A study on english vocabulary learning strategies employed by first year students at hung yen university of technology and education

Trang 1 HUNG YEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES --- GRADUATION PAPER FIELD: ENGLISH LINGUISTICS A STUDY ON ENGLISH VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES EM

i HUNG YEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES - GRADUATION PAPER FIELD: ENGLISH LINGUISTICS A STUDY ON ENGLISH VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES EMPLOYED BY FIRSTYEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENT AT HUNG YEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION (NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ CHIẾN LƯỢC HỌC TỪ VỰNG TIẾNG ANH CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM NHẤT NGÀNH NGÔN NGỮ ANH TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC SƯ PHẠM KỸ THUẬT HƯNG YÊN) Supervisor:Le Thi Duyen, M.A Student: Tran Thi Kim Anh Student number: 11316006 Hung Yen – 2021 HUNG YEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES - GRADUATION PAPER FIELD: ENGLISH LINGUISTICS A STUDY ON ENGLISH VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES EMPLOYED BY FIRSTYEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENT AT HUNG YEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION (NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ CHIẾN LƯỢC HỌC TỪ VỰNG TIẾNG ANH CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM NHẤT NGÀNH NGÔN NGỮ ANH TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC SƯ PHẠM KỸ THUẬT HƯNG YÊN) Student: Tran Thi Kim Anh Student number: 11316006 Supervisor:Le Thi Duyen, M.A Hung Yen – 2021 i DECLARATION I declare that this study entitled “A study on English vocabulary learning strategies employed by first year students at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education” is entirely the results of my own research Wherever contributions of other involved, I have faithfully and properly citied all in the study Hung Yen, June 2020 Trần Thị Kim Anh ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT In the process of doing the graduation paper, I have received a lot of assistance, guidance and encouragement from my teachers, family and friends First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest thanks to my research supervisor Ms Le Thi Duyen, M.A the lecturer of foreign language faculty, Hung Yen University of Technology and Education in every step throughout the process Without her invaluable suggestions and advice, this paper would have never been accomplished I would also like to show my sincere gratitude to all the teachers of English department at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education for their help as well as useful lectures during my four-year university life at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education, which have been then the foundation and inspiration for my research paper Most importantly, none of this could have happened without my family and my friends who fully supported me while I was doing this graduation paper Every time I was ready to quit, they were always beside me and encouraged me and I am forever grateful This graduation paper stands as a statement to their unconditional love and encouragement Hung Yen, May 2021 iii ABTRACT One of the most important challenges that learners will face during the process of second language learning is vocabulary learning Vocabulary has been recognized as crucial to language use in which insufficient vocabulary knowledge of the learners led to difficulties in second language learning Thus, in the case of learning the vocabulary in second language, students need to be educated with vocabulary learning strategies The purpose of this study was to examine and develop effective vocabulary learning strategies of UTEHY (Hung Yen University of Technology and Education) first-year English majors The sample of the study consists of one hundred and seven student, all of them are English major students at Faculty of Foreign Language (FFL) at UTEHY Hence, the method of conducting is a Questionnaire for one hundred and seven students in FFL The strategies such as Remembering words by making sentences/ example, Remembering words by doing a project, the use of various English language media, and applying new English word in their daily conversation where are related to memory, determination, metacognitive strategies respectively are popular strategies and the learners are keen in using them iv LIST OF ABREVIATIONS FFL: Faculty of Foreign Languages UTEHY : Hung Yen University of Technology and Education LLS: language learning strategies v LIST OF TABLE AND GRAPHIC LIST OF GRAPHIC Graphic 1: How important is English vocabulary to your language learning? 14 Graphic 2: How many hours you spend on learning English vocabulary? 15 Graphic 3: How often you use these strategies in your English vocabulary learning process? 16 Graphic 4: How effective are these strategies in your English vocabulary learning process? 