VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES
********************* HÀ THỊ LÝ PROMOTING THE 10
TH
FORM STUDENTS’ READING
COMPREHENSION THROUGH TASK ADAPTATION WITH
REFERENCE TO THE TEXTBOOK TIẾNG ANH 10:
A CASE OF THẠCH THÀNH 3

Thúc đẩy kỹ năng đọc hiểu cho học sinh lớp 10 trường THPT Thạch
Thành 3 thông qua việc điều chỉnh các hoạt động đọc của
sách giáo khoa Tiếng Anh 10

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY
CODE: 60140111 Hanoi, 2014
VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

i
DECLARATION
I, Ha Thi Ly, certify that this thesis is result of my own research and the substance
of this thesis has not, wholly or part, been submitted for a degree to any other
university or institution.
Hanoi, August 2014
Signature Ha Thi Ly
th
form students at Thach Thanh 3 high school
have been observed to be not interesting and rewarding due to the challenging
reading tasks in the textbook. The aim of this study, hence, is to explore whether
using task adaptation can be effective in assisting students in their reading lessons,
so they can understand the content of reading materials with less frustration. Survey
questionnaire, classroom observation and interviews were the main instrument of
data collection which were delivered to 76 grade 10 students to collect their
responses to the adapted lesson. The result indicated that students are more
interested in the reading as the original tasks were adapted in combination with
using communicative games. And when the tasks become less difficult and more
interesting to most students, they developed a fairly high degree of motivation
towards practicing reading. Besides, the study suggests some adapted reading
activities and tasks for teachers to utilize to increase the effectiveness of English
reading lessons when applied to the textbook English 10 to teach the 10
th
form
students at Thach Thanh 3 high school.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii
ABSTRACT iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS vi
ABBREVIATION iv
LIST OF CHARTS v
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Statement of the problem and rationale of the study. 1
1.2 Aims and objectives of the study 2
1.3. Scope of the study 2
1.4. Significance of the study 3
1.5. Research Methodology 3
1.6. Design of the study 4
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL BACKGROUND AND LITERATURE REVIEW . 5
2.1. Reading comprehension, reading skills, reading tasks. 5
2.1.1. Definition of reading comprehension. 5
2.1.2. Reading comprehension skills 6
2.2. Reading tasks 6
2.2.1. Defining task and task- based language teaching and learning 6
2.2.2. Reading tasks and types of reading tasks. 7
2.3. Task adaptation as a type of promoting for the reading comprehension process. 8
2.3.1. Adaption definition 8
2.3.2. Purposes of adaptation 9
2.3.3. Categories of adaptation 10
2.4. Motivation and strategies for motivating students in classroom 11
2.5. Using Communicative Language Games in Teaching and Learning English 12
2.6. Review of existing study 13
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY 15


1
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Statement of the problem and rationale of the study.
In teaching and learning English as a foreign language in Vietnam, reading
has always received a great deal of attention. According to Carrell (1981:1) ―for
many students, reading is by far the most important of the four macro-skills,
particularly in English as a second or a foreign language‖. Sharing the same point of
view, Richard (1995:9) shows that ―Becoming an effective and fluent reader in
another language has a number of important benefits for learner‖. Reading has
become not only an important means to gain and enrich the students‘ general
knowledge but also a means to help them with their further study in the future.
Unfortunately, teaching and learning reading skills at high schools is still far
from satisfactory for various reasons. Despite the teacher‘s effort, sometimes the
students‘ motivation is still low and the reading lesson is said to be a boring one.
This is the seventh year the researcher has taught the new textbook ―Tieng
Anh 10‖ to the 10
th
form students. She has met a lot of difficulties in which the
biggest challenges emerge from teaching reading comprehension. Her colleagues in
her school have confronted a number of difficulties, one of which was students‘
lack of motivation and opportunities to practice communicating in the target
language. Despite the teachers‘ efforts, the students‘ reading skills are unimproved.
For example, some students expressed that they found the reading lessons boring
and did not feel they had learnt much in class. Since most students had access to the
teacher‘s book from which they could get the answers and background information
for all reading activities in the textbook they used in class, they did not find it
necessary or important to be attentive in class. If those difficulties are not found out
and no solution is given, reading lessons will become worst and students will be
bored with learning English. In this situation, the teacher needs to take a serious
look at the teaching and learning of English in general and the teaching and learning

and answered in the study:
- How does task adaptation help increase students‘ motivation in reading lesson?
- What type of adaptation should be employed in increasing student‘s
motivation?
1.3. Scope of the study
Material adaptation is such a broad topic that it cannot be wholly discussed
within this small scaled study; therefore, only one specific aspect will be central to
the reading tasks‘ adaptation. With the focus on the while-reading tasks only in the
textbook Tieng Anh 10 (the main textbook), the study was carried out to adapt those

