CURRENT SITUATION AND SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVE VOCABULARY LEARNING SKILLS OF STUDENTS MAJORING IN ENGLISH AT THU DAU MOT UNIVERSITY

THU DAU MOT UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES ************** GRADUATE PAPER TITLE: CURRENT SITUATION AND SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVE VOCABULARY LEARNING SKILLS OF STUDENTS MAJORING IN ENGLISH AT THU DAU MOT UNIVERSITY Student name: Thân Thị Thúy Hiền Student code: 1922202010350 Class: D19AV10 Course: 2019-2023 Major: English Language Lecturer: Lê Tiến Dũng — Bình Dương, 2022— STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP Student full name: Than Thi Thuy Hien Student ID: 1922202010350 Title of paper: Current situation and solutions to improve vocabulary learning skills of students majoring in English at Thu Dau Mot University I here by confirm that I am the sole author of the paper presented Where the work of others has been consulted, this is duly acknowledged in the paper’s bibliography I have also not consulted any other unnamed online sources All verbatim or referential use of the sources named in the bibliography has been specifically indicated in the text Binh Duong, November 30, 2022 The writer Than Thi Thuy Hien ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to offer my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who helped me finish my graduation report TDMU has provided me with a unique opportunity to broaden my education as well as a range of other talents First of all, I would like to send my thanks and best wishes to all the teachers of Thu Dau Mot University, especially the teachers of the Faculty of English Language The talented and dedicated boatmen have devoted themselves to teaching and imparting knowledge during their years at the school The teachers who carried on them valuable knowledge and experiences to prepare them for the next life As a student about to graduate, I personally realize that I not have a deep insight as well as a deep understanding, in the process of doing my homework, I cannot avoid making mistakes I want to make this graduation better To complete this thesis, I have received the guidance and dedicated help of the lecturer Ph.D Le Tien Dung and the help from the students of the language department You have spent some precious time surveying helped me throughout the process of writing this graduate thesis I really appreciate that valuable help! Once again, I would like to thank all the teachers and wish them a lot of health to continue to teach the next generation to be human Thank you sincerely! Student Than Thi Thuy Hien ABSTRACT Vocabulary is not an end in itself A rich vocabulary makes the skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing easier to perform (Paul Nation, 2015) The cornerstone of language is vocabulary It is the raw material from which we can express our thoughts and ideas, share information, comprehend others, and develop personal relationships Vocabulary is plainly crucial for language learning because it underpins all other language skills, can serve as a stepping stone to high level language use, and can assist the student reach fluency more quickly It is a mistake to believe that new words may be easily recalled without continuous practice Learning new words, like any other activity, necessitates some effort, and a vocabulary program will make the process as simple and effective as feasible The purpose of this research is to look at the difficulties that English majors have when studying vocabulary at Thu Dau Mot University (TDMU) in Binh Duong province It also suggests some vocabulary-learning practices to help mitigate potential issues The responses of 200 student-participants (undergraduates) were randomly selected from three different levels (second year, three year, and senior) of the 4-Year English Program at TDMU The data for this quantitative study is collected using an offline questionnaire as an instrument.The study found that English majors at TDMU struggle with numerous aspects of vocabulary development, including knowing the meanings of new terms, pronouncing new words correctly, using new words correctly, recalling and writing new vocabulary, and so on This study adds to the body of knowledge by emphasizing the necessity of acquiring English vocabulary, drawing students' attention to it, highlighting challenges encountered by students, and raising their understanding of the language Future research should look into teachers' perceptions on students' vocabulary-learning issues, as well as instructional methods used to teach vocabulary in English language schools Keywords: Vocabulary, vocabulary-learning problems, English majors, Thu Dau Mot students TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF TABLES vi A INTRODUCTION .7 Reason for choosing the topic .7 Research objective Object and scope of research .8 Research Methodology .8 Meaning of the topic Structure of the lesson B CONTENT 10 CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BASIS 10 The concept of English 10 What is vocabulary? 