A study on using mind mapping technique in teaching vocabulary to grade 10th students at hung vuong high quality school

HUNG VUONG UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE BUI NGOC ANH A STUDY ON USING MIND MAPPING TECHNIQUE IN TEACHING VOCABULARY TO GRADE 1O TH STUDENTS AT HUNG VUONG HIGH QUALITY SCH

HUNG VUONG UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE

BUI NGOC ANH

A STUDY ON USING MIND MAPPING TECHNIQUE IN TEACHING VOCABULARY TO GRADE 1O TH STUDENTS AT HUNG VUONG

HIGH QUALITY SCHOOL

B.A GRADUATION PAPER Field: English Teaching Methodology

Phu Tho, 2020

HUNG VUONG UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE

BUI NGOC ANH

A STUDY ON USING MIND MAPPING TECHNIQUE IN TEACHING VOCABULARY TO GRADE 1O TH STUDENTS AT HUNG VUONG

HIGH QUALITY SCHOOL

(Nghiên cứu về việc sử dụng sơ đồ tư duy trong dạy từ vựng cho học sinh

khối lớp 10 trường Phổ thông Chất lượng cao Hùng Vương)

B.A GRADUATION PAPER Field: English Teaching Methodology

Supervisor: Vu Thi Quynh Dung, M.A

Phu Tho, 2020

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This thesis could not have completed without the help, encouragement and support of a number of people who all deserve my sincere gratitude and appreciation

First of formost, I would like to express my deeper gratitude to my supervisor – Ms Vu Thi Quynh Dung for the valuable guidance and encouragement She greatly inspired me to work on this paper My graduation paper cannot come to end without her effort to read it again and again to find out the problems and support me in all stages of the research and writing this study

I am also very grateful to some English teacher at Hung Vuong High Quality School, who has been wiling to answer my questions and have given me

valuable advices and suggestions on the research “A study on using mind mapping technique in teaching vocabulary to grade 10th students in at Hung Vuong High Quality School” and on the completionof my research

I owe sincere and earnest thankfulness to all the students of the classes 10B

of Hung Vuong High Quality School, who have been the enthusiastic participants

in my study They provide me valuable information by completing the conveying

as well as answering survey questionnaires and doing tests Without them, my action research could not been completed and successful

In the end, I would like to show my big gratitude to my family and friends, who have constantly inspired and courage me to overcome difficulties to complete this study

Finally, a special word of thanks goes to my readers for their interests and comments on this study

Thanks for all!

This study objective is to test the feasibility of using Mind mapping technique to grade 10th students at Hung Vuong High Quality School The researcher carried out the experiment by teaching English and gives two tests for students The experiment phase continued for 3 weeks

The participants of this study were 21 students at class 10B Prior to experiment, participants of class 10B were given a pre-test in order to test their vocabulary stock Having introduced the mind mapping technique to members of class 10B (21 students) and finished the experiment period, a post-test was administered to measure the effect of the intervention for students The data were gathered through pre-test and post-test

The comparison between the pre-test and post-test scores reveals a significant difference in vocabulary test The results indicated that the students after experiment have higher scores The results manifested that the mind map is effective to use in teaching vocabulary in class 10B of Hung Vuong High Quality School

TABLE OF CONTENT

PART 1: INTRODUCTION 1

1 Rationale of the study 1

2 Previous studies 2

3 Research purposes 6

4 Research questions 6

5 Research method 6

6 Significance of the research 7

7 Research scope 7

8 Research design 8

PART 2: CONTENT 9

CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 9

1.1 An overview about Vocabulary 9

1.1.1 Definition of vocabulary 9

1.1.2.Aspects of vocabulary 10

1.1.3.Techniques used in teaching vocabulary 12

1.2.An overview of Mind Mapping technique 14

1.2.1 Definition of mind mapping technique 14

1.2.2 Classifications of mind map 15

1.2.3 Parts of mind map 17

1.2.4 Steps for making mind mapping technique 19

1.3 Relationship between Mind Mapping technique and vocabulary teaching 21 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 22

2.1 Setting of the study 22

2.2 Subject of the study 22

2.3 Participants of the study 22

2.3.1 Students 22

2.3.2 Teachers 23

2.4 The current textbook English 10 23

2.5 Data collection instruments 23

2.5.1 Survey questionnaires 24

2.5.2 Tests 25

2.5.3 Classroom observations 26

2.6 Research procedure 28

2.7 Data analysis……… ……… 30

CHAPTER 3: CURRENT SITUATIONS 30

3.1 Data analysis of the result from survey questionnaire before experiment 30

3.1.1 Current situation of students’ learning vocabulary 30

3.1.2 Students’ frequency of learning vocabulary 31

3.1.3 Students’ methods in learningvocabulary 31

3.1.4 Problems the students encountered when learning vocabulary 32

3.1.5 Students’ techniques used in learning vocabulary 32

3.1.6 Students’ perception in learning vocabulary by using Mind mapping technique 33

3.2 Data analysis of the result from classroom observations 34

3.3 Data analysis of the result from pre-test 36

3.4 Discussion 37

CHAPTER 4: EXPERIMENT AND DISCUSSION 38

4.1 Mind map application in teaching vocabulary (Experiment) 38

4.1.1 The first week of experiment (from March 23th to March 29th, 2020) 38

4.1.2 The second week of the experiment (from May 4th to May 10th, 2020) 38 4.1.3 In the third week of the experiment (from May 11th to May 17th, 2020) 39 4.1.4 In the fourth week of the experiment (from May 18th to May 24th, 2020) 39

