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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Candidate’s statement ……………………………………………………………………i
Acknowledgements ……………………………………………………………………….ii
Abstract ………………………………………………………………………………..…iii
Table of contents …………………………………………………………………………iv
List of abbreviations …………………………………………………………………….vii
List of tables ……………………………………………………………………………viii
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………....1
1.1Rationale……………………………………………………………………………….1
1.2 Aims of the study ……………………………………………………………………..1
1.3. Research questions …………………………………………………………………...2
1.4. Scope of the study ……………………………………………………………………2
1.5. Methods of the study …………………………………………………………………3
1.6.Design of the study …………………………………………………………………...3
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ……………………………………………...4
2.1. An overview of ESP ………………………………………………………………….4
2.1.1. The Concepts of ESP…………………………………………………………..4
2.2.1. Classification of ESP…………………………………………………………..4
2.2. Teaching ESP vocabulary…………………………………………………………….4
2.2. 1. What is ESP and EEE vocabulary……………………………………………...5
2.2.1.1. What is ESP vocabulary………………………………………………… 5
2.2.1.2. What is EEE vocabulary…………………………………………………5
2.2.2. Important aspects of ESP vocabulary teaching………………………………...5


v
2.2.2.1. Word formation ………………………………………………………….5
2.2.2.2. Word - form ……………………………………………………………..6

2.2.2.3. Grammar…………………………………………………………………6
2.2.2.4. Aspects of meaning………………………………………………………6
2.2.2.5. Pronunciation and spelling……………………………………………….7
2.3. Terminology…………………………………………………………………………..8
2.3.1. Definition of terminology………………………………………………………8
2.3.2. Characteristics of terminology……………………………………………….....8
2. 4. Methodology in vocabulary teaching………………………………………………...9
2.4.1. The grammar- translation method……………………………………………....9
2.4.2. Direct Method…………………………………………………………………10
2.4.3. The communicative approach (CLT)………………………………………… 10
2.4.4. Audio-lingual method…………………………………………………………11
2.5. ESP teaching vocabulary challenges for teachers…………………………………..11
2.5.1 The roles of ESP teachers……………………………………………………..11
2.5.2. Teachers’ linguistic challenges in ESP vocabulary……………………….....13
2.5.3. Teachers’ pedagogical challenges in teaching ESP Vocabulary…………....14
2.6. Summary…………………………………………………………………………… 15
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY……………………………………16
3.1. The context of teaching and learning vocabulary at Ho Chi Minh university of
industry…………………………………………………………………………………..16
3.1.1. Brief introduction of Ho Chi Minh City University of industry based in Thanh
Hoa………………………………………………………………………………… …16
3.1.2. The teachers and teaching methods…………………………………………....16
3.1.3. The students and their background …………………………………………... 17
3.2. The course book……………………………………………………………………..18
3.2.1. The textbook…………………………………………………………………... 18


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3.2.2 Book content…………………………………………………………………….18
3.3. Methods and procedures …………………………………………………………....19

3.3.1. Research questions ……………………………………………………………...19
3.3.2. The participants …………………………………………………………………19
3.3.3. Data collection instruments ……………………………………………………..19
3.3.4. Data collection procedure ………………………………………………………20
3.3.5. Data analysis ……………………………………………………………………21
3.4. Findings and discussion ............................................................................................21
3.4.1. The teachers’ questionnaire …………………………………………………….21
3.4.1.1. The teachers’ linguistic challenges in teaching EEE vocabulary ……...21
3.4.1.2. The teachers’ pedagogical challenges in teaching EEE vocabulary ….23
3.4.1.3. The teachers’ personal view of sources of their challenges in teaching
EEE vocabulary …………………………...........................................................24
3.4.1.4 The teachers’ suggestions to improve their EEE vocabulary teaching……….26
3.4.2. Findings from the interviews and journal writings…………………………………....27
3.4.2.1. The teachers’ linguistic challenges in teaching EEE vocabulary ……27
3.4.2.2. The teachers’ pedagogical challenges in teaching EEE vocabulary...30
3.4.2.3. The teachers’ suggestions to improve their EEE vocabulary teaching..31
CHAPTER 4: SOLUTIONS………………………………………………………….33
4.1. Ways of training EFL Teachers for ESP teaching………………………………......33
4.2. Improving teachers’ professional knowledge……………………………………….34
4.3. Improving teacher’s activities in teaching vocabulary…………………………… 34
4.3.1. Sample activity 1: Guess the meaning…………………………………….….35
4.3.2. Sample activity 2: .Brainstorming……………………………………………35


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4.3.3. Sample activity 3: Group-work .………………………………………..……..35
4.4. Teaching word formation……………………………………………………………37
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS……………………………………………………….39
5. 1. Summary of the study………………………………………………………………39
5. 2. Limitations and suggestions for further studies ……………………………………40

REFERENCES ……………………………………………………………………….... 41
APPENDICES …………………………………………………………………………....I
APPENDIX 1 ……………………………………………………………………………..I
APPENDIX 2 …………………………………………………………………………....IV
APPENDIX 3……………………………………………………………………………VI


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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

CLT: Communicative Language Teaching
EG: English for General
ESP: English for Specific Purposes
EEE: English for Electronics Engineering
EE: Electronics Engineering
HUI: Ho Chi Minh University of Industry


ix

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1a: Teachers’ perceptions of their teaching EEE vocabulary
Table 1b: Rank order of difficult of teaching EEE challenges perceived by teachers.
Table 2:

