A study on the techniques of presenting vocabulary to increase motivation for grade 10 students at yen phong 1 high school

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES
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NGUYEN THI MINH HAU

A STUDY ON THE TECHNIQUES OF PRESENTING
VOCABULARY TO INCREASE MOTIVATION FOR GRADE 10
STUDENTS AT YEN PHONG 1 HIGH SCHOOL

M.A THESIS
Field: English Linguistics
Code: 8220201

THAI NGUYEN - 2020


ĐẠI HỌC THÁI NGUYÊN
TRƯỜNG NGOẠI NGỮ
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NGUYỄN THỊ MINH HẬU

NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ CÁC THỦ THUẬT GIỚI THIỆU
TỪ VỰNG NHẰM NÂNG CAO HỨNG THÚ HỌC TẬP
CHO HỌC SINH LỚP 10 TẠI TRƯỜNG THPT
YÊN PHONG SỐ 1

LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ
Ngành: Ngôn ngữ Anh
Mã ngành: 8220201

THÁI NGUYÊN - 2020


DECLARATION
I confirm that the thesis entitled “A study on the techniques of presenting
vocabulary to increase motivation for grade 10 students at Yen Phong 1 High
School” is the result of my own study in the fulfillment of the requirement for the
Degree of Master at School of Foreign Languages, Thai Nguyen university. I
commit that this thesis has not been submitted anywhere for any degree or
qualification.

Approved by Supervisor

Thai Nguyen, 2020
Student

Phung Thi Thu Ha, Ph.D

Nguyen Thi Minh Hau

i


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Firstly, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to my supervisor, Ms.
Phung Thi Thu Ha, Ph.D for her wholehearted assistance. Without her advice,
comments, and corrections, it would have been impossible for me to fulfill the thesis.
Secondly, I would like to thank all of teachers in Foreign Languages Faculty at

Thai Nguyen University who provided me with necessary help as well as good
suggestions whenever I got into trouble.
Thirdly, I would also like to send my special thanks to English teachers and a
lot of students at Yen Phong 1 High School who helped me carry out the research.
Finally, I am willing to show my gratefulness to my family, my friends and
colleagues who continuously offer spiritual support and encouragement during the
process of doing this study.
Student

Nguyen Thi Minh Hau

ii


ABSTRACT

Vocabulary plays important role in teaching and learning English because it
has the notability to stimulate students’ participation and help students improve
their skills such as listening, speaking, reading and writing. Vocabulary learning is a
crucial part of learning a second language. There have been a number of researchers
studying roles of learning and teaching vocabulary. To enhance students in
vocabulary lessons, and to achieve more effectiveness from vocabulary teaching
techniques, the research was conducted to find the answer to the question “What
techniques should be applied to increase students’ motivation in vocabulary
lessons?” Therefore, it is necessary to use effective and interesting techniques to
teach English vocabulary, especially techniques of presenting new words to raise
students’ motivation in learning vocabulary. The author wishes to help the learners
improve their vocabulary and feel more interested in vocabulary lessons. This
thesis is a survey study. This study was conducted to find out how vocabulary is
presented and what factors effect students' motivation in learning vocabulary lesson

and thus suggest some ways of improving the effectiveness of vocabulary teaching
and learning at this high school. The reality of teaching and learning English
vocabulary of grade 10 students was made clear. The data of research was collected
by two research instruments that are questionnaires, and interviews. The results
showed that both teachers and students found a lot of benefit from using techniques
in presenting vocabulary such as visual aids, verbal means. However, there were
some difficulties in teaching and learning new words at Yen Phong 1 High School.
So, vocabulary learning of grade 10 students at Yen Phong 1 High School is not
very effective in spite of both teachers' and students' efforts.
This study is believed to be a reliable source of reference for teachers to
enhance the effectiveness of using techniques of presenting vocabulary. Hopefully,
it will be the springboard for many further studies in the future on the same topic

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION ........................................................................................................ i
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.......................................................................................... ii
ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................. iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................... iv
LIST OF FIGURES................................................................................................... vi
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................1
1.1. Rationale ..............................................................................................................1
1.2. Aims of the study .................................................................................................3
1.3. Scope of the study ................................................................................................4
1.4. Significance of the study ......................................................................................4
CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................6
2.1. Concepts of vocabulary ........................................................................................6
2.1.1. Some definitions of vocabulary ..................................................................6

