Chapter Three

Data Collection and Analysis

3.1 Introduction

In order to answer the research questions stated in the first chapter, this
study was conducted over six intensive classes during the Winter semester
in the academic year 2o17-2018. The subjects attended a two-hour class
twice a week. In this chapter, the researcher introduces the background of
the participants in this study, as well as the tools of data collection and
analysis.

3.2 Selection of Participants

The target population in this study were 40 second semester students who
were chosen randomly from the English Department in the Faculty of Arts
in the University of Benghazi. Second semester students are considered as
freshers and the researcher thought that students at this level would be in
need to improve their command of English vocabulary. Luckily, the
participants were at the same age and have the same cultural background
since they are all Libyan and live in Benghazi city. In addition, the
experimental group consisted of sixteen female students and four male
students, whereas the controlled group consisted of five male students and
fifteen female students as girls make the majority of students at English
Department. Since students have different levels of English proficiency, it
was important to rely on random selection to first, give a chance for all to
join the graded reading course and secondly, the researcher would be able to
have more valid and reliable results which can generalized on a bigger
population.

3.3 Tools of Data Collection

In order to answer the questions of the stated problem in this thesis, there
was a need to utilize some research methods.Generally speaking, there are
two commonly used approaches in Applied Linguistics :quantiative and
qualitative. Quantitative Research is usually used to quantify the problem by way of
generating numerical data as this research mainly attempts to compare the results of both the
pre-test and the post-test ;i.e the score, figures and finally generate statistics after
conducting the post-test.On the other hand, Qualitative Research is also used to uncover
trends in thought and opinions, and dive deeper into the problem. Qualitative data collection
methods vary using unstructured or semi-structured techniques. Some common methods
include focus groups (group discussions), individual interviews, and
participation/observations. The sample size is typically small, and respondents are selected
Based on the nature and the purpose of this study, the
to fulfil a given quota.
researcher used integration of both methods .This involves using
combination of quantitative and qualitative procedures .In order to collect the
data needed a pre-test, a post-test and a questionnaire were used. The pre-
test constitutes the first phase of data collection which was conducted before
the researcher started teaching. Students were divided into an experimental
and a controlled group after the pre-test. The post-test and the questionnaire
(second phase of data collection) were conducted after the lessons were
completed . The questionnaire was another important research tool to
confirm the study hypothesis.

3.3.1 Pre-test

The pre-test , see appendix A, helped the researcher find out about
existing level among the target audience. It also made students become
aware of what is expected in the reading program. The same pre-test was
given to both groups to measure their command of English language and
vocabulary in general. The test included 40 question items with 4 main
questions. The first question contained 11 multiple choices .The student has
to choose one correct answer( word ) to complete each sentence. The second
question asks students to match 14 occupations with their correct definitions.
The third question contained 8 common phrasal verbs and the student has
must choose one single phrasal verb to make correct meaningful
sentence.The last question was matching 7 words with their opposites.
3.3.2 Lesson Plans
3.3.2.1 Introduction

After conducting the pre-test.which helped the researcher know more about
the level of the students in terms of their command of English vocabulary ,
Only twenty students were chosen as the experimental group to attend the
classes of graded reading ;while the controlled group 20 students attended
the regular classes of Reading Comprehension B.Those subjects from the
controlled group were taught by another teacher who used the teaching
method adopted at the English Department. To teach effective and suitable
lessons, the researcher had to bear in mind the level and the needs of
students. The researcher also had to carefully prepare each lesson plan and
select from different resources the activities which suit the student s' needs
and level.The most important factor was choosing materials and activities
that make students become engaged in the whole graded –reading based
classes.
In fact, the researcher spent a great deal of time in designing the lesson plans
for the six-class course.

