VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – HOCHIMINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LINGUISTICS & LITERATURE  APPLYING EFFECTIVE READINGS AT PREWRITING STAGE IN TEACHING WRITING SKILL TO SECOND-YEAR ENGLISH MAJORS OF DONG NAI TEACHERS TRAINING COLLEGE Submitted to the Department of English Linguistics & Literature in partial fulfillment of the Master’s degree in TESOL By NGUYEN NHAT THANH Supervised by DO MINH HUNG, Ph.D HO CHI MINH CITY, 2014 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP The thesis entitled “Applying effective readings at prewriting stage in teaching writing skill to second-year English majors of Dong Nai Teachers Training College” is conducted under the supervision of Dr Do Minh Hung, Dong Thap University I hereby declare that this thesis has not been submitted, either in the same or different form, to this or any other university for a degree I certify that this thesis does not, to the best of my belief, incorporate without acknowledgement any material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the text Ho Chi Minh City, 2013 Nguyen Nhat Thanh i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS At the beginning at the time when making the plan to show the grateful words in this part, I always engrave on my heart about the two Vietnamese proverbs, “I dare you achieve successes without teachers” and “Recall the grower of the tree you take fruits from” Really, I am deeply indebted to a number of people for helping to make this M.A thesis possible First and foremost, I engrave forever on my heart and send my deepest gratitude goes to Dr Do Minh Hung, my supervisor, who supported and encouraged me generously throughout this research study Without his excellent academic guidance and support, my thesis would not have been possible I would like to sincerely thank the training which I got from all of the whole-hearted teachers from Social Sciences and Humanities of HCM City University, and the anonymous participants who contributed data to this study Many thanks also go to the teachers who kindly allowed me to involve their students in the data collection process Without their outstanding cooperation, this thesis would not have been completed My appreciation is also extended to a number of staff members of Foreign Languages Faculty, Dong Nai College I am greatly indebted to Study Promotion Society of Bau Tram Commune, Long Khanh District, Dong Nai Province for financial supporting my M.A study which enabled me to present the findings of my thesis and to receive constructive feedback from colleagues Their support is greatly appreciated Special thanks are due to my honey, Ngoc Van Nguyen for her kind support and warm encouragement throughout my difficult times away from home Without her, I could not have overcome my ups and downs and concentrated on my study Finally, my heartfelt thanks go to my parents, Van Anh Nguyen and Thi Huong Nguyen and all of the members of my great family who always support me as well as bring me inspiration and encouragement in every step of my study ii ABSTRACT Writing research has contributed a great deal to our understanding of L2 writing application but not enough to our understanding of using effective readings in L2 writing development, although different developments of writing are also its primary research goal and it is widely known as one of the sayings in teaching by Jacques Barzun that “In teaching you cannot see the fruit of a day's work It is invisible and remains so, maybe for twenty years” From this viewpoint, this thesis was done The main goals done for the thesis first examined the students’ competence of writing skill It then investigated the current teaching and learning writing skill, particular writing essays at DNTTC through a 2-set questionnaire survey (Set and Set 2) involving both 10 teachers of English and 80 students of two English classes at this college Data in question were also collected from the writing pre-test to both classes The experiment class received the treatment of applying effective readings with prewriting strategies during an accession of six weeks’ writing instruction, accompanied by the researcher’s class observation The writing post-test with the same test form and content as the pretest was done near the end of the target program The final data were from a set-3 questionnaire and individual presentations of the experimental class The findings have comprehensively revealed that (1) the student subjects at the college needed to be explicitly taught applying effective readings with prewriting strategies in writing skills, (2) their result of writing products was remarkably improved after the experimental teaching, and (3) the target program, i.e applying reading samples with prewriting strategies as means to teach writing skill, especially writing essays was greatly appreciated by the experiment class iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Acknowledgements ii Abstract iii Table of contents .iv List of abbreviation vii List of tables viii List of figures and charts viii Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION .1 1.1 Background to the study 1.2 The rationale for teaching writing-assisted effective readings 1.3 Statement of purpose 1.4 Research questions .3 1.5 Research hypotheses 1.6 Significances of the study 1.7 Organization of the thesis Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Background writing theory .6 2.1.1 Relational aspects of writing 2.1.2 Writing development .7 2.1.3 Preliminary considerations in writing teaching and learning 16 2.2 Essays .19 2.2.1 Theory of essay .19 2.2.2 Theory of argumentative essay .23 2.3 Prewriting strategies and its benefits 28 2.3.1 Prewriting strategies 28 2.3.2 Prewriting benefits .37 2.3.3 A warning about using reading samples and plagiarism .39 2.4 The effectiveness and active impacts on students’ writing products .40 2.4.1 Getting the effectiveness at the prewriting stage 40 2.4.2 The possible impacts