Development of a reading instructional model using the 4MAT system and music to enhance vocabulary acquisition for English reading comprehension and attitude towards learning of undergraduate students

Abstract

The purposes of this research were 1) to develop the reading instructional model using the 4MAT System and music to enhance vocabulary acquisition for English reading comprehension and attitude towards learning of undergraduate students and 2) to investigate the effectiveness of the reading instructional model using the 4MAT System and music to enhance vocabulary acquisition for English reading comprehension and attitude towards learning of undergraduate students, which was done by comparing vocabulary ability, English reading comprehension, and attitude towards learning of the students instructed through this model with those who learned through conventional instruction. The samples of this research were purposively selected 60 second-year English majors of the Faculty of Liberal Arts, Rangsit University, who had enrolled in the course: Reading I during the second semester of the academic year 2010. They were divided into 30 for control and another 30 for experimental groups equally. Based on the pre-test post-test control group design, the study covered the period of 10 weeks. The data collecting instruments were vocabulary ability test, reading comprehension test, and reading attitude questionnaire. Data were analyzed by the percentage of average score, standard deviation, and t-test. The findings of this research were as follows: 1. The developed instructional model, aiming to enhance vocabulary ability and reading comprehension, and to promote positive attitudes towards reading, consisted of five principles: 1) Learners expand and refine information through adaptive modes by interacting with them, 2) Students need multiple exposures to new inputs in order to understand them, 3) Reflections the students have on their expression and learning must be shared and turned around, 4) Students should actively make connections between the new and the known, 5) The integration of background music maximizes learning and enhances reading attitudes. The model incorporated six instructional steps: 1) Recalling Experience, 2) Imagining, 3) Explicit Modeling, 4) Reading with Music, 5) Parallel Practicing, and 6) Sharing Outcome. 2. The results of the evaluation of the effectiveness of the developed instructional model indicated that: the experimental group had significantly higher vocabulary ability post-test mean scores than the control group at the level of 0.05, 2) the experimental group had significantly higher reading comprehension post-test mean scores than the control group at the level of 0.05, and 3) the experimental group had significantly higher mean scores of attitude towards reading than the control group at the level of 0.05.