Designing a grammar-vocabulary syllabus as the foundation for students before taking the TOEIC preparation course at the English Centre TiengAnh.com.vn in Hanoi.

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES * PHẠM THÙY DƢƠNG DESIGNING A GRAMMAR-VOCABULARY SYLLABUS AS THE FOUNDATION FOR STUDENTS BEFORE TAKING THE TOEIC PREPARATION COURSE AT THE ENGLISH CENTRE TIENGANH.COM.VN IN HANOI (THIẾT KẾ CHƯƠNG TRÌNH HỌC NGỮ PHÁP-TỪ VỰNG LÀM NỀN TẢNG CHO HỌC VIÊN TRƯỚC KHI THAM DỰ KHÓA HỌC LUYỆN THI TOEIC TẠI TRUNG TÂM TIẾNG ANH TIENGANH.COM.VN TẠI 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 * PHẠM THÙY DƢƠNG DESIGNING A GRAMMAR-VOCABULARY SYLLABUS AS THE FOUNDATION FOR STUDENTS BEFORE TAKING THE TOEIC PREPARATION COURSE AT THE ENGLISH CENTRE TIENGANH.COM.VN IN HANOI (THIẾT KẾ CHƯƠNG TRÌNH HỌC NGỮ PHÁP-TỪ VỰNG LÀM NỀN TẢNG CHO HỌC VIÊN TRƯỚC KHI THAM DỰ KHÓA HỌC LUYỆN THI TOEIC TẠI TRUNG TÂM TIẾNG ANH TIENGANH.COM.VN TẠI HÀ NỘI) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 60140111 Supervisor: Dr Kiều Thị Thu Hƣơng HÀ NỘI – 2014 DECLARATION I hereby, certify the thesis entitled “Designing a grammar-vocabulary syllabus as the foundation for students before taking the TOEIC preparation course at the English centre TiengAnh.com.vn in Hanoi” is the result of my own research for the Minor Degree of Master of Arts at University of Languages 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 Phạm Thuỳ Dƣơng i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere thanks to my supervisor Dr Kieu Thi Thu Huong, without whom this thesis could not have been completed Her thoughtful suggestions and comments at the early stages of the thesis have been valuable She not only gave me reliable guidelines but also shared much of her experience in language studying and teaching I am also indebted to her for her invaluable guidance, intellectual support and constant encouragement I also want to send my special thanks to Assoc Prof Dr Le Hung Tien 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, lecturers and members at Faculty of PostGraduate Studies of University of Languages and International Studies - Vietnam National University, Hanoi for their work and services I would be very grateful to my lecturers, whose profundities have influenced my way of thinking about doing research Especially, I am grateful to the librarians who supplied me with sufficient materials My thanks are also extended to all my students, my colleagues in the English centre TiengAnh.com.vn, and all the people who have assisted my research work I would like to thank my friends, my classmates for their advice and useful documents Last but not least, my gratitude is due to my family, especially my husband, for their endurance and constant support during my M.A course They have always given me their endless love, understanding and encouragement To all of them I dedicate this work ii ABSTRACT This study has been conducted to investigate some main requirements of the TOEIC test in terms of grammar and vocabulary with the purpose of designing an appropriate syllabus for the grammar-vocabulary course as the foundation for the TOEIC preparation course in the English Centre TiengAnh.com.vn in Hanoi The subjects of the study are ten actual TOEIC tests The data have been collected by both quantitative method, including two statistics, and qualitative method which is five informal interviews The study confirms that to prepare good foundation before entering the TOEIC preparation course in the centre, students should carefully study some grammatical points as well as some vocabulary topics that the test normally covers The findings exhibit that ten grammatical points and eighteen vocabulary topics chosen from popular TOEIC books have high occurrence frequencies in the TOEIC test Therefore, they should be emphasized by the syllabus designer and the teacher of the course so that the students could be equipped with the most suitable knowledge before taking the TOEIC preparation course Based on the findings, a grammar-vocabulary syllabus is constructed for the course Some limitations as well as suggestions for further study are also presented at the end of the research iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS II ABSTRACT III TABLE OF CONTENTS IV ABBREVIATIONS VII LIST OF FIGURES, CHARTS AND TABLES .VIII PART I: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale for the study Aims of the study 