skkn cấp tỉnh effectiveness of using the website yourhomework net in teaching vocabulary for eleventh graders at quang xương ii high school

TABLE OF CONTENTPART I: INTRODUCTION1.1.Background and Rationale...11.2.Research Aim and Objectives...11.3.Scope and Limitations...12.1.The concept of “vocabulary”...22.2.Overview of the

THANH HOA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRANINING

QUANG XUONG 2 HIGH SCHOOL

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

EFFECTIVENESS OF USING THE WEBSITE“YOURHOMEWORK.NET" IN TEACHINGVOCABULARY FOR ELEVENTH GRADERS AT

QUANG XUONG II HIGH SCHOOL

Written by: Lê Thị MinhEnglish Group

Quang Xuong 2 High School

Thanh Hoa, May 2024

TABLE OF CONTENTPART I: INTRODUCTION

1.1.Background and Rationale 1

1.2.Research Aim and Objectives 1

1.3.Scope and Limitations 1

2.1.The concept of “vocabulary” 2

2.2.Overview of the importance of learning vocabulary 2

2.3.Teaching and learning English vocabulary 3

2.3.1.Teaching English vocabulary 3

2.3.2.Learning English vocabulary 3

2.4.2.Introducing links to vocabulary practice exercises on the website "yourhomework.net" 3

2.4.Website "Yourhomework.net" 3

2.4.1.Introduction to the website "Yourhomework.net" 3

2.5 EFFECTIVENESS OF USING THE WEBSITEOURHOMEWORK.NET" IN TEACHING ENGLISHVOCABULARY FOR ELEVENTH GRADERS AT QUANG XUONG 2HIGH SCHOOL2.5.1.Experimental content 9

2.5.2.Experimental results and student feedback after participating in the experiment 9

PART 3: CONCLUSION 13

PART I: INTRODUCTION

In this part, the problem and the rationale for the study, together with theobjectives and the scope of the whole paper, are clearly stated and explained Aboveall, this part also builds the research questions to work as clear guidelines for thewhole research.

1.1.Background and Rationale

In recent years, the integration of technology into education hasbecome increasingly prevalent, offering new opportunities to enhancelearning experiences One area where technology shows promise is in theteaching of grammar, a fundamental aspect of language learning that lays thegroundwork for effective communication Vocabulary plays a crucial role inlanguage acquisition, aiding students in developing proficiency in reading,writing, and verbal communication However, traditional vocabularyteaching methods often lack engagement and fail to address individuallearning needs.With the rise of online resources and educational platforms,educators have begun to explore innovative approaches to grammarinstruction Among these resources is the website "yourhomework,"designed to provide interactive grammar exercises and practice materials forstudents This study seeks to examine the effectiveness of integrating"yourhomework" into the curriculum as a means of improving thevocabulary ability of 11th-grade students at Quang Xuong II High School.

1.2.Research Aim and Objectives

The aim of this research is to investigate the effectiveness of using thewebsite "yourhomework" for enhancing the grammar abilities of grade 11students at Quang Xuong II High School To achieve this aim, the followingobjectives will be pursued:

1.To assess the impact of integrating "yourhomework" into thecurriculum on students' vocabulary proficiency.

2.To compare the vocabulary repertoire of students who use"yourhomework" with those who do not.

3 To identify students’ attitudes toward the website "yourhomework.

1.3.Scope and Limitations

This research focuses specifically on the use of the website"yourhomework" for vocabulary abilities in the context of grade 11 students atQuang Xuong II High School The study will be conducted over a definedperiod of one term, with data collected through pre- and post-tests, as well asstudent feedback surveys However, it is important to acknowledge certainlimitations, such as potential variations in student engagement and externalfactors that may influence learning outcomes.

1.4.Research methodology

In carrying out the study, action research was used Mills (2011)states action research is systematic inquiry done in teaching or learningenvironment to gather information Based on the definition above, itcan be concluded thataction research is the systematic study of effortsto overcome educational problems.

The choice of method

The research was designed as an action research study, whichprovided solutions for teaching vocabulary at high school In this case,the researcher adopted both quantitative and qualitative approaches Theresearcher used mixed method with the application of three types of datacollection: questionnaires, test results and interview.

Research tools

To gather reliable data for this study, researcher collected theresults of some vocabulary tests in class In addition, two questionnaireswere designed for students at the beginning and at the end of the course.The third tool used in the study was an interview which was adopted inthe last week of the research.

