An investigation into classroom vocabulary learning activities at Dong Son I secondary school in Thanh Hoa = Nghiên cứu về các hoạt động học từ vựng trên lớp tạ

Vietnam national university, Hanoi
UNIVERSITY OF foreign languages AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
POST-graduate studies
*** ***




BÙI THỊ THẢO
AN INVESTIGATION INTO CLASSROOM VOCABULARY
LEARNING ACTIVITIES AT DONG SON I SECONDARY SCHOOL
IN THANH HOA
NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ CÁC HOẠT ĐỘNG HỌC TỪ VỰNG TRÊN LỚP
TẠI TRƯỜNG THPT ĐÔNG SƠN I, THANH HÓA

M.A MINOR THESIS
Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 60.14.10




Ha Noi, 2010

Vietnam national university, Hanoi
UNIVERSITY OF foreign languages AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
POST-graduate studies
*** ***

BÙI THỊ THẢO
AN INVESTIGATION INTO CLASSROOM VOCABULARY
LEARNING ACTIVITIES AT DONG SON I SECONDARY SCHOOL
IN THANH HOA
NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ CÁC HOẠT ĐỘNG HỌC TỪ VỰNG TRÊN LỚP
TẠI TRƯỜNG THPT ĐÔNG SƠN I, THANH HÓA

M.A MINOR THESIS
Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 60.14.10

Supervisor: Phan Thị Vân Quyên, M.A


Ha Noi, 2010

iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART A: INTRODUCTION 1
1. Rationale 1
2. Aims of the study 2
3. Research questions 2
4. Scope of the study 2
5. Method of the study 2
6. Design of the study 3
PART B: DEVELOPMENT 4
Chapter I: Literature review 4
1. Definition of vocabulary 4

2. Classification of vocabulary 5
2.1. According to the concept of morpheme 5
2.2. According to the meaning 5
2.3. According to the function of vocabulary items in a sentence 5
2.4. According to the sequence of use 5
2.5 According to the use of word: Active and Passive vocabulary 6
3. The importance of vocabulary in language teaching and learning 7
4. Aspects of word knowledge to be included in vocabulary teaching 7
4.1. Pronunciation 8
4.2. Word – formation 9
4.3. Collocation 10
5. The most commonly used techniques in vocabulary teaching 10
5.1. Techniques in presenting vocabulary 10
5.2. Techniques in practicing new words 12
6. Factors that affect vocabulary acquisition 12
7. Classroom vocabulary learning activities 13
Chapter II: Research methodology 16
1. Research questions 16
2. The context of the study 16
2.1 The text book 16
2.2. The teachers of English 17

v
2.3. The 10
th
form students 17
3. Instruments of data collection 17
3.1. Survey questionnaire 17
3.2. Interview 26
4. Data collection and analysis 27

Chapter III: Data analysis and discussion 28
1. Data analysis from students’ questionnaires 28
2. Data analysis from teachers’ questionnaires 31
PART C: CONCLUSION 36
1. Summary of findings 36
2. Implications 38
3. Limitations of the study and suggestions for further study 43
REFERENCES 44
APPENDICES I
Appendix 1 I
Appendix 2 III

1
PART A

INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
Vocabulary plays an important role in learning a foreign language. It is one element
that links the four skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing all together. In order to
communicate well in a foreign language, students should acquire an adequate number of
words and should know how to use them accurately.
Even though students realize the importance of vocabulary when learning a
language, most Vietnamese students learn vocabulary passively due to several reasons.
First, they find the teacher's explanation for the new words‘ meaning, pronunciation,
spelling or grammatical functions boring. In processing learning English in the class,
language learners have nothing to do in a vocabulary learning section but to listen to their
teacher. Second, students only think of vocabulary learning as learning the primary
meaning of new words. Therefore, they ignore all other functions of the words. Third,
students usually only learn new words in their textbooks or those given by teachers during
classroom lessons. For example, learners find many new words in a text and then ask the

teacher to explain their meanings and usages. Forth, many Vietnamese learners do not
want to take risks in applying what they have learnt. Students may recognize a word in a
written or spoken form and think that they already "know the word", but they may not be
able to use that word properly in different contexts or pronounce it correctly. As the
result, the class is often quiet and inactive and the lessons appear to be uninteresting.
Students just seat in silence, do the exercises, and wait for the correct answers from the
teachers. They seem to get bored of having the same ways of learning every day.
Therefore, classroom vocabulary learning activities help learners develop and use words
in different contexts and make the lessons enjoyable.
It can not be denied that, classroom vocabulary learning activities are a well come
break from the usual routine of the language class. They help students to make and sustain
the effort of learning; provide practice in the various skills, such as speaking, writing,
listening and reading; encourage students to communicate. Besides, vocabulary-learning
activities bring real world context into the classroom, and stimulate students‘ use of
English in a flexible, meaningful and communicative way. That is the reason why I carry
out this research entitled, “An investigation into classroom vocabulary learning activities
at Dong Son I secondary school in Thanh Hoa”

