VIETRXAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOL UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYEN THANH NHA DEVELOPING ENGLISH VOCABULARY ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR GRADE 10 SCIENCE GIFTED STUDENTS THROUGH SUPPLEMENTARY READINGS (FHAT TRIEN VON TU VUNG VE KHOA HOC VA CONG NGHE CHO HỌC SINH LỚP 10 CHUYỂN TỰ NHIÊN TIIONG QUA BOC BỘ TRỢ) M. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS English Teaching Methodology 601410 TIANOI, 2011 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL ST! FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDLES. NGUYEN THANH NHA DEVELOPING ENGLISH VOCABULARY ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR GRADE 10 SCIENCE GIFTED STUDENTS THROUGH SUPPLEMENTARY READINGS (PHAT TRIEN VON TU VUNG VE KHOA HOC VA CONG NGHE, CIIOLIOC SINIILGP 10 CLIUYEN TỰ NIIÊN THONG QUA DOC BO TRO) M. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 601410 Supervisor: Nguyễn Bang (M.A) HANOI, 2011 -iw- TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration.
Acknowledgements Abstract Table of Contents. List of Lables. Part One: Introduction. Statement of the Problems and Rationale of the Sludy Aims and Objectives of the Sludy 3 Research Questions.
3 Scope of the Study 4 Sea Method of the Study. 4 Design of the Study 4 Part Two: Development. ^ Chapter 1: Literature Keview .1 The Notions of Vocabulary .2 Active and Passive Vocabulary 1.3 Whal Necd to Be Taught in Vocabulary 1.4 Criteria for Selecting the Vocabularyto Teach .2 Approaches to Vocabulary Acquisition 1.2 Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition and Intentional Vocabulary Leaming 1.3 Implicit, Learning and Foxpticil.3 Methodology in Vocabulary Teaching. La what extent are the students willing to take part in the supplementary readings? 3.
Is there a relationship between supplementary reading and the development of English voeabudary on science and technology? 4, Scape of the Study Given the time constrain, the study was conducted on the grade 10 students in two classes gifled in science only. Taking into account thal the parlicipanis are only bogimers of science and technology aspects, the vocabulary given through reading passapes is mainly English for General Science. To find out the answers to the above research questions, a quasi-experiment design has been adopted, The pre-experiment questionnaire was applied as an instrument to investigale whal students think of the need to develop their English vocabulary on science and technology and how they are willing to take up the additional readings + The pretest and posttest were conducted wilh 60 students divided inlo two randomly selected groups to measwe the differences in students’ vocabulary acquisition, 6. Design of the Study The study is divided imo three parts as follows: Part one presents an overview of the study in which the rationale for the research, the aims and objectives, the research questions, the scope of the study, the research method as well as the design of the study were briefly mentioned.
-3- supplementary readings as a means of improving their students’ vocabulary came to my mind. Tt became an impulse for me to do a study on the impact, of supplementary reading on the development of English vocabulary on science and technology in grade 10 classes for the science gifted students. In terms of students’ benefits, this program will provide opportunities for studenis lo develop their vocabulary and get ready for further reading in their future specialty. 2, Aims and Objectives of the Study ‘This study is firstly aimed at investigating the students’ needs to develop English vooibulary om seicnce and iechnology.
Sccondly, il is aimed to experimon!. the impacts of supplementary reading program on the development of grade 10 students’ vocabulary on seience and technology. The main objectives in this study arc as follows - To identify students’ perceptions of the need to develop their Ringlish vocabulary om science and technology and their willingness to spend time on supplementary reading program + To inlroduce the supplementary reading progiam and examine its effects on grade 10 students’ English vocabulary acquisition, - To share the findings with teachers and students who are interested in this field of English vocabulary teaching - To make some teeornmendations for further study. Research Questions In order to achieve the above-mentioned aims and objectives, the answers to the following Tesearch questions are needed to Ie found.
What ave ihe students’ perceptions of the need to develop their English vocabulary on science and technology? +1 PART ONE: INTRODUCTION This part of the paper will be dedicated to introducing the rationale for the study, the aims and objectives of the study as well as the research questions. It will also present the scope of the sturly, method of the sludy and the design of he whole study 1. Statement of the Problems and Rationale of the Study Vocabulary has a significant position in the process of mastering a language. Linguists and researchers quotes Wilkin, J2.
(1972:10): “Without granmar, very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed” as the affirmation of the role of'vecabulary. within the current English teaching context in Vietnamese schools in the recent years, teachers and students are gelling more complete awareness of the important rok: of vocabulary. Therefore, they started to pay greater attention to vocabulary development. ‘Teachers have applied many teaching approaches, methods and techniques to improve the sludents’ vocabulary acquisilion.
The efforls from both teachers and students have made certain progress. As a high school English teacher, 1 am especially interested in developing students’ vocabulary. Having bad several years of experience in leaching Engtish Lo the students gifted in science at Hanoi Amsterdam high school, I am concerned a lot about the needs to improve their vocabulary an science and technology. In my points of view, the number of reasons thal Takes if necessary lo improve the students’ vocabulary on science and technology can be divided into external and intemal ones External reasons - There is no specitie English textbook tor the science gifted students at high school level all over the country.
~ At Hanoi-Amsterdam high school, the textbook “Tiéng Anh 10” issued by the MOET is used to teach all students including science gifted students. This is a compulsory course -3- supplementary readings as a means of improving their students’ vocabulary came to my mind. Tt became an impulse for me to do a study on the impact, of supplementary reading on the development of English vocabulary on science and technology in grade 10 classes for the science gifted students. In terms of students’ benefits, this program will provide opportunities for studenis lo develop their vocabulary and get ready for further reading in their future specialty.
