Nghiên cứu các kỹ thuật dạy từ vựng tiếng anh cho trẻ em tại một số trường tiểu học ở huế an investigation into techniques of teaching english vocabulary to children at some schools in hue

TABLE OF CONTENTS Contents Pages STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS LIST OF TABLES LIST OF CHARTS ABSTRACT CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study 1.2 Rationale of the study 10 1.3 Aims of the study 11 1.4 Research questions 12 1.5 Significance of the study 12 1.6 Structure of the study 12 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 13 2.1 Introduction 13 2.2 Review of previous studies 13 2.3 An overview of vocabulary 17 2.3.1 Definition 17 2.3.1.1 What is a word? 18 2.3.1.2 What is vocabulary? 18 2.3.2 Vocabulary learning in EFL context 19 2.4 Young learners 22 2.4.1 Definition 22 2.4.2 Characteristics of young learners 22 2.4.3 Young learners‟ attention span 24 2.5 Young learners‟ foreign language teacher 24 2.6 Teaching vocabulary to children 25 2.6.1 Vocabulary development in the primary classes 25 2.6.2 Stages in teaching vocabulary to children 26 2.6.2.1 Presenting vocabulary 26 2.6.2.2 Practicing vocabulary 27 2.6.2.3 Consolidating and Revising 28 2.7 Games 30 2.8 Songs 31 2.9 Chapter summary 31 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 32 3.1 Introduction 32 3.2 Research approach 32 3.3 Participants 33 3.4 Instruments and procedures of data collection 33 3.4.1 Questionnaire survey 34 3.4.2 Interviews 37 3.4.3 Class observation 38 3.5 Data Collection Procedure 39 3.6 Data Analysis 39 3.7 Chapter summary 40 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 41 4.1 Introduction 41 4.2 Data quantitative analysis teachers from questionnaire 41 4.2.1 The necessity of teaching English vocabulary to children 42 4.2.1.1 Teachers‟ perceptions of teaching English vocabulary 42 4.2.1.2 Vocabulary learning process 45 4.2.1.3 Teaching selected words 46 4.2.2 The elements in teaching vocabulary 47 4.2.2.1 Teaching concrete and abstract words 48 4.2.2.2 Teaching the meaning of words 49 4.2.2.3 Number of words 50 4.2.2.4 Pronunciation 50 4.2.3 Techniques that teachers often use 51 4.2.3.1 Presenting new words 51 4.2.3.2 Vocabulary checking 52 4.2.3.3 Words meanings 53 4.2.3.4 Techniques used in teaching vocabulary 54 4.2.4 Difficulties 54 4.2.4.1 Difficulties in teaching 55 4.2.4.2 Obstacles coming from children 56 4.3 Teachers data analysis from interview 56 4.3.1 The necessity of teaching English vocabulary to children 56 4.3.2 The elements in vocabulary teaching 57 4.3.3 Techniques that teachers often use 60 4.3.4 Difficulties 61 4.3.5 Obstacles coming from children 63 4.4 Pupil data analysis from interview 64 4.4.1 The necessity of teaching English to children 64 4.4.2 Elements in vocabulary teaching 64 4.4.3 Techniques used in teaching vocabulary 65 4.5 Chapter summary 66 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS 67 5.1 Introduction 67 5.2 Summary of the findings 67 5.2.1 What are teachers‟ perceptions of teaching English vocabulary to children at some schools in Hue ? 67 5.2.2 What techniques are often used to teach English vocabulary by teachers at schools in Hue ? 68 5.3 Implications 69 5.3.1 For teachers 69 5.3.2 For administrators 75 5.4 Limitations of the study 76 5.5 Recommendations for Future Research 77 REFERENCES 78 APPENDICES LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS EFL English as Foreign Language MNE Ministry of National Education MOET Ministry of Education and Training SPSS Statistical Package for the Social Sciences LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS A LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1: Summary of instruments Table 3.2: Summary of the questionnaire Table 3.3: The result of the questionnaire Table 4.1: The reliability of the questionnaire Table 4.2: Necessity of teaching English vocabulary Table 4.3: Necessary of teaching English vocabulary Table 4.4: Vocabulary helps children to communicate Table 4.5: Vocabulary affects reading ability Table 4.6: Vocabulary helps children to listen and talk Table 4.7: The elements in vocabulary teaching that should be focused on Table 4.8: Techniques that teachers often use Table 4.9: Difficulties B LIST OF CHARTS Chart 4.1: Teachers‟ perceptions of teaching English vocabulary Chart 4.2: The process of learning new words Chart 4.3: Teaching selected words Chart 4.5: Teaching the meaning of words Chart 4.6: Amount of words Chart 4.7: Pronunciation Chart 4.8: Presenting new words Chart 4.9: Vocabulary checking Chart 4.10: Words meanings Chart 4.11: Techniques Chart 4.12: Difficulties in teaching Chart 4.13: Obstacles coming from children ABSTRACT This study focused on the techniques that teachers at some primary schools in Hue used to teach English vocabulary to pupils The research provides us with the understanding of teachers‟ perceptions regarding teaching English vocabulary to children, and the necessity and the techniques of teaching English vocabulary as well as the difficulties of teachers In order to obtain reliable results, both qualitative