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Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Republic of the Philippines

READING PERFORMANCE AND READING INTERESTS OF
COLLEGE FRESHMAN STUDENTS OF THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY:
BASIS FOR SUPPLEMENTARY INTEGRATIVE READING
MATERIALS

A Dissertation
Presented to
The Faculty of Graduate School
Batangas State University
Batangas City, Philippines

In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
Major in English

By:
DINH THI HUONG (LILAC)
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THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Republic of the Philippines

ABSTRACT

Title

: READING PERFORMANCE AND READING INTERESTS
OF COLLEGE FRESHMAN STUDENTS OF THAI
NGUYEN UNIVERSITY: BASIS FOR SUPPLEMENTARY
INTEGRATIVE READING MATERIALS

Author

: Dinh Thi Huong (Lilac)

Course

: Doctor of Philosophy

Major

: English

Year


: 2015

Adviser

: Dr. AMADA BANAAG

Summary
The study looked into the reading performance and reading
interests of College Freshmen of Thai Nguyen University as basis for
developing college supplementary integrative reading materials.
Reading materials on music, literature, food and health, sports and
games and science were the main concerns in assessing students‘
interest on the mentioned materials. A total of 400 college freshmen
were included in the survey conducted in College of Education,
College of Agriculture & Forestry, College of Information Technology,
College

of

Science

and

College

of

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Economics

&

Business




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Administration. The study tested the following hypothesis that there is
no significant relationship between demographic profile and level of
reading performance of students and there is no significant relationship
between reading performance and reading interests of students.
To gather the needed data, reading test was administered and
a researcher-made questionnaire were utilized. Content validity was
established by submitting the instrument to the adviser for the
comments and suggestions and to the experts in the field. The data
generated by the test and the questionnaire were analyzed using
percentage, weighted mean, chi-square test and Pearson-r.
Findings of the study revealed that in terms of gender, one
hundred forty-nine of the student respondents are males, while two
hundred fifty-one are females. As to type of school graduated from,

seventy-nine are from private schools, while three hundred twenty-one
are from public schools. In terms of living accommodation, one hundred
thirty-seven owned their accommodation, while two hundred sixty-three
are only renting their places. In terms of family income, ninety-six come
from high earners, while one hundred forty-three are with their families
who fall under average earners. Meanwhile, one hundred sixty-one of
the students come from low earner families. In terms of educational
qualification of parents, one hundred one of the respondents‘ mother
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obtained college degree; two hundred eighty-eight finished high school
diploma; while eleven respondents reported that their mothers only
completed the elementary curriculum. On the other hand, one hundred
thirty of the respondents‘ father obtained college degree; two hundred
sixty-six finished high school diploma; while four respondents reported
that their fathers only completed the elementary curriculum
Moreover, in the students‘ reading performance in English, one
hundred forty of the respondents fall under average reading
performance followed by moderately good gotten by one hundred fifteen

of the respondents. Meanwhile, only six fall under good reading
performance. Overall mean performance indicates that the students fall
under average reading performance
In the relationship between demographic profile and reading
performance of the students, the computed p-value for type of school
graduated from shows that there is a significant relationship on reading
performance.

However,

the

computed

value

of

gender;

living

accommodation; family income; educational qualification of father; and
mother

which are all greater than 0.05, indicate that reading

demographic profile has no significant relationship on the reading
performance of the students.


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Republic of the Philippines

In addition, the reading interests of students relates music,
musical

reviews

got

the

highest

weighted

mean

with


verbal

interpretation of interesting. This was followed by The Life Story of
Beethoven with a weighted mean verbally interpreted as interesting.
However, The Birth of a New Tenor obtained the lowest weighted mean
with less interesting verbal interpretation.
In terms of literature, Diaries of Famous People in Vietnam is
interesting as compared to Historical Novels which according to the
respondents was less interesting.
In terms of food and health, health journals got the highest weighted
mean with less interesting verbal interpretation. It was followed by Fitness
and Wellness Magazines. Lastly, the Recipe Books obtained the lowest
weighted mean.
In terms of sports and games, basketball Tips got the highest
weighted mean; followed by Journals of Great Athletes and sharing on
the last rank are Biographies of Football Stars and Sports Reviews.
In terms of science, Issue on Ebola Virus got the highest weighted
mean, followed by Discoveries on Space and Astronomy and lastly,
Reading on Stem Cell Therapy.
In the relationship between reading performance and reading
interests, the computed p-value for music; literature; food and health;
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Republic of the Philippines

sports and game; and science which are all greater than 0.05, indicate
that reading interest has no significant relationship on the reading
performance of the students.
Therefore, reading performance is not affected by students‘
reading interest.
The study therefore recommends that literary works and musical
reading materials, as mostly appreciated by the respondents to aid their
reading performance, must be enhanced.
Integrative simple musical literary pieces may be given to
students together with a follow-up study giving emphasis on other
factors aside from the reading interest which could improve reading
performance such as language difficulty, level of fluency and reading
rate. Supplementary reading materials are hereby proposed for
implementation.