The teachers’ pedagogical challenges teaching EEE vocabulary

Table 3:

Teachers’ personal view of sources of their challenges in teaching vocabulary

Table 4:

The teachers’ suggestions to improve their EEE vocabulary teaching


1
CHAPTER1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Rationale
Nowadays, the English language has been widely used in many areas such as politics,
economics, tourism, telecommunication, culture, science, technology, so on. Since Vietnam carried
out the open door policy towards the regional and global integration, the English language has
become more and more important for people of all ages and careers nationwide. Therefore, there is
great demand for teaching and learning English throughout the country for different purposes.
It is evident that teaching English for Specific Purposes (ESP) has become one of the most
prominent features of the English language teaching process (Hutchinson &Waters, 1987;
Robinson, 1991). Hutchinson and Waters (1987) reported that ESP is an approach for language
teaching in which all decisions regarding content and methods are based on the learners‟ reasons
for learning. It focuses on using English effectively in specific academic fields such as business,
law, medicine, sciences, etc. As Robinson (1991:4) stated the central role of vocabulary as carrier
content in ESP: “It may often be thought that a characteristic, or even a critical feature, of ESP is
that a course should involve specialist language (especially terminology) and content.”
In teaching English for Specific Purposes, however, no one argues that the scope of specialized
vocabulary is a primary goal. Up to now, teaching ESP, particularly teaching vocabulary, has still
been far from satisfaction. With many similar characteristics and a number of different features in
comparison with General English, ESP is viewed as something hard to teach for language teachers.
In the context of Ho Chi Minh University of Industry ( HUI ) based in Thanh Hoa province,
students are taught English as a compulsory subject. In addition, students of Electronic

Engineering have to learn English for electronics at the beginning of the third academic year. In
fact, with a short duration of 30 periods, one of the most important aims of ESP course for these
students is achieving basic ESP vocabulary. However, in reality, the teacher researcher has seen
students have troubled during their English learning process. In the first place, most of the students
said that they had to deal with a wider range of unfamiliar words and cope with their growing
specialized vocabulary. Consequently, it is hard for them to study with their limited knowledge of
vocabulary. They often learn vocabulary passively through their teachers‟ explanation. There are
also too many new words given in each lesson, too little time spent on memorizing and recycling
those words.


2
As a teacher of English for Electronics Engineering (EEE), the teacher herself finds out many
difficulties during teaching vocabulary. At first, in her opinion, the difficulties probably arise from
the lack of specialized knowledge, which makes teachers fail to provide every reasonable
explanation. Moreover, the target students at HUI based in Thanh Hoa province are at lower levels
in comparison with those at colleges or universities on the ground of needs, interest and
motivation. In addition, it is difficult for teachers to understand a lot of terminology, complicated
structures and countless expressions.
Facing this problem, the teacher researcher of English of HUI made an attempt to do
something to change the ways of teaching and learning vocabulary in order to improve the
students' learning effectiveness to help them succeed in their future job. In this study, therefore, the
teacher researcher has conducted a research namely: “Teachers’ linguistic and pedagogical
challenges in teaching ESP vocabulary to the third-year students of Electronics Engineering
at Ho Chi Minh University of Industry based in Thanh Hoa province”.
1.2.Aims of the study
The study aimed at:
- Giving a brief overview about ESP, vocabulary and its relevance in teaching English for
Electronics Engineering at HUI.
- Finding out Teachers‟ linguistic and pedagogical challenges that ESP teachers at HUI are

facing in teaching English vocabulary to students of Electronics Engineering.
- Suggesting some solutions to the teaching of vocabulary to students of Electronics
Engineering effectively.
1.3. Research questions
The research is carried out with an attempt to find out the answer to the following research
questions:
- What are the main teachers‟ linguistic and pedagogical challenges experienced by teachers
who are teaching ESP vocabulary to students of Electronics Engineering at HUI?
- What solutions should be offered to help teachers to find out the effective ways to teach ESP
vocabulary to students of Electronics Engineering at HUI?
1.4. Scope of the study
Dealing with all types of teaching ESP vocabulary is too large for studying this size. Thus, this
study focuses on investigating linguistic and pedagogy challenges that the teacher encounters in
teaching ESP vocabulary to students of the third-year students of Electronics Engineering at Ho
Chi Minh University of Industry based in Thanh Hoa province.


3
Therefore, proper teaching methods can be adopted to help them overcome the difficulties.
The solutions are also provided to help to improve teaching and learning English in general,
teaching and learning English Electronic vocabulary in particular at HUI.
1.5. Methods of the study
In order to achieve the aims mentioned above, the study was designed to use varieties of
methods including interview, questionnaire and teaching journal analysis. The data were recorded
both formally and informally. The survey questionnaire to teachers is to get more information to
support the study.
1.6. Design of the study
The thesis consists of five chapters, with a list of references, and appendices
Chapter I: “Introduction”, presents the rationale, objectives, research questions, scope as well
as methods of the study.

Chapter II: “Literature review”, deals with the theoretical background for the study.

