This study was conducted to seek solutions to improve reading comprehension for english major freshmen through the use of mind mapping technique in reading lessons

Fitri Aprilia2019 found out that the process of teaching and learning with the help of mind mapping technique not only enhanced the students‟ reading comprehension but also built up thei

DECLARATION

I declare that this thesis is my own work and has not been submitted in any form for another degree or diploma at any university, other institution or tertiary education Information derived from the published or unpublished work of others has been acknowledged in the text and a list of references is given

Student

(Signature, full name)

Tran Thi Thanh Thuy

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Many people have contributed to making this thesis what it is They have given me a lot of help, guidance and encouragement That motivated me to accomplish the study as perfectly as possible

First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor Le Thi Huong, M.A, a lecturer at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Hong Duc University From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank for her hearted guidance and valuable recommendations Without her, I might not accomplish my thesis

Besides, I highly appreciate the teachers at Faculty of Foreign Languages, Hong Duc University for their precious and profound lessons which provided me solid knowledge backgrounds for my thesis

Many sincere thanks are also needed to give to the English-major sophomores at Hong Duc University who patiently completed the survey questionnaires and answered my interviewing questions

Last but not least, I give my warm heart to my family and classmates They encouraged and supported me to go the end

LIST OF TABLE vii

LIST OF FIRGURES viii

LIST OF CHARTS viii

Chart 3.3.Number of students who scored (4-5) Error! Bookmark not defined PART A: INTRODUCTION 9

1 Rationale of the study 9

2 Aims and objectives of the study 10

3 Scope of the study 11

4 Methods of the study 11

5 Design of the study 12

PART B: DEVELOPMENT 13

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 13

1.1 Reading skill 13

1.1.1.What is reading? 13

1.1.2.The importance of reading skill in learning English 14

1.1.3 What is reading comprehension? 16

1.1.4 Techniques to improve reading comprehension 17

1.2 Mind Mapping 19

1.2.1 Definition of Mind Mapping 19

1.2.2 Characteristics of Mind Mapping 20

1.2.3.The birth of Mind Mapping 21

1.3 How to Create Mind Mapping 23

1.3.1 Steps to Create Mind Mapping 23

The subject of attention is central to the Mind Map Use an all-encompassing term, area of work or concept rather than one that is too narrow or specific It is best to use

some kind of picture to help do recall of information 23

1.3.2 The Three A‟s of Mind Mapping 25

1.3.3 Mind Maps Laws 26

1.3.3.1 The Laws of Technique 26

Use emphasis 26

Use association 26

Be clear 27

Obscurity of phrase or writing will hinder the associative process 27

1.3.3.2 The Technique of Layout 28

1.4 The Application of Mind Mapping in reading comprehension 28

1.4.1 The Application of Mind Mapping in teaching foreign language 28

1.4.2 The Application of Mind Mapping in teaching reading comprehension 30

1.4.3 The Application of Mind Mapping in Self-Analysis 31

1.5 The previous researches on the effects of using Mind map on reading skills 33

1.6 Summary 35

CHAPTER 2: THE STUDY 36

2.1 The current situation of teaching and learning Reading Comprehension I 36

2.1.1 The context 36

2.1.2 The course objectives 36

2.1.3 The material description 39

2.2 Methods of the study 39

2.2.1 Piloting the application of mind mapping strategies in Reading Comprehension I39

2.2.4 Data analysis procedures 45

2.3 Summary 46

CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 47

3.1 The situation of learning reading comprehension of English –major freshmen at HDU 47

3.1.1 The students' familiarity with English 47

3.1.2 Students‟ interests in learning reading comprehension 47

3.1.3.Students‟ opinion on the importance of learning comprehension 48

3.1.4 Students‟ time spending on learning reading comprehension 49

3.1.5.Techniques students often apply to improve reading comprehension skills 50

3.1.6 Difficulties in learning reading comprehension skills 51

3.1.7 Students' familiarity with mind mapping 52

3.2 Evaluation of the use of subject-specific mind maps of the Achievers A2 curriculum in improving reading comprehension for first-year English majors at Hong Duc University 52

3.2.1 The results of the pre-test and post-test 52

3.2.2 The results of observation checklist 57

3.2.3 The results of post-questionaire 57

3.3 Discussion of the research 59

3.4 Summary 61

PART C: CONCLUSION 62

1 Summary of the study 62

2 Limitations of the study 63

3.Suggestions for further research 63

PART D: REFERENCE 64

APPENDICES 67

ABBREVIATION

CTET Central Teacher Eligibility Test

LIST OF TABLES

Table 2.1 Topics and contents of reading comprehension texts of the Achievers A2 Table 2.2 General process of building mind maps according to each topic of the

"Achievers A2" textbook

Table 2.3 Process of building mind map of Unit 1:Meet the Smiths Table 3.1 Test results before and after the experiment

Table 3.2 Results of post-experiment questionnaire analysis of experimental group

LIST OF FIRGURES

Figure 3.1 The number of years that students have learnt English 47

Figure 3.2 Students' level of interest in English 47

Figure 3.3 Students‟ opinions on learning reading comprehension 48

Figure 3.4 Students‟ frequency of practicing reading comprehension 49

Figure 3.5 The ways that students use to enhance reading comprehension the most often 50

Figure 3.6 Difficulties in learni Figure 3.1 The number of years that students have learnt English 47

Figure 3.2 Students' level of interest in English 47

Figure 3.3 Students‟ opinions on learning reading comprehension 48

Figure 3.4 Students‟ frequency of practicing reading comprehension 49

Figure 3.5 The ways that students use to enhance reading comprehension the most often 50

