VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LINGUISTICS & LITERATURE APPLYING THE FOUR STRANDS INTO IMPROVING ADULT LEARNERS’ ENGLISH V[.]
VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LINGUISTICS & LITERATURE APPLYING THE FOUR STRANDS INTO IMPROVING ADULT LEARNERS’ ENGLISH VOCABULARY AT A LANGUAGE CENTER IN HO CHI MINH CITY A thesis submitted to the Faculty of English Linguistics & Literature in partial fulfillment of the Master’s degree in TESOL By PHAM HOANG HUY Supervised by Assoc Prof Dr NGUYEN THANH TUNG HO CHI MINH CITY, APRIL 2021 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LINGUISTICS & LITERATURE APPLYING THE FOUR STRANDS INTO IMPROVING ADULT LEARNERS’ ENGLISH VOCABULARY AT A LANGUAGE CENTER IN HO CHI MINH CITY A thesis submitted to the Faculty of English Linguistics & Literature in partial fulfillment of the Master’s degree in TESOL By PHAM HOANG HUY Supervised by Assoc Prof Dr NGUYEN THANH TUNG HO CHI MINH CITY, APRIL 2021 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my profound gratitude toward those who have offered me wholehearted support and assistance so that I could complete this thesis First and foremost, I am deeply indebted to my supervisor, Assoc Prof Dr Nguyen Thanh Tung, for his enlightenment, comprehensive instruction, immense enthusiasm, and great empathy If it had not been for his guidance and encouragement, I would not have been able to finalize the thesis No single word could describe how grateful I have always been to him I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Ms Nguyen Thi Anh Dao – the Training Quality Manager at Nguyen Thi Minh Khai campus of the Vietnam USA Society Language Centers (VUS) – for authorizing me to conduct my research, and Mr Phung Duy Hoang and Ms Ngo Nguyen Bao Han – the Teacher Care staff – for actively making arrangements for the intact classes This study would not have been possible without generous support from my beloved colleagues at VUS, especially Ms Thai Thi A Chau, Ms Le Hong Ngoc Anh, and Mr Le Tuan Anh I am greatly indebted to the Student Affairs Assistants of the Faculty of English Linguistics and Literature, especially Ms Nguyen Thi Hang, for her kind support throughout the program Also, I am truly grateful to all of the teachers and classmates that I have had golden opportunities to work with in this program They have been incredibly inspirational, supportive and resourceful Last but not least, my special thanks go to my family members, who have always taken tender care of me, strengthened my motivation and provided me with great encouragement i STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY I certify that this thesis, entitled “Applying the four strands into improving adult learners’ English vocabulary at a language center in Ho Chi Minh City,” is my original work It is based on my own research to meet the requirements for a thesis in the Master’s program in TESOL at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities issued by the Higher Degree Committee All sources used for this thesis have been documented No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement This thesis has not previously been submitted for the award of any award of any degree or diploma in any other situation Ho Chi Minh City, April 2021 Pham Hoang Huy ii RETENTION OF USE I hereby state that I, Pham Hoang Huy, being the candidate for the degree of Master in TESOL, accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of Master’s Theses deposited in the Library In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my thesis deposited in the Library should be accessible for the purpose of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the library for the care, loan or reproduction of the thesis Ho Chi Minh City, April 2021 Pham Hoang Huy iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY ii RETENTION OF USE iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ix LIST OF TABLES xi LIST OF FIGURES xiii ABSTRACT xiv CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the study 1.2 Statement of the problem 1.3 Aim of the study and research questions 1.4 Significance of the study 1.5 Scope of the study 1.6 Organization of the thesis chapters CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 The four strands 2.1.1 Definition 2.1.1.1 Meaning-focused input 2.1.1.2 Language-focused learning iv 2.1.1.3 Meaning-focused output 2.1.1.4 Fluency development 2.1.2 Justification 10 2.1.2.1 Commonsense approaches to justification 10 2.1.2.2 Particular contributions 11 2.2 Benefits of the four strands in teaching English vocabulary 17 2.2.1 Vocabulary learning 17 2.2.1.1 Vocabulary knowledge 17 2.2.1.2 Vocabulary learning within the four strands 19 2.2.2 Learners’ attitudes toward learning vocabulary with the four strands 22 2.3 The application of the four strands into teaching English vocabulary 23 2.3.1 Procedures for applying the four strands 24 2.3.2 Task-based language teaching and the four strands 26 2.3.2.1 Task-based language teaching 26 2.3.2.2 Tasks 28 2.3.2.3 Task procedure 31 2.4 Related empirical research 33 2.4 Conceptual framework 37 2.6 Chapter summary 38 CHAPTER METHODOLOGY 39 3.1 Research site 39 3.2 Research participants 40 v 3.3 Research methodology 43 3.3.1 Research approach 43 3.3.2 Research designs 43 3.3.3 Research