An evaluation of vocabulary used in the textbook TIẾNG ANH 12 published by vietnam education publisher in 2008

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ********************** N O T N AN EVALUATION OF VOCABULARY USED IN THE TEXTBOOK “T ẾN AN 12” PUBL S ED BY V ETNAM EDUCATION PUBLISHER IN 2008 ánh giá từ vựng sách giáo khoa “T ẾN AN 12” xuất Nhà xuất Giáo dục Việt Nam năm 2008 M A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 HANOI - 2017 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ********************** N O T N AN EVALUATION OF VOCABULARY USED IN THE TEXTBOOK “T ẾN AN 12” PUBL S ED BY V ETNAM EDUCAT ON PUBLISHER IN 2008 ánh giá từ vựng sách giáo khoa “T ẾN AN 12” xuất Nhà xuất Giáo dục Việt Nam năm 2008 M A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Supervisor: Dr Ngu n Th Ng c Qu nh HANOI - 2017 DECLARATION I certify that this thesis entitled: “ “ in 2008 , which is submitted in partial fulfilment of M A Degree at Faculty of Post Graduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, is the result of my own work The material in this thesis, wholly or in part, has not been submitted for a degree to any other universities or institutions Hanoi, 2017 Signature ng Ho i Th i ng ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Ms Nguyen Thi Ngoc Quynh I would never have finished my dissertation without her useful and insightful comments and advice I would also like to give thanks to my teachers for their precious sharing of experiences, knowledge, and resource materials with me during my study Last but not least, I wish to thank students and teachers participating in my study, my colleagues, and study mates for their help and support throughout my master’s degree course ii ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to evaluate the voca ulary in the text ook TI NG ANH 12 pu lished in 2008 in terms of the selection of voca ulary, the presentation, and the vocabulary practice The study investigated aspects of word knowledge, and vocabulary learning strategies, and types of vocabulary activities underlying vocabulary activities A total of 180 randomly selected grade - twelve students and five English teachers in an upper-secondary school in Bac Ninh province were involved The data were collected through textbook analysis with the help of Range program by Nation (2002), questionnaires and interview Then, the information obtained from these sources were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively and evaluated using a checklist The data analysis tools used for the study are SPSS 20, and Excel The study consists of two main parts with the selection of vocabulary, the designs of the explicit vocabulary activities with reference to vocabulary learning strategies, and aspects of word knowledge, and types The results showed that the textbook has low pedagogical value and insufficient lexical input for learners in terms of vocabulary selection The results also showed that there is a gap between what is pedagogically desirable about vocabulary learning strategies and what is actually included in the textbook The textbook hardly reflects all aspects of knowing a word in its vocabulary tasks and lack of diversity in designing explicit vocabulary activities iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS………………………………………………………………………… ….iv LIST OF TABLES vi LIST OF FIGURES vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Scope of the study 1.3 The objective of the study 1.4 Research questions 1.5 Significance of the study 1.6 Organization of the dissertation CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 2.1 Vocabulary learning and practice 2.1.1 Definitions of vocabulary 2.1.2 Vocabulary learning and practice 2.2 Evaluation and Textbook evaluation 2.3 Evaluating vocabulary in a textbook using a checklist 10 Vocabulary selection criteria 14 2.5 Aspects of word knowledge 17 2.6 Vocabulary learning strategies 19 2.7 Previous studies on evaluating vocabulary in the textbooks 20 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 26 3.1 Methodological approach 26 3.2 Research procedure 26 3.3 Study population 27 3.4 The general description of the text ook TI NG ANH 12 29 Research instruments 31 3.5.1 Textbook analysis 31 3.5.2 Survey questionnaire 32 3.5.3 Interview 33 3.6 Data collection evaluative checklist 34 3.7 Data analysis tools 34 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 36 4.1 Research question 1: How are the target vocabulary items in the textbook under study selected? 36 4.1.1 Results from textbook analysis 36 4.1.2 Results from survey questionnaires 42 4.1.3 Results from interviews 44 4.2 Research question 2: How is vocabulary presented and practised in relation to aspects of word knowledge, vocabulary learning strategies, and types of vocabulary activities? 46 iv 4.2.1 Results from textbook analysis 46 4.2.2 Results from survey questionnaires 50 4.2.3 Results from interviews 50 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 52 5.1 Summary of the major findings of the study 52 5.2 Pedagogical implications 54 5.3 Limitations of the study and suggestions for further study 54 5.4 Concluding remarks 55 REFERENCES 56 APPENDICES I v LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Vocabulary size (Schmitt, 2000)……………………………………….