Figure 3.6 Difficulties in learning reading comprehension skills 51

Figure 3.7 The number of students who tried using this technique before 52

LIST OF CHARTS Chart 3.1 Number of students who scored (0-1) 54

Chart 3.2 Number of students who scored (2-3) 55

Chart 3.3 Number of students who scored (4-5) 56

Chart 3.4 Number of students who scored above 6 57

PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale of the study

There are four language skills They are reading, listening, speaking, and writing Reading is interrelated with the total educational process so that educational success requires successful reading Experience has taught us that those who fail in school usually have failed first in reading, so reading is very important in teaching and learning process

To succeed the learning process in order to help the learners master reading, one of the determining factors to consider is the teaching and learning technique Among the various techniques proposed to achieve this, is mind-mapping (Rizqiya 2013).The potential of mind mapping to involve the combination images, colors, and visual spatial arrangement for expressing related ideas and complex problems in a simple way(Marguiles, 1991) makes it a powerful tool for learning According to Buzan (2010), mind mapping is a radiant, hierarchical thinking technique which allows for greater creativity when recording ideas and information, as well as allowing the notes-taker to associate words with visual representations Various recent studies (Asmiaty, 2001; Moi & Lian, (2007; Bekti, 2009) revealed that mind mapping is not only appropriate but also helpful in improving students reading comprehension because it helps the students easier to understanding texts and make them more creative and imaginative in drawing pictures and symbols and enabled them to see the relationship of the content visually and search for keywords in an answer to question

There have been several specific researches on improving students‟ reading comprehension through mind mapping technique Fitri Aprilia(2019) found out that the process of teaching and learning with the help of mind mapping technique not only enhanced the students‟ reading comprehension but also built up their interest, enthusiasm, and motivation towards learning English Riska Dwi Cahyani(2012) emphasized that the students could easily identify the implicit and explicit details of the text They could also determine the meaning of new words and the main idea of the texts through the use of mind mapping technique Moreover, Kaufman(2017) argued that mind mapping is a useful technique in reading comprehension since it allows students to glance all their notes, then easily add more details in the appropriate branches or make relations between ideas

Mind maps have several benefits which can help students in comprehending and retaining the information they read Specifically:

• A mind map could help learners organize their thoughts It makes a complex reading passage more transparent and this will help learners remember the detailed information of the reading text much more easily

• A mind map provides a simple overview of a reading passage It allows learners to see an overall picture, identify associations and discover the logical order between individual details

• A mind map enhances memory through employing several mental triggers such as images and colors As a mind map promote the use of keywords instead of whole sentences, learners can remember main ideas and concepts easily and quickly

Although using mind maps as a tool to improve English reading comprehension has been widely applied all over the world and showed many positive advantages, this method is still relatively new and less popular at universities in Vietnam Working with English major freshmen at Hong Duc university(HDU), we can see that the students have some problems in reading comprehension For example, they cannot get essential information to do the tasks after reading the text Although the students sometimes know the meaning of almost all the words, they have difficulties in summing up the main contents of the reading texts as well as the details in each paragraph Therefore, this study was conducted to seek solutions to improve reading comprehension for English major freshmen through the use of mind-mapping technique in reading lessons The specific objectives are to identify the key concepts of mind-mapping technique, investigate the impacts of mind maps on the students‟ reading comprehension, and possible solutions to enhance the effectiveness of using mind-mapping technique in reading lessons

2 Aims and objectives of the study

This research is an attempt to examine a group of English-major freshmen‟s ability at HDU in using mind maps and its effects on their reading comprehension skills What is more, to ensure the quality of the results collected from the test of reading comprehension ability, the current study endeavours to explore the writing teachers‟ opinions on their students‟ ability in using mind maps to enhance their

reading comprehension tests To achieve the above aims, the present study attempts to gain the following objectives:

− To investigate the issues that English major freshmen at HDU have in reading comprehension skills

− To examine the effects of using mind maps in reading comprehension skills of English major freshmen at HDU

From the two given aims, we proposed three research questions as follows: − What is the current situation of learning reading comprehension skills of first-year English-major students at Hong Duc University?

− How effective is the application of mind maps designed according to each topic of the "Achievers A2" textbook in developing the reading comprehension ability of first-year English - major students?

3 Scope of the study

Because of the limitations of time, knowledge and experience, the scope of the thesis is only in a boundary of a small group of students at HDU and in a micro field Specifically, the study is conducted with the contribution of 60 English - major freshmen at HDU

Semester 1 of the academic year 2021-2022, first-year language major students at Hong Duc University can study English module 1 (3 credits) according to the curriculum "Achievers A2, Active Skills for Reading/INTRO and Effective Academic Writing1" However, in this study, the researcher only focused on Achievers A2 The textbook “Achievers A2” is published by Richmond publishing company and co-written by authors Martyn Hobbs and Julia Starr-Keddle Including 12 reading comprehension texts, the reading comprehension passages in the book are divided into different topics and types Besides, each type of lesson also comes with tips for self-study With this book, readers can not only improve their reading skills, but also expand their vocabulary focusing on the Cambridge and TOEFL exams and speaking

skills

4 Methods of the study

The researcher applied the following research methods:

- Theoretical research methods: Statistics, analysis, synthesis, comparison and contrast of theoretical issues related to the use of mind maps in learning reading comprehension skills

- Statistical method: Using survey form to investigate the current situation of reading comprehension of English – major freshmen at HDU After conducting an experiment to get students' opinions on the effectiveness of using mind maps according to each topic of the "Achievers A2" textbook

- Experimental method: Conduct using mind maps experimrnt according to each topic of the textbook "Achievers A2" for English- major freshmen at HDU

5 Design of the study

The study includes three main parts:

 Part I: Introduction In this part, readers will get overall information about

the thesis including the rationale, aims, the scope and the method of the study In

addition, the researcher also presents the design of the study

 Part II: Development – the pivotal core of the study It is divided into 3

sub-chapters:

 Chapter 1 reviews background knowledge about reading comprehension and

mind maps In addition, this chapter reviews related studies about conducted by some famous scholars in the research fields

 Chapter 2 shows detail about the study It includes the context of the study,

the research methods, the participants and the findings of the study attached with recommendations about students‟ status

 Chapter 3 From the findings and the results the researcher collected, analyzed

the effects of using mind maps to enhance reading comprehension for English major freshmen in HDU

 Part III: In conclusion In this part, the researcher summarizes the main

content of the thesis, besides he indicates limitations as well as suggestions for further study will be given

PART B: DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Reading skill

1.1.1.What is reading?

