An investigation into the studying of english vocabulary for first year english major students at hung yen university of technology and education

Trang 1 HUNG YEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES --- GRADUATION PAPER FIELD: ENGLISH LINGUISTICSAN INVESTIGATION INTO THE STUDYING OF ENGLISH VOCABULA

HUNG YEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION

FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES -

GRADUATION PAPER FIELD: ENGLISH LINGUISTICS

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE STUDYING OF ENGLISH VOCABULARY FOR FIRST-YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENS AT HUNG YEN UNVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION

(NGHIÊN CỨU VIỆC HỌC TỪ VỰNG TIẾNG ANH CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ NHẤT CHUYÊN NGÀNH NGÔN NGỮ ANH TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC SƯ

PHẠM KỸ THUẬT HƯNG YÊN)

Supervisor: Nguyen Nang Tuan, MA

Student: Vu Thi Nhan Student number: 11317100

Hung Yen – 2021

HUNG YEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION

FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES -

GRADUATION PAPER FIELD: ENGLISH LINGUISTICS

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE STUDYING OF ENGLISH VOCABULARY FOR FIRST-YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENS AT HUNG YEN UNVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION

(NGHIÊN CỨU VIỆC HỌC TỪ VỰNG TIẾNG ANH CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ NHẤT CHUYÊN NGÀNH NGÔN NGỮ ANH TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC SƯ

PHẠM KỸ THUẬT HƯNG YÊN)

Student: Vu Thi Nhan Student number: 11317100 Supervisor: Nguyen Nang Tuan, MA

(ký tên)

Hung Yen – 2021

DECLARATION

I certify that the thesis "An investigation into the studying of English vocabulary for first-year English major students at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education" is the result of my own research and the substance of the thesis has not been

submitted for a degree to any other universities or situations

Hai Duong, Jun, 2021 Signature

I can not finish this work perfectly

Secondly, I would like to give my special thanks to all the teachers and students of English

of FFL for their help and cooperation during data collection process

Finally, I would like to thank my family, my dear friends who gave me support and encouragement during the time the study was carried out

ABSTRACT

This is a study that aims to investigate the strategies used by the students of English major

in dealing with their difficulties during learning vocabulary Having good amount of vocabulary is one of the competences that the learners have to master since the Faculty of Foreign Language often use skills as mean off assessment Vocabulary is considered as an important task which is beneficial for the student's English skills for instance: listening, speaking, reading, writing

Many of EFL students are having a lot of problems when learning vocabulary Therefore,

it is important to discover the strategies used by students that have effective ways in learning vocabulary The participants of this study are 70 students of English major The researcher uses quantitative and qualitative method through interview and survey questions

The thesis will study the ways of learning vocabulary encountered by first-year English majors at UTEHY Then, find out the difficulties that first-year students majoring in English

at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education face in learning vocabulary The results of the study will show the difficulties that students face when learning vocabulary More importantly, the research helped me find the cause of those difficulties which in turn provided some implications for improving the vocabulary of the first year students In the hope of improving the vocabulary learning ability of the first year students students, I have tried my best to carry out this thesis with my own experience and knowledge of English teaching methods