11 The role of learning English vocabulary 12 Importance of English 12 English towards the ASEAN community 13 A brief overview of the current state of English vocabulary learning of all students 15 CHAPTER 2: THE STATUS OF LEARNING VOCABULARY OF THU DAU UNIVERSITY STUDENTS .18 2.1 School overview .18 2.2 A brief overview of the English vocabulary learning status of all students at Thu Dau Mot University 20 2.3 Methods of implementation 21 2.4 Survey results 22 2.4.1 Information of the person being surveyed 22 2.4.2 English proficiency of students majoring in self-assessment 22 2.4.3 Statistics on some difficulties of students to learn vocabulary 25 2.4.4 Actual situation of factors affecting students' ability to learn vocabulary 27 2.4.5 Actual situation of factors affecting students' ability to self-study vocabulary 30 2.4.6 The reality of the classroom environment 32 2.4.7 The school situation creates conditions for students to study outside of school hours 35 2.4.8 School facilities .36 2.5 The mentioned solutions help students improve vocabulary 38 CHAPTER 3: SOLUTION 41 3.1 Group of solutions about the environment outside of school hours 41 3.2 Infrastructure solutions 41 3.3 Group of solutions about the environment inside the classroom .43 3.4 Solution group on students' self-study ability 47 3.5 Solution group on motivation and learning attitude 52 CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSION 55 REFERENCES 57 LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Statistics of personal characteristics of surveyed students 19 Table 2: Assessment and rating of listening skills in English 19 Table 3: Classification of English vocabulary pronunciation skills 20 Table 4: Classification assessment of reading skills in English 20 Table 5: Classification assessment of writing skills in communicative English .21 Table 6: Statistics of difficulties of students in the process of practicing English communication skills 22 Table 7: Current status of motivational factors and students' learning attitude 23 Table 8: Actual situation of factors of students' self-study ability 25 Table 9: Actual situation of school environmental factors 27 Table 10: Actual situation of environmental factors outside of school hours for students 29 Table 11: Actual situation of physical factors for improving vocabulary learning and improving English skills .30 Table 12: Students' proposed solutions 32 Table 13: Establish a personal schedule .42 A B INTRODUCTION Reason for choosing the topic Foreign languages - majors are increasingly mentioned as an indispensable factor in the process of creating a premise for international integration is Industrialization and Modernization of the country In the process, the problem is that the education and training sector needs to have fundamental and strong innovations to provide the country with highly qualified and effective workers in new circumstances The teaching and learning of specialized foreign languages at undergraduate and graduate levels is also not beyond the above goals Specialized foreign languages as a "bridge" of Vietnam's economy and culture with the outside world The world is entering the era of knowledge economy A prosperous new society in the 21st century must be a society of knowledge and based on knowledge and creative thinking of people To be able to integrate into the world community, we must learn from the experiences of advanced countries, and at the same time need to know how to apply those experiences creatively and find the right development method with the specific conditions and circumstances of Vietnam When social knowledge changes rapidly according to the knowledge economy, workers must also know how to selfrenovate their knowledge and capacity to suit the development of science, technology and technology Workers must be able to self - direct and self - elevate to adapt to the new requirements of society In the framework of the article, we mention the current basic problems of specialized foreign languages in general, foreign languages for science and technology and technology in particular in developing and improving teaching effectiveness - study to meet the requirements of the integration process in Vietnam today Communication skills in English is an important factor and is considered as an essential skill in an integrated society like Vietnam today English is considered the official language of transactions in most fields such as business, commerce, information technology and communication in the world Improving English communication skills helps students to be able to communicate with foreigners fluently, creating job opportunities and enhancing the stature of Vietnamese human resources in the eyes of international businesses In addition, practicing English communication skills and improving English vocabulary also helps students improve their knowledge and access to a vast treasure of information that, when combined with English proficiency, is a useful means for students themselves not only in the process of studying and researching but also in future work When applying for a job, most employers require new employees to have proficiency in English, so having the ability to speak English will be a decisive advantage, especially for students when applying for jobs Graduated from school and will have many opportunities to be accepted into high positions in domestic and foreign companies and enterprises That's why I realize that in my own school, which is Thu Dau Mot University, most of you are still very weak in knowledge and skills in foreign languages such