Action research – Nguyen Thi Ly
My Hao High School
Table of contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................................................................ 1
PART 1: INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................. 2
1. Reason for choosing the topic. ................................................................................................................... 2
2. Aim of the study ......................................................................................................................................... 4
3. Research questions .................................................................................................................................... 4
4. Scope of the study ...................................................................................................................................... 4
5. Methods of the study .................................................................................................................................. 4
6. Significance of the study ............................................................................................................................ 5
PART 2: DEVELOPMENT ................................................................................................................................. 6
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................................................................... 6
1.The importance of learning reading comprehension skills ........................................................................... 6
2. Motivation ................................................................................................................................................. 6
3. Motivation in leaning reading short stories. ............................................................................................... 7
3.1. Short stories and their benefits to high school students ......................................................................................... 7
3.2. Choosing the suitable short stories for high school students. ................................................................................. 8
3.3. How to use short stories in teaching reading ......................................................................................................... 8

CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................ 11
1. What is action research?.......................................................................................................................... 11
2. The setting and the participants ............................................................................................................... 11
2.1. The setting of the study ..................................................................................................................................... 11
2.2 The subjects of the study .................................................................................................................................... 11
2.3. Reading materials ............................................................................................................................................. 11

3. Action research procedure ....................................................................................................................... 12
3.1. Identifying a problem ........................................................................................................................................ 12
3.2. Collecting data .................................................................................................................................................. 12
3.3. Pre-test and post-test. ........................................................................................................................................ 12


THE PRE- TEST ................................................................................................................. 27

APPENDIX 4:

THE POST - TEST ............................................................................................................. 28

1


Action research – Nguyen Thi Ly
My Hao High School

Part 1: Introduction
1. Reason for choosing the topic.
It is assumed that the more students read, the better readers they become.
Therefore, establishing students’ habits of reading is very necessary, especially in
second language learning.
Being aware of the importance of learning reading skill, authors of new English
10 have chosen interesting topics for reading lessons with the aim to promote
students in reading and improve their reading comprehension. However some of them
are not familiar with students' genre and reading in the text book only is not enough
to enhance students' interest in reading and reading comprehension. Thonis, (1970)
suggested:
Comprehension skills depend upon two major factors: the background of
experiences, from which concepts have been acquired, and the speed, accuracy,
and richness of meanings which students bring to word recognition. The
advancement of skill in understanding what is read receives major emphasis
during the intermediate and high school years. As students become more
efficient readers, the written language which they meet in books becomes a

My Hao High School
as well as to examine the students' preferences for students' reading activities applied
by the researcher.
The results of the study show that both teachers and students are fully aware of
the sheer importance of short story reading activities to the students' comprehension.
Among them, summarizing the story in spoken or written form appears to be the most
interesting activities. After this activity, the students not only comprehend deeply the
short story but they also practice speaking and writing skills. Secondly, the students
find it easier to comprehend the story by filling in relating problems or themes in the
story to their real life.
2. Aim of the study
The study is to find down if the using short stories in teaching reading helps
motivate students at My Hao high school in reading and improving their reading
abilities.
3. Research questions
This action research aims at answering the following research questions:
1. What are the students' problems and causes of the problems in reading lessons?
2. What are students' attitude and preferences for the using short stories in teaching
reading?
a. How do they find the short story reading activities that teacher applied?
b. What benefits do they think the short story reading activities bring them?
c. What short story reading activities do they like most to comprehend the
story more effectively?
3. Does the using short stories in teaching reading help students improve their
reading comprehension?
4. Scope of the study
The research aims at applying the using short stories in teaching reading to
grade 10 students at My Hao high school. The subjects of the study are 50 students of
class 10A3 (school year: 2011-2012) at My Hao high school including 22 males and
28 females. The age of those 50 students ranges from 16 to 17. Hopefully, the

