USING FLASHCARDS TO TEACH VOCABULARY IN a PRIMARY SCHOOL IN THANH HOA PROVINCE

\ MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY NGUYEN THI BE USING FLASHCARDS TO TEACH VOCABULARY IN A PRIMARY SCHOOL IN THANH HOA PROVINCE Major: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Code: 60140111 MASTER ’S THESIS IN EDUCATION Supervisor : Assoc Prof , Ngo Dinh Phuong Vinh , 2017 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I hereby acknowledge that this study is my own work The data and findings discussed in the thesis are true, used with permission, and have not been published elsewhere Author Nguyen Thi Be ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS For the accomplishment of this study, I have been fortunate to receive a great deal of helpful assistance from many people First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Assoc.Prof, Ngo Dinh Phuong for his valuable guidance, excellent suggestions and critical feedback throughout the research In addition, I am greatly indebted to the students of the classes I taught in order to experiment adaptation and gather information for my survey questionnaire and interview I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to my friends, my classmates, as well as my colleagues for their invaluable comments and encouragement Last but not least, I am all too aware that despite all the advice and assistance, I feel that the project is far from perfect; it is, therefore, my sole responsibility for any inadequacies and shortcomings that the study may be considered to have Vinh , 2017 Author Nguyen Thi Be ABSTRACT The student’s vocabulary mastery is still low because the student’s are difficult in determining the meaning of words Also, the students have difficulties differentiating the form of speech: noun, verb, adjective and adverb Meanwhile, the implementation of flashcard learning technique is important to help student’s vocabulary mastery The aims of this classroom action research are to know the process of learning vocabulary using flashcards, and to know student’s vocabulary improvement of using flashcards This research was conducted at Ly Tu Trong primary school in Thanh Hoa city as the subjects of the research This research consisted of 30 students of class 3B of Ly Tu Trong primary school The method used in this study was the experiment with questionnaire survey and the interview Vocabulary is central to English teaching and learning These days, many English have altered their teaching vocabulary methods They are focusing more on communicative approach instead of grammar or translation one However, in some areas, especially in the rural, students have still experienced the old teaching methods which leads to the act that student feel bored with learning English For examples, as teaching and learning vocabulary reading and vocabulary, teacher lists the words on the blackboard and translates into Vietnamese; students rewrite on paper and then try to learn by heart This method causes a situation where students lack interest in learning vocabulary Therefore, there is a need to enhance students’ motivation in learning vocabulary Being aware of the importance vocabulary, the researcher chooses the topic “Using flashcards in teaching vocabulary in a primary school in Thanh Hoa province With this topic, the researcher would like to examine the current situation of teaching and learning vocabulary in at a high school and find out the benefits of flashcards in teaching and learning vocabulary TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES Page LIST OF FIGURES Page CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Vocabulary is generally the total number of words that exist in a particular language More specifically, it functions as the foundation without which any language is impossible to exist in this world Learning a foreign language, especially English as a language of international communication throughout the world, has now become essential to grasp the opportunity to reach information Learning English vocabulary at an early age is the fundamental step to learn English It stands to reason, as stated by (Edward, 1997) in his book that vocabulary is one of the important factors in all language teaching and learners must continually be learning words as they learn structure and as they practice sound system Hence, English vocabulary is now introduced to learners from an early education Thus without vocabulary communication in a second or foreign language is not possible in a meaningful way Using visual techniques have become effective ways in teaching vocabulary Flashcards is a common way that teachers use in vocabulary lessons 1.1 Rationale of the study It is obvious that English is one of the most popular languages in the world It is clear that English has become more and more dominant around the world Nowadays , in some countries English is used as the mother tongue and other countries , as a second language in school Vocabulary represents one of most important skills necessary for teaching and learning a foreign language It is the basis for the development of all the other skills: reading comprehension, listening comprehension, speaking, writing, spelling and pronunciation Vocabulary is the main tool for the students in their attempt to use English effectively It is true that the vocabulary is the focus of language It is in words that sound and meaning interlock to allow us to communicate with one another, and it is word that we arrange together to make sentences, conversation, and