A study on english vocabulary learning strategies exploited by the second year students of different learning style preferences at school of law, VNU

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES - NGUYỄN THỊ HUYỀN TRANG A STUDY ON ENGLISH VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES EXPLOITED BY THE SECOND-YEAR STUDENTS OF DIFFERENT LEARNING STYLE PREFERENCES AT SCHOOL OF LAW, VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY (Nghiên cứu phƣơng pháp học từ vựng tiếng Anh sinh viên năm hai thuộc nhóm phong cách học khác Khoa Luật, ĐHQGHN) M.A COMBINED PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 HANOI - 2015 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES - NGUYỄN THỊ HUYỀN TRANG A STUDY ON ENGLISH VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES EXPLOITED BY THE SECOND-YEAR STUDENTS OF DIFFERENT LEARNING STYLE PREFERENCES AT SCHOOL OF LAW, VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY (Nghiên cứu phƣơng pháp học từ vựng tiếng Anh sinh viên năm hai thuộc nhóm phong cách học khác Khoa Luật, ĐHQGHN) M.A COMBINED PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Supervisor: Assoc Prof Ph.D Nguyễn Văn Độ HANOI - 2015 DECLARATION I hereby, certify the thesis entitled “A study on vocabulary learning strategies exploited by second-year students of different learning styles at School of Law, Vietnam National University” is a presentation of my original research work Wherever contributions of others are involved, every effort is made to indicate this clearly, with due reference to the literature, and acknowledgement of collaborative research and discussions The work was done under the guidance of Assoc Prof PhD Nguyễn Văn Độ The research was approved by the University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi Hanoi, 2015 Nguyễn Thị Huyền Trang i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In order to complete this M.A thesis, I owe profound indebtedness to many people for their invaluable help during the conduct of the research First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor Assoc.Prof Nguyen Van Do, PhD and my lecturer Assoc.Prof Le Van Canh, PhD for their whole-hearted support, helpful guidance and considerable encouragement, which are the most decisive factors leading to the completion of this paper Besides, I would like to send my sincere thanks to the teachers and secondyear students at SOL, VNU who me a great deal of favor for their participations in the conduct of my survey questionnaire and interviews Without their precious help, this study would not have been completed I also owe a great debt of gratitude to my grandmother, my parents, my parents-in-law and my baby-sitter who constantly encouraged me and helped me take care of my little daughter during the time I conducted this study Last but not least, never enough thanks are sent to my husband – Nguyen Ba Tuong, who always stood by my side, suffered from my moody feelings and lent me his hands whenever I was in need during the implementation of this study ii ABSTRACT This study aims at exploring vocabulary learning strategies employed by the second-year students of different learning styles at School of Law, VNU In addition, the research paper suggested several possible ways to help students better their vocabulary learning strategies which are more likely to fit their learning styles The data collection tools used in this study included survey questionnaires and interviews Then the findings were coded and analyzed by both quantitative and qualitative methods The major findings of the study showed that most second-year students at SOL, VNU preferred visual learning style; ranking second was auditory learning style; and the fewest number of students was found to prefer kinesthetic learning style Besides, the study also denoted the most common VLS exploited by each learning style For instance, visual learners and auditory learners shared the similar preference for using memory strategies to learn English vocabulary while metacognitive strategies were most in favor by kinesthetic learners Based on the findings of the study, some pedagogical implications for both teachers and students were withdrawn along with recommended suggestions for further research iii TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Declaration……………………………….