Improving english vocabulary learning for students of business at hanoi university of industry (haui) through games an action research

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

LÊ THỊ LIÊN

IMPROVING ENGLISH VOCABULARY LEARNING FOR STUDENTS OF
BUSINESS AT HANOI UNIVERSITY OF INDUSTRY (HAUI) THROUGH
GAMES: AN ACTION RESEARCH
Nâng cao việc học từ vựng cho sinh viên chuyên ngành tiếng Anh thương mại
trường Đại học Công Nghiệp Hà Nội thông qua trò chơi ngôn ngữ: Nghiên cứu
hành động

MINOR M.A. THESIS

FIELD

: English Teaching Methodology

FIELD CODE

: 8140231.01

Hanoi, 2018


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

LÊ THỊ LIÊN

IMPROVING ENGLISH VOCABULARY LEARNING FOR STUDENTS OF
BUSINESS AT HANOI UNIVERSITY OF INDUSTRY (HAUI) THROUGH
GAMES: AN ACTION RESEARCH
Nâng cao việc học từ vựng cho sinh viên chuyên ngành tiếng Anh thương mại
trường Đại học Công Nghiệp Hà Nội thông qua trò chơi ngôn ngữ: Nghiên cứu
hành động

MINOR M.A. THESIS

FIELD

: English Teaching Methodology

FIELD CODE

: 8140231.01

SUPERVISOR

: Assoc. Prof. Lâm Quang Đông, PhD

Hanoi, 2018


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This research has been accomplished with the support and encouragement of
many people. Hence, I hereby would like to express my appreciation to all of them.
In the first place, I would like to express my deepest thanks to my supervisor

- Assoc. Prof. Lâm Quang Đông, PhD for his valuable assistance and guidance
throughout my research.
Also, I am greatly indebted to all professors and staffs of the Faculty of PostGraduate Studies for their meaningful lessons and precious support thanks to which
I was able to overcome obstacles during the time my research was carried out.
Besides, I would like to give my whole-hearted thanks to students at Hanoi
University of Industry for their enthusiastic participation in my research. Without
their help, I would not have been able to complete this paper.
Last but not least, I owe a great debt of gratitude to my beloved family
whose support and encouragement have always been a great deal of motivation that
has helped me to overcome all problems to complete my thesis.
Hanoi,
Lê Thị Liên

ii


ABSTRACT

This study was carried out in the form of an action research in which students were
instructed with the use of games in their vocabulary lessons. The research aimed to
figure out whether the use of games in vocabulary teaching could help improve
students‟ vocabulary retention. In order to accomplish these purposes, 20
sophomores at Hanoi University of Industry were selected to participate in the
study, which lasted eight weeks. Three data collection instruments were employed,
namely pre-test/post-tests, class observation and note-takings so as to gather most
reliable findings for the research. Findings from the tests, observation and notetakings revealed that students experienced an improvement in their vocabulary
memorization throughout the eight weeks of study and the reason for the vocabulary
retention progress was mainly attributed to the use of games in language classroom.
Benefits of using games can be listed as the deeper impression of vocabulary on
students‟ memory and a more frequent exposure to vocabulary use. Results from the

note-takings and observation also reflected a completely positive attitude of
students towards the use of games, and students claimed that games helped them
have more fun and motivation in learning. On this basis, useful implications for
teachers‟ preparation, classroom practices and future research were proposed.

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CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................... i
ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................. iii
CONTENTS ............................................................................................................... iv
LISTS OF TABLES AND FIGURES ......................................................................vii
PART A: INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................... 1
1. Rationale ................................................................................................................. 1
2. Aims of the study .................................................................................................... 2
3. Research questions .................................................................................................. 2
4. Scope of the study ................................................................................................... 2
5. Organization of the thesis........................................................................................ 2
PART B: DEVELOPMENT ....................................................................................... 3
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................... 3
1.1. Vocabulary learning ............................................................................................. 3
1.1.1.What is vocabulary? ......................................................................................................... 3
1.1.2.What is involved in knowing a word?............................................................................. 3
1.1.3.Vocabulary learning and retention................................................................................... 4
1.2. Review on the use of games in vocabulary teaching ........................................... 7
1.2.1.Definitions of language games ........................................................................................ 7
1.2.2.Language games and vocabulary acquisition retention ................................................. 7
1.3.Relationship between games and vocabulary teaching/learning …………………...... 9