17 Graphics 5: Difficulties in English vocabulary learning 18 Graphics 6: Suggestions for English vocabulary learning strategies 18 vi TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .ii ABTRACT iii LIST OF ABREVIATIONS iv LIST OF TABLE AND GRAPHIC v TABLE OF Contents vi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 The rationale of the study Aims of the study Research questions of the study Scope of the study Methods of the study Design of the study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Language learning strategies 2.1.1 Background of language learning strategies 2.1.2 Definition of learning strategies 2.2 The definition of vocabulary 2.3 Vocabulary Learning strategies 2.3.1 Definition of vocabulary learning strategies 2.3.2 Some vocabulary learning strategies from other studies CHAPTER 3: THE STUDY 10 3.1 Introduction 10 3.2 The context of the study 10 3.3 The study 11 3.4 Data Collection Instrument 11 3.4.1 Questionnaires 11 3.4.2 Data Collection Procedure 12 3.4.3 Designing Instruments 12 vii 3.5 Data analysis and discussion 12 3.5.1 Data Analysis 12 3.5.2 The survey questionnaire 12 3.6 Data analysis 13 3.6.1 Questionnaire 13 3.6.2 Discussion of interviews 19 3.7 Major findings 20 3.8 Some advice for English vocabulary teachers 21 3.9 Summary 22 CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSION 23 4.1 Summary of the study 23 4.2 Limitation of the Study 23 4.3 Suggestions for further study 23 REFERENCES 24 APPENDIX I APPENDIX .IV CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION The rationale of the study Nowadays, English plays an important role because it has become an international language and is used as an official language in all industries such as aviation, commerce, science, technology, etc in Vietnam English is becoming more and more important and included in the school environment as a compulsory subject It can be said that if we consider learning English as building a house, then learning vocabulary is building the foundation for that house There are many ways to learn vocabulary, but to have an effective vocabulary enrichment strategy is not easy and in fact, the vocabulary learning method is not really effective Although after many years of learning English, it is difficult for learners to communicate successfully They tend to use simple vocabulary instead of what they have already learned Besides, using vocabulary is also an essential factor to evaluate the quality of an article In learning English process, learners often have difficulty choosing words that are both accurate and reasonable One secret to help learners use English successfully is to equip knowledge of vocabulary We can only understand correctly unless the vocabulary is used correctly and appropriately Therefore, the limitation of knowledge of English vocabulary greatly affects the use of English From the above reasons, I deeply researched: A study on English vocabulary learning strategies employed by first-year English major students at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education to find out the main vocabulary learning methods of students majoring in English and give some suggestions to improve the use of vocabulary learning strategies to reinforce and improve the learning method for future majors Aims of the study This study focuses on strategies in English vocabulary learning It analyses English vocabulary learning acquisition through transition of meaning and word formation, as well as learning vocabulary of the same categorization together and so on This study aims to Investigate English vocabulary learning strategies being used by first-year students at Foreign Faculty of Language, UTEHY Find out the effects and limitations of these strategies may have on the first-year English majors‟ learning process 16 The frequency of using vocab learning strategies always 5 20 15 Usually often 10 sometime 10 10 never 5 10 50 85 70 75 80 25 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Graphic 3: How often you use these strategies in your English vocabulary learning process? For the question number 3: How often you use these strategies in your English vocabulary learning process? from graphic 3: How often you use these strategies in your English vocabulary learning process, It is shown in the table and graphic about how often you use these strategies in English vocabulary learning that students always aim to use these vocab learning strategies We can see that most of strategies are ups to 70 percent of always; whereas, there are small amount of the students often or sometimes use these learning strategies In fact, these strategies are very effective if the students always practice them and use them in learning vocabulary properly Let us come to the question number 4: How effective are these strategies in your English vocabulary learning process? 