An investigation into the effectiveness of Vietnamese translation in teaching English vocabulary to the 10th form students at Vung cao Viet Bac High school

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES HOÀNG VIỆT HƯƠNG AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECTIVENESS OF VIETNAMESE TRANSLATION IN TEACHING ENGLISH VOCABULARY TO THE 10TH FORM STUDENTS AT VUNG CAO VIET BAC HIGH SCHOOL (NGHIÊN CỨU TÍNH HIỆU QUẢ CỦA VIỆC DỊCH NGHĨA TỪ SANG TIẾNG VIỆT TRONG VIỆC DẠY TỪ VỰNG TIẾNG ANH CHO HỌC SINH LỚP 10 TRƯỜNG PHỔ THÔNG VÙNG CAO VIỆT BẮC) M.A MINOR THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 601410 Hanoi – 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration Acknowledgements Abstract Table of contents List of abbreviations List of tables and figures i ii iii iv vi vii PART A: INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………… 1 Rationale for the study…………………………………… …….….…… Objectives of the study…………………… …………………………… ….2 Research Questions……………………………………………………… …2 Scope of the study…… ………………………………………………… …2 Methods of the study……………………………………………………… Design of the study……………….……………………………………… …3 PART B: DEVELOPMENT………… ……………………………………… …5 CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND…… ………………… 1.1 Introduction…….……………………………………………………… …5 1.2 Vocabulary and Its Roles in Second Language Acquisition……… … …5 1.2.1 What is vocabulary? 1.2.2 Roles of Vocabulary in Second Language Acquisition…… …6 1.3 Approaches to Vocabulary Teaching…………………………………… 1.4 Recent Research about Teaching and Learning Second Language Vocabulary………………………………………………………………… ….9 1.4.1 Incidental learning………………………………………… …9 1.4.2 Explicit instruction……….…………………………………….9 1.4.3 Independent strategy….…………………………………… 10 1.5 Techniques in Presenting New Vocabulary…………………………… 11 1.6 L1 and Translation in Vocabulary Teaching and Learning…………….…12 1.7 Previous studies on L1 Translation in Teaching L2 Vocabulary….…… 13 1.8 The Role of L1 Translation in Vocabulary Acquisition… ………… ….14 1.9 Advantages and Disadvantages of Using L1 Translation in Teaching Vocabulary…………………………… ………………………………… …15 iv 1.10 Summary…………………………………………………………… ….17 CHAPTER 2: THE STUDY…………………………………………… … 18 2.1 A quantitative and qualitative study………………………………… ….18 2.2 Participants………………………………………………………… ……18 2.3 Data collection instruments……….………………………………… … 19 2.3.1 The students questionnaire………….…………………………… ……19 2.3.2 Class observation………… ……………………………………… …20 2.3.3 Interviews…………… …………………………………………… …20 2.4 Data collection procedure…………………………………………… ….21 2.5 Data analysis procedure……………………………………………… …21 CHAPTER 3: ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION ………………… … …22 3.1 Findings…………… ……………………………………………… … 22 3.1.1 The frequency of using Vietnamese translation in teaching English vocabulary to 10th form students……………………………………… …….22 3.1.2 Common classroom vocabulary activities………… ……………….…25 3.1.3 The effectiveness of Vietnamese translation for learning vocabulary as perceived by students……………….…………………………… ………… 28 3.1.4 Teachers‟s perceptions of the effectiveness of using Vietnamese translation for presenting new vocabulary………….………………… … …31 3.2 Discussion……………………………………………………… …….…35 PART C: CONCLUSIONS………………….…….…………………… ………37 Conclusions……………………………… ………………………… ……37 Implications……………………………………………………… … ……38 Limitations……………………………………………………………… …39 Suggestions for further research…………… ………………………… …39 REFERENCES APPENDICES Appendix Appendix Appendix Appendix I V VI VII Appendix IX v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS EFL: English as Foreign Language ESL: English as Second Language L1: The first language L2: The second language vi LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES TABLES Page Table 1: The Frequently used techniques to present new the meaning of new 22 vocabulary Table 2: The frequently used activities to help students consolidate words 26 Table 3: Students‟ preference for Vietnamese translation use in vocabulary 28 lessons FIGURES Page Figure 1: Students‟ perceptions of the frequency of their teachers‟ using 25 Vietnamese translation in presenting the meaning of new vocabulary Figure 2: Students‟ perceptions of the effectiveness of Vietnamese 29 translation on their vocabulary learning Figure 3: Students‟ perceptions of the roles of Vietnamese translation in 29 helping them to learn vocabulary Figure 4: Effect of using Vietnamese translation