PART II: CONTENT2.Theoretical background

2.1.The concept of “vocabulary”

"Vocabulary" is a set of familiar words in a person's language Andvocabulary is often developed depending on each person's age, acting asa basic and useful tool to help people communicate and acquireknowledge for personal development Having a rich vocabulary is one ofthe important keys that opens up opportunities to develop yourself notonly at work but also in everyday communication situations However,to have a rich vocabulary, each individual learner and user must gothrough the process of cultivating their own vocabulary, and that is alsoone of the biggest challenges for learners when studying a secondlanguage.

2.2.Overview of the importance of learning vocabulary

“Learning vocabulary is an essential part of learning a foreignlanguage because the meaning of new words is often emphasized,whether in books or in the classroom It is also central to languageteaching and is important to language learners” (Dao Binh Thinh, 2019).

Vocabulary knowledge is often considered an important tool forsecond language learners because limited vocabulary in the secondlanguage hinders successful communication Emphasizing theimportance of vocabulary acquisition, Schmitt (2000) emphasizes thatvocabulary knowledge is central to communicative competence and tosecond language acquisition Vocabulary knowledge enables language

use and conversely, language use leads to an increase in vocabularyknowledge The importance of vocabulary is demonstrated every day inand out of school In the classroom, students gain possession of themost complete vocabulary Researchers such as Laufer and Nation(1999), Maximo (2000), Read (2000), Gu (2003), Marion (2008) andothers have recognized that vocabulary acquisition is essential for use asecond language successfully and plays an important role in theformation of complete spoken and written texts Teaching and learningEnglish vocabulary

2.3.Teaching and learning English vocabulary

2.3.1.Teaching English vocabulary

Many students have difficulty learning vocabulary because they have tolive in an environment without native speakers Teacher; Therefore,muchattention must be paid to both “what to teach” and “how to teach”.There are many challenges for teachers when teaching FL vocabulary tostudents, such as which method to use to teach how many words or whattype of vocabulary to teach Schmitt (2000, p.146) points out that there areeight main principles in vocabulary teaching to guide students learn,memorize and use the words, which are:

• Building a large sight of vocabulary

• Integrating new words with previous words• Providing number of encounters with a word• Promoting deep level of processing.

• Facilitating imaging

• Making new words "real" by connecting to the students' words in some ways

• Using various techniques

• Encouraging independent learning strategies

As mentioned at the beginning, there is no standard to judge whichis the best way or even the right way to teach vocabulary It depends onmany areas, such as: the level of students, the school curriculum or thestudents' major However, teachers should follow the basic principles toprovide students with new words.

2.3.2.Learning English vocabulary

In learning language vocabulary, many students find it difficult tochoose what to learn or how to learn As a result, teachers should deliverto students some principles for studying vocabulary They can guidestudents to use these principles for acquiring vocabulary of targetlanguage Schmitt, N (2000, p75) suggests five principles for learninglanguage as follows:

• Guessing words from the context, which refers to the ability to infer themeaning of an expression using contextual clues

• Using word parts techniques to remember words

• Using vocabulary cards to remember foreign language- first languageword pairs

• Seeing words in different and multiple contexts• Keeping a vocabulary notebook

• There is no affirmation whether which principle is the best or the mostimportant; however, from my point of view, students should combine more thanone technique.

2.4.Website "Yourhomework.net"

2.4.1.Introduction to the website "Yourhomework.net"

YourHomework.net is a website that supports teachers in creatingtheir own sets of vocabulary for learning English (and other foreignlanguages) in the form of Flashcards and creating multiple-choiceexercises in English or other subjects (History, Geography, GDCD ).

Vocabulary sets and multiple-choice exercises on YourHomeworkare all created by users.

