An investigation into the effects of external factors on vocabulary leaning of grade 10 students at phu binh high school

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES DUONG THAO LINH AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECTS OF EXTERNAL FACTORS ON VOCABULARY LEARNING OF GRADE 10 STUDENTS AT PHU BINH HIGH SCHOOL M.A THESIS Field: English Linguistics Code: 8220201 THAI NGUYEN - 2020 ĐẠI HỌC THÁI NGUYÊN TRƯỜNG NGOẠI NGỮ DƯƠNG THẢO LINH NGHIÊN CỨU NHỮNG ẢNH HƯỞNG CỦA CÁC YẾU TỐ BÊN NGOÀI ĐẾN VIỆC HỌC TỪ VỰNG CỦA HỌC SINH KHỐI 10 Ở TRƯỜNG THPT PHÚ BÌNH LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ Ngành: Ngôn ngữ Anh Mã số: 8220201 Người hướng dẫn: TS Nguyễn Thị Diệu Hà THÁI NGUYÊN - 2020 ABSTRACT Undeniably, vocabulary learning plays an integral part in learning a second language There have been numerous studies that aim to find out the roles of vocabulary learning, approaches to vocabulary and factors that affect vocabulary teaching and learning However, there is still lack of insight into external factors that have influence on students’ learning of vocabulary in the context of Phu Binh high school Moreover, it is the fact that vocabulary learning of grade 10 students at this school is not effective despite both teachers’ and students’ efforts Hence, this study was conducted to discover what external factors have the most and the least impacts on grade 10 students’ vocabulary learning, and suggest some measures to improve the effectiveness of vocabulary teaching and learning at this high school This thesis is a survey study Questionnaire was used as the instrument to collect data for this research A Likert Scale questionnaire was developed on the basis of items which refer to external factors affecting students’ vocabulary learning; and SPSS program was used to analyze the data collected The study revealed that ‘Teachers” is the most influential factor, which is followed by Peers, Number of exposures to the new words, Lexical items and English curriculum There is not enough evidence to prove that Access to native speaker has strong impacts on students’ vocabulary learning It is expected that the findings of this study will not only benefit teachers and students at this high school but also evoke further studies i DECLARATION I hereby certify that the thesis entitled “An investigation into the effects of external factors on vocabulary learning of grade 10 students at Phu Binh high school” is my own study in the fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree of Master of Arts at Faculty of Post - Graduate Studies, School of Foreign Languages, Thai Nguyen University Thai Nguyen, November, 2020 Approved by supervisor Signature Nguyen Thi Dieu Ha, Ph.D Duong Thao Linh ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS On completing this thesis, I would like to express my thanks to all those who contributed their part to the work of this research First of all, I would like to express my deepest thanks to my respectable supervisor, Nguyen Thi Dieu Ha, Ph D, for her restless and sympathetic encouragement, constructive advice as well as patient guidance from the beginning up to the end of the study Had it not been for her valuable and timely feedback, I would have never been able to complete this research paper Besides, my sincere thanks also go to my dear colleagues and students at Phu Binh high school for helping me collect data for this study and for all their support and encouragement Finally, I would also like to give my special thanks to my family and friends who have been interminably encouraging and facilitating me to complete this thesis iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT i DECLARATION ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF TABLES vi LIST OF FIGURES vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS viii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale for the study Research questions Scope of the study Methodology Organization of the study CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW Definition of vocabulary Vocabulary learning 2.1 Importance of vocabulary learning 2.2 Factors affecting vocabulary acquisition 2.3 External factors affecting vocabulary acquisition Teaching vocabulary techniques 13 3.1 Using Pictures and Mimes 13 3.2 Using Description and Definition 13 3.3 Using Real Objects 13 3.4 Guessing from the Context 14 3.5 Giving examples 14 3.6 Using Translation 14 Previous studies 15 iv CHAPTER METHODOLOGY 17 Context of the study 17 Subjects of the study 18 Method of the study 18 Data collection instrument 18 Data collection 19 Data analytical method 20 CHAPTER FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 21 Data analysis 21 1.1 Questionnaires for students results 21 1.2 Questionnaires for teachers results 46 Discussion 48 2.1 Factors affecting students’ vocabulary learning 48 2.2 Measures to help students learn vocabulary better 50 CHAPTER CONCLUSIONS 52 Conclusion 52 Pedagogical implications for teachers 53 Limitations of the study 54 Recommendations for further research 54 REFERENCES 56 APPENDICES I APPENDIX 1: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS (ENGLISH VERSION) I APPENDIX QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS (VIETNAMESE VERSION) VII APPENDIX QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS (ENGLISH VERSION) XVII APPENDIX 4: DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS XIX v LIST OF TABLES Table General information about the participants 21 Table Reliability Statistics - factor C 22 Table Item-Total Statistics - factor C 22 Table Reliability Statistics - factor C (2nd test) 22 Table Item-Total Statistics - factor C (2nd test) 23 Table Reliability Statistics - factor T 23 Table Item-Total Statistics - factor T 23 Table Reliability Statistics - factor T (2nd test) 24 Table Item-Total Statistics - factor T (2nd test) 24 Table 10 Reliability Statistics - factor E 25 Table 11 Item-Total Statistics - factor E 25 Table 12 Reliability Statistics - factor E (2nd test) 25 Table 13 Item-Total Statistics - factor E (2nd test) 26 Table 14 Reliability Statistics - factor P 26 Table 15 Item-Total Statistics - factor P 26 Table 16 Reliability Statistics - factor N 27 Table 17 Item-Total Statistics - factor N 27 Table 18 Reliability Statistics - factor L 27 Table 19 Item-Total Statistics - factor L 28 Table 20 Reliability Statistics - factor L (2nd test) 28 Table 21 Item-Total Statistics - factor L (2nd test) 28 Table 22 Reliability Statistics - factor V 29 Table 23 Item-Total Statistics - factor V 29 Table 24 KMO and Bartlett's Test (independent variables) 30 Table 25 Total Variance Explained 31 Table 26 Rotated Component Matrixa (independent variables) 33 vi Table 27 KMO and Bartlett's Test (dependent variables) 35 Table 28 Total Variance Explained (dependent variables) 35 Table 29 Component Matrixa (dependent variables) 36 Table 30 Correlations 37 Table 31 ANOVAa 38 Table 32 Model Summaryb 38 Table 33 Coefficientsa 39 Table 34 Descriptive statistics - questionnaires for teachers results 46 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Descriptive statistics - factor T 41 Figure Descriptive statistics - factor P 43 Figure Descriptive statistics - factor E 44 Figure Descriptive statistics - factor L 45 Figure Descriptive statistics - factor C 46 Figure Descriptive statistics 47 vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS EFA Exploratory Factor Analysis EFL English as a Foreign Language KMO Test Kaiser - Meyer - Olkin Test L2 Second Language viii APPENDICES APPENDIX 1: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS (ENGLISH VERSION) The purpose of this study is to obtain information about external factors that