Using conceptual metaphor in teaching phrasal verbs at hung vuong high school for the gifted, binh duong province m a

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – HOCHIMINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE USING CONCEPTUAL METAPHOR IN TEACHING PHRASAL VERBS AT HUNG VUONG HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE GIFTED, BINH DUONG PROVINCE A thesis submitted to the Faculty of English Linguistics & Literature in partial fulfilment of the Master’s degree in TESOL By NGUYEN THI NGOC DUNG Supervised by NGUYEN THI NHU NGOC, Ph.D HO CHI MINH CITY, AUGUST 2022 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I hereby certify that this thesis entitled “Using conceptual metaphor in teaching phrasal verbs at Hung Vuong High school for the gifted, Binh Duong province” is my own work This thesis has not been submitted for the award of any degree or any other purposes in any other tertiary institutions Ho Chi Minh City, August 2022 Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Dung i RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby state that I, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Dung, being a candidate for the degree of Master of Arts 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 and reproduction of theses Ho Chi Minh City, August 2022 Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Dung ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The writing of an MA thesis is not an easy path During the time of writing, I owe a great debt of gratitude to those who supported and assisted me to complete this work First and foremost, I am profoundly indebted to my teacher and supervisor, Dr Nguyen Thi Nhu Ngoc, for all her encouragement, sympathy, and invaluable guidance Without her wholehearted support and critical comments, I would not have overcome the difficulties to finish my thesis I would like to express my immense gratitude to the Board of Administrators of Hung Vuong High school for the Gifted in Binh Duong Province and my beloved colleagues there, whose facilitation greatly contributed to the implementation of this thesis My sincere thanks also go to my teammates in class 2019A for their academic support They are the ones who fulfil my study path and shed the light on the difficulties of this MA course Many thanks especially go to my fiancé He is one of my biggest spiritual supports His love and sympathy encouraged me a lot to complete this study Last but not least, I would like to dedicate this thesis to my affectionately caring parents, who always love me unconditionally and devote themselves to their daughter and her desires iii ABSTRACT Phrasal verbs play essential role in the English language but it is an obstacle for many students to comprehend written texts and especially daily conversations There are a few effective methods of learning phrasal verbs utilized in high school contexts To partially contribute to an effective method, the research on using conceptual metaphor in learning phrasal verbs was conducted and presented in this thesis There are three primary objectives to accomplish: (1) investigating students’ awareness of phrasal verbs and learning phrasal verbs; (2) examining the effects conceptual metaphor to understand and memorize the meanings of phrasal verbs; and (3) exploring the students’ perspectives towards this learning method For its framework for analysis, a quasi-experimental study was conducted with the participation of fifty-nine non-English-majored students at Hung Vuong High school for the Gifted in Binh Duong Province, Vietnam in the period of weeks The responses of both participant groups proved the important role of phrasal verbs in students’ learning process Besides, the findings of pre-test, immediate post-test and delayed post-test illustrated that conceptual metaphor method had effective influence on enhancing the students’ comprehension and memorization of phrasal verbs Simultaneously, the results of the post-study questionnaire illustrated that the positive viewpoint from the experimental group on the