4.2 Data analysis of the result from survey questionnaire after experiment… 42

4.2.1 Students' attitude toward learning vocabulary with mind maps…………42

4.2.2 Effectiveness of using mind maps in vocabulary teaching and learning 43

4.2.3 Challenges in learning vocabulary with mind maps……… 44

4.2.4 Students' opinions about using mind maps in teaching and learing vocabulary……… …………45

4.3 The results of post-test 42

4.4 Comparison of the pre-test and post-test 44

4.5 Evaluation 46

PART 3: CONCLUSION 47

1 Summary and conclusion 47

2 Implications 48

2.1 For teachers 48

2.2 For students 48

3 Recommendation 48

4 Limitations of the study 49

5 Suggestion for further researches 50

REFERENCES 51

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1.1: Major aspects of vocabulary 10 Table 3.1: Students’ methods in learning vocabulary 31 Table 3.2: Problems the students encoutered when learning vocabulary 32 Table 3.3: Students’ opinions about the benefits of using Mind mapping technique

in learning vocabulary 33 Table 3.4: The result of classroom observation 35 Table 3.5: Number of test in score level according to pre-test results 36 Table 4.1: Benefits of using mind maps in learning vocabulary…… …… …44 Table 4.2: Students' opinion about using mind maps in teaching and learning vocabulary……… ……45 Table 4.3: Number of tests in score levels according to post-test results 46 Table 4.4: Number of tests in score levels according to pre-test and post-test result……… ……… 47

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1.1: Network tree 16

Figure 1.2: Event chain 16

Figure 1.3: Cycle concept map 17

Figure 1.4: Spider concept map 17

Figure 3.1: Students’ perception towards the important of vocabulary 30

Figure 3.2: Students’ frequency of learning vocabulary 31

Figure 3.3: Students’ techniques used in learning vocabulary 32

Figure 3.4: Students’ perception about Mind mapping technique 33

Figure 3.5: Skills that students use Mind mapping technique 34

in learning vocabulary 34

Figure 3.6: The percentage of score levels according to pre-test results 36

Figure 4.1: Students' interest toward learning vocabulary with mind maps… 43

Figure 4.2: Students' opinions about the effectiveness of using mind maps in teaching and learning vocabulary……… ……….44

Figure 4.3: Challenges in learning vocabulary with mind maps……… 45

Figure 4.4: Number of tests in score levels according to post-test results 43

Figure 4.5: The percentage of score levels according to pre-test and post-test results 45

PART 1: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale of the study

Nowadays, in the Industrial Revolution 4.0, English has become more and more dominant around the world English helps students gain success in every subject at school By learning English, students are expected to be acquainted with themselves, their culture and other culture No one can deny the importance of English, which is a global language in the modern social and one of the main ways

to communicate and interact with other people around us It may not be the most spoken language in the world, but it is the official language of 53 countries and spoken by around 400 million people across the globe

In order to keep pace with the development of society, we are demanded to master in English because it is a key to open the door for scientific and technical

knowledge which is need for many fields English is also essential to the field of

education in Vietnam It has been considered as a compulsory subject in the curriculum of all states school and learnt by Vietnamese people as a mean of communication Apart from four skills and some components, vocabulary is one

of the most crucial ones in language learning It is an essential part of the English, which is important for communication, reading, speaking, listening and writing Wilkin (1972) states that “Without grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed” Or according to Mohammadi & Shakouri,

“Without knowledge of words, understanding sentences or passages is not possible” (2016, p.1166) Vocabulary is one of the most important aspects in mastering English because the ability of the students to read or comprehend the subject is relatively determined by their vocabulary In this case, we must emphasize that vocabulary plays a key role not only in reading but also in speaking,

writing, and listening

English vocabulary constitutes a challenge for English foreign language teaching and learning Most students spend a lot of time studying English vocabulary, but the result is often frustrating and unsatisfactory when so many

students learn vocabulary by rote memorization, which is boring and dampens students’ enthusiasm for learning Besides, the teaching method plays a crucial role in helping students retain vocabulary Therefore, it is desirable to find an effective tool to help students learn English vocabulary

One strategy can be used is mind mapping It is a thinking tool that, based

on divergent thinking, builds up a structure of knowledge for each target word by associating it with other related words or concepts Thus, recalling of one vocabulary word will prompt the other related items It also incorporates words, pictures, color, images and graphics, making learning information a vividly visual format Mind maps and diagrams allow students to clarify their thoughts by

categorizing and grouping related ideas as Thornbury (2002) says, “Acquiring a vocabulary requires not only labeling but categorizing skills” With mind maps,

each new piece of word students put into their head automatically “hooks on to” all the vocabulary already in there The more these grappling hooks, the easier learners hook out the vocabulary they need The mind mapping technique can help present vocabularies learned and to be learnt in a logical and related matrix

Thus, the study entitled “A study on using mind mapping technique in teaching vocabulary to grade 10th students in at Hung Vuong High Quality School” is conducted as an attempt to enhance vocabulary teaching and learning

Hopefully, this reasearch could make a call pay due attention to the vocabulary learming of Hung Vuong High Quality school’s students

2 Previous studies

2.1 In the world

Riswanto and Puta (2012) in “The use of mind mapping strategy in the teaching of writing at SMAN 3 Bengkulu, Indonesia” conducted research in Indonesia on the appropriateness of the mind mapping strategy while providing training in writing The pretest and posttest disparate groups were designed by the researchers The study was carried out in the town of Bengkulu and 234 students

of the first year of SMAN 3 were the population of the study during the academic

year of 2011-2012 A total of 66 students were selected as a sample and divied into two groups The writing test was conducted in order to collected data Results showed a compelling distinction was present in the writing acomplishment of the students taught in the use of the strategy of mind mapping Hence, it is evident from this study taht writing achivement of students can be enhanced through the application of the mind mapping strategy

Regarding the research matter of teaching vocabulary with mind maps and diagrams, the writer could find one related study named “Teaching vocabulary through mind mapping technique to the tenth grade students of SMA Negeri 15

Palembang” by Yusuf Effendi (2004), a student of University PGRI, Indonesia

The research question of this thesis is “Is it effective to use mind mapping technique in teaching vocabulary to the tenth grade students of SMA Negeri 15 Palembang?”

