Applying framenet to teaching the usage of english verbs m a 60 14 10

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY - HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES DO THI MAI HUONG APPLYING FRAMENET TO TEACHING THE USAGE OF ENGLISH VERBS M.A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN TESOL Supervisor Assoc Prof DINH DIEN HO CHI MINH CITY, May 2009 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I certify my authorship of the thesis submitted today entitled: APPLYING FRAMENET TO TEACHING THE USAGE OF ENGLISH VERBS in terms of the statement of Requirements for theses in Master’s Programs issued by the Higher Degree Committee This thesis has not been submitted for the award of any degree or diploma in any other institution Ho Chi Minh City, May 10th, 2009 DO THI MAI HUONG i RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby state that I, Do Thi Mai Huong, being the candidate for the degree of Master of Arts (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 purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Library for the care, loan or reproduction of theses Ho Chi Minh City, May 10th, 2009 DO THI MAI HUONG iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My appreciation is extended to those who made this research a formation First of all, to Assoc Prof Dinh Dien, who is always willing to give me the timely and valuable guidance; to Mis Nguyen Hong Nhung – managing director of New York schools, who gave me advices within the process of making the research as well as opportunities for me to carry out the quasi-experiment I wish to express my gratitude to my colleagues and my students at New York schools My thanks also go to my father-in-law – the principle of Binh Khanh high school in Long Xuyen city because he helped me complete the lesson plans for typical teaching techniques Besides, I am really thankful to all my friends who gave encouragements to me They all made a remarkable contribution to the preparation of the work iv ABSTRACT English has become more and more essential to socioeconomic needs; however, it is not easy for everyone to learn this language This research does not have the ambition of covering all aspects of how to study English well; therefore, it mainly focuses on the suitable techniques which can help learners learn English verbs effectively and conveniently On the one hand, this research will confirm the roles of English verbs in sentences and convey some general theoretical knowledge of teaching vocabulary from experienced researchers On the other hand, basing on the questionnaires and analyzing the results collected from a quasi-experiment, the study will display logically the conclusion to withdraw some useful and practical recommendations for teaching English verbs Nothing is perfect Thus, this research still has its particular shortcomings and I have a desire of fulfilling all of them in the near future Anyhow, it will surely help Vietnamese teachers as well as learners improve their teaching and learning process v TABLE OF CONTENTS page Certificate of originality i Retention and use of the thesis ii Acknowledgements iii Abstract iv Table of contents v List of tables ix List of figures x List of abbreviations xi INTRODUCTION 1 The problem Aims of the Study Limitation and delimitation 4 Methodology 5 Overview of the study 6 Definition of terms Chapter I: BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY 1.1 Description of New York schools 1.2 Description of current techniques applied to teaching English verbs 10 1.3 Negative factors affecting the learning process 11 Chapter II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE 13 2.1 The history of teaching vocabulary 13 2.2 Teacher roles in communicative approach 15 vi 2.3 Why English learners have difficulty in learning vocabulary? 