HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF LAW FACULTY OF LEGAL FOREIGN LANGUAGES HỒ THỊ MINH TRANG PERCEPTIONS OF LEGAL ENGLISH MAJOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS TOWARDS MOBILE ASSISTANCE IN ENGLISH VOCABULARY ACQUISITION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Bachelor of Arts in English Studies HỒ CHÍ MINH, 2023 HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF LAW FACULTY OF LEGAL FOREIGN LANGUAGES GRADUATION PAPER PERCEPTIONS OF LEGAL ENGLISH FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS TOWARDS MOBILE ASSISTANCE IN ENGLISH VOCABULARY ACQUISITION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Bachelor of Arts in English Studies Student: Hồ Thị Minh Trang Student ID: 1952202010073 Class: 112- LE44(B) Supervisor: Hà Nhật Linh, M. HỒ CHÍ MINH, 2023 DECLARATION I hereby declare that the study titled “Perceptions of Legal English first-year students towards mobile assistance in English vocabulary acquisition” was bona fide research work accomplished by me from March to June, 2023 and conducted under the supervisor of M. Hà Nhật Linh, an instructor at Department of General English, Ho Chi Minh City University of Law. This graduation paper is not submitted to any other university or institution for the award of any degree, diploma or published any time before.
HO THI MINH TRANG ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to express my deep gratitude to Mrs.Ha Nhat Linh, who has supported me much in conducting the thesis. Her contribution to the study plays a significant role in the success of my research. I also appreciate Legal English freshmen in the course 47 at Ho Chi Minh City University of Law, who completed the survey and shared many useful suggestions for questionnaire alterations. Lastly, I would like to thank my parents as well as my best friends, who encouraged me and supported in terms of mental health, technical issues, and valuable knowlegde to fulfill the bachelor’s thesis on time.
TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION. II LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS.III LIST OF TABLES. V CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION .1 Statement of the Problem .2 Purpose of the Study.3 Definition of Terms.5 Significance of the Study .6 Organization of the Study .4 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW .1 English language learning and vocabulary knowledge .3 Mobile- Assisted Language Learning (MALL) .5 MALL in Vietnam .1 Students’ mobile vocabulary learning practices .2 Students’ perceptions towards MALL. 16 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY .4 Procedure of data collection .2 The questionnaire survey .5 Method of data analysis .6 Reliability and Validity Test.
22 CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION .1 Ways of using mobile devices for vocabulary learning .2 Students’ perceptions towards MAVL .1 Ways of integrating MAVL .2 Students’ perceptions regarding MAVL. 46 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS MALL: Mobile- Assisted Language Learning MAVL: Mobile- Assisted Vocabulary Learning EFL: English as Foreign Language CALL: Computer- Assisted Language Learning DET: Determination COG: Cognitive MET: Meta- cognitive SOC: Social MEM: Memory VLS: Vocabulary Learning Strategies LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1 : Vocabulary knowledge description (Nation, 2001, p.3 : Key Demographic Information of the Questionnaire Respondents Table 3. MAVL advantages reliability test Table 3.6b: MAVL disadvantages reliability test Table 4.1a: MAVL implementation Table 4.1b: MAVL for new vocabulary Table 4.1c: MAVL practices Table 4.2a: Descriptive statistics of MAVL advantages Table 4.2b: Descriptive statistics of MAVL disadvantages ABSTRACT The study concerns the perceptions of Legal English freshmen in a Vietnamese university towards MALL implementation in learning vocabulary. Based on the quantitative data collected from the questionnaire results, 100 out of 110 students express positive feelings on the impact of Mobile-Assisted Vocabulary Learning ( MAVL) and do not struggle with solving or controlling technological challenges.
Besides, the most frequent usage of MAVL, in the form of percent, is looking up dictionaries. Additionally, most of the lexical practices are engaged with cognitive- based tasks and generate productive lexicon as a result. Due to the fact that students are likely to adapt two types of learning during vocabulary acquisition: intentional and incidental, teachers and educational institutions must provide direct-oriented instructions to improve technical literacy and academic motivation. CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION In the university environment, the popular usage of mobile devices is served for reading, taking notes, preparing for exams, using online dictionaries, and searching for information besides entertainment and personal purposes (Nikolopoulou, 2021).
However, a common language barrier prevents students from making progress in vocabulary acquisition. Learning vocabularies are sophisticated and difficult because they place more of an emphasis on acquiring certain vocabulary in learning ESP since the English language in educational settings tends to be academic English or English majors ( Rafiq et al. With the advancement of the 4.0 technology era, the journey of learning a new language is becoming much more comfortable with the assistance of mobile devices in terms of convenience, flexibility, and popularity. The effectiveness of mobile devices for vocabulary learning is expressed through vocabulary learning programs on mobile phones which improved students’ acquisition of English vocabulary more than conventional vocabulary learning tools (Basoglu, E.
Nonetheless, technology's benefits and limits are indisputable, therefore using mobile devices wisely and efficiently for university students, particularly for language acquisition, demands more attention. Using such spontaneous, informal, contextual, portable, ubiquitous, and personalized MALL points, mobile devices can be used not only as supplementary resources in teacher-directed instruction in the classroom but also as efficiently oriented tools that allow students to more informal and personal learning outside of a traditional classroom (Chinnery, 2006). When applied methodically and fully, mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) can improve students' English proficiency by providing novel and easily adaptable learning methodologies (Alkhudair, 2020).1 Statement of the Problem The topic that this study tackles is how first-year Legal English students EFL have been studying English using mobile aid, as well as their thoughts on mobile learning. In fact, EFL learners usually struggle to find and recall vocabulary sources since they lack the skills of native speakers, and this might vary depending on each individual's mental capabilities.
