Thiết kế các hoạt động để dạy từ vựng hiệu quả cho học sinh lớp 10 một dự án nghiên cứu hành động tại một trường THPT ở hải dương​

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

ĐẶNG THỊ THẬP

DESIGNING ACTIVITIES FOR EFFECTIVE VOCABULARY
INSTRUCTION AMONG 10th-GRADE STUDENTS - AN
ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN
HAI DUONG
Thiết kế các hoạt động để dạy từ vựng hiệu quả cho học sinh lớp 10 –
một dự án nghiên cứu hành động tại một trường THPT ở Hải Dương

M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS
Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 8140231.01

Hanoi - 2020


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

ĐẶNG THỊ THẬP

DESIGNING ACTIVITIES FOR EFFECTIVE VOCABULARY
INSTRUCTION AMONG 10th-GRADE STUDENTS - AN
ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN

HAI DUONG
Thiết kế các hoạt động để dạy từ vựng hiệu quả cho học sinh lớp 10 –
một dự án nghiên cứu hành động tại một trường THPT ở Hải Dương

M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS
Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 8140231.01
Supervisor: Huỳnh Anh Tuấn, Ph. D

Hanoi - 2020


DECLARATION
I certify that the minor thesis entitled “ Designing activities for
effective vocabulary instruction among 10th - grade students - An Action
Research Project at a high school in Hai Duong” is the result of my own
work and has not been submitted in any form for another degree or diploma at
any universities or other institutions.

Hanoi, 2020
Student

Đặng Thị Thập

i


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This research has been completed

with the assistance and

encouragement of many members. So I would like to express my attitude
toward them.
First of all, I would like to acknowledge my truthful gratitude to my
supervisor, PhD Huynh Anh Tuan for his thorough reading, critical comments,
invaluable guidance and precious corrections of the thesis. It was his acute
guidance that has enabled me to find the right way to complete this study.
I also would like to express my sincere thanks to all lecturers and staff
of Department of Postgraduate Studies for their valuable lessons and precious
help and to my students at the school, who have been willing to answer my
interviews.
I appreciate the assistance and cooperation of the students in classes
from the tenth grade at my school. Without all people‟s help, I would not have
been able to this thesis.
My special words of thanks are sent to my family, my parents, my sons,
especially my husband who has been supporting me by many different ways to
overcome obstacles and accomplish my research work and the last person I have
to show deep grateful is my benevolent parish priest.

Hanoi, 2020

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ABSTRACT

The study was concerned with designing a variety of different activities
to instruct vocabulary applied to forty tenth - grade students at a high school

in Hai Duong. The major aim of the research was to find out some effective
vocabulary instruction activities to improve students‟ vocabulary retention.
This study was conducted by adopting classroom action research and a
qualitative and quantitative analysis. The data for this action research were
collected through three instruments: questionnaires, vocabulary tests, and
interviews. The results showed that some activities brought practical benefits
to the teaching and learning English vocabulary.

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ABBREVIATIONS

St

: Student

Sts

: Students

iv


TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION ............................................................................................. i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................... ii
ABSTRACT ................................................................................................... iii
ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................................... iv

LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................ ix
LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................... x
LIST OF CHARTS ....................................................................................... xi
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................. 1
1.1.Rationale for the research ........................................................................... 1
1.2. Aims and objectives of the study .............................................................. 2
1.3. Research questions .................................................................................... 3
1.4. Scope of the study ..................................................................................... 3
1.5. Method of the study .................................................................................. 3
1.6. Significance of the study ........................................................................... 4
1.7. The structure of the thesis ......................................................................... 4
CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................... 5
2.1. Definition and types of vocabulary ........................................................... 5
2.1.1. Definition of vocabulary ........................................................................ 5
2.1.2. Breadth of vocabulary knowledge ......................................................... 6
2.1.3. Depth of vocabulary knowledge ............................................................ 6
2.1.4. Types of vocabulary ............................................................................... 6
2.2. The Importance of Vocabulary instruction ............................................... 8
2.3. The process of vocabulary teaching .......................................................... 9
2.3.1. The role of vocabulary teaching ............................................................. 9
2.3.2. Methods and approaches of teaching vocabulary at high school .......... 9
2.4. The techniques in teaching vocabulary .................................................. 11
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2.4.1. Using Objects ....................................................................................... 11
2.4.2. Drawing ................................................................................................ 12
2.4.3. Using illustrations and Pictures ............................................................ 12
2.4.4. Contrast ................................................................................................ 13
2.4.5. Mime, Expressions and Gestures ......................................................... 14

