A study of english vocabulary learning strategies of 12th graders at nguyen tat thanh high school in hanoi, vietnam

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES PHAN DIỄM MY A study of English vocabulary learning strategies of 12th graders at Nguyen Tat Thanh high school in Hanoi, Vietnam (Nghiên cứu chiến lược học từ vựng tiếng Anh học sinh lớp 12 trường THPT Nguyễn Tất Thành, Hà Nội) A Master Thesis Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Hanoi, 2017 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES PHAN DIỄM MY A study of English vocabulary learning strategies of 12th graders at Nguyen Tat Thanh high school in Hanoi, Vietnam (Nghiên cứu chiến lược học từ vựng tiếng Anh học sinh lớp 12 trường THPT Nguyễn Tất Thành, Hà Nội) A Master Thesis Field: English Teaching Methodology Supervisor: Assoc.Prof Nguyễn Văn Trào, PhD Code: 60140111 Hanoi, 2017 DECLARATION I declare that the thesis submitted for the Master of English degree at University of Languages and International studies is an undertaken work of my own research and has not been previously submitted at any other universities for any degrees Contributions of other researchers involved is made to indicate this clearly, with due reference to the literature, and acknowledgement of collaborative research and discussion This work was under the supervision and advice of Assoc.Prof Nguyen Van Trao, PhD, at University of Languages and International studies Hanoi, November 2016 Phan Diem My i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The completion of this undertaking is a great thank to the participation and assistance of numerous people whose names may not all be enumerated, but contributions are sincerely appreciated and gratefully acknowledged First of all, I would like to express my deep appreciation and indebtedness particularly to Assoc.Prof Nguyen Van Trao, PhD, my supervisor, whose expertise, endless support, kind and understanding spirit during my dissertation made it possible for me to work on a topic that was of great interest to me, for finding out time to reply to my emails, for being ever so kind to show interest in my research and for giving his precious advice regarding the topic of my research It is my pleasure working with him I also appreciate the authority of University of the Languages and International Studies in general and Faculty of Postgraduate Studies indeed for giving me their permission and required samples to carry out the research in the university library I would like to express my gratitude to all my lecturers who put their faith in me and urged me to better I am thankful to Nguyen Tat Thanh high school‘s teachers and students for their strong kindness and support during my data collection of the research I am highly indebted to my mom, to all my relatives, friends and others who in one way or another shared their support, either morally, financially and physically, and gave me a lot of encouragement for keeping up with this task ii Abstract This study investigated the English vocabulary learning strategy use by 100 students with different levels (50 from talented classes and 50 from other classes) enrolled at Nguyen Tat Thanh High School in Hanoi, directly under Vietnam National University of Education The study found a curvilinear relationship between strategy use and English proficiency which means the high achievers (subjects with higher proficiency than the others) prefer using more grouping strategy to consolidate new words and have their own management and planning strategies to work well The remaining gaps between almost subjects‘ strong perception about the usefulness level of several strategies and their factual implementation are due to the common issue from a large number of Vietnamese students called ―verbal passiveness‖ and the ―afraid-of-makingmistakes‖ learning style culture Hence, more vocabulary learning strategies should be introduced to learners and strategy training is essential for learning Choosing their own learning strategies according to their characteristics such as proficiency and learning style may be beneficial for learners It is high time for both learners and teachers to be mindful of the quality or depth of the learned vocabulary for the sake of achieving basic success in EFL learning, and also reach a general consensus on the learning goal during designing the course or curriculum iii TABLE OF CONTENT DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii Abstract iii TABLE OF CONTENT .iv PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 RATIONALE OF THE STUDY AIMS OF THE STUDY THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS SCOPE OF THE STUDY .3 