MINISTRY OF JUSTICE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HANOI LAW UNIVERSITY LE NGOC DUNG 442931 "USING THE INTERNET TO PROMOTE ENGLISH-MAJORED LEARNER’S AUTONOMY TO ENHANCE VOCABULARY AT HANOI LAW UNIVERSITY Hanoi, 2023 MINISTRY OF JUSTICE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HANOI LAW UNIVERSITY LE NGOC DUNG 442931 USING THE INTERNET TO PROMOTE ENGLISH-MAJORED LEARNER’S AUTONOMY TO ENHANCE VOCABULARY AT HANOI LAW UNIVERSITY SUPERVISOR Nguyen Thi Huong, MA Hanoi, 2023 il DECLARATIONS I hereby state that I: (Student’s name, class), being a candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Arts accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of Bachelor’s Graduation Paper deposited in the library. In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in the library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the care, loan or reproduction of the paper. Supervisor Student Nguyen Thi Huong, MA. April 4", 2023 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Aside from my efforts, the success of this project is highly dependent on the encouragement and guidance of many people.
Therefore, I want to thank all who contributed to the success of this graduation project. I am grateful for the guidance and supervision of Instructor Nguyen Thi Huong, who provided the necessary information about the project and assisted me in completing the project. Finally, I sincerely thank my parents, friends, and supporters who accompanied and encouraged me in this project, helping me survive all the stress from this year and not letting me give up. il ABSTRACTS Learning vocabulary is a difficult challenge for students majoring in English.
In the past, students relied heavily on their teachers for guidance, but new teaching methods now encourage students to take more responsibility for their own learning. At the university level, students are expected to become more independent and find ways to improve their vocabulary acquisition. Due to the limited exposure to the target language in university classes, students must make a conscious effort to learn vocabulary outside of the classroom, which highlights the importance of learner autonomy in this process. Moreover, having difficulties in the learning process is inevitable.
This paper explores the activities when English-majored use the internet to promote their autonomy in vocabulary learning, emphasizing the significance of autonomous learning activities. It also finds out the challenges that students often encounter when learning English vocabulary online. Subsequently, the researcher gives recommendations for both students and lecturers. In order to improve the quality of teaching and studying, teachers should support and enhance learner autonomy in vocabulary learning, outlines the roles of both teachers and students in this process, and predicts the positive effects of the Internet on learner autonomy in vocabulary acquisition.
ill TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Declarations Acknowledgements il Abstracts lil Table of contents iv List of abbreviations vi List offigures/ tables Vii INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1. VOCABULARY LEARNING AND ITS IMPORTANCE _IN LANGUAGE LEARNING 1. Definition of autonomy 1. Autonomy in learning English vocabulary 1.
THE ROLE OF INTERNET IN ENHANCING VOCABULARY 1. THE EFFECTS OF USING THE INTERNET IN IMPROVING 10 LEARNERS' AUTONOMY CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 12 2. In-depth interview 13 2. Procedures of data collection 14 2.
Data from questionnaire 14 iv 2. Data from In-depth Interview 2. Data analysis 15 CHAPTER 3: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 16 3. Activities of students in using the Internet to enhance autonomy 1n 16 learning English vocabulary 3.
The challenges of using the internet to promote English-majored 25 learners' autonomy in English vocabulary learning CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATIONS 2g 4. Suggestions for students 29 4. Suggestions for lecturers 30 CONCLUSION 32 1. Summary of the main findings 32 2.
Limitations and suggestions for further research 34 REFERENCES 36 APPENDICES 39 Appendix I: Questionnaire Appendix II: In-depth Interview LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS HLU: Hanoi Law University vi LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table 1. Students’ Perception of Using the Internet to learn English vocabulary. Students’ activities by using the Internet to learn English vocabulary. The challenges of using the internet to promote autonomy in learning English vocabulary.
Figure 1: Frequency of students' using well their online time studying English vocabulary. Figure 2: Frequency of students use online dictionaries and thesauruses to look up unfamiliar words and find synonyms and antonyms. Figure 3: Frequency of students using mobile applications with Internet accessto learn new words. Figure 4: Frequency of students participating in online quizzes and games.
Figure 5: Frequency of students’ reading online English news and blogs. Rationale In the era of Industry 4.0, along with the strong development of Information Technology, learners can quickly learn information and knowledge through the Internet. Besides, through online learning software (Zoom, Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams.), learners can exchange and discuss learning problems with teachers and classmates. However, facing a world where the speed of knowledge is increasing rapidly, learners must actively learn and improve their autonomy in absorbing new knowledge to learn to know, do, and share.
Living, learning to grow up - perspective of the four pillars of education in the 21st century (Delors, 1996). Nowadays, the learner-centered educational method is increasingly being applied at all levels of education, especially at the university level. Thanks to this method, learners are enhanced their self-study and self-control in the continuous, voluntary, and self-motivated pursuit of knowledge (Quyen & Ha, 2022). Learning autonomy is more urgent than ever for foreign language learners in general and English in particular.