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION i

ACKNOWLEDMENT ii

ABSTRACT iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iv

LIST OF CHARTS AND TABLES vii

LIST OF ABBREVIATION viii

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCES 1

1.1 Rationale of the study 1

1.2 Aims of the study 1

1.3 Researcher question 2

1.4 Scope of study 2

1.5 Methods of the study 2

1.6 The main content of the topic 2

2.1 Definition of vocabulary 3

2.2 Classifications of vocabulary 3

2.2.1 Perceptive and productive vocabulary 3

2.2.2 High-frequency, low-frequency, technical and academic vocabulary 3

2.3 The conditions for vocabulary learning 3

2.3.2 Thoughtful processing 4

2.4 The role of vocabulary 4

2.5 Vocabulary learning methods: 5

2.5.1 Decontextualizing Techniques 6

2.5.1.1 Word list 6

2.5.1.2 Flashcards 6

2.5.2.1 Word Grouping 8

2.5.2.2 Word or Concept Association 9

2.5.2.3 Visual Imagery 10

2.5.2.4 Aural Imagery 11

2.5.2.5.Keyword 12

2.5.2.6 Physical Sensation 13

2.6 Difficulties in learning vocabulary 14

a Pronunciation 14

b Spelling 14

c Length and complexity 14

d Grammar 14

e Meaning 14

f Range, connotation and idiomaticity 15

a Similarity to L1 15

b Similarity to English words already known 15

c Connotation 15

d Spelling and pronunciation 15

e Multi-word items 16

f Appropriate use 16

CHAPTER 3:THE STUDY 17

3.1 Methodology 17

3.2 The participants 17

3.3 Data collection instruments 17

3.4 Survey questionnaires 17

3.5 Interview 18

3.6 Procedure of the data collection 18

3.7 Data analysis 18

4 Questionnaires 19

4.4 Interview 28

4.5 Discussion of the findings 30

4.6 Recommendations 31

CHAPTER IV: CONCLUSION 33

5.1 Summary of the study 33

5.2 Limitation of the study 33

5.3 Suggestions for the further study 33

5.4 Conclusions 34

REFERENCES 35

APPENDIX: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR THE STUDENTS ix

APPENDIX 2: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR STUDENTS xiv

APPENDIX 3: THE TAPE SCRIPT xv

LIST OF CHARTS AND TABLES

LIST OF CHARTS

Chart 3.1: Students' perception toward learning vocabulary 19

Chart 3.2: The frequency of having vocabulary lesson in class 20

Chart 3.3: How do you learn vocabulary 21

Chart 3.4: Students’ interest in leaning vocabulary 22

Chart 3.5: The frequency of students forgetting vocabulary 24

Chart 3.6: Have you learned a lot of vocabulary but can not use it when communicating? 25 Chart 3.7:Activities help students better their vocabulary 27

Chart 3.8: Solutions to improve vocabulary for students 28

LIST OF TABLE Table 3.1: The difficulties that students face in learning vocabulary 23

Table 3.2: Students’ assessment about activities they like in learning vocabulary 26

LIST OF ABBREVIATION

FFL : Faculty of Foreign Language

UTEHY : Hung Yen University of Technology and Education

K18 : the name of first-year English major students at Faculty of Foreign Language at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education

TPR : Total Physical Response

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCES 1.1 Rationale of the study

Currently, English plays an important role because it has become an international

language and is used as an official language in all industries such as aviation, commerce, science, technology in Vietnam, English is becoming more and more important and included in the school environment as a compulsory subject It can be said that if we consider learning English as building a house, then learning vocabulary is building the foundation for that house There are many ways to learn vocabulary, but having an effective vocabulary enrichment strategy is not easy and in fact, vocabulary learning method is not really effective

Although after many years of learning English, it is difficult for learners to communicate successfully They tend to use simple vocabulary instead of what they have already learned Besides, using vocabulary is also an essential factor to evaluate the quality of an article In writing skills, learners often have difficulty choosing words that are both accurately and logically

One secret to help learners use English successfully is to equip knowledge of vocabulary

We can only understand correctly unless the vocabulary is used correctly and appropriately Therefore, the limitation of English vocabulary knowledge has a great impact on the use of English

The problems mentioned above are the researcher’s first concern and also the motivation

for her to do the thesis, we go into research into “An investigation into the studying of English vocabulary for first-year English major students at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education” for her graduation thesis

1.2 Aims of the study

The study is aimed at ways of study vocabulary encountered by the first-year major students of English at UTEHY

The main aims of this study are :

• Investigating the current situations of learning vocabulary among the first-year English major students at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education

• Finding out the difficulties the first-year English major students at Hung Yen University

of Technology and Education face in learning vocabulary

• Providing some implications to improve the first-year students' vocabulary

1.3 Researcher question

In order To reach the aims of the study, the following research questions were proposed:

1 What are students' attitudes towards vocabulary learning?

2 What are their main difficulties in learning vocabulary?

3 What are effective ways of learning vocabulary?

1.4 Scope of study

Within the scope of graduation paper and due to the limitation of time, the researcher just hopes to concentrate on investigation the difficulties and suggested solutions in learning vocabulary for the first- year English major students at Hung Yen university of Technology and Education

1.5 Methods of the study

To collect data for researching, the author uses both quantitative and qualitative methods including questionnaire and interview The questionnaire and interview questions were deigned basing on the aims of study After getting the results, the author will use the tables and charts for presenting the collected data

1.6 The main content of the topic

Chapter 1: Introduction - gives the general introduction of the study and presents the rationale, the aims, research questions, the methods and design of the study

