A study on teaching and learning ESP vocabulary to 2nd year students in Accounting Faculty at Hanoi College of Economics and Technology

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ********** TRẦN THỊ ÂN A STUDY ON TEACHING AND LEARNING ESP VOCABULARY TO 2ND YEAR STUDENTS IN ACCOUNTING FACULTY AT HANOI COLLEGE OF ECONOMICS AND TECHNOLOGY (NGHIÊN CỨU VIỆC GIẢNG DẠY VÀ HỌC TỪ VỰNG CHUYÊN NGÀNH CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ 2, KHOA KẾ TOÁN, TRƯỜNG CAO ĐẲNG KINH TẾ – KỸ THUẬT HÀ NỘI) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 60140111 HÀ NỘI – 2014 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ********** TRẦN THỊ ÂN A STUDY ON TEACHING AND LEARNING ESP VOCABULARY TO 2ND YEAR STUDENTS IN ACCOUNTING FACULTY AT HANOI COLLEGE OF ECONOMICS AND TECHNOLOGY Ơ (NGHIÊN CỨU VIỆC GIẢNG DẠY VÀ HỌC TỪ VỰNG CHUYÊN NGÀNH CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ 2, KHOA KẾ TOÁN, TRƯỜNG CAO ĐẲNG KINH TẾ – KỸ THUẬT HÀ NỘI) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Supervisor: Dr Kiều Thị Thu Hương HÀ NỘI – 2014 DECLARATION I hereby, certify the thesis entitled “A study on teaching and learning ESP vocabulary to 2nd year students in Accounting Faculty at Hanoi College of Economics and Technology” is the result of my own research for the Minor Degree of Master of Arts at University of Language and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi The thesis has not been submitted for any degree at any other universities or institutions I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in the library can be accessible for the purposes of study and research Hanoi, 2014 Trần Thị Ân i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In completion of this study, first of all, I would like to express my sincere deep gratitude to my supervisor Dr Kieu Thi Thu Huong, without whom this thesis could not have been completed She gave me not only reliable guidelines and knowledgeable suggestions but also continual encouragement to accomplish this study I am indebted to Assoc Prof Dr Le Hung Tien – the chair of Faculty of PostGraduate Studies for his valuable and interesting course in Research Methodology, which provides me with essential techniques to complete this thesis My deep appreciation goes to all staff, teachers and members at Faculty of PostGraduate Studies of University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University for their work and services Especially, I am grateful to the librarians who supplied me with a lot of materials My thanks are also extended to all my students, my colleagues at Hanoi College of Economics and Technology, and all the people who have assisted my research work Last but not least, my special thanks go to my parents and my friends, without their encouragement my dream of pursuing this study would not have been possible ii ABSTRACT This study has been conducted to investigate difficulties which both the ESP teachers and the learners at Hanoi College of Economics and Technology have to face during their teaching and learning Accounting vocabulary of ESP course The subjects of the study are six ESP teachers and fifty second-year students of Accounting major The data have been collected by a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, including the use of questionnaires and informal interviews The study confirms that both the ESP teachers and the learners face difficulties in teaching and learning ESP vocabulary There are three main problems existing in the ESP vocabulary teaching and learning process: (i) teachers’ lack ESP knowledge and various teaching techniques; (ii) students’ traditional and passive vocabulary learning strategies and their limited GE vocabulary and (iii) large-sized classes Based on the findings, some recommendations have been proposed ESP teachers should improve their ESP knowledge, apply flexible and various techniques in teaching ESP vocabulary Students should enhance their GE knowledge and develop effective strategies of vocabulary learning Finally, the size of classes should be reduced iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration i Acknowledgements ii Abstract - iii Table of contents iv List of abbreviations - vii List of charts and tables - viii List of figures ix PART I: INTRODUCTION 1 Statement of the problem