the effects of using flashcards in teaching vocabulary to young learners in large classes

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL THE EFFECTS OF USING FLASHCARDS IN TEACHING VOCABULARY TO YOUNG LEARNERS IN LARGE CLASSES A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in TESOL Submitted by NGUYEN TRONG QUYET Supervisor: Dr NGUYEN NGOC VU Class: MTESOL016A Student Code: 1681401110018 Major Code: 60140111 Ho Chi Minh City, August 2018 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I certify that the thesis entitled “THE EFFECTS OF USING FLASHCARDS IN TEACHING VOCABULARY TO YOUNG LEARNERS IN LARGE CLASSES” is my own work Except where reference is made in the text of the thesis, this thesis does not contain material published elsewhere or extracted in whole or in part from a thesis by which I have qualified for or been awarded another degree or diploma No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the main text of the thesis This thesis has not been submitted for the award of any degree or diploma in any other tertiary institution Ho Chi Minh City, August 2018 NGUYEN TRONG QUYET i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my special thanks to the contribution of those who supported and encouraged me during the time I worked on this thesis Without their help, I could hardly complete this research Firstly, I am particularly grateful for the assistance given by my supervisor, Dr Nguyen Ngoc Vu, for all of his support during the time I have done this thesis As a novice researcher, I am lucky to have worked with him He has helped me to acquire more knowledge and has encouraged me to overcome the difficulties in conducting this research Secondly, I would like to give my heartfelt thanks to the teachers who have given fascinating lectures and myriad of learning materials during the MTESOL course I am inspired to continuously broaden my knowledge in this field thanks to their encouragement and advice Thirdly, I would like to express my thanks to the staff of the postgraduate school and librarians at Ho Chi Minh City Open University for their contribution to this research Fourthly, I am deeply indebted to all my colleagues and my students at Nguyen Trai Secondary School Their open-hearted sharings and support gave me the best condition to conduct my study Lastly, I would like to thank my family for their love, sacrifice and support NGUYEN TRONG QUYET ii ABSTRACT As an English learning aid, flashcards are widely used They have been used by teachers and learners in various educational activities around the world For young learners’ learning characteristics, it is suitable to apply flashcard-based activities as they successfully help learners learn vocabulary in an effective and supportive way In learning an L2, teachers can employ flashcards to create useful learning activities (Elgort, 2011; Webb, 2002, 2009a) by adapting this teaching aid suitably to the practical and mental conditions Flashcard-based instructions facilitate students’ vocabulary learning because it encourages students to learn their language creatively, skillfully and collaboratively This study aims to investigate the effects of using flashcard-based instructions in learning environment whilst teaching English vocabulary It is a quasi-experimental study including a twelve-week teaching with flashcards The researcher uses statistical tools to calculate the data from pre-test and post-test sessions Then the result is compared and contrasted with knowledge related to the issue of the research for further understanding The research also includes student survey, reflection paper and a teacher interview The participants of the study include 78 students from the eighth grade and five teachers at Nguyen Trai Secondary School in Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam From the results of this study, the majority of students consider flashcard-based