Trang 1 HUNG YEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATIONFACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES --- GRADUATION PAPER FIELD: ENGLISH LINGUISTICS A STUDY ON ERRORS IN USING VOCABULARY IN SPEAKING SKI
HUNG YEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES - GRADUATION PAPER FIELD: ENGLISH LINGUISTICS A STUDY ON ERRORS IN USING VOCABULARY IN SPEAKING SKILLS OF THE SECOND-YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT HUNG YEN OF EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY (NGHIÊN CỨU CÁC LỖI SỬ DỤNG TỪ VỰNG TRONG KỸ NĂNG NĨI CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ HAI CHUN NGÀNH NGƠN NGỮ ANH TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC SƯ PHẠM KỸ THUẬT HƯNG YÊN ) Supervisor: Nguyen Thi Bich Van, MA Student: Ngo Thuy Trang Student number: 11317139 Hai Duong - 2021 ii HUNG YEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES - GRADUATION PAPER FIELD: ENGLISH LINGUISTICS A STUDY ON ERRORS IN USING VOCABULARY IN SPEAKING SKILLS OF THE SECOND-YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT HUNG YEN OF EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY (NGHIÊN CỨU CÁC LỖI SỬ DỤNG TỪ VỰNG TRONG KỸ NĂNG NĨI CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ HAI CHUN NGÀNH NGƠN NGỮ ANH TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC SƯ PHẠM KỸ THUẬT HƯNG YÊN ) Student: Ngo Thuy Trang Student number: 11317139 Supervisor: Nguyen Thi Bich Van, MA (ký tên) Hung Yen – 2020 i DECLARATION I certify my authorship of the thesis entitled “A study on errors in using vocabulary in speaking of the second-year English major students at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education” This graduation paper is the result of my own research and the substance of this thesis has not been submitted for a degree to any other university or institution and that if this declaration is found to be false, disciplinary measures and penalties can be taken and imposed in accordance with university policies and rules Hai Duong, June 2021 Ngo Thuy Trang ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The researcher is so glad to have a good opportunity of doing this graduation paper It helped me collect and classify knowledge which I have studied During the process of writing this graduation paper, I have received many necessary assistance, precious ideals and timely encouragements from my teachers, family and friends I would like to express my gratitude to all of them First of all, I would like to express my appreciation to all the teachers of Faculty of Foreign Language, UTEHY for teaching me to be a well-educated student I have learnt so many things from what they taught me They have made favorable conditions for me to study at school during my precious four years here Secondly, I would like to give special thanks to my supervisor, Mrs Nguyen Thi Bich Van, who has always been willing to give me the most valuable advices, experienced guidance and suggestions in order that the research can complete this study successfully Besides, I also would like to thank my friends and my classmates for sharing ideas and checking some mistakes for my study Last but not least, I would like to give my sincere thanks to my family who have encouraged and supported me a lot iii ABSTRACT The study aims at investigating the students’ and teachers’ opinion about the errors in using vocabulary in speaking of the second-year English major students at English Department, Hung Yen University of Technology and Education, finding out the solutions to help students avoid mistakes in using vocabulary in speaking of the second-year English major students at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education In order to achieve the objectives mentioned above, the researcher combined both qualitative, quantitative methods, survey questionnaire The research was carried out survey questionnaire delivered to 87 second-year English major students and English teachers at Department of Foreign Languages, UTEHY to get direct opinions iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii ABSTRACT iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vii LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS viii CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 The rationale for the research 1.2 The aims of the research 1.3 The research questions 1.4 Method of the study 1.5 Subjects of the study .3 1.6 Scope of the study 1.7 Design of the study CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW……………………………………………………4 2.1 Overview of speaking skill 2.1.1 Definitions of speaking .4 2.1.2 The importance of speaking skill .5 2.1.3 Students’ difficulties in learning speaking skills .6 2.1.3.1 Fear of Mistake 2.1.3.2 Shyness……… 2.1.3.3 Anxiety……… 2.1.3.4 Lack of Confidence 10 2.1.3.5 Lack of Motivation 11 2.1.4 Components of speaking skills 12 2.2 Vocabulary .13 2.2.1 Definitions 13 2.2.2 Characteristics of vocabulary learning 14 2.2.3 The relationship between vocabulary and speaking skills 15 v 2.3 Common errors in using vocabulary made by students in speaking skills 15 2.3.1 Definitions of error? 