Using flashcards in teaching vocabulary in the grade 10th class at chuong my a high school

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
For the first part, I wish to thank various people for their contribution to
this paper.
First of all, I would like to express my deep gratitude to Ms. Cu Thi Thu
Thuy,

my

research

supervisor,

for

her

patient

guidance,

enthusiastic

encouragement and useful critiques of this research work. I would like to offer my
special thanks for her encouraging, reminding me to finish my research regularly.
If it had not been for her treasury helps, I could not have finished my study
properly. My grateful thanks are also extended to Ms. Tran Thi Hong Van – my
supervisor in my training at Chuong My A high school for her advice and
assistance in keeping my progress on schedule and assisting me in collecting data
for my paper.

Secondly, I am particularly grateful for the assistance given by students in
class10D1 and 10D2 and other English teachers at Chuong My A high school for
their simple but indispensable helps in my getting data for the study.
Finally, I wish to thank my family for their support and encouragement
throughout my study.
To complete this research, I would like to express my very great appreciation to
the ones who helped me for their valuable and constructive suggestions during the
planning and development of this research. Thank you for all!


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ABSTRACT
Vocabulary is central to English teaching and learning. These days, many
English have altered their teaching vocabulary methods. They are focusing more
on communicative approach instead of grammar or translation one. However, in
some areas, especially in the rural, students have still experienced the old teaching
methods which leads to the act that student feel bored with learning English. For
examples, as teaching and learning vocabulary reading and vocabulary, teacher
lists the words on the blackboard and translates into Vietnamese; students rewrite
on paper and then try to learn by heart. This method causes a situation where
students lack interest in learning vocabulary. Therefore, there is a need to enhance
students’ motivation in learning vocabulary.
Being aware of the importance vocabulary, the researcher chooses the topic
Using flashcards in teaching vocabulary in the grade 10 th class at Chuong My A
high school . With this topic, the researcher would like to examine the current
situation of teaching and learning vocabulary in at a high school and find out the
benefits of flashcards in teaching and learning vocabulary.

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
CLT: Communicative Language Teaching
SS: Students


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LIST OF FIGRUES
Figure 1a: Students’ opinion on the importance of vocabulary
Figure 1b: Teachers’ opinion on the importance of vocabulary
Figure 2a: Students’ purposes of learning vocabulary
Figure 2b: Students’ difficulties of learning vocabulary
Figure 2c: Teachers’ difficulties of teaching vocabulary
Figure 3a: Students’ opinion on time consumption in teaching vocabulary
Figure 3b: Teachers’ opinion on time consumption in teaching vocabulary
Figure 4: Aspects of vocabulary to be taught in a lesson
Figure 5: Teachers’ major current vocabulary teaching method
Figure 6: Frequency of using flashcards to teach vocabulary
Figure 7: Stages at which teachers use flashcards to teach vocabulary
Figure 8: Opinion of students and teachers on the effect of using flashcards to
teach vocabulary
Figure 9a: Benefits of using flashcards in teaching vocabulary perceived by
students
Figure 9b: Benefits of using flashcards in teaching vocabulary perceived by
teachers
Figure 10a: Difficulties of using flashcards in teaching vocabulary perceived by
students
Figure 10b: Difficulties of using flashcards in teaching vocabulary perceived by

teachers
Figure 11a: Students’ desire for using flashcards in teaching vocabulary
Figure 11b: Teachers’ desire for using flashcards in teaching vocabulary
Figure 12a: Results of the first post-class mini-test of 10D1 and 10D2
Figure 12b: Results of the second post-class mini-test of 10D1 and 10D2


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Figure 12c: Results of the third post-class mini-test of 10D1 and 10D2

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Statements of advantages of using flashcards to teach vocabulary (for
students)
Table 2: Statements of advantages of using flashcards to teach vocabulary (for
teachers)
Table 3: Statements of difficulties of using flashcards to teach vocabulary (for
students)
Table 4: Statements of difficulties of using flashcards to teach vocabulary (for
teachers)
Table 5: Results of post-class mini-tests of 10D1 in which flashcards are applied
Table 6: Results of post-class mini-tests of 10D2 in which flashcards are not
applied