The

focus of this chapter is vocabulary and ESP vocabulary, some important aspects of ESP vocabulary
teaching, some techniques currently used in teaching vocabulary and ESP vocabulary.
Chapter III: “Methodology”, is the main part of the study. It gives a brief introduction on the
context of teaching ESP vocabulary at HUI, the data collection methods and procedures. In
addition, the data will be analyzed and the findings will reveal the difficulties in teaching ESP
vocabulary to the third-year students at HUI. Some suggestions to improve the teaching of ESP
vocabulary will be given in this chapter.
Chapter IV: „Solution”, deals with ways to improving the teaching ESP vocabulary at HUI.
Chapter V: “Conclusions”, summarizes the findings, refers to some limitations of the study,
and offers suggestions for further studies.

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. An overview of ESP and English of Electronics Engineering
2.1.1. The Concepts of ESP
To talk about challenges in teaching English for Electronics Engineering vocabulary (EEE
vocabulary), we need to begin with the definition of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) provided


4
by different authors. Strevens (1988: 1) defined „ESP‟ as “a particular cause of the general category
of special purpose language teaching". At the same time, Perren (1974) suggested that an ESP
course is purposeful and aims at the successful performance of occupational or educational roles. It
is based on a rigorous analysis of students‟ needs and should be “tailor-made.”
According to Hutchinson & Waters (1987: 19), ESP is "an approach rather than a product to
language teaching in which all decisions as to content and method are based on learner's reason for
learning". For Hutchinson and Waters, starting point in determining appropriate input for ESP

course is identifying learners' need.
These researchers believed that any ESP course might differ from another in its selection of
skills, topics, situations and functions, and language. As stated by Perren (1974), students may be at
any level of competence in the language: beginner, post-beginner, intermediate, etc …they may
also take part in their ESP course before embarking on their occupational or educational role, or
they may combine their study of English with performance of their role in English as well as in
their first language.
2.1.2. Classification of ESP
Traditionally, ESP can be classified into two major groups: English for Academic Purposes
and English for Occupational Purposes, English for Academic Science and Technology belongs to
EAP and English in Electronics Engineering is one of branches of English for Academic Science
and Technology. Therefore, EEE has the following characteristics:
1) designed to meet specified needs of the learner in the field of Electronics Engineering.
2) related in content (that is in its themes and topics) to Electronic disciplines, occupations and
activities.
3) centered on language appropriate to Electronic activities in syntax, lexis discourse,
semantics and so on, and analysis of the discourse.
2.2. Teaching ESP vocabulary
2.2.1 What is ESP and EEE vocabulary
2.2.1.1. What is ESP vocabulary
In general, English vocabulary includes grammatical words, basic lexical words, auxiliaries.
ESP vocabulary refers to a word or a group of words in the form of a noun phrase used as a
special lexical unit in a specific field with specific meaning to the field (Nation, 2001). It varies
according to different fields of study such as engineering, medical sciences, and applied
linguistics.


5
Similarly, Hatch and Brow (1995: 312) consider ESP vocabulary as “special lexical items
appear in most professions, and every field has special vocabulary to cover abstract concept.

Kennedy and Bolitho (1984:56-58) provide the following specialized word categories for teaching
purposes.
- Technical Abbreviations- e.g. AM, IC, km m3 they sometimes cause a problem for learners.
- Symbols and Formulae- They are the subject matter of the learner’s specialty, and teacher
may explain their functions in the text: e.g. KV ( Kilovolts) MΩ (Megohms).
- Sub- technical vocabulary as the Kennedy and Bolitho’s definition states “words which are
not specific to a subject specialty but which occur regularly in scientific and technical texts – e.g.
reflection, intense, accumulate, tendency, isolate and dense” (1984: 57-58).
2.2.1.2. What is EEE vocabulary
Electronics Engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and
application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism, therefore EEE vocabulary is a
technical term that denotes only general electro-technical expressions such as semiconductor,
electric current, wire, capacitor, frequency, transistor, etc.
Originally teaching English for students of Electronics Engineering was reduced to
introducing specific vocabulary. EEE teachers need some understanding of basic electronic
concepts and work patterns in Electronics Engineering in order to best exploit this resource.
2.2.2. Important aspects of ESP vocabulary teaching
2.2.2.1. Word formation
As stated by Harmer (1991; 157), students need to know how suffixes and prefixes work
because many specialized lexical items either technical or sub-technical consist of a root, a prefix
and a suffix of Latin or Greek origin such as micro-, multi-, - logy, or -tion, -ate. It is useful for a
student to guess the meaning of a word by using his/her knowledge of the meaning of a prefix or a
suffix. For example, if students know the meaning of “micro”, “able” and “un”, this will help them
guess the meaning of words such as “microprocessors”, “enable”, and “ungrateful”.
According to Kennedy & Bolitho (1984; 59) presented two areas: the meaning of prefixes and
suffixes, and the identification of word classes whereas Trimble (1985; 131) pays attention to
compound noun. Vocabulary items are built by combining two words: a noun and a verb, or two
nouns, or a gerund and a noun to make one item: a mixing desk, a sound engineer. In short, “there
is a strong relationship between the root of the word and its suffix” (Kennedy & Bolitho 1984: 61).
2.2.2.2. Word - form

