Techniques to teach ESP vocabulary effectively to students at College of Natural Sciences, VNU = Các thủ thuật giúp dạy từ vựng tiếng Anh chuyên ngành hiệu quả

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



NGUYỄN THỊ TỐ HOA


TECHNIQUES TO TEACH ESP VOCABULARY EFFECTIVELY
TO STUDENTS AT COLLEGE OF NATURAL SCIENCES, VNU

(CÁC THỦ THUẬT GIÚP DẠY TỪ VỰNG TIẾNG ANH CHUYÊN NGÀNH
HIỆU QUẢ CHO SINH VIÊN TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC KHOA HỌC TỰ NHIÊN, ĐHQGHN)



MINOR PROGRAM THESIS


Field: English Methodology
Code: 601410




Hanoi, 2010

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



NGUYỄN THỊ TỐ HOA


TECHNIQUES TO TEACH ESP VOCABULARY EFFECTIVELY
TO STUDENTS AT COLLEGE OF NATURAL SCIENCES, VNU

(CÁC THỦ THUẬT GIÚP DẠY TỪ VỰNG TIẾNG ANH CHUYÊN NGÀNH
HIỆU QUẢ CHO SINH VIÊN TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC KHOA HỌC TỰ NHIÊN, ĐHQGHN)



MINOR PROGRAM THESIS


Field: English Methodology
Code: 601410



SUPERVISOR: Dr. DƯƠNG THỊ NỤ

Hanoi, 2010

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Candidate’s statement i
Acknowledgement ii
Abstract iii
Table of contents iv
List of tables and figures vii

PART 1 - INTRODUCTION 1
1. Rationale of the study 1
2. Aims of the study 2
3. Research questions 2
4. Method of research 2
5. Scope of the study 3
6. Design of the study 3

PART 2 - DEVELOPMENT 4

Chapter 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 4

1.1.Definition of vocabulary 4

1.2.Classification of vocabulary 4
1.2.1. Vocabulary classified according to the Concept of Morpheme 4
1.2.2. Vocabulary classified according to Meaning 5

1.2.3. Vocabulary classified according to Functions 5
1.2.4. Vocabulary classified according to Frequency of Use 5
1.2.5. Other classifications of Vocabulary 5

1.3.The importance of vocabulary in language teaching and learning 6

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1.4.Principles of vocabulary teaching 6
1.4.1. Criteria for selecting vocabulary 6
1.4.2. What needs to be taught as for a new word? 7
1.4.2.1. Forms 7
1.4.2.2. Meaning 8
1.4.2.3. Use 8

1.5.Techniques in vocabulary teaching currently used 9
1.5.1. Techniques in presenting vocabulary 9
1.5.1.1. Visual techniques 9
1.5.1.2. Verbal techniques 10
1.5.1.3. Translation 10
1.5.2. Techniques in practising and consolidating vocabulary 11

1.6.Vocabulary in ESP teaching and learning 13
1.6.1. What is ESP? 13
1.6.2. The roles of ESP teachers 14
1.6.3. The roles of ESP students 16

1.7. Linguistic features of vocabulary in Meteorology,
Hydrology and Oceanography 17

Chapter 2: AN OVERVIEW OF ENGLISH TEACHING AND
LEARNING CONTEXT AT COLLEGE OF NATURAL SCIENCES 19

2.1.The English teaching and learning situation at College of Natural Sciences 19
2.2.The target students and their background 20
2.3.The teachers of English at College of Natural Sciences
and their methods of teaching 20
2.4.Materials and facilities 21


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Chapter 3: THE STUDY 23

3.1.Research methodology 23
3.1.1 Participants 23
3.1.2. Data collection instruments 23
3.1.2.1. Questionnaires 23
3.1.2.2. Semi-structured interviews 24

3.2.Data analysis 24
3.2.1. Data analysis of the survey questionnaires 24
3.2.2. Data analysis of the semi-structured interviews 36

3.3.Findings and discussions 36
3.3.1. Teachers‟ problems 37
3.3.2. Students‟ problems 37
3.3.3. Materials and equipment 37

Chapter 4: SOME SUGGESTIONS 38

4.1. Suggestions for Teachers 38
4.2. Suggestions for Students 39
4.3. Suggestions for Materials development 40

PART 3 - CONCLUSION 42
1. Review of the study 42
2. Limitations and suggestions for further study 43

REFERENCES I

APPENDICES III



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LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES
List of tables:
Table 1: Students‟ ways of learning ESP vocabulary
Table 2: Vocabulary selection for teaching
Table 3: Evaluation of ESP vocabulary teaching techniques
Table 4: Difficulties relating to ESP vocabulary teaching
List of figures:
Figure 1: Teachers‟ and student‟s opinions about the role of vocabulary
Figure 2: Skill that students find the most difficult due to the lack of vocabulary
Figure 3: Purposes of teaching and learning ESP
Figure 4: Students‟ solutions when meeting a new word
Figure 5: Teachers‟ decision on when to teach vocabulary
Figure 6: Word aspect to teach
Figure 7: Word aspect that students find the most difficult