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2. Aims of the study
The study was designed to achieve the following goals:
1. To find out the English teachers and students‘ perception and attitude towards
vocabulary and the current situation of vocabulary learning and teaching
2. To evaluate the effectiveness of the currently used classroom vocabulary learning
activities at Dong Son I high school.
3. To suggest how to use classroom vocabulary activities to improve vocabulary
teaching and learning
3. Research questions
In order to achieve the above-stated goals, the study was to seek answers to the
following questions:

1. What are the English teachers and students’ perception and attitude towards vocabulary
learning/teaching?
2. How effective are the currently used classroom vocabulary learning activities at Dong
Son I High School?
4. Scope of the study
There are, of course, many ways to motivate the students to learn English
effectively. However, in this minor thesis, I would focus my research on the effectiveness
of classroom vocabulary learning activities at Dong Son I secondary school in Thanh Hoa.
The reason is that my students are too passive to learn vocabulary. They need to participate
more actively in learning activities. I hope that through some classroom vocabulary
activities, I will find the most effective learning activities to improve students‘ vocabulary
learning. My students have chance to use the words productively.
5. Methods of the study
To gain the aims given in section 2, the study uses quantitative research approach. In
order to gain the most successful results, data will be collected through questionnaires (one
questionnaire for students, and the other for teachers of English at high school). Collected
data, then, will be processed and analyzed. Besides, the study is also carried out through
informal interview with some students and teachers at Dong Son I secondary school.
Additionally, the writer‘s own experience in designing classroom vocabulary learning
activities and the analysis of current textbook and vocabulary teaching methods applied to
teaching English for the 10
th
form students at Dong Son I secondary school in Thanh Hoa
will contribute much to the evaluation of the effectiveness of these activities.

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6. Design of the study
The thesis is composed of three parts. Part A is the introduction, which presents the
rationale, aims as well as the scope, method, and the design of the study. Part B is the
development of the study, divided into three chapters. Chapter I is for literature review,

which provides the theoretical background of the study. The focus of this chapter is the
definition, classification, the importance of vocabulary; aspects of word knowledge to be
included in vocabulary teaching; techniques in vocabulary teaching; factors that affect
vocabulary acquisition and classroom vocabulary learning activities. Chapter II includes
the description of the participants and the data collection instruments and the methods
employed to analyze these data. Chapter III presents the detailed analyses of the data
collected from the survey questionnaires for the teachers and the students and the
discussion of the findings. Lastly, part C is the conclusion of the study, the limitation of the
research and recommendations for the teaching and learning activities at Dong Son I
secondary school in Thanh Hoa.

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PART B
DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW
1. Definition of vocabulary
The term ―word‖ appears to be a simple concept but in fact, it is extremely difficult
to define. Some linguists define words in terms of semantics or phonology, etc. For
instance, Palmer noted that a word is marked, if not by ―spaces‖ or ―pauses‖, at least by
some features of the sound system of the language (e.g. stress and juncture in English).
And yet, in rapid spoken English, we sometimes can hardly find stress and juncture, we
might say ―whatchangonna do?‖ for what in writing would appear ―what are you going to
do?‖ Is ―whatcha‖ one word or three and ―gonna‖ one or two? So, let us, for the time
being, accept the following definition which seems to be the most satisfactory: ―A word is
a dialectical unity of form and content, independent unit of language to form a sentence by
itself, for example ―book, bookish, unlucky, go, eat, lexicology, white-wash, kiss-me-
quick‖ and so forth.
Vocabulary can be defined, roughly, as the words we teach in the foreign language.
According to Harmer, if language structures make up the skeleton of a language, then it is
its vocabulary that provides the vital organs and the flesh. A word is a unit of language that

native speakers can identify, “words are the block from which sentences are made”.
Knowing a word means being able to do thing with it: to recognize it in connected speech
or in print, to access its meaning, to pronounce it and to be able to do these things within a
fraction of a second. (Stahl and Fairbanks, 1986).
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, ―vocabulary is a set of words known to a
person or other entity, or that are part of the specific language‖. Meanwhile, Hoang
simply defined vocabulary as ―words of a specific language‖ (Hoang, et al., 2006: 262). In
a more detailed definition, Lewis (1993: 89) states vocabulary ―…may be individual
words, or full sentences- institutionalized utterances- that convey fixed social or pragmatic
meaning within a given community.‖
In short, vocabulary is the total number of all the words that a language possesses,
including single words, two or three-word items expressing a single idea and multi-word
idioms of which meaning can not be deduced from the analysis of the component words
but only understood in the sentences; or in contexts, etc.