3.3.2.2 Criteria for Selecting Materials

It may sound easy for many, but choosing the right teaching materials for
language students is a daunting and time-consuming task. Because the
purpose of this study is so much concerned with vocabulary learning and
teaching , the researcher had to design reading activities which give much
attention to vocabulary. Some of the selection criteria includes the following;

1. Level of the students.

2. Age of the students.
3. Cultural differences.
4. Time of the class.
5.Aim of each lesson
 However there is another important element which can be added to the list
above. Day ( 2000) says "freedom of choice means that learners can select
texts as they do in their own language, that is, they can choose texts they expect
to understand, to enjoy or to learn from. Correlative to this principle, learners
are also free, indeed encouraged, to stop reading anything they find to be too
difficult, or that turns out not to be of interest."

3.3.2.3 Lesson Plans

All the reading activities were designed by the reasercher.The graded readers
were taken from http://english-e-books.net/intermediate/.

Lesson one

The researcher made a brief introduction on the reading course and

explained to students the importance of the activities. He also had an open
discussion on the topic and discover if students do any type of reading on
their own.

Cinderella Man
by Cliff Hollingsworth

Chapter 1 " A lucky Man "

Aim
Learn new vocabulary from context

Time
2 hours

Preparation
Students work in pairs to discuss the pre-reading questions on the story for
five to ten minutes. Then, the whole group with the researcher exchange their
answers. Next, they read the introduction of the story in the first chapter and
see if they encounter any unknown vocabulary.After that, they do during
reading activities.
Pre-reading activity
Discuss the following questions

Have you read the story or watched the movie of Cinderella Man ?
Can you name any famous boxers in the world ?
What kind of story is it ?
What makes Cinderella Man interesting ?

What makes a boxer successful ?

Intelligent , fit , patient , quick .Any more ideas ?

While Reading Activity

Students start reading the first chapter own their own .Students are not
allowed to use dictionaries .The aim is to make them read for pleasure.

1. They can underline any unknown words or expressions they

encounter.

2.Ask students to try to guess meanings of unknown words from context.

3. After finishing reading the first chapter , students can help each other
in pairs to discuss unknown vocabulary using context .

Post Reading Activity

1. Based on the story , students are given a list of words with only one
correct answer each. Students choose the correct words with the closest
meanings .

2.Before doing the task, the students now listen to the story ,and
read.This is to allow for more repeated encounters of words in context
and students have different experience of graded reading both reading
and listening to the given story.

Answer the following questions.Look at the highlighted words in chapter

1 again.
1.The word " supporters " in line 4 is closest in meaning to
a.the rich b.fans c.family members
 2." Murder " in line 6 means
a. to lose a fight b. to kill c.to become a winner

3."Opponent " in line 16. is someone who you usually

a. agree with b. disagree with c. a close friend

4."Crowd " in line 22 means

a. a group of boxers b. a large number of people c. a small group of
group

5." a stone's throw" in line 40 means

a. a short distance b. made of stone c. a long distance

6."stretch " in line 88 means

a. pass quickly b. pass slowly c.make your body relax

7." amateur " in line 122 is closest in meaning to

a. professional b. big c. non-professional

8." charge " in 133 means

a.ask someone to pay for service b.provide electricity for a machine
c. accuse someone of being guilty in court .

9."pretend " in line 201 means

a. to look bigger b. to grow up c. to act as someone

Lesson Two Cinderella Man

by Cliff Hollingsworth

Chapter 2 : Hard Times

Chapter 3 : An Embarrassment

Aim : Students continue reading and listening extensively to the story.

Learn unfamiliar words from context and consolidate the vocabulary they
learnt from previous encounters in the first lesson.

Pre –reading activity

Instruction : The teacher discusses with the students the following
What do you think will happen next ?
Do you think Braddock will win all fights ?
Will he stop fighting and look for another job ?

Picture dictation
Aim : Make students get ready for the reading and have an idea about the
setting and the scene of the chapter.Students listen to the first extract of
chapter 2 and draw a picture of the scene.
Then, when finished they can compare their drawings with the written text.
They do this in pairs .

While –Reading activity

1.Students now start reading chapters 2 and 3 on their own .

2.They underline any unfamiliar words .

Post –Reading Activity

Students choose the words with the closest meanings.

