Developing english vocabulary on science and technology for grade 10 science gifted students through supplementary readings

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN THANH NHÃ DEVELOPING ENGLISH VOCABULARY ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR GRADE 10 SCIENCE GIFTED STUDENTS THROUGH SUPPLEMENTARY READINGS (PHÁT TRIỂN VỐN TỪ VỰNG VỀ KHOA HỌC VÀ CÔNG NGHỆ CHO HỌC SINH LỚP 10 CHUYÊN TỰ NHIÊN THÔNG QUA ĐỌC BỔ TRỢ) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 601410 HANOI, 2011 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN THANH NHÃ DEVELOPING ENGLISH VOCABULARY ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR GRADE 10 SCIENCE GIFTED STUDENTS THROUGH SUPPLEMENTARY READINGS (PHÁT TRIỂN VỐN TỪ VỰNG VỀ KHOA HỌC VÀ CÔNG NGHỆ CHO HỌC SINH LỚP 10 CHUYÊN TỰ NHIÊN THÔNG QUA ĐỌC BỔ TRỢ) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 601410 Supervisor: Nguyễn Bàng (M.A) HANOI, 2011 -iv- TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Declaration ………………………………………………………………… i Acknowledgements ……………………………………………………… ii Abstract …………………………………………………………………… iii Table of Contents ………………………………………………………… iv List of Tables ……………………………………………………………… vii Part One: Introduction …………………………………………………… 1 Statement of the Problems and Rationale of the Study ……………… Aims and Objectives of the Study …………………………………… 3 Research Questions …………………………………………………… Scope of the Study …………………………………………………… Method of the Study ………………………………………………… Design of the Study …………………………………………………… Part Two: Development …………………………………………………… Chapter 1: Literature Review …………………………………………… 1.1 Vocabulary …………………………………………….…………… 1.1.1 The Notions of Vocabulary ……………………………………… 1.1.2 Active and Passive Vocabulary …………………………… 1.1.3 What Need to Be Taught in Vocabulary ………………………… 1.1.4 Criteria for Selecting the Vocabulary to Teach ………………… 1.2 Approaches to Vocabulary Acquisition ……………………………… 10 1.2.1 Acquisition vs Learning Vocabulary …………………………… 10 1.2.2 Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition and Intentional Vocabulary Learning ………………………………………………………… 11 1.2.3 Implicit Learning and Explicit Learning Process ……………… 12 1.3 Methodology in Vocabulary Teaching …………………… ….…… 13 -v- 1.3.1 The Grammar-Translation Method …………………….….…… 13 1.3.2 The Direct Method …………………………………… ….…… 14 1.3.3 The CLT ………………………………………………………… 14 1.4 Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension ………………………… 15 1.4.1 Reading Comprehension ………………………………………… 15 1.4.2 Intensive and Extensive Reading ……………………………… 16 1.4.3 The Relationship between Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension ………………………………………………… 17 1.5 Supplementary Materials for Reading ……………………………… 18 1.5.1 Definition of Supplementary Materials ……………………… 18 1.5.2 Selecting Appropriate Supplementary Materials ……………… 19 1.6 Supplementary Reading in the Study ……………………………… 20 Chapter 2: The Study ……………………………………………… …… 21 2.1 Research Questions ………………………………………………… 21 2.2 Research Approach ………………………………………………… 21 2.3 Descriptions of Participants ………………………………………… 23 2.3.1 Teacher of English ……………………………………………… 23 2.3.2 The Students …………………………………………………… 24 2.3.3 Materials ………………………………………………………… 25 2.4 Instruments to Collect Data ……………………………………… 25 2.4.1 Questionnaire ………………………………………………… 25 2.4.2 Pretest and Posttest ……………………………………………… 26 2.5 Procedures …………………………………………………………… 27 Chapter 3: Data Analysis and Discussion ……………………………… 28 3.1 Data Analysis ………………………………………………………… 28 3.1.1 Questionnaire …………………………………………………… 28 3.1.2 Pretest and Posttest ……………………………………………… 32 3.2 Discussion on Research Questions ………………………………… 35 -vi- Part Three: Conclusion …………………………………………………… 38 Implications …………………………………………………………… 38 Limitations of the Study ……………………………………………… 39 Suggestions for Further Studies ……………………………………… 40 Conclusion …………………………………………………………… 40 References ……………………………………………………………… 42 Appendices ………………………………………………………………… I Appendix 1: Survey Questionnaire ……………………………………… I Appendix 2: Pretest ……………………………………………………… IV Appendix 3: Posttest ……………………………………………………… VIII Appendix 4: Sample of Supplementary Reading Text …………………… XIII Appendix 5: Pretest and Posttest Scores ………………………………… XVI -vii- LIST OF TABLES Table Questions to be answered when knowing a word ………………… Table Criteria for vocabulary selection ………………………………… 10 Table Students’ purposes of English learning …………………………… 30 Table Students’ satisfaction of their English vocabulary on science and technology ………………………………………………………… 31 Table Students’ perception of the need to develop their English vocabulary on