A survey research at Nguyen Du high school Thanh Oai, Hanoi = Thái độ của giáo viên và học sinh với hiệu quả của việc dạy và học từ vựng thông qua ngữ cảnh Khảo

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES






NGUYỄN THỊ MAI CHUNG


TEACHERS AND STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE
EFFECTIVENESS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING
VOCABULARY IN CONTEXTS: A SURVEY RESEARCH AT
NGUYEN DU HIGH SCHOOL, THANH OAI, HANOI

(Thái độ của giáo viên và học sinh với hiệu quả của việc dạy và học
từ vựng thông qua ngữ cảnh: Khảo sát tại trường THPT Nguyễn
Du, Thanh Oai Hà Nội)

M.A Minor Thesis
Programme I

Major: English Language Teaching Methodology
Code: 60.14.10





HANOI, 2012




VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES






NGUYỄN THỊ MAI CHUNG



TEACHERS AND STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE
EFFECTIVENESS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING
VOCABULARY IN CONTEXTS: A SURVEY RESEARCH AT
NGUYEN DU HIGH SCHOOL, THANH OAI, HANOI

(Thái độ của giáo viên và học sinh với hiệu quả của việc dạy và học
từ vựng thông qua ngữ cảnh: Khảo sát tại trường THPT Nguyễn
Du, Thanh Oai Hà Nội)

M.A Minor Thesis
Programme I





Major: English Language Teaching Methodology
Code: 60.14.10
Supervisor: Trần Hiền Lan, M.A



HANOI, 2012

iv

LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS


Table 1
Students and teachers’ attitudes towards the role of vocabulary
in language learning and teaching
Table 2
Students’ common ways in vocabulary learning

Table 3
Frequency of using context-based techniques in presenting
vocabulary evaluated by teachers
Table 4
Frequency of using context-based techniques in presenting
vocabulary evaluated by students
Table 5
Techniques used by teachers to teach vocabulary through contexts
in the practicing stage
Table 6
Students’ attitudes towards context-based techniques used to
present vocabulary
Table 6
Techniques preferred by students
Chart 1
Kinds of vocabulary chosen to teach by teachers
Chart 2
Students’ difficulties in learning vocabulary
Chart 3
Context-based vocabulary techniques used to present
vocabulary
Chart 4
Ideas from students about the effects of learning vocabulary
through contexts
Chart 5
Ideas from teachers about the effects of teaching vocabulary
through contexts
Chart 6
Teachers’ idea about the benefit of teaching vocabulary through
contexts

v

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Declaration p. i
Acknowledgements ii
Abstract iii
List of charts and tables iv
Table of contents v

Part A: INTRODUCTION 1
1. Rationale 1
2. Aims of the study 2
3. Research questions 2
4. Scope of the study 3
5. Methods of the study 3
6. Design of the thesis 3
Part B: DEVELOPMENT 5
Chapter 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 5
1.1 Vocabulary 5
1.1.1 Definitions of vocabulary 5
1.1.2 Classification of vocabulary 6

1.1.3 The roles of vocabulary in language teaching and learning 7
1.1.4 Principles of vocabulary teaching 8
1.1.4.1. Criteria for selection of vocabulary 8
1.1.4.2. Criteria for teaching vocabulary 9
1.2. Teaching vocabulary in contexts 11
1.2.1. Definition of contexts 11
1.2.2. Reasons for teaching vocabulary in contexts 12
1.2.3. Techniques to teach vocabulary through contexts 14
1.2.3.1. Techniques for presenting vocabulary in contexts 14
1.2.3.2. Techniques for practicing vocabulary in contexts 16
1.3. Summary 19
Chapter 2: METHODOLOGY 20
2.1. Context of the study 20

vi

2.1.1. Textbook 20
2.1.2. Participants 20
2.2. The instruments 21
2.2.1 Survey questionnaires 21
2.2.2 Class observation 22
2.3 Data collection and analysis 23
2.4 Summary 23
Chapter 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 24
3.1 Data analysis of survey questionnaire 24
3.2 Data analysis of class observation 38
3.3 Discussion and major findings 40
3.4. Pedagogical implications 40
3.4.1. Suggestions for presenting the meaning of new words in contexts 41
3.4.2. Suggestions for practicing vocabulary in contexts 42

