Developing supplementary vocabulary activities to enhance vocabulary retention for tenth grade students at a high school in Bac Ninh province

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL
STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES
-----O0O-----

QUẢN THỊ MINH NGUYỆT

DEVELOPING SUPPLEMENTARY VOCABULARY ACTIVITIES
TO ENHANCE VOCABULARY RETENTION FOR TENTH GRADE
STUDENTS
AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN BAC NINH PROVINCE.

Phát triển các hoạt động bổ trợ học từ vựng để cải thiện vốn từ vựng
của học sinh lớp 10 tại một trường THPT Bắc Ninh

M.A. MINOR PROGRAM THESIS

Field

: English Teaching Methodology

Code

: 8140231.01

Supervisor

: Dr. Vu Thi Thanh Nha

Hanoi 2019

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DECLARATION
I hereby certify the thesis entitled “Developing supplementary vocabulary
activities to enhance vocabulary retention for tenth grade students at a high
school in Bac Ninh province.” as my own work in the fulfillment of the
requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts at the University of Languages and
International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

Bac Ninh, 2019
Student‟s signature

Quan Thi Minh Nguyet

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

For the very beginning part, I wish to give a bunch of thank to a number of
people for their contribution to my paper.
First of all, I would like to express my deep gratitude to Dr. Vu Thi Thanh
Nha, my research supervisor, for her patient guidance, and enthusiastic
encouragement for this research work. Thanks for her comprehensive instruction, I
could broaden my knowledge about the research field. Had not been for her helps, I
could not have finished my study properly.
Secondly, my grateful thanks are also extended to Ms. Le Thi Lien – my
supervisor in my training at Thuan Thanh 3 high school for her assistance in

keeping my progress on schedule and supporting me in collecting data for my
paper.
Finally, I wish to thank my family for their support and encouragement
throughout my study.

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ABSTRACT

It can be understood that vocabulary is a key point in learning English. As a
teacher of English for high school students, I am highly aware of vocabulary
acquisition function for my students. They are from rural district with quite low
level of English. In addition, they have obstacles with words when they are learning
English because of lacking vocabulary. Therefore, they could face with a number
of difficulties learning vocabulary effectively. As a teacher, I want to find out a
solution to this problem in my class. It results a need for more supplementary
activities to enhance students‟ vocabulary retention.
Aiming to achieve my goals, I prefer action research with helps me in
finding out the effectiveness of supplementary activities on my students, and their
attitudes towards those activities. That using digital flashcards and paper flashcards
is expected to support students‟ vocabulary retention. Observation and
questionnaire are research tools which help me to carry out my study. Due to the
limitattion of the study, the participants includes 45 students in the practitioner‟s
class, quite a small number. After an eight-week study, the practitioner gets some
positive feedback of the students, and the students‟ output is a little better; their
desire to the adjustment is an encouragement. By applying some supplementary
activities to enhance students‟ vocabulary retention, she hopes to help and suggest
some effective vocabulary learning and teaching activities. Therefore, she does
expect that her findings would be the hints for further investigation in vocabulary

retention as well. Although the study time is not quite long, she would carefully
review and think of later study.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION ........................................................................................................ i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................... iii
ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................. iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................... v
LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES .................................................................... viii
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................ 1
1.1 Rationale of the study ......................................................................................... 1
1.2. Aims of the study ................................................................................................. 2
1.3 Scope of the study ................................................................................................. 2
1.4 Methodology ......................................................................................................... 2
1.5 Organization of the thesis...................................................................................... 3
CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ........................................................ 4
2.1 Concepts of vocabulary....................................................................................... 5
2.1.1 Definition of vocabulary .................................................................................... 5
2.1.2 Classification of vocabulary............................................................................... 7
2.1.2.1 Vocabulary classification according to frequency of use ............................... 7
2.1.2.2. Vocabulary classification according to meaning ........................................... 8
2.1.3 Aspect of vocabulary to be taught in class ......................................................... 9
2.1.3.1. Pronunciation and spelling ............................................................................. 9
2.1.3.2. Word formation ............................................................................................ 10
2.1.3.3. Grammar ...................................................................................................... 10
2.1.3.4 Collocation .................................................................................................... 11
2.2 The role of vocabulary in language teaching and learning ........................... 12