Reading has a multi-faced impact on our life.People have demand for reading to expand their knowledge.Through reading textbooks,magazines,newspaper, people can discover what happens around the world.Today,when people have to update new mass information all over the world,reading becomes more and more important.However,there are different point of view on the reading definition

According to Siberstein(1993): Reading is complex information processing skill in which reader interact with the text to create the meaningful discourse.In general term,reading is defined as “reading is an active,fluent process which involves the reader and reading materials in builiding meaning.Meaning does not reside on the printed pages,nor is it in the reader ”Anderson(1999).This definition of reading has been generally shared by other researchers deviring from those opinions,reading is considered as a process in which a reader looks at and understands what has been written out

Grabe(2002) states that reading is the ability to draw meaning from the printed page and interpret this information appropriately

McLaughin as cited by Barbara Hawkins(1991) points out that reading is the most complex and difficult skills than others that the child must acquire in school In addition, based on Goodman, reading is a selective process which involves partial use of available minimal language cues selected from perceptual input on the basis of the reader‟s expectation As this partial information is processed, tentative decisions are made to be confirmed, rejected or refined as reading progresses

Reading in language learning hold an important role In English language learning, mainly in secondary school, reading is one of the four language skills Students must learn it Although reading is only about 25% of the entire portion for the four skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing), people who are learning a new language need to learn reading more Mikulecky(2004) states several reasons why reading is important: Reading helps us learn to think in the new language, reading helps us build a better vocabulary, makes us more comfortable with written English

We can write better English if you feel comfortable with the language Reading may be the only way for us to use English if we live in non English speaking country Reading can help if we plan to study in an English speaking country

1.1.2.The importance of reading skill in learning English

Dr Suess (2021)claimed that The more you read, the more things you know The more that you learn, the more places you‟ll go.” And it‟s 100% accurate The importance of reading skills cannot be stressed enough As a teacher, I often find that when I express my concern about a child‟s reading ability and comprehension to parents, particularly at around the age of 10, parents are quite taken aback and I‟m greeted with “but they‟re so young, give them a chance.” When a teacher shows concern in this area, it is with due cause Reading is fundamental in helping us find and convey information It‟s an essential skill that‟s developed at a very young age Here‟s why reading is beneficial to all of us, and how the importance of reading comprehension is essential to understanding the world around us

According to the article “Importance of reading Why reading is such an important English language skill ?” from John Bostocks(2020), Reading English is an important part of language learning because it helps you develop other related skills like grammar, vocabulary, and writing Reading allows language learners to explore topics that they love and stories that engage them:

+ Explore what interests you

From my point of view, I love reading philosophy especially metaphysics, which is, is a branch of philosophy that looks at the nature of reality: is the world ”‟given” or objective or is it something we construct using our minds? But of course, you can read about any topic in English You can read about things that interest you or are meaningful for you in some way given your life experiences An example could be regarding human psychology: how do you feel about yourself and whether you have good self-esteem or not? Do you think well of yourself, are you happy with what you have achieved in your life and are you satisfied with the way you look? Can you tell someone in English how you feel internally so that you can make real connections with people? These sorts of questions will engage the person or people with whom you are having a conversation

Humans are complex beings We have different facets to our existence: we have careers, partners and friends as well as distant acquaintances We also differ regarding language, culture and belief But in general, I think we desire certain things like acceptance and connection, and if you start to read more widely, your ability to make connections and meaningful contacts with people will improve: you will feel more confident when you try to speak English Reading opens up so many doors for communication and contact

+ Explore the beauty of language

There are many genres of a novel in the English language like romance, science fiction/fantasy and thrillers for example My preference is for fantasy novels Perhaps, it is my deep love for the Harry Potter series, but fantasy novels excite and interest me so much A good fantasy novel opens up your mind to a different world You realize that the world we live in could be very different from the way it: it is indeed possible that witches and wizards could exist Of course, they don‟t actually exist But they could This should tell us something about our world; that is to say, many things could be different We must not fall into the trap of thinking that the world must be the way it is lest we become dogmatic about certain ideas By reading fantasy fiction, you start to see the world differently, and in my opinion, you become more open-minded and open to new experiences I recommend one fantasy series that I have found to be most entertaining It is a series of fantasy novels written by a novelist called Robin Hobb They are very well written and constructed stories that will keep your interest as you read

The next question I wish to explore involves what sorts of English fiction you should consider reading There is a whole world of literature available in English as almost all of the most translated books in the world have English versions Choosing the best book for you can be broken down into two elements: you should try to estimate your overall English ability before you start reading and also what sorts of novels you like to read If you are a beginner, you should consider reading picture books If you are an intermediate English student, you should read short stories and relatively short novels that are about subjects that interest you And finally, if you are at an advanced level you should read Shakespeare (I personally love Julius Caesar and Hamlet because of my interest in Roman history and my love for drama and suspense)

and the classics of English literature like ”Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens or ”Wuthering Heights” by Emily Bronte

1.1.3 What is reading comprehension?

For general, reading comprehension is, in its most obvious sense, the ability to understand information in a text and interpret it appropriately Reading comprehension refers to reading with understanding Understanding written texts means of extracting information from it as efficient as possible Reading is also defined as the process of understanding meaning from a piece of text