2.1.2. Classification of vocabulary .......................................................................7
2.2. The role of vocabulary in language teaching and learning ..................................9
2.3. Motivation and its role in language teaching and learning ................................10
2.3.1. Definitions of motivation .........................................................................10
2.3.2. Types of motivation ..................................................................................10
2.3.3. The importance of motivation in language teaching and learning ...........12
2.3.4. Factors affect students’ motivation in vocabulary lessons .......................13
2.3.5. How to motivate students to learn English ...............................................15
2.4. Principles of vocabulary teaching ......................................................................16
2.4.1. Purposes of teaching vocabulary ..............................................................16
2.4.2. What to teach ............................................................................................17
2.5. Techniques in presenting vocabulary .................................................................19
2.5.1. Visual techniques ......................................................................................20
2.5.2. Verbal techniques .....................................................................................21
2.5.3. Context building .......................................................................................22
2.5.4. Translation ................................................................................................22

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2.6. Previous studies ..................................................................................................23
CHAPTER 3. METHODOLOGY .........................................................................24
3.1. Method of the study ...........................................................................................24
3.2. Subjects of the study ..........................................................................................24
3.3. Research procedure ..........................................................................................24
3.4. Data collection instruments ................................................................................25
3.4.1 Questionnaires ...........................................................................................25
3.4.2. Interview ...................................................................................................26
3.5. Data analytical method .......................................................................................26
CHAPTER 4. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS .................................................27

4.1. Data analysis ......................................................................................................27
4.1.1. Result from the questionnaires .................................................................27
4.1.2. Results and discussions from the interviews ............................................46
4.2. Discussion ..........................................................................................................48
4.3. Implications and suggestions for teaching and learning English .......................49
4.3.1. Implications ..............................................................................................49
4.3.2. Suggestions for teaching and learning English ........................................50
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION ...............................................................................52
5.1. Conclusion..........................................................................................................52
5.2. Limitations .........................................................................................................52
5.3. Suggestions for further studies ...........................................................................53
REFERENCES ........................................................................................................55
APPENDICES ........................................................................................................... I

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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1:

Teacher's attitudes towards the role of vocabulary teaching in
language teaching ................................................................................27

Figure 2:

Teachers' purposes of teaching vocabulary. ........................................28

Figure 3:

Teachers' ideas about choosing vocabulary to teach ...........................28

Figure 4:

Aspects of a word teachers use to teach their students .......................29

Figure 5:

Teachers' current methods in presenting vocabulary ..........................30

Figure 6:

The frequency of teachers' using techniques of presenting
vocabulary ...........................................................................................31

Figure 7:

Students' reflection about teachers' current techniques of presenting
new words............................................................................................32

Figure 8:

Teachers' attitudes towards teaching vocabulary through
communicative activities .....................................................................33

Figure 9:

Students' motivation in the vocabulary lesson ....................................33

Figure 10:

Factors affect students' motivation in the vocabulary lesson ..............34

Figure 11:

Teachers' current methods to increase students' motivation in the
vocabulary lesson ................................................................................35

Figure 12:

Teachers' methods to enhance students' motivation in vocabulary
lessons at Yen Phong 1 High School ................................................36

Figure 13:

Students' attitude towards vocabulary learning ...................................37

Figure 14:

Students' current method to learn vocabulary .....................................38

Figure 15:

Teachers' current technique of presenting vocabulary ........................39

Figure 16:

Students' comment on teachers' current techniques of presenting
vocabulary ...........................................................................................40

Figure 17:

Students' purpose of learning English vocabulary ..............................41

Figure 18:

Factors affect students' motivation in learning vocabulary .................42

Figure 19:

External reasons caused your learning vocabulary ineffectively ........43

Figure 20:

Students' difficulties in learning English vocabulary ..........................44

Figure 21:

Students' expectations about teachers' methods to motivate their
vocabulary learning. ............................................................................45
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CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Rationale
There is a unanimous agreement that vocabulary is an important and essential
element

in learning a second language. Saleh (1997:12) argued, “the success in

mastering a language is determined by the size of the vocabulary one has learned”.