Chapter 2: Literature review - provides overview of oral presentation and gives the basic knowledge of the concepts related to the study

Chapter 3: The study - shows the result of the study and suggests some tips to solute and improve vocabulary

Chapter 4: Conclusion - summarizes of the study and suggest some ideas for further study

CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Definition of vocabulary

According to the definition on Cambridge dictionary web, vocabulary is all the words known and used by a particular person or all the words that exist in a particular language or subject

According to Richards ( 2002:255), vocabulary is the core component of language proficiency and provides much of the basis for how well learners speak, listen, read and write

Vocabulary is the total number of words in a language, all the words known to a person

or used in a particular book, subject, etc; a list of words with their meaning, especially one accompanies a textbook (Hornby 1995: 1331)

Those definitions show that vocabulary is the first element that the English learners should learn in order to master English well besides the other English

2.2 Classifications of vocabulary

2.2.1 Perceptive and productive vocabulary

According to Nation ( 2001) there are 2 kinds of vocabulary: Perceptive and productive Perceptive vocabulary refers to the words that native speakers and foreign learners recognize and understand but hardly ever use it, it is used passively in either listening or reading Productive vocabulary is utilized actively either speaking or writing

2.2.2 High-frequency, low-frequency, technical and academic vocabulary

According to Stuart Webb ( 2008), vocabulary has been classified according to their frequency in different types of discourse The most commonly used vocabulary categories are high-frequency and low-frequency The terms technical and academic vocabulary refer

to words that are more frequent within specific discourses types These categories are useful because they provide some indication of which words are important to learn High-frequency words are encountered regularly in all forms of speech and writings, so not knowing these words can lead to a lack of understanding and difficulty in communicating

2.3 The conditions for vocabulary learning

Each of two major kinds of tasks draw on the same conditions for vocabulary learning

If these conditions are present, then vocabulary learning has a good chance of occurring

2.3.1 Motivation

The learner are interested and attentive Motivation is a pre-requisite for attention Tseng and Schmitt (2008) see motivation of various kinds being central to vocabulary learning

2.3.2 Thoughtful processing

The learners have oppotunities to notice, retrieve or to make generative use of vocabulary The levels of porocessing hypothesis ( Craik and Lockhart, 1972) says the critical factor in memory is the depth or thoughtfulness of the mental processing at the moment of learning Laufer and Hulstijn (2001) have operationalized this in the involve-ment load hypothesis, which makes use of the conditions of needs, search, and evaluation In this discussion however we will draw on the condition of noticing, retrieval is involved and generative use Noticing involves giving some degree of concious attention to an item ( Schmidt, 1990), Conciuos, deliberate attention helps learning Retrieval involves recalling aspects of a word ( its form, meaning, or use ) Retrieval is also involved when a speaker recalls the word form neede to express a wanted meaning Baddeley (1990) considers retrieval to be one of the most robust mechanism available to improve memory of items Generative use ( Joe, 1998) involves meeting or using a word in a way that is different from previous meeting or uses The more generatively a word is used, the stronger the memory of

it

2.4 The role of vocabulary

Researchers such as Laufer and Nation ( 1999), Maximo ( 2000), Gu (2003), and Nation (2011) and others have realized that the acquisition of vocabulary is essential for successful second language use and plays an important role in the formation of complete spoken and written texts In English as a second language ( ESL) and English as a foreign language ( EFL) learning vocabulary items plays a vital role in all language skills ( i.e listening, speaking, reading and writing ( Esc Nation, 2011) Rivers and Nunan (1991), furthermore, argue that the acquisition of an adequate vocabulary is essential for successful second language use because without an extensive vocabulary, we will be unable to use the structures and functions we may have learned for comprehensible communication

Research has shown that second language readers rely heavily on vocabulary knowledge and the lack of that knowledge is the main and the largest obstacle for L2 readers to overcome (Huckin,1995) In production, when we have a meaning or concept that we wish

to express, we need to have a store of words from which we can select to express this meaning or concept "When students travel, they don't carry grammar books, they carry dictionaries" (Krashen, as cited in Lewis 1993, p25) Many researchers argue that vocabulary

is one of the most important- if not the most important- components in learning a foreign language, and foreign Janguage curricula must reflect this Wilkins (1972) states that: "There

is not much value in being able to produce grammatical sentences if one has not got the vocabulary that is needed to convey what one wishes to say While without grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed" p97).Other scholars such as Richards (1980) and Krashen (1989), as cited in Maximo (2000) state many reasons for devoting attention to vocabulary “First, a large vocabulary is of course essential for mastery of a language Second language acquirers know this; they carry dictionaries with them, not grammar books, and regularly report that the lack of vocabulary is a major problem”

