(Luận văn thạc sĩ) an investigation into the effectiveness of vietnamese translation in teaching english vocabulary to the 10th form students at vung cao viet bac high school

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

HOÀNG VIỆT HƯƠNG
AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECTIVENESS OF
VIETNAMESE TRANSLATION IN TEACHING ENGLISH
VOCABULARY TO THE 10TH FORM STUDENTS AT
VUNG CAO VIET BAC HIGH SCHOOL
(NGHIÊN CỨU TÍNH HIỆU QUẢ CỦA VIỆC DỊCH NGHĨA TỪ SANG
TIẾNG VIỆT TRONG VIỆC DẠY TỪ VỰNG TIẾNG ANH CHO
HỌC SINH LỚP 10 TRƯỜNG PHỔ THÔNG VÙNG CAO VIỆT BẮC)

M.A MINOR THESIS

FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY
CODE: 601410

Hanoi – 2012


TABLE OF CONTENTS
Declaration
Acknowledgements
Abstract
Table of contents
List of abbreviations
List of tables and figures

i
ii

iii
iv
vi
vii

PART A: INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………...1
1. Rationale for the study……………………………………...…….….……....1
2. Objectives of the study……………………..……………………………..….2
3. Research Questions………………………………………………………..…2
4. Scope of the study……..…………………………………………………..…2
5. Methods of the study………………………………………………………....3
6. Design of the study……………….………………………………………..…3
PART B: DEVELOPMENT…………..………………………………………..…5
CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND……..…………………...5
1.1. Introduction…….………………………………………………………..…5
1.2. Vocabulary and Its Roles in Second Language Acquisition………...…..…5
1.2.1. What is vocabulary?....................................................................5
1.2.2. Roles of Vocabulary in Second Language Acquisition……..…6
1.3. Approaches to Vocabulary Teaching……………………………………....7
1.4. Recent Research about Teaching and Learning Second Language
Vocabulary…………………………………………………………………..….9
1.4.1. Incidental learning…………………………………………..…9
1.4.2. Explicit instruction……….…………………………………….9
1.4.3. Independent strategy….……………………………………....10
1.5. Techniques in Presenting New Vocabulary……………………………...11
1.6. L1 and Translation in Vocabulary Teaching and Learning…………….…12
1.7. Previous studies on L1 Translation in Teaching L2 Vocabulary….……...13
1.8. The Role of L1 Translation in Vocabulary Acquisition…..…………...….14
1.9. Advantages and Disadvantages of Using L1 Translation in Teaching
Vocabulary……………………………..…………………………………...…15

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1.10. Summary……………………………………………………………..….17
CHAPTER 2: THE STUDY……………………………………………..…..18
2.1. A quantitative and qualitative study…………………………………..….18
2.2. Participants…………………………………………………………..……18
2.3. Data collection instruments……….…………………………………..…..19
2.3.1. The students questionnaire………….……………………………..……19
2.3.2. Class observation…………...………………………………………..…20
2.3.3. Interviews……………...……………………………………………..…20
2.4. Data collection procedure……………………………………………..….21
2.5. Data analysis procedure………………………………………………..…21
CHAPTER 3: ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION..…………………...…..…22
3.1. Findings……………..………………………………………………...…..22
3.1.1. The frequency of using Vietnamese translation in teaching English
vocabulary to 10th form students………………………………………...…….22
3.1.2. Common classroom vocabulary activities…………..……………….…25
3.1.3. The effectiveness of Vietnamese translation for learning vocabulary as
perceived by students……………….……………………………..…………..28
3.1.4. Teachers‟s perceptions of the effectiveness of using Vietnamese
translation for presenting new vocabulary………….…………………..…..…31
3.2. Discussion………………………………………………………..…….…35
PART C: CONCLUSIONS………………….…….……………………..………37
1. Conclusions………………………………..…………………………..……37
2. Implications………………………………………………………..…..……38
3. Limitations………………………………………………………………..…39
4. Suggestions for further research……………...…………………………..…39
REFERENCES

APPENDICES
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Appendix 3
Appendix 4

I
V
VI
VII

Appendix 5

IX

v


LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
EFL: English as Foreign Language
ESL: English as Second Language
L1: The first language
L2: The second language

vi


LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

TABLES

Page

Table 1: The Frequently used techniques to present new the meaning of new

22

vocabulary
Table 2: The frequently used activities to help students consolidate words

26

Table 3: Students‟ preference for Vietnamese translation use in vocabulary

28

lessons

FIGURES

Page

Figure 1: Students‟ perceptions of the frequency of their teachers‟ using

25

Vietnamese translation in presenting the meaning of new vocabulary
Figure 2: Students‟ perceptions of the effectiveness of Vietnamese

29

translation on their vocabulary learning
Figure 3: Students‟ perceptions of the roles of Vietnamese translation in

29

helping them to learn vocabulary
Figure 4: Effect of using Vietnamese translation on the class atmosphere

30

Figure 5: Problems faced by students in learning vocabulary through

31

Vietnamese translation
.