15 2.3.2 Types of error .16 2.3.3 Errors in using vocabulary in learning speaking skills 18 2.3.3.1 Grammar 19 2.3.3.2 Vocabulary 19 2.2.3.3 Pronunciation 20 CHAPTER 3: STUDY …….23 3.1 Methodology 23 3.1.1 Participants 23 3.1.1.1 Teachers in Faculty of Foreign Language at UTEHY 23 3.1.1.2 Students in Faculty of Foreign Language at UTEHY 23 3.1.1.3 The textbook 23 3.2 Data collection instruments 24 3.2.1 Survey Questionnaires 24 3.2.2 Data collection procedures 24 3.3 Data analysis 25 3.3.1 Questionnaires 25 3.3.1.1 Students and teachers’ perceptions toward Speaking skills 25 3.3.1.1.1 Teachers and students’ opinions at UTEHY about speaking skills 25 3.3.1.1.2 The biggest barrier of studying English speaking skill through students and teachers’ views 26 3.3.1.1.3 The frequency of organizing and taking part in speaking activities in class of teachers and students 28 3.3.1.1.4 Students' speaking opportunities outside of the classroom according to teachers and students’ opinions 29 3.3.1.2 Common errors in using vocabulary in English speaking skill 30 3.3.1.2.1 The frequency of students committing errors in spoken English 30 3.3.1.2.2 The factors that make students have the most difficulty when learning English speaking skill 31 vi 3.3.1.2.3 Common mistakes that students faced while using vocabulary in English speaking skill through students and teachers’ opinions 32 3.3.1.3 Solutions to help students avoid making mistakes in using vocabulary in speaking skills 38 3.3.1.3.1 Main cause of making mistake while using vocabulary in speaking skill 38 3.3.1.3.2 Solutions for students through students and teachers’ opinions 41 3.3.1.3.3 Solutions for teachers through students and teachers’ opinions 42 3.3.2 Main findings of the study 44 3.3.2.1 The students’ perception toward English speaking skill 44 3.3.2.2 Error in using vocabulary in studying English speaking skills 44 3.3.2.3 Solutions to help students avoid mistake in using vocabulary in studying English speaking skill 45 3.3.3 Recommendations .46 CHAPTER IV: CONCLUTION 50 4.1 Summary of the study 50 4.2 Limitation of the study 51 4.3 Suggestion for further study 51 REFERENCES 53 APPENDICES 56 APPENDIX 56 SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR THE STUDENTS 56 APPENDIX 62 SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR THE TEACHERS 62 vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS UTEHY: Hung Yen University of Technology and Education FFL: Faculty of Foreign Language EFL: English as Foreign Language viii LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS Pie chart 1: Students’ opinions about speaking skills 25 Pie chart 2: Teachers’ opinions about speaking skills 26 Chart 3: The biggest barrier of studying English speaking skill through students and teachers’ views 27 Pie chart 4: The frequency of students taking part in speaking activities in class 28 Pie chart 5: Frequency of teachers organizing speaking activities in class 28 Pie chart 6: Students' speaking opportunities outside of the classroom according to students’ opinions 29 Pie chart 7: Students' speaking opportunities outside of the classroom according to teacher’ opinions 29 Pie chart 8: The frequency of students committing errors in spoken English due to students' answers 30 Pie chart 9: The frequency of students committing errors in spoken English due to teachers' answers 30 Table 1: The factors that make students have the most difficulty when learning English speaking skill according to students and teachers’ answers 31 Table 2: Common mistakes that students faced while using vocabulary in English speaking skill through students and teachers’ opinions 32 Pie chart 10: Errors deal with parts of speech that students make the most based on students’ opinions 33 Pie chart 11: Errors deal with parts of speech that students make the most based on teachers’ opinions 33 Pie chart 12: Most difficult syntax errors for students according to students’ opinions 34 Pie chart 13: Most difficult syntax errors for students according to teachers’ opinions 34 Table 3: Frequency of students using the wrong word forms based on students’ opinions 35 Table 4: Frequency of students using the wrong word forms based on teachers’ opinions 36 54 14 Bowen, Tim, (2005), Methodology: Shy 15 Students; An Article Offering Suggestions and Advice On Teaching Shy Students [Online]Available:http://www.onestopenglish.com/support/ask-the-experts/methodology questions/methodology-shy-students/146385.article (March 15, 2011) 16 Brown, H.D (2001) Teaching by Principles An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall 17 Chinmoy, Sri, (2007), How to Overcome Shyness [Online] Available: http://www.srichinmoybio.co.uk/2007/07/how-to-overcomeshyness.html (February 17, 2011) 18 Gebhard, G.J (2000) Teaching English as a Foreign or Second Language USA: The University of Michigan Press 19 Han, Eunhee (2010) Academic Discussion Tasks: A Study of EFL Students’ Perspectives Asian EFL Journal, Volume 9, Number 1, pp.9 Harmer, Jeremy (2007) How to Teach English China: Pearson Education Limited 20 He, Summer X & Chen, Amanda J.Y, (2010), How to Improve Spoken English [Online] Available: http://sites.google.com/site/languagejournal/Home/how-to-improve-spoken-English (February 19, 2010) 21 Horwitz, Elaine K., & Horwitz, Michael B (1986) Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Joann Cope Source: The Modern Language Journal, Vol 70, No (Summer, 1986), pp 125130 22 Juhana (2012) Psychological Factors That Hinder Students from Speaking in English Class (A Case Study in a Senior High School in South Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia) The English Department, Indonesia Open University- Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.orgVol 3, No 12, 2012 23 Kayi, Hayriye, (2006), Teaching Speaking: Activities to Promote Speaking in a Second Language [Online]Available: http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Kayi-TeachingSpeaking.html (March 19, 2010) 24 Keramida, Areti (2009) Helping Students Overcome Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety in the English Classroom: Theoretical Issues and Practical Recommendations International Education Studies Journal Vol.2, No 55 25 Kim Sung Jin (2006) Coping with Cultural Obstacles to Speaking English in the Korean Secondary schoolcontext EFL Asian Journal pp 4-11 26 Kubo, Michael, (2009), Extensive Pair Taping for College Students In Japan: Action Research In Confidence And Fluency Building Accents Asia [Online] Available: http://accentsasia.org/3-1/kubo.pdf (March 15, 2011) 27 Kurtus, R, (2001), Overcome the Fear of Speaking to Group [Online] Available: http://www.school-forchampions.com/speaking/fear.htm (June 20, 2010) 28 Middleton, Frank, (2009), Overcome Your Fear of Speaking Foreign Languages [Online] Available: http://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-bin/language/index.pl?page=2;read=1071 (March 17, 2010) 29 Nascente, Renata Maria M, (2001), Practical Ways to Help Anxious Learners [Online] Available: http://www3.telus.net/linguisticsissues/anxious.html (June 20, 2010) 30 Nunan, D (1999) Second Language Teaching & Learning USA Heinle&Heinle Publisher 56 APPENDICES APPENDIX SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR THE STUDENTS I am a final year English major student at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education This survey questionnaire is designed for my graduation paper entitled “A study on errors in using vocabulary in speaking skill of the second- year English major students at Hung Yen university of Technology and Education” Your completion of this questionnaire is highly appreciated It is guaranteed that all your personal information as well as your answers will be kept confidential and not be used for other purposes Your gender: Male Female Your age: …… Please complete the following questions The Students’ Speaking Perceptions The Frequency of your Speaking Score A Excellent (8-10) B Good (5-8) C Low (4-5) D Failed (0-4) What you think is the biggest barrier of studying English speaking skill? A The negative transfer of mother language B Difficulties in choosing the proper words C No prosperous English learning environment Others (Please write your own idea) ……………………………… What you think about learning English speaking skill? A Difficult but interesting 57 B Easy and interesting C Easy but not interesting D Difficult and interesting How often you take part in speaking activities in your class? A Always B Often C Sometimes D Never How often you get opportunities to speak English outside your class? A Always B Often C Sometimes D Never Common errors in using vocabulary in English speaking skill How often you commit errors in spoken English? A Frequently B Sometimes C Rarely D Never Which of the followings you have the most difficulties in when you speak English? (You can choose more than ONE option) A Grammar B Vocabulary C Fluency D Pronunciation Have you ever made these following mistakes while using vocabulary in Speaking skill? (Put a tick in the appropriate column) 58 Mistakes Yes No Errors deal with the use of parts of speech (lỗi sử dụng loại từ) Make syntax errors (lỗi cú pháp) Use the wrong word forms (Dùng sai dạng từ) Misuse of relative pronouns, conditionals, passive forms (sử dụng sai đại từ quan hệ, câu điều kiện, dạng bị động) Among the errors with the use of part of speech, which one(s) makes (make) you confused the most? A Adverbs B Verbs C Nouns D Prepositions E Articles 10 Some of the syntax errors that are difficult to use such as Word order (thứ tự từ), Parallelism (cấu trúc song song), Subject-Verb agreement (sự hòa hợp chủ ngữ động từ), which one is the hardest to you? A Word order B Parallelism C Subject – Verb agreement Others (Please write your own idea)…………………………………………… 59 11 How often you make the following word form errors? Misuse of Word forms Always Usually Often Sometimes Seldom Never Use Noun instead of Verb Use Cardinal instead of Ordinal number Use Adjective instead of Verb Use Noun with -ion ending instead of Noun with -ing ending 12 Relative pronouns, conditionals, passive forms are considered very hard forms and students seldom use them If you have a choice, will you use them in your speech? A Use them as much as possible B Use them but not so much C Rarely use them D Avoid using them and choosing other ways Solutions to help students avoid making mistakes in using vocabulary in speaking skills 60 13 What are the main causes of making mistakes in using vocabulary of students in Speaking skill? Causes Strongly agree Depend too much on the target language system (Eg: Google translate, ) Have low motivation in learning Have bad learning strategies Be strongly affected by their first language background (Eg: Word order, pluralization, S-V agreement, ) Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly disagree 61 Be careless and have negative attitude toward learning 14 The important key to help students avoid mistakes in using vocabulary is that they themselves need to find ways to solve their own problems What you think you should change? (You can choose more than option) A Set up a suitable learning strategy B Participate actively in the class or discussion even though you still have some problems in using vocabulary C Have a positive attitude toward studying English D Use the target language system widely 15 The reason why students have low motivation in learning is largely influenced by their learning environment, including the teachers Then what you think should be done by your teachers? A Have suitable teaching techniques B Pay attention to the students’ mood in the classes C Pay more attention to the common forms of errors the students make D Actively study to gain knowledge to improve the quality of teaching 16 Do you have any suggestions to help yourself avoid mistakes in using vocabulary in Speaking skill? …………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………… Thank you very much for your cooperation! 