PART 2: development
Chapter 1: Literature review
1.The importance of learning reading comprehension skills
Reading comprehension is what allows the readers to interact with the text in a
meaningful way. It’s the bridge from passive reading to active reading, from letters
and words to characters and contexts. Reading comprehension is the crucial link to
effective reading - a strong factor in our educational and professional lives. For many
reasons, reading comprehension also unlocks the door to a lifetime of reading
recreation and enjoyment. Reading comprehension skills increase the pleasure and
effectiveness of reading. In short, building reading comprehension skills require a
long term strategy in which all the reading skill areas (phonics, fluency, and
vocabulary) will contribute to success. Thus, teachers should find out what skill areas
that their students are bad at and help them improve those ones.
2. Motivation
If students are going to develop good reading skills, they’ll want to read.
People are more motivated to read if they are interested in the topic. Research
confirms that students' motivation is a key factor in successful reading. Harmer, J
(2003;44) defined "motivation is some kind of internal drive that encourages
somebody to pursue a course of action."
Students' interest in reading is vital to the motivation and reading
assignment (Collins, Decker, 1996.53). If a student is intrinsically motivated, the
students desire to read the materials because they are interested in it. Another strategy
that is used to promote intrinsic motivation is to find topics that students are
interested in learning more about and have the students research it (Guthrie,
Solomon, 1997;43). The students want to read the material because they are so
determined to learn more about the subject; they will also want to work hard at it
because they picked it out (Hunt, Lyman, 1997;21).
Beside intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation is not less important. In this
study, extrinsic motivation is considered as teacher's role in enhancing students to
read as well as sustaining students' interest in reading. Harmer (2003) said that

study.
2. The setting and the participants
2.1. The setting of the study

The study was carried out at My Hao high school where the researcher has been
teaching English for eight years.
2.2 The subjects of the study

The subjects of the study are 50 students of class 10A3 at My Hao high school
(school year: 2011-2012) including 22 males and 28 females. The age of those 50
students ranges from 15 to 16. They all have learnt English for at least four years at
secondary school therefore, on average, they have a pre-intermediate level of English
language proficiency. They have already studied reading skill for one term at My Hao
high school, and have finished eight units of the text book English 10 (Hoang. Van.
Van. et al, 2007.9). In the second term they continue with the reading texts in this text
book.
2.3. Reading materials

Material is considered to be one of the kernel elements in the model of
language teaching and learning. O'Malley and Chammot (1990:210) state that:
11


Action research – Nguyen Thi Ly
My Hao High School
The objectives of language materials are to develop academic English language
skills through content-base instruction, to develop understanding and skills in content
areas, and to teach students learning strategies that will help them become
autonomous learners of both language and content.
Because of this, appropriate reading materials must effectively assist students

check students’ reading comprehension. It was done at the beginning of the second
term. The test consists of two reading texts with the topics that the students have
learnt in the first term and there were four exercises to check students' vocabulary
knowledge and reading comprehension ability after learning eight units in the first
term. The test was taken before the time of action plan implementation.
12


Action research – Nguyen Thi Ly
My Hao High School
The post-test, which was taken from My Hao high school’s test library, is to
check students’ reading comprehension. It was done at the end of the second term.
The test consists of two reading texts with the topics that the students have learnt in
the second term and there were four exercises to check students' vocabulary
knowledge and reading comprehension ability after learning eight units in the second
term. The test was taken after the time of action plan implementation.
The format of the two tests and the kinds of exercises were designed the same.
Only the information asked and checked are different according to the different
reading topics in each term. So the researcher should be sure that the tests are
relatively equal in the level of difficulty.
Through the two tests, the researcher can find the differences in the students'
reading comprehension; compare the results before and after the time of doing action
plan.