1.4. Previous research and their limitations .............................................................. 11
CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY ............................................................................ 14
2.1. Participants and the research context ................................................................. 14
2.2. Research approach ............................................................................................. 15
2.2.1. Definition of action research ......................................................................................... 15
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2.2.2. The reasons of choosing action research for this study ............................................... 15
2.3. Research stages .................................................................................................. 16
2.3.1. Pre-intervention stage .................................................................................................... 16
2.3.2. Intervention stage........................................................................................................... 16
2.3.3. Evaluation....................................................................................................................... 20
2.4. Data collection procedure .................................................................................. 23
2.4.1 The class observation using checklists & note-taking.................................................. 23
2.4.2 Pre-test and post-test ....................................................................................................... 23
2.5. Summary ............................................................................................................ 24
CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND IMPLICATIONS .................................................. 25
3.1. Data analysis and discussion .............................................................................. 25
3.1.1.Effects of using games on students‟ vocabulary retention – findings from observation
and note-taking ......................................................................................................................... 25
3.1.2. Effects of using games on students‟ vocabulary retention – findings from pre- and
post-tests

............................................................................................................................ 27

3.1.3 Problems in learning English vocabulary via games and possible solutions.............. 31
3.2. Major findings and discussion ........................................................................... 33
3.3. Implications ........................................................................................................ 34
3.4. Summary ............................................................................................................ 35

PART C: CONCLUSION ......................................................................................... 36
1. Conclusions ........................................................................................................... 36
2. Limitations of the study ........................................................................................ 37
3. Suggestions for further study ................................................................................ 38
REFERENCES .......................................................................................................... 39
APPENDIX A ............................................................................................................ II
GAMES EXPLOITED FOR TEACHING VOCABULARY .................................... II
APPENDIX B ...........................................................................................................VI
v


OBSERVATION CHECKLIST................................................................................VI
APPENDIX C ......................................................................................................... VII
PRE-TEST............................................................................................................... VII
APPENDIX D ...........................................................................................................IX
POST TEST 1 ...........................................................................................................IX
APPENDIX E............................................................................................................XI
POST TEST 2 ...........................................................................................................XI
LIST OF VOCABULARY .................................................................................... XIII

vi


LISTS OF TABLES AND FIGURES

Table 1: The vocabulary teaching plan .....................................................................17
Table 2: Scores of pre-test, post-test 1 and post-test 2..............................................28
Figure 2: The overall mean score of students‟ pre-test and post-test 1 ....................29
Figure 3: The overall mean score of students‟ pre-test, post-test 1 and post-test 2..........30

vii


PART A: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
As a teacher of English, I recognize that although the issue of vocabulary teaching
and learning is currently receiving attention from teachers and learners at our
school, how vocabulary items can best be taught and learnt remains a big question.
A vast amount of teaching time in a vocabulary lesson is spent on explaining,
defining, students compiling page upon page of word lists that they rarely have
opportunity to practice. Obviously, vocabulary arises in the classroom regardless of
the chosen activity, and in spite of any conscious design on the teacher‟s part. As a
result, students only think of vocabulary learning as knowing the primary meaning
of new words. In addition, the students‟ ability to use English for communication is
still limited, especially for secondary school students. They can have a fairly good
knowledge of grammar but hardly express themselves properly because of shortage
of vocabulary and communicative competence. That is why, for most students,
learning vocabulary in language lesson is a time of failure and disappointment in
which they gradually feel bored and gradually reject the work that the teacher is
doing for them.
ESP (English for Specific Purposes) is considered hard to teach for language
teachers. As a teacher of English for Business English, I myself find many
difficulties in teaching vocabulary. Motivated by the idea of finding stimulating
activities to help students learn vocabulary, with the goal to create a context for
vocabulary acquisition in the classroom, I believe that games may be of some help.
In the field of language teaching, games have been proved to be beneficial to
students‟ learning process and help stimulate learners with a motivating
environment. All the above-mentioned reasons have inspired me to conduct an
action research entitled “Improving English vocabulary learning for students of
Business English at Hanoi University of Industry (HaUi) through games: An

action research”.

