An investigation into the use of translation method in vocabulary teaching and learning at tran nhan tong high school hanoi

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES TRẦN THỊ VÂN AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF TRANSLATION METHOD IN VOCABULARY TEACHING AND LEARNING AT TRAN NHAN TONG HIGH SCHOOL, HANOI (Nghiên cứu việc sử dụng phương pháp dịch hoạt động dạy học từ vựng giáo viên học sinh trường THPT Trần Nhân Tông, Hà Nội) M.A Minor Programme Thesis Field: English Language Teaching Methodology Code: 60.14.10 HANOI, 2013 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES TRẦN THỊ VÂN AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF TRANSLATION METHOD IN VOCABULARY TEACHING AND LEARNING AT TRAN NHAN TONG HIGH SCHOOL, HANOI (Nghiên cứu việc sử dụng phương pháp dịch hoạt động dạy học từ vựng giáo viên học sinh trường THPT Trần Nhân Tông, Hà Nội) M.A Minor Programme Thesis Field: English Language Teaching Methodology Code: 60.14.10 Supervisor: Phạm Thị Thanh Thủy, M.A HANOI, 2013 LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table Teachers‟ responses to the use of Vietnamese to explain new words Table Proportion of periods that teachers use translation exercises the most Table Aspects of vocabulary teachers pay the most attention to Table Reasons for using translation exercises Table Teachers‟ frequency of using Vietnamese to explain words‟ meaning Table Frequency of translating sentences which are not in context Figure Percentage of teachers asking students to use bilingual dictionary to look up new words Figure Teachers‟ opinions about the effectiveness of Translation exercises to vocabulary teaching Figure Students‟ frequency of using bilingual dictionary to look up new words Figure Frequency of translation exercises given by teachers to students Figure Students‟opinions about the effectiveness of translation exercises Figure Reasons for using translation exercises to learn new words iv TABLE OF CONTENTS page Declaration i Acknowledgements ii Abstract iii List of charts and figures iv Table of contents v Part A: INTRODUCTION 1 Introduction Aims of the study Research questions Scope of the study Chapter summary PART B: DEVELOPMENT Chapter 1: Literature review 1.1 Vocabulary 1.1.1 Definitions of vocabulary 1.1.2 The roles of vocabulary in language teaching and learning 1.1.3 What should be taught in vocabulary 1.1.4 Explicit and incidental vocabulary learning 1.2 Translation Method 1.2.1 Translation Method in second language teaching 1.2.2 The influences of the first language on the second language 1.2.3 The use of translation to facilitate vocabulary teaching 11 1.2.4 Empirical studies of Translation Method in vocabulary teaching and 12 learning 1.3 Chapter summary 15 Chapter 2: Methodology 16 2.1 The design of the study 16 v 2.2 Participants 16 2.3 The instruments 17 2.3.1 Survey questions 17 2.3.2 Class observation 18 2.3.3 Interviews 18 2.4 Data collection 19 2.5 Chapter summary 19 Chapter 3: Data analysis and discussion 20 3.1 Data analysis and discussions of survey questionnaires 20 3.2 Data analysis and discussion of interviews 30 3.3 Data analysis and discussion of class observation 34 3.4 Major findings 37 3.5 Pedagogical implications 39 3.6 Chapter summary 39 PART C: CONCLUSION 40 Conclusions 40 Limitations and suggestions for further study 41 REFERENCES 42 APPENDICES I vi PART A: INTRODUCTION This part consists of the introduction of the research, the aims that inspired the author to this study, the research questions, and the scope of the study Rationale and statement of the Study Learning vocabulary is an essential component in learning a second language Wilkins (1997:111) stated, “Without grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed” This statement shows us the importance of vocabulary and how hard it is to be understood without vocabulary It is a common fact that when students cannot express any statements, they would look up the dictionary to check new words A recent study by Ramachandran and Rahim (2004) investigated the effectiveness of using the translation method in recalling the meaning and retention of the words with elementary level ESL Their results indicated that the translation method through using the first language was more effective than the non-translation method in enhancing ESL learners‟ vocabulary learning ability, and it could improve elementary ESL learner‟s ability to recall the meaning of the word learnt Auer Bach (1993) claims that the use of the learner‟s L1 in the L2 classroom will have a positive effect on learners‟ second language learning, especially in the area of vocabulary However, due to the continuously increasing demand for communication purposes, nowadays many teachers feel interested in using Communicative Approach to teach vocabulary, in which the implicit approach is used to teach students vocabulary by emphasizing on guessing the meaning of the word by looking at the context where the words are located or using visual aids to teach new words Then the teachers refuse to apply Translation Method, which mainly uses explicit instructions to directly teach students vocabulary Personally, the researcher is interested in the findings of many researchers including Nation (2001) and Kroll and Curley (1988) that