IMPROVING READING COMPREHENSION FOR NON-ENGLISH MAJORS THROUGH MIND-MAPPING TECHNIQUE IN READING LESSONS

Abstract

Reading comprehension plays an essential role for not only language competency mastery but also for knowledge mastery. However, many non-English majors at universities in Vietnam have problems in English reading comprehension. Therefore, the aim of the research is to improve English reading comprehension for non- English majors through the use of mind-mapping technique in reading lessons. The participants of this study were 20 non-English majors at Thai Nguyen University of Education. First of all, an experiment was carried out to examine the impact of mind maps on reading comprehension of non-English majors. The results of the experiment showed that there were statistically significant differences in the scores from pre-test to the post-test. Additionally, classroom observation was conducted to collect data related to students' attitudes toward mind-mapping technique. Finally, questionnaires were administered before and after the experiment to collect learners' difficulties that they have when they read English texts as well as their attitude and opinions about using mind maps in reading lessons before and after the experiment. Based on the findings, the research proposed suggestions that enhance the use of mind maps in English reading lessons.