2.3 Currently techniques in vocabulary teaching ................................................ 13
2.3.1 Visual techniques ............................................................................................. 14
2.3.2 Verbal techniques ............................................................................................. 14
2.3.3 Translation........................................................................................................ 15
2.3.4 The use of dictionary........................................................................................ 15

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2.4 Quizlet and flashcard as new vocabulary teaching and learning tools ........ 16
2.4.1 Quizlet .............................................................................................................. 16
2.4.2 Flashcard .......................................................................................................... 16
2.5 Memorizing vocabulary .................................................................................... 18
2.5.1 Vocabulary retention ........................................................................................ 18
2.5.2 Types of memories ........................................................................................... 19
2.6 Related studies ................................................................................................... 19
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ...................................................................... 23
3.1 The methodology ............................................................................................... 23
3.1.1. Reason to choose action research .................................................................... 23
3.1.2 Phases of action research ................................................................................. 24
3.2. Participants of the study .................................................................................. 26
3.2.1. The students .................................................................................................... 26
3.2.2 The textbooks ................................................................................................... 26
3.3 Data collection instruments .............................................................................. 29
3.3.1. Observation ..................................................................................................... 29
3.3.2 Questionnaire ................................................................................................... 30
3.4. Procedures of the research study .................................................................... 31
3.4.1 Plan: Planning the action .................................................................................. 31
3.4.2 Act: Putting the plan into action ...................................................................... 31
3.4.3 Observe: Observing the results of the plan ...................................................... 32

3.4.3.1 Observation: .................................................................................................. 32
3.4.3.2 Questionnaire ................................................................................................ 32
3.4.4 Reflect: Reflecting and planning for further action ......................................... 33
3.5 Summary ............................................................................................................ 33
CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS .............................................. 35
4.1. Current difficulties that students might face in their vocabulary
retention ................................................................................................... 35
4.1.1 Difficulties that students might face ................................................................ 35
4.1.2 Aspects of vocabulary to be taught .................................................................. 36
4.1.3 The most frequently used techniques to teach vocabulary .............................. 37

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4.2 Supplementary activities to enhance students’ vocabulary retention and
their attitude ............................................................................................................ 38
4.2.1 Supplementary activities to enhance students‟ vocabulary retention .............. 38
4.2.1.1 The first cycle: applying paper flashcards .................................................... 38
4.2.1.2 The second cycle: applying digital flashcards .............................................. 40
4.2.2 Students‟ attitude toward supplementary activities ......................................... 42
4.2.2.1 Frequency of using supplementary activities prior to the study ................... 42
4.2.2.2 Opinion of students on the effect of using DFs and PFs to teach
vocabulary ................................................................................................. 43
4.2.2.3 Benefits of using supplementary activities in teaching vocabulary perceived
by students ................................................................................................................. 44
4.2.2.4 Difficulties of using supplementary activities to teach vocabulary perceived
by students ................................................................................................................. 46
4.2.2.5 The desire for using supplementary activities in vocabulary acquisition ..... 48
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION .............................................................................. 49
5.1. Summary of the findings ................................................................................. 49

5.2 Some suggestions for using flashcards and Quizlet to teach vocabulary ..... 50
5.2.1 For the teachers ................................................................................................ 50
5.2.2. For the students ............................................................................................... 51
5.3. Limitation of the study..................................................................................... 51
5.4. Suggestions for further research .................................................................... 52
REFERENCES ........................................................................................................ 54
APPENDICES ........................................................................................................... I
APPENDIX 1: LESSON PLAN ............................................................................... I
APPENDIX 2: LESSON PLAN ............................................................................. III
APPENDIX 3 ............................................................................................................ V
SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE ................................................................................ V
PHIẾU CÂU HỎI KHẢO SÁT..............................................................................IX
APPENDIX 4: ........................................................................................................ XII
APPENDIX 5: ....................................................................................................... XIII

