Luận văn thạc sĩ VNU ULIS the effects of using sense relations in learning english vocabulary of 9th grade students in a secondary school in hanoi

VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** DƯƠNG THỊ HƯƠNG THE EFFECTS OF USING SENSE RELATIONS ON LEARNING ENGLISH VOCABULARY OF 9TH GRADE STUDENTS IN A SECONDARY SCHOOL IN HANOI Ảnh hưởng việc sử dụng mối quan hệ nghĩa vào việc học từ vựng học sinh lớp trường THCS Hà Nội M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01 Hanoi – 2018 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** DƯƠNG THỊ HƯƠNG THE EFFECTS OF USING SENSE RELATIONS ON LEARNING ENGLISH VOCABULARY OF 9TH GRADE STUDENTS IN A SECONDARY SCHOOL IN HANOI Ảnh hưởng việc sử dụng mối quan hệ nghĩa vào việc học từ vựng học sinh lớp trường THCS Hà Nội M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01 Supervisor: Dr Trần Thị Thu Hiền Hanoi – 2018 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com DECLARATION I hereby certify that the thesis entitled “The effects of using sense relations on learning English vocabulary of 9th grade students in a secondary school in Hanoi” is the result of my own research for the Degree of Master at the University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, and this thesis has not been submitted for any other degrees Ha Noi, August 2018 Dương Thị Hương i LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to send my sincere gratitude to Dr Tran Thị Thu Hien for helping me finish this study This paper would not be finished without her sincere patience and encouraging guidance Her patience and helpful advice helped me confidently express my ideas into this paper Furthermore, I would like to express my sincere thanks to all my lecturers at the Faculty of Post-graduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies for their valuable lectures which have helped me a great deal in gaining a lot of theoretical as well as practical knowledge My special thanks are for the principal and teachers at a secondary school in Hanoi that helped me carry out the study and for 29 grade-9 students who took part in the experimental teaching by using sense relations Finally, I would like to express my deep gratitude and love to my beloved parents, my brothers, my husband and my friends who supported and encouraged me to complete this thesis ii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ABSTRACT Vietnamese students often face difficulties in learning vocabulary They fail to remember words and to recall words when necessary because of their learning habits and learning strategies Based on literature review, it is found that sense relations can have positive effects on vocabulary learning This thesis is entitled “The effects of using sense relations on learning English vocabulary of th grade students in a secondary school in Hanoi” which aims to find out the improvement of the use of sense relations in teaching vocabulary This research was a quantitative and qualitative method To obtain the data, test, the questionnaire and the interview were used In selecting the sample, the writer used purposive sampling The sample was the students in class 9A1 of a secondary school which consisted of 29 students The result of test showed that using sense relations could improve the students‘ ability in English vocabulary mastery In addition, based on the analysis of the interview, the English teacher gave some suggestions for the application of sense relations in teaching vocabulary It can be concluded that sense relations have a positive effect on students‘ vocabulary acquisition iii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ELT : English Language Teaching Q : Question SR : Sense Relations iv LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF FIGURES, CHARTS AND TABLES Figure 1.1: Example of hyponymy relation Chart 3.1: Frequency Distribution of Pre-test Chart 3.2: Frequency Distribution of Post-test Table 2.1: Summary of the questions in the students‘ questionnaire Table 2.2 : Data collection procedure Table 3.1: Students‘ habits of vocabulary learning at home v LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS iv LIST OF FIGURES, CHARTS AND TABLES v PART ONE: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale for the study Aims and objectives of the study Research Questions Scope of the study Significance of the study Methods of the study Organization of the study PART 2: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Vocabulary 1.1.1 