MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING QUY NHON UNIVERSITY PHẠM BÍCH NGỌC EFL PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICES OF USING FLASH CARDS IN TEACHING ENGLISH VOCABULARY TO PRIMARY STUDENTS Field: Theory and Methodology of English language teaching Code: 8140111 Supervisor: Dr. VÕ DUY ĐỨC BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUY NHƠN PHẠM BÍCH NGỌC NHẬN THỨC VÀ THỰC HÀNH SỬ DỤNG THẺ TỪ VỰNG TRONG GIẢNG DẠY TỪ MỚI CHO HỌC SINH TIỂU HỌC Ngành: Lý luận và phương pháp dạy học Tiếng Anh Mã số: 8140111 Người hướng dẫn: TS. VÕ DUY ĐỨC i STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I certify that I completed the study indicated in this report. With the exception of areas where reference is given in the text, no other person's work has been used without due acknowledgement in the thesis.
I confirm that this work has not been provided in any other form for the fulfillment of any other degree or qualification and that it is being submitted as part of the M. thesis in English at Quy Nhon University. Quy Nhon, November 2023 Phạm Bích Ngọc ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to convey my heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Võ Duy Đức, my thesis supervisor, for his essential assistance and support throughout the project.
Without his knowledge and perseverance, this thesis could not be completed. It is a privilege to be one of his students. I'd like to thank everyone who took part in the study. Last but not least, my heartfelt gratitude goes to my parents for their encouragement, support, and understanding.
iii ABSTRACT Teachers employ a variety of media when teaching English. Flashcards are an effective medium for teaching English, especially in primary education, since they facilitate the teaching and learning of vocabulary. Therefore, the overall aim of this research is to investigate EFL primary school teachers‘ perceptions and their practices of teaching vocabulary in elementary school settings in Quy Nhon City. To answer the research questions, the investigation employed a quantitative and qualitative approach through a questionnaire among 50 primary teachers in 17 primary schools in Quy Nhon City.
Moreover, observation checklists and interview instruments were also employed to explore their perceptions and assess their teaching practice. The data results reveal many essential aspects of using flashcards in vocabulary instruction. The findings show that teachers have favorable attitudes toward utilizing flashcards to teach English vocabulary, saying flashcards are an effective tool to make vocabulary learning enjoyable and memorable. However, there are some drawbacks to using flashcards as teaching aids in elementary schools.
Hopefully, the findings of the study have provided an insightful understanding of the use of flashcards in teaching vocabulary in primary school settings in Quy Nhon City. From these empirical findings, relevant implications are suggested for better using flashcards with primary school teachers. iv TABLE OF CONTENT STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ABSTRACT TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES LIST OF CHARTS CHAPTER 1. Research aims and objectives.
Scope of the study. Significance of the study. Kinds of vocabulary. Teaching and Learning Vocabulary.
Kind of flashcards. Teaching and Learning flashcards. Advantages and disavantages of flashcards. Advantages of flashcards.
Disadvantages of flashcards. Teachers’s preceptions on using flashcards. Setting and participants. Data collection instruments.
Semi- structured interview. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION. Teachers’ perceptions of using flashcards in teaching English vocabulary. The necessity of using flashcards in teaching English vocabulary.
The benefits of using flashcards in teaching English vocabulary. The weakness of using flashcards in teaching English vocabulary. The implementation of using flashcards to teach English vocabulary. Frequency of the use of using flashcards in teaching vocabulary.
Teachers' application of using flashcards in teaching English vocabulary. Students’ respond when flashcards are implemented. Challenges that teachers may face when using flashcards in teaching English vocabulary. Suggestions for the effective use of flashcards in English classes .1 EFL teachers’ perceptions of using flashcards in teaching English vocabulary to primary school students .2 The implementation of using flashcards in teaching English vocabulary and challenges faced by teachers.
CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS. Limitations of the study. Suggestions for further studies. 65 REFERENCES APPENDICES vii LIST OF TABLES Table 3.2 A brief description of the survey participants p.1 Teachers’ perceptions of the necessity of using p.2 Teachers’ perceptions of the benefits of using p.3 Teachers’ perceptions of the weakness of using p.6 Challenges that teachers may face when using p.55 flashcards viii LIST OF CHARTS Chart Frequency of the use of flashcards in the classroom p.
Rationale Vocabulary is generally the total number of words that exist in a particular language. More specifically, it functions as the foundation without which any language is impossible to exist in this world. Learning a foreign language, especially English as a language of international communication throughout the world, has now become essential to grasping the opportunity to reach information. Learning English vocabulary at an early age is the fundamental step to learning English.
It stands to reason, as stated by Edward (1997) in his book, that vocabulary is one of the most important factors in all language teaching, and learners must continually be learning words as they learn structure and as they practice sound systems. The flashcard is one of the media that can be used by teachers or students in the teaching and learning process. Likewise, flashcards can be appropriate for learning new vocabulary because they contain pictures, words, or sentences, which can make the students feel interested in learning new vocabulary. Komachali and Khodareza (2012) stated that a flashcard is a piece of cardboard consisting of a word, a sentence, or a simple picture on it.