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2. Classification of vocabulary
In general, vocabulary can be classified in various ways according to different
criteria. Below are the most common ways of classifying vocabulary.
2.1. According to the concept of morpheme.
Based on this criterion, McCathy divides words in to three kinds (1990: 5).
Simple word
A simple word has only one root morpheme. For example: book, man, happy, eat…
Derived word
A derived word has a root morpheme and one or more than one affixational
morphemes. For example: bookish, booked, unhappy eater…
Compound word
A compound word has at least two roots with or without affixational morphemes.
For example: book worm, man-made, lotus-eater…
2.2. According to the meaning

There are two main kinds of meanings in a word, lexical meaning and grammatical
meaning. Vocabulary, therefore, can be divided into notional words and functional words.
(Read, 2000:18)
Notional words
Notional words, whose meanings are lexical, form a great mass of the speaker‘s
vocabulary. They name objects, actions, qualities and have meanings in themselves. They
are nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and so on.
Functional words
Functional words, whose meanings are grammatical, only have their meanings in
relation to other words with which they are used. They are particles, articles, prepositions,
etc.
2.3. According to the function of vocabulary items in a sentence
Performing different functions in a sentence, English vocabulary can be divided into
different items as parts of speech. They are nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions
and pronouns. (Quirk, 1987:18). Each part of speech has its own position complying with
certain grammatical rules and relating to others.
2.4. According to the sequence of use
This criterion refers to the frequency of occurrence of words. There are three groups
of words which appear in different frequencies: high frequency words, low frequency

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words and specialized words. High frequency words are the words that appear most often
in printed materials. According to Robert Hillerich ―Just three words I, and, the account for
ten percent all words in printed English‖. Low frequency words are words that almost
every language user rarely uses, for example: eponymous, gibbous, bifurcate, plummet,
ploy, etc. They may represent a rarely expressed idea, they may be similar in meaning to a
much more frequent word or phrase, they may be marked as being old fashioned, very
formal, belonging to a particular dialect, or vulgar, or they may be a foreign words.
Specialized words are the words people who work in or study special areas of knowledge
use a specific group of words, or specialized vocabulary, in talking about their subjects. In

the medical field, doctors often use terms, such as: nosocomial pneumonia, sinusitis,
hypertension, asthma, bronchitis…
It is necessary for the teacher to show his learners which group the learning words
belong to because it is not important for learners to learn every word with equal
concentration and in equal time but the words that are more commonly used. This principle
is very important in vocabulary learning.
2.5. According to the use of word: Active and Passive vocabulary
Learners understand many more words than they use in their own conversations, i.e.
one's passive vocabulary is much larger than one's active vocabulary. The total number of
words actively used in one's whole life is much smaller than the total number of words
understood in one's whole life. Even if we learn a word, it takes a lot of practice and
context connections for us to learn it well. This means that one word has different
meanings in different contexts. When a word connected with different prepositions will
give different meanings. You can not be able to remember and use all words exactly at the
same time. So having a great English vocabulary doesn't mean that you can use these
words and phrases and that you can remember them when you need them. This is the
difference between an active and a passive vocabulary
Passive vocabulary are words which a student can recognize but not necessarily use
in speaking or writing. Passive vocabulary are useful for receptive skills such as reading
and listening.
Active vocabulary are words which students can both understand and use in
communication. Active vocabulary are especially useful for the productive skills such as
speaking and writing.
So, the secret is to try to "activate" the passive vocabulary knowledge.

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3. The importance of vocabulary in language teaching and learning
Vocabulary is the foundation of a language. The size of vocabulary is an important
criterion to evaluate a learner‘s English level. Without adequate vocabulary knowledge, a
second language learner will have problems with conversational fluency and reading

comprehension.
Vocabulary is a language component that plays an important role in deciding a
learner‘s language proficiency. It is central to language because it is considered the ―basic
building block of language, the unit of meaning from which larger structures such as
sentences, paragraphs and whole text are formed‖ (Read, 2000: 1). It is important to the
typical language learners because many of them have experienced lexical gaps, that are
words or concepts they read but they simply do not understand or can not express as
adequately as they could in their first language. As a result, many learners see second
language acquisition as essentially a matter of learning vocabulary, so they devote a great
deal of time to memorizing lists of new words and rely on their bilingual dictionary as a
basic communicative resource.
For methodologists, vocabulary is considered the strong foundation for learners to
build up their communicative castles. Concerning the significance of vocabulary, Wilkin
(1972: 110) states, ―vocabulary is one of the three dimensions of languages (phonetics,
grammar, vocabulary). Without grammar, very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary
nothing can be conveyed.‖ This is true in learning a foreign language. If a learner has a
wide range of vocabulary, he can help himself understood and understand others easily; on
the contrary, if his vocabulary is limited he will surely have difficulty in communication.
Therefore, vocabulary is a ―must‖ for all language learners.
4. Aspects of word knowledge
There are several aspects of lexis that need to be taken into account when teaching
vocabulary. The list below is based on the work of Grains and Redman (1986: 13- 52):
. Boundaries between conceptual meanings: knowing not only what lexis refers to,
but also where the boundaries are that separate it from words of related meaning (e.g. cup,
mug, and bowl).
. Polysemy: distinguishing between the various meaning of a single word form with
several and closely related meanings (head: of a person, of a pin, of an organisation).

