HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF
FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
---o0o--DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES
GRADUATION PAPER
BENEFITS OF READING MATERIALS IN ENGLISH ON
IMPROVING WRITING SKILL FOR HUFLIT’S
DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES SENIORS
MAJORING IN BUSINESS ENGLISH
Advisor : Van Thanh Tam, M. A.
Student: Nguyen Thi Tu Cam
Student ID: 15DH710585
Major : Business English
June, 2019
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Pages
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
ABSTRACT
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................... 1
1.1 Background ......................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Objectives............................................................................................................ 3
1.3 Scope ................................................................................................................... 4
1.4 Organization ........................................................................................................ 4
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................... 5
2.1 The definition of writing skill and its importance ................................................. 5
2.2 Elements of good writing ..................................................................................... 8
2.3 Some ways to improve writing ............................................................................ 9
2.4 Definition and benefits of reading in English ....................................................... 9
2.5 Benefits of English reading on improving writing skills ....................................... 12
CHAPTER 3: METHOD ........................................................................................ 14
3.1 Participants .......................................................................................................... 15
3.2 Research instruments ........................................................................................... 15
2.1 Questionnaire ............................................................................................ 15
2.2 Interview................................................................................................... 15
3.3 Procedure ............................................................................................................ 15
3.4 Data analysis ....................................................................................................... 16
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS .................................................... 17
4.1 The result of the questionnaire ............................................................................. 17
4.2 The result of the interview ................................................................................... 24
4.3 Discussion ........................................................................................................... 28
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION ............................................................................... 30
5.1 Conclusion........................................................................................................... 30
5.2 Limitations .......................................................................................................... 31
5.3 Recommendations ............................................................................................... 32
REFERENCES
APPENDICES (QUESTIONNAIRE & INTERVIEW QUESTIONS)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This study would not have been successful without the support and
encouragement of many people.
First of all, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to my research
advisor, Mr. Van Thanh Tam, who guided me from the inception till the completion of
the research. Without his constant guidance, this research would have not been
finished.
Secondly, I am grateful to all my classmates in class TA1501 and forth-year
students in other Business English classes in HUFLIT University for their participation
in this study.
Thirdly, I would like to express my deep gratitude to the instructors as well as
the staff of Department of Foreign Languages of HUFLIT University who are helpful
to all students.
Last but not least, I would like to express my gratitude to my family members
and friends for always giving me love and encouragement which helped me in the
completion of this study.
ABSTRACT
Writing is one of the most common forms of communication that are used in
many aspects of life. In addition, it is a skill required in colleges and many professions
in the modern world. Consequently, mastering writing skills is extremely important for
college students. This study seeks to investigate the positive effects of reading English
materials on writing skills of seniors in Department of Foreign Languages (DFL) of
Ho Chi Minh City University of Foreign Languages – Information Technology
(HUFLIT). The research focused on benefits of linguistic knowledge from readings on
improving writing skills. This is conducted at HUFLIT University. The total of
participants was fifty five seniors majoring at Business English. The questionnaire with
9 questions and an interview were completed by these seniors. The study indicated that
the most applicable knowledge is vocabulary followed by the usage of grammar
structures which are also two basic components of writing.
Benefits of reading materials in English on improving writing skill for HUFLIT’s DFL seniors majoring in Business English
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
This initial chapter justified the reasons for this research to be conducted.
Background information, objectives of the research, the scope of the study and the
thesis structures would be presented.
1.1 Background
English has been playing a vital role in many sectors including education,
business, and tourism. As Naved (2015) wrote, it is “the language of Hollywood and
the language of international banking and business.” By means of English, people can
learn, communicate, and advance their careers. In addition, learning English becomes
imperative in modern society.