3.5. Summary 44
Part C: CONCLUSION 45
1. Conclusions 45
2. Limitations and suggestions for further study 46
REFERENCES
APPENDICES


1

Part A: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
Nowadays, we have witnessed the wide use of English as an international
language in different fields of life. English has become the most popular foreign
language in Vietnam. This trend has led to much focus on teaching and learning
English from linguistic competence to communicative one. Therefore, the
important role of teaching and learning vocabulary is more paid attention. It is
known to most second language learners that the acquisition of vocabulary is a
fundamental and important component in the process of their learning. The
importance of vocabulary was emphasized by Wilkins (1972) that “without
grammar very little can be conveyed; without vocabulary nothing can be
conveyed” (p.111). Besides, Pyles and Algeo (1970) also stated that “when we
first think about language, we think about words. It is words that we arrange
together to make sentences, conversation and discourse of all kinds”. Generally,
the teaching and learning of vocabulary is obviously a very significant aspect in
foreign language teaching in general and in English language teaching in
particular.
In Vietnam vocabulary teaching is still not quite concerned. Developing
students’ strategies for handling unknown words has always been one of the
principal challenges of English reading classes. Dealing with this challenge, many

teachers normally use explanations and translation through word-list as a common
way to teach vocabulary. The learners therefore passively acquire vocabulary
through teachers’ explanation. This situation also happens to the teachers and
learners at Nguyen Du high school. The students here mainly use some rote
strategies such as writing words on paper with equivalence in Vietnamese, trying
to learn by heart, looking up words in dictionaries and asking teachers for help
whenever they encounter any new words. The drawbacks of this approach are
obvious. Too much dictionary work can kill all interest in reading and even

2

interfere with comprehension, because readers become more concerned with
individual words and less aware of the context which gives them meaning. It also
results in very slow and inefficient reading (Wallace 1982). Moreover, the
students rarely remember the meaning of words and do not know how to use these
words appropriately in particular situations or contexts. Meanwhile, a word
learned in a meaningful context is highly assimilated and remembered. The
contexts in which the new items are used helps students guess the meanings more
easily.
For all the above reasons, the researcher has strong desire to undertake the
study which aims at exploring the teachers and students’ attitudes towards the
effectiveness of teaching and learning vocabulary in contexts at Nguyen Du high
school.
2. Aims of the study
This study is aimed at investigating the attitudes of teachers and students towards
the effectiveness of teaching and learning vocabulary in contexts. To be specific,
the aims of the study are:
- To investigate the current situation of teaching vocabulary through contexts
to students at Nguyen Du high school, Thanh Oai, Hanoi
- To investigate the effectiveness of using contexts to teach vocabulary

3. Research questions
In order to achieve the set goals, the following questions were proposed:
1. What is the current situation of teaching context-based vocabulary to
students at Nguyen Du high school?
2. How effective is the teaching context-based vocabulary to students at
Nguyen Du high school?



3

4. Scope of the study
The study is limited to the area of teaching English vocabulary at Nguyen Du high
school. Specifically, this minor thesis deals with the current situation of using
contexts to teach vocabulary to the eleventh grade students at Nguyen Du high
school and suggests some pedagogical implications to the teachers.
5. Method of the study
To find answers to the above - stated research questions, the study uses a
combination of qualitive and quantitive research approaches, which include data
analysis and survey questionnaires. In the study, data which is collected through
questionnaires will be processed and analyzed to investigate into vocabulary
teaching and learning strategies.
6. Design of the study
The study is designed as follow:
Part A: Introduction provides a general introduction of the study with the specific
reference to the rationale, the aims, the scope, the methods and the design of the
thesis.
Part B: Development consists of three chapters:
Chapter 1: “Literature Review” gives a brief view on the theoretical background
of English vocabulary, contexts and the benefits of using contexts in teaching

