BITTY BINTI ANSAWI (740112125072001)

HBEF4106 School-based Research Part 1 – Writing a Proposal

CHAPTER 1

1.1 Introduction

1.1.1 One of the most useful language skills in the process of learning a language is

reading skills. Many teachers will find that teaching students to read is not an easy

task. The most important part of teaching reading is to teach students to

understand what they have read and to apply that knowledge in their daily lives.

As Chitravellu et. al. (1995: 89) indicated that reading is not just sounding out

words but also understanding the meaning of the words. One of the problems

faced in teaching students to read in school these days is how to get students

interested in the reading passages. Therefore, pre-reading activities play a vital

role to motivate students to have interest in the reading passage given and achieve

the objective of the reading lesson.

1.1.2 This proposal is to find out the use of teaching vocabulary in pre-reading activity

to improving students’ reading comprehension. The focal point of my study is a

secondary school located in a rural area. The purpose of this proposal is to expose

students the pre-reading activities and at the same to inspire students to learn

English using reading comprehension text. Other than that, this proposal is to

determine if teaching vocabulary in pre-reading activity is able to help students’

improve their reading skills.

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1.2. Background of Problem

1.2.1. This proposal was aimed at finding out of teaching vocabulary in pre-reading

activity enhancing students’ reading comprehension. Reading is one of the most

important skills in the KBSR and in KBSM. The syllabuses and handbooks for the

KBSR and KBSM specify some of these aims of a reading lesson such as

providing students the opportunity of developing study skills and also to become

independent and mature readers. The teachers are recommended to the use of

wide range of texts and activities for the teaching of reading skills. This is to

enhance students’ vocabulary and language structure as well as to promote the

application of reading skills for different purposes.

1.2.2. In the KBSM (2004), the main objective is to ensure students to read and

understand prose and poetry for information and enjoyment. Towards the end,

students are also encouraged to read extensively outside the classroom with

minimal guidance from the teachers. Teaching reading means enabling students to

acquire the skills, strategies and attitudes required in making sense of a text. As

such, teachers should include motivating and interesting activities in their reading

lesson. To develop students’ various skills in reading thereafter improve and

enhance students’ reading comprehension.

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1.3. Statement of the problems

1.3.1. Based on experience observations, test or examination results; there are only a

few numbers of students who are able to answer the entire comprehension

question correctly. Most of the students can only answer 4 correct out of 7

comprehension questions. This proposal particularly will survey the effects of

teaching vocabulary in pre-reading activity improving the literal and inferential

comprehension of students reading two passages which will teach with pre-

reading activities and without pre-reading activities.

1.3.2. According to Chitravellu, N.,Sithamparam, S and Teh, S.C.(1995) - reading

involves developing previous knowledge (of the world, of culture, of the topic

under discussion, of the print conventions being used, etc). Teachers spent more

time on activities such as assessing comprehension, giving, checking and helping

with arguments, drilling phonics, listening to oral-reading and correcting papers

of teacher’s desk (Durkin, 1978). We cannot deny that vocabulary is the backbone

of any language. As Hedge (2000:110) says, “… the subject of vocabulary

learning, which to me always seems the key to any language.” Therefore,

teaching and learning of vocabulary in the English language classroom plays an

important role to ensure vocabulary growth in every student and at the same time

increases students’ English language proficiency. Considering the importance of

teaching vocabulary in pre-reading activity helping students to grasp a text, it is

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crucial to make teachers attentive of the effectiveness played by pre-reading

activities in improving students’ comprehension.

1.4. Conceptual Framework

The principle of this proposal is to find out the teaching vocabulary in pre-reading

activities improving students’ reading comprehension. Figure 1 below, is the

conceptual framework on pre-reading activities which can improve the students’

reading comprehension.

( teaching vocabulary )
Pre-reading Tap appropriate
activity schemata

Prepare student
for the text

Purpose of
Students’ reading
interest established
towards the
text is
developed

Better reading
comprehension
Figure 1: Pre-reading activities can improve students’ reading comprehension.

1.5. Aim of the Research

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The aims of this proposal are:

a. to encourage students to communicate verbally in English language.

b. to expose students the activities of pre-reading.

c. to improve proficiency in English language by teaching vocabulary in pre-

reading activities.

d. to motivate students to learn English language using comprehension text.

e. to determine if teaching vocabulary in pre-reading activities can improve

the students’ reading skill.