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.PART A: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale for the study
McCarthy (2001: 2, cited in Fan, 2003: 222) explained that “Vocabulary forms the
biggest part of the meaning of any language, and it is the biggest problem for most
learners”. McCarthy firmly believes that language is lexis-driven, and therefore,
vocabulary learning is the real key to second language learning. He claims that
learners will be more successful if they can develop their own techniques and
disciplines for vocabulary learning. Therefore, an effective approach to vocabulary
is always one of the great concerns of every language teacher. The reason is that

learning vocabulary is really challenging requiring many cognitive processes, and
teachers have to make sure that students understand the word: the form of the word
(pronunciation, spelling, derivations) and its meaning as well as how to use the
word accurately and appropriately.
There are many ways of presenting the meaning of a new word. These include a
definition in the second language, a demonstration, a picture or a diagram, a real
object, L2 context clues, or an L1 translation (Nation, 2003). However, studies
comparing the effectiveness of various methods for learning always come up with
the result that an L1 translation is the most effective (Lado, Baldwin, Lobo and
Mishima 1967; Laufer and Shmueli, 1997). This is probably because L1 translations
are usually clear, short and familiar, qualities which are very important in effective
definitions (Mc Keown, 1993).
At Vung cao Viet Bac High school, with more than 2,000 ethnic minority students
come from different minority groups, each ethnic group has its own language, but
Vietnamese is nominated the national language. Thus, to students coming from the
minority groups, English is their second foreign language. As far as I can observe,
these learners are much in favour of Vietnamese translation when learning English
vocabulary. This has motivated me to carry out this study, which aims at finding the
effectiveness of using Vietnamese translation in teaching vocabulary.

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Hopefully, findings will reaffirm the use of mother tongue and translation as a
strategic teaching method within the field of vocabulary acquisition.
Furthermore, it is to partially help English foreign language teachers have a
reflection on their teaching practice.
2. Objectives of the study
The research is aimed to investigate the effectiveness of using Vietnamese
translation in teaching vocabulary to the 10th form students at Vung cao Viet Bac

High School.
The objectives of the study are:
a) to investigate how frequently Vietnamese translation is used as well as what
activities are used to help their students consolidate words after using
Vietnamese translation in teching English vocabulary.
b) to explore the teachers and students‟ perceptions of the effectiveness of using
Vietnamese translation in teaching and learning English vocabulary.
3. Research Questions
To achieve the aims and objectives of the thesis, the following research questions
were proposed:
1. What is the frequency of using Vietnamese translation in teaching

English vocabulary to 10th form students?
2. What are the common vocabulary activities the teachers use to help their

students consolidate words after using Vietnamese translation?
3. What is the effectiveness of Vietnamese translation for learning vocabulary

as perceived by the students?
4. What is the teachers‟ perceived effectiveness of Vietnamese translation used

for presenting new vocabulary?
4. Scope of the study
The study limits itself to the effectiveness of using Vietnamese translation in
teaching English Vocabulary. The effectiveness of this technique would be explored
from the perception of the students and teachers. The study was carried out only
with tenth form students and the teachers who are in charge of English teaching to
those students at Vung cao Viet Bac High school in Thai Nguyen.

2

One more noteworthy point about the scope of this study is that it focuses on the
effectiveness of using Vietnamese translation technique for presenting the meaning
of new vocabulary rather than the form.
5. Methods of the study.
Both qualitative and quantitative research methods are used in this study,
including questionnaire, classroom observations and interviews.
Questionnaire
Both open-ended and close-ended questions were administered to 152 students to
find out the students‟ perceived effectiveness of Vietnamese translation
technique on vocabulary learning.
Classroom observations
Six classes (of about 45 minutes in length) taught by three different teachers were
observed to find out how frequently Vietnamese translation is used and what
activities are used to help their students consolidate words after using
Vietnamese translation.
Interviews
Teacher interviews were conducted to obtain a better understanding of the
teachers‟ perceptions towards the effectiveness of using Vietnamese translation
in teaching English vocabulary. The interviews were transcribed fully and
analyzed qualitatively.
6. Design of the study
The research includes three parts namely Part A, Part B, Part C.
Part A is the introduction, which presents the rationale, the aims, the research
questions, the scope, the methods, and the design of the study.
Part B is the development which consists of three chapters.
Chapter 1 is the literature review which reviews theoretical issues related to the
definitions of vocabulary, and its roles in second language acquisition, approaches
to vocabulary teaching, recent research about teaching and learning second

language vocabulary, techniques in presenting new vocabulary, L1 and translation
in vocabulary teaching and learning, previous studies on L1 translation in teaching

