An investigation into the impacts of movies on efl learners vocabulary achievement a case study at the asian international school

Trang 1 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY--- ∞0∞--- NGUYEN VAN BAO QUOC AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE IMPACTS OF MOVIES ON EFL LEARNERS’ VOCABULARY ACHIEVEM

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY

- ∞0∞ -

NGUYEN VAN BAO QUOC

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE IMPACTS

OF MOVIES ON EFL LEARNERS’ VOCABULARY

ACHIEVEMENT: A CASE STUDY AT

THE ASIAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

MASTER OF ARTS IN TESOL

HO CHI MINH CITY, 2023

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY

- ∞0∞ -

NGUYEN VAN BAO QUOC

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE IMPACTS

OF MOVIES ON EFL LEARNERS’ VOCABULARY

ACHIEVEMENT: A CASE STUDY AT

THE ASIAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Major: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Major code: 8 14 01 11 MASTER OF ARTS IN TESOL Supervisor: Assoc Prof Dr PHAM VU PHI HO

HO CHI MINH CITY, 2023

Tôi tên là: Nguyễn Văn Bảo Quốc

Ngày sinh: 14/10/1997 Nơi sinh: Tiền Giang

Chuyên ngành: TESOL Mã học viên: 2081401111015

Tôi đồng ý cung cấp toàn văn thông tin luận văn tốt nghiệp hợp lệ về bản quyền cho Thư viện trường đại học Mở Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh Thư viện trường đại học Mở Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh sẽ kết nối toàn văn thông tin luận văn tốt nghiệp vào hệ thống thông tin khoa học của Sở Khoa học và Công nghệ Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh

CỘNG HÒA XÃ HỘI CHỦ NGHĨA VIỆT NAM

Độc lập – Tự do – Hạnh phúc

Ý KIẾN CHO PHÉP BẢO VỆ LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ

CỦA GIẢNG VIÊN HƯỚNG DẪN

Giảng viên hướng dẫn: PGS TS Phạm Vũ Phi Hổ

Học viên thực hiện: Nguyễn Văn Bảo Quốc Lớp: MTESOL020A

Ngày sinh: 14/10/1997 Nơi sinh: Cai Lậy, tỉnh Tiền Giang

Tên đề tài: An investigation into the impacts of movies on EFL learners’ vocabulary

achievement: A case study at the Asian International School

Ý kiến của giáo viên hướng dẫn về việc cho phép học viên Nguyễn Văn Bảo Quốc được bảo

vệ luận văn trước Hội đồng: Đồng ý cho học viên bảo vệ trước hội đồng luận văn Thạc sĩ

Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, ngày 28 tháng 02 năm 2023

Người nhận xét

Phạm Vũ Phi Hổ

Ho Chi Minh City, 2023

Nguyễn Văn Bảo Quốc

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

It would have been impossible for me to complete my thesis without the assistance

of the people listed below First and foremost, I would like to thank my supervisor, Assoc Prof Dr Pham Vu Phi Ho, who was always giving me the best constructive comments and advice about my writing My thesis would not have been realized without his guidance His helpful advice enabled me to gain a wealth of knowledge to complete the thesis

Aside from my supervisor, I would like to acknowledge my TESOL020 classmates in Ho Chi Minh City Open University who were always willing to help me so much to finish this paper work Furthermore, I am thankful to the teaching staff and students at the Asian International School I am also thankful to Mr Nguyen Hoang Nhan, the manager of the Asian International School, who created the best conditions for me to conduct the experiment I also want to thank all the learners for their enthusiasm in all of the activities

Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to Dr Vu Hoa Ngan, Dr Le Thi Thanh Thu, Dr Bui Thi Thuc Quyen, Dr Dang Tan Tin, and many other teachers who provided me with useful lessons and extensive knowledge that laid the foundation for this work Special thanks are also sent to the academic staff of the Graduate School, HCMC Open University for their unconditional support and timely reminders

ABSTRACT

Although a number of studies were carried out to improve the quality of teaching and learning vocabulary at secondary and high schools recently, students still had difficulties in lexical learning Therefore, this study was carried out to investigate the impacts of using movies on the vocabulary achievement of ninth-grade students at the Asian International School in Ho Chi Minh City

