HANOI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES LE SON THUY A STUDY ON TEACHING AND LEARNING ENGLISH VOCABULARY AT THAC BA HIGH SCHOOL. NGITEN CVU VE VIEC DAY VA TOC TY VUNG TIENG ANH CỦA TRƯỜNG THPT THẮC BÀ. MINOR THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH METHODOLOGY CODE: 601410 SUPERVISOR: NGUYEN IIUYEN MINIT, M.A TIANOT- 2010 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of contents Acknowledgement Abstract Last of tables PART A: INTRODUCTION 1, Rationale 2. THE SCOPE, OBJECTIVES, SIGNIFICANCE, METHOD OF THE STUDY 2.
The scope of the study 2. Objectives of the study 3. Significance of the study 2.4, Mcthods of the study 2.5, Design of the study PART B. An overview of the teaching and learning of English vocabulary 1.
The status of vocabulary in the curriculum 1. word list and frequency counts 1. Vocabulary and context 1. vocabulary development and second language acquisition 1.
Semantic networks and features 1. Memory and vocabulary development 1.2, Current points of view of teaching and learning English vocabulary 1. Previous studies related tn teaching and learning English vocabulary CHAPTER Ii.1, The English teaching and learning situations at Thac Ba high schoo! 1. Desenpbion of the students at Thac Ba high school 11.
Description of the teachers at Thac Ba high school 11. Settings of the study IL2, Research methodology 1. Questionmaire for the students 11. Questionnaire for the teachers 11.
Interview CHAPTER TH: ĐATA COLLECTIDN AND DISCUSSION TIL1. Presentation of statistical results 1. Questionnaire for the students IIL1. Students’ background of English language before entering Thac Ba high school TH1.2: Students’ attitude to Isarning English vocabulary.1,3: Students’ difficulties in leaning English vocabulary IIL1.1, 4, Students' activities in a vocabulary lesson TL1.115 : Students’ suggestions for bettering the leaming of English vocabulary UL.
Questionnaire for the teachers TH1.1: Teachers! ages IIL1.2: Teachers’ teaching experience.3: Teachers’ opinions on teaching English vocabulary, T1L.4: Difficulties confronted by teachers in teaching English vocabulary, T1L.5: Activities teachers do when teaching English vocabulary.6: Teachers’ suggestions for bettering the teaching of English vocabulary LIL2. FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS IV. Difficulties faced by the teachers in teaching English vocabulary and their own solutions TV.2, Difficulties faced by the students in the learning of English vocabulary and their expectations IV. Recommendations 3 make the application of vocabulary teaching and learning at my school more snecessful and cffeetive.
Methods of the sturdy ‘The researcher collects information from all the English teachers who teach at Thac ha high school. Firsl, questionmaires are delivered to the Isachers to investigate their vocabulary teaching and their altitude io vocabulary Isaching, their solutions and. expectations to better the teaching of Vocabulary. Questionnaires are also delivered to the students fo find out their attitude to vocabulary ieaming, their activities, their expectations for better in the learning condition.
lutervicws arc carried out to increase the reliability of the obtained information and provide more information relating to the teachers' method of teaching vocabulary. The combination of information fron questionnaires and inlerviews for the teachers and the students can help to draw a general picture about the application of new techniques and activities in the teaching and learning of vocabulary at ‘hac Ba high school, 2. Desiym of the study The thesis consists of three parts. Part A is the introduction, which presents the rationale, the scope, the objectives, the method, significanes and the design of the study Part B consists ofthree chapters: Chapter I deals with an overview of the literature.
It starts with the various iucthods of teaching and lcarning English vocabulary, activitics need using. The final is the seview of previous studies related to the teaching and learning of English vocabulary Chapter 11 presents the methodology performed in the stndy. It provides information about Ihe participants, the instrumemtalions and dala analysis. Chapter HI discusses the data of the study.
Chapter IV proposes some recommendations on teaching and leaning of vocabulary fo teachers and students at Thao Ba high school Part C is about the conclusion and suggestions for further study. PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER L LITERATURE REVIEW 11. An overview of the teaching and learning of English vocabulary 3 make the application of vocabulary teaching and learning at my school more snecessful and cffeetive. Methods of the sturdy ‘The researcher collects information from all the English teachers who teach at Thac ha high school.
Firsl, questionmaires are delivered to the Isachers to investigate their vocabulary teaching and their altitude io vocabulary Isaching, their solutions and. expectations to better the teaching of Vocabulary. Questionnaires are also delivered to the students fo find out their attitude to vocabulary ieaming, their activities, their expectations for better in the learning condition. lutervicws arc carried out to increase the reliability of the obtained information and provide more information relating to the teachers' method of teaching vocabulary.
The combination of information fron questionnaires and inlerviews for the teachers and the students can help to draw a general picture about the application of new techniques and activities in the teaching and learning of vocabulary at ‘hac Ba high school, 2. Desiym of the study The thesis consists of three parts. Part A is the introduction, which presents the rationale, the scope, the objectives, the method, significanes and the design of the study Part B consists ofthree chapters: Chapter I deals with an overview of the literature. It starts with the various iucthods of teaching and lcarning English vocabulary, activitics need using.
