Reading Comprehension
Reading Comprehension
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Provided by Assumption Journal
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The New English Teacher 12.2 Institute for English Language Education Assumption University
Abstract
This research analyses the factors affecting the English reading ability of 1,827
Mattayomsuksa 5 students attending both government and private schools in city and
noncity areas of Amphur Mueang, Lampang province in the 2015 academic year.
Purposive sampling of 78 students was utilized, and data were collected through a
questionnaire, a reading comprehension test and interviews. Multiple factors affecting
reading ability were determined and divided into the three internal factors of learning
preferences, motivation, and attitude, and the three external factors of teaching
techniques, texts and environment. Quantitative data were analyzed with descriptive
statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation) and the reliability
coefficient of Cronbach’s alpha was also deployed.
The results reveal that all respondents believed that the selection of the texts that
they read was the most important factor affecting their English reading ability. Moreover,
respondents scored ‘attitude’ as a highly important factor, while ‘environment’,
‘motivation’, ‘learning preferences’ and ‘teaching technique’ were seen as moderately
important factors. A discussion of the findings, and conclusions for the development of
teaching and studying are also presented.
บทคดั ย่อ
งานวจิยชิั ้นนี้วเิ คราะห์ปัจจยั ที่มีอิทธิพลต่อความสามารถในการอ่านภาษาองั กฤษเพื่อความเขา้ ใจของนกเรี ยนระดบั มั ธยมศึกษาปี ั ที่ 5
ในปี การศึกษา 2558 จาํ นวนท้งสิั น้ 1,827 คน ทั้งจากโรงเรี ยนรัฐบาลและเอกชนในเขตตวั เมืองและเขตทอ้ งถิ่น อ.เมือง จ.ลาํ ปาง นอกจากจะมีการสาํ
รวจความคิดเห็นของนกั เรี ยนระดบั มธยมศึกษาปี ทีั ่ 5 จากแบบสอบถาม ยงั มีการเกบขอ้ ม็ ูลเชิงลึกโดยการสุ ่ มกลุ่มตวั อยาง่ ในการทาํ แบบทดสอบ
และการตอบแบบสมภาษณ์ของนกั เรั ียนทั้งสิ้ น 78 คน การวเิ คราะห์ปัจจยั ที่มีอิทธพลต่อความสามารถในการอ่านแบ่ง ออกเป็ นปัจจยั ภายใน 3 ดา้ นที่
มาจากความพึงพอใจในการเรี ยนรู ้ แรงจูงใจ และทศั นคติ และปัจจยั ภายนอกอีก 3 ดา้ นนนคือ ั่ กลยทุ ธ์ในการ สอน เนื้ อหาบทอ่าน และสภาพแวดลอ้ ม
ในการเรี ยนรู ้ อีกทั้งมีการวิเคราะห์ค่าสถิติจากขอ้ มูลเชิงปริ มาณโดยการหาค่าความถี่ ค่าร้อยละ ค่าเฉลี่ย และค่าส่ วนเบี่ยงเบนมาตรฐาน นอกจากนี้ ยงั มี
การหาค่าความเชื่อมันแบบสอบถามทั่ ง้ ฉบบั โดยใชวิธีสัมประสิ ทธิ้ ์แอลฟาของครอ นบาค
ผลของการวจิยพบวั าผตู้ อบแบบสอบถามเช่ ื่อวาการเลือกเนื่ ้อหาบทอ่านเป็ นปัจจยั สาคญั ทํ ี่สุดที่มีอิทธิพลต่อความสามารถในการ
อ่านภาษาองั กฤษ ยิง่ ไปกว่านั้น ผูต้ อบแบบสอบถามไดใ้ ห้คะแนนทศั นคติในการเรี ยนรู ้วา่ เป็ นอีกหน่ึงปัจจยั ที่สาํ คญัอย่างมากไม่แพก้นั ในขณะที่
สภาพแวดลอ้ ม แรงจูงใจ ความพึงพอใจในการเรี ยนรู ้ และกลยุทธ์ในการสอนถูกมองว่าเป็ นปัจจยั ที่สาํ คญัรองลงมา ซ่ึงขอ้ สรุ ป ดงั กล่าวไดจ้ ากการอภิ
ปรายผลการวจิย ั รวมทั้งขอ้ เสนอแนะในการปรับปรุ งและพฒั นาการเรี ยนการสอนอีกดว้ ย คําสําคัญ ปัจจยั ที่มีอิทธิพล ความสามารถในการอ่าน
ภาษาองั กฤษ การอ่านเพื่อความเขา้ ใจ นกั เรี ยนระดบั มธยมศึกษาปี ทีั ่ 5 ภาษาแม่ ภาษาที่สอง
schools in Thailand, the results of testing for reading proficiency in the PISA tests between
2000 to 2012 (OECD, 2013) reveal that more satit (or demonstration) schools had scores
at level 5 or above than scores below level 2. On the other hand, fewer students at schools
under the jurisdiction of the Department of General Education or in private schools,
Bangkok Metropolitan Area schools, government vocational colleges and private
vocational colleges scored at level 5 or above. Although PISA tested reading proficiency
in the native language, there is some relationship between L1 and L2 reading, as discussed