Wilkins (1972:111) said, “Without grammar, very little can be conveyed; without
vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed.” That is the reason why vocabulary is one of
the most important elements of language. Without vocabulary knowledge, both
language production and language comprehension would not be possible. By
enriching vocabulary, students are able to gain comprehensive using of English.
Insufficient vocabulary may limit one to understand and produce speech as well as
text. Although vocabulary plays a prominent role these days, many students have a
minimal volume of vocabulary which can prevent them from producing and
understanding a large coverage of speech or text. However, it seems that having
good vocabulary is still a challenging to quite a lot of English learners. Most
students often face up with some problems in leaning vocabulary. They find it
difficult to memorize a new word with its spelling, meaning and pronunciation.
Besides, some students tend to show little attention to learning vocabulary.
Therefore, vocabulary needs to be learned in an interesting way.
Recent research indicates that teaching vocabulary may be problematic
because many teachers are not confident about the best practice in vocabulary
teaching and at times they don’t know where to begin to form an instructional
emphasis on word learning (Berne & Blachowicz, 2008). In most of the cases, the
approaches of teaching vocabulary adopted by teachers are not fruitful. Therefore,
vocabulary must be taught in an effective way so that students can learn and
understand words properly and use those in real context.
In Vietnam, since the 1990s, teaching English has become a topical issue
appealing for concerns of both researchers and teachers. Vocabulary has been
taught within the lesson of reading, speaking, listening, and writing. Most of
students are aware of the importance of learning English in their study as well as in
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the future job; therefore, they have a great effort in learning. However, their English
competence are not the same. Some of them are good and active while a lot of them

are quite passive and unmotivated in learning English. Their knowledge of grammar
is acceptable, but their vocabulary is extremely limited. From the survey of the
author, it is surprising that many students are only at the beginning level of English.
Students usually feel bored in vocabulary lessons because they have not changed
their learning habits, such as writing new words on paper, trying to learn by heart or
learning passively through the teacher's explanations. They find it difficult to learn
and remember vocabulary. Most of them claim that they don’t know the best way to
learn a foreign language. They don’t have a positive attitude towards learning
English. The majority of them doesn’t have appropriate learning strategies or have
an effective habit to learn independently or creatively. As a result, they seem to
forget vocabulary quickly, most of them lack a great deal of vocabulary so they
can’t have a certain source of the words to express their ideas in speaking and
writing skills.
The author has been teaching English at Yen Phong 1 High School for more
ten years and she finds that most of English teachers are energetic and willing to
devote their time and energy to teaching. These teachers have good experience in
language teaching. However, their vocabulary teaching methods and strategies are
quite different. There are some teachers who tend to adopt a communicativeoriented and student-centered approach. They frequently find out the new
methodologies and they are flexible in using different vocabulary teaching
strategies to different groups of students, whereas some other teachers keep
traditional teaching methods. When they introduce new words, they often write new
words on the board, then translate them into Vietnamese and make sentences with
them. They read aloud first, then students repeat the words in the chorus. Then they
ask some students to read the words individually. Sometimes the teacher shows
some pictures on the projectors to illustrate new words. Futhermore, many students
at Yen Phong 1 High School usually learn vocabulary passively through teachers'