2.4.6. Translation ............................................................................................ 14
2.5. Some factors that affect vocabulary acquisition ..................................... 15
2.6. Vocabulary teaching Activities ............................................................... 19
2.7. Previous studies ....................................................................................... 19
2.7.1. Previous studies in international context ............................................. 19
2.7.2. Previous studies in Vietnamese context ............................................... 22
CHAPTER 3. METHODOLOGY .............................................................. 23
3.1. Restatement of the research questionnaire .............................................. 23
3.1.1. Research approach: Action research .................................................... 23
3.1.2. The setting of the study ........................................................................ 24
3.2. Participants .............................................................................................. 25
3.3. Data collection instruments ..................................................................... 25
3.3.1. Tests ..................................................................................................... 26
3.3.2. Questionnaires ...................................................................................... 26
3.3.3. Interview ............................................................................................... 27
3.4. Data collection procedures ...................................................................... 27
3.4.1. Tests ..................................................................................................... 28
3.4.2. Questionnaires ...................................................................................... 29
3.4.3. Interviews ............................................................................................. 29
3.5. Data analytical framework ...................................................................... 30
3.6. Summary ................................................................................................. 31
CHAPTER 4. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS ...................................... 32
4.1. The enhancement of the students‟ vocabulary retention ........................ 32
4.1.1. The students‟ score on the pre-test and post-test ................................. 32

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4.1.2. Values for testing mean‟s differences between the pre-test and post-test .. 33
4.2. The students‟ attitudes towards vocabulary instruction activities ......... 35

4.2.1.The students‟ favorite activities ............................................................ 35
4.2.2.The students‟ vocabulary improvement ................................................ 37
4.2.3. The students‟ vocabulary retention ...................................................... 37
4.2.4. The students‟ vocabulary acquisition .................................................. 38
4.2.5. The students‟ evaluation of vocabulary instruction activities .............. 39
4.2.6. The students‟ the most favorite things about the teaching activities ... 41
4.2.7. The students‟ the least favorite things about the teaching activities ... 41
4.3. Summary ................................................................................................. 42
CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............. 43
5.1. Recapitulation ......................................................................................... 43
5.2. Conclusion ............................................................................................... 43
5.3. Recommendations ................................................................................... 45
5.4. Limitation of the study and suggestions for further study ...................... 45
REFERENCES ............................................................................................. 47
APPENDICES .............................................................................................. 51
Appendix 1 ..................................................................................................... 51
Appendix 2 ..................................................................................................... 53
Appendix 3 ..................................................................................................... 56
Appendix 4 ..................................................................................................... 58
Appendix 5 ..................................................................................................... 59
Appendix 6 ..................................................................................................... 63
Appendix 7 ..................................................................................................... 64
Appendix 8 ..................................................................................................... 67
Appendix 9 ..................................................................................................... 68
Appendix 10 ................................................................................................... 69
Appendix 11 ................................................................................................... 72

vii

Appendix 12 ................................................................................................... 74
Appendix 13 ................................................................................................... 76
Appendix 14 ................................................................................................... 77
Appendix 15 ................................................................................................... 78

viii


LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Statistical test result on the pre-test and post-test ...................................... 32
Table 2. Paired Samples t Test statistics between the pre-test and posttest ............. 33
Table 3. Paired Samples Correlations ...................................................................... 33
Table 4. Paired Samples Test difference ................................................................. 34

ix


LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. Carr and Kemmis‟ Action Research Model (1986) .................................. 24
Figure 2. Data analytical framework........................................................................ 30

x


LIST OF CHARTS
Chart 1. Students‟ preferable activities .................................................................... 36
Chart 2. The students‟ vocabulary acquisition ......................................................... 38
Chart 3. The effectiveness of the vocabulary instruction activities ......................... 40