………………………………………….i Acknowledgements.…………………………………………………………………ii Abstract………………………………………………………………………… …iii List of charts, tables & abbreviations vi PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale Aims and research questions…………… 3 Significance…… Scope…………………………………………………………………… Methods………… Structure of the study…………………………………… ……………… PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW Key terms…………………………………………………………………….7 1.1 Learning style preferences (LSP)…………………………… ………7 1.1.1 Definitions…………………………………………………… 1.1.2 Classifications………………………………………… …….8 1.1.3 Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences………………… 10 1.1.4 Advantages of understanding individual LSP ………………11 1.2 Vocabulary learning strategies (VLS)…….……………… ……… 12 1.2.1 Definitions…………………………… …………………… 12 1.2.2 Classifications… ,………………………………… ………14 1.2.3 Advantages of using appropriate VLS……………… …… 20 1.3 The distinction between LSP and VLS………………………………21 An overview of related studies………………….…………………… … 22 CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY Design of the study…………………………………………………………26 Setting of the study………………………… …………………………….26 iv Participants and participant selection method………………………………27 Data collection instruments…………………………………………………28 4.1 Perceptual learning style preference questionnaire … 28 4.2 Strategy inventory for vocabulary learning……………………… ….30 4.3 Semi-structured interview………………………… …………………32 Data collection procedure…………………………… ……………………33 Data analysis methods……………………………………………… ……34 CHAPTER III: FINDINGS & DISCUSSION Answer of research question 1………….………………………………… 35 Answer of research question 2……………… ……………………………36 Answer of research question 3………………………………………… …56 PART C: CONCLUSION Recapitulations………………….……………………………….…………59 Conclusion………………………………………………………………….60 Pedagogical implications…………………… ……………………………61 Contributions of the study………………………………………………… 62 Limitations of the study………………………… ……………………… 63 Suggestions for further studies…………………………………….……… 64 REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………65 APPENDICES………………………………………………………………………I v LIST OF CHARTS, TABLES & ABBREVIATIONS List of charts Chart 1: Preferred learning styles of second-year students at SOL, VNU Chart 2: Percentage of overall strategies used by visual learners Chart 3: Percentage of overall strategies used by auditory learners Chart 4: Percentage of overall strategies used by kinesthetic learners List of tables Table i: Definitions of language learning strategies Table ii: Structured and unstructured approach to vocabulary learning by Sanaoui (1995) Table iii: Gu & Johnson’s classification of VLS (1996) Table iv: Schmitt’s taxonomy of VLS (1997) Table 1: Descriptive statistics of strategies used by visual learners in determination Table 2: Descriptive statistics of strategies used by visual learners in social (discovery) Table 3: Descriptive statistics of strategies used by visual learners in social (consolidation) Table 4: Descriptive statistics of strategies used by visual learners in memory Table 5: Descriptive statistics of strategies used by visual learners in cognitive Table 6: Descriptive statistics of strategies used by visual learners in metacognitive Table 7: Descriptive statistics of strategies used by auditory learners in determination Table 8: Descriptive statistics of strategies used by auditory learners in social (discovery) Table 9: Descriptive statistics of strategies used by auditory learners in social (consolidation) Table 10: Descriptive statistics of strategies used by auditory learners in memory vi Table 11: Descriptive statistics of strategies used by auditory learners in cognitive Table 12: Descriptive statistics of strategies used by auditory learners in metacognitive Table 13: Descriptive statistics of strategies used by kinesthetic learners in determination Table 14: Descriptive statistics of strategies used by kinesthetic learners in social (discovery) Table 15: Descriptive statistics of strategies used by kinesthetic learners in social (consolidation) Table 16: Descriptive statistics of strategies used by kinesthetic learners in memory Table 17: Descriptive statistics