3 Research questions Scope and significance of the study Methods of the study Design of the study PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 An overview on syllabus design 1.1.1 Definition of syllabus 1.1.2 Types of syllabuses 1.1.2.1 Grammatical syllabus (Structural syllabus) 1.1.2.2 Functional-notional syllabus……………………………… 10 1.1.2.3 Procedural syllabus/Task-based syllabus 10 1.1.2.4 Content syllabus 11 1.1.2.5 Lexical syllabus 12 1.1.2.6 Structural-lexical syllabus (grammar-vocabulary syllabus) 13 1.1.3 Approaches to syllabus design 14 iv 1.1.3.1 Synthetic approach 14 1.1.3.2 Analytic approach 15 1.1.4 Steps in syllabus design 15 1.1.4.1 Needs analysis 16 1.1.4.2 Goals and objectives setting 17 1.1.4.3 Content selecting and grading 18 1.2 An overview of the TOEIC test 18 1.3 Summary 21 CHAPTER 2: THE METHODOLOGY 22 2.1 The setting 21 2.1.1 An introduction of TiengAnh.com.vn and the grammar-vocabulary course 21 2.1.2 The current grammar-vocabulary syllabus .23 2.1.3 The target learners 24 2.1.4 The teaching staff .24 2.2 The methodology 25 2.2.1 The subjects 25 2.2.2 Data collection instruments 25 2.2.3 Data collection procedure 26 CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS, FINDINGS AND SUGGESTIONS 27 3.1 Data analysis 27 3.1.1 The occurrence frequencies of grammatical points in 10 TOEIC tests27 3.1.2 The occurrence frequencies of some vocabulary topics in 10 TOEIC tests .31 3.1.3 Teachers‟ opinions about the proposed syllabus 36 3.2 Findings and suggestions 38 v 3.3 A proposed grammar-vocabulary syllabus 38 3.3.1 Goals and objectives of the syllabus 38 3.3.1.1 Goals of the syllabus 38 3.3.1.2 Objectives of the syllabus 39 3.3.2 Syllabus content 39 3.3.2.1 Grammatical points in the syllabus 39 3.3.2.2 Vocabulary topics in the syllabus .39 3.3.2.3 Organization and duration of the syllabus .40 3.3.2.4 A proposed grammar-vocabulary syllabus .40 3.4 Summary 40 PART III: CONCLUSION 42 Summary of the findings and suggestions .42 Limitations of the study 42 Suggestions for further study 43 REFERENCES 44 APPENDICES I APPENDIX I APPENDIX .III APPENDIX VII vi LISTS OF ABBREVIATIONS TOEIC: Test of English for International Communication COBUILD: Collins Birmingham University International Language Database ETS: Educational Testing Service Qs: Questions GP: Grammatical point vii LISTS OF FIGURES, CHARTS AND TABLES Figure Classification of syllabuses (Nunan, 1988)…………………………………8 Figure An overview of the TOEIC test format……………………………… 19 Table List of grammatical points collected from TOEIC books………… 27 Table List of vocabulary topics chosen from TOEIC books……………… .32 Table The occurrence frequencies of 18 vocabulary topics in 10 TOEIC tests 35 Chart The occurrence frequencies of grammar points in tests 1&2………… .28 Chart The occurrence frequencies of grammar points in tests 3&4………… .28 Chart The occurrence frequencies of grammar points in tests 5&6………… .29 Chart The occurrence frequencies of grammar points in tests 7&8………… .29 Chart The occurrence frequencies of grammar points in tests 9&10……… 30 viii Teacher 5: “I especially like the change in terms of vocabulary All the vocabulary topics in the new syllabus are popular and we can easily find them in the TOEIC test If our students can learn these words in the beginning course, I think that it will be beneficial to them when they move to the TOEIC preparation course.” 3.2 Findings and suggestions From the statistic on the occurrence frequencies of 12 grammatical points in 10 TOEIC tests, it can be seen that the TOEIC test requires test takers to have good knowledge of these grammar issues because they are all appear in the TOEIC test In the foundational course like grammar-vocabulary course, it should be focused on 10 grammatical points that have high occurrence frequencies The rest ones can be learned in the TOEIC preparation course together with other points that are less popular but still may appear in the test In terms of vocabulary, all 18 vocabulary topics are chosen from the most popular books and checked their occurrence frequencies in 10 TOEIC tests From the results of the statistic, we see that it is necessary to equip the students with those words so that they will not become the drawback for the students in the real test 3.3 A proposed grammar-vocabulary syllabus 3.3.1 Goals and objectives of the syllabus 3.3.1.1 Goals of the syllabus The goal of the syllabus is to help the students build a good base in