13


Action research – Nguyen Thi Ly
My Hao High School


 The research method and its different data collection instruments were
presented.
14


Action research – Nguyen Thi Ly
My Hao High School
 The reasons for the method selection were also discussed.
 The pre-data collection procedure, the implementation of the action plan, and
the post-data collection procedure were conducted in a strict order.
 After the pre-data were analyzed, the causes of the students’ low reading
comprehension were sought.
 Then one action plan of using short story in teaching reading was developed
and implemented during the sixteen weeks of the study.
 Based on the analyzed results from the action plan implementation and the post
data collected after sixteen weeks of action plan implementation, the action
research was evaluated.
 In conclusion, action research was chosen to be the research method of this
study because action research can help to identify problems, solve the
problems, and evaluate the solutions, which are exactly what the researcher
wanted to do.
4. Analyzing data from students’ survey
4.1. Pre -test data

The pre test was done by students in class 10A3 ( 2011-2012) at My Hao high
school. The researcher had chosen some reading texts and built up a reading
comprehension test which suits with students' language level and covers the topics
that the students had learnt in the first term. The test was taken at the end of the first
term before the time of action plan complementation.
And the results of the pre- test were presented as follow:


7;8

5;6

3;4

2;1

Discussion:
As can be seen from the information above, most of the students got low marks
(38%). The number students getting excellent marks is very low ( only 8%). In the
previous term, the students did not comprehend much in reading lessons and the
15


Action research – Nguyen Thi Ly
My Hao High School
cause of the students' low comprehension in reading lessons was that they lack of
vocabulary, background knowledge and motivation for reading.
4.2. Post test data

The post test was done by students in class 10A3 (2011-2012) at My Hao high
school. The researcher had chosen some reading texts from My Hao high school test
library and built up a reading comprehension test which suits with students' language
level and covers the topics that the students had learnt after implementing the action
plan for 16 weeks. The test was taken at the end of the second term after the time of
action plan complementation.
And the results of the post test were presented as follow:



m arks 9 -10 (14%)

0
9;10

7;8

5;6

Discussion
As can be seen from the information above, most of the students got higher
marks than those of the pretest. During 16 weeks of the second term, students were
given a lot of stories by teachers. Therefore, their reading skill has improved much.
As a result of this, the number of students getting bad marks decreased remarkably
(only 4%) and the number of students getting excellent marks increased sharply
(66%)

16


Action research – Nguyen Thi Ly
My Hao High School
4.3. Pre-test and post-test comparison
60

52

54



5; 6

3; 4

1; 2

Discussion:
The results from the pre-test and post-test showed that the students gained
significantly high reading comprehension level of the reading text thanks to the short
story reading activities that the teacher applied in the action plan implementation. In
the pre-test there were no marks 9 or 10 but in the post test, 14% of the students got
marks 9 or 10. The number of students who had marks 7 or 8 increased strikingly
from 8% to 52%. None of the students got marks 1 or 2, only 2 students got mark
4(4%). In conclusion, the scores from the two tests showed a big difference in the
students’ progress in comprehending the reading texts as well as in developing their
reading skill.

17


Action research – Nguyen Thi Ly
My Hao High School

Chapter 4: Major findings and suggestions
1. Students' factors affecting reading comprehension
1.1. Limited background knowledge

It is easier to read and understand the text if we know something about the topic.
For example, in our own language, it is very difficult to read a science textbook if we

second language (L2) settings as well because a strong vocabulary is the foundation
for reading comprehension. In fact, vocabulary is the foundation of all areas of
literacy listening, speaking, reading, and writing. (Trisha Callella. 2004. Teaching
vocabulary to improve reading comprehension. Creative teaching pressed).
18


Action research – Nguyen Thi Ly
My Hao High School
By high school, students with a diversity of backgrounds and skills are
immersed in content area instruction. Yet all students, and particularly those who are
struggling, are confronted with vocabulary and concepts that are unfamiliar or
misunderstood. Those misunderstandings interfere with comprehension of content
area curriculum.
That is the reason why the vocabulary enrichment for students becomes
necessary. Many researches have been carried out to study the possibility of learning
vocabulary through reading especially through extensive reading in a second
language.
Day, R., & Bamford, J. (1998) also found that
Research convincingly shows that extensive reading increases vocabulary
knowledge. It is not surprising that extensive reading helps students become better
readers. Research in both L1 and L2 shows that we learn to read by reading. The
more our students read the better readers they become. An integral part of this is
learning new vocabulary. One of the primary way in which vocabulary is learned is
through reading. Learners encounter the same words over and over again in context,
which results in vocabulary learning.
This fact leads to the using short stories (as an extensive reading activity) in
enriching students' vocabulary knowledge as well as improving their reading
comprehension.
1.3. Lack of reading comprehension skill.