1.6. Research Questions

a. How effective are the pre-reading activities in improving the students’

reading comprehension?

b. To what extent the pre-reading activities help students to understand the

passage more easily in their learning of English language?

c. How and in what extent the pre-reading activities can contribute to the

successful of students’ comprehension of the reading passages?

d. To what extent teachers are able to use this strategy in reading

comprehension and help them in their teaching English language?

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1.7. Significance of the Research

The study will carry out with the aims of ascertaining and highlighting the

teaching of vocabulary in pre-reading activity improving reading comprehension

among students. It is hoped that this proposal will help reading teachers become

aware of the roles played by pre-reading activities in helping students to

comprehend a reading passage. Besides that, teachers are also able to prepare

tokens amount of pre-reading activities in their reading lesson and consider

teaching vocabulary in pre-reading activities as a useful tool for teachers in

helping students to read better in their reading activity.

1.8. Limitations of the Research

This study is restricted to pre-teaching of difficult vocabulary and providing

pictorial context situation in a reading lesson to a class of Form Two students of

S.M. St. John Tuaran. The other types of pre-reading activities were not

included in this study. The sample chosen does not represent or reflect the entire

students’ population in Sabah or Malaysia. There were only two types of

questions used; factual questions and inferential questions. The other types were

not included because the subjects tested were of lower cognitive level ability.

1.9. Definition of Terms

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1.9.1. Pre-reading Activities: Activities used before a reading lesson takes place to

motivate students and activate their schemata.

1.9.2. Vocabulary: This refers to the number or list of words known by an individual.

1.9.3. Reading: A process of interpreting and understanding written text.

1.9.4. Bottom-up model: A model used to explain reading process where reader reads

by moving his eyes from left to right across the page, first taking in the letters,

combining these to form words, then combining the words to form the phrases,

clauses and sentences of the text.

1.9.5. Top-down Model: A model that explains reading process where readers start

reading by using their knowledge of the language and the subject matter to predict

the text.

1.9.6. Interactive model: Combination of bottom-up model and top-down model to

achieve more comprehensive understanding of the reading text.

1.9.7. Reading comprehension: The ability of understanding and interpreting the text

read.

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1.10. Summary

As mentioned earlier, reading is a critical module that needs to be mastered by

students. Therefore, teachers have to play a dynamic role to ensure that students

are able to understand what they have read. In order to do so, pre-reading

activities have to be planned and designed carefully to ensure the objectives of

reading lesson are achieved. It is essential to teach vocabulary in pre-reading

stage to students so that they can read and comprehend better when they are

learning English language. The more a person knows of his vocabulary, the better

he is at the target language. In other words, students with extensive vocabularies

are able to listen better, speak better, read better and write better. One of the

reasons that students are not able to perform well in their English language

examination is that their lack of vocabulary. When this happens, they are not able

to comprehend well in their reading and also unable to write good essay. If

students are able to comprehend what they have read, this will greatly help the

students in their examination by boosting their motivation and also upgrade their

performance in the exam. Teachers also have to do their part in ensuring the

success of a reading lesson by attracting students to read on the reading passage.

This can be done by planning pre-reading activities not only to attract students’

interest but also to activate their prior knowledge.

CHAPTER 2

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REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1. Introduction

In Chapter 1, the need to carry out teaching vocabulary in pre-reading activities in

a reading lesson is discussed. It is undeniable that reading comprehension has a

significant role in the learning of English language. However, it is not easy to

bring students to read a reading passage can be a very tacky job for teachers.

That is why it is appropriate pre-reading activities need to be planned to engage

students in the next stage of a reading lesson. This chapter will touch on related

literature reviews on reading and teaching vocabulary.

2.2. Related Literature and Research - Reading Comprehension

2.2.1. The key goal of reading is to understand or comprehend. There is no purpose

for reading unless we attempt to make sense of the words before us. Ruddell and

Ruddell (1995:15) define comprehension as “the act of constructing meaning

while interacting with text’. Meanwhile, Hayes (1991) considers reading to be

tantamount with comprehension. Danielson and LaBonty (1994:63) describe

comprehension as a process which involves the application of different kinds of

knowledge. Knowledge of text structure and knowledge of certain topic or topics.