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CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
Nowadays, English has become an international language all over the world. In

terms of teaching and learning English as the foreign language, vocabulary plays a
crucial role. Gover/Walter (1983:153) said “If language structures make up
skeleton of language, then it’s vocabulary that provides the vital organs of the
flesh”.
In most English classes in Vietnam, the traditional Grammar-Translation Method
is the most popular to teach vocabulary. In spite of many benefits, it cannot be
denied that it has revealed limitations in promoting students’ communicative
competence. Therefore, it is imperative that another method be found out to give
students many chances to improve their communication skill. There is no doubt
that using flashcards provides students with many benefits. Firstly, a flashcard
provides learners with all aspects of a new word: pronunciation, usage and
illustration by picture. Secondly, colorful pictures on flashcards makes students
feel excited and pay more attention to lessons. Moreover, it is convenient for
teachers to deliver flashcards because they are small and light. Finally, games
using flashcards create rather interesting environment in the classroom. However,
the application of flashcard still has some drawbacks. The first disadvantage of
this technique is that teachers sometimes find it difficult to choose suitable cards
for each topic. Furthermore, teachers are likely to spend more time and money in
preparing and making flashcards. Finally, in a large- size class, flashcards are too


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small when being shown for students who sit at the end of the class to see them
clearly.
All things considered, this study would focus on the applying of flashcards in
teaching vocabulary to the 10th form students in Chuong My A high school.

2. Aims of the study
This study research has the aims to:

1. Present the current situation of teaching and learning vocabulary in

English classes at Chuong My A high school.
2. Find out the effectiveness of using flashcard in teaching and learning

vocabulary in English classes at Chuong My A high school.
3. Provide some recommendations of using flashcard as suggestions for
teachers to teach vocabulary in English classes at Chuong My A high
school.
To achieve the goal of this research, the following research questions will be
sought:
1. What is the current situation of teaching and learning vocabulary in English

classe at Chuong My A high school?
2. What are the effectiveness and drawbacks of using flashcards in teaching

and learning vocabulary in English classes at Chuong My A high school?
3. Scope of the study
Due to the limited time as well as the limited scope of a graduation thesis, this
research is only paying attention to the use of flashcards in teaching English
vocabulary but not various kinds of visual aids. Also, the research was conducted
on limited subjects of the grade 10th students at Chuong My A high school.
4. Organizationof the study
The graduation thesis consists of five chapters, organized as follows:


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Chapter I- Introduction: mentions the background to the study and rationale to
conduct it, states the aims, scope, organization of the graduation thesis.

Chapter II- Literature Review: represents theoretical background knowledge of
vocabulary, flashcards, and reviews some related researches.
Chapter III- Methodology: states the subjects of the study, research instruments, as
well as data collection procedures employed to carry out this research.
Chapter IV- Findings and discussions: analyzes and discusses the results collected
from the classroom observation, survey questionnaire, interview and post-class
mini-test. Besides, the limitations of the study are introduced.
Chapter V- Conclusion: summarizes what have been discussed in the previous
parts, limitations of the thesis as well as provides some suggestions for further
research.


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CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW
II.1. Overview of vocabulary
II.1.1. Definition of vocabulary
“Vocabulary” is a term that is hard to definite exactly; therefore, there have been
numerous definitions of vocabulary. Firstly, according to The7th edition Oxford
Advanced Learners’ Dictionary, vocabulary is “ all the words that a person knows
or uses; all the words in a particular language; the words that people use when
they are talking about a particular subject; a list of words with their meanings,
especially in a book for learning a foreign language” (2010:1662). Secondary, in
terms of teaching and learning language, in A course in language teaching
(1996:60), Penny Ur defined vocabulary roughly “as the words we teach in the
foreign language. However, a new item of vocabulary may be more than a single
word: a compound of two or three words or multi-word idioms”. Thirdly, in
English- An Introduction to Language (1970:96), Pyles/Algeo also said “when
most of us think about language we think first about words. It is true that the
vocabulary is the focus of language. It is in words that sounds and meanings