In addition to learning with teachers, learners need to learn and practice with friends and people around them, and at the same time, they must understand the purpose of learning, make a study plan, and effectively use their study time. monitor and evaluate their own learning process (Cheng, 2019). In addition, learners also need to actively learn information on their own, how to learn through advanced information technology means such as computers, and network technology,. Moreover, when it comes to learning a new language, the four critical skills to master are reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
To reach a certain level of proficiency foreign learners have to possess not only proper grammar but more importantly, sufficient lexical resources. So, how can we define “sufficient” in this context? In order to comprehend foreign language discourse, | a language student must typically learn thousands of words. Therefore, it is becoming increasingly important to build up a large store of words. However, not everyone knows exactly the most suitable and efficient way to learn new words.
As a result, vocabulary-building strategies and resources are gradually receiving greater attention from teachers and students alike. Thousands of surveys and research have been carried out, followed by a number of creative, helpful learning methods introduced to learners. In this research, I would like to focus on studying vocabulary with an autonomy-enhancing tool that we find exciting and adaptable to this new generation of students: the INTERNET. Aims and objectives of the study The purpose of this study is to find out about the student's activities in learning vocabulary via the Internet and its challenges on the autonomy of English-majored learners at the university level.
To that end, we conducted a survey questionnaire and in-depth interviews to get a closer look at the context of Hanoi Law University. From there, I propose a number of solutions to promote the autonomy of learners to help improve the quality of learning. Research questions © Question 1: What are the activities of students in using the Internet to enhance autonomy in learning vocabulary? © Question 2: What are the challenges of using the internet to promote English-majored learners' autonomy in English vocabulary learning at Hanoi Law University? 4. Scope of the study 4.
The population or sample of the study: 100 students of the Legal English department at HLU. The duration of the study: 2/1/2023 - 4/4/2023 4. The geographical location covered in the study: Hanoi Law University (87 Nguyen Chi Thanh, Lang Thuong precinct, Dong Da district, Hanoi) 5. Significance of the study As stated above, the importance of the internet in supporting students' vocabulary learning is undeniable.
The purpose of this study is to find out about the student's activities in learning vocabulary via the Internet and its challenges on the autonomy of English-majored learners at Hanoi Law University. Although this is not a new topic in the field, there has not been a particular study carried out at Hanoi Law University. Through this study, the lecturers also can understand deeper their students’ vocabulary learning behaviors and vocabulary errors. One way or another, this might help in developing teaching methods and also lesson plans.
To the students, understanding their weaknesses in the vocabulary learning process and learning to improve them are truly necessary. Instead of just waiting for teachers to lighten their way on their academic path, students must also raise their awareness right in their self- studying. In this day and age, a computer or a smartphone having an internet connection, together with an effective strategy, is already enough for a determined mind to become a better self. Methodology In terms of the method, a questionnaire and in-depth interviews were employed for this study.
The participants consist of 100 students from Faculty of Legal Foreign Languages at Hanoi Law University. Structure of the study This study includes 3 Parts mainly organized as follows: e Part I. Introduction e Part II. Literature Review Chapter 2.
Results and discussions Chapter 4. Recommendations e Part III. Conclusion CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter reviews the relevant literature relating to vocabulary learning, learner autonomy, and the role of the Internet in promoting learners' autonomy to enhance English vocabulary. e The chapter begins with some information about learning vocabulary.
e The second section of the chapter presents background knowledge about autonomy and the fact that it is one of the most important elements to mastering a language quickly. The last section discusses the role of the Internet in helping to enhance vocabulary. VOCABULARY LEARNING AND ITS IMPORTANCE IN LANGUAGE LEARNING Vocabulary learning is an essential component of language learning. It involves acquiring and memorizing words, phrases, and expressions that form the building blocks of language.
A good command of vocabulary enables learners to communicate effectively and express their thoughts and ideas accurately. During the process of learning a second language, vocabulary refers to one of four types, each of which represents a progressively increasing mastery of vocabulary terms. These four types are listening to vocabulary, speaking vocabulary, reading vocabulary, and writing vocabulary. The first two types relate to the oral use of language, whereas the latter two are typically developed during the school years.
Various researchers, including Laufer and Nation (1999), Maximo (2000), Read (2000), Gu (2003), Marion (2008), and Nation (2011), have recognized the importance of vocabulary acquisition in achieving successful second language proficiency. They assert that it plays a vital role in 5 constructing coherent written and spoken texts (cited in (Alqahtani, 2015). Furthermore, Rivers and Nunan (1991)! argue that having an extensive vocabulary is crucial for successful second language use because it enables learners to use the language structures and functions they have learned for effective communication. Research indicates that second language learners heavily rely on their vocabulary knowledge, and a lack of such knowledge is a significant obstacle for language learners to overcome.
Unlike syntax and phonology, vocabulary has no specific rules that language learners can follow. Therefore, they have no choice but to learn by heart all the words they met throughout the learning process. In other words, it is unclear which rules apply in language vocabulary learning or which vocabulary items should be learned first. Another reason is that the vocabulary system is open-ended.
According to Oxford (1990), vocabulary is "by far the most significant and unmanageable component in learning any language, whether a foreign or one's mother tongue, because of tens of thousands of different meanings’.