science and technology …………………………… 32 Table Students’ willingness to supplementary readings ………… 32 Table Comparison of pretest results between two groups before intervention ……………………………………………………… 33 Table Comparison of pretest and posttest results in experimental group ……………………………………………………………… 34 Table Comparison of pretest and posttest results in control group ……… 35 Table 10 Comparison of results after intervention between control and experimental groups ……………………………………………… 35 -1- PART ONE: INTRODUCTION This part of the paper will be dedicated to introducing the rationale for the study, the aims and objectives of the study as well as the research questions It will also present the scope of the study, method of the study and the design of the whole study Statement of the Problems and Rationale of the Study Vocabulary has a significant position in the process of mastering a language Linguists and researchers quotes Wilkin, D (1972:10): “Without grammar, very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed” as the affirmation of the role of vocabulary Within the current English teaching context in Vietnamese schools in the recent years, teachers and students are getting more complete awareness of the important role of vocabulary Therefore, they started to pay greater attention to vocabulary development Teachers have applied many teaching approaches, methods and techniques to improve the students‟ vocabulary acquisition The efforts from both teachers and students have made certain progress As a high school English teacher, I am especially interested in developing students‟ vocabulary Having had several years of experience in teaching English to the students gifted in science at Hanoi – Amsterdam high school, I am concerned a lot about the needs to improve their vocabulary on science and technology In my points of view, the number of reasons that makes it necessary to improve the students‟ vocabulary on science and technology can be divided into external and internal ones External reasons - There is no specific English textbook for the science gifted students at high school level all over the country - At Hanoi-Amsterdam high school, the textbook “Tiếng Anh 10” issued by the MOET is used to teach all students including science gifted students This is a compulsory course -2- book of general English for all students in the country, so not much knowledge and English vocabulary for specific purposes such as science and technology can be found in it Internal reasons - Almost all students at Hanoi-Amsterdam high school have equipped themselves with good basic practical general English knowledge Many of them started learning English from the primary school or even earlier In order to be able to enroll to this school, they had to gain high marks at the entrance examinations including their majoring subjects, Maths, Vietnamese and English That is why for them, the “Tiếng Anh 10” is rather simple Beside the textbook and workbook, students are regularly given supplementary and intensive exercises compiled by their classroom teachers - However, from my observations, the vocabulary, especially the vocabulary on science and technology had been undervalued in comparison with grammar in the previous years of their basic high school Many students have difficulties in expressing their own ideas because of the vocabulary deficiency Most students are unfamiliar to the vocabulary on science and technology, as well as English scientific literature - In results, when students want to extract useful information related to their field in English, or have chance to attend the international examinations, camps or workshops on science and technology, the students often face with the lexical gaps and this significantly affects their progress and active participation - In fact, many students have realized the vital role of English vocabulary on science and technology for their future study as well as carrier They devote a great deal of time to building up this kind of vocabulary In the process of trying different vocabulary teaching strategies and techniques, I found that reading is a suitable way for students to enhance their vocabulary on science and technology The advantage of learning and developing vocabulary through reading is that students can understand word meaning in the concrete context The idea of testing the -3- supplementary readings as a means of improving their students‟ vocabulary came to my mind It became an impulse for me to a study on the impact of supplementary reading on the development of English vocabulary on science and