instruments 45 3.3.3.1 Tests 45 3.3.3.2 Questionnaire 49 3.3.4 Research procedure 51 3.4 Analytical framework 55 3.4.1 Test scores 55 3.4.2 Questionnaire responses 56 3.5 Issues of validity and reliability 57 3.5.1 Tests 57 3.5.2 Questionnaire 59 3.6 Chapter summary 59 CHAPTER RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 61 4.1 Data analysis 61 4.1.1 Test results 61 4.1.1.1 Pre-test 61 4.1.1.2 Post-test 67 4.1.1.3 Summary of test results 77 4.1.2 Questionnaire responses 77 4.1.2.1 Instrument reliability 78 vi 4.1.2.2 Learners’ attitudes toward the application of the four strands 78 4.1.2.3 Summary of questionnaire responses 84 4.2 Discussion of findings 85 4.2.1 The effects of the four strands on adult learners’ vocabulary mastery 85 4.2.2 Learners’ attitudes toward the application of the four strands 89 4.3 Chapter summary 90 CHAPTER CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 92 5.1 Conclusions 92 5.2 Evaluation of the methodology 94 5.2.1 Strengths 94 5.2.2 Weaknesses 95 5.3 Recommendations 96 5.3.1 For teachers 96 5.3.2 For learners 99 5.4 Suggestions for future research 99 5.5 Chapter summary 100 REFERENCES 101 APPENDICES 110 Appendix A – Pre-test 110 Appendix B – Pre-test answer key 112 Appendix C – Post-test 114 Appendix D – Post-test answer key 117 vii Appendix E – Sample analysis of students’ responses (Spoken section) 119 Appendix F – Questionnaire 121 Appendix G – Aspect of vocabulary knowledge for testing 124 Appendix H – Control group’s pre-test raw scores 125 Appendix I – Experimental group’s pre-test raw scores 126 Appendix J – Control group’s post-test raw scores (Written section) 127 Appendix K – Experimental group’s post-test raw scores (Written section) 128 Appendix L – Control group’s post-test raw scores (Spoken section) 129 Appendix M – Experimental group’s post-test raw scores (Spoken section) 130 Appendix N – Cronbach’s alpha of questionnaire items 131 Appendix O – Textbook extracts 132 Appendix P – Lesson plans for experimental group 135 Appendix Q – Lesson plans for control group 159 viii and the facial expression to help the friend number the picture on the paper The time is kept the teacher The group finishing the game in a smaller amount of time wins - Let group the game and keep the time - Group plays - Let group the game and keep the time - Group plays - Announce the time records and the winner - Listen Lead to Presenting the words personality - Use the pictures to review some feelings - Listen and give some adjectives and elicit the personalities (anxious, bossy, feelings competitive, moody, stubborn, rebellious, spoiled, sensitive, sociable, aggressive, jealous and affectionate) Present the Matching the words and definitions target - Give instructions that the students work - Listen items individually to match the personalities with their definitions in section on page 153 in five minutes - Give them five minutes to match - Match individually - Ask the students to discuss their answers in - Discuss in pairs pairs - Ask for the answers from the students - Give the answers - Play the audio from the iTools to check the - Listen and check answers with the class Drill the words Drilling - Drill all the items with the whole class - Drill the words - Give instructions that the students, each - Listen time, read aloud the word whose definition is given by the teacher - Read the simplified definitions as cues for - Listen to the cues and them to drill the words drill the words Practice Help the (15 minutes) students - Give instructions that the students work in - Listen practice pairs One student reads the definitions giving (simplified or given in the book) and the definitions other reads the words Pair practice 166 - Give the students four minutes to practice Help the - Practice in pairs Bingo students - Give each student handout – a bingo sheet - Receive the sheets practice with boxes on it, one of which contains a giving given personality and the others are empty definitions - Give instructions that they go around and - Listen and feel ask eight friends ‘What’s he like?’ and write engaged in their friends’ answers in the empty boxes the lesson When they are asked, they can only give one answer by explain the given personality - Let them go around and fill their bingo - Go around, ask and sheets Meanwhile, prepare a spinning wheel answer to fill the bingo of the personalities by using the online tool sheets Random Name Picker at https://www.class tools.net/random-name-picker/ - Get the students sit down and give - Sit down and listen instructions on how to play bingo - Conduct the game (until more than half of - Play bingo the students have won) - Wrap up - Listen Presentation Present the Antonyms (5 minutes) antonyms - Ask concept-checking questions to elicit the - Answer the questions and meaning of the words and their antonyms in and match the words negative section on page 153 prefixes - Introduce the notions “prefix”, “root”, and - Listen with their antonyms “suffix” by analyzing the word “unfriendly” - Ask concept-checking questions to elicit the - Answer the questions meaning of the words and help the students and add the prefixes to add the prefixes in section on page 153 - Play the audios and drill the words - Listen and repeat Practice Help the (15 minutes) students - Divide the