on the class atmosphere 30 Figure 5: Problems faced by students in learning vocabulary through 31 Vietnamese translation vii .PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale for the study McCarthy (2001: 2, cited in Fan, 2003: 222) explained that “Vocabulary forms the biggest part of the meaning of any language, and it is the biggest problem for most learners” McCarthy firmly believes that language is lexis-driven, and therefore, vocabulary learning is the real key to second language learning He claims that learners will be more successful if they can develop their own techniques and disciplines for vocabulary learning Therefore, an effective approach to vocabulary is always one of the great concerns of every language teacher The reason is that learning vocabulary is really challenging requiring many cognitive processes, and teachers have to make sure that students understand the word: the form of the word (pronunciation, spelling, derivations) and its meaning as well as how to use the word accurately and appropriately There are many ways of presenting the meaning of a new word These include a definition in the second language, a demonstration, a picture or a diagram, a real object, L2 context clues, or an L1 translation (Nation, 2003) However, studies comparing the effectiveness of various methods for learning always come up with the result that an L1 translation is the most effective (Lado, Baldwin, Lobo and Mishima 1967; Laufer and Shmueli, 1997) This is probably because L1 translations are usually clear, short and familiar, qualities which are very important in effective definitions (Mc Keown, 1993) At Vung cao Viet Bac High school, with more than 2,000 ethnic minority students come from different minority groups, each ethnic group has its own language, but Vietnamese is nominated the national language Thus, to students coming from the minority groups, English is their second foreign language As far as I can observe, these learners are much in favour of Vietnamese translation when learning English vocabulary This has motivated me to carry out this study, which aims at finding the effectiveness of using Vietnamese translation in teaching vocabulary Hopefully, findings will reaffirm the use of mother tongue and translation as a strategic teaching method within the field of vocabulary acquisition Furthermore, it is to partially help English foreign language teachers have a reflection on their teaching practice Objectives of the study The research is aimed to investigate the effectiveness of using Vietnamese translation in teaching vocabulary to the 10th form students at Vung cao Viet Bac High School The objectives of the study are: a) to investigate how frequently Vietnamese translation is used as well as what activities are used to help their students consolidate words after using Vietnamese translation in teching English vocabulary b) to explore the teachers and students‟ perceptions of the effectiveness of using Vietnamese translation in teaching and learning English vocabulary Research Questions To achieve the aims and objectives of the thesis, the following research questions were proposed: What is the frequency of using Vietnamese translation in teaching English vocabulary to 10th form students? What are the common vocabulary activities the teachers use to help their students consolidate words after using Vietnamese translation? What is the effectiveness of Vietnamese translation for learning vocabulary as perceived by the students? What is the teachers‟ perceived effectiveness of Vietnamese translation used for presenting new vocabulary? Scope of the study The study limits itself to the effectiveness of using Vietnamese translation in teaching English Vocabulary The effectiveness of this technique would be explored from the perception of the students and teachers The study was carried out only with tenth form students and the teachers who are in charge of English teaching to those students at Vung cao Viet Bac High school in Thai Nguyen One more noteworthy point about the scope of this study is that it focuses on the effectiveness of using Vietnamese translation technique for presenting the meaning of new vocabulary rather than the form Methods of the study Both qualitative and quantitative research methods are used in this study, including questionnaire, classroom observations and interviews Questionnaire Both open-ended and close-ended questions