1." Reminded " in line 19 means

a. made him remember b. made him forget c. made him asleep

2."whispered " in line 23 means

a. cried again b. told a secret c. said something with a very low voice

3."surrounded " in line 28 means

a.to be all round b. be next c. be in front of

4."kept their money for a rainy day "in 34 means

a. save money for a time you need b.keep money from rain c.work at a
rainy day

5. " lifted his eyes " in line 121 means

a. looked down b. looked up c.closed his eyes

6." apologize " in 148 means

a.to say thanks b. to say sorry c.to say good bye

7." nodded " in line 150 means

a. shook his hands b.moved his head c.moved his feet

Lesson Three

Chapter four : New Life

Chapter five :Broken Promises

Aim : review the vocabulary from lessons 1 and 2 .

Warm-up and review activity

The researcher writes the board some of the key words and phrases
students had in the previous lessons.They need to create meaningful
sentences using those words and phrases.

1. Remind 2.nod

3. keep money for a rainy day 4.aplogize 5.surrounded

6.opponent 7.a stone's throw

The teacher writes some of the students' answers on the board

1.This building reminds me of our old house.

2.The school is just a stone's throw from my flat.
3.He nodded when he heard his name.

Pre-reading
1.Look at the title of chapter 4.What do you think is going to happen in this
chapter ? Is Jim going to have a new life ?

While –Reading
1.Before starting reading, students are divided into groups, A and B. Each
group reads a different chapter
2. Students look at the highlighted words in each chapter.
3. They underline any other key or unknown words.
4. Then ,in pairs they help each other in finding out the meanings of those
words.

Post –Reading Activity

1.Students use the highlighted words to make new sentences of their own.

The teacher writes some of the students answers on board

Familiar
This story looks familiar to me. I have read it before.
Have you seen that man before ? No, he does not look familiar.

Suddenly
We were sleeping .Suddenly ,the window opened.

Students share their examples and try to make more sentences.

Lesson Four

The Invisible Man

by H.G Wells
Time : 2 hours
Aim : Students start reading and listening to a different reader and deal with
unfamiliar vocabulary in context. They guess the meanings of new
vocabulary in context and by find opposites.

Pre-reading activity

Discuss the following questions.

1.Look at the cover of the reader and guess what it is all about ?
2.Have you read it before ?
3.Have you watched a film called " The Invisible Man " ? Is it based on a
true story ?
4.What kind of story is it ? Horror ? Tragic ? Comedy ?
5.Do you know the author " G.Wells " ?

While –reading activity

Silently ,students start reading the first two chapters . They underline any
unknown words while reading.
When finishing reading ,the whole class with the teacher discuss the
meanings of some of the unfamiliar words in context.

The teacher picks some the words and asks what they mean.

On the board
1.a good fortune in line 10 = good luck

Post –reading activity

Q. Look again at chapters 1 and 2 and find the opposites of these words.

1.Welcome unwelcome 3.noisily quietly 5.courage weakness

7.lighter darker
2.firmly softly 4.terrible nice 6.respectfully disrespectfully
8.stupidly cleverly

Students in pairs are asked to find more opposites.

Lesson Five

Aim : to encourage extensive reading through listening to short extracts of

graded readers and learn vocabulary through matching illustrations and audio
extracts .
Warm up / pre-reading
1.Students are given illustrations of chapter 3 and 4.They try to describe the
events and predict what is going to happen .

-Elicit as many as related words as possible.

While-listening A. ( Find the picture )

Students listen to the first extract and match with the accompanying
illustrations. Students in pairs can compare and share answers.
Students continue for the rest of chapter 3.

While-listening B.( Match the words )

Students are given a table of words .

They read the words carefully. Then, they listen to the first two extracts and
tick the words they hear.

Frightened happy car keys useful

harmlessly silly excited wonderful
knocked stole angry abnormal
guest accident coat grandchild
collar fairs Footsteps

Post –reading

1.Students are asked to write at least eight to twelve words they have learnt.
2.Then, they are asked to write definitions / examples of those words.
3.Students then compare their answers in groups.