in much of the research. Cummins (2000, cited in Brevik, Olsen and Hellekjær, 2016)
observes that “academic proficiency transfers across languages such that students who
have developed literacy in their L1 will tend to make stronger progress in acquiring
literacy in their second language” (p.173). Koda (2005, 2007) shows that a significant
difference between reading in a native language (L1) and in a foreign language (L2) is that
readers undertake L2 reading with a dual-language practice. Moreover, as cited in Brevik,
Olsen and Hellekjær (2016), Bernhardt’s (2011) compensatory model of L2 reading asserts
that reading variance affects other factors and that a weakness in one area might be
compensated for by knowledge from another. Bernhardt also tried to rate the significance
of ‘L1 literacy’ and estimates that this accounts for up to 20% of variance, ‘L2 linguistic
knowledge’ accounts for another 30% and ‘undescribed variance’ describes the remaining
50%. Similarly, Jeon and Yamashita (2014) use Koda’s (2007) work on linguistic distance
to explain how reading comprehension in L1 and L2 may differ in proportion to the
distance between the two languages.
The work described above accords with the researcher’s own experiences in
teaching English to tertiary students; very few students have advanced abilities in reading
English and this affects the management of their English learning and teaching. Indeed,
even students majoring in English regularly show significant problems with their reading
in the language and so the researcher was interested in analyzing the factors affecting
English reading ability. In the case of this research, this was with regard to Mattayomsuksa
5 students and the outcome will, it is hoped, be useful for the development of teaching and
studying in this field.
Methodology
Research Subjects
Population and purposive sampling were used in this study. The subjects comprised
1,827 Mattayomsuksa 5 students (enrolled in the 2015 academic year) attending both
government and private schools in Amphur Mueang, Lampang province. The sampling
group consisted of 78 students from those 1,827.
Instruments
Three instruments were used in the research: a questionnaire, a reading
comprehension test, and interview questions. The questionnaire had three parts: (1) general
information; (2) an assessment of factors affecting English reading ability based on a study
of variability in reading comprehension by RAND reading study group (2002), Horiba and
Fukaya’s study (2015), and an investigation of multiple factors affecting English-language
learners’ reading abilities by Woo (2009); and (3) opinions related to other factors
affecting English reading ability. In total, the questionnaire included 45 items covering the
six proposed factors affecting reading ability, with the importance of each item rated by
respondents on a five-point Likert scale. These factors can be divided into two main areas:
those which are internal (learning preferences, motivation and attitudes) and those which
are external (teaching techniques, reading texts and environments). The reading
comprehension test consisted of 25 questions on five different texts, each of a different
type. These text genres were: a cartoon, an academic research article, a magazine article, a
post from a social network, and text from a website describing Thai customs, traditions,
environment, and culture. The difficulty of the language and the structures used in the
passages were selected from materials aimed at high school level and above. Thirdly, six
interview questions were used to explore students’ reading strategies, comprehension and
the factors affecting these.