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CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents the rationale, the aims and research questions
of the study. It also describes the significance, the scope, as well as the
methods of the research. In addition, it further provides an overview of the
research design.
1.1.Rationale for the research
English has become a popular language in the world nowadays,
especially in the fields of culture, arts, trade, commerce and education.
Learning English, therefore, is a key to open many doors for any
professional success. Many countries use it as the first language and as a
second language in communicating.
In Vietnam, English is one of the compulsory subjects learnt at school.
The purpose of learning English is to communicate, so vocabulary
knowledge is often considered as a critical tool for the second language
learners to perform communication actively. Understanding the importance
of the vocabulary acquisition, Schmitt (2000) emphasizes that “Lexical
knowledge is the center to communicate and to acquire a second language”.
Chu (2008) argues that “Significance of vocabulary transcends that
grammar and lexicon play an indispensible role in the development of basic
language skills”. Similarly, Nation (1990), Schmitt (2000), Cheng (2009),
and Hsu (2009) mention that “vocabulary is considered as being a very
important element of language learning”. Read (2000) states that “the
descriptiveness, accuracy, and quality of writing are influenced directly by
the learners‟ vocabulary size and word knowledge”. Judd (1978) suggests
that “vocabulary learning is important for both language skills‟
development and fluency”. Therefore, the employment of strategies for

vocabulary learning is inseparably related to the learning efficacy of
English.
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However, many students are struggling with learning foreign
language especially vocabulary usage and the ability to use context clues.
Every teacher has their own way to impart their knowledge of English
language for their students. They choose and organize many interesting
activities in order to encourage students‟ spirit and enthusiasm. It is a very
effective way to frame between learning vocabulary and developing skills.
Hence, most teachers expect their students to acquire knowledge quickly
and actively as possible. They organize a variety of teaching activities
using the suitable techniques and materials to teach the lessons effectively.
Generally, vocabulary teaching and learning are also the big challenges for
both teachers and students. In particular, the English teaching facilities are
still inadequate due to the lack of language classrooms. Therefore, students
usually find lessons, which includes writing words on paper, learning by
heart or learning passively through the teachers‟ explanation etc…, mon.
All in all, from the language teacher‟s perspective, it is essential to
design a variety of vocabulary teaching activities to help students acquire
knowledge, and develop skills effectively. This is the reason why the
researcher decided to carry out this thesis on

the topic: ―Designing

activities for effective vocabulary instruction for 10th grade students - An
Action Research project at a high school in Hai Duong‖. The researcher
hopes that the result will contribute meaningfully to improve the quality of
teaching and learning English language at high schools in Hai Duong

province and all over country.
1.2. Aims and objectives of the study
The aim of the study is to design some activities to teach vocabulary.
The objectives of the study are:
-To explore the activities which help students to improve vocabulary
retention.
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- To get to know the students‟ attitudes towards these activities.
1.3. Research questions
This study is planned to search the effectiveness of the designed
activities in instructing of the vocabulary, to enhance students‟ vocabulary
retention and to know the students‟ opinions of these activities. Therefore,
to achieve the aims stated above, the study would find the answers to the
following questions:
1. To what extent do the activities improve the learners’ vocabulary
retention?
2. What are the students’ attitudes towards these activities?
1.4. Scope of the study
The study focuses on designing activities to instruct vocabulary
effectively for 10th grade students at a high school in Hai Duong. The
participants in the study are 10th - grade students.
1.5. Method of the study
The study was carried out by some steps as follows:
First, the survey questionnaire for students was employed to find out
the effective vocabulary instruction activities.
Second, tests were conducted to help the researcher to obtain deep
insight into the students‟ vocabulary knowledge improvement.
Third, students‟ interviews were controlled in this study to help the

