INTRODUCTION
Rationale
It is unquestionable that English is considered a global language It is the official language of more than 53 countries and territories, the official language of the EU, and the third most widely used language in the world (only after Chinese and Spanish due to the advantage of the population number of these countries) In Vietnam, since starting the open- door process to the world in many aspects such as getting involved in globalization, international economic integration, and trade liberalization, English, the international tongue, has achieved dominance Indeed, it is manifested by the Ministry of Education chose it to be the first foreign language taught at schools in Vietnam Therefore, the higher demand for learning English in our country than ever English positively facilitates job promotions, foreign cooperation, etc.
The high need of society for learning English entails changes as well as reforms in teaching this language In the past, it used to be taught in a dull and uninspiring way At that time, students just passively absorbed the knowledge from their teachers Furthermore, the education system placed great emphasis on grammar knowledge As a result, it caused invisible pressure on students and made learning English boring.
However, today, along with educational improvements in teaching and learning methods, the learners gradually become the centered subject while the role of the teacher should be just the instructor instead of the controller Nowadays, students are learning evenly between grammar and skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills).
When taking up a language, the fundamental matter is to learn vocabulary It is obvious to see that a lack of words will interfere with the learning of grammar or other skills For example, lack of vocabulary,students cannot do the reading tasks in the reading section, or when practicing speaking, students also do not have enough vocabulary to present their ideas The beginning of a new foreign language is always a greeting English is hi, French is Bonjour, German is Hallo If you want to go further in conversations, some basic words are not enough That is the reason why we all have to learn as much vocabulary as possible
As far as learning vocabulary, there is another worrying condition among students, especially freshmen, which is the problem of memory. Young first-year students often find themselves stuck with the state of " going in one ear and out the other" In other words, it is called vocabulary forgetfulness If they couldn't remember words, how can they use them proficiently?
In reality, through basic research, besides many gifted students in learning vocabulary, a majority of first-year students at the Department of Foreign Languages at Hong Duc University have difficulty in learning vocabulary They are often fed up with cramming a lot of words. Moreover, after learning vocabulary for a while, they encounter the state of forgetting words quickly In addition, according to some lecturers, although the first year in university is the prerequisite year of building vocabulary for language learning, a lot of students are not diligent or interested in learning words Therefore, the vocabulary of the first-year students is not large.
Due to the above-mentioned reasons, I conducted the thesis "A study on using the spaced repetition technique on smartphone application to improve English vocabulary for the first-year English majors at HongDuc University." In my thesis, I would like to help students in improving their vocabulary learning, avoiding the issues of forgetting words, and building a rich vocabulary as a platform for them to study and enhance other skills such as grammar, reading, writing, and so forth.
Aims of the study
The main objectives of the study are as follows.
-This study aims to find out the effectiveness of applying Spaced repetition technique in learning vocabulary for freshmen specializing in English at Hong Duc University
-The research provides suggestions and implications for teaching and learning vocabulary efficiently for the first-year students at Hong Duc University.
Scope of the study
There are plenty of techniques that are likely to apply to study vocabulary It is immensely difficult to cover all techniques In addition, due to time limitations as well as the researcher’s ability and working conditions, the study mainly focuses on using spaced repetition technique in studying English vocabulary for the first-year English majors at HongDuc University.
Methods of the study
A combination of various methods has been used in this study The following are methods exploited:
-Carrying out interviews for teachers to collect data.
-Conducting survey questionnaires to find out students’ views on English vocabulary learning.
- Using pre-test to assess student’s vocabulary level before using SRT and post-test to re-evaluate the effectiveness of vocabulary memory capability after applying SRT.
Design of the study
The study consists of three parts:
Part 1: Introduction addresses with Rationale, Aims of the study, Scope of the study, Methods of the Study, and Design of the study
Part 2: Development which includes 3 chapters: chapter 1: Literature review, chapter 2: Methodology and procedures of the study, and chapter 3: Findings and discussion
Part 3: Conclusion gives a short summary of the entire study.