technology in grade 10 classes for the science gifted students In terms of students‟ benefits, this program will provide opportunities for students to develop their vocabulary and get ready for further reading in their future specialty Aims and Objectives of the Study This study is firstly aimed at investigating the students‟ needs to develop English vocabulary on science and technology Secondly, it is aimed to experiment the impacts of supplementary reading program on the development of grade 10 students‟ vocabulary on science and technology The main objectives in this study are as follows: - To identify students‟ perceptions of the need to develop their English vocabulary on science and technology and their willingness to spend time on supplementary reading program - To introduce the supplementary reading program and examine its effects on grade 10 students‟ English vocabulary acquisition - To share the findings with teachers and students who are interested in this field of English vocabulary teaching - To make some recommendations for further study Research Questions In order to achieve the above-mentioned aims and objectives, the answers to the following research questions are needed to be found What are the students’ perceptions of the need to develop their English vocabulary on science and technology? -4- To what extent are the students willing to take part in the supplementary readings? Is there a relationship between supplementary reading and the development of English vocabulary on science and technology? Scope of the Study Given the time constrain, the study was conducted on the grade 10 students in two classes gifted in science only Taking into account that the participants are only beginners of science and technology aspects, the vocabulary given through reading passages is mainly English for General Science Method of the Study To find out the answers to the above research questions, a quasi-experiment design has been adopted - The pre-experiment questionnaire was applied as an instrument to investigate what students think of the need to develop their English vocabulary on science and technology and how they are willing to take up the additional readings - The pretest and posttest were conducted with 60 students divided into two randomly selected groups to measure the differences in students‟ vocabulary acquisition Design of the Study The study is divided into three parts as follows: Part one presents an overview of the study in which the rationale for the research, the aims and objectives, the research questions, the scope of the study, the research method as well as the design of the study were briefly mentioned -III- - Em ủng hộ sẵn sàng tham gia - Em ủng hộ, có thời gian rỗi em tham gia - Em không muốn làm việc thời gian - Khơng có ý kiến -IV- Appedix 2: PRETEST Name: ……………………………………… Class: 10T Number of vocabulary items: 50 Time allotted: 30 minutes Description: The pretest consists of five tasks with 50 discrete items The pretest is organized as follows: Task 1: Vocabulary synonyms test Task 2: Word formation test Task 3: Meaning (translation) test Task 4: Gap-filling test Task 5: Multiple choice test Task For each of the words appearing in column A below, choose a word from column B which means approximately the same (10pts) A B Answer to reason a to get 1- way b idea 2- to yield c to think 3- approximately d to distinguish 4- concept e wrong 5- to differentiate f to find out 6- the reverse g the opposite 7- to discover h manner 8- to obtain i to produce 9- 10 erroneous k roughly 10- -V- Task Complete the following box (10pts) Verb Person Noun produce producer convert generate generator production generating analyst observe analysis observing Abstract Noun converted Adjective experimenter investigate observation experimental investigational investigation Task Write the Vietnamese meaning of the following words or phrases (10pts) genetic code ………………………… diameter (n) …………………………… hurricane (n) ………………………… hypothesis (n) ………………………… artificial (adj) ………………………… phenomenon (n) ……………………… parameter (n) ………………………… synthesis (n)…………………………… pattern (n) …………………………… 10 validate (v)….