A study on using the spaced repetition technique on smartphone application to improve english vocabulary for the first year english majors at hong duc university

I hereby declare that I, Vu Thi Dieu Linh, a student of the Faculty of Foreign languages at Hong Duc University, confirm my authorship in the research titled “A study on using the spaced

I hereby declare that I, Vu Thi Dieu Linh, a student of the Faculty of Foreign languages at Hong Duc University, confirm my authorship in the

research titled “A study on using the spaced repetition technique on smartphone application to improve English vocabulary for the first-year English majors at Hong Duc University.” The thesis is the result of my own

research and the substance of the thesis has been submitted neither as a whole nor in part for a degree to any other universities or institutions

Thanh Hoa, May 2022

Vu Thi Dieu Linh

On completing this graduation thesis, first and foremost, I would like to express my profound gratitude to Ms Trinh Thi Hang, my respectful supervisor, who has always given me precious advice and suggestions Without her instructive remarks as well as corrections, the study could not have been accomplished

I am also immensely thankful for the enthusiastic support, unique ideas, and valuable suggestions of my beloved lecturers, my friends, and especially

my classmates in class K21A of the Faculty of Foreign Languages of Hong Duc University They are those who have always comforted and encouraged me to overcome obstacles while I was carrying out my study

I could not finish this paper if there was no assistance from freshmen in class K24B of the Faculty of Foreign Languages at Hong Duc university They are those who have directly participated in my own research I would like to send my big thanks to all of these students

Last but not least, I owe a debt of gratitude to my family, my parents, and my elder sister for all their infinite spiritual support during the implementation of the study Without them, I could hardly have had enough bravery to deal with difficulties and keep going on with my research

The purpose of the study was to find out the efficiency of applying spaced repetition technique in learning vocabulary for freshmen specializing in English language teaching at Hong Duc University

Participants in the study included 60 first-year English majored students

in class K24B of the Faculty of Foreign Languages at Hong Duc University They were chosen to become the subjects of survey questionnaires about attitudes as well as techniques to learn vocabulary Furthermore, 60 students were divided into 2 groups (a control group and an experimental group) to be subjects who took part in the experimental research Both groups answered the pre-test and post-test questions about vocabulary However, the experimental group used spaced repetition technique while the control one used traditional methods of learning vocabulary

At the end of the study, the students of the experimental group who applied spaced repetition technique showed more positive results in memorizing vocabulary than the control one Therefore, the effectiveness of SRT in improving vocabulary had been proven In addition, some recommendations were given for further study in the future

1 EU European Union

2 SRT Spaced repetition technique

3 FFL Faculty of foreign languages

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES

Figure 3.2.1 The number of years that students have learnt English 30

Figure 3.2.2 Students' level of interest in English 31

Figure 3.2.3 Students’ opinions on learning vocabulary 32

Figure 3.2.4 Students’ frequency of learning vocabulary 33

Figure 3.2.5 Students’ time of learning vocabulary per day 33

Figure 3.2.6 The way that students use to learn vocabulary the most often 34 Figure 3.2.7 The problem students often face most when learning words 34

Figure 3.2.8 The number of students who tried using this technique before 35 Table 3.2.1 Students’ attitude to learning vocabulary by using SRT 36

Table 3.2.2 Students’ vocabulary memory ability after using SRT 36

Table 3.2.3 Students’ other skills after using SRT 37

Figure 3.3.1 The number of correct answers and the equivalent percentage in the pre-test 38

Figure 3.3.2 The number of correct answers and the equivalent percentage in the post-test 39

