The effects of skimming technique in improving grade 12 students’ reading comprehension at muong lat high school

THANH HOA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
MUONG LAT HIGH SCHOOL
EXPERIENCE INITIATIVE
THE EFFECTS OF SKIMMING TECHNIQUE IN IMPROVING GRADE 12 STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION 
AT MUONG LAT HIGH SCHOOL
The author: Nguyễn Thị Thoa
Job position: Teacher
Experience initiative about: English
THANH HOÁ – 2019
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 Pages
1. INTRODUCTION ....
1
1.1. The reason of selecting the topic .....
1
1.2. Objectives of the study ....
1
1.2.1. For the students.
1
1.2.2. For the teachers..
2
1.3. Research tasks ...... 
2
1.4. Scope of the study ........
2
1.5. Methodology ........
2
2. CONTENTS ......
2
2.1. Theoretical background ...
2
2.2. Reality ......
2
2.3. Measure implementation ......
3
2.3.1. Skimming technique and its importance ...
3
2.3.2. Steps in skimming .........
4
2.3.3. Skimming with reading comprehension questions ...
4
2.3.4. The adaptation of the textbook .........
6
2.3.5. Extra practised exercises .......
8
2.4. The result of researching .............. 
13
3. CONCLUSION AND PROPOSAL ......... 
14
3.1. Conclusion ... 
14
3.2. Proposal.... 
15
3.2.1. To teachers........ 
15
3.2.2. To students..... 
15
REFERENCES... 
16
PREVIOUS STUDY.
17
1. INTRODUCTION 
1.1. The reason of selecting the topic 
Vietnam is a developing country, in the process of globalization, it is implementing the opening policies which attract thousands of foreign investments; the cooperating relationship between Vietnam and other countries in the world seems to be much stronger. Especially, when Vietnam becomes one members of WTO, the use of English to communicate and to improve science and technique levels has become far more necessary than ever before. This requires the youth to be good at foreign languages particularly at English since it is the most spoken official language in the world and it is the primary language used in international affairs. From above reasons, teaching and learning English become even more essential than ever.
In learning English, students have to master four basic language skills of the target language. Those basic skills are listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Speaking and writing are language production, while listening and reading belong to language comprehension. Among those four skills, reading is vital in language comprehension. It is one of the most significant skills to learn a foreign language and to be successful in academic tasks (Anderson, 2003). According to Carrell (2003) efficient reading is essential for long-term learning objectives and critical for students to pursue their academic goals. So, it is important to find out problems that readers face while reading Lau (2006) and teach them how to use reading strategies to improve their reading skills effectively.
In the GCSE examination for graduation and higher education, it is reading skill that is tested and it accounts for 36 percent of the entire marks. That is to say having a good reading skill is very necessary.
After some years of teaching English at Muong Lat High School, I have found that the students have not actively learnt English. Their English competence is very low. They always say that learning English is the most challenging subject for them especially when reading a passage. Normally, when students are required to do the reading comprehension exercises, most of them often read the whole passage, decode the meaning of the passage by translating words by words whereas the passages are too long with a lot of new words, so they do not have enough time to finish the tasks. Moreover, other the students do the reading comprehension questions by circling the options randomly without applying any reading strategies. As a result, students often get low mark when doing this kind of exercises. Thus, there is a need to find out effective way to help students enhance their reading situation.
The above reasons have inspired me to conduct my initiative with the title "The effects of skimming technique in improving grade 12 students’ reading comprehension at Muong Lat high school”.
1.2. Objectives of research 
1.2.1. For the students
This study set out to provide students with skimming technique to deal with the reading comprehension exercises; helped students identify some kinds of questions and how to deal with them and apply skimming to do the reading comprehension exercises well.
1.2.2. For the teachers
The study was to help teacher find out an effective method to improve students’ reading skill and know how to stimulate students to improve their reading skills.
1.3. Research tasks 
- Find out the reason why most of students cannot do reading comprehension tasks well.