6
When teaching vocabulary. The teacher has to introduce its pronunciation and its spelling. for
many students, the complex relationship between sound and spelling in English seems to make the
language inexplicable. When we give the number of homophones, it is easy to understand in
English such as nice/ nine, meat / meet, and the number of similar forms that differ wildly in their
pronunciation like produce/ product.
2.2.2.3. Grammar
As Gains & Redman (1986) stated, two main pedagogical issues such as the highlighting of
regular and irregular from, and the role of source books can be used to allow learners to be selfsufficient If the new item is not obviously covered by general grammatical rules, its grammar will
need to be taught. In the classroom teachers need to clarify regular forms and common irregular
forms for students. For example, when teaching the verb “to make”, the teacher has to give its past
form “made” because it is an irregular verb. Also, he/she might present a verb with its
constructions such as: the “infinitive” form, the “ing” form, a “that clause”, a “preposition” or
nothing at all. For example, the two words “to want” and “to enjoy” may be presented together
with the verb forms that normally follow them (want to do/ enjoy doing). Similarly, when
presenting a noun, teachers should clarify whether it is countable, uncountable or both. Next, if the
noun is countable, its plural form may be recognized as either regular or irregular forms.
2.2.2.4. Aspects of meaning
Aspects of meaning include denotation, connotation, appropriateness and meaning
relationships.
The meaning of a word is primarily what it refers to in the real word, or its denotation. This is
often the sort of definition given in dictionary. For example, “bird” denotes an animal that can fly.
“Rain”, “wind” denote phenomena of nature.
A less obvious component of the meaning of an item is its connotation: the associations, or
positive or negative feelings it evokes which may or may not be indicated in a dictionary definition.
Connotation includes stylistic, affective, evaluative, intensifying values, pragmatic communicative
values, the word acquires by virtue of where, when, how, and by whom, for what purpose and
what in context it is or it may be used. For example the word “dog” in England, it has positive

connotations of friendship and loyalty, but in Arabic, it has negative associations of dirt and
inferiority.
Appropriateness is a more subtle aspect of meaning that often needs to be taught. It indicates
whether a particular item is appropriate one to be used in a certain context or not. Thus, it is useful


7
for a learner to know that a certain word is very common, or relatively rare, or taboos in polite
conversation, or tends to be used in writing but not in speech or is more suitable for formal than
information discourse, belongs to a certain dialect. For example, the word “sidewalk” in The
United State has the same meaning as the word “pavement” in Great Britain.
The meaning of a word can only be understood and learnt in terms of its relationship with other
words in the language. Meaning relationships can also be useful in teaching. There are various
relationships such as: synonyms, hyponyms, and antonyms
Synonyms: items that mean the same or nearly the same, for example, flat, apartment.
Hyponyms: items that server as specific, for example: “apple”, “pear” and “plum” are
hyponyms of fruits.
Antonyms: items that mean the opposite: “big” is an antonym of “small”…
All these can be exploited in teaching to clarify the meaning of a new item for practice or test
materials.
2.2.2.5. Pronunciation and spelling
The concept of pronunciation may be said to include the sound of the language, or phonology,
stress and rhythm, and intonation (Penny Urs,1991). In most languages, the difference between
pronunciation and spelling may lead to difficulties in teaching and learning the vocabulary of a
particular language as a foreign one. For example, letter „e’ in Vietnamese is always pronounced
/e/ whereas this letter is pronounced /e/ (engineer) or /i/ (equipment) in English. According to
Schmitt &McCarthy (1997:142-145) concluded that “There may be a gap between the learner‟s
ability to perceive a word and his/ her ability to pronounce it correctly”.
As stated by Ruth Gairns & Stuart Redman (1986). For many students, the complex
relationship between sound and spelling in English seems to make the language inexplicable for

foreign learners. This can result in the learners failing to understand words in connected speech
that he understands clearly in written English. Careful attention to pronunciation is, therefore, an
essential part of vocabulary teaching if new lexis is to be used effectively, or understood without
difficulty, in spoken in English .An English written word may give no evidence for its similarity in
pronouncing. Long words are considered as more problematical ones than the short because of the
quantity of input.


8
For all the above remarks, it has to be admitted that the lack of consistency between spelling
and pronunciation makes it exceedingly difficult if not impossible to base pronunciation on the
written form.
2.3. Terminology
2.3.1. Definition of terminology
As defined by Cabre‟(1999), terminology is the process of compiling, describing, processing
and presenting the terms of special subject fields in one or more languages. It is „not an end itself,
but addresses social needs and attempts to optimize communication among specialists and
professionals by providing assistance either directly or to translator or to committees concerned
with the standardization of a language‟.(Cabré, 1999: 10-12)
Terminology may be considered as a system of words or symbols to name a typical
phenomenon or phenomena in natural and social research fields in a scientific way. It also includes
necessary methods in language contents and study to reach sufficient and suitable terms. In
addition, there may be terms that are accepted and used by a large number of individuals and terms
which are admitted by a restricted group of persons.
2.3.2. Characteristics of terminology
Features of terminology have been mentioned in certain research works since the appearance
of this field. One of the theories in terminology concentrates on assigning terms to concepts.
According to Cabre‟ (1999), this research field is primarily concerned with the relationship
between the real objects in the real world and the concepts represent them. Terminology also cares
about the nature of things in the real world and the relationships formed in this world. Subject

specialists and terminologists may cooperate to arrange and standardize the concepts and terms for
each special field.
Another researcher also pointed out different characteristics of terminology. As stated by
Nguyen Thien Giap (1998), the first characteristic of terminology is preciseness, which mentions
the concepts in terminology as accurate concepts of a particular science. The second feature is
systematization, which asserts that the terms cannot exist individually, but they are always present
as elements of a particular term system. The last characteristic of terminology is internationality,
which refers to terminology as special part of vocabulary presenting general scientific concepts for
persons speaking different languages.
In summary, terminology focuses on the process from the concept to the term. It also concerns
the features of things in the reality and the relationships in that real world, and may be used for


