(Luận văn thạc sĩ) using language games to improve students retention of ESP vocabulary at namdinh college of construction

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES - ĐỖ THỊ THU HÀ USING LANGUAGE GAMES TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ RETENTION OF ESP VOCABULARY AT NAMDINH COLLEGE OF CONSTRUCTION (SỬ DỤNG TRÒ CHƠI ĐỂ NÂNG CAO KHẢ NĂNG LƯU NHỚ TỪ VỰNG CHUYÊN NGÀNH CHO SINH VIÊN TRƯỜNG CAO ĐẲNG XÂY DỰNG NAM ĐỊNH) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 601410 Hanoi, 2010 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES - ĐỖ THỊ THU HÀ USING LANGUAGE GAMES TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ RETENTION OF ESP VOCABULARY AT NAMDINH COLLEGE OF CONSTRUCTION (SỬ DỤNG TRÒ CHƠI ĐỂ NÂNG CAO KHẢ NĂNG LƯU NHỚ TỪ VỰNG CHUYÊN NGÀNH CHO SINH VIÊN TRƯỜNG CAO ĐẲNG XÂY DỰNG NAM ĐỊNH) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 601410 Supervisor: Dr Lâm Quang Đông Hanoi, 2010 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CANDIDATE’S STATEMENT i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF TABLES vii PART 1: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale of the study Aims of the study Scope of the study Method of the study Thesis Structure PART 2: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Vocabulary in ESP 1.1.1 The importance of vocabulary in ESP 1.1.2 What it means to know words? 1.2 Taxonomy of ESP vocabulary 1.3 Factors affecting the retention of ESP vocabulary 1.3.1 Memory and storage systems 1.3.2 Vocabulary learning strategies 1.3.3 Learning context 10 1.3.3.1 Language input 10 1.3.3.2 Language output 11 1.4 Language games and vocabulary acquisition and retention 12 1.5 ESP vocabulary teaching – research and practice 16 v CHAPTER 2: AN OVERVIEW OF ESP VOCABULARY TEACHING AND LEARNING CONTEXT AT NCC 19 2.1 The learners and their background 19 2.2 The teachers and their teaching method 19 2.3 The textbook 20 2.4 The teaching and learning conditions 20 CHAPTER 3: THE STUDY 21 3.1 The research hypothesis 21 3.2 Rationale for using a Quasi-experimental method 21 3.3 Variables 22 3.4 Participants and treatment 22 3.4.1 Participants 22 3.4.2 Treatment 22 3.5 Procedure of data collection 22 3.5.1 Test designing 22 3.5.2 Test administering 23 3.6 Results and discussion 24 3.6.1 Results of the pre-test scores of the two groups and discussion 24 3.6.2 Results of the progress-test of the two groups and discussion 27 3.6.3 Comparison of mean scores and t-scores of the pre-test and progresstest of the two groups 30 3.6.4 Results of the post-test of the two groups and discussion 31 3.6.5 Comparison of mean scores and t-scores of the progress-test and posttest of the two groups 34 vi PART 3: CONCLUSION 36 Summary of major findings 36 Classroom implications 36 Limitations and suggestions for further study 37 REFERENCES 39 APPENDIX (tests and keys) I APPENDIX (tables for analysis) X vii LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Results of the pre-test of the two groups p.24 Table 2: Comparison of mean scores in the pre-test of the two groups p.25 Table 3: Pre-test score frequencies of the two groups p.26 Table 4: Detailed pre-test scores of the experimental group p.X Table 5: Detailed pre-test scores of the control group p.XI Table 6: Results of the progress-test of the two groups p.27 Table 7: Comparison of mean scores in the progress-test of the two groups p.28 Table 8: Progress-test score frequencies of the two groups p.29 Table 9: Detailed progress-test scores of the experimental group p.XII Table 10: Detailed progress-test scores of the control group p.XIII Table 11: Comparison of mean scores and t-scores of the pre-test and progresstest of the groups p.30 Table 12: Independent t-test for the gain in the progress-test of the two groups p.30 Table 13: Results of the post-test of the two groups p.31 Table 14: Comparison of mean scores in the post-test of the two groups p.32 Table 15: Post-test score frequencies of the two groups p.33 Table 16: Detailed post-test scores of the experimental group p.XIV Table 17: Detailed post-test scores of the control group p.XV Table 18: Comparison of mean scores and t-scores of the progress-test and posttest of the two groups p.34 Table 19: Independent t-test for the gain in