… 15 Table 2: Aspects of word knowledge (Nation, 2001, p 27)……………….……… 18 Ta le 3: Research population’s information……………………………….…………27 Table 4: Groups of learners……………………………………………………… .28 Table 5: Information about teachers participating in the study……………….…… 29 Table 6: Number of types and word families in the first three BNC word frequency lists…………………………………………………………………………………….32 Table 7: Frequency of words in the whole book…………………………………… 37 Table 8: The distribution of frequency words in the textbook…………………… 39 Table 9: Range of key vocabulary items in the textbook under study…………… 39 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Types and tokens in the textbook……………………………………….38 Figure 2: Key vocabulary items in the textbook……………………………… 40 Figure 3: Word grouping in the textbook…………………………………………41 Figure 4: Number of explicit vocabulary exercises………………………………42 Figure 5: Aspects of knowledge in explicit vocabulary activities……………… 47 Figure 6: Vocabulary learning strategies in explicit vocabulary activities…… 48 Figure (a): Types of vocabulary activities…………………………………… 49 Figure (b): Types of vocabulary activities………………………………………49 vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale In English language teaching and learning in general, vocabulary plays a very important role Norbert Schmitt (2000, p 19), stated that one of the key elements in learning a foreign language is mastering L2 vocabulary Wilkins (1972, pp 111-112) also wrote that …while without grammar very little can e conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can e conveyed In fact, the more students learn, the more complex they find their learning Students not only learn a single word, but at advanced levels, they have to learn other components of the words including antonyms, synonyms, allophones, collocation, semantic, and pragmatics A rich vocabulary makes the skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing easier to perform, (Nation, 1994, p 8) Likewise, Richards and Rodgers (2002), appreciated the role of vocabulary teaching and learning in comparison to grammar Vocabulary difficulty has been found to be one of the best predictors of text difficulty (Chall, 1958), cited in Steven A Stahl and Michael C Jacobson (1986, p 309) Teaching vocabulary will not guarantee success in reading, just as learning to read words will not guarantee success in reading However, lacking either adequate word identification skills or adequate voca ulary will ensure failure (Biemiller, 2005) A wide number of people around the world today use English as a second or foreign language In learning a language, vocabulary knowledge is viewed as an important factor Textbook plays a role as the skeleton for the whole learning and teaching process Sheldon (1988, p 237), Course ooks are perceived y many to e the route map for any ELT program, laying bare its shape, structure, and destination, with progress, program, and even teacher quality being assessed by learners in terms of sequential , unit-by-unit coverage Thorn ury (2002) sees text ooks as sources of words He claims that vocabulary input is realized in the actual content of books by means of segregated activities, integrated text-based activities, grammar explanations and task instructions In addition, textbooks are commodities, political objects, and cultural representations and, therefore, are the site and result of struggles and compromise in order to determine how and by whom they will be produced, how and by whom their contents will be selected, how and to whom they will be distributed, and how teachers and students will make use of them (ASEAN) of recommendation namely, Peso, series, stability, thus V realization, socio-economic, APPENDIX Classification of vocabulary learning strategies by Schmitt (1997, p 206) Strategy group Vocabulary learning Definition strategies STRATEGIES FOR THE DISCOVERY OF THE NEW WORD’S MEAN N DET Analyse part of speech Identifying the part of speech of the new word (verb, noun, adjective, and adverb) to help know the meaning DET Analyse affixes and roots Studying the new word by breaking up into the main parts (un-help-ful = unhelpful) DET Check for L1 cognate Checking for Vietnamese words that are similar in form and meaning to the new word DET Analyse any available pictures Analysing any pictures or gestures to help understand the new word DET Guess meaning from textual Guessing the meaning context of the new word from the context in which it occurs DET Bilingual dictionary English - Vietnamese dictionary DET Monolingual dictionary English dictionary VI – English DET Word lists DET Flash cards SOC Ask teacher for an L1 translation SOC Ask teacher for paraphrase or synonym of new word SOC Ask teacher for a sentence including the new word SOC Ask classmates for meaning SOC Discover new meaning through group work