9
specific subject field. Within the limit of this study, the author follows the viewpoint by Nguyen
Thien Giap (1998) on the basic characteristics of terminology.
2.4. Methodology in vocabulary teaching
So far, many methods have been used for foreign language teaching. However, not all of them
are equally advantageous to the vocabulary teaching. According to Mackey (1971), the method
used has often been said to be the cause of success or failure in language learning; for it is
ultimately the method that determined the what and the how of language instruction. Here are
some common methods, which have been widely used to serve the purpose of teaching
vocabulary, especially in context of HUI.
2.4.1. The Grammar- translation method
The grammar- translation method is one of the most traditional methods. In major
characteristic of the grammar- translation method is , precisely as its name suggests, a focus on
teaching the rules of grammar, and their application in translation passages from one language
into mother tongue, the classes are taught mainly in mother tongue, with little active use of
English. In terms of vocabulary teaching, much of it is taught in form of lists of isolated word.
Then students are expected to study and memorize that list of vocabulary together with their

translation equivalents in the mother tongue. What learners can benefit from the method is that
translation is the easiest way of explaining meanings or words and phrases from one language into
another. A lot of time is wasted if the meanings of lexical items are explained through definitions
and illustrations in the second language. Further, learners acquire some short of accuracy in
understanding synonyms in the source language and the target language. Nevertheless, when
laying emphasis on reading and writing, it neglects speech. Besides, with little attention to
pronunciation, this method brings students the wrong idea of what vocabulary is-knowing a word
means knowing its form and meaning. They are not aware of the importance pronunciation. They
cannot even use the words in a correct way- they do not see the interrelationship between one
word and the others in a sentence or in paragraph, In short. This method may cause a lack in
learners‟ knowledge of vocabulary.
2.4.2. The Direct Method
The end of the late 1800s is seen by many as the “dawn” of modern foreign language
teaching. A revolution in language teaching philosophy took place and led the appearance of a
new method named the “Direct method”. Diane Larsen- Freeman described it in details, in her
book Techniques and Principles in language teaching (1986).


10
According to this method, the second language learning should be treated as the first language
learning. It associates directly foreign utterances with object and actions without the use of the
native language. During the process of teaching and learning, only target language is used, no
mother tongue is allowed. The teacher does not translate between first and second language, little
or no analysis of grammatical rules. Besides, it lays an emphasis on correct pronunciation and
grammar.
This method is very useful for teaching vocabulary, the teachers introduce through objects and
pictures. The words used are very common, active and concerning daily activities. By this method,
concrete vocabulary is taught demonstration while the meanings of abstract words are made clear
by association of ideas.
For students of EE, when teachers have explained the words in English, students still ask for

the Vietnamese equivalents as well because of only a few of them can understand the English
explanation.
Finally, to tell the truth, even the teachers cannot assure that they can use English accurately in
explaining legal terms and make students understand them in a correct way.
2.4.3. The Audio-lingual method
The Audio-lingual Method appeared in World War 2. At that time, the “Army Method” was
developed to build communicative competence in translators through very intensive language
courses focusing on aural/oral skills. This is combination with some new ideas about language
learning coming from the disciplines of descriptive linguistics and behavioral psychological went
on to become what is known as the Audio-lingual method. According to Brown (1994) and Prator
& Celce- Murcia (1979), the overall goal of the Audio-lingua Method was to create
communicative competence in learners. Thus, in this method, vocabulary is strictly limited and
learned in context and there is much dependence on mimicry, memorization of set phrases, and
over learning. Furthermore, great importance is attached to pronunciation. To carry out vocabulary
teaching that way, some common techniques are exploited such as repetition drill, single slot
substitution drill use of minimal pairs, etc.
With such kinds of practice, students will have better memory of words, terms and phrases and
know how to use them practically. This way of teaching also makes the class more active and
motivated in learning. However, because of the lack of teaching and learning facilities, this method
has not been commonly used in high schools in Vietnam.
2.4.4. The Communicative approach (CLT)


11
Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is an approach to the teaching of second and
foreign languages that emphasizes interaction as both the means and the ultimate goal of learning a
language. In this method, vocabulary is learnt through for “real-life” communication in classroom,
through interaction in the target language and through enhancement of the learner‟s own
experiences as important contributing elements to classroom learning and through an attempt to
link classroom language learning with language activation outside the classroom.