Figure 8: Teachers‟ opinions about further training on specialized knowledge







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PART 1 - INTRODUCTION
7. Rationale of the Study
English learning has been popular in Vietnam in the last few decades and has become a
burgeoning need when our country fosters its international relations. Every day an
increasing number of Vietnamese people learn and use English for a variety of purposes.
More and more Vietnamese people are aware of the significant role that English plays in
almost every field of our life such as: economy, technology, science, education, etc.
Therefore, English for Specific Purposes (ESP) has received a great deal of attention. An
ESP teacher may wish to provide teaching materials that will fit the specific subject area of
particular learners. In Vietnam, such materials may not be available commercially. As a
result, there has been an established tradition of ESP teachers preparing self-made
materials. These are written by the teachers of a particular institution for the students at
that institution. This is often difficult for teachers because of their limited knowledge in the
specific area and little training in materials writing (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987).
In Vietnam, English seems to be learnt and taught in a non-English environment, so
reading is an important means to acquire knowledge in ESP, and also a means for further
study. In other words, learners “read to learn” (Burn, 1988:11). This is true for the
students at College of Natural Sciences where learners are future scientists. They learn
English in order to be able to handle subject-related written materials in English and work
with modern scientific and technical equipment. So ESP materials used at College of

Natural Sciences now are often reading materials covering topics in the specific area.
Therefore, if one wants to understand ESP materials, he needs to learn ESP vocabulary.
It is undeniable that vocabulary may be the most important part for language learners
(Altman, 1990; Gass and Selinker, 2001). Not until recently vocabulary teaching and
learning have regained focus of research and been proved to be beneficial to both first and
second language learning (Coady & Huckin, 1997).
The central role of vocabulary and lexis in ESP is also confirmed by many other authors.
Robinson (1991:4) states that “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”.
One of the major aims of ESP courses at College of Natural Sciences is to obtain basic
ESP vocabulary. Therefore, vocabulary learning is the focal point in an ESP course.
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However, vocabulary teaching and learning has always been a huge problem for both
teachers and students. The course designed aims to achieve a lot of goals such as
improving reading proficiency, grammar structures, vocabulary, and knowledge about the
subject… in limited time. This would be so ambitious. Students have too may new words
to learn but too title time or even no time for memorizing or recycling and little feedback
to check students‟ retention is returned. As a result, students enter a cycle of cramming:
memorizing the words quickly then forgetting them quickly.
Due to all the above reasons, it is necessary to find out the difficulties in ESP vocabulary
teaching and learning at College of Natural Sciences as well as to suggest some feasible
techniques to teach ESP vocabulary effectively.
8. Aims of the Study
First of all, my research will study the current situations of the teaching and learning ESP
vocabulary at College of Natural Sciences with second-year non-English-major students.
Secondly, this paper will make an attempt to find out the main problems and reasons for
less effective ESP vocabulary teaching and learning methods.
Finally, my study hopes to suggest some feasible solutions to help teachers and learners

have effective ESP vocabulary teaching and learning methods.
9. Research Questions
With the aims above, the research is carried out with an attempt to find out the answers to
the following questions:
1. What are learners‟ ESP vocabulary learning methods and strategies?
2. What are teachers‟ ESP vocabulary teaching methods and strategies?
3. What tasks and activities should be used to help learners learn ESP vocabulary
effectively?
10. Method of Research
In this research, an extensive review of literature is conducted in order to examine
vocabulary‟s role in language teaching and learning, researching on vocabulary teaching
and learning methods and their influences on vocabulary teaching and learning, especially
ESP vocabulary.
The main method in this research is survey research in which questionnaires for both
teachers and learners are conducted to find out teachers‟ ESP vocabulary teaching methods
and strategies and learners‟ ESP vocabulary learning method and strategies.
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Besides, the research is also based on semi-structured interviews. Semi-structured
interviews are carried out to get better insight into the research questions and clarify
teachers‟ and learners‟ ideas.
11. Scope of the Study
The study is narrowed to the area of teaching and learning ESP vocabulary for second-year
non-major students at Faculty of Meteorology, Hydrology and Oceanography, College of
Natural Sciences, Vietnam National University (VNU). Specifically, this thesis deals with
the current situation of English teaching and learning here, investigating into teachers‟ as
well as learners‟ vocabulary teaching - learning methods and strategies in order to find out
which methods and strategies are favoured most so that interferences would be introduced.
12. Design of the Study
The study is divided into three parts:

The first part is “Introduction” including the rationale, the aims of the study, research
questions, research method, scope of the study, and design of the study.
The second part “Development” consists of three chapters:
Chapter one provides a thorough literature review relevant to the study. It is concerned
with such issues as vocabulary (definition, classification, roles), principles and techniques
of vocabulary teaching, vocabulary in ESP teaching and learning as well as some linguistic
features of vocabulary in Meteorology, Hydrology and Oceanography.
Chapter two deals with the investigation into the current situation of teaching and learning
ESP vocabulary for second-year non-major students at College of Natural Sciences. In this
chapter, students‟ profile and their ESP vocabulary learning methods and strategies as well
as teachers‟ ESP vocabulary teaching methods and strategies are investigated. Besides, this
chapter also provides some information relating to materials and facilities at the college.
Chapter three talks about subjects and instruments of the study, which is the way to collect
data. In this chapter, findings and discussions on the study are also presented.
Chapter four offers some suggestions for the effective ESP vocabulary teaching and
learning at the college.
The last part of the study “Conclusion” summarizes the issues mentioned, presents the
limitations of the study and recommends some suggestions for further study.