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Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Republic of the Philippines

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The writer extends her sincerest thanks and appreciations to those
people who in one way or another have helped make this piece of work
a reality.
Dr. Dang Kim Vui, President of Thai Nguyen University, for
establishing the international cooperation relationship between BSU and
TNU.
Dr. Hoang Bich Thao, Director for International Training Center, for
his assistance and for supporting the researcher a chance to gain
professional growth through completion of this study.
The Panel of Examiners, for their honest and meaningful
comments and recommendation to go on with this research work.
Dr. Amada Banaag, her adviser and mentor, who drained all her effort
and her best during the entire preparation and revision of this study.
To the Rectors of the University, for his permission to conduct the
research at Thai Nguyen Universities.

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Republic of the Philippines

To the students who served as her respondents for their
assistance and collaboration in providing information necessary for the
completion of the study.
To her family and her children, for inspiring her to fulfill her dream.
To her ever dearest friends, and relatives who in one way or
another, gave her encouragement and remarkable support.
D.T.H
APPROVAL SHEET
This dissertation entitled READING PERFORMANCE AND READING
INTERESTS OF COLLEGE FRESHMAN STUDENTS OF THAI
NGUYEN
UNIVERSITY:
BASIS
FOR
SUPPLEMENTARY
INTEGRATIVE READING MATERIALS
prepared and submitted by DINH THI HUONG in partial fulfillment of
the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy major in
English has been examined and is recommended for Oral Examination.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
ABSTRACT .............................................................................................. i
ACKNOWLEDGMENT ........................................................................... vi
APPROVAL SHEET ............................................................................. vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ......................................................................... ix
LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................. xii
CHAPTER
I.


THE PROBLEM
Introduction ..................................................................... 1
Statement of the Problem............................................... 6
Scope, Delimitations and Limitations of the Study ......... 7
Significance of the Study ................................................ 8

II.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Conceptual Literature ................................................... 10
Research Literature ...................................................... 26
Synthesis ...................................................................... 32
Theoretical Framework................................................. 35
Conceptual Framework ................................................ 37
Hypothesis .................................................................... 39

III.

RESEARCH METHOD AND PROCEDURE
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Research Environment ................................................. 41
Research Design .......................................................... 43
Subjects of the Study ................................................... 44
Data Gathering Instrument ........................................... 46
Data Gathering Procedure ........................................... 48
Statistical Treatment of Data ........................................ 49
IV.

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND
INTERPRETATION OF DATA

V.

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary .................................................................... 144
Findings ...................................................................... 147
Conclusions ................................................................ 150
Recommendations ..................................................... 151

BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDIX
A. Questionaire for student......................................... 163
B. Letter Of request To Conduct Study ...................... 178
C. Documentation for dry-run ..................................... 183
E. Photographs of the Research Sites ....................... 184
F. Photographs of the Approval Test Administration .. 185
G. Photographs of the Student Respondents ............ 187
CURRICULUM VITAE

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LIST OF TABLES
Table

Title


Page

1

.Distribution of Subjects............................................................... 44

2.

Scale of Reading interests of students ........................................ 47

3.

Scale of Reading performance of students ................................. 48

4.

Gender Profile of Student Respondents ..................................... 51

5.

Type of High School Graduated from Profile of Student
Respondents ............................................................................... 52

6.

Living Accommodation Profile of Student Respondents ............. 53

5.


Monthly Family Income Profile of Student Respondents ............ 53

8.

Educational Attainment of Parents Profile of Student
Respondents ............................................................................... 54

9.

Level of the Students‘ Reading Performance in English ............. 56

10.

Relationship between Demographic Profile and Reading
Performance of the Students....................................................... 58

11.

Reading Interests of Freshman Students with Regards to
Literature ..................................................................................... 60

12.

Reading Interests of Freshman Students with Regards to Science .... 61

13.

Reading Interests of Freshman Students with Regards to Sports
and Games .................................................................................. 62
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14

.Reading Interests of Freshman Students with Regards to Music ... 64

15.

Reading Interests of Freshman Students with Regards to Food
and Health ................................................................................... 65

16.