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY DESIGN OF THE STUDY .3 DEFINITION OF TERMS (OR KEY CONSTRUCTS) PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW Theoretical background 1.1 Background of vocabulary learning strategies 1.2 Taxonomy of language learning strategies 1.2.1 Stern's (1992) Classification of Language Learning Strategies 1.2.2 Schmitt’s classification of vocabulary learning strategies Practical backgrounds .9 2.1 Students’ understanding and performance in their English vocabulary learning 2.2 High achievers’ opinions on vocabulary learning 10 2.3 Teachers’ performance in their English vocabulary teaching .10 Review of the previous studies 11 3.1 Carlo’s research (2004) 11 3.2 Francis’s research (2015) 11 3.3 Zheng’s research (2012) 12 3.4 Kim (2014) 12 3.5 According to Decarrico (2001) 12 iv Nguyen‘s research (2015) 3.6 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY Research questions restated Research method Setting of the Study 3.1 Teaching and learning condition 3.2 Participants of the study 3.2.1 Teachers 3.2.2 Students Data collection instruments and procedures 4.1 4.2 Vocabulary learning strategies questionnaires Think-aloud vocabulary task 4.3 Semi-structured interview Data analysis procedures CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION Students‘ understanding of vocabulary learning Students‘ practices in their English vocabulary learning Teachers‘ practices in their English vocabulary teaching Students‘ vocabulary learning strategies 4.1 4.1) The most-used discovery strategies by the tw 4.2 The most-used discovery strategies by the hig 4.3 The most-used consolidation strategies by th 4.4 The most-used consolidation strategies by the Students‘ perceptions of the usefulness of the strategies 5.1 The most useful discovery strategies perceiv students 5.2 The most useful discovery strategies perceiv 5.3 The most useful consolidation strategies pe students 5.4 The most useful consolidation strategies pe v Think-aloud protocols by the high achievers Guessing from context 6.1 6.2 Use of dictionaries High achievers‘ opinions about vocabulary learning 7.1 Importance of vocabulary learning 7.2 What “knowing a word” means to the high a 7.2.1 Word meaning 7.2.2 Spelling and pronunciation Lack of time on vocabulary learning 7.3 PART C: CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS Summary of major findings Concluding remarks and Recommendations Limitations of the study Suggestions for further researches REFERENCES APPENDICES vi vii hidden word puzzles help strengthen learners‘ word knowledge and also improve their critical thinking skills For word games, such games as Scrabble, Boggle, and Cranium are often used to extend learners‘ vocabulary To outline the appropriate vocabulary learning strategies, understanding the conception of vocabulary as a dynamic complex of knowledge plus skill plays an especially important role; because of the fact that within the multifaceted task of vocabulary learning, different dimensions of the lexicon lead to the demanding of different learning strategies; but strategies which are suitable for one dimension might not be suitable for another dimension More vocabulary learning strategies should be introduced to learners and strategy training is essential for learning Learners will have benefits to choose their own learning strategies according to their characteristics such as proficiency and learning style Teachers and learners should reach a general consensus on the learning goal when designing the course or curriculum It is crucial for learner initiative and independence to attain higher levels of their achievement Teachers also should deal with vocabulary in systematic and principled ways for learners to get the most benefit from the time-spending and provide a rich environment to learn vocabulary inside and outside class times All persons, either students or teachers, have their own learning style; therefore, no particular teaching or learning method can suit the needs of all learners due to the fact that learning styles exist on wide continuums Learning styles are considered value-neutral; because no one style is better than others Students should be encouraged to ―stretch‖ their learning styles in order to be more empowered in a variety of learning situations Creating a safe and comfortable environment in which all students feel recognized and valued is one of the most significant factors in encouraging motivation Many students will feel more comfortable participating in classroom activities as soon as they quite know their teacher and their peers after taking time to adjust themselves to a new setting Students provided with a