17 100% 90% 80% 70% Not effective at all 60% Not very effective 50% Normal 40% Effective 30% Very effective 20% 10% 0% The 1st The 2nd The 3rd The 4th The 5th Graphic 4: How effective are these strategies in your English vocabulary learning process? It can infer from the graphic about how effective are these strategies It is easy to realize that remembering words by doing projects (85%) always bring students effectiveness in learning vocabulary Another strategy is that remembering words by making sentences/example which take 75% also always bear effectiveness in English vocabulary learning There is one more effective strategy in vocabulary learning is asking classmate for the meaning of the words In fact, main effective vocabulary learning strategies are also main strategies that students choose to improve their vocabulary Let us come to the question number 5: What are your difficulties in learning vocabulary? 18 40 35 30 25 20 Difficulties 15 10 Pratice Word Pronunciation Strategy Time Graphics 5: Difficulties in English vocabulary learning It‟s indicated in the table and graphic about difficulties in learning English vocabulary, main reasons for most students in learning are that: they not have chance to practice (37,4 %), they have to remember too many words (26.2%) and they cannot read words exactly like native speakers (28%) The last survey question is also the suggestions on vocabulary learning strategies you want to learn in your class at UTEHY 60 50 40 30 Strategies 20 10 Flashcards Movies Asking Projects Dictionary Graphics 6: Suggestions for English vocabulary learning strategies For this question, take a quick look at the graphic 6, we can realize that the “doing vocab-related projects regularly” take the majority percentage with 61% and watching English movies with 33% As discussed above, doing vocab-related projects seems the best way to learn vocabulary We should combine these two strategies together to help the first- 19 year English major students at FFL, UTEHY enrich their vocabulary range from then on they can use English smoothly and confidently without fewer shame and mistakes With the rapid development of technology, it seems that students not need a hard dictionary (Dictionary book) or asking for help from other students Once students cannot understand a vocab, they can easily search then the meaning off the words is in front of you Flashcards also is poor vocabulary learning strategies 3.6.2 Discussion of interviews Students in Group A Students in Group B The result from interviewing candidates shows that all students in Group A claimed that asking classmate for the meaning of the word is very useful to them, while only of students in Group B choose remembering words by making sentences/ example There are students in Group B who had the different idea that English vocabulary learning strategies are not very important for them to learn new words A student in Group A stated that using that strategy can help him spend less time but acquire more new words in learning process However, one of the students in Group B chooses remembering words by doing a project Other two students in Group B who also claimed that they just want to memorize words without learning strategies though it costs much time, because they are indeed not good at English vocabulary learning For question in the interviews, all the students in group A stated that they often using English vocabulary learning strategies in learning process , while the majority of students in Group B claim sometimes Only student in Group B stated that they never use learning vocabulary strategies The reasons given by students in Group B are still that they are not good at English learning and lack learning skills For question in the interviews, all off interviewee in group A said that vocabulary learning strategies are effective to their learning process, while major of student in group B stated that vocabulary learning strategies are not very effective to them And students of group B said that these strategies are not effective at all For the question 4, students of group A stated that their difficulty is poor pronunciation, they cannot pronounce new words like native speakers The other student said that they remember too many words, so, they often encounter confusion when using words All students in group B stated that they cannot find a suitable strategy, that is the reason why they feel learning vocabulary very difficult 20 For the question 5, the students of group A suggest using flash card and watching English movies to improve vocabulary With group B, they suggest asking for help (from friend or teacher) when they get stuck, that is the fastest way to know the meaning of a word when you in the class, or check dictionary, read aloud repeatedly when seeing a new vocabulary if no one knows 3.7 Major findings This chapter presents the discussion based on finding of the study Part 1: Students’ attitude about the importance of English vocabulary to their language learning process In the first research question, the researcher find out about the students‟ attitudes about the importance of English vocabulary to their language learning process The findings reveal that most of the students have positive attitudes about learning vocabulary The responses to the survey questionnaires show that almost of students find it very important when studying English The figures collected from the survey point out that the majority of students support that vocabulary learning is very