Activities to increase a dult learners retention of vocabulary at yenbai centre of continuing education

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES
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PHẠM THỊ KIM THANH

ACTIVITIES TO INCREASE
ADULT LEARNERS’ RETENTION OF VOCABULARY
AT YEN BAI CENTRE OF CONTINUING EDUCATION
(Các hoạt động nhằm nâng cao khả năng lưu nhớ từ vựng cho học viên
lớn tuổi tại Trung tâm Giáo dục thường xuyên tỉnh Yên Bái)

M.A. Minor Programme Thesis

Field:

English Teaching Methodology

Code:

60 14 10

HA NOI – 2010


VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

-----  -----

PHẠM THỊ KIM THANH

ACTIVITIES TO INCREASE
ADULT LEARNERS’ RETENTION OF VOCABULARY
AT YEN BAI CENTRE OF CONTINUING EDUCATION
(Các hoạt động nhằm nâng cao khả năng lưu nhớ từ vựng cho học viên
lớn tuổi tại Trung tâm Giáo dục thường xuyên tỉnh Yên Bái)

M.A. Minor Programme Thesis

Field:

English Teaching Methodology

Code:

60 14 10

Supervisor: Trần Thanh Nhàn, MA.

HA NOI – 2010


iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Declaration ......................................................................................................................... i
Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... ii

Abstracts ..........................................................................................................................iii
Table of contents .............................................................................................................. iv
List of abbreviations ....................................................................................................... viii
List of tables .................................................................................................................... ix
PART I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 1
1. Rationale ....................................................................................................................... 1
2. Aims of the Study .......................................................................................................... 2
3. Research Hypotheses and Questions .............................................................................. 2
4. Scope of the Study......................................................................................................... 2
5. Methods of the Study .................................................................................................... 2
6. Design of the study ........................................................................................................ 3
PART II. DEVELOPMENT .......................................................................................... 4
CHAPTER 1. LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................ 4
1.1. Vocabulary in Foreign Language Acquisition ............................................................. 4
1.1.1. Definition of vocabulary ................................................................................. 4
1.1.2. Vocabulary: What needs to be taught?.............................................................. 5
1.1.2.1. Form: Pronunciation and Spelling ........................................................ 5


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1.1.2.2. Aspects of meaning ............................................................................ 5
1.1.2.3. Grammar ............................................................................................. 7
1.1.2.4. Word formation ................................................................................... 7
1.1.2.5. Collocation .......................................................................................... 8
1.1.3. The roles of vocabulary in Foreign Language Acquisition ................................ 8
1.2. Factors affecting the retention of vocabulary............................................................... 9
1.2.1. Memory ........................................................................................................... 9
1.2.2. Learning strategies ......................................................................................... 10
1.2.3. Learning context ............................................................................................ 11

1.2.4. Word-related factors ...................................................................................... 12
1.3. Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition Process ................................................... 13
1.3.1. Noticing ......................................................................................................... 14
1.3.2. Retrieval ........................................................................................................ 14
1.3.3. Generation ..................................................................................................... 15
1.4. Repetition and vocabulary retention ......................................................................... 15
1.4.1. Types of repetition ........................................................................................ 15
1.4.2. Spacing of repetition ..................................................................................... 17
1.4.3. Number of repetition ..................................................................................... 17
CHAPTER 2. METHODOLOGY ................................................................................ 19
2.1. The rationale for using action research ...................................................................... 19


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2.2. Procedures ................................................................................................................ 19
2.3. Participants ............................................................................................................... 20
2.4. The course book ...................................................................................................... 20
2.5. Data collecting instruments ....................................................................................... 21
2.6. The Intervention ....................................................................................................... 22
2.6.1. The intervention procedures .......................................................................... 22
2.6.2. The intervention activities ............................................................................ 23
CHAPTER 3. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ......................................................... 27
3.1. Results of the pretest and discussion ......................................................................... 27
3.2. Results of the posttests and discussion ...................................................................... 29
3.3. Comparison of scores of pretest and two posttests .................................................... 32
PART III. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................ 35
1. Conclusions ................................................................................................................ 35
2. Limitations of the study .............................................................................................. 36
3. Suggestions for further study ...................................................................................... 36

REFERENCES ............................................................................................................. 38
APPENDIX A. PRETEST .............................................................................................. I
APPENDIX B. POSTTEST 1 ........................................................................................ II
APPENDIX C. POSTTEST 2 ..................................................................................... III
APPENDIX D. KEYS FOR THE TESTS.................................................................... IV


vii

APPENDIX E. ASKING AND ANSWERING ABOUT TIME .................................... V
APPENDIX F. A DAY IN MY LIFE ........................................................................... VI
APPENDIX G. INTERVIEWING ............................................................................. VII
APPENDIX H. DESCRIBING THINGS IN A HOUSE ..........................................VIII
APPENDIX I. READING-BASED VOCABULARY ACTIVITY ............................. IX
APPENDIX J. FINDING THE LOCATION OF THINGS IN THE HOUSE ............. X