1


2. Aims of the study
The major aim of the research is to justify whether the use of games in vocabulary
teaching can help improve students‟ English vocabulary retention. Moreover, the
researcher can find difficulties that her students have to face with, particularly
difficulties in teaching and learning ESP vocabulary via games. Then possible
solutions are offered to solve these problems so that learners can improve their
English vocabulary learning and become confident when expressing their ideas.
3. Research questions
In an attempt to achieve the above-presented aims, the study sought to answer the
following research questions:
1. To what extent does the use of games in teaching English vocabulary improve
students‟ vocabulary retention?
2. What are the problems that these students encounter in learning English
vocabulary via games and solutions?
4. Scope of the study
The research only focuses on a limited target population and vocabulary, including
ESP vocabulary. In terms of vocabulary, the study focuses on student‟s knowledge
of the meanings, forms and usage of English including business English. The target
population is second year students studying Business English at Hanoi University of
Industry.
5. Organization of the thesis
The thesis is composed of three parts: Part A, Part B, and Part C. Part A –
Introduction introduces the rationale, aims and objectives as well research questions
of the study. Part B – Development includes two chapters: Chapter 1 Literature
review presents the theoretical foundations for the whole study and Chapter 2 –

Methodology elaborates on the participants, the methodology and methods, the data
collection procedure and data analysis including the tests, class observation and
note-taking. Part C – Conclusion summarizes all the major points in the study, the
limitations of the study and proposes suggestions for further research.
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PART B: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

1.1 . Vocabulary learning
1.1.1. What is vocabulary?
So far there have been a lot of definitions of vocabulary. Vocabulary is defined as
words in a specific language or freestanding items of language that have meaning.
Besides, vocabulary is broadly defined as knowledge of words and word meanings
(Lehr et al., 2004). According to Lehr et al., vocabulary is more complicated than
this definition suggests. Words not only come in oral forms which include the
words that can be recognized and used in listening and speaking, but also in print
forms of reading and writing. In addition, word knowledge also comes in two
forms: receptive and productive. Receptive vocabulary refers to words that can be
recognized in reading and listening. Productive vocabulary indicates words that can
be used in speaking and writing (Lehr et al., 2004). Therefore, vocabulary is
understood as knowledge of word spelling, pronunciation, collocations and
appropriateness (Nation, 1990).
As discussed above, vocabulary can be seen in many different ways. Vocabulary
refers to words or a set of words in a language or knowledge of words regarding its
forms, meanings and how to use it accurately in the context. In other words,
vocabulary refers to the words, compounds and idioms in a language that can be
used to convey and receive information in oral and written communication.
1.1.2. What is involved in knowing a word?

When it comes to vocabulary, it surely is the first step toward learning a foreign
language. A sentence is usually made up of numerous words. Without any concepts
of grammar, learners may guess the meaning of a sentence if the vocabulary is
comprehensible to them. Likewise, learners of a foreign language are likely to get
their messages across by putting all the words together, even though not in a
grammatical, correct order. Therefore, vocabulary serves as the foundation for
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language learners in communication. However, mastering numerous vocabulary
lists to use in communication is not always easy for language learners. For some
students, vocabulary has always been one of the obstacles that hinder their English
learning. Learners may have different problems in learning vocabulary. Some are
capable of recognizing the word in reading but fail to spell it out. Some are able to
spell the word out in writing, yet they mispronounce the word in speaking. Still,
others can say the word and spell it out perfectly, but surprisingly, they may not
know the meaning of the word.
In order to know a new word, students need to take great efforts. Nation (2001)
pointed out that in order to know a word, many aspects are involved. Nation
distinguished vocabulary knowledge into receptive and productive. The former
refers to the ability to understand a word while listening or reading. The latter
means the ability to use a word in speaking or writing. Sun (2007) introduced an
idea that vocabulary gaining develops along a linear continuum, and that the
concept denies the dichotomy that vocabulary knowledge is either known or
unknown. On both ends of the continuum is one‟s receptive vocabulary knowledge
as well as one‟s productive knowledge.
1.1.3. Vocabulary learning and retention
One of the significance in vocabulary learning process is not always students‟
comprehending word meaning or spelling, but vocabulary retention. Retention is
defined as “the ability to retain facts and figures in memory”. Vocabulary retention,