This method of teaching makes students more confident when communicating with one
another. Being motivated, they also become more active in class. That is the reason why CLT is
considered a good teaching method by a lot of Vietnamese researchers and teachers.
In summary, the discussion has not yet covered all the approaches to language teaching that
have been used around the world throughout history. However, the above-mentioned are the most
popular method that have been make better results in language teaching.
2.5. Teachers’ linguistic and pedagogical challenges in teaching ESP vocabulary
2.5.1 The roles of ESP teachers
It can be seen that an ESP teacher has to improve not only the roles of General English
teachers but also ESP course process. That is why there are a number of studies, which have
pointed out the roles of ESP teachers in teaching linguistic. In learning process, it is obviously that
the learner must be helped by teacher to achieve their goals effectively. Especially, the teacher
should pay attention to words, idioms to express the topics like "component values or "radio", etc,
plus words in the general in teaching vocabulary. In addition, the teacher must present the students
with the anxiety- free atmosphere. The comfortable environment should be created so that students
are able to practice to memorize new words.
Hutchinson and Waters (1987; 157) state that an ESP teacher will have to deal with needs
analysis, syllabus design, materials writing or adaptation and evaluation. Likewise, Martin (1992)
continues by listing and explaining the different roles of the teacher. He points out the role upon
the process of carrying out a task in ESP lesson" before, during and after a task. A teacher wishing
to support learning throughout the various phrases of a task would need to be able to play an
extended a set of roles including explorer, organizer, adviser, instructor and a guide.”
Furthermore, Little Wood (1981: 51) suggests that the ESP teacher is expected to "perform in
a variety of roles, separately or simultaneously”. Nunan (1988) also found that an ESP teacher is
considered as an instructor, a manager, a counselor, facilitators, organizer, a curriculum developer,
a material writer, a material writer and even a friend. Robinson (1991) agrees with that point and


12
highlights that the ESP teacher does not only teach but very often he or she is involved in

designing, setting up, administering, evaluating and testing the ESP course.
From above most of researchers admit that the ESP teacher‟s work involves much more than
teaching. Dudley Evans and St. John (1998) use the term “practitioner” rather than “teacher”. ESP
practitioner can have several roles.
Firstly, the ESP practitioner as a teacher, in learning process teacher must help the learner
achieve their goals effectively. However, the teacher is not the primary knower of carrier content
of the material. The students in this course may know more about content than the teacher.
Specially, in teaching vocabulary, the teacher mostly focuses on words, idioms to express the
topic, for example, how to identify the circuit symbols, It is vital that the teacher should adopt the
position of consultant who has the knowledge of communication practices. However, the teacher
needs to discuss with students on how best to explore these practices to meet the objective they
have. Besides, the teacher also has to provide the students with anxiety- free atmosphere and to
create favorable environment in which students are able to practice to memorize new words.
Therefore, ESP teachers need to have considerable flexibility, be willing to listen to learners and
take some risks in their teaching.
Secondly, the ESP practitioner can act as a course designer and a material provider (Dudley &
John, 1998) Sometimes no really suitable published material exists for identified need- one of the
ESP teacher‟s role is planning the course and providing materials for it. This involves selection of
published material, adapting materials if it not suitable, or writing his/her own material.
Thirdly, the ESP practitioner as a researcher, the ESP teacher needs to be in touch with the
research. The teacher has to carry out a needs analysis, to design a course, to write teaching
materials, and to find out the ESP students‟ particular interests.
In addition, according to Dudley- Evan & St, John (1998) also see an ESP teacher as a
collaborator. This may involve cooperation in which ESP teacher finds out about the subject
syllabus in an academic context or task the students have to carry out in their professional
environment, or collaboration when there is an integration between specialist studies or activities
and the language.
Finally, The ESP practitioner as an evaluator, the ESP teacher is often involved in various
types of evaluation- testing of students, evaluation of courses and teaching material. This role
seems to be very important .Dudley Evans‟s statement that the evaluation of course design and

teaching materials should be done while the course is being taught, at the end of the course, and
after the course has finished.


13
To conclude, depending on the type of syllabus and course, the teaching and learning
environment, etc. The roles of an ESP teacher must be flexible and variable.
2.5.2. Teachers’ linguistic challenges in ESP vocabulary
Linguistics is the systematic and scientific study of human language. Linguistics mainly
concerns itself with three major problems: how we learn languages, how language vary, and what
is universal to language. In this study, the author addressed the teachers‟ linguistic knowledge in
EEE.
From the roles of an ESP teacher presented in the previous parts, various difficulties appear to
the ESP teacher. According to Fries (1963) meaning at the social level is the meaning that exceeds
the language code and is related to the background knowledge of the native speakers of that code.
Understanding the total meaning of a sentence occurs only when the linguistic meaning of the
sentence is fitted into a social framework of organized information. For the mastery of the foreign
language Fries (1945:100) argues that “ one must find some substitute for the kind of background
he has in his own language”. The teacher of English who can not meet the inevitable gaps in
specialized lexis will constitute a very appreciable problem. In addition, this, unexpectedly perhaps,
is far greater in size and degree of difficulty for a teacher than for a student. This is for three reasons
(a): The teacher will need to know the basic lexis of a wide range of different specifications,
whereas each group of his students will be concerned with only a limited number of inter-related
ones. Then, (b) the students will be a acquainted with many items since they will be similar in form
to their vernacular equivalent or will be universally – used technical term. Finally, (c) the teacher
will in many cases have to learn the concept as well as its linguistic form. Another problem for
teacher is that even the comparatively small number of items which comprise the „core- language‟
of science and technology ( i.e. those of high frequency and wide range over all discipline) are
likely to contain numerous difficulties.
According to Strevens (1988), one of the most common difficulties for ESP teachers is the gap

between the learner‟s knowledge of special subject and the teacher‟s ignorance of it, except for
some fortunate case where the ESP teacher actually does have specialist knowledge of the subject.
Actually, there is no other way to escape from this gap. The teacher, therefore, has to accept it and
come to terms with it. That is the reason why an ESP teacher must have all the aspects of
knowledge in the subject matter.
As stated by Robinson (1980), ESP teachers often face such difficulties as: lack of sufficient
preparation time, lack of personal and professional contact with subject teachers, and/or the
content may be very specific indeed, requiring a high degree knowledge and skill from teachers.