and quantitative methods were used Major data collection tools included questionnaires, interview checklist and class observation sheet The findings from both quantitative and qualitative data showed that most teachers had a positive attitude towards teaching vocabulary to children in the schools and that there were a number of problems that faced EFL teachers , involving teaching methods, classroom facilities or lack of support and time constraints Another finding is that encouragements from administrators such as facilities and training were suggested by teachers so as to improve teaching conditions From the findings of this study, it is recommended that teachers should exploit technology to organize activities It is recommended that a combination of various techniques should be taken into consideration In another facet, there are still some certain difficulties that teachers encountered such as the use of too much mother tongue and attention span of young language learners However, the difficulties can be solved as proposed by teachers The study then suggests more proper ways in using games and songs to enhance the effectiveness in young learners‟ classroom CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study In the context of globalization, English, as the currently appointed international language, is an instrument in enhancing economic, political relations and scientific exchanges between many countries In the scale of nation wide, English has become the first foreign language to be learned for its potential benefits Therefore, in Vietnam, EFL was actually introduced into Grade-1 curriculum in many major cities‟ primary schools in 1995 It can not be denied that the younger the children are, the better they acquire a language It is emphasized that the first language knowledge children learn is vocabulary Thus, vocabulary knowledge helps reading comprehension and good reading comprehension leads to a natural process of new vocabulary acquisition Furthermore, vocabulary knowledge helps children in all four language skills From the certain reasons, vocabulary teaching is considered as an important aspect in young learners‟ classroom The prominent role of vocabulary knowledge in second language learning has been recently recognized by researchers Seal (1991) said that word knowledge is an essential component of communicative competence, and it is important for both production and comprehension in a foreign language Gower, Phillips and Walters (1995) clearly stated that as the lexical system is “open”, there‟s always something new to learn when students “done” the grammar And they also added that more advanced students are motivated to add to their vocabulary stock, to understand nuances of meaning, to become more proficient in their own choice of words and expressions Pohl (2003) claimed that children learn to listen and to talk long before they learn to read and write Extra difficulty would be created if one would try to develop English reading and writing skills before children can speak the language In order to be able to speak the language, students need to know some vocabulary first Nagy (2006) expressed that words are the tools we use to access our background knowledge, express ideas and learn new concepts And the author added that the English language, with its penchant for borrowing and its worldwide use, probably has a stock of words larger than that of any other language It is not surprising, then, that among speakers of English, a large vocabulary is one of the most important parts of verbal proficiency Graves (2009) listed some findings of more than 100 years of vocabulary research: - Vocabulary knowledge is one of the best indicators of verbal ability (Sternberg, 1987; Terman, 1916) - Vocabulary knowledge contributes to young children‟s phonological awareness, which in turn contributes to their word recognition (Goswami, 2001; Nagy, 2005 ) - Lack of vocabulary can be a crucial factor underlying the school failure of disadvantaged students (Becker, 1977; Biemiller, 1999) It is clear that vocabulary knowledge is focused on by researchers Certainly, vocabulary knowledge is necessary for a language learner In the case of teaching English vocabulary at primary schools in Hue, it helps children a lot in their future schooling 1.2 Rationale of the study The teaching of English to children has become especially important in recent years Therefore, this research was carried out for the following reasons: First, what we have obtained from the observations of the EFL teaching activities reveals that English vocabulary teaching for children at the early age is very necessary The process of learning new words begins in infancy and continues throughout one‟s adult life English language learning involves four basic skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking There are four factors that support four language skills above such as grammar, spelling, pronunciation and vocabulary To communicate in a foreign language, it is not necessary that the grammar is perfect Therefore, children can