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L2 vocabulary, the role of L1 translation in vocabulary acquisition as well as
advantages and disadvantages of using L1 translation in teaching vocabulary.
Chapter 2 is the study, presents the quantitative and qualitative study, the
participants, the data collection instruments, and research procedures of the study.
Chapter 3 is the analysis and discussion of the findings through an analysis of the
data collected by means of questionnaire, classroom observations and interviews.
Part C is the conclusion of the study. In this part, major findings of the study will
be summarized to answer the research questions. Some implications on use of
Vietnamese translation in teaching English vocabulary, the limitation of the study
and suggestion for further research are presented.

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PART B: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

1.1. Introduction
This chapter focuses on providing an overview of the theoretical knowledge
relevant to the study including vocabulary and its roles in second language
acquisition, approaches to vocabulary teaching, recent research about teaching and
learning second language vocabulary, techniques in presenting new vocabulary, L1
and translation in vocabulary teaching and learning, previous studies on L1
translation in teaching L2 vocabulary, the role of L1 translation in vocabulary

acquisition, advantages and disadvantages of using L1 translation in teaching
vocabulary.
1.2. Vocabulary and Its Roles in Second Language Acquisition
1.2.1. What is Vocabulary?
Vocabulary is a matter which many linguists and language teachers have been
concerned for a long time. Vocabulary is defined differently by different scholars.
Below some definitions of vocabulary that are relevant to the present study are
introduced.
In The American Heritage Dictionary, “vocabulary” is defined as:
1. All words of a language.
2. The sum of words used by, understood by, or at the command of a particular
person or a group.
3. A list of words and often phrases, usually arranged alphabetically and
defined or translated; a lexicon or glossary.
It‟s apparent that above definition show the relationship between vocabulary and
words. In other words vocabulary is defined as words. However, it seems important
to see clear definitions, a concise explanation as sited as follow:
"Vocabulary can be defined, roughly, as the words we teach in the foreign
language. However, a new item of vocabulary may be more than a single
word: for example, post office, and mother-in- law, which are made up of

5


two or three words but express a single idea. A useful conversation is to
cover all such cases by talking about vocabulary “items” rather than
“word” which is made up of two or three words but express a single
idea.’‟(p.60)
According to Penny Ur, vocabulary should be recognized as words we teach in a
foreign language. Ur argues a vocabulary item can be either a single word or a

multi-word phrase.
Similarly, Lewis, an advocate of the lexical approach to second language teaching
views vocabulary either as individual words or as full sentences, which he terms as
“institutionalized utterances, that convey fixed social or pragmatic meaning within a
given community” (Lewis, 1993:89)
1.2.2. Roles of Vocabulary in Second Language Acquisition
It is known that, in learning a foreign language in general, and English in particular,
the knowledge and mastery of vocabulary play an extremely important role. Mc
Carthy (1990) stated that:
“No matter how well the students learn grammar, no matter how
successfully the sounds of L2 are mastered, without words to express a wider
range of meanings, communication in an L2 just cannot happen in any
meaningful way”.
(Mc Carthy 1990:viii)
Pyles and Algeo (1970) noted that:
“When most of us think about language, we think first about words. It is true
that the vocabulary is the focus of language. It is in words that sounds and
meanings inter-lock to allow us to communicate with one another, and it is
words that we arrange together to make sentences, conversations and
discourse of all kinds”.
(Pyles and Algeo 1970: 96)
In fact, vocabulary is the element that links the four skills of speaking, listening,
reading and writing all together. In order to communicate well in a foreign

6


language, students should acquire an adequate number of words and should know
how to use them accurately. David Wilkin emphasized the importance of
vocabulary learning:

