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ABSTRACT This study aims at finding out the attitudes of the teachers and students at Le Quy Don gifted high school in Dien Dien towards the use of visual aids in teaching and leaning En

ABSTRACT

This study aims at finding out the attitudes of the teachers and students at Le Quy Don gifted high school in Dien Dien towards the use of visual aids in teaching and leaning English vocabulary

In the study, the quantitative and qualitative methods are employed The instruments to collect data for the study are survey questionnaires and interview After gathering and analyzing the collected data, some major findings have been revealed The first finding is that most of the teachers and students at LQD gifted high school in Dien Bien have positive attitudes towards the use of visual aids in teaching and learning vocabulary The second finding shows that most of the teachers tend to use different types of visual aids in teaching vocabulary Nevertheless, they still restrict themselves to some visual types only Moreover, their ways of exploiting visual aids to teach vocabulary is limited They just mainly focus on using visual aids to present new words This means that the teachers have not made use of visual aids to their fullest potential to aid their students or arouse their interest in leaning vocabulary The third finding is that both the teachers and students still encounter certain challenges when using visual aids in teaching and learning vocabulary

It is hopeful that this study can be of some help to the teachers at LQD gifted high school and the school itself about their teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards the use of visual aid in teaching vocabulary or other teachers and schools interested in the subject matter

LISTS OF ABBREVIATIONS

LISTS OF FIGURES AND TABLES

Figure 1: Data collected from question 1 of the teachers’ questionnaire 19 Figure 2: Teachers’ interest in using visual aids to teach vocabulary 20 Figure 3: Teachers’ evaluation of the visual aids in general 20 Figure 4: Data collected from question 5 of the teachers’ questionnaire 21 Figure 5: Data collected from question 9 of the teachers’ questionnaire 24 Figure 6: Data collected from question 12 of the teachers’ questionnaire 26 Figure 7: Students’ interest in learning vocabulary through visual aids 28 Figure 8: Students’ evaluation on the usefulness of visual aids in vocabulary teaching 28 Figure 9: Data collected from question 3 of the students’ questionnaire 28 Figure 10: Students’ preference of the sources of the pictures 30 Figure 11: Students’ preference of the sources of real objects 30 Figure 12: Data collected from question 10 of the students’ questionnaire 32 Figure 13: Teachers’ attitudes towards the importance of vocabulary in language teaching 33 Figure 14: Data collected from question 2 of the interview for the teachers 33

Table 1: The teachers’ evaluation of the specific visual aids 21 Table 2: The teachers’ frequency of visual aids use in teaching vocabulary 22 Table 3: The teachers’ ways of using of visual aids to teach vocabulary and the

frequency of the teachers using these ways to teach vocabulary

23

Table 4: The types of visual aids and their impressions on the students 23 Table 5: The teachers’ frequent sources of getting visual aids 24 Table 6: The teachers’ reasons for using visual aids in teaching vocabulary 25 Table 7: The challenges faced by teachers when using visual aids to teach vocabulary 26 Table 8: The students’ evaluation of visual aids in facilitating their vocabulary learning 29 Table 9: The students’ evaluation on their teachers’ frequency of using visual aids to 30

teach vocabulary

Table 10: The reasons for the students’ interest in learning vocabulary through visual aids 31 Table 11: The reasons for the students’ de-motivation in learning vocabulary

Table 12: The problems faced by the students when learning vocabulary through visual aids 33

