iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE

Declaration i
Acknowledgements ii
Abstracts iii
Table of contents iv
List of figures, tables and abbreviations vii

PART A: INTRODUCTION

1. Statement of the problem and the rationales for the study 1
2. Objectives of the study 2
3. Research questions of the study 3
4. Scope of the study 3
5. Methods of the study 3
6. Design of the study 4

PART B: DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER 1 – LITERATURE REVIEW

1.1. Teaching reading 5
1.1.1. Definition of reading 5
1.1.2. Theoretical background of teaching reading 6
1.2. Teaching writing 16
1.2.1. Definition of writing 16
1.2.2. Theoretical background of teaching writing 19

CHAPTER 4 – DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

4.1. Discussion of the research questions 60
4.1.1. Comparison of experimental and control groups’ writing proficiency 60
4.1.2. Students’ opinions about the program 61
4.2. Discussion of the research hypotheses 65
4.3. Implications 65
4.3.1. Theoretical implications 65
4.3.2. Pedagogical implications 66 vi
PART C – CONCLUSION

1. Conclusions 70
2. Limitations of the study 70
3. Suggestions for further study 71

REFERENCES 73
APPENDIX 1
APPENDIX 2

Experimental students’ opinions about the program

Table 6
Experimental students’ suggestions for future program List of abbreviations

ESL
English as a second language

EFL
English as a foreign language

L2
Second language

TESOL
Teaching English to speakers of other languages

FELTE
Faculty of English Language Teacher Education

ULIS
University of Languages and International Studies

VNU
Vietnam National University

PET

Providing supplementary reading materials was believed to bring students the best progress
in a short time because first year students lack background knowledge. Reading passages
and doing supplementary exercises give them a chance to acquire target language and
cultural knowledge, sets of vocabulary and structures as well to help students write better.
However, this method of teaching and learning also has some shortcomings, for example
the preparations, teaching techniques, syllabus, students‟ assessment, etc.
In L2 literacy contexts, Krashen's (1984) argument that “it is reading that gives the writer
the 'feel' for the look and texture” (p.20, cited in Hirvela, 2004) paves the way leading
writing researchers and instructors to the vision of reading/writing connection. He claims 2
that reading, which builds the knowledge base of written texts, helps L2 learners acquire
necessary language constructs such as grammatical structures and discourse rules for
writing, and facilitates the process of language acquisition.
The author is always interested in studying writing instructions and has received the
permission and support of the faculty and colleagues; therefore, this study has been
motivated. It is hoped to provide educators and teachers with a clearer insight into how the
theories of integration of reading and writing can influence and correspond to actual
classroom practices.
2. Objectives of the study
Firstly, this study is carried out to investigate the theories and findings of the earlier studies
and provide more empirical evidence for the effects of integration of reading and writing
on learners‟ writing performance to support the tendency of integrated skills teaching in
the context of Vietnam and the author‟s workplace. Secondly, it is an attempt to meet the
needs of the first year students in University of Foreign Languages and International
Studies (ULIS) to improve their writing ability. Thirdly, it is expected that the results of
the study would be useful in some ways for teachers and educators in university who are
teaching reading and writing at the same time or anyone who is interested in this field of
the English language teaching. Finally, the study is aimed at providing more information