The quasi-experimental research was carried out during the second semester of the school year 2021-2022 Two classes that the researcher was teaching were conveniently chosen for this study as the experimental group (EG) and the control group (CG) The

EG was exposed to the movie Meanwhile, the CG had traditional English vocabulary lessons In order to fulfill the research aims, both quantitative method and qualitative method were implemented for data collection Data was collected from three sources: a pre-test and post-tests to measure the students‟ vocabulary improvement after the treatment, a questionnaire to assess the students‟ attitudes toward vocabulary learning with movies, and an interview with 10 random students in the EG to clarify their attitudes While the data from the pre-test, the post-tests, and the questionnaire was gathered and analyzed by SPSS statistical package version 26, the semi-structured interview data were recorded, transcribed, and then analyzed by the method of content analysis The participants are 58 ninth-grade students of the Asian International School in

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

The results of the study showed that movies could help learners at the Asian International School improve their vocabulary learning Learners had a positive attitude toward studying vocabulary with movies according to the interview and questionnaire They strongly agreed that the movies were beneficial for their vocabulary learning

Keywords: movies; EFL learners; vocabulary achievement; case study

TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS II ABSTRACT III TABLE OF CONTENTS IV LIST OF TABLES X LIST OF FIGURES XII ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS XIII

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Background of the study 1

1.2 Statement of the problem 5

1.3 Purpose of the study and research questions 8

1.4 Significance of the study 9

1.5 Scope of the study 10

1.6 Organization of the thesis 11

1.7 Chapter summary 11

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 12

2.1 Benefits of movies in language teaching and learning 12

2.2 Theoretical framework of vocabulary 13

2.2.1 Definitions of vocabulary 13

2.2.2 Different kinds of knowledge of a word 14

2.2.3 Types of vocabulary 15

2.2.4 The importance of vocabulary 15

2.2.5 Vocabulary learning strategies 16

2.2.6 How to learn vocabulary effectively 17

2.2.7 Vocabulary teaching principles for young learners 18

2.2.8 Process of teaching vocabulary 20

2.2.8.1 Presentation 20

2.2.8.2 Practice 21

2.2.8.3 Production 21

2.2.8.4 Review 22

2.3 Background of young learners 22

2.4 Concept of attitudes 24

2.4.1 Definitions of attitudes 24

2.4.2 Components of attitudes 25

2.4.3 Roles of learners’ attitudes 25

2.5 Previous studies relates to my study 26

2.5.1 Studies outside Vietnam 26

2.5.2 Studies in Vietnam 28

2.6 Study gap 30

2.7 Chapter summary 31

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 32

3.1 Research design 32

3.2 Research site 33

3.3 Research participants 36

3.4 Procedures of the study 38

3.4.1 Criteria of choosing movies 38

3.4.2 Teaching material 39

3.4.3 Teaching procedures of the control group 39

3.4.4 Teaching procedures of the experimental group 42

3.5 Data collection instruments 45

3.5.1 Pre-test and post-tests 45

3.5.2 Questionnaire 46

3.5.3 Interview 49

3.6 Data collection procedures 50

3.6.1 Pilot study 50

3.6.2 Procedure for conducting the tests 51

3.6.3 Procedure for conducting the questionnaire 52

3.6.4 Procedure for conducting the interview 52

3.7 Data analysis methods 53

3.7.1 Tests 53

3.7.2 Questionnaire 53

3.7.3 Interview 54

3.8 Methodological issues 55

3.8.1 Reliability and validity 55

3.8.1.1 Tests 55

3.8.1.2 Questionnaire 56

3.8.1.3 Interview 57

3.8.2 Ethical consideration 58

3.9 Chapter summary 58

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 59

4.1 Research question 1 59

4.1.1 The findings of the pre-tests on both the EG and the CG 59

4.1.2 Results of the Post-tests for the CG 62

4.1.3 Results of the Post-tests for the EG 64

4.1.4 The comparison between the results of the pre-test and the last post-test for the CG 66

4.1.5 The comparison between the results of the pre-test and the last post-test for the EG 67

4.1.6 The comparison of the post-test results for the control group (CG) and the experimental group (EG) 69

4.1.7 Discussion 72