interlock to allow us to communicate with one another, and it is in words that we
arrange together to make sentences, conversation and discourse of all kinds”.
Moreover, Wilkins (1972:111) shared this with his saying “without grammar, very
little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing conveyed”.
In conclusion, vocabulary is a group of words that links the integration with four
skills: listening, reading, writing, speaking; therefore, teachers need take
advantages of four skills for introducing vocabulary to students. As a result, this


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study discovers one of methods of teaching vocabulary combined other English
skills.

II.1.2. The importance of vocabulary
It is obvious that vocabulary is central to English language teaching. Wilkins
proved this in his statement “without grammar, very little can be conveyed,
without vocabulary nothing conveyed”. (Wilkins, D. A. (1972:111). It means that
if without learning vocabulary, students cannot understand and express their own
ideas. Furthermore, it is vocabulary that serves as an effective means of
communication. McCarthy shared this idea in his book Vocabulary (1990) “ No
matter how well the student learn grammar, no matter how successfully the sounds
of L2 are mastered, without words to express a wide range

of meanings,

communication in a L2 cannot happen in any meaning way”. Lewis (1993:89)
believed that with a metaphor “lexis is the core or heart of language”. It is pointed
out that even without grammar, with some useful words, speakers manage to
communicate.

To make it short, it is very important for students to learn vocabulary in order to
master English with their purposes. Hence, the teachers should take consideration
in teaching vocabulary in classroom and enhance the importance of vocabulary.
II.1.3. Types of vocabulary
1. According to Doff (1988:19), vocabulary is divided into:
- Active vocabulary: are words which students will need to understand and
-

also use themselves
Passive vocabulary: are “words which we want student to understand” (e.g.
when reading a text) but which they will not need to use themselves.

2. Fromkin (2011:11) pointed out that “in English”


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Open classes: are nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs that make the largest
part of vocabulary, because we can and regularly do add new words to

-

these classes.
Closed sets: are the other syntactic categories as personal pronouns (I, me,

mine, he, she, and it).
3. Nation (1990:4) classifies vocabulary into three groups: high frequency words,
low frequency words and specialized vocabulary.
- High frequency words: include words that most frequently appear in

-

communication and printed materials of different fields of life.
Low frequency words: consist of words that seldom appear in

-

communication but appear in particular field.
Specialized words: include industry-specific terms, acronyms and ordinary
words that are used with special meaning.

II.1.4. Aspects of vocabulary need to be taught
II.1.4.1. Pronunciation and spelling
According to Nation (2001), pronunciation and spelling is considered as spoken
form and written form respectively. Ur (1996:60) claimed that students perceive
these aspects when first encountering a new item and teachers should present
sound, stress and intonation of words accurately.
II.1.4.2. Grammar
Considering the relationship between lexis and grammar Raevska (1971) said that
grammar refers to the general facts of language and lexicology with special facts.
She emphasized that there are some linguistic facts on lexical level which are no
less general than those in grammar, especially word – building.
A change of form is unpredictable in grammatical contexts or idiosyncratic way
may be connected with other words in sentence; therefore, teachers should provide
students with this information as soon as teach the base form. For instance, when
teaching noun, it is important to introduce the exceptions of plural form of some
nouns: child-children, mouse-mice, foot-feet, tooth-teeth, etc. In terms of verb,


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teachers might explain the differences between transitive or intransitive verbs and
irregular past form of verbs. Furthermore, students need know how to choose the
correct prepositions following any verb or adjective (for example: apologize for,
interest in).
II.1.4.3. Collocation
A collocation is two or more words that often go together. These combinations just
sound "right" to native English speakers, who use them all the time. On the other
hand, other combinations may be unnatural and just sound "wrong". These
patterns or collocations, consist of pair of groups of words that co - occur with
very high frequency and are important in vocabulary learning.
There are several different types of collocation made from combinations of verb,
noun, adjective etc.
Adverb + past participle used adjectivally
We entered a richly decorated room.
adjective + noun
The doctor ordered him to take regular exercise.
noun + noun
The ceasefire agreement came into effect at 11am.
noun + verb
The bomb went off when he started the car engine.
verb + noun
The prisoner was hanged for committing murder.
verb + expression with preposition
We had to return home because we had run out of money.
verb + adverb


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Mary whispered softly in John's ear.