the post-test of the two groups p.34 PART 1: INTRODUCTION Rationale of the study Recently, the teaching methodology in General English as well as English for Specific Purposes (ESP) has shifted from a focus on the linguistic competence to an interest in the communicative competence This trend in language teaching has resulted in the increasingly essential role of teaching and learning vocabulary It is of common knowledge that vocabulary is the major part in foreign language learning Emphasizing the importance of vocabulary, Wilkins (1972, p.11) states that “without grammar, very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed” McCarthy (1990, p.viii) also shares the same view when saying “No matter how well the student learns grammar, no matter how successfully sounds of L2 are mastered, without words to express the wide range of meaning, communication in an L2 just cannot happen in any meaningful way” According to Hutchison and Walters (1987), ESP is one branch of English Language Teaching, which is a variety of numerous kinds of language teaching Consequently, vocabulary acquisition has always been one of the fundamental activities in foreign language learning whether it is for general purposes or for specific ones because no communication is possible without words Being an English teacher at Namdinh College of Construction, I realize that although ESP vocabulary teaching and learning has received much attention so far, it is still far from satisfactory Many students encounter difficulty in retaining ESP words that they have learnt in previous lessons They often complain that they forget new words soon after learning them They also not know how to learn, remember and use these words As a result, for most students, vocabulary learning in ESP lessons is boring and ineffective For the above reasons, I would like to conduct this research entitled “Using Language Games to Improve Students’ Retention of ESP Vocabulary at Namdinh College of Construction” 2 Aims of the study The main aim of the study is to investigate the effect of language games on ESP vocabulary retention, or in other words, the extent to which language games help to retain ESP vocabulary for my students at the College and suggest some teaching implications Scope of the study There are various language activities that help students to retain ESP vocabulary However, within the limit of a minor thesis, this study focuses on the impact of language games on students‟ retention of ESP vocabulary This study was implemented among groups including 100 non-English major first year students at Namdinh College of Construction whose English was at the elementary level and who are working with the course book “Nucleus English for Science and Technology: Architecture and Building Construction” by James Cumming (1996) Method of the study This research was conducted with quasi-experimental method with one class as the experimental group and one class as the control group It was quasi-experimental because the students of both groups were not randomly assigned, and therefore were not of equal proficiency levels of English The experiment lasted 10 weeks and vocabulary tests were administered to measure students‟ retention of ESP vocabulary Students‟ memorization of vocabulary is also continuously monitored when the games are being in progress so as to provide further evidence of the games‟ effectiveness The results of the tests were analyzed by using Paired Samples T-test to find out the gain of each group and Independent t-test to compare the gains of two groups Thesis Structure This thesis consists of three parts, namely Introduction, Development and Conclusion Part 1, the Introduction, presents the rationale, the aims, the scope and the method of the study Part is the development which includes three chapters Chapter provides theoretical background to teaching and learning vocabulary, particularly in ESP Also, it reviews some language games which help the retention of ESP vocabulary Chapter gives an overview of ESP vocabulary teaching and learning context at Namdinh College of Construction Chapter presents detailed analyses of the data obtained through the pretest, progress-test and posttest Part 3, the Conclusion, discusses the major findings and limitations