Teachers’ beliefs and practices regarding vocabulary teaching: A qualitative study at Nguyen Thi Minh Khai high school

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES  TRẦN THI ̣ KIM OANH TEACHERS’ BELIEFS AND PRACTICES REGARDING VOCABULARY TEACHING: A QUALITATIVE STUDY AT NGUYEN THI MINH KHAI HIGH SCHOOL (Niềm tin giáo viên việc dạy từ vựng thực tiễn áp dụng lớp học : Nghiên cứu định tính trường trung học phổ thông Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai) M.A Minor programme thesis Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 601410 Hanoi - 2012 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES  TRẦN THI ̣ KIM OANH TEACHERS’ BELIEFS AND PRACTICES REGARDING VOCABULARY TEACHING: A QUALITATIVE STUDY AT NGUYEN THI MINH KHAI HIGH SCHOOL (Niềm tin giáo viên việc dạy từ vựng thực tiễn áp dụng lớp học : Nghiên cứu định tính trường trung học phổ thơng Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai) M.A Minor programme thesis Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 601410 Supervisor: Dr LE VAN CANH Hanoi - 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS PART I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale for the study 1.2 Aims of the study 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Significance of the study 1.5 Organization of the thesis PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Role of vocabulary in second language teaching 1.2 Approaches to vocabulary 1.3 The teachers‟ belief 1.4 Teachers‟ beliefs about second language teaching 11 1.5 Convergence and divergence 13 1.6 Teachers‟ beliefs about vocabulary 14 1.7 Previous studies 15 CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY 17 2.1 Data collection instruments 17 2.1.1 The interview 17 2.1.2 The observation 18 2.2 Participants of the study 18 2.3 Data collection procedures 19 2.4 Technique of data analysis 20 iv CHAPTER III: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 22 3.1 Preliminary results 22 3.1.1 Teachers‟ beliefs about the importance of vocabulary 22 3.1.2 Teachers‟ beliefs about approaches to vocabulary presentation 23 3.1.3 Relationship between beliefs and practices 26 3.1.3.1 Time given for vocabulary teaching 27 3.1.3.2 Approaches to vocabulary teaching 29 3.1.4 Convergences and divergences between beliefs and practices 34 3.1.4.1Convergences 34 3.1.4.2 Divergences 34 3.2 Discussion 35 PART III: CONCLUSION 38 Summary of the major findings 38 Implications 38 2.1 Improving the teaching/learning environment 38 2.2 Solutions for changing students‟ learning attitudes 39 2.3 Teachers‟ training 40 Limitations of the study 41 Recommendations for further research 41 REFERENCES 42 APPENDICES I APPENDIX 1: Interview Questions I APPENDIX 2: Classroom observation sheet II APPENDIX 3: Observation data IV v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CLT Communicative Language Teaching CA Communicative Approach L1 First language L2 Second language ELT English Language Teaching ESL English as a Second Language EFL English as a Foreign Language T Teacher Ss Students vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page Table Participants profiles 18 Table Amount of time devoted to vocabulary with reference to 26 language skills and grammar (% of total class time) Table Practical approaches of teaching vocabulary (teacher A) Appendix Table Practical approaches of teaching vocabulary (teacher B) Appendix Table Practical approaches of teaching vocabulary (teacher C) Appendix Table Practical approaches of teaching vocabulary (teacher D) Appendix Table Practical approaches of teaching vocabulary (teacher E) Appendix Table Practical approaches of teaching vocabulary (teacher F) Appendix Table Practical approaches of teaching vocabulary (teacher G) Appendix Table 10 Practical approaches of teaching vocabulary (teacher H) Appendix vii PART I: INTRODUCTION This part introduces the study, which starts with the reasons for carrying out the research This is followed by the aims, the research questions, the significance of the study and, finally, the structure of the thesis 1.1 Rationale for the study Since the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) was adopted at Nguyen Thi Minh Khai High School, English teaching practice has also changed gradually However, students‟ ability to use English for communication was quite limited There are many reasons for this problem, but teachers believe that one of the reasons is students‟ vocabulary deficiency Although there have been some studies on vocabulary techniques, very little has been researched about teachers‟ beliefs and practices regarding vocabulary If teaching is shaped by teachers‟ beliefs (Borg, 2003) it is necessary to research their beliefs and the relationship between their beliefs and practices Therefore, this study is aimed to explore this issue in one high school in Vietnam 1.2 Aims of the study The study is aimed at investigating the beliefs and practices of a group of high school teachers in second language vocabulary and vocabulary teaching This aim is specified by the following objectives: to explore teachers’ beliefs about the role of vocabulary in learning English as a foreign language; to examine their practices concerning vocabulary teaching; and to identify the relationship between their beliefs and practices regarding vocabulary teaching 1.3 Research questions In order to achieve the above stated aim and objectives, the study is designed to find answers to the following research questions: What are teachers’ beliefs about vocabulary? To what extent are those beliefs translated into their vocabulary teaching? 