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LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Action Research Spiral ..............................................................................24
Figure 2: Detailed Action Research Model ...............................................................25
Figure 3: Students' difficulties in learning vocabulary .............................................35
Figure 4: Aspects of vocabulary to be taught in a lesson..........................................36
Figure 5: Teachers‟ major current vocabulary teaching methods .............................37
Figure 6: Frequency of using supplementary activities to teach vocabulary ............42
Figure 7: Opinion of students on the effect of using supplementary activities to
teach vocabulary........................................................................................................43
Figure 8: Benefits of using supplementary activities in teaching vocabulary

perceived by students ................................................................................................44
Figure 9: Difficulties of using supplementary activities to teach vocabulary
perceived by students ................................................................................................46
Figure 10: The desire for using supplementary activities in teaching vocabulary ...48

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Benefits of using supplementary activities to enhance students‟ vocabulary
as students‟ perception ..............................................................................................44
Table 2: Difficulties of using supplementary activities to enhance students‟
vocabulary as students‟ perception ...........................................................................46

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CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Rationale of the study
Mastering vocabulary plays an important role in learning a foreign language. It is
because vocabulary carries content which constitutes a language itself. Each word
has its own notion, so having good vocabulary helps the learners understand well
what they read and heard. The larger amount of vocabulary the learners acquire, the
easier it takes to master language. When we have command of a language, it meant
that we are able to manage vocabulary.
It might be difficult for high school students, when they are at a beginning level,
they might face difficulties with vocabulary learning. It is obvious that if they have
good vocabulary, they will use language more proficiently. . In addition, their test
requires definite range of vocabulary to pass. It is easy to understand that
vocabulary needed for high school student is not very much, but there is a number
of learners who can not find the way to master.
It is obvious that vocabulary plays a very important role for learners of any
language not English only, but learning vocabulary has not been paid attention

enough yet. Without vocabulary, language users can still communicate by other
nonverbal means, but in tests they can not. In writing, vocabulary is a must for
users. That is the reason learners should master vocabulary well. Some students
learn by heart words when they are being marked on the following lesson, in other
way, they still have not found out the importance of vocabulary in language
learning. When we do not have any course for vocabulary separately, mastering
vocabulary depends on individual‟s perception. There are some students event do
not understand basic words leading to be almost illiteracy. Joining English test, they
choose the answer randomly without any responsibilities for their answer. In
addition, there is no extra activity for vocabulary mastering. With the aim to
enhance vocabulary retention for students in some extension, a new study on which
integrates some activities after class will be conducted.
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1.2. Aims of the study
This study research aimed to enhance the students‟ vocabulary retention through
supplementary activities.
To achieve the objectives, the study answered the following research questions:
1) What challenges did the students have in learning vocabulary?
2) To what extent can supplementary vocabulary activities enhance the
students’ vocabulary retention?
3) What are the students’ opinion towards those activities?

1.3 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 supplementary activities in teaching
English vocabulary but not various kinds of teaching activities. Also, the research
was conducted on limited subjects of the grade 10th students at a high school in Bac
Ninh province.