2.5 Vocabulary learning methods

Definition of “knowing an L2 word” involves not just the ability to recognize the word

or to match it with its L1 counterpart, if such exists; knowing an L2 word also involves being able to use the L2 word communicatively in any of the four main language skills

These techniques are classified into four groups: decontextualizing, semi contextualizing, fully contextualizing, and adaptable Decontextualizing techniques are those that remove the word as completely as possible from any communicative context that might help the learner remember and that might provide some notion as to how the word is actually used as a part of language

Semi-contextualizing techniques allow some degree of context but fall short of full contextuality; thus, new words may be linked with something that is meaningful to the learner, but they are not used as part of naturalistic communication

Fully contextualizing techniques are those that embed the new words in a COD more or less normal communicative context These three types of techniques are not discrete but instead form a continuum of contextuality

The fourth classification, adaptable, refers to a technique that can reinforce other techniques at any part of the contextuality continuum

2.5.1 Decontextualizing Techniques

The three techniques that seem to be the most decontextualizing are word lists, flashcards, and conventional dictionary use However, as will be shown, it is sometimes possible to modify these techniques to inject a bit of context

2.5.1.1 Word list

One of the most prevalent means of trying to instill vocabulary in students is the use of word lists, a technique which does not necessarily involve any direct instruction by the teacher Though we have not found any published, empirical data on the frequency of word lists in L2 textbooks and materials, our experience indicates that they are very common In general, such lists are removed from any communicative context, that is, their relationship

to the context in which the words will (one would hope) sooner or later be encountered is not directly shown, be that learners do not The assumptions that undergird this technique appear need much, if any, context to learn vocabulary, and that rote memorization is perfectly adequate L2 word lists are sometimes offered alone, without any native language (L1) equivalents This kind of list can be termed an unpaired list More often, lists include not just the L2 words to be memorized but also Ll equivalents Such lists are called paired

or paired associate word lists, In an actual, university- level L2 class, students are told to memorize an alphabetical, unpaired, all-L2 list of approximately 1,500 common words, divided into smaller lists of several hundred words each, without the pro-vision of any context or Ll equivalents Students look up the LI meanings, memorize by rote (often by repeatedly copying the words), are tested at every class meeting, and usually forget the material after each test More typically, however, students receive a paired list at the beginning or end of each chapter in a traditional L2 textbook

2.5.1.2 Flashcards

Despite their decontextualizing nature, flashcards are very popular with students, especially for vocabulary self-testing In our research using learning journals, in which students explain their L2 learning strategies, we have discovered that flashcards are among the most widely used vocabulary learning techniques Commercial flashcards are available for many languages, including both traditionally taught languages like French, Spanish, and ESL and less common ones like Russian The flashcard technique involves at least three components: writing down (copying) the L2 word on the front of a card, writing the word's

L1 meaning on the back, and then using the card to become familiar with the new word and its meaning The flashcard thus represents a glorified L2 LI word list broken into units, each containing one new word or expression both L2 and Ll forms The copying component (assuming that the flashcard is made by the student and not purchased as part of a set) might provide a small amount of kinesthetic benefit to some learners Unfortunately, we have not seen any empirical testing of the effectiveness of the flashcard technique In our own assessment, the flashcard approach is limited in value for most students unless some contextualizing embellishments added to the ordinary, are decontextualizing flashcard With creativity and thought on the part of the learner, flashcards can indeed be employed to provide greater context For instance, learners can sort flashcards into piles representing different groups of words (e.g., nouns, adjectives, adverbs, verbs, prepositions; words that are already learned vs words still needing to be learned; past tense forms vs present tense forms) Learners can tape flashcards to particular objects like lamp, table, and chair signified

by the words on the cards, thus providing a visual (and to a degree tactile) context Visual context might also be added by taping relevant pictures to the cards Learners can arrange flashcards on the floor in a kind of semantic map, with related words closer together and unrelated words farther apart Finally, students can add context by writing the new words in complete, meaningful sentences on the cards