affect your vocabulary learning Please answer the questions as accurately and honestly as possible All the information provided by you is solely for the study’s purpose, and your personal information is kept confidential Part I: Please mark X in the suitable box Gender: Male Female Age: 15 16 Number of years of learning English: Less than years More than years Score of English subject in the first semester: < 5.0 5.1 - 6.4 6.5 - 7.9 8.0 - 10.0 Part II: Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with each of the following statements by marking X in the suitable box = Strongly Disagree = Disagree = No Idea = Agree = Strongly Agree I Code No Degree of agreement/ disagreement Statements I think three 45-minute lessons C1 with a Vietnamese teacher per week are enough for me to improve my vocabulary I think all the five parts (Reading, Speaking, Listening, Writing, and Language Focus) of C2 each unit in the old textbook Tieng Anh 10 - provide me with a lot of vocabulary concerning the topic of the unit I think the form of written tests at C3 school requires much knowledge of vocabulary I think different topics in the C4 textbook provide me with a lot of vocabulary I learn vocabulary effectively when T1 teachers use different techniques to teach vocabulary (e.g: pictures, explanation, examples, games…) I learn vocabulary effectively T2 when teachers usually let me guess the meaning of a new word in a text II Code No T3 Degree of agreement/ disagreement Statements I feel well when my teacher has good pronunciation My teacher has a dynamic and T4 interesting style in teaching vocabulary I learn vocabulary effectively when my teacher has good T5 knowledge of vocabulary so he/she is a good supporter of my vocabulary questions T6 10 T7 11 I like my teacher to patiently check the pronunciation of new words I prefer my teacher to point out my mistakes in using new words I want my teacher to give me T8 12 different vocabulary exercises so that I can remember words Teachers T9 13 often check my vocabulary and give marks so I learn vocabulary harder I learn vocabulary effectively T10 14 when teachers use only English while teaching new words E1 15 Repeating a word aloud helps me remember it quickly III Code No Degree of agreement/ disagreement Statements I can remember a new word if E2 16 it appears in different parts of the lesson E3 17 I can remember a new word if my teacher uses the word frequently I can remember a new word if E4 18 my friends and I speak together using the word I can remember a new word if it E5 19 appears many times in a film, TV programs or on the Internet… I can remember a word more easily P1 20 when in pairs or in small groups in vocabulary learning activities P2 21 I think practicing pronouncing new words with my friends is effective I think checking the meaning of P3 22 new words in pairs or in groups is effective I think practicing speaking with P4 23 my friends in pairs or in groups helps me remember words better Talking to native speakers helps N1 24 me practice using my vocabulary and learn vocabulary better IV Code No Degree of agreement/ disagreement Statements Attending classes with my native N2 25 teacher every week helps me learn vocabulary effectively Attending classes with native N3 26 teachers helps me have good pronunciation N4 27 L1 28 Watching films in English helps to improve my vocabulary I find it easier to learn words that are frequently used in everyday life Analyzing words in terms of L2 29 prefixes, stems, and suffixes helps me remember the words better L3 30 L4 31 Learning collocations helps me learn a new word more quickly I can learn a word with different meanings through specific examples I can different types of reading V1 32 exercises (filling in, answer questions…) easily and correctly V2 V3 33 34 I pronounce the words that were taught correctly I have correct spelling of the words that were taught V Code No V4 35 V5 36 V6 37 Degree of agreement/ disagreement Statements I can remember the meaning(s) of the words that were taught I know synonym and antonym of the words that were taught I can use the words that were taught in speaking and writing I can hear the words that were V7 38 taught when my teacher or friends speak them V8 39 I have good score of English subject Do you have any suggestions to help improve the effectiveness of vocabulary teaching and learning? ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………….………………….…… …………… ………………………………………………………….…….….….………… Thanks for your cooperation! VI APPENDIX QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS (VIETNAMESE VERSION) Mục đích phiếu câu hỏi khảo sát để thu thập thông tin yếu tố ảnh hưởng đến việc học từ vựng em Các em vui lịng hồn thành câu hỏi cách trung thực nghiêm túc Những thơng tin thu thập phục vụ mục đích nghiên cứu Thơng tin nhân em đảm bảo hồn tồn bí mật Phần I: Em đánh dấu X vào ô trống thích hợp Giới tính: Nam Nữ Tuổi: 15 16 Đã học tiếng anh: Dưới năm Trên năm Điểm trung bình mơn Anh kì 1: < 5.0 5.1 - 6.4 6.5 - 7.9 8.0 - 10.0 Phần II: Em mức độ đồng ý không đồng ý em với câu hỏi bên cách đánh dấu X vào ô phù hợp = Hồn tồn khơng đồng ý = Khơng đồng ý = Khơng có ý kiến = Đồng ý = Hoàn toàn đồng ý Mã STT Các vấn đề liên quan đến việc học từ vựng Em nghĩ tiết học (mỗi tiết 45 phút) C1 với giáo viên người Việt đủ để em nâng cao vốn từ vựng Em nghĩ tất phần học (Đọc, Nói, Nghe, Viết, Ngữ C2 Pháp) sách TA10 cung cấp cho em nhiều từ vựng liên quan chủ để học VII Mức độ đồng ý/ không đồng ý Mã STT C3 Các vấn đề liên quan đến việc học từ vựng Em nghĩ kiểm tra viết trường đòi hỏi nhiều kiến thức từ vựng Em nghĩ chủ đề khác C4 học sang TA10 cung cấp cho em nhiều từ vựng chủ đề Em học từ vựng hiệu giáo T1 viên dùng nhiều cách khác để dậy từ như: tranh ảnh, giải thích, cho ví dụ, trị chơi… Em thấy việc học từ vựng có hiệu T2 giáo viên thường xuyên để chúng em đoán nghĩa từ vựng dựa vào ngữ cảnh T3 Em thấy việc học từ vựng hiệu giáo viên phát âm chuẩn Em thấy việc học từ vựng hiệu T4 giáo viên có phong cách dậy hấp dẫn động Em thấy học từ vựng có hiệu T5 giáo viên có vốn từ vựng tốt hỗ trợ cho em em có câu hỏi từ vựng T6 10 T7 11 Em muốn giáo viên kiên nhẫn sửa lỗi phát âm cho học sinh Em muốn giáo viên lỗi cho em em sử dụng sai từ VIII Mức độ đồng ý/ không đồng ý Mã STT Các vấn đề liên quan đến việc học từ vựng Em thích giáo viên cho nhiều tập T8 12 từ vựng khác để em nhớ từ vựng T9 13 Giáo viên thường kiểm tra từ vựng cho điểm nên em học từ chăm Em học từ vựng có hiệu T10 14 giáo viên sử dụng Tiếng Anh dạy từ E1 15 Việc đọc to từ nhiều lần giúp em nhớ từ nhanh Khi từ xuất phần E2 16 khác học(Đọc, Nói, Nghe, Viết, Ngữ pháp), em nhớ từ cách dễ dàng E3 17 E4 18 Em nhớ từ mà giáo viên thường xuyên sử dụng Em nhớ từ mà bạn thường xuyên sử dụng nói Em nhớ từ từ xuất E5 19 nhiều lần phim chương trình TV, internet… Khi làm việc theo cặp nhóm để P1 20 học từ vựng (nối từ với nghĩa, điền từ…), em nhớ nhanh P2 21 Em thấy việc tập phát âm từ với bạn giúp em học từ nhanh IX Mức độ đồng ý/ không đồng ý Mã STT Các vấn đề liên quan đến việc học từ vựng Em thấy việc tra nghĩa từ P3 22 bạn(theo cặp, nhóm) giúp em nhớ từ nhanh Em thấy việc tập nói với bạn them cặp P4 23 nhóm theo chủ đề học giúp em ghi nhớ từ vựng tốt Nói chuyện với người ngữ giúp N1 24 em thực hành sử dụng từ vựng học từ nhanh N2 25 N3 26 N4 27 Việc học với giáo viên nước tuần giúp em học từ vựng hiệu Việc học giáo viên nước giúp em phát âm chuẩn Xem phim nước giúp vốn từ em cải thiện Em thấy dễ dàng học L1 28 từ quan thuộc sống, giao tiếp ngày L2 29 L3 30 Em thấy việc phân tích gốc từ, tiền tố, hậu tố giúp em nhớ từ tốt Được học kết hợp từ giúp em học từ nhanh Em học từ có nhiều L4 31 nghĩa khác thơng qua ví dụ cụ thể X Mức độ đồng ý/ không đồng ý Mã STT Các vấn đề liên quan đến việc học từ vựng Mức độ đồng ý/ không đồng ý Em làm tập đọc điền V1 32 từ, trả lời câu hỏi cách dễ dàng, xác V2 33 V3 34 V4 35 V5 36 V6 37 V7 38 V8 39 Em phát âm xác từ học Em viết tả từ học Em nhớ nghĩa từ học Em biết từ đồng nghĩa, trái nghĩa từ học Em vận dụng từ học nói viết Em nghe từ học nói viết Em đạt kết cao mơn Anh Em có gợi ý để việc dạy học từ vựng lớp có hiệu khơng? ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… Chân thành cảm ơn hợp tác em! XI APPENDIX QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS (ENGLISH VERSION) The purpose of this questionnaire is to obtain information about vocabulary teaching techniques used by teachers in teaching second language Please answer the questions as accurately and honestly as possible All the information provided by you is solely for the study’s purpose, and your personal information is kept confidential Please mark X in the suitable box No Techniques I explain the new words in the foreign language I explain the new words in the students’ native language (i.e., use of translation) I draw figures on the board to explain the new words I use body language, gestures and motions to explain new words I ask one or some students to explain words to other students I ask students to make guesses as to what the new words mean I ask students to look up words in their dictionaries I show pictures to explain new vocabulary items I use example sentences to explain and contextualize new words I tell a short story, an anecdote or a joke to explain 10 new words XVII YES NO No 11 12 13 14 15 16 Techniques I associate new words with previously learned words to explain meaning of new words I ask students to make a mental image of something or someone to explain the meaning of new words I group words under one topic and attempt to relate them to each other in terms of meaning on the board I use objects in class and realia to explain meaning of new words I contextualize meaning of new words by bringing new texts to class and reading them aloud Other: XVIII YES NO APPENDIX 4: DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS Factor T (Teacher) F % F % F % F % F % T1 0.5 19 9.5 83 41.5 89 44.5 T2 18 25 12.5 98 49 57 28.5 T3 0.5 16 20 10 85 42.5 78 39.0 T4 0.5 14 7.0 22 11 69 34.5 94 47.5 T5 13 6.5 22 11 82 41 81 40.5 T6 15 7.5 20 10 80 40 83 41.5 T7 13 6.5 15 7.5 80 40 90 45 T8 11 5.5 49 24.5 42 21 74 37 24 12 T9 24 12 27 13.5 108 54 37 18.5 T10 27 13.5 74 37 33 16.5 43 21.5 23 11.5 Factor P (Peers) F % F % F % F % F % P1 2.5 32 16 46 23 91 45.5 26 13 P2 0 31 15.5 46 23 96 48 27 13.5 P3 31 15.5 31 15.5 103 51.5 33 16.5 P4 0 27 13.5 31 15.5 118 59 24 12 Factor E (Number of Exposures to the new words) F % F % F % F % F % E1 4.5 31 15.5 30 15 95 47.5 35 17.5 E2 19 9.5 35 17.5 115 57.5 27 13.5 E3 0.5 10 29 14.5 109 54.5 51 25.5 E4 2.5 18 9.0 29 14.5 99 49.5 49 24.5 XIX Factor L ( Lexical factors) F % F % F % F % F % L1 0 3.5 111 55.5 80 40 L2 24 12 40 20 104 52 28 14 L3 0 23 11.5 33 16.5 110 55 34 17 L4 16 32 16 107 53.5 43 21.5 Factor C (English curriculum) F % F % F % F % F % C1 58 29 68 34 41 20.5 31 15.5 C2 17 8.5 29 14.5 11 5.5 81 40.5 62 31 C3 20 10 25 12.5 15 7.5 77 38.5 63 31.5 C4 12 28 14 13 6.5 92 46 55 27.5 XX ... hate, hesitate, think, and possible 3.6 Using Translation One of the most common techniques is translation that is to translate the word in question into a learner’s native language Translation... teachers and students at this high school but also evoke further studies i DECLARATION I hereby certify that the thesis entitled ? ?An investigation into the effects of external factors on vocabulary. .. it Translation into the mother tongue presents the same processes as translation into a picture, a description in English Hill (1965) criticizes translation into the mother tongue as a way of communication