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explanation. They try to learn vocabulary by heart and they rarely use them in
communication. As a result, the vocabulary learning activities are neither interesting
nor motivating. Then, students’ vocabulary competence is not widened, and
vocabulary teaching and learning are not effective as expected.
To motivate students in vocabulary lessons, and to achieve more effectiveness
from vocabulary teaching teachniques, the research was conducted to find the
answer to the question “What techniques should be applied to increase students’
motivation in vocabulary lessons?” Therefore, it is necessary to use effective and
interesting techniques to teach English vocabulary, especially techniques of
presenting new words to raise students’ motivation in learning vocabulary. The
author wishes to help the learners improve their lexical knowledge and feel more
interested in vocabulary lessons. From the above reasons, the researcher would like
to choose the thesis topic: “A study on the techniques of presenting vocabulary to
increase motivation for grade 10 students at Yen Phong 1 High School”
1.2. Aims of the study
With the hope of helping the students at Yen Phong 1 High School make
progress in studying vocabulary, the research aims to improve the way of presenting
vocabulary and to apply effective techniques of presenting vocabulary to increase
the motivation for students to learn vocabulary. The author finds out the reality of
teaching and learning English vocabulary at Yen Phong 1 High School and suggests
the feasible solutions to help the teachers apply more suitable methods in teaching
vocabulary. after that she investigates some appropriate activities for presenting
vocabulary, which may hopefully attract students and help them feel enjoyable and
motivated when they are in English vocabulary lessons.
Research questions
The study aimed at investigating the techniques in presenting vocabulary to
motivate learners in language studying and based on the findings to make some
suggestions on using some techniques to enhance language proficiency. With such
objectives, the study aims at answering the following research questions.
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1. What types of vocabulary presenting technique are used in vocabulary
lessons at Yen Phong 1 High School?
2. What factors affect students’ motivation in learning vocabulary lessons at
Yen Phong 1 High School?
3. What techniques should be applied to increase students’ motivation in
vocabulary lessons at Yen Phong 1 High School?
1.3. Scope of the study
In fact, there are many ways and ideas to design vocabulary learning activities
for students to study English vocabulary effectively. However, because of the
limitation of the author’s knowledge and limitation of time she only narrows down
to the area of teaching and learning vocabulary for grade 10 students at Yen Phong
1 High School. She cannot study all the techniques that she just mainly focuses on
studying some main techniques of presenting vocabulary to increase the motivation
for Grade 10 students at Yen Phong 1 High School.
1.4. Significance of the study
The study has helped the author understand the present situation of teaching
and learning English vocabulary at Yen Phong 1 High School. Besides, the
researcher investigates in detail into teachers’ and learners’ vocabulary teaching and
learning methods to find the effective techniques in presenting vocabulary stimulate
students in learning vocabulary.
From the research, the teachers of English have paid more attention to design
effective techniques in introducing new vocabulary to students. The teachers have
realized the students’ attitude towards learning vocabulary to prepare suitable
activities with the aim of enhancing students’ motivation learning vocabulary to
increase the motivation for Grade 10 students at Yen Phong 1 High School.

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DESIGN OF THE THESIS
Chapter 1: Introduction
Introduction, rationale for the study, aims of the study, the research questions,
the significance of the study, and the scope of the study
Chapter 2: Literature Review
Overview of the literature, including relevant theoretical background and
reviews of related studies concerning techniques of presenting vocabulary to
motivate students in learning vocabulary
Chapter 3: Methodology
Participants in the study, instrumentations, methods, and procedures of data
collection and data analysis
Chapter 4: Findings and Discussion
Presentation of the findings accompanied by data analysis and discussion
Chapter 5: Conclusion
Major findings of the study and further recommendations for the
implementation of using some techniques of presenting vocabulary in learning
English vocabulary

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CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW
This part is concerned with some of the important issues in the theories of
teaching vocabulary. It consists of some concepts of vocabulary, classification of
vocabulary, the role of vocabulary teaching in learning and teaching vocabulary.
Besides, the researcher addresses the important of motivation in foreign teaching
and learning, particularly motivation in correlation with vocabulary teaching and the
concepts of techniques in presenting vocabulary.
2.1. Concepts of vocabulary

2.1.1. Some definitions of vocabulary
There are many definitions of vocabulary which were proposed by the
scholars and the linguists. Here are some definitions of vocabulary:
Nation (2000:5) defines that vocabulary is a list of different kinds of
knowledge that a person must master to know a word: the meaning of word, the
written form of the word, the spoken form of the word, the grammatical behavior of
the word, the collocations of the word, the association of the word and the frequent
of word.
In the book entitled A course in Language Teaching, Penny Ur (1996:60)
pointed out “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: a couple of two or three words or multi words idioms.”
Hornby (1994) stated that vocabulary is the total number of words that makes
up a language. Brown (2001) viewed vocabulary items as a boring list of words that
must be defined and memorized by the student, lexical forms are seen in their
central role in contextualized and meaningful language.
According to Kim and Kim (2012), “Vocabulary is the base of communication
in that language. Therefore, it is critical to try out various teaching styles that cheer
students to acquire vocabulary easily without negative emotions about it”.
From the definitions above, it can be concluded that vocabulary is all words
which contains of aspects (meaning, formation, grammar and use). It is considered
as a basic component and indispensable part of a language. Vocabulary is used to
communicate and express speaker's idea.
6