2.5.1.3 Dictionary use

Learners have been known to try to memorize the entire L2 dictionary, one page at a time This particular use of the dictionary is analogous to memorizing infinitely long, decontextualized word lists It has produced notable failures, except perhaps for those few learners with so-called photographic memories Looking up words while reading is a kind

of dictionary use which some teachers feel promotes vocabulary growth and reading comprehension Many students look up every single word they do not know and thus fail to use their existing ability to make inferences based on context Swaffar (1988) cites several studies indicating that access to dictionaries or glosses fails to improve performance in reading; and it seems reasonable to infer from this that such practices would also fail to increase vocabulary "Apparently, taking words from their context fails to promote the interactive process" between the learner and the text, and "glossing may have encouraged word for word reading with attendant detriment to conceptualizing" (Swaffar, p 133)

2.5.2 Semi-Contextualizing Techniques

A number of semi-contextualizing techniques exist for learning L2 vocabulary: words grouping, word or concept association, visual imagery, aural imagery, keyword, physical response, physical sensation Some of the context comes from associations with other words

or word-sounds (e.g., in word grouping, word or concept association, and to a degree in aural imagery), while in 12 other instances the context is more extra-linguistic (e.g., in visual imagery, physical response, and physical sensation)

2.5.2.1 Word Grouping

The technique of word grouping involves dividing a longer word list into new, shorter lists by classifying or reclassifying the target language terms according to one or more important attributes In this way, some degree of context is created Word grouping establishes new groups or sets of words which hang together because of some common theme or characteristic, unlike the generally unorganized, decontextualizing word lists described earlier The theory seemingly underlying this technique is that grouping makes vocabulary learning easier by reducing the number of discrete elements and-in optimal situations- linking new, target language material with concepts that the learner already knows in his or her native language

Groups can be based on type of word (e.g., all nouns or adjectives), grammatical form (e.g., irregular verbs of a certain kind), topic (e.g., words about weather), practical function (e.g., terms for things that make a car work), language function (e.g., apology, request, demand), similarity (e.g., warm, hot, tepid, tropical), dissimilarity or opposition (e.g., friendly /unfriendly), the way one feels about something (e.g , like, dislike), and so on Language textbooks sometimes group new vocabulary into thematic sets; and word grouping

is often used by teachers in the language classroom

Crow's “semantic fields” approach involves grouping words according to their semantic relationships and stresses general rather than specific meanings For instance, students are rewarded for knowing that ugly and uncomely convey similar meanings, even though they may not know which one of these best describes personal appearance, weather, or disposition (Swaffar, 1988) In a recent study, semantic field recognition among advanced ESL students

developed receptive control of twice as many words as did list- and synonym-learning techniques (Crow & Quigley, 1985)

A technique sometimes known as “semantic features analysis”, “semantic erids”, or

“componential analysis” (Hague, 1987; Carter, 1987; Stieglitz, 1983; Van Buren, 1975) is a special kind of word grouping This technique requires etudents to list across the top of a grid a set of words, such as man, woman, child, dog, landscape, house, furniture, dress, present, and voice; and then list a set of attributes (handsome, pretty, charming, lovely) down the side of the grid Inside the grid, students rate each word (with a + or a -) according to the presence or absence of each attribute, thus creating a matrix of ratings and in effect forming groups of words for each attribute Such grids, while potentially very useful for upper intermediate and advanced learners who already have a fairly good stock of vocabulary, have been criticized as suggesting a static, prescriptive model for teachers and learners; as not being particularly natural; and as difficult because learners might not have encountered the words in sufficiently varied contexts to be able to rate semantic features appropriately (Porter

& Williams, 1983) Despite such potential drawbacks, semantic grids can indeed be useful Where semantic grids might indeed be most valuable is for helping intermediate and advanced learners learn to make distinctions within semantic fields (see above)