*Create a vocabulary set (For Teachers)

• Create sets of vocabulary flashcards for each topic and each unit (withvocabulary, meanings, images, pronunciation)

• Organize vocabulary learning activities in class: Game, Quiz, Fill inwords, Hangman, Crossword, Search word

• Send a link to the vocabulary set for students to practice at home• Assign vocabulary exercises to students and view the total score list

• Create a Series summarizing vocabulary sets by each topic or class for

easy access and management

• This is a set of words created by teachers We invite you to try it out.Under vocabulary, there is a list of buttons A-W, each button corresponding to avocabulary learning activity.

https://yourhomework.net/vocabulary/lesson/000000001149*Create a set of multiple-choice exercises (For Teachers)

• Create multiple-choice exercises in many different formats (ChooseABCD answers, fill in words, arrange words into sentences )

• Send the quiz link for students to review at home

• Assign multiple-choice exercises to students and view the summary score list• Create a series of multiple-choice exercises by topic or level for easyaccess and management

• For students

• Review and memorize vocabulary through vocabulary learning activities• Do vocabulary exercises or multiple choice exercises according to the linksent by the teacher

• Share your homework results (certificate) with teachers, parents, andfriends

2.4.2.Introducing links to vocabulary practice exercises on the website "yourhomework.net"

The topic focuses on applying vocabulary learning links and practicingEnglish vocabulary exercises on the website "yourhomework.net" accordingto vocabulary topics in the curriculum, to help students develop theirvocabulary.These study and practice links mainly include vocabularyfrom topics in the textbook "English Grade 11", created, collected, andredesigned from the community of English teachers across the country.resources and post those links to the Facebook learning group to supportstudents of many subjects and grades from grades 1 to 12 with manytextbooks inside and outside of textbooks to develop and expand yourvocabulary in particular and foreign languages in general

2.4.3.Overview of vocabulary exercise links on the website"yourhomework"

2.4.3.1.Characteristics of vocabulary exercise links

Study links and vocabulary exercises on the websiteyourhomework.net are selected by the author based on the content andgrammar topics in the student's curriculum, to help students develop theirvocabulary The vocabulary learning link includes a system ofvocabulary divided into classroom lessons according to 4 skills:Listening, speaking, reading, writing and distributing the school'scurriculum These links not only include vocabulary, but it is likea set of vocabulary flashcards with additional activities designed to helpteachers check students' pronunciation and mem ory, along with other

activities to create an interesting feeling and change the classroomatmosphere Exercises in the Vocabulary exercise links

2.4.3.2.Topics in the curriculum

The author conducts an experimental program to learn vocabularythrough exercise links for 8 weeks with 5 units in semester 2 in thefollowing grade 11 English textbook.

Unit 6: Preserving our heritage.

Unit 7: Education options for school-leavers Unit 8: Becoming independent

2.4.3.3.Illustration of sample vocabulary exercises in exercise links

(Unit 6 : Preserving our heritage)

https://yourhomework.net/quiz/test/000000165100

2.5 EFFECTIVENESS OF USING THE WEBSITE

YOURHOMEWORK.NET" IN TEACHING ENGLISH VOCABULARY FOR ELEVENTH GRADERS AT QUANG XUONG 2 HIGH SCHOOL

2.5.1.Experimental content

The experimental program will be carried out for 40 students of class11B4 of Quang Xuong II High School, divided into 2 groups: experimentalgroup (20 students) and control group (20 students), with 5 lessons based onaccording to the "English 11" curriculum and collected from other sources Theexperimental group will be guided to study on the social networking platformZalo through vocabulary exercise links collected on the website"yourhomework"

2.5.2.Experimental results and student feedback after participating inthe experiment

2.5.2.1.Experimental results

Pre-experimental test results

Table 1: Pre-experimental test results

Level Weak Medium Rat

her Good

llent Weak Medium Rather Good

student 2/20 4/20 8/20 5/20 1/20 4/20 6/20 6/20 3/20 1/20

2.5.2.2Results of checking experimental progress

- Results of the first progress check (first 2 weeks)

Table 2: Results of the first progress check (first 2 weeks)

Level Weak Medium Rather Good Excellent Weak Medium Rather Good Excellenttotal

llent Weak Medium Rather Good Excellent

studen t 3/20 5/20 6/20 4/20 2/20 3/20 4/20 6/20 5/20 2/20

2.5.2.3.Test results after the experiment

Table 5: Test results after the experiment

Level Weak Medium Rather Good Excel

lent Weak Medium Rather Good Excellent

3/20 7/20 6/20 3/20 1/20 0/20 3/20 6/20 6/20 5/20

2.5.2.4.Results compared before and after the experiment

Table 6: Comparison of results before and after the experiment

1.5.3.Students' attitudes of the effectiveness of using " yourhomework.net" forpresenting new vocabulary.

Results reported by students on effectiveness of use the website “yourhomework.net” in vocabulary learning is shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 1: Students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of website