……………………… Task Use the words in the box to complete this text about environmental problems There are two extra words (10pts) conditions layer destruction over-fishing disposal over-populated farming heavily greenhouse polluted extinct resources Pollution is a main problem in our times Air, water and land are all polluted Poor waste (1) ………………….is to blame for many of the problems and the situation is particularly acute in (2) ……………….industrialized and (3) ………………… regions Pollution of the atmosphere has led to the destruction of the ozone (4) ………………… and to the (5) ………………….effect Other environment problems have been caused by too rapid a use of (6) ………………… There are far fewer fish in the sea because of (7)…………………… and the (8) ……………………of the rainforests is having -VI- unforeseen ecological consequences Battery (9) …………………provides a lot of food but involves keeping animals in unnatural and unhealthy (10)………………………… Task Choose the word or phrase that means the same as underlined part in the sentences (10pts) The Richter scale measures the release of energy in an earthquake as indicated by ground motion a recycling b residue c discharge d duration The climate of the Middle Atlantic region of the United States varies with the altitude and land surface a ocean ways b humidity c wind direction d elevation The portion of the total income of United States airlines which comes from carrying cargo is roughly ten percent a around b usually c actually d frequently Orchids are regarded as the largest family of flowering plants, although it is not possible to give an accurate estimate of the family’s size a a consistent b a reasonable c an exact d an acceptable The main features of the telegraph were developed by two inventors, but it was Samuel Morse who successfully synthesized their ideas a financed b publicized c integrated d disproved The main portion of writer Benjamin Brawley’s work was in social criticism a goal b subject c part d publisher Although Venus is the planet nearest the Earth, little is known about it because it is constantly covered by thick clouds a continuously b completely c curiously d closely Because it is so small and so close to the Sun, the planet Mercury has been extremely difficult to observe -VII- a watch b identify c contact d approach The disappearance of lichens from an area gives warning of an endangered environment a an unusual b a threatened c a crowded d an infertile 10 Plants raised in greenhouse are tended methodically in an attempt to create the best possible conditions for their growth a systematically b naturally c personally d lovingly PRETEST _KEY ANSWER Task 1-c 2-h 3-i 4-k 5-b 6-d 7-g 8-f 9-a 10-e Task Complete the following box Verb produce convert generate analyse observe experiment investigate Person Noun producer convert generator analyst observer experimenter investigator Adjective productive converted generating analytic/analytical observing experimental investigational Abstract Noun production conversion generation analysis observation experimentation investigation Task Write the Vietnamese meaning of the following words or phrases genetic code: mã di truyền diameter (n): đường kính hurricane (n): bão hypothesis (n): giả thuyết artificial (adj): nhân tạo phenomenon (n): tượng parameter (n): tham số, tham biến synthesis (n): tổng hợp pattern (n): khuôn, mẫu, kiểu 10 validate (v): làm cho hợp lý Task disposal resources heavily over-fishing over-populated destruction Task 1c 2d 4c 3a 5c 6c layer farming 7a 8a greenhouse 10 conditions 9b 10a -VIII- Appendix 3: POSTTEST Name: ……………………………………………………………… Class: 10T Number of vocabulary items: 50 Time allotted: 30 minutes Description: The posttest consists of five tasks with 50 discrete items The pretest is organized as follows: Task 1: Meaning (match word with definition) test Task 2: Word formation test Task 3: Vocabulary synonyms test Task 4: Multiple choice test Task 5: Gap-filling test Task Match each word in column A with its definition in column B A genetic code B a a particular way that something is often done or repeated diameter Answer 12- b to prove that something is true phenomenon 3c a suggested explanation for something which has not yet been proved to be true validate d rules of the gene order pattern e a straight line that goes from one side to the other side and through the centre, or the length of this line artificial f a violent storm with very strong winds parameter g something that exists or happens, usually something unusual synthesis h the mixing of several things to make another whole 45678- -IX- hurricane new thing 9- 10 hypothesis i not natural, but made by people 10- k a limit that controls the way that you can something Task Complete the following sentences with correct form of words given in parentheses (PRODUCE) We have a very ……meeting and sorted out a lot …………… of problems (CONVERT) The old warehouse was ……into offices …………… (GENERATE) Many countries use nuclear fuels to …………… …….electricity (ANALYSE) Blood sample were ……in the laboratory 4…………… (ANALYSE) A sample of soil was sent for …… 5…………… (OBSERVE) The doctor wants to keep him under …… for a …………… week 7.