vocabulary.
Chapter 2: “Methodology”, shows an insight into the research methods to find
out the answers to the research questions. This chapter also gives a brief view on
the subjects, the procedures and the instruments to collect data employed to reach
the aims of the research.
Chapter 3: “Data analysis and discussion” presents the data collected from the
survey questionnaires and class observation and the discussion of these data.
Pedagogical implications for teachers are also suggested in this part.
Part C: Conclusions concludes the report of the study with the suggestions for
further research.

4

Part B: DEVELOPMENT
Chapter 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter deals with some of the important issues in the theories of vocabulary
and the use of contexts in vocabulary teaching. It consists of the definitions of
vocabulary, the roles of vocabulary in language teaching and learning,
classification of vocabulary, principles of vocabulary teaching, definitions of
contexts, context clues and techniques to teach vocabulary through contexts.
1.1. Vocabulary
1.1.1. Definition of vocabulary
According to 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-
in-law, which are made up of two or three words but express a single idea”.
Additionally, Pyles and Algeo (1970 : 96) affirmed that „vocabulary is the focus of
language with its sound and meaning, which interlock to allow us to communicate
with one another, and it is words that we arrange together to make sentences,
conversation and discourse of all kinds " . It is inferred that vocabulary is essential

for learning language in general and particularly for learning foreign language.
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 different ways to define the concept “vocabulary”.
However, the idea that vocabulary is the total number of words existing in a
language, including single words as well as multi-word items is more favorable.
1.1.2. Classifications of vocabulary

5

Vocabulary can be classified in various ways depending on different criteria,
features or functions.
1.1.2.1. Semantics: There are two main kinds of meanings in a word, lexical
meaning and grammatical meaning. Thus in term of semantics, vocabulary can be
categorized into notional words and functional words (Read, 2000: 18).
 Notional words: Their meanings are lexical, form a great mass of the
speaker’s vocabulary. Those words name objects, actions, qualities and
have meanings themselves. In terms of part of speech, they can be nouns,
verbs, adjectives, adverbs and so on.
 Functional words: They are grammatical words, which only have their
meanings in relation to other words with which they are used. They can be
particles, articles, prepositions, etc.
1.1.2.2 Grammar: In terms of grammar, vocabulary items are divided into
different parts of speech such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, etc. (Quirk,
1987: 18)
1.1.2.3. Methodology: In terms of the use of word, vocabulary can be divided into

two types basing on the classification Doff (1988: 19):
 Active words: Active vocabulary includes all words which can be
understood, pronounced correctly, and can be used effectively in speaking
and writing.
 Passive words: Passive vocabulary includes all words which the learners
can recognize and understand when they occur in a context, but which
learners cannot produce or use correctly themselves even when they
attempt to.
In addition, some other methodologists follow communicative Language
Approach divide vocabulary into productive and receptive. Gairns and Redman
(1986) define productive vocabulary as the language items which a language
learner can use effectively to produce information in speaking and writing. The

6

receptive vocabulary is, on the other hand, used to receive and understand
information in the context of reading and listening materials (p. 64).
In general, distinguishing different types of vocabulary is essential in
teaching and learning vocabulary because different types of vocabulary need
different focus and treatment. Sometimes, depending on the learners’ purposes of
learning, types of vocabulary will be given more emphases in teaching and
learning.
1.1.3. The roles of vocabulary in language teaching and learning
It is commonly accepted that vocabulary is the most important language element
among phonetics, vocabulary and grammar. By saying that “vocabulary is one of
the three dimensions of a language (phonetics, grammar, vocabulary)”, 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).

