(Skkn 2023) techniques recommended to enhance learning of idioms for 12th graders at nguyen xuan on high school

NGHE AN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING () TEACHING INITIATIVE THEME TECHNIQUES RECOMMENDED TO ENHANCE LEARNING OF IDIOMS FOR 12TH GRADERS AT NGUYEN XUAN ON HIGH SCHOOL SUBJECT: ENGLISH School year: 2022-2023 NGHE AN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING () TEACHING INITIATIVE THEME TECHNIQUES RECOMMENDED TO ENHANCE LEARNING OF IDIOMS FOR 12TH GRADERS AT NGUYEN XUAN ON HIGH SCHOOL SUBJECT: ENGLISH Co-author: NGUYEN THI THUY NGA VU THI THUY Phone number: 0983328302 0984378237 School year: 2022-2023 I INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale……………………………………………………………… 1.2 Aim of the study………………………………………………………… 1.3 Research questions……………………………………………………… 1.4 Scope of the study……………………………………………………… 1.5 Design of the study………………………………………………… … II DEVELOPMENT Chapter 1: Theoretical and practical background Definition of idiom………………………………………………………… Types of Idioms………………………………………………………… .5 The characteristics of English idioms……………………………………… The importance of idioms……………………………………………………7 Difficulties of students’learning’idioms…………………………………… Chapter 2: Methodology Settings ………………………………………………………………… ….10 Participants…………………………………………………………… … 11 Data collection methods………………………………………………… 12 3.4.1 Interviews……………………………………………………………… 12 3.4.2 Questionnaires………………………………………………………… 13 3.4.3 Tests…………………………………………………………………… 13 3.5 Data analysis……………………………………………………………… 13 Chapter 3: Findings and Discussion Findings ………………………………………………………………… .13 1.1 Before the study……………………………………………………….……13 1.1.1 From the questionnaires …………………………………………… .13 1.1.2 From the interviews ………………………………………………… .16 1.1 From the tests ……………………………………………………… .16 1.2 After the study ………………………………………………………… 17 1.2.1 From the questionnaires………………………………………………….17 1.2.2 From the interviews………………………………………………………18 1.2.3 From the tests ……………………………………………………………18 Discussion ……………………………………………………………… .19 2.1 Difficulty 1: Usually understand idioms’ meaning literally……………… 19 Solution 1: The transparency of an idiom………………………………… .19 Technique 1: Using pictures to learn idioms (pictorial elucidation)…………….19 Technique 2: Learning about the origin of idioms……………………………20 Solution 2: Learning methods to increase familiarity of idioms …………… 21 Technique: Translating idioms into Vietnamese idioms…………………… 21 2.2 Difficulties 2: Be less exposed to idioms in academic English ………… 22 Solution: Applying context to learning idioms……………………………….22 Technique 1: Making sentences, dialogues, or stories with idioms……….….22 Technique 2: Watching English movies, videos, or clips …………………….23 Technique 3: Using online games……………………………………… 23 Further examples of applications’ recommended technique in learning idioms ………………………………………………………… 24-51 The urgency and feasibility of the research…………………………… 51-54 III CONCLUSION Conclusion ………………………………………………………………… 55 Recommendations ……………………………………………………………55 REFERENCES APPENDICES I INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale There is no denying that English is a crucial language in the modern world The number of people learning English has substantially increased over the past few decades English is the only language used by everyone to stay up with technological breakthroughs in the age of computers Because of this, more people are interested in learning English, and parents are letting their children connect with the language from an early age in all skill sets The children must equally master speaking, listening, writing, and reading, the four fundamental skills One thing is necessary for kids to acquire all skills: vocabulary, which is regarded as the building block of language Vocabulary is the foundation or core of learning any foreign language in order to facilitate communication, as demonstrated by practice Without a vast vocabulary, learners will not be able to communicate or convey their thoughts effectively Vocabulary learning thus becomes extremely important and necessary for both teachers and pupils Idioms are a part of the vocabulary An idiom is a term that is frequently used in language to express certain sincere notions These words are crucial for expressing original ideas and bolstering the assertion Additionally, it results in a deeper comprehension of the language Idioms and phrases are frequently used in various competitive tests because of this The variety of English idioms may initially confound students It is a known fact that kids find it quite difficult to take examinations, especially high school exams, because they are extremely hesitant to acquire new words and idioms and because their vocabulary appears to be very little As a result of the aforementioned fact, teachers must develop novel approaches and discoveries to raise the standard of instruction and assist students in making substantial advancements in their use of the language in authentic situations From my teaching experience, I see that 12th-grade