activity STRATEGIES FOR CONSOLIDATING A WORD ONCE IT HAS BEEN ENCOUNTERED SOC Study and practice meaning in a group SOC Teacher checks students’ flash cards or word lists for accuracy SOC Interact with native speakers MEM Study word with a pictorial representation of its meaning MEM Image word’s meaning MEM Connect word to a personal experience MEM Associate the word with its coordinates MEM Connect the word to its synonyms and antonyms VII MEM Use semantic maps MEM Use scales for grada le adjectives MEM Peg Method Allowing unrelated items such as words in a word recalled list to be by linking these items with a set of memorized pegs or hooks which can vary from rhyming words to digits MEM Loci Method It is aimed at remembering speeches In particular, imagines location, room, a one familiar such one as a mentally places the first time to be remembered in the first second location, item in the the second location, and so forth MEM Group words together to study them MEM Groups words together Rearranging words on a spatially on a page page to form patterns such as triangle, which helps better retention MEM Use new words in sentences MEM Group words together with a VIII story line MEM Study the spelling of a word MEM Study the sound of a word MEM Say new word aloud when studying MEM Image word form MEM Underline initial letter of the word MEM Configuration MEM Use keyword method Calling for establishment of an acoustic and imaginable link between an L2 word to be learned and a word in L1 which sounds similar It helps forge L1-L2 linkages and is particularly favourable at the initial stages of EFL learning MEM Affixes and roots (remembering) MEM Part of speech (remembering) MEM Paraphrase the word’s meaning MEM Use cognates in study MEM Learn the words of an idiom together MEM Use physical action when learning a word MEM Use semantic feature grids IX COG Verbal repetition COG Written repetition COG Word lists COG Flash cards COG Take notes in class COG Use the vocabulary section in your textbook COG Listen to tape of word lists COG Put English labels on physical objects COG Keep a vocabulary notebook MET Use English – language media (songs, movies, newscasts, etc) MET Use spaced word practice (expanding rehearsal) MET Testing oneself with word tests MET Skip or pass new word MET Continue to study word over time X APPENDIX P ẾU OS T ẾN Phi u kh o s t n y CS N 12 – N M c thi t k cho t i nghi n c u v t v ng s ch gi o khoa TI NG ANH 12 (Nh xu t C 201 -2017 nh gi c a h c sinh n gi o d c, 2008) t m hi u v quan i m c a h c sinh v t v ng t p s ch gi o khoa n y Em h y cho i t ki n c a m nh cho t ng câu h i d c ng qu gi i ây S ng g p ki n c a em l v i v i nghi n c u Th ng tin c nhân c a em s kh ng t k ho n c nh n o v nh ng ki n c a em s ti t l c gi k n v ch nghi n c u n y Trân tr ng c m n s h p t c v tham gia ng g p c s d ng cho ki n c a em Th ng tin c nhân H v t n: Gi i t nh: N Nam Sinh n m: u h c ti ng Anh t n m i h c: ho n to n thi u) C uh i S h p ph v v n c nh T v ng ph h p v i ho n c nh v t nh hu ng th c t T v ng s ch gi o khoa th hi n c c c quan i m t ch c c v ngu n g c dân t c, ngh nghi p, nh m tu i, v t ng l p x h i T v ng s ch gi o khoa th hi n XI r t thi u kh ng t t; l a ch n ph h p (4 to n nh th ờng; nh d u ( ) v o Ho n t t; = t t; i ây, em h y h ng t t i v i m i câu h i d B nh thư ng thi T t Kh i ch n Rất t t B t n i dung mang y u t v n h a, truy n th ng v phong t c phong ph , a d ng nh c th ti p c n C c câu v v d c d ng nh ngh a t v ng m i s d ng c c t m c h c sinh i t T v ng m i ph h p v i tr nh c a h c sinh S ph h pv s S l ng t v ng m i m i ng t v ng S l c tr nh y i ph h p v i h c sinh ng t v ng m i to n c tr nh y quy n s ch gi o khoa ph h p v i h c sinh S ph n ph i c n ng c t v ng T v ng c phân ph i c c i h c nv T v ng c phân ng u gi a ng u gi a t kh v t m i m t nv i h c S p c i 10 t v ng T v ng m i c luy n t p th ng qua c c nhi m v v t v ng 11 C c nhi m v v t gi a t v ng v ng c li n h h c v t v ng v a c gi i thi u S th ch 12 c h c 13 S ch gi o khoa c p n nhi u ch nhi u l nh v c kh c sinh S T v ng gây h ng th cho h c sinh c n 14 thi t c h c sinh T v ng c cung c p gi p ph t tri n n k n ng c 15 n: nghe, n i, c, vi t T v ng s ch gi o khoa gi p h c sinh c th li n h , th c h nh giao ti p c c ho n c nh, t nh hu ng th c t Xin ch n th nh cảm n hợp tác v gi p đ c a m XII APPENDIX Fundamentals for an evaluative checklist No Criteria Adopted from Questionnaire items Appropriateness Cel-ce-Murcia (1) of context (1991) introduced in appropriate contexts and The vocabulary items are situations (2) The vocabulary used in the textbook expresses positive views of ethnic origins, occupations, age groups and social groups (3) The vocabulary in the textbook helps show the content that expresses different cultures, traditions, and customs Accessibility Cel-ce-Murica (4) The sentences and examples that (1991) define new vocabulary use words that are known by learners (5) New words are suitable with learners’ level of proficiency Load suitability Cel-ce-Murcia (6) The (1991) introduced number in of every new words lesson is