Aims of the study - Research questions - Scope of the study Methods of the study - Design of the study - PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Overview of ESP 1.1.1 Definition of ESP 1.1.2 Classification of ESP 1.1.3 Characteristics of ESP 1.2 ESP Vocabulary - 1.2.1 Definition of ESP vocabulary 1.2.2 Terminology iv 1.2.2.1 Definition of terminology 1.2.2.2 Features of terminology 10 1.3 Teaching and learning ESP vocabulary 10 1.3.1 Teaching ESP vocabulary 10 1.3.1.1 Dudley-Evans and St John’s viewpoint 10 1.3.1.2 Hutchinson and Waters’s viewpoint 11 1.3.2 Learning ESP vocabulary - 12 1.4 Roles of ESP teachers 14 1.4.1 ESP practitioners as teachers - 14 1.4.2 ESP practitioners as course designers and material providers 14 1.4.3 ESP practitioners as researchers - 15 1.4.4 ESP practitioners as collaborators - 15 1.4.5 ESP practitioners as evaluators 15 1.5 Difficulties in teaching and learning ESP vocabulary 16 1.5.1 Students at different levels - 16 1.5.2 Teachers’ lack of basic specialized knowledge 16 1.5.3 Teaching and learning materials and conditions 17 1.6 Previous studies on teaching and learning ESP vocabulary - 17 1.7 Summary 18 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 19 2.1 Context of the study 19 2.1.1 Course book 19 2.1.2 Students and their background - 20 2.1.3 Teachers and teaching methods 21 v 2.2 Subjects of the study 22 2.3 Data collection instruments - 22 2.3.1 Questionnaires - 22 2.3.2 Informal interviews for teachers - 24 2.4 Data collection procedure - 24 CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS, MAJOR FINDINGS AND SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS 25 3.1 Data analysis - 25 3.1.1 Questionnaire for teachers 25 3.1.2 Questionnaire for students 33 3.2 Major findings - 41 3.2.1 Teachers’ difficulties in teaching ESP vocabulary 41 3.2.1.1 Lack of specialized knowledge 41 3.2.1.2 Lack of various teaching techniques 41 3.2.2 Students’ difficulties in learning ESP vocabulary - 41 3.2.2.1 Lack of effective strategies for learning ESP vocabulary - 41 3.2.2.2 Lack of GE vocabulary 42 3.2.3 The contextual problem - 43 3.3 Suggested solutions - 43 3.3.1 Solutions to teaching ESP vocabulary 43 3.3.1.1 Improving the teachers’ ESP knowledge 43 3.3.1.2 Improving teacher's methodology and techniques in teaching vocabulary 44 3.3.2 Solutions to learning ESP vocabulary 45 3.3.2.1 Enhancing the necessary GE knowledge 45 vi 3.3.2.2 Developing effective strategies of vocabulary learning 45 3.3.3 Solutions to the contextual problem - 46 PART III: CONCLUSION - 47 Summary of the findings and solutions 47 Limitations of the study 48 Suggestions for further research 48 REFERENCES - 49 APPENDICES I Appendix - I Appendix - IV vii LISTS OF ABBREVIATIONS ESP: English for Specific Purposes EBE: English for Business and Economics ESS: English for Social Science EST: English for Science and Technology EAP: English for Academic Purposes EOP: English for Occupational Purposes EGP English for General Purposes GE: General English HCET: Hanoi College of Economics and Technology AE: Accounting English T1: Teacher T2: Teacher T3: Teacher viii 3.3.2 Solutions to learning ESP vocabulary 3.3.2.1 Enhancing the necessary GE knowledge It is obligatory to strengthen students’ GE knowledge in pronunciation, grammar and the four language skills This solution will help provide students with necessary vocabulary, grammar forms and language skills to read ESP texts Teachers should reintroduce grammar items such as verb tenses, types of sentences, parts of speech, etc While teaching main modules in the course book, teachers should provide learners with further practice on the four language skills like reading, writing, some real situations for speaking and a task for listening to enhance their general English 3.3.2.2 Developing effective strategies of vocabulary learning The findings reveal that students have ineffective methods and strategies of learning vocabulary They are learning vocabulary in passive and traditional ways In order to deal with these problems, students should be trained on skills to self-study such as how to remember new words effectively, how to use dictionaries, how to guess meanings of new words from contexts, how to make sentences with them and so on Besides, they should be asked to prepare and learn