- Apply my research to teaching practices, then compare, contrast the implementation of the topic. 
- Evaluate and conclude the effectiveness of topic.
1.4. Scope of study
The study was designed to investigate the technique to improve reading comprehension skill. The finding obtained from this study was to help improve teaching and learning reading English at Muong Lat High School. 
1.5. Research methodology 
I wrote this topic based on:
- The method of studying theory.
- The method of investigating and observing.
- Applying the topic to real teaching reading at Muong Lat high school. 
- Comparison, collection and summary of the result, effect of the topic.
2. CONTENTS
2.1. Theoretical background
Reading is one of the most important means of obtaining information for many students (Anderson, 2003). Reading, as an important language skill, raises students’ awareness; it is also useful for employment and recreational purposes (Grigg & Mann, 2008). The use of reading strategies is necessary for successful reading comprehension. According to Richards and Renandya (2002), reading strategies are plans for solving problems that readers encounter when constructing meaning out of the text they read. That is to say, to have good reading comprehension skills is very important. For 12th graders, it is more important because having good reading skills is one of the core factors to help them achieve higher marks in the national GCSE examination.
2.2. Reality
During learning process, students at Muong Lat high school said that doing reading comprehension is extremely difficult because this skill not only asks students to read the text but also processes it and understands its meaning. In fact, observing students doing reading comprehension, when they were delivered the reading tasks, they all read the passage words by words trying to decode the meaning of all the words, then they asked the teacher the meaning of the questions. After that, they looked back the text again to find the answer. This was really time consuming and less effective. Some of them chose the answers randomly without reading the passages at all. Thus, most of them got bad results. The results of a small survey conducted by researcher at the beginning of the school year 2018-2019 lies behind the reasons why the students got low results in reading as shown in the table below. (The survey was conducted with the participation of with 70 students in 2 intact classes – 12A and 12C - to find out the ways they had done the reading tasks and why a lot of them got bad marks).
The reasons
Percentage
1. I try my best to identify each question, then scan and skim the passage to find out the answer.
4.3%
2. I read the whole passage and stop at every word.
92.9%
3. The passage is too long in comparison with the time allotted. 
92.9%
4. I asked teacher the meaning of the questions
94.3%
5. There are too many new and unfamiliar words in the passage.
86.7%
6. I spend time reading and translating all the words into Vietnamese.
88.6%
7. I don’t know how to answer each kind of questions.
91.4%
8. I choose the answer randomly
85.7%
9. I don’t understand the passage at all and the kinds of exercise are unfamiliar to me.
92.3%
10. I can identify the key words in the questions 
5.7%
11. I try to apply some reading tips
4.3%
12. I can control my reading speed
2.9%
It can be seen from the above table that the majority of the students did not have good reading skill. Most of them seemed very daunting when facing with reading comprehension questions. One reason might have come from the teacher was that students were not taught how to apply the reading techniques whereas they may save reading time and improve the scores.
2.3. Measure implementation
The first task of my study was to make students understand what the skimming means, what kinds of questions in the reading comprehension can be answered by using skimming. Then, I adapted the reading passages in the textbook to make them familiar to students as well as gave them extra-exercises to practise.