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. Homonymy: distinguishing between the various meaning of a single word form

which has several meanings which are not closely related (e.g. a file: used to put papers in
or a tool).
. Homophony: understanding words that have the same pronunciation but different
spellings and meanings (e.g. flour, flower).
. Synonymy: distinguishing between the different shades of meaning that
synonymous words have (e.g. extend, increase, expand).
. Affective meaning: distinguishing between the attitudinal and emotional factors
(denotation and connotation), which depend on the speakers attitude or the situation.
Socio-cultural associations of lexical items are another important factor.
. Style, register, dialect: Being able to distinguish between different levels of
formality, the effect of different contexts and topics, as well as differences in geographical
variation.
. Translation: awareness of certain differences and similarities between the native
and the foreign language (e.g. false cognates).
. Chunks of language: multi-word verbs, idioms, strong and weak collocations,
lexical phrases.
. Grammar of vocabulary: learning the rules that enable students to build up
different forms of the word or even different words from that word (e.g. sleep, slept,
sleeping; able, unable; disability).
. Pronunciation: ability to recognise and reproduce items in speech.
It is impossible for teachers to cover all these aspects in presenting vocabulary. So
besides presenting L1 translation, I only give some aspects to the learners due to these
following reasons.
4. 1 Pronunciation
Teaching pronunciation is important. It is ―one of the surest elements of language to
fossilise and fossilise good and hard‖ (Dr. Maria Sperily – TESL-L). It needs to be taught
properly at the very beginning of language study.
It is very much necessary to teach correct pronunciation because pronunciation
involves for more than individual sounds. Word stress, sentence stress, intonation, and
word linking all influence the sound of spoken English, not to mention the way we often

slur words and phrases together in casual speech.

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It is well-known that the teaching of English to Vietnamese learners presents unusual
difficulties. The biggest difficulty is that there is virtually no similarities between the two
languages in the areas of sounds and/or rhythmic and intonation patterns. The unusually
rich system of the Vietnamese vowels (with 6 tones) and consonants can produce an
extraordinary number of different sounds without having to emphasize the final consonants
in any syllables and without ever having to combine two or three consonants at any time.
English does not make extensive use of two, three, four and even five consonants in
"clusters" within syllables and at the end of syllables. Consonants such as "th" in "think"
and "thought" present considerable difficulty for the Vietnamese native speaker. Equally
difficult are words like "picks" and "six" in which a "k" sound is followed by an "s" at the
end of the word. The difficulty is more than doubled in words like "sixth" and "sixths"
which have, at the end of a syllable, the series "k-s-th" and even "k-s-th-s". Since
consonants and consonant clusters are extremely important in English and of little or no
importance in pronouncing Vietnamese, the stumbling blocks to learning are impressive.
As a result, during the teaching process, teachers should let the students be familiar
with the articulators, the functions of them, help students writing correct transcription of
the words, let the students be familiar with the dictionaries, and they should know how to
use it. Besides, teachers ought to help students practicing sounds more and more and give
them more variety of pronunciation practice.
4.2. Word formation
Words can change their shape and their grammatical value, too. Learners need to
know facts about word formation and how to twist words to fit different grammatical
contexts. The verb ―move‖ has the participles ―moving‖ and ―moved‖. The present
participle and the past participle can be both used as an adjective and the verb ―move‖ can
also be a noun. There is a clear relationship between the words ―live‖, ―living‖, ―alive‖ and
―life‖. Learners also need to know how suffixes and prefixes work. How can we make the
words precise and excusable opposite in meaning? Why do we preface one with im- and

the other with in- ? Learners also need to know how words are spelt and how they sound.
Words like ―conduct‖, ―increase‖ etc. are stressed differently when their grammatical
function is different—as with nouns and verbs. Word formation means knowing how
words written and spoken and knowing how they can change their form.

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4.3. Collocation
Many years ago, J.R. Firth defined collocation as ‗the company words keep‘-their
relationships with other words. Another definition might be ‗the way words combine in
predictable ways‘. When we think of the number of words in English, the number of
potential combinations runs into many millions. So, the first and most important fact about
the nature of collocation is the sheer number of individual collocations which exist in
English.
Collocation also enables learners to identify multi-word items and further justifies
their treatments as single items of the vocabulary. Therefore, collocation can provide a
useful framework for revising items, which are partially known, and for expanding the
learner‘s knowledge of them. This importance role of collocation was stated by Lewis as:
“the reason so many students are not making any perceived progress is simply because
they have not been trained to notice which words go with which. They may know quite a lot
of individual words which they struggle to use, along with their grammatical knowledge,
but they lack the ability to use those words in a range of collocations which pack more
meaning into what they say or write”
(Lewis, 2000: 14).
5. The most commonly used techniques in vocabulary teaching
5.1. Techniques in presenting vocabulary
Teaching vocabulary is a very important field, and it is more than just presenting and
introducing new vocabulary to the learners. Knowing words is not filling papers with new
words and memorizing them. What students need to understand is the word meaning in
context and how words are used? To achieve this, teachers should use different techniques
in teaching English vocabulary to motivate the learners, enrich their vocabulary and enable