"Without grammar very little can be conveyed; without vocabulary nothing
can be conveyed."
(Wilkins, 1972: 111).
Cook‟s (1991) conclusion is also consistent with Wilkins in that “Grammar
provides the overall patterns, vocabulary the material to put into those patterns”. Or
some authors, led by Lewis (1993) argue that vocabulary should be at the centre of
language teaching, because „language consists of grammaticalised lexis, not
lexicalised grammar‟. According to Meare (1995) central to learning to
communicate in the target language are vocabulary and lexical units. No amount of
grammatical or other type of linguistics knowledge can be employed in
communication or discourse without the mediation of mediation of vocabulary.
Folse (2004:3 ) claims that:
“The lack of grammar knowledge can limit conversation; lack of vocabulary
knowledge can stop conversation”.
Learners can express themselves with poor grammar. However, it is always a
challenge to get the message across in a foreign language (Wallace, 1982), and
because of this communication in foreign language is constrained considerably to
those with limited vocabulary.
Thus, the importance of vocabulary in language learning cannot be denied.
Vocabulary learning is obviously an essential part of language learning. Learning
words can considered to be the most important aspect of second language
acquisition (Knight, 1994).
1.3. Approaches to Vocabulary Teaching
There are many different methods, approaches, techniques as well as strategies to
vocabulary teaching. In the early decades of the 20th century, vocabulary teaching
became the focus of interest of many applied linguistic researchers and language

7

teachers. In order to fully understand this development it is certainly worth giving a
brief discussion of some major approaches in teaching vocabulary. It can be easily
seen that several hundred years ago, bilingual teaching was favoured, with students
learning through translation. Howatt (1984) tells us that the idea of using L1 in the
L2 classroom was a respected view during the era of The Grammar Translation
Method. The Grammar Translation Method had dominated late 19th and early 20th
century teaching. The aim of The Grammar Translation Method was to provide the
students with a detailed literary vocabulary which is learned through long lists of
translated items and a bilingual dictionary and practiced through sentence
translation with little opportunity to try out pronunciation (Rivers, 1981: 28-30).
The second major foreign language teaching approach is the Direct Method. The
Direct Method stressed the ability to use rather than analyze a language as the goal
of language instruction or in other words, the main goal was to train students to
communicate in the target language and to have an acceptable pronunciation. It
introduced vocabulary through classroom objects, mime, drawing and explanations
(Rivers, 1981: 32-33)
The Reading approach attracted more importance than grammatical skill. The
vocabulary used in the reading passages is controlled at beginning levels and is
chosen according to their frequency and usefulness. The acquisition of vocabulary
is considered to be more important than grammatical skills and is expanded as fast
as possible through intensive and extensive reading. The translation of vocabulary
items and sentences are permitted. (Murcia and Prator, 1979: 3)
The Audio-lingual Approach which was dominant in the United States during the
1940s, 1950s, and 1960s is known to be a major paradigm shift in foreign language
teaching (Larsen-Freeman, 2000). In this method, the amount of vocabulary
presented was kept low (Thornbury, 2002:14) and was chosen for its simplicity
(Schmitt, 2000:13). It was assumed that when grammatical fluency was present,
exposure to the foreign language itself lead to vocabulary development (Coady,
1993: 4).

8


The Communicative Language Teaching Approach is a renowned British Approach
to language teaching the emergence of which dates back to the mid-1960s. Concepts
like

context,

use,

effective

communication,

communicative

function,

comprehensible pronunciation, etc. were given importance in this approach. Senel
(2002: 243) emphasized that new words were not presented in isolation, but in the
context of a complete sentence, and in a meaningful situation. This way, the words
acquired meaning when they appeared in a particular definition in a determined
context. Moreover, Thornbury (2002:14) stated that course books began to
incorporate communicative activities specifically targeting vocabulary since the
meaning-giving role of lexis was recognized in this approach.
1.4. Recent Research about Teaching and Learning Second Language
Vocabulary
Recently, vocabulary teaching and learning has called for great attention from
researchers. Hunt and Beglar‟s statement that there are three approaches to teach

vocabulary such as: incidental learning, explicit instruction and independent
strategy development.
1.4.1. Incidental Learning
According to Nation (2001) the incidental vocabulary learning is one of the
important strategies in vocabulary acquisition. This method includes learning from
joining conversations; listening to radio, stories, music; watching movies,
television; especially extensive reading; or any other exposure of input and output
both in and out of the classrooms (Nation, 2001). As such, incidental vocabulary
learning is generally acknowledged as learning words mainly in context (Nation,
1990). Therefore, Krashen (1989) suggests that incidental or uninstructed
vocabulary learning takes place in both native and nonnative languages as well.
1.4.2. Explicit Instruction
Explicit instruction involves diagnosing the words learners need to know,
presenting words for the first time, elaborating word knowledge and developing
fluency with know words. Intentional learning through instruction also significantly