as English, so I want to give Some solutions to improve vocabulary learning skills for you, so I chose the topic as: “Current situation and solutions to improve vocabulary learning skills of students majoring in English at Thu Dau Mot University” Research objective The objective is to clarify the importance of foreign languages (especially English) in the integration period Help students improve their English vocabulary learning Object and scope of research Research subjects: The research object here is the ability to learn English vocabulary of students majoring in English of Thu Dau Mot University and solutions to improve the ability to learn English vocabulary of students of Thu Dau Mot University Research scope: About space: all students majoring in languages he is studying at Thu Dau Mot University About time: I researched the topic from October 17, 2022 to November 17, 2022 Research Methodology Regarding the sources of materials I used: documents and books in the school's library, a paper-based survey to directly survey students majoring in English at Thu Dau Mot University Statistical draft and meta-analytic methods Meaning of the topic Analyze the current situation of vocabulary learning of English language students at the school through practical surveys, thereby identifying the correct objects and providing solutions Structure of the lesson CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BASIS CHAPTER 2: THE STATUS OF LEARNING VOCABULARY OF THU DAU UNIVERSITY STUDENTS CHAPTER 3: SOLUTIONS CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSION 10 Table 13: Establish a personal schedule Work content Time to the Job job completion time Wake up, personal hygiene, have breakfast and go 5:50 6:45 Study in class 7:00 11:40 Lunch, rest 12:00 13:30 Self-study English (at home or elsewhere) 13:40 14:30 Entertainment (Listening to English music, watching 14:30 15:00 Do your homework, see what's new 15:05 16:40 Play sports, eat dinner 16:45 18:30 Self-study English (at home or elsewhere) 18:40 19:30 Study and prepare new lessons 19:35 21:00 Learn English vocabulary 21:00 21:30 Entertainment (reading newspapers, listening to 21:30 22:00 to school English movies, facebook, ) music,…) and going to bed (Source: Self-aggregated results of students) Students need to build a timetable during the day that is reasonable between modules (location, form, time), can flexibly adjust the time for self-study, but needs the will and perseverance to complete the course to the scheduled timetable For communicative English, one advice is that you should divide your self-study time into about 30-45 minutes/1 time and about 2-3 times/day with different forms, content and objects Different communication objects to make self-study time interesting Seventh, deciding to learn English requires you to change your habits And you have to spend time every day for learning English like your other hobbies You should 52 use the time to watch movies, surf the web, go to facebook, go out with friends To learn English every day For example, decide that you will read an English book for 30 minutes a day and always keep a fixed amount of time to this It is very difficult to make a small but lasting change in your life, especially if learning English does not bring you joy However, learners should remember that studying English for 30 minutes a day will give better results than studying all at once in a month And when learning English, listening to English, communicating with friends in English Everyday will help you to stabilize your habits, interests and form a lifestyle Considering English as an indispensable part of your life, I am sure you will succeed Finally, we must have criteria to evaluate our self-study ability, through communicating with friends, teachers, English communication clubs to consider our English level, there by having a more effective learning method Besides reviewing and assessing their own self-study ability, students can motivate themselves if they see that their English ability and ability have improved in many ways that they want But if we have not achieved what we have set out before, we should take measures to punish ourselves to notice the mistake and fix it, not to repeat it 3.5 Solution group on motivation and learning attitude Every job needs inspiration, belief, motivation, and language learning too However, many students have negative thoughts about learning English and since then, lose the will to improve despite realizing the importance of this language Therefore, there should be solutions to orient, motivate, and interest students in English The authors propose some solutions as follows: Firstly, constantly influencing students, helping students to be aware of the role and importance of English in the present and future period This should be done through propaganda measures in various forms Open sessions instead of boring, repetitive, stressful seminars and talks that are just formal, making students bored when they have to be invited to attend, but we need to build presentations both play and deeply so that students understand not only the importance but also the urgency of equipping and improving their ability to learn English vocabulary in the current and future integration trend Coordinate various forms of communication to send messages and launch English