DEVELOPMENT
LITERATURE REVIEW
Vocabulary has been defined in various ways According to the Cambridge dictionary, vocabulary is explained as "All the words that exist in a particular language or subject" In Webster Dictionary, vocabulary is
“a list or collection of words usually alphabetically arranged and explained or lexicon, stock of words used in language or by class, individual, etc.”
Another definition, in the book called “Basic English lexicology” of Hoang Tat Truong (1993:2) [1], stated that “Vocabulary is meant the sum total or the system of all the words that a language possesses.”
Besides, there are other experts who have studied and given definitions In detail, “Vocabulary is the collection of words that an individual knows” (Linse,2005:121) [2] From another view of vocabulary,
Hatch and Brown (1995:1) [3] define “Vocabulary as a list of words for a particular language or a list or set of words that individual speakers of language might use” While according to Roget (1980:1036) [4], vocabulary is
“a A list of words often defined or translated. b All the words of Language. c Specialized expressions that are indigenous to a particular field,subject, trade, or subculture.”
In conclusion, the word “Vocabulary” may imply words known or used by individuals in a narrow sense or the entire collection of words of a language in a broad sense
Based on the criterion of usage properties of vocabulary, we can classify vocabulary into 2 large groups: active and passive (Harmer, 2001)
As the name implies, we can understand passive vocabulary as words we understand but do not call out or use whilst active vocabulary is words that a person understands, pronounces, and uses them For instance, a 3-year-old child can understand words such as “I love you”, and he/ she will have a reaction or manifestation of feeling happy and smiling. However, they cannot speak or respond to their parents Therefore, you find that they understand words and phrases even before they can say them.
Apart from the names: active and passive vocabulary, vocabulary can also be classified and called receptive and productive (Hatch and Brown,1995) [3] a Receptive Vocabulary
Learners' receptive vocabulary consists of phrases that they recognize and comprehend when they are used in context, but that they are unable to produce Freshmen recognize this language when they see or encounter it while examining textual information, but they do not use it when speaking or writing (Stuart Webb, 2009) [6]. b Productive Vocabulary
Words that learners understand, pronounce correctly, and use constructively in speaking and writing are referred to as productive vocabulary It includes both receptive vocabulary and the ability to speak or write at the appropriate others, and productive vocabulary can be handled as a living process (Stuart Webb, 2005) [7].
Normally, passive/receptive vocabulary is usually reading or listening vocabulary This is understandable because when we read or listen we passively absorb a new word Taking someone reading a piece of text for an example, he or she can recognize the form of letters and how they go together, and how to understand their sum meaning without the demand for pronouncing it or using it.
Another form of passive/receptive vocabulary is listening Listeners can perceive words that they are listening to and associate heard words with their meanings The level of understanding is supported by word context, intonation, etc
In contrast, writing and speaking vocabulary is in the active/productive vocabulary range Writing is equivalent to reading. Along with reading skills, it forms the core skills needed for a person to be literate The writer demonstrates his or her knowledge of a word in terms of its meaning, spelling, and correct usage.
Besides, speaking is also one of the types of vocabulary that demonstrates a person's knowledge of words This is an active demonstration that can also rely on other factors such as facial expressions, intonation, pitch, and gestures to help others understand its meaning Knowledge of a word is demonstrated by good use and pronunciation.
Nelson Mandela said “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” Therefore, learning languages is extremely crucial but what is the beginning of a language?
It is not an exaggeration to answer that is vocabulary They are the “root cause” of all other aspects Nobody can deny vocabulary is a prerequisite for communication and also the foundation for the development of other academic skills.
Indeed, communication needs vocabulary Every day, people communicate with each other, using hundreds, if not thousands of words without thinking much about their significance In case it is your mother tongue, it is reasonable not to ponder However, this will no longer be a trivial matter when you learn a second language, like English If you don't have the vocabulary, you can't communicate It was the famous linguist D.