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ESP teachers, therefore, have to struggle to master language and subject beyond the bound of their
previous experience because most of them have been trained for General English teaching and
have unexpectedly found themselves required to teach the texts whose content they know little or
nothing about.
The same thing is true to all teachers teaching at HUI. They are teachers of GE who lack
experience, the needed specialized knowledge and the choice of appropriate teaching
methodologies seem to be the major concerns. Obviously, it is not easy and does take time for the
teachers to become familiar with the ESP course materials as well as the language of the subject.
In order to achieve the expected outcome, the teachers are not allowed to give up. Rather, they
have to face with those challenges.
2.5.3. Teachers’ pedagogical challenges in teaching ESP vocabulary
The challenges in teaching ESP vocabulary have attracted the attention of researchers, as they
are one of the prominent issues that need analyzing and understanding. Some researchers that have
in- depth investigation about the matter are Flood (1975) Jones & Roe (1974), Bell ( 1996), Chung
& Nation ( 2004 ), Nation (2001). The results of these studies have shown the existing difficulties
in teaching and learning vocabulary such as lack of background knowledge and culture
understand, poor ability to understand technology languages, unsuitable teaching material, etc.
Dealing with all types of teaching ESP vocabulary is too large for study this size. Thus, this study
focuses on investigating linguistics and pedagogy challenges that the teachers encounter in

teaching ESP vocabulary.
First, all the teachers have the responsibility to teach both GE and ESP. They even have to
deal with a number of different ESP subjects at the same time. Therefore, they encounter many
difficulties in their teaching process such as the choice of methodologies and teaching materials.
Second, they must be flexible because they have to perform different roles in different time to help
the learner solve the problems in ESP lessons. Further more, the great majority of ESP teachers
have not been trained to be ESP teachers but General English teachers.
More importantly, some unskilled teachers prefer traditional teaching methods. When
teaching vocabulary, they write the new words on the board, then translate them into Vietnamese
and make sentences with them. They sometimes make an attempt to get the whole class repeat the
words in chorus, ask some students to read the words aloud and sometimes show some pictures on
the projectors to illustrate new words. As a result, the vocabulary learning activities are neither
interesting nor motivating.
2.6. Summary


15
In Chapter 1, I have discussed significant information about English for Special Purposes,
terminology, vocabulary, methods of the teaching ESP vocabulary and some problems in teaching
ESP vocabulary. This theoretical review is necessary for the next chapters of methodology and
data analysis.

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY
3.1. The context of teaching and learning vocabulary at Ho Chi Minh University of
Industry
3.1.1. Brief introduction of Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry based in Thanh Hoa
Province
Ho Chi Minh University of Industry based in Thanh Hoa Province (HUI) has been in operation
for 3 years in Thanh Hoa Province. Previously, its name was Thanh Hoa Teachers' Training School
(THTTS) and its duty was to train only elementary school teachers, so English serves as a means

that provides students with basic knowledge about grammar and vocabulary. Since October, 2008,
HUI joined with THTTS to become Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry based in Thanh Hoa
Province. Many new branches have been opened such as: Mechanical Engineering, Electronics
Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Banking and Finance, Marketing studies, Accounting ….
Accordingly, English has become a major subject for the students of these fields.
At first, the objective of the course is to provide students with general knowledge of English.
Secondly, the course aims at improving the professional knowledge of English to adapt their future
job requirement. At HUI, the teaching of English consists of two stages. During the first stage
(consisting of the first three terms), students study general English with four micro skills namely:


16
speaking, listening, reading and writing. The second stage lasts one term from May to July in
which students learn English related to their field.
3.1.2. Teachers and teaching methods
Our school has15 teachers of English language aged from 24 and 45. Ten of them had formal
ELT training in different universities inside VietNam, they graduated from College of Foreign
Languages- Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Hong Duc University and Vinh University. One
of them has a PhD in Russian and re-trained to teach English. Another is taking MA course at
College of Foreign Languages- Vietnam National University, Hanoi. The oldest teacher has more
than 15 years of teaching experience and the youngest teacher has one year. The number of
teachers is limited and there are no teacher teaching separately. They are all teachers of GE who
didn‟t attend any ESP courses before, nor do they have electronic knowledge. They, therefore, find
it difficult to deal with unfamiliar subject matter. Actually, those who were appointed to teach
English for electronic hesitated to accept their duty because it did take time for the teachers to
become familiar with ESP course materials. They have to face with many difficulties concerning
the gap of content knowledge and the choice of appropriate teaching methodology.
At HUI, English teaching and learning activities are mostly carried out in fixed classrooms that
make it difficult for teachers to make a change in applying new ideas of new teaching methods in
language teaching. Furthermore, there are often more than 50 students in each class. It is not easy to

carry out a communicative task in a large class with students of mixed ability. In addition, one
teacher may have to take over two or more different ESP courses, e.g. English for computing,
accounting, banking and so on. The content burden has become double heavier to them. To make it
worse, these teachers do not teach ESP only. Very often, they are involved in many other tasks at
the same time, ranging from designing the syllabus, preparing the materials, frequently under the
time pressure, and teaching GE courses.
In order to meet the demands of the university as well as the students in teaching ESP, the
teachers at HUI have to work hard and try to acquire the knowledge of ESP on their own in a
limited time. In fact, they are rarely able to arrange time to observe each other‟s lessons or hold
group meetings to share the experience in teaching and the knowledge of ESP vocabulary teaching.
For most of ESP teachers, the common method of teaching in ESP vocabulary is the traditional
teacher- centered approach. In class, the teachers‟ duty is to explain every new word, new structure
to students. In actual teaching vocabulary, they often employ three following steps in teaching
vocabulary. First, new words are introduced through some games, word maps, word groups, gap
filling.. . Sometimes, if possible, some visual aids or real objects related to the topic of the lesson