Understanding the message that the authors want to covey is very important Therefore,reading comprehension plays an important role in teaching and learning language reading skill.Methologists have been provide different definitions of reading comprehension.According to Smith(1975):“comprehension as aprocess by which someone links what he knows about the world to what he already has as in formation (intensive) and ( expectations) in his head thus,comprehending is sthe state of being out of confusion and puzzling to set things clear with no misunderstanding ”.Also concerning the reading comprehension

Grellet(1981) argued that “reading comprehension or understanding a Written text means extracting the required information from it as efficiency as possoble‟‟.The researchers means reading comprehension is an activity which aims at decoding the meaning or word combination in the text in the most efficiency way.From these opinion ,it can be concluded that reading comprehension is a Process of understanding what is conveyed in the text It does not mean that the reader need to understand every single word in the text but activity work in the text and extract the required information efficiently

According to the definition of Kimberly(2015), comprehension is the process by which information from the text and the knowledge possessed by the actions of the reader together to construct meaning, including the ability to decode printed text, recognize and understand words Word recognition is a foundation of reading

Curtis states reading comprehension is learning to understand written and spoken language understanding one has empirical justification At the beginning of learning to read, the correlation between the reading and comprehension of spoken language is small Stitch and James reveal this is because at the beginning, children are learning to

decode and identify words, so that the process of reading these words that limit understanding However, as children move beyond the beginnings of learning to read, the correlations between reading comprehension and spoken language comprehension increase and then level out by high school As children learn to read words, the limiting factor in reading comprehension shifted from the introduction of the word to be spoken language understanding

1.1.4 Techniques to improve reading comprehension

Reading is a wonderful habit that can profoundly alter a person's life It can amuse us, educate us, and enlighten us with the knowledge and experiences that are shared There exist some reading techniques, which if mastered at a growing stage can help us, be better and far more comprehensive readers These skills might not necessarily be learned as rigid theories or rules but if understood well once they can definitely enhance the reading skills and increase the quality and quantity of output that we get from after reading

The followings are six styles/techniques of reading used in different situations: + Reading Technique-Scanning: A reading technique called scanning the text is used to focus on a few key elements while reading the entire passage The summary, the preface, or the first and last chapters of a book can all be quickly read by readers to emphasize its key ideas This method, for instance, is applied when looking up a name in the phone directory

+ Reading Technique–Skimming :This reading technique is used for getting the gist of the whole text lead We generally use this technique at the time of reading a newspaper or magazine Under this technique, we read quickly to get the main points and skip over the detail It is useful in getting a preview of a passage before reading it in detail or reviving understandings of a passage after reading it in detail

+ Active Reading Style : Gaining a thorough grasp of the text is the goal of active reading With this method, the reader engages directly with the text as they read it Skimming or scanning through the content will not provide you with a thorough understanding of it

+ Detailed Reading This technique is used for extracting information accurately from the whole text Under this technique, we read every word for understanding the meaning of the text In this careful reading, we can skim the text first for getting a

general idea and then go back to read in detail We can use a dictionary to find the meaning of every unfamiliar word

+ Speed Reading Speed-reading is actually a combination of various reading methods The aim of speed-reading is basically to increase the reading speed without compromising the understanding of the text reading

+ Reading Techniques: Survey-Question-Read-Recite-Review

This method aims to facilitate a clear understanding of the text that the reader would be able to teach whatever he has learned during the process of reading The process involves five different steps, which are as follows:

• Survey

The survey involves getting a quick idea of the whole writing piece For example, reading the introduction or summary of a book will be enough to get an idea of that book

• Question

We are not just reading the words or looking at the words but are actually trying to make out the underlying meaning of the text So we should prepare questions in our mind and look for the answers while reading the text

• Read

The reader should read selectively if they are looking for any specific • Recite

The reader should answer the questions in his own words using only the keywords that are required to sum up the complete idea

1.2 Mind Mapping

1.2.1 Definition of Mind Mapping

Mind mapping techniques refers to teaching technique using mind mapping as a tool to represent students‟ understanding by using words, picture with color and symbols in a hierarchical or tree branch format

To explore the effective technique for teaching reading comprehension ,this study adopted mind mapping technique (1970) developed by Tony Buzan as a tool to represent the students‟ understanding Mind mapping is a graphical method of taking note by using words ,pictures with color, and symbols which take a hierarchical or tree branch format with idea branching into their subsections.It can help poor readers to read more effectively because the format can show the relative importance of individual points and and the way in which facts relate to one another as shown below :Mind map is a tool for enhancing learning and thinking It provides a structure to reveal various aspects of a story such as the sequence of events ,the key points ,the cause and effects ,the relation of ideas and so on.Students can use mind maps for revising and classifying thoughts so as to get the deep meaning of a story

Your brain is a super bi-o computer that dwarfs any machine on the market If you understand how it works and how to work with it, you can employ and enjoy astonishing powers of learning, memory, concentration, and creativity in planning and structuring thought on at levels This chapter would provide a comprehensive operating manual for all who want to use their brains to their fullest potential That is called Mind Mapping, so what is it?