II.1.4.4. Meaning
II.1.4.4.1. Denotation
According to Ur (1996:61), “The meaning of a word is primarily what it refers to
in real word, its denotation; this is often the sort of definition that is given in a
dictionary”. For example, denotation of the word dog is a kind of animal; more
specifically, a common, domestic, carnivorous mammal.
II.1.4.4.2. Connotation
Ur (1996:61) defined connotation is a less obvious component of the meaning of
an item and the associations, the positive and negative feelings it evokes, which
may or may not be indicated in a dictionary definition. For example, the word dog
understood by the British people has positive connotation loyalty and friendship,
whereas most Arab countries, it has negative connotation of dirt and inferiority.
II.1.4.4.3. Appropriateness
A more subtle aspect of meaning that often needs to be taught is whether a
particular item is the appropriate one to use in a certain context or not. It is
important that students know that a certain word is common, or relatively rare; or
tends to use in writing or speech; or is more suitable for formal than informal
discourse. For instance, weep is a synonym of cry in denotation; however, it tends
to be used formally in speech and much less common.
II.1.4.4.4. Meaning relationship
In Ur (1996:61), there are some meaning relationships:
Synonym: a word or expression that has the same or nearly the same meaning as
another in the same language. For example, fertile, fruitful, abundant, are
synonyms of productive.


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Antonym: a word that means the opposite of another word; for example, ancient –
modern, attack – defend.
Hyponym: aword with a particular meaning that is included in the meaning of a
more general word. For instance, banana, strawberry, apple are hyponyms of
fruit.
Co-ordinates or co-hyponyms: other items that are the “same kind of thing”.
Banana, strawberry and apple are co ordinates or co-hyponyms.
Superordinate: a word, category or level with a more general meaning, greater
range or higher level than something else. Fruit is superordinate of banana,
strawberry, and apple.
Translation: words or expressions in learner’s mother tongue are changed much or
less equivalently in meaning to the items taught.
II.1.4.5. Word formation
Ruth Gains and Stuard Redman (1999) classified three main forms of word
building of word formation:
Affixation: the process of adding prefixes and suffixes to the base item.
Compounding: the formation of words from two or more separated words.
Conversion: process by which an item maybe used in different parts of
speech.
They also emphasized in Working with Words (1999:48): “Focus on word building
is likely to pay dividends for the learner both receptively and productively. With
receptive skills; an understanding of all three aspects of word building is essential
if the learner is to make informed guesses about the meaning of unknown items”.
Ur (1996) said that prefix and suffix help learners guessing the meanings of new
words. For example, prefix fore- means before; suffix -ion, -tion, -ation, -ition
means act or process. Furthermore, he offered that another way to make new
items of vocabulary: a single compound word, two separate, or sometimes
hyphenated words is combination of two nouns (weatherman, sunflower), or a
gerund and a noun (swimming pool), or a noun and a verb (rainfall, haircut).