on students’ writing products .43 iv 2.5 Summary 45 Chapter 3: METHODOLOGY 47 3.1 Research design 47 3.2 Participants and sampling 48 3.3 Data collection instruments 49 3.3.1 Questionnaires .49 3.3.2 Tests 50 3.3.3 Individual presentation 51 3.3.4 Class observation 51 3.4 Procedures 52 3.4.1 Pilot study 52 3.4.2 Main study 54 3.4.3 Procedure of data analysis .57 3.5 Summary 58 Chapter 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS .59 4.1 Results of questionnaires 59 4.1.1 Set-1 questionnaire results 59 4.1.2 Set 2-questionnaire results 63 4.1.3 Summary .66 4.2 Pre-test and post-test results .66 4.2.1 Pre-test results 66 4.2.2 Post-test results 67 4.2.3 Discussion of pre- and post-test results 68 4.3 Set-3 questionnaire results .69 4.4 Individual presentation results 71 4.4.1 Students’ attitudes towards writing subject 71 4.4.2 Students’ perception towards effective pre-stage readings 72 4.4.3 Students’ responses to the actual application of effective readings 73 4.4.4 Students’ attitudes towards the instruction of effective readings 74 4.5 Results from the class observation 74 4.6 Summary 76 v Chapter 5: RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS 77 5.1 Answers to the research questions 77 5.2 Confirmations of research hypotheses 78 5.3 Recommendations 78 5.3.1 For teachers at DNTTC 79 5.3.2 For students at DNTTC 80 5.4 Limitations and contributions 80 REFERENCES .82 APPENDICES .84 vi LISTS OF ABBREVIATIONS CC: Control Class CLT: Communicative Language Teaching DNTTC: Dong Nai Teachers Training College EC: Experiment Class EFL: English as a Foreign Language ESL: English as a Second Language L1: The First Language L2: The Second Language S(s): Student(s) SPSS: Statistical Package for the Social Science T: Teacher TL: Target Language vii LIST OF TABLES Page Table 3.1: The procedures of data collection in the pilot .52 Table 3.2: Research procedure 54 Table 4.1: The importance of writing skill 59 Table 4.2: Students’ self-evaluation of their writing ability 60 Table 4.3: Sources of difficulty in writing essays 61 Table 4.4: Frequency of practicing essay writing 61 Table 4.5: Frequency of reading books on essay writing .62 Table 4.6: Descriptive statistics of the pre-test of two classes 67 Table 4.7: The results of independent sample test .67 Table 4.8: Descriptive statistics of the posttest of the two classes 68 Table 4.9: The results of independent sample t-test 68 LIST OF FIGURES AND CHARTS Figure 2.1: A modified version of the cycle of writing activities 16 Chart 4.1: Pre-test and post-test results .69 viii CHAPTER INTRODUCTION This introductory chapter describes the background of the study, states the purposes, research questions and hypotheses of the study done for and reported in this M.A thesis It also identifies its significance and depicts the organization of the study 1.1 Background to the study 1.1.1 Teaching and learning writing at DNTTC Writing is one of the most difficult and hottest English subjects for the second-year English majors‘ attention at the class of Academic Writing English course at Dong Nai Teachers Training College (DNTTC) In fact, writing assignments are often given without appropriate care for its second-year English majors‘ experience and interests Irrespective of the application of brainstorming and group discussion, the two techniques commonly used at class meetings, the students unavoidably suffer from their lack of ideas as well as their failure to seek for adequate lexicon, proper sentence structure and appropriate writing style Apart from writing as a part of the course syllabus, the college also offers a writing class meeting for only periods (120 minutes) to its students every week, but students‘ presentation in class and self-study are mainly, the amount of time used for writing essay is less and just concentrated on the fifth week (see the syllabus enclosed as Appendix 2) At the current study, DNTTC has used the book, "Writing Academic English, Second/Third edition, Alice Oshima and Ann Hogue" for its curriculum to second-year English majors Really, then every teacher at this institution is very interested in giving a hand to help the students in this context of the problem It is to be expected that second-year English majors who study at this institution will also experience considerable difficulty 1.1.2 Training plan to second-year English majors at DNTTC and the current study For DNTTC plans to train its students to have a writing of as much competence as 97 Homework LESSON 6: Applying effective readings at prewriting stage and developing prewriting strategies  Practice: Continue applying prewriting strategies with reading samples 5,  Concluding: the studied reading samples and prewriting strategy remarks  Discussion: Review of the studied lessons and introduce to widen related application from other materials & books To Minh Thanh Academic Essay Writing USSH; Langan, J College Writing Skills International Edition Boston: Mc Graw-Hill Higher Education, 2008  Test: Final test: Writing essay  Task: pair-feedback task: concerning final test (used as reading sample 6) and whole studying procedure  Individual Presentation: concerning the whole studying procedure Time: 120 minutes (8 AM- 10:00 AM – Plus time for Final Test and Individual Presentation), Friday, October 14th -28th 2011 - Objectives: Education Aim: Students confirmed their ability to write English essay on any assigned topics in real life Knowledge: By the end of the lesson, Ss will be able to:  Understand the useful and helpful impacts of prewriting strategies and how sample readings important are  Integrate technology into the general writing process by applying effective readings with the studied strategies  At the end of this period, students can brighten up writing skill and be able to write their own essay on any assigned topics effectively Skills: Practicing applying reading samples with studied strategies and setting up writing essay skills - Methods: Integrated, illustrated, genre