Definition 1.1.2 The importance of vocabulary 1.1.3 Types of vocabulary 1.2 Vocabulary teaching 1.2.1 Vocabulary teaching process 1.2.2 Techniques in teaching vocabulary 1.2.2.1 Visual techniques 1.2.2.2 Verbal techniques 1.3 Vocabulary learning 11 1.3.1 Vocabulary acquisition process 11 1.3.2 Vocabulary learning strategies 12 vi LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 1.4 Sense relations 13 1.4.1 Types of sense relations 13 1.4.1.1 Synonymy 13 1.4.1.2 Antonymy 13 1.4.1.3 Hyponymy 14 1.4.1.4 Polysemy and homonymy 15 1.4.1.5 Meronymy 16 1.4.1.6 Attributive relation 17 1.4.1.7 Instrumental relation 17 1.4.1.8 Place relation 17 1.4.1.9 Other kinds of sense relations 17 1.4.2 Advantages of using sense relations in teaching and learning vocabulary17 1.5 Previous studies 18 1.6 Chapter summary 19 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 21 2.1 The research setting 21 2.1.1 Research site 21 2.1.2 English textbooks 21 2.2 Participants 22 2.2.1 The teacher 22 2.2.2 Students 22 2.3 Methods of the study 22 2.3.1 Action research 21 2.3.2 Action plan 21 2.4 Data collection instruments 27 2.4.1 The tests 27 2.4.2 The questionnaire 28 2.4.3 The interviews 30 2.5 Data collection procedure 31 2.6 Chapter summary 31 vii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 32 3.1 The tests 32 The questionnaire 34 3 The interviews 36 3.3.1 The pre-interview 36 3.3.2 The post-interview 37 3.4 Chapter summary 40 PART THREE: CONCLUSION 41 Recapitulation 41 Pedagogical implications 41 Limitations of the study 43 Suggestions for further studies 44 REFERENCES APPENDICES viii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Learning the words and their meanings by heart Reading English-Vietnamese stories Others (Please specify) : How much time you spend learning English vocabulary every day? ……………………………………………………………………… To what extent you like implementing the following techniques in learning vocabulary? Very Disinterested disinterested Neutral Interested Very interested Translation Pictures Definition Synonyms/ Antonyms/ Hyponyms Polysemy/ Homonyms Other techniques Please specify: ( ) Thank you for your collaboration! II LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com APPENDIX PRE-INTERVIEW AND POST-INTERVIEW FOR THE ENGLISH TEACHER Pre-interview How long have you taught English? What you think about the level of your students‘ vocabulary acquisition? What techniques you use to teach vocabulary? To what extent you use sense relations in teaching vocabulary? Post-interview In your opinion, what are the advantages of using sense relations in teaching and learning and learning vocabulary? Do you have any difficulties in implementing sense relations to teach vocabulary? How you evaluate the effectiveness of sense relations in teaching and learning vocabulary? Do you have any suggestions for teachers who want to use sense relations in teaching vocabulary? III LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com APPENDIX PRE- TEST Name: …………………………………………… Class: …………………… I Choose the odd one A dump B bin C junk-yard D throw A convenient B informative C interesting D commerce A like B hate C prefer D enjoy A cans B waste C rubbish D garbage A reduce B reuse C energy D recycle II Choose the word that is CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word or phrase The Internet has some disadvantages A advantages B benefits C drawbacks D purposes We should use public transports to preserve the environment A protect B harm C limit D dissolve You should leave home early to avoid traffic congestion A traffic lights B traffic jams C traffic police D traffic B expensive C small D big circle It is a costly shirt A cheap 10 I‘m disappointed that people have spoiled this area A unhappy B delighted C surprised D glad III Choose the word that is OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word or phrase 11 The film is interesting A good B boring C exciting D wonderful 12 You should turn off the lights to save electricity when you leave the room IV LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com A waste B protect C store D solve 13 We should minimize the amount of rubbish that we create every day A produce B C save D use 14 If you throw rubbish onto the water, you will make water polluted A clean B dirty C contaminated D bad 15 We should burn trash to reduce the amount of garbage A decrease B increase C limit D minimize IV Put the following words in the correct box channel - deforestation –remote control - spraying