3
to increase students‘ motivation in reading lessons only in the light of adapting
textbook activities for communicative teaching and cooperative learning. It was
suggested that cooperative elements be incorporated into reading tasks, thereby
changing the textbook activities into communicative games.
The findings and suggested solutions most appropriately applied to the
teachers of English as well as 10
th
grade students at Thach Thanh 3 High School.
That is, the teachers will be able to find ways to improve their process of teaching
and assist their students in learning reading skills.
1.4. Significance of the study
This study has been carried out to search for a better and more effective way
to develop students‘ reading comprehension skills by encouraging the teachers‘
assessment of reading tasks in the textbook. The unsuitable tasks were adapted to be
more accessible for the students. Pedagogically, the findings of the study are
believed to bring about necessary changes in reading materials and teaching
methodology to improve the students‘ reading comprehension at Thach Thanh 3
high school. It is hoped that the result of this study may offer the English teachers
at schools in general and the teachers of English at Thach Thanh 3 high school in

CHAPTER II:THEORETICAL BACKGROUND AND
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Reading comprehension, reading skills, reading tasks.
2.1.1. Definition of reading comprehension.
Reading comprehension plays an important role in teaching and learning
reading a foreign language. It can be understood as the ability to obtain the
information as required in the reading text as efficiently as possible. There are three
elements appearing in the reading process. They are the text being read, the
background knowledge of the reader and the contextual aspects relevant for
interpreting the text. In teaching reading, it is necessary to understand the nature of
reading comprehension. What the teacher understands about it will have a great
influence on what he or she teaches in the class. In fact, methodologists have been
providing different definitions of reading comprehension.
Swan (1975: 1) states that when we say ―a student is good at comprehension
we mean that he can read accurately and efficiently, so as to get the maximum
information a text with the minimum of understanding‖. Having the same point of
view, Richard and Thomas (1987: 9) claim that ―Reading comprehension is the best
described as an understanding between the author and the reader. The emphasis is
on the reader understanding of the printed page based on the individual reader‘s
unique background of experience.‖
Having the same point of view with the authors above, Grellet (1981: 3)
takes the point that ―Reading comprehension or understanding a written text means
extracting the required information from it as efficiently as possible.‖ The author
means that reading comprehension is an activity which aims at decoding the
meaning of word combination in the text in the most efficient way.
It can be concluded that reading comprehension is a process of understanding
what is conveyed in the text. It does not mean that the readers need to understand
every single word in the text but actively work on the text and extract the required
information efficiently. It is important for us to understand what reading
comprehension is. For the teachers teaching reading, a profound understanding

encouraged to use whatever language they already have in the process of
completing a task. The use of tasks will also give a clear and purposeful context for
the teaching and learning a language. The emphasis on the task-based learning and

7
teaching is reflected in much current research that studies the characteristics of
different kinds of activities and tasks.
One of the most widely quoted definitions for task is offered by Long
(1985:89). He refers to a task as “a piece of work undertaken for oneself or for
others, freely or for some reward. Thus examples of tasks include [. . .] filling out a
form, buying a pair of shoes, making an airline reservation, borrowing a library
book, taking a driving test, typing a letter, [. . .], making a hotel reservation, writing
a check, finding a street destination and helping someone across the road. In other
words, by “task” is meant the hundred and one things people do in everyday life, at
work, at play, and in between”. Nunan (1989: 10) defines ―task‖ as: a piece of
classroom work which involves learners in comprehending, producing or interacting
in the target language while their attention is principally focused on meaning rather
than form. Skehan (1998: 95) lists characteristics of ―task‖ as: (1) meaning is
primary; (2) there is some sort of relationship to comparable real-world activities;
(3) task completion has some priority; (4) the assessment of tasks is in terms of
outcome. Willis, J. (1996: 53) gives the meaning of ―task‖ as: a goal-oriented
activity in which learners use language to achieve a real outcome.
Despite the various interpretations, several common design features can be
identified. These features include that all three definitions emphasize the importance
of focus on meaning. This criterion supports the notion that conveying an intended
meaning is the essence of language use.
2.2.2. Reading tasks and types of reading tasks.
There are some reasons for reading. We read for information or for pleasure.
Therefore, the goals of a reading class are to cultivate students‘ interest in reading
and help students become skilled readers in gaining information. In a task-based