new second language words are stored more effectively in the brain when they are linked to their first language equivalents So the author of this research make an investigation into a concrete case (at Tran Nhan Tong High School) to find out the answer for the question about the real situation of using Translation Method in vocabulary teaching and learning at high school at the present Aims of the study As it was stated before, there are a number of reasons for teachers to reject using Translation Method in their teaching despite the fact that many researchers did studies and found out that this method had positive effect on students‟ vocabulary acquisition Therefore, the author did this research to investigate the real situation of applying Translation Method in vocabulary teaching and learning of teachers and students at Tran Nhan Tong High School The researcher would like to know whether they are applying this Method to their teaching and learning or not, and if Translation Method is still used, how the teachers and students think about its effectiveness towards their vocabulary teaching and learning Research Questions How is Translation Method applied in vocabulary teaching and learning at Tran Nhan Tong High School? How effective teachers and students at Tran Nhan Tong High School find the Translation Method to their vocabulary teaching and learning? The scope of the study In this study, the researcher would like to investigate the real situation of applying Translation Method in vocabulary teaching and learning field, not second language learning in general; therefore, the observation mainly happened in reading, language focus and writing periods The summary In this first part, the author introduced the thesis with the aims that inspired her to conduct the study as well as the research questions The author also presented the scope of the study that the thesis‟s focus was the application of Translation Method in vocabulary teaching and learning so she did not pay attention equally to all lessons of the participants PART B: DEVELOPMENT Part B consists of three chapters: literature review; methodology and data analysis and discussions Chapter 1: Literature review This chapter looks at the literature review of Translation Method and vocabulary teaching The summaries of previous researches on closely –related topics are also included 1.1 Vocabulary 1.1.1 Definitions of vocabulary According to Penny Ur (1996:60), the vocabulary was roughly defined as “the words we teach in the foreign language.” It was also accepted that “a new item of vocabulary may be more than a single word: for example, post office and mother-inlaw, which are made up of two or three words but express a single idea” Added to that, Michael Lewis (1993:89) said that vocabulary “may be individual words or full sentences - institutionalized utterances - that convey fixed social or pragmatic meaning within a given community" According to Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary Third Edition (2008), vocabulary is defined as “all the words which exist in a particular language or subject” (p.1624) This definition covers vocabulary‟s meaning on the whole However, it is not the knowledge of words and word meanings, vocabulary is more complex than this definition suggests The definition does not totally show a deep understanding about vocabulary In conclusion, there are many different definitions about vocabulary, but the idea that vocabulary is the total number of words existing in a language, including single words as well as multi-word items of which meaning cannot be deduced from the analysis of the component words but only understood in the sentences; or in contexts, is more favorable 1.1.2 The roles of vocabulary in language teaching and learning It is widely accepted that vocabulary is the most important language element among pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar Wilkins (1972:111) emphasizes the special role of vocabulary in teaching and learning a language Shafaei and Nejati (2009) also strongly supported this idea that “vocabulary is one of the most important objectives in teaching of foreign languages” (p 32) Vocabulary is important in all four language skills In terms of speaking, it is impossible to communicate without vocabulary In addition, sometimes, students have difficulties in finding the proper words to express themselves In terms of listening, the vocabulary errors caused confusion of the texts and difficulty in listening comprehension Most importantly, vocabulary plays a role in reading It is indicated that the lack of vocabulary is the most significant obstacle for readers, which prevents them from thoroughly comprehending the text Therefore, vocabulary is a language component that plays an important role in deciding a learner‟s language proficiency If a learner has a wide range of vocabulary, it is easy to understand others; on the contrary, if his vocabulary is limited he will surely have difficulty in communication 1.1.3 What should be taught in vocabulary Richards (1976) claims that knowing a lexical item includes knowledge of word frequency, collocation, register, case relations, underlying forms, word association and semantic structure Nation and Newton (1997) look into the principled