17
are taken to class. Then students read the words and translate them into Vietnamese. To help
students practice the vocabulary, the teachers give some kinds of exercises such as: gap filling,
word matching, technical term and definitions matching, etc.. However, the effectiveness of the
given steps varies in accordance with individual teachers.
As shown in the previous parts, the major concern of this research is to improve the quality of
vocabulary teaching at HUI in order to overcome the difficulties mentioned above.
3.1.3. Students and their background
Students of HUI come from all parts of Thanh Hoa province (Thanh Hoa city, districts and
mountainous areas). The students who live in Thanh Hoa city and towns (Bim Son, Sam Son)
seem better at English than those who come from mountainous areas such as Muong Lat, Quan
Hoa, Ba Thuoc. Some of them have learned English for 7 years at secondary and high school
whereas others have only learned English for 3 years. Specifically, some other students have never

learned English before. Most of students who learned English at school experienced traditional
method of English teaching (the Grammar- translation method) the emphasis of which is on the
learning of the rules of the language, not on the acquisition of language skills. Furthermore, the
majority of the students does not have appropriate learning strategies and have passive learning
styles. Therefore, their General English skills are supposed to be at lower levels.
3.2. The course book
3.2.1. The textbook
After finishing the course of General English, the students are taught English for Specific
Purpose. Students of Electronics learn the book “English for Electronics” which was written by
Eric H. Glendinning &John Mc “English for Electronics” aims to provide students with basic
knowledge and skill to work in electronic environment.
Actually, this book consists of 30 units, designed in harmonious combination with EEE topics
to enable students to develop both their language skills in EEE world, from low to higher. Clearly,
each unit is divided into five parts, and each part lays a focus on grammar, function or vocabulary.
As a result, in each unit, students have more opportunities to learn and develop their knowledge in
categories of grammar, vocabulary, communication skill, and pronunciation through practice
activities of, reading, writing, and speaking.
3.2.2. Book content
The whole course for the third year EE students consists of 6 units from unit 1 to unit 6 in the
first semester. The syllabus consists of 30 periods (45 minutes per period) and is delivered within 6


18
weeks covering 6 topics as follows: Unit 1: Electronics in the home -Unit 2: Component valuesUnit 3: Making a recording - Unit 4: Remote control-Unit 5: Alarm systems -Unit 6: Radio.
The following unit structure is used throughout the book with some variation among 9 units:
1

Tuning-in : introducing the topic through picture description or fact discussion

2

Language study: revise structures and grammatical points necessary for students to deal

with electronic documents in English .i.e. Actions in sequence, If sentences, Reduced time
clauses
3

Word study: developing students ‟knowledge of electronic terms, vocabulary use and

word form, i.e. Prefixes, Word pairs, Transitive verbs.
4

Technical reading: providing practice through various kinds of tasks as well as

expanding students‟ vocabulary repertoire, i.e. Understanding diagrams, Resistor values,
Capacitor values, Diode codes.
5 Writing: Provide practice in writing skills, i.e. Describing diagrams, a process, a system
It is very effective to work with this book as it provides students with a great deal of technical
terms and develops their reading comprehension and writing electronic documents. However, the
teachers and students have found it difficult in teaching this course book because of the following
reasons.
First, as each unit has five periods the students usually do not have enough time to practice in
class. Second, the vocabulary teaching integrated with other skills meaning that no separate
vocabulary lesson is provided. Consequently, the teacher have to decide themselves how to teach
vocabulary, when and how much to teach as well. Next, there are a lot of difficult abbreviations
and too many difficult and long terms in a task e.g. R(1K)/ a one kilohm resistor: C (5-65PF)/a
five-to-sixty-five-picofarad capacitor,

BZX55C2V4./ a silicon zener diode which has 5%

tolerance and 2,4 V zener voltage.
3.3. Methods and procedures
3.3.1. Research questions
The research is carried out with an attempt to find out the answers to the following questions:
- What are the main teachers‟ linguistic and pedagogical challenges experienced by teachers
who are teaching ESP vocabulary to students of Electronics Engineering at HUI?
- What solutions should be offered to help teachers to find out the effective ways to teach ESP
vocabulary to students of Electronics Engineering at HUI?
3.3.2. The participants


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This study was conducted with the participation of 10 English teachers and 3 EEE teachers‟
writing journals. These 10 teachers of English at the college are chosen for the investigation as all
of them have been teaching ESP. They are 6 females and 4 males and have at least 2 years‟
experience in teaching ESP.
3.3.3. Data collection instruments
In order to collect the most exact information for the study, the three types of instruments were
employed as follows: