INTRODUCTION
Four language skills are used to attain the English language proficiency: listening,
speaking, reading, and writing. Reading is the most important for HUE students
because it is the chosen instrument to widen their knowledge. Various English
printed materials are available for Vietnamese students to read while opportunities
to speak, listen, and write are not common in their daily life.
Besides, reading is very essential for students studying English as a Foreign
Language (EFL) because most textbooks and the sources of science knowledge
and information on higher technology are published in English. As a result,
reading is the foundation of advanced studies which require reading abilities to
access both textbooks and other reading materials outside the classroom (Roe,
Stoodt, & Burns, 1998).
Most of the first year students at HUE studied English for 6 years at school.
However, while teaching English I found that they have problems in reading
English texts. So, the study (carried out at the beginning of the academic year,
2012) was designed to yield data that would contribute to our understanding of the
nature of problems our students encounter in comprehending English texts and the
way they process such texts. Through investigating the reading process, we can
learn a great deal about how our student approach reading and what kind of
strategies they use.