of strategies used by kinesthetic learners in cognitive Table 18: Descriptive statistics of strategies used by kinesthetic learners in metacognitive Table 19: Vocabulary learning strategies recommended by teachers List of abbreviations SOL, VNU: School of Law, Vietnam National University LSP: Learning style preferences VLS: Vocabulary learning strategies VAK: Visual – Auditory – Kinesthetic (Model) ELT: English Language Teaching L2 Second language SPSS Statistical Package for the Social Sciences n: Number of students F: Frequency X: Mean (average score) vii PART A: INTRODUCTION This first part states the problem and the rationale of the study, together with the general aims, objectives and the scope of the study as a whole Most importantly, it is in this chapter that the research questions are identified to work as clear guidelines for the whole research Rationale As a matter of fact, English has recently become one of the most popular languages in the world According to the statistics of Graddol (1997) in the publication named “The future of English”, there is a remarkable rise in the number of English users and this number is likely to reach two billion in the next decade Vietnam, in the process of integrating into the world, also identifies the importance of learning and teaching English in order to educate the adequate number of English users for this integration process However, in the last twenty years, effective and innovative English teaching methods at Vietnamese schools were mostly taken for granted and teachers were seen to focus on teaching testoriented skills In addition, these English tests generally put the emphasis on English grammar only There is hardly any doubt that the most popular teaching method then was grammar-translation On the contrary, nowadays, communication has become the main purpose of English learning with another approach – Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in which four skills of English: speaking, listening, reading and writing are paid as much attention to as grammar In this context, all member universities of Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) have applied CLT into teaching English; and four skills are thoroughly taught To be more highlighted, at this university, excluding English-major students at Hanoi University of Languages and International Studies, all other students, such as students at University of Engineering and Technology, University of Economics and Business or School of Law, are required to have the Certificate of English Level 3, which correspondents to B1 level in CEFR -fully-known as the Common European Framework of Reference, at the time of their graduation (Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training, 2014) sau nghe hướng dẫn từ chuyên gia Họ cảm thấy thích thú hướng dẫn qua điện thoại, nhớ hầu hết lời hát mà họ nghe  Những người có phong cách học tập vận động có xu hướng thích nhận thơng tin trải nghiệm thực tế sờ chạm, cảm giác, nắm giữ Khi muốn học biết thêm điều gì, người sử dụng cụm từ/câu “Hãy để làm thử xem nào!” Họ thực tốt việc sau thử làm Họ người thích trải nghiệm chân tay không xem hướng dẫn sử dụng trước làm PHẦN III: Câu hỏi xu hƣớng phong cách học tập sinh viên Hãy khoanh tròn đáp án giống với bạn thường làm: Khi sử dụng thiết bị mới, bạn thƣờng: a đọc hướng dẫn sử dụng trước b nghe giải thích từ người sử dụng thiết bị c tự sử dụng mà khơng cần hướng dẫn Khi muốn biết đƣờng đi, bạn thƣờng: a nhìn vào đồ b nhờ người khác hướng dẫn lời nói c dựa vào trực giác sử dụng la bàn Khi nấu ăn mới, bạn thích: a làm theo thực đơn viết b gọi điện cho bạn nhờ giải thích c làm theo trực giác, coi để thử khả nấu nướng thân Nếu bạn dạy mới, bạn có xu hƣớng: a viết hướng dẫn cho họ b giải thích cho họ lời nói c làm cho họ xem bắt họ thực hành Bạn có xu hƣớng nói rằng: a Hãy nhìn tơi làm này! b Hãy nghe tơi giải thích này! c Hãy hành động đi! Lúc rảnh, bạn thƣờng thích: XII a thăm bảo tàng triển lãm tranh b nghe nhạc nói chuyện với bạn bè c chơi thể thao làm việc Khi bạn mua quần áo: a bạn thường tưởng tượng xem bạn trơng mặc b nhận xét quần áo với nhân viên bán hàng hỏi ý kiến họ c mặc thử kiểm tra xem có hợp với khơng Khi bạn chọn kì nghỉ, bạn thƣờng: a đọc nhiều sách báo quảng cáo du