vocabulary at home before the ESP class to reduce the number of compulsory new words in one lesson at class Then, they can identify the best vocabulary learning strategies for themselves According to our observations, HCET’s students tend to write all new words with Vietnamese equivalents in their notebooks without classifying them into categories It would be better if they kept a vocabulary notebook and organize words in different categories, such as economic systems, banks, marketing, etc Below is the full list of tips - Start a vocabulary notebook The best kind is a small ring blinder, so you can add more pages as you need - Use an alphabetical card system, so you can find them easily 45 - Then choose word families or word categories from your notebook to make useful word maps - Write a large number of words in it, organize your vocabulary into themes, and carry it around with you all the time 3.3.3 Solutions to the contextual problem The findings show large-sized classes are also a problem to teachers and students in teaching and learning ESP If the size of classes can be reduced, the teaching and learning will be more effective Small classes will make it easier for teachers to carry out different activities Students will have more opportunities to practice and engage in pair-work and group-work Ideally, there should be 10 – 15 students in one class but at present, it is suggested that an English class have 30 – 35 students This also helps the teachers more easily to practise exercises and activities as well in class Besides, teachers should let their students know that they cannot rely solely on teachers for knowledge They should self-study and ask other students for help by sharing notes and ideas 46 PART C: CONCLUSION In this part of the paper, a brief description of the study is provided together with the findings and solutions In addition, the limitations of the study and some suggestions for further investigation into this issue are also represented for consideration 3.1 Summary of the findings and solutions The study has been set out to investigate the common problems of ESP vocabulary teaching and learning faced by teachers and second-year students at HCET It uses a combination of qualitative method and quantitative methods and different data collection instruments, namely questionnaires and informal interviews The subjects of the study are six ESP teachers and fifty second-year students of Accounting major The data analysis, which is presented clearly in chapter 3, indicates that the ESP teachers’ and the students’ major difficulties in teaching and learning ESP vocabulary at HCET Firstly, the ESP teachers are lack of ESP knowledge and various teaching techniques Secondly, the students have limited GE vocabulary and unsuitable vocabulary learning strategies Thirdly, the contextual factor “large-sized classes” also is an obstacle to teaching and learning ESP vocabulary at HCET Based on the study’s findings, some solutions are suggested to the teachers and the students to overcome those difficulties They include improving the teachers’ ESP knowledge and encouraging the teachers to apply flexible and various techniques in teaching ESP vocabulary Besides, it is very necessary to enhance the students’ GE knowledge and develop effective strategies of vocabulary learning Moreover, the college’s leaders should also give best conditions to both the teachers and the students The author means that all ESP classes should be reduced in size, from 30-35 students in a class The aim is that both the teachers and the students feel more comfortable and interactive The students can understand or perceive the lesson more effectively while 47 the teachers can be easier and more enthusiastic to control the class and carry out some interesting activities in teaching ESP vocabulary 3.2 Limitations of the study It is noted that limitations in the present study are inevitable First, because of the limited time and scope of a minor thesis, the number of the subjects is small Only 50 students have been asked to take part in the research If more students could take part in the research, the findings would more reliable Second, this study only reflects the challenges that facing the teachers and secondyear students at HCET in teaching and learning ESP vocabulary at present