English is one of the most used languages in the world. According to Kelly
(n.d.), English is the “most-used” language online. Many users transmit ideas,
perspectives, and communicate in that language. By learning English, you will be able
to gain access to so many more resources which can be helpful in many aspects of life
such as communication, study, and travel. Besides, many of the world’s best films and
music are produced in English. Therefore, you will get a greater wealth of
entertainment and a greater cultural awareness by knowing this language.
In many countries, most tourism agencies and officials who are in charge of
tourism management interact with foreign tourists in English (Dutta, 2017). Since
many signs at popular sites usually are in local language and English, it can be very
useful for travelling to famous destinations, and having the advantages of exposing
ourselves to new knowledge and different cultures.
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Benefits of reading materials in English on improving writing skill for HUFLIT’s DFL seniors majoring in Business English
The Economist (2014) revealed that an increasing number of firms worldwide
have been adopting English as their official language. Vietnam is not an exception for
the reason that many foreign companies have set up operations in Vietnam and there
are numerous employment opportunities offered to employees who can communicate
in English. It is also required to some extent to graduate from university, study abroad,
and get higher salary jobs. Hence, the knowledge of English partially decides future
career success.
The ability to write is an essential skill for students to master in modern society
because writing is a skill required in many professions. Writing is widely used in
almost every field such as education, employment, and everyday life (Taylor, 2017).
Lester (2017) stated that students with bad writing skill hardly “survive” in the
competitive environment in universities because students who consistently make
spelling and grammatical mistakes have bad performance; and some students are
always confused about the importance of learning this skill and do nothing to improve
their writing skills.
English have been the teaching media at HUFLIT University for the three
reasons: accessing sources which can be useful for student’s studies, finding a wellpaid job, and communicating in the international world. Being aware of the necessity
of learning writing, HUFLIT requires its students to accomplish writing skill by
offering to its students writing courses during the four years of studying. Writing is
especially important for both seniors’ study needs and professional purposes. Although
learning English for many years and being trained many courses, some students still
cannot write properly. There are many different ways for college students to improve
their writing to achieve higher education and profession goals.
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Benefits of reading materials in English on improving writing skill for HUFLIT’s DFL seniors majoring in Business English
This paper attempts to learn benefits of reading English materials on improving
writing skills for seniors majoring in Business English. The ability to read is crucial for
students because information is displayed in text all over the world. And reading
allows them to capture knowledge which can be useful to their writing assignments.
That is the reason why I would like to do a research paper on how English readings
affect the improvement of writing skills.
1.2 Objectives
It is important to understand the correlation between reading and writing
performance not only at education level, but also in business and other aspects of life.
With the aim of understanding HUFLIT senior’s writing problems and how reading
helps tackle these problems, and giving suggestions to improve writing skills. The
study sought to find out the following points:
1. Writing problems of HUFLIT seniors majoring in business English.
2. Benefits of English readings on writing these students find to deal with these
problems and suggestions.
Therefore, the research is carried out with an attempt to find out the answers to
the following questions:
1. What are the writing problems HUFLIT seniors majoring in Business English
have?
2. What are the applications of reading knowledge in writing compositions of
these students?
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1.3 Scopes
This study is focused on how HUFLIT seniors whose major is Business English
applied the beneficial knowledge of reading materials on their writing in order to give
suggestions for improving writing skills. There are many researches about benefits of
reading on writing. However, no work has been done on how HUFLIT seniors think
about that and how they take the advantage of reading materials. The research
instruments were a questionnaire with 9 questions and 4 interview questions.
1.4 Organization
The contents of this study are divided into five chapters:
Chapter 1: The introduction consists of background, objectives, the scope, and
the organization of the study.
Chapter 2: This chapter includes the literature review in writing in academic
fields and the workplace, advantages of reading, and significance of reading on
enhancing writing skills.
Chapter 3: This chapter includes descriptions of the respondents, the research
tools, the procedure, and data analysis.
Chapter 4: Results of the study and interpretations of the research findings are
presented.
Chapter 5: The study finishes with the conclusion, and recommendations for
further studies.