lịch b nghe gợi ý từ bạn bè c tưởng tượng xem tới Nếu bạn mua ô tô mới, bạn thƣờng: a đọc bình luận báo chí, diễn đàn b thảo luận với bạn bè ô tơ c lái thử loại xe khác 10 Khi bạn học kĩ mới, bạn thích: a nhìn xem giáo viên làm b nói chuyện với giáo viên nghe họ giải thích kĩ c thử thực hành thực hành lại 11 Khi bạn chọn ăn thực đơn, bạn thƣờng: a tưởng tượng xem trơng b nói với người ăn định chọn c tưởng tượng xem lúc nếm có vị 12 Khi bạn nghe ban nhạc hát, bạn không ngừng: a xem ban nhạc biểu diễn ngó nghiêng xem phản ứng khán giả b nghe giai điệu ca từ c uốn éo, chuyển động thể câu hát 13 Khi bạn tập trung suy nghĩ đó, bạn thƣờng: a nhìn chằm chằm vào từ ngữ hình ảnh trước mặt XIII b nghĩ đầu vấn đề cách giải c đi lại lại, tay ngoáy/nghịch bút mân mê vật tay 14 Bạn chọn đồ đạc nhà bạn thích: a Màu sắc vẻ bề chúng b Miêu tả nhân viên bán hàng đồ c Kết cấu/họa tiết đồ cảm giác chạm vào vật 15 Kí ức bạn kí ức việc: a nhìn thấy b kể cho nghe chuyện c làm việc 16 Khi bạn lo lắng chuyện đó, bạn thƣờng: a tưởng tưởng tình xấu xảy b lảm nhảm điều khiến lo lắng c khơng ngồi yên chân yên tay 17 Bạn cảm thấy có cảm tình đặc biệt với bạn bị hấp dẫn bởi: a vẻ bề họ b điều họ nói với bạn c cảm giác bên họ 18 Khi bạn ôn thi, bạn thƣờng: a viết thật nhiều ghi sơ đồ để ôn luyện b đọc thành tiếng ghi với bạn c vẽ công thức cho riêng để dễ học 19 Nếu bạn giải thích cho chuyện gì, bạn thƣờng: a cho họ ý b giải thích lời nhiều cách khác c khuyến khích họ theo dõi cách làm thử làm việc 20 Bạn thực thích: a xem phim, tranh ảnh, đơn giản nhìn ngắm người xung quanh b nghe nhạc, nghe đài nói chuyện với bạn bè XIV c tham gia vào hoạt động thể thao, ăn ngon khiêu vũ 21 Bạn dành thời gian rảnh để: a xem TV b nói chuyện với bạn bè c hoạt động chân tay chế tạo vật 22 Khi bạn lần đầu liên hệ với ngƣời, bạn thƣờng: a xếp buổi gặp mặt trực tiếp b nói chuyện với họ qua điện thoại c xếp buổi ăn tham gia hoạt động 23 Lần đầu gặp mặt, bạn thƣờng ý tới: a cách ăn mặc vẻ bề người đối diện b giọng nói cách ăn nói người đối diện c cách đứng, di chuyển người đối diện 24 Nếu bạn tức giận, bạn thƣờng: a tái lại đầu việc làm tức giận b to tiếng nói cho người biết cảm giác c đá thúng đụng niêu vung chân tay thể tức giận 25 Bạn cảm thấy dễ nhớ điều ngƣời khác nhất: a mặt mũi b tên c việc người làm 26 Bạn phát ngƣời đối diện nói dối nếu: a họ tránh ánh mắt bạn b giọng nói họ thay đổi c họ có cử lạ lung, thừa thãi 27 Khi bạn gặp ngƣời bạn cũ, bạn thƣờng: a nói “Rất vui gặp lại cậu” b nói “Rất vui nghe tin cậu” c ôm bắt tay anh ấy/cơ XV 28 Bạn nhớ thứ tốt cách: a viết ghi in để đọc nhớ b đọc to lên nhắc nhắc lại từ c thực hành việc 29 Nếu bạn phàn nàn sản phẩm bị lỗi, bạn thích: a viết thư phàn nàn b phàn nàn qua điện thoại c mang đồ trả lại cửa hàng 30 Bạn có xu hƣớng nói: a “Tơi rõ ý bạn rồi” b “Tôi nghe thấy điều bạn nói” c “Tơi biết bạn cảm thấy nào” CẢM ƠN CÁC EM VÌ ĐÃ NHIỆT TÌNH GIÚP ĐỠ CÔ! XVI APPENDIX 5: VLS Questionnaire (Vietnamese Version) BẢNG CÂU HỎI KHẢO SÁT VỀ PHƢƠNG PHÁP HỌC TỪ VỰNG TIẾNG ANH Xin chào em sinh viên, cô Nguyễn Thị Huyền Trang Hiện cô giảng viên Khoa Tiếng Anh, ĐHNN – ĐHQGHN Cô làm nghiên cứu để tìm phương pháp học từ vựng sử dụng sinh viên năm Khoa Luật thuộc nhóm phong cách học khác Bảng câu hỏi khảo sát thiết kể với mục đích tìm tần suất sử dụng phương pháp học từ vựng tiếng Anh em sinh viên Để nghiên cứu thành cơng, em vui lịng giúp trả lời tất câu hỏi cách chân thật Cảm ơn em nhiều! PHẦN I: Thông tin ngƣời trả lời Em thuộc phong cách học nào? A Trực quan (Visual) B Thính giác (Auditory) C Vận động (Kinesthetic) Em học Tiếng Anh rồi? ………………… PHẦN II: Việc sử dụng phƣơng pháp học từ vựng sinh viên  Bảng câu hỏi khảo sát thiết kế dành cho sinh viên học tiếng Anh ngoại ngữ Cụ thể, câu hỏi hỏi cách học từ vựng tiếng Anh  Hãy tích vào ô phù hợp với tần suất sử dụng phương pháp học từ vựng em (5, 4, 3, 2, 1) = không sử dụng = thường xuyên sử dụng = sử dụng = luôn sử dụng = Phƣơng pháp học từ vựng Tần suất Tôi sử dụng từ điển song ngữ để dịch từ từ tiếng Anh sang tiếng Việt Tôi sử dụng tranh ảnh minh họa sách XVII để tìm nghĩa từ Tôi học nghĩa từ băng cách xác định chức cú pháp từ câu Tơi nhờ giáo viên dịch nghĩa từ sang tiếng Việt Tơi nhờ giáo viên đặt câu với từ để hiểu nghĩa từ Tôi hỏi bạn lớp nghĩa từ Tôi biết