(Đồ án hcmute) an investigation of using dictionaries in learning english of seniors in faculty of foreign languages at hcmc university of technology and education

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION CAPSTONE PROJECT FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AN INVESTIGATION OF USING DICTIONARIES IN LEARNING ENGLISH OF SENIORS IN FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AT HCMC UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION INSTRUCTOR: TRÌNH THỊ GIANG THANH, M.A STUDENT: PHAN ĐỖ HƯƠNG GIANG SKL009934 Ho Chi Minh City, August 2017 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HCMC UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AN INVESTIGATION OF USING DICTIONARIES IN LEARNING ENGLISH OF SENIORS IN FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AT HCMC UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts Submitted by PHAN ĐỖ HƯƠNG GIANG – 13950030 Supervised by TRÌNH THỊ GIANG THANH, M.A Ho Chi Minh City, August 2017 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HCMC UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AN INVESTIGATION OF USING DICTIONARIES IN LEARNING ENGLISH OF SENIORS IN FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AT HCMC UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts Submitted by PHAN ĐỖ HƯƠNG GIANG – 13950030 Supervised by TRÌNH THỊ GIANG THANH, M.A Ho Chi Minh City, August 2017 Running head: THE DICTIONARY USE IN LEARNING ENGLISH An Investigation Of Using Dictionaries In Learning English Of Seniors In Faculty Of Foreign Languages At HCMC University Of Technology And Education Phan Đỗ Hương Giang HCMC University Of Technology And Education THE DICTIONARY USE IN LEARNING ENGLISH Statement of Authorship I certify that the work presented in this research report is my original work This graduation paper contains no material elsewhere except where reference is made in the text of the thesis I declare that no other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgements in the thesis This thesis has not been presented by me or submitted for any degree or diploma at this or any other tertiary institutions Ho Chi Minh City, August 2017 Phan Đỗ Hương Giang i THE DICTIONARY USE IN LEARNING ENGLISH Acknowledgements Firstly, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to Faculty of Foreign Languages, HCMC University of Technology and Education, Doctor Đặng Tấn Tín, Dean of Faculty of Foreign Languages and all the lecturers in the faculty who gave me a wonderful chance to study the thesis Secondly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Miss Trình Thị Giang Thanh, for her valuable advising and supporting from the initial stages of the graduation thesis paper She has encouraged, supported and offered me constructive feedbacks during the process of carrying out this study I could hardly complete this work without her substantial assistance Moreover, I would like to send my grateful thanks to Doctor Nguyễn Đình Thu, Miss Hồng Trọng Mai Sương, M.A., Mister Huỳnh Trọng Luân, M.A and Miss Nguyễn Ngọc Thảo, M.A for allowing to me to interview and use their responses in this paper I would also like to share my great appreciation with my colleagues, who made a meaningful contribution to my work by their enthusiastic participation Ho Chi Minh City, August 2017 Phan Đỗ Hương Giang ii THE DICTIONARY USE IN LEARNING ENGLISH Abstract Over 2000 BCE ago, the very first dictionary was created, and since then, it has supported people in many fields, especially in languages and education In terms of using languages, dictionary can be classified into monolingual dictionary and bilingual dictionary Besides, we also have paper dictionary and electronic dictionary, for example, CD-ROMs or mobile phone applications Based on these four kinds of dictionaries, a variety of studies have been conducted in order to investigate the user’s preference in using dictionary and to find the answer to the question whether dictionary greatly contributes towards student’s academic achievement such as Béjoint & Moulin (1987), Bensoussan, Sim, & Weiss (1984), Hunt (1996) or Koyama & Takeuchi (2003) This research, therefore, is going to continue to that focus by studying the dictionary use in English learning of 70 seniors in Faculty of Foreign Languages – HCMC University of Technology and Education with an online survey In addition, follow-up interviews were then conducted by lecturers from the faculty for more reliable opinions Findings from the study revealed that teacher’s instruction and requirement can make a contribution to learner’s choice of dictionary, and students have a tendency of using electronic bilingual dictionaries while educators prefer paper and monolingual dictionary There is an assumption that students who use dictionaries can get higher scores than those who rarely use them On the contrary, this paper finally comes to conclusion that there is no significant effect between using dictionary and academic achievement iii THE DICTIONARY USE IN LEARNING ENGLISH Table of contents Statement of Authorship…………………………………………………………………………i Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………… …………… ii Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………… iii Table of contents…………………………………………………………………………… iv List of figures……………………………………………………………………………….