in a similar way, can be referred to as the storage of vocabulary in memory, which
becomes available for usage when needed. The efficiency of vocabulary learning
can be measured by the extent to which students can remember the words that they
have already learned to apply in the productive or receptive language learning.
Important as it is, it is worth spending time figuring out the factors that can affect
students‟ vocabulary retention.
According to different researchers, retention of vocabulary is affected by three
following factors: memory, language exposure and effective vocabulary learning
strategies. There is a close relationship among these three factors.
4


Memory
Nation (1990) categorized memory into short-term and long-term memory.
According to this researcher, short-term memory is often referred to as the ability to
process and remember information at the same time. It holds a small amount of
information, typically no more than 7 items in mind in an active, readily-available
state for a short period of time (typically from 10 to 15 seconds, or sometimes up to
a minute).
Long-term memory is intended for storage of information over a long period of
time. Unlike short-term memory, which is limited in capacity, long-term memory is
seemingly inexhaustible and can accommodate any amount of new information.
Despite our everyday impressions of forgetting, it seems likely that long-term
memory actually decays very little over time, and can store a seemingly unlimited
amount of information almost indefinitely.
It can be seen that in order to retain knowledge as much as possible, foreign
language learners need all the information of the language that they learned to be
transferred into long-term memory. The question is how it can happen? The answer
is that short-term memories can become long-term memory through the process of
consolidation, involving rehearsal and meaningful association. Unlike short-term

memory (which relies mostly on an acoustic, and to a lesser extent a visual, code for
storing information), long-term memory encodes information for storage
semantically (i.e. based on meaning and association). In other words, the main way
of transferring from short-term memory to long-term memory is by finding some
pre-existing information in the long-term memory to attach the new information to.
Nation (1990) proved that it is impossible to expect students to acquire a word only
after one or two times seeing that word, but at least 5 to 16 times of exposure is
needed to help students acquire a word. In addition, Gairns and Redman (1986)
have concluded that for the first time of exposure to new words, students will take
those words into their short-term memory. The vocabulary will “fall into disuse if it
is not activated regularly”. Thornbury (2002) also shares the same opinion, claiming
5


that 80% of materials are lost within 24 hours of initial learning. This is true in both
the short term (e.g. from lesson to lesson) and in the long term (e.g. after the whole
course). In other words, if we do not revise and practice the knowledge that we
learnt, it will soon disappear. Therefore, it can be concluded that after being
introduced to students, the vocabulary can only be restored in students‟ short-term
memory, and will soon fade away if the process of consolidation, involving
rehearsal and meaningful association does not take place.
Language exposure
While the term memory more often refers to later storage and retrieval of
information, language exposure refers more to processes in the initial acquisition or
encoding of information. There are many situations that a learner can discover the
meaning of a new word or phrase such as: through the written text, through hearing
it used, or through other members‟ explanations. However, it can hardly be certain
that those vocabulary items and their meanings will be remembered as getting to
know the meaning of a new vocabulary item is not the same as remembering that
meaning.

Effective vocabulary learning strategies
Vocabulary learning strategies is the third factor contributing to vocabulary
retention. Language teachers have been placing great emphasis on teaching English
vocabulary. However, the results of mastering vocabulary are not desirable, because
words sometimes can be forgotten very easily and won‟t last long. Therefore, it is of
great necessity to adopt effective vocabulary learning strategies. Like general
learning strategies, English vocabulary learning strategies include those techniques
that help learners remember what they have learned - their storage and retention of
new information.
It is important that language teacher is well aware of the factors that affect students‟
vocabulary retention and the characteristics of the teaching context so as to have
suitable teaching methods to improve it.

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1.2.