were administered to 152 students to find out the students‟ perceived effectiveness of Vietnamese translation technique on vocabulary learning Classroom observations Six classes (of about 45 minutes in length) taught by three different teachers were observed to find out how frequently Vietnamese translation is used and what activities are used to help their students consolidate words after using Vietnamese translation Interviews Teacher interviews were conducted to obtain a better understanding of the teachers‟ perceptions towards the effectiveness of using Vietnamese translation in teaching English vocabulary The interviews were transcribed fully and analyzed qualitatively Design of the study The research includes three parts namely Part A, Part B, Part C Part A is the introduction, which presents the rationale, the aims, the research questions, the scope, the methods, and the design of the study Part B is the development which consists of three chapters Chapter is the literature review which reviews theoretical issues related to the definitions of vocabulary, and its roles in second language acquisition, approaches to vocabulary teaching, recent research about teaching and learning second language vocabulary, techniques in presenting new vocabulary, L1 and translation in vocabulary teaching and learning, previous studies on L1 translation in teaching L2 vocabulary, the role of L1 translation in vocabulary acquisition as well as advantages and disadvantages of using L1 translation in teaching vocabulary Chapter is the study, presents the quantitative and qualitative study, the participants, the data collection instruments, and research procedures of the study Chapter is the analysis and discussion of the findings through an analysis of the data collected by means of questionnaire, classroom observations and interviews Part C is the conclusion of the study In this part, major findings of the study will be summarized to answer the research questions Some implications on use of Vietnamese translation in teaching English vocabulary, the limitation of the study and suggestion for further research are presented PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 1.1 Introduction This chapter focuses on providing an overview of the theoretical knowledge relevant to the study including vocabulary and its roles in second language acquisition, approaches to vocabulary teaching, recent research about teaching and learning second language vocabulary, techniques in presenting new vocabulary, L1 and translation in vocabulary teaching and learning, previous studies on L1 translation in teaching L2 vocabulary, the role of L1 translation in vocabulary acquisition, advantages and disadvantages of using L1 translation in teaching vocabulary 1.2 Vocabulary and Its Roles in Second Language Acquisition 1.2.1 What is Vocabulary? Vocabulary is a matter which many linguists and language teachers have been concerned for a long time Vocabulary is defined differently by different scholars Below some definitions of vocabulary that are relevant to the present study are introduced In The American Heritage Dictionary, “vocabulary” is defined as: All words of a language The sum of words used by, understood by, or at the command of a particular person or a group A list of words and often phrases, usually arranged alphabetically and defined or translated; a lexicon or glossary It‟s apparent that above definition show the relationship between vocabulary and words In other words vocabulary is defined as words However, it seems important to see clear definitions, a concise explanation as sited as follow: "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: for example, post office, and mother-in- law, which are made up of 14 Folse K S (2004) Vocabulary myths Michigan: the University of Michgan Press 15 Franklin, C (1990) Teaching in the target language: problems and prospects Language Learning Journal, 2, p.20-24 16 Fraster, C A (1999) Lexical processing strategy use and vocabulary learning through reading Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 21, 25-241 17 Grabe, W and Stoller, F L (1997) Reading and vocabulary development in a second language: A case study In J Coady and T Huckin (Eds) Second Language vocabulary acquisition (pp.98-122) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 18 Grace, C A (1998) Retention of word meanings inferred from context and sentence-level translations: Implications for the design of beginning-level CALL software The Modern Language Journal, 82 ( iv), 533-544 19 Gu, Y and Johnson, R K (1996) Vocabulary learning strategies and language learning outcomes Language Learning 46 pp 643-697 20 Herman, P A., Anderson, R C., Nagy, W E and Pearson, P D (1987) Incidental acquisition of word meaning from expositions with varied text features Reading Research Quarterly, 22, 263–284 21 Howatt A P R (1984) A History of English Language Teaching Oxford: Oxford University Press 22 Hunt and David Beglar (2001) Current research and Practice in Teaching Vocabulary Cambridge University Press 23 Johnson, R B and Onwuegbuzie, A J (2004) Mixed methods research: A research paradigm whose time has come Educational Researcher, 33(7), 14-26 24 Knight, S (1994) Dictionary use while reading: The effects on comprehension and vocabulary acquisition for studentss of different verbal abilities The Modern Language Journal, 78(3) 285-299 25 Krashen, S.D (1989) Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition English Language Teaching series London: Prentice-Hall International (UK) Ltd 26 Lado, R., Baldwin, B and Lobo, F (1967) Massive vocabulary expansion in a 42 foreign language beyond the basic course: the effects of stimuli, timing and order of presentation U.S Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Washington, D.C 5-1095 27 Larsen-Freeman, D (2000) Techniques and principles in language teaching, Oxford: Oxford University Press 28 Laufer, B and Shmueli, K (1997) Memorizing new words: Does teaching have anything to with it? RELC Journal 28, 1: 89-108 29 Laufer, B (1990) Ease and Difficulty in Vocabulary Learning: Some Teaching Implications Foreign Language Annals, 23(2) 147-155 30 Levenston, A (1985) The place of translation in the foreign language classroom English Teachers' Journal, (32), 33-43 31 Lewis, M (1993) The lexical approach: The state of ELT and the way forward Hove, England: Language Teaching Publications 32 Liu, J (2008) L1 Use in L2 Vocabulary Learning: Facilitator or Barrier International Education Studies Journal, Vol 1, No 2, 65-69 33 Liu Na and Nation, I.S.P (1985) Factors affecting guessing vocabulary in context RELC Journal , 16(1), 33-42 34 Luppescu, S and R R Day.(1993) Reading dictionaries and vocabulary learning Language Learning, 43, pp 263–287 35 Mackey, A and Gass, S M (2005) Second Language Research: Methodology and Design New Jersey: Lawrence ErlbaumAssociates, Inc 36 McCarthy, M J (1990) Vocabulary Oxford: Oxford University Press 37 McKeown, M G (1993) Creating effective definitions for young word learners Reading Research Quarterly 28, 1: 17-31 38 Meara, P (1995) Single-subject studies of lexical acquisition Second Language Research, Il (2), i-iii 39 Murcia, M C and Prator, C H (1979), An Outline of Language Teaching Approarches in Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language Celce-Murcia, M and L McIntosh (Eds.), Los Angeles: Newbury House Publishers, Inc, pp 3-5 43 40 Murcia, M C (2001) Teaching English as Second or Foreign Language USA: Heinle and Heinle Publishers 41 Nation, I S P (1982) Beginning to learn foreign vocabulary: A review of the research RELC Journal, 13, 14–36 42 Nation, L S P (1990) Teaching and learning vocabulary Rowley, MA: Newbury House 43 Nation, L S P (1994) New ways in Teaching Vocabulary Teachers of English to speakers of other Languages Inc (TESOL) 44 Nation, I S P (2001) Learning Vocabulary in Another Language Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 45 Nation, I S P (2003) The role of the first language in foreign language learning Asian EFL Journal, Volum 5,(2) Article 46 Nation, I S P (2005) Teaching Vocabulary Asian Journal 7, (3), Article 4, pp 47-54 47 Newmark, P (1995) Approaches to Translation Prentice Hall International (UK) Ltd 48 Paribakht, T and Wesche, M (1996) Enhancing vocabulary acquisition through reading: A hierarchy of text-related exercise types The Canadian Modern Language Review, 52(2), 155-178 49 Pickett, J P (2000) The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language 4th ed Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company (AHD) 50 Prince, P (1996) Second language vocabulary learning: The role of context versus translations as a function of proficiency The Modern Language Journal, 80, 478-493 51 Pyles, T and Algeo, J (1970) English - An Introduction to Language New York: Harcourt, Brace 52 Raddawi, R.