instruction a useful and supportive method thanks to its positive effects on providing them with robust vocabulary competence and stress-free language learning lesson Also, on the ground of its own features flashcard-based instruction will effectively facilitate learners’ lexical learning Along with the development of CALL learning and teaching materials, students will increasingly benefit from language lessons integrated with flashcards iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CALL Computer-Assisted Language Learning CG Control Group CLT Communitive Language Teaching CPH Critical Period Hypothesis EFL English as a Foreign Language EG Experimental Group ESL English as a Second Language HCMCOU Ho Chi Minh City Open University L1 First language L2 Second language M Mean Max Maximum Min Minimum MOET Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam SD Standard Deviation SLA Second Language Acquisition TESOL Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages iv TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS v LIST OF TABLES x LIST OF FIGURES xi CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study 1.2 Aims of the study 1.3 Statement of the problem 1.4 Research questions of the study 1.5 Significance of the study 1.6 Statement of the problem 1.7 Overview of the study CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Young learners 2.1.1 Introduction 2.1.2 Characteristics of young learners 11 2.1.2.1 Intellectual development 12 2.1.2.2 Vocabulary retention 12 2.1.2.3 Attention span 13 v 2.1.2.4 2.2 Sensory input 14 Vocabulary 15 2.2.1 What is vocabulary? 15 2.2.2 Kinds of vocabulary 15 2.2.3 Fundamental hypotheses related to vocabulary teaching and learning 16 2.2.4 Stages of teaching vocabulary 17 2.2.5 Techniques in teaching vocabulary 18 2.2.6 Vocabulary mastery 20 2.2.7 Vocabulary acquisition for young learners 21 2.2.8 Previous studies on the relationship between flashcards and vocabulary retention 24 2.3 Flashcards 25 2.3.1 What is flashcard? 25 2.3.2 Kinds of flashcards 26 2.3.3 Use of flashcards 26 2.3.4 Flashcards in SLA 29 2.4 Large classes 33 2.4.1 What is large class? 33 2.4.2 Difficulty in teaching large classes 34 2.4.3 Flashcard as a teaching tool in large classes 34 CHAPTER METHODOLOGY 36 3.1 Introduction 36 3.2 Research approach 36 3.3 Research site 36 vi 3.4 Participants 37 3.5 Research approach 37 3.6 Research design 39 3.6.1 Pre-test 39 3.6.2 Post-test 40 3.6.3 Questionnaire 40 3.6.4 Reflection paper 42 3.6.5 Teacher’s interview 43 3.7 Study procedure 43 3.8 Analytical framework 44 3.8.1 Experimental data analysis 44 3.8.2 T-Test 45 3.9 Reliability and validity 45 3.9.1 Checking assumptions for t-tests 45 3.9.2 Checking internal consistency of the questionnaires 46 3.10 Chapter summary 46 CHAPTER DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 47 4.1 Introduction 47 4.2 Pre-test and Post-test Result 47 4.2.1 Comparison of mean scores 47 4.2.2 Independent Samples T-test in Pre-test of CG and EG 48 4.2.3 Paired Samples T-test of CG in Pre-test and Post-test 50 4.2.4 Paired Samples T-test of EG in Pre-test and Post-test 51 vii 4.2.5 Independent samples t-test in post-test of CG and EG 52 4.3 Results from questionnaires 54 4.3.1 Reliability Statistics 54 4.3.2 Students' attitudes on the importance of vocabulary 55 4.3.3 Strategy of learning vocabulary 56 4.3.4 Experience of learning with flashcards 58 4.3.5 Students’ attitudes towards vocabulary learning 58 4.3.6 Advantages of learning vocabulary with flashcard-based instruction 60 4.3.7 Disadvantages of learning vocabulary with flashcard-based instruction 61 4.4 Reflection paper 62 4.5 Teachers’ interview and discussion 66 4.5.1 Popularity of flashcards in language lessons 66 4.5.2 Some difficulties in teaching with flashcard-based techniques 67 4.5.3 Evaluation on students’ attitudes toward flashcard-integrated lessons 68 4.5.4 Some advice