The effect of extensive reading on reading performance and vocabulary development at Ton Duc Thang University

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY

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TRAN TU TRINH

THE EFFECT OF EXTENSIVE READING ON READING

PERFORMANCE AND VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT

AT TON DUC THANG UNIVERSITY

Major: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Major code: 8 14 01 11

MASTER THESIS

MASTER OF ARTS IN TESOL

Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. PHAM VU PHI HO, Ph.D.

HO CHI MINH CITY, 2021

TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC MỞ

THÀNH PHỐ HỒ CHÍ MINH

KHOA ĐÀO TẠO SAU ĐẠI HỌC

CỘNG HÒA XÃ HỘI CHỦ NGHĨA VIỆT NAM

Độc lập – Tự do – Hạnh phúc

GIẤY XÁC NHẬN

Tôi tên là: Trần Tú Trinh

Ngày sinh: 27/08/1993 Nơi sinh: Bạc Liêu

Chuyên ngành: TESOL Mã học viên: 1781401110039

Tôi đồng ý cung cấp toàn văn thông tin luận văn tốt nghiệp hợp lệ về bản quyền cho

Thư viện trường đại học Mở Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh. Thư viện trường đại học Mở

Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh sẽ kết nối toàn văn thông tin luận văn tốt nghiệp vào hệ

thống thông tin khoa học của Sở Khoa học và Công nghệ Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh.

Ký tên

(Ghi rõ họ và tên)

Trần Tú Trinh

CỘNG HÒA XÃ HỘI CHỦ NGHĨA VIỆT NAM

Độc lập – Tự do – Hạnh phúc

Ý KIẾN CHO PHÉP BẢO VỆ LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ

CỦA GIẢNG VIÊN HƯỚNG DẪN

Giảng viên hướng dẫn: PGS.TS. PHẠM VŨ PHI HỔ

Học viên thực hiện: TRẦN TÚ TRINH Lớp: MTESOL017A

Ngày sinh: 27/08/1993 Nơi sinh: Bạc Liêu

Tên đề tài: The Effect of Extensive Reading on Reading Performance and Vocabulary

Development at Ton Duc Thang University

Ý kiến của giáo viên hướng dẫn về việc cho phép học viên được bảo vệ luận văn trước Hội

đồng:...........................................................................................................................................

Học viên Trần Tú Trinh rất nghiêm túc trong việc học và nghiên cứu. Em Trinh rất chủ

động trong việc Nghiên cứu, biết tìm tòi học hỏi, và rất có tiềm năng. Luận văn của em

Trinh rất tốt và đạt yêu cầu để bảo vệ Tốt nghiệp bằng Thạc sỹ.

....................................................................................................................................................

Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, ngày 6 tháng 9 năm 2021

Người nhận xét

PGS. TS. Phạm Vũ Phi Hổ

i

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

I certify that this thesis entitled “The effect of extensive reading on reading

performance and vocabulary development at Ton Duc Thang University” is my own

work.

I hereby declare that I am the sole author for this work. Except where reference is

made in the texts of the thesis, this thesis does not contain materials published elsewhere

or extracted in whole or in part from a thesis by which I have qualified for or been awarded

another degree or diploma.

No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the main

text of the thesis.

This thesis has not been submitted for any degree or diploma in any other tertiary

institution.

Ho Chi Minh City, September, 2021

Tran Tu Trinh

ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Firstly, I would like to show my gratitude towards Assoc. Prof. Pham Vu Phi Ho,

Ph.D., my thesis instructor, for giving me valuable advice and guidance in the process of

conducting my thesis. Moreover, I would like to thank him for being patient and

enthusiastic to answer my inquiries.

Secondly, I would like to say thank you to the center for offering me the

opportunities to conduct the research and the students involved in the study for their

cooperation. Without them, I would not have completed my study.

Furthermore, I would like to thank my friends for encouraging and supporting me

during the process of doing research.

