VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ---------- HOÀNG THỊ THU HỒNG IMPROVING YOUNG LEARNERS’ RETENTION OF ENGLISH VOCABULARY THROUGH MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES APPROACH (Cải thiện việc ghi nhớ từ vựng của trẻ em thông qua thuyết đa trí tuệ) M.A MINOR THESIS (Type I) Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01 Hanoi – 2019 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ---------- HOÀNG THỊ THU HỒNG IMPROVING YOUNG LEARNERS’ RETENTION OF ENGLISH VOCABULARY THROUGH MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES APPROACH (Cải thiện việc ghi nhớ từ vựng của trẻ em thông qua thuyết đa trí tuệ) M.A MINOR THESIS (Type I) Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231. Hoàng Văn Vân Hanoi - 2019 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com DECLARATION I hereby certify that this thesis entitled “Improving young learners’ retention of English vocabulary through multiple intelligences approach” is entirely my own work. I have provided fully documented references to others‟ work. The material in this thesis has not been submitted for a degree in any other universities or institutions.
I also accept all the requirements of ULIS relating to the retention and use of M.A Graduation Thesis deposited in the library. Hanoi, July 2019 Signature Hoang Thi Thu Hong i LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis would not be fulfilled without the help of some people, and in some ways, I would like to thank everyone who has taught me, inspired me, and supported me throughout the realization of this thesis. I would like to express my deepest gratitude towards my supervisor, Prof. Hoàng Văn Vân, for his whole-hearted assistance, encouragement as well as his profound guidance he gave me while I was implementing my research.
He consistently allowed this paper to be my own work, but steered me in the right direction whenever he thought I needed it. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all lecturers in Faculty of Post-graduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi for their interesting lectures which have inspired me to conduct this thesis. I would also like to express my thanks to the teachers of English in my working place for their willingness to participate in the research. Without their passionate participation and input, the validation survey could not have been successfully conducted.
Last but not least, I must express my very profound gratitude to my parents and to my boyfriend for providing me with unfailing support and continuous encouragement throughout my years of study and through the process of researching and writing this thesis. This accomplishment would not have been possible without them. Hanoi, July 2019 Signature Hoang Thi Thu Hong ii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ABSTRACT This study is conducted with the purpose to find out the effects of using activities based on Multiple Intelligence Theory in helping young learners to improve their retention of English vocabulary. It is both a quantitative study and a qualitative study.
In the study, the class was divided into three main groups of students according to their levels. All of the groups were pre-tested at the beginning of the study by using a vocabulary test and doing the survey to classify dominant bits of intelligence. Throughout the learning process in class for two months, the teacher observed and prepared the learning and teaching activities accordingly. All students in the class were post-tested at the end of the intervention.
For the detailed outcome, the data was collected and analyzed carefully. The results of the study suggest that Multiple Intelligence Theory based activities have a significant effect on the retention of young learners‟ English vocabulary. iii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CLL Community Language Learning CLT Communicative Language Teaching I.Q Intelligence Quotient T Teacher TPR Total Physical Response Ss Students iv LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Figure 2.3 - Learners‟ characteristics according to aged group .2 - Action Research Model (Source: Susman, 1983). - Intelligences of students .1a - Descriptive statistics of pre-test scores of average students .1b - Descriptive statistics of post-test scores of average students .1c - Frequency of pre-test scores of average students .2a - Descriptive statistics of pre-test scores of pretty good students .2b - Descriptive statistics of pre-test scores of pretty good students .2c - Frequency of pre-test scores of pretty Good students .2d - Frequency of pre-test scores of pretty good students .3a - Descriptive statistics of pre-test scores of good students .3b - Descriptive statistics of post-test scores of good students .3c - Frequency of pre-test scores of good students .4a - Descriptive statistics of pre-test and post-test scores .4b - Frequency of pre-test scores .4c - Frequency of post-test scores .45 v LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION.
iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. iv LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES. Statement of the Problem and Rationale for the Study. Aims of the Study.
Scope of the Study. Methodology of the study. Significance of the Study. Design of the Thesis.
5 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW. Vocabulary retention and techniques to improve students‟ vocabulary retention. Multiple Intelligence Theory and the role of Multiple Intelligence Theory in supporting students‟ achievement. The appropriateness of Multiple Intelligence Theory to young learners‟ characteristics.
The review of previous studies on the effectiveness of MI theory for enhancement of learners‟ vocabulary retention. 29 vi LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Data Collection Instruments. Data Analysis Method .34 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION.