1. The researchers telephoned each school and then sent each a description of
the purposes and aims of the research, along with details about how it was to be
conducted.
2. At each school, the researchers gave the questionnaires to a designated
teacher, who was to arrange for students to complete the forms and then to collect them.
3. The researchers tested and interviewed a sample drawn from three schools.
This was to collect in-depth data.
4. Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, and standard
deviation) were used to analyze the data and the test scores. Following this, the interviews
were analyzed and compared, and the opinions of the respondents were correlated with the
outcomes.
and environments
N=1,827
With a rating of 3.49 compared to 3.41, students rated external factors as slightly
more important than internal factors.
There was a very strong positive correlation (0.849) between the two groups of
factors and this was significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). Thus, as one group tended to be
rated higher or lower, there was a strong tendency for the other to be rated in the same
direction.
Overall 3.66
N=1,827
Overall, students rated the texts themselves as the most important of all the factors
(3.66). When considering each type of text, the students rated all of the seven items as very
important.
Overall 3.50
N=1,827
Table 5 shows that overall, students rated environments as a moderately important
factor (3.50). Regarding the individual items, the students rated three as highly important
and the remainder as moderately important.
It can be seen that overall, students rated teaching techniques the joint least
important factor (3.29) alongside learning preferences.
n=78
The reading test was based on five different types of texts and understanding of each text
was tested on five questions. For each text, students were asked about the author’s
purposes and attitudes, and about supporting details. They also had to summarize, draw
inferences, provide references, and demonstrate understanding of vocabulary. Each
question was in the form of a four-way multiple choice. Initially, there were 25 items on
the test; questions 1 to 5 were on the cartoon, 6 to 10 were on the academic text, 11 to 15
were on the magazine article, 16 to 20 were on the social media post, and 21 to 25 were on
the website article about the Thai environment, lifestyle and culture.
After piloting the test, only 15 items were found to be suitable because 10
questions had to be removed because their difficulty led to low scores. Two questions were
excluded for each text, these being questions 1, 2, 8, 10, 11, 12, 18, 20, 23 and 24.
Questions 1 and 2 asked students to draw an inference, 3, 4 and 5 asked for summaries and
details, 6, 7 and 9 tested for main ideas and details, 8 and 10 assessed ability to identify
details and to show critical thinking skills, 11 and 12 asked about main ideas and the
vocabulary used for general or proper nouns, 13 to 15 asked about vocabulary, details and
summaries, 16, 17, and 19 tested understanding of the author’s purpose, inferences and
details (using logical thinking), 18 and 20 (both excluded) asked about vocabulary and the
author’s attitude, 21, 22 and 25 posed questions about details and using context clues and
background knowledge to understand vocabulary, and 23 and 24 (both also excluded)
assessed understanding of details and references.
Interview Questions
Table 10: The figures of passage selection affect reading performance and comprehension
in the perception of sampled students
1. Which 2. Which 5. If students 6. If students
passage did passage did could choose to could choose to
students students answer question read one of the
understand the understand on any of the five passages
most and why the least and five passages in without being
Types of reading passages Total
was this? why was this? the test, which tested on it,
passage would which passage
they choose and would they
why? choose and
why?
1. Website related to
Thai environment, 53 2 39 17 111
lifestyle and culture
2. Social Media post 26 2 31 37 96
3. Academic text 1 40 3 6 50
4. Cartoon 5 22 5 14 46
5. Magazine article 0 13 0 5 18
Total 85* 79* 78 79* 321
n=78
*The respondents answered more than one type of passages for some questions and some
respondents did not give any specific passage to the questions.
