A study on vocabulary learning methods employed

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS AND FINANCE RESEARCH REPORT A study on vocabulary learning methods employed by English majors at UEF Major: ENGLISH LANGUAGE Minor: Economics - Administration - Commerce Supervisor: Bui Thi Thuy Quyen (MA) Student’s name: Le Tuan Anh Student ID: 165060027 Class: 16D1TA01 Ho Chi Minh City, 2020 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS AND FINANCE RESEARCH REPORT A study on vocabulary learning methods employed by English majors at UEF Major: ENGLISH LANGUAGE Minor: Economics - Administration - Commerce Supervisor: Bui Thi Thuy Quyen (MA) Student’s name: Le Tuan Anh Student ID: 165060027 Class: 16D1TA01 Ho Chi Minh City, 2020 Commented [Office1]: Cơ chỉnh lại xíu ABSTRACT Learning English is a long accumulation process It requires learners to have certain vocabulary combined with practicing each key skill However, for most students studying English, they have to face many difficulties in learning English in general and learning English vocabulary in particular The most common obstacle for students is the lack of necessary vocabulary to learn well other language skills How to study vocabulary effectively is concerned by many teachers as well as researchers, and many learning methods are designed to serve effective vocabulary learning for students However, because the learning motivation, attitude and learning style of students are so different, the causes, difficulties and nature of vocabulary learning of students are found to design the method of learning words that satisfies the aforementioned characteristics of students and these methods will quickly be accepted and widely used by students Therefore, this is the goal and the reason for carrying out this research Through quantitative research, the topic has preliminarily found a number of vocabulary learning methods that are applied by English language students at UEF Since then, there are suggestions for teachers and students to improve the effectiveness of vocabulary learning Commented [Office2]: Em thêm thông qua PPNC thu dc ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There is a famous saying, "If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go with your teammates" The truth proves that there is no success without support from people around you In order to go this far, I am so lucky to have received a lot of help and support from my teammates, my teachers, family and friends This support whether more or less, direct or indirect, whether by action or just honest advice, have helped me tremendously From bottom of my heart and deep gratitude, I would like to express my sincere thanks to the teachers of UEF on for their time, dedication and knowledge during the time we studied there Especially, I would like to thank Ms Bui Thi Thuy Quyen for her guidance through every single lesson, giving me precious advice that enables me to complete this research Following the direction that she led me, my essay has been successfully conducted Once again, my deepest thanks to her My graduation essay was conducted within months During this time, I realized that my knowledge was still very limited Therefore, there are still a lot of mistakes, I hope to receive suggestion from the teachers and classmates in order to improve my essay and my knowledge TABLE CONTENTS ABSTRACT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS LIST OF FIGURES .7 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Problem statement 1.2 Rationale for the present study .8 1.3 Aims of the study 1.4 Significance of the study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 10 2.1 Definitions of vocabulary 10 2.2 Roles of vocabulary 10 2.3 Definitions of vocabulary learning method 11 2.4 Classification of vocabulary learning method .11 2.4.1 Groups of method of approaching to the word meaning include the following: 12 2.4.2 Groups of method of reinforcing the meaning of words 13 CHAPTER THREE – RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 14 3.1 Data gathering instruments 14 3.2 Settings for the present study .16 3.3 Participants’ information 16 3.4 Data collection procedures 18 3.5 Data analysis .18 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION .18 4.1 Finding 18 4.1.1 When you like learning English? .18 4.1.3 Which of the following methods you use to learn English vocabulary? 20 4.1.4 Which method you apply for remembering a new word that you have studied? 21 4.1.5 Where you think your level of English is? 22 4.1.6 What is the percentage will English effect to your work? 23 4.1.7 Which vocabulary learning method is best for you? Why? 23 4.2 Discussion 24 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 26 5.1 Summary of key findings .26 5.2 Implications 26 5.2.1 For teachers 26 5.2.2 For Students 26 5.3 Limitations 27 REFERENCES 28 APPENDIX 29 Commented [Office3]: -Definitions of … -Roles of … -Definitions of …methods -Classification …methods 4.1.When you like learning English? 4.2.How much time/ How long you spend learning … 4.3.Which of the following methods you use … 4.4.Which …do you use to learn a new word that you have learned? 4.5 Where you think your level of English is? 4.6 How much will English affect your work? … 6.2.1 For teachers Em sửa lại vầy, hôm trc Co nói LIST OF FIGURES Figure Which grade level are you? 16 Figure 3.2 Years of Studying English 17 Figure 3 Personality group of the participants 17 Figure 4.1 When you like to learn English? 19 Figure How long you spend on learning English vocabulary? .19 Figure Which kind of following methods you use to learn English vocabulary? 20 Figure 4 Which method you apply for remembering a vocabulary that you have studied? 