Different scholars have different definitions From encyclopedia website, wikipedia.org, a Mind Map is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks or other items linked to and arranged radically around a central key word or idea Mind Maps are used to generate, visualize, structure, and classify ideas and as an aid in study, organization, problem-solving, decision making and writing

This is a simple explanation which does not cover the detail of word Therefore, to understand more about the meaning of this word, we should see the explanation of Mind Mapping‟s Buzan, the memory expert

According to Buzan and Buzan (1996) in “The mind map book”, Mind Mapping is defined that The Mind Map is an expression of Radiant Thinking and is, therefore, a

natural function of the human mind It is a powerful graphic technique which provides a universal key to unlocking the potential of the brain The mind Map can be applied to every aspect of life where improved learning and clearer thinking will enhance human performance

Mind Maps may be enhanced and enriched with color, pictures, codes and dimension to add interest, beauty and individuality These in turn aid creativity, memory and specially the recall of information

Mind Maps help you to make a distinction between your mental storage capacity, which your Mind Map will help you demonstrate, and your mental storage efficiency, which your Mind Map will help you achieve Storing data efficiently multiplies your capacity It is like the difference between a well-packed or badly warehouse, or a library with or without an ordering system

Image1.1:Example of mind map

1.2.2 Characteristics of Mind Mapping

According to Buzan and Buzan(1996) in “The mind map book”, the Mind Map has four essential characteristics:

 The subject of attention is crystallized in a central image

 The central themes of the subjects radiate from the central image as branches

 Branches comprise a key image or key word printed on an associated line Topics of lesser importance are also represented as branches attached to higher level branches

 The branches form a connected nodal structure

1.2.3.The birth of Mind Mapping

Mind maps (or similar concepts) have been used for centuries in learning, brainstorming, memory, visual thinking, and problem solving by educators, engineers, psychologists, and others Some of the earliest examples of mind maps were developed by Porphyry of Tyros, a noted thinker of the 3rd century, as he graphically visualized the concept categories of Aristotle Philosopher Lull (1235 - 1315) also used mind maps

The semantic network was developed in the late 1950s as a theory to understand human learning and developed into mind maps by Collins and Ross Quillian during the early 1960s Due to his commitment and published research, and his work with learning, creativity, and graphical thinking, Collins can be considered the father of the modern mind map

British popular psychology author Buzan claims to have invented modern mind mapping How did Buzan invent Mind Mapping?

In Buzan‟s second year at university, he strode purposefully into library, and asked the librarian where he could find a book on his brain and how to use it She immediately directed him to the medical section of the library He left the library in astonishment

When he explained that he did not wish to operate on his brain, but to use it, he was politely informed that there were no such books

As he walked away from the library that day, he realized that the „problem‟ of not being able to find the books he needs was actually a blessing in disguise For if such books were not available, and then he had happened upon virgin territory of the most staggering importance

He began to study area of knowledge he felt would help shed light on the basic questions:

 How does he learn how to learn?  What is the nature of his thinking?

 What are the best techniques of memorizing?  What are the best techniques for creative thinking?  What are the best current techniques for reading?

 What are the best current techniques for thinking in general?

 Is there a possibility of developing new thinking techniques or one master technique?

As a consequence of these questions, he began to study psychology, the neuro-physiology of the brain, semantics, neuro-linguistics, information theory, memory and mnemonic techniques, perception, creative thinking and the general sciences Gradually he realized that the human brain functioned more effectively if its various physical aspects and intellectual skills were allowed to work harmoniously with each other, rather than being divided

The tiniest things produced the most significant and satisfying results For example, simply combining the two cortical skills of words and colours trans-improved his note-taking The simple addition of two colours to his notes trans-improved his memory of those notes by more than 100 per cent, and perhaps even more importantly, made him begin to enjoy what he was doing

By the early 1970s artificial intelligence had arrived and he could buy a megabyte computer and with that computer he could receive a 1,000-page operating manual Yet, in our supposedly advanced stage of civilization, human was all coming into the world with the most astoundingly complex bio-computer, quadrillions of times more powerful than any known computer, and where were our operating manuals?

It was then that he decided to write a series of books based on his research: An Encyclopedia of the Brain and Its Use He started in 1971, and as he did so the image on the horizon became ever clearer – it was the growing concept of Radiant Thinking and Mind Mapping

In the early stages of its development, he envisaged Mind Mapping being used primarily for memory However, over months of debate, his brother Barry convinced him that creative thinking was equally important of this technique

Barry has been working on the theory of Mind Mapping from a very different perspective, and his contribution enormously accelerated Buzan‟s development of the Mind Mapping Process

Mind mapping was first introduced all over the world in spring, 1974 Nowadays, more and more people use Radiant thinking and Mind Mapping

1.3 How to Create Mind Mapping 1.3.1 Steps to Create Mind Mapping

There are many ways to create Mind Mapping The steps below are based on Buzan‟s structure

 Step one: the subject of attention

The subject of attention is central to the Mind Map Use an all-encompassing term, area of work or concept rather than one that is too narrow or specific It is best to use some kind of picture to help do recall of information

For example:

Surrounding the subject of attention are the basic ordering ideas (main braches) They are the key concepts or terms within which a host of other concepts can be organized

Do not use phrases: use single descriptive words (where possible)

The basic ordering ideas should extend far enough from your central image to avoid over-crowding the page and confusing information Ideally, picture should be used to represent themes and concepts It helps if the braches are different colours or

For example:

The branches are categories within the basic ordering ideas They will contain subordinate sub-categories.They should be coloured You may find it helpful to use different shades of the colour used for the main branches

Continue to label in bold, colourful lettering

Continue using simple images to represent concepts and to make sense of your

1.3.2 The Three A‟s of Mind Mapping

In many ancient Eastern cultures, master teacher traditionally gave new students only three basic instructions: “obey”, “cooperate”, and “diverge” Each of these instructions characterized a specific learning stage

The Mind Mapping equivalents of these three instructions are the three „A‟s: „ACCEPT‟, „APPLY‟, „ADAPT‟

 Accept: means that, in the first stage, you should set aside any pre-conceptions you may have about your mental limitations, and follow the Mind Mapping laws

exactly, imitating the models given as precisely as you can

 Apply: is the second stage, when you have completed the basic training At this point, you create a minimum of 100 Mind Maps to develop your personal Mind Mapping style Mind maps should be used for all aspects of your taking and

note-making until you feel them to be an entirely natural way of organizing your thoughts