16 2.4 Remembering vocabulary 17 2.4.1 How to remember vocabulary 17 2.4.2 How to keep vocabulary in mind 18 2.5 How to teach vocabulary 19 2.5.1 Davies, P., & Pearse, E (2000) 19 2.5.2 Doff, A (1988) 20 2.5.3 Willis, J (1998) 21 2.5.4 Ur, P (1996) 21 2.5.5 Harmer, J (1992) 22 2.5.6 Bress, P (2005) 22 2.5.7 Frost, R (2005) 23 2.6 Summary 23 Chapter III: FRAMENET 24 3.1 Frame semantics 24 3.2 Introduction to the Project 25 3.3 The aim and the goal of FrameNet 25 3.4 Comparison with WordNet and ontologies 26 3.5 FrameNet’s entry 27 3.6 FrameNet’s Frames 28 3.6.1 How to organize Frames 28 3.6.2 Frame development 29 3.7 Frame elements 30 3.7.1 Kinds of frame elements 30 3.7.2 Frame element relations 32 3.8 FrameNet Annotation 33 vii 3.8.1 Annotation layers 33 3.8.1.1 Phrase Type Labels for Verb Phrases 34 3.8.1.2 Assigning GFs for Verbs 37 3.8.2 Annotation process 40 3.8.3 Annotation with verbs as target 42 3.8.3.1 Easy cases 43 3.8.3.2 Expletives 43 3.8.3.3 Aspect 44 3.9 Summary 44 Chapter IV: METHOD AND PROCEDURE 45 4.1 Research questions 45 4.2 Research design 46 4.2.1 The subjects 46 4.2.2 Instruments 48 4.2.2.1 Questionnaires 48 4.2.2.2 Quasi-experiment 50 4.3 Summary 52 Chapter V: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDING 53 5.1 Data analysis 53 5.1.1 Pre-questionnaires 54 5.1.2 Literature review 68 5.1.3 The FrameNet applications 70 5.1.4 Quasi-experiment 79 5.1.5 Post-questionnaire 83 5.2 Findings 87 viii Chapter VI: RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS 92 6.1 Pedagogical recommendations 92 6.2 Conclusion 99 6.3 Recommendations for further research 101 REFERENCES 102 APPENDICES Appendix 1: Results from the first tests and second tests 105 Appendix 2: The source to choose verbs for Quasi-experiment 109 Appendix 3: Lesson plan based on FrameNet 110 Appendix 4: Lesson plan based on Current techniques 114 Appendix 5: Test 117 Appendix 6: Questionnaire for learners 118 Appendix 7: Questionnaire for learners 124 Appendix 8: An extra lesson plan 126 ix LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1: The differences of lexicographic annotation and full-text annotation 41 Table 5.1: The difference in ages of the respondents 55 Table 5.2: The difference in jobs of the respondents 56 Table 5.3: The difference in seniority of respondents’ studying English 56 Table 5.4: The reasons of learning English 58 Table 5.5: The roles of learning English verbs 58 Table 5.6: The roles and the reasons of learning English verbs 59 Table 5.7: The interest of learning English verbs 60 Table 5.8: The reasons of lacking interest of learning English verbs 60 Table 5.9: Troubles in putting English verbs into practice 61 Table 5.10: The reasons for disliking teachers’ teaching techniques 62 Table 5.11: Context application in teaching 63 Table 5.12: The reasons for seldom applying the verbs 64 Table 5.13: Ways of self learning 65 Table 5.14: Annotation Report of the verb ‘to Communicate’ 74 Table 5.15: Lexical Unit Information 76 Table 5.16: Lexical Units by Statuses 77 Table 5.17: Results from the First test and Second test of the learners taught by using FrameNet 105 Table 5.18: Results from the First test and Second test of the learners taught by using typical techniques 107 Table 5.19: Comparison of learners’ average scores of First tests and Second tests 79 Table 5.20: The difference in scores after the two tests 81 Table 5.21: The convenience and usefulness of FrameNet 84 Table 5.22: The difficulties in using FrameNet 85 Table 5.23: Ways to find out answers for First test 86 x APPENDIX TEST Student’s name : Time : 45 minutes Date : / / Marks Make your own sentences with 15 different verbs from the main verbs: Recognize/ Include/ Contribute/ Acquire/ Inhabit that you have been introduced in the lesson: 10 11 12 13 14 15 117 APPENDIX QUESTIONNAIRE FOR LEARNERS (English Version) This questionnaire has been developed in order to investigate the reality of the reason why most learners find it difficult to remember and use the English verbs in real life Choose the answers by ticking in the boxes and/ or write your answers on the blanks (if there is) Your completion of the questionnaire is highly appreciated Personal Information A † Male B † Female - Gender: - Age: _ - How long have you been learning English? - Job: _ Questions Do you know FrameNet? A † Yes B † No Is it necessary for you to learn English? Why? A † Yes B † No idea C † No If your feedback is ‘yes’/ ‘no’, could you please write down your reasons? (Vietnamese is accepted) Is it necessary for you to learn English verbs? Why? A † Yes B † No idea C † No If your feedback is ‘yes’/ ‘no’, could you please write down your reasons? (Vietnamese is accepted) 118 Are you interested in learning English verbs? Why? A † Yes B † Sometimes C † No Could you please write down your reasons? (Vietnamese is accepted) Do you have any troubles in putting English verbs into practice? A † Yes B † Sometimes C † No If your feedback is ‘yes’ or ‘sometimes’, could you please write down your troubles? (Vietnamese is accepted) Do you enjoy your teacher’s ways of teaching English verbs? A † Yes B † Sometimes C † No Could you please tell me the reasons why? † Passively follow the teacher’s teaching steps † No useful application † Other answers: (Vietnamese is accepted) At schools (at high school/ in university/ in language schools), how does your teacher usually to teach English verbs? † Present the meanings -> get into practice † Let the students actively play with the verbs -> get into practice † Other answers: (Vietnamese is accepted) 119 Do the teachers relate the verbs to various contexts? (such as conversations/ situations/ examples) A † Yes B † Sometimes C † No Do the teachers mention the elements around the verbs? (For example, after the verb ‘tie’, we have an Item and a Goal - The robbers tied [Paul Item] [to his chair Goal]) A † Yes B † Sometimes C † No 10 Do you usually use the new verbs after the class? A † Yes B † Sometimes C † Seldom/ no Could you please write down the reasons why? † Not understand the verbs well † No English environment † Other answers: (Vietnamese is accepted) 11 Do you have your own ways of learning English verbs? A † Yes B † No idea C † No If yes, what are they? (Vietnamese is accepted) Thank you for your co-operation! 120 BẢNG CÂU HỎI DÀNH CHO HỌC VIÊN (Vietnamese Version) Bảng câu hỏi thiết lập nhằm tìm hiểu thực trạng đa phần học viên nhận thấy khó nhớ khó sử dụng động từ tiếng Anh sau học trường Quý học viên chọn câu trả lời cách đánh dấu vào ô trống (†) và/ viết thêm câu trả lời riêng lên hàng cịn chừa trống (nếu có) Rất mong hợp tác tất Quý học viên Thông tin cá nhân A † Nam B † Nữ - Giới tính: - Tuổi: _ - Thời gian học tiếng Anh: - Nghề nghiệp: _ Câu hỏi Anh/ Chị có biết đến FrameNet chưa? A † Có B † Chưa Anh văn có thực cần thiết với anh/ chị hay không? Tại sao? A † Có B † Khơng có ý kiến C † Khơng Nếu anh/ chị trả lời ‘có’/ ‘khơng’, anh/ chị vui lòng cho biết rõ lý do? Theo anh/ chị, có cần thiết phải học động từ học tiếng Anh hay không? Tại sao? A † Có B † Khơng có ý kiến C † Khơng Nếu anh/ chị trả lời ‘có’/ ‘khơng’, anh/ chị vui lịng cho biết rõ lý do? 121 Anh/ chị có thích học động từ tiếng Anh hay khơng? Tại sao? A † Có B † Thỉnh thoảng C † Khơng Anh/ chị vui lòng cho biết rõ lý do? Anh/ chị có gặp khó khăn việc sử dụng động từ hay không? A † Có B † Thỉnh thoảng C † Khơng Nếu anh/ chị trả lời ‘có’/ ‘thỉng thoảng’, anh/ chị vui lịng cho biết rõ khó khăn gì? Anh/ chị có thích