terms of grammar and vocabulary before they take part in the TOEIC preparation course in the English Centre TiengAnh.com.vn in Hanoi 38 3.3.1.2 Objectives of the syllabus By the end of the grammar-vocabulary course, students will be able to use grammatical points correctly Besides, they will have appropriate amount of vocabulary so that they can feel confident to enter the TOEIC preparation course and be ready to conquer the TOEIC test 3.3.2 Syllabus content 3.3.2.1 Grammatical points in the syllabus Based on the results from the statistic in 3.1.1, 10 grammatical points are chosen for the new syllabus: word forms (noun, verb, adjective, adverb) verb tenses (present tenses, past tenses, future tenses, etc) and passives questions (yes/no question, wh-question, tag question, embedded question) adjectives and adverbs/comparisons prepositions pronouns linking words/conjunctions relative clauses conditional sentences 10 verb + verb patterns 3.3.2.2 Vocabulary topics in the syllabus From the statistic in 3.1.2, 17 vocabulary topics are selected for the new syllabus: Applying for a job Business documents Business planning 39 Business trips Marketing Shopping Customer service Banking Commuting/Transportation 10 Advertising 11 Contracts 12 Dining out 13 Meetings 14 Office supplies 15 Presentations 16 Air travel 17 Company structure 18 Salaries and benefits 3.3.2.3 Organization and duration of the syllabus The grammar-vocabulary course using the new syllabus lasts 33 class hours broken into 90 minute-periods There are three periods every week The proposed syllabus consists of 22 lessons Each lesson contains one grammar focus and one vocabulary topic There are two revision lessons, a mid-term test and a final test 3.3.2.4 A proposed grammar-vocabulary syllabus A proposed grammar-vocabulary syllabus as the foundation for students before taking the TOEIC preparation course at the English Centre TiengAnh.com.vn in Hanoi is presented in Appendix 3.4 Summary This chapter has presented the methodology of the study, the results from the statistics and interviews together with a proposed grammar-vocabulary syllabus as 40 the foundation for TOEIC preparation course The researcher has answered two research questions mentioned in Part I by finding out some main requirements of the TOEIC test in terms of grammar and vocabulary as well as suggesting some items should be included in the grammar-vocabulary syllabus 41 PART III CONCLUSION In this part, a brief description of the study is provided together with the summary of the main findings In addition, the limitations of the study and some suggestions for further investigation into this issue are also represented for consideration Summary of the findings and suggestions The study has been set out with the aim of designing a grammar-vocabulary syllabus as the foundation for students before taking the TOEIC preparation course at the English Centre TiengAnh.com.vn in Hanoi It utilizes a combination of quantitative method and qualitative method and different data collection instruments, namely statistics and informal interviews The subjects of the research are ten TOEIC tests and five teachers in the English Centre TiengAnh.com.vn The data analysis, which is presented in chapter 3, suggests that there are some main requirements of the TOEIC test in terms of grammar and vocabulary which should be prepared carefully by the students in the process of conquering the TOEIC test Based on the study‟s findings, the designer has constructed a proposed grammarvocabulary syllabus which consists of ten grammatical points as well as eighteen vocabulary topics that the real TOEIC test normally covers The proposed syllabus is considered suitable with the purpose of the course as the foundation for TOEIC preparation course as well as the students‟ level Through this syllabus, the designer hopes to help students at the beginner level build a good base in terms of grammar and vocabulary which is very useful for them on the way to conquer the real TOEIC test Limitations of the study The researcher has made a great attempt in studying the process of syllabus design and working out an innovative framework for grammar-vocabulary syllabus, which hopefully will be beneficial to both teachers and students However, limitations in the study are inevitable 42 Firstly, on account of the limited time and within the scope of a minor thesis, the number of the subjects is small Only 10 