Improving english vocabulary learning for students of business at hanoi university of industry (haui) through games an action research

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES LÊ THỊ LIÊN IMPROVING ENGLISH VOCABULARY LEARNING FOR STUDENTS OF BUSINESS AT HANOI UNIVERSITY OF INDUSTRY (HAUI) THROUGH GAMES: AN ACTION RESEARCH Nâng cao việc học từ vựng cho sinh viên chuyên ngành tiếng Anh thương mại trường Đại học Công Nghiệp Hà Nội thông qua trị chơi ngơn ngữ: Nghiên cứu hành động MINOR M.A THESIS FIELD : English Teaching Methodology FIELD CODE : 8140231.01 Hanoi, 2018 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES LÊ THỊ LIÊN IMPROVING ENGLISH VOCABULARY LEARNING FOR STUDENTS OF BUSINESS AT HANOI UNIVERSITY OF INDUSTRY (HAUI) THROUGH GAMES: AN ACTION RESEARCH Nâng cao việc học từ vựng cho sinh viên chuyên ngành tiếng Anh thương mại trường Đại học Công Nghiệp Hà Nội thơng qua trị chơi ngơn ngữ: Nghiên cứu hành động MINOR M.A THESIS FIELD : English Teaching Methodology FIELD CODE : 8140231.01 SUPERVISOR : Assoc Prof Lâm Quang Đông, PhD Hanoi, 2018 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research has been accomplished with the support and encouragement of many people Hence, I hereby would like to express my appreciation to all of them In the first place, I would like to express my deepest thanks to my supervisor - Assoc Prof Lâm Quang Đông, PhD for his valuable assistance and guidance throughout my research Also, I am greatly indebted to all professors and staffs of the Faculty of PostGraduate Studies for their meaningful lessons and precious support thanks to which I was able to overcome obstacles during the time my research was carried out Besides, I would like to give my whole-hearted thanks to students at Hanoi University of Industry for their enthusiastic participation in my research Without their help, I would not have been able to complete this paper Last but not least, I owe a great debt of gratitude to my beloved family whose support and encouragement have always been a great deal of motivation that has helped me to overcome all problems to complete my thesis Hanoi, Lê Thị Liên ii ABSTRACT This study was carried out in the form of an action research in which students were instructed with the use of games in their vocabulary lessons The research aimed to figure out whether the use of games in vocabulary teaching could help improve students‟ vocabulary retention In order to accomplish these purposes, 20 sophomores at Hanoi University of Industry were selected to participate in the study, which lasted eight weeks Three data collection instruments were employed, namely pre-test/post-tests, class observation and note-takings so as to gather most reliable findings for the research Findings from the tests, observation and notetakings revealed that students experienced an improvement in their vocabulary memorization throughout the eight weeks of study and the reason for the vocabulary retention progress was mainly attributed to the use of games in language classroom Benefits of using games can be listed as the deeper impression of vocabulary on students‟ memory and a more frequent exposure to vocabulary use Results from the note-takings and observation also reflected a completely positive attitude of students towards the use of games, and students claimed that games helped them have more fun and motivation in learning On this basis, useful implications for teachers‟ preparation, classroom practices and future research were proposed iii CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .i ABSTRACT iii CONTENTS iv LISTS OF TABLES AND FIGURES vii PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale .1 Aims of the study Research questions Scope of the study .2 Organization of the thesis PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Vocabulary learning 1.1.1.What is vocabulary? 1.1.2.What is involved in knowing a word? 1.1.3.Vocabulary learning and retention 1.2 Review on the use of games in vocabulary teaching 1.2.1.Definitions of language games 1.2.2.Language games and vocabulary acquisition retention 1.3.Relationship between games and vocabulary teaching/learning ………………… .9 1.4 Previous research and their limitations 11 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 14 2.1 Participants and the research context 14 2.2 Research approach 15 2.2.1 Definition of action research 15 iv 2.2.2 The reasons of choosing action research for this study 15 2.3 Research stages 16 2.3.1 Pre-intervention stage 16 2.3.2 Intervention stage 16 2.3.3 Evaluation 20 2.4 Data collection procedure 23 2.4.1 The class observation using checklists & note-taking 23 2.4.2 Pre-test and post-test 23 2.5 Summary 24 CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND IMPLICATIONS 25 3.1 Data analysis and discussion 25 3.1.1.Effects of using games on students‟ vocabulary retention – findings from observation and note-taking 25 3.1.2 Effects of using games on students‟ vocabulary retention – findings from pre- and post-tests 27 3.1.3 Problems in learning English vocabulary via games and possible solutions 31 3.2 Major findings and discussion 33 3.3 Implications 34 3.4 Summary 35 PART C: CONCLUSION 36 Conclusions 36 Limitations of the study 37 Suggestions for further study 38 REFERENCES 39 APPENDIX A II GAMES EXPLOITED FOR TEACHING VOCABULARY II APPENDIX B .VI v OBSERVATION CHECKLIST APPENDIX C PRE-TEST APPENDIX D POST TEST APPENDIX E POST TEST LIST OF VOCABULARY vi LISTS OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table 1: The vocabulary teaching plan 17 Table 2: Scores of pre-test, post-test and post-test 28 Figure 2: The overall mean score of students‟ pre-test and post-test 29 Figure 3: The overall mean score of students‟ pre-test, post-test and post-test 30 vii PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale As a teacher of English, I recognize that although the issue of vocabulary teaching and learning is currently receiving attention from teachers and learners at our school, how vocabulary items can best be taught and learnt remains a big question A vast amount of teaching time in a vocabulary lesson is spent on explaining, defining, students compiling page upon page of word lists that they rarely have opportunity to practice Obviously, vocabulary arises in the classroom regardless of the chosen activity, and in spite of any conscious design on the teacher‟s part As a result, students only think of vocabulary learning as knowing the primary meaning of new words In addition, the students‟ ability to use English for communication is still limited, especially for secondary school students They can have a fairly good knowledge of grammar but hardly express themselves properly because of shortage of vocabulary and communicative competence That is why, for most students, learning vocabulary in language lesson is a time of failure and disappointment in which they gradually feel bored and gradually reject the work that the teacher is doing for them ESP (English for Specific Purposes) is considered hard to teach for language teachers As a teacher of English for Business English, I myself find many difficulties in teaching vocabulary Motivated by the idea of finding stimulating activities to help students learn vocabulary, with the goal to create a context for vocabulary acquisition in the classroom, I believe that games may be of some help In the field of language teaching, games have been proved to be beneficial to students‟ learning process and help stimulate learners with a motivating environment All the above-mentioned reasons have inspired me to conduct an action research entitled “Improving English vocabulary learning for students of Business English at Hanoi University of Industry (HaUi) through games: An action research” Aims of the study The major aim of the research is to justify whether the use of games in vocabulary teaching can help improve students‟ English vocabulary retention Moreover, the researcher can find difficulties that her students have to face with, particularly difficulties in teaching and learning ESP vocabulary via games Then possible solutions are offered to solve these problems so that learners can improve their English vocabulary learning and become confident when expressing their ideas Research questions In an attempt to achieve the above-presented aims, the study sought to answer the following research questions: To what extent does the use of games in teaching English vocabulary improve students‟ vocabulary retention? What are the problems that these students encounter in learning English vocabulary via games and solutions? Scope of the study The research only focuses on a limited target population and vocabulary, including ESP vocabulary In terms of vocabulary, the study focuses on student‟s knowledge of the meanings, forms and usage of English including business English The target population is second year students studying Business English at Hanoi University of Industry Organization of the thesis The thesis is composed of three parts: Part A, Part B, and Part C Part A – Introduction introduces the rationale, aims and objectives as well research questions of the study Part B – Development includes two chapters: Chapter Literature review presents the theoretical foundations for the whole study and Chapter – Methodology elaborates on the participants, the methodology and methods, the data collection procedure and data analysis including the tests, class observation and note-taking Part C – Conclusion summarizes all the major points in the study, the limitations of the study and proposes suggestions for further research APPENDIX A GAMES EXPLOITED FOR TEACHING VOCABULARY Memorizing II Stepping-stone branch division establish