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II.1.5. Approaches to teaching vocabulary
These days, teaching methods of foreign in general and of vocabulary in particular
have made many significant changes of the roles of teachers, teacher-students
interactive and student-student interactive. It is worth giving information of some
teaching vocabulary approaches. However, there are several general principles for
successful teaching vocabulary. According to Wallace (1988) the principles are:
- Aim – what is to be taught, which words, how many
- Need – target vocabulary should respond students’ real needs and interests
- Frequent exposure and repetition
-

Meaningful presentation – clear and unambiguous denotation or reference

should be assured
II.1.5.1. Grammar-Translation Approach:
In Rivers (1981:29), this approach “aims at inculcating an understanding of the
grammar of the language and training the students to write the new language
accurately by regular practice in translating from the native language”. New
vocabulary items with native-language equivalent are exposed through illustration
of grammatical rules and bilingual dictionaries were one of the most common
reference tools during the period of this methodology (Kelly, 1969). Advantages
of this approach to teaching vocabulary are easy to explain and useful to reinforce
grammatical knowledge; however, “one of the mains problems with GrammarTranslation was that it focused on the ability to analyze language, not ability to use
it” (Schmitt, N. 2000). Because this approach focuses too much on mastering
grammar and translation, learners lack competence of communicative vocabulary.
II.1.5.2. The Direct Method
According to Richards and Rogers (1986), in the end of nineteenth century, the

Direct Method was considered as the best-known “natural” method, benefited
from the debate that ensued during the Reform Movement. Its appearance is the


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answer to shortcomings of the Grammar-Translation Approach. Meanings are
conveyed through in target language and vocabulary of L2 is perceived naturally
in direct interactive. Pictures and illustrations are used to present concrete words;
only abstract words still introduced by traditional Grammar-Translation Method.
Thanks to the Direct Method, learners have great opportunities improve oral
communication and fluency of the L2 language in only target language exposure.
The German scholar F. Franke also shared this opinion “a language could best be
taught by using it actively in the classroom”. However, there are some drawbacks
in this method:
-

Not many teachers are enough creative to create their own teaching

-

materials.
It lacks sufficient attention of reading and writing skills.
It is not suitable in large classroom and public schools because of high cost.

II.1.5.3. Audio-lingual Method
Audio-Lingual Method is an oral-based approach. It drills students in the use of
grammatical sentence patterns and is very successful in improving students'
comprehension and fluency in speaking the target language. Here the vocabulary
content is maintained at dialogs– learning through imitation and repetition.

Therefore, Coady (1993:4) concluded “It was assumed that good language habits,
and exposure to the language its self, would eventually lead to an increased
vocabulary” (as cited in Schmitt 200:3).
I.1.5.4. Communicative Language Teaching Approach (CLT)
CLT is an approach that helps learners be more active in real life situation
through means of individual, pair and group work activities. It encourages learners
to practice the language they learn in meaningful ways as it requires them to take
part in a number of activities with different tasks. This helps to improve learners'
communicative competence. Newton (2001) refers to this approach as a way that


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can enable learners to manage their vocabulary meaning and develop their
communicative skills at the same time.
a.

Advantages of CLT

Teacher-Student relationship is interactive, harmonious rather than traditional
education, the kind of master-servant relationship. Communicative language
teaching encourages students to participate in lessons; the students became the
main characters and learn English as a pleasure. Richards (2006) mentioned that
CLT focuses on and aims at communicative competence; therefore, it enables the
learners to use the language in a communicative situation to satisfy their needs in
real-life communication.
b. Disadvantages of CLT

It is concluded from Krashen, Stephen D (1982) and Harmer, Jeremy (2001) that
CLT das some disadvantages. Firstly, grammar rules are not presented. Secondly,

correction of errors may be absent or infrequent because the students are expected
to interact primarily with each other rather than the teachers. Finally, it is difficult
for students with low level of proficiency in the target language to participate in
oral communicative activities.
II.2. Overview of flashcard
II.2.1. Definition of flashcard
According to Oxford Advanced learners’ Dictionary (1995:94), flashcard is a card
with the word or words and sometimes a picture down it.

Furthermore, in

Longman Dictionary (1985:107), in language teaching flashcards is a card with
words, sentence, or pictures. It is used as an aid or cue in a language lesson. It can
be concluded from these definitions that flashcards are cards with a word or
words, or a sentence, or a picture on it used to learn and memorize vocabulary.
Flashcards are divided into two types: picture flashcards and word flashcards.