The final is the seview of previous studies related to the teaching and learning of English vocabulary Chapter 11 presents the methodology performed in the stndy. It provides information about Ihe participants, the instrumemtalions and dala analysis. Chapter HI discusses the data of the study. Chapter IV proposes some recommendations on teaching and leaning of vocabulary fo teachers and students at Thao Ba high school Part C is about the conclusion and suggestions for further study.
PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER L LITERATURE REVIEW 11. An overview of the teaching and learning of English vocabulary 4 11. The status of vocabulary in the curriculum. Aovording la David Nua and some other linguists like H.
Douglas Brown, Teaching hy Principles. An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy, Ruth Gairns and Stuart Redman (1986). Working with Words. guide to teaching and learning vocabular, Edward Fincyan (2004).
Language lis structure and use the principal foo of language cachingis been on the gramumar of Ihe language. Graromar translation approaches to the teaching language provided a balanced diet of grammar and vocabulary, audio-tingualists suggested that the emphasis should be strongly on the acqnisition of the basic grammatical paticrns of the language. It was belicved that if carers were able to internalize these basic patierns, then building a large vocabulary would come later. This emphasis on grammar and, jo 4 certain extent, pronunciation, al the cxpentse of vouahulary reflected a traditionat going back fo the nineteenth century when the International Phonetic Association published its six principles of language teaching, These principles, which were later reflected in andio-lingualism, advocated the inductive teaching of grammar, a foons on the spoken language of everyday Hife and an emphasis on the direct leaching of the target Janguage xather than translation.
Some of the most influential stiuctural linguists of the day went so far as to argue that vocabulary was the easiest aspect of a second language to learn. and thal it bardly fartoal allertion in the classroom. However, the siatus of vocabulary has ‘been considerably enhanced, This has come about partly as a result of the development of communicative approaches to language teaching, and through the stimulus of comprehension-baszd methods such as the Natural Approach = ( Krashen and Tented 1983). Proponents of these methods point out that in the early stages of leaning and using asecond Ianguage one is better served by vocabulary than grammar, and that one can, in oft 1, “bypass” grammar in going for meaning if one has a reasonable vocatndary t Rivers( 1983:125) has also argued that the acquisition of an adequate vocabulary is essential for successful second language use because, without an extensive vocabulary, we will bo unable lơ use the structures and functions we may have learned for comprohensible communication, Also, in contiast with the development of the aspects ofa second language, particularly pronunciation, vocabulary acquisition does not seem to be stowed down by age.
Rivers argued that vocabulary augmentation seems to became easier as one xatorcs, probably because one has a richer knowledge of the world on which to draw, The Tuore one's vocabulary develops, the easiar itis to add new words. ‘The first ten words are 5 probably the most difficult to lear. All is to say that the development ofa tich vocabulary is an important clement in the acquisition ofa second language ‘When teaching and learning vocabulary, teachers and students should always see the importance of an adequate vocabulary and must follow some certain rules that are clearly prosented (David Nunan. Ward list and frequency.
Considerable attention has been paid to the issue of the minimum adequate vocabulary of which aim was to scientifically select and compile some thousand words most commonly uscd in English. West(1960) published a list of 1200 words bascd on a frequency count of the 2000 most frequent words in English which he argued provided jearners with a minimum adequate speech vocabulary. According to him, these words would enable learners to express practically any idea they wanted to. Fox (1979) argues that minimum adequate vocabularies might be adequate for productive purposes, but that they leave leamers seriously unequipped to deal with authentic language.
ox( 1979) says that reader who possesses Wesl’s 2000 words will find the text practically incomprehensible. If they want to comprehend such material, they should need to have a aauch mare extensive receptive vocabulary. Receptive words are those which readers understand bul which they do not necessarily use. This is perhaps a scrions matter for linguists to argue because when teaching and learning a second Janguage, one need to know not anly necessary vocabulary but also other words that are contextually related.
On the wliolc, fisquency counts has been still argued by linguists. Vocabulary and context. ‘As it has been actually seen that language reflects the contexts in which it is used and plsposes lo which iL is pul, IC language is assumed to be best encountered and learned int context, then this has particular implication for practice. The focus in class will be on encouraging learners to develop strategies for inferring the meaning of new words from the context in which hey occur, and toaching thom to use a range of cnas both verbal and nonverbal to determine meaning, Teaching and Jeaming vocabulary in its context have been considered to be successful and effective.
Ilere we mention the importance of contexts in teaching and leaning vocabulary. The teaching and learning will be more and amore practical and cfivctive if we can put them into certain contexts to reflect or reeycle the new words we wish to deal with.4, Vocabulary development and second language acquisition. 5 probably the most difficult to lear. All is to say that the development ofa tich vocabulary is an important clement in the acquisition ofa second language ‘When teaching and learning vocabulary, teachers and students should always see the importance of an adequate vocabulary and must follow some certain rules that are clearly prosented (David Nunan.
Ward list and frequency. Considerable attention has been paid to the issue of the minimum adequate vocabulary of which aim was to scientifically select and compile some thousand words most commonly uscd in English. West(1960) published a list of 1200 words bascd on a frequency count of the 2000 most frequent words in English which he argued provided jearners with a minimum adequate speech vocabulary. According to him, these words would enable learners to express practically any idea they wanted to.
Fox (1979) argues that minimum adequate vocabularies might be adequate for productive purposes, but that they leave leamers seriously unequipped to deal with authentic language.