Following table 10, most respondents answered the first question that they
understood the passage the most from the website related to the Thai environment, lifestyle
and culture because the text discussed a Thai tradition that they had studied and so they
were able to use a pre-existing schemata to help understand the meaning of the text. The
text also described an annual Thai tradition and so students had experienced this in person.
Many students also agreed that the passage from social media was the second
easiest passage to read and that it was understandable because it contained no difficult
vocabulary or grammar. It was also printed in big, clear letters which made it easy to read.
Moreover, much of the content was predictable from context clues and pre-existing
schemata. The cartoon was more active and this made the reading passage more
interesting, especially since it was short and used simple vocabulary.
Most answered the second question that they understood the passage the least from
the academic text. Different reasons were given but these included the fact that the
vocabulary was too difficult, the text was unillustrated, the grammar was complicated, the
text was too long, students were not interested in the content, they lacked background
knowledge, and the text contained too many details which made it too boring and so weak
readers were demotivated. In addition, the questions on the text were complicated and
contained difficult vocabulary.
Most students answered the fifth question that this would be the passage from the
website on the Thai environment, lifestyle and culture if they could choose to answer
question on any of the five passages in the test. Various reasons were given:
- The text was connected to Thailand.
- It was possible to use pre-existing schemata to predict meanings and content.
- The text contained simple vocabulary with a familiar story and this made it easier to
understand.
- The story had been frequently taught and this made comprehension easier and quicker.
- It was possible to find and summarize the main idea.
- The text described a Thai tradition so it was easy to translate and to understand.
Many students answered that the passage taken from social media would also be
preferred on a test. They also provide many logical reasons as follows:
- It was possible to guess the vocabulary from pictures.
-Some vocabulary was familiar from multiple media sources.
- The text was short and the content was easy to understand. Students were also attracted
by the inclusion of a well-known cartoon character.
- Pictures made the text more interesting and helped to convey meaning.
- The text contained no complicated grammar or vocabulary.
For the sixth question, most students reported that they would read the passage from the
social media post if they could choose to read one of the five passages without being tested
on it. There are a range of descriptions.
- It was a short text and the illustrations made it more enjoyable to read.
- It contained easy and familiar vocabulary, which made it more understandable.
- The fact that it was illustrated with a popular cartoon character made it more appealing.
- This text was easier to read and to summarize because respondents have their own
preexisting schemata.
- It was possible to read the text rapidly and to see the meaning clearly.
- It was a short text so it was easy to grasp the main idea.
In addition, a large number of students chose to read the passage from the website
related to Thai environment, lifestyle and culture if they could choose without being tested
on it. Students reported that they already had a schema that they could bring to this text
and thought that this text was more understandable than the rest. Moreover, the content
was enjoyable and was related to Thai people. Also, the vocabulary that was used was
familiar and this made it easy to understand.
Table 11: The amount of interviewees responded to comprehension question of yes and no
with reasons included
(Yes) Better (No) Not
Interview question no. 3 understanding understanding
Did test questions to better reading 62 students 16 students
lead comprehension and if so
how?
n=78
The third question asked whether and how test questions lead to comprehension.
Not surprisingly the majority of students (62 out of 78) answered ‘yes’ to this, giving an
interesting range of explanations for their answers. These included: having been asked a
question, they could then grasp the main idea of the passage; they found it easier to review
the contents of the text after reading the questions; the questions gave clues which helped
students answer more easily; because the test was in the form of multiple choice, the
questions contained the correct answer; the respondents were able better to analyze and
reframe the contents by processing their prior knowledge while reading the questions; and
questions helped respondents to better understand the writer’s purpose, the texts main idea
and the meaning of the vocabulary.