necessary in learning English In general, for the first research question, almost of student realized the importance and necessary of learning vocabulary in practicing English Part 2: The strategies students using when study English The study problems has been verified by two questions related to the frequency of using vocabulary learning strategies in student‟s English learning process Most of students always use strategy such as: spelling the word in the mind repeatedly; remembering words by doing a project; asking classmate for the meaning of the word and remembering words by making sentences/ example and usually use strategy analyzing the words by breaking down the sound segments The 3rd and 4th strategy (asking classmate for the meaning of the word and remembering words by making sentences/ example) are very effective to the student in their learning process These strategies have some difficulty for the student, it can affect to student‟s learning process: they are not have chance to practice, remember to many words, poor pronunciation, cannot find a suitable strategy and not have time to learn Part 3: Suggestion for English vocabulary learning strategies The final question is some suggestions for English vocabulary learning strategies The “doing vocab-related projects regularly” take the majority percentage with 61% or 54 21 respondents and watching English movies with 33% or 30 respondents As discussed above, doing vocab-related projects seems the best way to learn vocabulary We should combine these two strategies together to help the 1st year English major students at FFL, UTEHY enrich their vocabulary range from then on they can use English smoothly and confidently without fewer shame and mistake 3.8 Some advice for English vocabulary teachers Based on the above reflections on seven strategies, here are some advices for English vocabulary teachers According to the answers from the questionnaire and the interviews, the majority of students in Group A are in favor of using English vocabulary learning strategies in learning process, while for a lot of students in Group B, all these strategies seems not as useful as it intended to achieve As a result, the English learning strategies may be a great helpful for those learners who are good at English learning, while they are comparatively useless for those learners who are not so good at English learning Teachers can teach students to use English vocabulary learning strategies based on their English learning abilities That means, teachers can divide English vocabulary learning strategies into several parts based on their usage and requirements, and then use different learning strategies to teach different kinds of students For those learners who are not good at learning English, using some of the English vocabulary learning strategies requires them to have some skills, such as selecting information and guessing the word meaning This kind of students may not have the ability to use these skills; as a result, it may be hard for them to use the English vocabulary learning strategies Moreover, they may be not aware of the importance of autonomous learning They would what they have to to learn new words and always try to find the simplest way to memorize words For this kind of student, teachers can teach them the importance and usefulness of English vocabulary learning strategies Some kinds of easy learning strategies that not require skills can be taught to those students in order to make them feel confident in using English vocabulary learning strategies, and then they will get benefit from those learning strategies For those learners who like the students in Group A, the English vocabulary learning strategies are very useful in their learning process Teachers can teach them many learning strategies based on their learning abilities, e.g some students in Group A prefer learning vocabulary through communicating, so teachers can set some learning vocabulary especially for speaking classes with some advanced speakers such as native speakers As a 22 result, the students may learn a lot of new words in this kind of class more easily 3.9 Summary In this chapter, the researcher discussed the findings of the study in order to answer two research question proposed in the introduction and gives some suggestions for improving learning English vocabulary In the next part, the researcher would like to give the conclusion of the study and also the limitation and suggestion for further study 23 CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSION 4.1 Summary of the study The present study investigates learners‟ attitude and evaluation on English vocabulary learning strategies (five are identified) It also discusses the effect these strategies may have on learners‟ learning process This study offers some advice to English vocabulary teachers based on the above discussed seven strategies According to the data from questionnaire and interviews, the study shows that nearly all seven strategies except learning vocabulary using word cards are favored by the English major students at FFL, UTEHY who are good at English learning, while