4.2 Research question 2 74

4.2.1 The results of the questionnaire 74

4.2.1.1 The participants’ general attitudes towards movies 75

4.2.1.2 Attitudes of the respondents on the advantages of watching movies 77

4.2.1.3 Attitudes of the participants about movies' drawbacks 82 4.2.2 Interview with students of the EG regarding their attitudes toward movies 84 4.2.2.1 Students’ general attitudes toward movies 86 4.2.2.2 Students’ attitudes toward the benefits of movies 88 4.2.2.3 Students’ attitudes toward the drawbacks of movies 89 4.2.3 Discussion 90 4.3 Chapter summary 91 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS 92 5.1 Summary of the findings 92 5.1.1 Key findings of research question 1 93 5.1.2 Key findings of research question 2 94 5.2 Implications 94 5.3 Evaluation of the overall methodology 96 5.3.1 Strengths 96 5.3.2 Limitations of the study 97 5.4 Suggestions for further research 97 5.5 Chapter summary 98 REFERENCES 99

APPENDIX A THE SAMPLE OF LESSON PLAN OF THE CONTROL GROUP AND THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP 113 APPENDIX B THE PRE-TEST 120 APPENDIX C THE POST-TESTS 124 APPENDIX D QUESTIONNAIRE IN ENGLISH VERSION 135 APPENDIX E QUESTIONNAIRE IN VIETNAMESE VERSION 137 APPENDIX F THE PRETEST RESULTS OF TWO GROUPS 140 THE SCORES OF THE PRETEST OF THE CG 140 THE SCORES OF THE PRETEST OF THE EG 141 APPENDIX G THE POSTTEST RESULTS OF THE CG 143 THE SCORES OF POSTTESTS OF THE CG 143 APPENDIX H THE POSTTEST RESULTS OF THE EG 145 THE SCORES OF THE POSTTESTS OF THE EG 145 APPENDIX I POSTTESTS RESULT COMPARISON BETWEEN TWO

GROUPS 147 APPENDIX J PERSONAL INFORMATION OF THE PARTICIPANTS 150 APPENDIX K DATA OF THE ATTITUDES OF THE PARTICIPANTS TOWARDS MOVIE APPLICATION 151 APPENDIX L INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS IN ENGLISH VERSION 157 APPENDIX M INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS IN VIETNAMESE VERSION 165 APPENDIX N CONSENT FORM TO THE MANAGER OF THE ASIAN

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL (VIETNAMESE VERSION) 171

LIST OF TABLES

Table 3.1 Research design 33 Table 3.2 Personal information of students in the control and experimental groups 37 Table 3.3 Structure of a traditional lesson 40 Table 3.4 Structure of a movie-based lesson 43 Table 3.5 Reliability Statistics of Questionnaire 56 Table 4.1 The pretest results 59 Table 4.2 Group statistics on the pre-test of the control and experimental groups 60 Table 4.3 Independent Samples T-test on the vocabulary pretest of experimental and control groups 61 Table 4.4 Results of the Post-tests for the CG 62 Table 4.5 The Paired Samples T-Test of Posttest 1 - Posttest 2 and Posttest 2 - Posttest 3 for the Control Group 63 Table 4.6 The Paired Samples T-Test of Posttest 1 - Posttest 2 and Posttest 2 - Posttest 3 for the Experimental Group 65 Table 4.7 Paired samples statistics in the pre-test and the post-test of the control group 66 Table 4.8 Results of the paired samples t-test in the pre-test and the post-test of the control group 67 Table 4.9 Paired samples statistics in the pre-test and the post-test of the experimental

group 68 Table 4.10 Results of the paired samples t-test in the pre-test and the post-test of the

experimental group 68 Table 4.11 Comparisons of the results of the posttests between the two groups 69 Table 4.12 The respondents‟ personal information 75

Table 4.13 The participants‟ general attitudes toward movie application 75 Table 4.14 Participants‟ opinions regarding the advantages of watching movies 77 Table 4.15 Attitudes of the participants about movies' drawbacks 82 Table 4.16 Results from the interview with the students 85

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 4.1 The results of the post-tests for the EG 64 Figure 4.2 The mean score results of the tests taken by two groups 71

ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS

CG The control group

EFL English foreign language

EG The experimental group

e.g for example

ELT English language teaching

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

The introduction chapter provides important information for comprehending the issues addressed in this study In addition, it includes the framework of the thesis, which consists of the background of the study, the problem statement, the objectives of the study, the research questions, the significance of the study, and the organization of the thesis