discourse of all kinds Besides, vocabulary really plays an important role because it appears in every language skill Obviously, vocabulary is really important in any language learning However, it is not easy to study perfect English vocabulary Almost students often face up with some problems in learning vocabulary at first, especially primary students In fact, it is difficult to memorize a new word with its meaning, spelling and pronunciation, many primary students are often confused with knowing how they can apply grammar into sentences, sometimes, they can not understand when being opposed to video and audio Moreover, techniques to teach English in primary schools is traditional with similar activities days by days, which makes students become fed up with learning English Therefore, interesting techniques to teach English are necessary to help students learn English vocabulary better, they also attract students’ interest on English From the above reasons, I have the ambition of presenting some effective suggestions to teach English vocabulary in primary schools with hope that students will be interested in learning English Due to my English knowledge limitation and the frame of this thesis , I would like to choose the research title: “ using flashcards to teach vocabulary in primary school in Thanh Hoa ” 1.2 Aims of the study My research is to provide some suggested techniques in teaching English vocabulary in primary school to make students more interested in the lesson as well as to master learned knowledge of that lesson in an effective way Find out the effectiveness of learning vocabulary using flashcards Determine the students’ attitude towards the use of flashcards Determine the teachers’ attitude towards the use of flashcards 1.3 Scope of the study In fact, there are lots of various techniques to teach English vocabulary for primary students It requires much time and effort Furthermore, English vocabulary includes meaning, grammar, pronunciation, and spelling This research focuses on the effects of using flashcards on teaching vocabulary The study is to measure students’ ability of remembering word meaning, word spelling and word pronunciation when using flashcards Other aspect of vocabulary such as: grammar, collocation were not taken into consideration in the research The course book which the researcher used in the experimental course was 3rd Grade English Textbook, published by Viet Nam Education Publishing House The study was conducted among secondary students who were years old They were in grade 1.4 Methods of the study A lot of methods have been applied to complete this thesis : Collected references, books and websites related to teaching English and document were analyzed in details to form the theoretical background of this thesis A survey questionnaire and the interview were conducted for primary students at some schools in Thanh Hoa with a point of view to find out their recognition, attitudes, evaluation of the matter and the difficulties they encounter as well as what activities they like doing in one lesson 1.5 Design of the study The study is divided into five chapters: Introduction, Theoretical Background, Methodology , Results and Findings and Conclusion Chapter 1, Introduction, includes rationale for the study, the aims, methods, scope, and design of the study Chapter comes the second, in which a theoretical background was presented Chapter 3, the study comes next with the responsibility for specifying the factors for the researcher to collect and process the study data Chapter consists of findings and discussion, in which the data is described and discussed Chapter comes last A conclusion of the study, the limitations of the study, and suggestion for further research are also mentioned in the last chapter 1.6 Research question Based on the delimitation the problems above, the researcher formulated the problems in this research as follow: How does the use of flashcards affect the students vocabulary acquisition ? How does using flashcards motivate the primary student ? CHAPTER THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 2.1 The Nature of Vocabulary One thing that differentiates human from animals is verbal language or speaking beside mind to think Humans can communicate with others through verbal language, either to apply or to receive the information the animal can not When we observe a child first acquiring speech, we talk of this progress as a matter of learning new words, we are also likely to feel that the adult speaker with largest vocabulary has the best command of English 2.1.1 What is vocabulary? There are many definitions about vocabulary A vocabulary is defined as "all the words known and used by a particular person" and “all the words which exist in a particular language or subject” (Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary) However, according to Sebastian Wren, Ph.D , the words known and used by a particular person not constituteall the words a person is exposed to By definition, a vocabulary includes the last two categories of this list: • Never encountered the word •Heard the word, but cannot define it •Recognize the word due to context or tone of voice •Able to use the word but cannot clearly explain it •Fluent with the word – its use and definition Another definition of vocabulary: vocabulary is knowledge of words and word meanings However, vocabulary is more complex than this definition suggests First, words come in two forms: oral and print Oral 10 B Look at that house over there C Look at that