conceptual metaphor method The findings of this study carry several implications of teaching and learning phrasal verbs It is suggested that teachers should pay more attention to teaching phrasal verbs and explaining their uses properly Additionally, it might take time for both teachers and students to grasp the conceptual metaphor and use it to comprehend phrasal verb meanings Key words: phrasal verbs, conceptual metaphor, TESOL, EFL iv TABLE OF CONTENT CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the study 1.2 Statement of the study problem 1.3 Aims of the study 1.4 Significance of the study 1.5 Scope of the study 1.6 Organization of thesis chapters CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Definitions of phrasal verbs and their construction 2.2 Particles in phrasal verbs 10 2.2.1 Particles versus prepositions 10 2.2.2 The importance of particles in phrasal verbs 11 2.2.3 The metaphorical extension of phrasal verb particle meanings 12 2.3 Conceptual metaphor and its relation to interpreting phrasal verbs 14 2.3.1 Definition of conceptual metaphor 15 2.3.2 Kinds of conceptual metaphor 16 2.4 Using image schemas in interpreting phrasal verbs 19 2.4.1 The theory of image schemas 19 2.4.2 The interpretation of phrasal verb meanings using image schemas 22 2.5 Previous empirical studies on the use of conceptual metaphors in learning phrasal verbs 26 2.5.1 Selected studies for analysis 27 2.5.2 Research gaps 30 v 2.6 Conceptual framework 31 2.7 Summary of the chapter 32 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 33 3.1 Research site 33 3.2 Research participants 34 3.3 Research design 36 3.4 Pilot study 38 3.5 Research instrument 40 3.5.1 Pre-test and post-test papers 40 3.5.1.1 Pre-test paper 42 3.5.1.2 Immediate post-test paper as worksheets 43 3.5.2 Delayed post-test paper 44 3.5.3 Questionnaires 44 3.6 Materials for the research 46 3.6.1 The detection process of phrasal verbs in currently used textbooks 46 3.6.2 Selection of phrasal verbs for study 48 3.6.3 Teaching and learning handouts 50 3.6.3.1 Version (for control group) 50 3.6.3.2 Version (for experimental group) 50 3.6.4 Procedure of one period in both classes 52 3.7 Data collection procedure 53 3.7.1 Quasi-experimental study 53 3.7.2 Survey 54 3.7.3 Summary of the data collection procedure 54 vi 3.8 Data analysis 55 3.9 Summary of the chapter 56 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 57 4.1 Students’ performance on tests 57 4.1.1 Pre-test scores between two groups 58 4.1.2 Immediate post-test results between two groups 59 4.1.3 Delayed post-test scores between two groups 62 4.1.4 The comparisons between pre-test and delayed post-test scores within groups 63 4.1.5 Discussion 65 4.2 Students’ responses to the questionnaires 67 4.2.1 Students’ awareness of phrasal verbs 67 4.2.1.1 The importance of phrasal verbs in English language 67 4.2.1.2 The preference of using phrasal verbs 68 4.2.1.3 Difficulties in learning phrasal verbs 68 4.2.1.4 Existent strategies of learning phrasal verbs 69 4.2.1.5 The effectiveness of existent methods 70 4.2.2 Students’ perspectives towards the conceptual metaphor method 72 4.2.2.1 Satisfaction of the material of conceptual metaphor method 73 4.2.2.2 Satisfaction of the conceptual metaphor method 74 4.2.3 Discussion 75 4.2.3.1 Students’ perceptions on phrasal verbs 75 4.2.3.2 Students’ perspectives towards the conceptual metaphor method 76 4.3 Summary of the chapter 77 vii CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 79 5.1 Summary of the major findings 79 5.2 Suggestions 81 5.2.1 Suggestions for teachers 81 5.2.2 Suggestions for students 82 5.3 Limitations of this study 83 5.4 Recommendations for further study 84 REFERENCES 85 APPENDIX 1: MAPPINGS BETWEEN CONSTITUENT ELEMENTS OF SOURCE AND TARGET DOMAINS 91 APPENDIX 2: SUMMARY OF KINDS OF CONCEPTUAL METAPHOR 92 APPENDIX 3: LIST OF IMAGE SCHEMAS 93 APPENDIX 4: THE EXCERPTS FROM COLLINS PHRASAL VERB DICTIONARY 94 APPENDIX 5: PHRASAL VERBS IN TEXTBOOKS (TIENG ANH 10, 11, 12) AND THEIR MEANINGS IN CONTEXT 98 APPENDIX 6: PHRASAL VERBS’S