Teaching Reading Skills Using Authentic

Materials

Muhammad Rustam

Department of English Language and Applied Linguistics

Allama Iqbal Open University
2014
 Abstract
In this part of the report we write a summary of the research project to give an overview
to the reader about research problem, purpose of the study, population, sample size,
data collection tools and the results of the study. Abstract should be brief but
comprehensive so that reader feels drawn to turn over the page and read our detailed
report. An abstract is usually one or two paragraph piece of composition. It starts with
the key words of our research area.
Example
Reading is both a physical and cognitive process of unraveling the message embedded
in written linguistic symbols. The use of authentic materials to teach reading skills is
an effect strategy. The present study aims at finding the effectiveness of authentic
materials in teaching reading skills.80 students studying general English course in an
EFL setting were trained on different sub-skills of reading using authentic materials
such as newspaper advertisement, railway timetable, scoreboards etc. Participants’
feedback was taken through a Questionnaire. The data reveals that use of authentic
materials in teaching reading skills can be quite effective………….
 Dedication
In this section of our report we dedicate our research work to someone who we are
emotionally attached to. Researchers usually dedicate their creations (research work)
to their teachers, spouses, parents, friends etc. This is an optional page, that is, it is
entirely up to you to include this page in the report or not.

Example

To my mother who bids me adieu smilingly in the morning and welcomes me back
when I return home, weary and exhausted, in the evening.
 Acknowledgement
In this section of our report we mention people who help us with our research work. A
friend who allowed us to use their library; a government agency that provided us
information;
 Table of Contents
Title Page
Abstract
Dedication
Acknowledgement
Table of Contents
List of Abbreviations
List of Illustrations
Glossary of Terms

Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
1.2 Statement of the Problem
1.3 Research Question or Hypothesis
1.4 Objectives//Purpose of the Study
1.5 Justification/Rationale of the Study
1.6 Significance of the Problem
1.7 Delimitations

Chapter 2: Literature Review

2.1 Explaining the terms of the study (constructs)
2.2 Theoretical Framework
2.3 Summary of the Previous Research
Chapter 3: Research Methodology
3.1 Research Design
3.2 Population
3.3 Sample Size
3.4 Sampling Technique
3.5 Instruments
3.6 Study Procedure
Chapter 4: Data Analysis
4.1 Data Tabulation
4.2 Results
4.3 Discussion
Chapter 5: Conclusion
5.1 Findings
5.2 Expert Opinion
5.3 Recommendations
5.4 Conclusion/Summary
Appendices
References
INTRODUCTION

1.0 Background
Background of the problem means information required for an understanding of the
problem. In this section we introduce the topic, the current state of the situation in which
the study has been conducted. For example, the reading is not taught as a skill in our
classrooms. It is mostly teachers who read and translate text into Urdu. Very rarely do
our students read the passages. In order to involve learners in a reading process we need
to use non-traditional strategies such as using authentic materials in the teaching of
reading. However, Introducing such materials in the class also involves a lot of activity
based learning. Introducing activity based learning in large classes is quite a difficult
task. So how to make the best possible use of authentic materials in the existing state
of the things in Pakistan classrooms.

1.1 Statement of the Problem

Research problem has to be stated clearly so that everybody can understand what the
problem is. While writing a statement, we include the independent and dependent
variables in the statement. A well-written statement of the problem generally indicates
the variables of interest to the researcher and the specific relationship between those
variables which is to be investigated and ideally the type of the subjects involved in the
study. A well-written statement also defines all the relevant variables
Here is an example of a problem statement:

Examples
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of positive reinforcement on the
achievement in English of 10th graders in an EFl setting.
The relationship to be investigated between the variables is of cause-effect

The problem to be investigated in this study is secondary teachers’ attitude toward

required in-service activities.

The problem to be investigated in this study is the effectiveness of authentic materials

in teaching reading skills of intermediate students in government colleges in Pakistan.
A variety of reading activities can be generated on authentic materials. In traditional
teaching setting, the reading is treated as a one main construct while in actual fact
reading has many sub-skills which first need to be developed individually. Students are
fascinated to read when they have some purpose to read. Authentic materials provide
them this very purpose. The present study will investigate the effectiveness of authentic
materials in reading skills development.

1.2 Hypothesis
A hypothesis is a prediction of some sort regarding the possible outcomes of a study.
A hypothesis can be written in the form of a question or it can be written in a
statement form. In this section, we usually formulate a hypothesis before embarking
on the actual research. In the hypothesis we bring in the variables again. Usually a
Null Hypothesis is formulated. The researcher tries to reject it. If not rejected ,then,
the alternative hypothesis is accepted.
Students taught reading skills through group work activities perform better than those
who are taught through lecture method.