As teaching for few weeks, the researcher found out the problems in vocabulary
retention of students, she thought of any solutions to this problem. As soon as she
figured out some supplementary activities which she thought they could help
improve her students‟ vocabulary retention, she decided to choose action research
method. It was helpful in this case because she could try the activities on her
familiar participants. She designed two cycles referring to two activities to improve
students‟ vocabulary retention. After each cycle, she had review on the result, which
might favorable in students‟ learning output.
1.4 Methodology
Aiming to deal with the current problem with students‟ vocabulary retention, the
practitioner selected action research because she could make a test to apply other
activities to affect the current class situation. In addition, she is the researcher who
understands the problem and the participants the most.
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The participants of the study are students at class she is currently teaching, which is
quite familiar with the researcher, since she clearly knows their characteristics of
vocabulary acquisition. In order to achieve the targets of the study, she preferred
questionnaire and observation as a tool. The data from survey as well as her
observation are expected to answer for her research question.
1.5 Organization of the thesis
The graduation thesis minor consists of five chapters, organized as follows:
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, current teaching vocabulary method and some new teaching method,
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. 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: REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Vocabulary is known to play an important role in English learners to have a
fluent use. Enriching vocabulary in their English acquisition is quite essential to use
English effectively. But for vocabulary, language learners would not be able to
communicate fluently because it helps carry all the content that language users
need. All English language activities require the support of vocabulary. You
probably will not be able to write or read academic English with narrow vocabulary
resources. Consequently, an appropriate vocabulary learning method will help you
with better understand the meaning of words or phrases in English, leading to
effective English learning output.
Regarding teaching vocabulary method, some authors made a suggestion
which involves quite a number of concerning. Sokmen (1991) recommended a
mixed approach to teaching aiming to combine different styles of learning. Her
principle is based on the learner‟s independence, which means teachers will show
variety of methods and then students will choose one. It means making decision is
for students. They have a chance to select what is suitable for them. She also
emphasizes the importance of reading in vocabulary teaching. Reading, especially
in academic context, will bring students a source of vocabulary.
Although dictionaries use is so omnipresent, Scholfield (1980) suggests it as
a useful way to learn vocabulary, working on a language by language basis. Despite

its effectiveness, using dictionaries well should take time. Scholfield also gives
some exercises at the beginning and then use dictionaries for effective output
learning.
In addition, Hwang and Nation (1989) found the effect on reading newspaper
stories on the same topic. The stories relating to topic are more helpful to encourage
retrieval than unrelated topic. When students face the words they learnt before, they
will have a chance to revise it. The repetition should be twice or three times a week.

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In addition to the above-mentioned discussion, in this chapter, aspect of vocabulary,
concept of vocabulary as well as vocabulary classification will be discussed in more
detail.
2.1 Concepts of vocabulary
2.1.1 Definition of vocabulary
There are quite a number of definitions of vocabulary in the world. Different
definitions may be given for the term vocabulary regarding different viewpoints.
However one of the most general definitions of vocabulary is as the knowledge of
words and word meanings. Or someone else may define vocabulary as a list of
words arranged in alphabetical order with their definitions which explain how the
words are used. Vocabulary basically defined as the knowledge of word and its
meaning. However, in reality it is more complex to clearly understand vocabulary in
reality than its theory.
Learning a language entails learning numerous of aspects about language, involving
lexicology and its pronunciation, syntax, writing system, discourse…, but of the
most importance is vocabulary aspect, said Folse (2004). It means that when you
learn any language in the world, the first most essential aspect you should pay
attention to is its vocabulary. In fact, there are many definitions of the theory of
vocabulary, and every linguist has a vocabulary definition of his own.

Nation (2001) emphasizes that when we know a new word; it means that we know
more than its meaning, its formation, and its basic use. The relationship between
vocabulary knowledge and language use is defined as complementary; that is
knowledge of vocabulary enables language use and, conversely, language use helps
improve vocabulary knowledge. To be broader understanding, vocabulary is like a
key leading us to master a foreign language generally. When people think of any
language, the first thing coming to their mind is the vocabulary. This shows how

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vocabulary plays an important role in the way language is formed, said Pyles and
Algeo (1970).
It is true when we would like to make a sentence, or want to convey a meaning we
have to use words which build the sentence. When you study a language, the first
thing you pay attention is its vocabulary, which represent the meaning of any notion
in that language. Vocabulary learning has been considered as an integral and
significant area of language teaching as Casco (2011:31) also mentions “words are
the basic building blocks of language, the units of meaning from which larger
structures such as sentences, paragraphs and whole texts are formed”, which clearly
reveal the importance of vocabulary in language learning as well.
It is the fact that there is an essential element of foreign language learning is the
amount of vocabulary one possesses, as vocabulary forms the biggest part of the
meaning of any language (McCarthy, 1988); the larger amount of language
vocabulary a user possesses, the easier he can master that language. A word, in most
linguistic analyses, is described as a set of properties, or features that it carries into
practice, including its meaning, collocation, grammatical interaction, written form,
spoken form (pronunciation) and frequency. To master a word is not only to learn
its meaning but also to learn other aspects of vocabulary. All these properties are
called word knowledge.