Summary Table on the Reading Interest of the Students ........... 67

17.

Relationship between the Reading Performance of the Students
and Reading Interests of Freshman Students ............................. 68


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Republic of the Philippines

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure
1.

Title

Page

The Conceptual Model of the Study Using the
Input-Process-Output Approach…………………………………..……37

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Republic of the Philippines

CHAPTER I
THE PROBLEM

Introduction
The importance of education cannot be underestimated for it is
not the quality alone that most educators are after, but most of all, an
effective English language teaching instruction especially in non-native
English speaking countries like Vietnam. The world today is very
competitive where teaching college English emphasizes not only theory
but more on practice in order to compete rigorously with other countries.
It is now the concern of English teachers to apply language learning into
useful, meaningful and worthwhile classroom engagements and create
career advantage in life.
As English is the language of academic instruction, the success
of students depend on their communication ability which is anchored on
their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in English. But in the
recent times, the performance of the college students have fallen short
of the standard output expected while there is an increasing complaint
of the college professors that most college students are disabled
readers. Most of the college students are no longer fluent in speaking,
reading, and writing the English language.
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Republic of the Philippines

With the advent of new technology, students nowadays spend
more of their free time enjoying with their gadgets, mostly for games
rather than with their reading materials. No matter how hard educators
push the campaign of reading among students, most of them would
prefer not to participate
One of the most important skills being taught to students today is
reading. This is the foundation for which the individual builds new skills,
expands knowledge, and drives great satisfaction. Perhaps, the most
complex process the students experience is the skill in reading. The
teacher, whether in elementary, secondary or even in college, needs to
guide the students properly in the acquisition of basic skills to be able to
read with understanding.
Development of reading skills is vital most especially for students.
Reading is a multifaceted process that develops only with practice.
There are certain aspects of reading, such as fluency and word
recognition, which can be learned in a few years. These basics must be
mastered but at the same time reading comprehension should be
emphasized in the process.

Nowadays, in Vietnam, English is considered as a basic subject. It
is being taught in most of the universities, including Thai Nguyen
University. In doing so, the University is doing its best to keep the students
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Republic of the Philippines

at par with their other Asian counterparts in terms of English studies. This
is also the reason why in the English classes, reading is given importance
as it helps the learner not only to learn the subject but also to understand
more about the outside world.
However, it is sad to note that even reading is an interesting
activity; most students in Thai Nguyen do not show much interest in it.
Instead they give attention to other activities that are either physical or
the use of gadget to entertain themselves. For them, reading is a
complex process that causes them a lot of time and effort that they find
it rather boring and time-consuming.
With this, the researcher being a Basic English instructor became
interested in the reading performance and interests of TNU freshmen
students so as to propose integrative reading materials that may help
them improve their reading comprehension. She also hopes that she

will be able to arouse the reading interests of students through the
materials that she will propose.
It is in this note that the researcher conducted the study to help
TNU freshmen students to cope up with the reading demands of both
academic and professional endeavors.
The learners will be informed the events, culture, people, and
others in foreign countries through English newspaper, magazines or
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Republic of the Philippines

books. Reading is the key that unlocks the door in the world of
enlightenment and enjoyment.
The goals of reading are to understand written text, integrate new
ideas, and generalize from what is read. Reading comprehension
depends on several interrelated skills: understanding oral language,
decoding the printed word, reading fluently, and using strategies to
increase comprehension. No matter what the student‘s age is, it‘s
important his skills develop in all areas because significant difficulty in
any one of them can cause a breakdown in the whole process of
reading (Baumel, 2003).

Good readers know and understand the processes involved in
reading and consciously control them. This awareness and control of the
reading processes is called metacognition, which means ―knowing about
knowing‖. Some students do not know what they are reading. They
continue to red even though they do not comprehend. Poor readers
tolerate such confusion because they either don‘t realize that it exists or
don‘t know what to do about it. Poor reader focuses on facts whereas
good readers try to absorb details into a larger cognitive pattern.
The reading performance interest college students must be given
priority so that they will be able to cope up with the demands of both
academic and professional endeavors. To see better development, the
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Socialist Republic of Vietnam

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Republic of the Philippines

researcher decided to tap the freshmen students of the University so
that in the end, integrative reading materials will be proposed to
enhance the reading performance of the students.
Hence, the problem in reading skill acquisition that prevails
among the first year college students has to be identified and given
attention to. The researcher really wanted to come up with a concerted

effort among English instructors of the different colleges of this
university– to lessen, if not eradicate the reading weaknesses of the
students. Such effort however, is an expectation for better quality of
today‘s college graduates.
Likewise, the need for this study is really on call since it should
always be the concern of the English teachers to know the abilities,
interests, needs and characteristics of the students under his control
and at the same time discuss the weaknesses of each student in
reading as well as give the corresponding measure. As one goes up the
ladder of education, this student has to learn to read extensively in
order to improve his level of achievement. He has to develop the basic
skills in reading. The researcher wanted to emphasize the need for
reading skills because she believes that success in reading is success
in school, thus, success in future life. It is even obvious that the ability to
read is vital to learning because access to knowledge in the various
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Republic of the Philippines

disciplines is made possible through reading. This eventually prepares
the youth for both local and global competitiveness.