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii

ABSTRACT iii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS iv

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES v

TABLE OF CONTENTS vi

PART I INTRODUCTION 1

1 Rationale 1

2 Aims of the study 2

3 Scope of the study 3

4 Methods of the study 3

5 Design of the study 3

PART II: DEVELOPMENT 4

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 4

1.1 Vocabulary 4

1.1.1 Definitions of vocabulary 4

1.1.2 Types of vocabulary 5

1.1.3 The importance of vocabulary 6

1.1.4 Strategies for learning vocabulary 9

1.2 Spaced repetition technique 10

1.2.1 Definition of the spaced repetition technique 10

1.2.2 The operation process of SRT 11

1.2.3 Smartphone applications using SRT 13

1.2.4 Advantages of SRT for learning vocabulary 17

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 18

2.1 Settings 18

2.2 Participants 18

2.3 Data collection instruments 19

2.3.1 Teacher interview 19

2.3.2 Survey questionnaires for students 19

2.3.3 Tests 20

2.3.3.1 Pre-test 20

2.3.3.2 Post-test 20

2.4 Procedures 20

2.5 Programs 22

CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 30

3.1 Results of interview 30

3.2 Results of questionnaire 30

3.3 Results of pre-test 38

3.4 Results of post-test 39

PART 3: CONCLUSION 40

3.1 Summaries and conclusions 40

3.2 Limitations of the study 40

3.3 Suggestions and implicatures 41

REFERENCES viii

APPENDICES x

APPENDIX 1: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR TEACHERS x

APPENDIX 2: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS xi

APPENDIX 3: PRE-TEST xiii

APPENDIX 4: POST-TEST xvi

APPENDIX 5: QUESTIONNAIRE AFTER THE EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM xxiii

The high need of society for learning English entails changes as well as reforms in teaching this language In the past, it used to be taught in a dull and uninspiring way At that time, students just passively absorbed the knowledge from their teachers Furthermore, the education system placed great emphasis

on grammar knowledge As a result, it caused invisible pressure on students and made learning English boring

However, today, along with educational improvements in teaching and learning methods, the learners gradually become the centered subject while the role of the teacher should be just the instructor instead of the controller Nowadays, students are learning evenly between grammar and skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills)

When taking up a language, the fundamental matter is to learn vocabulary It is obvious to see that a lack of words will interfere with the learning of grammar or other skills For example, lack of vocabulary, students cannot do the reading tasks in the reading section, or when practicing speaking, students also do not have enough vocabulary to present their ideas The

beginning of a new foreign language is always a greeting English is hi, French

is Bonjour, German is Hallo If you want to go further in conversations, some basic words are not enough That is the reason why we all have to learn as much vocabulary as possible

As far as learning vocabulary, there is another worrying condition among students, especially freshmen, which is the problem of memory Young first-year students often find themselves stuck with the state of " going in one ear and out the other" In other words, it is called vocabulary forgetfulness If they couldn't remember words, how can they use them proficiently?

In reality, through basic research, besides many gifted students in learning vocabulary, a majority of first-year students at the Department of Foreign Languages at Hong Duc University have difficulty in learning vocabulary They are often fed up with cramming a lot of words Moreover, after learning vocabulary for a while, they encounter the state of forgetting words quickly In addition, according to some lecturers, although the first year

in university is the prerequisite year of building vocabulary for language learning, a lot of students are not diligent or interested in learning words Therefore, the vocabulary of the first-year students is not large

Due to the above-mentioned reasons, I conducted the thesis "A study on using the spaced repetition technique on smartphone application to improve English vocabulary for the first-year English majors at Hong Duc University."

In my thesis, I would like to help students in improving their vocabulary learning, avoiding the issues of forgetting words, and building a rich vocabulary as a platform for them to study and enhance other skills such as grammar, reading, writing, and so forth

2 Aims of the study

The main objectives of the study are as follows

-This study aims to find out the effectiveness of applying Spaced repetition technique in learning vocabulary for freshmen specializing in English at Hong Duc University

-The research provides suggestions and implications for teaching and learning vocabulary efficiently for the first-year students at Hong Duc University

3 Scope of the study

There are plenty of techniques that are likely to apply to study vocabulary It is immensely difficult to cover all techniques In addition, due to time limitations as well as the researcher’s ability and working conditions, the study mainly focuses on using spaced repetition technique in studying English vocabulary for the first-year English majors at Hong Duc University

4 Methods of the study

A combination of various methods has been used in this study The following are methods exploited:

-Carrying out interviews for teachers to collect data

-Conducting survey questionnaires to find out students’ views on English vocabulary learning

- Using pre-test to assess student’s vocabulary level before using SRT and test to re-evaluate the effectiveness of vocabulary memory capability after applying SRT

post-5 Design of the study

The study consists of three parts:

Part 1: Introduction addresses with Rationale, Aims of the study, Scope of

the study, Methods of the Study, and Design of the study

Part 2: Development which includes 3 chapters: chapter 1: Literature review,

chapter 2: Methodology and procedures of the study, and chapter 3: Findings

and discussion

Part 3: Conclusion gives a short summary of the entire study

PART II: DEVELOPMENT

This part consists of three chapters in which chapter 1 addresses the literature review of the study, chapter 2 deals with methodology and chapter 3 presents findings and discussion

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Vocabulary

1.1.1 Definitions of vocabulary

Vocabulary has been defined in various ways According to the

Cambridge dictionary, vocabulary is explained as "All the words that exist in a particular language or subject" In Webster Dictionary, vocabulary is “a list

or collection of words usually alphabetically arranged and explained or lexicon, stock of words used in language or by class, individual, etc.”

Another definition, in the book called “Basic English lexicology” of

Hoang Tat Truong (1993:2) [1], stated that “Vocabulary is meant the sum total

or the system of all the words that a language possesses.”

Besides, there are other experts who have studied and given definitions

In detail, “Vocabulary is the collection of words that an individual knows”

(Linse,2005:121) [2] From another view of vocabulary, Hatch and Brown

(1995:1) [3] define “Vocabulary as a list of words for a particular language or

a list or set of words that individual speakers of language might use” While

according to Roget (1980:1036) [4], vocabulary is

“a A list of words often defined or translated

b All the words of Language

c Specialized expressions that are indigenous to a particular field, subject, trade, or subculture.”

In conclusion, the word “Vocabulary” may imply words known or used

by individuals in a narrow sense or the entire collection of words of a language

in a broad sense

child can understand words such as “I love you”, and he/ she will have a

reaction or manifestation of feeling happy and smiling However, they cannot speak or respond to their parents Therefore, you find that they understand words and phrases even before they can say them

Apart from the names: active and passive vocabulary, vocabulary can also be classified and called receptive and productive (Hatch and Brown,1995) [3]

a Receptive Vocabulary

Learners' receptive vocabulary consists of phrases that they recognize and comprehend when they are used in context, but that they are unable to produce Freshmen recognize this language when they see or encounter it while examining textual information, but they do not use it when speaking or writing (Stuart Webb, 2009) [6]

b Productive Vocabulary

Words that learners understand, pronounce correctly, and use constructively in speaking and writing are referred to as productive vocabulary It includes both receptive vocabulary and the ability to speak or write at the appropriate time

As a result, students can develop phrases to express their thoughts to others, and productive vocabulary can be handled as a living process (Stuart Webb, 2005) [7]

Normally, passive/receptive vocabulary is usually reading or listening vocabulary This is understandable because when we read or listen we passively absorb a new word Taking someone reading a piece of text for an example, he

or she can recognize the form of letters and how they go together, and how to understand their sum meaning without the demand for pronouncing it or using

it

Another form of passive/receptive vocabulary is listening Listeners can perceive words that they are listening to and associate heard words with their meanings The level of understanding is supported by word context, intonation, etc

In contrast, writing and speaking vocabulary is in the active/productive vocabulary range Writing is equivalent to reading Along with reading skills,

it forms the core skills needed for a person to be literate The writer demonstrates his or her knowledge of a word in terms of its meaning, spelling, and correct usage

Besides, speaking is also one of the types of vocabulary that demonstrates a person's knowledge of words This is an active demonstration that can also rely on other factors such as facial expressions, intonation, pitch, and gestures to help others understand its meaning Knowledge of a word is demonstrated by good use and pronunciation

1.1.3 The importance of vocabulary

Nelson Mandela said “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”

Therefore, learning languages is extremely crucial but what is the beginning of

a language?

It is not an exaggeration to answer that is vocabulary They are the “root cause”

of all other aspects Nobody can deny vocabulary is a prerequisite for communication and also the foundation for the development of other academic skills

Indeed, communication needs vocabulary Every day, people communicate with each other, using hundreds, if not thousands of words without thinking much about their significance In case it is your mother

tongue, it is reasonable not to ponder However, this will no longer be a trivial matter when you learn a second language, like English If you don't have the vocabulary, you can't communicate It was the famous linguist D A Wilkins

[8] who had to exclaim that “Without grammar, very little can be conveyed; without vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed.” Thus, it once again emphasizes

that vocabulary is the first and most important element of communication

On the other hand, vocabulary is a solid stepping stone for the improvement of skills such as listening, speaking, reading and writing, and grammatical structure Comparing skill development is like building a house, building a vocabulary is now definitely the bricks that lay the foundation Let's look at each aspect of the skills First of all, it is listening You are practicing listening skills but do not grasp what the speaker says You are listening for IELTS, TOEIC, etc many times without increasing your level The problem here is not how many times you hear it, but whether you know the words or not If it's a strange word for you, it's no use hearing it a hundred

or a thousand times Thus, if you want to hear it, you need to know the vocabulary and pronunciation

The second one is about speaking skills When you have a lot of ideas, you want to express your opinion but can't find relevant words This is a dead-end! Besides, speaking is known as one of the productive skills Nevertheless, to “produce” an idea, you need a certain amount of vocabulary

to convey it Global Language Monitor, a research site on language trends says that English has about 1,025,109.8 word units as of January 1, 2014 Google and a Harvard University study also found that English has 1,022,000 words According to the results of a survey by The Economist (2013), the number of native speakers' vocabulary is as follows:

- Adults know between 20,000 and 35,000 words

- 8-year-olds know 10,000 words

- 4-year-olds know 5,000 words

The question that arises here is how many words do you need to learn to

be good at English?

Certainly, it is unnecessary for you to know 35,000 words to be good at English Extracted from Outcast's research, the level of English is equivalent to the number of words you need to know as follows:

In addition, vocabulary plays an important role in reading skills This is completely reasonable due to a large number of new words that may appear in many reading texts regardless of in short news in newspapers or academic articles In Vietnam, especially in the national high school examination, students need to read up to 3 reading comprehension texts It is said that instead

of reading the entire text, use skimming and scanning techniques to find the main idea or information for the question However, it can only be done when you know the vocabulary to an extent, otherwise, no matter how many times you apply techniques, it is difficult to choose the correct answer

Last but not least, vocabulary does matter with another productive skill which is writing For quality writing, you need to read more and gain enough vocabulary That is, it needs a certain input amount of knowledge and words or expressions, not merely writing correctly but also writing coherently and logically

To sum up, in order to learn English effectively, learners themselves must understand the importance of vocabulary Vocabulary is the root both literally and figuratively when imagining your English learning is a tree

1.1.4 Strategies for learning vocabulary

According to Rubin (1975:43) [9], strategies are “The techniques or devices which a learner may use to acquire knowledge.” The term “vocabulary learning strategies” refers to “Any set of techniques or learning behaviors, which language learners reported using in order to discover the meaning of a new word, to retain the knowledge of newly-learned words, and to expand one’s knowledge of vocabulary” (Intaraprasert, 2004:53) [10]

In fact, it is obvious that there is a variety of strategies that depend on each person to learn new words However, according to the classification of vocabulary learning strategies by Cohen (1998:43) [11], it could be divided into three main categories: strategies to remember words, semantic strategies, and vocabulary learning and practicing strategies

First of all, they are strategies to remember words Learners will use

rote-repetition by repeating the word and its meaning until it seems to have stuck in their minds Also, it is essential to use mnemonic associations

by making a link between the word as well as the sound of a word in the native language and the sound of a word in another language or linking the word to the situation in which it appeared -taking notice of the meaning of a part of the word or noting the structure of part and visualizing the word in isolation or

The next category is called semantic strategies which involve thinking

of synonyms in order to build a network of interlinking concepts and clustering words by topic group or type of word and linking the word to another sentence

The last items are vocabulary learning and practicing strategies

Learners need to analyze the word according to its roots, affixes, and inflections

as a way to understand its meaning At this time, they can use a dictionary, flashcards, grouping, and cumulative vocabulary study to have scrutiny on words

1.2 Spaced repetition technique 1.2.1 Definition of the spaced repetition technique

SRT was developed and studied by a German psychologist named Hermann Ebbinghaus in the 1880s Spaced repetition is a way that focuses on repeating information so that you remember it effectively As its name implies, this technique consists of two parts: repetition and spacing

- Repetition

As we all know, the brain first records information into short-term memory Over time, if we don't review it, we will forget it because the brain will delete information that is supposed to be unnecessary Therefore, to remember deeply, it is necessary to repeat As the ancient Romans used to say,

“Repetition is the mother of all learning” People often say that “Practice makes perfect” and in this case, it should be “The more you repeat information, the more deeply you will remember it”

- Distance

Spacing Repetition creates spaces in the process of learning and reviewing information It is closely associated with the concept of the forgetting curve

About SRT's history, Hermann Ebbinghaus created the groundwork for spaced repetition research when he proposed that information loss follows a

forgetting curve over time, but that forgetting may be restored with repetition based on active recall

Landauer and Bjork initially experimented spaced repetition technique

in 1978 with a group of psychology students They were shown photographs of

a specific individual followed by the subject's name Providing the spaced repetition with the repeat of viewing the person's name and face, by the time, students were able to link the name and face of that individual shown

Afterward, in 1985, Schacter, Rich, and Stamp expanded the study to include persons with amnesia and other memory impairments The data revealed that spaced repetition can also benefit people with memory problems

1.2.2 The operation process of SRT

As mentioned above, SRT works based on the study of the forgetting curve This curve shows that when we first learn, the brain will remember information immediately and quickly, but the longer time flies, the more we will forget, and the knowledge may gradually “fade”

Therefore, SRT uses spaced repetition strategy, which means that as soon as my brain starts to forget something, we should review it right away and thereby remember it longer The important keyword here is “spacing” Why is

interval learning necessary? Because “If you review information too early, you’ll waste your time If you review information too late, you will forget it and will have to re-learn it” Furthermore, according to many experts, it is not good

if you review every day with the same knowledge First of all, it causes a feeling

of fatigue and boredom for learners Another disadvantage is that the brain is not given the opportunity to rest for better data storage later

The spacing effect refers to the observation that learning that occurs from repetition is more effective when it is spaced over time Instead of repeating a word 100 times in the same day, a person will learn more productively if they repeat the word 10 times a day for 10 days

In addition, according to research by Hermann, after 24 hours, on average, the brain will forget 70% of what it has just learned

Simply put, if you learn 100 new words, by the next day you will forget 70 words and only remember 30 words or maybe less

Hermann's research has also shown that, in order to increase the efficiency of memorization, we need to "intervene" in this curve at the right time (the golden time) For example, today, you memorize 10 new words, and you review them after 1 hour - that means you have just intervened deliberately

in the forgetting curve at the right golden time Therefore, by tomorrow, instead

of only having 30% of the words left, you will remember 75%

As a result, this way will help the brain put the learned knowledge into long-term memory This is especially necessary with foreign language learning When you continue to review for the second time, the third time, etc at the right time the next day, your ability to remember will increase to 100%, and it will be a long time until you forget At this point, the words will have been transferred to your long-term memory

1.2.3 Smartphone applications using SRT

In 1932, professor Cecil Alec Mace, in his book "Psychology of Study" mentioned the application of the principle of spaced repetition to learning

H F Spitzer, 1939 tested this method with 3,600 6th grade students studying Science in the state of Lowa Experiments have shown that this technique really works Initially, this experiment went unnoticed until the 1960s, when cognitive psychologists including Melton, Landauer & Bjork studied the effect of repetition on memory improvement

Around the same time, Pimsleur language courses pioneered the practical application of spaced repetition technique In 1973, the “Leitner system” - invented by Sebastian Leitner system helps to review repeatedly to achieve achievements through the use of flashcards (Flashcards can be understood as an information card to store information, the knowledge to be learned, etc.) The development of the personal computer since the 1980s has greatly influenced the method of learning by means of spaced repetition techniques thanks to learning software This software creates an automated system of scheduling for the user to review knowledge over increasing time intervals Not only that, but these applications also allow users to achieve achievements to reward their achievements

Most software that applies the technique of - Spaced Repetition Software (SRS) applies the form of review with flashcards When needing to review the user needs to enter the result (information to remember) corresponding to the question (information hint) Based on the user's review results and on the Hermann Ebbinghaus forgetting curve, it is set up to analyze when learners are likely to forget words or information Then it will remind the learner to learn Here are some specific applications or software that use SRT:

Firstly, it is Anki This is probably the most renowned spaced repeating

flashcard system It is widely used among people to learn foreign languages including English Anki is not flashy or complex and doesn't include many

features but is extremely easy to use For each flashcard, you rate how well you know from “1” to “5” Words you undervalue will repeat more often You can make your own flashcards or find some pre-made cards made by others

The second one is Brainscape It is somehow like an upgraded version

of Anki It works the same way: you can create your own flashcards or find cards made by others For each flashcard, you rank your understanding of the card from “1” to “5” The lower you rate the card, the more often the card repeats On Brainscape, you are free to create your own flashcards or find them from others

Another one is called Memrise While Anki and Brainscape can be used

for memorizing anything Memrise is specifically designed for language learners Apart from similarities, a difference in Memrise is that it possesses a

number of courses designed in advance That's fine if you want an app with a curriculum Memrise is free to start, but you can sign up for more languages and features

Finally, an application using SRT was developed by the Vietnamese team It has a pure Vietnamese name " Từ vựng Tiếng Anh" (temporarily translated: English Vocabulary) which I would consider one of the instruments that support my research later

It integrates the very famous spaced repetition algorithm to schedule the words you need to learn and review in a sequence to help increase your ability

to remember words, but spend less time reviewing words

Here is a simple example: If you want to learn the word “Hospital” You

can create a flashcard with the word HOSPITAL on one side, and the meaning

or phonetics or illustrated image on the other side At first, you constantly look back at this flashcard to recall it Then you wait about 20 minutes and then look back and recall what it meant Repeat this after 1 hour, 3 hours, 12 hours, 1 day and so on (the interval between seemingly gets bigger and bigger) and you'll find that the word is already ingrained in your memory

In general, the spaced repetition method will automatically track whether your answers are correct or incorrect, you mark the word as memorized or not

so that it can schedule a word review and learn new words optimally, based on the famous algorithm: Spaced Repetition Furthermore, the app contains more than 10 most popular vocabulary sets, clearly classified It can be said that this

is the most complete and best vocabulary learning application An indispensable application in your software cabinet The advantages of “Từ vựng Tiếng Anh” :

+ The app divides related vocabulary into small lessons Avoid putting too many words that cause frustration

+ Vocabulary with examples, fully translated, with illustrations + The sound of the words, the examples are by the reader, not automatically read by the machine-like other English language applications -> ensure the accuracy of the intonation

“Từ vựng Tiếng Anh” includes a lot of vocabulary sets, is a very complete English vocabulary learning application, you no longer have to worry about downloading many applications such as learning vocabulary for TOEIC, IELTS,etc

1.2.4 Advantages of SRT for learning vocabulary

SRT is beneficial to learning words due to some reasons One of them is against forgetfulness It is undeniable that the biggest fear and also the biggest obstacle to vocabulary learning is forgetting However, with the operation of SRT, we see that this is one of the most powerful techniques to improve their memory ability It is also a sustainable method, as opposed to the traditional

“cramming” technique that people often use every time they are in an urgent hast review for an exam When we use the “cramming” technique, we can remember vocabulary in a short time but will forget them soon This is the reason why many students are very diligent, but they are always in a state of

“brain-out” to remember words again without success Thus, it is said that

“Study smarter, not harder” This method is following the forgetting curve to retrain against forgetting Thereby avoiding absent-mindedness when learning vocabulary In other words, it is effective for learning words and reducing forgetting words

Another reason is that with its diverse applications, learners can ease fatigue while studying It is obvious that learning vocabulary is difficult and it can bore people at times However, along with applications or software, we have a variety of choices As mentioned above, you can select Anki, Memrise,

or " Từ vựng Tiếng Anh " to learn On these apps or software, learning words

is assisted with sound, vivid images, and so on

In sum, undoubtedly, SRT has a positive influence on studying words

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 2.1 Settings

The study was carried out in the Faculty of Foreign Languages (FFL) at Hong Duc University - Thanh Hoa province This is one of 12 faculties at Hong Duc university which is the largest local university in Thanh Hoa province and was set up on 24th September 1997

FFL is an outstanding faculty with qualified lecturer staff There are over

30 lecturers in total Overall, the faculty lecturers are highly educated Most of the lecturers possess Master’s degrees The faculty also has 2 people who owned doctorate degrees and 2 people taking part in intensive training in Australia Dean of Faculty is Ms Nguyen Thi Quyet (Doctor of English) Vice Dean of Faculty is Mr Nguyen Thanh Minh (Doctor of English)

FFL is divided into 3 divisions: Division of English skills Development; Division of linguistics-culture and English teaching methodology and Division

of foreign languages for non-major students

In terms of the training programs for English major students, the department trains 2 majors: English Language Teacher Education and English Language

2.2 Participants

60 freshmen specializing in English teaching were selected to be the subjects of the study Most of them are at the age of 18 and have been learning English for a long time According to what the English teachers in that class said, most of the students are diligent and passionate about learning English However, they are in trouble with learning vocabulary such as forgetting words

or feeling fatigued with a tremendous number of vocabulary Therefore, it is reasonable to invite them to take part in my study related to vocabulary improvement Those students belong to 2 different classes: K24B in English Language Teacher Education and K24B in and English Language but they have

one thing in common It is they are enthusiastic and volunteer to cooperate with the researcher in conducting the study

2.3 Data collection instruments

2.3.1 Teacher interview

Before the research implementation on the subjects, there were some interview questions given to lecturers of those classes to better understand the current situation of learning vocabulary and predict the results that will be gained after applying the SRT For example, the teacher's comment on student’s vocabulary learning in the class (their attitude, their attempt, etc.); whether teachers often remind students to review vocabulary at home, and whether students remember vocabulary well or not after revision by themselves

2.3.2 Survey questionnaires for students

The researcher created a set of student survey questionnaires before the start of using SRT with 8 closed-ended questions to collect their opinions on learning vocabulary For example, the number of years that students have learned English; student’s level of interest in English, and student’s attitude toward learning vocabulary As far as learning vocabulary, students were asked for the frequency of learning vocabulary, time of learning vocabulary per day, and the techniques or methods that students use to learn vocabulary the most often Furthermore, during learning words, the problems that students often face most were also investigated The survey also asked if students tried using SRT to learn words before

After the study, to collect data about student’s attitudes, there was

another survey questionnaire with 3 closed-ended questions For instance, the

survey investigates students’ views on learning vocabulary by using SRT, and whether they are keen on this technique or not Also, there were questions to verify if student’s vocabulary memory ability and other skills such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing can be improved after using SRT

2.3.3 Tests

The data collection tool for the study included a pretest and a post-test to measure whether students change over time because of SRT The tests were carefully prepared by the researcher In the tests, there are a variety of questions testing vocabulary with different types such as multiple-choice, word fill-in sentences, etc

2.3.3.1 Pre-test

To verify the hypothesis that after memorizing the words, the short-term memory of the students is the same In other words, the initial memory percentage rates are all high among participants The researcher pre-screened

40 words that are new for students At that time, 60 participants had time to memorize the vocabulary and then the researcher conducted the pre-test to test the level In the test, there were multiple choice questions about synonyms or antonyms

2.3.3.2 Post-test

To determine whether the experimental group has a better memory of remembering words In other words, to compare the effectiveness of applying SRT to learn English vocabulary in the experimental group while the control group learned and reviewed vocabulary by the traditional methods Two months after the pre-test, the researcher conducted the post-test on the control group and the experimental group to collect data The post-test contained 100 words which were all new to participants and belonged to the IELTS vocabulary set In the test, there were multiple choice questions about gap filling, synonyms or antonyms

2.4 Procedures

The study was conducted wholly in 3 months (12 weeks) from February

to April 2022 The first week was spent on interviews and survey questionnaires to know better about the situation of learning vocabulary in the classes The next week was spent screening new words for the pre-test and then

carried out a pre-test to have an overall evaluation look Eight weeks later for applying SRT to the chosen experimental group In the 11th week, a post-test was conducted Finally, the 12th week was for collecting and analyzing all data

Steps in the procedure of 8 weeks applying SRT for the experimental group:

Step 1: 30 members of the experimental group were chosen at random from 60 ones

Step 2: Ask members to install the app called “Từ vựng Tiếng Anh” (which

was mentioned in Section 1.2.3.) and add all 100 words by topics into the app

Step 5: Check their process by observing their learning chart on the app

2.5 Programs

The list of 100 words for post-test:

1 Addiction Archaeology Accompany Diameter Commuter

3 Treat Professor Encounter Length Traffic

4 Trigger Enthusiast Overcome Measure Cause

6 Disease Linguistics Approval Width Resident

7 Diagnose Sociology Challenge Adjust Evacuate

8 Infection Analyze Route Decrease Report

10 Administer Define Intense Convey Illegal

12 Vaccinate Evaluate Position secure Visa

13 cancer Theory Profound Suspend Infrastructure

17 Allergy Astronomy Debate Belief historic

18 Dehydration Planetary Item circumference Pioneer

20 Bacterial Psychology Community mutually Rooftop

In 2 months, while the control group was asked to learn by themselves

100 words using traditional methods, there was a particular process for the experimental group The researcher instructed members of the experimental group to add 100 words to the app “Từ vựng Tiếng Anh” by topics In 5 first weeks, 20 new words per week were added and learned 3 left weeks were spent for review all 100 words in 5 topics

Topic 1: Health problems (words in the 1st column in the table above) Topic 2: Academic subjects (words in the 2nd column in the table above) Topic 3: Travel and adventure (words in the 3rd column in the table above) Topics 4: Dimensions (words in the 4th column in the table above)

Topic 5: City life (words in the 5th column in the table above)

The specific tasks of the experimental program for members of the experimental group were presented and illustrated with pictures on the next page

Week Tasks for the experimental group

1 -Add 20 words of the topic 1 into the app

-Learn on app

-Turn on notifications of the app to be reminded to learn words

2 -Add 20 words of the topic 2 into the app

-Learn on app

-Turn on notifications of the app to be reminded to learn words -Review both topic 1 and 2 on app