learning movements: Such as increasing information on the faculty's radio 53 station about international economic integration, recruitment requirements, The banners are designed with eye-catching images with profound messages about the urgency of English for students, as well as in extracurricular activities for students During class sessions, teachers should spend time, orient and guide students to self-study, self-practice their ability to learn English vocabulary, help students overcome difficulties, acquire learning methods proper and correct English Secondly, students need to pay attention to their interest and passion in learning English, because it is important in maintaining and constantly improving their ability to learn English vocabulary: Getting into the habit of writing a short paragraph describing how the day's work was like, and having something happen that made you happy is also a good solution that individual students can apply Keep a diary every day about your progress in learning English and review the diary at the end of each week to have more motivation to study and fight In addition, students can write a short story, or a sample of funny stories in English and Vietnamese languages interwoven Every time you learn something new, write it down Anything as long as it has something to with learning English, write it down This takes less than 10-15 minutes/day Write a little bit each day, gradually your English vocabulary knowledge will improve and review the articles at the end of each week for more motivation Each individual student should have a certain image that has conquered English as an example Like the current Vietnamese singers and actors such as singer Son Tung M-TP, singer Noo Phuoc Thinh, singer Dong Nhi, They often go to perform everywhere but still not forget to improve their English with others shared a desire for Vietnamese music to fly high and far in the international music market Therefore, through overseas tours and Vietnamese music, many international friends know and respond positively Or in Vietnamese football, there are typical players such as Luong Xuan Truong, Nguyen Cong Phuong, Nguyen Tuan Anh, These players always improve their professional skills and English knowledge to have the opportunity to play football in Vietnam football clubs of developed countries You can also choose good examples to study and follow along with a strong belief that will urge you that “I can achieve the same results!” Having a good role model and model to look up to will help a lot in the long-term English learning process of each individual 54 Third, students can ask someone to check and motivate, this way students have more support from others Find a relative (friend, sibling, parent, even lover…) who can be trusted and always ready to support you This will help students really enjoy interesting, have more motivation to strive when learning English 55 CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSION The topic "Current situation and solutions to improve vocabulary learning skills of students majoring in English at Thu Dau Mot University" has pointed out the weaknesses and difficulties in the factors affecting the learning process English vocabulary of students of Faculty of English Language Propose solutions to help students actively and effectively learn English vocabulary, as well as propose directions to build a learning environment, create conditions to satisfy their learning needs and practice their ability to learn words English vocabulary for students The evaluations and conclusions are all based on theoretical foundations and scientific data, in fact through descriptive statistical methods, simulation and direct sampling The research results show that the students' ability to learn English vocabulary as assessed through English courses is relatively positive, but there is a tendency to decrease year by year skills in English are only average, not able to collide with reality At the same time, for the factors that affect the students' ability to learn English vocabulary such as motivation and learning attitude, self-study ability, environment during class, environment outside of class time, and learning environment The facilities are not perfect and meet the needs of improving students' ability to learn English vocabulary, in which the environment outside of school hours and facilities are the two most limiting factors This is also the cause leading to the current situation of English language skills of students of the Faculty of English Language Since then, on the basis of the causes and solutions proposed by students, the topic has proposed training solutions to improve the ability to learn English vocabulary for students of the Faculty of English Language, Thu Dau Mot University Recommendations for the school: Pay attention, support, and encourage and support English clubs and groups among students There are plans to organize learning and playing activities, encouraging and stimulating the spirit of initiative to improve students' ability to learn English vocabulary Linking with units and organizations, creating conditions for students to exchange with native speakers Equipped with some additional equipment such as speakers, television screens, There is regular inspection and maintenance of teaching equipment, especially the sound