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PART 2 - DEVELOPMENT
Chapter 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
1.7.Definition of vocabulary
In his book “Myths about teaching and learning second language vocabulary: what recent
research says” (2004), Folse states that “learning a language entails learning numerous
aspects about that language, including its pronunciation, writing system, syntax,
pragmatics…, but the most important aspect is vocabulary”. It is undeniable that learning a
language definitely includes learning vocabulary.

So far vocabulary has been defined in a variety of ways. According to Ur (1960),
vocabulary can be “the words we teach in the foreign language”. In her opinion, “a new
item of vocabulary may be more than a single word, a compound of two or three words
and multi-word idioms”.
Vocabulary may also be defined as “the sum of words used by, understood by, or at the
command of a particular person or group” (The American Heritage Dictionary).
In another way, vocabulary “ may be individual words, or full sentences -
institutionalized utterances - that convey for social or pragmatic meaning within a given
community” (Michael Lewis (1993:89)).
To sum up, vocabulary can be roughly understood as the total number of all the words that
a language possesses, including a single word, two or three- word items expressing a single
idea and multi-word idioms of which meaning cannot be deduced from the analysis of the
component words but only understood in the sentences, or in certain contexts.
1.8.Classification of vocabulary
Vocabulary can be classified in different ways according to different criteria such as
morpheme, meaning, function, frequency of use, etc.
1.2.1. Vocabulary classified according to the Concept of Morpheme
In this way, words can be divided into three kinds: simple word, derived word and
compound word.
Simple words are those that consist of a root morpheme like temperature, orbit,
magnitude …
Derived words are those that consist of a root and one or more derivational morphemes
like meteorological, unsaturated, permeability…
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Compound words are those that consist of at least two roots with or without derivational
morphemes like snow flake, water vapour, rainfall, water table…
1.2.2. Vocabulary classified according to Meaning
A word normally has two kinds of meaning: lexical meaning and grammatical meaning.
Correspondingly, vocabulary can be divided into notional words and functional words.

Notional words are those that have clear lexical meaning. They address objects, actions,
qualities, etc. In fact, notional words form a great number of each speaker‟s vocabulary.
Functional words are those whose meaning is grammatical. They only have meaning in
relation to other words with which they are combined. Functional words are particles,
articles, prepositions, auxiliaries, conjunctions, etc.
1.2.3. Vocabulary classified according to Functions
In linguistics, vocabulary can have different functions. They can act as different parts of
speech such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions and pronouns. Each part of
speech has its own position complying with certain grammatical rules and has a particular
function. This complexity makes it necessary for learners to be aware of different functions
of vocabulary items during the process of learning so that they can improve their language
proficiency.
1.2.4. Vocabulary classified according to Frequency of Use
According to Nation and Waring (2004), there are two types of vocabulary: high frequency
words and low frequency words. In their opinion, although a language makes use of a large
number of words, not all of these words are equally useful. The key problem is how much
vocabulary should be learned by a language learner. Nation and Waring (2004:11) state
that in English there are about 3,000 high frequency words which the learners need to
know. Nation (2004) argues that once these high frequency words are learned, what the
teacher needs to do next is to help the learners develop strategies to comprehend and learn
the low frequency words of the language.
1.2.5. Other classifications of Vocabulary
However, in terms of methodology, a foreign language learner‟s vocabulary is classified as
active and passive. The active words are those which the learner can understand,
pronounce correctly, use effectively in speaking and writing. The passive words are those
which the learner can recognize and understand when they occur in a context, but the
learner cannot produce or use correctly himself/herself even when he/she wants to.
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Some methodologists of the Communicative Language Teaching approach classify

vocabulary into productive and receptive. The productive vocabulary is the words which
the learner can use effectively to produce information in speaking and writing. The latter is
the words for him to receive and understand information in listening and reading.
Being aware of the above classifications is necessary and useful for foreign language
teachers and they can help students learn vocabulary effectively.
1.9.The importance of vocabulary in language teaching and learning
It is undeniable that vocabulary plays an important role in language learning. Vocabulary is
a key element in language learning because a widely productive vocabulary is essential in
enhancing a learner‟s language skills. This role can be clearly seen in the saying: “Without
grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed”
(David Wilkins, 1972).
Troike (1976:87) emphasizes that “vocabulary is the most important for understanding
and knowing names for things, actions and concepts”. This does not mean that other
aspects of language such as phonology or grammar can be neglected, but one thing which
can be clearly seen is that the first thing language learners need in order to be able to
communicate is vocabulary.
Due to these reasons, teaching and learning vocabulary is a very essential aspect in foreign
language methodology. 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 doing so and in English learning. It can be concluded that
vocabulary is a “must” for all language learners by all means.
1.10. Principles of vocabulary teaching
In fact, there are principles that the teacher needs to be aware of while he/she teaches
vocabulary. These principles include decisions about selection of vocabulary or ways of
vocabulary instructions and vocabulary consolidation. The teacher must discover and
assume his student needs and decides what vocabulary to teach, when and how to present
new vocabulary, even how much time to spend on teaching and learning vocabulary in a
lesson.
1.4.1. Criteria for selecting vocabulary
While teaching vocabulary, what the teacher needs to concern first is selecting which