GROUPS OF MEANINGS BASED ON THEIR PARTICLES 106 APPENDIX 7A: TEACHING AND LEARNING HANDOUTS FOR CONTROL GROUP 109 APPENDIX 7B: TEACHING AND LEARNING HANDOUTS FOR EXPERIMENTAL GROUP 114 APPENDIX 8: PROCEDURE OF ONE INSTRUCTION FOR EXPERIMENTAL GROUP 123 APPENDIX 9: STUDENTS’ DRAWINGS 125 viii APPENDIX 10: TEST FOR UNSEEN PHRASAL VERBS 127 APPENDIX 11: LIST OF UNSEEN PHRASAL VERBS 129 APPENDIX 12: ORIGINAL PRE-TEST PAPER FOR PILOTING GROUP 130 APPENDIX 13: ORIGINAL DELAYED POST-TEST PAPER FOR PILOTING GROUP 132 APPENDIX 14: PRE-TEST PAPER 134 APPENDIX 15: POST-TEST PAPER AS WORKSHEETS 136 APPENDIX 16: DELAYED POST-TEST PAPER 141 APPENDIX 17: PRE-STUDY QUESTIONNAIRE 143 APPENDIX 18: POST-STUDY QUESTIONNAIRE 145 APPENDIX 19A: SPSS OUTPUT OF PRE-TEST SCORES BETWEEN TWO GROUPS 146 APPENDIX 19B: SPSS OUTPUT OF IMMEDIATE POST-TEST SCORES BETWEEN TWO GROUPS 147 APPENDIX 19C: SPSS OUTPUT OF DELAYED POST-TEST SCORES 149 APPENDIX 20A: REQUEST LETTER TO CONDUCT STUDY 150 APPENDIX 20B: RESPONSE LETTER 151 APPENDIX 21: LESSON OF PHRASAL VERBS EXTRACTED FROM TEXTBOOK (TIENG ANH 12, PP 48-49) 152 ix Task (1.0 x = points): Use the phrasal verbs in task to fill in the blanks, changing forms of the verbs where necessary We’re a market research survey When you , you expel air from your lungs If you a thousand words a day you'll soon have finished They succeeded in what they to It looks like the starter motor on the car has * Phrasal verbs with ON Task 1: Write the definitions of the following phrasal verbs go on : depend on : move on : work on : concentrate on: _ Task 2: Match the following phrasal verbs with their appropriate definitions Column A Column B base on a to need the help and support of someone in order to continue, to work correctly, or to succeed drag on b to try hard to improve or achieve something insist on c to try hard to improve or achieve something rely on d to use something as a basis for further progress build on e to continue for too long f to demand something and refuse to be persuaded to accept anything else g to spend more time doing one particular thing than others 138 Task Use the phrasal verbs in task to fill in the blanks Her latest project is a film the life of a 19th-century music hall star A good relationship is trust He speaking to you personally The success of this project _ everyone making an effort The history lesson for another hour * Phrasal verbs with OFF Task 1: Write the definitions of the following phrasal verbs go off : fence off : turn off : set off : take off : Task 2: Match the following phrasal verbs with their appropriate definitions Column A Column B give off a to change from one subject to another when talking or writing take off b to leave the ground and begin to fly switch off c to begin to move start off d to try to make people admire your abilities, achievements, or possessions – used to show disapproval show off e to produce heat, light, a smell, or a gas f to stop thinking about something or paying attention to something g to make a sudden loud noise (of an alarm) 139 Task Use the phrasal verbs in task to fill in the blanks His plane at 8.30 a.m last Monday When I hear the word ‘football’, I _ That tiny radiator doesn't _ much heat I sat in the car for a few minutes before He couldn’t resist _ on the tennis court 140 APPENDIX 16: DELAYED POST-TEST PAPER Your name: _ Class: 12 Task (0.5 x 10 = points): Match the following phrasal verbs with their appropriate meanings There are two extra definitions Column A Column B show up a to become known or be made public make up b to start doing or discussing something new come out c to leave the ground and begins to fly break out d to understand something hand out e to stop listening to someone switch off f to make something to rise into the air fence off g to separate one area from another area with a fence take off h to give a number of things to the members of a group catch on i to change from one subject to another when talking or writing 10 move on g to form something k to escape from a place or a situation l to arrive where you have arranged to meet somebody Task 2: Replace the underlined words with the phrasal verbs in the box, changing the form of verb if necessary There is one extra phrasal verb shoot up dress up clear out take off go on grow up run out move off depend on work on Can we change from this subject to another one for discussion, please? Prices increased by 25 percent Would it be better to treat children like adults while they are advancing to maturity? 