researcher to get to know the students‟ attitudes towards the vocabulary
instruction activities.
After that, the data was collected, sorted and analyzed quantitatively
and qualitatively to obtain realistic results and recommendations for the
vocabulary instruction activities were proposed based on the results found
from the above data collection instruments.
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1.6. Significance of the study
This study contributed to find out the effective vocabulary
instruction activities encountered by the students at a high school in
learning language vocabulary. The results of the study are believed to assist
the students to improve their vocabulary retention.
1.7. The structure of the thesis
The thesis is divided into five chapters.
Chapter 1 is the introduction, which presents the rationale for the
study, the aims and objectives, the research question, the scope, the
methods. the significance, and the design of the study.
Chapter 2 is for the literature review which provides the theoretical
background of the study. It focuses on the definition, classification,
importance, process, techniques of vocabulary, some factors that affect
vocabulary acquisition and vocabulary teaching activities.
Chapter 3 is the methodology, which describes the participants and
data collection instruments to analyze these data.
Chapter 4 is the findings, discussions and recommendation, the data
were collected from the survey questionnaires for the students, vocabulary
tests, and interview
Chapter 5 is the conclusion of the study in which the implications
for designing vocabulary instruction activities are discussed and the

limitations of the study and suggestions for further research are presented.

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CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter studies a range of the main features as definition and
types of vocabulary, the importance, the process, and the techniques of
teaching vocabulary, some factors that affect vocabulary acquisition and
vocabulary teaching activities.
2.1. Definition and types of vocabulary
2.1.1. Definition of vocabulary
Vocabulary is considered as the words of a language, including
single items and phrases or chunks of several words which cover a
particular meaning. Vocabulary addresses single lexical items-words with
specific meanings, but it also includes lexical phrases or chunks. Moreover,
vocabulary is all about words which are in a language or a special set of
words you are trying to learn. In short, vocabulary is very important in
English foreign language learning.
Firstly, Hornby (1995: 1331) defines “vocabulary as the total
number of words in a language and it is a list of words with their
meanings”. While Ur (1998: 60) states that “Vocabulary can be defined,
roughly, as the words we teach in the foreign language. However, a new
item of vocabulary may be more than just a single word”, for example,
post-office , and brother-in-law etc… which are made up from two or three
words but they are only expressed by a single idea. In addition, Burns
(1972: 295) discusses “vocabulary as the stock of words which is used by a
person, class or profession”. Furthermore, Diamond and Gutlohn (2006)
state that “vocabulary is the knowledge of words and word meanings”.
In summary, from the above definitions, it can be seen that vocabulary is

the collection of the words that are necessary to express speakers‟ opinions when

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communicating. That is the reason why vocabulary is important to the language
learners.

2.1.2. Breadth of vocabulary knowledge
Breadth of vocabulary knowledge is the quantity or number of words
learners acquire at a special level of language expertise, Nation (2001).
Therefore, it can be exposed with meaning how much vocabulary language
learners have already accrued in their learning process. Furthermore, other
things of evaluation instruments have been used to measure lexicon
knowledge, Nassaji (2006), for instance, an identification test (such as
requiring learners to identify a synonym), word-definition matching test, or
translation (such as requiring learners to translate a word into the foreign
language). According to the researchers‟ experiences and observation, such
test formats for checking-up on students‟ breadth of vocabulary knowledge
are broadly recognized and implemented at schools and universities.
2.1.3. Depth of vocabulary knowledge
Read (2000:15) shows that depth of vocabulary knowledge relates to
the quality of word knowledge and the learners understand words‟
meanings clearly. Different aspects of knowledge associated with a word
may include the following areas: Its pronunciation and spelling, its
morphological features, or its syntactic and semantic relationship with
other words, etc.
2.1.4. Types of vocabulary
* According to the use of word
Vocabulary can be divided into two types: “active or productive and