Review on the use of games in vocabulary teaching

1.2.1. Definitions of language games
According to Toth (1995), a game is an activity with rules, a goal and an element of
fun. Games are often thought that they mean fun and enjoyable. Some people may
get confused by the two notions „game‟ and „play‟. Actually, they do not really refer
to the same thing but that a game consists of play governed by rules. In short, games
are activities with certain goals or objectives, rules and contest either between
players or between players and goal. Moreover, games also bring fun. And that is
games in general. What about language games?
In general, language games mean games related to language. If games help to
improve different aspects such as intellectual ability, patience, then language games

help to develop language skills. When playing the games, students not only have
fun but can also practice English, which helps to motivate students. Therefore,
language games are both useful and enjoyable and can be regarded as an effective
tool in teaching and learning languages or English in particular. In order to get more
understand about „game‟, types of games are researched.
1.2.2. Language games and vocabulary acquisition/retention
Many researchers agree that language games do have a role to play in vocabulary
acquisition. With the use of games, the teacher can create various contexts in which
students have to use the language to communicate, exchange information and
express their own ideas. Stressing the role of games in vocabulary teaching and
learning, Huang (1996, p. 1, as cited in Nguyen & Khuat, 2003) claims that
“learning through games could encourage the operation of certain psychological and
intellectual factors which could facilitate communication, heightened self-esteem,
motivation and spontaneity, reinforcing learning, improving intonation and building
confidence.”
Language games have many advantages in vocabulary teaching and learning.
Firstly, games can motivate learners by bringing relaxation and fun to classes. They
can help lower student‟s anxiety, make them comfortable and want to learn more.
7


Uberman (1998) showed that those students who practiced vocabulary activity with
games felt more motivated and interested in what they are doing. Hansen (1994,
p.118, as cited in Uberman, 1998) also presents that games can provide shy students
with more chance to express their opinions and feeling. Secondly, games can
provide language practice. Lee (1995) and Marion McPherson (2006) agree that
games allow the students to practice the language point being taught. Sharing the
same view, Wright, et al. (1996, pp3-4) adds that “games can give practice in all the
skills, in all the stages of the teaching and learning sequence and for many types of
communication”. Further support comes from Zdybiewska (1994, p.6), who

believes games to be a good way of practicing language, for they provide a model
of what learners will use the language for in real life in the future. Thirdly, games
can improve students‟ retention. According to Wierus and Wierus (1994, p.218, as
cited in Uberman, 1998), games in vocabulary teaching help students memorize
words faster and better in a comfortable environment. Nguyen & Khuat (2003) also
agree that games can assist students to learn more quickly and retain the learned
materials better. Next, games encourage learners to interact and communicate.
Zimmerman (1997) emphasizes that communicative and interact activities can lead
to better word learning. In fact, when taking part in games, learners have to talk to
express or exchange their ideas with their partners. Moreover, through interaction
with others, they can help each other on the meaning of unfamiliar works, including
new vocabulary items (Nation and Newton, 1997, p. 244). This is a good
opportunity for learners to have exposures to the new items during the course of
activity that serves to generate better input. In summary, games are of great use and
effectiveness that should be applied in vocabulary classes. The use of games in
vocabulary teaching makes lessons more interesting, enjoyable as well as effective.
However, in order to gain the most from vocabulary games, it is necessary to
choose suitable games. Whenever a game is to be organized, teachers should take
the factors such as students‟ level, the number of students, cultural context, timing,
learning topic and the class setting into consideration (Nguyen & Khuat, 2003).
8


Hadfield (1996) explains two ways of classifying language games. First, language
games are divided into two types: linguistic games and communicative games.
Linguistic games focus on accuracy, such as supplying the correct antonym. On the
other hand, communicative games focus on successful exchange of information and
ideas, such as two people identifying the differences between their two pictures
which are similar to one another but not exactly alike. Correct language usage,
though still important, is secondary to achieving the communicative goal.