using flashcards in large classrooms 68 4.6 Chapter Summary 69 CHAPTER CONCLUSION, RECOMMENDATION, AND LIMITATION 70 5.1 Introduction 70 5.2 Conclusion 70 5.3 Implication 71 5.4 Recommendation 72 5.5 Limitation 73 viii REFERENCES 74 APPENDICES 86 Appendix Pre-test paper form 86 Appendix Post-test paper form 90 Appendix 3Answer sheet of pre-test and post-test paper 94 Appendix Score table of pre-test and post-test 96 Appendix Questionnaire on using flashcards to learn English vocabulary (Vietnamese) 97 Appendix Questionnaire on using flashcards to learn English vocabulary (English) 100 Appendix Reliability of item-total statistics 103 Appendix Questionnaire on using flashcards to learn English vocabulary (Vietnamese) 104 Appendix Reflection paper of students (English) 105 Appendix 10 Questions for teacher interview 106 ix 39 Japan ………40% of its waste a reuses b recycles c refills d rebuilds 40 I………some rice on the floor of the chicken coop a scattered b grew c threw away d raised 41 Milk bottles can be ………after being cleaned a collect b thrown away c broken d reused 42 ………is waste from the body of a large animal such as an elephant or a cow a Compost b Dung c Garbage d Fertilizer 43 He rarely shows his feelings He’s rather……… a reserved b sociable c humorous d helpful 44 ………is something that you say or to make people laugh a Joke b Novel c Poem d Fairy tale 45 I was late, but ………they waited for me a lovely b luckily c extremely d silly 46 ………is a building in which movies are shown a Movie theater b University c Aquarium d Restaurant 47 Jenny’s not here now Can I take a(n) ………? a message b advice c news d information 48 We all have our favorite ………of doing certain things a roads b paths c ways d streets 49 ………is a thing that you use in a kitchen for cooking food a Cooker b Cook c Refrigerator d Counter 50 I was born in Vietnam; Vietnamese is my……… a mother tongue b first language c foreign language d second language Part B: Give correct form of the words given 51 On Christmas Day, I often send my close friends ………………cards (greet) 52 Paris is ………… ……for the Eiffel Tower (fame) 53 He has been an active………… …… in the contest (participate) 54 The school drama society will give …………… …of Hamlet (perform) 55 Last night, the TV program was very ………… …… (interest) 56 I think these thick clothes are ………for cold weather (suit) 57 It’s …………… …in England to eat turkey on Christmas Day (tradition) 58 Santa Claus is based on the ………… …… of Saint Nicholas in a poem (describe) 59 Dad was putting up the Christmas………… …… (decorate) 60 This singer is quickly winning ………… ……with teenagers (popular) 61 Over 300 …………… …entered the race last year (compete) 62 Every week, there are two…………….….from Ha Noi to Nha Trang (fly) 63 The next……….……….for New York will be at 11.00 (depart) 64 The……………… of Flight 106 from Boston has been delayed (arrive) 65 …………….…., dark clouds soon appeared and it began to rain (fortunate) 66 My family live in a northern…………….….region (mountain) 67 He received the award in…………….….of his success over the past year (recognize) 68 Linda is one of the ……….………from Friends of the Earth (represent) 92 69 The country’s ……….………resources include forests, coal and oil (nature) 70 It’s ……….………to cross the motorway (danger) 71 Compost is a wonderful……… ……… It helps plants grow (fertilize) 72 Air is a ……… ………of gases (mix) 73 The outbreak of the flu epidemic resulted in a sharp ……………….in the number of tourists (reduce) 74 This book is very interesting It contains lots of……………….information (use) 75 The river has been used for many years as an……………….waste dump.(industry) 76 The silence and ……………… of the house made the children feel frightened (empty) 77 She’s ……… ……… fit for her age (wonder) 78 There have been strange ……… ……… here lately (happen) 79 The results of the research are ……… ……… at the end of the chapter (summary) 80 Do you have any ……….……….?