A Wilkins [8] who had to exclaim that “Without grammar, very little can be conveyed; without vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed.” Thus, it once again emphasizes that vocabulary is the first and most important element of communication.
On the other hand, vocabulary is a solid stepping stone for the improvement of skills such as listening, speaking, reading and writing, and grammatical structure Comparing skill development is like building a house, building a vocabulary is now definitely the bricks that lay the foundation
METHODOLOGY
The study was carried out in the Faculty of Foreign Languages (FFL) at Hong Duc University - Thanh Hoa province This is one of 12 faculties at Hong Duc university which is the largest local university in Thanh Hoa province and was set up on 24th September 1997
FFL is an outstanding faculty with qualified lecturer staff There are over 30 lecturers in total Overall, the faculty lecturers are highly educated. Most of the lecturers possess Master’s degrees The faculty also has 2 people who owned doctorate degrees and 2 people taking part in intensive training in Australia Dean of Faculty is Ms Nguyen Thi Quyet (Doctor of English) Vice Dean of Faculty is Mr Nguyen Thanh Minh (Doctor of English).
FFL is divided into 3 divisions: Division of English skills Development; Division of linguistics-culture and English teaching methodology and Division of foreign languages for non-major students.
In terms of the training programs for English major students, the department trains 2 majors: English Language Teacher Education and English Language
60 freshmen specializing in English teaching were selected to be the subjects of the study Most of them are at the age of 18 and have been learning English for a long time According to what the English teachers in that class said, most of the students are diligent and passionate about learning English However, they are in trouble with learning vocabulary such as forgetting words or feeling fatigued with a tremendous number of vocabulary Therefore, it is reasonable to invite them to take part in my study related to vocabulary improvement Those students belong to 2 different classes: K24B in English Language Teacher Education and K24B in and English Language but they have one thing in common It is they are enthusiastic and volunteer to cooperate with the researcher in conducting the study
Before the research implementation on the subjects, there were some interview questions given to lecturers of those classes to better understand the current situation of learning vocabulary and predict the results that will be gained after applying the SRT For example, the teacher's comment on student’s vocabulary learning in the class (their attitude, their attempt, etc.); whether teachers often remind students to review vocabulary at home, and whether students remember vocabulary well or not after revision by themselves
The researcher created a set of student survey questionnaires before the start of using SRT with 8 closed-ended questions to collect their opinions on learning vocabulary For example, the number of years that students have learned English; student’s level of interest in English, and student’s attitude toward learning vocabulary As far as learning vocabulary, students were asked for the frequency of learning vocabulary, time of learning vocabulary per day, and the techniques or methods that students use to learn vocabulary the most often Furthermore, during learning words, the problems that students often face most were also investigated The survey also asked if students tried using SRT to learn words before
After the study, to collect data about student’s attitudes, there was another survey questionnaire with 3 closed-ended questions For instance,
SRT, and whether they are keen on this technique or not Also, there were questions to verify if student’s vocabulary memory ability and other skills such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing can be improved after using SRT.
The data collection tool for the study included a pretest and a post- test to measure whether students change over time because of SRT The tests were carefully prepared by the researcher In the tests, there are a variety of questions testing vocabulary with different types such as multiple-choice, word fill-in sentences, etc.
To verify the hypothesis that after memorizing the words, the short- term memory of the students is the same In other words, the initial memory percentage rates are all high among participants The researcher pre-screened 40 words that are new for students At that time, 60 participants had time to memorize the vocabulary and then the researcher conducted the pre-test to test the level In the test, there were multiple choice questions about synonyms or antonyms.
To determine whether the experimental group has a better memory of remembering words In other words, to compare the effectiveness of applying SRT to learn English vocabulary in the experimental group while the control group learned and reviewed vocabulary by the traditional methods Two months after the pre-test, the researcher conducted the post- test on the control group and the experimental group to collect data The post-test contained 100 words which were all new to participants and belonged to the IELTS vocabulary set In the test, there were multiple choice questions about gap filling, synonyms or antonyms.
