Teaching vocabulary at high schools in vinh long province

Vietnamese National University – Ho Chi Minh University of Social Sciences and Humanities Faculty of English Linguistics and Literature VO THI KIM THOA TEACHING VOCABULARY AT HIGH SCHOOLS IN VINH LONG PROVINCE Supervisor: HO THANH MY PHUONG, Ph.D Ho Chi Minh City, 2008 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Firstly, I would like to express my profound and special thanks to Dr Ho Thanh My Phuong, my supervisor During the process of conducting the thesis, I have been greatly supported by her fruitful and valuable advice that gave me the essential encouragement and confidence to carry out this thesis Moreover, I would like to show my deep acknowledgement to the teachers and students at high schools in Vinh Long province, especially those who have participated in my survey Their patience and willingness in helping me collect the information, in fact, provided the foundation for any findings of the thesis My appreciation is also given to educational administrators in Vinh Long province, especially principles of high schools They gave me convenient opportunities to the survey Finally, I want to show my special gratitude to my family, my friends and the people whose support, comments and understanding provided me with great encouragement to complete this thesis i TABLE OF CONTENTS Content Page Acknowledgement i Table of contents ii List of tables and graphs vi Abstract viii CHAPTER ONE: SETTING OF THE STUDY 1 Background of the study Purpose of the study 3 Research questions Significance of the study Methodology Delimitation Limitations Organization of the study CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW Vocabulary 1.1.Aspects of a word 1.1.1 Form 1.1.2 Meaning 1.1.2 Use 1.2 Vocabulary and skills 10 1.2.1 Vocabulary and grammar 10 1.2.2 Vocabulary and writing 11 1.2.3 Vocabulary and reading 12 ii 1.2.4 Vocabulary and listening 14 1.2.5 Vocabulary and speaking 15 Teaching Vocabulary 16 2.1 Aims and objectives of teaching and learning vocabulary 16 2.2 Teaching Vocabulary through different methods 16 2.3 Using visual aids in teaching vocabulary 19 2.4 Creating interaction in teaching vocabulary 21 2.5 Games in teaching vocabulary 22 2.6 Communicative activities in teaching vocabulary 23 2.7 Stages of teaching vocabulary 25 2.7.1 Presenting 25 2.7.2 Practising 26 2.7.3 Reviewing 27 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY 29 Research questions 29 Research population 29 Research samples 31 3.1 Research samples of the teachers 32 3.2 Research samples of the students 32 Data Collection 4.1 Instruments for Data Collection 33 33 4.1.1 The questionnaires 33 4.1.2 The class observations 34 4.2 Procedures of Data Collection 35 4.2.1 From the questionnaire for the teachers 36 iii 4.2.2 From the questionnaire for the students 36 4.2.3 From the classroom observations 37 Data Analysis 37 Reliability and Validility 38 CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 40 Demographic Data of samples 40 1.1 Students 40 1.2 Teachers 42 Findings 2.1 Students’ attitudes toward learning vocabulary 42 42 2.1.1 Ideas about the importance of vocabulary in learning English 42 2.2.2 Ideas about learning vocabulary 44 2.2 Teachers’ opinions toward teaching vocabulary 46 2.3 Methods of teaching vocabulary in the classroom 50 2.4 Students’ remembering vocabulary 55 2.5 Students’ applying vocabulary 57 Discussions 60 3.1 Students’ attitudes toward learning vocabulary 60 3.2 Teachers’ opinions toward teaching vocabulary 62 3.3 Methods of teaching vocabulary in the classroom 64 3.4 Students’ remembering vocabulary 67 3.5 Students’ applying vocabulary 68 iv CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 69 Research questions 69 Conclusions 69 Implications 71 Recommendations 73 4.1 Recommendations for high school teachers of English 74 4.2 Recommendations for high school students 76 4.3 Recommendations for educational administrators 76 4.4 Recommendations for further researches 77 REFERENCES 79 Appendix A: Questionnaire for teachers (Vietnamese version) 81 Appendix B: Questionnaire for teachers (English version) 87 Appendix C: Questionnaire for students (Vietnamese version) 93 Appendix D: Questionnaire for students (English version) 97 Appendix E: Classroom observation sheet 101 Appendix F: The framework of vocabulary strategies 104 v LIST OF TABLES AND GHAPHS TABLE Page Table 1: Schools by types………………………………………………………… 30 Table 2: Schools by locations……………………………….