system in English classrooms Always make sure the equipment is in good working order and have timely repairs when something goes wrong during the learning process It is necessary to 56 equip classrooms for students to learn English English classrooms are equipped with equipment, equipped with tables and chairs that are easy to move and arranged in a scientific way to facilitate exchange, group work during English class, club activities Building an English learning area is a special space just for self-study and self-practice English Additional resources on English not only documents on how to learn English but also foreign documents in each major of students Arrange the arrangement of library resources at the faculties, English learning areas to help students more easily access Serious and bold in building English output standards for students Increase the intensity of English language use in English courses synchronously among teachers Change the teaching method of teachers in the direction of forcing students to practice their ability to learn English vocabulary more At the same time, create and diversify lectures in a lively way to help students have interest and focus in class There is a serious monitoring, evaluation and improvement of English teaching programs on a regular and effective basis Develop specialized English learning programs for each discipline 57 REFERENCES Hedge, T (2000) Teaching and learning in the language classroom, Oxford: OUP Dương Thị Thu Hà (2022, October 18) Create a language environment in daily communication for foreign language learners Retrived from http://huc.edu.vn/tao-moi-truong-tieng-trong-giao-tiep-hang-ngay-cho- nguoihoc-ngoai-ngu-1550-vi.htm Chou, Chin-Ting E (2007) Factors affecting language proficiency of English language learners at language institutes in the United States Gradman, H.L., & Hanania, E (1991) Language learning background factors and ESL proficiency, The Modern Language Journal Kim, P J S (2007) Factors affecting the success of Korean students in an English language studies program, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Lightbown, Patsy M, Nina Spada (2013) How Languages Are Learned, Oxford Hatch, Evelyn and Brown, Cheryl (1995) Vocabulary, Semantics, and Language Education Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Laufer, B (1997) The lexical plight in second language reading: Words you don't know, words you think you know and words you can't guess In J Coady and T Huckin (Eds.), Second language vocabulary acquisition: A rationale for pedagogy, (pp 20-34) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Lewis (1993) “Lexical is the core or heart of language” (p 89) Michael Lessard-Clouston (2013) Vocabulary and Its Importance in Language Learning In Thomas S C Farrell (Eds), Teaching Vocabulary (Series Editor, pp 1-6) TESOL International Association Mofareh Alqahtani (2015) The importance of vocabulary in language learning and how to be taught (PDF) International Journal of Teaching and Education, Vol III (3), pp 21-34 Richard Noquist What is Vocabulary in Grammar? November 04, 2019 Retrived from https://www.thoughtco.com/vocabulary-definition-1692597 Richard Nordquist September 19, 2019 What Is Communication? 58 Richards, Jack C And Willy A Renandya (2002) Methodology in Language Teaching New York: Cambridge University Press Shaik Riyaz Ahmad (2016) Importance of English communication skills Importance of English communication skills 2(3): 478-480 Tenzer, H., Terjesen, S & Harzing, AW (2017) Laguage in International Business: A Review and Agenda for Future Research Manag Int Rev, 57, 815– 854 Wilkins, D A (1978, p111) Linguistics in Language Teaching Massachusetts: The MIT Press APPENDIX 59 QUESTIONNAIRE CURRENT SITUATION AND SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVE VOCABULARY LEARNING SKILLS OF STUDENTS MAJORING IN ENGLISH AT THU DAU MOT UNIVERSITY Hello My full name is Than Thi Thuy Hien from D19AV10 Thu Dau Mot University I am conducting a survey to collect data for my research titled “Current situation and solutions to improve vocabulary learning skills of students majoring in english at Thu Dau Mot University” The survey was conducted for the purpose of surveying and asking students majoring in English to know the difficulties in the process of learning vocabulary, and to offer some practical solutions to survey whether students find positive or not? I wonder if you have a few minutes to answer some questions regarding my research Please read the guidance carefully and make an honest response to all the questions given below PERSONAL INFORMATION Please  the box below (Hãy đánh dấu  vào ô bên dưới) 1.1 Statistics of personal characteristics of surveyed students YEAR OF TRAINING Second year  Three years  Senior  1.2 Statistics of personal characteristics of surveyed students CLASSIFICATION Poor  Weak  Average 60  Good  Very good  1.3 Assessment and rating of listening skills in English CLASSIFICATION Poor  Weak  Average  Good  Very good  1.4 Classification of English vocabulary pronunciation skills CLASSIFICATION Poor  Weak  Average  Good  Very good  1.5 Classification assessment of writing skills in communicative English CLASSIFICATION Poor  Weak  Average  Good  Very good  61 STUDENT DIFFICULTY 2.1 Statistics of difficulties of students in the process of practicing