There are some similarities and differences between this thesis and the writer’s study First of all, the similarity of these two is that they have the same independent variables and mind mapping techniques in Buzan’s principles Secondly, both used true-experimental research method However, Yusuf’s thesis based on Posttest Only Random Control Group Design, and this study based on the Pretest-Posttest Design Therefore, the most distinctive difference is that in Yusuf’s thesis, there was only one vocabulary test to test students before the treatment and after that In this study, there were three vocabulary tests, including one pretest and two posttests The reason for having three different tests is to ensure the reliability of the tests The three tests had the same language items but different test items so that the vocabulary proficiency and learning progress of students were evaluated most exactly

Al Naqbi’s (2011) in “The use of Mind Mapping to develop writing skills

in UAE schools” carried a survey to evaluate the effectiveness of mnd map at the pre-writing brainstorming stage under exam condition Actually, her primary purpose was not to aim to the high results of the students, yet she aimed to help

students in planning and organizing ideas in writing After conducting the research, she found that students’ thinking and cognitive skills were developed and students became better in organizing ideas, activating their background knowledge This proved that mind map has a powerful effect on students in pre-writing stage and it was worth teaching this technique to EFL students in classes

Maestas & Croll (1985) carried out a study on the effects of training in story mapping procedures on the reading comprehension of poor readers It was found that there was an increase on the students’ability to answer comprehension questions and increased tendency to maintain story mapping component in their story recall The result of aforementioned studies indicates that mind mapping tecnique can help improve students’ reading comprehension ability, especially poor reader The present work, thus, adopts the use of mind mapping techniques

to improve the poor readers’ reading ability at Rajabhat University, Songkhla In addition, an effort is made to investigate the students’ attitude towards the use of mind mapping techniques to enhance their reading ability

2.2 In Vietnam

Dang Thanh Diem (2011) researched about “ Using mind maps and diagrams to teach vocabulary for first year mainstream students, faculty of English language teacher education” with the aims at figuring out whether the techniques work to teach vocabulary at Division I The study began with the literature review

on vocabulary teaching and application of mind maps and diagrams in teaching vocabulary Then the paper-based questionnaires were delivered to students to explore the situation of the research problem After that, the true-experimental method was applied in data collection procedures to fulfill the second aim of the research The findings of the study indicated that mind maps and diagrams were applicable and effective to teach vocabulary at Division I Therefore, the techniques were suggested to be exploited more in the context of teaching vocabulary for first year students

Nguyen Thi Thu Huong (2013) researched about “Enhancing the efficiency

of the presentation through the use of mind mapping for K8 major English students

in Hung Vuong University” with the study aims at the researching and valuating the use of Mind Mapping in enhancing the efficiency of a presentation They use pretest and posttest to survey the current situation then the point out the effective

of using mind map in presentation for students The result is quite satisfactory because the number of students getting low reduces considerably The marks of posttest are improved It makes the study more successful

Do Thi Van Trang (2016) researched about “Using mind map to improve vocabulary knowledge for the first year English language teaching education students of FLF at HPU2” with the study aims at investigating the common ways

of learning vocabulary and their difficulties in studying vocabulary; introducing the mind mapping technique to the first year English Language Teaching Education at HPU2 as well First, to learn about the current ways of learning vocabulary, the survey questionnaire was conducted with 48 students of K41 English Language Teaching Education Second, pre-test and post-test were done

to appreciate the quality of vocabulary studying among these students before and after the treatment during five weeks of the second semester of the 2015 – 2016 academic school years Last, the classroom observation also was used to find whether students like the technique Based on the results of these methods, the difficulties of students in learning vocabulary have been found out as well as mind mapping technique was introduced received positive responds from students

These above reasearches study about using mind map in teaching and learning and also have provided valuable information indicating that use mind maps to help students improve skils such as writing, presentation and learning vocabulary Moreover, those studies investigated the effectiveness of applying mind maps in teaching and developing skills above

However, there is no research about using mind maps to improve vocabulary for grade 10th students at Hung Vuong High Quality School So, the author will

choose research about this issue with hope that this method can help the students learn vocabulary more effectively

3 Research purposes

The aims of the study consist of:

- Exploring the current situations of teaching vocabulary to grade 10th students at Hung Vuong High Quality School

- Designing and applying activities with mind-mapping technique in teaching vocabulary to grade 10th students at Hung Vuong High Quality School

- From the findings of the paper, the writer wants to evaluate whether it is possible

to apply mind mapping technique in teaching vocabulary to grade 10thstudents in

at Hung Vuong High Quality School

2) How to use mind maps in vocabulary teaching and learning effectively?

3) How effective is the mind mapping technique in teaching vocabulary to grade

10 th students at Hung Vuong High Quality School?