(suggest) 81 The public have responded ……… ……… to our appeal (magnificent) 82 The room still has many of its ……… ……… features (origin) 83 The ……….……… of water caused the dam to burst (press) 84 The heart pumps ……….……… around the body (bleed) 85 I want an …………….… reply (immediately) 86 The victim who has a dog bite needs an anti-tetanus …………….… (inject) 87 She is very …………….… about her mother's health (anxiety) 88 The nurse is giving Lan some first-aid ………….…… (instruct) 89 I'd like to visit Australia because Australian people are very …………….… (friend) 90 It's not easy to find cheap …………….… at busy times (accommodate) 91 London is…………….… for its historic buildings and churches (fame) 92 Last summer we had an…………….… trip to Sapa (enjoy) 93 The waste from the chemical factory is very …………….… (harm) 94 People are now concerned about …………….… pollution (environment) 95 My grandfather is over 80, but he is still very …………….… (act) 96 I prefer the dry season to the …………….… season because I don’t like wet weather (rain) 97 He traveled across the …………….… fields by sleigh (snow) 98 She greeted all the guests …………….… when they arrived (warm) 99 It was an …………….… trip Everyone enjoyed it (excite) 100 We went on a lot of …………….… tours when we visited different cities (sightsee) 93 Appendix Answer sheet of pre-test and post-test paper VOCABULARY TEST GRADE 8, SEMESTER ACADEMIC YEAR: 2017-2018 Time allowed: 90 minutes Date: April ……., 2018 Full name: ………………… Class: 8/… TEST CODE: ANSWER SHEET Part A: Choose the word or phrase that best completes each unfinished sentence below Question Answer Question Answer A B C C A B C 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 10 35 11 36 12 37 13 38 14 39 15 40 16 41 17 42 18 43 19 44 20 45 21 46 22 47 23 48 24 49 25 50 Part B: Give correct form of the words given Question 51 52 53 Answer Question 76 77 78 94 Answer D 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 95 Appendix Score table of pre-test and post-test CG No 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 Gend er 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 2 EG Pre-test Post-test No 3.4 1.4 3.6 6.1 2.9 3.6 2.6 4.6 3.9 4.4 4.1 5.6 5.9 4.1 2.5 3.1 3.1 3.4 3.6 2.4 2.9 3.1 0.9 3.4 5.1 1.6 4.3 3.4 4.1 1.4 2.1 1.9 2.6 5.4 1.9 5.1 1.8 2.0 4.4 3.5 1.6 5.5 6.2 3.5 2.1 3.0 2.1 2.8 4.0 2.3 2.8 6.3 4.9 2.6 5.1 5.7 2.4 4.6 2.7 1.5 4.6 1.5 3.7 2.7 3.4 5.3 3.1 5.1 1.2 4.3 2.3 1.7 5.9 1.6 3.7 3.3 2.5 5.3 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 96 Gende r 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 1 Pre-test Post-test 2.5 4.3 4.8 3.8 8.5 3.5 3.3 4.8 3.5 4.3 3 2.5 3.8 4.8 5.8 5.8 4.3 6.5 5.8 2.3 1.8 2.8 3.3 4.3 3.8 6.9 5.6 2.2 4.6 5.7 8.1 1.7 1.4 4.6 3.7 4.5 4.7 8.2 2.1 6.5 3.6 3.7 3.1 6.5 7.2 5.1 4.9 5.8 5.1 7.3 7.3 3.1 3.5 2.8 5.1 2.8 4.6 7.2 3.5 3.9 2.8 Appendix Questionnaire on using flashcards to learn English vocabulary (Vietnamese) SỬ DỤNG FLASHCARD ĐỂ HỌC TỪ VỰNG TIẾNG ANH Các em học sinh thân mến, Khi học tiếng Anh, điều quan trọng phải có đủ vốn từ vựng Sử dụng Flashcard để học từ vựng chứng minh hiệu tiện lợi Bản câu hỏi nhằm thu thập thông tin việc học sinh lớp 8/1 sử dụng Flashcards để hỗ trợ việc học từ vựng em Hãy hoàn thành câu hỏi sau cẩn thận tốt Thông tin cá nhân bạn giữ bí mật Chân thành cảm ơn! PHẦN A THÔNG TIN CÁ NHÂN [1] Bạn là:  Nam  Nữ [2] Bạn học lớp: ……… [3] Bạn học tiếng Anh năm? (Xin vui lòng, khoanh tròn số) [4] Bạn đánh giá khả từ vựng nào?  Tuyệt  Tốt  Trung bình  Kém 10  Rất PHẦN B HỌC TỪ VỰNG VỚI PHƢƠNG PHÁP DÙNG FLASHCARD Hướng dẫn: Đối với câu hỏi phần này, vui lịng đánh dấu () vào mơ tả phù hợp với bạn Nếu câu hỏi yêu cầu bạn viết, vui lòng viết vào phần chừa trống [5] Bạn học vựng nhƣ không dùng đến Flashcard  Viết nhiều lần tốt  Viết ví dụ với từ cần ghi nhớ  Đọc sách tiếng Anh  Tạo danh sách từ học thuộc chúng  Chơi trò với từ tiếng Anh (trị chơi chữ, xếp chữ, tìm chữ, v.v.)  