2.5.2.2 Word or Concept Association

Word association and concept association tasks, sometimes known as " involve making associations between the new word or concept and "elaboration, the words or concepts already in the learner's memory, thus creating some context for the learner The theory is that as long as these associations are meaningful to the learner, they will strengthen the learner's existing schemata and at the same make the new word more time accessible The associations can be simple or complex, ordinary or strange, as long as they are

significant to the learner The learner of English may associate bread with butter using

semantic, auditory, and possibly visual associations Likewise, the learner of German might find it useful to associate the English words wise and shaft with the new word to be

remembered, Wissenschaft (knowledge) Associations can also be in the form of a multipart development, moving from one concept to another, such as schoolbook-paper-tree-country-

earth (Wright, 1987, p 53) Word association can involve making links among items listed

in a finite group of new words, thus providing the basis for subdividing and rearranging the group based on certain associative attributes, such as partwhole Alternatively, word association can reflect more divergent thinking, in which the learner creates new associations

between a new word, e.g., tyrannical, and any personally meaningful word or concept which

is not in the list of new words, e.g., my mean old Aunt Louise

Word association and concept association tasks, in which the teacher asks the students

to make new associations, can be used for diagnosis of what students already know and what they need to learn Students' initial associations might be about synonyms, antonyms, reverses, attributes, definitions, superordinates, subordinates, personal experiences, sound similarities, and so on (Carrell, 1984) Cohen and Aphek (1980) studied the use of mnemonic associations and found or limited possible that although these devices sometimes slowed down meanings, they made vocabulary learning easier and longer-lasting

2.5.2.3 Visual Imagery

Visual imagery is a very useful semi-contextualizing aid for learning L2 vocabulary The use of visual imagery for vocabulary learning is based on making associations between a picture and a word The theory on which this technique is founded is that most learners are capable of associating new Esc information to concepts in memory by means of meaningful visual images, and that visual images make learning more efficient Visual imagery is known

to help learners package information more efficiently than they could if using just words alone (Bower, 1970; Higbee, 1979; Nyikos, 1987; Shephard, 1967) Moreover, the pictorial-verbal combination involves many parts of the brain, thus providing greater cognitive power

A large number of learners in our culture are primarily visual learners (Dunn & Dunn, 1972), and about 94% of all people are at least moderately good at using visual imagery (Coleman, 1986), though they do not always apply it to learning People are used to the linkage between verbal and visual symbols, such as found in a whole array of public signs and notices (e.g., no-smoking signs on airplanes and stop signs and yield signs on highways) These familiar verbal- visual links can help L2 learners Another kind of visual image useful to L2 learners

is a mental image or a drawing of an object related to a new L2 word, such as a house full

of money for the term tax shelter Learners can use visual imagery by making their own drawings or sketches of words or phrases (especially helpful for prepositions like above, over, under, and so on) Another aid is to visualize a set of locations (possibly the rooms in

one's house or apartment), to associate each location with a specific word or expression, and then to take a mental walk from place to place-an ancient Greek technique for remembering

a word sequence or segments of a long speech Visual imagery can also involve a large and emphatic mental representation of the letters of a word, such as the German Gesellschaft Word grouping (described above) can be embellished by visual effects, such as colour-coding different groups, e.g., in using blue for all the masculine nouns, pronouns, and adjectives; pink for the feminine ones; and yellow for the neutral ones (see Nyikos, 1987 for colour ideas) Even abstract words can be remembered through visual imagery; learners simply associate such words with a visual symbol or a picture of a concrete object For instance, the abstract word evil can be remembered by a learner of English through an image

or symbol, such as a bloody knife, associated with the word evil The abstract concept of danger is commonly visualized by means of a picture of a skull and crossbones In spite of the advantages of visual imagery, particularly its ability to provide a needed degree of context for new words, most language teachers do not think to encourage students to apply visual imaging skills to L2 vocabulary learning Visual imagery is a resource that deserves further tapping

2.5.2.4 Aural Imagery

L2 words can be represented in memory by using aural imagery rather than visual imagery As with visual imagery, aural imagery provides a form of semi- context for the learner and a link with what the learner already knows The theory underlying this technique

is that aural imagery makes verbal learning more efficient through associating new sounds with existing, sound-related schemata For instance, learners can link an L2 word, such as

German Katze or Russian kot with the familiar LI word, cat Not only do all these sound

similar, but they have similar meanings Words which mean different things but which can

be acoustically (and possibly semantically) linked can also be useful, e.g., Russian brat (brother) and English brat (annoying person) In addition, learners can use phonetic spelling, accent marks, or rhymes to remember a new target language word

