Luận văn using dialogues to teach vocabulary for the second year non english major students at hanoi university of industry

Context and vocabulary teaching & learning Learning vocabulary is an important factor in fluent second language L2 speech.. In the work namely “The book of Leaming and Forgetting”, Fran

VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HA NOL UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST —- GRADUATE STUDIES

USING DIALOGUES TO TEACH VOCABULARY FOR THE

SECOND-YEAR NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT

HANOI UNIVERSITY OF INDUSTRY

SU DUNG DOAN HOI THOAI DE DAY TU VUNG CHO SINH VIEN

KHONG CHUYEN TIENG ANH NAM THU HAI CUA TRUONG

ĐẠI HỌC CÔNG NGHIỆP HÀ NỘI

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THES

: English Teaching Methodology

: ñ0 14 10

TTanai — 2013

VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSIT Y-HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST — GRADUATE STUDIES

— `

VU THU TRANG

USING DIALOGUES TO TEACH VOCABULARY FOR THE

HANOL UNIVERSITY OF INDUSTRY

SU DUNG DOAN HOI THOAI DE DAY TU VUNG CHO SINH VIEN

KHONG CHUYEN TIENG ANH NAM THU HAI CUA TRUONG

ĐẠI HỌC CÔNG NGHIỆP HÀ NỘI

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 60 14 10

Supervisor CAN ‘THE CHANG DUYEN, MA

Hanoi — 2013

5 Scope of the study

6 Significance of the study

7 Design of the study

PART B: DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW

1 Teaching vocabulary in context

1.1 Definition of context

1.2 Context and vocabulary teaching & learning

1.3, Guessing and inferencing strategy

appropriately As a result, using context to teach vooabulary is considered as one of

ofleclive vocabulary leaching techriquc

1.2 Context and vocabulary teaching & learning

Learning vocabulary is an important factor in fluent second language (L2) speech

Researchers have tried to find effective ways of teaching L2 vacabulary to L2 learners

Different methods like glosses, mnemonic devices, and morphological and syntactic analyses are some examples of the attempts of second language teaching researchers

lo find practical ways of teaching 1.2 vocabulary (Min, 2008) From among all the

proposed methods, contextualization has received special attention, Webb (2007) points

to the fact that different aspects of a word like its semantic relationships, syntagmatic and

paradigmatic associations, and oven ils collocational behavior can be learned through

context

It is believed that context can have a positive effect on vocabulary acquisition of L2 leamers Researchers like Engelbert and Theuerkauf (1999) refer to the positive effect

of context on vocabulary learning reported m the literature Corrigan (2007) loo claims

that seeing vocabulary items in the context provides learners with information about the characteristic features of that word and the linguistic context in which that specific word occurs Gardner (2007) argues thal many words in English have multiple meanings which are context-dependent When one iries ta teach those words isolated

from contexl, they lose their meanings and become vague

In the work namely “The book of Leaming and Forgetting”, Frank Smith asserts

“Teaching one word al a time out of context is the worst way of teaching vocabulary, with rapid forgetting almost guaranteed.” In his opinion, people assimilate new words from context the first time they read them, “provided that gist of the material being read

is both interesting and comprehensible Within five more encounters, the wort and ils conventional meaning are usually firmly established in the mind of the reader.”

CHAPTER II: ENGLISH TEACHING AND LEARNING CONTEXT

AT HANOL UNIVERSITY OF INDUSTRY

2.1 Students and their background

2.2 Teachers and teaching methods

2.3, Material and facilities

2.4 Remarks ou dialogues in the course baok

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY

3.1 Rationale for the use of an action research

3.2 Action research procedure

3.3 Background of the study

3.3.1 Participants

3.3.2 Dala collection imstruments

3.3.2.1 Test

3.3.3.2 Group Trierview

3.3.4 Data collection procedure

CIIAPTER IV: DATA ANALYSIS

ie »