Tra cứu từ bạn từ điển  Làm kiểm tra từ vựng  Ý kiến khác (vui long viết vào phần chừa trống): ……………………………………… ……………………………………………………… [6] Bạn dùng Flashcard để học từ vựng chưa? 97  Có  Khơng [7] Vui lòng cho biết lý làm bạn muốn sử dụng Flashcard thường xuyên tương lai?  Có số yêu cầu hướng dẫn cách sử dụng Flashcards từ giáo viên  Tơi dễ dàng làm Flashcard với tài liệu cà cơng cụ có sẵn  Flashcards thiết kế sẵn (trực tuyến, nhà hiệu sách)  Dùng Flashcard phần mềm ứng dụng di động  Ý kiến khác (vui long viết vào phần chừa trống): ……………………………………… ……………………………………………………… PHẦN C Ý KIẾN CỦA HỌC SINH VỀ VIỆC SỬ DỤNG FLASHCARD ĐỂ HỌC TỪ VỰNG TIẾNG ANH Hướng dẫn: Đối với câu hỏi sau, vui lòng khoanh tròn CHỈ MỘT số 1, 2, 3, câu mơ tả bạn Khơng có câu trả lời hay sai cho phát biểu này, nêu ý kiến (1 = hoàn toàn đồng ý; = đồng ý; = không chắn; = khơng đồng ý; = hồn tồn khơng đồng ý) KHƠNG CHẮC CHẮN HỒN TỒN KHƠNG ĐỒNG Ý KHƠNG ĐỒNG Ý ĐỒNG Ý Ý KIẾN HỒN TỒN ĐỒNG Ý ĐÁNH GIÁ 5 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 Ý kiến học sinh việc dùng Flashcard để học từ vựng C.1 C.2 C.3 C.4 C.5 C.6 C.7 Tôi có đủ vốn từ vựng để học làm kiểm tra mơn tiếng Anh Tơi học từ vựng tiếng Anh cách nhanh chóng Tơi nhớ lại từ dễ dàng Từ vựng tiếng Anh quan trọng Cách học từ vựng không quan trọng Giáo viên không ý nhiều đến từ vựng Tôi trả lời câu hỏi từ vựng Ƣu điểm việc học từ vựng với với phƣơng pháp sử dụng Flashcard C.8 C.9 C.10 Flashcard giúp học nhớ từ tốt Flashcard công cụ học tập giúp học từ vựng thời gian ngắn Flashcard khuyến khích tơi học từ vựng tích cực chủ động 98 5 Flashcard tạo hội cho học thực hành từ học tốt C.12 Khi dùng Flashcard, học theo tốc độ riêng tơi C.13 Tơi dễ dàng tập trung vào từ viết Flashcard C.14 Theo quan điểm tôi, Flashcard tạo nhiều hoạt động học tập thú vị tiếng Anh C.15 Flashcard giúp lớp học trở nên thú vị tương tác nhiều Nhƣợc điểm việc học từ vựng với với phƣơng pháp sử dụng Flashcard C.11 C.16 C.17 C.18 C.19 C.20 C.21 C.22 C.23 C.24 C.25 Sử dụng Flashcard để học từ vựng thời gian Flashcard không phù hợp với phong cách học tập Tôi gặp nhiều khó khăn làm Flashcard để học từ vựng Một số Flashcard khơng đủ rõ nhìn lớp học Tôi ý nhiều vào cách tạo Flashcard học hỏi nội dung viết chúng Các hoạt động học tập có sử dụng Flashcard làm cho lớp ồn Thầy cô tập trung vào Flashcard nên khơng kiểm sốt tốt làm lớp ồn Việc giữ gọn gàng tất Flashcard lớp học nhà việc khó khăn Thiếu nội phù hợp giúp nhớ từ Khơng có ngữ cảnh học từ Kết thúc khảo sát Chân thành cảm ơn bạn! 99 5 5 5 5 5 5 1 2 3 4 5 Appendix Questionnaire on using flashcards to learn English vocabulary (English) USING FLASHCARDS TO LEARN ENGLISH VOCABULARY Dear students, When learning English, it is important to master enough vocabulary Using flashcards to learn vocabulary is proven effective and convenient This questionnaire aims to collect information on how well the students in class 8/1 students use flashcards to support their vocabulary learning Complete the following questions as carefully as possible Your personal information will be kept confidential I am grateful to your contribution PART A PERSONAL INFORMATION [1] You are:  Male  Female [2] You are in grade: ……… [3]How many years have you learned English? (Please, circle a number) 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 [4]How you evaluate your vocabulary ability?  Excellent  Good  Average  Poor 19 20  Very Poor PART B VOCABULARY LEARNING WITH FLASHCARD-BASED INSTRUCTION Directions: For the questions in this part, please put a tick () on the items that suitably describe you If any question requires you to write, please write your ideas on the dotted lines [5]How you learn vocabulary without flashcards?  Write down as many times as possible  Make examples with words need memorizing  Read English books  Make a list of words and learn them by heart  Play word games (crosswords, noughts and crosses, etc.)  