approach, reading comprehensive, mainly communicative - Teaching aids: Projector, textbook, color-chalks, pens - Procedure: Content Teacher’s Activities Students’ Activities Warm-up(10mn) T gives the requirement to Ss discuss and practice making Think of the games you like check homework paragraphs and often play and then tell T invites some Ss to give Ss answer may vary the class about the useful answer and helpful sides that you T & Ss give comment can use to study English well T asks Ss to apply prewriting Ss work in groups, collaborate Prewriting (45mn) strategies to draft what they and discuss together Talk about what you gain gain from university Ss summarize the answer briefly and study from university T asks Ss to give answer Tell class the active sides T gives feedback 98 in your study process? T introduces the title of sample reading While-writing(55mn) T asks Ss to apply prewriting Applying sample reading strategies to outline the essay and developing prewriting T shows the content of the strategies essay on screen T asks Ss read, analyze, and explore the way the writer Sample reading formed and argued in this essay T & Ss read & explore the ―What I have gained from sample reading university‖ Understanding sample T concludes the lesson reading T administers the Final Test Exploring and studying Final test (75mns) Question paper: Write an essay (about 250-500 words) on the topic: ‗Reducing traffic accidents in Ho Chi Minh city‘ 3.Pair feed-back task on final test (Final Test used as sample reading 6) Exchanging and reading Discussing comment and giving Sample reading 6: ―Reducing traffic accidents in Ho Chi Minh city‖ Reading and comparing Post-writing (10mn) Discussing and concluding Individual presentation(80mn) Observing and collecting Discussing and commenting Ss work in groups and the guided activity of making outline and less controlled practice Ss work in groups and read sample reading Ss discuss and collaborate together Ss study what they gain from the reading sample Ss take note Ss the test individually Ss exchange their writings with the ordinal number of students: 120, 2-21, 3-22 … Ss give comment on their T administers pair feed-back partner‘s essay, and focus on task on the final test The organization of the essay; T asks Ss to read their partner‘s The Argument; Using words essay and give comment (do not and structures write anything on her/his Ss take note partner’s writing) T selects some students to state the weak & strong points from Ss study and compare the weak their partner‘s writing after and strong points of their essay with the sample reading reading and exploring T & Ss correct and give Ss remark the useful and helpful feedback points from the studied lessons T shows the sample reading on screen .Each student has 2-3 minutes to T&Ss discuss and give state their comments on the study comment on how to reach an course based on IPR argumentative essay Ss work individually and observe T & Ss conclude what they gain the presentation and take note during the course study Ss make questions and discuss T gives comment on the whole together studied lesson T asks each student to present their opinion briefly on their Ss take note course T&Ss listen to and may make questions or comment when Ss practice & widen their writing each student finishes and then skills collect the results 99 T & Ss discuss and give feedback after each S‘ presentation T remarks the effectiveness and usefulness of the studied lessons, and concludes the study course T gives more directions for Ss‘ study Consolidation Consolidating and concluding Homework APPENDIX 3- TESTS WRITING PRE-TEST Name: Gender:  Male  Female WRITING TEST Time allotted: 75 minutes TOPIC: ―Is a dog a man‘s best friend?‖ Do you agree or disagree with this famous saying? Write an essay (250-500 words) to argue your comment -WRITING POST-TEST Name: Gender:  Male  Female WRITING TEST Time allotted: 75 minutes TOPIC: Write an essay (about 250-500 words) on the topic: ‗Reducing traffic accidents in Ho Chi Minh city‘ APPENDIX READING SAMPLES OF THE WRITING TESTS WRITING PRE-TEST Time allotted: 75 minutes READING SAMPLE (for week writing correction) TOPIC: Is a dog a man‘s best friend? Do you agree or disagree with this famous saying? Write an essay (250-500 words) to argue your comment Below is a sample essay Note the placement of the thesis statement and how each paragraph introduces only one main idea Discuss and make sure you master the three parts of the essay when understanding your essay 100 Our True Best Friend, by Rohan Perera "A dog is a man's best friend." This famous saying may be true for some people, but certainly not for all For many people, a cat is their best friend In fact, despite what most dog lovers would say, I would argue that cats actually make better house pets First of all, cats are less noisy According to the organization Cats United, most cat breeds are quiet Unlike dogs, cats not bark or make other loud noises Most cats don't even meow very often They generally lead a quiet existence For example, when your friends come to visit, a dog will bark and bark and you will have to spend time telling it to be quiet A cat will not give you this problem Secondly, cats are cleaner Whereas dogs often get dirty and require baths, cats clean themselves According to Felicia Ames, author of A Manual of Cat Care, "bathing a cat is an emergency measure only." Also, whereas dogs are famous for jumping on you with dirty paws or drooling all over you, cats never such things They generally smell much nicer and are therefore a pleasure to hold on your lap Lastly, one of the most attractive features of cats as house pets is that they are much easier to take care of For example, cats not have to be walked They get plenty of exercise in the house as they play Also, when you go away for a few days, you can leave your cat alone without any worries This is certainly not true of dogs Most importantly though, cats can be easily trained to put their waste in a