appropriate to the linguistic level of students (8-12 vocabulary units in one lesson (Schmitt & McCarthy, 1997, 153), 20-25 per unit (7) The number of new words introduced in the whole book is appropriate Balanced Cel-ce-Murcia (8) The even distribution of vocabulary distribution (1991) among units (9) The even distribution of simple and complex words in a unit is provided XIII Vocabulary White (1998) Frequency (high frequency or low selection frequency?) What are the most frequent words? Range (Number of words appear in a wide range of different texts) How many items are introduced at once? What vocabulary is important to be learned in this course? How many words students should learn? How are vocabulary items grouped? Aspects of Nation (2001) What aspect of knowing a word is knowing a word introduced in vocabulary tasks? Vocabulary Litz (2007) (10) Do the new items receive recycle/ Gairns and Redman sufficient practice through different repetitions (1986) kinds of exercises? Celce-Murcia, (11) Do the vocabulary exercises (1991) promote previously relation and between newly the introduced items? Vocabulary task Miekley (2005) Are the vocabulary items presented in design a number of ways? The exercises for vocabulary are rich and adequate Students’ White (1998) (12) Words introduced are interesting interests, needs to learners (13) The textbook covers a variety of topics from different fields Is it useful in improving learners’ autonomy? XIV (14) Is the vocabulary helpful in improving four basic English skills: reading, listening, writing, and speaking? (15) Is it adequate for students to communicate in basic English? 10 Vocabulary Schmitt (1997) learning strategies introduced XV APPENDIX The vocabulary is 12 % F 6.7 25 suitable with realistic % F % F % F 13 10 57 29 16 10 16 88 48 40 22 15 20 99 55 24 13 11 23 84 46 32 17 11 15 11 63 24 13 3 lacking Totally Weak % Mean F Adequate Question Good Excellent Result from the survey questionnaire 5.6 2.0 situation sand contexts The vocabulary expresses 4.4 29 positive 8.3 1.8 views of ethnic origins, occupations, groups, age and social groups The vocabulary 5.0 37 helps show content that expresses 6.1 2.0 different cultures, traditions, and customs The sentences and 11 6.1 42 examples that are used to introduce 6.1 2.0 new vocabulary use words that are known by learners New presented words in the 4.4 27 textbook are suitable with learners’ level of proficiency XVI 3.9 2.0 The number of new words introduced 1.7 39 in 21 94 52 33 18 11 6.1 1.9 15 92 51 36 20 18 10 1.8 0 18 91 50 30 16 13 7.2 2.0 15 97 53 34 18 14 9 13 84 46 46 25 17 22 89 49 28 15 13 14 94 52 39 21 16 21 86 47 34 18 13 each unit is appropriate with the linguistic level of students The number of 3.3 28 words in the whole book is appropriate The vocabulary is 12 evenly 6.7 34 distributed among units Simple and complex 4.4 27 words in each unit are 7.8 1.8 evenly distributed 10 New vocabulary 4.4 25 items receive sufficient practice 9.4 1.7 through different kinds of tasks and exercises 11 The vocabulary practice activities promote relation 5.0 41 7.2 2.0 between the previously and newly introduced items 12 The presented textbook vocabulary in 2.8 26 the 8.9 1.8 interests students 13 The textbook deals with a wide variety of topics of 5.0 38 students’ XVII 7.2 1.9 interests 14 The vocabulary is 4.4 27 adequate for students to develop four 15 10 55 36 20 19 11 62 11 6.1 14 5.0 1.9 basic English skills: Reading, Speaking, Listening, and Writing 15 The vocabulary is helpful in improving students’ relate a ility to situations, 3.9 35 to realistic and to practice communicating in different situations and contexts XVIII 7.8 2.0 APPENDIX Interview (1) Do you find students’ ooks among three ooks in the set useful? (2) What you think about the selection of vocabulary in the text ook TI NG ANH 12 in terms of following aspects? - The appropriateness of context - The accessibility - The number of new words - The distribution of vocabulary - The word grouping - Students’ interests and needs - The word recycle (3) Do you think the voca ulary presentation improve students’ word knowledge? Why or why not? (4) Do you think the voca ulary presentation improve students’ voca ulary learning through different vocabulary learning strategies (5) What did you to adapt the textbook in teaching vocabulary in the textbook? (6) What are your suggestions for the presentation of vocabulary in the textbooks? XIX ... appropriateness of the vocabulary presented in the text ook TI NG ANH 12 that is still in use in the majority of upper-secondary schools in English teaching and learning context in Vietnam in general and in. .. upward In conclusion, the textbook reveals an unbalance regarding the amount of vocabulary offered the distribution of vocabulary throughout the three ranges, and the frequency of vocabulary The vocabulary. .. are the target vocabulary items in the textbook under study selected? 4.1.1 Results from textbook analysis Initially, in the text ook TI NG ANH 12 , pu lished y the Ministry of Training and Education