Last but not least, I would send big thanks to my mother for encouraging and

motivating me to complete my research.

iii

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the effects of extensive reading on EFL students’ reading

proficiency, vocabulary acquisition and students’s attitude towards reading at Ton Duc

Thang University. The study was conducted over a period of 10 weeks, employing a quasi￾experimenatal research design. There were a total of 58 participants, assigned in two

groups: control group (CG) (n = 30) and experimental group (EG) (n = 28). While the

control group received intensive reading instruction, the experimental group received

intensive reading in class and extensive reading as a supplementary reading activity outside

the classroom. The extensive reading program was conducted by encouraging students to

read the materials taken from Oxford Bookworm Library. Pre-test, post-test, reading diary

and semi-structured interview were employed as research instruments to collect data

qualitatively and quantitatively. The data was then entered into IBM SPSS Statistics 20.0

for analysis. The findings of the study revealed that the experimental group showed a

significantly higher performance in reading proficiency, vocabulary and reading attitude.

Some recommendations on how to implement extensive reading were raised at the last

chapter for further research.

iv

ABSTRACT (VIETNAMESE VERSION)

Nghiên cứu này nhằm khám phá sự ảnh hưởng của phương pháp đọc mở rộng đối

với khả năng đọc, từ vựng và thái độ của sinh viên Tôn Đức Thắng đối với việc đọc. Nghiên

cứu được thực hiện trong 10 tuần, sử dụng phương pháp nghiên cứu thực nghiệm. Có tổng

cộng 58 sinh viên tham gia nghiên cứu, được chia làm 2 nhóm: nhóm kiểm soát (CG)

(n=30) và nhóm thực nghiệm (EG) (n=28). Trong khi nhóm kiểm soát học theo phương

pháp đọc chuyên sâu, nhóm thực nghiệm học theo hướng đọc chuyên sâu kết hợp đọc mở

rộng. Việc đọc mở rộng được thực hiện ngoài giờ học. Chương trình đọc mở rộng được

thực hiện bằng cách khuyến khích sinh viên đọc tài liệu được lấy từ Oxford Bookworm

Library. Các bài kiểm tra đánh giá trước và sau thực nghiệm, nhật ký đọc, và phỏng vấn

bán cấu trúc được sử dụng làm công cụ nghiên cứu thu thập dữ liệu theo hướng định tính

và định lượng. Dữ liệu sẽ được phân tích bằng phần mềm SPSS phiên bản 20.0. Kết quả

của nghiên cứu cho thấy nhóm thực nghiệm có thành tích đọc và từ vựng cao hơn đáng kể

so với với nhóm kiểm soát. Nhóm thực nghiệm cũng có thái độ tích cực đối với việc đọc.

Một số đề xuất về cách thực hiện phương pháp đọc mở rộng được nêu ra ở chương cuối,

nhằm phục vụ các nghiên cứu sau này.

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

CG: Control Group

EFL: English as a Foreign Language

EG: Experiemental Group

ER: Extensive Reading

ESL: English as a Second Language

FL: Foreign Language

L2: Second Language

PET: Preliminary English Test

SD: Standard Deviation

Sig.: Significance level

SPSS: Statistical Package for the Social Sciences

LIST OF TABLES

Table 3. 1. Differences between CG and EG ............................................................ 48

Table 3. 2. Summary of participants’ information .................................................... 48

Table 3. 3. Learning topics for the course ................................................................. 51

Table 3. 4. Procedure of the study............................................................................. 55

Table 4. 1. Group Statistics on the reading pre-test of the control and experimental

group………………………………………………………………….................... 68

Table 4. 2. Independent sample t-test on the reading pre-test of the control and

experimental group .................................................................................................... 69

Table 4. 3. Paired samples statistics of reading pre- and post-test score of CG ....... 70

Table 4. 4. Paired samples t-test of the reading pre-test and post-test score of the

control group ............................................................................................................. 70

Table 4. 5. Paired Samples Statistics of the reading pre-test and post-test scores of

the experimental group .............................................................................................. 71

Table 4. 6. Paired samples t-test of the reading pre-test and post-test scores of the

experimental group .................................................................................................... 72

Table 4. 7. Group Statistics on reading post-test of the control and experimental

group.......................................................................................................................... 73

Table 4. 8. Independent sample t-test on the reading post-test of the control and

experimental group .................................................................................................... 73