TOEIC tests have been chosen to conduct statistics The findings would be more reliable if the author conducted statistics on more tests Secondly, not all the parts of the 10 TOEIC tests are investigated to find out the requirements of the TOEIC test Only some parts of the tests are the subjects to be explored Thirdly, the study is carried out on the traditional TOEIC test which only covers two skills: listening and reading Finally, the study follows the narrow approach by Nunan (1988), Yalden (1987) and Widdowson (1984) to syllabus design, so it only focuses on designing the content of the syllabus The teaching methodology, assessment procedures or activities are not the ones investigated in the study Suggestions for further study Due to the limitations mentioned above, it is suggested that more subjects should be investigated into in a future research on syllabus design to get more reliable results Future study should be made to conduct a syllabus that covers not only the content but also teaching methodology, assessment procedures as well as possible activities for the course Besides, a syllabus that covers the grammar and vocabulary items which are the requirements of the TOEIC test of all four skills is also a good choice for syllabus designer to challenge 43 REFERENCES Byeon, J (2008) Rainbow TOEIC Part1, 2, 3, Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House Choi, J.M (2008) Rainbow TOEIC Part 5, Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House Choi, J.M (2008) Rainbow TOEIC Part Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House Faucet, L., West, M., Palmer, H & Thorndike, E.L (1936) The Interim Report on Vocabulary Selection for the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language Longon: P.S.King Gear, J & Gear, R (2010) Grammar and Vocabulary for the TOEIC test Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Hutchinson, T & Waters, A (1987) English for Specific Purposes: A Learning Centred Approach Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Kim, S & Park, W (2008-2013) Big Step TOEIC Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House Lim, J.S & Noh, J.H (2013) Economy TOEIC LC1000 Volume Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House Lori (2013) Economy TOEIC RC1000 Volume Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House 10 Lougheed, L (2013) 600 essential words for the TOEIC Barron‟s Educational Series, Inc 11 McDonough, S (1981) Psychology in Foreign Language Teaching London: Allen and Unwin 12 Nunan, D (1985) Language Teaching Course Design: Trends and Issues 13 Nunan, D (1988) Syllabus Design Oxford: Oxford University Press 14 Ogden, C.K (1930) Basic English: An introduction with Rules and Grammar London: Kegan Paul, Trench & Trubner 15 Prabhu, N.S (1987) Second Language Pedagogy: A Perspective Oxford: Oxford University Press 44 16 Richterich, R & Chancerel, J.J (1987) Identifying the needs of adults learning a foreign language Oxford: Prentice Hall 17 Robinson, P (1991) ESP Today: A Practitioners’ Guide Hemel Hempstead: Prentice Hall 18 Sinclair, J & Renouf, A (1988) A lexical syllabus for language teaching In: Carter, R & McCarthy, M (eds.) Vocabulary and Language Teaching Edinburgh: Pearson Education 19 West, M (1926) Bilingualism (With Special Reference to Bengal) Calcutta: Bureau of Education, India 20 Widdowson, H G (1984) Educational and pedagogic factors in syllabus design In: C J Brumfit (ed.) 1984a 21 Wilkins, D (1976) Notional Syllabuses London: Oxford University Press 22 Willis, J D (1990) The Lexical Syllabus: A New Approach to Language Teaching London and Glasgow: Collins COBUILD 45 Appendices Appendix SYLLABUS: PHASE GRAMMAR-VOCABULARY Unit Grammar focus Vocabulary focus Sentence patterns and introduction of parts of Topic 1: Classroom Rules speech Present simple & present continuous Topic 2: Jobs/ Occupations Present perfect & present perfect continuous Topic 3: Office Past simple & past continuous Topic 4: Appearance Past perfect & past perfect continuous Topic 5: Character Revision: present tenses & past tenses Future tenses Revision + Progress test Action verbs & stative verbs Topic 7: Clothes 10 Modals Topic 8: Food 11 Questions Topic 9: Fruit and Vegetables 12 Subject-verb agreements Topic 10: Farm Animals and Pets 13 Revision + progress test 14 Nouns 15 Articles 16 Pronouns Topic 12: Weather 17 Adjectives & Adverbs Topic 13: Traveling 18 Comparisons Topic 14: Education 