4. Scope of the study
This study focuses on the present context at English I, Faculty of English Language
Teacher Education, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National
University, Hanoi (FELTE, ULIS,VNUH). This study investigates the impact of the
program of integrating reading and writing teaching on first year students‟ writing
performance in 15 weeks. These students‟ writing proficiency was measured in correlation
to the application of an experimental reading – writing integration program.
5. Methods of the study
The research method employed in this study is a quasi-experimental design to propose the
research questions and to find out the answers. The method involves the three basic
components of experiments as presented by Selinger and Shohamy, that is, the population
(ULIS first year students), the treatment (the program of integrating reading and writing 4
instruction) and the measurement of the treatment (t-test) (1989, p.136). It is conducted
with the participation of 52 first year students. Data collection instruments include pre and
post tests, and a survey questionnaire. More details can be seen in Chapter 3.
6. Design of the study
This study consists of five chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the research topic, the rationale
for it and provides the aims, the scope, the method, and the research questions as well.
Chapter 2 has an overview of the literature on the field of writing and integration of
reading and writing teaching. Chapter 3 describes the methodology of the study including
information about the respondents, data collection instruments and the procedure of data
collection and analysis. Chapter 4 presents the results of tests and survey questionnaire.
Chapter 5 discusses the findings, draws conclusions, provides pedagogical implications,
discusses the limitations of the study and provides some suggestions for further research.
In this chapter, the author has mentioned the rationale, the scope and the objectives of the
study. The research questions are also presented as well as the employed methods and
design of the study. In the next chapter, she is going to review the relevant literature to

lifelong pursuit: continuous practices, development, and refinement.
Nowadays, the literacy research has brought us a more comprehensive definition of
reading. It recognizes the importance of skill instruction as one piece of the reading
process. It also supports balanced reading instructions for all students (Allington &
Cunningham, 1996). Balanced reading instruction usually means a combination of whole
language and phonics approaches which help students develop awareness of individual
sounds, cueing strategies, and learn to decode the text and comprehend the material (Kelly,
1997). Teachers should pay attention to students‟ learning styles, some students are
"analytic and auditory” ones who benefit from phonics instruction; some students who
have "visual, tactile and global learning styles" profit from a whole language approach
(Carbo, 1996, cited in Stoicheva, 1999). 6
Suleiman (2005) states that reading can be seen as an “interactive” process between a
reader and a text which leads to automaticity or reading fluency. In this process, the reader
interacts dynamically with the text as he/she tries to elicit the meaning and where various
kinds of knowledge are being used: linguistic or systemic knowledge as well as schematic
knowledge. Since reading is a complex process, Grabe argues that “many researchers
attempt to understand and explain the fluent reading process by analyzing the process into a
set of component skills” (1991, cited in Suleiman, 2005) in reading; consequently he
proposed at least six general component skills and knowledge areas: (1) Automatic
recognition skills (2) Vocabulary and structural knowledge (3) Formal discourse structure
knowledge (4) Content/world background knowledge (5) Synthesis and evaluation
skills/strategies (6) Metacognitive knowledge and skills monitoring .
1.1.2. Theoretical background of teaching reading
Reading is an essential part of language instruction at every level because it supports
learning in multiple ways. Rabideau (1993) states the important role of reading activities
for learners to acquire English as a second language: for example, students dictate stories to
the teacher or share orally a common experience. The stories are accessible because they

reading provides content information. Students' purpose for reading in their native
language is often to obtain information about a subject they are studying, and this purpose
can be useful in the language learning classroom as well. Therefore, teachers should give
students both authentic reading material and an authentic purpose for reading. The last
benefit is that reading gives learners cultural knowledge and awareness. Reading everyday
materials that are designed for native speakers can give students insight into the lifestyles
and views of the people whose language they are studying. When students have access to
newspapers, magazines, and internet, they are exposed to culture in all its variety, and
monolithic cultural stereotypes begin to break down.
The Little Red Reading Book (Illinois State Board of Education, 1997) lists essential
components of research-based programs for beginning reading instruction in which it
stated that learners will have opportunities to:
- Expand their use and appreciation of oral language.
- Expand their use and appreciation of printed language
- Hear good stories and information books read aloud daily.
- Understand and manipulate the building blocks of spoken language
- Learn about and manipulate the building blocks of written language. 8
- Learn the relationship between the sounds of spoken language and the letters of written
language.
- Learn decoding strategies.
- Write and relate their writing to spelling and reading.
- Practice accurate and fluent reading in decodable stories.
- Develop new vocabulary through wide reading and direct vocabulary instruction.
- Read and comprehend a wide assortment of books and other texts.
- Learn and apply comprehension strategies as they reflect upon and think critically about
what they have read.
With respect to types of reading, there are two types of reading, extensive and intensive

more independently on a range of materials.” (p. 202). These strategies can be either text-
related or learner-related: the former includes an awareness of text organization, while the
latter includes strategies like linguistic, schematic, and metacognitive strategies. Moreover,
Hafiz and Tudor (1989) differentiate extensive and intensive reading:
In intensive reading activities learners are in the main exposed to relatively short texts
which are used either to exemplify specific aspects of the lexical, syntactic or
discoursal system of the L2, or to provide the basis for targeted reading strategy
practice; the goal of extensive reading, on the other hand, is to „flood‟ learners with
large quantities of L2 input with few or possibly no specific tasks to perform on this
material. (p. 5)
Day and Bamford (2002) have offered ten principles for an extensive reading to teaching
foreign language reading as follows:
(1) The reading material is easy
To help beginning readers feel comfortable and confident in reading and get the overall
understanding of the text, there should not be too many new words which make students
nervous and confused. He suggested that for intermediate learners, no more than five difficult
words per page, should be used. Hu and Nation (2000) suggest that learners must know at
least 98% of the words in a fiction text for unassisted understanding.
It also mentions that for advanced learners the text should be adapted to help students with the
linguistic and knowledge constraints of language learners. This is especially helpful when
learners read independently, without the help of a teacher.
Moreover, easy materials help students to be motivated to read more and study more, and to be
able to ladder up as their foreign language and reading skills improve, they must be
reading texts that reflect their language ability. The suitable texts help students find easy and
enjoyable at every step of reading. 10
(2) A variety of reading material on a wide range of topics must be available
The success of extensive reading depends largely on enticing students to read. If the reading

reading apart from usual classroom practice on the one hand, and reading for academic
purposes on the other.
A reader's interaction with a text derives from the purpose for reading. In extensive reading,
the learner's goal is sufficient understanding to fulfill a particular reading purpose, for example,
the obtaining of information, the enjoyment of a story, or the passing of time.
(6) Reading is its own reward
The learners' experience of reading the text is at the center of the extensive reading experience,
just as it is in reading in everyday life. Therefore, extensive reading is not usually followed
by comprehension questions. It is an experience complete in itself.
Teachers may ask students to complete follow-up activities based on their reading. From that
teachers can find out what the student understood and experienced from the reading; to
monitor students' attitudes toward reading; to keep track of what and how much students read;
to make reading a shared experience; to link reading to other aspects of the curriculum.
Students may be asked to do such things as write about their favorite characters, write about
the best or worst book they have read, or do a dramatic reading of an exciting part of a novel.
Such activities help students to integrate what they read with their own experiences to produce
interesting writings.
(7) Reading speed is usually faster rather than slower
When learners are reading a material that is suitable for their linguistic ability, for personal
interest, and for general rather than academic purposes, they will have an incentive to read
faster and improve their reading fluency. Nuttall notes that "speed, enjoyment and
comprehension are closely linked with one another" (1996, p.128). She describes "The
vicious circle of the weak reader: reads slowly; doesn't enjoy reading; doesn't read much;
doesn't understand; . . ." (p.127). Extensive reading can help readers "enter instead the cycle
of growth. . . . The virtuous circle of the good reader: reads faster; reads more; understands
better; enjoys reading; reads faster. . ." (p. 127).
To promote students‟ reading fluency, it is advisable for teachers to discourage students from 12