In conclusion, vocabulary is an important part of a language as well as the
basis of linguistic abilities. It may be worth teaching students an easier formulation
of Wilkin’s (1972) view that without grammar very little can be conveyed, without
vocabulary nothing can be conveyed. Vocabulary is the total number of words,

including meaning and information.
2.1.2. Classification of vocabulary
There have been different ways of vocabulary classification according to
different criteria, features or functions. The following ways are the most common
ones to classify vocabulary.
2.1.2.1. According to the concept of morpheme
Words can be divided into three kinds: simple word, derived word and
compound word.
Simple words consist of a root morpheme such as pen, book, cup, etc.
Derived words consist of a root and one or more derivational morphemes such
as happiness, beautiful, computer, etc.
Compound words are those that consist of at least two roots with or without
derivational morphemes such as black-board, swimming pool, etc. Compound
words also are words which have two or more parts. Each part has function as a
word.
2.1.2.2. According to the meaning
There are two main kinds of meaning in a word, lexical meaning and
grammatical meaning. Hence, vocabulary can be divided into notional and
functional words. Notional words have clear lexical meaning. These words form
great number of each speaker’s vocabulary.
Functional words are words that have little lexical meaning and express
grammatical relationships among other words within a sentence or specify the
attitude or mood of the speaker. They signal the structural relationships that words
have to one another and are the glue that holds sentences together. Thus, they form
important elements in the structures of sentences. They only have meaning in
relation with other words with which they are combined. They are particles,
prepositions, articles, conjunctions, etc.

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2.1.2.3. According to the function of vocabulary items in a sentence
With different functions of vocabulary in a sentence, English vocabulary can
be divided into different parts of speech such as verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs,
prepositions and pronouns. Each part of speech has its own position complying with
certain grammatical rules and relating to one another. Thus, learners should be
aware of different functions of vocabulary items during the course.
2.1.2.4. According to the frequency of use
Nation and Waring (2004) suggested 2 types of vocabulary: high frequency
word and low frequency ones. High frequency words are words you’ve used
frequently; those appear most commonly in everyday usage. Some of the most
frequently used words are simple verbs and nouns like write or pair, articles,
pronouns (i.e. I, that, and your), prepositions, auxiliaries, or forms of the verb 'to be'
(such as am, is and were). A word is considered to be low frequency, if it is not
commonly used, such as the word tisane. It is important for the teacher to show the
students which words belong to which type because it is unnecessary for students to
know all the words but only the more commonly used words.
2.1.2.5. Other classifications of vocabulary
According to Nu, D. (1992), vocabulary can be classified basing on context,
conditions, communicative purposes, content or aims of lesson. In terms of
language methodology, a language learner’s vocabulary is divided into active and
passive or productive and receptive vocabulary. Active vocabulary includes the
words which students can understand, pronounce correctly, use effectively in
speaking and writing.
Passive vocabulary is words that students can recognize and understand when
they meet in a context, but in teaching a language, the active words tend to be
concentrated on more.
Some linguistics classify vocabulary into productive words and receptive
words. Productive words consist of words which the learner can use effectively to
produce in speaking and writing. Receptive words consist of words which the

learners can receive and understand in listening and reading.
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2.2. The role of vocabulary in language teaching and learning
It cannot be denied that vocabulary plays a significant role in language as
many aspects of learning vocabulary have been studied, including vocabulary use,
vocabulary course design, evaluation, and vocabulary learning strategies. Without a
large vocabulary, it is difficult to hold a proper conversation. Vocabulary
knowledge is often viewed as a critical tool for second language learners because a
limited range vocabulary in a second language impedes successful communication.
Underscoring the importance of vocabulary acquisition, Schmitt (2000) emphasized
that “lexical knowledge is central to communicative competence and to the
acquisition of a second language” p. 55).
Folse (2014) expresses that " learning a language entails learning numerous
aspects about that language, including its pronunciation, writing system, syntax….,
but the most important aspect is vocabulary". Therefore, vocabulary is considered
as a useful part and fundamental tool for communicative purpose and acquiring
knowledge.
Nation (2001) further described the relationship between vocabulary
knowledge and language use as complementary: knowledge of vocabulary enables
language use and, conversely, language use leads to an increase in vocabulary
knowledge. Commenting on the role of vocabulary, Wilkins (1982), a famous
British linguist, said: “Without grammar, very little can be conveyed, without
vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed”. (2002:35).
Moreover, Carmen (2005) states that vocabulary is crucial for getting meaning
from a written or oral text. Without knowledge of key vocabulary in a text, students
may have difficulty in understanding the message.
In conclusion, vocabulary teaching and learning is a complicated and
laborious process. For every language learner it is essential to acquire the language