9


contributes to vocabulary development (Nation,1990; Paribakht and Wesche, 1996).
And here the researchers agree that translation has a necessary and useful role in
vocabulary learning. Translation makes vocabulary learning faster (Nation 1982)
and once again Nation (1990) emphasized that “vocabulary lists can be effective
way to quickly learn word-pair translation”. However, it is more effective to use
vocabulary cards because learners can control the order in which they study the
words (Atkinson, 1972). Prince (1996: 488) states that simply knowing translation
for L2 words does not "guarantee that they will be successfully assessed for use in
an L2 context” because knowing a word means knowing more than just its
translated meaning or its L2 synonyms. Consequently, to presenting a new word,
teacher should also create opportunities to meet recently learned words in new

contexts that provide new collocations and associations (Nation, 1994). For
intentional learning of vocabulary it is required that the teacher provide
opportunities for developing fluency with known vocabulary. And here fluencybuilding activities play an important role as they recycle already known word in
familiar grammatical and organizational patterns, so that students can focus on
recognizing or using a word without hesitation (Hunt and David Beglar, 2001).
Nation (1994: 208) also points out that developing fluency "overlaps most of all
with developing skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing". As a result,
giving learners many opportunities to practice these skills is essential.
1.4.3. Independent Strategy
Independent strategy development involves practicing guessing from context and
training learners to use dictionaries. Guessing from contexts is a complex and often
difficult strategy to carry out successfully; to guess successfully from contexts,
learners need to know about 19 out of 20 words (95%) of a text which requires
knowing 3,000 most common words (Liu and Nation, 1985; Nation, 1990). In fact
helpful contexts are rare and difficult to guess the meaning of words in a long and
difficult context. If students know more new words, they can understand the text
and learn more new words. If students' vocabulary is poor, they can not guess words

10


in a text containing too many unknown words. In vocabulary learning process,
foreign language learners should use dictionaries for vocabulary development. In
Nation‟s (2001) opinion, dictionary use helps learning comprehension and
particularly useful for learners who do not cope well with guessing from context.
Although dictionaries are important tool, learners should know how and when to
use them to their advantages.
In conclusion, learning vocabulary through incidental, intentional and in
independent approaches requires teachers to plan a wide variety of activities and
exercises. “Teachers and programs decide to place on any given activity will depend

on the learners level and the educational goals of the teacher and the program”
(Hunt and David Beglar, 2001). Extensive reading and listening, translation,
elaboration, fluency activities, guessing from context and using dictionaries all have
a role to play in systematically developing the learners‟ vocabulary knowledge.
1.5. Techniques in Presenting New Vocabulary
Actually there are numerous techniques concerned with vocabulary presentation.
Some techniques are more popular and more often used than the others. Also it is up
to teacher which techniques he or she decides to use but always the effectiveness of
teaching should be considered. Nation, Paul (2005) suggested different techniques
that teachers of English can implement in their teaching vocabulary.
Firstly, teachers quickly give the meaning of the word by (a) using an L1
translation, (b) using a known L2 synonym or simple definition in the L2, (c)
showing an object or picture, (d) giving quickly demonstration, (e) drawing a
simple picture or a diagram, (f) breaking the word into parts and giving the meaning
of the parts and the whole word (the word part strategy), (g) giving several example
sentences with the word in context to show the meaning, (h) commenting on the
underlying meaning of the word and other referents.
Secondly, teachers can draw attention to the form of the word by: (a) showing how
spelling of the word is like the spelling of known words, (b) giving the stress pattern
of the word and its pronunciation, (c) showing the prefix, stem and suffix that make

11


up the word, (d) getting the learners to repeat the pronunciation of the word, (e)
writing the word on the board, (f) pointing out any spelling irregularity in the word.
Finally, the use of the word can be explain by (a) quickly showing the grammatical
pattern the word fits into (countable/uncountable, transitive/intransitive, etc), (b)
giving a few similar collocates, (c) mentioning any restrictions on the use of the
word (formal, colloquial, impolite, only used in the United States, only used with