5 Research methods

- Theoretical research method: The author researches the related documents

to give some knowledge about vocabulary, definition and features of mind maps and mind mapping technique

- Investigating methods: The researcher uses survey questionnaires for students and teachers, tests and classroom observations to investigate the real situation of using mind mapping technique in teaching vocabulary to grade 10th

students in Hung Vuong High Quality School

- Mathematical statistical method: It focuses on presenting, analyzing, caculating the data collected from survey questionnaires and observation to get the final results

- Experimental method: This method is used to find out about the effectiveness of using mind maps in teaching and learning vocabulary Experiment

is to verify by using mind map as tool to learn vocabulary grade 10th students at Hung Vuong High Quality School The research carried out the experiment to comparison then to evaluate the feasibility of using mind map as an instrument in vocabulary teaching and learning

6 Significance of the research

6.1 Scientific significance

Conducting this study firstly helped the researcher obtaining a comprehensive understanding about using mind maps in teaching and learning English in general and in improving vocabulary in particular

6.2 Practical significance

This reasearch is carried out with the hope that it can apply mind maps to enhance vocabulary for grade 10th students at Hung Vuong High Quality effectively With a new methodology, mind maps will draw the students’ attention

by using pictures, color, images and graphics

In addition, the research also helped the teachers of English use mind mapping technique to teach new words more effectively and successfully, which make the lesson meaningful and interesting, help students to get the best results in vocablary learning and many others

7 Research scope

Mind Mapping is a useful method and applied in many fields that cannot be mantioned all Due to time constraints, instead of studying in a large context, this study only focuses on small context of grade 10th students at Hung Vuong High Quality School The author would research the current effectiveness of using Mind Mapping technique to promote student’s vocabulary

In this study, Mind mapping technique was used in Unit 8: New ways to learn (Getting started and Reading), Unit 9: Preserving the ennvironment (Getting started & Reading)

Part 2: Content

This part consists of 4 main chapters

Chapter 1 – Theoretical background: Focusing on theorical background of

the study, the overview of vocabulary and Mind Mapping technique, and relationship between mind mapping technique and vocabulary teaching

Chapter 2 – Methodology: Discussing about researching objectives, method

of the study, instrument, data collection and data analysis of the study

Chapter 3 – Current situations: In this chapter, the author has to make some

major findings, analyzes and discusses the data collected from classroom observations, interviews and results of pre-test in details to find out the problems

of grade 10th students at Hung Vuong High Quality School in teaching vcabulary

Chapter 4 – Experiment and Discussion: In this chapter, the researcher

applies Mind mapping technique to teach vocabulary Then, the author delivers the post-test, analyzises and compares the data collected from pre-test and post-test After that, the researcher will evaluate the effectiveness and limitations when using Mind mapping technique in teaching vocabulary

Part 3: Conclusion

In this part, the researcher gives summarization about major findings of the study This includes the conclusion of the whole study, implications, recommendation, limitations of the research, and provides suggestions for further studies

PART 2: CONTENT CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

This chapter focuses on providing an overview of theoretical background relevant to this study including vocabulary in teaching and learning, mind mapping technique and the relationship between vocabulary and mind mapping

1.1 An overview about Vocabulary

1.1.1 Definition of vocabulary

Regarding vocabulary, agreement on its definition seems to be difficult as each scholar and linguist or even each English learner has his own set of ideas to come up with the precise definition of vocabulary Thus, there have been many differences in defining it

According to Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary Online, vocabulary is defined as:

a) all the words that a person knows or uses

b) all the words in a particular language

c) the words that people use when they are talking about a particular subject d) a list of words with their meanings, especially in a book for learning a foreign language

Hornby (2000: 1331) descibed vocabulary as “a list of words in a language with their meanings”, which is common with the third and fourth meanings from the definition of the dictionary Besides, “Vocabulary is knowledge of words and words meanings” is defined by Fran Lehr and his associates (2004)

Richards and Platt (1992) pointed out that vocabulary is a set of lexeme, including single words, compound words, and idioms While, Ur (1996) argued that vocabulary are the words teachers teach in a foreign language It is evident that each set of vocabulary can make up for more than just one word, but it combines into a single meaning

Hatch & Brown (1995) stated that vocabulary refers to a list or set of words for particular language or a list or set of words that individual speakers of language might use In other words, vocabulary is a collection of words that used by one’s

as mean of communication

To conclude, there are numerous ways to understand the concept of

“vocabulary” From all the above discussions about it, we can understand vocabulary as a list of words that teachers and learners use in the process of teaching and learning English as a foreign language as well as their usage to understand the productive skill and receptive skill

1.1.2 Aspects of vocabulary

Basically, before digging deeper in techniques to teach vocabulary, it is

required to define clearly the matter of what to teach Thus, what it means to

“know a word” becomes another complicated issue

Knowing a word involves knowing 1) a great deal about its general frequency of use, syntactic and situational limitation on its use, 2) its underlying form and forms that can be derived from it, 3) the network of its semantic features and 4) the various meanings associated with the item (Richards, 1976 cited in Ghazal, 2007)

Table 1.1: Major aspects of vocabulary

can be used together

Make trouble but

do wrong

Aspects of

meaning

words to the real world

Nightfall: the close

of the day

shows people’s emotions and attitudes towards what the word refers to

Excuse in She made an excuse for being late has a

negative meaning

appropriate to use in certain context

opposite

Rich vs Poor

examples of the same concept

Bus, car, lorry, etc

Super-hero

(Source: Ur, 1996)

Table 1.1 is to describe the major aspects of vocabulary that can be taught

to students by Ur (1996) adapted in ELT Methodology II Course Book and Recommended Readings (pp.81-87) Those divisions of vocabulary by Ur cover all aspects presented by other scholars

Schmitt (1995: 86) also presented a list of the word knowledge types that native speakers typically possess, which should be achieved by the learners of

English As cited in Dastjerdi (2010), they are 1) a word’s spoken form, 2) a word’s written form, 3) a word’s part of speech, derivative forms, and grammatical patterns, 4) a word’s collocations, 5) how frequently a word is used in a language, 6) the many stylistic constrains which determine if a word is appropriate in a given context, 7) a word’s conceptual meaning, 8) a word’s semantic network of associations

So, knowing a word is not just simply know its equivalent in one’s mother tongue but there are a lot of aspects to cover It is difficult for teachers to present new vocabulary and provide as many aspects as possible Similarly, learners also encounter hardness to build up their own vocabulary with the sufficient perception

of all aspects But after all, the important in learning vocabulary is not knowing a word, but remembering it and then using it In the next part, the explanation of how vocabulary is remembered is presented