Schmitt (2000) emphasizes that “lexical knowledge is central to communicative
competence and to the acquisition of a second language” p. 55. Vocabulary
knowledge is normally considered as an indispensable part for second language
learners because a limited vocabulary in a second language hampers successful
communication. The dictionary meaning of a word is the basic meaning. However,
a word can have extra meanings in different texts. In addition, there are some
associations between words. Words can not only come in oral form as those we can
see in listening and speaking skill but also in writing form such as those words that
we recognize and use in reading and writing skill.
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Furthermore there are two forms, receptive and productive that we can understand
of word knowledge. Receptive vocabulary includes words that we recognize when
we hear or see them. Productive vocabulary includes words that we use when we
speak or write. Receptive vocabulary is typically larger than productive vocabulary,
and may include many words to which we assign some meaning, even if we do not
know their full definitions and connotations – or ever use them ourselves as we
speak and write (Kamil & Hiebert) (2005).
2.1.2 Classification of vocabulary
Vocabulary is categorized based on different criteria such as frequency of use,
meaning, and other criteria.
2.1.2.1 Vocabulary classification according to frequency of use
According to Nation (2001), there are four kinds of vocabulary in written language.
They are: high-frequency words, specialized words, and low-frequency words. It
means that high repetition words are basic and common words, so people can easily
understand the content. He also states that high-frequency words include content
words which mean words carry content. It contains about 2000 word families as
Nation and Hwang (1995) present. The high-frequency words of English are
considered as the best selection for foreign language learners who want to master

language academically, including nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. Therefore,
when learning and teaching vocabulary, high-frequency words should be paid
special attention. Teachers and learners should carry under the direct of learning,
direct of teaching, incidental learning and its collocation. In brief, high-frequency
words are quite of importance that helps learners to basically use any language both
in written and spoken language.
The second type is specialized word, including technical words. Nation (2001:17)
also states that “Special vocabularies are made by systematically restricting the
range of topics or language uses investigated”. Therefore, it is possible for users to

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acquire vocabulary and understand vocabulary in some factors such as economic
reports, magazine, education and etc…Academic words are not technical one but is
also considered sub-technical words because they include neither technical words
nor formal words. In technical words, there are some words only occur in specific
area, for instance; the word “cost”, “supplier” in economic field.
In terms of frequency of word use, there is another type – low-frequency word. Also
according to Nation (2001), the relationship between low-frequency word and highfrequency word is quite arbitrary. This is quite of importance for language user to
remember that the boundaries on which we classify sometimes is arbitrary. We can
also interpret that low-frequency words are words that may not be familiar with
almost every foreign language learner. Low-frequency words contain proper names
which are not popular to every user, and they often appear in some kinds of text
such as novels, newspaper…
It is such an amazing thing that some proper nouns like character name, name of
places… are like technical words because they are high- frequency in that kind of
text, but not in another one. As such, the readers do not need to study the name of
character in novel. However, the classification is quite arbitrary because some
words belong to low-frequency for beginners but high-frequency ones for advance

learners. Therefore, learners should focus on improving their vocabulary every day
so that they can use the language in many situations.
2.1.2.2. Vocabulary classification according to meaning
In terms of meaning, vocabulary can be divided into two types: notional words and
functional words. Notional words are words which clearly convey a meaning. They
can perform nominative function, and can stand alone with complete meaning. In
other words, some items including prefixes or suffixes can be added into notional
words to extend the meaning. For example, we have the word lonely-loneliness,
care-careless…