Look up words you don't know  Take vocabulary tests  Other (Please, write your ideas here): ……………………………………………………… …………… ………………………………………………………………………………… [6]Have you ever learned vocabulary with flashcards? 100  Yes  No [7] Please choose the reason(s) which make you use flashcards more often in the future?  There are some requirements and guidance on using flashcards from teachers  Sources and materials to make flashcards are available  Flashcards are made available (online, at home or at bookstores)  Flashcard software and apps are installed on devices  Other (Please, write your ideas here): ……………………………………………………… …………… ………………………………………………………………………………… PART C STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS LEARNING VOCABULARY WITH FLASHCARDS Directions: For the following questions, please circle ONLY ONE number among 1, 2, 3, 4, or of each statement which best describes you Do not answer how you think you should answer, or what others There are no right or wrong answers for these statements (1= strongly agree; = agree; = uncertain; = disagree; = strongly disagree) DISAGREE 3 3 4 4 5 5 5 5 STRONGLY DISAGREE UNCERTAIN AGREE IDEA STRONGLY AGREE EVALUATION Students’ perceptions towards learning vocabulary with flashcards C.1 I have enough vocabulary to learn my language lessons and tests C.2 I can learn English new words quickly C.3 I can recall words easily C.4 English vocabulary is important to me C.5 The way to learn vocabulary is not important C.6 My teacher doesn’t pay much attention on vocabulary C.7 I cannot answer questions on vocabulary correctly Advantages of learning vocabulary with flashcard-based instruction C.8 Flashcards help me learn and retain new words better C.9 Flashcards as learning tools that help me learn vocabulary in a short time 101 C.10 Flashcards encourage me to learn vocabulary actively C.11 Flashcards give opportunities for me to review and practice using the newly-leant words C.12 Flashcards help me learn at my own pace C.13 I can easily focus on language content in the flashcards C.14 To my point of view, flashcards help create more fun and interesting activities in language lessons C.15 Flashcards as learning tools make the class more interesting and interactive Disadvantages of learning vocabulary with flashcard-based instruction C.16 Using flashcards to learn vocabulary is time1 consuming C.17 Flashcards are contrary to my learning style C.18 I face many difficulties making flashcards C.19 Some flashcards are not clear enough for me to look at in classroom C.20 I pay more attention on how to make flashcards than on how to learn with them C.21 Flashcard-based activities make your class noisy C.22 The teacher cannot control the classroom when using flashcards C.23 Keeping the flashcards neat in the classroom and at home is hard C.24 Low variety of language content which helps remember words C.25 Lack of language context in learning words This is the end of the survey Thank you for completing the questionnaire 102 5 5 5 3 4 5 5 5 5 Appendix Reliability of item-total statistics I have enough vocabulary to learn my language lessons and tests I can learn English new words quickly I can recall words easily The way to learn vocabulary is not important English vocabulary is important to me My teacher doesn’t pay much attention on vocabulary I cannot answer questions on vocabulary correctly Flashcards help me learn and retain new words better Flashcards as learning tools help me learn vocabulary in a short time Flashcards encourage me to learn vocabulary actively Flashcards give opportunities for me to review and practice using the newly-leant words Flashcards help me learn at my pace I can easily focus on language content in the flashcards To my point of view, flashcards help create more fun and interesting activities in language lessons Flashcards as learning tools makes the class more interesting and interactive Using flashcards to learn vocabulary are timeconsuming Flashcards