3.3.3 Post –test

In order to find out how much the six –classes contributed to vocabulary
learning among the target population, a post –test was conducted. Both the
pre-test and post-test were similar , in terms of the type and number of
questions .The first question asks to choose one correct word for each of the
18 sentences .The second asks students to read a short text , then they had to
match words from the text with their correct definitions. The final question
tests the matching of 8 adjectives with the correct opposites. The students in
both the experimental and the control groups did the post-test, except one
student from the control group was absent.
The researcher conducted the same procedures for the post-test. Also, it was
an important step to provide statistical data to see how much progress that
has been made by both group and compare the differences between both
groups in terms of performance , level and the overall effect of using graded
readers on vocabulary acquisition.

3.3.4
Questionnaire
It a well-known fact among educators that motivation is crucial for any
learning process to succeed , a questionnaire was utilized to investigate the
opinions and attitude of the experimental group on the effects of reading
graded readers with the reading and listening activities they had during the
six-class experiment.

Based on those activities , the researcher designed his own questionnaire See
(Appendix C ) which consisted of nine items. The students had to choose
given alternatives which reflect their opinions: strongly disagree, disagree,
undecided , agree, strongly agree. Below is a brief description for every
single item in the questionnaire and what is used to reflect.
Item1 attempts to find out if the students enjoyed the graded readers.
Item 2: seeks to investigate if students felt that using graded readers makes
learning vocabulary easier .
Item 3 indicates to what extent students began to acquire more words and
expressions after starting graded reading classes.
Item 4 aims to find if students wish to see their teachers use graded readers
in class
Item 5 asks if students have experienced improvement in other language
skills
Item 6 determines whether students relied much on the context of graded
readers or had to use the dictionary while reading.
Item 7 seeks to investigate if the level of graded readers was proper for them.
 Item 8 shows if the participant students would encourage other students to
use graded readers
Item 9 investigates if the students are willing to start reading on their own.
4.0 Data Analysis
4.1. Pre-test interpretation

In the pre-test , all the forty students were asked to do a vocabulary test
consisting of forty question items.The aim of this test was to attain a clear
perception of students’ general command of English vocabulary. The results
of the pre-test are in the table below Table (1) pre-test results

Pre-test Pre-test
Student Total mark out percentage Student Total mark percentage
number of 40 number out of 40

1 10 25% 21 8 20%
2 16 40% 22 15 38%
3 9 23% 23 33 83%
4 15 38% 24 18 45%
5 13 33% 25 10 25%
6 20 50% 26 14 35%
7 25 63% 27 8 20%
8 8 20% 28 5 13%
9 14 35% 29 12 30%
10 12 30% 30 8 20%
11 18 45% 31 14 35%
12 30 75% 32 16 40%
13 5 13% 33 15 38%
14 12 30% 34 8 20%
15 29 73% 35 10 25%
16 18 45% 36 7 18%
17 12 30% 37 12 30%
18 17 43% 38 4 10%
19 12 30% 39 17 43%
20 10 25% 40 9 23%
Mean 6.606911688 Mode 12

According to the results above, only four students were able obtain more
than 50%. The highest score was 83% , while other two scored 75% and
73%.The rest ranges from 45% and go down to 10%.Thus, the majority of
the participants seemed to have a very low level.
4.2 Post-test Interpretation

After the experimental group finished the six-class reading course and the researcher was
able to utilize all different types of activities to stimulate better learning of vocabulary, it
was important to administrate a post-test for both groups. The post-test had the same
number of question items ( 40 items).This vocabulary test mainly attempted to examine
the effect the graded reading activities have made in terms of vocabulary learning among
the target population. Numbers from 1 to 20 represent the control group and numbers
from 21 to 40 represent the experimental group as labelled at the top of the two tables
below.
Table (2) post-test results

Control Group
Experimental Group
Pre-test Post-test
Student Student
Total Total
mark mark out
Grade Grade
number number out of 40 of 40

