VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES -------o0o------- PHẠM THANH VIỆT THE USE OF EXTRA ACTIVITES TO IMPROVE ESP VOCABULARY FOR THIRD – YEAR STUDENTS AT FACULTY OF TOURISM, USSH – VNU (Sử dụng một số hoạt động bổ trợ nhằm nâng cao hiệu quả việc học từ vựng chuyên ngành cho sinh viên năm thứ ba Khoa Du lịch học, Trường Đại học Khoa học Xã hội và Nhân văn, ĐHQG Hà Nội) MA. MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 601410 Hanoi, 2009 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES -------o0o------- PHẠM THANH VIỆT THE USE OF EXTRA ACTIVITES TO IMPROVE ESP VOCABULARY FOR THIRD – YEAR STUDENTS AT FACULTY OF TOURISM, USSH – VNU (Sử dụng một số hoạt động bổ trợ nhằm nâng cao hiệu quả việc học từ vựng chuyên ngành cho sinh viên năm thứ ba Khoa Du lịch học, Trường Đại học Khoa học Xã hội và Nhân văn, ĐHQG Hà Nội) MA. MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 601410 Supervisor: MA. Kim Văn Tất Hanoi, 2009 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Contents Page number Candidate’s statement…………………………………………………………………….
i Acknowledgment………………………………………………………………………… ii Abstract …………………………………………………………………………………. iii Table of contents ………………………………………………………………………. Rationale of the study………………………………………………………. Aims and objectives of the study ………………………………………………… 2 3.
Scope of the study …………………………………………………………. Method of the study ………………………………………………………………. Design of the study …………………………………………………………. 3 CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW ……………………………………………….1 Definition of vocabulary ……………………………………………………….2 The role of vocabulary in language learning and teaching …………………….3 Principle of vocabulary teaching………………………………………………… 5 1.1 Selecting vocabulary to teach …………………………………………….2 What needs to be taught about the vocabulary item? …………………….4 Vocabulary teaching and learning ……………………………………………….1 Explicit vocabulary learning ……………………………………….2 Implicit vocabulary learning ……………………………………….2 Practice and consolidation activities ……………………………….5 Vocabulary in ESP teaching and learning ……………………………………….1 What is ESP? ……………………………………………………………… 13 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.2 How is ESP different from ESL/ GE? …………………………………….3 What is ESP vocabulary? ………………………………………………….4 Identify the needs of ESP learners for vocabulary ……………………….
Important aspects of ESP vocabulary teaching ………………………….4 Practice and consolidation techniques ……………………………….5 Dictionaries and online – dictionaries ……………………………….6 Features of vocabulary in tourism …………………………………. 20 CHAPTER 2: OVERVIEW OF ENGLISH TEACHING AND LEARNING AT FACULTY OF TOURISM ….3 The teaching facilities, syllabus, and course book ……………………………… 23 2.4 Problems of the students of tourism ……………………………………………. 24 CHAPTER 3: THE STUDY …………………………………………………………….1 Subjects of the study …………………………………………………………….2 Instruments and materials used in the study …………………………………….2 Handouts and additional reading materials ………………………………. Supplementary listening lessons ………………………………………….3 Data analysis and findings ……………………………………………………….
About the first questionnaire……………………………………………… 28 3. About the second questionnaire …………………………………………. Students’ evaluation of the applied extra vocabulary activities……. Effectiveness of extra vocabulary activities on the vocabulary memory capacity of the student …………………………………… 29 3.
Students’ assessment about the effectiveness of extra vocabulary activities ……………………………………………………………. Students’ favourite extra vocabulary activity ……………………… 30 3. 31 CHAPTER 4: SUGGESTED EXTRA ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE VOCABULARY 34 OF STUDENTS OF TOURISM ……………………………………….1 Useful notices for extra vocabulary activities …………………………………. Suggested extra vocabulary activities ………………………………………….
34 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.1 Vocabulary presentation activities ……………………………………….2 Vocabulary practicing activities ………………………………………….3 Vocabulary revising activities ……………………………………………. Summary of the study ……………………………………………………………. Limitations and recommendations for further study ……………………………. 44 APPENDIXES TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.
Rationale Together with teaching General English (GE), many teachers are now required to teach English to students of different fields such as tourism, medicine, engineering, etc. namely English for Special Purposes (ESP). Many universities in Vietnam, including the University of Social Science and Humanity, Hanoi, have paid more attention to ESP and offered ESP courses to English learners, especially to non – major students. Despite many similarities to GE, ESP is viewed difficult to teach by language teachers due to unfavourable working conditions, lack of subject knowledge, and, sometimes, the language itself with many terms, expressions, and structures.
Teaching and learning ESP in general and ESP vocabulary in particular are a matter of concern for many linguistic researchers and teachers. Vocabulary plays an important role in deciding language proficiency of every learner. Read (2000: 1) states “vocabulary is the basic building block of language, the unit of meaning from which larger structures such as sentences, paragraphs and whole text are formed”. The great importance of vocabulary is also stressed in Harmer‟s statement: “If language structures make up the skeleton of language, then it is vocabulary that provides the vital organs and the flesh” (Harmer 1991:153).
Moreover, according to Wilkin (1972), “without grammar, very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed”. The lack of vocabulary not only prevents learners from expressing themselves in speaking and writing but also makes it difficult for them to comprehend a reading passage. Thus, learning process is hindered. I also agree with Wallace when he points out that “not being able to find the words you need to express yourself is the most frustrating experience in speaking another language” (Wallace 1984:9).