learner-centered, low-anxiety classroom environment has a great language acquisition Personalizing the environment prompts students to relax and enhance the friendly atmosphere increasing their desire to learn and develop their language skills Greater motivation will be displayed by students feeling safe and comfortable and more secure taking chances to read aloud in class or write an essay without the fear of being criticized Talks also play an important role in teaching For example, children often talking to their parents on a range of topics tend to be absorbed with a much larger vocabulary than children from homes where talk is limited Hence, providing students with the same sort of highly interactive, language-rich environment as advantaged ones have at home assists them with 38 vocabulary deficits Furthermore, they should be higher engaged in conversations on a wide range of topics, focused on the shades of meaning of interesting words in their daily interactions with text (both written and oral), and promoted a spirit of curiosity about words and the different meanings rooted in different contexts While teaching, including powerful, difficult words in their oral language and encouraging students to use those words in their speaking and writing are definitely helpful for increasing their own vocabulary One single most effective way is by maximizing the students‘ amount of reading An illustration is that students reading just 10 minutes a day outside of school reveal significantly higher rates of vocabulary growth than students almost not reading outside of school (Nagy & Anderson, 1984) Most importantly, the more reading, the more frequent encounters with words in different contexts, the better true word knowledge It is strongly necessary for students to encounter words repeatedly and in a range of contexts before these words become part of their working vocabulary due to the fact that they didn‘t really know and understand words only encountered times, but did know and understand words encountered 12 times (Mckeown, Beck, Omanson & Pople, 1985) Teachers can teach students using contexts by giving them texts with some unfamiliar words, asking them to circle the unknown words, guess the meanings, and explain about their guess, finally make a list on the board of the strategies they used How to use dictionaries to look up the meanings of unknown words such as using guide words, understanding parts of speech also should be taught and practiced for students during the study process Inexpensively small pocket dictionaries help provide a wealth of information and introduce multiple meanings of words Several defined meanings of a word relevant in a given passage will be practiced working out Such words used often or easily confused could be stuck in the classroom‘s word wall and added gradually (a few each week) Additionally, students should be provided with plenty of opportunities to speak and write such these words and by themselves choose a word and give clues about the word for other students to guess A sense of accomplishment constitutes a great factor in motivating students by giving positive feedback and reinforcement, which all can increase students' satisfaction and encourage positive self-evaluation These students will feel better to direct his or her own studies and learning outcomes because they are more affected by positive feedback and success Praise helps improve students' self-confidence, competence, and self-esteem Success can be achieved by setting their own goals and by directing their studies toward their own expectations, particularly determining their own language needs and defining why 39 they want to learn the language; due to the fact that having goals and expectations leads to increased motivation in turn leading to a higher level of language competences; hence, teachers should encourage students to have specific short-term goals such as communicating with English speakers or reading books in English Limitations of the study The data from the questionnaire, think-aloud tasks and the interviews perhaps will be self-reported by the participants Likewise, the protocols and interview data only help insights provided into the possible strategic behaviour of the high achievers This study on larger and different populations would be beneficial to be replicated in order to examine the dynamic and complex nature of vocabulary acquisition among L2 learners Future research might be useful into the degree to which teaching affixes is differentially beneficial for high-proficiency level learners and low-proficiency level ones Schmitt (2008) claimed that there are two kinds of long-term memory: explicit memory and