The second taxonomy that Hadfield uses to classify language games has many more
categories. With the classification of games as linguistic games or communicative
games, some games will contain elements of more than one type such as sorting,
ordering, arranging games, guessing games, matching games, labeling games,
exchanging games.
Nevertheless, as for teachers of English, games may be advisable to be used to help
practice. And they would be: games for grammar, games for vocabulary, games for
spelling, games for listening, games for speaking, games for pronunciation, games
for reading, games for writing and games for integrating skills. In brief, the most
crucial factor for the teacher is to base himself on the content of the lesson to decide
whether to incorporate games in this or that part of the lesson.
1.2.3. Relationship between games and vocabulary teaching/learning
Games play a role in the classroom. They familiarize students with a language.
They give students a chance to feel comfortable using it, and make lessons more
enjoyable. Then how games can, with all their connotations of “fun” and “play”, be
put to serious pedagogic use in the language classroom?
To begin with, we must be clear what we mean when we use the word “games”. Is it
a “fun” activity intended to bring a bit variety to the class and change of pace of
learning but little else? Alternatively, do games also have a more serious application
in the classroom? Hadfield (1987) has given out the relationship between games and
language teaching as follows:
“Games should be regarded as an integral part of the language syllabus, not as an
9


amusing activity for Friday afternoon or for the end of term. They provide, in many
cases, as much concentrated practice as a traditional drill and, more importantly,
they provide an opportunity for real communication, albeit within artificial defined
limits, and thus constitute a bridge between the classroom and the real world”
(Hadfield, 1987).

This suggests that the most useful place for games is the free stage of the traditional
progression from presentation and practice to free communication: to be used as a
culmination of the lesson, as a chance for students to use the language they have
learnt freely and as a means to an end rather than an end itself. They can also serve
a diagnostic tool for the teacher, who can note areas of difficulties and take
appropriate remedial action.
“Games also help the teacher to create contexts in which the language is useful and
meaningful” (Wright, 1992). The need for meaningfulness in language teaching has
been accepted for some years. Games are a convenient, effective environment in
order to provide intense and meaningful practice of language. Then they must be
regarded as central to “a teacher‟s repertoire”. They are thus not “for use solely on
wet days and at the end of term” (Wright, 1992).
The writer stands for Wright (1992) about the idea that games can be used to give
practice in all the skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking, in all the stages of
the teaching – learning sequence: presentation, repetition, recombination, and free
use of language and for many types of communication, e.g. encouraging, agreeing,
guessing, and explaining.
This proves that language games play a necessary part in students‟ acquisition in
their learning. Language games are stimulating activities to introduce new material,
to practice recently learnt language items, “to introduce or practice certain themes,
or to relax or energize a class” (Lewis and Bedson, 1999).
All in all, the application of games in language teaching is an excellent idea of
teachers and educational specialists because games are means of communication
and they require the players to use their language correctly.
10


1.3.

Previous research and their limitations

To date, globally, as seen in previous sections, different studies on the use of games
in vocabulary teaching have been conducted.
In the country, however, not many of them are found. Among these few, the thesis
by Do Thi Thu Ha (2010) “Using language games to improve students‟ retention of
ESP vocabulary at Nam Dinh College of construction” is interesting and relevant to
my current research. Her study proves the effectiveness of language games in
students‟ retention of ESP vocabulary in their short term memory. However, as she
applied the quasi-experimental method, 10 weeks seemed to be insufficient for an
experiment to produce more persuasive results. Should the time budget have been
lengthened, the outcomes of subjects would be more convincing. Moreover, the
number of students in each group was too large. Thus, it was difficult for the
researcher to manage the class. Had the class size been smaller, the result of the
study would have been more accurate as well. In addition, in the study the author
just listed the names of the games and the way to conduct them, but she didn‟t show
the vocabulary she taught, so there is no evidence if the games were highly suitable.
Hence, students‟ excitement decreased to a certain extent, as expressed in her paper.
Another drawback of this research is that the subjects were not randomly assigned
samples. Yet the choice of this sampling method can be justifiied by its convenience
since it was really not feasible to conduct a true experimental research in the context
of the college.
The research on “Teaching vocabulary through language games to the 1st year nonEnglish major students at Nghe An Junior Teachers Training College” (Bui Thi
Thuy, 2010) revealed that the benefits that vocabulary games bring about such as
providing opportunities to improve listening and speaking skills, creating relaxing
and interesting atmosphere. Nevertheless, in her research, she employed survey
questionnaire. Technically, this method could not lead to sufficiently convincing
results. The questions focused on the following points: teachers and students‟
perspectives towards using language games in teaching and learning vocabulary;
11