class into two groups and ask - Make two lines remember them to stand in lines the - Give instructions that each turn, two - Listen antonyms students at the beginning of the lines compete and feel with each other to say the antonym of the Two lines 167 engaged in word given by the teacher The faster gets to the lessons the back of the line while the other stays and does the next turn When that first student gets back to the beginning of the line, the group earns one point The game ends when any group gets three points - Do a couple of examples (one anonym with - Do the examples a prefix and one without a prefix) - Conduct the game - Play the game - Wrap up - Listen Help the Pair crossword students - Put the students in pairs give - Give them the crossword extracted from the - Receive the handout definitions teacher’s book (handout 3) Each student in a and pair has a different version remember - Give instructions that they work in pairs, - Listen the taking turns to explain the personalities they antonyms are given, which their partners aren’t, to - Get in pairs complete the crossword - Let the students work in pairs - Work in pairs - Check some pairs - Some give answers Production (20 minutes) Family tree - Give the students handout - Receive the handout - Give instructions that they draw a family - Listen tree on it For each member, write down at least one positive trait and one negative one - Give them five minutes to draw - Draw a family tree Presenting and reporting - Put the students in pairs - Get in pairs - Give instructions that they present their - Listen family tree and the members’ personalities Then, listen to their partner’s presentation and take notes - Let the students work in pairs - Work in pair - Put the students in different pairs - Get in new pairs - Give instructions that they report their - Listen 168 previous partner’s family - Let the students work in pairs - Work in pair - Invite one student to present his/her family - Listen to their friends and one to report his/her friend’s family F – Handouts Handout – Facial expressions Handout – Bingo sheet anxious 169 Handout – Crossword9 Lathem-Koenig, C., & Oxenden, C (2014b) American English Files – Teacher’s book (2nd ed.) New York: Oxford University Press p 202 170 Handout – Family tree FAMILY TREE – PERSONALITIES First, draw your family tree and write down one positive personality and one negative personality for each person Then, talk to your friend about your family members There are _ people in my family, my _ and me We all have different personalities As for my , (s)he is really/quite/a bit because (s)he always/often/sometimes However, (s)he is also really/quite/a bit because (s)he always/often/sometimes Next, listen to your friend and take notes of his/her family Finally, report to another friend about your previous friend’s family 171 G – Slides 172 SESSION A – Lesson background Coursebook: American English File Lesson: 2A – Spend or save? Page: 154 Time: 80 minutes Target lexical items: Verbs: be worth, borrow, can’t afford, charge, cost, earn, inherit, invest, lend, owe, raise, save, waste Prepositions: pay in cash, pay by credit card, pay for, spent on, invest in, lend to, borrow from, charge for, get into debt, take out, pay back, live off, live on Nouns: ATM, bill, coin, loan, mortgage, salary, tax B – Objectives After this session, students will be able to - understand and remember the target lexical items, and - use the target lexical items to talk about how people spend their money and how they can have more money C – Materials: textbook, iTools, handout (incomplete version of John’s financial condition), handout (complete version of John’s financial condition), handout (fill-in-the-gap worksheet), handout (Tic-Tac-Toe), handout (pie chart), slides D – Methodology: Presentation – Practice – Production E – Procedures: Stage (Timing) Aims Teacher activity Student activity Presentation Draw the (25 minutes) students’ - Divide the students into groups of three attention to - Give each group handout (incomplete - Receive the handout the target version of John’s financial condition) and items and stick handout (complete version of John’s make them financial condition) on the board engaged in - Give instructions that the members of - Listen the lesson each group take turns to run to the board Running dictation and read one sentence, then, run back and repeat the sentence for their friends to 173 - Get in groups complete it If their friends don’t know the words, they need to spell them - Let them running dictation - Do running dictation - Check the answers with the whole class - Listen and check Help the Money calculation students - Give instructions that the students work in - Listen guess the groups, reading John’s financial condition target items and calculate how much money he has and present - Do the first two sentences as examples - Do the examples them - Let them work in groups - Work in groups - Check the answer by going over each - Listen and check sentence and presenting the target items Present the Gap-filling target - Ask concept-checking questions – Who - Answer and section items gives the money? Who receives it? Why? – on page 154 to check the items’ meaning while doing section on page 154 with the class - Drill the verbs in section Present the - Listen