21 Figure What level you evaluate your lexises? 22 Figure How many percentages will English effect to your work? 23 Commented [Office4]: Sửa theo bên trến Thầy Cơ nhìn vơ trước bên trc CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Problem statement Currently, English plays an important role because it has become an international language and is used as the official language in all industries such as aviation, commerce, science and technology, etc In Vietnam, English are becoming more and more important and are being included in the school environment as a compulsory subject It can be said that if we consider learning English as the construction of a building, then learning vocabulary is its foundation There are many ways to learn vocabulary, but to have a strategy to enrich the vocabulary effectively is not easy and in fact, they are not really effective to learn vocabulary yet 1.2 Rationale for the present study It is a fact in learning English that after many years of learning, many people are still difficult to communicate successfully They tend to use simple vocabulary instead of what they have learned Besides, vocabulary usage is also an essential factor to evaluate the quality of a writing Regarding to writing skill, learners often have difficulty choosing vocabulary that is both accurate and logical One secret to helping learners to successfully use English is to equip them with knowledge of vocabulary We can only understand correctly only when the vocabulary is correctly and appropriately used Therefore, the limited knowledge of English vocabulary makes the great effect on the use of English From the above reasons, the author digs into the vocabulary learning methods of English learning students at UEF to find the key vocabulary learning methods for English-specialized students and study new learning methods to strengthen and improve the learning method for future specialized students The study focused on answering the following questions: (1) What is the role of vocabulary in learning English? (2) Which vocabulary learning methods UEF English-majors students always apply? (3) How can vocabulary be learnt effectively? 1.3 Aims of the study Researching this topic, the author wants to solve the following problems: Firstly, the topic helps students determine the importance of learning vocabulary and its relationship with listening, speaking, reading and writing skills Secondly, the topic digs further into the study of vocabulary learning methods of the UEF English-specialized students Thirdly, the topic gives some suggestions on how to learn vocabulary effectively to help English learners build their own vocabulary 1.4 Significance of the study The topic gives an overview of vocabulary and vocabulary learning methods applied to foreign language learning On that basis, the topic helps find effective vocabulary learning methods for English learners CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Definitions of vocabulary There are many different definitions of vocabulary In correspondence with its very important role in foreign language learning, vocabulary has become a major concern for researchers, instructors and learners Ur, Penny (1996) defined vocabulary as words we teach in a foreign language However, a vocabulary unit that may have a single word or also have more than a single word It is a combination of two or three words or even multi-word idioms Pyles and Alges (1970) also suggested that wshen thinking about a language, the first factor we think of is words The word is the focus of language They are the connection between sound and meaning that allows us to communicate with others Moreover, they are arranged together to create sentences, conversations or speeches in different forms It turns out that vocabulary is essential for learning any language According to the dictionary definition on the world.IQ.com website, vocabulary is words that are known by an individual or entity, which is part of a specific language An individual's vocabulary is both a constituent of words that he can understand, as well as a combination of all the words that he uses in the process of creating new sentences 2.2 Roles of vocabulary It is undeniable that vocabulary plays a very important role in a language, so it can be said that if you consider learning English as construction of a building, then learning vocabulary is its foundation There are many ways to learn vocabulary, but having an effective vocabulary enrichment strategy is not easy, so many aspects of vocabulary have been studied including how to use words, how to design vocabulary learning curriculum, assessment and vocabulary learning strategies Without a wide vocabulary, it is difficult to create any conversation Therefore, learners need to make efforts to acquire the target language not only in the classroom but also in the outside world As Troike (1976) asserted that vocabulary is most important for understanding and recognizing things, facts, actions or concepts been learning English from 5-7 years, students (equivalent to 2.9%) have been learn English from to years and only one person involving in the survey stated that he has been learning English from 1-3 years From this point of view, it shows that students participating in the survey have basic English proficiency, creating favourable conditions for conducting the study Figure 3.2 Years of Studying English On the other hand, among 137 participants, 58.4% of them found themselves to be both active and passive, 23.4% of those who identified themselves as passive and only 18.2% said that they own the dynamic personality Figure 3 Personality group of