vocabulary to teach. Gairns and Redman (1999) suggest four major criteria for vocabulary
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selection: frequency, cultural factors, students’ need and level, expediency. They argue that
the teacher needs to select the most frequently used words to teach first. The vocabulary
selected should suit students‟ level and their needs. Cultural factor is another criterion
which also has great influence on teaching. It means that the learners‟ background needs to
be taken into consideration since people from different countries may need different words
to express their ideas in the second language. Expediency also needs to be concerned
because the classroom itself is a small world and requires particular types of vocabulary.
According to Nu (2004), in a lesson, there may arise many new words and it is the teacher
who will decide on vocabulary selection. One point that needs to be remembered is that in
each lesson, a language learner can only absorb from five to seven new words. Due to this
reason, the teacher should select to teach active words which help students understand or
complete a task. As for the other new words, they can be guessed from the contexts or even
translated if necessary. The teacher, therefore, must be extremely wise and careful when
selecting which words to teach so that students can learn vocabulary as effectively as
possible.
1.4.2. What needs to be taught as for a new word?
In his opinion, Laufer (2004) describes a word as a set of properties or features. Knowing a
word, therefore, necessarily includes knowing the following things: form (spoken and
written, i.e. pronunciation and spelling), word structure (the basic free morpheme and the
common derivations of the word), syntactic pattern of the word in a phrase and sentence,
meaning (referential, affective and pragmatic), lexical relations of the word with others
(such as synonymy, antonymy, hyponymy), common collocations of the word.
In general, when the teacher teaches a new English word, he should, by all means, provide
his learners with its meaning, forms and use simultaneously. Among these three aspects,
the use is the most important, but without thorough understanding of the forms and
meaning of the word, the learners are unable to use it correctly.
1.4.2.1. Forms

In terms of forms of a word, what learners need to know are spelling, pronunciation,
affixes, part of speech, and irregularities of that word. It is necessary for teachers to make
sure that these aspects are accurately presented and learned. Besides, the grammar of a new
word should also be taught. The learners need to know grammatical functions, the change
of form in different grammatical contexts, the regularity and irregularity, the singular and
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plural forms of the new word. For example, when teaching the noun child we might teach
the plural form children or when teaching the verb have we might give its irregularity in
past form had. Once having known the grammar of a word, the learners can use the word
in such a way that is grammatically true.
1.4.2.2. Meaning
When we talk about the meaning of a word, it is necessary to refer to its denotative and
connotative meaning as well as its meaning relationship. The meaning of a word is
primarily what it refers to in the real world, i.e. its denotation. This meaning can be found
in a dictionary. For example, if you look up the word snake in a dictionary, you will
discover that one of its denotative meanings is "any of numerous scaly, legless, sometimes
venomous reptiles; having a long, tapering, cylindrical body and found in most tropical and
temperate regions."
Another component of the word meaning which is less obvious is its connotation in
different contexts or its connotative meaning. This is the associations of positive or
negative feeling it evokes. This meaning may or may not be indicated in a dictionary. For
example, the connotations for the word snake could include evil or danger.
Knowing denotative and connotative meanings of a word is not adequate. The learners also
need to know its meaning relationship, which is how the meaning of that word relates to
the meaning of others. A variety of meaning relationships can be listed such as synonyms,
antonyms, translation, etc. One thing to be noted is that the teacher has to make a careful
choice and decision on which meaning of a word to teach and how many words to teach in
a given class time or else it will be impossible for learners to absorb too many meanings
and words. Then confusion or forgetting will be unavoidable.

1.4.2.3. Use
Learning the use of a word, the learners necessarily need to know how to use it correctly in
different oral and written contexts or else it may become useless. To use a new word well,
learners need to know the way to collocate it with other words correctly. Due to this reason,
the teacher should put words into collocations when teaching vocabulary and ask learners
to learn by heart if possible. For example, we say “drive a car” but “ride a bicycle”.
To sum up, learners should be taught the form, the meaning, and the use of words in a
vocabulary lesson. The teacher should ensure that vocabulary is regularly recycled/revised
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because if learners do not get the chance to put it into use, they will easily forget it. In this
case, vocabulary teaching and learning is not effective.
1.5. Techniques in vocabulary teaching currently used
1.5.1. Techniques in presenting vocabulary
Generally, the objective of vocabulary presentation is to help students know the meaning
of a word or a phrase, its spelling, pronunciation and its use in different contexts. When
presenting the words to the students, the teacher must make sure that the students can use
the words correctly to make the words become theirs. Presenting is an essential step in
vocabulary teaching; therefore, it is important for the teacher to find out useful and
effective techniques to present vocabulary items. So far, there have been a lot of methods
and techniques to present new vocabulary. In this thesis, only some commonly used
techniques are mentioned.
1.5.1.1. Visual techniques
The use of visual techniques in the classroom is highly appreciated in vocabulary teaching
“because it gives some idea that is easier to conjure up a mental image of a concrete item
than an abstract one” (Gairns and Redman, 1993). Visual techniques can include flash
cards, photographs, blackboard drawings, wall charts; realia (i.e., objects themselves);
gestures and mime. These techniques extremely useful for teaching concrete items of
vocabulary such as food, furniture, places, professions, descriptions of people, actions and
activities (such as sports and verbs of movement). For example, the teacher can show