2, Aims and Objectives of the Study ‘This study is firstly aimed at investigating the students’ needs to develop English vooibulary om seicnce and iechnology. Sccondly, il is aimed to experimon!. the impacts of supplementary reading program on the development of grade 10 students’ vocabulary on seience and technology. The main objectives in this study arc as follows - To identify students’ perceptions of the need to develop their Ringlish vocabulary om science and technology and their willingness to spend time on supplementary reading program + To inlroduce the supplementary reading progiam and examine its effects on grade 10 students’ English vocabulary acquisition, - To share the findings with teachers and students who are interested in this field of English vocabulary teaching - To make some teeornmendations for further study.
Research Questions In order to achieve the above-mentioned aims and objectives, the answers to the following Tesearch questions are needed to Ie found. What ave ihe students’ perceptions of the need to develop their English vocabulary on science and technology? 1.1 The Grammar-Translation Method 1.2 The Direel Method 14 13.4 Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension .2 Intensive and Extensive Reading .3 'The Relationship between Vocabulary and Reading 7 Comprehension 1.5 Supplementary Materials tor Reading .1 Definition of Supplementary Materials 18 1.2 Sok cling Appropriate Supplementary Mat: L8 1.6 Supplementary Reading in the Study 20 Chapter 2: The Study. Descriptions of Participants 2. Teacher of English 2.4, Instruments to Collect Data.
Pretest and Postiest 2. "— Chapler 3: Data Analysis and Discussion .2, Discussion on Research Questions. vile LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Questions to be answered when knowing a word.
Criteria for vooabulary seleofion. Students’ pusposes of English learning 30 Table 4. Students’ satisfaction of their English vocabulary on science and technology 31 Table $. Students’ porosplion of the nocd to develop their English vocabulary on science and technology.
Students’ willingness to do supplementary readings Table 7. Comparison of pretest resus balweon lwo groups before intervention. 33 Table & Comparison of pretest and posttest results in experimental group 34 Table 9. Comparison of pretest and posttest results in control group.
Comparison of results after intervention between control and experimental groups 35 1.1 The Grammar-Translation Method 1.2 The Direel Method 14 13.4 Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension .2 Intensive and Extensive Reading .3 'The Relationship between Vocabulary and Reading 7 Comprehension 1.5 Supplementary Materials tor Reading .1 Definition of Supplementary Materials 18 1.2 Sok cling Appropriate Supplementary Mat: L8 1.6 Supplementary Reading in the Study 20 Chapter 2: The Study. Descriptions of Participants 2. Teacher of English 2.4, Instruments to Collect Data. Pretest and Postiest 2.
"— Chapler 3: Data Analysis and Discussion .2, Discussion on Research Questions .1 The Grammar-Translation Method 1.2 The Direel Method 14 13.4 Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension .2 Intensive and Extensive Reading .3 'The Relationship between Vocabulary and Reading 7 Comprehension 1.5 Supplementary Materials tor Reading .1 Definition of Supplementary Materials 18 1.2 Sok cling Appropriate Supplementary Mat: L8 1.6 Supplementary Reading in the Study 20 Chapter 2: The Study. Descriptions of Participants 2. Teacher of English 2.4, Instruments to Collect Data. Pretest and Postiest 2.
"— Chapler 3: Data Analysis and Discussion .2, Discussion on Research Questions. vile LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Questions to be answered when knowing a word. Criteria for vooabulary seleofion.
Students’ pusposes of English learning 30 Table 4. Students’ satisfaction of their English vocabulary on science and technology 31 Table $. Students’ porosplion of the nocd to develop their English vocabulary on science and technology. Students’ willingness to do supplementary readings Table 7.
Comparison of pretest resus balweon lwo groups before intervention. 33 Table & Comparison of pretest and posttest results in experimental group 34 Table 9. Comparison of pretest and posttest results in control group. Comparison of results after intervention between control and experimental groups 35 1.1 The Grammar-Translation Method 1.2 The Direel Method 14 13.4 Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension .2 Intensive and Extensive Reading .3 'The Relationship between Vocabulary and Reading 7 Comprehension 1.5 Supplementary Materials tor Reading .1 Definition of Supplementary Materials 18 1.2 Sok cling Appropriate Supplementary Mat: L8 1.6 Supplementary Reading in the Study 20 Chapter 2: The Study.
Descriptions of Participants 2. Teacher of English 2.4, Instruments to Collect Data. Pretest and Postiest 2. "— Chapler 3: Data Analysis and Discussion .2, Discussion on Research Questions.
-2- book of general English for all students in the country, so not much knowledge and Lnglish vooibulary for fic pumpos such as s¢icnes and lectmology can be found in iL Internal reasons - Almost all students at Hanoi-Amsterdam high school have equipped themselves with good basic practical general English knowledge. Many of them started learning English from the primary schoot or evan cartier, Tn order ta be abls ta enroll ta this school, they had to gain high marks at the entrance examinations including their majoring subjects, Maths, Vietnamese and English. ‘That is why for them, the “Tiéng Anh 10” is rather simple. Beside the textbook and warkbook, sludenls are regularly given supplsmentary and intensive exercises compiled by their classroom teachers.
- However, from my observations, the vocabulary, especially the vocabulary on science and technology had been undervalued in comparison with grammar in the previeus years of their basic high school. Many students have difficulties in expressing their own ideas because of the vocabulary deficiency.