The study was conducted wholly in 3 months (12 weeks) from February to April 2022 The first week was spent on interviews and survey questionnaires to know better about the situation of learning vocabulary in the classes The next week was spent screening new words for the pre-test and then carried out a pre-test to have an overall evaluation look Eight weeks later for applying SRT to the chosen experimental group In the 11th week, a post-test was conducted Finally, the 12 th week was for collecting and analyzing all data
Steps in the procedure of 8 weeks applying SRT for the experimental group:
Step 1: 30 members of the experimental group were chosen at random from
Step 2: Ask members to install the app called “Từ vựng Tiếng Anh” (which was mentioned in Section 1.2.3.) and add all 100 words by topics into the app to learn.
Step 3: Ask all members to turn on the notification of that app The app will be based on the forgetting curve of SRT and the rate of correct vocabulary practice in order to analyze and decide the golden time to remind them to review words
Step 4: Ask them to access the app and review vocabulary according to the notification
Step 5: Check their process by observing their learning chart on the app.
The list of 100 words for post-test:
1 Addiction Archaeology Accompany Diameter Commuter
2 Drug Department Delay Height Congestion
3 Treat Professor Encounter Length Traffic
4 Trigger Enthusiast Overcome Measure Cause
5 Avoid Economics Seek Volume Reduce
6 Disease Linguistics Approval Width Resident
7 Diagnose Sociology Challenge Adjust Evacuate
8 Infection Analyze Route Decrease Report
9 Stroke Claim Trade Extend Deport
10 Administer Define Intense Convey Illegal
11 Examine Law Pivotal Reinforce skilled
12 Vaccinate Evaluate Position secure Visa
13 cancer Theory Profound Suspend Infrastructure
14 Suffer Essay Valuable Notion Transport
15 Donor Lecturer Map Victory Rail
16 Tobacco Maritime Advice Peace Neighborhood
17 Allergy Astronomy Debate Belief historic
19 Transmit Geology Shock Radius Warfare
20 Bacterial Psychology Community mutually Rooftop
In 2 months, while the control group was asked to learn by themselves 100 words using traditional methods, there was a particular process for the experimental group The researcher instructed members of the experimental group to add 100 words to the app “Từ vựng Tiếng Anh” by topics In 5 first weeks, 20 new words per week were added and learned 3 left weeks were spent for review all 100 words in 5 topics.
Topic 1: Health problems (words in the 1 st column in the table above)
Topic 2: Academic subjects (words in the 2 nd column in the table above)
Topic 3: Travel and adventure (words in the 3 rd column in the table above)
Topics 4: Dimensions (words in the 4 th column in the table above)
Topic 5: City life (words in the 5 th column in the table above)
The specific tasks of the experimental program for members of the experimental group were presented and illustrated with pictures on the next page.
Tasks for the experimental group
1 -Add 20 words of the topic 1 into the app
-Turn on notifications of the app to be reminded to learn words.
2 -Add 20 words of the topic 2 into the app
-Turn on notifications of the app to be reminded to learn words.-Review both topic 1 and 2 on app
3 -Add 20 words of the topic 3 into the app and then learn on app
-Turn on notifications of the app to be reminded to learn words.
-Review both topic 2 and 3 on app according to the revision
4 -Add 20 words of the topic 4 in the app and then learn on app
-Turn on notifications of the app to be reminded to learn words.-Review both topic 3 and 4 on app
5 -Add 20 words of the topic 5 in the app and then learn on app
-Turn on notifications of the app to be reminded to learn words.
-Review both topic 4 and 5 on app according to the notifications of the app.