Meanwhile, difficulties in other aspects of Accounting English like grammar, reading comprehension, etc have not been investigated 3.3 Suggestions for further study For future research into teaching and learning ESP vocabulary, the following suggestions are recommended: - To investigate students’ needs for learning Accounting English in order to apply suitable teaching materials and teaching methods - To design a better syllabus for Accounting English - To design tests for assessing learners’ progress in learning Accounting English - To design complementary exercises for teaching Accounting English 48 REFERENCES Cabré, M T (1999) Terminology Theory, methods and applications The Netherlands and the USA: John Benjamins Publishing House Dornyei, Z (2003) Questionnaires in Second Language Research Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Publishers Dudley-Evans, T.& St John M.J (1998) Developments in ES: A multidisciplinary approach Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Gairns, R and Redman, S (1986), Working with Words: A guide to teaching and learning vocabulary, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.) Hatch, E and Brown, C (1995), Vocabulary, Semantics, and Language Education Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Hutchinson, T and Waters, A (1987) English for Specific Purposes Cambridge University Press Kavaliauskienë, G., & Janulevièienë, V (2000) Using the lexical approach for the Acquisition of ESP vocabulary The Internet TESL Journal 3(3), Oct Retrieved April 13, 2014 from http://iteslj.org/Articles/Kavaliauskiene-LA.html Kenedy, C., & Bolitho, R (1984) English for Specific Purpose London and Basingstoke: Macmillan Press Ltd McDonough, J & S McDonough, 2001, Research Methods for English Language Teachers, London: Arnold 10 McCarthy, M (1990) Vocabulary Oxford: Oxford University Press 11 Munby J (1978).Communicative Syllabus Design Cambridge : Cambridge University Press 12 Nation, P (2001) Learning vocabulary in another language Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 49 13 Nguyen, T G (1985) Vietnamese Lexicology Hanoi: Educational Publishing House 14 Nunan, D (1988) Syllabus design, Oxford University Press, Oxford 15 Phillipson, R.1992 Linguistic Imperialism [M] Oxford: Oxford University Press 16 Robinson, P C (1980) English for specific purposes Oxford: Pergamon Press 17 Robinson, P.C (1991) ESP today: A practitioner’s guide Hertfordshire: Prentice Hall International UK, Ltd 18 Schmitt, N (2000) Vocabulary in language teaching Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 19 Strevens, P (1973) Technical, technology, and scientific English ELT Journal 27, p 223-234 20 Strevens, P 1988 ESP after twenty years: a re-appraisal In M Tickoo (Ed.) ESP: State of the Art Singapore: SEAMEO Regional Language Centre 21 Ur, P (1996) A course in Language Teaching Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 22 Wilkins, D (1972) Linguistics in language teaching London: Arnold 23 Wisker, G (2001) The Postgraduate Handbook, New York: Palgrave 24 Xhaferi, B (2010) Teaching and learning ESP vocabulary South East Eupean University (Macedonia) Retrieved July 27, www.mcser.org/journal/index.php/jesr/article/viewFile/1019/1049 25 Definition of Terminology Retrieved July 29, 2014 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminology 50 2014 from APPENDICES Appendix 1: Questionnaire for the teachers The survey questionnaire is designed for my study on “teaching and learning ESP vocabulary to 2nd year students in Accounting Faculty at Hanoi College of Economics and Technology” Your answer to these following questions will be highly appreciated and will be valuable help in identifying some difficulties in teaching ESP vocabulary and suggesting some solutions to improve teaching ESP vocabulary to second-year students at HCET You can be confident that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data So please respond to each statement or question and complete all of them as frankly and accurately as possible Sincerely thank you for your valuable support First of all, please fill in some information about you: Your age: ……………………… Male/ Female: ………………………… How long have you been teaching English? ………… years Question 1: What are your purposes of teaching ESP vocabulary? (More than one choice