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Actually we can see these words under the form of subjects, verbs, adverbs and
adjectives in the sentence which can stand independently. Regarding of meaning
classification, functional words in language can be preposition, articles,
conjunctions, and particle. They can not stand alone to convey a complete
nominative force as the notional ones can.
2.1.3 Aspect of vocabulary to be taught in class
According to Ur (1996), when a new word is going to be introduced to the learners,
such types of word aspects must be focused on: its pronunciation and spelling, word
form, grammar, and collocation. It means that all the aspects of the word will help
learners to have clear knowledge of that word. For example, when a teacher
explains a new word with its collocation in class, the student will be able to apply
that word or its phrase with the same context later.
Nu (2004) also shares the same opinion that knowing a word means knowing some
aspects of words such as its pronunciation and spelling, grammar, its collocation
and word formation. In his writing, Nation (2001) stated that knowing a word
referring to some aspects including word parts, grammartical functions, connecting
form and meaning, and collocations. It can be understood that knowing a word

should go with its collocation resulting the effective output for students. They will
understand the cases that phrase suits with and will apply better the following time.
2.1.3.1. Pronunciation and spelling
Bosch (1997:12) said that “learning to pronounce written words means learning the
intricate relations between a language‟s writing system and its speech sounds”. In
other words, it mentions the relationship between the written words and the sound
system, and how the word is pronounced based on its symbol.

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2.1.3.2. Word formation
Word formation refers to the ways in which new words are made on the basis of
other words or morphemes. It is also called derivational morphology. Most English
vocabulary come by adding some affixes to its roots, altering their word class, or
combining into compound words. For instance: connect- disconnect, bark (V)-bark
(N), or bread-winner…
Therefore, when teaching in the classroom, teachers should provide the learners the
word knowledge such as word formation to help students have broader views of
vocabulary, which is easy to remember and apply it later. We can compare and
introduce the new word by adding prefix to the students at the same time if possible.
2.1.3.3. Grammar
Grammar lays the base for effective communication, so improper grammar could
have impact on the meaning and clarity of an intended message. Grammar makes
writing more readable and more interesting. Grammar constitutes the system of a
language. It is sometimes described as the "rules" of a language, but actually no
language in the world has its rules. There are always exceptions in language use. If
we use the word "rules", we suggest that somebody created the rules first and then
spoke the language, like set up a new game. But languages did not start like that. It
means that an article with many grammatical errors will make the readers feel a

little discomfort, as well as an incomplete statement or use of the wrong word
choice will also annoy listeners. Languages started by people making sounds which
evolved into words, phrases and sentences. There is no common rule for language is
fixed. All languages change over time. Therefore, grammar is of important in
language use. Grammar skills are useful in every aspect of life from education to
leadership, and social life to employment opportunities.
They are equally important at home where children learn their grammatical patterns
from their parents and family. What we call "grammar" is simply a reflection of a

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language at a particular time, or around the spoken time. In addition, grammar adds
meanings that are not easily inferable from the immediate context. We should
acknowledge that as important as it is to develop our understanding of the
grammatical facts of the language we are teaching.
What we do hope to do is to have students be able to use grammatical structures
accurately, meaningfully, and appropriately. In other words, grammar teaching is
not so much knowledge transmission as it is skill development. In fact, it is better to
think of teaching "grammaring" (Larsen-Freeman: 1997, 2001). Briefly, grammar
rules are likewise essential in everyday life for clarity of meaning.
2.1.3.4 Collocation
Collocation is used in spoken and written language to make the passage more fluent
and natural. A collocation is made up of two or more words that are commonly used
together in English. Collocation is also another aspect that should be known about a
new item, which is intended to be taught.
Taylor (1990) says that collocation means knowing the function associated with the
word and also knowing the association between that word and other words in the
language. It shows the relationship between words. There are different kinds of
collocations in English. Strong collocations are word pairings that are expected to

come together. In English, there are some collocations we can guess the meaning
from its components for example: make a bed, have a dinner…Besides; some of the
most common collocations involve verb and noun collocations used in everyday
situations such as: make progress, prepare report, make a wish…
In some exercise in English exam which students must sit on, if they have
knowledge of collocation, they can do it well. Therefore, it is better if the teachers
provide the knowledge for learners through lessons.