house under there A He Italian, he not Polish B He is Italian, he isn’t Polish C They is Italian, they isn’t Polish 10 A What you have breakfast? B When you have breakfast? C Where breakfast you? 11 A Where is the train station? B What is train station? C Where the train station is? 12 A Give me the book! B The book me give! C Give the book me! B Put negatives I like coffee but I don’t like tea I drink whisky but he doesn’t speak/ she doesn’t eat/ I don’t drink/ you don’t play/ they don’t like rum He speaks Japanese but he doesn’t speak/ she doesn’t eat/ I don’t drink/ you don’t play/ they don’t like German They like Pop but he doesn’t speak/ she doesn’t eat/ I don’t drink/ you don’t play/ they don’t like Rock She eats Chinese food but he doesn’t speak/ she doesn’t eat/ I don’t drink/ you don’t play/ they don’t like Vietnamese food You play drums but he doesn’t speak/ she doesn’t eat/ I don’t drink/ you don’t play/ they don’t like guitar C Add these words to each group Germany Swedish twelve brown Tuesday seventy December 59 June Friday green Switzerland snow eight wind February nineteen orange rain Italian Norwegian sun Greek Sunday April Countries Nationalities Days Numbers Months The weather Colors D Add the correct verbs a book a ask a letter b listen to a song c live at a picture d work a question e read English f speak in town g look in a bank h write E Fill in the correct prepositions We live in/ near/ on/ under New York, in/ near/ on/ under The Bowery We live in/ near/ on/ under a big apartment in/ near/ on/ under the third floor Our building is in/ near/ on/ under the library in/ near/ on/ under our apartment is a bakery We are very happy in/ near/ on/ under our neighborhood 60 APPENDIX POST-CLASS MINI-TEST THE 1ST POST-CLASS MINI-TEST Test 1: WORD MEANING TEST Write the meanings of the words: Words 1, eight 2, green 3, brown 4, tooth 5, father Meanings Test 2: THE WORD SPELLING TEST Reorder the letters: v/n/e/i/g/e n/i/g/m/o/r/n t/i/s w/n/d/o r/i/g/l 10 d/o/g/o g/n/m/o/r/i/n Test 3: WORD PRONUNCIATION TEST Read aloud the following words: stand up nine pink pencil case classroom THE 2ND POST-CLASS MINI-TEST Test 1: WORD MEANING TEST Write the meanings of the words: Words 1, Pencil 2, book 3, ruler 4, bag 5, eraser Meanings 61 Test 2: THE WORD SPELLING TEST Reorder the letters: 11 i/b/d/r 12 a/l/e/p/p 13 l/y/l/e/w/o 14 c/a/e/h/t/r/e 15 o/b/y Test 3: WORD PRONUNCIATION TEST Read aloud the following words: dog cat duck hello goodbye THE 3RD POST-CLASS MINI-TEST Test 1: WORD MEANING TEST Write the meanings of the words: Words 1, mouth 2, ear 3, orange 4, rainbow 5, leg Meanings Test 2: THE WORD SPELLING TEST Reorder the letters: k/h/t/n/a/s e/y/b/d/o/o/g v/e/s/e/n s/u/d/e/t/n m/y/f/i/a/l Test 3: WORD PRONUNCIATION TEST 62 Read aloud the following words: nose banana apple father table 63 APPENDIX 3A SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE (For students) I am Nguyen Thi Be – a teacher of English I am conducting a research on “Using flashcards in teaching vocabulary to students at Ly Tu Trong primary school” This questionnaire was designed as a part of my research You can be sure that the information collected will be used for the research purposes only and your personal opinions will be kept strictly confidential in any discussion of the data Thank you very much for your cooperation! Please choose the answer by circling the letter next to your choice, putting a tick (√) in the right box or expressing your idea in the blanks (In some cases, you can choose more than more answers) How long have you been learning English? ………………………… How you think of vocabulary in English teaching and learning? □ Very important □Important □Normal □ Unimportant What is (are) your difficulties in learning English vocabulary?(You can choose more than one answer) A Cannot remember the meanings B Cannot remember how to pronounce and spell words correctly C Cannot remember word formations D Do not know how to use words in correct contexts E Others (please specify) …………………………… How much time in a lesson does your teacher spend on teaching vocabulary? A About 10 minutes B About 15 minutes C About 20 minutes D Aver 20 minutes What aspect(s) of a new word you often be taught by your teacher? (You can choose more than one answer) A Meanings 64 B Pronunciation and spelling C Use D Formation E All of these above What technique does your teacher most frequently use to teach vocabulary (You can choose more than one answer) A Translating into Vietnamese B Giving examples C Using synonyms or antonyms D Using audio-visual aids E Using real objects F Using body languages (gestures, facial expressions…) G Combining different techniques How often does your teacher use flashcards to teach vocabulary? □Always □Usually □ Sometimes □ Rarely □ Never In your opinion, is it effective to use flashcards in teaching vocabulary? □Very effective □ Effective □ Normal □Ineffective How you think of advantages of using flashcards in learning vocabulary? (Tick in the box you agree with) Note: SA: Strong agree A: Agree N: Neutral D: Disagree SD: Strong disagree Benefits SA Flashcards make you feel learning vocabulary more exciting Flashcards help you guess the meanings of 65 A N D SD new words easily Flashcards help you understand the meanings of new words easily Flashcards help you remember new words quickly Flashcards help you be able to use new words taught in real situations Others (please specify)………………… How you think these main difficulties of using flashcards to teach vocabulary? (Tick in the box you