62 APPENDIX SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR THE TEACHERS I am a final year English major student at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education This survey questionnaire is designed for my graduation paper entitled “A study on errors in using vocabulary in speaking skill of the second- year English major students at Hung Yen university of Technology and Education” Your completion of this questionnaire is highly appreciated It is guaranteed that all your personal information as well as your answers will be kept confidential and not be used for other purposes Your gender: Male Female Your age: …… Please complete the following questions The teachers’ Speaking Perceptions The Frequency of your students’ Speaking Score A Excellent (8-10) B Good (5-8) C Low (4-5) D Failed (0-4) What you think is the biggest barrier of studying English speaking skills for your students? A The negative transfer of mother language B Difficulties in choosing the proper words C No prosperous English learning environment Others (Please write your own idea) …………………………………… What you think about your students’ learning of English speaking skill? A Difficult but interesting 63 B Easy and interesting C Easy but not interesting D Difficult and interesting How often you organize English speaking activities in your class? A Always B Often C Sometimes D Never How often your students get opportunities to speak English outside the class? A Always B Often C Sometimes D Never Common errors in using vocabulary in English speaking skill How often your students commit errors in their spoken English? A Frequently B Sometimes C Rarely D Never Which of the followings your students have the most difficulties in when they speak English? (You can choose more than ONE option) A Grammar B Vocabulary C Fluency D Pronunciation Have your students ever made these following mistakes while using vocabulary in Speaking skill? (Put tick in the appropriate column) 64 Mistakes Yes No Errors deal with the use of parts of speech (lỗi sử dụng loại từ) Make syntax errors (lỗi cú pháp) Use the wrong word forms (Dùng sai dạng từ) Misuse of relative pronouns, conditionals, passive forms (sử dụng sai đại từ quan hệ, câu điều kiện, dạng bị động) Among the errors with the use of part of speech, which one is the most common mistake made by your students? A Adverbs B Verbs C Nouns D Prepositions E Articles 10 Some of the syntax errors that are difficult to use such as Word order (thứ tự từ), Parallelism (cấu trúc song song), Subject-Verb agreement (sự hòa hợp chủ ngữ động từ), which one is the hardest to your students? A Word order B Parallelism C Subject – Verb agreement 65 Others (Please write your own idea)…………………………………… 11 How often your students make the following word form errors (Put a tick in the appropriate column) Misuse of Word forms Always Usually Often Sometimes Seldom Never Use Noun instead of Verb Use Cardinal instead of Ordinal number Use Adjective instead of Verb Use Noun with -ion ending instead of Noun with -ing ending 12 Relative pronouns, conditionals, passive forms are considered very hard forms and students seldom use them Do you agree? A Strongly agree B Agree C Uncertain D Disagree 66 E Strongly disagree Solutions to help students avoid making mistakes in using vocabulary in speaking skills 13 According to your teaching experience, what are the main causes of making mistakes in using vocabulary of students in Speaking skill? (Put tick in the appropriate column) Solutions Strongly agree Depend too much on the target language system (Eg: Google translate, ) Have low motivation in learning Have bad learning strategies Be strongly affected by their first language background Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly disagree 67 (Eg: Word order, pluralization, S-V agreement, ) Be careless and have negative attitude toward learning 14 The important key to improve students' mistakes in using vocabulary is that they themselves need to find ways to solve their own problems What you think your students need to change? (You can choose more than ONE option) A Set up a suitable learning strategy B Participate actively in the class or discussion even though you still have some problem in grammar C Have a positive attitude toward studying English D Use the target language system widely 15 The reason why students have low motivation in learning is largely influenced by their learning environment, including the teachers Then, what you think should be done by yourself and other teachers? A Have suitable teaching techniques B Pay attention to the study’s mood in classes, avoid boring, tired atmosphere C Pay more attention to the common forms of errors the students make D Actively study and gain knowledge to improve the quality of teaching 16 Do you have any suggestions to help students avoid mistakes in using vocabulary in Speaking skill? 68 …………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………… Thank you very much for your cooperation!