Having taught English to students of Tourism for several years, I find out that my students face a great difficulty in learning vocabulary, especially ESP vocabulary partly due to lack of practice and revision whereas the vocabulary activities in the course book proves to be quite few and not various. Therefore, I have decided to conduct a study on “The use of extra activities to improve ESP vocabulary for third – year students at Faculty of Tourism, USSH – VNU” with a hope to help my students learn ESP vocabulary better. TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail. Aims and objectives of the study The study is carried out with the following aims: Investigate the students‟ attitudes toward learning vocabulary Investigate the students‟ attitude toward vocabulary activities in the course book Encourage learners‟ autonomy in learning vocabulary through guidance and instruction.
Investigate the effectiveness of extra activities on vocabulary learning of students Identify which extra activities applied are most preferred by the students. The author of this study, by doing such research, hopes to contribute to the improvement of ESP teaching and learning in general and ESP vocabulary teaching in particular at USSH – VNU. Scope of the study Obviously, we have a wide range of choice of activities that can help to improve ESP vocabulary of students. However, this research only targets on the extra activities that were designed and introduced by the author to the third – year students at Faculty of Tourism, USSH.
Also, it focuses on exploiting words, expressions and terms of the book English for Students of Tourism, which is now being used as textbook in class for the target students, edited by a group of teachers at the Department of Foreign Languages, USSH – VNU, and some additional reading materials as well as supplementary listening lessons provided by the teacher. With such limited scope, the result of this research, of course, may not be applicable to students of all levels or of all classes as well. Research questions This study was carried out in order to find the answer to two questions as follows: 1. How do extra activities help improve ESP vocabulary of third-year students at Faculty of Tourism, USSH – VNU? 2.
Which applied activity is most favoured by the students? TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail. Method of the study The study applied quantitative approach which included two questionnaires for the target students (one questionnaire is provided before the application of extra activities, and the other is provided after the students have done all the activities designed and provided by the teacher). The data collected from the two questionnaires is analyzed statistically. Moreover, the author‟s own experience in designing specific vocabulary activities and the analysis of the used textbook, additional reading and supplementary listening materials will contribute to the completion of the study.
Design of the study The study is designed as follows: Introduction. This part provides a general introduction of the research including the rationale, the aims and objectives, the scope, the research questions, the methodology, and the design of the thesis. Chapter 1: Literature review. This chapter deals with the theoretical background of the research.
It concerns with the issues of vocabulary teaching and learning in general as well as ESP teaching and learning in particular. Chapter 2: Overview of English teaching and learning at Faculty of Tourism, USSH – VNU. This chapter reveals the fact of the students, teachers, as well as the problems students facing in English learning. Chapter 3: The study.
The study itself is described in this chapter. It provides information about the participants and the questionnaires, the material to be used. The later part of this chapter provides the analysis of collected data as well as findings and discussion. Chapter 4: Suggestions for extra activities used to improve ESP vocabulary for students of tourism, USSH – VNU.
In this chapter, extra activities used in the research are described in detail. The conclusion summarizes the issues addressed and presents limitation of the research as well as recommendations for further improvements or research. TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com 4 CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW Vocabulary learning is central to language acquisition, whether the language is first, second or foreign. Although vocabulary has not always been recognized as a priority in language teaching, interests in its role in second language learning has grown rapidly in recent years and specialists now emphasize the need for a systematic and principled approach to vocabulary by both the teacher and the learner.
This chapter deals with theoretical background of vocabulary in general and ESP vocabulary in particular.1 Definition of vocabulary Nobody can deny that vocabulary, together with grammar, phonology, is an essential component of language. Thus, there exit various concepts relating to vocabulary. In Longman dictionary of language teaching and applied linguistic, vocabulary is defined as “a set of lexemes, including single words, compound words and idioms” (Richards, 1997:400). Pyles and Algeo (1970) stated “it is true that vocabulary is the focus of language with its sound and meaning, which interlock to allow us to communicate with one another, and it is words that we arrange together to make sentences, conversation and discourse of all kind”.
Meanwhile, Penny Ur (1996) maintained “a new item of vocabulary may be more than a single word, a compound of two or three words and multi-words idioms”. The above quotations about vocabulary have given us at least a partial answer to the question of what vocabulary is in terms of vocabulary teaching and learning. Vocabulary deals not only with simple words which may express a single idea, but also with complex, compound words and multi – words idioms which can only be understood in a given sentence or context.2 The role of vocabulary in language learning and teaching “When most of us think about language, we think first about words” (Pyles and Algeo, 1970). The quotation has proved the essential role of vocabulary in language.
Obviously, for most language learners it is important to acquire the components of a language before developing its skills. People, in communication, can understand each other even if they make grammatical mistakes. However, not knowing the exact word that you need makes it frustrating for both you and the interlocutor. That is why Flower and Berman (1989) came to a conclusion that “good English means having a big vocabulary”.
TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com 5 Yet, knowing a lot of words makes no certainty that you will be successful in communication but put a restraint on your effective communication in the target language. After accumulating an amount of words, learners will be able to communicate at a certain level from the very first stage. Then, the skills of language, such as speaking, etc. can be developed.
In conclusion, vocabulary plays a fundamental role in a language. It serves as a foundation on which all language skills are built.