1.1.3 Techniques used in teaching vocabulary

Commonly, there are several techniques concerning the teaching of vocabulary However, there are a few things that have to be remembered by the most English teachers if they want to present a new vocabulary or the lexical items

to their students It means that the English teachers want students to remember new vocabulary Then, it needs to be learnt, practiced and revised to prevent students from forgetting

1.1.3.1 Visual techniques

Concerning with the visual techniques, Gairns and Redman (1986) as cited

by Maria, (1999:12) said that “there are three forms of visual techniques: relia, pictures, and mine or gestures.” Relia means using a variety of real-object brought

by the teachers or students in the classroom It can be also applied to remember written material Students can act out what they read, or associate physical sensation with specific words found in reading passages

Refering to ideas mentioned above, Klippel (1994:115) implies that mine or gesture is useful if it emphasizes the importance of gestures and facial expression

on communication At the essence it can not only be use to indicate the meaning

of a word found in reading passages, but also in speaking activities as it stresses mostly on communication

1.1.3.2 Verbal techniques

This technique pertains to the use of illustrative situation, synonyms, opposites, scale, definition and categories More specifically, Maria (1990:3) divided verbal techniques into four parts:

a Definition and illustration sentences: this technique the English teachers are expected to introduce a word in English through the use of other word in the same language

b Synonyms and antonyms: Synonyms and antonyms are especially important in building new vocabulary because learners are able to know vocabulary Synonyms are words that have the same meaning as the unknown in a given sentence There may be signals that identify the presence of synonym for the

readers They could be or, commas, dashes, and colons Meanwhile, antonyms

are words that have the opposite meaning of the unknown word in a given sentence Signals which identify the presence of the antonyms for reader are

instead, although, but, yet, and however

c Scale: This technique is the presentation of related words in scales that include the combination of both verbal and visual techniques, for example, in term 32o Celsius, the degree sign is the visual

d Explaination: This technique explains the meaning and the use of a foreign word in the foreign language itself

Talking into account the points of technique presented earlier, it seems that there are several similarities of program for teaching vocabulary development skills to be recognized by Brown (1994:367) He offered some techniques for teaching vocabulary skills, among those are:

a Determine the goal of teaching, such as:

- To improve the reading vocabulary skills of students

- To teach students word-building skills

- To teach students to guess word meanings from contex clues

b Get student to make word building: that is derived from suffixes, prefixes, and roots

c Definition clues, which comprises the parentheses and footnotes, and synonyms and antonyms

d Inference clues: these clues have three types, such as example, summary, and experience

Based on the quotation above, it can be said that the English teachers, before applying those techniques, should know the level of students’ competency and the goal of teaching in advance, particulary on teaching vocabulary Also, they should

be able to lead the students to learn a new word or some words clearly In relation

to the employment of verbal techniques, of course, the English teachers have to regard the length of time and the English textbooks used

1.2 An overview of Mind Mapping technique

1.2.1 Definition of mind mapping technique

Buzan (http://www.usingmindmaps.com/what-is-a-mind-map.html) states that a mind mapping is a powerful graphic technique which provides a universal key to unlock the potential of the brain It is visual map of ideas, laid out in a radial format around a central thought and it involves a unique combination of imagery, colour and visual-spatial arrangement which is proven to significantly improve recall when compared to conventional methods of note-taking and learning by rote

It needs imagination and association to activate our brain in remembering something

Based on DePotter and Hernacki as translated into English (in Abdurrahman, 2008:153), “Mind mapping is the use of whole brains technique by using the visualization and other graphic infrastructure to make an impression” Besides, mind mapping is one of techniques which can make the students more enjoyable and interesting in studying vocabulary

According to Martin as translated into English (in Trianto, 2009:158) mind mapping is a concrete graphic illustration which indicates how a single concept related to other concept in the same categories Mind mapping is a pattern which

at least consists of picture, symbol and colour that will not just help the students

to understand the vocabulary knowledge but also make the students feel good, enjoyable and attract their brain which at last leads them to have interest in mastery vocabulary knowledge

Mind mapping is a pattern which at least consists of pictures, symbols and colors It is a concrete graphic illustration which indicates how a single concept is related to another concept in the same categories

A mind map is often created around a single word or text, placed in the center, to which associated ideas, words, and concepts are added Majors categories radiate from a central node, and lesser categories are sub-branches of larger branches Categories can represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items related

to a central key word or idea To use mind maps effectively, make sure that print the words, use different colors to add visual impact, and incorporate symbols and images to further spur creative thinking

1.2.2 Classifications of mind map

Trianto (2009:160) describes that mind mapping can be distinguished into four kinds, namely: network tree, event chain, cycle concept map, and spider concept map

Figure 1.1: Network tree

1.2.2.2 Event chain

The event chain can be used for giving an accident order, steps in a procedure, or steps in a process It is suitable for visualization:

- some steps in a process

- some steps in a linier procedure

- an accident order

Figure 1.2: Event chain

1.2.2.3 Cycle concept map

In this concept map, the accident combination has no final result It is suitable to show a correlation how a combination accident is interacting to produce

a group of result repeatedly

Figure 1.3: Cycle concept map

1.2.2.4 Spider concept map

The spider concept can be used for sharing opinion from a central idea until get more various big ideas It is suitable to visualization:

- something which is not based on hierarchy

- a category which is not parallel

- the result of sharing opinion

Figure 1.4: Spider concept map 1.2.3 Parts of mind map

According to Windura (2008: 77-86 as cited in Effendi, 2004), each feature of mind mapping has its own benefits to the learners

1.2.3.1 Central image

A central image has to describe main idea of a mind map and put it on the

central of the paper It is for activating the students’ right brain and strengthening the students’ memory