students pictures illustrating different kinds of food when teaching such vocabulary items
as “cheese, bread, milk, beef, chicken…”.
These techniques are attractive to students and can make students get involved in the
lesson. They are extremely effective because Jordan (1997:162) states that “the most
effective way for students to increase their active vocabulary store is for them to be
centrally involved in the learning process”. However, they seem to be only useful for
concrete words that refer to cheap and small objects. Moreover, it is not always easy to
find absolutely suitable pictures and photographs. Drawing takes time and not all teachers
can draw well. Meanwhile, mime and gestures are also very effective ways of introducing
a new word since it clearly promotes the understanding and meaningful retention of new
vocabulary items.

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1.5.1.2. Verbal techniques
Verbal techniques are often used to help students understand words more deeply,
especially abstract words. These techniques involve the use of illustrative situations,
synonyms and antonyms, definitions and explanations, gradable items, examples of the
type, guessing from the context, and matching/labelling .
Using illustrative situations (oral or written) is helpful when the words are more abstract, it
can show students how the new word is used.
Synonyms and antonyms are to help students build the new vocabulary based on the words
they already know, i.e. using the words students have already known to teach them similar
words.
Definitions and explanations are more appropriate for intermediate learners. To make
definition of words can be difficult, especially at elementary levels.
Gradable items (scales) are also commonly use: for example, if students know 'big' and
'small', other steps could be to teach 'short' and 'long' etc. The techniques of the
presentation of related words in scales are very useful as it can combine the visual and
verbal techniques. Once students have learnt two contrasting or related gradable items, this

can be a useful way of revising and feeding in new items.
Examples of the type are to give examples of words you want to introduce. Examples of
types are used to illustrate the meaning of superordinates such as “furniture, vegetables”,
“meat”, and “transport”, it is a common procedure to exemplify them e.g. “table, chair,
bed, sofa” are all furniture.
Guessing from the context and matching/labelling means that students match words to
words or sentences or pictures. It belongs to the so called discovery techniques: they
activate the student‟s previous knowledge of a language and initiate the work with the new
vocabulary. Discovery techniques demand the autonomous students with higher knowledge
of English.
1.5.1.3. Translation
Translation has been the most widespread activity used for presenting the meaning of a
word in classes. There are arguments for and against the techniques of translation.
According to Mackey, it is advisable to use translation to teach vocabulary after some
attempt at explanation of vocabulary items.
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There has been a lot of controversy in deciding whether translation should be used and
how often it is used in vocabulary teaching. Regardless of the controversy, many
methodologists nowadays still view it as a very effective way in presenting meaning of the
word to the learners.
Without translation, a great deal of class time might be spent on a largely unsuccessful
explanation in English and translation can be a very quick way to dispose of low frequency
items that may make the students confused and worried. Furthermore, it may be useful,
necessary and appropriate if students are at low level in order to avoid the fatal
misunderstanding of the meanings of the words.
It can be concluded that translation should only be used when necessary, especially when it
is too difficult to explain the word in the given time. Translation should be used with care
and consideration because it is not always easy to make good translation and precise
equivalents in Vietnamese are not always easy to find.

1.5.2. Techniques in practising and consolidating vocabulary
As Thornbury (2002: 23) states, “in fact, learning is remembering. Unlike the learning of
grammar, which is essentially a rule-based system, vocabulary knowledge is largely a
question of accumulating individual items.” The great challenge for learners is to transform
vocabulary from the quickly forgotten (short-term store) to the never forgotten (long-term
store), and to turn passive knowledge of vocabulary into an active form. Research into
memory suggests that in order to ensure that information moves into permanent long-term
memory, a number of principles must be followed. One of them is use. “Putting words to
use, preferably in some interesting way, is the best way of ensuring they are added to long-
term memory. It is the principle well-known as Use it or lose it” (Thornbury, 2002: 24).
For this reason, words must be presented in their usual contexts, so that learners can get a
sense for their meaning, and their collocations. Presenting a word in the class does not
secure that it will be remembered for a long time. The aim of practising vocabulary is to
make learners remember and memorize the words and how to use them. There are many
practice activities that include repeating of the new vocabulary to fix the new words in the
learners´ memory. The practice activities are divided into two main groups: receptive and
productive.
* Receptive practice (the learner does not really produce the target words) includes these
types (Thornbury, 2002: 94-99):
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1) Identifying – means finding words in a text or listening, e.g. underline specific words or
expressions in the text, or tick, put in the correct column or list items that you hear.
2) Selecting – means recognizing words and making choices among them, e.g. circle the
odd word in the line.
3) Matching – includes recognizing words and than pairing them with their synonym,
antonym, definition, pictures to words etc. It can be intended to matching parts of lexical
items to create collocations.
4) Sorting – putting the lexical items into different categories, e.g. put these adjectives in
two groups – positive and negative.