them to speak English properly. The selection of an appropriate technique depends on the
age of the students, their skills, and interests as well as what the teacher think will bring
desirable results. The following are most commonly used techniques in presenting
vocabulary items.
5.1.1. Visual techniques
According to Gains and Redman (1986) these techniques can include:
Realia- this word refers to the use of real objects in the classroom. These objects help to
make the meaning of word clear (ex: A pen, a postcard, a ball etc.). The teacher may also
use classroom environment: a chair, a table, a board. Things in the classroom can also be

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― touched ―, what is important to V. Allen (1983), who claims that success in learning
depends on the number of senses involved in the learning process and, however, realia is a
vital part in presenting vocabulary at the beginners level, where pupils learn words, using
concretes.
Pictures - may be the most useful ―aids‖ in language teaching, since they are used in
different ways. There are pictures, flashcards, blackboard drawings, wall pictures, charts,
photos from magazines. Those ―aids‖ are used to explain the meaning of words or to create
a situation and concept.
Mine, action and gesture - this technique is useful for explaining the actions and grammar
items. Such concepts as jumping, smoking or the words: “from, on, to” etc are easy items
to explain through performing those actions. Mime, action is a great fun for children who
like acting and moving very much.
All techniques introduced above are good for presenting new vocabulary to students
at the beginners‘ level because they are very interesting and involving for them.
5.1. 2. Verbal techniques
The following several techniques can be used only with students who have some
knowledge of English, e.g. those at the upper-beginners level:
Contrast- as Y. Fenging states in ―Forum‖ (July 1994), contrast usually shows the
similarities and differences between persons ideas and things. E.g.: ―The major points of

your plan are clear to me, but details are still hazy‖. ―But‖ introduces a clause that
contrasts in meaning with the previous one and ―hazy‖ is opposite of ―clear‖.
Enumeration -this technique helps when any word is difficult to explain visually. We
can say ‗clothes‘ and explain this by enumerating or listing various items. Teacher may list
a number of clothes e.g. dress, a skirt, trousers etc, and then the meaning of the word will
became clear. The same is true of ‗vegetable‘ or ‗furniture, ‘for example.(Harmer 1991).
Explanation -this is such a technique which is assigned to be utilized with upper-
beginners, who already have some knowledge of English. It is essential for the teacher to
bear in mind that while explaining certain words he should use the language that is
comprehensible for the students. Moreover, the information about the frequency of the
word should be included.
Synonyms-this technique relies on explanation of meaning of new word by giving
other word, which students know and understand, and which means nearly the same .For

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example: little-small, huge-big etc. The number of synonyms appearing in textbooks is
reasonable, in this way they can be introduced rather early.
Antonyms-in this technique teacher explains the meaning of new word, by giving its
opposite, if students know the word meaning contrary feature e.g. warm -is not cold. With
saying the antonym the gesture of dent should be combined.
Definition -is suitable method for upper-beginners and relies on giving the definition
of given word. It can be simple, unnecessary precise and scientific definition, given by the
teacher. It can be the definition from the dictionary. This is a good method in mobilization
of students to the usage of dictionaries.
5.1.3. Polish equivalent
In this method the teacher gives the translation of given word in the native language.
The translation is the quickest way of demonstrating the meaning of vocabulary items.
However, being often exposed to this presentation technique, the students may be
discouraged from interacting with words. Thus, when presenting vocabulary, the teacher is
obliged to bear in mind the techniques and also the fact, that words are learnt better if

introduced in groups (when one word can be associated with another). Furthermore, the
lexical item, as is quoted above, must be taught in context. The reason is that, “the
meaning of many words can change, according to their use in particular sentences and
particular context’’. (;Forum‘July,1974). Although many linguists state that translation is
not a good presentation technique, it is only considered dangerous for students if it
becomes the only presentation technique.
5.2. Techniques in practicing new words
Joseph Pettigrew (2005) proposes different tips and techniques of practicing
vocabulary such as matching, synonyms/opposites, filling the blank sentences, complete
the phrases/ sentences. Teachers give the example and students give the category or vice
versa, correct the mistakes, label a picture, cross out the word that doesn‘t belong with the
others in group, arrange the words on the scale and complete the definition. Games are
very useful to motivate students as crosswords, puzzles, category games.
6. Factors that affect vocabulary acquisition
When referring the numerous factors that affect the effectiveness of vocabulary
learning, theorists and researchers present slightly different opinions. However, various
opinions meet at some points and below are four types of factors said to have great impact
on language learners‘ vocabulary acquisition.