Students taught reading skills through traditional method achieve less marks on
achievement test than those who are taught reading skills through group work
activities.

In a study we can include many hypotheses but it is better that only one or two
hypotheses be included.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

In this section of the ‘Report’ we state our objectives using to-infinitive.
Example
1. To find out which teaching method is better than the other.
2. To interview the participants in order to record their viewpoint regarding the
effectiveness of teaching methods.

Objectives must be attainable and measureable. We need to be very much

cautious while setting objectives of the research study.

1.4 Justification of the Study

Here we have to justify why this particular problem has been selected. While doing
MA TEFL or DipTEFL research, we can skip this heading because it is the university
that has selected the problem not we.
1.5 Significance of the Problem
In this section of our report we try to convince the reader that the study was not
conducted to satisfy the zeal for curiosity only. The society or certain community is
going to benefit from the outcomes of the study. Teaching practices may undergo
changes after the publication of the study.
Example
This study is going to add to the body of research on effective reading strategies at
school level. Results of the study can be utilized to design new training programmes
in the country etc.

1.6 Delimitations of the Study

Under this heading we mention those areas that we did not investigate in our research.
Let’s we are analyzing the discourse of emedia. Here is an example of study
delimitation. We have to delimit our study to the following:
1. Only social media’s discourse was analyzed in the research not radio and TV
audio and video conferencing were analysed.
2. Only Facebook chats were recorded and analyzed.
3. Adults chat rooms were recorded for analysis.
4. Only male chat rooms were recorded for analysis.

Because of manageability issues we have to restrict our research canvas.

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 Construct of the Study

In this part of the Literature Review we explain or define different constructs in our
study but before we do that we introduce the topic and warm up the reader towards
different variables in the study. Example:
Reading Skills Group Work Lecture Method Achievement in English

2.1 Theoretical Framework

Research problems are usually supported by different language theories such as
mentalism, behaviorism or humanism etc. In this part of the literature review, we
discuss the theoretical framework, if any, of the research study. Sometimes, there is no
such framework, so we just start quoting the research already done.

2.2 Existing Body of Research

The major purpose of reviewing the literature is to determine what has been done that
relates to your research problem. The review of related literature involves the
systematic identification, location and analysis of documents containing information
related to the research problem you have selected. Another important function of the
literature review is that it points out research strategies and specific procedures and
measuring instruments that have been found productive in investigating your own
problem. Being familiar with previous research also facilitates interpretation of the
results of your study.

Abstracts of different researches can be included in your Literature Review Chapter but
you need to ensure it is not a mere copy-paste exercise. You have to critically analyze
the research you are quoting. Let’s say someone in China did the research on “Using
Authentic Materials in teaching Speaking Skills”. You can reproduce the ‘abstract’ in
your Literature Review but you need to mention that the authentic materials were
effective in speaking skills and not in reading skills which is your ‘variable’. So you
have to add a line here and there in order to mention the gaps that exist in the study you
are quoting.

While writing a literature review section of DipTEFL Report, you need to quote at least
10 research studies already conducted on your research topic. However in MA TEFL
Report, you need to quote at least 15 to 20 such studies in Literature Review section of
the Report. To better equip yourself on how to write a Literature Review, you need to
study literature reviews of others researchers. This will give you an idea as to how a
literature review is composed.
Here are few websites where you can find published works. You have to type your topic
in the search bar. If you do not find any study on your research problems, don’t get
disappointed. Use alternative words in the search enquiry.

Electronic Theses, Dissertations, and Reports

https://krex.k-state.edu/dspace/handle/2097/1
Open Access: Theses and Dissertations
http://oatd.org/
The Asian EFL Journal
http://asian-efl-journal.com/

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.0 Research Design

In this part of the Chapter 3,we mention the framework we have adopted for our
research work. Our research may be experimental, descriptive, survey or a case study.
Example
An experimental framework using a pretest-posttest design was employed for the
present research.

3.1 Population
All the participants in the study are called population. Let’s say we want to investigate
the impact of group work on reading skills of secondary level students. So in this case
our population will be: all intermediate students.

3.2 Sample Size

We can investigate all the intermediate students so we take a sample from this
population. The thumb rule is that sample must be representative of the whole
population so that the behavior of the sample has to reflect in the population. Just take
the analogy of cooking rice in a daig. We take few grains of rice and press them
between our finger tips to check if they are done or tender. If these grains are tender,
we declare the whole daig to be done.
Example:
80 2nd year students participated in the study.
3.3 Instruments
Here we mention the data collection tools. These tools may include interviews, audio
recording, video recording, questionnaire, observation sheet, pretest or posttest.
We also give a detailed account of the research tools. If we are using an interview to
collect information from the population, we mention the constitution of the
instrument: structured interview, non-structured or semi-structured. We are using
observation as a tool; we have to mention if it was participant observation or non-
participant one. If using a questionnaire, we have to mention as to how many items
were open-ended and how many closed ones etc etc.