( 2005) Translation: A Multidimensional Task Academic journals, Volum 7, Number 2, December 2005: 69-84 53 Ramachandran, S D and Rahim, H A (2004) Meaning recall and retention: The impact of the translation method on elementary level learners‟ vocabulary learning RELC Journal, 35(2), 161-178 54 Rivers, Wilga M (1981) Teaching foreign- language skills Chicago: The University of Chicago Press 44 55 Saggara, N and Alba, M (2006) The Key is in the key word: L2 vocabulary learning methods with beginning learners of Spanish The Modern Language Journal, 90, 243-288 56 Schmitt, N (1997) Vocabulary learning strategies In Schmitt, N and McCarthy, M Vocabulary Description, Acquisition and Pedagogy Cambridge: CUP pp.199-227 57 Schmitt, N (2000) Vocabulary in language teaching Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 58 Schmitt, N and M, McCarthy, eds (1997) Vocabulary: Description, Acquisition and Pedagogy Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 59 Senel M (2002) A suggested texbook for the students and the teachers of ELT Departments of the Faculties of Education for Approaches in ELT Course PhD Dissertation, Ankara: Hacettepe University 60 Strauss, A and Corbin, J (1990) Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, Inc 61 Sze, P S (1998) An investigation of the effectiveness of three presentation methods on vocabulary retention by post-secondary five diploma students and their use of memory strategies in L2 vocabulary acquisition MA thesis Hong Kong: University of Hong Kong 62 Tang, J (2002, January) Using L1 in the English classroom English Teaching Forum, 40(1), 36-43 63 The American Heritage Dictionary of the English language, 4th ed, Boston: Houghton, Miffli, 2000 64 Thornbury, S (2002) How to teach Vocabulary Essex: Longman 65 Ur, Penny (1996) A Course in Language Teaching: Practice and Theory Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 66 Wallace, M J (1998) Action research for language teachers Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 67 Wallace M J (1982) Teaching Vocabulary London, Hermann Educational Book 68 Wilkins, D A (1972) Linguistics in Language Teaching London: Edward Arnold 45 APPENDICES APPENDIX 1: STUDENT QUESTIONNAIRE Họ tên: …………………………………… Tuổi:………… Lớp: …………………… Giới tính: Nam/ Nữ Dân tộc:………………… Dưới câu hỏi điều tra thái độ học sinh việc sử dụng thủ thuật dịch nghĩa từ sang tiếng Việt giảng dạy từ vựng Các câu hỏi sử dụng cho mục đích nghiên cứu Cảm ơn giúp đỡ em Giáo viên dạy tiếng Anh em có thường xuyên sử dụng phương pháp dịch nghĩa từ sang tiếng Việt để giới thiệu nghĩa từ học không? a Không b Hiếm c Thỉnh thoảng d Thường xun e Ln ln Em có cho việc dịch nghĩa từ sang tiếng Việt có ích tiết học từ vựng tiếng Anh? a Có b Khơng Em có thích giáo em sử dụng phương pháp dịch nghĩa từ sang tiếng Việt để giới thiệu từ khơng? a Có c Bình thường b Không Theo ý kiến em, việc cô giáo dạy tiếng Anh sử dụng phương pháp dịch nghĩa từ sang tiếng Việt để giới thiệu từ có tác dụng việc học tiếng Anh em nào? a Rất nhiều b Một chút c Rất d Khơng có ích Nếu Cơ giáo sử dụng tiếng Anh để giải thích nghĩa từ học em nghĩ để hiểu nghĩa từ khó nào? a Cực kì khó b Rất khó I c Khó d Khơng khó Em học từ hiệu cô giáo dạy tiếng Anh sử dụng phương pháp dịch nghĩa từ sang tiếng Việt để giới thiệu từ ? a Rất hiệu b Khá hiệu c Bình thường d Ít hiệu e Khơng hiệu Tại em cho việc sử dụng phương pháp dịch nghĩa từ sang tiếng Việt để giới thiệu nghĩa từ có hiệu việc học nghĩa từ em? Bởi vì:( Em có nhiều lựa chọn) a Nó giúp em hiểu từ nghĩa nhanh rõ ràng b Nó giúp em nhớ từ lâu dễ dàng c Nó tiết kiệm thời gian d Nó giúp em cảm thấy dễ dàng bớt căng thẳng e Các lý khác ( viết cụ thể) Theo em khơng khí lớp học có thoải mái có động lực khơng giáo dạy tiếng Anh sử dụng phương pháp dịch nghĩa từ sang tiếng Việt để giới thiệu từ mới? a Rất thoải mái có động lực b Thoải mái có động lực c Khơng thoải mái khơng có động lực Em có gặp phải vấn đề khơng học từ vựng với phương pháp dịch nghĩa từ sang tiếng Việt?