implicit memory Explicit memory supports recollection and implicit memory supports skills and habit learning Memory is a kind of storage If learners can arrange their storage space efficiently, perhaps the effects of learning vocabulary might be greater Suggestions for further researches Based on the current research, the most-used vocabulary learning strategies by the intermediate L2 learners and their perceptions of the usefulness of the strategies are investigated; more importantly, the researcher is enabled to closely examine the use and perception of strategies by the high achievers From a view to investigating language proficiency as one of the crucial factor to vocabulary learning, more research carried out among the high achievers in other high schools would be interesting In addition, for further vocabulary learning strategy research, cultural factors and pragmatic constraints should also be taken into account and, rather than finding universal ―good‖ strategies to discover vocabulary strategies which are applied for different groups of learners with different backgrounds and ability Methodologically, it is especially necessary to draw out longitudinal designs for the sake of the better vocabulary development as opposed to word list retention Furthermore, in vocabulary acquisition research in the linguistics tradition, vocabulary has been largely concentrated on (target: what is to be learned; or product: what is learned) rather than acquisition (how is vocabulary learned, the learning/ acquisition process); whereas most vocabulary acquisition research are conducted with experimental comparisons between some favored strategies and various combinations of control techniques Therefore, 40 vocabulary researchers should have a change of mentality for learners, especially experienced and successful ones, to be capable of managing their own learning and choosing their own strategies, but not be only on the receiving end In other words, systematic studies of the natural processes of vocabulary learning in authentic foreign language learning situations need to be conducted with the aim of identifying the whole range of vocabulary learning strategies, finding out what works and what does not work, and what distinguishes the successful from the unsuccessful learners Obviously, much knowledge is still remained to learn and explore in the field of vocabulary acquisition Most importantly, the language learners and teachers should work collaboratively towards the same learning goal 41 REFERENCES Wenden, A and Rubin, J (1987) Learner Strategies in Language Learning New Jersey: Prentice Hall Carlo, M., August, D., McLaughlin, B., Snow, C., Dressler, C., Lippman, D., Lively, T., & White, C (2004) Closing the gap: Addressing the vocabulary needs of English language learners in bilingual and mainstream classrooms Reading Research Quarterly, 39(2), 188206 Francis, D (2015) Enhancing Social Studies Vocabulary and Comprehension for Seventh-Grade English Language Learners: Findings From Two Experimental Studies Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness 10/2009; 2(4): 297-324 Stern, H (1992) Issues and Options in Language Teaching Oxford: OUP Doff, A (1988) Teach English: A training course for teachers: Teacher’s workbook Cambridge University Press: United Kingdom Schmitt, N and Schmitt, D (1993) Identifying and assessing vocabulary learning strategies Thai TESOL Bulletin, 5(4): 27-33 Kim, C (2014) Vocabulary acquisition with affixation: learning English words based on prefixes & suffixes Second Language Studies, 31(2), Spring 2013, 43-80 University of Hawaii Reid, J M (1995) Learning Styles in the ESL/EFL Classroom Newbury House New York: Heinle & Heinle Lightbown, P M & Spada, N (2013) How Languages Are Learned Oxford: Oxford University Press Schmitt, N (2008) Instructed second language vocabulary learning Language Teaching Research, 12(3), 329-363 Thornburry, S (2002) How to teach vocabulary England: Pearson Education Limited Decarrico, J S (2001) Vocabulary learning and teaching In Marianne Celce-Murcia (Ed.), Teaching English as a second or foreign language, 285-299 Boston: Heinle and Heinle Nagy, W., & Anderson, R (1984) The number of words in printed school English Reading Research Quarterly, 19, 304-330 42 McKeown, M., Beck, I., Omanson, R., & Pople, M (1985) Some effects of the nature and frequency of vocabulary instruction on the knowledge and use of words Reading Research Quarterly, 20(5), 522-535 Gunning, G.T (1996) Creating reading instruction for all children Needham Heights: Allyn & Bacon Kridalaksana, H., (1993), Kamus linguistik Jakarta: PT Gramedia pustake Utama Hiebert, E H (in press), Teaching and