141 Emergency supplies of flour, cooking oil and other basics are projected to be used up in days in northern areas The celebrations with music and dancing continued into the late hours However, they are very formal when they dress in smart clothes for church services and important ceremonies You need to try hard to improve your pronunciation a bit more I found the letters when I was removing things away after my grandfather died He knew he could need support from her to deal with the situation 10 He removed my wet boots and made me sit by the fire 142 APPENDIX 17: PRE-STUDY QUESTIONNAIRE Dear all students, I am Nguyen Thi Ngoc Dung – a master student of TESOL program at University of Social Sciences and Humanities – Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City I am currently conducting my study entitled “Using Conceptual Metaphor in Learning Phrasal Verbs at Hung Vuong High School for the Gifted, Binh Duong Province” I would be grateful if you could take some time to complete the following questionnaire Your personal information will be confidential Thank you very much for your help and cooperation PART PERSONAL INFORMATION 1.1 Your name: 1.2 Your class: 12 PART STUDENTS’ AREAS Section A Your perspectives towards phrasal verbs Q1 Rate the importance of phrasal verbs in English language, especially spoken language Not important at all Very important      Q2 If you can use either phrasal verbs or one-word verbs, which one you prefer to use? (Choose one option)  Phrasal verbs  One-word verbs Q3 Why you find phrasal verbs difficult to learn? (You can choose more than one option)  The structures of phrasal verbs are complicated  The meanings of phrasal verbs are complex  Vietnamese and English are different 143  My level is not high enough to understand the meanings of phrasal verbs  Others (please specify) Section B Your existent learning methods Q4 What strategies you usually apply to learn phrasal verbs? (You can choose more than one option)  Learning by heart  Contextualization  Grouping main verbs  Grouping particles  Others (please specify) Q5 Rate the effectiveness of your current strategies to learn phrasal verbs Not effective at all Very effective      144 APPENDIX 18: POST-STUDY QUESTIONNAIRE Dear all students, I am Nguyen Thi Ngoc Dung – a master student of TESOL program at University of Social Sciences and Humanities – Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City I am currently conducting my study entitled “Using Conceptual Metaphor in Learning Phrasal Verbs at Hung Vuong High School for the Gifted, Binh Duong Province” I would be grateful if you could take some time to complete the following questionnaire Your personal information will be confidential Thank you very much for your help and cooperation PART PERSONAL INFORMATION 1.1 Your name: 1.2 Your class: 12 PART STUDENTS’ AREAS Please choose the number which best describes your feelings about the statements Strongly Slightly Slightly Strongly Disagree Agree disagree disagree agree agree The learning material is informative The learning material is new The learning material is interesting The teaching method is new The teaching method makes things easier to memorise 6 The method can be a good method to enhance phrasal verb learning 145 APPENDIX 19A: SPSS OUTPUT OF PRE-TEST SCORES BETWEEN TWO GROUPS Group Statistics GROUP N Mean Std Deviation Std Error Mean 27 7.222 1.3611 2619 29 7.431 1.0064 1869 PRETEST Independent Samples Test Levene's Test for Equality of Variances F Equal variances assumed PRETEST Equal variances not assumed 2.103 Sig .153 t-test for Equality of Means t -.656 df 54 -.649 47.725 Sig (2tailed) Mean