Table 4. 9. Group Statistics on the vocabulary pre-test of the control and

experimental group .................................................................................................... 75

Table 4. 10. Independent samples t-test on the vocabulary pre-test of the control and

experimental group .................................................................................................... 76

Table 4. 11. Paired Samples Statistics of the vocabulary pre-test and post-test scores

of the control group ................................................................................................... 77

Table 4. 12. Paired Samples Test of the vocabulary pre-test and post-test scores of

the control group ....................................................................................................... 77

Table 4. 13. Paired Samples Statistics of the vocabulary pre-test and post-test scores

of the experimental group ......................................................................................... 78

Table 4. 14. Paired Samples Test of the vocabulary pre-test and post-test scores of

the experimental group .............................................................................................. 79

Table 4. 15. Group Statistics on the vocabulary post-test of the control and

experimental group .................................................................................................... 80

Table 4. 16. Independent Samples t-test of the vocabulary post-test in the control

and experimental group ............................................................................................. 80

Table 4. 17. The average number of books students read per week ......................... 82

Table 4. 18. The frequency of book reading in 10 weeks ......................................... 83

Table 4. 19. Number of books read by 10 interviewees ........................................... 88

Table 4. 20. General attitude towards ER ................................................................. 90

Table 4. 21. Attitudes on ER topics .......................................................................... 92

Table 4. 22. The extent of confidence after ER ........................................................ 93

Table 4. 23. Attitudes towards future reading ........................................................... 94

Table 4. 24. Benefits of ER ....................................................................................... 96

Table 4. 25. Benefits of writing a diary .................................................................... 97

Table 4. 26. Benefits of reading aloud ...................................................................... 99

Table 4. 27. Benefits of group discussion ............................................................... 100

Table 4. 28. Difficulties in reading stories in English ............................................ 101

TABLE OF CONTENTS

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP ......................................................................... i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ....................................................................................... ii

ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................. iii

ABSTRACT (VIETNAMESE VERSION) ........................................................... iv

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS................................................................................... v

LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................. vi

TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................................................... viii

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................ 1

1.1 Background of the study ................................................................................... 1

1.2 Statement of the problem .................................................................................. 2

1.3 Purposes of the study ........................................................................................ 4

1.4 Research Questions ........................................................................................... 5

1.5 Hypothesis of the study ..................................................................................... 5

1.6 The significance of the study ............................................................................ 5

1.7 Scope of the study ............................................................................................. 6

1.8 Overview of thesis chapter ................................................................................ 6

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................ 8

2.1 Reading skill .......................................................................................................... 8

2.1.1. Definition of reading skill .............................................................................. 8

2.1.2. Reading model ............................................................................................... 9

2.1.3. Reading strategies use .................................................................................. 11

2.1.4. Reading training activities ........................................................................... 13

2.1.5. The relationship between self-efficacy, reading strategies, motivation and

reading achievement............................................................................................... 14

2.2. Extensive Reading .............................................................................................. 15

2.2.1. Definitions of ER ......................................................................................... 15

2.2.2. Ten Principles for teaching ER .................................................................... 16

2.2.3. Purposes and benefits of extensive reading ................................................. 19

2.2.4. Limitations of extensive reading ................................................................. 20

2.2.5. Principles for including ER in language learning program ......................... 21

2.3. Theoretical framework of vocabulary ................................................................ 23

2.3.1. Definition of Vocabulary ............................................................................. 23

2.3.2. Issues in Vocabulary Acquisition ................................................................ 24

2.3.3. Types of vocabulary learning ....................................................................... 27

2.3.4. Principles for constructing effective vocabulary learning tasks .................. 28

2.3.5. Strategy Development .................................................................................. 31

2.4. Graded Readers .................................................................................................. 32

2.4.1. Definition of Graded Readers ...................................................................... 32

2.4.2. Reasons for using graded readers................................................................. 32

2.5. Previous Studies ................................................................................................. 34

2.6. Research gap ................................................................................................... 44

2.7. Chapter summary ............................................................................................ 45

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ......................................................................... 46

3.1. Research context ................................................................................................ 46