students to complete and all the activities are based on student-centered leaning.
Thus students‘ reading interest will be cultivated. In the process of completing
reading tasks they will develop their reading competence.
2.3. Task adaptation as a type of promoting for the reading comprehension process.
2.3.1. Adaption definition
According to Tomlinson (1998:xi) adaption is ― making changes to materials
in order to improve them more suitable for a particular learners.‖ In the aspect of
adaption techniques, Madsen and Bowen (1978: ix- xi) mentions adaption as the
action of employing ―one or more number of techniques: supplementing, editing,

9
personalizing, simplifying, modernizing, localizing, or modifying cultural/situation
content.‖ Differently, Stevic (1972) cited in Mc Donough anh Shaw (1993: 83)
emphasizes teachers‘ role of bridging a gap between materials and learners: ―the
teacher must satisfy the demand of the textbook, but in ways that will be satisfying
to those who learn from it.‖
In brief, adaption techniques require teachers to change and revise materials
to make them more accessible to the teaching context.
2.3.2. Purposes of adaptation
There is a famous saying by Albert Einstein: ―I never teach my pupils. I only
attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.‖
When discussing this topic, there is a question that needs to be considered:
Why should teachers reinvent activities when publishers have already developed
appropriate instructional sequences, lesson designs, and activities for each subject
of the material?
The first answer is that despite the great effort that textbook writers make to
meet the needs of the intended users, textbooks are subject to adaptation when they
are actually used in the classroom. Teachers have to adapt the materials they are
using if they want their teaching to be more effective and more interesting. In fact, a
course book can never be totally an effective tool for teaches to follow without any

- Extending: means the teacher supplies more of the same type of materials,
thus making a quantitative change in the material.
- Expanding: is to add something different to the materials. The change is
qualitative.
*Deleting: subtracting and abridging: Material can be deleted both quantitatively
(subtracting) or qualitatively (abridging). In subtracting, for instance, a teacher can
combine two reading tasks into one with fewer questions. When abridging,
however, the teacher may decide that comprehension of a short paragraph is useful
for the learners, so the whole reading passage can be paid less attention.
* Simplifying: When simplifying, the teacher could be rewording instructions or text
in order to make them more accessible to learners, or simplifying a complete
activity to make it more manageable for learners and teachers.
* Reordering: When reordering, the teacher has decided that it makes more
pedagogic sense to sequence activities differently. An example is beginning with a

11
general discussion before looking at a reading passage rather than using the reading
as a basis for discussion.
*Replacing materials: When replacing material a teacher may determine that a more
appropriate visual or text might serve an activity better than the ones presented in
the published material. This is often the case with culturally specific or time-
specific activities. For instance, teachers maybe replace one difficult task by easier
one which can help save time or oral activities.
On the whole, adaptation is a very practical activity carried out mainly by the
teachers in order to make their work more relevant to the learners with whom they
are day to day contact. Moreover, it is a fact that no published textbook can possibly
cater for every teacher, learner or teaching situation. Thus, each teacher has to take
responsibility of textbook adaptation in order to ensure an optical match between
textbooks and the particular teaching context.
Carrying out this study with the hope to create more enjoyable and much

into the following aspect.
It has been found that if teacher can make students active participants in
learning, students will be motivated to learn (Lucas, 1990). It is concerned with the
quality of classroom activities and the way the activities are presented and
administered. It is suggested that the teaching material should have relevant to the
learning goals and be of appropriate difficulty level to the students concerned. a
variety of learning tasks should be presented properly with realistic goals and
effective strategies in reaching those goals. When students find a learning task
interesting, engaging, meaningful, and useful they tend to be highly motivated to
carry it out.
2.5. Using Communicative Language Games in Teaching and Learning English
According to Wang (2010) conducting games in teaching differs from the
traditional teaching methods such as repetition, memorization and imitation which
demotivate students‘ incentive to learn. Teaching English through game- like
activities can cheer up the class and make language learning more pleasurable and
easier to learn. Most of all, games motivate students to become effective
communicators in the target language, and help them use the language in a more
spontaneous and natural manner (Gordon, 1972). In addition, as Wright et al. state,