are contrary to my learning style I face many difficulties making flashcards Some flashcards is not clear enough for me to look at in classroom I pay too much attention on how to make flashcards than what to learn with them Flashcard-based activities make your class noisy Teacher cannot control the noisy class taught with flashcards Keeping neatly all flashcards in classroom and at home is hard Low variety of language content which helps remember words Lack of language context in learning words Scale Mean if Item Deleted Scale Variance if Item Deleted Corrected Item-Total Correlation Cronbach's Alpha if Item Deleted 65.82 103.20 82 75 65.46 113.57 23 79 66.03 109.92 62 77 66.00 109.74 57 77 63.44 128.78 -.34 81 63.69 124.74 -.16 80 65.13 108.11 56 77 65.77 100.71 82 75 66.13 109.85 60 77 65.85 108.45 55 77 66.03 109.39 63 77 66.05 109.84 63 77 65.92 106.28 60 76 65.87 105.64 77 76 66.00 109.95 60 77 64.13 117.27 09 80 63.85 119.71 04 80 65.97 104.55 71 76 63.79 121.90 -.04 80 64.21 118.27 07 80 63.36 121.45 -.02 80 63.56 123.52 -.11 80 64.28 117.21 16 79 64.21 117.27 17 79 63.46 119.31 07 79 103 Appendix Questionnaire on using flashcards to learn English vocabulary (Vietnamese) REFLECTION PAPER (Vietnamese) Vui lòng viết câu trả lời cho câu hỏi: Hãy nêu ý kiến bạn xứng đáng chia sẻ sau học từ vựng với Flashcard? Chỉ dẫn: Một số điểm bạn cần có phần sau: - Ý tưởng cụ thể bạn muốn thể - Bạn đồng ý không đồng ý với ý kiến mức độ - Phương pháp dạy từ vựng có sử dụng Flashcard đáp ứng kỳ vọng bạn đến đâu? - Bạn có thay đổi phương pháp học từ sau hiểu cách dùng Flashcard - Bạn ứng dụng flashcard cho việc học tập tương lai? ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 104 Appendix Reflection paper of students (English) REFLECTION PAPER (English) Please write your answer for the questions: What are your ideas which deserve to share after learning vocabulary with flashcard-integrated activities? Directions: Some main points you should include in this part are as follows: -What idea you want to express -To what extent you agree or disagree with the idea you are mentioning -How the flashcard-based method meets your expectations -How you change your learning styles after learning with flashcard-based instruction -What applications you can use for your future learning? ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 105 Appendix 10 Questions for teacher interview QUESTIONS FOR TEACHERS’ INTERVIEW Question 1: How long have you been teaching English? Question 2: Which grade are you teaching? Question 3: In your opinion, is vocabulary important? Why? Question 4: When teaching vocabulary, you use any teaching aids to support you? Question 5: How often you use flashcards? (If you never use flashcards, can you give the reasons?) Question 6: What types of flashcards that you have used (images, words, structures, charts, and so on)? Why? Question 7: How can you make your flashcards (sources, devices, materials and so on? Question 8: In your opinion, what are advantages and disadvantages of flashcards to teach vocabulary? Question 9: What are your students’ attitudes towards flashcards used in your class? Question 10: Can you give some suggestions to encourage teachers to use flashcards more often in large classes? Thank you very much for your contribution! 106 ... OF AUTHORSHIP I certify that the thesis entitled ? ?THE EFFECTS OF USING FLASHCARDS IN TEACHING VOCABULARY TO YOUNG LEARNERS IN LARGE CLASSES? ?? is my own work Except where reference is made in the. .. Instead of explaining the word in learners? ?? mother tongue, teachers can use an image to show them 2.3.4.2 Advice for language teaching and learning with flashcards Thanks to the development of. .. skills to develop Nation (2001) pointed out the goals of vocabulary in language learning, the use of vocabulary in specific learning skills as well as the strategies for teaching and learning vocabulary