Table 12: The interview results of strategies use before, during and after reading in
question no.4.1, 4.2 and 4.3
Q4.1 The strategy uses No. of Q4.2 The strategy uses No. of Q4.3 The strategy uses No. of
before reading items during reading items after reading items
chosen chosen chosen
1. Using one’s prior 56 1. Guessing the meaning 46 1. Identifying major and 37
knowledge to predict the of words from context minor details in the text
text
Many students also summarized the text and verified their own strategies after
reading. Some students reported the use of other strategies including: finding keywords;
rereading if the text was not understood; looking at any accompanying pictures; trying to
understand the topic before reading; finding an interesting text to read or skim; studying
new vocabulary to build one’s own fluency; using one’s own prior-knowledge (or
schemata); predicting what the text would contain; answering the questions that had been
posed before reading; finding vocabulary that related to and clarified the text; and finding
unclear points and then translating them.
Discussion
This study attempts to answer which factors affect English reading ability for
comprehension of Mattayomsuksa 5 students from Amphur Mueang, Lampang Province.
Therefore, the results, discussion and recommendation are provided to give the research
more empirical evidence.
Results Discussion Recommendation
Texts and attitudes were Students regard these as having Research on the
rated by respondents as affected their understanding of English factors affecting English
important factors. reading in general. Indeed, if a reader reading comprehension will
finds a text boring, this will clearly help teachers to be better
affect his or her attitude. able to adapt their teaching
techniques or text selection
to students’ understanding
of their own reasons for
improving their reading.
The results of the survey The mean scores of each factor The results reflect
of students’ perceptions might influence the sequence of only the reported beliefs of
activities in the classroom and this these students and so these
would be to the advantage of the factors should be further
learner. tested in real classes and
then evaluated since this
would help to make the
results more concrete and
the follow-up research to
this might then be to put
these findings into practice.
A teacher might select illustrated
texts of a suitable length on an
interesting topic that will be useful in
students’ future careers and then
encourage students to combine
techniques for guessing word
meanings, and identifying major and
minor details and facts and opinions.
This might increase students’
interest and enjoyment in finding out
about other cultures, traditions and
lifestyles through reading. In addition,
finding keywords and reading
Conclusions
This research analyzed the self-reported factors affecting the English reading
abilities of Mattayomsuksa 5 students in Amphur Mueang, Lampang province. The results
showed that all respondents believed that the nature of the text being read was the most
important factor. Moreover, the respondents scored texts and attitude as highly important
factors while environment, motivation, learning preferences and teaching techniques were
thought to be moderately important factors. The study shows that the texts selected were
regarded as the most significant variable in influencing students’ ability to read in English
and therefore the teacher should select texts that are appropriate for the students’ levels
and interests. However, these latter vary within a class and so the teacher should use a
range of techniques to maintain students’ attention and should also provide sufficient
background knowledge. This is because English reading texts are mostly written from a
native speaker’s point of view since they are targeted at the global market of EFL students
around the world. On the other hand, there are few reading texts written specifically for
Thai students who are learning English and this means that students may feel that the
material is not relevant to their daily lives, with a consequent effect on students’ attitudes.
Perhaps as a result of this, students rated the two factors of text and attitude as being
important and if a teacher decides to use texts written by native speakers, the teacher must
also help students bring to mind their prior knowledge before assigning reading tasks. This
is to develop students’ reading skills and build awareness of student’s reading strategies so
that they can develop their own competency in reading comprehension. However, the
teacher also needs to consider how much time this will take and which activities will be
suitable for eliciting students’ knowledge because otherwise, these activities may eat into
reading time. These are techniques that are typically used by teachers but after being
repeatedly introduced to them in class, learners may feel ownership of them and in that
case, it will be natural for them to use these techniques to help carry out reading tasks
successfully. Nevertheless, there are likely to be many other factors that help or hinder
students’ comprehension of texts and therefore a study of these should be undertaken; it is
clearly very unlikely that only one or a few factors will increase students’ reading abilities
but rather, there will likely be many interconnected factors affecting reading
comprehension.
References
Aksaranugraha, S. (1989). Teaching English. Bangkok: The Department of
Matthayomsuksa Education. The Faculty of Education. Chulalongkorn
University. Bernhardt, E.B. (2011). Understanding advanced second-language reading.