litter box; And, according to Wikipedia, you can even train a cat to use a human toilet! In conclusion, cats are quieter, cleaner, and easier to take care of than dogs Therefore, it seems fair to say that they make better house pets than dogs When it comes to who is the true best friend for humans, the answer most certainly is: cats WRITING POST-TEST Time allotted: 75 minutes READING SAMPLE (for final test correction, week 6-at the end of the course) TOPIC: Write an essay (about 250-500 words) on the topic: ‗Reducing traffic accidents in Ho Chi Minh city‘ It is believed that the number of the people who have died in traffic accidents is much higher than of the people who have died of cancer or any other disease In Ho Chi Minh City, the problem of traffic accidents is really serious The following measures should be taken to reduce the seriousness, to minimize the consequences of this problem Firstly, the system of the main streets in Ho Chi Minh City must be improved or upgraded It is awful to move along the streets of Ho Chi Minh City because most of them in bad condition and some are full of holes, either big or small In addition, during the rainy season many streets are flooded with water after heavy rain If we are not careful enough, we easily hit other people or fall off our bike or motorbike Secondly, law-breaking and drunken riders/drivers should be punished strictly These law-breaking and drunken riders/drivers are the ‗devils‘ of the streets: They operate their motor vehicle at (a) high speed and sway from one side/curb of the street to the other whenever they feel 101 excited There is no doubt that one of the main reasons of serious traffic accidents is the riders or drivers carelessness and lack of self-control Last but not least, calling for every citizen’s obeying traffic laws is crucial The city dwellers‘ awareness of the necessity to obey traffic laws is quite low, consequently, they travel along the streets without paying close attention to traffic lights and other signals Quite often, motor-cyclists occupy the lanes for cars and other four- wheel motor vehicles while taxi drivers speed up, forcing the riders/drivers of other vehicles to give way to them It takes a lot of time and energy to draw the attention of anyone who does travel along the streets in Ho Chi Minh City to the well-established traffic laws here in particular and to make each of the city dwellers a lawabiding citizen in general But it is worth it! In conclusion, we are all overwhelmed by the increasing number of the traffic accidents in Ho Chi Minh City nowadays It is time to upgrade the whole system of the main streets in this city and apply strong efficient measures both to punish those who break traffic laws and to call for every citizen’s consciousness of obeying these laws strictly whenever he/she travels along the streets in this city The sooner these suggestions will be taken into account, the less serious the traffic accidents happening in Ho Chi Minh City will be To Minh Thanh APPENDIX APPLYING READING SAMPLES (for week 4) in WRITING ESSAY What you study and apply from essay outlining to writing essay in your writing essay skill? Reading and studying the following outlines of essay given by Smalley and Ruetten [1992] and Chu Thi Le Hoang [2007]-USSH; what you think about these outlines? Do you have any suggestions? READING SAMPLE MY TWO BROTHERS Outline: I Introduction Their considerable differences (the topic) in looks, personality, and attitude towards life (the subtopics) reflect the differences between Eastern and Western cultures (the central idea) II Body Nhan and Hung differ from each other in looks (The controlling idea) (The subtopic 1) a Like the majority of oriental men, Nhan looks like an early twentieth century intellectual: is short and small; has a full-moon shaped face, white skin and small arms and feet; always like to wear formal, traditional clothes, e.g the traditional black gown, white pants… b In contrast to Nhan, Hung looks more like an American boxer: is tall, muscular and big-boned; is marked by a straight built body and a long and angular face Unlike Nhan, Hung has strong feet and arms as well as hairy, large and full shoulders and chest Unlike Nhan, too, Hung likes to wear comfortable T-shirts and Jeans or sports clothes He prefers stylish western suits at a formal occasion Nhan and Hung also differ in personality (The controlling idea) (The subtopic 2) a Nhan provides a good example of filial piety and tolerance His name means ‗patience‘ 102 He has the smile of an ancient Chinese Philosopher that Western people can never understand He always smiles He likes books, of course, and literature and philosophy He likes to walk in the moonlight and think He also enjoys drinking hot tea and singing verses b Hung, On the other hand, does not set a good example traditional respectful behavior for his brothers and sisters Hung is strong self-cantered and independent His name means ‗strength‘, but his strength is self-cantered As a result, unlike Nhan, Hung only smiles when he is happy When he talks to people, he looks at their face-> impolite Like many American youths, Hung loves his independence more than he loves his family He wants to move out of our house and live in an apartment by himself He an individualist -> selfish My brothers‘ differences not end with looks and personality Concerning their attitudes towards life (the subtopic 3), they are as different as the moon and the sun (the controlling idea) a Nhan is concerned with spiritual values He is affected by Confucian, Taoist and Buddhist theories He believes that man should get out of the competativeness of life and should not depend on material objects Therefore, he never tries hard to make money to buy conveniences b In contrast to Nhan, Hung is affected by the Western theories of real values He believes that science and technology serves human being and that the West defeated the East because the West was further advanced in the fields