5) Ranking and sequencing – putting the lexical items in some kind of order, e.g. ordering
items chronologically, ranking items according to personal preference etc.
* Productive practice (the productive skills – writing or speaking – are incorporated in
vocabulary teaching,) includes these types: completion and creation (Thornbury, 2002:
100).
1) Completion tasks (context is given), often called gap-fills, are widely used not only in
practice but also in revision stages. They include open gap-fills or closed gap-fills
(multiple choice activities), crosswords.
2) Creation tasks: the learner use the word in a sentence or a story, in writing, speaking or
both forms, use affixes to build new naming units from given words.
Generally speaking, vocabulary practice is divided into controlled and free. Controlled
practice has to come first, because controlled activities require the student to produce a
certain structure, they practice accuracy and fix the pattern. The second phase, which
demands productive use of vocabulary, is free practice. The specialists point out the usage
of free practice in the class, because according to Lewis (1993: 151-152) “to know a word
means how to use it in the real life to be able to communicate.” This is a typical example of
the lexical approach where is a primary role of words which determine grammar. Free
practice is aimed at fluency and is productive.
However, Gairns and Redman (1986: 137) warn against “a certain degree of stress
involved in productive practice”. According to them, practice should be challenging, but
not frustrating or stressful for the learner. They give several arguments in favour of
productive practice of vocabulary in the classroom. Above all, it promotes fluency and
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improves pronunciation. It helps the memory to store words, and retrieve them later.
Conversation in English is very motivating and it builds learner‟s confidence.
Another division includes spoken and written practice. Many vocabulary activities used
in the class are based on discussions, dialogues, descriptions, role-play activities, or
different written tasks. It has become a part of communicative classes, e.g. in the form of
an activity well-known as ´Find someone who…`, memory games and funny games. Fun

and games are very useful to motivate students as crosswords, puzzles, category games.
ESP vocabulary can be practised and consolidated by similar methods and techniques used
for practising and consolidation of general vocabulary.
1.6.Vocabulary in ESP teaching and learning
1.6.1. What is ESP?
ESP is currently a widely-used term. However, we still need to define the concept of ESP.
ESP relates to different fields which require the mastery of specific linguistic items. As a
matter of fact, ESP combines subject matter and English language teaching. Such a
combination is highly motivating because students are able to apply what they learn in
their English classes to their main field of study, for example: accounting, business, etc.
The term "specific" in ESP refers to the specific purpose for learning English. Students
approach the study of English through a field that is already known and relevant to them.
This means that they are able to use what they learn in the ESP classroom right away in
their work and studies. Their interest in their field will motivate them to interact with
speakers and texts. ESP is “English taught to people whose first language is not English,
but who need to know technical, scientific, and other English vocabulary from specific
fields for their careers or education” (MacMillan Dictionary).
There is much confusion regarding the meaning of ESP. Being aware of the confusion, on
the basis of the definition given by Streven (1988), Dudley – Evans (1997) came up with a
definition of ESP in terms of „absolute‟ and „variable‟ characteristics:
Absolute Characteristics: a) ESP is designed to meet specific needs of the learner; b) ESP
makes use of the underlying methodology and activities of the disciplines it serves; c) ESP
is centred on the language (grammar, lexis, register), skills, discourse and genres
appropriate to these activities.
Variable Characteristics: a) ESP may be related or designed for specific disciplines; b)
ESP may use, in specific teaching situations, a different methodology from that of general
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English; c) ESP is likely to be designed for adult learners, either at a tertiary level
institution or in a professional work situation; it could be used for learners at secondary