(EXPERIMENT) They are conducting …….on hamster cells to test …………… the effects of the drug 8.(EXPERIMENT) The two scientists used very different …………… …….method 9.(INVESTIGATE) The cause of the fire is still under ……… 10 (PRODUCE) This factory ……about 900 cars a year …………… 10 ………… Task Rewrite the passage, using the synonyms of the words in italics (1-Apart from) the experimental errors he is likely to make, an investigator sometimes finds that he has arrived at conclusions which are (2-approximately) the reverse of what he had expected However, failure (3-to reason) in a logical (4-way) is frequently the reason why a series of exceedingly accurate experiments may appear to (5-yield)(6- erroneous) results, so this possibility should be checked in every (7-instance) An additional difficulty is that words sometimes fail (8-to differentiate) clearly enough between the different aspects of a single complicated (9-concept): the word average is an (10-instance) of this -X- 10 Task Choose the word or phrase that means the same as underlined part in the sentences The Moon’s diameter is roughly 2,100 miles a over b merely c only d approximately Silicon constitutes about 28 percent of the Earth’s crust a absorbs b joins with c makes up d compresses By the seventeenth century, skating was not only a means of travel in some countries, but also a well-established sport a way b symbol c matter d necessity Many farms in the southern United States yield hay and tobacco a store b fertilize c sow d produce Oil can be conveyed by pipeline from an oil region to a refinery a transported b filtered c connected d diverted Lewis and Clark’s expedition was organized to explore the Louisiana Purchase and the land beyond the Pacific Ocean a photograph b map c investigate d buy In his mathematics, Archimedes employed methods that resembled those of contemporary integral calculus a were similar to b established c were supported by d prescribed A recent study concluded that unstable weather patterns may cause migraine headaches a unforeseen b variable c violent d unusual In some cases the organisms that cause blood poisoning enter the bloodstream through contaminated needles or other improperly sterilized instruments -XI- a blunt b infected c sewing d broken 10 Aleuts have drawn quite precise maps of large areas of North America without using any special implements for surveying a tools b instructors c knowledge d measurements Task Use the words in the box to complete this text about environmental problems There are two extra words pollution environment surrounding protecting disappearing population problem atmosphere resources wealth wastelands effects The world’s oceans are so vast that they can cope with the present levels of (1)…………………… However, little is known about the long-term (2)………………… of such slow poisoning The most serious (3) …………………of modern times is that man is destroying the earth’s natural (4) ………………… and transforming huge areas into (5)…………………… As a result, it is becoming extremely difficult to grow enough to feed the world’s rapidly increasing (6) ……………… A way of (7) ……………… all the wildlife on the earth must also be found as many species are in danger of (8) ……………… completely from the face of the earth The dangers, however, are not confined solely to the land and the sea The smoke in the (9) ……………… , for example, is increasing so much that the amount of sunlight has been reduced in many cities Man’s whole (10)……………… is being changed in a serious way 10 -XII- POSTTEST _KEY ANSWER Task 1-d 2-e 3-g 4-b 5-a 6-i 7-k 8-h 9-f 10-c Task productive converted generate analysed analysis observation experiments experimental investigation 10 produces in addition to roughly to think manner produce wrong case to distinguish idea 10 example Task 1d 2c Task 3a 4d 5a 6c 7a 8b 9b 10a Task pollution effects problem resources wastelands population protecting disappearing atmosphere 10 environment -XIII- Appendix 4: A SAMPLE OF SUPPLEMENTARY READING TEXT Junk food junkies http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20091028/Note3.asp Oct 28, 2009 Eating lots of junk food may make it get harder to choose healthy food over time Juanmonino/iStockphoto It sounds like a science experiment designed by Willy Wonka: Take a lot of junk food, feed it to some rats, and see what happens Scientist Paul Johnson of the Scripps Research Institute and his team did just that But their science experiment was no fiction They had a serious goal: to try to understand how parts of the brain play a role in obesity (Obesity is the condition of being very overweight, which has been linked to a variety of health problems.) The scientists observed that the more junk food the rats ate, the more they wanted to eat—a behavior very similar to that of rats addicted to heroin, a dangerous drug Johnson told Science News the experiment shows that the brain chemistry of obesity and drug addiction may be quite similar In their experiment, Johnson and his team studied the ―pleasure center‖ of rats’ brains The pleasure center is a complicated network of nerve cells Together, these cells work as the body’s reward system If the animal exercises or eats, the cells reward the animal by -XIV- releasing chemicals into the body that make it feel good And when the body feels good, the animal—or person—will want to the behavior again Pleasure centers can release these chemicals in less healthy ways, too Drugs like heroin can cause the pleasurable chemicals to be released For the experiment, Johnson fed foods like cheesecake, bacon and Ho Hos to one group of rats These foods are all high in calories and high in fat Another group of rats received a regular, nutritious diet The rats that ate junk food started to eat more and more ―They’re taking in twice the amount of calories as the control rats,‖ says Paul Kenny, also at Scripps Research Institute Kenny worked with Johnson on the study Kenny and Johnson wanted to know what was going on in the brains of rats that were overeating To find out, they came up with a simple reward system They first devised a way to deliver a small electrical charge to the rats’ brains This electrical charge would stimulate the pleasure centers to release pleasure-causing chemicals The rats could control how much stimulation—and how much pleasure—they received by running on a wheel The more the rat ran, the more pleasure it received The rats that had been eating junk food started running more and more This behavior suggested that the junk-food–eating rats needed more brain stimulation to feel good compared with rats on a normal diet In other words, their pleasure centers were becoming less sensitive and the junk food didn’t make them feel good unless they ate more and more The same process happens in the brains of drug addicts As the pleasure center becomes numb, the addict has to consume more of the drug to feel good ―They lose control,‖ Kenny says ―This is the hallmark of addiction.‖ Kenny and Johnson also found out that the effects are hard to reverse After they took away the junk food and offered the rats a nutritious diet, the fat rats refused to eat ―They starve themselves for two weeks afterward,‖ Kenny says Experiments like this one could help scientists understand how chemicals in the brain contribute to obesity With that information, they may be able to help people avoid obesity—and all of its health problems—in the first place Not bad for a bunch of rats with Ho Ho’s in their paws -XV- WORKSHEET List 5-10 kinds of junk food Number is done for you Bacon 10 Give the Vietnamese meaning of the following words in the text Find the adjective or verb forms of these words (Look at dictionary if necessary) Word Meaning Vietnamese in Adjective form Verb form Experiment Obesity Observation Pleasure Addiction Variety Release Stimulation Find more words with over- prefix (for example: Overweight) ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… What did the scientists find when observing the junk-food-eating rats? How did they explain it? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……… -XVI- Appendix 5: PRETEST AND POSTTEST SCORES OF THE TWO GROUPS No Control Group Experimental Group Pretest Posttest Gain Pretest Posttest Gain 22 24 41 48 23 26 20 26 29 33 23 36 13 27 29 21 30 19 20 27 35 34 37 19 23 21 23 20 28 8 40 43 32 39 20 21 35 41 10 20 22 24 36 12 11 31 32 28 35 12 21 24 22 35 13 13 22 23 20 27 14 37 39 18 24 15 19 21 42 48 16 38 41 19 24 17 21 24 39 44 18 42 46 24 35 11 19 23 23 21 31 10 20 18 20 34 40 21 32 34 23 35 12 22 30 33 29 36 23 23 24 22 35 13 24 30 32 19 23 -XVII- 25 21 23 20 30 10 26 35 39 30 36 27 21 24 21 30 28 20 22 36 42 29 19 21 22 35 13 30 20 23 22 35 13 ... about science for kids or some reading books on science and technology like Oxford English for Information Technology, English for Science, etc The tasks for vocabulary developing and questions for. .. of English vocabulary on science and technology and the impact of supplementary readings on the development of students? ?? 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