3.2. Participants ......................................................................................................... 47

3.3. Research Design ................................................................................................. 49

3.4.1. Teaching Material ........................................................................................ 50

3.4.2. Treatment Material: Graded Readers ........................................................... 51

3.4.3. Training Activities ....................................................................................... 52

3.4.4. Training Procedure ....................................................................................... 54

3.5. The measurement instruments............................................................................ 59

3.5.1. Reading pre- and post-test ............................................................................ 59

3.5.2. Vocabulary pre- and post-test ...................................................................... 61

3.5.3. Reading diary ............................................................................................... 62

3.5.4. The in-depth interview ................................................................................. 62

3.6. Data collection procedure .................................................................................. 64

3.7. Data analytical framework ................................................................................. 66

3.7.1. Research question 1: What is the effect of extensive reading on students’

reading performance? ............................................................................................. 66

3.7.2. Research question 2: What are the students’ attitude towards ER? ............. 66

3.8. Chapter summary ............................................................................................... 66

CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION .................................................... 68

4.1. Reading performance of control and experimental group ................................. 68

4.1.1. Comparing the scores of control and experimental group in the reading pre￾test .......................................................................................................................... 68

4.1.2. Comparing the scores of pre-test and post-test in the control group ........... 70

4.1.3. Comparing the scores of pre-test and post-test in the experimental group .. 71

4.1.4. Comparing the scores of post-test between the control and experimental

group ...................................................................................................................... 72

4.2. Vocabulary performance of the control and experimental group ...................... 75

4.2.1. Comparing the scores of control and experimental group in the vocabulary

pre-test .................................................................................................................... 75

4.2.2. Comparing the scores of vocabulary pre-test and post-test in the control

group ...................................................................................................................... 77

4.2.3. Comparing the scores of pre-test and post-test in the experimental group .. 78

4.2.4. Comparing the scores of control and experimental group in the vocabulary

post-test .................................................................................................................. 79

4.3. Reading diary ..................................................................................................... 82

4.4. Interview on students’ attitude towards ER ....................................................... 88

4.4.1. Students’ general attitude towards ER ......................................................... 90

4.4.2. Benefits of ER and ER activity .................................................................... 96

4.4.3. Difficulties in reading stories in English ................................................... 101

4.5. Discussion of the findings ................................................................................ 103

4.5.1. The effect of ER on students’ reading performance .................................. 103

4.5.2. Students’ attitude towards ER .................................................................... 104

4.6. Chapter summary ............................................................................................. 106

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ....................... 107

5.1. Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 107

5.2 Implications ....................................................................................................... 108

5.3. Limitations ....................................................................................................... 109

5.4. Suggestions for further research....................................................................... 110

REFERENCES ...................................................................................................... 111

APPENDICES ....................................................................................................... 119

APPENDIX 1: READING PRE-TEST................................................................ 119

APPENDIX 2. READING POST-TEST ............................................................. 129

APPENDIX 3: VOCABULARY PRE-TEST ...................................................... 138

APPENDIX 4: VOCABULARY POST-TEST ................................................... 140

APPENDIX 5: SAMPLE OF READING TASKS OF THE CONTROL GROUP

OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM .......................................................................... 142

APPENDIX 6: SAMPLE OF VOCABULARY TASKS OF THE CONTROL

GROUP OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM ............................................................ 143

APPENDIX 7: GRADED READERS ................................................................. 144

APPENDIX 8: SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW ........................................ 146

APPENDIX 9: READING PRE-TEST RESULT ............................................... 147

APPENDIX 10: READING POST-TEST RESULT ........................................... 149

APPENDIX 11: VOCABULARY PRE-TEST RESULT.................................... 151

APPENDIX 12: VOCABULARY POST-TEST RESULT ................................. 153

APPENDIX 13: INTERVIEW – TRANSCRIPT (VIETNAMESE VERSION) 155

APPENDIX 14: INTERVIEW – TRANSCRIPT (ENGLISH VERSION) ......... 165

APPENDIX 15: READING DIARY TEMPLATE ............................................. 174

APPENDIX 16: SAMPLE OF READING DIARY ............................................ 175