(Em có nhiều lựa chọn) a Nó làm em thấy học buồn tẻ b Nó làm em thụ động c Nó làm em lẫn lộn (nghĩa từ với từ kia,ví dụ từ: deny refuse) d Các lý khác ( viết cụ thể) II STUDENT QUESTIONNAIRE This survey is designed on the purpose of getting necessary data for the study on the effectiveness of Vietnamese translation in teaching English vocabulary to the 10th form students Your personal information will be kept strictly confidential Please give your answers truthfully for a guaranteed success of the research Thank you so much for your participation You are in group:…………… You are: Male……… Your age is:……………… Female……… Nationality……………… How often does your school English teacher use Vietnamese translation for presenting new vocabulary? a never b rarely c sometimes d usually e always Do you think Vietnamese translation is the useful technique that should be used in English vocabulary lesson? Yes No Do you like your teachers use Vietnamese translation for presenting new vocabulary? Yes No Normal In your opinion, how much does English teachers‟ use of Vietnamese translation help you to learn English vocabulary? a a lot b some c very little d not at all How difficult you think it would be for you to understand the meaning of new words if your teachers exclusively used English to explaining new words? a Extremely difficult b Very difficult III c Difficult d not difficult How effectively can you learn new words when your teacher uses Vietnamese translation for presenting them? a Very effective b Quite effective c Neutral d Little effective d Ineffective Why you think that the way the teacher presented words using Vietnamese translation is effective for learning English vocabulary meanings? Because: (You can choose more than one option) a It helps me to understand the meaning of words faster and more clearly b It helps me to remember words better and easily c It saves time d It makes me feel at ease and less stressed e Other reasons (Please specify) From your point of view, how easy, comfortable and motivated is your class when your teacher uses Vietnamese translation? a very comfortable and motivated b comfortable and motivated c not comfortable and motivated What are your problems in learning vocabulary through Vietnamese translation? (You can choose more than one option) a it makes me bored b it makes me passive c it makes me confused (e.g the meaning of words “deny” and “refuse”… ) d others ( please specify) IV APPENDIX 2: CLASSROOM OBSERVATION CHECKLIST Teacher: _ Date: _ Lesson: _ Vocabulary Techniques for presenting the meaning of new words to students Techniques Raw Count Using Vietnamese translation Explaining the words in English Giving examples to illustrate meaning Guessing the meaning of words from contexts Using visual aids Others Activities for word consolidation Activities Raw Count Studying the spelling and pronunciation of a word with students again and again Using vocabulary tests Using vocabulary tests Using vocabulary exercises Others V APPENDIX 3: TEACHERS’ INTERVIEWS QUESTIONS Do you use Vietnamese translation technique to present new vocabulary to your students ? Why ? What activities you often use to help your students to consolidate and remember the taught words after using Vietnamese translation? What effects does Vietnamese translation have on your vocabulary teaching? How motivated you think your class is when you use Vietnamese translation to teach vocabulary to them? 10 Do you think that the exclusive use of Vietnamese translation in teaching English vocabulary has problem(s)? If yes, what are they? VI APPENDIX 4: SAMPLE OF INTERVIEW ‘S TRANSCRIPT PERSONAL INFORMATION Interviewee: Nguyen Thi Thuy (Teacher 1) Age: 34 Sex: female Training Program: B.A Total years of teaching: 14 years Date of interview: 20 2012 Time of interview: 9:35- 9:50 Interviewer: Do you often use Vietnamese translation technique to present new vocabulary to your students ? Interviewee: Yes, I Interviewer : Why? Interviewee: I often use Vietnamese translation on vocabulary teaching because class time is limited and using this technique saves time and it is really useful for low English proficiency level students If we use only English to explain new words, it is very easy to make the students feel confused or misunderstand When you spend quite some time or use several English sentences to explain the meaning of one new word, and the students still look confused, using a Vietnamese equivalent might solve the problem My students are also asked to VietnameseEnglish-Vietnamese translation exercises and tests because I think this can improve the students‟ translation skills that they will need for their future jobs Interviewer: How about common classroom vocabulary activities, Which activities you use to help your students to consolidate the words presented to them? Interviewee: Of course, I often study the spelling