13
games can offer practice in all stages of teaching and learning sequence including
presentation, practice and production. That is, many games can supply the same
dense use of language as more conventional drills which mainly give repeated
practice on a language form during a limited period of time. It is also found by
Savignon‘ s research that learners who were encouraged to use linguistic knowledge
at their disposal to exchange information, to clarify messages, and to negotiate
meaning while carrying out communicative tasks, markedly outperformed learners
who had no such practice. Therefore, it is clear that using communicative language
games in teaching is a feasible way to present new items as well as to practice and
reinforce specific skills that have already been taught. In particular, according to

reading techniques, the role of task in language teaching and task designing.
Moreover, they give some samples of adapted reading tasks in the specific English
course books for Electricity and for Computing. However, the two researchers only
aim at investigating the unsuitable reading tasks and at giving some samples of
adapted tasks in their research. In other words, the effectiveness of implementing
the adapted reading tasks has not been mentioned clearly. Besides, Nguyen Thi
Trang (2008) investigated about adapting reading tasks in the textbook Tieng Anh
12 for mixed- level students at Van Noi high school in Dong Anh, Hanoi. She
pointed out that one of the important reason why her students pay little attention to
the skill as well as the reading texts and reading tasks in their textbook is that they
are not at the same level. Then, she decided to make groups of similar- level
students and adapt the designed reading tasks in the textbook to make them more
suitable for each group. In the three studies mentioned above, the researchers have
not pointed out clearly how to help promote students reading comprehension by
increasing their motivation in learning reading through task adaptation. Therefore,
based on the experience from my own teaching context and what I think is
necessary and important to my students‘ learning reading process, I chose to do this
research on how and in what way my students would benefit much in reading
lessons from task adaptation. 15
CHAPTER III:METHODOLOGY
3.1. The setting of the study
3.1.1. The school
The study is conducted at Thach Thanh 3 High School, which is located in
Thach Thanh district, a mountainous area of Thanh Hoa province. This school with
26 classes has been in operation for only 10 years. Like other high schools, its duty
is to train students from the 10th form to the 12th form. The class size is generally
large with 40-45 learners in one. The classrooms are equipped only with a

individual teacher is to respond to the requirements of the teaching situations.
3.1.3. Reading tasks in the textbook Tieng Anh 10.
The textbook Tieng anh 10, by Hoang et al (2006) is a theme- based and
skill- based textbook, with the adoption of the two currently popular reading
approaches. They employ the learner-centered approach and the communicative
approach. According to its authors, the leading methodology focused to use to
handle this textbook is Task- based language teaching (Van et al 2006: 12). It
consists of 16 units on broad topics: a day in the life of, school talks, people‘s
background, special education, technology and you, an excursion, the mass media,
the story of my village, undersea world, conservation, national park, music, films
and cinema, the world cup, cities, historical places. Each unit is divided into five
parts: Reading, Speaking, Listening, Writing and Language focus. The teacher only
covers one of the above five parts in each period. After every three units, there is a
TEST YOURSELF section, which provides some exercises for the students to do in
order to test how much they achieved from the previous lesson.
Although there are two programs (one for general students and the other for
those specializing in English), the shared objectives have recently been adjusted for
a better use of English ―as a tool of communication at basic level in term of
listening, speaking, reading and writing‖ (Hoang et al.,2006a,p33). In terms of
reading skills, this goal has been specified into developing students‘ abilities to read
190- 230 word texts for main ideas and details on broad topics and to develop their
vocabulary via reading.
The reading texts in Tieng Anh 10 are various. Many of them are familiar to
students. (Unit 1: A Day In The Life Of; Unit 2: School Talks, Unit 8: The Story Of