 Adapt: refers to the ongoing development of your Mind Mapping skills Having practiced several hundred Mind Maps, this is the time to experiment and

develop your Mind Mapping style further

1.3.3 Mind Maps Laws

The Mind Mapping laws are intended to increase, rather than restrict, your mental freedom It is important not to confuse order with rigidity or freedom The Mind Map laws will help you do exactly this They are divided into 2 groups: the laws of technique and the laws of layout

1.3.3.1 The Laws of Technique Use emphasis

Emphasis is one of the major in improving and creating The laws below are able to help you to achieve maximum and appropriate emphasis in your Mind Mapping

 Always use the central images: An image is attractive on many levels It attracts you, it pleases you and it draws your attention to itself

 Use images throughout your Mind Mapping: Using images whenever possible helps you to improve your visual perception

 Use three or more colours per central image: Colours stimulate memory and creativity They add life to your images and make it more attractive

 Use dimensions in both images and words: Dimension makes things “stand out”, and whatever stands out is more easily remembered and communicated

 Use physical senses: Physical senses add elements of sight, touch, hearing, smell, taste, movement

Use variations of size of printing, line and image: Variation in size is the best way of indicating the relative importance of items hierarchy Expanded size adds emphasis, thereby increasing the probability of recall

 Use organized spacing: Organized spacing increases the clarity of the image  Use appropriate spacing: Leaving the right amount of space around each item gives your Mind Mapping order and structure

Use association

Association is the other major factor in improving memory and creativity Having established your central image and your Basic Ordering Ideas, the power of association can take your brain into the depths of any subject

 Use arrows when you want to make connections within and across the branch pattern: Arrows guide your eyes to connect one part of a Mind Map with another They

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can be straight, curved, single or many- headed They also give spatial direction to your thoughts

 Use colours: Choosing specific colours for coding purposes or for specific areas of your Mind Map will give you faster access to the information, will improve your memory of the information and will increase the number and range of your creative ideas

 Use codes: Colour codes and symbols can be used to help the brain access information more quickly and clearly, by making connections between various parts of the map Codes could include circles, dots, crosses, underlinings or triangles

Be clear

Obscurity of phrase or writing will hinder the associative process

 Use only one key word per line: Each individual word has thousands of possible associations Placing one per line gives you associational freedom, like giving a limb extra joints Important phrases are not lost

 Print all words: This encourages brevity, and because their shape is more defined, it allows better association

 Print key words on lines: The line gives structure and organization

 Make line length equal to word length: This laws makes it easier to place words near each other, this facilitating association In addition, the space saved enables you to include more information in your Mind Map

 Make major branches (basic ordering ideas) connect to the central concept/image: This encourages the brain to connect your thoughts Thicker line signal relative importance

 Make boundaries around each branch line: This can assist the memory of those associated ideas These shapes can themselves become pictures, and have mnemonic qualities

 Place paper horizontally in front of you: Landscape is rather than portrait It is easier to read and give more freedom to draw Use upright printing so it is easy to read

 Make your image as clear as possible: This encourages clarity of thought

1.3.3.2 The Technique of Layout

This technique is based on Buzan‟s attitude(1970):

 Use hierarchy: Use the hierarchy and categorization in the form of Basic

Ordering Idea enormously enhances the power of your brain

 Use numerical order: If your Mind Map is the basis for a specific task, such as a speech, an essay or an examination answer, you will want to communicate your

thoughts in a specific order, whether chronological or in order of importance

To do this, you can simply number the branches in the desired order, even allotting the appropriate time or emphasis to each branch if necessary Letters of alphabet can be used rather than numbers if you prefer Another way, the use of order will result in more logical, thought

1.4 The Application of Mind Mapping in reading comprehension 1.4.1 The Application of Mind Mapping in teaching foreign language

Teaching is arguably one of the most important professions in our society because teachers are responsible for that most treasured of all resources Using Mind Mapping in the lesson is very useful The teacher can use Mind Maps in a number of practical ways to make teaching and learning easier and more enjoyable

The teacher can apply Mind Mapping in his (or her) teaching through many ways

 Preparing lecture notes

The most useful way to use Mind Maps is as lecture notes Preparing a lecture in Mind Map form is much faster than writing it out and has the big advantage of allowing the lecturer and the student to keep an overview of the whole subject at all times A Mind Mapped lecture is easy to update from year to year without becoming messy and its mnemonic qualities mean that a brief overview before the lecture quickly brings the topic right back into focus Because the lecture‟s own knowledge will evolve the same Mind Map will trigger quite different lectures if used from year to year This avoids the tedium of stale lecture notes without requiring any extra work It makes lecturing more fun and more interesting for both the lecture and the students

If Mind Mapping is used as framework for lecturing, it enables the speaker to hold a perfect balance between a spontaneously spoken and fresh talk, on the one

hand, and a clear and well-structured presentation on the other It allows accurate time-keeping during the lecture or if the allowed time changes for some reason, it allows the speaker edit to adjust the talk to a greater or lesser length as required This editing function can also be very useful if some new information becomes available just before the lecture

 Yearly planning

The Mind Map can be used to give the teacher an overview of the whole year‟s study programme, showing the term divisions and the type of lessons to be year‟s study programme, showing the term divisions and the type of lessons to be given

For example 1: This Mind Map is a plan for an English lesson in 2007 Used by the teacher, it organizes the order of events for the lesson, lists the equipment required and highlights the objectives of the lesson The class "Argumentative Debate" brainstorm results are below

Example 1 (Source: http://www.novamind.com)

For example 2: This Mind Map is a language lesson for a group of non-native

English-speakers by the teacher, Charles La Fond

Example 2 (Source: http://www.mindmapbook.com)