the participants 3.4 Data collection procedures The data collection was conducted by the author in early June 2020 After completing the questionnaire design, the author changed the form of the questionnaire into an online survey and sent it to more than 150 English-specialized students at UEF and the author has collected 137 valid questionnaire answers In the questionnaire, students did not have to write their names and no one knew who answered the survey questions Moreover, all answers are kept confidential and the results will only be used for this research purpose 3.5 Data analysis The analysis of the survey results is carried out step by step by the author First of all, the answers are listed by the author into an excel table for each question to create a percentage for each answer Based on these data, the author will develop a chart to present the responses of the participants to each question In summary, this chapter focuses on presenting the tool used by the author to collect data and analyse data in order to find out the vocabulary learning methods used by English-specialized students at UEF The detailed results will be presented in detail in chapter of this study CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION In this chapter, the author focuses on analysing the research results collected from 137 questionnaires of English major students at UEF The first part of the Questionnaire includes questions about the information of survey participants presented in Section 3.3 Participants' information Next, the author continues to analyse the results obtained in part of the survey 4.1 Finding 4.1.1 When you like learning English? Figure 4.1 When you like to learn English? Based on the above chart, we can see that the period from to pm is most popular (48.9%) for students to study English, 35.8% of the surveyed students think that the time period from - pm is most suitable for studying English Next, 21.9% of them think that 7-9 am is a great time to learn English 19% of the respondents said 10-12 am is their favourite time to learn English Finally, only 18.2% of them felt like learning English after 10pm 4.1.2 How long you spend learning English vocabulary? Figure How long you spend learning English vocabulary? From the results shown in the chart above, we can see that up to 18.2% of the respondents said that they could only spend 10 minutes a day studying English vocabulary 13.9% of people spend 20 minutes a day on doing this Up to 37.2% of the students taking the survey are spending 30 minutes a day on vocabulary learning Only 6/137 people (equivalent to 4.4%) spend 40 minutes a day studying vocabulary respondents (2.2%) said that they spent 50 minutes every day doing this 6.6% of them are learning vocabulary hour a day Finally, 17.5% of participants are spending more than an hour a day on learning vocabulary From the above results, it shows that English students who participated in the survey have not really focused on studying to increase their vocabulary The time they spend learning vocabulary is quite low This will cause the increase in their vocabulary will be very slow, affecting other language skills 4.1.3 Which of the following methods you use to learn English vocabulary ? Figure Which kind of following methods you use to learn English vocabulary? From the survey results collected on the vocabulary learning methods used by students of English majors in UEF shown in the above bar graph, we see quite a lot of methods used by the participants with different frequency of use The above results show that the majority of students who participated in this study were also aware of the need to diversify their vocabulary learning methods so that they could find the most suitable learning methods for them to to maximize the effectiveness of vocabulary learning This will help them improve their vocabulary faster, which is good for learning other language skills 4.1.4 Which method you apply for remembering a new word that you have studied? Figure 4 Which method you apply for remembering a new word that you have studied? Memorizing learned vocabulary is an extremely important element of vocabulary learning That is why the author designed this question From the results in the above bar chart, there are many vocabulary memorization methods that have been used by UEF freshmen majoring in English Through the results of the survey on the frequency of using the methods, we can see that they are aware of the importance of memorizing the vocabulary they have learned Therefore, only a very small percentage of participants never used a method of memorizing vocabulary that they have learned The vast majority of them have occasional and frequent use of the methods However, in order to learn vocabulary effectively, the memorization of learned vocabulary needs to be more focused 4.1.5 Where you think your level of English is? Figure Where you think your level of English is? From the results shown in the pie chart above, we can see that the majority of the survey participants thought that their current vocabulary was only at the threshold of sufficient use, 25.8% of them found that their vocabulary was growing more and more 21.2% of them said that with their current vocabulary they could understand a lot of key information And only out of 137 respondents (equivalent to 1/5%) were confident that their current vocabulary could help them use fluently From the results above, it shows the fact that the vocabulary of the majority of the sections of students majoring in English at UEF is still low This is one thing that students need to overcome to improve other language skills 4.1.6 What is the percentage will English effect to