of the research as well as provides suggestions for further study PART 2: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1 Vocabulary in ESP 1.1.1 The importance of vocabulary in ESP Recently, vocabulary has rapidly changed in status from a “neglected aspect of language learning” (Meara, 1980) to an area of growing research and publication The significance of vocabulary in language learning has drawn numerous researchers‟ interest Zimmerman (1997, p.5) states that “Vocabulary is central to language and of crucial importance to the typical language learner.” Robinson (1991) shares the same view by saying “for many people vocabulary, particularly specialist vocabulary (or terminology), is a key element of ESP” (as cited in Jahangard, 2007, p.8) Obviously, vocabulary is of great importance in foreign language learning whether it is for general purposes or for specific ones To emphasize this, Keith S Folse (2004, p.1) claims that vocabulary is the most significant aspect among numerous language learning ones such as pronunciation, writing system, syntax, pragmatics, rhetorical modes for reading and composition, culture, and spelling Carter and McCarthy (1988) also point out that the study of vocabulary is at the heart of language teaching and learning Hence, it cannot be denied that vocabulary acquisition is a “must” for language learners especially ESP learners 1.1.2 What it means to know words? Knowledge of a word is not only limited to knowing its single meaning but this involves comprehension of the word form, meaning, grammar and collocation… so that language learners can generate it for their need According to Penny Ur (1996), when the teacher teaches a new English word, he should, by all means, provide his learners with its pronunciation and spelling, word form, grammar, collocation, aspects of meaning, and word-formation • Word form Each English word has its spelling and pronunciation Therefore, when introducing new words to learners, the teacher should pay careful attention to both of these forms and provide learners with certain general guidelines which assist them in predicting the I APPENDIX VOCABULARY PRE-TEST (Time allowance: 30 minutes) Exercise 1: Choose the best answer to complete the following sentences (10 pts) The cross-section of a square prism is …………………in shape A square B circular C semi-circular D rectangular Glass is used for window panes because it is ………… A opaque B transparent C permeable D combustible The T-shaped aluminum section can resist chemical action, i.e aluminum is ………………… A impermeable B good conductor C poor conductor D corrosion resistant Rubber is elastic but clay is A soft B hard C plastic D flexible The longitudinal-section of a column is …………………in shape A square B circular C semi-circular D rectangular Glass wool can help to keep a house warm in the winter and cool in the summer This means glass wool is A opaque B poor conductor C transparent D good conductor The polythene membrane can prevent moisture from rising into the concrete floor This means that polythene is A combustible B non-combustible C permeable D impermeable can be used as a block material, a sheet material and a rod material A timber B plastics C concrete D steel Glass wool is but concrete is heavy A flexible B hard C light D transparent 10 Asbestos sheeting can be used to fireproof doors because asbestos is A combustible B non-combustible C elastic D corrosion resistant II Exercise 2: Write the missing words in the following sentences The first letter of the word has been provided for you as a clue (10 pts) View at right angles to the front, rear and sides of a building are known as e………… The longitudinal section of a cylinder is r…………… .in shape A view looking straight down in a cut-away view of the interior of a building is known as a p Building materials are used to divide the s in a building Concrete can support the structural loads because it has the property of high c strength R materials can be fixed together to form framed structures The long axis of the building is o east-west The cross- section of a triangular prism is t in shape Heat can be easily t through copper but not through wood 10 A man can b a rubber tile but not a concrete tile Exercise 3: Identify the part of speech, mark the