…………………… 30 Table 3: Research sample of students …………………………………………… 32 Table 4: Samples of students by types…………………………………………… 41 Table 5: Focus on vocabulary of students in different areas ………………… 44 Table 6: Students’ ideas about learning Vocabulary……………………………… 44 Table 7: Students’ awareness about the learning and applying words…………… 45 Table 8: Teachers’ report on their focus on aspects of Vocabulary……………… 47 Table 9: Teachers’ report on the usefulness of games and communicative activities 49 Table 10: Students’ report on aspects of Vocabulary teachers emphasized………… 51 Table 11: The number of Vocabulary presented in a period through classroom observations …………………………………………………………… 53 Table 12: Aspects of Vocabulary focused on through classroom observations …… 53 Table 13: Students’ report on aspects of Vocabulary they could remember……… 56 Table 14: Students’ report on their applying Vocabulary…………………… 58 Table 15: Teachers’ report on students’ applying Vocabulary…………… 58 Table 16: Students’ applying Vocabulary through classroom observations……… 59 GRAPH Graph 1: Students by school locations……………………………… 41 Graph 2: Students by grades……………………………… 41 Graph 3: Ideas about the necessity of skills in learning a language……………… 43 Graph 4: Teachers’ report on the most difficult skill to teach…………………… 46 Graph 5: Teachers’ ideas about the time consuming when preparing visual aids… 48 vi Graph 6: Teachers’ ideas about expenditure when preparing visual aids………… 48 Graph 7: Students’ report on methods of presenting Vocabulary……………… 50 Graph 8: Teachers’ report on methods of presenting Vocabulary………………… 52 Graph 9: Techniques used to present vocabulary through classroom observations… 54 Graph 10: Students’ responses about their remembering Vocabulary…………… 55 Graph 11:Teachers’ responses about students’ remembering Vocabulary after class……………………………………………………………… 56 Graph 12: Students’ remembering vocabulary through classroom observations… 57 vii ABSTRACT For a few years, in the process of teaching vocabulary, communicative methods have been mentioned Especially, various aspects of vocabulary have been focused and games, communicative activities have been applied However, in Vietnam, the use of those techniques is not synchronous and nationwide Many teachers are familiar to traditional methods through which they feel it easy to teach vocabulary As a result, advantages which techniques of Communicative Approach bring to learning vocabulary are ignored The effectiveness of learning English in general and learning vocabulary in specific cannot be improved With the acknowledgement of teaching vocabulary communicatively and the research background that there have been few studies about teaching vocabulary at high schools in general and high schools in Vinh Long province in specific, the study on the reality of teaching vocabulary in Vinh Long province has been conducted The reality of teaching vocabulary with the strong points and weak points were figured out Also the investigation discovered how some techniques of Communicative Approach such as focusing on various aspects, using visual aids, games, communicative activities were used to teach vocabulary The instruments of the thesis are two questionnaires for teachers and students and classroom observations The findings showed not only teachers’ positive attitudes toward teaching vocabulary but the effectiveness of Communicative Approach in teaching