and pronunciation of a word with students again and again, I also use vocabulary in work books and textbooks to help students consolidate words VII Interviewer: Yes, I think so As I have been observing, using Vietnamese translation for presenting the meaning of new vocabulary has effects What effects does Vietnamese translation have on your vocabulary teaching? Interviewee: Firstly, I think using Vietnamese helps students to memorize words better and longer Secondly, using Vietnamese translation to explain words to my students are simple, direct and easy to be understood Interviewer: Yeah, I agree that Vietnamese translation is very useful, when students are given Vietnamese equivalents, they feel at ease and they are more motivated to learn How motivated you think your class is when you use Vietnamese translation to teach vocabulary to them? Interviewee: As you know my students are low proficiency learners, they are ethnic minority students, Vietnamese is their second language So I often use Vietnamese translation to teach vocabulary This will create a less-stressed learning environment and so help them learn better Interviewer: Well, this is the last question for you Do you think that the exclusive use of Vietnamese translation in teaching English vocabulary has problem(s)? If yes, what are they? Interviewee: I think that the use of Vietnamese translation may effect both the teachers and the students If a teacher frequently use translation , he/she can be accustomed to the situation and may use Vietnamese when English can be better serve the purpose And this can affect the teacher‟s fluency in English A similar thing may happen to the students Interviewer: Well, that‟s a great idea Thank you so much for your cooperation VIII APPENDIX 5: SAMPLE OF LESSON OBSERVATION Date: 18 2012 Time: 7: 55- 8:40 Teacher 3: Nguyen Thi Yen Class: 10A3 Number of students: 51 UNIT 14: THE WORLD CUP A READING T/Ss Activities T: (after having students find the new words themselves) Who can tell me the new words in the reading text about the World Cup? T: ( points at the boy) Sáy, can you? Sáy: ( read aloud the new words with some pronunciation mistakes) tournament globe jointly elimination games witness trophy host nation honoured title T: ( writes the new words on the board while Say is speaking) Ss: ( take notes) T: ( explaining the meaning of new words in English and Vietnamese ) Ok “ tournament (n)” means : a competition in which players complete against each other in a serious of games until there is a winner T: What does “tournament” means in Vietnamese? Ss: ( in silence) T: “ tournament ” means: vòng ( giải )thi đấu T: Now, repeat, tournament Ss: repeat in chorus T: Ok “ globe” means: the world What does the globe means in Vietnamese? Ss: ( In chorus) địa cầu T: Great! Now, repeat, globe T: Now, look at the picture at page 142 Look at the man What is he holding? IX Ss: ( In chorus) cúp T: In English Ss: ( in silence) T: It is trophy T: Now, repeat! trophy T: Point the word jointly T: „jointly‟ means: involving two people or groups Ss: in silent T: What you say „jointly‟ means in Vietnamese Ss: in silent T: „jointly‟ means : liên kết T: Now, repeat, jointly Ss: repeat in chorus T: Ok! Other word to witness(v) means: to see, what does this word means? Ss: (In chorus) chứng kiến T: witness ( n) means: nhân chứng What about these words: elimination games (n.p): trận đấu vòng loại honoured title (n.p): danh hiệu cao quý Ss: ( take notes) T: (read all the new word and asks Ss to repeat in chorus and individually) At the end of lesson Teacher gives a vocabulary exercise: Complete each blank in the following passage with a suitable word/phase in the given box host nation representative every four years elimination rounds tournament competition World Cup is the most important competition in international football, and the world‟s most (1) team sport event was organised by FIFA, the sport‟s governing body, the World Cup is contested by men‟s national football teams which are FIFA members The World Cup is held (2) ( except in times of war), but X the (3) of the (4) _(which narrows the field of as many as 197 teams down to the final 32 teams) take place over a three-year period, using regional elimination tournaments The final (5) phase( often called the “Finals”) involves 32 teams competing over a four-week period in a previously nominated (6) Only seven nations has won the World Cup Finals XI