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Benefits of reading materials in English on improving writing skill for HUFLIT’s DFL seniors majoring in Business English
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter reviews the literature on different previous works in five main points.
2.1 The definition of writing skill and its importance
The Common Core Writing Handbook (2012) pointed out that writing is “to
inform, to explain, to narrate, and to persuade”. It is a way of transmitting messages to
readers for several purposes: expressing one-self, providing information to readers,
persuading readers, and creating literary works.
According to Traffis (n.d.), a Grammarly Blog author, there are four main types of
writing styles. These are expository, descriptive, persuasive, and narrative. Firstly,
expository is to explain, inform a subject to readers using facts, statistics, or evidences.
They are usually textbooks and instructive articles. Secondly, descriptive is to paint a
picture in words, makes the readers to feel by the five senses presenting in poetries, and
journals. Next, persuasive writing intends to influence audience to agree with author’s
opinion through letters and advertisements. Then, narrative writing in which the author
tells a story like short stories and novellas.
Based on brochures from Marquette University, writing brings lots of advantages,
it helps to:
• Express writer’s personality;
• Improve analytical thinking;
• Facilitate conversations;
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• Create logical and persuasive arguments;
• Contribute and receive feedback;
• And meet the demand in school and workplace.
Writing skill is used widely in the workplace and higher education. Without
appropriate writing, students are not able to communicate with their professors, peers, and
employers (Walsh, 2010, as cited in Klimova, 2012). Watanabe-Crockett (2016) claim
that it is complicated and a skill that most students need to survive in college. Because
students who possess good writing skills undoubtedly have better performance as all
activities are based on writing throughout the academic years.
Writing produced in academic setting may be categorized as academic writing as
many researchers, professors, and students use it to “convey ideas, make arguments, and
engage in scholarly conversation” (Valdes, 2019). She pointed out some common forms
such as literary analysis, research paper, and dissertation. Besides, some features of
academic writing: the need to have clear purpose, logical structure, supporting evidence,
and an objective tone were indicated. In the context of academic writing, Walsh (2010, as
cited in Klimova, 2012) stated that writing acquisition requires learners to master at other
three skills including listening, reading, and speaking. In 2017, Morehouse reported that
writing skill is probably the fourth language skill native speakers may acquire. This
implied that four basic skills conversely affect each other skill.
Williams (2009) claims that “Writing well means conveying thoughts, ideas, and
facts in simple and clear language.” And strong writing ability is crucial for college
students because of these following reasons:
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Benefits of reading materials in English on improving writing skill for HUFLIT’s DFL seniors majoring in Business English
• Students with stronger writing skills have better performance in written
examinations.
• Excellent writing enables students to properly write research paper.
• It prepares undergraduates for future professions.
In the workplace, written communication is more practical and direct, and varies
from business letter, emails, to meeting minutes. It is a tool to transmit ideas and feelings
in order to create wide networks and effective conversations in working environment
(Guffey & Du-Bacock, 2010, as cited in Decharotchanawirun, 2015). Good writers also
make better first impression since well organized and precise contents help them appear
intelligent and professional, make readers form good thoughts about them, and improve
organizations’ reputation in business world in which every ideas and points need to be
clear and easy to comprehend (Petersen, 2019). Therefore, excellent writing is a pivotal
communication form that helps employees get bigger opportunities in their careers from
the very first stage of sending cover letter or résumé for application. For example,
employers would probably choose the candidate with a well written cover letter rather
than the one making misspellings and grammatical errors. There is a fact that face-to-face
communication has significantly decreased due to the Internet, and writing skills motivate
trade and business world nowadays thanks to the Internet’s significance. Thus, emails and
messaging prevail in the workplace because of modern technologies (Le T. T., 2018,
p.32). Additionally, the number of jobs lately requires workers to use some forms of
written communication to express their thoughts through writing for internal and external
use. According to Solomon (2018), having good writing skills make an employee an
“indispensable member” of his or her company. In other words, employees have their
status at work upgraded by being able to express themselves in writing.