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Firstly, it is the person-dependent factors including age, sex, language aptitude,
intelligence, prior knowledge, motivation, self-concept/image, personality, and cognitive
and learning style. These differ from person to person. Needless to say, there are relatively
stable and determine to a large extent how a learner approaches a task.
Secondly, it is the learning task including the materials being learned (such as genre
of a piece of reading) as well as the goal the learner is truing to achieve by using these
materials (such as remembering, comprehending, or using language). Different types of
task materials, task purposes, and tasks at various difficulty levels demand different learner
strategies. For example, learning words in a word list is different from learning the same
words in a passage. As well, memorizing a word meaning is different from learning to use

the same word in real life situations.
Thirdly, it is necessary to refer to the learning context or the learning environment.
This means the social-cultural-political environment where learning takes place. The
learning context can include the teachers, the peers, the classroom climate or ethos, the
family support, the social, cultural tradition of learning, the curriculum, and the availability
of input and output opportunities. All of such factors may constrain the ways learners
approach learning tasks and acquire vocabulary knowledge.
Finally, the last but not least important factor is strategy. A learning strategy is a
series of actions a learner takes to complete a learning task. A strategy starts when the
learner analyzes the task, the situation, and what is available in his/her own repertoire. The
learner then goes on to select, deploy, monitor, and evaluate the effectiveness of this
action, and decides if he/she needs to revise the plan and action. Cohen (1998)
distinguishes between language learning strategies and language use strategies, the former
being strategies for learning tasks such as remembering, and the latter being strategies for
language use, such as communicating in second language.
All in all, person, task, context, and strategy are interrelated and word together to
make a configuration of the particular learning situation that will help to bring about the
effectiveness of vocabulary learning. To be successful in teaching vocabulary, it is no
wonder that teachers should carefully consider all these factors before making a decision
on how to teach and what to do for the best results.
7. Classroom vocabulary learning activities
Students need lots of vocabulary to increase their ability and confidence in
communicating in English. However, learning vocabulary is never easy for learners.

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Teachers, who motivate the students learning English, need to make learning vocabulary a
fun involving and active process. In order to learn and retain new words, learners should
participate in different task-based activities in their classroom whether it is a guessing task,
a describing exercise or conversation making. Such activities especially focus on helping
learners develop and use words in different contexts by making the lesson enjoyable.

Learning activities can be defined as specific interactions of learners with other
people, using specific tools and resources, oriented towards specific outcomes. There are
many kinds of vocabulary learning activities which can be used in teaching English, such
as: guess the word, dominoes, lucky number, picture matching, find someone who, word
puzzle, bingo, noughts and crosses, scrambled words…etc. It is better if the vocabulary
learning activities are familiar for learners, because they learn in a variety of ways, for
example; by watching; by listening; by imitating and by doing things.
Language learning is a hard task which can sometimes be frustrating. Constant effort is
required to understand, produce and manipulate the target language. Well-chosen learning
activities are invaluable as they give students a break and at the same time allow students
to practise language skills. Learning activities are highly motivating since they are amusing
and at the same time challenging. Furthermore, they employ meaningful and useful
language in real contexts. They also encourage and increase cooperation.
Learning activities encourage, entertain, teach, and promote fluency. If not for any of
these reasons, they should be used just because they help students see beauty in a foreign
language and not just problems that at times seem overwhelming.
Vocabulary learning activities also lend themselves well to revision exercises
helping learners recall material in a pleasant, entertaining way. All authors referred to in
this thesis agree that even if vocabulary learning activities resulted only in noise and
entertained students, they are still worth paying attention to and implementing in the
classroom since they motivate learners, promote communicative competence, and generate
fluency.
Some experts have also figured out characteristics of vocabulary learning activities
that make vocabulary learning more effectively. Lee (1995:35) lists several main
advantages when vocabulary learning activities are used in the classroom, including "a
welcome break from the usual routine of the language class", "motivating and
challenging" "effort of learning", and "language practice in the various skills." Eros
(2000) holds that learning activities are highly appreciated thanks to their amusement and

15

interest. Teachers can use learning activities to help their students practice skills of
communication. In addition, Uberman (1998) also affirms the helpful role of learning
activities in vocabulary teaching after quoting and analyzing different opinions of experts.
From her own teaching experiences, Uberman observed the enthusiasm of her students in
learning through vocabulary learning activities. She considers vocabulary learning
activities a way to help students not only enjoy and entertain with the language they learn,
but also practice it incidentally.
In summary, vocabulary-learning activities are useful and effective tools that should
be applied in vocabulary classes. They make the lessons more interesting, enjoyable and
effective.