vài từ làm việc nhóm với bạn khác Tôi luyện tập từ tiếng Anh hoạt động nhóm Tơi nhờ đến giúp đỡ người ngữ 10 Tôi học từ văn hóa nước nói tiếng Anh 11 Tơi viết từ câu để nhớ từ 12 Tơi học từ cách nhớ tả (cách viết) chúng 13 Tôi sử dụng hành động chân tay học từ 14 Khi học từ mới, tơi đọc to từ lên 15 Tơi luyện tập từ mới, nhắc nhắc lại từ 16 Tôi viết từ lên thẻ học để nhớ từ 17 Tôi học từ cách nghe đĩa dạy từ vựng 18 Tôi ghi chép lại từ từ phim sang sổ từ vựng học chúng 19 Tôi làm thẻ từ vựng đâu mang theo để học 20 Tôi nghe nhạc tin tức tiếng Anh để học XVIII từ 21 Tơi nhớ từ cách đọc báo/tạp chí tiếng Anh 22 Tôi ôn lại từ vựng cũ trước học sang 23 Khi gặp phải từ nghe đọc tiếng Anh, bỏ qua chúng không cần biết nghĩa chúng 24 Tôi sử dụng tập mạng Internet để kiểm tra vốn từ vựng CẢM ƠN VÌ ĐÃ NHIỆT TÌNH HỒN THÀNH BẢNG CÂU HỎI KHẢO SÁT NÀY! XIX APPENDIX 6: Transcriptions of the interviews Following are extracts from the original There are three interviews with the teachers in total o All the transcriptions were originally in Vietnamese Provided below are English translation versions o I is short for Interviewer; A is short for teacher A; B is short for teacher B; and C is short for teacher C Information given in (…) is what assumed between the interviewer and interviewees, and thus was given for clarity of meaning […] denotes extracts that were cut out from the translation due to its irrelevance to the general content Interviewee A […] (1) How long have you been teaching English? A: I graduated from university in 2009 Since then, I have worked as a teacher (2) How long have you been teaching English for students at SOL, VNU? A: years (…) (3) At which level are your students? A: The level of the students I am teaching is pre-intermediate (4) How difficult is vocabulary learning to your students? A: They ever admitted to me that it was really difficult to remember new words after each lesson Moreover, they did not have many opportunities to practice the learned vocabulary items (5) Do you pay attention to your students‟ learning style preferences? A: Yes, but not much I think a class is the mixture of learning styles, so the students need to adapt themselves to the teacher’s teaching styles XX (6) Could you leave some comments on the visual students‟ use of VLS? Could you offer any recommendations for improvement? (The interviewer gives the interviewee the summary of the visual students‟ use of VLS) A: To the best of my knowledge, visual learners generally learn best from visual displays such as pictures, diagrams, videos or handouts; thus, that they exploited the strategies of using dictionary, writing a new word in a sentence or studying the spelling of new words is relatively suitable However, it might be better for them to remember words by using flash cards or pictures In addition, in order to know more new words in English, visual students should try reading authentic magazines or watching movies in English along with reading the subtitles (7) Could you leave some comments on the auditory students‟ use of VLS? Could you offer any recommendations for improvement? (The interviewer gives the interviewee the summary of the auditory students‟ use of VLS) A: As can be seen from the results of the use of VLS by auditory students, I think they went in the right track when learning English new words by asking their classmates, speaking words out loud or listening to English songs and news As we all know, auditory learners can learn best through listening to lectures and discussions or to what others say Therefore, the strategies they employed to study English vocabulary are very appropriate For the better, they should also use some other strategies such as talking with native speakers and listening to what they say, and asking for their teachers or classmates to explain the meaning of the new words Moreover, watching movies in English is also an effective way to know more new words […] (8) Could you leave some comments on the kinesthetic students‟ use of VLS? Could you offer any recommendations for improvement? (The interviewer gives the interviewee the summary of the kinesthetic students‟ use of VLS) A: The results of the survey questionnaire have shown that the strategies kinesthetic learners at