6 -Review all topics on app
7 -Review all topics on app
8 -Review all topics on app
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
After conducting a teacher interview, this is the reality of vocabulary learning of students:
For the first interview question, according to the teacher, students' vocabulary learning in the class is quite good Most students are industrious to write down and learn new words during lessons They show their attempt forward learning vocabulary Besides, for a few students, learning vocabulary is seemingly a duty for them because they do not show much passion for it
For the second one, she is aware of the importance of a rich vocabulary for English development, therefore, she always asks students
For the last question, it is hard for her to claim with the absolute affirmation they are doing well all This depends on each student's memory capability as well as their own endeavor with learning vocabulary at home
3.2 Results of questionnaire a The results of questionnaires before the application
4-6 years 6-8 years 8-12 years over 12 years
Figure 3.2.1 The number of years that students have learnt English
The chart illustrates the number of years that students have learned English.
Overall, it is clear that most students have taken up English for quite a long time 41% of students have been learning English from 8 to 12 years while 32% of them chose the duration from 6 to 8 years Also,people who spent over 12 years studying English account for 12%.Besides, there is a minority of people who used 4 to 6 years to learnEnglish Therefore, it can be referred that they started being attached toEnglish soon, it is able to be from kindergarten time.
1.70% very much much not much not at all
Figure 3.2.2 Students' level of interest in English
The pie chart above illustrates how students are passionate about English
As can be seen from the figure, there is a majority of students fancy English Indeed, favorite levels including the highest one of preference (very much) and the following level (much) account for 38% and 43% in turn Furthermore, added together, the total percentage makes up 81% which is equivalent to four-fifths By contrast, there is a minority of 17% of students who are not really into learning English, and even 2 % of denial being passionate about English
15.30% very important important not very important unimportant
The figure above shows students’ views on the importance of learning vocabulary
Overall, what stands out from the pie chart is that there is a massive approval that learning vocabulary is immensely important The highest level (very important) institutes up to 85% and the next one (important) accounts for 15% while there is no one who denies the significance of learning vocabulary From the data collected, it can be concluded that vocabulary plays an essential role and the majority of the student taking part in the survey are aware of the necessity of learning vocabulary.
5.02% every day every 2 days every 3 days every 4 days
Figure 3.2.4 Students’ frequency of learning vocabulary
The figure above gives information about the frequency students learn vocabulary.
Overall, a lot of students are diligent to learn vocabulary frequently.The number of industrious students who learn new words every day reaches 45% which is nearly half of the total Also, the quantity of those who review words every 2 days also institutes over a quarter of the total(27%) On contrary, there is only a small percentage (5%) of students who sometimes learn vocabulary at the frequency of 4 days per time.
8.30% over 60 minutes 30-60 minutes 20-30 minutes under 20 minutes
Figure 3.2.5 Students’ time of learning vocabulary per day
The pie chart presents the time duration participants spend learning English vocabulary per day
Overall, what stands out from the chart above is that the average time students spend learning vocabulary is not too long nor too short, in the range of an hour Indeed, it fluctuates from 20 to 60 minutes. Specifically, 45% of survey participants often study from 30 to 60 minutes whilst 40% of others learn in 20 to 30 minutes On the other hand, only 8% of students use over 1 hour to learn whereas the number of people who just take less than 20 minutes to review vocabulary is 7%.
15.00% writing down words many times and reviewing words traditionally reading aloud words to memorize using flashcards using vocabulary appli- cations
Figure 3.2.6 The way that students use to learn vocabulary the most often
The given chart illustrates the way that students apply to learn vocabulary the most often among the four proposed methods: writing down words and reviewing traditionally; reading aloud words; using flashcards and using apps From the figure above, it is obvious that the method which is the most prevalent one to learn vocabulary is writing down words and reviewing traditionally with 53% In other words, over half of the participants still favor the old and traditional methods Besides,
3 ways left including reading aloud words; using flashcards and using applications only account for modest percentages with 17%,15 %, and 15% in turn.