is accepted) A To help students read specialized materials B To help students enrich their vocabulary with technical terms C To help students communicate with foreigners about specialized matters D To help students pass the exam E Others (please specify): Question 2: What you think about teaching ESP vocabulary in the course book “English for Finance”? A Very difficult B Difficult I C Not very difficult D Not difficult at all Question 3: What you think of students’ learning ESP vocabulary? (More than one choice is accepted) A They are too lazy to learn vocabulary B They not have enough background knowledge to understand terminologies C They must remember too much vocabulary in one class D Other opinions (Please specify): Question 4: What are your difficulties in teaching ESP vocabulary? (More than one choice is accepted) A Teaching some ESP subjects at the same time B Large-sized classes (> 45 students) C Finding Vietnamese equivalents D Lack of business general knowledge E No proper training in teaching ESP F Other opinions (Please specify): Question 5: What techniques you often use to present new words? (More than one choice is accepted) A Translating new words into Vietnamese B Saying the words clearly one by one and writing them on the board C Asking the students to guess the meanings from the context D Using definitions or explanations in dictionaries E Using synonyms and antonyms F Other opinions (Please specify): Question 6: How you often ask your students to practice new words? (More than one choice is accepted) A Learn new words by heart B Read new words aloud II C Write new words and Vietnamese equivalents into a notebook D Make sentences/ dialogues with new words E Do vocabulary exercises (multiple choice, gap filling, matching, etc) F Practice new words through the language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing G Other opinions (Please specify): Question 7: What are your recommendations to overcome your difficulties in teaching ESP vocabulary and improve your students’ vocabulary? (More than one choice is accepted) A Organize small classes (25 – 30 students) B Each teacher teaches only one ESP subject C Establish the co-operation between subject teachers and English teachers D Provide training course on specialized knowledge for ESP teachers E Organize regular Workshops on ESP teaching techniques for ESP teachers F ESP teachers should teach themselves specialized knowledge G Other opinions (Please specify): The end of the survey questionnaire Thank you very much for your time and co-operation! III Appendix 2: Questionnaire for the students (English version) The survey questionnaire is designed for my study on “teaching and learning ESP vocabulary to 2nd year students in Accounting Faculty at Hanoi College of Economics and Technology” Your answer to these following questions will be highly appreciated You can be confident that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data The data collected will be used only in the research paper of my post graduation course So please respond to each statement or question and complete all of them as frankly and accurately as possible Sincerely thank you for your valuable support First of all, please fill in some information about you: Your age: ……………………… Male/ Female: ………………………… How long have you been learning English? ………… years Question 1: Evaluate the level of your English competence according to your General English course’s score (For good: mark upwards, for fair: mark below and above 5, for not good: mark below 5) A Good B Fair C Not good Question 2: What are your purposes of learning ESP vocabulary? (More than one choice is accepted) A To read specialized materials B To enrich your vocabulary with technical terms C To communicate with foreigners about specialized matters D To pass the exam E Others (please specify): Question 3: Which difficulties you have when you learn ESP vocabulary? (More than one choice is accepted) A Pronunciation IV B Spelling C Grammar forms of word D ESP meanings of word E Word usage Question 4: Which difficulties you have with learning ESP vocabulary in the course book ‘English for Finance”? (More than one choice is accepted) A Many new words you not know B Lack of vocabulary exercises C Difficult vocabulary exercises D Word memorization E Other