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Benefits of reading materials in English on improving writing skill for HUFLIT’s DFL seniors majoring in Business English
Because of the above reasons, to success in colleges and in all professions, good
writing skills are an absolute necessity.
2.2 Elements of good writing
Kokemuller (2017) reported that foundational components of good writing consist
of correct spelling, proper use of punctuation, appropriate grammar, and various sentence
structures. He later reported that fragment sentences and run-on sentences are common
mistakes student make when writing. These common errors in writing are which even
skillful writers struggle with (Correcting Common Errors, n.d.).
Wilkins (1972, p. 111-112, as cited in Lessard-Clouston, 2012) stated that “...while
without grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be
conveyed.” He indicated grammar and vocabulary as two most important parts in writing.
Schmitt (2000, p.55, as cited in Alqahtani, 2015) underscored that “lexical
knowledge is central to communicative competence and to the acquisition of a second
language.” Vocabulary knowledge is viewed as a critical part in second language learning
because learners cannot make a successful conversation with a lack of vocabulary. It
helps create comprehension of the meaning of information in learning listening and
reading. And it is the source that you pick out words to express your ideas constructively
in speaking and writing processes. Vu T. M. (2015, p.6) claims that having a wide
vocabulary equates with being able to listen and write better. She additionally reported
that intensive readers have better performance in writing examinations. From Jager’s part
(2017), utilizing appropriate words helps college students express their ideas in a concise
and clear way in regards to education. The importance of vocabulary cannot be denied
and with connection of words people can manage to communicate, but to make a
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productive conversation they need to arrange those words in a correct and logical way by
using grammar rules.
Grammar describes organizing words according to a set of rules of using eight
grammatical
terms:
verbs,
nouns,
pronouns,
adjectives,
adverbs,
preposition,
conjunctions, and interjections (MacMillan, 2017). As an indispensable part of a language
according to Wilkins’s point (1972, as cited in Lessard-Clouston, 2012), grammatical
structures help writers precisely express their thoughts and make readers fully understand
their point of view (Joseph, 2010). MacMillan (2017) agrees that grammar structure is a
part that contributes to transfer accurate information from writer to audiences. On the
contrary, incorrect grammar make writing fuddle to audiences, and make your customers
lose interest in your company and service particularly in business (Scaros, 2016).
2.3 Some ways to improve writing
Good writing skill is not a connate gift that people were born with, but a result of
practicing and hard working. Writers can definitely polish their writing if they are willing
invest time in improving this skill (Nordquist, 2019).
Some simple ways to enhance your writing are learning English writing rules,
practice writing, get feedback and read regularly (Vamos, 2017). Gray-Grant (2016) and
Codes (2019) suggested some techniques to write better in a language including extensive
reading, learning grammar rules of that language, revision, and ask for help from native
people. Hanski (2017), an essay-writing expert, contends that to be a good writer, one
should read more, emphasizing that “No good writing is possible without reading.”
Thanks to significant benefits of frequent reading and the accessibility of reading
resources, it is a simple and easy way to improve writing skills.
2.4 Definition and benefits of reading in English
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Benefits of reading materials in English on improving writing skill for HUFLIT’s DFL seniors majoring in Business English
English plays a vital role in today’s world due to its wide usage, and many
materials from all fields are translated into English from different languages such as
education, economics, politics, and technology. Some of these texts are only converted
into English but not into other languages. And some of them that are available in English
have not been translated into any language. In order to get access to these materials,
English is the key. For example, in many areas of the world where lesser-known
languages are spoken, the only way to access famous literary works written by brilliant
authors like William Shakespeare is to read them in English. Therefore, English is
considered to be the linking language that serves people in different parts of the world
(Al-Maghafi, n.d.). Moreover, English is estimated to make up 80 percent of the content
on the Internet, and thousands of websites are written in English to serve people’s needs
(Young, n.d.). Therefore, it is reasonable for Vuong (2018, p.7) to assume that English is
the language of science, global trade, and mass culture.