Similarly, Gower (2005) pointed out that “vocabulary is important to students – it
is more important than grammar for communication purposes, particularly in the
early stages when students are motivated to learn the basic words they need to get
by in the language” (p.142). The idea emphasized the communicative purpose in
learning vocabulary as an ultimate goal for leaning a new language.
For those statements, it is undeniable that vocabulary is a decisive element in
language communication.
Moreover, the importance of vocabulary is also indicated in all four language
skills. In terms of speaking, it is impossible to communicate without vocabulary.
And sometimes, students have difficulties in finding the proper words to express
oneself. 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 a serious obstacle for
readers, which prevents them from thoroughly comprehending the text. In terms of

7

writing, it was asserted by Mayher and Brause (1986) that writing highly depends
on the ability to choose words when describing events.
To conclude, vocabulary is a language component that plays an important
role in deciding a learner’s language proficiency. The role of vocabulary in second
language learning is immediately recognized and it implications for teaching are in
great demand.
1.1.4. Principles of vocabulary teaching
1.1.4.1. Criteria for selection of vocabulary
It is unnecessary for the teachers to spend the same amount of time and care on
presenting all new vocabulary. Some vocabulary will be more important to students
than the others. Doff (1988) clarify two types of vocabulary which teachers should
distinguish. Firstly, for the words needed to understand and use which are called
active vocabulary, it is worth spending time giving examples and asking questions

so that students can really see how the world is used. Secondly, for the passive
vocabulary which needed to understand but unnecessary to use themselves (e.g.
when reading a text, or listening to a talk), it is often best to present it quickly with
a simple example to save time, or teachers can leave students to guess the words
from the contexts.
The criteria of selecting vocabulary become the first priority to help the teacher
make proper decision on the right vocabulary items to teach at the learners’
different level. Some criteria are mentioned here:
• Range: the extent to which a word occurs in the different types of texts
• Coverage: the capacity of a word to replace other words
• Frequency: the number of occurrences of a word in the target language
• Learn ability: the extent to which a word can be learned without
difficulty language
• Needs: the extent to which a word is regarded as "required" by the learner
in order to communicate

8

Hammer (1991:154-156) affirmed that “one of the most common principles of
vocabulary selection is to teach at first concrete words and gradually abstract
words”. That means concrete words should be taught at the lower level while
abstract ones should be taught at higher level. He also added more criteria for
selecting vocabulary as coverage (general words should be taught before specific
terms) and rapport (students’ involvement with the words is the most important
motivator for vocabulary learning.
1.1.4.2. Criteria for teaching vocabulary
According to Ur (1996), when the teacher teaches a new English words, he should,
by all means, provide his learners with its pronunciation and spelling, word form,
grammar, collocation, aspects of meaning, word-formation. As regards to this issue,
Nu, D. (2004) also states that knowing a word means knowing its meaning, word

form (spelling, pronunciation, grammar), and its use in appropriate contexts.
1.1.4.2.1. Forms of a word
 Pronunciation and spelling
Each English word has its spelling and pronunciation. Learners have to know all
the spelling, pronunciation and irregularities of the words they are learning. In
teaching, these aspects must be presented and learned accurately.
 Grammar
Learners should also understand the grammar function, the change of form in
certain grammatical context, the regularity as well as the irregularity, etc so that
they can use the word correctly.
1.1.4.2.2. Meaning
 Denotative and connotative meaning
The denotative meaning of a word is its actual meaning, with no spin on it
intended to persuade. For example, the actual meaning of the word "propaganda"
is "plan for the propagation of a doctrine or of a system of principles." There's no
implication here that such a doctrine or system is either good or bad.

9

The connotative meaning of a word is the associations or positive or negative
feeling it evokes. It is the meaning of a symbol that is personal to an individual and
not shared.
 Meaning relationship
How the meaning of one word, especially its denotative meaning, relates to the
meaning of others can also be useful in teaching. There are various relationships as
synonyms, antonyms, translation, etc.
It should be noted that the teacher has to make a careful choice of and decision on
which meaning of the word to teach and how many words to teach in the limited
class time. If not, the learners may not absorb these words and the vocabulary
teaching process may become a failure.