SOL used were similar to the ones which were employed by the other XXI two groups of learning styles They are: using dictionary, asking classmates for the word meaning, practicing English in group work activities, speaking words out loud, listening to English songs and news, and skipping difficult words when encountering them According to my teaching experience, only the strategy of practicing English in group work activities might be suitable to their style of learning because kinesthetic learners may learn best from moving around classroom, touching the objects and realizing the tasks Therefore, maybe it is appropriate for them to practice authentic English with others in the classroom In order to get better results in learning English vocabulary, I think kinesthetic learners should also exploit the strategy of using physical actions when learning new words Interviewer: Thank you so much for your enthusiastic cooperation! Interviewee B […] (1) How long have you been teaching English? B: I have been teaching English for 10 years (2) How long have you been teaching English for students at SOL, VNU? B: years (3) At which level are your students? B: They are at pre-intermediate level (4) How difficult is vocabulary learning to your students? B: I think it is quite hard for them to remember words for long Moreover, most of them are lazy; they not spend much time on learning new words and revising them before each lesson (5) Do you pay attention to your students‟ learning style preferences? B: Yes, sure Each student has his or her own learning style which might somehow affect the learning strategies they approach, so their teacher needs to make them aware of their own perceptual learning styles and then have suitable strategies […] XXII (6) Could you leave some comments on the visual students‟ use of VLS? Could you offer any recommendations for improvement? (The interviewer gives the interviewee the summary of the visual students‟ use of VLS) B: Well, you know! As visual learners generally learn best from visual displays such as pictures, diagrams, videos or handouts; thus, it is relatively suitable for them to use dictionary, write a new word in a sentence or study the spelling of new words In my opinion, flash cards or pictures may work for their vocabulary learning; nevertheless, the frequencies of using these strategies by visual learners are very low So I think during the class time, the teachers should instruct them how to exploit these learning means for their self-study at home Otherwise, that teachers should use pictures or flash cards as visual aids in the classroom is also such a great idea (7) Could you leave some comments on the auditory students‟ use of VLS? Could you offer any recommendations for improvement? (The interviewer gives the interviewee the summary of the auditory students‟ use of VLS) B: As can be seen from the results of the use of VLS by auditory students, I think they used vocabulary learning strategies suitably Moreover, watching movies in English is also an effective way to know more new words Listening to English songs and singing along are good ways The next strategies which they can employ are listening to English news on some well-known channels such as BBC or CNN and repeatedly practicing the words they can figure out (8) Could you leave some comments on the kinesthetic students‟ use of VLS? Could you offer any recommendations for improvement? (The interviewer gives the interviewee the summary of the kinesthetic students‟ use of VLS) B: In my opinion, practicing English in group work activities is the most suitable for kinesthetic learners In addition, as kinesthetic learners prefer hands-on experience, they can go to some famous spots in Hanoi such as Sword Lake or Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum make friends with foreigners and practice communicating XXIII with them To learn English vocabulary well, kinesthetic learners can also physical actions when learning new words (…) Interviewer: Thank you so much for your enthusiastic cooperation! […] Interviewee C […] (1) How long have you been teaching English? C: I have been teaching English for 12 years (2) How long have you been teaching English for students at SOL, VNU? C: 10 years (3) At