TABLES OF CONTENT

Page number

DECLARATION i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii

ABSTRACT iii

LISTS OF ABBREVIATIONS iv

LISTS OF FIGURES AND TABLES v

TABLE OF CONTENT vii

PART A: INTRODUCTION 1

1 Rationale of the study 1

2 Aims of the study 2

3 Research questions 2

4 Scope of the study 2

5 Methods of the study 3

6 Design of the study 3

PART B: DEVELOPMENT 4

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 4

1.1 Vocabulary 4

1.1.1 What is vocabulary? 4

1.1.2 Classification of vocabulary 5

1.1.2.1 Vocabulary classified according to the concept of morpheme 5

1.1.2.2 Vocabulary classified according to the meaning 5

1.1.2.3 Vocabulary classified according to the functions 5

1.1.2.4 Vocabulary classified according to the frequency of use 6

1.2 Vocabulary and its significant role in language teaching and learning 6

1.3 Visual aids 7

1.3.1 Definitions of visual aids 7

1.3.2 Types of visual aids 8

1.3.2.1 Chalkboards 8

1.3.2.2 Real objects and presentational objects 9

1.3.2.3 Mime (Gesture and Facial expressions) 9

1.3.2.4 Pictures 10

1.3.2.4.1 Wall pictures and wall charts 11

1.3.2.4.2 Flash cards 12

1.3.2.4.2.1 Word flash cards 12

1.3.2.4.2.2 Picture flash cards 12

1.4 Benefits of using visual aids to teach vocabulary 14

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 16

2.1 Research question 16

2.2 Subjects of the study 16

2.2.1 The students 16

2.2.2 The teachers 16

2.3 The instruments 17

2.3.1 The questionnaires 17

2.3.1.1 The teachers’ questionnaire 17

2.3.1.2 The students’ questionnaire 17

2.3.2 The interview for the teachers 18

CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 19

3.1 Data analysis 19

3.1.1 Results from the survey questionnaires 19

3.1.1.1 Results from the teachers’ survey questionnaire 19

3.1.1.2 Results from the students’ survey questionnaire 28

3.1.2 Results from the interviews for the teachers 33

3.2 Findings and discussion 36

PART C: CONCLUSION 38

4.1 Summary of the study 38

4.2 Recommendations 38

4.3 Limitations and suggestions for further study 40

REFERENCES 41

APPENDIX 1 I

APPENDIX 2 IV

APPENDIX 3 VIII

PART A: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale of the study

Wilkin (1972: 110) states that “Without grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed” This means that to be a competent English communicator, one must acquire a good knowledge of English grammar and have a rich amount of English vocabulary as well Vocabulary is an essential element of language Whether in speaking or writing, learners need vocabulary to communicate and understand others In many cases, learners produce grammatically incorrect sentences, but they still get their message across if they use key words appropriately In other cases, learners may feel uncomfortable because they fail to employ certain words, or do not know the words to express themselves For these above reasons, we cannot deny the importance of vocabulary in learning

a foreign language

However, for many students at Le Quy Don gifted high school in Dien Bien, learning vocabulary is really a hard job They find it difficult to remember a huge number of new words they have encountered in each lesson It often takes them a lot of time and energy to learn vocabulary However, they cannot remember them for long Additionally, many students can not communicate or express themselves with the target language because they lack vocabulary

As a result, many students often ask their teachers the same question about how they can learn vocabulary effectively As a matter of fact, what students are wondering is also a big question that always bare in the teachers’ mind which urges them try to find a suitable solution to better facilitate both the teachers’ and students’ vocabulary teaching and learning process

The idea of using visual aids to better aid students learn vocabulary has been conducted at LQD gifted school by many teachers including the researcher and all agree that visual aids are of great use to aid both the teachers and their students in teaching and learning vocabulary Many students admit that they can remember new words more easily by both listening to their teachers and looking at the visuals They also get involved to the lesson more actively by guessing the words’ meaning through the visuals, describing the visuals, asking and answering questions related to the visuals, etc Therefore, students gradually retain more words and can better communicate in the target language For teachers, many agree that they

can reduce their talking time of explaining new words in stead of introducing words directly through different types of visual aids

From what the teachers and students have mentioned about some of benefits of visual aids, the researcher can partly know about their attitudes towards the use of visual aids in teaching and learning vocabulary This inspires the researcher to conduct the study entitled

“An Investigation into Teachers’ and Students’ Attitudes towards the Use of Visual Aids in Teaching and Learning Vocabulary at Le Quy Don Gifted High School, Dien Bien.” with hope

of understanding more about not only the teachers’ and students’ attitude towards the use of visual aids but also the overall problems faced by them in teaching and learning vocabulary through visual aids Hopefully, this study will be of some values to those who want to improve their vocabulary teaching, especially by means of visual aids

2 Aims of the study: The study aims at:

- Investigating the teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards the use of visual aids in teaching and learning vocabulary

- Exploring the extent to which visual aids have been used in vocabulary teaching and learning

- Finding out the possible problems faced by the teachers and students in teaching and learning vocabulary through visual aids

3 Research questions: In order to achieve the above-stated goals, the study was carried out to

seek answers to the following questions:

1 What are the teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards the use of visual aids in teaching and learning vocabulary?