selection of vocabulary through the following dimensions: frequency; range; the ability to combine, define or replace other words; association; and availability However, Penny Ur‟(1996) states that when teaching a new English words, the teacher should provide the learners with its pronunciation and spelling, word form, grammar, collocation, aspects of meaning, word-formation  Word form Each English word has its spelling and pronunciation Learners have to know all the spelling, pronunciation and irregularities of the word they are learning  Grammar The grammar of a new word should also be taught to the learners They need to know the grammatical function, the unpredictable change of form in certain grammatical contexts, the regularity and irregularity, the singular and plural forms of the new word so that they can use it correctly For example, teaching the verb “pay”, we might give its irregularity in past form “paid”; when a noun such as “a foot” is taught, it should be given its plural form as “feet”  Collocation Collocation is the way in which words are used together regularly in a specific language It refers to the restriction on how words can be used together in right contexts Thus, this is another piece of information about a new item, which may be worth teaching When introducing words like “to make” and “to do”, for example, the teacher may note that both words mean, “to perform” but can be distinguished by the words they collocate with We often say, “to the shopping” but never say, “to make the shopping”  Aspects of meaning Aspect of meaning consists of denotation, connotation, appropriateness and meaning relationship The denotation meaning refers to or point out things, concepts This is often the sort of definition given in dictionaries such as "cat" denotes a small animal with soft fur, often kept as a pet or for catching mice Connotation of a word is less obvious component of its meaning This is association, or positive and negative feelings the word evokes which may not be indicated in a dictionary definition Connotation includes stylistic, affective, evaluation, intensifying value, pragmatic communicative values, the word acquires by virtue of where, when, how and by whom, for what purpose and in what context it is or it may be used Appropriateness is more subtle aspect of meaning that indicates whether a particular item is appropriate one to use in a certain context or not Thus, it is useful for a learner to know whether a certain word is very common, or relatively rare or taboo in Vietnamese meaning helped students to remember words much better and for a longer time Although Translation Method is undeniably beneficial to most of participants, they would like teachers to use other additional techniques to teach vocabulary so that they would be motivated to learn more 3.5 Pedagogical implications From this study teachers may gain insights into the role of Translation Method in learners‟ learning vocabulary Instead of refusing to apply Translation Method to their teaching, teachers should be aware of positive influences of Translation Method to their students, especially students with low level of English proficiency Teachers may also encourage students to use Translation with caution They should be advised to stay away from word by word translation Using translation strategy is an effective strategy especially for learning vocabulary, especially for learners who are at elementary level of English proficiency On the contrary, using Vietnamese can facilitate the development process of learning because it helps students rapidly understand the target words It will not be fair if translation causes students difficulties in improving communicative products because translation helps students to achieve new learning, which can be linked with the previous knowledge, hence meaningful learning in the next step Teachers of English as a second language should apply a variety of strategy to teach vocabulary so that students at different levels will be more motivated to learn and they can learn more effectively Translation strategy is one of the strategies that teachers should choose to apply In terms of translation exercises, teachers also need to be aware of suitable types for different students Besides choosing exercises with difficulty level corresponding to the level of students‟ English proficiency, teachers should use variety of translation tasks for students so that they are motivated to learn and eager to translating For example, to low level students, translation from English into Vietnamese can be much easier than translating from Vietnamese into English because it does not require too much target language knowledge To higher level students, teachers should ask them to finish more difficult exercises such as translation from 38 Vietnamese into English or listen to recordings or watch videos then translate them into Vietnamese These types of exercises require students to much more than just translating text 3.6 Chapter summary This chapter consists of data analysis and findings of the research From three instruments, researchers could have reliable results The two hypotheses about the use of Translation Method and its effectiveness to vocabulary teaching and learning are concluded to be true From the research‟s