agree with) Difficulties SA 1.Time-consuming to prepare flashcards 2.Difficulties in choosing suitable flashcards 3.Pictures for picture flashcards in textbook are limited 4.Lack of time to teach vocabulary 5.Class –management (noisy…) 6.Large- size class Others (please specify) ………………… A N D SD 10 Would you like your teacher to use or continue using flashcards in teaching vocabulary in future? □ YES □ NO APPENDIX 3B SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE (For teachers of English) I am Nguyen Thi Be – a teacher of English in Thanh Hoa I am conducting a research on “Using flashcards in teaching vocabulary to 3rd graded students at Ly Tu Trong primary school” This questionnaire was designed as a part of 66 my research You can be sure that the information collected will be used for the research purposes only and your personal opinions will be kept strictly confidential in any discussion of the data Thank you very much for your cooperation! Please choose the answer by circling the letter next to your choice, putting a tick (√) in the right box or expressing your idea in the blanks (in some cases, you can choose more than more answer) General information? -Your age: ………………………… -How many years have you taught English? What you think of vocabulary in English teaching and learning? □Very important □ Important □ Normal □ Unimportant In your opinion, what is (are) your difficulties in teaching English vocabulary? (You can choose more than one answer) A Students’ lack of motivation B Students’ lack of interest C Lack of teaching aids D Lack of teaching time How much time in a lesson you spend on teaching vocabulary? A About 10 minutes B About 15 minutes C About 20 minutes D Aver 20 minutes What aspect(s) of a new word you often teach? (You can choose more than one answer) A Meanings B Pronunciation and spelling C Use D Formation E All of these above 67 What technique you most frequently use to teach vocabulary ( You can choose more than one answer) A Translating into Vietnamese B Using synonyms or antonyms C Using visual aids D Using real objects E Using gestures and facial expressions F Giving examples G Combining different techniques How often you use flashcards in teaching vocabulary? □Always □ Usually □ Sometimes □Rarely □Never In your opinion, is it effective to use flashcards in teaching vocabulary? □Very effective □Effective □ Normal □Ineffective Which stages you often use flashcards to teach vocabulary? A Presentation stage B Practice stage C Production stage D All of these stages How you think of advantages of using flashcards in learning vocabulary? (Tick in the box you agree with) Note: SA: Strong agree A: Agree N: Neutral D: Disagree SD: Strong disagree Benefits SA Flashcards make Ss feel learning vocabulary 68 A N D SD more exciting Flashcards help Ss guess the meanings of new words easily Flashcards help Ss understand the meanings of new words easily Flashcards help Ss remember new words quickly Flashcards help Ss be able to use new words taught in real situations (complete tasks…) Others( please specify …) 10 What you think are the main difficulties that teachers face when using flashcards to teach vocabulary? (Tick in the box you agree with) Difficulties SA 1.Time-consuming to prepare flashcards 2.Difficulties in choosing suitable flashcards 3.Pictures for picture flashcards in textbook are limited 4.Lack of time to teach vocabulary 5.Class –management (noisy…) 6.Large-size class Others (please specify) ………………… A N D SD 11 Do you intend to use or continue using flashcards in teaching vocabulary in future? □ YES □NO APPENDIX 4A INTERVIEW QUESTIONNAIRE (FOR STUDENTS) How often does your teacher use flashcards to teach vocabulary? What are the major benefits of using flashcards in teaching vocabulary? What are the main hindrances of the application flashcards to teach vocabulary? 69 Do you expect your teacher to use or continue using flashcards to teach vocabulary? Can you suggest some ways to improve the current state? APPENDIX 4B INTERVIEW QUESTIONNAIRE (FOR TEACHERS) How often you use flashcards to teach vocabulary? What advantages can the exploitation of flashcards and learning vocabulary bring to teachers and students? 70 In your opinion, what are shortcomings of using flashcards to teach vocabulary? What are your pedagogical suggestions to teach vocabulary more effectively with the utilization of flashcards? APPENDIX Scores on the word meaning tests by the EXPERIMENTAL group No Participan ts Scores of the post mini test 1st Test 2nd Test 3rd Test 71 10 11 12 13 14 15 A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 A6 A7 A8 A9 A10 A11 A12 A13 A14 A15 8 6 10 6 10 6 8 8 8 6 8 6 6 10 8 APPENDIX Scores on the word meaning tests by the CONTROL group No 10 11 Participan ts B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7 B8 B9 B10 B11 Scores of the post mini test 1st Test 2nd Test 3rd Test 6 6 6 4 6 6 6 6 8 6 8 72 12 13 14 15 B12 B13 B14 B15 10 6 73 6 ... of vocabulary (listening vocabulary, speaking vocabulary, reading vocabulary, and writing vocabulary) are summarized just in active and passive vocabulary In general, vocabulary is divided into... of vocabulary in teaching English in primary school 4.2.3 Frequency of using flashcards to teach vocabulary Figure Frequency of using flashcards to teach vocabulary The bar chart gives information... level of vocabulary improvement by using flashcards in teaching vocabulary Using flashcards facilitates their involvement in the class work by sharing answers, trying to participate, paying attention,