2.3.1. Skimming technique and its importance 
Skimming is one of strategies that require readers to read quickly in order to get an overview or the general idea or gist of a section. Djuwarsih (2006) stated that skimming is a skill of getting general idea of a text. It means that we need only short time to read the text. It is because general idea of the text usually is located at certain lines or certain sentences of the text. In other word, we only need to read certain parts or lines of the text quickly. It is also supported by Djuharie (2008) who claimed that skimming refers to look at the text quickly for getting the main idea from the text. It may be true that by using skimming, readers don’t need to read the whole text. They only need to look at the text quickly and find the main idea of the text. So, they wouldn’t waste their time when they are reading the text. In addition, Hanckock in Simanjuntak (1989: 58) also says that in preview skimming a reader reads the introductory information, the heading and subheading, and the summary, if one is provided. After skimming, decide whether to read the material more thoroughly, and select the appropriate speed which to read. Skimming to get an overview is an important skill for students. By skimming to get the “gist” of the material, the students are able to cover all of it. According to Liao (2011) in Hong (2013: 2), skimming is done at a speed three to four times faster than normal reading. People often skim when they have lots of material to read in a limited amount of time
2.3.2. Steps in skimming
Skimming involves not reading every word, but instead moving the eyes quickly over the text and allowing the main ideas to become obvious. Keep opening eyes, and move them deliberately quickly across the options, to see which words are repeated, the main words in each option, and gain an idea of what the text is overall going to be about. Come to a mental conclusion. Thus, in order to do the skimming effectively, keep in mind the following steps:
- Read the titles of the passage first. This is the shortest summary of the contents. Generally, titles will give readers the most important idea of the text
- Read the introductory paragraph. 
- Then read the sub-headings (if any) of the text. It will give a basic idea about the text and what’s in it.
- Look at any illustrations or graphic features. 
- If there is no sub-heading, read the first line or first few lines of the text or even the first paragraph of the passage. It will give the gist of the text. 
 + The main idea is often at the first sentence
 + If the author starts with a question or introducing sentence, the main idea may be at the last sentence. 
- For further skimming, read the first lines of all the paragraphs and focus on the emphasized (bolded & italicized) words, proper names, listing, quantity words (best, most, worst..), picture or diagramsin them to get more ideas about the text.
- Read the whole last paragraph. 
2.3.3. Skimming with reading comprehension questions.
Reading comprehension questions are classified in to 3 main categories namely questions for main ideas, questions for details and inferences and vocabulary questions. In this study, the author mainly focused on helping students how to answer the questions for main ideas by using skimming technique. 
Most of the reading passages in GCSE examination contain at least one question for main idea. This type of question can be asked in different ways. Students can identify it base on different words such as “topic”, “title”, “subject”, “primary idea”, “main idea”, “main point”, “main concern”, or “main purpose” and the organization of the passage. It can be shown clearly in the table below:
Main idea questions
Organizations
Identifying general questions
+ What is the topic of the passage? 
+ What is the subject of the passage?
+ What is the main idea of the passage? 
+ What is the author's main point in the passage? 
+ With what is the author primarily concerned?
+ Which of the following would be the best title? 
+What is the author’s main purpose in the passage?
+ The best title for the passage is
+ Time order/ chronological order
+ Cause and effect
+ Definition- example
+ Comparison and contrast
+ Problem-solution
Answers
- Normally at the beginning or at the end of each paragraph
- At the first paragraph or at the last paragraph in a reading passage.
+ Firstly, secondly, finally, next, then.
+ Because, since, as, lead to, due to, as a result, consequently
+ Define, mean, indicate, show
+ On the one hand, on the other hand, more, less, least, most
+ Cause, result in, deal with, solution
How to find the answers
+ Read the first sentence of each paragraph
+ Find out the common ideas between these first sentences and their relationship.
+ Pay attention to repeated words
+ Quickly skim the whole text to confirm the main idea.
+ Eliminate the wrong answers, choose the correct one, the answers are not too general, too specific or not mentioned.
+ Students should leave this question last after answering other questions to save time because of its difficulty.
2.3.4. The adaptation of the textbook.
During my teaching process, I have adapted reading passages in the textbook - especially textbook Tieng Anh 12 – Basic - to make them similar to the ones appearing in the State’s high school graduation examination. Take the reading passage in Unit 3 – Ways of socializing – Tieng Anh 12 – Basic as example number 1:
To attract someone's attention so that we might speak to that person, we can use either verbal or non-verbal forms of communication. Let us look at non-verbal communication in English. Probably the most common way of attracting someone's attention is by waving. For example, if we are at a noisy party and see a friend come in the door about 20 metres away, we might raise our hand and wave to her as a signal that we see her.