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a. Picture flashcards: According to Wright & Haleem (1991:50), picture

flashcards are cards with pictures printed or drawn on having 15×20 cm.
They should be small enough for the users to easily handle and big enough
for the whole class to see clearly. The teachers can prepare them in free
time at home. Advantages of picture flashcards are the attractiveness and
colorfulness with details which blackboard pictures do not have. Picture
flashcards are useful for presenting, practicing and revising vocabulary of
previous lesson.

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b. Word flashcards: In Bowen (1982), word flashcards which are cards with

words printed on can be held up rapidly or “flash” by the teacher before the
class. A word flashcard is about 8cm high and 10cm wide; and its length
depends on the size of class. They are useful for representing words or
structure.


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II.2.2. Criteria of flashcard in teaching
In Using flash card to improve students’ understanding on present continuous
tense, Inayah. S stated three criteria of making flashcards.
- Flashcard held up before the class should be visible, large enough for all students
to see clearly details. Furthermore, size of flashcards is flexible depending on the
size of the class (Wahyuni and Yulaida, 2014).
- Picture flashcards need to convey messages which are related closely to the
purposes of the lesson to avoid make students confuse something.
- The way of using flashcards must be correctly.
Moreover, it is important for the teacher to check the copyright of materials before
they give to students.
II.2.3. Advantages and disadvantages of using flashcards
a. Advantages of flashcards

There are some advantages of flashcards as follow:
-Firstly, Wright (1976: 80) claimed:
+ Students will get clear understanding about the vocabulary material delivered by
the teacher when they cover pronunciation, usage and illustration by picture of a

word.
+Students will not feel bored when they are taught using flashcards thanks to the
colorfulness of pictures.


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-According to Inayah. S (2010) flashcards are easy for the teacher to deliver;
therefore, it is more convenient for them not to carry heavy books.
-According to Haycraft (1978: 102) and Cross (1991: 120) there are some
advantages of using flashcards in teaching language:
+ Flashcards can be used for consolidating vocabulary and taken almost
everywhere and every when.
+ Flashcards are eye-catching and effective for any level students.
+ It is flashcard that provides learners with the link between L1 and the target
language.
b. Disadvantages of flashcards

There are at least some disadvantages of flashcard offered by Wright (1976: 82).
- It is sometimes difficult for the teacher to find a suitable card for each topic that
is suitable with syllabus.
- Flashcards are not big enough for the students sitting in behind to see clearly.
Moreover, Inayah. S (2010) stated other disadvantages of flashcards:
-Flashcards are too expensive, and it takes teachers much time to make flashcards
by themselves.
-It is likely that some students misunderstand about teachers’ explanation when
they see flashcards, so the goal cannot be achieved.
In conclusion, flashcard is not only useful for representing vocabulary but also
attract students because of colorful pictures; however, the expensive prices,
limited size, off –topic cards are drawbacks of this teaching aid. Hence, it is

advisable for the teacher take consideration in the topic of lesson and the size of
class to decide how to use flashcard properly.
II.3. Overview of using flashcard in teaching vocabulary
In Vocabulary learning: A critical analysis of techniques, Oxford and Crokall
claimed that using flashcards self-test vocabulary knowledge is a popular with


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students in L2 learning strategies. It is a fact that learners can take advantage of
the availability of this learning technique in both traditionally taught languages
such as France, Spanish and ESL and less common ones like Russian. They said
“With creativity and thought on the part of the learner, flashcards can indeed be
employed to provide greater context”.
For example, firstly, students can divide flashcards into different groups of words
such as part of speech; words that are already learned vs. words still needing to be
learned; past tense forms vs. present tense forms. Secondly, learners might be
provided visual contexts by taping to flashcards to pictures of particular objects
signified by the words on the cards. Furthermore, learners can create a kind of
semantic map by arranging flashcards on the floor with related words closer
together and unrelated words further apart. Finally, flashcards give students
opportunities to add context by writing the new word sin complete, meaningful
sentences on the cards.