stress and Vietnamese equivalence of these words or phrases (30 pts) No Word Part of speech Word- stress Vietnamese equivalence Sheet material Surface Perpendicular Terrace Adjacent Occupy External Frame construction Transfer 10 Transparent III VOCABULARY PROGRESS-TEST (Time allowance: 30 minutes) Exercise 1: Choose the best answer to complete the following sentences (10 pts) The .structure consists of three upright posts and two horizontal lintels A arcuated B post-and-lintel C framed D load-bearing wall and joists The stone in the centre of the arch is called A key-stone B centered-key C key-point D centered-point C blocks D wedge-shaped blocks The arch is made of A stone B bricks The force on plate A is through the welds to plate B A filled B transformed C transmitted D machined The steel frame consists of a roof beam, a floor beam and a A stanchion B post C lintel D wall The of a room equals length times height times width A surface area B cross-sectional area C volume D longitudinal-sectional area The is measured in decibel A stress B noise level C heat D density Concrete is made from cement, coarse aggregate and water A timber B brick C steel D fine aggregate Coarse aggregate in size from 20 mm to 40 mm A varies B ranges C ranging D varying 10 The of the concrete foundation is 400 kg/m3 A mass B stress C density D force Exercise 2: Write the missing words in the following sentences The first letter of the word has been provided for you as a clue (10 pts) Materials used for post-and-lintel structure include stone and t _ The horizontal members which connect steel frames together are called t b The v _ spans a distance of metre IV The l _ wall and joist structure consists of upright brick walls and horizontal wooden joists A room has three spatial d _: length, height and width The surface area of a room is m in square metres The university has the c to educate 200 students a year In a group of three students, their height v _ between 1.65 m to 1.8 m The i _ from the light bulb is 50 lux 10 The house is capable of a a family of people Exercise 3: Identify the part of speech, mark the stress and Vietnamese equivalence of these words or phrases (30 pts) No Word Security Modify Artificial Thermal insulation Spalling Respectively Capable Fine aggregate Bolt 10 Moisture Part of speech Word- stress Vietnamese equivalence V VOCABULARY POST-TEST (Time allowance: 30 minutes) Exercise 1: Choose the best answer to complete the following sentences (10 pts) The assembly of a prefabricated building is divided into four phases A sequencing B sequence C sequential D sequentially The function of a is to transfer the heat from the hot water to the air in the room A radiator B aquastat C burner D safety valve A safety valve serves to relieve the pressure in the if it is too high A burner B pump C boiler D expansion tank has a slight lower density than aluminum A mild steel B concrete C copper D glass The temperature in the room is too low because the .is inadequate A sound insulation B thermal insulation C structure D weather resistance Mild steel has a much higher point than glass A melting B density C relative cost D tensile strength As construction proceeds, the architect makes inspections A continuous B periodic C regular D daily For six months after completing a building, there is a period known as the A insurance period B warranty period C liability period D defects liability period The .take charge of the installation of pipe-work and sanitary fittings on a building site A bricklayers B steel erectors C plumbers D glaziers 10 When all the defects have been corrected, the client full possession of the building A takes B gets C gives D keeps VI Exercise 2: Write the missing words in the following sentences The first letter of the word has been provided for you as a clue (10 pts) The tropical regions of the earth can be divided into three major climatic z In warm-humid climates, the rooms of the houses must have adequate shade and v After visiting the site, the architect d _ up preliminary plans and a rough estimate of the cost The electricians take charge of the installation electrical e _ Buildings are capable of performing the design r In hot-dry climates, houses must give adequate p against the excessive heat of the sun