1.1.4.2.3. Use of a word
The most important for learners to learn a new word is how to use it properly and
effectively in different contexts. In order to use a word well, learners have to
combine it with other words correctly. Therefore, the teacher has to put words into
combination. For example, when introducing the words “to make” and “to do”,
the teacher should point out that these two words have the same meaning “to
perform” but they are used in different combination. People often say “to make
the bed” not “to do the bed”.
In short, learners should be taught the form, the meaning and the usage of words in
vocabulary lesson. Teachers should note that vocabulary should always be revised
because learners will easily forget words if they do not have a chance to put them
into use
1.2. Teaching vocabulary in contexts
1.2.1. Definition of context
According to the Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American Language,
context means “the parts of a sentence, paragraph, discourse etc, immediately next
to or surrounding a specified word or passage and determining its exact meaning.”

10

It also refers to “the whole situation, background. Or environment relevant to a
particular event, personality, creation ect.” There are the dictionary meanings of
context, and based on them, people develop their own definition of context.
According to Widdowson (2000:126), context is defined as “those aspects of the
circumstance of actual language use which are taken as relevant to meaning.”
When studying the relationship between discourse and literature, Cook (1989) also
took context into his consideration as well. In his definition, context is just a form
of knowledge the world and the term context can be used in a broad and narrow
sense. In narrow sense, it refers to knowledge of factors outside the text under
consideration. While in the broad one, it refers to knowledge of these factors and

to knowledge of the other parts of the text, sometimes referred to as co-text.
Additionally, Yule (1996) defined context as “physical environment in which a
word is used”
In short, context includes both linguistic and non-linguistic aspects (Nunan, 1993).
Thus, this study is carried out basing on both these two aspects of context which
help students derive the meanings of a word.
1.2.2. Reasons for teaching vocabulary in contexts
In the past and even somewhere now, vocabulary was taught in isolation from any
context. That is, it was taught in lengthy lists consisting only the words and their
meanings in the mother tongue. By using the method, a lot of words could be
learnt in only a short time without the need of teachers’ help and learners’ attempts
to clarify the texts or participate in real-life situations. During their teaching,
nothing concerning contexts in which the words appeared was mentioned, which
led to the extremely weak point that soon made the method out of fashion because
of the inability to communicate. Learners had a lot of words in their minds but
failed to produce the language. Thus, all their vocabulary became dead and
useless.

11

Today, words are mainly taught and learn in their contexts. It means that all the
relationships of the words with other ones in the texts are exploited to make clear
the meaning and usage of them. This way takes more time and thus the teaching
process is slower than teaching vocabulary in isolation but teaching of vocabulary
in contexts will be far more effective than the one in isolation. Learners of this
new method can use their vocabulary to communicate at their levels. Hereafter are
specific advantages of teaching vocabulary in contexts.
1.2.2.1. Meaning guessing
Basing on clues in contexts to get the meaning of words is undoubtedly a good
strategy. It is emphasized by Nation (2001) that “guessing from contexts is the

most important vocabulary learning technique and time spent practicing it is well
justified. It provides access to thousands of words”. This is obviously a good way
of learning vocabulary because when students try and make guesses it means that
they actively involve themselves in the learning process, not just passively
perceive what are taught. And the ability to guess unknown words helps them a lot
in communication, reading or doing the tests. For 11
th
grade, as most students are
of low-intermediate level in English, it is necessary that guessing should be based
on contexts that do not have too many new words and teachers should help
students by eliciting the meaning of new words from the clues patiently. Basing on
contexts to guess unknown words can be used both in class and at home. When
students get used to it, they will be able to deal with and learn a lot of words
independently.
1.2.2.2. Homonyms distinction
It is a fact that English language has a lot of homonyms such as “ad - add”, “will -
will”, etc. The importance of contexts in realizing and distinguishing these words
is significant. Concerning this point, Hoa, N. (2000) approved that contexts always
have a role in making clear the meanings of homonyms. Without contexts, it
would be very difficult for us to realize the meaning of such words.
1.2.2.3. Polysemantic words distinction

