Seong Results

Ⅳ. RESULTS The purpose of the research is to find out the effective reading activities for improving writing skills and provide good information about reading activities in ESL reading and writing classes for ESL learners. For this research, 40 ESL learners in college answered their opinions about the relations between reading and writing and effective reading activities for improving writing skills based on their experiences in English writing skills learning. 1. The relation between reading and writing

Many ESL learners agreed that writing is more difficult to learn than other skills: strongly agree 7.5% and agree 52.5%. Many ESL learners felt difficulty with limited vocabulary words, unperfected sentence structures and grammar skills in their writing tasks.

What makes writing hard for you? Number

Percent (%)

Grammar

16

40

Coming up with the main idea

4

10

Sentence structure

17

42.5

Limited vocabulary

21

52.5

Format of essay

5

12.5

Written language needs more exact expression than oral language, because writing is only expressed by using with letters. The role of language in writing is more important than that in speaking. When people speak, they can use voice tone, face countenance, and gestures together. But, when people write, they should express their message only using letters. that asks more perfective form in writing such as vocabulary, sentence structures and grammar. Even though they are taking writing courses, it is not easy for ESL learners to learn English languages perfectly and they thought writing is more difficult. For solve this problem, the

researcher thought the helpful ways to improve writing skills. In the relation between reading and writing, most participants agreed that reading and writing are related to each other: strongly agree 27.5 % and agree 57.5%. Thus, they thought that reading was good for improving writing skills: strongly agree 30% and agree 62.5%. Writing skills is absolutely developed by actual writing activities, but it needs more efforts to learn than other skills. If some reading activities provide some helpful ways to improve writing skills, they can make the students learn English writing skills easily and effectively. When the instructors prepared some activities in reading or writing classes, if they consider those activities, it is more helpful to the ESL learners. There are many reading materials around the ESL learners in ordinary life. In the classroom, in the hallway or in the library, they met lots of reading material. As their interesting, they choose different kinds of them.

What kind of reading materials have the ESL learners read? Number

Percent (%)

Story book

18

45

Newspaper

17

42.5

Magazine

14

35

Web site

28

70

Comic book

5

12.5

Subtitle on movie or TV

22

55

The reading materials which the ESL learners were easy to access in daily life were Web site, Subtitle on movie or TV and Story book. That is related to their life style in now. Every day the ESL learner used website for check e-mail, surf some information, or having fun, so they read naturally and unintentionally. When they watched TV or movie, they have a chance

to read dialogues. Both of them were not to focus on reading but to experience reading too. More reading is good Through reading activities, the ESL learners got something for writing.

What do the ESL learners attain from reading for writing skills? Number

Percent (%)

Idea for writing content

23

57.5

Good model writing

25

62.5

Grammar skills for writing

19

47.5

Writing format and style

30

75

The ESL learners attained writing format and style, good model writing, and idea for writing content from reading. When they read, they concentrated on the content and text not the form and structure. The more reading make the more enriched writing. They get more information of the content and format than vocabulary and sentence structure

2. The effective reading activities to improve writing skills

For finding out effective reading activities to improve writing skills, the participants ticked in 4 scales Likert. The researcher gave some points to each scale: giving 4 point to the ‘very helpful’, 3 points to the ‘helpful’, 2 points to the ‘less helpful’, and 1 point to the’ never helpful’. Reading levels

mean

Reading vocabulary words

3.4

Reading sentences

3.1

Reading paragraphs with several sentences

3.

Reading essays with a topic sentence and a couple of paragraphs

3

Reading short stories with a couple of pages

3.1

Reading long stories with a book

2.6

First, in reading level, ESL learners agree that reading vocabulary words, reading sentences and reading short stories with a couple of pages are helpful to improve writing skills. When they read word or a sentence, they could focus on the form more than meaning. Thus they could get some knowledge for writing.

Post-reading activitiy

mean

Reading and finding the main topic

2.9

Reading and learning key words

3.1

Reading and answering the comprehension questions

3

Reading and summarizing the content

3.1

Reading and ordering correctly

2.9

Reading and discussing the topic

2.9

Reading and writing down the whole passage

2.5

Reading and writing book reports

2.7

Second, in post-reading activities, the ESL learners agreed that reading and learning key words, reading and summarizing the content, and reading and answering the comprehension questions were more helpful post-reading activities to improve writing skills. Activity of learning key words is a helpful way to learn new vocabulary and meaning in the context.

Third, in reading genre, the ESL learners agreed that reading magazine or newspaper, reading academic journal and articles, and reading subtitle in movie or in TV were more helpful reading materials to improve writing skills. Reading genre

means

Reading other writers’ model writing

2.8

Reading literature works

2.7

Reading passages in text books

2.8

Reading magazine or newspapers

3.2

Reading subtitle in movie or on TV Reading academic journals or articles

3 3.2