1.2.3.2 Key word

A key word is a word that can lead a sentence or event Identifying a familiar word in one’s own language or another language that sounds like the new word

and using only one key per line It is an urge to remember lots of words for

students It is strong noun or verb that creates image to trigger the recall of memory

1.2.3.3 Basic ordering ideas

Basic ordering ideas are the branches that collect information and they are all

connected to the central topic Making basic ordering ideas can direct your mind, encourage creativity and help students understand the material deeply They are thin and thinner at the ends They can be seen as headings for your topic and spread anywhere but do not become steep

1.2.3.4 Branches

The branches should be curvy and in the same length as the words or pictures

above them These branches can be seen as sub headings There are thinner branches and contain details

1.2.3.5 Colors

Color is a very good memory sign and it involves the right side of the brain as

well Colors encourage creativity and help in memorization in the long-term store Colors bring life into the mind map, which make it easier to comprehend and remember things presented on it

1.2.3.6 Pictures

In mind mapping, pictures can change and strengthen a key word that has been

written before On the other hand, pictures attract learners and help them remember things easily and vividly

1.2.4 Steps for making mind mapping technique

1.2.4.1 Manual

Based on what Buzan (in Purwoko, 2005:20) states that the mind mapping uses colors and pictures to help constructing your imagination with your style in making mind mapping Words or pictures which are in the curvy lines or branches will

help the students’ memory to make associations

Furthermore Buzan (in Purwoko, 2005:20) explains the steps below in how to make mind mapping, they are presented below:

1) Take a piece of white paper and it is in a landscape position

2) Start by drawing a coloured image in the centre of the paper and write the key

word with capital letters

3) Choose a color and draw the main themes of the mind mapping on the thick

branches radiating out from the central image

4) Add other main themes branches around the map

5) Make thick and colourful branches spanning out from your mind map

6) Write basic ideas about the key word and still use the capital letters

7) Add an image to all the main branches to represent each key theme and also

use images to visualise every important key word on your map

8) Let your mind mapping be as imaginative as possible

1.2.4.2 IMindmap app

Creating a mind map with iMindmap has numerous advantages It is a mind mapping tool designed with the idea to simplify the process of generating and visually organizing and presenting ideas, thoughts and information There are a few steps to how to create an effective mind map that will simplify the process of learning or working

1) Determine the central topic: Depending on the purpose of your mind map,

firstly decide if your central topic will be one specific keyword, a sentence, a question that needs to be answered or a problem that needs to be solved Then

put it in the center in a circle or a different shape you find appropriate and personalize it with color, font, symbol or image

2) Branch out the map: The list of branches should be determined according to

one’s needs As long as the map is created with the indispensable elements and according to the main structure, users are free to add as many branches as they like and need These topics usually described with one or two keywords related

to the main subject are what inspires and stimulates the creative side of the brain to produce even more fresh ideas and further dive into the subject

3) Expand the branches with branches: Every branch is connected to its

sub-branches and all of them, together, elaborate the main idea put in the center

4) Elaborate and grow the sub-branches: The sub-branches are what make a mind

map complete in terms of content You have to always focus on expanding the mind map and its topics until you are sure that there is nothing left to add to a certain branch

5) Choose a font and start coloring the mind map: Using diverse colors when

creating a mind map is always a good idea as it will help you to memorize information more easily as you will connect that information with a color

6) Add visuals to the topics and subtopics: Images and symbols that are

associated with a certain concept or an idea can help to memorize and recall information better

7) Add a background image to the mind map: When choosing an image as a

background, you should always look for a style that will correspond to the main idea or topic of your map Inserting background pictures make mind maps more engaging and appealing to the eye, which is the reason why this step is important and shouldn’t be overlooked

8) Share or present the mind map: Whether you create a mind map for yourself or

to present it to your friends or colleagues, you should strive to make it as appealing as possible The mind mapping technique is a creative and engaging alternative for the PowerPoint presentations because it enables you to visually

present ideas and information in a different format which always sparkles the audience’s interest

1.3 Relationship between Mind Mapping technique and vocabulary teaching

Mind mapping technique is the easiest way to remember information in a human mind and take information from out of brain It is a creative and an effective way that map our ideas (Buzan, 2002)

A mind map is a visual record of new vocabulary Vocabulary mind maps are also known as word maps or spidergrams and are organized in a way that shows groupings or relationships between the words It can be an effective tool used in teaching vocabulary

Mind maps can help students develop their vocabulary proficiency by not only learning the definition of words but also making connections between words and their contexts Mind maps also work as knowledge bank since they allow to add links and attach files related to the vocabulary such as adding pictures or audio files for the correct pronunciation of a specific word

Mind mapping is interesting way to express of the brain by making an infinite number of associations Mind mapping gives the freedom to roam the infinite expanse of the brain The view of its radiant nature, every key word adds

to a mind mapping itself, adds the possibility of a new and greater range of associations So, the researcher assumes that teaching vocabulary by using mind mapping is very effective for both teacher and students in teaching learning process to make the atmosphere of the class more enjoyable and to increase students’ mastery of vocabulary

In conclusion, the theoretical background of vocabulary, mind mapping techniques and the relationship between them have been presented in this chapter The next chapter will present and discuss the issues related to the methodology conducting the study It describes in detailed design of section outline the subject

of the research, discuss the data collection instruments from the classroom observations, interviews, survey questionnaires and tests

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY

The study would be carried out with justified methods of data collection and annalysis in order to maximize its validity and reliability Specially, discussions in detail about the participant, the instrument as well as the procedure of data collection and analysis would be raised in this chapter

2.1 Setting of the study

Hung Vuong High Quality School is established in 2018 and located in Nong

Trang Ward, Viet Tri City, Phu Tho Province

This is one of the few high-quality schools in the country and the first one in Phu Tho province to apply the communicative English teaching model from elementary school to high school

Invested and developed on the campus of Hung Vuong University, Hung Vuong High Quality School possesses the advantages of infrastructure with spacious and airy space, with modern designed facilities Reasonably arranged, ensuring the safety and comprehensive development for children

With the information technology system, surveillance camera system, swimming pool, international standard foreign language classroom, school bus, etc Hung

Vuong High School is confident to be the ideal school for students

The school board is committed to not betraying the faith of our parents and will educating our children to become the full-fledged children we desire

2.2 Subject of the study

The subject of the study is the using mind mapping technique in teaching vocabulary

2.3 Participants of the study

2.3.1 Students

The target sample of the research consisted of 21 students (9 Females and

12 Males) from grade 10B at Hung Vuong High Quality School The students under investigation have just finished the first term of grade 10th school year Although they have had seven years of learning English, their English proficiency

was at medium level They were keen on English but sometimes they had not reached the result that they expected Most of them can do listening exercises very well but have difficulties in mastering the four skills, especially speaking skills which students find most challenging and boring They were friendly and very willing to join the study

2.3.2 Teachers

The study was conducted among 2 English teachers at Hung Vuong High Quality School All of the teachers were well-trained and rather professionally experienced In Hung Vuong High Quality School, they had many opportunities

to upgrade their teaching and a lot of teaching facilities as well as materials to facilitate their work They were helpful, friendly and dedicated teachers Most of them wanted to devote their whole lives for teaching They all had a great desire

to acquire knowledge of how to teach English well as well as how to widen their English background Also, they were always willing to help their students with difficulties in learning

Inconclusion, the choice of the population supported the study to ensure the validity, reliability and objectivity of the present study

2.4 The current textbook English 10

The current textbook English 10 composed by Hoang Van Van has been used at upper-secondary schools since 2012 as the official textbook to learn general English for grade 10th students It consists of 10 units and other 4 revisions which divided into 2 textbooks correspond with 2 school-terms Each unit has 5 parts: Getting started, Language, Skill (Reading, Speaking, Listening, Writing), Communication and culture, Looking back and project, and each of them have been taught in a period (45 minutes)

2.5 Data collection instruments

In order to get sufficient, reliable and valid data for the study, survey questionnaires, tests and classroom observations were all utilized

2.5.1 Survey questionnaires

2.5.1.1 Causes of choosing survey questionnaires

In order to get the most exact information for the study, the researcher used survey questionnaires for students before and after experiment to find out about reality of learning vocabulary with mind mapping technique of grade 10th students

at Hung Vuong High Quality School Survey questionnaire was chosen because it was not time-consuming as it could reach a large number of people in a very short time In addition, this data research instrument was used to check the students’s interest about using mind mapping technique in teaching and learning By survey questionnaires, data collection was relatively easy to collect as all participants answered the same questions

Most importantly, the questioner gave the participants opportunities to express their opinions and feelings without fear to be embarrassed because they were free to give impartial answer without giving their names This was very important to this study since in supplied some realistic, exact and valuable information to conduct this research For those advantages, the researcher chose to use this method because it was easy to do, not time-consuming and effective

2.5.1.2 Description of survey questionnaires

To gain the data for the research, two questionnaires (before experiment – Appendix 1 and after experiment – Appendix 2) were administered for students in grade 10th at Hung Vuong High Quality School

The survey questionnaire for the students before experiment (Appendix 1) consists of 8 questions Question 1 helped researcher find out about opinion of students about the importance of vocabulary Question 2 helped reasearcher know about the frequency in learning English vocabulary of students Question 3 served the purpose of investigating the ways in learning vocabulary Question 4 offered the investigation on students’ difficulties in learning vocabulary or what hinder them from learning vocabulary Question 5 was designed to investigate the techniques that students used to learn vocabulary Question 6 was designed to ask

whether students know about Mind mapping technique Question 7 was employed

to show the benefits of using mindmaps to learn vocabulary Question 8 helped researcher find out in which skills that students often use Mind mapping technique

to learn vocabulary

The survey questionnaire for the students after experiment (Appendix 2) consists of 7 questions Questions 1 was designed to investigate the students’ attitude toward learning vocabulary with mind maps Questions 2-3 helped researcher find out the effectiveness of using mind mapping technique in vocabulary teaching and learning Questions 4 showed the challenges faced by the students in learning vocabulary with mind maps Questions 5-7 offered the investigation on students’ opinions about using mind mapping technique in teaching and learning vocabulary

2.5.2 Tests

2.5.2.1 Causes of choosing tests

In the study process, each method is used for different aim According to Hughes (1996:11), “An achievement test aims to find out how much each student and the class as whole, by implication, to improve feedback on students’ progress

to the teacher and the students, to show how effectively the teacher has taught and diagnose those areas which have not been learned”

In the study, tests are very important and necessary to survey the students’ vocabulary skill Through the tests, the researcher could check vocabulary knowledge of students exactly Vocabulary tests in basic grade 10th at Viet Tri high school are not organized separately so that the researcher had to check students by

a separate vocabulary test

2.5.2.2 Description of the test

In the study, the test was divided into two stages: one test for the students when starting the research (pre-test) and another when finishing the experiment (post-test) The pre-test (Appendix 4) was to evaluate students’ knowledge about vocabulary at the time of conducting the study The post-test (Appendix 5) helped

evaluate the effeciveness after using mind mapping technique in teaching vocabulary to students The pre-test and post-test have the same level The content

of two tests involved 2 main topics in grade 10 curriculum programs: New ways

to learn (Unit 8 in English text book) and Preserving the environment (Unit 9 in English text book) The time allowance for each test in this study is 15 minutes The tests consist of three exercises with the total of 10 points