communicate by using words that they have learnt without 10 abstract words However, the results from interviews are quite different Interviewed teachers decided to teach concrete words only for their pupils Besides, most teachers expressed a great interest in teaching both Vietnamese equivalent and English meaning of each word And more than a half of teachers disagreed to teaching or words per period Concerning the focus on teaching pronunciation, nearly all participants in the questionnaire disagreed to this statement Furthermore, all interviewed teachers explained that children can imitate their teachers and spelling patterns can cause confusion where pronunciation is concerned Despite the necessity of teaching English vocabulary to children, many obstacles and difficulties in teaching were also pointed out Most participants considered teaching spelling and connotation as the difficulties in teaching English vocabulary to children Moreover, teachers also mentioned the obstacles coming from children as multi-level, use L1 and uncooperative or unfamiliar sounds 5.2.2.What techniques are often used to teach English vocabulary by teachers at schools in Hue ? Data collected from the questionnaire and interviews show that teachers at primary schools in Hue tend to use techniques like “using real objects”, “using translation”, “using games and songs”, “using pictures” and “using examples” in teaching English vocabulary to children It is clearly that these techniques attract children‟s attention and encourage them in learning new words Among six techniques offered in questionnaire, five ones as listed above are very popular among teachers Interview questions were also posed aiming to know which techniques are used by teachers Most participants choose the five ones as above Easy-to-guess the meaning, exciting and joyfulness are the main reasons for this tendency There were some interviewees who explained that children not want to stay still so these activities are suitable for them Besides, it is stated that it takes them a lot of time to prepare at home and their schools are lacking of facilities 68 5.3 Implications 5.3.1 For teachers From the findings we learn that in order to make the lessons more effective, teachers should make some changes The following are some suggestions: First, teachers should try to exploit technology in teaching English vocabulary to children Most teachers claimed that exciting activities attract pupils Lopriore L (2006) claimed that the learner-centered approach emphasizes that the language learning process starts with young learners‟ interests as well as their cognitive and affective needs Therefore, teachers should make use of powerpoint slides and other facilities in teaching For example, in “Let‟s go 3A”, teachers can use power point such as Unit 1(Let‟s Read), Unit (Let‟s Learn) and Unit (Let‟s Learn) (See more samples in Appendix and 9) Slide Let’s Go 2A Unit – Let’s Read A Vocabulary teaching What is this ? 69 Slide I Let’s Go 2A Unit – Let’s Read A Vocabulary teaching It is a van (xe tải) Slide Let’s Go 2A Unit – Let’s Read A Vocabulary teaching What is it ? 70 Slide Let’s Go 2A Unit – Let’s Read A Vocabulary teaching It is a cat (con mèo) Slide Let’s Go 2A Unit – Let’s Read A Vocabulary teaching What is this ? 71 Slide Let’s Go 2A Unit – Let’s Read A Vocabulary teaching It is a cap (cái mũ) Slide Let’s Go 2A Unit – Let’s Read A Vocabulary teaching What is this ? 72 Slide Let’s Go 2A Unit – Let’s Read A Vocabulary teaching It is a fan (cái quạt) Slide Let’s Go 2A Unit – Let’s Read B Vocabulary checking Match one word with one picture: CAT (con mèo) CAP (cái mũ) VAN (xe tải) FAN (cái quạt) 73 Some teachers argued that they not have enough time to prepare their lessons at home, they have to take care of children or work as tutors for their living Besides, their schools are lacking of facilities However, using technology does not take a lot of time They can use “Google” as a searching tool to look for pictures, video clips or songs… Second, attention span, resulting from the age of the learner is another major difference between adults and children Young learners have shorter attention span than adults, therefore teaching methods should not be long and they must be changed rapidly to hold the children‟s shorter attention to an activity Teachers are recommended to vary their tasks, activities and not to allow pupils to play as long as the game should be Activities are recommended to change in every 10 minutes Next, the teacher‟s role should be that of a facilitator The teacher is the organizer of the classroom activities The pupil is the center of the educational process through which the relationships between teacher and pupils and the pupils‟ environment are reinforced Therefore, teachers should organize pair work, group work or individual work in classroom These activities attract all pupils to take part in the lesson As the results from researchers, such as Greathouse L.