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CHAPTER II: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
1. Research questions
For the purpose of this study which stated in Part A, my research questions are:
1. What are the English teachers and students’ perception and attitude towards vocabulary
learning/teaching?
2. How effective are the currently used classroom vocabulary learning activities at Dong
Son I High School?
2. The context of the study
2.1. The textbook
The textbook used for the 10
th
form students is English 10 (published in 2006),
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. The texts and the tasks were chosen from
different sources of materials. This, to some extent, stimulated students‘ interests.
As I mentioned in chapter I, vocabulary is a language component that plays an
important role in deciding learners‘ language proficiency. When saying about the

importance of language, Pyles and Algeo said “When we first think about language, we
first think about words. It is words that we arrange together to make sentences,
conversation and discourse of all kinds”. Because of its‘ importance, vocabulary exists in
five main sections of English 10 (reading, speaking, listening, writing and language focus).
It is arranged with various themes, such as, a days in life (Unit 1), school talks (Unit 2), or
undersea world (Unit 9)…etc. It can not be denied that vocabulary is central of each unit.
Because of its‘ importance in language, so, in the textbook, the authors always
consider many ways to improve vocabulary to students. They have suggested some
vocabulary classroom activities. But there are not many and various activities. To help
students learn vocabulary more effectively, I think that teachers should give more
activities, such as: playing vocabulary games, guessing the meanings, using visual
aids…etc. However, in order to achieve the most from vocabulary classroom activities, it is
essential that suitable vocabulary classroom activities are chosen. Therefore, I often
consider that how to use classroom vocabulary activities to improve students‘ vocabularies
at my school.

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2.2 Teachers of English
Nine teachers who were teaching at Dong Son I school are invited to join the study
(80% are female aged from thirty to fifty). They have been teaching English for at least
seven years. Most of them have to teach in a large class of over 45 students in each and
each teacher has to teach four or five classes of this kind so that they are to be responsible
for the learning results of around 180 students. All the teachers at Dong Son I school are
experienced and enthusiastic in teaching.
2.3 The 10
th
form students
Nearly 180 of 10
th
form students at Dong Son I secondary school in Thanh Hoa are

the target subjects of the study. 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.
3. Data collection instruments
This study attempts to investigate the current situation of vocabulary learning and
teaching as well as the effectiveness of the vocabulary learning activities which have been
used in 10
th
form classes at Dong Son I secondary school. To achieve the aims mentioned
above, two survey questionnaires are conducted to collect data for the study. One is for
students and one for teachers. Teachers and students can evaluate how effective the
currently used classroom vocabulary learning activities are. Informal interviews with
teachers and students also provide useful information for the study.
3.1. Survey questionnaires
There are varieties of methods that can be employed to collect data such as
questionnaire, interview, observation and so on. Each method has its own advantages and
disadvantages. The researcher chose questionnaire because it is one of the most popular
instruments. It is quite easy to prepare and it can be used with a large number of subjects.
What is more, the information collected is not very difficult to tabulate and to analyze
(Brown, 1995). Hence, survey questionnaire was chosen to collect Teachers and Students‘
perception and attitudes toward the effectiveness of the currently used classroom
vocabulary learning activities. They have opportunities to reflect on their experience of

18
using classroom vocabulary activities to improve vocabulary learning and teaching. The
information, therefore, would be more detailed and more accurate.

There are two sets of questionnaire with both close-ended and open-ended questions
used for both teachers and students. Questionnaires are administered to nine teachers and
180 students
 Questionnaire for students
The questionnaire consists of 4 questions (see Appendix 1). Question 1, 2, 3 aim at
gathering the general information about students‘ own learning. By answering question 4
students comment on the classroom vocabulary learning activities that their English
teachers often use and evaluate their effectiveness.
 Questionnaire for teachers
The questionnaire designed for teachers also consists of 4 questions (see Appendix
2). Question 1, 2, 3 aim at finding teachers‘ perception of the importance of vocabulary
learning, their students‘ vocabulary learning and the difficulties they encounter when using
classroom activities in vocabulary teaching. Question 4 is for evaluating the effectiveness
and frequency of use of the currently used classroom vocabulary learning activities.
The activities stated in the questionnaire 4 (for all teachers and students) are currently used
to teach vocabulary. Below is the description of these activities:
Classroom vocabulary learning activities
Activity 1: Word matching
This activity helps students revise vocabulary before listening or speaking. This is an
example when you teach speaking (Unit 9). Students are divided into many pairs and
delivered handouts. Students are asked to match the words in column A with their
definitions in column B. After 3 minutes, the teacher receives the answer of the first five
pairs. The teacher reads the answer of 5 pairs, comments and gives good marks to the pair
which has the best answer. Afterward, the teacher asks students to use these words to
practice speaking about the actions which we should or should not do to protect our oceans
E.g: Match the following words in column A with their explanations in column B
A
B
1. Dispose of
2. Dustbin

3. Fertilizer
4. Herbicide
A. a substance added to soil to make it more fertile
B. a substance used to kill plants growing where
they are not wanted
C. suitable, appropriate

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5. Pesticide
6. Proper
7. Release
8. Sparingly