Smith (1982) defines comprehension as relating what we do not know, or new

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information, to what we already know, which is not a haphazard collection of

facts but a theory of the world which is also called cognitive structure. Smith

(1982) defines comprehension as just a big blanket term that covers a whole area

of thought-getting processes in reading.

2.2.2. The point of all these for the reading teacher is that no matter how well a student

may know a language, he/she cannot read in that language with good

comprehension if the subject of the text is one he knows absolutely nothing about

and therefore have no real interest in it (Eskey, 1986:12).

2.2.3. The process of reading comprehension involves an active search for meaning. The

reader must interact with the text on an emotional level, on an intellectual level, or

on a physical level. It is a process that must be continually monitored by a reader

who is aimed with remedies for failure at any stage (Danielson and LaBonty,

1994:63).

2.2.4. Although educators would agree that reading comprehension is the most

significant product of reading, direct instruction in comprehension occupies less

than one percent of the instructional time in the classroom (Durkin, 1978:481-

553).

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2.2.5. It is therefore necessary for teachers to build up in their students a thorough

understanding of what reading comprehension means, how it can be monitored

and what can be done when comprehension fails to occur.

2.2.6. Many terms and explanations of reading have been proposed, some

complementary to one another, other contradictory. Because of the complexity of

the reading process and of the incompleteness of existing knowledge as to the

nature of the reading act, it is not strange that they are various and diversified

(Dallman, Rouch, Char & Deboer, 1982). However, a brief discussion of the

major definitions or models of reading will be presented in this proposal.

A. Bottom-up Model

This model is explained by Eskey (1986:11) stating that a reader proceeds by

moving his eyes from left to right across the page, first taking in the letters,

combining these to form words, then combining the words to form the phrases,

clauses and sentences of the text. In other words, word recognition precision is

important for comprehension (Klien, Peterson and Siminton, 1991). Using

bottom-up approach, reader literally starts at the bottom and work their way up.

Gunning, (1992) stated that, in this model the reader first learn the names and

shapes of the letters of the alphabets and consonant sounds, followed by simple

and then more complex vowel. According to Weaver & Resnick cited in

Pritchard R. (1990) states that bottom-up theorist suggest that readers play a

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relatively submissive role in the process. In this model, comprehension is heavily

dependent on rapid accurate word recognition (Hayes 1991:5).

B. Top-down Model

In this model, the readers need not use all of the textual cues but rather they pick

and choose from the accessible information only enough to select and envisage a

language structure, which is decodable (Goodman, 1970). They are not only using

his or her knowledge of the structures of the text and vocabulary, but they must

also work to compel pragmatic content knowledge and meaning onto the text.

Goodman’s (1970) original description of the model as stated below:

“Reading is a selective process. It involves partial use of available minimal

language was use selected from perceptual input on the basis of the reader’s

expectation. As this partial information is processed, tentative decisions are

made, to be confirmed, rejected or refined as reading progresses. More simply

stated reading is a psycholinguistic guessing game. It involves an interaction

between thought and language”.

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C. Interactive Model

Interactive models are more than compromising between bottom-up and top-down

models (Hayes, 1991). In interactive model, different processes are thought to be

responsible for providing information that is shared with other processes. During

the process of reading, a hypothesis arrived at by means of top-down processing is

directed by the results of bottom-up hypothesis imposed by top-down processing.

All these definitions of reading have certain elements in common, in particular of

graphic symbols.

As Stanovich (1980:35) notes, interactive models “neither a strictly bottom-

up nor strictly top-down processing, but instead assume that a pattern is fused

based on information provided simultaneously from several knowledge sources

(e.g. feature extraction, orthographic knowledge, semantic knowledge”. Viewed

in light of Stanovich’s model, readers who already possess a good deal of

semantic knowledge about a text prior to reading (through pre-reading activities)

can direct more of their limited processing capacity to obtaining information from

other knowledge sources as they read (Graves, Cooke and Laberge, 1983:265).