children, old fashioned, technical, infrequent), (d) giving a well known opposite, or
a well known word describing the group or lexical set it fits into.
1.6. L1 and Translation in Vocabulary Teaching and Learning
Translation is defined by Cartford (1965: 20) as “the replacement of a text in one
language by an equivalent text in another language”. Newmark (1995: 5) simply
defines “translation as the rendering of a written text into another language in the
way the author intended in the text.”
Translation is the technique of explain the new word by the learner‟s first language.
This is considered the simplest and clearest way to show the meaning of a new
word. Moreover, it seems to be a favourable technique by teachers thanks to its
time-saving nature. However, several authors suggest that first language does not
play an essential role in foreign language teaching (Tang, 2002). Hence, the use of
translation as a teaching technique has been viewed with suspicion by many
language teachers, and many proscribe it altogether as a matter of principle. It has
become a famous and well-accepted creed among language teachers that the
translation hinders the acquisition of L2.
Other professionals in the field of second language and foreign language acquisition
agree that mother tongue should be used with students who are not highly proficient
in the target language such as Nation (2001) or Atkinson (1987). Schmitt and
McCarthy (1997: 2) note that “… a learner‟s L1 is one of the most important factors
in learning L2 vocabulary.” Nation (1982) indicates that if we study the practice of

12


vocabulary learning and teaching also, we can see its use. At least with nonadvanced foreign language learners, translation of the new words (that are
introduced for the first time) is acknowledged as a preferable way to teach meaning
(Nation 1982, referred to by Laufer 1990). This may suggest that mother tongue
plays an important role in language teaching, especially for the low proficiency
learners like ethnic minority students of Vung cao Viet Bac High School.

1.7. Previous Studies on L1 Translation in Teaching L2 Vocabulary.
To investigate areas in which L1 translation is resorted to for teaching vocabulary,
the researcher has reviewed a number of relevant studies conducted in different
parts of the world and at different times.
Laufer and Shmueli (1997) compared 4 ways of presenting the new vocabulary, that
is, words presented in isolation, words in a meaningful sentence, words in a text
context and words in an elaborated text context. Each of these ways contains half of
the target words in the students‟ L1 and the other half was explained in English. The
results indicate that the words with the L1 translation were retained better than those
with the L2 explanation.
In their study, Ramachandran and Rahim (2004) attempt to investigate the
effectiveness of using the translation method in recalling the meaning and retention
of the words with elementary level ESL. Their results indicated that the translation
method through using L1 was more effective than the non-translation method in
enhancing ESL learners‟ vocabulary learning ability, and it could improve
elementary ESL learner‟s ability to recall the meaning of the word learnt.
In her paper on using translation method in teaching vocabulary, Abdul Rahim
demonstrates the effect using translation method in teaching vocabulary. She
conducted her study among elementary level EFL learners in Malaysia. In this
study, learners‟ L1 was used as the medium of instruction. The results showed that
the translation method has a positive impact on learners recall and retention of the
meaning of words that they had learned.

13


The last study to be reviewed here is a case study conducted by Bouangeune (2009)
at the National University of Laos. The study makes an important contribution to
EFL teaching, particularly in the area of vocabulary for students with a lower
proficiency level. It shows the effectiveness of using L1 in teaching vocabulary

through translation exercises and dictation. The findings indicate that the
experimental group achieved better performance in both vocabulary in direct
translation and vocabulary in context. In fact, the results could provide empirical
support for the application of L1 in the FL classroom. The researcher concludes that
''in order to prevent the misunderstanding of the meaning of the new word, teachers
should provide clear, simple, and brief explanations of meaning, especially in the
learners' first language'' (Bouangeune, 2009:189)
1.8. The Role of L1 Translation in Vocabulary Acquisition
Nowadays, vocabulary acquisition is one of the main aspects of students‟ attention
when it comes to language learning. They stress the necessity to learn vocabulary
through

various exercises:

reading, repetition, using words in context,

conversations, and most certainly, translations.
Using L1 translation accelerates students‟ L2 acquisition process. Students learn
new vocabulary faster through L1. Laufer and Shmueli claim “studies comparing
the effectiveness of various methods for learning always come up with the result
that an L1 translation is the most effective” (as quoted in Nation, 2001). If students
are aware of similarities and differences between L1 and L2, they can avoid errors
which could be derived from the transfer of their L1.
Rana Raddawi (2005:75) shows that “there was one factor that was tested and
proved that translation is effective when used in vocabulary acquisition, and that
was the time factor”. He concludes that in the vocabulary learning process, instead
of using various contexts, definitions in L2 and sometimes visual aids, the instructor
can utilize translation as a way of teaching the words especially in conveying the
meaning of abstract and unclear concepts like: happiness, sadness, success, failure,
health, luck, depression, etc. Providing the equivalent words in L1 is proven to be