The f _ of the lowest floor include providing surfaces for activities and modifying the passage of heat Before the concrete foundations are constructed, the ground is e _ One method of heating a building is to circulate hot water through r _ which are located in each room 10 The roof and the external walls are designed to resist l Exercise 3: Identify the part of speech, mark the stress and Vietnamese equivalence of these words or phrases (30 pts) No Word Circulate Supervision Preliminary Install Expansion tank Prefabricate Excavate Suspended ceiling Approximately 10 Adequate Part of speech Word- stress Vietnamese equivalence VII KEY TO THE TESTS PRE-TEST Exercise 1: Choose the best answer to complete the following sentences square poor conductor transparent impermeable corrosion resistant concrete plastic light rectangular 10 non-combustible Exercise 2: Write the missing words in the following sentences elevations rod rectangular orientated plan triangular space transferred compressive 10 bend Exercise 3: Identify the part of speech, mark the stress and Vietnamese equivalence of these words or phrases No Word Part of speech Word- stress ['∫i:t mətiəriəl] Vietnamese equivalence Sheet material Noun phrase Vật liệu dạng Surface Noun Perpendicular Adjective Terrace Noun Adjacent Adjective [ə'dʒeisnt] Gần kề, kế liền Occupy Verb ['ɒkjʊpai] Chiếm, choán External Adjective [iks'tə:nl] Bên Frame construction Noun phrase Transfer Verb 10 Transparent Adjective ['sə:fis] Bề mặt, mặt [pɜ:pən'dikjələ(r)] Vng góc ['terəs] Sân trời Kiểu xây dựng ['freim kənstrʌk∫n] [træns'fɜ:(r)] [træns'pærənt] khung Truyền Trong suốt VIII PROGRESS-TEST Exercise 1: Choose the best answer to complete the following sentences post-and-lintel volume key-stone noise level wedge-shaped blocks fine aggregate transmitted ranges stanchion 10 density Exercise 2: Write the missing words in the following sentences timber measured tie beams capacity vault varies load-bearing wall illumination dimensions 10 accommodating Exercise 3: Identify the part of speech, mark the stress and Vietnamese equivalence of these words or phrases No Word Part of speech Vietnamese Word- stress equivalence Sự an ninh, an Security Noun [si'kjuərəti] Modify Verb ['mɒdifai] Hiệu chỉnh, thay đổi Artificial Adjective [ɑ:ti'fi∫l] Nhân tạo, giả Thermal insulation Noun phrase [θɜ:ml insju'lei∫n] Sự cách nhiệt Spalling Noun Respectively Adverb Capable Adjective Fine aggregate Noun phrase Vary Verb ['veəri] 10 Moisture Noun ['mɔist∫ə] ['spɔ:liη] [ris'pektivli] toàn Sự đập vỡ, nứt vỡ Lần lượt, theo thứ tự Có khả năng, ['keipəbl] [fain'ægrigət] lực Cốt liệu mịn Thay đổi, biến đổi Hơi ẩm IX POST-TEST Exercise 1: Choose the best answer to complete the following sentences sequence melting radiator periodic boiler defects liability period glass plumbers thermal insulation 10 takes Exercise 2: Write the missing words in the following sentences zones protection ventilation functions draws excavated equipments radiators requirements 10 load Exercise 3: Identify the part of speech, mark the stress and Vietnamese equivalence of these words or phrases No Word Part of speech Vietnamese Word- stress equivalence Luân chuyển, tuần Circulate Verb ['sɜ:kjəleit] Supervision Noun [su:pə'viʒn] Preliminary Adjective [pri'liminəri] Mở đầu, sơ Install Verb [in'stɔ:l] Lắp đặt, cài đặt Expansion tank Nound phrase Initially Adverb Excavate Verb Suspended ceiling Noun phrase Approximately Adverb 10 Adequate Adjective hồn, lưu thơng Sự giám sát, trơng nom [iks'pỉn∫n tỉηk] [i'ni∫əli] ['ekskəveit] [səspendid 'si:liη] [ə'prɒksimətli] Bình giãn nở Ban đầu, Đào, khai quật Trần treo Khoảng chừng, xấp xỉ ['ædikwət] Đủ, đầy đủ X APPENDIX THESIS TEST SCORES Table 4: Detailed pre-test scores of the experimental group Experimental group (Case: – 25) Part Total Con.score 20 10 50 10 14 13 11 4 5 6 Part Part Con.score 10 10 10 20 10 50 10 26 10 19 2.5 27 15 29 19 28 11 18 3.5 18 3.5 29 13 23 4.5 10 17 3.5 30 9 18 3.5 31 12 18 3.5 11 18 3.5 32 15 19 33 12 18 3.5 4 34 14 22 4.5 10 19 35 10 18 3.5 11 15 28 5.5 36 11 18 3.5 12 11 19 37 18 3.5 13 5 13 2.5 38 13 2.5 14 18 3.5 39 13 2.5 15 10 18 3.5 40 13 2.5 16 14 41 17 13 2.5 42 18 3.5 18 43 15 19 3 14 44 12 18 3.5 20 4 45 13 2.5 21 12 2.5 46 13 2.5 22 13 2.5 47 23 4 48 11 24 15 