school level; d) ESP is generally designed for intermediate or advanced learners; and e)
Most ESP courses assume basic knowledge of the language system, but it can be used with
beginners.
Dudley – Evans has no doubt done a wonderful job by dividing the ESP into absolute and
variable characters. It helps in resolving arguments about what is and what is not ESP. He
makes it clear that ESP can but is not necessarily related to specific discipline. It also does
not aim at certain age group but generally used by adults.
Widdowson, on the other hand, argues that the distinction between EGP (English for
General Purposes) and ESP is not the problem of specificity of purpose but “the way in
which purpose is defined and the manner of its implementation” (Widdowson, 1983:6).
It can be deduced that ESP teaching involves two essential aspects: content and
methodology. In terms of content, ESP teachers must decide the proportion of subject
matters to linguistic items. In terms of methodology, how linguistic items are introduced
and practised must also be taken into serious consideration.
In ESP teaching and learning, materials is another crucial issue. ESP materials are
expected to be as authentic as possible and content-based. Authenticity means that ESP
materials should use original texts produced by experts working in the specific field. Being
content-based means that ESP materials should refer to specific problems that people in the
specific field are likely to encounter in their jobs. Focusing on these two criteria, ESP
teachers may teach relevant linguistic items to students, which is extremely helpful for
their future employment. On the other hand, students are motivated to study in ESP courses
because they can acquire necessary knowledge and skills which are directly useful to their
career.
1.6.2. The roles of ESP teachers
An ESP teacher, like other language teachers, is expected “to perform in a variety of roles,
separately or simultaneously” (Littlewood, 1981:51). Dudley Evans describes the true ESP
teacher or ESP Practitioner (Swales, 1988) as needing to perform five different roles.
These are: 1) Teacher, 2) Collaborator, 3) Course designer and materials provider, 4)
Researcher and 5) Evaluator.
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* As a teacher: The first role as 'teacher' is synonymous with that of the GE teacher. ESP is
a practical discipline with the most important objective of helping students to learn.
However, the teacher is not the primary knower of the carrier content of the material. The
students may know more about the content than the teacher. The teacher has the
opportunity to draw on students‟ knowledge of the content in order to generate
communication in the classroom. The relationship is much more of a partnership. In some
situations, the role of ESP teacher extends to giving one-to-one advice to students. ESP
teachers need to have considerable flexibility, be willing to listen to learners, take interest
in the disciplines or professional activities the students are involved in, and to take some
risks in their teaching.
* As a collaborator: It is believed that subject-specific work is often best approached
through collaboration with subject specialist. This may involve cooperation in which ESP
teacher finds out about the tasks that students have to carry out in their jobs. Or it might
involve the language teacher specifically preparing learners for the language of subject
lectures or presentations. Another possibility is that specialist checks and comments on the
content of teaching materials that the ESP teacher has prepared. The fullest collaboration is
where a subject expert and a language teacher team-teach classes. This might involve the
language teacher and the expert working together to teach both the skills and the language
related to the field. When team teaching is not a possibility, the ESP teacher must
collaborate more closely with the learners, who will generally be more familiar with the
specialized content of materials than the teacher him or herself.
* As a course designer and material provider: Since it is rarely possible to use a particular
textbook without the need for supplementary material – sometimes no really suitable
published material exists for identified needs - ESP teachers often have to provide the
material for the course. This involves selection of published material, adapting material if
it is not suitable, or writing it. ESP teachers also need to assess the effectiveness of the
teaching material used whether it is published or self-produced. However, since the
teachers are encouraged by their employees to write new material there is a danger of
constant re-invention of the wheel; advantages of published materials are ignored even

when they are suitable for a given situation.
* As a researcher: Research has been particularly strong in the area of GE. Regarding the
research into ESP, there is a growing interest in investigating the linguistic features, the
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genre and the skills involved in the subject area. ESP teachers need to be in touch with the
research. Teachers carrying out a needs analysis, designing a course, or writing teaching
materials need to be capable of incorporating the findings of the research, and those
working in specific ESP situations need to be confident that they know what is involved in
skills such as written communication.
* As an evaluator: the ESP teacher is often involved in various types of evaluation relating
to students, courses and teaching materials. Tests are conducted 1) to assess whether
students have the necessary language and skills to undertake a particular academic course
or career and 2) to asses the level of their achievement – how much learners have gained
from a course. According to Dudly-Evans and St. John (1997), the ESP teacher must be
able to prepare different kinds of tests for different purposes. They also add that there
should be on-going evaluation of course design and teaching materials. The feedback
collected from discussions with students or the teacher‟s observation is of great usefulness
and importance for more effective teaching and learning. ESP teachers should get students‟
feedback on syllabus, materials, teaching methodology as frequently as possible in order to
have timely adaptation.
In fact, it is undeniable that the role of the teacher will vary depending on different courses,
syllabus, and the teaching/learning environment (Jordan, 1997). Due to this reason, “the
key quality needed by the ESP teacher is flexibility” (Jordan, 1997:122). Flexibility, in his
opinion, involves the ability to change from being a general language teacher to a specific
purpose teacher, and the ability to cope with different groups of students.
Becoming an ESP teacher is absolutely not easy for any foreign language teacher. It is
necessary that “the ESP teacher must know something about the subject matters of ESP
materials”. However, ESP teachers do not need to learn specialist subject knowledge, they
require only three things: a positive attitude towards the ESP content, knowledge of

fundamental principles of the subject areas, and an awareness of how much they probably
know.
In other words, the ESP teacher “should not become a teacher of the subject matter but
rather an interested student of the subject matter” (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987:163).
1.6.3. The roles of ESP students
In order to get the best result in ESP learning, the students should come to the class with a
specific interest and positive attitude towards learning, subject matter knowledge, and
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well-built learning strategies. They are in charge of developing English language skills to
reflect their native-language knowledge and skills.
* A specific interest and positive attitude towards learning: It is undeniable that students
will acquire English more effectively as they work with materials which they find
interesting and relevant and which they can use in their professional work or further studies.
The more students pay attention to their learning, the more they are successful. If students
have positive attitude towards ESP learning, they will be more motivated, active and
creative in their learning. The positive attitude is the decisive factor in ESP learning.
* Subject-content knowledge: Learners in the ESP classes are generally aware of the
purposes for which they will need to use English. Having already oriented their education
toward a specific field, they see their English training as complementing this orientation.
Knowledge of the subject area enables the students to identify a real context for the
vocabulary and structures of the ESP classroom. In such way, the learners can take
advantage of what they already know about the subject matter to learn English.
* Learning strategies: Being aware of learning skills allows students to learn faster and
more efficiently. The skills they have already developed in using their native languages
will make learning English easier. Each student should decide what the best way of
learning is and equip himself/herself with necessary skills and learning strategies.
1.7. Linguistic features of vocabulary in Meteorology, Hydrology and Oceanography
The vocabulary of English for Meteorology, Hydrology and Oceanography is different
from that of normal English.