(2004) suggested that the more experience a child has with language, the stronger his or her vocabulary base Therefore, a majority of vocabulary activities should be done as whole-group or small-group instruction In this way, children with a limited vocabulary can learn from their peers‟ knowledge base and will find vocabulary activities less frustrating Thus, the combination of many activities in each period can gear the attention of all pupils to the lesson Activities should be implemented from simple to sophisticated for all pupils with multi-level to participate in Besides, revising vocabulary is also an important stage in teaching process This stage goes along with the presentation stage This stage helps pupils remember the words permanently In this stage, teachers can use games for children to play with and revise what they have learnt simultaneously Each time a child crosses the same word, his understanding of that word deepens 74 Another suggestion is that teachers should attend the workshops on teaching methodology, methodology seminars or specific language improvement courses According to Bailey, Curtis and Nunan (2001) ongoing professional development is the responsibility of individual language teachers, rather than the schools, programs, or universities for which they work Finally, teaching English language for children at primary level is quite different from other levels, primary teachers should know best how to teach children They should know how to develop language skills and can better enhance language education Therefore, teachers should: - promote intercultural and language activities in order to develop children‟s understanding of other cultures - teach local vocabularies to demand the requests of local issue - motivate children‟s curiosity and interest in using English language - motivate entertaining activities such as storytelling, songs, games and mime - use a variety of realia, materials and teaching resources - foster children‟s cognitive development - emphasize on aural-oral skills at the beginning - broaden children‟ communication - value children‟s experiences and competencies 5.3.2 For administrators Implications for administrators emphasize the following main tasks: First, with the teaching staff, to ensure that the best possible teachers are trained, the administrators should set several criteria regarding teachers‟ level of English and professional knowledge of teaching primary level The following are some suggested criteria 75 - Teachers should show that they mastered the required level of English They have to demonstrate their teaching knowledge, either through previous experience or primary teacher training courses - They have to attend training courses to upgrade their level of English especially in the areas related to English for children - They should seek educational opportunities for teachers to exchange and reflect on methodology and pedagogical aspects concerning teaching English to children Dealing with the teaching facilities to serve the best for teaching aims, some teaching conditions should be considered as follows: - Supply and equip sufficient teaching aids for schools - Purchase videotapes and CDs which are used in a designated foreign language classroom - Update computers and multimedia products which are widely used for children‟s language learning - Offer specific training in the use of multimedia resources for teachers 5.4 Limitations of the study It is unavoidable that the researcher encountered some difficulties during the process of conducting this study This piece of research has some limitations as follows: - The scale of this study was restricted to some primary schools in Hue city, even though the researcher well aware that the range and number of samplings played a vital role in obtaining valid and reliable research results Therefore, it is not possible to generalize the findings of the study to teachers in other contexts This is due to the fact that, teaching English language at an early age, specifically in Hue has just been implemented and popular for recent years 76 - A considerable shortcoming of this research is the lack of pupils‟ participation The conductor of the research fully understands that learners play an integral part in second language researches; however, this is due to the fact that young learners are still too young to attend and guarantee the accuracy of the research‟s results - Some issues were not analyzed thoroughly and deeply due to the author‟s own constraints of knowledge and time The research has inevitably undergone some limitations The author hopes to have the readers‟ sympathy and looks forward to receiving any constructive comments on this study 5.5 Recommendations for Future Research Based on the limitations and constraints of the study, some recommendations are offered for future research - Large-scale studies on techniques of teaching English vocabulary to children Further aspects could be focused on such as how to use the most from a bank of techniques and how to adapt that combination into classroom - Studies on designing an attached list of common and useful games so that 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