Improving reading skills through top-down approach: A case study in a high school in Vietnam

This study investigates the impact of the top-down approach on students’ reading proficiency and motivation. The top-down approach activates students' background knowledge, also known as schemata, to enhance reading comprehension. According to Anderson [1] the terms schemata, background knowledge, and prior knowledge can be used interchangeably. The primary objective of this research is to evaluate the effectiveness of the top-down approach in improving students' reading skills and to examine its influence on their motivation to read. To obtain the data, a 12-week study was conducted as a field study at a high school using a mixed-methods approach that combined qualitative and quantitative analyses. This study included two 11th-grade classes (N=80): Class 11C3 functioned as the control group, following the traditional bottom-up approach, whereas Class 11C4 functioned as the experimental group, receiving instruction using the top-down approach. The quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS to compare the outcomes of the pre-test and post-test, as well as the questionnaires measuring students’ reading motivation before and after applying the top-down approach. Additionally, student interviews were conducted to gather qualitative data, which offered valuable insights into the learning process and students’ reading motivation. The findings indicate that the top-down approach significantly enhances students’ reading comprehension and motivation compared to the bottom-up method. Further investigation is recommended to examine the enduring impacts of the top-down approach on reading abilities in various educational settings.