2 To what extent have visual aids been used in teaching and learning vocabulary?

3 What are the problems faced by the teachers and students when teaching and learning vocabulary through visual aids?

4 Scope of the study

This research focuses on investigating the teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards the use of visual aids in teaching and learning vocabulary in LQD gifted high school in Dien Bien

In fact, there are many different types of visuals that can be used to help the students better learn vocabulary However, due to the minor scope of this thesis, the research only aims at

several types of visual aids such as pictures, chalkboards, real objects, mime-facial expressions which are available in class or can be easily made and applied by the teachers Additionally, the study has not dealt with students of all levels but just 11th form students who have been familiar with their teachers’ method of teaching vocabulary through visual aids since they were in grade ten

5 Methods of the study

In the study, data was collected by two methods: survey and interview The survey consists of two questionnaires, one for the teachers and the other for the students The questionnaire for the teachers is to find their attitudes towards the use of visual aids in teaching vocabulary and problems they have encountered while teaching Also, the questionnaire for the students has the same purposes After that, all collected data will be synthesized and analyzed statistically Besides, the researcher conducted informal interviews with the teachers in order to supplement the survey questionnaires It is hopeful that the combination of the two methods would make the data more valid and reliable

6 Design of the study: This study is divided into three main parts:

Part A: INTRODUCTION: In this part the rationale, the aims, the research questions, the scope, the methods and the design of the study are presented

Part B: DEVELPOMENT: This part consists of three chapters

Chapter 1, the “Literature Review” provides the theoretical background of vocabulary, a

brief view of some visual aids and the benefits of using visual aids in teaching vocabulary

Chapter 2, “Methodology” presents a brief view on the subjects, the instruments and

procedures to collect data employed to seek for the answers to the research questions

Chapter 3, “Data Analysis and Discussion” is the main part of the study In this chapter,

the data from the survey questionnaires and the interview will be analyzed and discussed

Part C: CONCLUSION: This part offers a summary of the study and some suggestions for further study

PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

1.1 Vocabulary

1.1.1 What is vocabulary?

Vocabulary is a matter to which many linguists and language teachers have paid much attention, especially in providing definitions of vocabulary In fact, there are number of definitions of vocabulary due to different views on it Generally, each linguist gives his/her own definition of vocabulary depending on the criteria that he/she considers the most important

in terms of semantics, linguistics, lexicology, etc Therefore, it is hard to provide an exact definition of vocabulary Below some definitions of vocabulary are presented

According to The Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics, vocabulary is defined as “a set of lexemes, including single words, compound words and idioms” Otherwise, in the Oxford Advanced learner’s Dictionary, vocabulary is defined quite simple as “all the words that a person knows or uses.”

Penny Ur (1996: 60) offered a definition of vocabulary “vocabulary can be defined, roughly, as the words we teach in the foreign language However, a new item of vocabulary may be more than a single word: a compound of two or three words or multi-word idioms”

In Stahl’s view, vocabulary is the knowledge of words and word meanings then he offered a clear and specific definition of vocabulary by saying that “vocabulary knowledge is knowledge; the knowledge of a word not only implies a definition, but also implies how that word fits into world.” (Stahl, S.A 2005) The author emphasizes that when learning vocabulary, learners must acquire the knowledge of words or word meanings and understand how the word they have learnt can be used appropriately in the real-world situations

In conclusion, although definitions of vocabulary are numerous, none can certainly cover all the aspects and ideas of what vocabulary is However, from the above definitions, we can see that the centre of vocabulary is word, so the study of vocabulary can be understood as the study of words or word meanings This is also the concept adopted in this thesis

1.1.2 Classification of vocabulary

There have been different ways of classifying vocabulary However, classifying vocabulary according to different criteria such as morpheme, meaning, function, frequency of use, etc, can be considered as common methods It is necessary for language teachers to understand these different methods of classifying vocabulary because thanks to these, teachers can help students to master vocabulary of a language

1.1.2.1 Vocabulary classified according to the concept of morpheme

McCarthy (1990: 5) divides words into three kinds: simple, derived and compound

+ Simple word : A simple word is one that consists of only a root morpheme, which can not be

further subdivided such as eat, do, learn, live

+ Compound word: Compound words are items that consist of more than one root but have a

single identity in that they name a single thing or concept such as sewing machine, campground, electric fan

+ Derived word: A derived word is one that consists of a root and one or more derivational

morphemes such as teacher, worker, helpful

1.1.2.2 Vocabulary classified according to the meanings

A word can possess two kinds of meaning: Lexical meaning and grammatical meaning Read (2000: 18) states that vocabulary can be divided into notional words and functional words

+ Notional words are words with clear lexical meaning They address objects, actions,

qualities, etc, and they have meaning in themselves Notional words form a great number of

each speaker's vocabulary For example, a boy, a ball, to make, to go

+ Functional words are words which only have meaning in relation to the other words with

which they are used Functional words are particles, articles, prepositions, auxiliaries,

conjunctions, etc For instance, on, for, at, the, and, because

1.1.2.3 Vocabulary classified according to the functions

In a sentence, word can possess many different functions Therefore, English words can be classified into different items basing on functions as different parts of speech These parts of speech can be nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions and pronouns (Quirk,

1987: 18) Each part of speech has its own position, complying with certain grammatical rules and relating to others So that when learning English words, learners need to be aware of the parts of speech of that word in sentence in order to understand the word clearly

For example: - I want a cup of water (a noun)

- Can you water the flowers for me? (a verb)

In this case, students may misunderstand between the two functions of the word

“water” Hence, teacher needs to clarify that the word “water” in sentence “I want a cup of water” is functioned as a noun, otherwise, the one in sentence “Can you water the flowers for me?” is a verb Also, teacher needs to point out that a word can have more than one grammatical function, for instance, “like” can be a verb or a preposition

1.1.2.4 Vocabulary classified according to the frequency of use

It is impossible for teachers to teach students every new word they come across instead

of making them be aware of words with high frequency in use and those with low frequency Therefore students can save more time and energy to learn words they can use more frequently

For instance, words used to denote daily activities or routines are often employed by

students such as to work, to learn, to go, to do (High frequency of use) Whereas, lots of words are only used in some specific fields, for example, word processor, main board, wizard (Low frequency of use)

Apart from classifying words basing on their frequency in use, Hermer, J (1993: 159) divides vocabulary basing on the two types of active and passive words

+ Active words refer to words that students have been taught or learnt and which they are

expected to be able to use In teaching active vocabulary, it is worth illustrating the word’s uses through examples, so that students can find it easier to see how the word is used

+ Passive words refer to words that students will recognize when meeting them but they will

probably not able to produce such as USB, URL, CPU

1.2 Vocabulary and its significant role in language teaching and learning

In learning a foreign language, vocabulary plays a key role because words, the centre

study of vocabulary, are considered as tools we use to access our background knowledge,

express ideas and learn about new concepts Therefore, what every language learner needs to learn foremost is vocabulary Also, the first thing the teacher should do is teaching vocabulary

Usually, when teaching a new language, teachers first teach some words that are simple but powerful enough to encourage communication from the beginning Students learn the words’ meanings, spelling, pronunciation then they can use words to communicate with their teachers and classmates while they do not understand much about grammar, tenses, etc They may make “grammar” mistakes while speaking but very often the teachers and their classmates still understand what they want to convey anyway because words are small pieces of language, which carry bit of meaning Regarding this matter, Wilkin (1972: 110) claims that “Without grammar, very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed” Therefore, it is important for teachers to teach vocabulary from the very start

Gradually, students grasp more and more vocabulary and they are able to communicate better and better Also, they can learn and develop grammar, writing, reading as well as listening better and more easily, because vocabulary are means to help them understand knowledge of a language It is obvious that the more words students know well, the more successful they are in communication However, it is not always true that knowing many words guarantee a person will be able to speak a language, but not knowing enough words can prevent a person from effectively speaking or understanding a language In short, teachers and students must pay much attention to vocabulary when teaching and learning a foreign language because it is a crucial aspect of a language that helps any language learner understand a language

1.3 Visual aids

1.3.1 Definitions of visual aids

In the Dictionary of English Language and Culture, visual aids are defined as

“something that people can look at to help them understand, learn, remember, etc such as a picture, map, photograph, or film Visual aids are often used as materials in education” (1998: 1490) Andrew and Safia (1991) define visual aids as “anything learners can see used for different purposes in a language class.” From these two definitions, we know that the so-

called “visual aids” can be considered as things that can be visualized and aid or facilitate language learners in their learning process, especially vocabulary learning

1.3.2 Types of visual aids

Some different types of visual aids are black-board, chart maps, pictures, photographs, posters, film strips, slides and real or presentational objects that can help facilitate the language teaching and learning process They are extensively used for conveying meaning and are particularly useful for teaching concrete items of vocabulary However, in this minor thesis, the author only concentrates on aids that are available in class or teachers can make themselves Therefore, such visual aids as chalkboards, real objects, mime-facial expressions and some different types of pictures including wall pictures and wall charts, flash cards, etc are mentioned in this part

2.3.2.1 Chalkboards

Chalkboards are commonly found in most classes They are usually black or green, cheap to install, easy and cheap to use and very adaptable Teachers can use them whenever they like to teach a lesson Hence, chalkboards are said to be the most common and helpful visual aids for every teacher

There are many ways the board can be used in class to support teaching In Using the Board in the Language Classroom, Dobbs (2001: 4-5) presents a variety of ways to use the

board as a great teaching tool in class Firstly, teachers can use the board to create drawings such as stick figures or abstract forms for students to compose oral or written stories about them In addition, the board can be used to present new concepts to students This means that students can understand and remember new concepts their teachers are saying or introducing better at the same time looking at what teachers are writing on the board Also, teachers can use the board to explain, clarify, illustrate, emphasize, organize, drill, and list information From what Dobbs states, it is undeniable that chalkboards are really good teaching tools that support teachers a lot in class

More importantly, chalkboards are teaching aids of really much help for teachers in teaching vocabulary due to the ways teachers exploit the boards For example, in order to present a new word, teacher can both write the word spelling and draw a simple picture or

figure to illustrate that word instead of explaining the word wordily Also, they can stick or hang a picture or a photograph on the board to present new words Exploiting the chalkboards

to teach vocabulary like this may help students learn new words more easily and teachers also makes their lessons more interesting

1.3.2.2 Real objects and presentational objects

In my views, real objects are simply known as things that teachers show or present to their students as means of illustration for the purpose of learning Many objects are available

in the classroom such as table, chairs, desks, electric fans, many students’ learning tools, etc While many others are portable enough to be brought to class by teachers, for example: a camera, a ball, a box, a flash lamp, a compact dish, many types of fruits, etc

In fact, many language teachers prefer using real objects to other types of visual aids in teaching vocabulary Because teachers do not have to put much effort and energy to explain new words in speech instead of giving their students real objects to illustrate the things teachers want to explain According to Allen (1983: 4), real objects are of great value to show the meaning of a new word, especially when the objects are available in the classroom She reinforced that “in most cases, a picture of something is less helpful than the thing itself” She also gives the general recommendation “for showing the meaning of an English noun, use the real object whenever possible” (p25)

Representational objects are objects that can replace real objects in case teachers and learners cannot bring the real ones for use in classroom