13
reactions to what was read. Based on this information, teachers can encourage students to read
as widely as possible and, as their language ability, reading ability and confidence increase, to
read at progressively higher levels of difficulty.
(10) The teacher is a role model of a reader.
Nuttall famously said, "Reading is caught, not taught" (1996, p.229). Maley explains the
implications of this for teachers when he says, "We need to realize how much influence we
have on our students. Students do not just learn the subject matter we teach them; they learn
from their teachers. Teacher attitude, more than technical expertise, is what they will recall
when they leave us" (1999). In short, effective extensive reading teachers are themselves
readers, teaching by example the attitudes and behaviors of a reader. In Henry's words,
teachers are "selling reading" (1995: 52), and the primary way to do that is to be a reader.
Further, in Henry's opinion, teachers of extensive reading "have to commit to reading what
their students do" (1995: 52). She explains, "By reading what my students read, I become a
part of the community that forms within the class" (p. 53). When students and teachers share
reading, the foreign language reading classroom can be a place where teachers discuss books
with students, answer their questions and make tailor-made recommendations to individual
students. It can be a place where students and teachers experience together the value and
pleasure to be found in the written word.
Caverly (2009) outlined some principles to develop students‟ reading abilities as follows:
- The reader makes a contribution to the reading process.
- Word recognition is necessary but not sufficient.
- A strong correlation exists between vocabulary development and reading comprehension.
However, developing vocabulary does not necessarily improve reading comprehension.
- Students‟ interest in, motivation for, and attitude toward reading are vital for success.
- Text is organized into super-ordinate, co-ordinate and sub-ordinate ideas.
- Text has a variety of relationships that can be taught to improve comprehension.
- Reading in a study situation is as much a strategic process as it is a comprehending
process.
- Good readers use meta-cognitive strategies to prepare for, monitor, and assess their

suitcase. Text statements about folding clothes or carrying bags could then fill the slot.
If a reader did not have a vacation schema with a "suitcase-packing slot," the
information about clothes and bags might not be readily understood. (p. 118)
The aim of while-reading stage (or interactive process) is to develop students‟ ability in
tackling texts by developing their linguistic and schematic knowledge. Hedge (2003) argues
that although some oppose the interactive activities carried during the while-reading phase,
there are only few research studies that show the “effects of intervention and their outcomes”. 15
Moreover, “many students report positively on the usefulness of while-reading activities.”
(ibid, p. 210). On the contrary, Paran (1996) believes that modern interactive reading models
enable SL readers
to be “less reliant on top-down processing” and enable them to achieve
“greater reliance on
bottom-up strategies as they become more proficient” (p. 29). It seems
that teachers can use a balanced approach to teaching reading by incorporating both top-down
and bottom-up processes, provided they are given flexibility in choosing the reading tasks.
Haller (2000, p. 21-24) modeled a number of school-based post-reading activities which
enhance learning comprehension through the use of matching exercises, cloze exercises, cut-
up sentences, and comprehension questions. For the cloze activity, the teacher puts blanks
in the story in place of some of the words, usually every fifth word but not the first or the last
words in the text. A cut-up sentence activity uses sentences from the given text and helps
learners to gain
confidence by manipulating the text in various ways. The use of lines
in matching can be
sometimes confusing for beginners. Haller proposes the use of “paper
strips” at the beginning where a student is given the strips and asked to match for example a
name with its corresponding activity. Later students can work in pairs as they understand the
concept of matching and, finally, the teacher can introduce matching through lines. For extra