It is in light that this study is conducted.

Statement of the Problem
This study determined the reading performance and reading
interests of freshman students of Thai Nguyen University.
Specifically, it sought answers to the following questions:
1. What is the demographic profile of college freshman students of
Thai Nguyen University in terms of:
1.1 gender
1.2 type of high school graduated from
1.3 living accommodation
1.4 monthly family income
1.5 educational qualification of parent?
2. What is the level of the students‘ reading performance in English?
3. How does reading performance relate to the demographic profile
of the students? Are there significant relationships?
4. What are the reading interests of college freshman students along
the following:
4.1 literature
4.2 science
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4.3 sports and games
4.4 Music
4.5 Food and health
5. How do the reading performance relate to reading interest?
6. What supplementary integrative reading materials may be
prepared?
Scope, Delimitations and Limitations of the Study
This study focused and was limited to the reading performance
of freshman students of Thai Nguyen University. It included the
demographic profile of students in terms of gender, type of high
school graduated from, living accommodation, monthly family income
and educational qualifications of parents.
It also dealt with the survey of reading interests of students along
literature, science, sports and games, music, food and health. The
output is the proposed integrative reading materials. The study was
conducted in the school year 2013-2014 among 400 freshman students
of TNU.
Students who were in their Second year to Fourth year level were
not included in the study. Results of this research study were limited
only on the data gathered from the respondents in the Academic Year
2013-2014 in Thai Nguyen University system.
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Significance of the Study
With the good intention of the researcher, this study will be in a
way benefiting directly or indirectly to the following who are involved in
the educational system most especially those concerned with the
English courses or even other tool subjects where the medium of
instruction is English .The researcher believe that this study would be
beneficial to the following.
The Students of TNU. The useful and relevant information
acquired from the study will encourage them to keep on using English
as their second language.
The English Teachers. The results of this study could provide them
insights on how they will address the needs, problems and constraints
toward the concept of reading. More so, they could be able to understand
better the attitudes, interest, comprehension skills and problems of the
students as regards reading.
The Language Department of TNU. The findings would serve as
an indispensable basis in revitalizing and intensifying English as well as
the Reading Program. The results too, would give them ideas of
integrating a well-planned reading activities in English and developmental
Reading subjects.
School Administrators. This study would be instrumental in the
performance of the school as far as students‘ development is
concerned. With an improved grammar, the school would be well

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represented in inter-schools and community activities. Moreover, the
output of the study could be considered as supplementary to the
reference materials provided in the school library. This could also
encourage them to further intensify the school‘s both English and
Reading Programs.
More likely, the findings would motivate the administrators to
implement a reading program that could assist English teachers to
discover students‘ strengths and weaknesses in reading skills.
Parents. The integrative reading materials to be suggested in the
study would be easily appreciated, since the end beneficiary in any
educative process is the student.
Other Higher Education Institutions. The data collected would
likely be useful for the teachers of other higher education institutions
who have limited English proficient students.
Syllabus Designers. This research study could make the
syllabus designers find a place for reading competencies in the course
of activities for lessons they have to make. This would give them the

realization that reading should not be taken for granted and that it needs
to be involved in their design. This would prompt them to continue
developing materials that will enrich the students‘ reading competence.
The future researchers. This could provide them additional
insights in doing similar study on reading.
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CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE

This chapter presents the review of conceptual and research
literatures which are related to the present study. It also include the
synthesis, theoretical framework, the conceptual framework, definition
of terms and the hypothesis.
Conceptual Literature
The concepts reviewed in this section includes characteristic of
freshman college students, reading performance of college students,
reading interests of college students and integrative supplementary
reading materials. These concepts provide the researcher much

information that helped her gain understanding on the constructs of this
research.
Characteristic of College Students. Freshman college students
are young, enthusiastic group of people who came from different
backgrounds. They belong to varied racial or ethic origin, academic and
social systems, demographic and personal backgrounds which bring a

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