Therefore, there exists competition between man and nature and between one person and another for different conveniences Consequently, he always works hard to make his own money to satisfy material needs III Conclusion I cannot say which one of my brothers is wrong or right I am lucky to inherit both sources of thoughts from my two brothers My Two Brothers No two people are alike, and my two older brothers, Nhan and Hung, are no exceptions When I think of them of Rudyad Kipling‘s words: ‗East is East West is West Never the twain shall meet‘ Even though they have the same parents, their considerable differences in looks, personality, and attitudes towards life reflect the differences between Eastern and Western cultures Like the majority of oriental men, Nhan is short and small, and has a fool moon-shaped face His smooth white skin and small arms and feet make him look somewhat delicate Nhan always like to wear formal, traditional clothes For example, on great holiday or at family rice celebrations, Nhan appears in the traditional black gown, white pants and black silky headband, all of which make him look like an early twentieth-century intellectual In contrast to Nhan, Hung, who is his younger brother by ten years, looks more like an American boxer He is tall, muscular, and big-boned He is built straight as an arrow and his face is long and angular as a Western character Unlike Nhan, Hung has strong feet and arms; and whereas Nhan has smooth skin, Hung‘s shoulders and chest are hairy, large and full Unlike Nhan 103 too, Hung like to wear comfortable T-shirts and jeans or sports clothes At a formal occasion, instead of wearing formal clothes, Hung wears stylish Western style suits Nhan and Hung also differ in personality I don‘t know how my father selected their names correctly to reflect their personalities Nhan’s name means ‘patience’ and his patience is shown in his smile He has the smile of an ancient Chinese philosopher that Western people can never understand He always smiles He smiles because he wants to make the other person happy or to make himself happy He smiles whenever people speak to him, regardless of whether they are right or wrong He smiles when he forgives people who have wronged him Nhan likes books, of course, and literature and philosophy He likes to walks in the moonlight and think Nhan also enjoys drinking hot tea and singing verses In short, Nhan is the sun who provides a good example of filial piety and tolerance Hung, on the other hand, does not set a good example of traditional respectful behavior for his brothers and sisters His name means ‘strength’, but his strength is self-cantered As a result, unlike Nhan, Hung only smiles when he is happy When he talks to people, he looks at their face Because of this, my eldest brother Nhan considers him is very impolite As one might expect, Hung does not like philosophy and literature; instead, he studies science and technology Whereas Nhan enjoys tea and classical verses, Hung prefersto takes sun baths and drinks Coca-Cola while he listens to rock and roll music And like many American youths, Hung is independent In fact, he loves his independence more than he loves his family He wants to move out of our house and live in an apartment by himself He is such an individualist that all the members in my family say that he is very selfish My brothers‘ differences not end with looks and personality Concerning their attitudes towards life, they are as different as the moon and the sun My eldest brother Nhan is concerned with spiritual values He is affected by Confucian, Taoist and Buddhist theories These theories consider that the human life is not happy Therefore, if a man wants to be happy, he should get out of the competiveness of life and should not depend on material objects For example, if a man is not anxious to have a new-model car, he does not to worry about how to make money to buy one Or, if he does not have a car, he does not to worry about the cost of gas My eldest brother is deeply affected by these theories So, he never tries hard to make money to buy conveniences In contrast to Nhan, my brother Hung believes that science and technology serve human beings and that the west was further advanced in these fields Therefore, each person must compete with nature and with other people in the world in order to acquire different conveniences, such as cars, washing machines, and television sets Hung is affected by the Western theories of real values Consequently, he always works hard to make his own money to satisfy his material needs In accordance with the majority of the cultures of my countries, I cannot say which one of my brothers is right or wrong But I know that they both want to improve and maintain human life on this earth I am lucky to inherit both sources of thought from my two brothers READING SAMPLE (for week 4) Games can help to learn a foreign language Outline: The Beneficial Effects of Games on Language Learning I Introduction: -Some misconceptions about the uses of games in language teaching: a waste of time, a time-filler -A thorough understanding of the merits of games will help 104 -Thesis statement In fact the use of games (the topic) proves to be a good idea because of its following major contributions to the teaching and learning of foreign languages (the central idea) II Body: Developmental paragraph 1.1 Topic sentence: First, games (the topic) can increase the amount of student practice and participation (the controlling idea) 1.2 Support: -Games are often played in pairs or teams, so they create good conditions for pair work and group work to take place -As pair work and group work provide students with more opportunity to use the language, games intended for groups of two or more than two student can increase student talking time -Any increase in student talking time is significant because it contributes to students‘ language competence Developmental paragraph 2.1 Topic sentence Second, games (the topic) can generate and increase