12

Polysemy is the common characteristic of almost every word in English and high-
frequency words have most meanings. Like homonyms, polysemantic words need
contexts to clarify their meanings. For example, the word “set” has 126 meanings.
In “a television set” it means a piece of equipment for receiving television signals.
But in “a set expression”, it means fixed and not likely to change.
1.2.2.4. Effective and appropriate use of the word

Putting the words in context helps students not only learn words but also know
how to use them in certain context. Guessing the meaning of a word from its use
in context requires an understanding of semantic properties, register, and
collocation. It makes readers aware of one important feature of vocabulary,
namely, that context determines the meaning of words. If teachers only tell what
the word means without any contexts, all their vocabulary will become dead
vocabulary because students do not know how to use it appropriately.
1.2.3. Techniques to teach vocabulary through contexts
1.2.3.1. Techniques for presenting vocabulary in contexts
As discussed in the previous part, contexts can be classified into linguistic
context which include language surrounds such as words, phrase, sentence in a
text and non-linguistics one relating to the environment or situation words occur.
Thus it is necessary to consider both these two sides when words are taught
through contexts.
Firstly, showing the meaning of words visually is a way of putting the words in
the context. Lee and Coppen (1970) claim that visual aids can help teacher create real
communicative situations (contexts), clarifying the meaning of the words used.
According to Doff (1988: 82), visual aids often draw students’ attention, and help to
make language used in the class more real, lively and interesting. Visual techniques
include flashcards, pictures, photographs, realia (object themselves), gesture and
mime, etc. are useful for teaching concrete words
 Realia:

13

This is the way of using real objects to show the meaning of words. It can help
teachers avoid boring class, and make it easier for students to remember the words
and recall them for later use. When presenting vocabulary with real objects, the
teachers simply points at them and says: “Look – this is…”
 Pictures (pictures, photos and postcards)

These can be used to illustrate scenes, people or objects and must be large enough
to be seen by the learners. Teachers can used them for different kinds of tasks such
as describing pictures, comparing pictures and pointing out the differences, telling
a story using a series of pictures, etc.
 Gestures, mime
Billows (1961:147) states that actual representation of an action or performance
represents the action and performance better than any pictures. This emphasizes
the importance of demonstration, gestures, facial expression, etc. of teachers and
students in language class because they help teachers illustrate contexts and
introducing new items and help students practice new vocabulary items like
pronunciation, spelling, meaning, etc.
Secondly, using examples, situation or explanation, synonyms and antonyms is
another useful way of showing the meaning of words in contexts. Most abstract
words can be taught effectively by this technique.
 Giving examples
Vocabulary can sometimes be classified into groups with a superordinate such as
“relative” (aunt, uncle, brother…), furniture (desk, table…), etc. With such
superordinate words, giving examples to illustrate their meanings is of great use. It
helps the students not only grasp the word easily but also study the vocabulary
systematically. For example: to teach the word “parents” the teacher can give an
example as follow:
Parents are father and mother
Thus, learners can see the meaning of “parents” without any more clues given by
teacher. Generally, a good example should clearly show the meaning of the word.

14

 Using situation, explanation
It is not necessary to give a complicated explanation, the meaning should be
shown by simple sentences. This can be done by making statements using the