convey a message with a meaning.
The writing has been defined in a number of ways which reflects the complexity of writing
process. According to Byrne, writing can be seen as an “act of forming graphic symbols”,
that is, letters or combination of letters (Byrne, 1991, p.1). Simply, writing is like “making
marks on the flat surface of some kinds”.
Another definition offered by Tribble (1996), considers writing a language skill involving
“not just a graphic representation of speech, but the development and presentation of
thoughts in a structured way” (p.3)
Besides, according to Sokolik, writing is defined by several contrasts (cited in Nunan,
2003). Firstly, in her opinion, writing is both “a physical and a mental act” in the sense that
it requires writers to commit words or ideas to some medium and at the same time to
invent ideas, think about how to express them, and organize them into statements and
paragraphs. Secondly, writing aims at expressing and impressing. Writers typically try to
express their ideas or feelings; meanwhile they need to impress their readers in certain
ways. Thirdly, writing is a process and a product. Writers have to generate ideas, organize,
draft, edit, reread to produce a product – a paragraph, an essay or a report. 17
Grabe and Kaplan (1996), explore the meaning of writing in terms of the rhetorical triangle
in writing. And such triangle consists of the reader, the recipient of the final product of the
writing process; the writer, the originator of the message; and the subject matter and text
itself. Both the writer and the reader have to consider all these aspects when writing and
reading, respectively, for each one plays a significant role in the journey towards meaning.
Fischer (2003) argues that no one definition of writing can cover all the writing systems
that exist and have ever existed. Instead he states that a 'complete writing' system should
fulfill all the following criteria:
 it must have as its purpose communication;
 it must consist of artificial graphic marks on a durable or electronic surface;
 it must use marks that relate conventionally to articulate speech (the systematic

These characteristics show the relationship between writing and learning, therefore,
students should learn to write. Learning to write can help students improve their language
ability and enhance their other language skills.
1.2.2. Theoretical background of teaching writing
People often communicate with each other in writing. For example writers transfer their
thoughts, ideas, and feelings to readers or people write letters to each other to keep in
touch. However, communication is not the only reason to include writing as a part of
second language syllabus. There is another important reason is that writing helps students
to learn. Through writing students can reinforce their grammatical structures and
vocabulary. Moreover, they can experience the target language and become involved in the
new language. Additionally, writing provokes students, it makes students think, create and
discover new things while trying to express their ideas. For these above reasons, writing is
really important to teach in ESL lessons. There are many studies carried out to explore the
nature and techniques of teaching writing to students in ESL classes.
Marc Freedman (1991) has done a small survey of current uses of writing in adult ESL
classes. He found three purposes for writing. The first purpose has to do with practicing
language: "Many traditional, workbook-style writing exercises seem predicated on the idea
that practicing writing correctly formulated serves the purpose of concretizing learning "
(p.11). 19
The second purpose has to do with experimenting with language, encouraging learners to
attempt to write things they want to express, even if they are unsure of how to do it. This
emphasis does the following:
* It develops an experimental or exploratory approach to language and literacy learning in
which the learner plays an active role;
* It allows learners to set their own goals and focus on the language necessary for what
they are trying to convey in writing;
* It provides opportunities for learners to explore resources other than the teacher (e.g.,

model paragraphs and imitate model passages. This approach is based on the principle that
in different cultures people construct and organize their communication with each other in
different ways. Therefore, students need to analyze, practice the particular English feature
of a piece of writing.
The Grammar-Syntax-Organisation Approach
Some teachers have stressed the need to work on simultaneously on several features in the
composition. Writing cannot be seen as composed of separate skills which are learnt one
by one. Students have to pay attention to organization while they work on the necessary
grammar and syntax. This approach links the purpose of a piece of writing to the forms
that needed to convey the message.
The Communicative Approach
The communicative approach stresses the purpose of a piece of writing and the audience
for it. Student writers are encouraged to behave like writers in real life and to ask
themselves the crucial questions about the purpose and audience, for example, Why am I
writing this? Who will read it?
The Process Approach
Other researchers have stressed the process of writing. Writers ask themselves not only
questions about purpose and audience, but also the crucial questions: How do I write this?
How do I get started? In this approach, the students do not write on a given topic in a 21
restricted time and hand in the composition for the teacher to correct. Instead of doing so,
they explore a topic through writing, showing the teacher and each other their drafts, and
using what they write to read over, think about and move them on to new ideas. The
process approach gives students two crucial supports: time for students to brainstorm, try
out ideas and feedback on the content of what they write in their first drafts. Therefore,
writing process becomes a process of discovery for the students, discovery of new ideas
and new language forms to express their ideas.
A few decades ago writing teachers were mostly concerned with the final product of