Activities based on Multiple Intelligence Approach contribute positively to young learners‟ scores. Activities based on Multiple Intelligence Theory help young learners improve their retention of English vocabulary. Summary of the Findings and Discussion. Limitations and Suggestions for Further Studies.
I vii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION In this chapter, the researcher will set the introduction of the study, including: the statement of the problem and the rationale for the study, the aims, the scope, the significance, the methodology of the study, and the design of the thesis. Statement of the Problem and Rationale for the Study Globalization is a catch-all term that refers to any activity that involves more than one country, for example, travel from one country to another, even need a common language. Thanks to this situation, English has become a lingua franca, a global language generally used for communication between the speakers whose native languages are different from each other. As a result, learning English is essentially crucial.
At the same time, vocabulary learning plays an important part in learning English. Although learners may acquire English grammar, they seem to lack fluency due to the absence of vocabulary knowledge. It is noted that mastering a language is a matter of grasping its vocabulary or words. For this reason, promoting vocabulary growth has been a major concern of educators in the area of second language acquisition.
My learning experience has told me that to make a word permanent, this word can be met several times (from five to seven times). My learning experience has shown me that if I do not put my learned words into practice, these words can fade away. This shows us that learning vocabulary is not an easy task, it is much more sophisticated than it seems to be. Clearly, learning a new language and its outcome can depend on different factors from objective to subjective ones.
The matter is, nowadays, the age of learning new languages is cut down; it means that young learners have chances to access to English very early. Young learners seem to be unfamiliar with dictionaries or blackboards. With most of the kids (especially preschool and primary school learners), they cannot sit on a chair to practice writing new words various times, or read books to find new words. They, different individuals, are gifted with strengths and weaknesses in different areas.
1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Any individuals can develop any intelligences to a reasonably high level with their particular environments, stimulation, and encouragement. They can learn new things through multifarious ways. Thus, conventional techniques used for learning vocabulary as the traditional way is not useful as it was. Vocabulary learning is flexible and vocabulary teaching can be diverse too.
In traditional teaching methods, words are written on blackboards with their mother tongue meanings, and students are encouraged to pronounce words lots of time. This method has been used widely in some educational areas. Foreign language instruction in some public schools in Vietnam has still involved in memorization of vocabulary, and written grammar patterns exercises. Teachers, partly, still play the centered roles, whereas students are in passive roles.
They are asked to read the course books or textbooks and look up the new words beforehand. For the time being, communicative strategies are very limited, and students tend to forget the words in a short period of time. To escape from that traditional concept, and figure out how each individual intelligence works in various fields and contexts, in “Frames of Mind” (1983), Howard Gardner, a professor of education at Harvard University, stated: “Surely in focusing on the educational process, we are considering a domain of utmost importance in all cultures, as well as an optimal area in which to observe the intelligences at work.” In that sense, Multiple Intelligence Theory may provide a good framework to use in ensuring good teaching practices and improved outcomes for young learners. Multiple Intelligence Theory by Howard Gardner has brought many implications for teaching and learning a foreign language.
It is a learner-centered theory that emphasized on the abilities-intelligence in each individual. In terms of teaching English in general, it provides a lot of teaching strategies that can be implemented in the classroom. For that reason, in vocabulary teaching for young learners, teachers can apply activities for different intelligences of the students, 2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com especially for young learners. These activities can help the students to learn and remember the vocabulary easily in spite of their young age.
In a nutshell, the theory of Howard Gardner can provide a framework to support students‟ English vocabulary retention. It is believed that the retention of vocabulary learning can be easier when suitable activities are adapted based on students‟ intelligences. Aims of the Study Traditional teaching methods in general and, in particular, teaching vocabulary tend to treat students as a homogeneous group. Teachers have tendencies to present the same in-class exercises and activities to all learners and expect the same outcome.
Sometimes, students do not show their interest in studying such new things in such mentioned stable old ways. Using Howard Gardner (1983)‟s Multiple Intelligence Theory can be a good model for vocabulary teaching when it has various implications for educators in terms of classroom instructions. This action research is conducted with the aim of discovering whether students can improve their retention of English vocabulary through Multiple Intelligences Approach. Specifically, the study will try to answer the following question whose result will be used for later discussion: - To what extent do activities based on Multiple Intelligence Approach contribute to young learners‟ retention of English Vocabulary? 1.
Scope of the Study The study includes the teacher‟s speech and performance because the teacher plays an important role in giving instructions and guiding students to join in activities in the class. Moreover, the teacher‟s interaction with young learners is also an essential key for students to improve learning and retention of vocabulary. In addition, there would be much inadequate if young learners‟ products and performance are not included.