With the pre-test, there are 13 questions including in 5 questions filling in the blanks, 3 questions choosing the best answer in each sentence and 5 questions writing the siutable words or phrases under each picture

With the post-test, there are 15 questions including in 5 questions choosing the best answer in each sentence, 5 questions filling to complete the passage and 5 questions matching the words with its definitions

The result of pre-test and post-test are classified into 4 levels: weak level is less than 5 points, average level from 5 to 6 points, fair level from 7-8 points, good level from 9-10 The pre-test is done on the first week and the post-test is done after sixth week Then, it will be compared between the results of two tests for students

2.5.3 Classroom observations

2.5.3.1 Causes of choosing observations

In the classroom observation, Richarts (1992) pointed out observational methods as procedures and techniques that are based on systematic observations

of eventsand often used in the studying language and classroom events Observation is aimed neither at assessment nor general findings, but exploring through observation aspects of what goes on in our classroom for the benefit of the teacher’ own development

Observation offered the opportunity to see whether the teacher uses effective teaching methods, has controlled over his class and is able to address the need of all learners Another important reason is that this method helps to make the collection data more clarified and effective Such above benefits urge the

researcher to have some classroom observations with the aims of finding out problems facing students in the class

2.5.3.2 Description of classroom observations

Classroom observation is a method of evaluating and recording specific information about what is going on within a class The author watches and follows all the procedures and activities the teacher and students are performingin the class setting, which enables the researcher to elicit realiable data In other words, it is a means to check the reliability of the data collected for other sources Researcher use observation sheets (Appendix 3) in order to evaluate the lesson by answering the following questions:

1) Does the teacher teach voacbulary in each lesson?

2) What activities does the teacher use to teach vocabulary?

3) How long does teacher teach vocabulary?

4) How about work arrangement?

5) How many percentages of students involve in the lesson?

6) How effective that type brings?

2.6 Research procedure

The study was conducted in 7 weeks The researcher started reseaching from March 16th, 2020 to March 29th, 2020 After that, the study was interrupted by coronavirus It was continued to research from May 4th, 2020 to June 6th, 2020

With the permission of Hung Vuong High Quality School headmaster, the researcher started organizing the experimental in 7 weeks and the following procedures were followed:

Firstly, the researcher viewed the theoretical background related to the topic: an overview about vocabulary, mind mapping technique and the relationship between them

Secondly, the current situation of learning English vocabulary of grade 10thstudents at Hung Vuong High Quality School was investigated by using survey questionnaires, interview, observation and pre-test about vocabulary

Next, the data from the questionnaires and pre-test was collected and analyzed After that, the researcher carried out an experiment using mind mapping technique

in teaching vocabulary During the experiment, the researcher invited other English teachers to observe the class with using the mind mapping technique in teaching

To evaluate the effectiveness of using mind mapping technique in teaching and learning English vocabulary, the post-test were delivered to the students

The data from the post-test was collected and analyzed

Finally, the author summarizes the major findings of the research, give implications of the reasearh

2.7 Data analysis

In this study, the data collected from survey questionnaires, interview questions and tests were mainly analyzed quantitatively Qualitative method was also applied through the analysis of the data collected from the classroom observations to give an insightful description of the issue

The data collected from the interview questions for teachers and tests for students were analyzed quantitatively through tables and charts according to statistical frequency and percentage The additional ideas specified in the interview questions were basically used for qualitative analysis In addition, the data of the classroom observations was contributed to the qualitative analysis They were carefully considered and analyzed in order to provide more valid information about the teachers’ ideas, opinions, reasons and further explainations for their teaching methods In other words, both quantitative and qualitative

methods were applied to the analysis of the data to make the result of the research more precise, objective and reliable

After having been collected and categorized for the purpose of the research, the data were analyzed by employing the methods of quantitative and qualitative

In addition, frequencies were also measured, caculated and assessed From the data analysis, all the comments and evaluations were given Thus, this process was carried through inductive methods

In summary, the researcher would like to mention some aspects of study as participants, methodology and data analysis And the next chapter deals with the analysis of the results received from the students’ survey questionnaire, teachers’ interview questions, classroom observations and tests of students Reseach questions are discussed in detail to discover the different techniques used by the teachers in teaching vocabulary at Hung Vuong High Quality School

CHAPTER 3: CURRENT SITUATIONS

In this chapter, the researcher is going to analyze the data collected from the survey questionnaire, observations and the pre-test of students in class 10B at Hng Vuong High Quality School

3.1 Data analysis of the result from survey questionnaire before experiment

3.1.1 Current situation of students’ learning vocabulary

Figure 3.1: Students’ perception towards the important of vocabulary

The pie chart showed students’ opinion on the role of vocabulary in learning English vocabulary In general, most students found important to learn vocabulary Specifically, nearly half (47.6%) of students admitted that vocabulary was very important in learning English; meanwhile, 42.9% of respondents appreciated the importance of vocabulary On the contrary, only 9.5% had normal attitude towards the role of vocabulary in learning a language

No one answered that is unimportant to learn vocabulary

3.1.2 Students’ frequency of learning vocabulary

Figure 3.2: Students’ frequency of learning vocabulary

As you can see from the chart, 61.9% students often learn vocabulary 7 out

of 21 students sometimes learn vocabulary accounting for 33.3%, and 4.8% of students rarely learn English vocabulary

3.1.3 Students’ methods in learningvocabulary

Table 3.1: Students’ methods in learning vocabulary

The data in table 3.1 showed that 28.6% of the students learn vocabulary through synonyms and antonyms, a significant proportion of the students (38.1%) said that they learn vocabulary from the root words while 19% of the students revealed that they learn vocabulary from the context clues Besides, another 14.3%

of the students learn vocabulary by using other methods