findings teachers of English as second language could be highly aware of using translation as one of very beneficial strategies to teach students vocabulary 39 PART C: CONCLUSION Conclusions This study was done to investigate the use of Translation Method in vocabulary teaching and learning of teachers and students from Tran Nhan Tong High School The research also sought answers for question about the effectiveness of translation strategy to the participants The findings of the research revealed that Translation Method is still widely applied in vocabulary teaching and learning Translation strategy is also supposed to be very effective to almost students, especially students with low level of English proficiency Thanks to the findings of the research, teachers should raise their awareness of using translation strategy as a beneficial strategy to students‟ vocabulary learning In short, from this study, Translation Method is proved to be widely applied thanks to its helpfulness to language learners, especially for beginner learners or learners at low level of English proficiency Added to that, teachers should be highly aware of the conclusion that Translation Method does not reduce students‟ motivation as well as communication skill On the contrary, applying this method suitably could be very beneficial to students in improving vocabulary acquisition in particular and language proficiency in general Limitations and suggestions for further study As in all classroom studies, there are obvious limitations of this study The first restriction is the sample size of this study The sample size was small so the findings may not be true to generate to all cases Another limitation is the length of the study A month for working with more than 200 participants may be short to investigate their real teaching and learning Participants often give the response to the questions during their break time or at the end of the lessons, so they may feel tired and not very serious to give the most suitable choices to their teaching and learning, which might directly affect the research findings The author of the research investigated the use of Translation Method and it effectiveness in vocabulary teaching and learning It was a survey research so the 40 author could get the general result about this case However, a case study about the effectiveness of Translation which studies a group of students for a longer time could bring more accurate results about its effectiveness 41 REFERENCES Atkinson, D (1987) The mother tongue in the classroom: A neglected resource? ELT Journal, 41(4), 241-47 Auerbach, E.R (1993) Re-examining English only in the classroom TESOL Quarterly, 27 (1), 9-32 Barcroft, J (2002) Semantic and Structural Elaboration in L2 Lexical Acquisition Language Learning, 52(2), 323-363 doi: 10.1111/00238333.00186 Cambridge University Press (2008) Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Hetail, P.(1989) Teaching vocabulary by oral translation ELT journal.43.288-293 Howatt, A P R (1984) A history of English language teaching In Schmitt, N (Ed.).Vocabulary in language teaching (pp 12) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Kroll, J F., & Curley J (1988) Lexical memory in novice bilinguals: The role of concepts in retrieving second language words In Barcroft, J (2002) Semantic and Structural Elaboration in L2 Lexical Acquisition Language Learning, 52(2), 323-363 doi: 10.1111/0023-8333.00186 Majid, H (2009) Task based instruction vs translation method in teaching vocabulary The case of Iranian secondary school students Iranian journal of language studies Nation, I S P., (2001) Learning Vocabulary in Another Language Cambridge University Press 10 Pyles, T., & Algeo, J., (1970) English – An Introduction to language, New York: Harcourt, Brace 11 Ramachandran, S D., & Rahim, H A (2004) Meaning Recall and Retention: The Impact of the Translation Method on Elementary Level Learners‟ 42 Vocabulary Learning RELC Journal, 35(2), 161-178 doi: 10.1177/003368820403500205 12 Saggara, N &Alba, M (2006) The key is the key word L2 vocabulary learning method with beginning learners of Spanish The modern language journal, 90, 283 – 243 13 Schmitt, N (1997).Vocabulary learning strategies In Schmitt, N (Ed.) Vocabulary in language teaching (pp.134) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 14 Schmitt, N (2000) Vocabulary in language teaching Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 15 Shafaei, A., & Nejati, M., (2009) Annals of Language Learning Universal Publishers Boca Raton Floria 16 Sokmen, A (1997) Current trends in teaching second language vocabulary 17 Ur, P., (1996) A course in Language teaching – Practice and theory CUP 18 Wilkins, D A (1972) Linguistics in Language Teaching Cambridge, MA: MIT Press 43 APPENDICES APPENDIX SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS (Câu hỏi dành cho học sinh) Tôi Trần Thị Vân, học viên cao học khóa 19, khoa Sau Đại Học- Đại học Ngoại Ngữ - Đại học Quốc Gia Hà Nội Tơi làm nghiên cứu nhằm tìm hiểu vấn đề sử dụng phương pháp dịch hoạt động dạy học từ vựng thầy trò trường Trần Nhân Tông Tôi đánh giá cao tất câu trả lời bạn cho câu hỏi nghiên cứu Thông tin bạn đưa dùng cho mục đích nghiên cứu Vui lòng khoanh tròn lựa chọn bạn Câu hỏi số 1: Điểm tổng kết môn tiếng