students at Nguyen Xuan On High School, as well as other Vietnamese students, face significant challenges in learning and practicing Idioms Due to a lack of professional expertise and adequate learning methods, they frequently become confused when doing idioms questions As a result of the foregoing, I've come up with the concept of conducting an investigation into these issues and offering different techniques to make improvement the current situation Hopefully, the study, titled "Techniques recommended to enhance the learning of idioms for 12th graders at Nguyen Xuan On High School" may help people who have struggled with or become bored with learning idioms in the future 1.2 Aim of the study The goal of this experimental study is to determine a basic understanding of Idioms and other related topics My study's specific goals are as follows: - Getting a base on Idioms - Studying learning Idioms of 12th graders at Nguyen Xuan On High School and finding out the encountered difficulties in learning idioms C.33.44.55.54.78.65.5.43.22.2.4 22.Tai lieu Luan 66.55.77.99 van Luan an.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.33.44.55.54.78.655.43.22.2.4.55.22 Do an.Tai lieu Luan van Luan an Do an.Tai lieu Luan van Luan an Do an - Recommending some more effective and acceptable techniques for students to use the right idioms in the right situations 1.3 Research questions: In order to achieve the above-stated aim, this action research project was designed and conducted to answer the two following questions: What difficulties 12th graders face when learning idioms? What are the techniques used by 12th graders to deal with those problems? 1.4 Scope of the study: Although English idioms are a fantastic treasure to discover for the benefits it brings, they are widely regarded as one of the most difficult subjects for English learners to master, requiring a significant amount of time and effort to research In addition, it is a fact that they can be seen in every situation when we learn English Therefore, it is impossible for us to go through all of them Due to the study's limited scope, it focuses mostly on learning conditions and effective techniques for reducing current challenges in learning idioms and helping students use them in the right situations On the whole, the participants of this study: - Being interviewed: teachers - Questionnaires are used for 135 students - Applying lesson plans using recommended techniques 1.5 Design of the study: A table of contents with page numbers makes it very easy for readers to acquire a clear overview of the research report It also makes it easier and faster for readers to find the information they require This study is divided into three main sections: - Part I: The Introduction includes: Rationale, Aim, research questions, Scope, Design, and Methodology of the Study - Part II: The Development consists of three small parts: Chapter 1: is the presentation of background theory which provides readers the basic knowledge of “Idioms” Chapter 2: set of the survey questionnaires, interviews, and tests - give the situation analysis, subjects, and data collection instruments Data Analysis - shows the detailed results of the survey and makes a comprehensive analysis of the collected data Findings and discussions Chapter 3: Gives suggested methods and techniques for 12thgraders at Nguyen Xuan On High School to learn idioms more effectively - Part III: The Conclusion presents an overview of the study, suggestions for further research, and limitations of the study Stt.010.Mssv.BKD002ac.email.ninhd 77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77t@edu.gmail.com.vn.bkc19134.hmu.edu.vn.Stt.010.Mssv.BKD002ac.email.ninhddtt@edu.gmail.com.vn.bkc19134.hmu.edu.vn C.33.44.55.54.78.65.5.43.22.2.4 22.Tai lieu Luan 66.55.77.99 van Luan an.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.33.44.55.54.78.655.43.22.2.4.55.22 Do an.Tai lieu Luan van Luan an Do an.Tai lieu Luan van Luan an Do an II DEVELOPMENT Chapter 1: Theoretical Background Definition of idiom Most researchers agree that idioms in most cases not show flexibility (changeable) in form and grammar Until now, most of the studies on idioms have not come up with a theory that has been agreed upon among researchers Strässler also suggests that the very lack of idiom theories may be one of the reasons why the definition is so difficult (1982: 26) According to traditional grammar, idioms have always been considered a special lexical category not only because of their structure but also because of their very specific usage in each language Some authors consider idioms as units that are semantically, structurally, and functionally equivalent to words in a sentence Typical of this view is the definitions in the idiom dictionaries, Trask, Weinreich, etc An idiom is considered a phrase whose meaning extends beyond the meanings of the words that make up it (Trask 1999: 119) Weinreich (1969: 42) considers that an idiom is a word unit consisting of two elements with multiple meanings The