But how hard can we wave in a situation like this? Suppose you are at the airport, and you see your brother get off the plane and begin walking toward you. If you are excited, you might jump up and down and wave as hard as you can to attract his attention. This is the instance where big, obvious non-verbal signals are appropriate. 
There are, however, some social situations where smaller non-verbal signals are more appropriate. In a restaurant, for example, if we want to attract the attention of our waiter, we have several choices. We can wait until he passes near us, catch his eye, and nod slightly to let him know we would like him to come to our table. Or we can raise our hand slightly to show that we need assistance. We do not whistle or clap our hands to get the person's attention. That is considered impolite and even rude.
In most social situations where some informality is allowed, a brief raise of the hand and a small wave is fine. For instance, if you are walking across the schoolyard and see your teacher approaching you, a small friendly wave to attract his or her attention is appropriate.
Once you've got your friend's attention, you shouldn't point at the person or thing you want her to look at. A slight nod will do. Pointing at someone is usually considered rude. Of course, there are times when pointing is perfectly acceptable, such as when a teacher wants to get someone's attention in class. The teacher often points to the student and says, "David, would you read the next sentence, please?" Pointing here is not impolite; it's simply a way to get someone's attention.
Task 2: Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A. Attracting Attention in normal ways 	
B. Attracting Attention by Waving 
C. Attracting Attention: Non-verbal Cues 
D. The Best Ways of Attracting Attention
(Answer: C)
Example 2: The reading passage in Unit 10- Tieng Anh 12 Basic, page107
Endangered species are plant and animal species which are in danger of extinction. Over 8,300 plant species and 7,200 animal species around the globe are threatened with extinction, and many thousands more become extinct each year before biologists can identify them.
The primary causes of species extinction are habitat destruction, commercial exploitation and pollution. The drainage of wetlands, cutting of forests, urbanization and road and dam construction have destroyed or seriously damaged natural habitats. Since the 1600s, worldwide commercial exploitation of animals for food and other products has seriously reduced the number of rare species. Toxic chemicals in the air and land, contaminated water and increased water temperatures have also driven many species to the verge of extinction.
Plant and animal extinction leads to a loss of biodiversity. Maintaining biodiversity is important for us in many ways. For example, humans depend on species diversity to have food, clean air and water, and fertile soil for agriculture. In addition, we benefit greatly from the many medicines and other products that biodiversity provides.
Different conservation efforts have been made in order to save endangered species. The Red List - a global list of endangered and vulnerable animal species - has been introduced to raise people's awareness of conservation needs. Governments have enacted laws to protect wildlife from commercial trade and overhunting. A number of wildlife habitat reserves have been established so that a wide range of endangered species can have a chance to survive and develop.
Task 2. Choose A, B, C or D to complete the following sentences about the reading passage
5. The best title for the passage is..  .
A. Endangered Species and Conservation Measures
B. Endangered Species and their Benefits
C. The Global Extinction Crisis
D. Endangered Species Extinction: Causes and Conservation Measures
(Answer: D)
Example 3: The reading passage in Unit 15 – Women in society – Tieng Anh 12 – Basic, page163
Throughout much of the history of human civilization, deep-seated cultural beliefs allowed women only limited roles in society. Many people believed that women’s natural roles were as mothers and wives. These people considered women to be better suited for childbearing and homemaking rather than for involvement in the public life of business or politics. Widespread doubt about women’s intellectual ability led most societies to deny education, employment and many legal and political rights to women. It was men who controlled most positions of employment and power in society.
The struggle for women’s rights - the rights that establish the same social, economic, and political status for women as for men - began in the 18th century during a period known as the Age of Enlightenment. During this period, political philosophers in Europe began to argue that all individuals, male or female, were born with natural rights that made them free and equal. These pioneer thinkers advocated that women should not be discriminated against on the basis of their sex.
Today, although their status varies in different countries, women in most parts of the world have gained significant legal rights. The most important of these are: the right to have equal work op