14


less time consuming to both the instructor and student as far as comprehension is
concerned. As to quantity and recall process of word acquisition, previous
experiments (Prince, 1996 and Grace, 1998) have proven word learning through
translation to be superior to word inference from L2 contexts.
Saggara and Alba (2006), in their research the effectiveness of using translation
with elementary level learners was assessed. They investigated the implication of
three methods of learning vocabulary among 788 second language learners. The
methods include: rote memorization, semantic mapping and key word method. The
results show that: using key method and L1 translation of the new L2 word would
led to better L2 vocabulary learning at the early stages of acquisition.
There is a research which supports the idea that an L1 translation of a word is
beneficial in vocabulary learning. For example Grace (as cited in Folse 2004)
investigated the role of L1 translation in computer-assisted language learning
(CALL). She concluded that students who were provided with L1 translations
performed better than those who did not have access to L1 translations. Her findings
suggest that L1 translations enabled students to be ensured about the correct
meanings and the students who had L1 translations reached a higher retention rate.
Sze (1998) compared the influence on retention of three conditions of vocabulary
presentation, namely with Chinese (L1) equivalents, with context, and with
association, on tertiary students. She reported that the most common method in
remembering vocabulary was using Chinese equivalents. Subjects from the L1
translation group remembered significantly more words than the other two groups.
She inferred that the reason for the reliance on L1 translations is that students can
conceptualize the meanings more easily and can make more associations with their
prior knowledge about the concept or the language they are familiar with.
1.9. Advantages and Disadvantages of Using L1 Translation in Teaching

Vocabulary.
According to Doff (1988:12):

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“Translating a new word is in itself a useful technique- it is often the
simplest and clearest way of showing what a word means’’
Liu (2009:68) sees the use of L1 in L2 vocabulary learning, or providing translation
equivalents have several advantages. They are an easy and efficient way of
depicting the core meaning of a word. Knowing the L1 equivalent also gives the
learner a sense of certainty about the meaning of a word, a certainty that is a vital
first step for reinforcing the form-meaning connection and retaining the new word
in long tern memory. As Grabe and Stoller (1997: 114) put it, “Perhaps, for adults,
there are times when it is important to know that a word is understood accurately”.
What‟s more, using L1 translation may link a L2 word with well-established
semantic and linguistic structure which help the learner retain the word better,
because the L1 and its semantic structures are no doubt the steadiest “cognitive
hook to hang the new item on”(Fraser,1999: 238)
Translation has also advantage of being the most direct route to a word‟s meaning.
It is therefore economical and especially suitable for dealing with incidental
vocabulary that may crop up in a lesson. Many teachers find it extremely effective
in case the new words are too complicated or difficult to explain in English, for
example: to deal the word “patriotism” The teacher can say “patriotism có nghĩa là:
lịng u nước”.
One of the advantages is that it is not time-consuming and leaving more time for the
study of some other important language aspects. Using translation is the surest and
most economical way to convey the meanings during the lesson. Thus, translating
new words into Vietnamese can save the teachers‟ time of unsuccessful explanation
in English. Instead of going through a long explanation in the target language, it

would sometimes be easier and more efficient to give a translation of a vocabulary
item.
However, this way is not considered as creative way because it makes students fail
to develop an independent L2 lexicon, with the effect that they always access L2
words by means of their L1 equivalent rather than directly.

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1.10. Summary
In this chapter, some theoretical background knowledge and view on vocabulary
and the roles of vocabulary in second acquisition, an overview of approach to
teaching vocabulary, recent research about teaching and learning second language
vocabulary, techniques in teaching vocabulary, a summary of previous studies on
L1 and translation in vocabulary teaching and learning, L1 translation in teaching
L2 vocabulary, the use of L1 translation in vocabulary acquisition, advantages and
disadvantages of using L1 translation in teaching vocabulary. However, this issue
remains under-researched in the context of boarding high school in the mountainous
province. This small study is an attempt to fill this gap. The following chapter
presents the study.