….vi List of tables…………………………………………………………………………………….vii Lists of abbreviations and symbols………………………………………………………… viii Chapter Introduction……………………………………………………………………… Chapter Literature review……………………………………………………………………4 Dictionary…………………………………………………………………………………4 Monolingual dictionary………………………………………………………………… Bilingual dictionary……………………………………………………………………….6 Comparison between monolingual dictionary and bilingual dictionary……………… Paper dictionary………………………………………………………………………… Electronic dictionary………………………………………………………………………8 Comparison between paper dictionary and electronic dictionary…………………………9 Factors in student’s choice of dictionaries……………………………………………….10 The effects of dictionary on learner’s performance…………………………………… 10 Chapter Methodology………………………………………………………………………13 Research design……………………………………………………………………… 13 Participants…………………………………………………………………………… 13 Procedure……………………………………………………………………………….13 iv THE DICTIONARY USE IN LEARNING ENGLISH Questionnaire………………………………………………………………………… 14 Interview……………………………………………………………………… ……… 15 Chapter Findings ………………………………………………………………………… 17 Students’ use of dictionary…………………………………………………….17 Comparison between four types of dictionaries…………………….…………21 Correlation between students’ attitude and the use of dictionary…………… 28 Correlation between students’ frequency of using dictionary and their performance in particular subject…………………………………………… ….30 Comparison between types of dictionary using and GPA…………… …….30 Chapter Discussion………………………………………………………………………… 33 What are Faculty of Foreign Languages seniors’ attitude and purposes of using dictionaries? 33 What are students’ preferences in using dictionaries? .33 What is the relationship between students’ dictionary use and academic achievement? ……….36 Chapter Conclusion………………………………………………………………………….38 References……………………………………………………………………………………….40 Appendices………………………………………………………………………………………45 v THE DICTIONARY USE IN LEARNING ENGLISH List of figures Figure 1: The purpose of using dictionaries…………………………………………………… 17 Figure 2: The purposes of using dictionaries in English learning.………………………………18 Figure 3: The frequency of using dictionaries………………………………………………… 19 Figure 4: Student’s attitude of the usefulness of dictionaries……………………………………20 Figure 5: The amount of time spending on using dictionaries per week……………………… 20 Figure 6: Monolingual dictionaries’ using……… …………………………………………… 21 Figure 7: Bilingual dictionaries’ using………….……………………………………………….22 Figure 8: Students’ choices between monolingual dictionaries and bilingual dictionaries…… 23 Figure 9: Paper dictionaries’ using…… ……………………………………………………….24 Figure 10: Electronic dictionaries’ using………… ……………………………………………25 Figure 11: Students’ choices between paper dictionaries and electronic dictionaries…………26 Figure 12: The English seniors’ frequency of using dictionaries in terms of kinds of dictionaries………………………………………………………………………… ………… 26 Figure 13: The English seniors’ ideal frequency of using dictionaries in terms of kinds of dictionaries……………………………………………………………………………………….27 Figure 14: Student’s intention to use dictionaries after graduating……………………………28 vi THE DICTIONARY USE IN LEARNING ENGLISH Chapter Conclusion After examining and discussing in the previous chapter, here are the summary of some major points: The results indicate that dictionaries play a pivotal role in seniors’ English learning process now and in the future with the main purpose is to check the meaning of a word In terms of subjects that need dictionaries, students show their preferences for English Language Teaching Methodologies subjects and English for Specific Purposes subjects because of their need in looking for the meaning of new words and terminologies and the guidance from their teachers on using dictionary The data reveals the fact that students choose to utilize electronic bilingual dictionaries whereas paper dictionary is mostly used because of teacher’s suggestion, and many studies and educators have come to the conclusion that monolingual dictionary can be better in many aspects (Yorkey, 1992; Stein, 2002) Although teachers usually care about appropriate kinds of dictionary that should be used, the fact is whatever kind of dictionary it is, it barely influences the academic achievement Even though the investigation has been conducted with enthusiasm, limitations are inevitable First, because of the limited amount of time, the research has not studied the efficiency of learning process with the help of dictionaries In addition, since the questionnaire was limited in a small group of students and the interviews were conducted with four lecturers, the results are not highly recommended to all the students in all cases 38 THE DICTIONARY USE IN LEARNING ENGLISH Summary Chapter briefly concludes the research, some suggestions and limitations Ultimately, the researcher hopes that this study will become of great use to the students in Faculty of Foreign Languages 39 THE DICTIONARY USE IN LEARNING ENGLISH References AlBulushy, Z S (2012) Paper Dictionary or Electronic One? 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* _ What is your score in Listening – Speaking 4? * _ What is your score in Reading 4? * _ What is your score in Writing 5? * _ What is your score in English for Mechanical Engineering? * _ What you often use dictionaries for? * ☐ Communication purposes (making friends, chatting with friends, etc.) ☐ Education purposes (learning vocabulary, doing exercises, doing tests, etc.) ☐ Entertainment purposes (listening to music, playing games, watching films, etc.) ☐ Others: _ 45 THE DICTIONARY USE IN LEARNING ENGLISH What are your purposes when using dictionaries in learning English? * ☐ To look up the meanings in English ☐ To find the Vietnamese translation of the words ☐ To check the spelling and the forms of the word ☐ To check the grammatical functions ☐ To check the synonyms and antonyms ☐ To look up the collocations ☐ To check pronunciation ☐ To find examples of the words in natural language ☐ Others: _ In which subjects you use dictionaries? * a) Listening – Speaking skill subjects b) Reading skill subjects c) Writing skill subjects d) Linguistics subjects (Phonetic and phonology, Morphology and lexicology, etc.) e) English Language Teaching Methodologies (Teaching Methodology 1, 2, 3, Materials Development, etc.) f) English for Specific Purposes subjects (English for Information Technology, English for Always Usually Sometimes Rarely Never                               46 THE DICTIONARY USE IN LEARNING ENGLISH Business, etc.) Do you think dictionaries are useful tools in your learning English? *  Strongly Agree  Agree  Neutral  Disagree  Strongly Disagree 10 How much time you spend a week on using any kind of dictionaries in learning English? *  Less than 30 minutes  30 minutes - hour  hour - hours  Others: _ 11 Which monolingual dictionaries you use? * ☐ Oxford Dictionary ☐ Cambridge Dictionary ☐ Longman Dictionary ☐ Macmillan Dictionary ☐ Chambers Dictionary ☐ Merriam Webster Dictionary ☐ Collins Dictionary ☐ Others: _ 47 THE DICTIONARY USE IN LEARNING ENGLISH 12 What are the problems when you use monolingual dictionaries? * ☐ Limited vocabulary ☐ Complicated explanation ☐ Lack of background knowledge ☐ Cannot find the equivalent word in Vietnamese ☐ Low speed ☐ Others: _ 13 Which bilingual dictionaries you use? * ☐ English - Vietnamese Dictionary and Vietnamese - English Dictionary - Vietnam Institute of Linguistics ☐ Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary with Vietnamese Translation ☐ English - Vietnamese Dictionary or Vietnamese - English dictionaries from any publishers ☐ Others: _ 14 What are the problems when you use bilingual dictionaries? * ☐ Not enough examples ☐ Cannot find the equivalent word in English ☐ Cannot know which word is suitable for which situation ☐ Cannot know the collocation ☐ Have to check the meaning and usage again in the monolingual dictionaries ☐ Others: _ 15 In your opinion, which kind of dictionary is better in learning English? *  Monolingual dictionaries  Bilingual dictionaries  Both of them are good  Both of them are not good 48 THE DICTIONARY USE IN LEARNING ENGLISH 16 Which paper dictionaries you use? * ☐ English – English Dictionaries ☐ English – Vietnamese Dictionaries ☐ Vietnamese – English Dictionaries ☐ None of them ☐ Others: _ 17 What are the problems when you use paper dictionaries? * ☐ Heavy ☐ Low speed ☐ Lack of using dictionary skills ☐ Hard to update the new version ☐ Must know the exact spelling of the word ☐ Others: _ 18 Which electronic dictionaries you use? * ☐ Dictionary applications on smartphones ☐ Dictionaries on CD-ROM (packed with a paper dictionary) ☐ Online Dictionaries ☐ Pocket electronic dictionaries ☐ None of them ☐ Others: _ 19 What are the problems when you use electronic dictionaries? * ☐ Expensive ☐ Unreliable source ☐ Rely on the electricity source ☐ Easy to be distracted by other functions 49 THE DICTIONARY USE IN LEARNING ENGLISH ☐ Difficult to note the information ☐ Others: _ 20 In your opinion, which kind of dictionary is better in learning English? *  Paper dictionaries  Electronic dictionaries  Both of them are good  Both of them are not good 21 Which dictionaries you use in your learning English? * Always Usually Sometimes Rarely Never a) Paper monolingual dictionaries      b) Paper bilingual dictionaries                c) Electronic monolingual dictionaries d) Electronic bilingual dictionaries 22 Which dictionaries you think an English-majored senior student should use in his/ her studying? * Should always use Should usually use Should sometimes use Should rarely use Should never use a) Paper monolingual dictionaries      b) Paper bilingual dictionaries      c) Electronic monolingual dictionaries      50 THE DICTIONARY USE IN LEARNING ENGLISH d) Electronic bilingual dictionaries    23 After graduating, will you continue using dictionaries? *  Certainly  Sometimes  Maybe  Never 51  