students also try their best to use these strategies in learning vocabulary As a result, when teaching vocabulary teachers can teach students learning strategies and guide them to use these strategies in their learning process based on their English abilities The result from this essay maybe quite limited, but it might at least investigate the seven English vocabulary learning strategies favored by learners It also offers some advice to English vocabulary teachers More primary material should be taken into consideration if we want to get a more definite conclusion 4.2 Limitation of the Study It was not possible for the researcher to cover a good number of all English major students at FFL for the survey due to lack of time and the effect of Covid 19 pandemic Moreover, the sample size was small as the researcher covered only 107 English major at FFL But, the small sample was examined carefully and closely to analyze whether English vocabulary learning strategies are used in our context and whether they are useful for the teachers and students in speaking classroom The researcher tried her best to make the study as objective and valid as possible Furthermore, some of the students were not cooperative and they refused to fill up the survey questionnaire as it was not the part of their study Besides, most of the students were not familiar with the term „vocabulary learning strategies” So, the researcher had to explain what vocabulary learning strategies are so that the students could fill up the survey questionnaire 4.3 Suggestions for further study In the coming future, when I have chance to the study on this field, I would like to have more time to prepare and the survey questionnaires on more students and teachers to make the data realer and effective as well as we can try some suggestions on the real classes at our Faculty of Foreign Language, UTEHY 24 REFERENCES Akbari, O (2008) Teaching vocabulary items through contextualization and picture to elementary Iranian EFL students Asian EFL Journal, 10(3) Akbari, Z & Tahririan, M.H (2009) Vocabulary learning strategies in an ESP context: The case of para/medical English in Iran Asian EFL Journal, 11(1) Anugkakul, G (2011) A Comparative study in language learning strategies of Chinese and Thai students: A case study of Suan Sunandha Rajabhat university European Journal of Social Sciences, 19(2), 163-174 Berg, B L (2009) Qualitative research methods for the social sciences USA: Pearson Education, Inc Brown, J D., & Rodgers, T S (2002) Doing second language research Oxford: Oxford University Press Chen, Y (2011) Dictionary use and vocabulary learning in the context of reading International Journal of Lexicography, 24(4) Folse, K S (2008) Six vocabulary activities for the English language classroom English Teaching Forum, 46(3), 12-21 Fowle, C (2002) Vocabulary notebooks: implementation and outcomes ELT Journal, 56 (4), 380-388 Frank, T (2009) Applications of implicit praise in the classroom (Master‟s thesis, University of Waikato) Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10289/3510 Fraser, C A (1999) The role of consulting a dictionary in reading and vocabulary learning Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 2(1-2), 73-89 Ghazal, L (2007) Learning vocabulary in EFL contexts through vocabulary learning strategies Novitas-ROYAL, 1(2), 84-91 Gu, P Y (2003) Vocabulary learning in a second language: Person, task, context and strategies TESL-EJ, 7(2), 1-25 Hatch, E & Brown, C (1995) Vocabulary, semantics, and language education USA: Cambridge University Press Hedge, T (2000) Teaching and learning in the language classroom China: Oxford University Press Hismanoglu, M (2000) Language learning strategies in foreign language learning and 25 teaching The Internet TESL Journal, 6(8) Hunt, A & Beglar, D (2004) Current research and practice in teaching vocabulary In J C Intaraprasert, C (2010) Strategies for learning vocabulary employed by science-oriented students: A qualitative perspective Arab World English Journal, 1(1), 80-106 Knight, S (1994) Dictionary use while reading: The effects on comprehension and vocabulary acquisition for students of different verbal abilities The Modern Language Journal, 78, 285-299 Kobayashi, C (2005) The use of pocket electronic dictionaries as compared with printed dictionaries by Japanese learners of English PhD Dissertation The Ohio State University, Columbus Available at http://etd.ohiolink.edu/view.cgi?acc_num=osu1155615693 Lee, K R & Oxford, R (2008) Understanding EFL learners‟ strategy use and strategy awareness Asian EFL Journal, 10(1), 7-32 O‟Malley, J M & Chamot, A U (1995) Learning strategies in second Language acquisition Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Richards & W A Renandya (Eds.), Methodology in language teaching: An anthology of current practice (pp 258-264) USA: Cambridge University Press Sanaoui, R (1995) Adult learners' approaches to learning vocabulary in second languages The Modern Language Journal, 79(1), 15-28 Sapargul, D.; & Sartor, V (2010) The trans-cultural comparative literature method: Using Grammar Translation Techniques effectively