Usually, the teacher writes a question on one side and an answer on the other. Besides, the flashcard can be vocabulary, historical dates, formulas, or any subject matter that can be learned via a question-and- answer format. Therefore, flashcards are widely used as a learning drill to aid in memorization, and they are often associated with spaced repetition. Moreover, flashcards are beneficial as teaching media to teach English.
Flashcards provided many pictures, which made the activity fun. With pictures, the students could easily understand new vocabulary and 2 everything about English. Hence, flashcards are a good medium for teaching English vocabulary at the elementary school level. However, the teachers sometimes do not use flashcards as a medium in the learning process, especially in elementary schools.
The use of flashcards as the teaching medium has not been sufficient. Some teachers still use traditional ways of teaching. They only lectured and the only media that they used were a black or white board and a board marker. In teaching English, the teachers do not use any media except a black or white board and a board marker.
There is no interesting activity, only lecturing. For specific subjects, such as vocabulary, the teachers only ask the students to rewrite a list of vocabulary words, memorize them, and make sentences based on the list of vocabulary words given by the teachers. The existence of flashcards as a medium for teaching the language has not been implemented. These are the motivations for me to conduct a study with the title "EFL primary school teachers’ perceptions and practices of using flash cards in teaching English vocabulary to primary school students”.
Research aims and objectives Aims of the study The aim of this study is to investigate the EFL primary school teachers’ perceptions and practices of using flashcards in teaching English vocabulary to primary students in Quy Nhon City. Objectives of the study - To investigate the teachers’ perceptions towards the use of flashcards for teaching English vocabulary. - To describe how the EFL primary school teachers implement flashcards into their English teaching practice. Research questions This study is an attempt to address the following research questions: - What are EFL primary school teachers’ perceptions of using flashcards in teaching English to primary students? - How do EFL primary school teachers incorporate flashcards into their English teaching practice? 1.
Scope of the study The study's scope is limited to research on perceptions and practices among primary school English teachers. Nevertheless, given the time constraints and geographical constraints, 50 EFL teachers from 17 primary schools in Quy Nhon city participated in the study. Significance of the study This study gains great importance considering the limited number of studies on the attitudes of EFL teachers at primary schools towards flashcard use in Quy Nhon City, Binh Dinh Province. These research results can help English teachers improve their teaching language skills, and teachers can change their methods to make the students motivated and relaxed in the teaching-learning process in primary schools in Quy Nhon City.
The study findings may provide insights into further studies or training programs related to this topic and on the application of the flashcards to language teaching and learning. In conclusion, this study is intended to benefit students and teachers as a whole. LITERATURE REVIEW In the trend of learning English as a foreign language in the country, teachers play multiple roles in the teaching process to help facilitate learning, and flashcards appear to be a popular method for teachers to teach vocabulary. This chapter has introduced the theoretical aspects of vocabulary retention, the teaching technique of using flashcards, and a literature review of relevant studies.1 Vocabulary definition Hornby (2006) defined “vocabulary as all the words a person uses when discussing a particular subject in a particular language.
Vocabulary is a list of words with meanings, glossaries, and words used in communication; these words have meanings and convey messages. Vocabulary is also a fundamental communication talent; without vocabulary, communication will be difficult”. Vocabulary is “a list of words and often phrases, typically arranged alphabetically and defined or translated; a lexicon or glossary” (Longman, 1987:1117). According to Carteret (2007:72, cited in Rofiah, 2010), vocabulary is central to the acquisition of a foreign language at the elementary level.
In recent years, it has moved to the forefront of foreign language instruction, supported by substantial and expanding research. It is also reinforced by Cameron (2001:95), who stated that “vocabulary is the foundation of using a foreign language as discourse, since vocabulary is both acquired through discourse participation and is fundamental to discourse participation”. Wallace (1998:9) pointed out that “Vocabulary is the most essential component of language”. It implies that in order to communicate effectively in English, students must grasp vocabulary.
Vocabulary plays an essential role in 5 English learning because it is one of the elements that simultaneously connect speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Without sufficient vocabulary, it is impossible to cultivate the four language abilities. If students acquire a large vocabulary, it will be easy for them to comprehend and speak. By observing the preceding explanation, it is clear that vocabulary is essential for people, in this instance, students, to acquire language; by mastering some vocabulary, they can improve their language proficiency.2 Kinds of vocabulary Doff (1990:19) stated that there are two kinds of vocabulary: - Active vocabulary: Consists of words that students must both comprehend and use themselves.
By providing examples and queries, active vocabulary is taught so that students understand how to use the words. - Passive vocabulary: Consists of words that pupils must comprehend (e. when perusing text) but do not need to use independently. Learning vocabulary is a process; it is impossible to acquire a large vocabulary without study.
Since students begin learning vocabulary as infants, they have a large vocabulary as adults. Similarly, Schmitt and McCarthy (1997) stated that there are some types of vocabulary, which are: - Receptive Vocabulary: The terms that pupils comprehend when they listen to and read spoken language. Listening and reading vocabulary are referred to as receptive vocabulary. - Expressive Vocabulary: It is the vocabulary that students employ when speaking and writing.
Since these are the vocabularies individuals use 6 to articulate themselves, the term expressive vocabulary is used to refer to both.