word presented. For example, to show the meaning of word “lazy”, teacher can
give out a situation/ explanation “I have a brother. He always gets up late and does
nothing all day. He is very lazy.”
 Using synonym or antonyms
This is a quick way to show the meaning of word in contexts. However, the
technique should be used only when the synonyms or antonyms of the new words
are already known to students. Besides, most words in English are polysemantic, it
is essential to give out at the same time the contexts in which we give the
synonyms or antonyms of the words.
For example: the word “plain” (Unit 4 English 11) is similar in meaning to “clear”
in the sentence “It is plain to see how greedy she is”. But we have “plain flour”
but not “clear flour”.
1.2.3.2. Techniques for practicing vocabulary in contexts
At this stage, teachers not only treat new vocabulary items as a means to
comprehension of the context but also are able to exploit new lexis in its own
right. The reason is that “if we are to bring new vocabulary into active use and not
just passive understanding, it is not sufficient for us just to teach it. We must
provide ways to make sure that it is learnt and used” (Cranmer, 1986, p. 60). In
other words, after students have been shown the meaning of a word in the pre-
stage, teachers should provide them with enough practice of that word. Most
students need lots of practice with new vocabulary in order to remember and use
the new words correctly. According to Cranmer (1986), all of the techniques he
suggests using in the pre-stage can also be used subsequently, but there are a
number of additional techniques:
 Matching

15

 Inference and Definition
 Use of monolingual learner dictionaries

 Categorization
 Information transfer
(p. 60-61)
Furthermore, there are some other techniques that teachers can use to develop
students’ vocabulary through context such as
 Guessing new words from context
 Word part analysis
 Collocation activities
 Checking comprehension by asking questions
 Multiple choice exercises
 True/False statement exercises
 Gap-filling exercises
 Translation
In this stage, it is necessary for the teacher to develop the skill of guessing
word meanings from context for his students. Nation (2001) presents five steps of
guessing the meaning of words from context.
Step 1. Look at the unknown word and decide its part of speech. Is it a noun, a
verb, an adjective, or an adverb?
Step 2. Look at the clause or sentence containing the unknown word. If the
unknown word is a noun, what adjectives describe it? What verb is it near? That
is, what does this noun do, or what is done to it?
If the unknown word is a verb, what nouns does it go with?
Is it modified by an adverb?
If it is an adjective, what noun does it go with?
If it is an adverb, what verb is it modifying?
Step 3. Look at the relationship between the clause or sentence containing the
unknown word and other sentences or paragraphs. Sometimes this relationship

16

will be signaled by a conjunction like but, because, if, when, or by an adverb like
however, as a result. Often there will be no signal. The possible types of
relationship include cause and effect, contrast, inclusion, time, exemplification,
and summary.
Step 4. Use the knowledge you have gained from steps 1 to 3 to guess the meaning
of the word.
Step 5. Check that your guess is correct.
(1) See that the part of speech of your guess is the same as the part of speech of
the unknown word. If it is not the same, then something is wrong with your guess.
(2) Replace the unknown word with your guess. If the sentence makes sense, your
guess is probably correct.
(3) Break the unknown word into its prefix, root and suffix, if possible. If the
meanings of the prefix and root correspond to your guess, good. If not, look at
your guess again, but do not change anything if you feel reasonably certain about
your guess using the context.
Among different techniques above, this is probably a very useful technique
because it gets students to work out the meaning of words by themselves. It is the
context of the text that helps students to learn new vocabulary items easily and
acquire how words are actually used in speech and writing.
1.3. Summary
So far, in this chapter of literature review, the theoretical issues related to
the topic of the research have been discussed. The next chapter will describe the
methods employed in the study.

17

Chapter 2: METHODOLOGY
This chapter discusses the context in which the study was conducted and the
informants involved in the study. A detailed account of the subjects, settings and
the method of data analysis are presented as follows.
2.1. Context of the study
2.1.1. The textbook
The textbook used for the 11
th
form students is English 11 which is a theme-based
compilation. The textbook has 16 units and 6 review lessons. Each unit focuses on
a specific topic and consists of five main sections namely: reading, speaking,
listening, writing and language focus. It can not be denied that vocabulary is
central of each unit.
2.1.2. Participants
The participants of the survey questionnaires consists of 90 people placed into two
groups
The first group involves ten English teachers aged from 28 to 53 years old
who have been teaching at Nguyen Du high school for at least five years. Of these
teachers, two are masters of art in English Teaching Methodology, 5 teachers are
trained at College of Foreign languages, Vietnam National University, and three
others come from Open University. Hence, most of the teachers have a lot of
experience in foreign language teaching.
The second group includes 90 students chosen from 13 classes of 11
th
grade
at Nguyen Du high school at Thanh Oai, Hanoi. They are both male and female
students aged from sixteen to seventeen and have learnt English at junior high
school for four years. Their proficiency in English is more than elementary