vocabulary Besides, teachers’ difficulties were found out Basing on the findings, the thesis provides some recommendations for more frequent and effective use of communicative methods in teaching and learning vocabulary viii CHAPTER ONE: SETTING OF THE STUDY According to McCarthy (1990), vocabulary is the biggest component of any language course No matter how well the students learn grammar, no matter how successfully the sounds of the second language are mastered, without words to express a wide range of meanings, communication in the second language just cannot happen in any meaningful way Since vocabulary is the basic factor to improve the linguistic skill and communicative skills, it should be accumulated as much as possible In order to help students, teachers have applied various methods in the process of teaching vocabulary And those methods bring different results Therefore, it is necessary to find out an effective method to teach vocabulary To this, the reality of teaching vocabulary is to be investigated to draw out strong and weak points from which suitable solutions are given Those are what this thesis attempts to attain Background of the study Although learning English became popular and necessary in many countries in the world for a long time, “vocabulary was the poor relation of language teaching” (Carter, n.d, p.184) Teaching and learning English vocabulary “was frequently not a main focus” and “was seen as incidental to the main purpose of language teaching” (Harmer, 1991, p.154) Teachers and learners spent almost all of the time on grammar and language skills As a result, vocabulary is often taught through traditional methods in spite of the appearance of the new method- Communicative Approach Recently, in the last decade, methodologists and linguists have increasingly been turning their attention to vocabulary, stressing its importance in language teaching and reassessing some of the ways in which it is taught and learnt (Harmer, 1991) At the same time, teachers have been suggested that they should change their old teaching methods of b3 From 50% to less than 70% ͔ b4 Less than 50% ͔ c2 From 70% to less than 80% ͔ c4 Less than 50% ͔ d2 From 70% to less than 80% ͔ d4 Less than 50% ͔ c Reading c1 From 80% to 100% ͔ c3 From 50% to less than 70% ͔ d Writing d1 From 80% to 100% ͔ d3 From 50% to less than 70% ͔ THANKS FOR YOUR COOPERATION 92 APPENDIX C: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS (Vietnamese version) -O - BҦNG CÂU HӒI DÀNH CHO HӐC SINH Các em hӑc sinh thân mӃn, nhҵm chuҭn bӏ cho luұn văn tӕt nghiӋp cao hӑc vӅ ÿӅ tài giҧng dҥy tӯ vӵng TiӃng Anh ӣ trѭӡng phә thông ӣ tӍnh Vƭnh Long, cҫn mӝt sӕ thông tin tӯ vӅ viӋc hӑc tӯ vӵng cӫa em Rҩt mong em nhiӋt tình ÿóng góp ý kiӃn ÿӇ luұn văn có thӇ ÿѭӧc hồn thành tӕt ÿҽp Nhӳng câu trҧ lӡi cӫa em chӍ dùng cho mөc ÿích nghiên cӭu mà thơi Chân thành cҧm ѫn sӵ cӝng tác cӫa em Ph ҫn 1: Thông tin cá nhân Trѭӡng: Lӟp Giӟi tính: Ph ҫn 2: Bҧng câu hӓi Theo em, hӑc Anh văn, kӻ dѭӟi ÿây cҫn thiӃt phҧi trӑng? (Các em có thӇ chӑn lúc nhiӅu câu trҧ lӡi) a Nghe º b Nói º c Ĉӑc º º d ViӃt º e Ngӳ pháp º f Tӯ vӵng º Em cho ý kiӃn cӫa vӅ nhӳng nhұn ÿӏnh sau: (A: Hoàn toàn ÿӗng ý B: ChӍ ÿӗng ý mӝt phҫn C: Không ÿӗng ý) A B C a Hӑc tӯ vӵng mӝt sӣ thích a º º º b Hӑc tӯ vӵng mӝt sӵ bҳt buӝc cӫa giáo viên b º º º c Hӑc tӯ vӵng mӝt viӋc có lӧi cҫn làm c º º º 93 d Hӑc tӯ vӵng cҫn phҧi có mӝt trí nhӟ tӕt d º º º e Hӑc tӯ vӵng cҫn phҧi siêng e º º º f Hӑc tӯ vӵng phҧi biӃt áp dөng tӕt f º º º g Hӑc tӯ vӵng qua dөng cө trӵc quan, trò chѫi, hoҥt g º º º ÿӝng giao tiӃp rҩt thú vӏ Trên lӟp, giáo viên thѭӡng giӟi thiӋu tӯ vӵng mӟi bҵng cách dѭӟi ÿây? (Các em có thӇ chӑn lúc nhiӅu câu trҧ lӡi) a Ghi tӯ mӟi lên bҧng nói nghƭa tiӃng ViӋt cӫa º b Dùng tranh ҧnh, vұt thұt, cӱ chӍ, ÿiӋu bӝ º c Dùng tình huӕng, lӡi giҧi thích, ÿӏnh nghƭa bҵng TiӃng Anh º d Dùng tӯ ÿӗng nghƭa, phҧn nghƭa º ĈӇ cho em luyӋn tұp tӯ, giáo viên thѭӡng dùng cách dѭӟi ÿây? (Các em có thӇ chӑn lúc nhiӅu câu trҧ lӡi) a Giáo viên ÿӑc tӯ vài lҫn, em lһp lҥi º b Giáo viên cho tұp vӟi tӯ vӯa mӟi giӟi thiӋu, em tӵ làm rӗi lên bҧng sӱa º c Giáo viên cho chѫi trò chѫi hay hoҥt ÿӝng ÿӝng º Giáo viên thѭӡng kiӇm tra hay ôn tӯ bҵng cách dѭӟi ÿây? (Các em có thӇ chӑn lúc nhiӅu câu trҧ lӡi) a Giáo viên cho chѫi trò chѫi, thӵc hiӋn nhӳng hoҥt ÿӝng ÿӝng º b Giáo viên gӑi lên bҧng, ÿӑc nghƭa tiӃng ViӋt ÿӇ em viӃt tӯ tiӃng Anh º 94 c Giáo viên cho tұp liên quan ÿӃn tӯ, em tӵ làm rӗi giáo viên sӱa º Trong trình dҥy tӯ, giáo viên thѭӡng nhҩn mҥnh vào nhӳng mһt sau ÿây cӫa tӯ? (Các em có thӇ chӑn lúc nhiӅu câu trҧ lӡi) a Nghƭa º b Dҩu nhҩn, cách phát âm º c Tӯ loҥi º d Cách sӱ dөng º Sau hӑc tӯ lӟp, em a có thӇ nhӟ tӯ rҩt rõ º b khơng nhӟ vұy phҧi hӑc lҥi ӣ nhà º c nhӟ mұp mӡ º Sau hӑc tӯ, em có thӇ nhӟ ÿѭӧc phҫn trăm sӕ lѭӧng tӯ ÿã hӑc? a Tӯ 80% ->100 % º c Tӯ 50 % -> dѭӟi 70 % º b Tӯ 70 % -> dѭӟi 80 % º d Dѭӟi 50 % º Sau hӑc tӯ, mһt cӫa tӯ dѭӟi ÿây em nghƭ nhӟ tӕt nhҩt? (Các em có thӇ chӑn lúc nhiӅu câu trҧ lӡi) a Nghƭa º c Tӯ loҥi º b Dҩu nhҩn, cách phát âm º d Cách sӱ dөng º 10 Hãy cho biӃt em có thӇ ӭng dөng tӯ ÿã hӑc vào nhӳng kӻ mӭc ÿӝ ӭng dөng cho tӯng kӻ sao? a Nghe º a Tӯ 80% ->100 % º a Tӯ 50 % -> dѭӟi 70 % º a Tӯ 70 % -> dѭӟi 80 % º a Dѭӟi 50 % º 95 b Nói º b Tӯ 80% ->100 % º b Tӯ 50 % -> dѭӟi 70 % º c Ĉӑc º c Tӯ 80% ->100 % º c Tӯ 50 % -> dѭӟi 70 % º d ViӃt º d Tӯ 80% ->100 % º d Tӯ 50 % -> dѭӟi 70 % º b Tӯ 70 % -> dѭӟi 80 % º b Dѭӟi 50 % º c Tӯ 70 % -> dѭӟi 80 % º c Dѭӟi 50 % º d Tӯ 70 % -> dѭӟi 80 % º d Dѭӟi 50 % º CÁM ѪN CÁC EM ĈÃ CӜNG TÁC 96 APPENDIX D: Questionnaire for the students (English version) O - QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS This questionnaire is designed on the purpose of collecting necessary information for the study about the reality of teaching vocabulary at high schools in Vinh Long province Your responses will only be used for research purposes Please put a check (¥) mark after your responses I Part 1: Personal information School: Grade: 10͔ Gender: 11͔ a Male: ͔ 12͔ Female: ͔ II.Questions Question 1: Which skill you have to focus on? (You can choose more than one answers) a Listening ͔ b Speaking ͔ c Reading d Writing e Grammar ͔ f Vocabulary ͔ ͔ ͔ Question 2: Please give your own opinions about the following ideas (A: Quite agree; B: Agree partially; C: Not agree) 97 A B C a Learning vocabulary is your like ͔ ͔ ͔ b Learning vocabulary is your teacher’s force ͔ ͔ ͔ c Learning vocabulary is a useful thing ͔ ͔ ͔ d Learning vocabulary requires a good memory ͔ ͔ ͔ e Learning vocabulary requires industriousness ͔ ͔ ͔ f Learning vocabulary is to apply words well ͔ ͔ ͔ g Learning vocabulary through games, ͔ ͔ ͔ communicative activities is interesting Question 3: Which techniques does your teacher use to present vocabulary? (You can choose more than one answers) a Direct translation ͔ b Pictures, real objects, actions ͔ c Situations, explanations and definitions ͔ d Synonyms/ opposites ͔ Question 4: Which techniques does your teacher use to help you practise vocabulary? (You can choose more than one answers) a Repetition ͔ b Writing exercises ͔ c Games or communicative activities ͔ 98 Question 5: Which techniques does your teacher use to help you review vocabulary? (You can choose more than one answers) a Games, communicative activities ͔ b Spelling checking ͔ c Writing exercises ͔ Question 6: Which aspects does your teacher focus in the teaching? (You can choose more than one answers) a Meaning ͔ c Part of speech ͔ b Pronunciation ͔ d Usage ͔ Question 7: After your teacher presents vocabulary, you can a remember words well ͔ b not remember ͔ c remember vaguely ͔ Question 8: Please tell your own ability to remember vocabulary (Please choose one most appropriate answer) a From 80% to 100% ͔ b From 70% to less than 80% ͔ c From 50% to less than 70% ͔ d Less than 50% ͔ Question 9: Which aspects can you remember well? (You can choose more than one answers) a