7.00% find learning vocabu- lary boring forget words quickly do not know how to pronounce do not know the use of words
Figure 3.2.7 The problem students often face most when learning words
The given chart illustrates the problem students often face most when learning words among four given obstacles about boredom; forgetfulness; pronunciation and usage.
Overall, there is great consensus among students that the hardest problem in learning vocabulary is about forgetting words which reaches up to 66 % Another outstanding issue is boredom when learning words, it institutes 15% Besides, problems related to pronunciation, and usage make up modest data, 12%, and 7% respectively Furthermore, added together, it is only nearly a third of the percentage of the forgetting problem
Figure 3.2.8 The number of students who tried using this technique before
The given chart illustrates the level of familiarity of students with using this technique.
Overview, what stands out from the pie chart is that there is a majority of students who is strange with spaced repetition technique In detail, 58 % of them have never used the technique before It is also synonymous with the fact that they may not know or heard about this technique By contrast, 42% of people revealed that they have ever applied this method They would still be able to be chosen to apply SRT to learning vocabulary in my study b The results of questionnaires after the application
Table 3.2.1 Students’ attitude to learning vocabulary by using SRT
Question 1: Do you feel more interested in learning vocabulary by using SRT?
The table above addresses the different evaluations of students on using SRT to learn vocabulary.
Overall, what stands out from the chart is that students are keen on applying this technique Indeed, the number of students has a strong passion for learning vocabulary is 60 % and a normal interest level is 30%. Added together, it can make up to 90% which is a dominant figure By contrast, only 3 out of 30 students revealed that using SRT did not make them too much interested
Therefore, generally, it can be concluded that using SRT to improve English vocabulary does have a positive impact on the experiment group.
Table 3.2.2 Students’ vocabulary memory ability after using SRT
Question 2: Do you see that your vocabulary memory is improved with this technique?
The table above illustrates the assessment of students about vocabulary memory ability after using SRT
What stands out from the table is that there is a great consensus that SRT impacted beneficially on vocabulary memory ability 50 % of students voted for a strong agreement while 40% selected merely "agree". Added together, it is evident that there is a majority of people recognize the effective influence of SRT.
On the other hand, there is a minority of students could not see clear developments and voted for "neutral" However, overall, we can still affirm that applying SRT is beneficial in enhancing vocabulary memory
Table 3.2.3 Students’ other skills after using SRT
Question 3: Along with a richer vocabulary, do you see your other skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) develop as well?
The table above gives information on the assessment of students about other skills like listening, speaking, reading, and writing after using SRT.
It can be inferred from the chart that there is a great consensus thatSRT affected beneficially other skills 30 % of students voted for "strongly agree" while the choosing rate of " agree" is 50% In other words, a majority of participants admit the effective influence of SRT on other skills Besides, although there is a minority of students who could not see any developments and voted for "neutral" as well as "disagree", we can still affirm that applying SRT is beneficial for other skills.
0.00% the number of correct answers
Figure 3.3.1 The number of correct answers and the equivalent percentage in the pre-test
The bar chart above gives information about the result of the pre- test for 60 participants in the study
Generally speaking, what stands out from the chart is that there was a remarkable figure in the rate of correct answers As shown clearly from the bar chart, the proportion of those who answer precisely from 35-40 questions, accounts for 88 % Also, 12 % left is for people who gain 30-35 correct answers while there is no one with the number of right answers being under 30 ones This can prove the initial hypothesis that after a time of memorizing the words and the short-term memory of the students is quite the same or the initial memory percentage rates are all high among participants.
50% the experimental group the control group the number of correct answers
Figure 3.3.2 The number of correct answers and the equivalent percentage in the post-test
The bar charts above illustrate the result of the post-test for both the experimental group (30 members) and the control group (30 members).
CONCLUSION
This final part summarizes the main findings of the study and draws some conclusions As well, the recommendations are also provided for vocabulary learning and for further study.