components of a language before developing the language skills. Therefore, it
cannot be denied that the role of vocabulary in language teaching and learning is
extremely significant.
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2.3. Motivation and its role in language teaching and learning
2.3.1. Definitions of motivation
There are many different definitions of motivation, especially in language
learning. Harmer (1991, p.3) explains the meaning of motivation as the “internal
drive” that encourages somebody to do something. If we think that our goal is worth
doing and attractive for us, then we try to reach that goal; this is called “the action
driven by motivation”.
According to Lightbown and Spada (1999, p. 56) motivation in second
language learning is not easy to study which can be explained in terms of two
factors: learner’s communicative needs and their attitudes towards the second
language community.
In addition, Parsons, Hinson and Brown (2001 , p. 28) define motivation as a
crucial factor in the learning process. To achieve the goal, learning and motivation
have the same role and they support each other. Learners will gain new knowledge
and skills by learning and motivation encourages learners to go through the learning
process. Gardner (1982), in his socio-educational model, stresses that there are three
elements that compose motivation. These are effort, desire and affect. Effort refers
to the time spent studying the language and the drive of the learner. Desire
expresses how much the learner wants to become proficient in the language, and
affect means the learner’s emotional reactions related to language study.
A motivated student can be defined as someone who:" Expends effort, is
persistent and attentive to the tasks at hand, has goals, desires and aspirations,
enjoys the activity, makes attributions concerning success or failure" Dornyei 2003,
P.137).

In conclusion, motivation is the learner’s orientation with regard to the goal of
learning a second language. Learners with positive attitudes toward the subject and
high motivation are likely to be successful in second language learning.
2.3.2. Types of motivation
There have been different ways of motivation classification according to
different features or functions.
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According to (Harmer, 1991, p. 3) motivation in second language learning can
be categorized into two types. They are short-term goal and long-term goal.
When students wish to succeed in doing something in the near future, for
example, students who want to pass their examination or to get good grade or high
scores at school, this is called short-term goal.
Long-term goal is something students want to do further in the future. Longterm goals require time and planning, for example, learners who want to get a better
job in the future or to be able to communicate with people who use the language
that they study or the target language.
Besides, the motivation is further classified into two main categories: extrinsic
motivation and intrinsic motivation.
Extrinsic motivation refers to a desire to get a reward and avoid punishment. It
emphasizes external need to persuade the learner to take part in learning activity
such as the need of passing the exam, homework, grade, or doing something to
please teachers. It is concerned with the factors beyond the classroom. This
motivation could bring a negative impact to the students, because with extrinsic
motivation, students do not learn with their strong intention or will, but they study it
because they are pushed by the interest in the rewards or the punishment.
On the other hand, intrinsic motivation is an inner drive that propels a person
to pursue an activity, not for external rewards, but because the action itself is
enjoyable. It occurs when someone does something because they love to it or find it
interesting. It means the learners are willingly and voluntarily try to learn what they

think it is worth or important for them. When students have intrinsic motivation,
they have the internal desire to learn and they do not have the need for external
outcomes. There are no negative impacts in having intrinsic motivation as students
are motivated by the fun, challenge or satisfaction involved with an activity, not for
an outcome, pressure or reward. Maslow (1970) believed that intrinsic motivation is
noticeably superior to extrinsic because we are motivated to achieve "selfactualization". Bruner (1966, cited in chalak & Kassaian 2010) claimed that one of
the most effective ways to help students is to free them from the control of rewards.
11


In some cases, the two kinds of motivation may overlap to some degree because one
may be motivated from both an inside source and an outside one at the same time.
In Vietnam, both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are necessary for language
learners who are often driven by social and family factors such as getting high
scores, having well-paid job and exam pressure.
In conclusion, both kinds of motivation play important roles in learning and
lack of motivation can cause procrastination because motivation is the driving force
that makes people act. In other words, presence of motivation can increase learning
behaviour. Teachers need to know the type of motivation and its sources to meet the
students’ particular needs.
2.3.3. The importance of motivation in language teaching and learning
It is clear that motivation is one of the main factors which influence the rate
and success of language teaching and learning. Moreover, motivation provides the
primary impetus to initiate learning language. Motivation determines the extent of
active, personal involvement in learning process. Conversely, without sufficient
motivation, even individuals with the most remarkable abilities cannot accomplish
long-term goals, and neither are appropriate curricula and good teaching enough on
their own to ensure students achievement (Dörnyei Z. (2001a).
Reece & Walker (1997 as cited in Gomleksiz 2001) express that motivation is
a key factor in the second language learning process. They stress that a lessable

