn Thị Điểm Ecopark Academy School during the school year