Reading is a readily-available and inexpensive way to obtain these benefits. At
education level, more studies and research are written in this language than any other
languages; therefore it can be more accessible for international students (Naved, 2015).
For instance, knowledge can be gained from books in all subjects at libraries. During the
past decades, much more information regarding nearly every subject has become
available on the Internet. With the development of technology, reading materials can also
be obtained on from free websites.
Reading is clearly beneficial to our lives. Many things in daily life are learned
through reading, such as the news, new languages, and road signs. Mokatsi (2005, as cited
in Annamalai & Muniandy, 2013) stated that reading is one of the most important skills in
language learning, and it is crucial a tool for life learning. Due to English’s role as a
global language, reading in English is even more important. For foreign language learners
(including university students), English materials not only impart knowledge, but also the
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Benefits of reading materials in English on improving writing skill for HUFLIT’s DFL seniors majoring in Business English
culture of places where that language is spoken (Klimas, n.d.). In addition to that, reading
is also a way to gain better understanding of one’s experience and could be a journey to
self-discovery (Wong, 2012). It allows readers to learn from authors’ wisdom. Whether
reading a book, the daily news, or just a comic book, readers can possibly expose
themselves to new things. Many successful people share the same habit: Reading. They
all realize the significance of reading and spend a great deal of time reading like the
billionaire investor Warren Buffett (spends 5-6 hours a day on reading), Microsoft
founder Bill Gates (reads 50 books a year), and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (reads
one book every week) (Weller, 2017).
It has also been proven that reading helps improve mental health, boosts creativity,
and cultivates language skills, according to Felecia (2018), who describes reading as “a
mental simulation exercise” that activates the mind and helps prevent dementia in old age.
She also discovered that frequent reading helps exercise the brain and effectively
improves memory. Regardless of the genre, this “mental stimulation” can improve
memory, analytic thinking, and writing skills (Silva, n.d.). A study from the Division of
Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School (2007) showed that reading before bedtime
improves nighttime sleeps. This leads to further benefits such as enhancing memory,
decreasing the chances of getting sick, and improving mood (McCullum, n.d.).
Furthermore, it is a good form to entertain and reduces stress. Hurst’s point of view (n.d.)
is that nothing is better than reading to unwind the mind. When background knowledge is
built on many different subjects, it opens the mind to new ways of thinking, and then
ideas can emerge. Winter-Hébert (2018) agrees with these benefits of reading and
includes mental stimulation and stress reduction. In Lewis’s 2009 study at the University
of Sussex (“Reading 'can help reduce stress'”, 2009), reading was the most effective way
to reduce stress by 68 percent among walking, listening to music, and drinking tea. Lewis
(2009) affirmed that “Losing yourself in a book is the ultimate relaxation.” Felecia (2018)
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Benefits of reading materials in English on improving writing skill for HUFLIT’s DFL seniors majoring in Business English
agrees that reading is “a break of reality”. She argues that it is a perfect way to distance
oneself from the hustle and bustle of life and feel at ease. Additionally, the more people
read the more knowledge foundation they have to engage in conversations. Honoré de
Balzac, who is considered to be one of the greatest novelists of all time and helped
establish realism in European literature (“Honoré de Balzac,” n.d.), claims that “Reading
brings us unknown friends.” The wealth of knowledge that can be gained from reading
helps to enhance social skills and find common ground with other people. This idea is
supported by Wong (2012) who implied that communication skills are improved
unconsciously through what you read.
2.5 Benefits of reading in English on improving writing skills
Most importantly, students with comprehensive reading skills can then develop
language as well as writing skills needed for their academic performance and future
success (Hoss, 2017). Reading in a foreign language can also boost other essential
language skills such as writing, speaking, and listening. Since language is the “mirror” of
a culture (Brams, 2017), and reading is free and highly accessible, reading foreign
language books is a useful way to learn a new language. Many authors believe that best
writers are also keen readers, and others emphasize the importance of reading in creating
good writing.