1.3.2.3 Mime (Gesture and Facial expressions)

Mime is a type of acting using only gestures and facial expressions According to Alton (2002), “A gesture is a form of non-verbal communication made with a part of the body, used instead of or in combination with verb communication.” Facial expressions are also simply known as the expression on a person's face, resulting from specific use of the facial muscles Gestures and facial expressions can be considered as the cheapest among all types of visual aids because they cost teachers nothing but energy to show gestures and express their faces Nevertheless, these kinds of visual aids can bring about considerable effects in teaching

vocabulary They are often used to supplement other ways of conveying meaning They are also easy for all teachers to employ in presenting new words whenever they find it suitable

According to Billow (1961:147), “actual presentation of an action, dramatically presents the action better than any other picture can, because, with it, we have movement and the third dimension, for lack of which a picture is sometimes unsatisfactory.” Through Billow’s remark, we can see that he highly appreciates the important role of teachers’ gestures and facial expression in a language class, especially in vocabulary teaching Because they are always useful illustrations, cues, contexts for presenting, practising new vocabulary items such

as meaning, action, emotion, etc He also points out that mime is particularly useful for

presenting such actions as singing, speaking, sleeping, writing, reading, etc Otherwise, facial expressions are suitable to illustrate words expressing emotions, for example: happy, angry, scared, excited, sad, disappointed, embarrassed, etc

This is an extremely effective way of introducing new words as it resembles the total physical response, which clearly promotes the understanding and meaningful retention of new vocabulary items

1.3.2.4 Pictures

There are different types of pictures that help facilitate language teachers in their

teaching process In Look Here! Visual Aids in Language Teaching, Bowen (1982) introduces

some kinds of pictures such as flash cards, sequence pictures, wall pictures and wall charts, etc In fact, pictures of all kinds are considered useful visual aids in language teaching, especially in teaching vocabulary They can be used to illustrate very large objects which are not easily brought into the classroom, for example: an airplane, a car, a washing machine, a typewriter, etc They are also of great help for teachers to stimulate students’ imagination and memory of new words Teachers can use pictures to clarify the denotation meaning of vocabulary without much explanation

It is obvious that pictures are of great help for teachers in teaching vocabulary Therefore, teachers should make use of all the pictures given in the textbooks as means to teach vocabulary effectively As a matter of fact, the number of pictures provided in the textbook English 11 is not enough for a huge amount of new words appear in the textbook

English 11 so that teachers need to prepare their own pictures to serve their teaching purposes However, to choose or find good pictures is not easy for any teachers Bowen (1982: 5) states the following factors that teachers should consider before selecting a picture:

(1) Appeal: the content of the picture should capture the interest and imagination of the class members

(2) Relevance: The picture should be appropriate for the purpose of the lesson

(3) Recognition: The significant features of the pictures should be within the students’ knowledge and cultural understanding

(4) Size: A picture to be held up before the class should be large enough to be seen clearly by all The detail of the picture should be visible from the back of the class Pictures intended for group or pair use can of course be proportionally smaller, for example: word cards or cue cards

(5) Clarity: For a self-made picture, its outline and its relevant detail must be clear enough with appropriate colors For pictures collected from other sources such as newspapers, magazines, calendars, etc Teachers should adapt or cut off unnecessary parts so that the pictures will not confuse and distract students

1.3.2.4.1 Wall pictures and wall charts

In Visuals for the Language Classroom, Wright and Haleem (1991: 44) also offer a very

simple bur clear definition of wall picture as “Wall pictures illustrate scenes, people or objects and are large enough to be seen by all the students”

In general, a feature which distinguishes a wall picture from a wall chart is the way each

is used Wall pictures (whether commercially produced or hand-drawn) are intended to be used with the whole class Otherwise, wall charts are for the most part unsuitable for the whole class teaching because they are usually complex, with printing too small to be seen by the students from their seats By noticing this distinct feature between wall pictures and wall charts,

teachers can choose which picture is suitable for class work, pair work or group work Bowen (1982:15) points out that "Wall chart are ideal, however, for pair or group work in intermediate and advanced classes Work cards can be prepared to accompany the charts so that students may work together to prepare a presentation before the whole class and/or to prepare a wall display”

1.3.2.4.2 Flash cards

1.3.2.4.2.1 Word flash cards

According to Bowen (1982: 25), “Word flash cards are cards on which words have been printed and can be held up rapidly, or ‘flash’ by the teacher before the class” He also suggests that “a good width for flash cards is 10 cm (4inches) but the length vary according to the number of letters in the word to be printed on the card.”