1.4 Significance of the study The study will mainly focus on analyzing eight English teacher‟s beliefs, examining whether or not these beliefs are aligned with teachers‟ actual instructional practices and identifying the factors that influence teachers‟ beliefs and practices The teachers‟ beliefs concerned regard to vocabulary teaching only and the actual instructional practices refer to principles, techniques and time given for teaching vocabulary, which were conveyed through class observations and the answers for the interviews of eight English teachers of Nguyen Thi Minh Khai high school 1.5 Organization of the thesis This thesis is divided into three parts as follows: Part I, „Introduction‟ presents the reasons for carrying out this study and states the aims of the study The research questions, the significance and the outline of the study are also discussed in this part Part II, „Development‟ includes the following chapters: Chapter 1, „Literature review‟ summaries the view of related literature – including the role of vocabulary in second language teaching, approaches to vocabulary, teachers‟ beliefs and those relating to vocabulary teaching Chapter 2, „Methodology‟ describes the methodology applied to this study and the procedures for carrying out the research such as instruments for data collection, subjects, procedures, and methods of data analysis Chapter 3, „Results and discussion‟ conveys survey results and discussion on the possible reasons for the divergences between teachers‟ beliefs and actual classroom practice Part III, „Conclusion‟ states a brief summary of major findings, proposes some recommendations arising from the study findings, reveals the limitation of the study and offers some suggestions for further researches PART II: DEVELOPMENT REFERENCES Bamburg, J.D (1994) NCREL Monograph: Raising Expectations to Improve Student Learning Illinois: North Central Regional Educational Laboratory Barnard, R (2011) Teachers' beliefs and practices: Approaches to data collection New Zealand: University of Waikato Baumann, J.F & Kameenui, E.J (2004) Vocabulary Instruction: Research to Practice New York: The Guilford Press Boyle, J & Scanlon, D (2009) Methods and Strategies for Teaching Students With Mild Disabilities: A Case-Based Approach Belmont: Wadsworth Borg, S (2003) Teacher cognition in language teaching: a review of research on what language teachers think, know, believe, and Language Teaching, 36, 81- 109 Cameron, K (2001) Call and The Challenge of Change: Research and Practice Exeter: Elm Bank Publications Coady, J & Huckin, T.N (1997) Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition: A Rationale for Pedagogy New York: Cambridge University Press Coleman, H (1996) Society and The Language Classroom New York: Cambridge University Press Ellis, R (1999) Learning a Second Language Through Interaction Philadelphia: John Benjamins North America Farrell, T.S.C & Lim, 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(2006) Learning and Teaching English in India New Delhi: Sage Publications India Pvt Ltd Streubert, H.J & Carpenter, D.R (2011) 5th ed Qualitative Research in Nursing: Advancing the Humanistic Imperative New York: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins Weaver, R.G & Farrell, J.D (1997) Managers As Facilitators: A Practical Guide to Getting Work Done in a Changing Workplace San Francisco: BerrettKoehler Publishers, Inc Wood, M.J & Kerr, J.C (2011) Basic Steps in Planning Nursing Research: From Question to Proposal London: Jones Bartlett Publishers International 45 APPENDIX Interview Questions A Personal information Name: Age: Years of teaching: School: Have you taken any teaching courses or attended any lectures about vocabulary teaching after you became a teacher?  