pesticides- dynamite fishing Environmental problems Television 16 _ 19 _ 17 _ 20 _ 18 _ V LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com APPENDIX POST-TEST Name: …………………………………………… Class: …………………… I Choose the odd one A reduce B reuse C energy D recycle A cans B waste C rubbish D garbage A like B hate C prefer D enjoy A convenient B informative C interesting D commerce A dump B bin C junk-yard D throw II Put the following words in the correct box channel - deforestation –remote control - spraying pesticides- dynamite fishing Television Environmental problems _ _ _ _ 10 _ III Choose the word that is CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word or phrase 11 I‘m disappointed that people have spoiled this area A unhappy B delighted C surprised D glad C drawbacks D purposes 12 The Internet has some disadvantages A advantages B benefits 13 We should use public transports to preserve the environment A protect B harm C limit D dissolve B expensive C small D big 14 It is a costly shirt A cheap 15 You should leave home early to avoid traffic congestion VI LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com A traffic lights B traffic jams C traffic police D traffic circle IV Choose the word that is OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word or phrase 16 If you throw rubbish onto the water, you will make water polluted A clean B dirty C contaminated D bad 17 You should turn off the lights to save electricity when you leave the room A waste B protect C store D solve 18 We should minimize the amount of rubbish that we create every day A produce B C save D use 19 We should burn trash to reduce the amount of garbage A decrease B increase C limit D minimize B boring C exciting D wonderful 20 The film is interesting A good VII LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com APPENDIX SYLLABUS FOR APPLYING SENSE RELATIONS TO TEACH VOCABULARY IN WEEKS Topic Competences Lesson Vocabulary Unit - Agree and Getting crier (n), magazine (n), Hyponym 5:The disagree started – newspaper (n) remote Synonym media - Ask for and Listening control (n), channel (n) Antonym give opinions and Reading interactive (adj), - Write a SR benefit (n) passage Speaking + violent (adj), Hyponym Language documentary (n), Antonym Focus informative (adj), Synonym boring (adj), like (v), prefer (v), love (v), enjoy (v),… Listening + telegraph (n), Attributive Language assignment (n), viable relation Focus 1,3,4 (adj), journalism (n) Synonym ,commercial (adj), Place relation drama (n) Reading convenient (adj), Antonym communicate (v), surf Collocation VIII LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com (v), purpose (n), costly Synonym (adj),limitation (n), get Antonym access to, information leaking (n.p), timeconsuming (adj), useful (adj) Writing advantage (n), Hyponym drawback (n), a source Synonym of education, a source Collocation of entertainment, means of education, … Unit 6: - Persuade Getting garbage dump (n.p), Collocation The - Complete a started deforestation (n), Hyponym environ questionnaire + Listening pollution (n), dynamite Attributive ment - Write a letter and Reading fishing (n.p), spraying relation of complaint pesticides (n.p), disappointed (adj), shore (n) Speaking bin (n), trash (n), save Polysemy (v), traffic jams (n.p), Collocation reduce (v), polluted Synonym (adj), recycle (v), Antonym exhaust fume (n.p) Place relation Listening + sewage (n), pump (v), Synonym Language drop (v), oil (n), vessel Collocation Focus (n), marine life (n.p), Place relation deliberate (adj), waste (n) IX LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Reading junk-yard (n), foam Synonym (n), hedge (n), folk (n) Polysemy treasure (n), rubbish Antonym (n), minimize (v) Writing electric shock (n.p) Polysemy prohibit (v), complaint Synonym (n), smell (n), fly (n) Collocation authority (n), catch (v) X LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com APPENDIX SOME ACTIVITIES IN THE EXPERIMENTAL TEACHING Activity 1: Internet Television Media Newspaper Radio Magazines Activity 2: rock folk pop TV music jazz Weather forecast PROGRAM news drama romantic film film film sport action film horror film cartoon soccer detective film tennis XI LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Activity 3: Name of the programs Adjectives to describe Verbs to describe Films/ Movies Interesting Enjoy News Informative Love Drama Violent Like Sports Boring Prefer Music Exciting Dislike Hate Activity 4: stories articles