A study on difficulties in toeic reading comprehension for non-english-majored students at Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City :Graduation Thesis - Faculty of Foreign Languages

MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE

INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY

FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

------

GRADUATIONTHESIS

A STUDY ON DIFFICULTIES IN TOEIC READING COMPREHENSION FOR

NON-ENGLISH-MAJORED STUDENTS AT INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO

CHI MINH CITY

STUDENT NAME: LE MINH THIEN PHUC

ID NUMBER: 17020541

CLASS CODE: DHAV13B

COHORT: 2017 - 2021

SUPERVISOR NAME: DINH THI HOA M.A

HCMC, 05/2021

Lê Minh Thiên Phúc ID: 17020541

Dinh Thi Hoa M.A 2

MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE

INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY

FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

------

GRADUATIONTHESIS

A STUDY ON DIFFICULTIES IN TOEIC READING COMPREHENSION FOR

NON-ENGLISH-MAJORED STUDENTS AT INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO

CHI MINH CITY

STUDENT NAME: LE MINH THIEN PHUC

ID NUMBER: 17020541

CLASS CODE: DHAV13B

COHORT: 2017 - 2021

SUPERVISOR NAME: DINH THI HOA M.A

HCMC, 05/2021

Lê Minh Thiên Phúc ID: 17020541

Dinh Thi Hoa M.A 3

MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE

INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY

FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

------

Student name : Le Minh Thien Phuc

ID Number : 17020541

Class Code : DHAV13B

Cohort : 2017 - 2021

Supervisor Name : Dinh Thi Hoa M.A

Student’s declaration: I declare that this graduation report is entirely my own work and does not

involve in plagiarism or collusion. It also has not been accepted as part of a submission to another

purpose else where. I accept heavy penalty for any cheating or plagiarism.

Date submitted : 09/06/2021

Signed : Le Minh Thien Phuc

Word count : 8000 words

Lê Minh Thiên Phúc ID: 17020541

Dinh Thi Hoa M.A 4

ABSTRACT

This study focuses on the difficulties faced by the non-english-majored students of Industrial

University of Ho Chi Minh city in reading comprehension. The purposes of the study were to find

out the difficulties faced by students who are not English-majored in TOEIC reading

comprehension and resolution for those challenges. The method applied was descriptive

quantitative, where the questionnaire were used as the instrument data collection methods. The

test consisted of 15 question items divided into three types of questions, which were vocabulary.

Index difficulty and percentage were used to analyze the data. The result of the test showed that

the majority of the first year students of IUH found difficulties including answering main idea,

making inference, and locating reference questions. The most difficult aspect that encountered by

the students was finding main idea questions, because the located main idea was difficult to find.

In addition, based on the students’ responses in questionnaire, they mostly got difficulties in

understanding vocabulary, poor mastery of grammar, the difficulty in understanding long

sentences, lack of media learning, less support from the family, lack of knowledge of strategies in

reading comprehension.

Keyword: TOEIC Reading, Reading comprehensive, Student's difficulties

Lê Minh Thiên Phúc ID: 17020541

Dinh Thi Hoa M.A 5

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. Đinh Thị Hoa M.A. 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 Foreign

Languages, Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City 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.

Lê Minh Thiên Phúc ID: 17020541

Dinh Thi Hoa M.A 6

TABLE OF CONTENT

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 7

1.1. Rationale of the study: 7

1.2. Research aims and research questions: 7

1.3. Scope of the study: 8

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE VIEW: 8

1. Reading 8

1.1 The definition of Reading 8

1.2 Purposes of reading 9

1.3 Reading comprehension 9

2. Reading TOEIC Test 9

2.1 TOEIC Test 9

2.2 The format of TOEIC Test: 9

2.3 Type of TOEIC Reading comprehension difficulties 10

2.3.1 Vocabulary 10

2.3.1.1 The topic of vocabulary 10

2.3.1.2 Synonym 11

2.3.2.1 Skimming 11

2.3.2 Difficulties with reading skills 11

2.3.2.2 Scanning 12

2.3.2.3 Extensive skill 12

2.3.2.4 Intensive skill 12

2.3.3 Time management 12

2.4 TOEIC reading comprehension strategies 13

2.5 Summary 15

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH DESIGN 15