1.4.2 The Application of Mind Mapping in teaching reading comprehension

Casco (2009) states that MM was first applied to foreign language teaching in the 1990s as an aid to activate prior knowledge on a certain topic and help learners to organize and recall items of vocabulary When being used to activate prior knowledge, the teacher asks learners what they know about a certain topic and the learners brainstorm associations which the teacher writes on the board creating a collective map When being used for vocabulary acquisition, teachers first ask learners to brainstorm items of vocabulary associated with a certain topic and then learners are asked to create their own maps instead of the more traditional approach of creating glossaries with new vocabulary

A Mind Map consists of picture, symbol, color that will not only help the students to understand the meanings of vocabulary but also makes the student feel enjoyable, attract their brain to memorize vocabulary for a long time

The examples below will describe how MM can help students learn vocabulary (See example 3)

By using Mind Mapping in the example 3, students not only learn the meaning of the word “health” but also know different new vocabulary related to the topic “health” In fact, it usually takes a lot of effort to remember words and sentences; whereas when we visualize them, they automatically pop up in our mind when we try to remember them Of course, it is possible to learn by hearing or remembering but it is much easier to lean when we visualize and associate because these techniques suit the way our mind works

Example 3 (Source: http://www.mindmapart.com)

1.4.3 The Application of Mind Mapping in Self-Analysis

After graduating, whether you are thinking what kind of jobs you are suitable for you or you are trying to work out your long-term priorities Mind Maps can be an enormous help in clarifying your thoughts and feelings

Because a Mind Map will help you to give a comprehensive reflection of the self, having seen this clear image of yourself, you are less likely to suffer the unhappy consequences of making decisions that go against your nature and your real needs There are 4 major steps:

 Prepare of your environment: before you begin, you need prepare your environment Your environment should be attractive, comfortable and mentally stimulating as possible

 Quick-fire Mind Map burst: draw a central image (you can use colour ) Then do a quick-fire Mind Map burst, allowing a full and free flow of facts, thoughts and emotions Working at speed will make it easier to express all your ideas, whereas attempting to be too neat and careful is likely to inhibit the spontaneous truthfulness needed for such exercise

 Reconstructions and revision: Now select your major branches or Basic Ordering Ideas (BOIs) Useful BOIs can be your history, strong sides, weak sides, hobbies, long-term goals, experience, health, ambitious, knowledge … After that, you should create a larger, more artistic and more considered version This final Mind Map is the mirror reflecting yourself

 Decision-making: Looking at your final Mind Map, you can make decisions and plan your future actions

For example 4: Map out your life purpose, and how the different parts of your

life relate to each other Map out the different areas like hobbies, like, friends… For

each area, identify what you would like to be, do and have

Example 4 (Source: http://www.mindmapart.com)

1.5 The previous researches on the effects of using Mind map on reading skills

There are several research related to this present study The first previous studies was achieved by Wirda, Hanafie Sulaiman and Wahyudin (2014) entitled “using mind mapping technique to improve reading comprehension of the second year students” The study aimed at finding out that using mind map technique can improve reading comprehension This studies applied pre-experimental research design for the second year of XII B grade students This study used observation which analyzed descriptively and the test which analyzed statistically The result of the study showed that there was a significant differences between the students‟ pre-test and post-test It can be concluded that there was an improvement on the students‟ reading comprehension which used mind map technique And It can be said that mind is an effective technique

The second previous study was done by Riska Dwi Cahyani, Abdul Asib and Dahlan Rais (2015) entaitled “Improving students‟ reading comprehension through Mind Mapping” This study was to know whether or not and to what extent that the use of mind map can improve the students‟ reading comprehension in SMPN 3 Colomadu In addition, this study also identify the class situation when the teacher

used mind in the learning process The participant of this study were the seven grade students of SMPN 3 Colomadu The researcher used observation, interview, field note and test as the instrument This study used mix method which analyzed the result using qualitative and quantitative study The result showed that the mean score of the students‟ post-test was higher than the students‟ pre-test This study also had the result that mind map not only improve the students‟ reading comprehension but also the class situation

The third previous study by Rissa San Rizqiya (2013) entitled “The use of Mind Mapping in teaching reading comprehension” The purpose of this research is to examine the implementation of mind map for first grade students‟ of Bandung senior high school This study used students‟ mind map, observation, and questionnaire to analyze the data From the data, the result showed that there was an improvement between the first meeting and the second meeting Mind map can help the students‟ know their background knowledge on their reading Although the students‟ of Bandung senior high school were unfamiliar with mind map technique, but they were really enjoy in the learning process It can be said that mind map can be an alternative technique in teaching reading to improve the students‟ reading comprehension

The fourth previous study by Melli Kusmaningrum (2016) entitled “Using Mind-Mapping to improve reading comprehension and writing achievements of the 4th semester students of STAIN Curup” This research was aimed to discover whether or not there has been a great development after they have been taught by using mind map and those who have not been This study also aimed to understand the students‟ feedback about the use of mind map in learning reading and writing A quasi experimental method was carried out in this study There have been 40 fourth semester students of English Education Study Program of STAIN Curup using a purposive sampling technique The data have been gathered by using a reading comprehension test, a writing test, and a questionnaire The result showed that there was an improvement on the students‟ reading comprehension and writing achievements It can be seen between the students who were taught by using mind map in the learning process and the students‟ who were not taught by using mind map in the learning process The students also showed the positive feedback when the teacher used mind map

The five previous by Nguyen Thi Thanh Ngoc (2017) entiled “Applying mind – map techniques to teach reading comprehension to the twelveth grade students at Quang Xuong 1 high school” The aim of the study was to examine if using mind-map help to increase students‟ interest in reading comprehension skill It also aimed at identifying students‟ perception about mind-map and using mind-map in reading comprehension.The participants of the study is twelveth grade students at Quang Xuong The data have been gathered by using tests, and a questionnaires The result showed that there was an improvement on the students‟ vocabulary,background knowledge, pronunciation and learning reading skill