Watanabe-Crockett (2016) reveals that most successful writers are also voracious
readers. This is one of the most vital tools for learners to become familiar with the way
English is written. Many authors, teachers, researchers have the similar opinion that in
order to write better, you need to read more. Holdridge (2015) believes that the first and
foremost step to improve your writing is to improve your reading. The more a writer
reads, the more you he or she knows how a language works and becomes a better writer.
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Benefits of reading materials in English on improving writing skill for HUFLIT’s DFL seniors majoring in Business English
She also underlines that readers might unknowingly adopt different styles of writing they
are accustomed to.
Winter-Hébert (2018) claims that readers gain knowledge, vocabulary expansion,
and better writing skill by reading works of others. Their writing straightly grows from
what they read, not except style, choice of words, or sentence structures. For example,
undergraduates’ writing is usually influenced by their professors’ style. This makes up for
the reason why people who work in academia tend to write in the academic manner. In
Krashen’s opinion (1993, as cited in Annamalai & Muniandy, 2013), learners develop
good writing style, sufficient vocabulary, and advanced grammar, and become great
spellers by reading. Similarly, Klimas (n.d.) with more than 20 years of teaching language
asserts that reading materials in the language you want to learn enables you to absorb
vocabulary and grammar rules, and then write better.
Some other writers pair reading and writing skills together. According to Rosen
(n.d.), when learners read in English, they can improve their vocabulary, grammar, and
writing skills at the same time. He also discovered that reading and writing conversely
affect each other, and we should read widely and write daily to improve writing skill. Le
T. H. (2016, p.9) identifies that the most efficient way to improve writing skill is
ceaselessly reading and writing exercise. Vu H. S. (2015, p.67) showed that you should
simultaneously learn reading and writing. He further recommended reading all kinds of
materials. There are many types of reading materials, whatever we read it helps. “Read,
read, read. Read everything -- trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just
like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You'll absorb
it. Then write. If it's good, you'll find out. If it's not, throw it out of the window.”, wrote
William Faulkner (as cited in Huffpost, 2013).
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Benefits of reading materials in English on improving writing skill for HUFLIT’s DFL seniors majoring in Business English
CHAPTER 3
METHODOLOGY
This chapter describes respondents, the research tools, the procedure, and data
analysis of the study.
In order to understand the benefits of reading English materials on improving
writing skill for HUFLIT’s seniors majoring in Business English at Ho Chi Minh City
University of Foreign Languages - Information Technology (HUFLIT), a survey
including 9 questions and 4 interview questions were designed. The survey was
conducted at HUFLIT University. There are some background and multiple questions
about HUFLIT student’s experience of learning writing, their reading habit as well as
the association with their writing skill. The questionnaire survey is a revised version of
The Effect of Reading on Improving the Writing of EFL Students survey. The purpose
of the questionnaires was to find out the benefits HUFLIT students get from English
readings and their awareness of the importance of reading, especially on writing.
Besides, encouraging them share their learning process and improvements, and suggest
some ways to learn writing. It took three days to design the questionnaire. The
interview aimed to justify specific application of knowledge obtained from reading to
writing practice. With four interview questions, the researcher spent two days to design
the interview questions, and then made a face-to-face interview with five seniors who
did not belong to the questionnaire participants. The questionnaire and the interview
questions will be presented in Appendices.
This survey was conducted with 55 seniors from a random selection made
among DFL seniors in HUFLIT University in the academic year 2019. Fifty students
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Benefits of reading materials in English on improving writing skill for HUFLIT’s DFL seniors majoring in Business English
completed the questionnaire in around four minutes of the allotted time. Each of five
students answered four interview questions in approximately ten minutes.