19 Prepositions Topic 15: Environment 20 Revision & Final Test Topic 6: Feelings Topic 11: Wild and Zoo Animals I SYLLABUS: PHASE GRAMMAR-VOCABULARY Unit Grammar focus Vocabulary focus Revision on tenses Revision on tenses Verb + verb patterns Topic 1: Work Conditional sentences Topic 2: Relationships Passives Topic 3: Health and Medicine Passives (special cases) Topic 4: Crime Revision + Progress Test Clauses Topic 5: Belief and Opinion Noun clauses Topic 6: Global Problems Relative clauses Topic 7: Money – Buying, Selling 10 and Paying 11 Reduced relative clauses Topic 8: Clothes and Fashion 12 Adverb clauses Topic 9: The Press and The Media Conjunctions Topic 10: Success, Failure and 13 Difficulties 14 Revision 15 Progress Test 16 Inversions Topic 11: Movement and Speed Reported speech Topic 12: Like, Dislike and 17 Desire 18 Subjunctive mood Topic 13: The Natural World 19 Revision Topic 14: Economy 20 Final test II Appendix 18 vocabulary topics chosen from TOEIC books in detail Applying for a job apply applicant candidate career experience manager position selection interview 10 interviewer 11 employment 12 payment 13 hire 14 recruitment 15 skill Business documents document email fax memo report folder file attachment confidential 10 correspondence 11 electronic 12 inventory 13 photocopy Business planning address avoid complete demonstrate develop development evaluation group plan 10 require 11 show 12 gather 13 strategy 14 risk Business trips destination itinerary conference exhibition receptionist register cancellation brochure reserve 10 reservation 11 accommodation 12 facility 13 guesthouse III Marketing analyze attract compare competition consumer current market persuade productive 10 satisfy 11 promote 12 offer 13 target Shopping store display order purchase stock refund sale receipt register 10 merchandise 11 retail 12 cash 13 counter 14 gift Customer service relationship trust satisfaction expectation guarantee deal with reliable client defective 10 feedback 11 complaint 12 commitment 13 courteous 14 quality 15 regain Banking cash savings account deposit bank balance interest loan transfer 10 invest 11 credit 12 check 13 withdraw 14 debit card 15 financial Transportation route urban 10 Advertising advertisement commercial IV transportation commute subway vehicle traffic highway crowded 10 rush hour 11 parking space 12 congestion 13 carpool media poster flyer budget agency slogan campaign 10 brand 11 promotional 12 publicity 13 target 14 recognition 11 Contracts accept vacation term condition sick leave quit fire regulation signature 10 notice 11 lay off 12 absence 13 hire 12 Dining out buffet restaurant waiter cafeteria course appetizer drink dish tip 10 recommend 11 recommendation 12 dessert 13 beverage 13 Meetings agenda item chairperson idea solution propose proposal vote issue 10 raise 14 Office supplies equipment stationery cabinet printer fax machine copy machine safe scanner stapler 10 laptop V 11 schedule 12 approval 13 brainstorm 14 motion 15 discussion 11 label 12 tape 13 paper 15 Presentations topic slide screen audience summary handout outline graph projector 10 microphone 11 computer 12 presenter 13 speaker 16 Air travel luggage baggage security flight delay passenger passport aisle terminal 10 check-in 11 board 12 plane 13 window 17 Company structure profit partner partnership merge expand capital share stockholder director 10 management 11 product 12 corporation 13 raise 18 Salaries and benefits basis be aware of benefit compensate compensation delicate eligible flexible negotiate 10 negotiation 11 retire 12 retirement 13 wage VI Appendix A PROPOSED GRAMMAR-VOCABULARY SYLLABUS Lesson Grammar focus Vocabulary focus Word forms (noun/verb/adjective/adverb) Applying for a job Present simple + present continuous Business documents Present perfect + present perfect continuous Business planning Past simple + past continuous Business trips Past perfect + past perfect continuous Marketing Future tenses Shopping Passives Customer service Questions Banking Revision 10 Mid-term test 11 Nouns Transportation 12 Pronouns Advertising 13 Adjectives + Adverbs Contracts 14 Comparisons of adjectives and adverbs Dining out 15 Prepositions Meetings 16 Conjunctions Office supplies 17 Conditional sentences Presentations 18 Relative clauses Air travel 19 Reduced relative clauses Company structure 20 Verb + verb patterns Salaries and benefits 21 Revision 22 Final test VII