Lucky Number Side (Numbers) Side (Bonuses) III Word matching Finance department Sales department Marketing department Administration department Purchasing department Human department Slap the board Ink cartridge Fa mach monitor shredder IV Scrambled words tmedpranet epnoirce Noughts and Crosses V APPENDIX B OBSERVATION CHECKLIST I Class description: - Date: ……………………………… Number of students: ……………… - Topic: ……………………………… II Content: Evaluate the lesson basing on the following criteria: Students’ level of vocabulary retention Students’ attitudes towards the lesson BI Overall comments: Strengths: Weaknesses: Recommendations: VI APPENDIX C PRE-TEST Time allowed: 30 minutes Part 1: Give the Vietnamese meaning of these words Stamp (n): ……………………… ………………… Calendar (n): ………………………… Shredder (n): ……………………… ……………………… Security camera: ………………………… Ink cartridge (n): …………………… ………… Part 2: Fill in the blank with a suitable word 11 How much are these in total? – Wait for a second, I‟ll get the c_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ and count them for you 12 Oh man, this is a mess I need a s_ _ _ _ _ _ to hold these sheets of paper together, in case they drift all over places 13 You need to mark your homework with a h_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ so that you won‟t forget to it 14 I can‟t type this document because the k_ _ _ _ _ _ _ is broken 15 Turn on the a_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ It‟s terribly hot here 16 The f_ _ _ _ _ _ department is responsible for managing the money flowing in and out of the company 17 There is a customer waiting for you at the r_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Please come down and see him 18 The p_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ department is in charge of buying all necessary things for the company 19 Kikkoman, a Japanese company, e_ _ _ _ _ _ soy sauce all over the world including Asia, North America, Australia, and Europe VII 20 John e_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ this company in 2009 because he wanted to run his own business Part 3: Choose to correct answer to complete the sentences 21 John puts all books and materials tidily in the _ A paper clip 22 I often put a tick on a special day in the _ A calendar 23 We need a _ to destroy unwanted documents A printer 24 I need a _ to hold pieces of paper together A file 25 I work for Guillermo, the Financial Director Sometimes he asks me to _ his work for him He doesn‟t want to make any mistakes A control 26 I‟m a _ I deal with deliveries between factories, warehou suppliers A logistics manager 27 The company decided to sell a wider range of products to other count A buy 28 Martin intended to establish a new business in the automobile indu A offer 29 The company needs to buy some services from another country A make 30 I need to check the _ to learn what happened in our office last ni A security camera VIII APPENDIX D POST TEST Time allowed: 30 minutes Part 1: Give the Vietnamese meaning of these words Stamp (n): ……………………… ………………… Calendar (n): ………………………… Shredder (n): ……………………… ……………………… Security camera: ………………………… Ink cartridge (n): …………………… ………… Part 2: Fill in the blank with a suitable word 11 How much are these in total? – Wait for a second, I‟ll get the c_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ and count them for you 12 Oh man, this is a mess I need a s_ _ _ _ _ _ to hold these sheets of paper together, in case they drift all over places 13 You need to mark your homework with a h_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ so that you won‟t forget to it 14 I can‟t type this document because the k_ _ _ _ _ _ _ is broken 15 Turn on the a_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ It‟s terribly hot here 16 The f_ _ _ _ _ _ department is responsible for managing the money flowing in and out of the company 17 There is a customer waiting for you at the r_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Please come down and see him 18 The p_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ department is in charge of buying all necessary things for the company 19 Kikkoman, a Japanese company, e_ _ _ _ _ _ soy sauce all over the world including Asia, North America, Australia, and Europe IX 20 John e_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ this company in 2009 because he wanted to run his own business Part 3: Choose to correct answer to complete the sentences 21 John puts all books and materials tidily in the _ A paper clip 22 I often put a tick on a special day in the _ A calendar 23 We need a _ to destroy unwanted documents A printer 24 I need a _ to hold pieces of paper together A file 25 I work for Guilherme, the Financial Director Sometimes he asks me to _ his work for him He doesn‟t want to make any mistakes A control 26 I‟m a _ I deal with deliveries