cách dạy động từ giáo viên không? A † Có B † Thỉnh thoảng C † Khơng Anh/ chị vui lòng cho biết rõ lý do? † Phải học cách thụ động † Bài học tính thực tế † Những lý khác: Ở trường (trung học/ đại học/ trung tâm ngoại ngữ), giáo viên thường dạy động từ nào? † Giới thiệu nghĩa -> yêu cầu thực hành † Để người học chủ động tìm hiểu từ -> yêu cầu thực hành † Những cách khác: 122 Giáo viên anh/ chị có thường dạy từ thơng qua ngữ cảnh cụ thể không? (những đàm thoại mẫu/ tình huống/ ví dụ) A † Có B † Thỉnh thoảng C † Không Giáo viên anh/ chị có thường đề cập đến thành phần cần có động từ khơng? (Ví dụ, sau động từ ‘tie’, cần phải có Item Goal - The robbers tied [Paul Item] [to his chair Goal]) A † Có B † Thỉnh thoảng C † Khơng 10 Anh/ chị có thường sử dụng động từ sau học khơng? A † Có B † Thỉnh thoảng C † Ít khi/ Khơng Anh/ chị vui lịng cho biết rõ lý do? † Không hiểu rõ động từ học † Khơng có mơi trường để sử dụng tiếng Anh † Những lý khác: 11 Anh/ chị có cách riêng để học động từ hay khơng? A † Có B † Khơng có ý kiến C † Khơng Nếu anh/ chị trả lời ‘có’, anh/ chị vui lịng cho biết rõ cách gì? Rất cám ơn hợp tác! 123 APPENDIX QUESTIONNAIRE FOR LEARNERS (English Version) This questionnaire has been developed in order to investigate the reality of applying FrameNet to teaching the English verbs Choose the answers by ticking in the boxes and/ or write your answers on the blanks (if there is) Your completion of the questionnaire is highly appreciated Personal Information A † Male B † Female - Gender: - Age: _ - How long have you been learning English? - Job: _ Questions Is it easy to use FrameNet? A † Yes B † No idea C † No It it useful to use FrameNet in learning English verbs? A † Yes B † No idea C † No Your difficulties in using FrameNet to learn English verbs? After the first test, were you active to find out the correct answers? A † Yes B † No If you say ‘yes’, what were your ways? Thank you for your co-operation! 124 BẢNG CÂU HỎI DÀNH CHO HỌC VIÊN (Vietnamese Version) Nhằm tìm hiểu góp phần nâng cao chất lượng dạy học động từ tiếng Anh, quý học viên vui lòng trả lời thật câu hỏi nhằm thu thập liệu cho đề tài nghiên cứu ứng dụng FrameNet vào giảng dạy động từ tiếng Anh Quý học viên chọn câu trả lời cách đánh dấu vào ô trống (†) và/ viết thêm câu trả lời riêng lên hàng cịn chừa trống (nếu có) Thông tin cá nhân A † Nam B † Nữ - Giới tính: - Tuổi: _ - Thời gian học tiếng Anh: - Nghề nghiệp: _ Câu hỏi Theo anh/ chị, dụng FrameNet hay khơng? A † Có B † Khơng có ý kiến C † Khơng FrameNet có giúp ích cho anh/ chị học tốt động từ tiếng Anh hay khơng? A † Có B † Khơng có ý kiến C † Khơng Anh chị có khó khăn học động từ thơng qua FrameNet? Sau thi lần 1, anh/ chị có chủ động tìm đáp án hay khơng? A † Có B † Khơng Nếu có, anh chị tìm đáp án cách nào? Rất cám ơn hợp tác! 125 APPENDIX AN EXTRA LESSON PLAN TOPIC: CHATTING STUDENTS’ TASKS Using FrameNet and to write down shortly the definitions for each Frame Frames Communication Definitions Chatting Discussion Court-examination Quarreling 126 Using FrameNet to put the following verbs into suitable frames Then analyze the following examples by giving the name for each frame elements examine, communicate, talk, debate, converse, gab, speak, gossip, confer, discuss, joke, fight, cross-examine, chat, argue, bicker, quarrel, row FRAME: COMMUNICATION ) VERBS: a I have been COMMUNICATING with the Minister since 1988 on that problem b By 1928 when the vote was granted to women over 21, the two sisters had ceased to COMMUNICATE with each other their ideas and lifestyles were now poles apart c Central to the overall strategy is the ability to COMMUNICATE information about individual patients and their care throughout the NHS about individual patients and their care d On one memorable occasion, she