motivation (the controlling idea), a vital factor to students‘ success in language learning 2.2 Support -Games are capable of involving students if they are entertaining, intriguing and challenging Moreover, nearly all learners enjoy playing games or want to have fun while studying regardless of their age or level -To play games students have to learn to rely on themselves and cooperate with their friends; it is through self-reliance, cooperation and joint learning that students feel interested in the lesson -Interest is the main part of motivation, so it can be concluded that games can provide motivation to students Developmental paragraph 3.1 Topic sentence: Most importantly, games (the topic) give meaningful practice in any of the four skills at any level of ability or in any stage of the teaching process (the controlling idea) 3.2 Support: -A great number of games have been designed for students at different levels, from elementary to advanced -These games are intended for the practice of the four skills, namely reading, speaking, listening and writing -Games can be used at any stage in language teaching and learning as warm-up activities or activities aimed at accurate reproduction and controlled or free practice -What is more important, games create meaningful contexts for language practice: Students have to read, listen, speak and write for a clear purpose III Conclusion: In conclusion, the analysis above shows that language games (the restated topic) make significant contributions to students’ learning a foreign language (the restated central idea) The Beneficial Effects of Games on Language Learning Games have long been used in foreign language teaching but some teachers and students may students view them with suspicion They may think that games are just a waste of time or just a means of filling in, for example, the last fifteen or ten minutes of the class period However, a thorough understanding of the relative merits and uses of language will dispel such misconception 105 In fact, the use of games proves to be a good idea because of its following major contributions to the teaching and learning of foreign languages First, games can increase the amount of students’ practice and participation As games are often played in pairs or teams they create favorable conditions for pair work or group work to take place Since these two forms of student grouping provide students with more opportunity to use the language (with students initiating their turn-at-talk instead of waiting for them to be nominated by the teacher), it is right to say that games intended for groups of two or more than two students can increase student talking time As far as second or foreign language acquisition is concerned, any increase student talking time, big or small, is significant because it will help develop students‘ language competence Second, games can generate and increase motivation, a vital factor to students‘ success in language learning A common reason for the use of games in language teaching is that they are an effective way to interest students Indeed, games are capable of involving students if they are entertaining, intriguing and challenging And nearly all learners enjoy playing games or want to have fun while studying regardless of their age or level To play games students have to rely on themselves and cooperate among themselves It is the principle of self-reliance, cooperation and joint learning that awakes and maintains students‘ interest in the lesson As interest is a main ingredient of motivation it can be concluded that games contribute much to providing motivation to students And of course, Once students are highly motivated, they will likely study better Most importantly, games give meaningful practice in any of the four skills at any level of ability or in any stage of the teaching process It is true that a library search will yield a great number of games that have been designed for students at different levels from elementary to advanced Moreover, these games are intended for the practice of the four skills, namely reading, speaking, listening and writing In addition, games can be used at any stage in language teaching and learning as warm-up activities or activities aimed at accurate reproduction and controlled or free practice Some well-known or commonly used books of games are Communication Games series compiled by Jill Hadfield for three different levels: Elementary, intermediate and advanced; Reading Games and Writing Games both by Charles and Jill Hadfield directed at immediate to advanced learners of English; Play Games with English Heinemann series including games, puzzles and quizzes for beginners and pre-intermediate learners What is more important, games create meaningful contexts for practice Initially, students have to make sure that they understand the rules of the games This requires reading or listening comprehension of the instructions as set out in the book or explained by the teacher Subsequently, students have to discuss with their friends to solve the problems presented by the games They have to use the language they are learning to express their opinion and to exchange ideas to reach their goals Most of the time, their communication is based on an information gap or opinion gap, thus replicating real life communication Games are therefore said to provide meaningful practice as students have to read, listen, speak and write for a clear purpose In conclusion, the analysis above shows that language games make significant contributions to students’ learning a foreign language The value of language games lies not only in the great number of games that have been invented or in the variety of levels they serve but in the useful and purposeful language practice they provide That is why teachers should make optimal use of games in their language teaching to increase students‘ work and motivation and to offer them meaningful practice Provided that teachers can select or design and organize good games