1.1 Background of the study

English is becoming increasingly essential in all parts of our daily life People utilize English not only as a means of communication but also as a tool for discovering new information about various parts of life As a result, the quality of learning and teaching the English language is now the biggest concern for teachers and education professionals

To effectively master English, one needs to acquire four skills: reading, speaking, listening, and writing In addition, one should master language areas including pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar Among these, vocabulary plays a crucial role in English acquisition Wilkins (1972) said, "without grammar, very little information can be transmitted; without vocabulary, nothing can be given" (p.111) Vocabulary is fundamental to the English language learning process It is an important factor in the four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing Learners cannot show how well they have learned the language without a solid lexical foundation The more vocabulary they gain, the more proficient they become

In terms of teaching and learning English vocabulary, many teachers have neglected to teach students in effective vocabulary learning strategies Even though the teaching and learning of vocabulary has been increasingly accepted as an area of interest in the field of second language acquisition for many decades, the lack of

effective vocabulary instruction still exists today, resulting in significant flaws in the English vocabulary teaching and learning process Consequently, many students learn vocabulary passively and simply memorize new words without employing effective vocabulary learning strategies The inability of students to remember vocabulary in long-term memory is a further consequence Besides, students' actual proficiency in the use of English outside the classroom is immature

Although vocabulary plays a significant role in learning English, there has been less concern with finding engaging ways to enhance vocabulary teaching and learning

at the Asian International School Teachers seem to have less creativity when teaching vocabulary because they think that vocabulary instruction is not a separate subject and the time allotted for vocabulary instruction is limited Typically, flashcards and images are used to teach vocabulary, and sometimes teachers only require students to repeat and memorize a set of words, which can be tedious for students In addition, the teaching process is based solely on the textbook, so students have insufficient opportunities to apply their vocabulary in real-world situations All of these factors make it challenging for students to learn new words, as Decarrico (2001) argues that vocabulary should not be acquired by memorization without comprehension In addition, vocabulary is taught within the context of listening or reading lessons, so teachers do not devote a great deal of class time to vocabulary instruction, and students

do not practice enough Occasionally, vocabulary is unrelated to students' experiences and interests Because of these factors, students tend to forget new words quickly

In the long-term process of English vocabulary teaching and learning in the Vietnamese context, teachers and students have dealt with a large number of vocabulary In the majority of English textbooks, vocabulary is introduced first, followed by exercises for further practice, such as sentence samples and conversations Even though young learners are used to learning simple words, it is hard for teachers to

teach them vocabulary in a way that makes them interested in lessons and helps them remember what they have just learned Besides, most EFL students have to learn not only a long list of words but also their Vietnamese translations, which are given to them by their EFL teachers When students encounter a new word whose meaning is unknown, teachers frequently provide only its meaning without mentioning its form or usage Students focus solely on the word meanings provided by their teachers to comprehend the written texts in their course book Students should pay equal attention

to the word's form, usage, and meaning, as these are the three fundamental aspects of word knowledge (Nation, 2001)

Vocabulary acquisition has become an integral aspect of learning English However, Vietnamese pupils are not particularly proficient in learning English vocabulary Students still meet some difficulties Firstly, the available time for teaching vocabulary is restricted Teachers spend much more time teaching students how to use grammar than how to use new words

Secondly, students' self-study practices generate numerous difficulties Trinh and Vu (2008) surveyed 80 first-year students in the Faculty of English Language and found that most students were dissatisfied with the current vocabulary acquisition methods In addition, when learning vocabulary, many students make a list of new words with their Vietnamese translations or use a bilingual dictionary to search for new words without context This indicates that lexical tasks have not been used frequently

or successfully enough in language learning Although some students like learning English, they frequently forget words to utilize in everyday conversation Therefore, individuals are unable to express themselves through communication, even in simple sentences