Collins English Dictionary (2006) defines an idiom as an expression, such as a comparison, whose words have no literal meaning, but which are classed as multiword expressions that act in the text as a unified unit The Longman Dictionary of Idioms (2000) defines an idiom as a collection of words that have a different meaning from the meaning of each individual word when put together Larson (1984: 142) calls idioms "special combinations", or "fixed word combinations" that have only a total meaning, but the meanings of these combinations are not the meanings of the individual words added together each other, but rather a metaphor (249) An idiom is a phrase of at least two words that is not taken literally and that semantically functions as a unit (Beekman and Callow 1974 - quoting Larson 1984) According to Baker (1992: 63), idioms and fixed phrases are at the bottom end of the word association scale: flexible associative and clear in meaning They are constant combinations, rarely have variation in form and, in the case of idioms, the meaning cannot usually be inferred from the individual elements unless the speaker is trying to make a joke or play on words, otherwise, you cannot any of the following with an idiom: change the word order, remove a word, add words, replace the word with another word, change the grammatical structure Therefore, Makkai (1972) has noted users as well as researchers about the complexity of idioms Makkai describes idioms as a unit of meaning but syntactically unpredictable, and very complex, so it's easy to get lost when used Stt.010.Mssv.BKD002ac.email.ninhd 77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77t@edu.gmail.com.vn.bkc19134.hmu.edu.vn.Stt.010.Mssv.BKD002ac.email.ninhddtt@edu.gmail.com.vn.bkc19134.hmu.edu.vn C.33.44.55.54.78.65.5.43.22.2.4 22.Tai lieu Luan 66.55.77.99 van Luan an.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.33.44.55.54.78.655.43.22.2.4.55.22 Do an.Tai lieu Luan van Luan an Do an.Tai lieu Luan van Luan an Do an Vietnamese language researchers have also tried to come up with some definitions of idioms, but due to different research approaches as well as the semantic and grammatical complexity of idioms, there is still no consensus unified Most Vietnamese researchers consider idioms to be units equivalent to words in terms of function, grammatical structure, and semantics Cu Dinh Tu (1973) said that "idioms are built-in units that carry the function of naming, in other words, used to name things, properties, and actions" Similarly, Ho Le (1976) defines "idiom as a combination of words - many words combined and have solid properties in structure, glossy in meaning, used to describe an image, an image, a character, a certain attitude” Diep Quang Ban (1998: 6) calls them "given structures consisting of two or more words that are lexical and linguistically stable France" According to Do Huu Chau (1999: 71), these are phrases that have been fixed, so they have the same strict, available, mandatory, and social nature as words Referring to the figurative and semantic unity of idioms, Nguyen Van Tu defines: "Idiom is a fixed phrase in which the words have lost their independence at a high level of meaning, linked into a solid, complete block Meaning they are not created by the meaning of each element These idioms are figurative or may not be” (1986) In addition to the completeness of meaning, Nguyen Thien Giap (1999: 77) argues that idioms have an additional sensuality The common point of the above viewpoints is that they all consider idioms to be syntactically and semantically complete units, even though they are composed of many words, and are stable and structurally invariant Thus, to facilitate the analysis in this study, we consider an idiom as a combination consisting of at least two words: structurally, it is not possible to change the position or replace the words, syntactically complex and unpredictable; about semantically, the meaning of an idiom is not the sum of the meanings of the words, it acts in the Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Vietnamese Studies as an independent, complete and unified unit in one language and get community use that language acceptable For examples: 1: “Break a leg” means good luck e.g Today's the big game, eh? Break a leg! “Have one's head in the clouds” means be unaware or unrealistic about something e.g Amy “has her head in the clouds” if she thinks she's going to pass her exams without studying “Keep one's chin up” means try to be cheerful e.g Keep your chin up I'm sure you'll make some friends soon “Pat on the back” means recognition or a thank-you Stt.010.Mssv.BKD002ac.email.ninhd 77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77t@edu.gmail.com.vn.bkc19134.hmu.edu.vn.Stt.010.Mssv.BKD002ac.email.ninhddtt@edu.gmail.com.vn.bkc19134.hmu.edu.vn C.33.44.55.54.78.65.5.43.22.2.4 22.Tai lieu Luan 66.55.77.99 van Luan an.