between factories, warehou suppliers A logistics manager 27 The company decided to sell a wider range of products to other count A buy 28 Martin intended to establish a new business in the automobile indu A offer 29 The company needs to buy some services from another country A make 30 I need to check the _ to learn what happened in our office last ni A security camera X APPENDIX E POST TEST Time allowed: 30 minutes Part 1: Give the Vietnamese meaning of these words 1.Tape (n): ……………………………… 2.Monitor (n):……… ………………… 3.Logistics Manager (n): ……………… 4.Advertise (v): …………………… ,… 5.Revenue (n): ……………………………… ……… Part 2: Fill in the blank with a suitable word 11 John has to check his d_ _ _ _ to know what he has to in the day 12 The police c_ _ _ _ _ _ the security camera to learn what happened yesterday 13 Please note that we will have a staff meeting at the c_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ room at a.m 14 Our head office is in Hanoi, we also have 12 s_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ in other cities 15 The figures you use in this report are i_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ You should use this quarter‟s sales instead of last year sales 16 Please send me a/an i_ _ _ _ _ _ for my purchase by post I need it to report my expense to my company 17 The managing director wants to change the new action plan, but the board of managers d_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 18 Alex required her to a_ _ _ _ _ the document to the email so that he could download it to read at home 19 In order to achieve the business g_ _ _ _, the board of directors decided to open a new sales office in New York 20 My granddad is retired but he still receives $500 monthly His old company has a really good p_ _ _ _ _ _ scheme XI Part 3: Choose to correct answer to complete the sentences 21 I like chatting with my colleagues around the _ at break time A desk B Conference table C coffee table 22 Make three copies of this document on the _ A stapler B photocopier C tape 23 Production department _ the products, but R&D department develops new products A buys 24 John decided to employ some new salesmen A manufacture 25 Their old printer is _, so they want a new one A broken 26 The director had to _ all his appointments with clients due to his health problem A cancel 27 We are planning to a new product in Asia at the end of this month A 28 The government investment A 29 I wish my company provided healthcare I want to reduce the medical examination fee A private B subsidized C company 30 An in-company kindergarten is also called a _ A membership card B company car XII C creche LIST OF VOCABUL Unit 1: Office supplies • Stamp (n) • Folder (n) • Paper clip (n) • Tape (n) • Stapler (n) • Filing cabinet (n) • Conference table (n) • Reception desk (n) Unit 2: Office machinery • • • • • • • Unit 3: Departments • Commercial Manager • • Customer Development Director • • Logistics Manager • • Financial Director • • Employee (n) ria (n) • Sales department • • • Conference room • Human resources department • Unit 4: Company background  Head office  Produce / manufacture (v)  Branch / Subsidiary (n)  Sell (v)  Turnover / Revenue (n)  Employ (v)  Market share (n)  Specialize in (v)  Brand (n)  Provide / offer (v)  Division (n)  Import (v)  Nationality (n)  Export (v)  Sales (n)  Be based on  Start /found/establish (v) Unit 5: Making and changing arrangements • • Contact (n) • Postpone (v) • Hesitate (v) • Appointment (n) • Discuss (v) • Change (v) • Confirm (v) • Manage (v) • Attach (v) • Arrangement (n) • Disapprove (v) Unit 6: What’s wrong? • Broken (a) • Soft (a) • Slow (a) • Colleague (n) • Incorrect (a) • Invoice (n) • Safe (a) • Instruction (n) • Flexible (a) • Dangerous (a) • Narrow (a) • Heavy (a) • Executive (n) • Late (a) 14 Unit 7: Business plan • research (n) • expect (v) • innovation (n) • report (n) • goal (n) • implement (v) • success (n) • estimate (v) • strategy (n) • forecast (v) • option (n) • boost (v) • deadline (n) • launch (v) • budget (n) • expand (v) • schedule (n) Unit 8: Company benefits • Maternity leave • Pension schemes • Good pay • Paid holiday • Paternity leave • Crèche (n) • Career development • Private healthcare • Sick leave • Annual bonus • Subsidized childcare • Gym membership • Flexible hours • Company car XIII ... conduct an action research entitled ? ?Improving English vocabulary learning for students of Business English at Hanoi University of Industry (HaUi) through games: An action research? ?? Aims of the...VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES LÊ THỊ LIÊN IMPROVING ENGLISH VOCABULARY LEARNING FOR STUDENTS OF BUSINESS AT HANOI. .. for grammar, games for vocabulary, games for spelling, games for listening, games for speaking, games for pronunciation, games for reading, games for writing and games for integrating skills In