D. using very little of something
E. let something go
F. get rid of something
G. a chemical substance used to kill insects
H. a bin that hold rubbish until it is collected
Activity 2: Guess the word
―Guess the word‖ game is useful in vocabulary presentation. The class is divided
into four or five groups. The teacher writes one of the new words on the board and asks
students to listen carefully to the explanations in English. Depending on the explanations,
the groups try to guess the Vietnamese equivalent of the word. For each correct guess, they
get a point. For example: When presenting new words in Unit 11 (National parks), our
teachers say: ―This is an insect with four wings that can sting‖. The quickest group who
can find out the Vietnamese meaning of ―bee‖ as ―con ong‖ will get a point. After all the
words have been presented, the group with the highest score is the winner.
Activity 3: Word to sentence
This activity is used to review the text in reading skill and related vocabulary. This is
an example in Unit 6 (An excursion)

T divides all class into many pairs.
1. T writes three words on the board. Sts make three sentences to summarize the
main ideas of the learned letter in Unit 6.
2. After three minutes, T checks up and gives marks.
Given words: visiting, weather, permission.
Suggested answer:
Lan ‗s classmates is visiting Huong Pagoda at the end of the first term. They believe
they will enjoy good weather. Lan hopes she can get her parents‘ permission to stay the
night from home.
Activity 4: Rearrange letters to form new words
This game is very popular game used for English language teaching. Teachers in my
school exploited this game for vocabulary revision with students working in groups, trying
to rearrange the letters as quickly as possible to form meaningful words. For each word,
the fastest group got a point and at the end of the game, the group with the most points was
the winner. Here are some examples of scrambled words used for Unit 4 (Special
education).

20
Exercise 5: Arrange the letters to make 10 words you have learned. These words begin
with the first letter.
1. dafe 2. daseblid
3. losnes 4. srabtuct
5. sentdut 6. tareche
7. shocol 8. laner
9. atbaphle 10. pecanite
Answer: 1. deaf; 2. impair; 3. enrich; 4. disabled; 5. demonstrated; 6. blind; 7. miracle; 8.
illness; 9. dumb; 10. welcome
Activity 5: Missing words
Procedure
1. Select a paragraph or a short text at a level suitable for your class. Delete lexical

selected words from the text. Number the blanks in the text. Select words that can not be
predicted too easily but allow prediction.
2. Divide the class into groups, and give each group a copy of the text. Ask them to
fill in each blank with a suitable word in the box.
3. Ask a member of each group to come to the board and write up their answer for
each blank.
4. Ask students to compare their answers. Are they all acceptable? Would they reject
any? Why?
5. Give the class feedback on their answers. Use this phase of the activity to develop
the students‘ awareness of lexical choice, vocabulary restrictions, and collocation.
Below is an example for unit 12 (Music):
E.g.: Complete the article by filling each blank with a word from the box.
Paul McCartney‘s Space Station concert


Sir Paul McCartney has become the first (1)……. to sing live to an audience in
space. The former Beatle woke up the crew of International Space Station with special
(2)……. of two songs that were carefully chosen for the space concert. The first was the
Beatles classic Good Day Sunshine. The second tune was a track titled English Tea from
his new (3) ……. Chaos and Creation in the Backyard. NASA‘s own television (4) …….
Channel versions canceled musician traditionally
Listening favor album space song

21
Showed the songs and live images of two-man space audience (5) ……. to them. This is
the first time live music has woken up astronauts. NASA (6) ……. Uses recorded songs.
Sir Paul said he decided to sing Good Day Sunshine to repay a (7) ……. NASA used it to
wake the Space Shuttle Discovery crew earlier this year. The (8) ……. Signaled to the
crew that landing conditions on Earth were perfect for their second attempt at returning
from space. The first landing was (9) ……. because of bad weather. Before his

performance, Sir Paul said: ―I can‘t believe that we‗re actually transmitting to (10) …….
This is sensational. I love it.‖ Astronaut Bill McArthur also seemed happy and told Sir
Paul: ―We consider you an explorer, just as we are.‖
Answers:
1. musician 6. traditionally
2. versions 7. favor
3. album 8. song
4. channel 9. canceled
5. listening 10. space
Activity 6: Finding synonyms and antonyms
This type of task is exploited for vocabulary practice or revision. Students are asked
to find words of similar meanings or those of opposite meanings to match a word in A with
a word in B to have a pair of synonym or a pair of antonym. Below are some examples for
this type of exercise quoted from unit 3 and unit 4.
Exercise 7: Match a word in A with a word in B to have a pair of synonyms
A B
1. happen a. telephone
2. chance b. assist
3. call c. doctor
4. help d. some
5. several e. occur
6. physician f. opportunity
Answer: 1e; 2f; 3a; 4b; 5d; 6c
Exercise 9: Match a word in A with a word in B to have a pair of antonyms.
A B
1. poor a. worst
2. oppose b. professional