In Improving Students’ Vocabulary Mastery Using Flashcards (Yosephus Setyo
Nugroho*, Joko Nurkamto, Hefy Sulistyowati), flashcards make students more
familiar with certain words and memorize them more easily because they can see,
read and touch the object and raise their motivation and interest in teachinglearning process.
They also gave some suggestions for teachers and students about using flashcards.
Firstly, the teacher needs to identify the students’ behavior first before presenting

the lesson; use interesting technique and media, such as flashcards as well as
develop a good atmosphere in the class. Secondly, the students should encourage
themselves to learn more, to ask more, and to know more.


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The Effect of Using Vocabulary Flash Card on Iranian Pre -University Students’
Vocabulary Knowledge. (Mohammadreza Khodareza Ph.D. in TEFL, Islamic
Azad University-Tonekabon Branch, Iran) gives conclusion of effects of using
flashcards to teach vocabulary.
It was concluded that students’ vocabulary knowledge led to a higher level of
vocabulary improvement by using flashcards in teaching vocabulary. Using
flashcards facilitates their involvement in the class work by sharing answers,
trying to participate, paying attention, giving the examples, encouraging to take
part in the lessons, participating as volunteers. Therefore, consequently, the
researcher can claim that vocabulary flashcard is a useful way of enhancing
vocabulary learning and can play an important role in teaching and learning
vocabulary to Iranian pre-university students.
In addition, the result of this study indicated that there was significant difference
in the efficiency of flashcard compared to traditional method. The researcher gave
four reasons to confirm that learning vocabulary through flash card would lead to
better learning than traditional method. Firstly, students can review difficult words
more frequently than easy ones by separating cards into several categories base on
their difficulty level. Secondly, learners are presented with a second language
word and its definition on the other side of card; therefore, they can easily practice
new words and recall their meanings in as much as the words appear on two
different sides of the cards. Thirdly, learning words through traditional method
causes rote learning. Finally, in traditional method, some words may receive less
attention than others because of their particular positions in the class.

Nevertheless, there is not such a problem with the application of flashcard because
they tend to be more flexible.

In Teaching Vocabulary Using Flashcards And Wordlist (A Quasi-Experimental
Study of Fifth Graders at One Public Elementary School in Binjai Universitas


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Pendidikan Indonesia, 2013), Elsa Yusrika Sitompul showed that students’
vocabulary mastery improved after they were taught by flashcards and wordlist.
The students in experimental group admitted that they could memorize the words
easily, be more motivated to learning English and understand vocabulary easily.
Moreover, it is recommended to use flashcards as a strategy to teach vocabulary to
young learners.

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY


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In this chapter, the researcher discusses the methodology used to study the use of
flashcards to teach the grade 10th students at Chuong My A high school. There are
three main parts: the subjects, data collection instruments and data collection
procedures.
III.1. Subjects of the study
III.1.1. The teachers
There are 10 English teachers at Chuong My A high school. It is an advantage that
nearly half of these teachers have taught English for over 6 years, they have a
chance to experience both old and new teaching English methods. Hence, it is

hoped that they can clearly see the effect of each on their learners. The rest of
those teachers are young teachers with over four years of teaching English.
III.1.2. The students
In this study, there are total 95 students in two non-English major classes: 10 D1
and 10 D2. All of them have studied English for 7 years. Some of them are good at
English. Others are of an average level. According to their teachers, the level of
proficiency of students is pre-intermediate.
III.2. Research instruments employed
III.2.1.Observation
III.2.1.1. The reasons of choosing classroom observation
A key advantage of conducting observations is that the researcher can witness
what teacher and students actually do, rather than what they say they do.
Observations can be made in real life situations, allowing the researcher to access
to the context and meaning so real-life data is collected.
III.2.1.2. Description of classroom observation
The researcher will observe 6 lessons in two classes: three lessons in 10 D1 and
three lessons in 10 D2. Firstly, the researcher will attend three lessons in 10 D1 of