Despite the 1 widespread use of mobile devices, students can benefit from ubiquitousfunctionalities,particularly vocabulary apps, to improve their vocabulary knowledge depending on individual needs. However, if students do not comprehend legitimate applications or appropriate learning methodologies, they are likely to become bored and rapidly absorbed in non-academic activities. To explore the impact of mobile learning tools through students’ practices, the current study employs the survey questionnaire to collect quantitative data on 110 freshmen of the Legal English Faculty. The questionnaire answers are then displayed in the form of bar charts and descriptive analysis.
The findings are supposed to evaluate the effectiveness and obstacles of mobile devices in learning languages and practicing vocabularies, which eventually expose the efficient usage of MAVL or students as well as facilitate teachers’ role of assisting students much better.2 Purpose of the Study Several students these days have been familiar with cell phones, which have become an integral part of young people's lives for recreational and educational purposes.The effectiveness of mobile educational devices as a method of acquiring vocabulary among university students should be further investigated. As a result, the current study sought to assess the efficacy of mobile users through the acquisition of vocabulary among Legal English students at Ho Chi Minh City University of Law to identify their educational requirements and satisfaction with MALL, which could aid in the process of MALL-based teaching and learning. This inquiry was also carried out by examining learners' viewpoints on their usage of mobile devices in learning new words, with an emphasis on the benefits and downsides of mobile functions.3 Definition of Terms The study is going to explore the role of mobile assistance in learning English in general and learning English vocabulary in particular. In this part, the meaning of MALL and MAVL are emphasized for later analysis.
Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL): an approach in which mobile is used to support and enhance the acquisition of languages ( AbuSa'aleek, 2014). 2 In the MALL environment, there is no need for learners to sit in a classroom or in front of a computer to study. In reality, MALL can be viewed as an ideal solution to language learning barriers in terms of time and place ( Diána, 2020). Mobile-Assisted Vocabulary Learning ( MAVL): using mobile devices or mobile assistance to find lexical resources and vocabulary difficulties.
Although Mobile-Assisted Language Learning in the 4.0 technology era has been already familiar to language learners, the usage of mobile devices for vocabulary learning is not deeply focused, besides the limitation of studies on the topic of MAVL. Hence, the study about Mobile-Assisted Vocabulary Learning ( MAVL), which relates to ways of making use of mobile features such as using social media, learning apps, websites, and any technological tools,…., should have gained better popularity and awareness. Perception: In common terminology, perception is defined by the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English as: a) the way you think about something and your idea of what it is like b) the way that you notice things with your senses of sight, hearing, etc…, c) the natural ability to understand or notice things quickly 1. In what ways do Legal English students use mobile devices to develop English vocabulary learning? 2.
What are students’ attitudes towards Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) for English vocabulary acquisition? 3 1.5 Significance of the Study Theoretically, the study investigated several sorts of vocabulary learning among students when utilizing mobile devices; even everyday routines or schedules might be considered as a technique for acquiring vocabulary. Furthermore, vocabulary learning using mobile devices needed a significant amount of effort because participants were EFL students, particularly those with diverse majors. Simply expressed, mobile learning activities varied according to the demands of the students and the academic program. Practically, the use of mobile devices for successful vocabulary acquisition has gotten less attention, and there are no specific instructions or programs for pupils.
Thus, the current study findings might be utilized to evaluate how students use mobile devices for English vocabulary acquisition. Along with this, mobile devices have been extensively employed due to their ease and practicability; hence, this study was established to determine how the benefits and hurdles in mobile vocabulary acquisition have been viewed. As a result, the study revealed recommendations for teachers on the use of mobile learning in the teaching process.6 Organization of the Study Chapter I introduces the topic Chapter II synthesizes the previous studies and finds the gap between the previous research and the current study Chapter III discusses how this study is going to answer research questions and the procedures of data collection, Chapter IV reports the results of the data analysis Chapter V concludes with the discussion of the study’s findings, implications for teacher practice, the limitations of the study, and suggestions for future research. 4 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW In this section, I will first review the current development of mobile learning, especially for vocabulary learning purposes.
Then I will introduce the recent trend in researching vocabulary learning and discuss vocabulary studies via mobile devices in detail.1 English language learning and vocabulary knowledge 2.1 Vocabulary knowledge When discussing vocabulary understanding, it was customarily necessary to distinguish between vocabulary width (the number of known terms) and vocabulary depth (how well those words were known) (Schmitt, 2014). The correlation between these two parameters, according to Schmitt, was interconnected and influenced by several variables, including the learner's lexicon size, the assessed frequency level of the target words, and the learner's native language. Nonetheless, there was frequently a difference between size and depth in the case of lower frequency of terms and greater vocabulary sizes, as depth measures lagged behind size measures. The concept of vocabulary size or breadth refers to the number of words that an individual can recognize based on vocabulary knowledge criteria.
On the other hand, vocabulary depth was concerned with the extent to which learners could connect the form of a word with its meaning ( Milton, 2017). Individual vocabulary acquisition required a thorough understanding of words, including their origins, forms, meanings, and usage.