English Teaching Forum, 48(3), 26-33 Savignon, S J Communicative language teaching for the twenty-first century In Murcia, M C (Ed.), Teaching English as a second or foreign language (pp 13-28) USA: Heinle & Heinle Schmitt, N (1997) Vocabulary learning strategies In N Schmitt & M McCarthy (Eds.), Vocabulary: Description, acquisition and pedagogy (pp 199-226) UK: Cambridge University Press Schmitt, N & Schmitt, R R (1993) Identifying and assessing vocabulary learning strategies Thai TESOL Bulletin, 5(4), 27-33 Shiwu, W (2005) Use and helpfulness rankings of vocabulary learning strategies employed by EFL learners in Taiwan Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 1, 7-13 Subekti, N B., & Lawson, M J (2007) Vocabulary acquisition strategies of Indonesian 26 postgraduate students through reading International Education Journal, 8(2), 485-496 Suppasetseree, S & Saitakham, K (2008) English vocabulary learning strategies employed by Thai EFL university students with different levels of academic achievement Cam TESOL Conference on English Language Teaching: Selected Papers, 4(1), 138-146 Thornbury, S (2002) How to teach vocabulary Malaysia: Pearson Education Limited Tran, A (2006) An approach to basic-vocabulary development for English-language learners Reacting Improvement, 43(3), 157-162 Tuckman, B W & Sexton, T L (1991) The effect of teacher encouragement on student self-efficacy and motivation for self-regulated performance Journal of Social Behavior & Personality, 6(1), 137-146 William, M & Burden, R L (1997) Psychology for language teachers UK: Cambridge University Press Wu, Y L (2008) Language learning strategies used by students at different proficiency levels Asian EFL Journal, 10(4) I APPENDIX Dear all beloved students, My name is Tran Thi Kim Anh I am from class TAK15.1, Faculty of Foreign Language at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education (UTEHY) This survey questionnaire is designed for my graduation research The study is focused on: “A study on English vocabulary learning strategies employed by first- year students at Univesity of Technology and Education” Therefore, I would like to this survey questionnaire in order to complete my survey research It is highly appreciated if you spend your time completing truthfully this questionnaire I would like to ensure that all the information provided by you is used for this researching only, not for any other purposes Besides, to ensure your individual you can be confident that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data At least, I would like to thank you so much for your help and cooperation! Personal information Are you male/female? Your age: How long have you been learning English? (year) Please circle or tick each response or give short answers in the provided space to your view (please use either English or Vietnamese as possible) How important is English vocabulary to your language learning?  Very important  Important  Quite important  Not very important  Completely not important How many hours you spend on learning English vocabulary a day?  An hour or more  30-60 minutes  15-30 minutes  Less than 15 minutes II How often you use these strategies in your English vocabulary learning process? Learning strategies always usually often sometime never Spelling the word in the mind repeatedly Analyzing the words by breaking down the sound segments Remembering words by doing a project Asking classmate for the meaning of the word Remembering words by making sentences/ example How effective are these strategies in your English vocabulary learning process? very Learning strategies effective effective normal Spelling the word in the mind repeatedly Analyzing the words by breaking down the sound segments Remembering words by doing a project Asking classmate for the meaning of the word Remembering words by making sentences/ example What are your difficulties in learning vocabulary?  Do not have chance to practice  Remember too many words  Poor pronunciation  Cannot find a suitable strategy  Do not have time to learn (the reason is………………………) not very effective not effective at all III  Other …………………………………………………………… Which suggestions on vocabulary learning strategies you want to learn in your class at UTEHY?  Using flashcards  Watching English movies  Asking for help (from friends or teachers) when you are stuck  Doing vocab-related projects regularly  Check dictionary, read aloud repeatedly when seeing a new vocab  Learn meaning during group work  Guess meaning from reading context  Other……………………………………………………………… IV APPENDIX Interview questions Which of the following vocabulary learning strategies that are you using? Spelling the word in the mind repeatedly Analyzing the words by breaking down the sound segments Remembering words by doing a project Asking classmate for the meaning of the word Remembering words by making sentences/ example How often you use them? In your opinion, how effective are these strategies? What are the limitations of these strategies? What are some suggestions to improve the use of vocabulary learning strategies for the first-year English majors at UTEHY?