In my view, word flash cards are easy and inexpensive for teachers to prepare They are easy to store and carry to the classroom Teachers can use word cards in different ways such as holding, propping on a shelf or sticking to the board or any surfaces with adhesive plastic, sticky tape, pins, etc

In vocabulary teaching, word cards can be used to demonstrate exactly what the teacher wishes and can be flashed again to consolidate learning A well-established way of using word cards is for the teachers to stick them on the objects in the classroom: the door, the table, a desk, a window, etc The intention is to familiarize students with the written form of the word

A random collection of verbs, nouns, adjectives and adverbs can be written or printed on word flash cards and used for exercises in identifying parts of speech

1.3.2.4.2.2 Picture flash cards

In Wight and Haleem’s view, “picture flash cards are pictures mounted or drawn on cards appropriately 15cm by 20cm.” (p50) They also emphasize that as for classroom use, “Picture flash cards are more suitable for the presentation of a single concept, such as an object or an action” So that picture cards are considered very useful visual aids that teachers need to employ in teaching new words during the vocabulary teaching process

Like word flash cards, picture cards are also easy and inexpensive for teachers to prepare which means that sets of cards related to language teaching points or to subjects matter

can be built over a period of time The cards are easy to store and to carry to the classroom so they offer considerable flexibility to the teacher in the conduct of the lesson The cards can be shown to the whole class or to single student which allow teachers to control who receives the information on them (Wright and Haleem: 1982: 50)

Normally, a picture flash card has a picture on one side only However, both sides can be used and the card can be folded or cut in various ways with particular teaching purposes in mind They can be employed in different ways by teachers to teach vocabulary effectively Usually it is possible for teachers to show a single picture illustrating a new word and expect it

to be understood For example,

Sometimes it helpful to introduce contrasting language items at the same time The two pictures can be placed on either sides of the card In the act of turning the card over the contrast

is demonstrated The examples given below are can/can’t, too big/too small

Cards can also be folded to present comparing meanings In the example below, the difference between ‘hill’ and ‘mountain’ is demonstrated Each one may be seen by itself or in comparison with the other

When presenting a new vocabulary item, picture flash cards can be combined with word flash cards in order that students can grasp the meaning, the spelling and the pronunciation of that word spontaneously This combination may help students remember new vocabulary items easier and faster When helping learners practise and revise new vocabulary items, teachers can organize a game with both picture and word cards The class is divided into two teams A student on one side flashes a picture card and a student on the other side find the appropriate word card then pronounce it aloud, or vice versa The picture flash cards and word flash cards below can be designed for the game of housework

In short, there are different types of visual aids that help language teachers facilitate their teaching process However, those I have just mentioned above such as chalkboards, pictures, real objects, mime and facial expressions are useful visuals which can aid teachers a lot in teaching vocabulary not only for vocabulary presentation but also revision

1.4 Benefits of using visual aids to teach vocabulary

Generally, visual aids are teaching tools that many teachers can use to convey an idea more effectively For language teachers, visual aids are considered tools that can be used to facilitate their teaching process in general and particularly in their vocabulary teaching process with great benefits Here are some of the benefits of visual aids for both teachers and students

in teaching and learning vocabulary

Visuals better aid teachers when they have concepts or words that a piece of text or teacher’s much explanation cannot fully convey In this case, what teachers need to do is employing a simple but suitable visual aid then guide students to exploit the concept or word

do the

through it without wordy explanation By using visual aids, teachers can not only present vocabulary more effectively but they can also reduce their talking time then give students more time to get involved in the lesson and practise the words they have learnt