3.1 Participants
The respondents were fifty five HUFLIT senior students on the campus. All the
participants were a combination of males and females, and were willing to take part in
the study. The researcher decided to choose the senior subjects because they have
experienced many writing courses and might suggest good ways to improve writing
skills. Moreover, they are going to enter the workplace where writing skill is needed. In
order to be involved in this research, participants have to satisfy two conditions: major
and school year.
3.2 Research instruments
3.2.1 Questionnaire
The total 9 items were used in the present survey. These were adapted from the
interview one and the final interview of the previous research to this survey for use in
investigating different students.
3.2.2 Interview
The interview includes 4 questions regarding interviewees’ writing skill and
practical application of language acquisition these students gain by reading and apply it
in their writing.
3.3 Procedure
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The survey was carried out in the end of April, 2019. It is the time when
students are at the second semester of this school year. First, a questionnaire was
handed to each participant. Next, the researcher instructed them to do the survey. The
research need to be precise, so they were required to answer honestly and clearly in 4
minutes of the allotted time. After 4 minutes, the papers were collected. Next, the
researcher randomly interviewed five Business English seniors who do not belong to
the group of questionnaire participants. Finally, the data collected from the
questionnaire and the interview questions were converted to numeral symbols and
summarized.
3.4 Data analysis
In order to analyze results of the study, quantitative and qualitative methods
were used. The data collected from the questionnaire was represented within excel
because this tool allowed researcher to efficiently manage and analyze data and helped
assist in making comparisons and powerful analysis of large amounts of data. The
answers from the interview were summarized with the main points. In the next chapter,
the findings and interpretations will be presented.
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Benefits of reading materials in English on improving writing skill for HUFLIT’s DFL seniors majoring in Business English
CHAPTER 4
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
In this chapter the survey results will be reflected by the following information.
This chapter includes the gathered data and the interpretation of findings. The collected
data will be converted into figures and written text.
The results of the study are divided into three main parts:
4.1 The result of the questionnaire
4.2 The result of the interview
4.3 Discussion
4.1 The result of the questionnaire
The first is demographic information. Of fifty five contributors, eleven were
male (20%) and forty four were female (80%). As regards to educations, all of them are
seniors and in seven Business English classes.
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Benefits of reading materials in English on improving writing skill for HUFLIT’s DFL seniors majoring in Business English
Figure 4.1.1. The difficulty levels of writing in English
Figure 4.1.1 indicates how HUFLIT seniors feel about writing skills. Most of them
(70%) think that writing in English is a difficult skill. Meanwhile, 26% of the surveyed
students do not view writing as a challenging skill. There is only two respondents (4%) of
the total believed that this skill is easy. The result therefore shows that only a few students
are confident about their writing skill. Whereas some of participants (26%) believe that it
is medium, the majority think that writing is difficult.
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Benefits of reading materials in English on improving writing skill for HUFLIT’s DFL seniors majoring in Business English
Figure 4.1.2. The writing problems
Writing problems faced by the students are shown in the Figure 4.1.2. In this
question, respondents can choose more than one answer. The highest percentage is Lack
of Vocabularies which occupy for 90%. Grammatical mistakes option also has a high
response rate (80%), followed by Poor sentence structures and Lack of ideas with 60%
and 40% respectively.
Nguyen Thi Tu Cam – 15DH710585
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Benefits of reading materials in English on improving writing skill for HUFLIT’s DFL seniors majoring in Business English
Figure 4.1.3. The frequency of reading in English
In Figure 4.1.3, respondents were asked about their reading habit. As can be
seen from the pie chart, fortunately there is none of them never spending time on
reading. More than half of the answer is Sometimes category (58%), which means they
occasionally read English materials. While 30% of the respondents seem to have poor
reading habit, only a modest (12%) reports that they regularly read English materials.
According to the collected data, the reading habits among HUFLIT seniors are poor
and need to be improved.
Nguyen Thi Tu Cam – 15DH710585
20