your work? Figure How important is English to your work? This question is designed by the author to collect evaluation of the survey participants of the impact of English on finding a good job in their future From the results shown in the above pie chart, more than half of the respondents (50.4%) thought that learning English well would help them easily find a good job in the future (level of effect greater than 50%) 14.1% of people thought that English had an influence of about 40% on whether they found a good job or not This was also the number of people who thought that English affected 30% of the chances of seeking a good job 15.6% of respondents said that English affects 30% of their job seeking 6/137 participants said that English only affected 20% of their employment opportunities Finally, only people thought that the influence percentage of English on their future jobs which was only 10% 4.1.7 Which vocabulary learning method is best for you? Why? In this question, many methods are given by the participants But the vast majority of them said that any method would be the best Studying with a variety of methods helps them avoid the boredom of learning Next, the method of learning through entertainment programs, watching movies and listening to music, etc are also chosen by quite many people The reason given by the survey is that the entertainment needs are essential for each person Learning vocabulary by this method makes them feel comfortable and not under pressure The third method chosen by many people is to read a lot and rewrite it a lot For them, learning this vocabulary not only helps them memorize vocabulary well but also helps them improve their writing skills The fourth most chosen method is the method of learning vocabulary through daily communication They think that this method helps them to memorize vocabulary better, and this method also helps them improve their speaking skills 4.2 Discussion To answer the research questions in chapter 1, the results of the study will be discussed in the context of theoretical concepts, based on the findings presented in chapter Through the findings of the findings presented in chapter of the study in this research, we can see that the majority of students majoring in English at UEF are aware of the importance of learning from English vocabulary They are aware that poor vocabulary will affect their language skills This will make it difficult for them to find a good job in the future However, the time they spend on vocabulary is still very limited This is an element they need to overcome in the future to promote their vocabulary learning The survey results show that students participating in the survey are using a variety of methods in learning vocabulary Some of the most common methods used are using vocabulary cards, learning word family, learning through music listening, watching movies and other entertainment, writing over and over, reading over and over, memorizing through images or objects, etc The analysis results in chapter also show that most of the participants through the vocabulary learning process have assessed which learning method for them is the most effective, and help them improve their vocabulary quickly The vast majority of them are aware of the diverse use of methods that not only help them not be bored in learning but also help them quickly improve their vocabulary According to Lightbow and Spada (1999, P.51-P.68), the factors that affect individual vocabulary learning include intelligence, talent, personality, motivation, learners' views, interests, beliefs, age and learning methods Rubin and Thompson (1994, p 3-p 8) also agree with this view, believing that age, talent, character, learning methods and experiences are the factors that affect learners' vocabulary learning Polski (1989) added two more factors, namely, learning style and learning method The Importance of Learning Methods Noonan (1999) emphasizes the importance of knowledge of methods because it helps learners to clearly realize what they are doing If they realize their learning process, learning will be more effective Ellis (1997) affirms that researchers point out that successful learners use more learning methods than unsuccessful learners They adopt different methods for each different stage in the upward process He also stressed that if they realize these decisive learning methods, they can teach students Therefore, learning methods are the decisive factors for each individual to successfully learn vocabulary According to previous studies, vocabulary learning methods are divided into two groups The first group is a semantic method group composed of methods of guessing the meaning of words and methods of communication The second group of methods is a group of methods to consolidate word meaning, which consists of communicative method, memory method, cognitive method and metacognitive method CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION This final Chapter of the research is to summarize some brief key findings, specific recommendations, and the major limitations of the study 5.1 Summary of key findings The main purpose of the study is to use the questionnaire to conduct a survey of vocabulary learning methods used by English major students at UEF From the collection of 137 answer sheets from research subjects, it has been proven that most students are aware of the role of vocabulary learning, and have investigated a number of vocabulary learning methods used by students with different frequencies to suit their ability However, their time spent on learning vocabulary will be an issue that needs to be improved in the future 5.2 Implications 5.2.1 For teachers