An Application of a Three-phase Reading Comprehension Instructional Model in Teaching Language Arts at Vietnamese High Schools

The article focuses on investigating the three-phase reading comprehension instructional model (pre-reading, while-reading and post-reading), based on which it will identify how to apply this model to teach reading comprehension in Vietnamese high schools. Before reading, readers need to activate their prior knowledge and experience, determine reading goals and strategies, and build background knowledge. During reading, readers make sense of the text by taking different actions to achieve both decoding and understanding the text simultaneously. Post-reading phase comprises recalling something done before, analyzing text elements in depth, connecting for expanding the topic, and applying what has been learnt in daily life. The three-phase reading comprehension instructional model has been researched and applied successfully to instruct reading. However, in Vietnam, reading comprehension instruction does not really pay attention to guiding students to actively read texts as highlighted in this model. Practicing the three-phase reading comprehension instructional model in Language Arts subject at Vietnamese high schools means, in fact, to guide students to use strategies effectively in line with each phase of reading comprehension process.