According to Hatch and Brown (1995: 312), “special lexical items are present in nearly all
professions, and each branch has special vocabulary to cover abstract concepts”. English
for Meteorology, Hydrology and Oceanography is by no means out of the track. Lexicon of
English for Meteorology, Hydrology and Oceanography generally has four levels: 1-
Ordinary vocabulary/core vocabulary, 2 - Intermediary (sub- or semi-technical) vocabulary,
3 - Technical vocabulary, 4 - Highly technical vocabulary.
The first level includes ordinary content words, conjuncts and connectives. The second
level includes words which are not directly a part of specific technical branch, but they
occur generally in scientific and technical texts – e.g. derivation, conversion, dense and
isolation. Semi-technical vocabulary is the vocabulary used in general language but has a
higher frequency of occurrence in specific and technical description and discussion. The
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third level comprises vocabulary that has specialized and restricted meanings in certain
disciplines and may vary in meaning across disciplines. Technical vocabulary generally
includes abbreviations, symbols and formulae. These words of the third level are required
for the compounding of simple concepts into complex ones under certain rules. The last
level refers to words that have a close thematic relationship and belong to the specific field
- Meteorology, Hydrology and Oceanography.
Many compounds are used in English for Meteorology, Hydrology and Oceanography. We
can see compounds in almost every reading text such as wind-impelled surface, whirlpool,
sea-air boundary, mountain ridge, alluvial deposit, drainage basin, limestone cavern, dew
point temperature…
When teaching and learning ESP vocabulary, it must be noted that there are words which
has more than one meaning and can be understood differently in different disciplines. Due
to this reason, ESP teachers and learners must be really careful in the choice of word
meaning so that they can understand ESP texts in the most appropriate way. No matter we
do English-Vietnamese or Vietnamese-English translation, we can‟t just find the word
from a dictionary. We should identify its technical meaning based on features of English
for Meteorology, Hydrology and Oceanography. When they can do this, their ESP

vocabulary teaching and learning is considered to be effective.
For example, in Meteorology, Hydrology and Oceanography we have the phrase “spring
tide”. In normal English, “spring” refers to the first season in the year or the device that
can return to its original shape when pushed and released. However, in Meteorology,
Hydrology and Oceanography, “spring tide” is a tide that rises highest and falls lowest
from the mean sea level at any time of the year and in any season of the year. Another
example is that “mother-of-pearl cloud”. If we combine normal meanings of the three
words “mother-of-pearl”, we cannot understand this phrase because the whole phrase
means “luminous iridescent cloud at a high altitude that may be seen when the sun is a few
degrees below the horizon” which has no relation to “mother” or “pearl”.
To sum up, in Chapter 1, the theoretical background relevant to the research is presented.
Vocabulary issues are mentioned including vocabulary description, classification, its roles
in language teaching and learning, principles and common techniques used in teaching
vocabulary, brief review of ESP and linguistic features of vocabulary in Meteorology,
Hydrology and Oceanography.
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Chapter 2: AN OVERVIEW OF ENGLISH TEACHING AND LEARNING
CONTEXT AT COLLEGE OF NATURAL SCIENCES
It can be said that teachers, learners‟ background, learning environment and coursebooks
play a significant role in learners‟ success or failure in language learning generally and in
vocabulary learning in particular.
In this chapter, a brief overview on learners‟ profile, language proficiency and their
vocabulary learning methods as well as the teachers‟ methods of vocabulary teaching
methods at College of Natural Sciences will be thoroughly discussed.
2.5.The English teaching and learning situation at College of Natural Sciences
English teaching and learning at College of Natural Sciences has experienced a lot of
changes in recent years. These changes can be seen at coursebooks (Lifelines, New
Headway-2
nd

edition, New Headway-3
rd
edition), methodology (student-centred, credit-
based, communicative approach, on-going assessment). Some years ago, teachers mainly
concentrated on grammar and reading skills. However, listening and speaking have
recently gained more attention.
At that time, textbooks used for teaching General English (GE) were commercially
available. However, there were no books on subject matters in English which were suitable
to students. Due to this reason, most of the students found it difficult to read English
materials in their specific areas after having finished their GE courses at the college.
Then ESP was introduced and became a compulsory subject for all students. English was
taught in 5 semesters. The total time for GE was 229 periods and for ESP was 176 periods.
However, the curriculum and time allocation have been cut down. The students now study
GE in the first 3 semesters with the total time of 270 periods and ESP in the 4
th
semester
with the total time of 60 periods.
Within 15 weeks, each with 4 periods, the time allocation for ESP is limited while there are
a great number of subject matters in the specific field. Consequently, the students cannot
learn much but just come to understand basic terms and concepts in English. ESP teaching
and learning has become a more and more challenging task. All the teachers can do is to
help students acquire such skills as how to read specialized documents, how to summarize
texts, how to make basic translation.