Yes  No B Questions How you often teach vocabulary? Do you often integrate vocabulary in teaching grammar, pronunciation and other language skills such as listening, speaking, reading, writing, or you teach words separately? Can you tell me some techniques you usually use to teach vocabulary? Why you usually use them? I APPENDIX CLASSROOM OBSERVATION SHEET Teacher: Date: School: Grade: Observer: Program: Class period: Topic: Placement of lesson within the current unit: Total time given for teaching vocabulary: APPROACHES TO VOCABULARY Level of application: - strongly not applied - not applied - undecided - applied - strongly applied II Level of application Lesson Observation Notes Principles of teaching vocabulary New vocabulary is presented in meaningful context Teachers have the students see words in variety of contexts Depth of meaning is fostered Teachers let the students access the texts‟ meaning in the target language Learning a word involves pronuncication, spelling, morphology and syntax Teach by having students read widely Have students use monolingual dictionaries Build a large sight vocabulary Integrate new words with old 10 Provide a number of encounters with a word 11 Promote a deep level of processing 12 Facilitate imaging 13 Make new words “real” by connecting them to the student‟s world in some way 14 Use a variety of technique 15 Encourage independent learning strategies III APPENDIX Observation Data Table 3: Practical approaches of teaching vocabulary (teacher A) Principles New vocabulary is presented in meaningful contexts Teachers have the students see words in variety of contexts Depth of meaning is fostered Teachers let the students access the texts‟ meaning in the target language Learning a word involves pronuncication, spelling, morphology and syntax Teach by having students read widely Have students use monolingual dictionaries Build a large sight vocabulary Integrate new words with old 10 Provide a number of encounters with a word 11 Promote a deep level of processing 12 Facilitate imaging 13 Make new words “real” by connecting them to the student‟s world in some way 14 Use a variety of techniques 15 Encourage independent learning strategies Amount NA NA 5 NA NA NA 1 1 1 1 5 5 5 5 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 5 35 NA NA 2 2 2 2 Note: Amount of 61 – 75: every effective teaching 46 – 60: effective teaching 31– 45: adequate teaching that needs improved – 30: bad teaching that needs changed NA: not apply; A: apply IV 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 Table 4: Practical approaches of teaching vocabulary (teacher B) Principles New vocabulary is presented in meaningful contexts Teachers have the students see words in variety of contexts Depth of meaning is fostered Teachers let the students access the texts‟ meaning in the target language Learning a word involves pronuncication, spelling, morphology and syntax Teach by having students read widely Have students use monolingual dictionaries Build a large sight vocabulary Integrate new words with old 10 Provide a number of encounters with a word 11 Promote a deep level of processing 12 Facilitate imaging 13 Make new words “real” by connecting them to the student‟s world in some way 14 Use a variety of techniques 15 Encourage independent learning strategies Amount NA NA 5 NA NA NA 1 1 1 1 5 5 5 5 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 5 34 NA NA 2 2 2 2 Note: Amount of 61 – 75: every effective teaching 46 – 60: effective teaching 31– 45: adequate teaching that needs improved – 30: bad teaching that needs changed NA: not apply; A: apply V 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 Table 5: Practical approaches of teaching vocabulary (teacher C) Principles New vocabulary is presented in meaningful contexts Teachers have the students see words in variety of contexts Depth of meaning is fostered Teachers let the students access the texts‟ meaning in the target language Learning a word involves pronuncication, spelling, morphology and syntax Teach by having students read widely Have students use monolingual dictionaries Build a large sight vocabulary Integrate new words with old 10 Provide a number of encounters with a word 11 Promote a deep level of processing 12 Facilitate imaging 13 Make new words “real” by connecting them to the student‟s world in some way 14 Use a variety of techniques 15 Encourage independent learning strategies Amount NA NA 5 NA NA NA 1 1 1 1 5 5 5 5 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 5 32 NA NA 2 2 2 2 Note: Amount of 61 – 75: every effective teaching 46 – 60: effective teaching 31– 45: adequate teaching that needs improved – 30: bad teaching that needs changed NA: not apply; A: apply VI 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 Table 6: Practical approaches of teaching vocabulary (teacher D) Principles New vocabulary is presented in meaningful contexts Teachers have the students see words in variety of contexts Depth of meaning is fostered Teachers let the students access the texts‟ meaning in the target language Learning a word involves pronuncication, spelling, morphology and syntax Teach by having students read widely Have students use monolingual dictionaries Build a large sight vocabulary Integrate new words with old 10 Provide a number of encounters with a word 11 Promote a deep level of processing 12 Facilitate imaging 13 Make new words “real” by connecting