English communication skills Question group Content Questions Limited vocabulary Students have difficulty with insufficient vocabulary to be able to communicate in basic English Unable to use vocabulary fluently It is difficult to remember English words Limited time Too much time studying majors at school and studying at home The curriculum at school only adheres to textbooks, not practical applications Class time for English modules, teachers spend too little time for students to practice speaking and listening Teaching methods The lecturer has not balanced the grammar and other skills Not many images and videos have been applied to the lesson yet Not many opportunities for students to practice Contact with natives There are no native teachers teaching English to students yet There are no activities for students to have the opportunity to interact with real-life situations with native speakers Groups, English clubs There is no environment to practice and exchange There are no conditions to join English clubs No one to interact with to practice English communication skills Clubs in the past and present are not eligible to improve English communication skills 62 Tick                2.2 Current status of motivational factors and students' learning attitude Force and file status Totally Disagree Normal Agree disagree Totally agree You have identified the purpose and reason for learning English      Do you find and understand the importance of English in this day and age      Are you ready to trade for it? Time to learn English vocabulary with temptations in daily life      You feel interested and passionate in learning English vocabulary      You receive encouragement and encouragement to learn English vocabulary for communication from teachers, family, and friends      2.3 Actual situation of factors of students' self-study ability Totally Self-study ability disagree Disagree Normal Agree Totally agree Do you have a goal for learning English vocabulary?      Do you try to achieve the set goals, always know how to motivate in learning English vocabulary      You have reasonable self-study time for learning English vocabulary      You have a suitable method of learning English vocabulary for yourself           You are always actively looking for learning resources to improve your English vocabulary (via the internet, books, textbooks at the library, ) 63 2.4 64 2.4 Actual situation of school environmental factors Totally Disagree Normal Environment during class time disagree Teachers use all English in the teaching process Create many situations to improve vocabulary in English class The English language program focuses on practice Application of many images, video clips related to the lesson Immediately apply the knowledge you are learning to real-life situations in the classroom The curriculum is designed to improve students' ability to remember English vocabulary Agree Totally agree                               2.5 Actual situation of environmental factors outside of school hours for students Completely Out-of-school Bad Normal Perform Very well bad environment well done execution execution      Create opportunities for students to interact and interact with real-life situations with native speakers      Get a dedicated environment for practicing English vocabulary learning (clubs, groups, ) There are emulation      activities, encouraging and stimulating English training for students (English singing contest, rhetoric contest, ) 65 2.5 Actual situation of physical factors for improving vocabulary learning and improving English skills Infrastructure Equipment (sounds, images, ) ensures favorable conditions for teaching and learning English There are specially designed classrooms, suitable for students' ability to learn English vocabulary There are rich and accessible learning resources to meet the needs of students to develop communication skills in English Completely Bad Normal Perform Very bad execution well well execution done                SOLUTION Students' proposed solutions Solution Allocate study time appropriately Instructors should facilitate or encourage student communication Invest in specialized classroom equipment for learning English Set up groups to study English outside of school hours: study in the Library, Student Milk Tea, There should be native instructors directly in the classroom Improved pronunciation accuracy Several classes are required for face-to-face conversation with foreigners Open English teaching center for students who have lost basic in high school Teachers are more enthusiastic and change teaching methods to make it easier for students to absorb Practice listening, learn vocabulary every day by regularly watching movies, listening to music, in English 66 Tick           ... to learn English vocabulary of students majoring in English of Thu Dau Mot University and solutions to improve the ability to learn English vocabulary of students of Thu Dau Mot University Research... The remaining two criteria in the factor of motivation and learning attitude "feel interested and passionate in learning English vocabulary" and "receive encouragement to learn English vocabulary. .. 13 A brief overview of the current state of English vocabulary learning of all students 15 CHAPTER 2: THE STATUS OF LEARNING VOCABULARY OF THU DAU UNIVERSITY STUDENTS