and repeat Prepositions and Nouns target - Ask the students to read John’s financial - Reread and complete items condition again, paying attention to the section on page 154 prepositions and complete section on page 154 - Ask them to check in their groups - Check in pairs - As them then work in groups to complete - Work in groups to section on page 154 section - Play the audios to check the answers and - Listen and repeat drill the phrases and nouns Practice Help the (35 minutes) students - Give instructions that the students, in - Listen know how groups, go shopping for correct sentences the items There are 10 sentences, four of which are are used in incorrect The sentences are shown one by sentences one and the group members discuss to Go shopping choose the correct ones When the last sentence is shown, the groups have to write 174 down which ones they buy - Show the sentences - Discuss in groups - Ask the groups to write their options - Write on the board - Check the answers - Listen - Point out the common mistakes - Listen Help the Fill-in-the-gap students - Give each student and copy of page 203 in - Receive the handout know how the teacher’s book (handout 3) to use the - Ask them to work individually and fill in - Do the exercise items in the gaps with suitable words relevant - Ask them to check their answers in pairs - Check in pairs contexts - Correct the exercise - Listen Help the Tic-Tac-Toe students - Show the Tic-Tac-Toe grid on the screen - Look at the screen use the - Dive the class into two groups - Get in groups target items - Give instructions that the groups play Tic- - Listen in Tac-Toe, taking turns to choose a box by sentences making a sentence with the word in that box If the sentence is incorrect, they miss a turn The group with five boxes in a vertical, horizontal or diagonal line wins - Guide them the play the game - Play the game - When the game finishes, put the students - Get in pairs and receive in pairs and give each a grid (handout 4) the grid - Ask them to play Tic-Tac-Toe in pairs - Play in pairs Production (20 minutes) Pair conversation - Show 10 questions about money on the - Look at the screen screen - Put the students in pairs - Get in pairs - Ask them to ask and answer the questions - Ask and answer - Ask some students to give their answers - Some students answer Presenting a pie chart - Give each student a pie chart (handout 5) - Receive the handout - Give instructions that they answer the - Listen questions – Are you a spender or saver? – by completing the chart 175 - Do an example - Listen - Give them five minutes to draw the chart - Draw the chart - Put the students in pairs - Get in pairs - Give instructions that they present their - Listen chart Then, listen to their partner - Do an example with the example chart - Listen - Let the students work in pairs - Work in pair - Wrap up - Listen F – Handouts Handout – Incomplete version of John’s financial condition John got his salary three weeks ago He _ $150 a month being a secretary Then, he $35 for the house he was renting Next, he paid back the money he his friend last month It was $20 that he from his friend to pay his water bill Then, he took his old laptop to the electronic store and they him $32 for the repairs On his way home, he went to the supermarket and $23 on food After that, he bought shirts that $9 each However, he his money on one of the shirt because he never wore it Unluckily, he lost the rest of his money so he couldn’t to buy anything 10 His friend then $20 to him and he was in debt again 11 On Sunday, his mom told him that his late grandfather gave him a land that was $10000 12 He sold the land and $4000 into the stock market 13 He gave his mom another $4000 and his friend $50 and the rest in his safe Handout - Complete version of John’s financial condition John got his salary three weeks ago He earns $150 a month being a secretary Then, he paid $35 for the house he was renting Next, he paid back the money he owed his friend last month It was $20 that he borrowed from his friend to pay his water bill 176 Then, he took his old laptop to the electronic store and they charged him $32 for the repairs On his way home, he went to the supermarket and spent $23 on food After that, he bought shirts that cost $9 each However, he wasted his money on one of the shirt because he never wore it Unluckily, he lost the rest of his money so he couldn’t afford to buy anything 10 His friend then lent $20 to him and he was in debt again 11 On Sunday, his mom told him that his late grandfather gave him a land that was worth $10000 12 He sold the land and invested $4000 into the stock market 13 He gave his mom another $4000 and his friend $50 and saved the rest in his safe Handout – Fill-in-the-gap worksheet 10 10 Lathem-Koenig, C., & Oxenden, C (2014b) American English Files – Teacher’s book (2nd ed.) New York: Oxford University Press p 203 177 Handout – Tic-Tac-Toe bank owe tax borrow sell clothes expensive worth save bill cost money coin give charge raise ATM pay back free lend spend salary buy loan inherit waste borrow enough earn debt pay for over- bank pocket charge account money cash food can’t afford fee mortgage 178 can afford cheap credit card Handout – Pie chart Are you a spender or a saver? Draw a diagram to show you answer G – Slides 179 180