passive or receptive vocabulary”.
Active or productive vocabulary

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Active vocabulary consists of words which students understand, use
constructively in speaking and writing, even can pronounce correctly. It
involves what is needed for receptive vocabulary plus the ability to speak
or write at the appropriate time. Therefore, productive vocabulary can be
addressed as an active process, because the learners can produce the words
to express their thoughts to others. When teachers tell students not to use
the word get or to find a better adjective to replace nice, they are trying to
encourage them to transfer words from their passive vocabulary into
their active vocabulary”, (Laurie Bauer (1998)).
In short, the active vocabulary is one of the kinds of words the
students have been taught and they expect to be able to use it in many
different contexts.
Passive or receptive vocabulary
Receptive vocabulary is words that the learners recognize and
understand when they use them in the different contexts, but which they
cannot produce. It is the vocabulary that the learners recognize when they
see or meet in reading texts but do not use it in speaking and writing.
Passive or receptive vocabulary can be recognized and understood in the
context of reading or listening, Aeborsold and Field (1977). Nation (1990)
refers to the words that students can

organize when they expect to

distinguish words which have the similar sound.

From the explanation above, it can be concluded that productive and
receptive words are different types of vocabulary. This is relevant for the
people to understand words in terms of visual, aural, oral and written
words, so vocabulary selection is important in teaching language.

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2.2. The Importance of Vocabulary instruction
Vocabulary is center of English language teaching because
insufficient vocabulary prevents students from understanding others or
expressing their own ideas. Lexicon is one of the essential factors in
learning languages, specially in the field of communication.
According to the linguist David Wilkins (1972: 111-112): “Without
grammar little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be
conveyed”. This point reflects the experience with different languages;
even without grammar, with some useful words and expressions, the
researcher can often manage to communicate.
Lewis (1993:89) argues that “lexis is the core or heart of language”.
Particularly, students can develop fluently communicative competence and
express their ideas in English. It is significant for them to acquire more
productive vocabulary knowledge and to enhance their own personal
vocabulary learning strategies. Students often instinctively recognize the
importance of vocabulary to their language learning.
“When people have to leave far from their homes as travelling, they
should carry dictionaries and they should not bring grammar books”,
Schmitt (2010: 4).
“Knowing words is key to understanding and being understood. The
bulk of learning a new language consists of learning new words”, Vermeer
(1992: 147)

Teaching vocabulary helps students understand and communicate
with others in English. Voltaire purportedly said, “Language is very
difficult to put into words.” I believe English language students generally
would concur, yet learning vocabulary also helps students master English
for their purposes. Indeed, people need to use words in order to express
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themselves in any language. Most learners, too, acknowledge the
importance of vocabulary acquisition.
In the teacher‟s experience, the researcher noticed the fact that
students usually find it difficult to speak English fluently. They usually
consider speaking and writing activities exhausting because they keep on
using the same expressions and words and very soon their conversation is
abruptly interrupted due to missing words. And the major reason for such
communication problems is the lack of vocabulary. Other students are
confronted with the problem of forgetting the words immediately after the
teacher has elicited their meanings or after they have looked them for in the
dictionary, and this is also a cause of lack of vocabulary. The more words
students learn, the easier they memorize them. So teacher plays an
important role in helping students to improve their lexicon. Unfortunately,
vocabulary teaching has not been enough responsive to such problems, and
teachers have not recognizes the tremendous importance of helping their
students to develop an extensive vocabulary.
2.3. The process of vocabulary teaching
2.3.1. The role of vocabulary teaching
Teaching lexicon plays an important role in teaching foreign
language with the aim at helping students both improve and expand their
vocabulary knowledge. Using a variety of vocabulary activities in learning
language makes flexibility. Moreover, becoming proficient in this