in terms of language and types of participation, they will achieve these worthy aims Chu Thi Le Hoang 106 READING SAMPLE 5: (for week 5) What I Have Gained from University Education No country can afford to neglect the education of its citizens Primary, secondary, and tertiary education provides anyone with knowledge and skill, both being of equal values in today‘s human life Attending a university, I have learned to study by myself, to think clearly, to express what I want to say in precise and condense manner, and to work well thanks to the knowledge and experience accumulated through my training at university My first benefit from tertiary education is the ability to learn something by myself As you know, self-study is a must at university In addition to attending various classes, I have to prepare for any of them: a lot of reading, finish all the required exercises and/or assignments, make reports, research, take part in seminars, etc These activities gradually build up my habit of selfstudy This habit allows me to work independently and creatively in whatever field I choose to get involved in because I am able to gain further knowledge and skill through my own study Attending a university, I have also learned how to think clearly and express myself briefly and precisely Time is a crucial factor influencing all aspects of modern life More and more people lead their lives in the fast lane To say my time, I have to think as clearly and critically as I can To save the precious time of the receiver of my message whom I have an opportunity to communicate with, either orally or in the form of any written document I always try my best to guarantee that what I say is brief, relevant, and clear enough to be understood immediately In other words, I force myself to provide my listener and reader with as much information as I needed in such a way that both my energy and his/her time and effort can be saved Last but not least, I highly appreciate the knowledge and skills I have acquired through a variety of course at my university Such knowledge and skill make me really competent at my work in particular and get me ready for my long and hard struggle against all the other difficulties and challenges in my own life in general Graduating from a university, I have been well equipped with a good education which a great number of Vietnamese youths have ever dreamed of and aimed at Such an education is the required invaluable foundation for me to climb up to higher and higher strata in society People may hold different views on education: it is only a waste of time to some while to others it is one of the inevitable/necessary factors strongly influencing their success or failure in life I belong to the second group/type, highly valuing what tertiary education brings to me Therefore, it deserves my great efforts to meet all its requirements, the initial requirements of any well-educated person To Minh Thanh READING SAMPLE (for week 6) Five Things I Love The Most This world is full of many wonderful and lovely things Man is trying to utilize the maximum resources of his intellect for finding out various types of inventions and discoveries and thus endeavoring to make the things lovely and more worth enjoying The process of beautifying 107 the world is a continuous process There is no end to it Since there are many beautiful and lovely things, it becomes very difficult to pick and choose Somehow, with great care, I have selected five things I would like to adopt in my future life Firstly, I love nature I am fed up of this artificial and momentary pleasure which we derive from the city I would like to settle in some villages where I would be able to enjoy nature Nature can be a true friend and guide for man Wordsworth, the great lover of Nature, has also acknowledged this fact in his poems I am very anxious to go and enjoy the scenery of steep hills; greenery of the own valleys, cool breeze and other natural things There I would find people who will be quite different in nature from the city dwellers Their motto of life is ―simple living and spiritual thoughts‖ Thus I will have the privilege of coming in contact with simple and straight forward people Secondly, I would like to take up teaching as my career I am deeply painted to find illiteracy in my country For the successful functioning of Democracy, it is essential that we reduce illiteracy to the minimum I want every young man and women to get educated There is a dire need for spreading education to every nook and comer of the country I hope that by selecting this profession, I would be serving my country in the most appropriate way Thirdly, I am a keen and voracious reader Reading novels is my favorite pastime Reading widens the door of knowledge They give us an insight into this world Sometimes we are able to resolve many difficult problems by reading We are able to chalk out many schemes which can be useful in our day-to-day life Fourthly, I love my country I can forego anything just for the honor of my country If somebody were to ask me to go to a foreign land and serve there, and get a handsome salary, I would be the first to bluntly refuse this offer I am very fond of the way of life, food and sunshine of my country If I were to go to a foreign country for employment, I would not be doing justice to my Motherland The last but not the least, I love my home sweet home The saying ―East or West, home is the best‖ is correct I live in a small house which does not contain all the modern amenities, but still it is not less than a paradise I have been to my friend‘s houses where I find ultra modern decorations and lavish furnishing I not like this type of artificial life or home The selected items above are the five things which I hold dearest to my heart and are the very essence of my being Professor S SRINIVASAN APPENDIX INDIVIDUAL PRESENTATION REQUIREMENTS Talk about your feelings (likes or dislikes) of writing periods when you learn English Tell the reason why or why not State