experiences. They also enable us to make predictions about what we might expect to
experience in given context and there is no doubt that extra reading activities are of
great help in widening learners’ background knowledge. However, deciding the right
reading materials for the right students and at the suitable time is not easy to all
teachers. Therefore, teaching methodology plays a very important role in language
teaching in general and in teaching reading in particular.
3. Reading material factors
Material is considered to be one of the kernel elements in the model of
language teaching and learning. O'Malley and Chammot (1990:210) state that:
The objectives of language materials are to develop academic English language
skills through content-base instruction, to develop understanding
and skills in
content areas, and to teach students learning strategies that will help them become
autonomous learners of both language and content.
Because of this, appropriate reading materials must effectively assist students
in developing their reading skills. Teachers are advisable to design or at least know
how to select suitable reading materials accompanied with a relevant range of
exercises for students. In other words, the topic of reading materials must be of
students' interest. Baker de Gonzalez and Blau, (2000) suggested that
The high-interest topic and thematically linked reading affectively build
students' background knowledge and vocabulary for later reading. With their
increased knowledge of a topic, students will have more to talk, write and think about
as they acquire English.
In conclusion, The influence that materials have on the teaching and learning
process can not be denied, so reading teachers must be aware of the role of materials
have in their classroom and the way they are used. From this the teachers can choose
the most suitable reading materials for their students.
4. Suggestions for motivating students to read.
As mentioned before, motivating students to get actively involved in reading
lessons depends on several factors. However, the author of the study intends to

difficulties when dealing with the reading skill. One of these is the lacking of
background knowledge, motivation, and vocabulary therefore students often find it
hard to comprehend the reading text so the reading comprehension of them is still
rather low.
There are several factors affecting the students’ reading comprehension in
learning reading in general and in reading a specific text in particular. From the data
analysis, it is important to spot that teacher’ teaching method, especially in
establishing the students the habit of outside class reading, have great impact on the
students’ comprehension of the reading text. Although the teachers as well as the
students are fully aware of the important role of extra reading activities, the chosen
reading material and reading comprehension activities are very necessary.
To improve the situation, the teachers should take into consideration such things
as teaching and learning condition, the reading material, reading activities, learning
strategies and students’ preference… In more details, using short story reading
activities as extra reading activities appropriately and flexibly, encouraging students’
internal factors … are feasible and effective solutions to apply in teaching reading.
Finally, it is hope that the study will make an especially significant contribution
to the improvement and renovation of the current situation of teaching and learning
English at My Hao high school.

22


Action research – Nguyen Thi Ly
My Hao High School
REFERENCES
Abrams, M.H (1970). A glossary of literary term. New York: Rinehart.
Alvarez, Marino C. Knowledge activation and schema construction. Paper presented
at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Boston,
MA, 1990, 25p. ED 317 988

23


Action research – Nguyen Thi Ly
My Hao High School
Goodman, K. S. (1978). Reading of American children whose reading is a stable,
rural dialect of English or language other than English. Washington

24


Appendix 1:

Action plan implementation

of using short story-reading activities.
Week

Unit

1-2

9

3-4

10

5-6


- Read short stories about topic: national park.
-Asking and answering questions relating problems or themes in the
story to real life of the students.
Comparison, note points of similarity or differences of contents between
a national park in Vietnam and a national park in the world.
- Read short stories about topic music.
- Ask and answer questions relating problems or themes in the story to
real life of the students.
- Provide title for the story
- Read short stories about topic film and cinema.
- Re-order the events of the stories.
- Provide title for the study.
- Read stories about topic “ The world cup”
- Ask and answer questions relating problems or themes in the story to
the students’ real lives.
- Use story maps to represent the contents of the stories
- Read short stories about topic “ City”
- Reorder events of the stories
- Compare or notes points of similarities and differences of the two
cities.
- Read short stories about topic “ Historical places”
- Ask and answer questions relating problems or themes in the story to
real lives of the students.
- Summary the stories in spoken form

25