Anh bạn gần là… A Dưới 6.5 B Từ 6.5 -7.9 C Trên 8.0 Câu hỏi 2: Bạn có học lớp chun Anh khơng? A Có B Khơng Câu hỏi số 3: Cơ giáo bạn có thường xun dùng tiếng Việt để giải thích nghĩa từ cách dùng từ không? A Luôn C Thỉnh thoảng B Thường xuyên D Hiếm Khi E Khơng Câu hỏi số 4: Bạn có thường xuyên dùng từ điển để tra nghĩa từ không? A Luôn C Thỉnh thoảng B Thường xun D Ít E Khơng Câu hỏi số 5: Cơ giáo bạn có thường xun giao cho bạn làm tập dịch để học từ không? A Luôn C Thỉnh thoảng B Thường xun D Ít E Khơng Câu hỏi số 6: Cơ giáo bạn có hay u cầu bạn dịch câu riêng lẻ, không văn cảnh, để luyện từ bạn cần học không? I A Luôn C Thi thoảng B Thường xuyên D Ít E Không Câu hỏi số 7: Bạn có nghĩ tập dịch giúp bạn học từ dễ nhớ từ tốt khơng? A Có B Khơng Câu hỏi số 8: Nếu bạn nghĩ tập dịch giúp bạn học từ dễ nhớ từ tốt , vui lịng giải thích lí A Bài tập dịch giúp học sinh hiểu nghĩa cách dùng từ B Bài tập dịch giúp tiết kiệm thời gian học từ vựng liên kết nghĩa với tiếng Việt, nhanh nhớ từ C Ý kiến khác ( vui lòng làm rõ ý kiến bạn) ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… …… Tôi xin chân thành cảm ơn! II APPENDIX SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS My name is Tran Thi Van from K19D, from Post Graduate Department, ULIS I this study to investigate the use of Translation Method in vocabulary learning and teaching of teachers and students at Tran Nhan Tong high school I would be grateful with all of your answers for the following questions Your answers for these questions are only used for research purposes Question 1: You are teaching ……………… A gifted class of English B not gifted class of English Question 2: How many years have you taught English? Your answer: ………………… Question 3: How often you use Vietnamese at class to explain the meaning of the new words? A always B often C sometimes D seldom E never Question 4: Do you ask students to use bilingual dictionary to check the new words? A Yes B No Question 5: In which periods you use translation exercises the most? A Language focus B Reading lessons C Speaking lessons D Listening lessons E Writing lessons Question 6: Which aspects of vocabulary you often pay the most attention to when you introduce new words to your students? A Word -form B Grammar C Meaning D Usage III Question 7: How you think translation exercises help you teach new words? A very effective B quite effective C not effective Question 8: If your answer for question No7 is A or B, Could you circle the reason and specify it? A It saves time to teach students directly the usage and meaning of the words B Linking the word meaning with their mother tongue helps students remember the word more easily C Other reasons ( Please specify) ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… …………… Thank you! IV APPENDIX INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR TEACHERS My name is Tran Thi Van from K19D, at Post Graduate Studies, ULIS I this study to investigate the use of Translation Method in vocabulary learning and teaching by teachers and students at Tran Nhan Tong High School I would be grateful to your answers to the following questions Question1: How you think translation can help your students learn new words? Question 2: What are the difficulties you have when teaching vocabulary to your classes using Translation Method? Thank you! V APPENDIX INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR STUDENTS My name is Tran Thi Van from K19D, at Post Graduate Studies, ULIS I this study to investigate the use of Translation Method in vocabulary learning and teaching by teachers and students at Tran Nhan Tong High School I would be grateful to your answers to the following questions Question 1: In what way translation exercises help you learn and remember new words effectively? Question 2: What you think about using Vietnamese when you learn new words? What you think about using bilingual dictionary when you learn new words? Thank you! VI Techniques APPENDIX CLASSROOM OBSERVATION Using Asking Giving Notes Vietnamese students to translation to explain use tasks the meaning bilingual and the dictionary usage of the Periods new words Listening: Unit 10 – Nature in danger, English 11th Date: December 4th Speaking: Unit – the post office, English 11th Date: December 2nd Languages focus: Unit – the post office, English 11 Date: December 2nd VII Language focus: Unit 9Under sea world – English 10th Date: December 6th Reading : Unit 11, Books – English 12 Date: December 12th Reading : Unit 10, Endangered species, English 12th Date: December 14th Writing : Unit 10 – Conservation, English 10th Date: December 10th Writing: Unit 9- Under sea world – English 10th VIII Date: December 10th IX ... How is Translation Method applied in vocabulary teaching and learning at Tran Nhan Tong High School? How effective teachers and students at Tran Nhan Tong High School find the Translation Method. .. and learning Research Questions How is Translation Method applied in vocabulary teaching and learning at Tran Nhan Tong High School? How effective teachers and students at Tran Nhan Tong High School. .. investigate the real situation of applying Translation Method in vocabulary teaching and learning of teachers and students at Tran Nhan Tong High School The researcher would like to know whether they