because many of them did not pay attention to studying English at lower classes.
They do not know the best way to learn English, especially, vocabulary. They find
it difficult to learn and memorize vocabulary. During vocabulary learning
activities, it is the teachers who have to talk much and students have a very
passive learning habit.

18

2.2. Instruments
In order to obtain in-depth, rich data and information for investigating the attitudes
of teachers and students towards the effectiveness of teaching vocabulary through
contexts, the study used two methods of data collection: questionnaires and class
observation
2.2.1. Questionnaires
To gain data for the research, two questionnaires were administered to the
respondents. One was designed for the teachers and the other for the students. This
method is chosen because it is easy to construct, extremely versatile and uniquely
capable of gathering a huge amount of information in a short time ( Dornyei,
2003).
The questionnaires were delivered to 10 teachers and 90 students. After carefully
examining the available instruments and basing on certain knowledge about
learners, I design these questionnaires to get information as follows.
2.2.1.1. The teachers‟ survey questionnaires
The teacher questionnaire, comprising 8 questions, was delivered to ten
teachers of English who are teaching English at Nguyen Du high school. The
questionnaire completed by the teachers covered these main points.
(1) Teachers’ attitudes towards the role of vocabulary in language teaching
(question 1)
(2) Kinds of vocabulary teachers often choose to teach (question 2).
(3) Techniques used to present vocabulary through contexts and the frequency

of use (question 3,4)
(4) Students’ attitudes towards T’s using techniques to teach vocabulary
through contexts (question 5)
(5) Techniques used to practice vocabulary (question 6)
(6) Teachers’ attitudes towards the effectiveness of teaching vocabulary
through contexts (question 7, 8)
2.2.1.2. The students‟ survey questionnaires

19

The student questionnaire, consisting of 10 questions, was delivered to 90 students
chosen randomly. The questions for students focus on these following points:
(1) Students’ attitudes towards the role of vocabulary in language teaching
(question 1)
(2) Kinds of vocabulary teachers often choose to teach (question 2).
(3) Ss’ difficulties in learning vocabulary (questions 3).
(4) Students’ common ways in learning vocabulary (question 4)
(5) Students’ comments on their teachers’ techniques used in presenting
vocabulary (question 5, 6, 7)
(6) Techniques used to practice vocabulary (question 8)
(7) Effectiveness of learning vocabulary through contexts (question 9)
(8) Techniques preferred by students (question 10)
2.2.2. Classroom observation
In this research, apart from the survey questionnaires, classroom observation is
also applied in order to clarify and test the validity of the information about
teaching and learning vocabulary through contexts at 11
th
form. The observation
was carried out in two English vocabulary lessons. Also, formal and informal
discussions, small talks with both teachers and students to collect more data for

this study were carried out at the same time.
Classroom observation is important to this study because it helps to show the
researcher how effectively contexts are exploited to teach vocabulary.
2.3. Data collection and analysis
Both of the teachers and students filled out the questionnaire. The
participants were asked to complete the questionnaire seriously in their classroom.
Four classes (with about 90 students) were selected by chance. The researcher
asked the teachers for permission to have personal contacts with the study
population in order to explain the purpose, relevance and the importance of the
study, as well as to clarify any questions that the students might have.

20

The data collected from the survey were read through to obtain a sense of the
overall data. They were then categorized and analyzed. The results were then
displayed in forms of table of figures; charts or pie charts while qualitative data
from the open – ended questionnaire items were presented by quoting relevant
responses from the respondents.
2.4. Summary
In short, this chapter presents the research methodology as well as the procedure
of data collection and data analysis to find out answers to the research questions.