1.6 Summary

In this chapter, I have supplied an overview of MM as a teaching model At the first stage, an overview of MM was presented with its definitions, and its birth Next are the steps to create a MM Lastly, the application of Mind Mapping in teaching foreign language, the application of Mind Mapping in teaching English vocabulary and the application of Mind Mapping in self-analysis is presented with some clear examples

CHAPTER 2: THE STUDY

2.1 The current situation of teaching and learning Reading Comprehension I 2.1.1 The context

The study was conducted in the Faculty of Foreign Languages (FFL) at Hong Duc University - Thanh Hoa province This is one of 12 faculties at Hong Duc university which is the largest local university in Thanh Hoa province and was set up on 24th September 1997

FFL is an outstanding faculty with high qualified lecturers There are over 30 lecturers in total Overall, the faculty lecturers are highly educated Most of the lecturers possess Master‟s degrees The faculty also has 2 lectures owning doctorate degrees and 2 lectures taking part in intensive training in Australia Dean of Faculty is Ms Nguyen Thi Quyet (Doctor of English) Vice Dean of Faculty is Mr Nguyen Thanh Minh (Doctor of English)

FFL is divided into 3 divisions: Division of English skills Development; Division of linguistics-culture and English teaching methodology and Division of foreign languages for non-major students

In terms of the training programs for English major students, the department trains 2 majors: English Language Teacher Education and English Language

The total number of current students of the faculty is nearly 1200, with the following forms of training: University of English Pedagogy (formal system, joint work and study), University of English Language (formal system, connected system) work and study) In the 1st semester of the academic year 2021-2022, first-year language major students are taught the Reading-Writing Module I The course consists of 12 main contents arranged by topic from the readings in the book Achievers A2, Active Skills for Reading/INTRO and Effective Academic Writing 1 curriculum

Benchmarks of the foreign language department this year show that the entrance level of students is higher than in recent years with the score of 24.2 for English pedagogy 16.7 for English language major

2.1.2 The course objectives

At the end of the course, learners are provided with a vocabulary system that surrounds the topic of the lesson content such as: food, health, fashion, culture, sports, tourism, commerce Besides, In this section, learners are equipped with reading skills

including: previewing/surveying (surveying reading passages before reading), skimming (reading quickly to find the main idea of the passage, scanning to find detailed information) details), guessing the meaning of new words in context….and practice these skills in the process of reading and understanding the content of the passage

1.1 Learners have vocabulary at A2 level Reach level 2/6 according to 6 levels of foreign language competency framework of VN

1.2 Learners master grammatical structures: word types and usage, simple sentences, complex sentences,compound sentences, tenses and forms of verbs, rules for capitalization, abbreviations and simple conjunctions

Reaching level 2/6 according to 6 levels foreign language competency framework of VN

1.3 Learners know basic reading comprehension strategies

Reaching level 2/6 according to 6 levels foreign language competency framework VN

1.4 Learners know how to write informal postcards, blogs, notes and letters and become familiar with formal letters

Reaching level 2/6 according 6 levels foreign language competency framework of VN

1.5 Learners know how to write a complete short paragraph of descriptive text

Reaching level 2/6 according to foreign language competency framework 6 levels of VN

2.1 Learners can use vocabulary, grammar, and reading

Reach level 2/6 according to 6 levels foreign language competency

comprehension strategies to understand readings at level A2

framework of VN

2.2 Learners can use logical thinking and logical language in the article to convey information and convince readers

Reaching level 2/6 according to 6 levels foreign language competency framework of VN

2.3 Learners have self-study and self-study skills to continue to improve their reading comprehension and writing skills

Reaching level 2/6 according to 6 levels foreign language competency

3.2 Actively and actively participate in the learning activities of the module

4.1 Ability to effectively use resources of knowledge, skills, and attitudes to read and understand simple factual texts, messages, postcards, signs, notices, notes, blogs, diaries, letters intimacy and short paragraphs

Reaching level 2/6 according to 6 levels foreign language competency framework of VN

4.2 Ability to be creative in the process of learning the

Reading-Writing module

4.3 Have the ability to self-study, accumulate knowledge and experience to improve reading and writing skills

2.1.3 The material description

The course includes 12 main contents arranged by topic from the reading text in the Achievers A2, Active Skills for Reading/INTRO and Effective Academic Writing 1 curriculum

2.2 Methods of the study

2.2.1 Piloting the application of mind mapping strategies in Reading Comprehension I

Table 2.1: Topics and contents of reading comprehension texts of the Achievers A2

Unit1 Lesson 1 Meet the Smiths (an average British family) Unit2 Lesson 2 Urban magic

Unit3 Lesson 3 Extreme restaurants Unit4 Lesson 4 The land of ice and fire Unit5 Lesson 5 The secret of the solar system Unit6 Lesson 6 Crime doesn‟t pay

Unit7 Lesson 7 The secret of the stars Unit8 Lesson 8 Teen work

Unit9 Lesson 9 Oxford this weekend

+) The process of building Mind maps according to each topic of the Achievers A2 curriculum

• General Procedure

The construction of mind maps according to each topic of the "Achievers A2" textbook is done through the following steps:

Table 2.2 General process of building mind maps according to each topic of the "Achievers A2" textbook

- Determine the topic and content of the lesson for each week

- Build Mind maps on the Ayoa App

3 End of project - Consult instructors and teaching staff to choose the experimental time

- Guide students to participate in the course

From the general procedure in Table 2.2 The following is the specific process of 1 topic

Table 2.3:Process of building mind map of Unit 1:Meet the Smiths

- Determine the topic and content of the lesson

- Identify the required information

-Tasks to do: Read the documentation on how to build mind maps

- Lesson content: Unit 1: Meet the Smiths