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2.3. Pre-reading activities

2.3.1. “Reading comprehension occurs in three overlapping phases; pre-reading, while-

reading and post-reading” (Crafton, 1982:293). Crafton considers pre-reading as

the critical phase in reading comprehension. This means that pre-reading stage is

a very important stage in a reading lesson. Research conducted by Pritchard

(1990), Nunan (1985), Johnson (1981) and Steffensen and Joag-Dev (1984)

provide evidence that lack of prior knowledge-content domain knowledge or

cultural knowledge – affects comprehension.

2.3.2. Support for the use of pre-reading activities such as previously mentioned is

found in both top-down models of reading. These models emphasize that learning

takes place in relation to students existing knowledge. Students learn meaningful

material in relation to their existing background of relevant concepts, principles

and information, which provide a framework to understand new material. Graves,

Corke and Laberge (1983) stated that this model includes three central constructs.

First, mind with a limited amount of information at any one time. Second, reading

is an interactive process. Third, reading is a compensatory process in that a deficit

in any knowledge sources, results in heavier reliance on the other sources,

regardless of their level in the processing hierarchy.

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2.3.3. According to Walker (1975), pre-reading comprises all the many activities used to

develop the attitudes and skills that a child need before the attitudes process

begin. Pre-reading activities are also defined by Graves, Watts and Graves (1994)

as activities that teachers do with students prior to their reading session.

2.3.4. During pre-reading, readers mobilize their existing information and relate it to

their new experience or information. This is the phase, which involves the

answering of questions asked, and the acceptance and rejection of hypotheses

made by the reader. As such, pre-reading activities play an important role in

reading comprehension (ibid).

2.3.5. Graves, C. and Laberge (1983) refer to pre-reading activities as previewing

activities which include introductory materials presented to students before they

read specific texts or selections. These materials are specially designed so that

students are able to preview the content of the text they are going to read.

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2.3.6. As pre-reading occurs at the initial stage of reading, Papalia (1987:750) refers to it

as a motivational activity that should be selected according to the experience and

interest of students and should be built of the content of the pre-reading lesson.

Weiner and Bazerman (1994); define pre-reading as thinking in advance about a

topic before reading, which prepare readers for the words on the page. This is

supported by Witte (1985: 61) who states that the purpose of a pre-reading

activity is to persuade students to develop the habits of preparing their minds for

a topic before they begin in-depth reading.

2.3.7. There are various kinds of pre-reading activities suggested by Carrel (1984:334)

such as viewing movies, slides, pictures, field trips, demonstrations, real-life

experiences, class discussions or debates, plays skits and other role-play activities,

teacher-text, or students-generated predictions about the text, text previewing,

introduction and discussion of special vocabulary to be encountered in the text,

key-word, key-concept association activities, and even prior reading of related

texts.

2.3.8. For the purpose of this study pre-reading activities will refer to those activities

that teachers do with students in a reading comprehension lesson. It will focus on

activities which will mainly help students to preview the content of the text, such

as using pictures and pre-teaching of difficult vocabulary and new concepts.

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2.4. The purpose of pre-reading activities

2.4.1. According to Fauziah Hassan (2005), there are many purposes of pre-reading

activities. The purposes are as follow:

a. To establish the purpose in reading.

b. To develop the students’ interest in the reading material.

c. To preview text.

d. To reflect on what they already know.

e. To invoke the appropriate network of schemata.

f. To provide the necessary background knowledge.

2.4.2. In establishing the purpose of reading, teachers can play their part by posting

questions to students regarding the material they are going to read in pre-reading

stage. Questions such as “Why am I reading this?” or “What do I want to get

from it?” can be used to find out the purpose of reading.

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2.4.3. Pre-reading activities also can help expand the students’ interest in the reading

material. If interesting activities are conducted which are related to the reading

material, the students will be eager to find out what is in store for them in the

reading material.

2.4.4. At pre-reading stage, teachers can devise activities that enable students to preview

the text that they are going to read. By giving the preview, it can help students

further comprehend the reading passage which will be given to them.

2.4.5. Pre-reading activities also can be designed to reflect on what they have already

known and appropriate schemata can be invoked. This will ensure the ability of

students to relate what they know to the text in the reading passage. Thus, it helps

them to further understand the reading passage when the necessary background

knowledge is provided.