From the findings presented in chapter The author wants to suggest some teachers to teachers to improve the perfection and effectiveness of vocabulary learning methods for students of English major To overcome the fact that students spend less time studying vocabulary, teachers can increase the frequency and number of new word tests in each lesson, which will motivate students to spend more time on their vocabulary learning On the other hand, to increase vocabulary for students, teachers can provide new words for students in each themed lesson, instructing students how to memorize vocabulary best 5.2.2 For Students To help increase vocabulary quickly, the author proposed solutions that students need to spend more time on vocabulary learning The number of vocabulary learned per day increases gradually over time Memorizing learned vocabulary plays a huge role in vocabulary learning Therefore, students need to constantly apply methods to perform this memorization Some effective measures the author recommends using these vocabulary words when there is a right context, writing them over and over, reading over and over, etc 5.3 Limitations In this study, the author focused on finding out the vocabulary learning methods used by UEF English major students The author emphasizes on pointing out the roles and methods for learning vocabulary effectively for students However, the number of participants, as well as the time to conduct surveys, is also limited Therefore, the results of the study are not entirely representative of all students This suggests that the study only reflects part of the research problem The new study shows some of vocabulary learning methods used by English major students at UEF If the study takes longer time, the number of participants is more than it will reflect the issues in more detail REFERENCES Ellis, R (1997), Second Language Acquisition, Oxford: OUP Nation, I.S.P (1990), Teaching and Learning Vocabulary, New York: Newbury House Publisher Nunan, D (1990), Second Language Teaching and Learning , Boston: Heinle and Heinle Publisher Oxford, R (1990), Language Learning Stratergies, Boston: Heinle and Heinle Publisher Pyles,T & Algeo, J (1979), English – An Introduction to Language, New York: Harcourt, Brace Rivers, W.M (1983), Comunicating Naturally in a second language, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Rubin, J and Thompson, I (1994), How to be a more successful Language Learner, Boston: Heinle and Heinle Publisher Schmitt, N (1997), Vocabulary Learning Stratergies, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Spolsky, B (1989), Conditions for Second Language Learning, Oxford: OUP Stoffer, I (1995), University Foreign language student’ choice of vocabulary learning stratergies as related to individual different variables, Unublished doctoral dissertation, University of Alabama, Alabama Ur, Penny (1996), A course in Language Teaching, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Wilskins, D (1972), Linguistics in Language Teaching, London: Edward Arudd Commented [Office5]: Cô sửa phần cho e APPENDIX STUDENTS’ SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE This questionnaire is designed for the study entitled “A study on vocabulary learning methods employed by English majors at UEF” Your assistance in completing the survey is highly appreciated All the provided information is solely for the aims of the study, not for any other purposes I/ General information How long have you learnt English? A 1-3 years B – years C 5-7 years D More than years Which year are you in? A Freshman B Sophomore C Junior D Senior Which personality group you belong to? A Active B Passive C Active and Passive II/ Survey When you like to learn English? A 7am – 9am B 10am – 12pm C 1pm – 4pm D 6pm – 9pm E From 10pm onwards How long you spend learning English vocabulary? A 10 minutes B 20 minutes C 30 minutes D 40 minutes E 50 minutes F 60 minutes G Over 60 minutes Which of the following methods you use to learn English vocabulary? A Using flash cards B Learning its "Word Family" C Learning it by following the alphabet D Learning through listening to music / watching movies / reading books, newspapers E Writing it again and again F Reading it again and again G Memorizing it with pictures or objects H Using the English dictionary apps I Using Google Translate J Learning it through body language Which method you apply for remembering a new word that you have studied? A Thinking again when you have free time B Reading it often out loud C Using it in writing D Using it in online / offline communication E Communicating with foreigners F Adding English words in everyday communication G Teaching the learned word to another person Where you think your level of English vocabulary is? A Elementary B Pre-intermediate C Intermediate D Uppe r- intermediate How much you think English will affect your work? A 10% B 20% C 30% D 40% E 50% F Over 50% 10 Which vocabulary learning method is best for you? Why? ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… Thank you very much for your cooperation! ... important role in a language, so it can be said that if you consider learning English as construction of a building, then learning vocabulary is its foundation There are many ways to learn vocabulary, ... official definition of vocabulary learning method The reason may be because lexical methods are part of language learning methods Therefore, the definition of language learning methods can be considered... English learners build their own vocabulary 1.4 Significance of the study The topic gives an overview of vocabulary and vocabulary learning methods applied to foreign language learning On that basis,