It can be seen that using the spaced repetition technique somewhat has had a positive effect on improving freshmen's vocabulary learning in the faculty of foreign languages at Hong Duc University.
Before applying the technique, a lot of participants were frequently coping with the problem of lacking vocabulary and forgetting words quickly Furthermore, with the survey of students' attitudes forward to vocabulary learning, we can see the fact that a few students have a warm passion for learning vocabulary
After the use implementation of the SRT in the experimental group, there was an improvement in learning vocabulary as well as better memory capability compared to the control group without using SRT.
In addition, good memory with a rich vocabulary facilitated students in the experimental group to enhance their skills too (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) Another unexpected result was that students were getting passionate about studying vocabulary in particular and English in general.
In conclusion, the application of SRT for improving vocabulary has been proved
No matter how hard the researcher attempted, it cannot cover all aspects of SRT effectiveness There were still some points below that the researcher myself with limited study time was not able to cover.
First of all, the study has not investigated how the SRT technique helps students to boost the number of new words and from that to make statistics to compare
Secondly, the study was merely conducted on small scale, on freshmen of FFL at Hong Duc university In order to have a comprehensive and sufficient picture of SRT productivity, more studies should be carried out on a big scale
However, in general, the limitations of my study are likely to become the themes for other researchers to start their own studies.
As can be seen from the findings, positive results did prove the effectiveness of SRT application in learning vocabulary Therefore, the researcher proposes the following suggestions for teachers that should be considered to apply in teaching and improving vocabulary for students both in class and at home.
First of all, during the lesson in class, teachers can use it to help review words in class Teachers can let students revise old words in the previous lessons by spaced repetition in order to reinforce words more for students The calculation of spaced time can be inferred from the curve of forgetting Teachers should have scrutiny this technique and can refer to the time calculation on the app.
In terms of students' study at home, another recommendation is that teachers can find out more applications based on SRT and introduce them to students Thereby, students will be able to have various options to choose from and be engaged with SRT To make sure that it works well, teachers should take notice of students' study autonomy process on the app at times
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4 Roget's, I I The new thesaurus.(1980) The American Heritage Dictionary. (Eds.), Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
5 Harmer, J (2001) The practice of English language teaching, 3rd Edition. London: Pearson Education.
6 Webb, S (2009) The effects of receptive and productive learning of word pairs on vocabulary knowledge RELC journal, 40(3), 360-376.
7 Webb, S (2005) Receptive and productive vocabulary learning: The effects of reading and writing on word knowledge Studies in second language acquisition, 27(1), 33-52.
8 Wilkins, D A (1972) Linguistics in language teaching (Vol 111). London: Edward Arnold.
9 Rubin, J (1975) What the" good language learner" can teach us TESOL quarterly, 41-51.
10 Intaraprasert, C (2004) EST students and vocabulary learning strategies: A preliminary investigation Unpublished research,
Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.
11 Cohen, A.D (1998) Strategies in learning and using a second language. New York, NY: Longman
12 Nation, P (2001) Learning Vocabulary In Another Language,
13 Maskor, Z M., & Baharudin, H (2016) Receptive vocabulary knowledge or productive vocabulary knowledge in writing skill, which one important International Journal of Academic Research in Business and
14 Alqahtani, M (2015) The importance of vocabulary in language learning and how to be taught International journal of teaching and education, 3(3), 21-34.
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16 Kulikova, O (2015) Vocabulary learning strategies and beliefs about vocabulary learning: a study of beginning university students of Russian in the United States The University of Iowa.
Websites: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/vocabulary https://www.webster-dictionary.org/definition/vocabulary https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocabulary https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaced_repetition https://biznessprofessionals.com/how-to-use-spaced-repetition-to-remember/ https://www.languagehumanities.org/what-are-the-different-types-of- vocabulary.htm
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR TEACHERS
II Reality of learning English vocabulary in classes
1 What do you think about students' vocabulary learning in the class? (their attitude, their attempts, etc.)
2 Do you often remind students to review vocabulary at home?
3 Do your students remember vocabulary well in the next lessons after reviewing at home?
Thanks for your response to these questions!
QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS
This survey questionnaire is designed for my study on “A study on using the spaced repetition technique on smartphone application to improve English vocabulary for the first-year English majors at Hong Duc University” Your assistance in completing the survey questionnaires highly appreciated All the information provided by you will be solely used for research purposes and your personal information will be kept confidential.
Thank you for your cooperation!
II Your opinions on English and learning vocabulary
1 How long have you been learning English?
2 How do you like learning English?
3 What do you think about learning vocabulary?
4 How often do you learn vocabulary?
5 How much time do you spend learning vocabulary per day?
6 In which way do you learn vocabulary the most often?
A writing down words many times and reviewing words traditionally
B reading out words to memorize
7 What problem do you often face most when you learn vocabulary?
A feel tired to learn lots of vocabulary
C do not know how to pronounce
D do not know how to learn effectively
8 Have you ever used SRT to learn vocabulary?
Thanks for your response to these questions!
PRE-TEST
13 synonym of “ be able to”
A audibly, not silently or in a whisper
B an advantage or profit gained from something
C keep away from or stop oneself from doing something
A use the teeth to cut into something
C confess to be true or to be the case
A move air into and out of the lungs
B use the teeth to cut into something
C take food into the body
D be an organ of the body
POST-TEST
Choose the best answer to fill in the blanks:
1.He …his wife very badly last night
2 He lost his entire fortune because of his….to horse racing.
3 Try to foods which contain a lot of fat.
4 She is an expert on the ……of ancient Egypt.
5 He will ….her to the ball.
6 The inner… is easily adjusted
7 The metro carries millions of
9 I am a student enrolled in the
11 Don’t go up the tower if you’re afraid of …
12 synonym of “traffic jam” is……
13 She is a ….of nutrition at
14 He … her by chance last night.
15 The boat is ten meters in ….
16 We got stuck in … jam for several hours
17 Some people find that certain foods … their headaches
18 ….is a person who is very interested in something or activity.
20 This machine … your heart rate.
21 Sugar is a major… tooth decay
24 It is too noisy, please turn down the……of radio
25 A low fat diet can … The risk of 26 synonym of "difficulty" is… heart disease
31 You have to hand in this … soon
32 She had to … from toothache yesterday
33 Cancer is now becoming the most common… in society
34 English……is an interesting major.
37 There are 3 excellent candidates left for that ….
38 All children under 6 are … for free
42 she majors in the … of education
D convey 43.This pool is for the use of hotel… only.
45 The government hopes to …the criminals
46 It is ….to kill a person
50 It was such a … for her to hear about his death.
51 People look up to him because he is a … artist.
53 There are 5 ….in my bag.
54 My … can explain lessons clearly for us to understand
55 She was … with having 56 The police … the village diabetes.
D conveyed shortly due to the explosion
57 Bandage the wound to reduce the risk of ….
60 We called the police to … the robbery
65 It is hard to … the concept of beauty
69 We travelled to USA on a tourist….
74 His head is full of silly ….
D geology 75.He was a generous … to AIDS charities.
76 We need more improvement in road and …
77 I am not good at … reading
D victory 79.We cannot sell … or alcohol to anyone under 16.
81 His … for me is valuable.
82 This is a nice, quiet… to reside.
83 My brother has an ….to seafood.
84.I’ve always had an interest in … like looking at stars
88 He died from severe …in Africa.
90 The … of this circle is 40 cm.
91 He … the design of the Internet.
92 Radio Seven … on 102 medium wave.
93 The … of this circle wheel is 30 cm.
94 He is a … student who researches substances that make up the earth’s surface.
95 Her father died of liver….
97 My sore throat came from a … infection
99 His sister studied behavioral …at college
100 The tornado blew the …of this house