learning vocabulary: Bringing scientific research to practice Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum McIntosh, C (2013) Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary (4th edition) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Nguyen, T H T (2015) A study of English Vocabulary Learning Strategies exploited by the secon-year students of different learning style preferences at School of Law Hanoi: Vietnam National University Huynh, L M (2010) A study of learning English vocabulary of pupils at Quoc Hoc High School in Qui Nhon Danang: University of Danang Zheng, S (2012) Studies and Suggestions on English Vocabulary Teaching and Learning Retrieved from http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/elt/article/viewFile/16664/11119 Vliet, N (2014) 38 language-learning experts reveal their favorite methods for learning vocabulary Retrieved from http://www.smartlanguagelearner.com/experts-reveal-method-learning-vocabulary Building Vocabulary Retrieved from https://www.teachervision.com/skill-builder/teaching-methods/48607.html?page=1 Vocabulary in content and techniques to guess meaning from context Retrieved from https://vi.scribd.com/doc/34771560/Vocabulary-in-content-and-techniques-to-guessmeaning-from-context 43 APPENDICES APPENDIX QUESTIONNAIRE I FOR STUDENTS Please stick (V) at your appropriate answers? (Hãy tích vào câu trả lời thích hợp) Question In your opinion, what is the position of vocabulary in English learning? (Theo bạn, việc học từ vựng có quan trọng q trình học tiếng Anh khơng?) Very important Important Not important Question What contents does vocabulary learning refer to? (Việc học từ vựng bao gồm thành phần đây?) Pronunciation and spelling of words Pronunciation, spelling and the meaning in the word list Collocations of words All the meanings related to the item Question In your opinion, what is the difficulty in your vocabulary learning? (Theo bạn, trình học từ vựng, bạn gặp phải khó khăn liên quan tới khía cạnh đây?) Pronunciation Spelling Meaning Word collocations (Kết hợp từ) Question In your opinion, what knowledge you have learned is helpful for your vocabulary learning? (Theo bạn, kiến thức giúp ích cho bạn việc học từ vựng?) Lexical knowledge (suffix, root, and stem of words) (Ngữ âm) Contexts of word (Ngữ cảnh) Western Culture Native language (Ngơn ngữ văn hóa xứ) Society-related knowledge (kiến thức xã hội) Word collocations (Kết hợp ngữ) Question “How you usually learn vocabulary?” (Bạn thường học từ vựng nào?) By reading repeatedly (Đọc lặp lại) By writing automatically (Viết lặp lại) By analyzing affixes and roots (Phân tích tiền tố, hậu tố thân từ) By association (Kết hợp) 44 By keeping word cards with pictures, photographs, objects, etc (Bằng tranh, ảnh… minh họa) Question How you feel learning English vocabulary? (Bạn cảm nhận việc học từ vựng?) Headache (đau đầu) Boring (tẻ nhạt) Interesting Very interesting Question How you feel your efficiency in vocabulary learning? (Hãy tự đánh giá hiệu học từ vựng bạn?) Inefficient (Không hiệu quả) Not very efficient (Không hiệu nhiều) Efficient (hiệu quả) Very efficient (Rất hiệu quả) Question 8: Which following discovery strategies of vocabulary learning you often use? (Bạn thường áp dụng phương pháp để tìm nghĩa từ mới?) Discovery Strategies Guess its meaning from the context (Đoán nghĩa dựa vào ngữ cảnh) Look up the word in a Vietnamese/English dictionary (Sử dụng từ điển Việt – Anh) Use an electronic or online dictionary (Dùng từ điển điện tử từ điện mạng) Ask my classmates or peers for the meaning (Tham khảo bạn lớp) Learn words from the mass media (Học từ qua phương tiện thông tin đại chúng) Try to think of an English word that is similar (Tìm từ tiếng Anh gần giống) Look up the word in an English dictionary (Sử dụng từ điển Anh – Anh) Ask my teacher(s) for the meaning (Hỏi thầy/cô giáo lớp) Look at the parts of speech (Nhìn vào từ loại) 10 Look for the clues in the word itself 45 v (Dự đốn từ thân từ hiển thị) 11 Learn words from word lists or glossary (Học từ bảng từ) 12 Ignore it (Bỏ qua) 13 Learn words through ICQ or chat room communication (Học từ qua giao lưu phòng chát) 14 Interact with native speakers (e.g the NET) (Giao tiếp với người xứ) Question 9: Which following consolidation strategies of vocabulary learning you often use? (Bạn thường áp dụng phương pháp để ôn tập từ học được?) v Consolidation Strategies Hear it spoken in English (Nghe tiếng Anh) Divide the target word into syllables (Chia từ thành âm tiết) Study the spelling of the target word (Học cách đánh vần từ) Use English words similar in sound (Sử dụng từ tiếng Anh nghe giống từ cần học) Read it in a text (Đọc từ khóa cụ thể) Connect