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2.2 The role of vocabulary in language teaching and learning
In spite of its prominence in language learning, vocabulary has been undervalued in
the past 50 years of ELT history (Carter & McCarthy, 1988; Seal, 1991;
Zimmerman, 1997a; O‟dell, 1997). The role of vocabulary is typically considered in
terms of the classic ELT methodologies and the theories of reading models.
Vocabulary, as one of the knowledge areas in language, plays an essential role for
learners in acquiring a language (Cameron, 2001).
Vocabulary generally plays an important part that shapes your ability to use foreign
languages. One of the factors that can help you to use a foreign language, especially
English is the vocabulary. You may not be interested in the grammar of English, but
you can not ignore the vocabulary because the vocabulary is one that will help you
express your thoughts, and feelings.
People can use non-verbal language when they meet and communicate to their
partners, but sometimes they do not work as expected. For example, when you want
to express your thoughts and concerns, body language can not perfectly perform. It
is not by chance that almost every linguist admits the importance of vocabulary as
well. For instance, Krashen (1989) states that most of the meaning in language is
conveyed by words, and lack of vocabulary is the greatest obstacle for
communication. Without grammar, very little information can be transpired; no

vocabulary, no information can be communicated. It makes sense in learning a
foreign language, vocabulary can be considered as small cells that make up the
ability to use the language of learners. Vocabulary plays an important role in
foreign language learning, both in the first language and second language.
There are quite number of linguist as well as writers concerning about vocabulary
role or its importance regarding practical language. Several linguists and
investigators in learning foreign language mentioned that vocabulary learning and
foreign language learning have a strong relationship to each other (Qian & Schedl

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2004). In addition, vocabulary has impact on language using. Researchers such as
Laufer and Nation (1999), Gu (2003) and others have realized that the acquisition of
vocabulary is essential for successful second language use and plays a vital role in
the formation of complete spoken and written texts.
In English as a second language (ESL) and English as a foreign language (EFL)
learning vocabulary items takes a vital part in all language skills including listening,
speaking, reading, and writing. Moreover, there is an argument that the acquisition
of an adequate vocabulary is essential for successful second language use. It is
impossible to use the structures and functions we may have learned for
comprehensible communication without an extensive vocabulary.
2.3 Currently techniques in vocabulary teaching
From the facts, Allen (1993:3) reveals that "many teachers assume that vocabulary
can be developed in teaching learning process." However, the students actually face
some problems to find out the meaning of words. The problem might be due to the
lack of understanding of words, and ability to interpret from given text into
communication meaning. Sometimes it is because students‟ lack of opportunities to
meet the words, which result in low frequency word to them. It is teachers‟ duty that
helps students improve the ability of understanding and using vocabulary in specific

context. Generally, there are several techniques regarding the vocabulary teaching.
However, there are a few things that should be remembered by the most English
teachers if they want to present a new vocabulary or the lexical items to their
students.
It is obvious that the English teachers want students to remember new vocabulary
and master it in quite appropriate context. Therefore, it is supposed that students
have to learn, practice, and revise to avoid from forgetting. In this paper, there are
some popular teaching vocabulary techniques to be mentioned including visual
techniques, verbal techniques and translation.