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.33.44.55.54.78.655.43.22.2.4.55.22 Do an.Tai lieu Luan van Luan an Do an.Tai lieu Luan van Luan an Do an e.g The party organizers deserve a pat on the back for a job well done “Cat’s got one’s tongue” means said about someone who doesn’t speak (usually due to shyness) e.g It looks like the cat’s got one’s tongue, Lucy Are you always this quite? Types of Idioms: According to Palmer in his book: Semantic: A New Outline (1976), idioms could be divided into three types: phrasal verbs, prepositional verbs, and partial idioms According to grammatical function, idioms can be divided into five types: Nominal idioms (subject and objects), Adjectival idioms (complements), Verbal idioms (predicates), Adverbial idioms (adverbials), and Sentence idioms In O'Dell and McCarthy (2010: 22-32) idioms are classified into eight The types include (1) Similes, which compare two things and always include words such as 'as' or 'like'; (2) Binomials, a type of idioms in which two words are joined by a conjunction, usually 'and'; (3) Trinomials, which are similar to binomials, which three words are joined; (4) Proverbs, which are short sentences which refer to something most people have experienced and give advice or warnings; (5) Euphemisms, a type of idioms used to avoid saying words which may be offensive or considered unpleasant; (6) Cliché, often used in certain common, everyday situations, such as everyday conversation, advertising slogans, and newspaper headlines; (7) Fixed Statement, an idiom that we can often hear and use in daily conversation; and (8) Other Languages; mostly from Latin or French English Idioms can be classified in different ways but in this study, idioms are classified in two main ways: syntactic classification and semantic classification It often uses a variety of metaphors/personification methods, common phrases, and which are used very commonly in most written texts + Example: - Pull up one’s socks: try harder - Boil the ocean: taking up an almost impossible or over-ambitious project - Hit the sack: go to sleep The characteristics of English idioms: Generally, idioms have the following characteristics: a non-compositionality: Katamba (1993) says that “The meaning of an idiom is not a straightforward composition of the meaning of its parts” And according to Langacker (1986), “Idioms are widely defined as being noncompositional or even compositional after the meaning is known” Stt.010.Mssv.BKD002ac.email.ninhd 77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77t@edu.gmail.com.vn.bkc19134.hmu.edu.vn.Stt.010.Mssv.BKD002ac.email.ninhddtt@edu.gmail.com.vn.bkc19134.hmu.edu.vn C.33.44.55.54.78.65.5.43.22.2.4 22.Tai lieu Luan 66.55.77.99 van Luan an.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.33.44.55.54.78.655.43.22.2.4.55.22 Do an.Tai lieu Luan van Luan an Do an.Tai lieu Luan van Luan an Do an Although the word that makes up the idiom has its own literal meanings, in the idiom they have lost their individual identity We cannot predict the meaning of an idiom from the sum of its parts: E.g: “One smart cookie” means” a very intelligent person” “Wear the trouser” means “be in charge, make the rules” b non-substitutability: Constituents cannot be replaced: Constituents of idioms cannot be changed or replaced For example, “kick the bucket” (which means “to die”) cannot be changed to “kick the pail” or “strike the bucket” Word order cannot be changed: The word order cannot be inverted or changed For instance, “by twos and threes”, “at sixes and sevens” and “tit for tat” cannot be turned into “by threes and twos”, “at sevens and sixes” and “tat for tit” Constituents cannot be deleted or added to: The constituents of an idiom cannot be deleted or added to, not even an article Take the idiom “out of the question” for example, it means “impossible” If the article “the” is deleted, the idiomaticity will be lost and it will signify “no question” instead c non-modifiability: We cannot modify an idiom or apply syntactic transformations Some idioms are fixed and not present internal variation, while there is also a large proportion of idioms that allow for different degrees of internal variability, and with a variable number of elements Syntactically frozen idioms cannot be syntactically transformed into the passive and still retain their figurative meaning E.x.1: I don’t give a pin # A pin isn’t given by me (means don’t care about someone, something…) E.x.2: I’ll eat my hat # My hat will be eaten by me (means that you are absolutely sure that you are right to let other people know that there is no chance of your being wrong) d Institutionalization: According to Grant and Bauer (2004), institutionalization refers to the degree of recognition a particular phrase meets in a speech community There are idioms that have cultural roots and are understood only by those communities that share the same cultural values Stt.010.Mssv.BKD002ac.email.ninhd 77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.77.99.44.45.67.22.55.77.C.37.99.44.45.67.22.55.77t@edu.gmail.com.vn.bkc19134.hmu.edu.vn.Stt.010.Mssv.BKD002ac.email.ninhddtt@edu.gmail.com.vn.bkc19134.hmu.edu.vn