student who is highly motivated can achieve greater success than the more
intelligent student who is not well motivated. Sometimes students may come highly
motivated and the task of the teacher is to maintain motivation of the students.
Motivation has an important role in success and failure in learning a second
language. Spolsky (1990) stated that motivated students are likely to learn more
and learn more quickly than students who are less motivated. In a particular
learning situation, students who are less motivated are likely to lose their attention,
misbehave and cause discipline problems. On the contrary, students who are more
highly motivated will participate actively and pay more attention to a certain
learning task or activity.
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Reece & Walker (1997 as cited in Gomleksiz 2001) express that a lessable
student who is highly motivated can achieve greater success than the more
intelligent student who is not well motivated.It is very difficult to convey a second
language in a learning environment if the learners does not have a desire to learn it.
Sometimes students may come highly motivated and the task of the teacher is to
maintain motivation of the students.
To include, motivation is one of the important aspects of second language
acquisition. The teachers should know how to motivate students by applying
suitable and effective methods in each lesson and they must pay attention to both
intrinsic and extrinsic motivation because these kinds of motivation will make the
learners active and desirable in learning process.
2.3.4. Factors affect students’ motivation in vocabulary lessons
Motivation has a great significance in language learning and teaching in
general and in teaching vocabulary in particular. Vocbulary plays a vital role in
language learning, so it is essential that learners know a number of vocabulary to
acquire different language skills at a certain level such as speaking, listening,
reading and writing. In order to

motivate students in vocabulary lessons, teacher

needs to know what factors affect students’ motivation while they are dealing with
their new vocabulary in vocabulary lesson. There are many factors which affect
students’ motivation in vocabulary learning. According to Harmer (1991, p.4) there
are four factors that affect to the learners’ motivation as follows
2.3.4.1. Physical condition
Physical condition means the atmosphere and condition of classroom. If we do
not have good conditions for teachers to teach, for students to learn, it is not easy
for them to get the best result as well as the effectiveness in teaching and learning.
For example, if students have to study in the bad lighting classroom, overcrowded
with too many students, have to look at the small board, they can lose their
motivation or their motivation in learning will be lowered.
Nowadays, with the development of technology and the demand of students
and teachers in teaching and learning are higher and higher, many modern types of
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equipment are equipped for each classroom such as the projector, the laptop, the
speaker and cassette player. They are really useful equipment in teaching and
learning.
2.3.4.2. Method of teaching
Teacher's teaching methods are very important because it can demotivate or
motivate students to get involved in learning activities. The teacher’s methods are
also among the most significant factors affecting student’s motivation in vocabulary
lesson. It refers to the way that students are taught must affect their motivation.
When the learners show their less interest in lesson than usual, their motivation
would likely be lost or gradually decreased. As he said, “If the students lose
confidence in the method, they will become demotivated” (Harmer, 1991, p. 5). The

method of teachers should be changed usually so that it’s suitable for the learning
style of the students, it seems that the students will be bored with learning and do
not want to learn any more if the teachers often use traditional methods to teach.
Besides using the books and material just related to the lesson in accordance with
the teachers’ book, the teachers should find and introduce extra books and material
to students. Teachers should always update new methodology, study and advance
their knowledge to meet the needs of students.
2.3.4.3. The teachers
The importance of the teacher factor in having a high level of motivation in
second language acquisition cannot be neglected. The success of a teacher in second
language acquisition in school directly affects the success of learners. The more
successful the teacher is in focusing and facilitating effective pupil calibration, the
more effective the teacher will be in facilitating effective pupil learning. The
teachers as the most powerful variable of motivation and demotivation can become
a major part in demotivating the learners.
Teachers who have teaching experience, enthusiasm, willingness to
innovations and new methodological approaches will bring interesting and effective
lessons to learners. Other factors that influence the students' attitudes and
motivation in the language learning class are teacher's personality traits and
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teacher's behavior in class (Madrid,1993). So, teachers should be always pleased,
friendly and willing to help students with their learning problems.
2.3.4.4. Success
Success refers to the appropriate level of challenge designed by the teachers. If
the difficulty of work and activity is too high or too low, it can lead students to a
demotivated situation in learning. As Harmer pointed out, to give high challenge
activities may have a negative effect on motivation. Students can also equally be
demotivated by too low level of challenge.