opinions (Please specify): Question 5: What have influenced your motivation and interest in vocabulary learning at class? (More than one choice is accepted) A Large-sized class (45 or more) B Learn too much vocabulary in one class C Students’ low background knowledge D Teachers’ teaching methods and techniques (uninteresting, unattractive, difficult to understand) E Other opinions (Please specify): Question 6: What you often when you meet a new word? (More than one choice is accepted) A Look it up in the bilingual dictionary B Try to guess the meaning from the context C Ask the teacher/ your friends for its Vietnamese equivalent D Ignore it E Other opinions (Please specify): Question 7: In what ways you learn new ESP words? (More than one choice is accepted) V A Write new words and Vietnamese equivalents into a notebook, then learn them by heart B Making sentences with new words C Do vocabulary exercises (filling the gaps, completing sentences, reordering words, etc) D Learn them through the language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing E Read materials and look up the words myself F Other opinions (Please specify): Question 8: Which ways of presenting new words are you interested in? (More than one choice is accepted) A Translating new words into Vietnamese B Saying the words clearly one by one and writing them on the board C Using visual aids (picture, video, real objects…) D Guessing the meanings from the context E Using mimes, gestures and facial expressions F Using definitions or explanations in dictionaries G Using synonyms and antonyms H Other opinions (Please specify): The end of the survey questionnaire Thank you very much for your time and co-operation! VI Questionnaire for the students (Vietnamese version) PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT DÀNH CHO SINH VIÊN Phiếu câu hỏi khảo sát thiết kế nhằm phục vụ cho đề tài luận văn thạc sỹ “Dạy học từ vựng chuyên ngành cho sinh viên chuyên ngành Kế toán trường Cao đẳng Kinh tế- Kỹ thuật Hà Nội” Các câu trả lời mà bạn cung cấp quan trọng nghiên cứu Dữ liệu điều tra nhằm phục vụ mục đích nghiên cứu, khơng tiết lộ danh tính người tham gia Tác giả mong nhận câu trả lời trung thực xác Xin trân trọng cảm ơn hỗ trợ bạn Trước hết, xin điền thông tin cá nhân sau: - Độ tuổi:…………………… - Giới tính: (Nam/Nữ)…………………………… - Bạn học tiếng Anh bao lâu? năm Câu hỏi số 1: Theo kết môn học Tiếng anh bản, em đánh giá trình độ Tiếng anh (khá: từ trở lên, trung bình: điểm 5, kém: điểm 5) B Khá B Trung bình C Kém Câu hỏi số 2: Mục đích bạn học từ vựng chun ngành gì? (Có thể chọn nhiều phương án) A Để đọc tài liệu chuyên ngành B Để mở rộng vốn từ vựng chuyên ngành C Để trao đổi với người nước vấn đề chuyên ngành D Để thi đỗ E Ý kiến khác (hãy rõ): Câu hỏi số 3: Khi học từ vựng, em thường gặp khó khăn gì? (Có thể chọn nhiều phương án) A Phát âm VII B Cách viết C Dạng ngữ pháp từ D Nghĩa chuyên ngành từ E Cách sử dụng từ Câu hỏi số 4: Bạn gặp khó khăn học từ vựng chuyên ngành giáo trình “English for Finance”? (Có thể chọn nhiều phương án) A Nhiều từ B Thiếu tập từ vựng C Bài tập từ vựng khó D Nhớ từ E Ý kiến khác (Hãy rõ): Câu hỏi số 5: Điều ảnh hưởng tới động lực u thích học từ vựng lớp? (Có thể chọn nhiều phương án) A Sỹ số lớp đông (từ 45 sinh viên trở lên) B Học nhiều từ vựng buổi học C Thiếu kiến thức tảng D Kỹ thuật phương pháp giảng dạy giáo viên (khơng thú vị, khơng thu hút, khó hiểu) E Ý kiến khác (Hãy rõ): Câu hỏi số 6: Bạn thường làm gặp từ mới? (Có thể chọn nhiều phương án) A Tra từ điển B Đoán nghĩa dựa vào ngữ cảnh C Hỏi giáo viên/ bạn bè nghĩa từ D Lờ E Ý kiến khác (Hãy rõ): Câu hỏi số 7: Em học từ cách nào? (Có thể chọn nhiều phương án) VIII A Viết từ nghĩa tương đương vào sổ, sau học thuộc lịng B Đặt câu với từ C Làm tập từ vựng (Điền vào chỗ trống, hoàn thành câu, xếp từ) D Học từ thong qua kỹ năng: Nghe, nói, đọc, viết E Đọc tài liệu tự tra từ điển F Ý kiến khác (Hãy rõ): Câu hỏi số 8: Bạn thích cách giới thiệu từ nhất? (Có thể chọn nhiều phương án) A Dịch từ sang tiếng việt B Đọc từ rõ ràng viết lên bảng C Sử dụng cơng cụ giảng dạy hình ảnh (tranh, video, đồ vật…) D Đoán nghĩa từ qua ngữ cảnh E Giải thích nghĩa từ thơng qua điệu bộ, cử biểu cảm khuôn mặt F Sử dụng định nghĩa cách giải thích từ điển G Sử dụng từ trái nghĩa đồng nghĩa H Ý kiến khác (Hãy rõ): Cảm ơn hợp tác bạn! IX