Thirdly, students' vocabulary acquisition is affected by the instructional method They listen to the teacher's explanation of the form, meaning, and use for an

insufficient amount of time Then, they write new words on paper and, like a parrot, passively attempt to memorize them Day after day, students are obligated to learn new vocabulary out of routine, causing them to become bored Since students are not taught

to use these words in context, they forget them after a few lessons

The final reason for learners' limited vocabulary is that they lack regular chances to practice it (Nguyen, 2010) They recognize that despite having learned the words, they cannot memorize them due to a lack of practice They can not even comprehend how to employ these lexical units in different contexts In recent years, researchers and people who make learning materials have become more aware of the questions that need to be asked about learning vocabulary They have also come up with ways to teach and learn vocabulary that motivate students to learn more effectively

The above reasons raise some good questions that need to be answered Effective ways must be found to help students learn and remember vocabulary There are a variety of methods for teaching vocabulary, such as employing images, games, and translation The usage of movies is also an effective method for enhancing the brain's capacity to acquire and retain information Khan (2015) argues that the movies' pictures can help language learners comprehend in an ideal visual context, making the movie a useful language teaching tool Khan also comes to the conclusion that movies can assist students to develop their listening and communication skills

Movies not only help students' comprehension of lexical knowledge but also make them feel pleasant and entertaining According to Mirvan (2013, p.62), incorporating English movies in the EFL classroom was an innovative and enjoyable experience for the students Students were more motivated to see and hear real-life scenarios than to complete textbook assignments They offered the idea that movies also provided a relaxing environment Teachers can employ movies in teaching

vocabulary to create an engaging teaching and learning atmosphere In addition, watching movies might help children improve their overall literacy skills (Baratta & Jones, 2008; Martin & Jaen, 2009; Ismaili, 2013; Rokni & Ataee, 2014) Movies are regarded as a valuable resource for students who prefer visual aids in learning vocabulary

1.2 Statement of the problem

In general, students say that learning vocabulary in a second language is difficult for them People have studied several issues when second language learners acquire vocabulary over time If learners do not alter the methodology in which they study vocabulary, they will continue to struggle with the following common issues First, students cannot recall a term if it is not constantly practiced Students had difficulty remembering words they had learned in the long term (Nation, 2001) Second, students encounter difficulties with learning word meanings, pronunciations, and spellings For instance, Lado (1955) discovered that vocabulary in two distinct languages had significantly diverse connotations, which could lead to ambiguity in interpretations Hajiyeva (2015) conducted research that indicated a large number of words were more difficult to learn than others due to their sound, part of speech, similar forms, and the methods used to acquire these words (as cited in Nation, 2001) The extent of these challenges may depend on the method used to evaluate word knowledge, such as productive knowledge or receptive knowledge, as well as the language skill level of the learners

In another study, the vocabulary employed in literary texts was difficult to comprehend because participants lacked knowledge of English Literature and the ability to deduce word meanings from context (Sedau, 2004) In addition, according to the research conducted by Renandya and Farrell (2011), students reported having trouble with new word meanings and were unable to identify word spellings Recent

research by Rahmawati (2012) and Rohmatillah (2014) indicated that when students took vocabulary examinations, they encountered such issues For instance, they had trouble understanding the meaning of words, pronouncing words correctly, and spelling words In general, when students learn vocabulary, they have many issues with their capacity to comprehend the words, which is related to their receptive vocabulary knowledge

In Vietnam, students who learn English encounter problems due to their limited vocabulary size For instance, Le (2001) noted that it was difficult for non-English major students to achieve good test results when learning English due to their limited vocabulary size In the same way, a survey done in 2016 by Nguyen and Pham showed that more than half of 400 Ha Noi students had trouble learning English vocabulary The specific obstacles in acquiring receptive vocabulary knowledge have not been extensively discussed in prior studies conducted in Vietnamese contexts Vietnamese learners presumably have difficulty learning English due to a deficiency of vocabulary

Most young students have difficulty recalling and applying vocabulary words (Luu, 2012) This author believes that for young students, acquiring vocabulary items for the first time may be easier than consolidating and remembering them In addition, according to Nguyen and Khuat (2003), traditional teaching methods frequently contribute to a tedious classroom environment Vo (2016) also states that some instructors frequently lost their creativity in their foreign language teaching practice with young students Teachers sometimes made their students bored, and the students were depressed that these ways of teaching did not give them more chances to remember the words Furthermore, during the teaching process, the researcher realizes that traditional methods for learning English vocabulary reduce students' vocabulary performance because the students frequently inquire "What does this word mean?" when completing exercises in the workbook or taking tests To address these issues, the