In addition, students often feel comfortable or relaxed while learning vocabulary with the help of visual aids Let’s compare a vocabulary teaching lesson using visual aids to a class of teaching vocabulary through the teacher’s explanation We can see that only listening to the teacher’s explanation and noting down new words will make students become bored and passive in the class They will find it hard to remember vocabulary in such a boring way of vocabulary teaching They also have no chance to get involved to the lesson On the other hand, visual aids such as pictures, real objects, facial and gesture expression, etc will help to create an enjoyable and relaxing atmosphere in the classroom Students can observe the visual aids, listen to the teacher’s further explanation and also get involved to the lesson by describing the pictures, teachers’ mime, guessing new words through the pictures, etc Therefore, they can retain more information and become active in learning

In conclusion, visual aids are good and useful teaching tools that language teachers should use to aid or better facilitate their teaching process, especially in teaching vocabulary However, in order to make use of visuals’ benefits, teachers need to understand the characteristics of each type, know exactly why each particular item is used without depending

on them to teach a subject or overuse them

In this chapter, some theoretical background knowledge and views on vocabulary, its classification and role in language teaching and learning, types of visual aids and their benefits

in vocabulary teaching have been introduced to the extent that best suit the scale of the research In the following chapters, the process of conducting the study, the presentation and discussion of the data collected from the questionnaires and the interviews for the teachers at

my school will be given

2 To what extent have visual aids been used in teaching and learning vocabulary?

3 What are the problems faced by the teachers and students when teaching and learning vocabulary through visual aids?

2.2 Subjects of the study

2.2.1 The students

The participants for the study consist of 116 eleventh form students from three classes 11B1, 11B5, 11B7 at LQD gifted high school in Dien Bien There are about 35– 42 students in each class They are both male and female aged from seventeen to eighteen All these students have been learning English for more than five years since they were in grade 6 Most of them have got familiar with English teaching and learning methods at middle level Among these three classes, students in class 11B1 are major in the natural sciences, whereas, students in class 11B5 are major in the social sciences and 11B7 is a basic class The researcher has chosen students from three groups to study Therefore, the result will be more reliable

in teaching vocabulary to students

2.3 The instruments

In order to obtain in-depth and rich data and for answering the stated research questions, the study uses two methods of data collection: survey questionnaires and interview

2.3.1 The questionnaires

The survey consists of two questionnaires, one is for the teachers and one is for the students

2.3.1.1 The teachers’ questionnaire

The survey questionnaire for the teachers, consisting of 14 questions, was administered

to all eight teachers at LQD gifted high school at the beginning of March 2011 The survey was divided into three main parts The first five questions focus on finding out the teachers’ attitudes towards the use of visual aids in teaching vocabulary The second part with questions from 6 to 8 aims at exploring the extent to which visual aids have been used in teaching vocabulary The five following questions are raised to investigate the teachers’ problems when applying visual aids to vocabulary teaching The last question aims at collecting the suggestions made by the teachers for a better exploitation of visual aids in vocabulary teaching All the teachers are asked to complete the questionnaires and return them in two days They all feel free to ask the researcher for any clarification whenever they need The questionnaires consist of both closed-ended and open-ended questions therefore the informants could give their answers freely

2.3.1.2 The students’ questionnaire

The students’ questionnaire, comprising of 11 questions, was delivered to 116 students

at the same time of the teacher questionnaire Similarly, the survey for the students covered three main points The first four questions investigate the students’ attitudes towards the use of visual aids in learning vocabulary The second part (question 5-7) aims at finding out the extent to which visual aids have been used to in learning vocabulary The last four questions explore the challenges faced by the students while learning vocabulary through visual aids To ensure that all of the students fully understood the questions, the questionnaires were written

in Vietnamese All of the distributed questionnaires were handed back with answers after two days

2.3.2 The interview for the teachers

Apart from employing the survey questionnaires for the teachers and students to gather data and information for the study, the researcher conducts informal interviews with all teachers in order to get more insightful information to supplement the result of the teachers’ questionnaires or to interpret responses to questionnaires Moreover, through the interview, the researcher has the opportunity to ask for further information and go into in-depth understanding of the teachers’ attitudes and experiences when teaching vocabulary through visual aids The interview of six questions (open-ended and yes/no questions) was conducted with eight teachers individually at their class-off, therefore, the researcher can get all the teachers’ answers without any interruption or interval