2.5. The importance of teaching vocabulary

It is very important that vocabulary is taught to the students. It helps them to

improve on their vocabulary and also helps them to improve in their other

language skills as well. There are various reasons to enrich ones’ vocabulary.

According to Nist and Simpson (1993:10),

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“With a greater understanding of words, you will be able to improve your

- reading and listening comprehension

- reading rate and fluency

- effectiveness in writing and speaking.”

This means that students can improve the target language, which is English

language as a whole if they possess a wide range of vocabularies. This notion is

also supported by Abraham (1987:170), “One of the most important steps towards

getting to know and learn a second or foreign language is to learn its

vocabulary.” So, it is undeniable that, to learn a language we must learn its

vocabulary. Nist and Simpson (1993:9) also say that “students with extensive

vocabularies are the readers who understand with ease what they have read. On

the other hand, readers with limited vocabulary usually have difficulty in reading

and spend more energy and time on reading tasks.” That is to say, students with

limited vocabulary do not only have reading difficulties but also wasting a

considerable time and energy.

2.5.1 Factors influencing vocabulary development

There are a few factors that influence vocabulary development. Chitravelu et. al.

(1995:243) points out that one of the factors which influence vocabulary

development is the active or regular use of the words learnt are easily

remembered than words that are seldom heard or read. Therefore, new words

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must be used often in order to allow the expansion of word list. It is because

through regular usage, new words learnt will not be easily forgotten. Stevick

(1976 in Chitravelu et al 1995:243) suggests that “the amount of intellectual and

emotional effort put into the learning process by the learner is also important.”

This means that the learners themselves play an important role in their own

vocabulary development. They have to work hard to make sure that learning does

take place. They themselves must have the interest and motivation to learn

vocabulary.

2.5.2. Guidelines for teaching vocabulary

Before teachers engage themselves in teaching vocabulary, they should read the

following guidelines as recommended by Abraham (1987:171); which are

a) teachers have to prepare a list of the target vocabulary to be taught in the

classroom

b) teachers must ensure that students are aware of the learning targets for

vocabulary

c) teachers must assess the development of their students’ vocabulary. Rewards

should be given to students who have progress in their vocabulary acquisition.

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teachers must plan a wide variety of activities to encourage vocabulary

development

2.6. Summary

We cannot deny the magnitude of pre-reading activities in reading lessons. As

mentioned earlier, it has many purposes. Teaching vocabulary in pre-reading does

not only help students to incorporate their previous knowledge into the reading

material and at the same time appropriate schemata is switch on to enable students

to digest and accommodate the text to what they know. The efficacy of teaching

vocabulary in pre-reading activities helping students to improve their reading

comprehension is the major focus of this proposal.

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CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1. Introduction

The purpose of this study is to find out the effects on teaching vocabulary in pre-

reading activities to improve the reading comprehension of twenty three (23)

Form Two students of S.M. St. John Tuaran, Sabah. In this chapter also, aspects

related to strategy of implementing the research; which are the research design,

sample, location of research, instruments, procedure, technique of data collection

and method of data analysis are discussed.

3.2. Research Design

In this research, a quantitative method is used to enable data to be obtained. Two

sets of questionnaires were given to collect data from students. Then pre-test and

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post-test also were used to find out the outcome of the research before and after

the teaching of reading comprehension in English Language class.

Comprehension questions related to the text also will be given to test students’

reading comprehension improvement.

3.3. Population and Sampling

3.3.1. The sample of this study is conduct to an average level Form Two class of about

38 students from SM. St. John, Tuaran. The class consists of 14 boys and 24

girls. Students of the class are select because they are the average level achievers

who need to be exposed to the meaning of the vocabulary to help improve their

reading comprehension.

3.2.2 Two reading comprehension passages will be use in this study. They were adapted

from English Workbook Form Two and magazine which to be roughly equivalent

in terms of level linguistic complexity, topic of familiarity and length (100-120

words). The length criterion reflected the need for texts that were both

representative of those usually read by students and not too long for the time

constraints of the exercise.