21 1 25 9 63% 23%
22 2 21 14 53% 35%
23 3 40 10 100% 25%
24 4 24 14 60% 35%
25 5 23 15 58% 38%
26 6 28 18 70% 45%
27 7 20 23 50% 58%
28 8 19 9 48% 23%
29 9 23 13 58% 33%
30 10 22 14 55% 35%
31 11 22 20 55% 50%
32 12 30 27 75% 68%
33 13 33 3 83% 8%
34 14 15 9 38% 23%
35 15 21 33 53% 83%
36 16 17 17 43% 43%
37 17 23 9 58% 23%
38 18 22 15 55% 38%
39 19 35 12 88% 30%
40 20 25 0 63% 0%
Mean Mean24.4 14.947
Standev 7.66
standdev 6.125

The charts above clearly show the different scores made all the participants in both
groups. Only three students in the control group managed to achieve above 50%
which is in fact very similar scores they had in the post-test as follows 83% , 68% and
58%. Other students in the same group made relatively low scores ranging from 23%
 to 38 %. In the experimental group the majority were able to score high scores. One
student had 100% while other scores ranged from 50% up to 88% . Only two
students had low scores with 38% and 43% .In the pre-test only one student could
make it with 83%.Seemingly, the experimental group made some clear improvement
in terms of vocabulary learning after they had been engaged in the intensive graded
.reading course

Questionnaire Table (4) 4.3

strongly
disagree strongly
(%) disagree(%) undecided(%) agree(%) agree(%) Total Item 1
I really enjoyed
the graded
5.0% 5.0% 10.0% 40.0% 40.0% 20 reading classes

The table shows that the majority of the participants enjoyed the graded reading
activities .Their responses clearly lie between strongly agree with 40.0% and agree
.with 40.0%, too .Only 10% remained undecided
Very few seem to have different opinions.5.0% disagree and another 5.0% totally
.disagree

Table (4)
strongly strongly
disagree(%) disagree(%) undecided(%) agree(%) agree(%) Total Item 2

Graded readers
made learning
vocabulary
10.1% 13.0% 0% 42.8% 35.1% 20 easy

It seems that most of the students agree with the statement with 35.1% strongly
agree and 42.8% agree. Only 13.0% disagree and the remaining 10.1% strongly
. disagree with the statement

Table (5)

strongly undecided(% strongly

disagree(%) disagree(%) ) agree(%) agree(%) Total Item 3
8.0% 11.0% 15.1% 42.3% 24.1% 20 3. I learnt
many new
words and
expressions
when started
 reading

Appearntly, most students admit the fact that they began to learn vocabulary from
graded reading activities with 24.1% for strongly agree and 42.3% who agree that it
was useful .Those who strongly disagree are only 8.0% and who disagree are
.11.0%.Only 15.1% decided to remain neutral

Table (6)
strongly strongly
disagree(%) disagree(%) undecided(%) agree(%) agree(%) Total Item 4
English
teachers
should use
graded readers
0.0% 10.0% 10.0% 75.0% 5.0% 20 in class

Almost all the participants very much agree with the statement ( 75.0% agree and
5.0% strongly agree .None of the students seem to totally disagree, but only 10.0%
.disagree

Table (7)
strongly undecided(% strongly
disagree(%) disagree(%) ) agree(%) agree(%) Total Item 5
Graded
reading
helped me
revise
vocabulary I
already
5.0% 10.0% 10.0% 50% 25.0% 20 know.

The majority with 50% agree and 25.0% totally agree that they graded reading
helped them review familiar words .10% were neutral .Only 5.0% strongly disagree
. and 10%.0 disagree

Table (8)
strongly strongly
disagree(%) disagree(%) undecided(%) agree(%) agree(%) Total Item 6
. I didn’t need
to use the
dictionary
because I could
guess the
meanings from
10.0% 15.0% 10.0% 60.0% 5.0% 20 the context.

of the students they did not use the dictionary ,but were able to infer meanings 60%
from context.5.0% totally agree with the statement whereas 15.0% disagree and
10.0% utterly disagree and think they had to look up unknown words . Only 10.0%
. were undecided

Table(9)

strongly undecided(% strongly

disagree(%) disagree(%) ) agree(%) agree(%) Total Item 7
The level of
graded
readers we
used in class
was difficult
35.0% 40.0% 5.0% 10.0% 10.0% 20 for me.