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CHAPTER 2: THE STUDY
2.1. A Quantitative and Qualitative study
Qualitative research, broadly defined by Strauss and Corbin (1990: 17), means "any
kind of research that produces findings not arrived at by means of statistical
procedures or other means of quantification". Strauss and Corbin (1990) also claim
that qualitative methods can be used to better understand any phenomenon about

which little is yet known. They can also be used to gain new perspectives on things
about which much is already known, or to gain more in-depth information that may
be difficult to convey quantitatively.
The quantitative approach, as defined by Burnes (1999: 21), “values objectivity
through the discovery of facts or truths” and “tests pre-established hypotheses
through the collection and measurement of data”. Creswell (2003:18) states,
quantitative research “employ strategies of inquiry such as experimental and
surveys, and collect data on predetermined instruments that yield statistical data”.
The findings from quantitative research can be predictive, explanatory, and
confirming.
This study used both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection,
including classroom observation, interviews and questionnaire. The reason of using
both qualitative and quantitative methods is minimize the weaknesses of single
measuring instruments to achieve greater reliability and validity (Johnson and
Onwuegbuzie, 2004). Quantitative research using questionnaire is able to produce
quantifiable findings form of quantified figures. Qualitative research using
interview yields descriptive information of greater depth of the problem.
Observation was used in each incident to record the actual behaviour display in
actual situation. They enable gathering data on events that are exceptionally
significant. Triangulated sources of data collected provided more accurate results
and would be more reliable and valid. Triangulation is “one of the most commonly
used and best known ways of checking for validity” (Wallace, 1998:163).
2.2. Participants

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The participants of the research were 152 students from grade 10A1, 10A2,10A3 at
Vung cao Viet Bac High school, Thai Nguyen. The researcher is also an English
teacher of this school. My school is a boarding school with more than 2,000 ethnic

minority students. Most of the students in the school come from farmer families in
the remote mountainous villages in the northern provinces. They are pure ethnic
students, they have their own first language; they often use it to communicate with
their parents and other friends of their communities. They use Vietnamese at
schools or at public places, so they seem to have two foreign languages. You are
sure to imagine all sorts of difficulties those ethnic students have to overcome when
they learn English. Most of the participants are at the age of 16. Nearly half of them
are male and more than a half of them are female. All these students are ethnic
minorities, they belong to different ethnic minorities namely: Tày, Thái, Mường,
Dao, Hmong, Nùng, Sán Dìu, La Hủ, La Chí, Cao Lan, Hoa. They have been
learning English for four years in junior schools but their knowledge of English
vocabulary is at a low level.
Three English teachers were the target population of the study. The teacher
participants have graduated from universities for teacher of foreign languages. Their
experience of teaching English varies from 6 years to 17 years.
2.3. Data Collection Instruments
Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used, including class
observations, interviews and a student questionnaire to collect relevant information
for the study.
2.3.1. The student questionnaire
The questionnaire was administered to students. It contains nine items including
both close and open-ended items in Vietnamese so that the students can fully
understand the questions (See appendix 1). Questionnaire is preferred to interviews
to reduce the possible anxiety brought to the ethnic minority students.
The questionnaire emphasizes on: The students‟ preference and perceived towards
the use of Vietnamese translation in teaching English vocabulary and the usefulness

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of this vocabulary teaching technique on students‟ vocabulary learning. The strong
point of questionnaire is the ability of collecting data from a wide group of
participants and it has fairly reliability (Mackey and Gass, 2005: 29).
2.3.2. Classroom observations
Six classes conducted by 3 teachers were observed to find out frequently
Vietnamese translation is used for presenting the meaning of new vocabulary and
activities are used to help their students consolidate words after using Vietnamese
translation. The lessons were not video-taped. Instead, the researcher observed and
noted the moments when the teacher used techniques and activities. As noted by
Mackey and Gass (2005:175), observations are advantageous in that they provide
the researcher with the opportunity to collect large amounts of rich data on the
participants‟ behavior and actions within a particular context. Thanks to its benefits,
in this research, class observation was utilized together with the above methods.
2.3.3. Interviews
Interviews are a research tool in which a researcher asks questions of participants;
interviews are often audio or video-taped for later transcription and analysis. The
interviews may take one of several forms: open-ended, focused, structured or
unstructured. In an open-ended interview, the researcher could ask for the
informant‟s opinion on events or facts. In a focused interview, the respondent is
interviewed for only a short time, and the questions asked could have come from the
case study protocol. The structured interview is particularly useful in studies of
neighborhoods where a formal survey is required. The unstructured interview was
preferred because it is thought that it gives a wider freedom to the interviewees to
express their views and beliefs (Wallace 1998). For this advantage, the researcher
chose unstructured interview as an instrument to get data for her study.
Unstructured interview questions were set to solicit pertinent data from the 3
different teachers whose classes were observed and noted. The purpose of the
interview was to obtain a better understanding of the teachers‟ perceptions about the

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