thinks to COMMUNICATE her feelings about Catholic beliefs to some of her older pupils e Not all biologists accept that insects COMMUNICATE electromagnetically FRAME: CHATTING ) VERBS: a They were both very fair complexioned, and they CHATTED sporadically to each other in a language foreign to Mr Frizzell, who imagined that they must be Dutch or German b The first time I saw him we CONVERSED very closely together; and in the prospect of death he seemed solicitous to prepare for it c You get drunk on the Queen's birthday, and you GAB like an Irishman at a wake d The monks, unused to such curious behavior, GOSSIPED with relish about the strange eccentricities of this English clerk 127 e They were SPEAKING with great energy to one another, and laughing FRAME: DISCUSSION ) VERBS: a The policemen CONFERRED almost inaudibly, then the younger one stepped back towards the front door b Mr Hunte CONFERRED subsequently with other ICC officials, principally Sir Colin Cowdrey, the chairman, and drew up penalties which were widely considered as being too mild c The report is published at a time of intense DEBATE between EC member countries about the future of agricultural subsidies d DISCUSSING with North in September 1986 how the arms-sales creditors could be paid off, he was alarmed to hear him say “Well, maybe we'll have to take it out of the reserves." e These problems of determinism have been DISCUSSED over the centuries FRAME: COURT-EXAMINATION ) VERBS: a Meanwhile, Los Angeles Police Department criminalist Susan Brockbank, a specialist in hair and trace evidence, was CROSS-EXAMINED by a defense DNA expert about the science she practices b Prosecutors said they looked forward to CROSS-EXAMINING her in front of a jury c On Monday, the prosecution will CROSS-EXAMINE defense forensic expert Henry Lee 128 d Ferguson also attempted to subpoena President Clinton, CROSS-EXAMINED his victims with non-sequiturs and launched into rambling speeches e She asked the Secretary of State to hold an inquiry at which parties could be heard and witnesses EXAMINED FRAME: QUARELING ) VERBS: a “You can't ARGUE politics with foreigner,” sighed the policeman b Charman BICKERED with Allison , often over irrelevant points c Half the time I don't even understand what they are FIGHTING about d Why did he QUARREL with his family? e At one level , Bob and Joan Halton ROWED about his old car and his mother Choose the correct answer: a He COMMUNICATED nothing about his sporting ambitions to his mother with whom he lived in Rugby A CHATTED B COMMUNICATED C DISCUSSED D ARGUED b They sat CHATTING together while Elizabeth waited for trade to pick up again A CHATTING B EXAMINING C FIGHTING D DEBATING c They had been CONVERSING easily all afternoon A QUARRELING B CONFERING C CROSS-EXAMINING D CONVERSING d He JOKED briefly with a woman in a lilac cardigan at a desk 129 A ARGUEING B JOKED C DISCUSSING D DEBATING e I'll see if Mr Morris will SPEAK with you A SPEAK B FIGHT C COMMUNICATE D EXAMINE f They seemed to CONFER silently A CONVERSE B CROSS-EXAMINE C CONFER D BICKER g I 'd like to DISCUSS some ideas with you A FIGHT B COMMUNICATE C TALK D DISCUSS h Should the parties be allowed to EXAMINE and cross-examine witnesses A ARGUE B EXAMINE C QUARREL D DEBATE i Tepilit and his brother can be seen ARGUING with the others A GOSSIPPING B COMMUNICATING C ARGUING D CROSS-EXAMINING j “What they QUARREL about?” asked Ruth A QUARREL B JOKE C COMMUNICATE D CONFER 130 Make the sentences of your own with given verbs: a (to communicate) b (to chat) c (to converse) d (to gap) e (to joke) f (to gossip) g (to speak) h (to talk) i (to confer) j (to debate) k (to discuss) l (to cross-examine) m (to examine) n (to argue) o (to bicker) p (to fight) q (to quarrel) r (to row) 131