teacher‟s current ways of using games in teaching vocabulary. Observations and
interviews were applied, but the progresses as well as students‟ long-term and short
term memory after using games were not measured.
“Improving learning English vocabulary through games: An Action research” (Vu
Phuong Thao, 2011) is another thesis concerning the same topic as mine. I highly
agree with the author that one of the most challenging tasks facing any language
teachers is to capture students‟ interest and therefore keep them in high learning
spirit. Meanwhile, vocabulary learning is a hard task which can sometimes be
frustrating especially for teenagers. Constant effort is required to understand,
produce and manipulate the target language. To realize this situation, teachers are
supposed to find out teaching ways that are responsive to students‟ needs and wants.
The study, in that light, showed students‟ partial improvement in learning English
vocabulary through language games. The study is conducted in the form of an
action research using pretests, post tests and survey questionnaire to collect data.
Then, the data from tests were exploited to find out the improvement in students‟
vocabulary. The data from survey questionnaire were used to find out students‟
attitude towards language games and provide factors that should be considered by
teachers when using games to teach vocabulary. However, this study also contains
some negative points. The research was carried out over only a five week period,
with thirty periods included in the five-week study. During a lesson of 90 minutes,
only 20 to 30 minutes was spent on vocabulary work. This had been too short time
to come to a general conclusion on how to teach vocabulary effectively to thirteenyear-old students. Perhaps if the research process could be lengthened, the results of
the study would be more certain and comprehensive. Moreover, in the research, the
author didn‟t mention the lists of vocabulary that she taught either, so it is hard to
conclude whether the language games used were suitable and interesting.
To sum up, I highly appreciate these studies, thanks to which I can find what I can
do with this study, hoping to address the drawbacks found therein. In my research,
the major aim of the research is to justify whether the use of games in vocabulary
12

teaching can help improve students‟ English vocabulary retention. Moreover, the
researcher can find difficulties that her students have to face with, particularly
difficulties in teaching and learning ESP vocabulary via games. Then possible
solutions are offered to solve these problems so that learners can improve their
English vocabulary learning and become confident when expressing their ideas. The
research only focuses on a limited target population and vocabulary, including ESP
vocabulary. In terms of vocabulary, the study focuses on student‟s knowledge of the
meanings, forms and usage of English, including business English. The target
population is second year students studying Business English at Hanoi University of
Industry.

13


CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY

2.1 Participants and the research context
The participants of the study were 20 students at Hanoi University of Industry.
Those are the 2nd year students, who are currently studying English for Specific
Purposes (ESP) at the university. They are expected to have reached the preintermediate level in English proficiency. It is compulsory for students at HaUi to
complete the two courses on general English in the first two terms of their
University before proceeding to the ESP course. The ESP course includes 30 faceto-face hours and 60 self-study hours. The main focus of the course is on
vocabulary related to student‟s major, together with the structures that can be
applied to communicate or make presentations on the major-related issues. The
content covered in the ESP course consists of eight different themes, namely:
1.

Office supplies, in which students are required to be able to define office

supplies and furniture; and describe their ideal workplace;
2.

Office machinery, in which students can name common office machinery

and describe their functions;
3.

Departments, in which students are expected to name department and job

positions;
4.

Company background, in which students are taught to describe general

features related to a company;
5.

Making and changing arrangements, in which students are required to be

able to make conversations to arrange and change an appointment;
6.

What‟s wrong?, in which students can describe problems at work;

7.

Business plan, in which students are taught to describe their future business plan;

8.

Company benefits, in which students are expected to define some benefits

related to a company.