3.4 Sampling Techniques

To make the sample representative of the population we have to randomize it
especially in experimental design. Anyhow, there are many sampling techniques.
Broadly speaking they are divided into probabilistic and non-probabilistic techniques.
In probabilistic techniques we include the following:
Random sampling. Stratified sampling, systematic sampling and cluster sampling.
In non-probabilistic we include: quota, convenience, purposive and snowball
sampling. Usually, to gain internal validity, we use simple random sampling
techniques to select our research sample. In this part we have to a write a paragraph
on our sampling techniques.

3.5 Research Procedure

This is a detailed part of Chapter 3. Here the researcher gives a complete roadmap of
their progress through the research work. How he/she selected sample, tools, sequence
of events etc. The reader of the report gets a clear picture of the different phases of the
research in this section. So it is suggested to TEFL students to write this part
meticulously giving every bit of information here.
 DATA ANALYSIS

4.0 Data Tabulation

Here we tabulate the data collected during different phases of the research. If we have
taken pretest or post test, we enter the scores in different tables. If we have recorded
some interviews, we put the transcript here. This may require many pages.

4.1 Data Analysis

Data is analyzed, Calculations made if it is quantitative data. If data is qualitative ne,
then, interpretation is done. Some graphics such as pie charts, bar graphs are drawn up
to present the data.

4.2 Results and Discussion

The results of the study are discussed in detail. A quantitative analysis runs like this:
Example:
The data reveals that students in the experimental group have scored high on posttest.
It is an indication that the Group Work teaching method has caused this excellent
performance. So it can be safely concluded that Group Work is an effective teaching
method etc etc.
 FINDINGS/RECOMMENDATIONS/
CONCLUSION
5.0 Findings
Findings are listed in bulleted form. Whatever the study has revealed is produced in this
part of chapter 5.

5.1 Recommendations
If you want to recommend few remedial steps to amend the existing situation, you can
mention them here. Your recommendations may be long term, short term,
immediately practicable or purely ideal ones.

5.2 Expert Opinion

You may find a veteran on ELT i.e. a person known to have a good command over
various facets of language teaching. Here you cam summarize the ideas of a such a
person in this part of the last chapter.

5.3 Conclusion
You have to write a paragraph or two to formally close the report. Here you can also
mention the areas you have left unexplored for the future researchers.
 REFERENCES
In this section we mention all the books, articles, web pages etc which we have been
consulting to write our report. In a bigger work such as thesis writing, Bibliography is
mentioned instead of References. In educational research, usually APA style is
adopted while giving references inside the text or in Bibliography section.

Example
Abbas,A.Z.(2012). The Effects of STAD and CIRC on L2 Reading Comprehension and
Vocabulary Learning. Frontiers of Language and Teaching V.3 (2012)

Abu, R., & Flowers, J. (1997). The effects of cooperative learning methods on
achievement, retention, and attitudes of home economics students in North Carolina,
Journal of Vocational and Technical Education, 13(2), 158-191.

Burns, C. and Myhill, D. (2004). Interactive or inactive? A consideration of the nature

of interaction in whole class teaching. Cambridge Journal of Education, 34, 35-48.

Barkley, E., Cross, P., & Major, C. (2005). Collaborative Learning Techniques: A Handbook for
College Faculty. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.

Bolukbas, F., Keskin, F., & Polat, M. (2011). The effectiveness of cooperative
learning in the reading comprehension skills in Turkish as a foreign language. The
Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 10(4), 330-335.
Ching,Y. & Hui,Y.(2013). The Cooperative Learning Effects on English Reading
Comprehension and Learning Motivation of EFL Freshmen. English Language
Teaching; Vol. 6, No. 5; 2013

Cohen, E. (1994). Designing group work: Strategies for the heterogeneousclassroom.

NY: Teachers College Press.

Fen, Gao (2011). Theme-based group teaching of college oral English: Endorsed by
students in China EFL context. English Language Teaching, 4(1), 33-41.

Ghaith, G. M. (2003). Effects of the Learning Together Model of cooperative learning

on English as a foreign language reading achievement, academic self-esteem, and
feelings of school alienation. Bilingual Research Journal, 27, 451-474.

LIST OF APPENDICES
This is a complete one page. On it we write the page number of the attachments to the
report. If you have a CD, you will staple it to the report.
Here you will furnish a list of the appendices.
Example

Appendix A Pretest scores 17

Appendix B Pretest scores 19