The study aims at measuring the hypothesis that the use of literary texts as extra materials in reading lessons can enhance students’ reading ability and increase their English proficiency on the whole. | Tạp chí Khoa học Ngôn ngữ và Văn hóa ISSN 2525-2674 Tập 1, Số 2, 2017 USING LITERARY TEXTS AS SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS TO IMPROVE READING SKILLS FOR THE FIRST-YEAR ENGLISH MAJORS AT MILITARY SCIENCE ACADEMY Duong Thi Thuc, Pham Thi Thuy* Military Science Academy Received: 17/10/2016; Revised: 20/11/2016; Accepted: 21/08/2017 Abstract: The study aims at measuring the hypothesis that the use of literary texts as extra materials in reading lessons can enhance students’ reading ability and increase their English proficiency on the whole. The method used in the study is mainly quantitative research method. In order to seek answers to the hypothesis question, two sets of questionnaire were designed and delivered to 20 teachers and 105 first-year students at Military Science Academy (MSA). The findings of the study have pointed out some areas of ineffectiveness of the textbook in use (Cause and Effect). To better the situation, what we need is to adapt the textbook combining with the use of literary texts as extra materials. From the results of the study, the authors have presented some suggestions on selecting appropriate literary texts, assigning and assessing students’ performance through a model of extensive reading. Key words: literary texts, reading skills, supplementary materials 1. Introduction Along with the other language macro-skills, reading plays an important part in learning a foreign language as it helps students make extensive use of academic materials written in English. A successful language learning process is said to rely on many factors such as teachers, learners, and materials, among which materials are of great importance, as Crawford (2002) claims, learning materials scaffold the work of both teachers and students. At MSA, Cause and Effect (Ackert, 2008) has been recommended and used as a core textbook to teach reading skills to the first-year students as it is supposed to be a rather reliable source to enhance students’ reading ability. .