which level are your students? C: I am teaching classes One is at elementary level and the other is at preintermediate level (4) How difficult is vocabulary learning to your students? C: Some students who love learning English in general and knowing more new words in particular find it easy and relaxing to learn vocabulary while some others seem to be afraid of learning English and admit that vocabulary learning is very These students find it hard to remember a word for a long time (5) Do you pay attention to your students‟ learning style preferences? C: Yes, certainly Students’ learning style preferences are generally shown in the classes I am in charge of Some prefer learning English via songs or movies while others like practicing English grammar exercises As a teacher, I have to be more flexible in planning lessons to fit all learning styles (6) Could you leave some comments on the visual students‟ use of VLS? Could you offer any recommendations for improvement? (The interviewer gives the interviewee the summary of the visual students‟ use of VLS) (…) XXIV C: As can be seen here, the surveyed visual learners prefer to use dictionary, write a new word in a sentence or study the spelling of new words, which is quite appropriate for their learning style However, visual learners can also use pictures to learn words Maybe during the class time, they can ask their teacher to use body language or facial expressions to describe the word meaning This can enhance their ability of understanding and memorizing new words As a teacher who is in charge of this class, I think I may exploit pictures, movies or flash cards to evoke students’ ability of memorizing words as well as instruct them how to exploit these learning means for their self-study at home In addition, writing a new word in a sentence is a good way for visual learners to remember words longer (7) Could you leave some comments on the auditory students‟ use of VLS? Could you offer any recommendations for improvement? (The interviewer gives the interviewee the summary of the auditory students‟ use of VLS) C: Auditory learners learn best from listening to what others say or discussing with others such as teachers or classmates, so asking classmates for the word meaning, speaking words out loud and listening to English songs and news are considered suitable for them Another preferred strategy exploited by auditory learners is writing a new word in a sentence This strategy can be better for them if after putting the new word in a sentence, auditory learners read that sentence out loud Otherwise, auditory students can group together and practice discussing familiar topics in English I think this is also a good way for them to drill the learned vocabulary and maybe they can know more new words by listening to their friends saying (8) Could you leave some comments on the kinesthetic students‟ use of VLS? Could you offer any recommendations for improvement? (The interviewer gives the interviewee the summary of the kinesthetic students‟ use of VLS) C: In my opinion, in order to learn English vocabulary well, kinesthetic learners can physical actions to describe the words and to memorize them as well Gathering in groups and discussing something in English may work for them, too In addition, as XXV kinesthetic learners prefer hands-on experience, they can make their own sentences with the new words they have just learned and repeatedly practice them Communicating with native speakers is also a great idea to build up not only their confidence but also their vocabulary knowledge […] Interviewer: Thank you so much for your enthusiastic cooperation! XXVI ... vocabulary learning strategies exploited by each learning style? - What are the suitable English vocabulary learning strategies for each learning style as recommended by the teachers of English at School. .. conduct a study for her M .A thesis on the topic: ? ?A study on English vocabulary learning strategies exploited by the second year students of different learning style preferences at School of Law,. .. hereby, certify the thesis entitled ? ?A study on vocabulary learning strategies exploited by second- year students of different learning styles at School of Law, Vietnam National University” is a