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2.3.1 Visual techniques
Regarding the visual techniques, Gairns and Redman (1980) as cited by Marla, et al
(1999:12) says that "there are there form visual techniques; “relia, pictures, and
mime or gestures.” Relia means using a variety of real-object brought by the
students in the classroom. Picture means the images of new words in reality that
teachers tend to teach in class. For instance, some objects like table, apple, pen…
should be better to be applied this technique in presenting.
Therefore, if students can join in preparation for lessons at home, they tend to be
more willing and eager to join the lesson. That helps to promote students interaction
and motivation for class. For example, at junior high school level, concerning to
food and drink topic, if a student is appointed to bring a kind of food then present
about his or her favorite food; that will be much more interesting than teachers‟
presentation. It is under teachers‟ introduction obviously. The usage of mimes in
teaching new words is also considered of great value, especially with actions such
as jumping, running, writing and smoking. Referring to ideas mentioned above,
Klippel (1994:115) implies that "mime or gesture is useful if it emphasizes the
importance of gestures and facial expression on communication. That body

language or facial expression is applied appropriately will warm the class
atmosphere. Instead of reading and understanding the word meaning from textbook
only, students can join extra activities that help them remember new word in reality,
which is better.
2.3.2 Verbal techniques
This technique applies to the use of illustrative situation, synonyms, opposites,
scale, definition and categories when teachers introduce a new word to students,
said Sanusi (2009).

Moreover, the English teachers using the technique are

expected to introduce a word in English through the use of other word in the same
language.

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We can obviously see that synonyms and antonyms are especially important in
building new vocabulary because learners are able to know vocabulary in
comparison with its family word. In addition, when teachers select this technique, it
also explains the meaning and the use of a foreign word in the foreign language
itself. That knowing a word meaning and its use in appropriate context helps student
master foreign language more confidently.
2.3.3 Translation
One of the most common techniques in vocabulary presentation is translation,
which is to translate the word in question into a learner‟s native language. That is
considered to be the simplest and easiest to apply. Although it is quite useful, some
experts however do not recommend this technique (Doff, 1988, p. 12) “if we only
give a direct translation, the students cannot see how the word is used in an English
sentence”. Translation is simple, clear and quick for reaching the goal particularly

when teachers give examples then students give the word translation.
2.3.4 The use of dictionary
By Allen, using dictionaries is "passport to independence and use them is one the
students-centered learning activities.” (1993:83) Meanwhile, Gerald and Laura
(1989:120) state that "dictionaries are more easily used to determine word
meaning.”. Using dictionary as a strategy of learning new words in a foreign
language is supposed to be one of the most fruitful strategies. Mc Carthy
concentrated on types of dictionaries in relation to learner‟s level.
Some issues have been raised around the choice of dictionary for beginners.
Although it can be a useful learning resource, it makes the learner more independent
of the teacher. Learners can use dictionaries for checking word meaning, do
arrangement exercises…

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In conclusion, the use of dictionary is an effective way for the students in finding
out the meaning of words.
2.4 Quizlet and flashcard as new vocabulary teaching and learning tools
2.4.1 Quizlet
Quizlet is "a mobile and web-based study application that allows students to study
information via learning tools and games", from Wikipedia. It utilizes user-designed
learning modules composed of terms and their definitions or descriptions. These
modules (which are called study sets as used in Quizlet) are presented to students
through different learning modes including flashcards, games, collaborative
activities and quizzes to facilitate learning environments that can help students
master languages and vocabulary. The application interfaces designed for the
website incorporate 8 learning modes of which 5 are available in the mobile
application interface.
Quizlet is a digital flashcard application that was used in this research study. Quizlet

provides learners with an attractive and easy-to-use interface that can enhance the
experience of paper flashcards (Ashcroft & Imrie, 2014). Some of the advantages of
Quizlet include the ability to rapidly create flashcards with pictures and audio, the
ability to access the application on a computer or smartphone, the ability to
automatically rearrange flashcards to avoid serial learning, or memorizing the order,
and the ability to interact with the cards using a variety of study and game sets.
2.4.2 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 can be inferred from these definitions that flashcards are
cards with a word or words, a phrase, or a picture on it used to learn and memorize

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vocabulary. Flashcards are divided into two types: picture flashcards and word
flashcards, in which picture flashcard might be more attractive and interesting to
acquire.
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 before class.
Advantages of picture flashcards are the attractiveness and colorfulness
which blackboard pictures do not have. Picture flashcards are useful for
presenting, practicing and revising vocabulary of previous lesson.

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

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