it to other English words on the same topic (Liên tưởng từ với từ tiếng Anh khác chủ đề) Put it in a sentence (Đặt từ vào câu cụ thể) Study the word list (Học qua bảng từ) Keep a vocabulary notebook (Tạo ghi từ mới) 10 Relate it to a visual image 46 (Học qua hình ảnh) 11 Use Vietnamese words similar in sound (Dùng từ Tiếng Việt giống âm với từ cần học) 12 Study the word over time (Ôn lại nhiều lần) Question 10: Look at the following discovery strategies, in your opinion, how does it work if/when you apply it during your learning? (Theo nhận thức bạn, phương pháp học nghĩa từ hữu dụng cho bạn trình học tập?) Discovery Strategies Guess its meaning from the context 10 11 12 13 14 Look up the word in a Vietnamese/English dictionary Use an electronic or online dictionary Ask my classmates or peers for the meaning Learn words from the mass media Try to think of an English word that similar Look up the word in an English dictionary Ask my teacher(s) for the meaning Look at the parts of speech Look for the clues in the word itself Learn words from word lists or glossary Ignore it Learn words through ICQ or chat room communication Interact with native speakers (e.g the NET) 47 Question 11: Look at the following consolidation strategies, in your opinion, how does it work if/when you apply them during your learning? (Theo nhận thức bạn, phương pháp ôn tập từ vựng hữu dụng cho bạn q trình ơn tập?) Consolidation Strategies Hear it spoken in English Divide the target word into syllables Study the spelling of the target word Use English words similar in sound Read it in a text Connect it to other English words on the same top Put it in a sentence Study the word list Keep a vocabulary notebook 10 Relate it to a visual image 11 Use Vietnamese words similar in sound 12 Study the word over time 48 APPENDIX QUESTIONNAIRE II FOR TEACHERS Please stick (v) at your appropriate answers? Question How you usually teach vocabulary? Ask students to read after me Explain the meaning listed in the text and make sentence examples Explain the root, stem, affix etc Explain the collocations of a word Question How you feel teaching English vocabulary? Boring Interesting Headache Very interesting Question How you feel your efficiency of vocabulary teaching? Not very efficient Inefficient Efficient 49 Very efficient APPENDIX THINK-ALOUD PROTOCOL Please look at the following cases and then try to guess the meaning of the boldface words? Explain your guessing as clearly as possible (Hãy dự đoán nghĩa từ in đậm dựa theo ngữ cảnh? giải thích dự đốn đó) Excerpt 1: Jennie didn‘t like the jacket her mother bought her until several strangers made remarks about how much they liked it Excerpt 2: Even though John had a good job and a nice family, he yearned for more Excerpt 3: After Gears of Pain came out, the amount of people playing Gears of Pain declined Excerpt 4: Anthropologists observe and record what a culture does, believes and says They this in part by discussing material with informants Excerpt 5: Some of the trees in Redwood National Park are truly gargantuan, and in fact, they are the tallest trees in the world Excerpt 6: a Mary realized that Mr Ashman was a misogynist soon after she started working as his assistant b It is difficult for a woman to work for a misogynist She is never sure if his criticism is based on her work or on the fact that she is a woman c Mary knew that no woman would ever get a top-level job in a company run by a misogynist Excerpt 7: It had been raining hard through the night so the ground was saturated Excerpt 8: Can you infer the meaning of the boldface word below? (students can use dictionaries) ―Cowards die many times before their deaths The valiant never taste of death but once‖ (William Shakespeare‘s Julius Caesar) 50 APPENDIX SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS Ask the high achievers for their responses In your opinion, what does knowing a word mean? In your opinion, is vocabulary learning important? How you rate the importance of vocabulary learning? Is your vocabulary learning well-planned? How much time you spend on learning vocabulary outside classroom? 51 ... such as learning vocabulary by reading repeatedly, learning vocabulary by writing automatically, learning vocabulary by analyzing affixes and roots, learning vocabulary by association, learning vocabulary. .. English vocabulary learning strategies of 12th graders at Nguyen Tat Thanh High School in Hanoi, Vietnam? ?? was conducted with my entire best endeavor AIMS OF THE STUDY The study investigates the Nguyen. . .VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES PHAN DIỄM MY A study of English vocabulary learning strategies of 12th graders