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3.2.3 Student will become the model in the study of the type without any pre-reading

activities. Students will guess their friend’s body movement. This will be carried

out during the introduction stage and lasted about five minutes. Teachers will

asks the students to search words from the passage 1 which they will read and

then answer the worksheet given. This activity will carry out during the

presentation stage and lasted about twenty (20) to thirty (30) minutes.

3.2.4 The type of pre-reading activities use in the lesson is pictorial context situation

and pre-teaching difficult vocabulary. In the pictorial context situation (Passage

2), the teacher will show the subjects pictures related to the topic of the reading

passage to arouse interest as well as to generate ideas related to the content of the

reading passage. In the vocabulary pre-teaching situation, students will be

encourage to predict the meaning of the difficult words encountered in the reading

passage. Teachers also will list out difficult words and teach the meaning of the

words in meaningful context. Each of the pre-reading activities will last about

twenty (20) to thirty (30) minutes and will carry out during the introduction and

presentation stage.

3.4. Research Instruments

To find out the effects on teaching vocabulary in pre-reading activities to improve

the reading comprehension, a lesson will carry out to teach reading

comprehension to students. Prior to the lessons, students will be given a

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questionnaire and a pre-test. Questions in Questionnaire 1 (Appendix 1) were

formulated to find out students’ background information, their strategy to improve

their vocabulary and their knowledge of reading comprehension before the lesson

will be carry out. Pre-test (Appendix 3) was to assess their knowledge of

vocabulary prior to the teaching of reading comprehension. During the lesson,

comprehension question 1 or 2 (refer Appendix 5 and 6) will be given to students

to test their reading comprehension. After the lesson, Questionnaire 2 (Appendix

2) will be given to the students. This is to find out the teaching of vocabulary in

pre-reading activity in helping them to improve their reading comprehension.

Finally, a post-test (Appendix 4), which was exactly the same as the pre-test will

administer to the students, in order to evaluate and to confirm their reading

development and also to evaluate the effectiveness of the strategy employed.

3.5. Data Collection Procedure

For the purpose of data collection, two questionnaires, pre-test and post-test will

be given to the students. The questionnaires, pre-test and post-tests will conduct

by the researcher. After permission was obtained to conduct the survey, the

questionnaires, tests and lesson will be carry out. After the required data had been

collected then an analysis based on the data will be making.

The procedure will be use as follow:

Step1 : assign Questionnaire 1 to the selected students to answer.

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Step 2 : give pre-test to students.

Step 3 : carry out lesson to teach vocabulary in pre-reading activities in reading

comprehension lesson and give comprehension questions.

Step 4 : distribute Questionnaire 2 to the students again to obtain students’

responses.

Step 5 : give post-test to evaluate students’ progress and the effectiveness of

the teaching session..

3.6. Data Analysis Procedure

The questionnaires consist of 10 close-ended items. The items will analyze based

on the responses given. The responses vary, that is from yes-no answer to

choosing the appropriate answers (Refer to Questionnaire 1 and 2). Apart from

that, data also will collect from the comprehension questions, pre-test and post-

test given. The findings are then will be presented in various forms and they are

followed by explanation on the result of the survey. Then the data will be

analyzed using frequency and percentage.

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3.7. Summary

It is crucial when doing research; the aspects of research design, sample, location

of research, instruments, procedure, and technique of data collection and method

of data analysis to be included. Without these aspects, a research will not be

complete and there is no data to support the hypotheses of a research. Therefore,

all these aspects must be fulfilled in order to produce a good research. Techniques

such as questionnaire, comprehension questions, pre and post tests will used to

obtain data for this research. They will to be administering to the selected school

and students to provide the data needed. When data collection was completed,

then the analysis of data will be done. It is hoped that this chapter is able to

provide an insight on the research methodology. However, the method and

procedure also have to be organised so that the outcome of the research is valid

and reliable.

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REFERENCES

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Hedge T. (2000) Teaching and Learning in the Language Classroom. Oxford: Oxford
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APPENDICES

List of appendices:

1. Appendix 1 - Questionnaire 1

2. Appendix 2 - Questionnaire 2

3. Appendix 3 - Pre-Test

4. Appendix 4 - Post-Test

5. Reading Text 1

6. Appendix 5 - Comprehension Question 1

7. Reading Text 2

8. Appendix 6 - Comprehension Question 2

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