The figures in table (9) show that almost all the students thought that level of the
graded readers was not difficult and were able to read with ease .In numbers , 40.0%
who disagree and 35.0% who totally disagree .Only 10.0% who seem to find the
graded reader used in the class challenging .Another 10.0% share the same thought
.and agree with the statement. Only one student was undecided with 5.0%

Table(10)
strongly undecided(% strongly
disagree(%) disagree(%) ) agree(%) agree(%) Total Item 8
The six-class
course was
enough for
me to
improve my
15.4% 31.6% 18.0% 6.0% 29.6% 19 vocabulary

think that these six intensive classes were enough to stimulate their % 29.6
vocabulary learning . Adding to that the 31.6% who disagree as well.18.0% decided
.to be undecided. 15.4 % strongly disagree and think they were not enough

Table (11)

strongly strongly
disagree(%) disagree(%) undecided(%) agree(%) agree(%) Total Item 9
After the course , I
will start to read
more graded
readers outside the
classroom to
improve my
English
0% 5.6% 11.1% 44.4% 38.9% 18 vocabulary

The majority of students totally agree with the statement ,and apparently they are
planning to start their own graded reading.38.9% strongly agree and 44.4% agree.
.Only 11.1% remained neutral and only 5.6% disagree
Statistical analysis 4.4
The data gathered by the research tools was analyzed statistically
using descriptive statistics .The main software application used to generate the
results was SPSS ( Statistical Package for Social Science ) an in addition to aa
professional website for statistics ( www.graphpad.com)

Statistical Analysis of the pre-test and the post-test of both 4.4.1

groups
The differences of the mean scores between the experimental and the control group in
the pre-test and the post-test
Std. Deviation Mean Number GROUP TEST

6.6639 15.25 20 Controlled Pre-test

6.3351 12.15 20 Experimental

7.0669 14.9473 20 Controlled Post-test

6.1250 24.4 19 Experimental

Table( )presents the different computed means and standard

deviation for both groups. In the pre-test , the controlled group had a
mean of = 15.25 which is relatively close to the mean of the
experimental group =12.15 .Even the scores of the standard deviation
of both groups in the pre-test are almost similar with stdv= 6.6639
for the controlled group and 6.3351 for the experimental group. This
indicates no significant differences among the target population in
terms of the overall command of English vocabulary at the beginning
. of the experiment

At the end of the study , the researcher measured the differences in

students’ achievement between the treatment group and the
controlled group.In the post-test , the controlled group scored
14.9473 for the mean and standard deviation of 7.0669.This proves
no significant difference as the mean in the pre-test is almost the
.same = 15.25
The experimental group’s mean in the pre-test was 12.15 with standard
deviation equals 6.3351 .In the post-test , their mean has greatly increased
with 24.4 and the standard deviation = 6.1250. Statistically , this shows a significant
difference , but in order to investigate further , the researcher deployed
.Independent Sample t test to confirm the hypothesis as shown in the table below

Table ( ) Results of the Independent Sample t test

The experimental The Control df t value
Group Group
Mean Standard Mean Standard
Deviation deviation
37 4.470
24.4 6.1250 14.9473 7.0669 6

Statistically, an independent samples t test revealed that the experimental

group ( Mean =24.4 Standard deviation =6.13) has significantly improved
their vocabulary after finishing the graded reading course ,but the controlled
group with ( Mean =14.95 and standard deviation =7.07 ) did not make any
significant improvement . This P value (t = 4.4706 ,P=0.0011) has provided
support for the study hypothesis and shown that it is statistically significant.