Besides these factors, there are some factors affect students’ motivation such
as tiredness, depression, anxiety, boredom, etc., obstruct the learning process of the
students. This means that learners’ emotion can affect their motivation. In addition,
teaching materials also affect students’ motivation. The materials provide the
content of the lesson, the balance of skills taught, and the kind of language practice
students take part in. Suitable materials will enhance students’ motivation in
vocabulary lessons.
To sum up, there are some factors which affect to student’s motivation in
vocabulary learning. Teachers should have good methods to limit those factors to
gain good result in teaching especially in teaching English vocabulary.
2.3.5. How to motivate students to learn English
2.3.5.1. Make class communicative
One way to encourage students' intrinsic motivation is to make class
communicative. Part of the joy of language is using it to communicative. Language
learners get a rush when they can successfully use the new words they have learned
in context. The more teacher encourage their students to communicate in class, the
more motivated they will be. Learners will see that they are accomplishing their
goals even as they have learned, and the success and the achievement will make
them readier to learn. Group activities are a great way to make class
communicative. Teachers get students using the language that they already know to
work together to develop new language.

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2.3.5.2. Make English practical
One way to keep things practical in class is to use realia whenever possible.
Bringing realia into classroom will make students more prepared for what they will
find outside your classroom walls. Role playing is another way to stay focused on
the practical. Giving students real-life situations they are likely to encounter in the

outside world will give them a chance to practice for the future in a safe
environment.
2.3.5.3. Make class fun and forge relationships
Make class fun is surefire way to up intrinsic motivation levels. When learners
are having a good time, they will be more engaged in learning. Their motivation
will come from them, teachers just have to find the best ways to help students have
fun atmosphere while they learn. Besides that, teachers should let students know
that they care about them and willing to share with them life skill experiences to
find a successful relationship with your students.
2.3.5.4. Give feedback
It is important to give positive feedback, like compliments and
encouragements, as well as criticism. Feedback should be educative in nature and
be sensitive to the individual needs of the students. Providing students with
meaningful feedback can greatly enhance their learning and achievement.
Apart from that, there are some ways to build the students' motivation in
learning activities in language classroom were suggested by Shodiqin (2015) such
as giving score, competition, reward, giving praise, giving test and punishment.
In conclusion, teachers should know how to motivate students so that they can
enjoy and achieve their learning goal.
2.4. Principles of vocabulary teaching
2.4.1. Purposes of teaching vocabulary
It cannot be denied that vocabulary is necessary in learning and teaching a foreign
language. The purpose of teaching vocabulary is to facilitate the comprehension of a
text that students will be assigned to read. Before guiding students’ reading of a
particular narrative, teachers should be determined if there are any new words that
represent concepts which are critical to understand the selection in context.

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The other purpose of teaching vocabulary is that teacher teaches the meaning
of words that students know and can use it in a variety of educational, social, and
work-related areas. Vocabulary enables language use; language use enables the
increase of vocabulary knowledge and language use. To increase the number of
words the students learn, it is often helpful to teach these words in morphological or
semantic clusters.
2.4.2. What to teach
When teaching English vocabulary, teachers must make a question: “what
needs to be taught?” According to Richard (1976), selecting what to teach, based on
frequency and usefulness to the need of your students is essential because the
students will not need to produce every word they learn. In fact, learning a word is
far more than just understanding its meaning and of course learners are not expected
to learn every word in the textbooks. There are many elements of vocabulary
teaching that are concerned; however, the teacher should focus on some important
following elements:
2.4.2.1. Form: pronunciation and spelling
The learner has to know what a word sound like (its pronunciation) and what it
looks like (its spelling). These are fairly obvious characteristics, and one or the
other will be perceived by the learner when encountering the item for the accurately
presented and learned.
Pronunciation is extremely important not only in the process of learning but
also in the process of teaching English vocabulary as well as all other languages all
over the world. Obviously, pronunciation plays an important role in making
listeners understand what we are speaking about. When teaching pronunciation of a
certain English word for students, teachers should pay attention to teaching the
stress of that word and the intonation of whole sentences.
Spelling is defined as “the writing of a word or words with the necessary
letters and diacritics present in an accepted standard order. It is one of the elements
of orthography and a prescriptive element of alphabetic languages.”
2.4.2.2. Grammar

The grammatical features of a new word or phrase will need to be taught if
this is not obviously covered by general grammatical rules. A word may have an
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