when and how you need to apply effective readings at prewriting stage and prewriting strategies in writing essay Give one example Tell your class whether you apply effective readings at prewriting stage and prewriting strategies in writing after being instructed or not 108 You have or have no difficulties in using these effective readings at prewriting stage and prewriting strategies in writing essay Share what and how these related readings at prewriting stage and prewriting strategies can help you to write more easily You can improve your writing skill or not after being trained the application of effective readings and prewriting strategies at prewriting stage By what way you can improve your writing skill ―The instruction of applying effective readings at prewriting stage and prewriting strategies used by good student writers is helpful and applicable in learning writing‖ You agree or disagree with the statement Tell the reason why or why not For you, the application of effective readings and prewriting strategies at prewriting stage could be applied in learning other subjects or not If it could be, give an example In general, it is useful for you to study the course of applying effective readings and prewriting strategies at prewriting stage or not 10 State the changes in your attitudes towards writing skill after studying this application via your experimental studying course YÊU CẦU THUYẾT TRÌNH CÁ NHÂN Khi học tiếng Anh, em cho biết suy nghĩ tiết học viết giải thích lí suy nghĩ Trong môn viết, em cho biết cần áp dụng đọc hiệu chiến lược giai đoạn trước viết cách sử dụng việc áp dụng Em vui lịng cho ví dụ Sau học áp dụng đọc hiệu chiến lược giai đoạn trước viết này, em có sử dụng chúng khơng? Em có gặp khó khăn hay không việc sử dụng đọc hiệu chiến thuật trước viết không Chia cách thức mà đọc hiệu chiến thuật giúp em viết dễ dàng Em cải thiện khả viết luận hay không sau học áp dụng chiến thuật Bằng cách nào, bạn cải thiện kĩ viết ―Việc áp dụng đọc hiệu chiến thuật giai đoạn trước viết hữu ích có tính ứng dụng học viết.‖ Em đồng tình hay khơng, giải thích lí Theo bạn, việc áp dụng đọc có tính hiệu chiến thuật học ứng dụng mơn học khác hay khơng Hãy cho ví dụ Nhìn chung, khóa học áp dụng đọc hiệu chiến thuật giai đoạn trước viết bổ ích cho việc học em, khơng? 10 Trình bày thay đổi thái độ suy nghĩ em môn viết sau học khoá thực nghiệp 109 APPENDIX 7: DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS OF PILOT STUDY 7.1 RESULT OF PILOT CLASS’ QUESTIONNAIRE STATISTICS Amount of time learning English at College Cumulative Percent Frequency Percent Valid Percent Valid 5.9 5.9 5.9 9-11 years 27 79.4 79.4 85.3 12-15 years 14.7 14.7 100.0 34 100.0 100.0 3-8 years Total The importance role of writing Frequency Percent Valid Percent Valid 17.6 17.6 17.6 22 64.7 64.7 82.4 17.6 17.6 100.0 34 100.0 100.0 very important important fairly important Total Self-evaluation of writing ability Frequency Percent Valid Percent Valid Cumulative Percent 16 47.1 47.1 47.1 2.9 2.9 50.0 bad 17 50.0 50.0 100.0 Total 34 100.0 100.0 average fairly good Difficulties in your writing Frequency Percent Valid Percent Valid Cumulative Percent very much 34 100.0 Cumulative Percent 100.0 100.0 Difficulties in practicing writing essays Count Valid Lack of reference books 32 Lack of instructions from teachers 16 Find it hard to understand essays 33 Dislike practicing writing essays 21 Total 34 110 Frequency of practicing writing essays Frequency Percent Valid Percent Valid Cumulative Percent every day 12 35.3 35.3 35.3 sometimes 20 58.8 58.8 94.1 rarely 5.9 5.9 100.0 Total 34 100.0 100.0 Time on writing essays Frequency Percent Valid Percent Valid half an hour 13 38.2 38.2 38.2 an hour 16 47.1 47.1 85.3 one hour and a half 11.8 11.8 97.1 two hours 2.9 2.9 100.0 34 100.0 100.0 Total Frequency of reading books on essays writing Frequency Percent Valid Percent Valid 29.4 29.4 29.4 8.8 8.8 38.2 20 58.8 58.8 97.1 rarely 2.9 2.9 100.0 Total 34 100.0 100.0 sometimes Feeling when writing essays Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent very stressed 14 41.2 41.2 41.2 stressed 19 55.9 55.9 97.1 2.9 2.9 100.0 34 100.0 100.0 interested Total Frequency Valid Cumulative Percent 10 every day almost every day Valid Cumulative Percent Interesting parts Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent introduction 13 38.2 38.2 38.2 conclusion 21 61.8 61.8 100.0 Total 34 100.0 100.0 111 Most difficult parts Percent Valid Percent Frequency Valid Cumulative Percent 20.6 20.6 20.6 body 27 79.4 79.4 100.0 Total 34 100.0 100.0 introduction 7.2 TEST RESULT OF PILOT CLASS’ GRADE STATISTICS Case Processing Summary Cases Pilot Valid Missing test grade N Percent N Percent N 1.5 100.0% 0% Total Percent 100.0% 100.0% 0% 100.0% 2.5 100.0% 0% 100.0% 100.0% 0% 100.0% 3.5 100.0% 0% 100.0% 100.0% 0% 100.0% 4.5 100.0% 0% 100.0% 10 100.0% 0% 10 100.0% 5.5 100.0% 0% 100.0% 100.0% 0% 100.0% 100.0% 0% 100.0% APPENDIX 8: DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS OF MAIN STUDY 8.1 RESULT OF CONTROL CLASS’ PRE-QUESTIONNAIRE (Set 1) BEFORE TREATMENT Gender Cumulative Percent Frequency Percent Valid Percent 25.0 10 Valid male 25.0 25.0 female 30 75.0 75.0 Total 40 100.0 100.0 Frequency Valid Percent Age Valid Percent 100.0 Cumulative Percent 15-20 34 85.0 85.0 85.0 21-25 12.5 12.5 97.5 26-30 2.5 2.5 100.0 Total 40 100.0 100.0 ...STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP The thesis entitled ? ?Applying effective readings at prewriting stage in teaching writing skill to second- year English majors of Dong Nai Teachers Training College? ??... strongly of urgency at this college 1.2 The rationale for teaching applying effective readings with prewriting strategies in writing skill Investigating teaching applying effective readings with prewriting. .. using related readings with prewriting strategies at prewriting stage, especially the argumentative essays? It is noticed that applying effective readings at prewriting stage to teach writing skill