REFERENCE AND INFERENCE IN ENGLISH READING AND IMPLICATIONS IN VIETNAMESE LANGUAGE CLASSROOMS

Abstract

This study employed a quasi-experimental design in which guided strategies and practice exercises were integrated into the curriculum to measure effects of the treatment in improving students’ referring and inferring ability. Besides, a descriptive study based on questionnaire, pre and post - reading tests was designed to complement the experimental study and to investigate the factors causing their difficulties in answering these types of questions in English. Results indicate that students’ insufficient knowledge of the language, their inexperience in answering the questions, their teachers’ neglect of the questions, and the absence of the questions in the course books are the four causes of their struggling. Also, students’ referring and inferring ability can be developed by teacher’s adapting certain reading tasks in the course book.