Using images in communicative activities to improve students’ retention of English vocabulary in Architecture for students at Hanoi Architectural University

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES **************************************** NGUYỄN THỊ HÒA USING IMAGES IN COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ RETENTION OF ENGLISH VOCABULARY IN ARCHITECTURE FOR STUDENTS AT HANOI ARCHITECTURAL UNIVERSITY (SỬ DỤNG HÌNH ẢNH TRONG HOẠT ĐỘNG GIAO TIẾP ĐỂ NÂNG CAO KHẢ NĂNG LƯU NHỚ TỪ VỰNG TIẾNG ANH CHUYÊN NGÀNH KIẾN TRÚC CHO SINH VIÊN TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC KIẾN TRÚC HÀ NỘI) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 60140111 Hanoi, 2016 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES **************************************** NGUYỄN THỊ HÒA USING IMAGES IN COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ RETENTION OF ENGLISH VOCABULARY IN ARCHITECTURE FOR STUDENTS AT HANOI ARCHITECTURAL UNIVERSITY (SỬ DỤNG HÌNH ẢNH TRONG HOẠT ĐỘNG GIAO TIẾP ĐỂ NÂNG CAO KHẢ NĂNG LƯU NHỚ TỪ VỰNG TIẾNG ANH CHUYÊN NGÀNH KIẾN TRÚC CHO SINH VIÊN TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC KIẾN TRÚC HÀ NỘI) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 60140111 Supervisor : Assoc Prof Dr Lâm Quang Đông Hanoi, 2016 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research has been accomplished with the support and encouragement of many people Hence, I hereby would like to express my appreciation to all of them In the first place, I would like to express my deepest thanks to my supervisor - Assoc Prof Lâm Quang Đông, PhD for his valuable assistance and guidance during the time I made efforts to carry out my research Also, I would highly appreciate all professors and staffs of the Faculty of PostGraduate Studies for their meaningful lessons and precious support thanks to which I was able to overcome obstacles during the time my research was carried out Besides, I would like to give my whole-hearted thanks to students at Hanoi Architectural University for their enthusiastic participation in my research Without their help, I would not have been able to complete this paper Last but not least, I owe a great debt of gratitude to my beloved family whose support and encouragement have always been a great deal of motivation that has helped me to ovecome all problems to complete my thesis Hanoi, Nguyễn Thị Hòa i ABSTRACT This study was carried out in the form of an action research in which students were instructed with the use of images in their vocabulary lessons The research aimed first to figure out whether the use of images in vocabulary teaching could help improve students‟ vocabulary retention and then to investigate students‟ perspectives towards the use of images in vocabulary lessons In order to accomplish these purposes, 20 sophomores at Hanoi Architectural University were selected to participate in the study, which last for eight weeks Three data collection instruments were employed, namely pre-test/post-tests, class observation and interviews in order to have data triangulation to achieve most reliable findings for the research Findings from the tests, observation and interviews revealed that students had experienced an improvement in their vocabulary memorization throughout the eight weeks of study and the reason for the vocabulary retention progress was mainly attributed to the use of images in language classroom Benefits of using images can be listed as the deeper impression of vocabulary on students‟ memory and a more frequently exposure to vocabulary use Results from the interviews and observation also reflected a completely positive attitude of students towards the use of images, claiming that visuals helped them have more fun and motivation in learning On this basis, some implications for teachers‟ preparation, classroom practices and future research were proposed ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i ABSTRACT .ii TABLE OF CONTENTS iii LIST OF FIGURES AND ABBREVIATIONS v PART A: INTRODUCTION 1.Statement of the problem and rationale for the study 3.Researchquestions 4.Scope of the study 5.The organization of the thesis PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Vocabulary learning 1.1.1 What is vocabulary? 1.1.2.What is involved in knowing a word? 1.1.3 Vocabulary retention 1.2 Multimodality 1.2.1 Multimodality and the English language teaching 1.2.2 The application of multimodal teaching to English vocabulary teaching 1.3 Review on the use of images in vocabulary teaching 10 1.3.1 The use of images as a mode of multimodality in language learning 10 1.3.2 The use of images in vocabulary teaching and its effects on vocabulary retention 11 1.3.3 Types of images used in vocabulary teaching 13 1.4 Summary 17 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 18 2.1 Participants and the research context 18 2.2 Research methodology 18 2.3 Research methods 19 2.3.1 The pre-test and post-test 20 2.3.2 Class observation 21 2.3.3 Interviews 22 2.4 Data collection procedure 23 iii 2.5 Summary 26 CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND IMPLICATIONS 27 3.1 Data analysis and discussion 27 3.1.1 Effects of using images on students‟ vocabulary retention – findings from pre- and post-tests 27 3.1.2 Effects of using images on students‟ vocabulary retention – findings from observation and interviews 30 3.1.3 Students‟ perspectives of using images in vocabulary learning – findings from observation and interviews 34 3.2 Major findings and discussion 36 3.3 Implications 37 3.4 Summary 38 PART C: CONCLUSION 39 Conclusions 39 Limitations of the study and suggestions for further study 40 REFERENCES 42 APPENDIX A I APPENDIX B II APPENDIX C III APPENDIX D VI APPENDIX E IX APPENDIX F XII APPENDIX G XV APPENDIX H XVII APPENDIX I XXVI iv LIST OF FIGURES AND ABBREVIATIONS FIGURES Figure 1: Scores of pre-test, post-test and post-test 27 Figure 2: The overall mean score of students‟ pre-test and post-test 28 Figure 3: The overall mean score of students‟ pre-test, post-test and post-test 29 Figure 4: Students‟ vocabulary retention seen from class observation 31 ABBREVIATIONS EFL : English as a foreign language ESP : English for Specific Purposes v PART A: INTRODUCTION Statement of the problem and rationale for the study Vocabulary has always been considered the backbone of a language and the basis of communication, as Hunt and Beglar (2005) put it They argue that the heart of language comprehension and use is the lexicon, and clarify that the significance of vocabulary in EFL is due to the fact that thoughts and ideas can be expressed without using grammar, but impossibly without words “Without grammar very little can be conveyed; without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed” (Wikins, 1976:111) Limited vocabulary, therefore, is likely to be a hindrance for learners in their communication For this reason, vocabulary is highly important to any language, because without enough words used appropriately and in context, people would not be able to understand what others express or state what there is in their own minds As the importance of mastering vocabulary is evident and obvious, the teaching of vocabulary should always receive sufficient attention It is important for teachers to realize that learning a new language is not just a memorization process or acquiring new words; it is the connection between the words and their reality However, the traditional vocabulary teaching techniques in such a way as presenting new words on blackboard together with its phonics, meaning, translation and requiring students‟ memorization of long isolated word lists are still kept in many language classrooms, which leads to the inefficiency of vocabulary acquisition This urges the researcher to conduct a study to identify an appropriate method in offering students with more effective vocabulary learning Aims of the study Multimodality has long been proposed by various researchers to be an approach that involves different aspects in interaction, including verbal and written language, pictures, graphics, speech… (Baldry&Thibault, 2006) In the sense of language teaching, multimodality has been proved to be beneficial to students‟ learning process and help stimulate learners with a motivating environment When applied to the teaching of vocabulary as an aspect of language teaching, multimodality is often discussed from the angle of using visuals in teaching such as images, pictures, graphics, etc This study, which focuses on vocabulary teaching methods, is going to investigate the application of multimodality to the vocabulary learning of students from the perspectives of using images in some communicative activities to enhance students‟ vocabulary retention The major aim of the research is to investigate whether the use of images in vocabulary teaching can help improve students‟ vocabulary retention The participants in the study are students at Hanoi Architectural University Research questions In an attempt to achieve the above-presented aims, the study sought to answer the following research question: To what extent can the use of images in vocabulary teaching help improve students’ retention of English vocabulary in Architecture for students at Hanoi Architectural University? Scope of the study This research is an investigation into the effectiveness of the use of images on students‟ vocabulary retention in a specific context of students at Hanoi Architectural University The participants include a group of students (n=20) who were studying English for Specific Purposes at Hanoi Architectural University The organization of the thesis The thesis is composed of three parts: Part A, Part B, and Part C Part A – Introduction - introduces the rationale, aims and objectives as well as the research question of the study Part B – Development includes two chapters: Chapter 1- Literature review presents the theoretical foundations for the whole study and Chapter – Methodology elaborates on the participants, the methodology and methods, the data collection procedure and data analysis including the tests, interviews and class observation Part C – Conclusion - summarizes all the major points in the study, the limitations of the study and proposes suggestions for further research PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 1.1.1 Vocabulary learning What is vocabulary? So far there have been a lot of definitions of vocabulary Vocabulary is defined as words in a specific language or freestanding items of language that have meaning (McCarthy, 1990) Ur (1996) defined vocabulary roughly as “the words we teach in the foreign language” Besides, vocabulary is broadly defined as knowledge of words and word meanings (Lehr et al., 2004) According to Lehr et al., vocabulary is more complicated than this definition suggests Words not only come in oral forms which include the words that can be recognized and used in listening and speaking, but also in print forms of reading and writing In addition, word knowledge also comes in two forms: receptive and productive Receptive vocabulary refers to words that can be recognized in reading and listening Productive vocabulary indicates words that can be used in speaking and writing (Lehr et al., 2004) Therefore, vocabulary is understood as knowledge of word spelling, pronunciation, collocations and appropriateness (Nation, 1990) Pyles (1970), from another perspective, confirmed that vocabulary is the focus of language with its sounds and meaning, which interlock to allow us to communicate with one another As discussed above, vocabulary can be seen in many different ways Vocabulary refers to words or a set of words in a language or knowledge of words regarding its forms, meanings and how to use it accurately in the context In other words, vocabulary refers to the words, compounds and idioms in a language that can be used to convey and receive information in oral and written communication 1.1.2.What is involved in knowing a word? When it comes to vocabulary, it surely is the first step toward learning a foreign language A sentence is usually made up of numerous words Without any concepts of grammar, learners may guess the meaning of a sentence if the vocabulary is A picture of student A XXI A picture of student B XXII APPENDIX H HAND OUT (cont) III A kitchen A complete picture of a kitchen XXIII Student A’s picture XXIV Student B’s picture XXV APPENDIX I HAND OUT I Types of houses XXVI Hut A detached house XXVII A semi-detached house A castle XXVIII A flat apartment A bungalow XXIX II Building materials Brick 1.1 Adobe brick 1.2 Baked brick XXX Soil 2.1 Clay 2.2 Silt 2.3 Sand XXXI Wood 3.1 Natural wood 3.2 Artificial wood XXXII Stone 4.1 Natural stone 4.2 Marble stone Reinforced concrete XXXIII Steel 6.1 Mild steel 6.2 Stainless steel XXXIV Plastics XXXV