49 12 22 4.5 25 12 24 50 5 13 2.5 Ss No Total 10 Part MS WS Ss No Part Part Experimental group (Case: 26 – 50) MS WS XI Table 5: Detailed pre-test scores of the control group Control group (Case: – 25) Part Total Con.score 20 10 50 10 11 26 5 25 6 16 Part Part Con.score 10 10 10 20 10 50 10 26 18 3.5 27 15 23 4.5 12 2.5 28 12 17 29 29 12 10 17 30 13 2.5 12 2.5 31 17 10 22 32 10 16 10 33 21 11 34 16 10 12 2.5 35 11 11 11 22 36 5 11 12 10 22 37 10 13 6 10 23 4.5 38 10 14 13 2.5 39 13 2.5 40 14 6.5 33 15 17 16 11 17 41 18 17 11 23 4.5 42 7 17 18 11 16 43 18 3.5 19 5 10 23 4.5 44 18 3.5 20 7 18 3.5 45 13 2.5 46 14 12 6 32 21 8 26 22 23 4.5 47 5 13 2.5 23 16 48 10 22 24 13 2.5 49 15 2.5 25 16 50 16 Ss No Total 10 Part MS WS Ss No Part Part Control group (Case: 26 – 50) MS WS XII Table 9: Detailed progress-test scores of the experimental group Experimental group (Case: – 25) Part Total Con.score 20 10 50 10 19 6 17 4 3 7 Part Part Con.score 10 10 10 20 10 50 10 26 14 3.5 27 15 34 14 28 18 4 19 29 4 18 15 30 19 20 31 24 19 32 14 4 15 33 8 24 14 34 20 10 15 34 35 19 11 24 36 8 20 12 21 37 5 13 26 13 19 38 14 14 7 26 39 11 30 15 12 29 40 12 30 16 24 41 18 17 20 42 2 15 18 11 29 43 14 29 19 5 18 3.5 44 12 26 20 5 11 24 45 11 20 21 6 10 25 46 20 22 24 47 6 10 25 23 19 48 3 11 24 10 19 49 12 25 25 15 50 18 3.5 Ss No Total 10 Part MS WS Ss No Part Part Experimental group (Case: 26 – 50) MS WS XIII Table 10: Detailed progress-test scores of the control group Control group (Case: – 25) Part Total Con.score 20 10 50 10 7 21 23 4 12 8 Part Part Con.score 10 10 10 20 10 50 10 26 6 16 4.5 27 12 26 25 28 14 34 29 17 3.5 11 28 5.5 30 11 31 21 31 4 11 19 11 28 5.5 32 14 34 20 33 26 10 19 34 21 10 10 26 35 27 5.5 11 21 36 11 20 12 10 26 37 10 27 5.5 13 17 3.5 38 15 14 22 4.5 39 10 21 15 10 25 40 23 4.5 16 19 41 24 17 11 28 5.5 42 24 18 12 23 4.5 43 18 3.5 19 13 29 44 17 20 11 23 4.5 45 10 21 21 13 30 46 23 4.5 22 6 14 47 10 28 5.5 23 22 4.5 48 10 23 4.5 24 6 14 32 49 8 11 33 6.5 25 11 22 4.5 50 20 Ss No Total 10 Part MS WS Ss No Part Part Control group (Case: 26 – 50) MS WS XIV Table 16: Detailed post-test scores of the experimental group Experimental group (Case: – 25) Part Total Con.score Con.score 10 20 10 50 10 10 27 5.5 5 14 27 10 14 5 Part Part Total 10 10 10 20 10 50 10 26 10 26 5.5 27 10 15 41 23 4.5 28 10 12 31 27 5.5 29 10 11 34 13 26 30 10 13 35 11 26 31 10 16 36 7 10 27 5.5 32 11 27 5.5 13 31 33 10 12 32 6.5 14 33 6.5 34 16 10 10 12 38 7.5 35 10 22 4.5 11 10 15 39 36 11 23 4.5 12 6 10 25 37 12 28 5.5 13 12 26 38 14 29 14 12 26 39 10 12 33 6.5 15 11 23 4.5 40 12 26 16 12 26 41 12 26 17 13 23 4.5 42 11 26 18 5 23 4.5 43 11 23 4.5 19 12 25 44 12 27 5.5 20 16 45 11 29 21 14 28 5.5 46 12 28 5.5 22 10 24 47 12 30 23 12 27 5.5 48 12 28 5.5 24 13 27 5.5 49 10 13 33 6.5 25 11 31 50 13 31 Ss No Part MS WS Ss No Part Part Experimental group (Case: 26 – 50) MS WS XV Table 17: Detailed post-test scores of the control group Control group (Case: – 25) Part Total Con.score Con.score 10 20 10 50 10 7 26 5 11 24 14 5 Part Part Total 10 10 10 20 10 50 10 26 24 5 27 10 20 19 28 24 29 29 20 10 19 30 24 14 29 31 25 11 29 32 12 26 11 24 33 11 20 9 25 34 2 10 17 3.5 10 14 29 35 12 25 11 6 10 25 36 13 30 12 10 19 37 9 29 13 11 21 38 10 24 14 14 34 39 12 27 5.5 15 24 40 11 29 16 9 25 41 11 25 17 10 19 42 21 18 13 33 43 13 27 5.5 19 11 20 44 10 20 20 13 30 45 10 21 21 10 14 36 46 14 26 22 13 30 47 11 25 23 12 24 48 10 24 24 7 26 49 20 25 Ss No Part MS WS Ss No Part Part Control group (Case: 26 – 50) MS WS 22 4.5 50 24 10 Notes: MS = Meaning and part of speech; WS = Word stress; Con.score = Converted score to 10-score scale ... entitled ? ?Using Language Games to Improve Students? ?? Retention of ESP Vocabulary at Namdinh College of Construction? ?? 2 Aims of the study The main aim of the study is to investigate the effect of language. .. the hypothesis that ? ?Language games help improve students? ?? retention of ESP vocabulary. ” Thus, the null hypothesis is ? ?Language games have no impact on students? ?? retention of ESP vocabulary. ” Like... particularly in ESP Also, it reviews some language games which help the retention of ESP vocabulary Chapter gives an overview of ESP vocabulary teaching and learning context at Namdinh College of Construction