them to the student‟s world in some way 14 Use a variety of techniques 15 Encourage independent learning strategies Amount NA NA 5 NA NA NA 1 1 1 1 5 5 5 5 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 5 37 NA NA 2 2 2 2 Note: Amount of 61 – 75: every effective teaching 46 – 60: effective teaching 31– 45: adequate teaching that needs improved – 30: bad teaching that needs changed NA: not apply; A: apply VII 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 Table 7: Practical approaches of teaching vocabulary (teacher E) Principles New vocabulary is presented in meaningful contexts Teachers have the students see words in variety of contexts Depth of meaning is fostered Teachers let the students access the texts‟ meaning in the target language Learning a word involves pronuncication, spelling, morphology and syntax Teach by having students read widely Have students use monolingual dictionaries Build a large sight vocabulary Integrate new words with old 10 Provide a number of encounters with a word 11 Promote a deep level of processing 12 Facilitate imaging 13 Make new words “real” by connecting them to the student‟s world in some way 14 Use a variety of techniques 15 Encourage independent learning strategies Amount NA NA 5 NA NA NA 1 1 1 1 5 5 5 5 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 5 40 NA NA 2 2 2 2 Note: Amount of 61 – 75: every effective teaching 46 – 60: effective teaching 31– 45: adequate teaching that needs improved – 30: bad teaching that needs changed NA: not apply; A: apply VIII 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 Table 8: Practical approaches of teaching vocabulary (teacher F) Principles New vocabulary is presented in meaningful contexts Teachers have the students see words in variety of contexts Depth of meaning is fostered Teachers let the students access the texts‟ meaning in the target language Learning a word involves pronuncication, spelling, morphology and syntax Teach by having students read widely Have students use monolingual dictionaries Build a large sight vocabulary Integrate new words with old 10 Provide a number of encounters with a word 11 Promote a deep level of processing 12 Facilitate imaging 13 Make new words “real” by connecting them to the student‟s world in some way 14 Use a variety of techniques 15 Encourage independent learning strategies Amount NA NA 5 NA NA NA 1 1 1 1 5 5 5 5 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 5 43 NA NA 2 2 2 2 Note: Amount of 61 – 75: every effective teaching 46 – 60: effective teaching 31– 45: adequate teaching that needs improved – 30: bad teaching that needs changed NA: not apply; A: apply IX 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 Table 9: Practical approaches of teaching vocabulary (teacher G) Principles New vocabulary is presented in meaningful contexts Teachers have the students see words in variety of contexts Depth of meaning is fostered Teachers let the students access the texts‟ meaning in the target language Learning a word involves pronuncication, spelling, morphology and syntax Teach by having students read widely Have students use monolingual dictionaries Build a large sight vocabulary Integrate new words with old 10 Provide a number of encounters with a word 11 Promote a deep level of processing 12 Facilitate imaging 13 Make new words “real” by connecting them to the student‟s world in some way 14 Use a variety of techniques 15 Encourage independent learning strategies Amount NA NA 5 NA NA NA 1 1 1 1 5 5 5 5 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 5 41 NA NA 2 2 2 2 Note: Amount of 61 – 75: every effective teaching 46 – 60: effective teaching 31– 45: adequate teaching that needs improved – 30: bad teaching that needs changed NA: not apply; A: apply X 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 Table 10: Practical approaches of teaching vocabulary (teacher H) Principles New vocabulary is presented in meaningful contexts Teachers have the students see words in variety of contexts Depth of meaning is fostered Teachers let the students access the texts‟ meaning in the target language Learning a word involves pronuncication, spelling, morphology and syntax Teach by having students read widely Have students use monolingual dictionaries Build a large sight vocabulary Integrate new words with old 10 Provide a number of encounters with a word 11 Promote a deep level of processing 12 Facilitate imaging 13 Make new words “real” by connecting them to the student‟s world in some way 14 Use a variety of techniques 15 Encourage independent learning strategies Amount NA NA 5 NA NA NA 1 1 1 1 5 5 5 5 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 5 39 NA NA 2 2 2 2 Note: Amount of 61 – 75: every effective teaching 46 – 60: effective teaching 31– 45: adequate teaching that needs improved – 30: bad teaching that needs changed NA: not apply; A: apply XI 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4