New York: Routledge.
Brevik, L.M., Olsen, R.V., &Hellekjær, G.O. (2016). The complexity of second language
reading: Investigating the L1-L2 relationship. Reading in a foreign language, 28
(2), 161-182.
Cummins, J. (2000). Language, power and pedagogy: Bilingual children in the crossfire.
Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters.
Horiba, Y., &Fukaya, K. (2015). Reading and learning from L2 text: Effects of reading
goal, topic familiarity, and language proficiency. Reading in a Foreign Language,
27(1), pp. 22-46.
Jeon, E. H., & Yamashita, J. (2014). L2 Reading comprehension and its correlates: A
meta-analysis. Language Learning, 64(1), 160-212.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/lang.12034
Koda, K. (2005). Insights into second language reading: A cross-linguistic approach.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Koda, K. (2007). Reading and linguistic learning: Cross linguistic constraints on second
language reading development. Language Learning, 57, 1-44.
Appendix
Research Questionnaire
Analysis of Factors Affecting English Reading Ability for Comprehension of Mattayomsuksa
5 Students from Both City Schools and Local Schools of Amphur Mueang, Lampang
Province
Directions
1. This research aimed to study the analysis of factors affecting English reading ability of
Mattayomsuksa 5 students from both city and local schools of Amphur Mueang, Lampang
Province.
2. The questionnaire composed of three parts:
1. General information
2. The factors affecting English reading ability for comprehension of Mattayomsuksa 5
students from both city schools and local schools of Amphur Mueang, Lampang
Province
3. Mattayomsuksa 5 students’ opinions related to other factors affecting the ability of
English reading comprehension
3. The obtained information is very important and beneficial; therefore, please complete the
questionnaire truthfully. Your answers will not have any effect or damage to you or others.
Part I
Directions: Put in and write in the space provided.
1. Gender male female
2. School type government private
3. Study program Mathematics-Science English-Social science
English and another foreign language, please specify……………………..
Others, please specify ……………………………………………………..
4. Study curriculum Regular program English Program International
Program
5. How many years have students learned English?
3-6 years 7-10 years 10-14 years over 14 years
6. How many hours per week do students spend reading English?
Less than 1 hour 1-2 hours 2-3 hours 4-6 hours 7 hours up
PART 2 The perception about factors affecting English reading ability for comprehension of
Mattayomsuksa 5 students from both city and local schools of Amphur Mueang, Lampang
Province
Directions Factors affecting English reading ability for comprehension referred to internal
factors in learner’s preferences, motivation, and attitude and external factors in teaching
techniques, texts and environments of Mattayomsuksa 5 students from both city and local schools
of Amphur Mueang, Lampang Province
Put in which best describe factors which affect your reading ability for comprehension
PART 2 The identification of factors affecting English reading ability in your
comprehension
the level of ability in reading English comprehensibly
Factors promoting 5 the 4 high 3 2 1 the
highest moderate low lowest
1. Learning Preferences
1.1 Using the pictures
1.2 Using speed reading
1.3 Reading frequently
1.4 Finding the keywords
1.5 Finding the main ideas
1.6 Questioning to review schemata
5.5 Texts with suitable amount, neither too short nor too long
5.6 Texts related to a student's own living or previous living
Part III. Summary of opinions and additional comments related to factors affecting English
reading ability for comprehension of Mattayomsuksa 5 students from both city schools and
local schools of Amphur Mueang, Lampang Province
..............................................................................................................................................................
…………………...................................................................................................................................
............................………………….......................................................................................................
........................................................……………….…..........................................................................
....................................................................................…………………...............................................
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION
APPENDIX
Reading Comprehension Test
Analysis of Factors Affecting English Reading Ability for Comprehension of Mattayomsuksa
5 Students from Both City Schools and Local Schools of Amphur Mueang, Lampang
Province
Directions
1. This research aimed to study the analysis of factors affecting English reading ability of
Mattayomsuksa 5 students from both city and local schools of Amphur Mueang, Lampang
Province.