However, a large number of learners, with the proportion depending chiefly upon cultural expectations and experience, are not primarily aural learners but ether visual learners

or else "combination" learners who prefer a mixture of sensory media (Dunn & Dunn, 1972) Orality was once the prevalent mode of communication and was related to oral-aural styles

of learning However, the technologizing of the word" (Ong, 1982) through writing and printing has made learning much less oral-aural and much more reliant on the visual mode Even the current electronic media are fundamentally literate and visual, says Ong; for instance, TV programmes, movies, and computer games, though delivered with an obvious oral-aural component, are typically based on scripts and programming that have been visibly written, and the visual image seems to be primary in the delivery It is no wonder that the Audio lingual Method was not consistently successful, because it tried to make acoustic links while-at least in lower levels- largely ignoring the printed word as an important medium of presenting language In our culture the use of purely aural imagery is not likely to be as popular or effective as visual imagery or a mixture of visual-aural imagery modes

2.5.2.5.Keyword

The keyword technique is an example of a combination of two semi- contextualizing modes, aural imagery and visual imagery (see above) The basic theory of this technique is that remembering an L2 word can be facilitated by using auditory and visual links together, thus more strongly tying the new words to existing schemata

The first step is to identify a familiar word in one's own language that sounds like the new word; this is the auditory link The second step is to generate a visual image of some relationship between the new word and a familiar one; this is the visual link Both links must

be meaningful to the learner For example, to learn the new French word potage (soup), the English speaker associates it with a pot and then mentally pictures a pot full of potage

A significant amount of research supports laboratory experiments in foreign language vocabulary learning using the keyword technique (see Levin, 1981; also Oxford & Crookall, 1989) Commercially available language learning systems (e g., the Link Word System) have been built on the keyword technique (see Gruneberg, 1987) One caution is that some of the auditory links in the keyword technique might not be perfect; that is, the new word in the target language might not sound exactly like the familiar word in one's own language Despite the successes of the keyword technique, it appears to be little used in language classrooms

Use of physical response involves physically acting out a new L2 expression, thus providing a degree of context for that expression The Total Physical Response (TPR)

technique The theory undergirding this technique seems to be that language can best be learned when words are linked with physical movement, thus activating different parts of the brain and stimulating the learner's schemata in multiple ways

At first, TPR requires the teacher to give commands (e.g., going out, walking to the blackboard, tapping someone on the head), which the students must follow by acting them out, at first without any L2 production on the students' part Later, as students become more

proficient, the teacher's commands become more elaborate: Take the pencil, go to the pencil

sharpener, and sharpen the pencil Go back to your desk, sit down, and write your name with the pencil After you have written your name, then give the pencil to Bill Still later,

when learners are increasingly skilled in the L2, they begin to speak and can then give commands to their teacher or their peers One problem with TPR is that it does not handle abstract nouns well An artificial and outright silly use of abstract nouns in TPR is to write

out such nouns on slips of paper and to incorporate them into commands, e.g., Si-Ying, pick

up justice, and hand it to Miko Another serious limitation is that TPR commands cannot

include the full range of language functions necessary for intennediate or advanced L2 proficiency Nevertheless, TPR has proven to be a successful, though rather limited, technique for lower-level students and has enlivened many a language classroom Its combination of motion and verbal input might be particularly useful for those students who learn best kinesthetically

2.5.2.6 Physical Sensation

Another potentially useful L2 vocabulary learning technique that we have not seen described by others is physical sensation (Oxford, 1990b) This technique provides a small amount of context in terms of a physical association with a new word This technique is related to biofeedback, in which awareness of highly specific physical sensations (e.g., warm/ coolness, smoothness/roughness) help people monitor and sometimes even alter their own mental or physical state An example of the physical sensation technique is as follows

A learner trains himself - herself to have an aversive feeling of prickliness when considering words representing things s/he does not like (e.g., the L2 equivalents of punishment, deceit, poverty, examination, toil, war, fighting, ugliness, fraud) and a feeling of peaceful calm when considering L2 words representing enjoyable things (e.g., party, food, beauty, honesty, truth, happiness, Physical sensation could also be creatively used to remember the gender of

L2 words Another use of physical sensation might be for remembering adjectives of shape, size, or temperature, such as round, big, or hot This technique has not been empirically tested, though it might seem to offer promise