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2.2. Research approach
2.2.1. Definition of action research
In order to reach the aims, the study was carried out with an action research method.
According to Watts (1985), action research is a process in which participants
examine their own educational practice systematically and carefully, using the
techniques of research. It is based on the following assumptions:
• Teachers and principals work best on problems they have identified for
themselves.
• Teachers and principals become more effective when encouraged to examine and
assess their own work and then consider ways of working differently.
• Teachers and principals help each other by working collaboratively.
• Working with colleagues helps teachers and principals in their professional
development.
In addition, Bassey (1998:93) describes “action research as an enquiry which is
carried out in order to understand, to evaluate and then to change, in order to
improve educational practice”. Similarly, Winter and Munn-Giddings (2001:8)
assert that action research is a “study of a social situation carried out by those
involved in that situation in order to improve both their practice and the quality of
their understanding, captures the essence of the philosophy underlying the action
research approach”.
2.2.2. The reasons of choosing action research for this study

Action research provides better practice than theory for teachers to apply into
a specific class or course; therefore, to develop the teaching and learning in a
particular class room, teachers or educational practitioners should make an action
research. In another words, it requires teachers take an impact into their teaching to
make a positive result. This result is more practical and valuable than observing or
analyzing‟s result. Moreover, each class has different context with its own problem
depending on the level of the learners, the goal of the course or learners‟
motivation. To improve the learners‟ English ability, teachers need to study in their
own classes to find out the problems as well as suggest solutions to solve them.
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With that desire, the researcher has the purpose of enhancing her own
students‟ English vocabulary learning for students of Business English and the
study is made to decide the effectiveness of using games in improving students‟
English vocabulary learning in her class and make a decision on how to utilize them
efficiently. The author believes that the improvement of students in memorizing
vocabulary of Business English is positive and gives pupils a motivation to learn
English better and love learning English than before.
2.3. Research stages
2.3.1. Pre-intervention stage
Firstly, to identify the problem, before the study is conducted, the author observed
some classes of other teachers and in her class and she took note some difficulties
that the students had encountered when they learnt the vocabulary of Business
English. As a result, the researcher found that in lessons of learning vocabulary
students often felt bored when vocabulary was taught through translation approach.
With this approach, teachers wrote on the black board or read the new words, then
gave them its meaning. After that pupils applied the understanding of these words to
do task reading, listening and speaking. Actually, students couldn‟t remember what
they are taught after the class. Hence, the author thought about motivation for

students in lessons of learning vocabulary in her class via games. Moreover, the
researcher asked students to do a pre-test which contained the knowledge of the 4
first units, and then she used that result to evaluate the improvement of her students
compared with the result of the two post-tests.
2.3.2. Intervention stage
The most emphasized feature of action research, which was mentioned in the part
Methodology, was the process of the researcher‟s intervention. With the objectives
of this study, the intervention process should be designed to improve the
participants‟ English vocabulary and create a favorable condition for them to reflect
on the games and teaching techniques for vocabulary. The vocabulary games,
consequently, was established to meet the above demands.
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Due to the fact that vocabulary is a means to help students do tasks reading,
listening, writing and speaking. In this study, vocabulary was often presented within
fifteen to twenty minutes before students started reading, listening and speaking.
After that, when the students finished their tasks, they might have enough time for
practice vocabulary. However, they sometimes did not have enough time for
practice and this was left out. Similarly, vocabulary revision or warm-up took place
on another day so that the students could activate their memory before starting
another lesson. The vocabulary teaching plan was set up on the basis of the course
and briefly demonstrated as in the following table.
Table 1: The vocabulary teaching plan

WEEK

UNI

1

2

Checking

Practice

LESSON

T

3
Revision/
Warm up

1

Memorizing

WB: cloze exercise

Lucky number

2

2

Slap the Board

WB: cloze exercise

Telephone game

3

3

Word matching

WB: cloze exercise

Scrambled words

WB: cloze exercise

Stepping - stone

GAMES

1

What

and

4

4

Where

5

5

6

6

Word matching

7

7

What and where WB: cloze exercise

Scrambled words

8

8

Slap the board

Lucky number

Rub

out

and

Remember

WB: cloze exercise
WB: cloze exercise

WB: cloze exercise

Noughts
Crosses
Telephone game

2.3.2.1. Vocabulary games for checking
In this research, after all new words were first presented to students, and then games
were used to check vocabulary students had learned in order to help them memorize
new words. For example, “Memorizing” game was played with the class divided
into groups. Each group had a certain time to look at a picture which was about
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and