2. The reading test composed of five different type of texts as follows:
1. Cartoon
2. Academic Text
3. Magazine
4. Social Media
5. Website related to Thai environment, lifestyle and culture
3. The researcher distributes interview questions for students to answers after completing the test
4. The obtained information is very important and beneficial; therefore, please complete the test
with your own ability. Your answers will not have any effect or damage to you or others.
Part I
Directions: Put in and write in the space provided.
1. Gender male female
2. School type government private
3. Study program Mathematics-Science English-Social science
English and another foreign language, please specify……………………..
Others, please specify ……………………………………………………..
4. Study curriculum Regular program English Program International
Program
5. How many years have students learned English?
3-6 years 7-10 years 10-14 years over 14 years
6. How many hours per week do students spend reading English?
Less than 1 hour 1-2 hours 2-3 hours 4-6 hours 7 hours up
**Source: ดวงฤดี กาญจนพนั ธุ์, ผศ. (2537). ทักษะการอ่านภาษาอังกฤษฉบับรวม ม. 4-5-6. กรุ งเทพฯ:สาํ นกพิมพภ์ั
ูมิบณั ฑิต.
1. The girl is ________________.
a. complaining b. asking for advice
c. making an excuse d. explaining
2. What most likely happened before this?
a. Her grandmother told her a story. b. Her grandmother scolded her.
**Source: Minion Quotes. (2015, July 30). Facebook. Retrieved July 31, 2015 from
https://www.facebook.com/MinionQuotess?fref=ts
16. What is the real purpose of the message?
a. acriticize b. warn
c. describe d. advise
17. What is truly bad for your health?
a. ice b. alcohols
c. soda d. juices
18. What does “failure” mean?
a. defeat b. injury
c. weakness d. death
19. According to the article, what give you brain problems?
a. Vodka b. ice
c. Whisky d. Gin
20. What is the writer’s attitude toward the message?
a. indifferent b. positive
c. sarcastic d. confused
Text 5 Website related to Thai environment, lifestyle and culture
Songkran is a Thai traditional New Year which starts on April 13th every year and lasts for 3
days. In the Thai tradition, children and young people will pay respect to their elders and
parents. The young pour scented or aromatic water over their elders’ hands, and they in return
wish them good health and happiness. This tradition of paying respect, is called “Rod Nam
APPENDIX
Interview Questions
1. Which passage did you understand the most and why?
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2. Which passage did you understand the least and why?
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3. Do you think doing a comprehension test after reading each passage help you better
understanding of the passage and why?
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4. Before your reading, during your reading and after your reading, do you know what you have to
do to understand the most in the passage?
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4.1 Before your reading, which strategies as following do you use to be able to read
for comprehension the most?
A strategy of questioning the reading passage before your reading
A strategy of setting the reading purposes before your reading
A strategy of predicting the reading story from your own schemata before reading
A strategy of summarizing the outline of reading story before your reading
If you haven’t use any, can you state the reason? Are there any other strategies you can use before
your reading?
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4.2 During your reading, which strategies as following do you use to be able to read
for comprehension the most?
A strategy of questioning the reading passage during your reading
A strategy of skimming the text during your reading
A strategy of summarizing the outline of reading story during your reading
A strategy of word-guessing from context clues during your reading
A strategy of word-guessing from root, prefix and suffix during your reading
A strategy of identifying facts and opinion of reading story during your reading
A strategy of finding the major and minor details of reading story during your reading
A strategy of grammar and structure analysis for predicting the tone of the story during your
reading
If you haven’t use any, can you state the reason? Are there any other strategies you can use during
your reading?
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4.3 After reading, which strategies as following do you use to be able to read for
comprehension the most?
A strategy of questioning after reading passage
A strategy of summarizing the outline after reading story
A strategy of identifying facts and opinion after reading story
A strategy of finding the major and minor details of reading story
A strategy of verifying your strategy use after reading comprehension