language, especially using words in different contexts, offers learners
golden opportunity to express their own opinions
2.3.2. Methods and approaches of teaching vocabulary at high school
Teaching methodology keeps an important role in measuring the
success or failure in teaching language. Methods are held to be fixed
teaching systems with prescribed techniques and practices, and approaches
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are language teaching philosophies that can be interpreted and applied in a
distinctive ways in the classroom. “A method is theoretically relates to an
approach, is organizationally determined by a design, and is practically
realized in procedure”, (Richards and Rodges (1996)).
Methodology of vocabulary teaching/learning has undergone too
many changes. First, the grammar translation method. In this method,
vocabulary is taught by meanings of translation when students are given
lists of words with their translation to be learned. Language is seen
collection of words which are isolated and independent and there must be a
corresponding word in the native tongue for each foreign word students
learn. This method is commonly applied in teaching vocabulary to nonEnglish majors at training institutions in the north of Vietnam. In audiolingual method, teaching vocabulary is also turned up grammar and words
were presented and learned in structures. Also, great attention is paid to
pronunciation. Vocabulary is emphasized over other language areas by
using commands to direct behavior and action sequence. This method
involves a substantial amount of listening and comprehension in
combination with various physical responses. Teachers often use gestures,
body language, facial expressions to illustrate the words to students. The
words in this method are taught by modeling and practice. Concrete words
are taught through demonstration, objects or pictures while abstract ones
are taught by association of ideas.
Lastly, more precisely teaching approach the researcher would like

to mention is communicative language Teaching Approach. Because this
study is much relevant to this approach so a great attention is paid to
present it in an isolated part.

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2.4. The techniques in teaching vocabulary
Generally, there are several techniques concerning vocabulary
teaching. However, it depends on the teachers‟ purpose because of the
differences from the ways to master lexis. For instance, teachers want to
present new words or the lexical items to students, they must have to be
remembered by the teachers for teaching and preparing process. It means
that the teachers always want students to remember them. So these words
should be learnt, practiced and revised to prevent students from forgetting.
Furthermore, to achieve this aim, teachers need to create many different
ways to instruct vocabulary which can help students improve and enhance
lexical knowledge and motivate the learners in learning lexis effectively.
Vocabulary mastery is an individual‟s great skill in using words of a
language, which is acquired based on their own language skills and it has to
be considered that vocabulary mastery is one of the needing components of
language. So The teachers should choose the most suitable techniques for
each level, each class or each skill to master. The following are commonly
used techniques in presenting vocabulary items.
2.4.1. Using Objects
This technique includes the use of realia, visual aids and
demonstration. It is an alternative to translation and an obvious choice for
presenting a set of concrete objects such as clothes items are to somehow
illustrate or demonstrate them. This can be done either by using real objects
(called realia) or pictures or mime. The use of realia, pictures and

demonstration is a defining technique of the Direct Method. Using the
realia can support the learners to remember lexicon more quickly and
better. Thanks to the technique in teaching vocabualry, students can easily
see active words‟ meanings. (eg: a hat, a box, an apple, a knife, a ring, or a
handbag etc). Moreover, classroom can be used to show many visual
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things: a fan, a picture, a book, a notebook, a board, a table, a chair etc.
Especially, these things can be seen and touched and this way is also used
to express words‟ meaning when the vocabulary consists of concrete
nouns. It helps the learners memorize the word through visualization. The
learners or teachers can bring these objects to the classroom, leading to
higher results in vocabulary teaching and learning.
2.4.2. Drawing
This is one of the interesting techniques for the students to acquire
effective vocabulary knowledge because they would have opportunity to
show their creativities. They love manifesting their competences in some
different fields such as: drawing, singing, dancing etc. So students can
draw at the classroom on the blackboard or on flash cards or at home they
can draw on the papers. In the drawing process, that word can be appeared
in their mind many times so students can memorize them immediately. For
instance, they must draw a house, a cat, a horse, an umbrella, a dog, a hat,
a plane or a car etc, they are saved in their mind in a long time. Through
drawing, they can improve vocabulary retention.
2.4.3. Using illustrations and Pictures
One of the most effective and motivating techniques in word
introduction is using pictures because of their several benefits and
opportunities for students to create the different stories. When those words
are used to tell stories, the learners‟ mind can memorize them and they can

also use those words in the different and accurate context. Moreover,
teachers can introduce lexicon by using illustrations or pictures for students
to motivate lexical learning. The students can recognize the clear meanings
of unknown words. Teachers should apply this way as regularly as
possible. Pictures/ illustrations Visual aids take many forms: flashcards
(published and home-made), wall charts, transparencies projected on to
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