news A source of information music Benefits of the Internet A source of entertainment A source of education selfstudy movie game online lessons online schools XII LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com APPENDIX LESSON PLAN TEXTBOOK LESSON SKILL CLASS TIME ALLOTTED TIENG ANH UNIT 5: THE MEDIA SPEAKING + LANGUAGE FOCUS (Period 28) A1 45 MINUTES I Objectives: By the end of the lesson, Ss will be able to: - Ask and answer questions about favorite programs - Talk to their friends about the programs they like or dislike II Skill: Speaking, listening III Teaching aids: Textbook, chalk, blackboard, handouts, posters IV Anticipated problems: Ss may not have enough vocabulary to talk about the topic, so T should be ready to provide help V Procedure: Time 5ms STAGES AND TEACHER’S ACTIVITIES I WARM-UP Activity: Brainstorming Work arrangement Group work Cartoons TV programs 1m * Lead in: XIII LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com - T elicits the topic by asking Ss some questions: + What kinds of programs you like best? + Why you like it?  To practice more about the media, we continue Unit 5- The media, speaking part 15ms II PRE-SPEAKING Activity 1: Teaching vocabulary - violent (adj): bạo lực (synonym) - documentary (n): phim tài liệu (hyponym) - informative (adj): giàu thông tin (attributive relation) - boring (adj): nhàm chán (antonym) - opposite (adj, n): trái ngược (antonym) Steps to present the vocabulary: + T elicits the new word with a technique + T reads the word times + T asks Ss to repeat the word times chorally + T asks some Ss to repeat the word times individually + T corrects mistakes + T writes the word on the board + T asks Ss to give meaning of the word in Vietnamese + T checks the stress/intonation + T asks Ss to copy all new words  Checking vocabulary Checking technique: Gap-filling Activity 2: Dialogue build: Nam: You like watching sports, (1) ………… ? Mai: Not really, Some sports are so violent, and I don‘t (2) …………….them I prefer documentaries Nam: I‘m the opposite I (3) …… watching sports, and documentaries seem quite boring to me Mai: But you (4) ………the news, (5) …………? Trung: Yes, every day It‘s very (6) ………… Mai: I enjoy it too You don‘t like foreign films, (7) ……… ? Nam: No, I don‘t - T asks Ss to complete the dialogue between Nam and Mai * Answer key: don‘t you like/ enjoy like/ enjoy watch don‘t you informative T – Whole class XIV LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com you *Tag- Questions: You like watching sports, don‘t you? You don‘t like foreign films, you? Form: Auxiliary verb + pronoun Use: 10ms 10ms 4ms III WHILE- SPEAKING - T asks Ss to read the dialogue in pairs - T checks their pronunciation/ intonation of tag question - T asks Ss to pick out sentences showing agreement and disagreement and has them practice *Agree: - I prefer documentaries - I love watching sports - I enjoy it too * Disagree: - Not really - I don‘t like watching sports - I‘m the opposite - Documentaries seem quite boring to me Pair work IV POST- SPEAKING Group work Activity: Talk about favorite programs - T divides the whole class into groups - T gives the instruction: Work in your group and discuss about your favorite programs in minutes After minutes, the leader of each group comes to the board and presents the group’s result - T checks the instruction - T gives Ss a model - T asks Ss to work in pairs, basing on the model to talk about your own music taste - T moves around to give help if necessary - T calls on some groups to present their work before the whole class - T gives feedback V HOMEWORK - Learn by heart the new words - Rewrite the last activity in a short paragraph T – whole class XV LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com - Do exercise A2 in the workbook - Prepare for the next lesson ―Reading‖ XVI LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ... important than vocabulary, so I focus on grammar teaching rather than vocabulary teaching.” 3.3.2 The post-interview Section 1: The advantages of using sense relations in teaching and learning vocabulary. .. ? ?The effects of using sense relations on learning English vocabulary of th grade students in a secondary school in Hanoi? ?? which aims to find out the improvement of the use of sense relations in. .. vocabulary When the interviewer asked the teacher about the advantages of using sense relations in teaching and learning vocabulary in a 6-week period, she mentioned some advantages of using sense relations