Meaning ͔ c Part of speech ͔ b Pronunciation ͔ d Usage ͔ 99 Question 10: Please tell your own ability to apply vocabulary a Listening a1 From 80% to 100% ͔ a2 From 70% to less than 80% ͔ a3 From 50% to less than 70% ͔ a4 Less than 50% ͔ b Speaking b1 From 80% to 100% ͔ b3 From 50% to less than 70% ͔ b2 From 70% to less than 80% ͔ b4 Less than 50% ͔ c2 From 70% to less than 80% ͔ c4 Less than 50% ͔ d2 From 70% to less than 80% ͔ d4 Less than 50% ͔ c Reading c1 From 80% to 100% ͔ c3 From 50% to less than 70% ͔ d Writing d1 From 80% to 100% ͔ d3 From 50% to less than 70% ͔ THANKS FOR YOUR COOPERATION 100 APPENDIX E: CLASSROOM OBSERVATION SHEET School: Class: Number of students: Date: Period: Lesson: Skill: Taught by: Warm up is used to review: Vocabulary ͔ Grammar ͔ Skills ͔ Number of words taught: Time for presenting vocabulary: Aspects of vocabulary focused on: Meaning ͔ Pronunciation ͔ Use ͔ Form ͔ Techniques for presenting: Translation ͔ Situation ͔ Explanation ͔ Synonym/ Opposite ͔ Visual aids ͔ Practising vocabulary with: Games ͔ Writing exercises ͔ 101 Communicative activities ͔ Reading/ Pronouncing vocabulary ͔ Reviewing vocabulary with: Games ͔ Communicative activities ͔ Exercises ͔ Checking ͔ From teacher’s techniques of presenting vocabulary, students understand vocabulary clearly ͔ students understand some words ͔ students don’t understand anything ͔ Students’ degree of remembering vocabulary in class 80 %- 100 % ͔ 70 %- under 80 % ͔ 50 %- under 70 % ͔ Under 50 % ͔ 10 Students can apply words just learnt: Well Fairly well Not well In Listening ͔ ͔ ͔ In Speaking ͔ ͔ ͔ In Reading ͔ ͔ ͔ 102 In Writing ͔ ͔ ͔ In Exercises ͔ ͔ ͔ 103 104 APPENDIX F THE FRAMEWORK OF VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES It bases on Schmitt’s taxonomy (1999:207-208), consisting of 22 different vocabulary strategies, falling into strategy groups: Determination: Det 1: Analyze affixes and root Det 2: Associate a new word with similar sounding English words you know Det 3: Look up a new word in dictionary to know its meanings and uses Det 4: Use flash cards Social: Soc 1: Think or write sentences including the new word Soc 2: Ask teacher or classmates to know its meanings (translation) and uses Soc 3: Ask teacher for paraphrase or synonym of new words Soc 4: Practice new words in groups outside class Soc 5: Interact with native speakers Memory: Mem 1: Paraphrase the word meaning by yourself Mem 2: Use the new learned words to speak, to chat, … Mem 3: Draw semantic maps for words in the same topics Mem 4: Put the word in a context, like in an expression, a clause or sentence Mem 5: Associate the new word with a Vietnamese word having similar sound such as tiny –tí nӏ Mem 6: Group words into topics to learn Mem 7: Connect a new word with personal experience to memorize it Mem 8: Drawing pictures to demonstrate a new word 105 Mem 9: Use physical action when learning a word Cognitive: Cog 1: Written repetition Cog 2: Verbal repetition Cog 3: Write new words on cards and stick them somewhere you can see easily Cog 4: Learn vocabulary in wordlist of the textbooks Cog 5: Take notes in class Cog 6: Put English labels on physical objects Metacognitive: Met1: Continue to study words over time Met 2: Test oneself by doing word tests in books or on the Internet Met 3: Use English-language media (songs, news, films, Internet, …) 106 ... schools in general and high schools in Vinh Long province in specific, the study on the reality of teaching vocabulary in Vinh Long province has been conducted The reality of teaching vocabulary. .. about teaching vocabulary at high schools in general and high schools in Vinh Long province in specific, the study on the reality of teaching vocabulary in Vinh Long province has been conducted... techniques of teaching vocabulary including using visual aids in teaching vocabulary, creating interaction in teaching vocabulary, using games and active activities in teaching vocabulary Moreover,