Std Error Difference Difference 95% Confidence Interval of the Difference Lower Upper 515 -.2088 3184 -.8471 4295 519 -.2088 3218 -.8559 4383 * Group 1: Experimental group; Group 2: Control group 146 APPENDIX 19B: SPSS OUTPUT OF IMMEDIATE POST-TEST SCORES BETWEEN TWO GROUPS Group Statistics GROUP N Mean Std Deviation Std Error Mean 27 9.056 1.0500 2021 29 8.259 6495 1206 27 8.963 1.3932 2681 29 6.431 2.1075 3914 27 7.148 2.0746 3993 29 7.103 1.8535 3442 27 7.000 1.8964 3650 29 7.776 1.5844 2942 UP OUT ON OFF * Group 1: Experimental group; Group 2: Control group 147 Independent Samples Test Levene's Test for Equality of Variances F UP OUT ON OFF Equal variances assumed Equal variances not assumed Equal variances assumed Equal variances not assumed Equal variances assumed Equal variances not assumed Equal variances assumed Equal variances not assumed 1.123 15.587 477 4.512 Sig .294 000 493 038 t-test for Equality of Means t df Sig (2tailed) Mean Std Error Difference Difference 95% Confidence Interval of the Difference Lower Upper 3.442 54 001 7969 2315 3327 1.2611 3.386 42.780 002 7969 2353 3223 1.2716 5.262 54 000 2.5319 4812 1.5672 3.4967 5.337 48.861 000 2.5319 4744 1.5786 3.4853 085 54 932 0447 5250 -1.0078 1.0972 085 52.222 933 0447 5271 -1.0130 1.1024 -1.666 54 102 -.7759 4658 -1.7097 1579 -1.655 50.839 104 -.7759 4688 -1.7171 1653 148 APPENDIX 19C: SPSS OUTPUT OF DELAYED POST-TEST SCORES Group Statistics GROUP N Mean Std Deviation Std Error Mean 27 8.241 1.4700 2829 29 7.017 2.0066 3726 DELAYEDPOSTTEST Independent Samples Test Levene's Test for Equality of Variances F Equal variances DELAYED- assumed POSTTEST Equal variances not assumed 2.118 Sig .151 t-test for Equality of Means t df Sig (2tailed) Mean Difference Std Error Difference 95% Confidence Interval of the Difference Lower Upper 2.587 54 012 1.2235 4730 2752 2.1718 2.615 51.246 012 1.2235 4678 2844 2.1626 149 APPENDIX 20A: REQUEST LETTER TO CONDUCT STUDY February 1st, 2021 Ms Nguyen Thi Thanh Tam Vice Principal of Hung Vuong High school for the Gifted Binh Duong Province Dear Madam, I am writing this letter to request permission to conduct my research study at our school I am currently a master student in the TESOL program at University of Social Sciences and Humanities – Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh city And I am in the process of writing my research The study is entitled “Using Conceptual Metaphor in Learning Phrasal Verbs at Hung Vuong High School for The Gifted, Binh Duong Province.” The research aims to examine the effects of conceptual metaphor on students’ learning phrasal verbs and investigate students’ perspective towards the use of conceptual metaphor in learning phrasal verbs Due to the nature of the study, I hope that the school administration will allow me to recruit students from your class, 12T1, for the piloting study and two other classes, 12T2 and 12H, for the quasi-experiment In particular, the piloting study will be conducted within weeks while the quasi-experiment will be carried out at classes simultaneously within weeks If the approval is granted, student participants will complete a pre-study questionnaire and a pre-test in period, then partake in my lessons in periods and a delayed posttest in period In addition, the students of the experimental group will respond a poststudy questionnaire online I certainly ensure that this study will be only conducted at your school’s favourable time The survey results will be collected for the project and individual test results of this study will remain confidential Should this study be published, only pooled results will be documented No costs will be incurred by either your school or the individual participants Your approval will be greatly appreciated I would be happy to answer any questions or concerns that you may have via phone or email You may contact me at my email address: ndung.nguyen1809@gmail.com or my phone number: 0389573337 Sincerely 150 APPENDIX 20B: RESPONSE LETTER 151 APPENDIX 21: LESSON OF PHRASAL VERBS EXTRACTED FROM TEXTBOOK (TIENG ANH 12, PP 48-49) 152