2.6 Difficulties in learning vocabulary

The first steps in successful teaching vocabulary are to identify the difficulties that faced

by the students Thornbury (2004: 27) proposes some factors that make some words more difficult as follows:

a Pronunciation

Research shows that words that are difficult to pronounce are more difficult to learn

b Spelling

Sounds-spelling mismatches are likely to be the cause of errors, either of pronunciation

or of spelling, and can contribute to a word's difficulty While most English spelling is fairly law-abiding, there are also some glaring irregularities Words that contain silent letters are

particularly problematic: foreign, listen, headache, climbing, bored, honest, cupboard,

muscle, etc

c Length and complexity

Long words seem to be no more difficult to learn than short ones But, as a rule of thumb, high frequency words tend to be short in English, and therefore the learner is likely to meet them more often, a factor favouring their "learnability"

When two words overlap in meaning, learners are likely to confuse them Make and do

a case in point: you make breakfast and make an appointment, but you do the housework and do a questionnaire

f Range, connotation and idiomaticity

Words that can be used in a wide range of contexts will generally be perceived as easier than their synonyms with a narrower range Thus, “put” is a very wideranging verb, compared to impose, place, position, etc Likewise, thin is a safer bet than skinny, slim, slender Uncertainty as to the connotations of some words may cause problems too Thus, negative connotations in English, but its equivalent may simply mean publicity On the other hand, eccentric does not have negative connotations in English, but its nearest equivalent in other languages may be deviant Finally, words or expression that are idiomatic (like make

up your mind, keep an eye on ) will generally be more difficult than words whose meaning

is transparent (decide, watch

Gower, Philips and Walter (1995: 143) explain what makes a vocabulary item is easy or difficult How easy or difficult a vocabulary item is can depend on a number of factors:

a Similarity to L1

The difficulty of a vocabulary item is often depends on how similar the items is the form and meaning to the students' first language Words which are similar in the first language and English may be misleading rather than helpul

b Similarity to English words already known

Once students have some English then a word which is related to an English word they are already familiar with is easier one which is not For example, if students have already met the word friendly they should be able to guess the meaning of unfriendly

c Connotation

Another difficult aspect that learners have to get grips with is the connotation of the word For example, does the word have positive or negative connotation to a native speaker? Either skinny and slim could be used to describe someone who is thin - but these words are very different in their connotation and by choosing one rather than the other the speaker conveys a particular attitude

d Spelling and pronunciation

The spelling of many English words can cause problems for students who speak languages with very regular spelling system Particular spelling patterns can also cause confusion where the pronunciation is concerned For example, it is easy to understand why

many students confuse the meaning, spelling and pronunciation of these words: through, though, thought, tough, thorough

e Multi-word items

A lexical item may consist of more than one word, as in a compound noun a phrasal verb such as to put such as tennis shoes or sports car, or someone up Phrasal verb are notoriously difficult for learners of English because they are made up of simple words (often prepositions

or adverbs)

f Appropriate use

When to use vocabulary appropriately is also problematical Some words and expressions are restricted to use in particular context (for example, we can use pushing to mean almost) He is pushing fifty But pushing is only used in this way with older people we

do not say he is pushing there!) Also it is important that students know whether the word or phrase has a marked style informal or formal

CHAPTER 3:THE STUDY

3.1 Methodology

The purpose of this part is to describe the research methodology used to answer research question in this study It presents the research questions, interview, and provides a description of the participants In addition, it contains a description of the instruments and procedure used to gather the data

3.2 The participants

The study was conducted at Campus1, Campus 2 and Campus 3 UTEHY The students

of Foreign Language Department come from some surrounding provinces such as Hung Yen, Hai Duong, Thai Binh The majority are aged eighteen and their level is not very high because the majority of them come from the countryside without many chances for practicing English For a long time, they only learnt by heart grammar and vocabulary They only focused on reading and writing skills As a result, when they studied at university, they were not good at leaning vocabulary The subjects of the study are 70 first-year English major students who were chosen randomly from 3 classes TAK18 to be informants of the research

3.3 Data collection instruments

The two data collection instruments used in the study are survey questionnaire and interview

3.4 Survey questionnaires

Survey questionnaires are always considered as one of the most frequently used and effective methods for studying This is the reason why the researcher decided to choose questionnaire as the instrument which is used to accomplish the researcher Moreover, it is easy and simple to summarize and report collected data while the researcher does not spend much time on it The survey questionnaire can be divided into three main parts:

Part 1 consists of the first four questions (1-4) focusing on the current situations of learning vocabulary among the first-year English major students at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education