PART A: INTRODUCTION

1 RATIONALE

Hammer (1991) states “If language structure makes up the skeleton of Ianguage, then it is vocabulary that provides the vital organs and flesh” It is clearly seen from

this statement that vocabulary is central to language and is of great significance in

language Jeaming, In the past, the importance of vocabulary teaching and learning was generally neglected for a long time, yet in recent years, the nature of vocabulary and its

role in learning and teaching has been an imcreasingly inleresting lopic of discussion for

language learning Accordingly, numerous research studies related to this topic have been camied oul It comes to a conclusion based on the rescarch findings that “Through research the scholars are finding that lexical problems frequently interfere with communication: communication breaks down when people do not use (he right words " (Allen 1983) ‘This highlights the significance of vocabulary in classroom teaching, for

without vocabulary it is hardly possible to communicate

When teaching the second-year students at llanoi University of industry, the writer finds out that vocabulary learning is a big problem to the students For young leamers, perhaps it is less difficull to learn voesbulary items for the [ist time thant to consolidate and remember them We often hear young leamers complain that they keep learning and forgetting When English language young learners are acquiring ew vocabulary, they need concrete methods to collect, store, and retrieve words for retention and future use Therefore, it is necessary to find out effective methods to help young leamers relain new words in long-term memory According to Oxford and Crookall (1988), leammg words in context is an effective vocabulary learning strategy and a main approach to improve vocabulary knowledge This has urged the researcher to carry out

this action research

appropriately As a result, using context to teach vooabulary is considered as one of

ofleclive vocabulary leaching techriquc

1.2 Context and vocabulary teaching & learning

Learning vocabulary is an important factor in fluent second language (L2) speech

Researchers have tried to find effective ways of teaching L2 vacabulary to L2 learners

Different methods like glosses, mnemonic devices, and morphological and syntactic analyses are some examples of the attempts of second language teaching researchers

lo find practical ways of teaching 1.2 vocabulary (Min, 2008) From among all the

proposed methods, contextualization has received special attention, Webb (2007) points

to the fact that different aspects of a word like its semantic relationships, syntagmatic and

paradigmatic associations, and oven ils collocational behavior can be learned through

context

It is believed that context can have a positive effect on vocabulary acquisition of L2 leamers Researchers like Engelbert and Theuerkauf (1999) refer to the positive effect

of context on vocabulary learning reported m the literature Corrigan (2007) loo claims

that seeing vocabulary items in the context provides learners with information about the characteristic features of that word and the linguistic context in which that specific word occurs Gardner (2007) argues thal many words in English have multiple meanings which are context-dependent When one iries ta teach those words isolated

from contexl, they lose their meanings and become vague

In the work namely “The book of Leaming and Forgetting”, Frank Smith asserts

“Teaching one word al a time out of context is the worst way of teaching vocabulary, with rapid forgetting almost guaranteed.” In his opinion, people assimilate new words from context the first time they read them, “provided that gist of the material being read

is both interesting and comprehensible Within five more encounters, the wort and ils conventional meaning are usually firmly established in the mind of the reader.”

PART A: INTRODUCTION

1 RATIONALE

Hammer (1991) states “If language structure makes up the skeleton of Ianguage, then it is vocabulary that provides the vital organs and flesh” It is clearly seen from

this statement that vocabulary is central to language and is of great significance in

language Jeaming, In the past, the importance of vocabulary teaching and learning was generally neglected for a long time, yet in recent years, the nature of vocabulary and its

role in learning and teaching has been an imcreasingly inleresting lopic of discussion for

language learning Accordingly, numerous research studies related to this topic have been camied oul It comes to a conclusion based on the rescarch findings that “Through research the scholars are finding that lexical problems frequently interfere with communication: communication breaks down when people do not use (he right words " (Allen 1983) ‘This highlights the significance of vocabulary in classroom teaching, for

without vocabulary it is hardly possible to communicate

When teaching the second-year students at llanoi University of industry, the writer finds out that vocabulary learning is a big problem to the students For young leamers, perhaps it is less difficull to learn voesbulary items for the [ist time thant to consolidate and remember them We often hear young leamers complain that they keep learning and forgetting When English language young learners are acquiring ew vocabulary, they need concrete methods to collect, store, and retrieve words for retention and future use Therefore, it is necessary to find out effective methods to help young leamers relain new words in long-term memory According to Oxford and Crookall (1988), leammg words in context is an effective vocabulary learning strategy and a main approach to improve vocabulary knowledge This has urged the researcher to carry out

this action research

2 AIMS OF TUE STUDY

‘rhe study is aimed at:

* Examining the feasibility of using dialogues to teach vocabulary for the second- year non-Bnglish major students in Hanoi Universily of Tudusiry

* Measuring the effectiveness of this vocabulary teaching technique on students’

vocabulary acquisition

Hopefully, based on the results of the study, the research aimns to offer English teachers

some suggestions for the better usc of dialogues in their classes

3 RESEARCH QUESTION

The research was to seek answers to the following question

1 What is the students’ attitude toward Icarning vocabulary through dialogues’?

2 “To what extent does using dialogues to teach vocabulary affect students’ vocabulary acquisition?”

4, RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

To obtain the aims mentioned above, an action research is chosen for the study In this action research, pre-test and post-test are designed and used as data collection instruments The pre-test was exploited to gain the overview abaut student’s vocabulary

level before the study The post-lesl was administered to the students afler four weeks in

which dialogues wore applied to help students learn vocabulary to measure the impact or effectiveness of this technique on students’ vocabulary acquisition Collected scores were thon processed and analyzed by T-teat Paired Sample Tn addition, a group itderview was

conducts to get more in-depth data,

4.1, The result of the pre-test and post-test

42 The result of group interview

4.2.1, Students’ opinions of the effect of using dialogues to learn vocabulary

4.2.2 Preference of aclivilies and exercises related to dialogue

appropriately As a result, using context to teach vooabulary is considered as one of

ofleclive vocabulary leaching techriquc

1.2 Context and vocabulary teaching & learning

Learning vocabulary is an important factor in fluent second language (L2) speech

Researchers have tried to find effective ways of teaching L2 vacabulary to L2 learners

Different methods like glosses, mnemonic devices, and morphological and syntactic analyses are some examples of the attempts of second language teaching researchers

lo find practical ways of teaching 1.2 vocabulary (Min, 2008) From among all the

proposed methods, contextualization has received special attention, Webb (2007) points

to the fact that different aspects of a word like its semantic relationships, syntagmatic and

paradigmatic associations, and oven ils collocational behavior can be learned through

context

It is believed that context can have a positive effect on vocabulary acquisition of L2 leamers Researchers like Engelbert and Theuerkauf (1999) refer to the positive effect

of context on vocabulary learning reported m the literature Corrigan (2007) loo claims

that seeing vocabulary items in the context provides learners with information about the characteristic features of that word and the linguistic context in which that specific word occurs Gardner (2007) argues thal many words in English have multiple meanings which are context-dependent When one iries ta teach those words isolated

from contexl, they lose their meanings and become vague

In the work namely “The book of Leaming and Forgetting”, Frank Smith asserts

“Teaching one word al a time out of context is the worst way of teaching vocabulary, with rapid forgetting almost guaranteed.” In his opinion, people assimilate new words from context the first time they read them, “provided that gist of the material being read

is both interesting and comprehensible Within five more encounters, the wort and ils conventional meaning are usually firmly established in the mind of the reader.”

5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

It is impossible to cover every aspect of language theory and practice in this study Therefore, the study focuses on using dialogues to leach vocabulary for the second-year non-English major students in Hanoi University of Industry

6 SIGNIFICANCE O¥ THE STUDY

‘The results of this action research will help the author to improve her approaches

to vocabulary teaching Those resulls can also be helpful to other teachers in the

university or in other universities which have the same problems (vocabulary teaching & leaming) with the university where this research was conducted

7 DESIGN OF THE STUDY

The research includes three main paris: Parl A, Part B and Part C

Part A: Introduction presents the rationale, the aims of the study, the research question, the method of the study, the scope of the study, the significance of the study and the design of the study

Part B: Development, consists of four chapters

© Chapter 1: literature review

* Chapter 2; English teaching and leaming context at Hanoi University of Industry

© Chapter 3; methodology

© Chapler 4: data analysis and discussion

Part C: Conclusion provides summary of major findings, implication, as well as presents limitation and suggestion for further study

4.1, The result of the pre-test and post-test

42 The result of group interview

4.2.1, Students’ opinions of the effect of using dialogues to learn vocabulary

4.2.2 Preference of aclivilies and exercises related to dialogue

4.1, The result of the pre-test and post-test

42 The result of group interview

4.2.1, Students’ opinions of the effect of using dialogues to learn vocabulary

4.2.2 Preference of aclivilies and exercises related to dialogue

2 AIMS OF TUE STUDY

‘rhe study is aimed at:

* Examining the feasibility of using dialogues to teach vocabulary for the second- year non-Bnglish major students in Hanoi Universily of Tudusiry

* Measuring the effectiveness of this vocabulary teaching technique on students’

vocabulary acquisition

Hopefully, based on the results of the study, the research aimns to offer English teachers

some suggestions for the better usc of dialogues in their classes

3 RESEARCH QUESTION

The research was to seek answers to the following question

1 What is the students’ attitude toward Icarning vocabulary through dialogues’?

2 “To what extent does using dialogues to teach vocabulary affect students’ vocabulary acquisition?”

4, RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

To obtain the aims mentioned above, an action research is chosen for the study In this action research, pre-test and post-test are designed and used as data collection instruments The pre-test was exploited to gain the overview abaut student’s vocabulary

level before the study The post-lesl was administered to the students afler four weeks in

which dialogues wore applied to help students learn vocabulary to measure the impact or effectiveness of this technique on students’ vocabulary acquisition Collected scores were thon processed and analyzed by T-teat Paired Sample Tn addition, a group itderview was

conducts to get more in-depth data,

CHAPTER II: ENGLISH TEACHING AND LEARNING CONTEXT

AT HANOL UNIVERSITY OF INDUSTRY

2.1 Students and their background

2.2 Teachers and teaching methods

2.3, Material and facilities

2.4 Remarks ou dialogues in the course baok

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY

3.1 Rationale for the use of an action research

3.2 Action research procedure

3.3 Background of the study

3.3.1 Participants

3.3.2 Dala collection imstruments

3.3.2.1 Test

3.3.3.2 Group Trierview

3.3.4 Data collection procedure

CIIAPTER IV: DATA ANALYSIS

ie »

2 AIMS OF TUE STUDY

‘rhe study is aimed at:

* Examining the feasibility of using dialogues to teach vocabulary for the second- year non-Bnglish major students in Hanoi Universily of Tudusiry

* Measuring the effectiveness of this vocabulary teaching technique on students’

vocabulary acquisition

Hopefully, based on the results of the study, the research aimns to offer English teachers

some suggestions for the better usc of dialogues in their classes

3 RESEARCH QUESTION

The research was to seek answers to the following question

1 What is the students’ attitude toward Icarning vocabulary through dialogues’?

2 “To what extent does using dialogues to teach vocabulary affect students’ vocabulary acquisition?”

4, RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

To obtain the aims mentioned above, an action research is chosen for the study In this action research, pre-test and post-test are designed and used as data collection instruments The pre-test was exploited to gain the overview abaut student’s vocabulary

level before the study The post-lesl was administered to the students afler four weeks in

which dialogues wore applied to help students learn vocabulary to measure the impact or effectiveness of this technique on students’ vocabulary acquisition Collected scores were thon processed and analyzed by T-teat Paired Sample Tn addition, a group itderview was

conducts to get more in-depth data,

5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

It is impossible to cover every aspect of language theory and practice in this study Therefore, the study focuses on using dialogues to leach vocabulary for the second-year non-English major students in Hanoi University of Industry

6 SIGNIFICANCE O¥ THE STUDY

‘The results of this action research will help the author to improve her approaches

to vocabulary teaching Those resulls can also be helpful to other teachers in the

university or in other universities which have the same problems (vocabulary teaching & leaming) with the university where this research was conducted

7 DESIGN OF THE STUDY

The research includes three main paris: Parl A, Part B and Part C

Part A: Introduction presents the rationale, the aims of the study, the research question, the method of the study, the scope of the study, the significance of the study and the design of the study

Part B: Development, consists of four chapters

© Chapter 1: literature review

* Chapter 2; English teaching and leaming context at Hanoi University of Industry

© Chapter 3; methodology

© Chapler 4: data analysis and discussion

Part C: Conclusion provides summary of major findings, implication, as well as presents limitation and suggestion for further study

5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

It is impossible to cover every aspect of language theory and practice in this study Therefore, the study focuses on using dialogues to leach vocabulary for the second-year non-English major students in Hanoi University of Industry

6 SIGNIFICANCE O¥ THE STUDY

‘The results of this action research will help the author to improve her approaches

to vocabulary teaching Those resulls can also be helpful to other teachers in the

university or in other universities which have the same problems (vocabulary teaching & leaming) with the university where this research was conducted

7 DESIGN OF THE STUDY

The research includes three main paris: Parl A, Part B and Part C

Part A: Introduction presents the rationale, the aims of the study, the research question, the method of the study, the scope of the study, the significance of the study and the design of the study

Part B: Development, consists of four chapters

© Chapter 1: literature review

* Chapter 2; English teaching and leaming context at Hanoi University of Industry

© Chapter 3; methodology

© Chapler 4: data analysis and discussion

Part C: Conclusion provides summary of major findings, implication, as well as presents limitation and suggestion for further study

4.1, The result of the pre-test and post-test

42 The result of group interview

4.2.1, Students’ opinions of the effect of using dialogues to learn vocabulary

4.2.2 Preference of aclivilies and exercises related to dialogue

2 AIMS OF TUE STUDY

‘rhe study is aimed at:

* Examining the feasibility of using dialogues to teach vocabulary for the second- year non-Bnglish major students in Hanoi Universily of Tudusiry

* Measuring the effectiveness of this vocabulary teaching technique on students’

vocabulary acquisition

Hopefully, based on the results of the study, the research aimns to offer English teachers

some suggestions for the better usc of dialogues in their classes

3 RESEARCH QUESTION

The research was to seek answers to the following question

1 What is the students’ attitude toward Icarning vocabulary through dialogues’?

2 “To what extent does using dialogues to teach vocabulary affect students’ vocabulary acquisition?”

4, RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

To obtain the aims mentioned above, an action research is chosen for the study In this action research, pre-test and post-test are designed and used as data collection instruments The pre-test was exploited to gain the overview abaut student’s vocabulary

level before the study The post-lesl was administered to the students afler four weeks in

which dialogues wore applied to help students learn vocabulary to measure the impact or effectiveness of this technique on students’ vocabulary acquisition Collected scores were thon processed and analyzed by T-teat Paired Sample Tn addition, a group itderview was

conducts to get more in-depth data,

4.1, The result of the pre-test and post-test

42 The result of group interview

4.2.1, Students’ opinions of the effect of using dialogues to learn vocabulary

4.2.2 Preference of aclivilies and exercises related to dialogue

PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW

1 Teaching vocabulary in context

1.1, Definition of context

Context is an important concept Therefore, there have been many different definitions about context

The word “context” comes from Latin words “co”, which means “together” and

“text”, which means words, sentences Thus we can define that “context is the circumstance in which the word is used” In other words, it is the relationship between a word and other words around it

In the light of linguistics, David Nunan (1993°7) points out in his book that “context refers to the siluation giving rise lo the discourse and within which the discourse is embedded”,

Another as noted by Nguyen Hoa (2000: 39), “context scoms to be the minimal stretch of language that helps to understand what is written and spoken”

Tn the light of human commumication, Hymes (1974) views contexts as a Triter of

the range of possible interpretations, and, on the other hand, a supporter of the intended

inlerprelation onlcxL can be soon as information and in tum, information 13 that, which

reduces uncertainly

Tn this study, context is delined as a particular linguistic environment where

a particular word is used and interpreted semantically and pragmatically In other words,

in linguistics, context carries tremendous importance in disambiguation of meanings as well as in understanding the actual meaning of words Consequently, if learners cannot contextualize new words, the words are of little value and if meaning is not

contextualized, i will be nol easy for leamers to memorize in addition to use new words

4

appropriately As a result, using context to teach vooabulary is considered as one of

ofleclive vocabulary leaching techriquc

1.2 Context and vocabulary teaching & learning

Learning vocabulary is an important factor in fluent second language (L2) speech

Researchers have tried to find effective ways of teaching L2 vacabulary to L2 learners

Different methods like glosses, mnemonic devices, and morphological and syntactic analyses are some examples of the attempts of second language teaching researchers

lo find practical ways of teaching 1.2 vocabulary (Min, 2008) From among all the

proposed methods, contextualization has received special attention, Webb (2007) points

to the fact that different aspects of a word like its semantic relationships, syntagmatic and

paradigmatic associations, and oven ils collocational behavior can be learned through

context

It is believed that context can have a positive effect on vocabulary acquisition of L2 leamers Researchers like Engelbert and Theuerkauf (1999) refer to the positive effect

of context on vocabulary learning reported m the literature Corrigan (2007) loo claims

that seeing vocabulary items in the context provides learners with information about the characteristic features of that word and the linguistic context in which that specific word occurs Gardner (2007) argues thal many words in English have multiple meanings which are context-dependent When one iries ta teach those words isolated

from contexl, they lose their meanings and become vague

In the work namely “The book of Leaming and Forgetting”, Frank Smith asserts

“Teaching one word al a time out of context is the worst way of teaching vocabulary, with rapid forgetting almost guaranteed.” In his opinion, people assimilate new words from context the first time they read them, “provided that gist of the material being read

is both interesting and comprehensible Within five more encounters, the wort and ils conventional meaning are usually firmly established in the mind of the reader.”

appropriately As a result, using context to teach vooabulary is considered as one of

ofleclive vocabulary leaching techriquc

1.2 Context and vocabulary teaching & learning

Learning vocabulary is an important factor in fluent second language (L2) speech

Researchers have tried to find effective ways of teaching L2 vacabulary to L2 learners

Different methods like glosses, mnemonic devices, and morphological and syntactic analyses are some examples of the attempts of second language teaching researchers

lo find practical ways of teaching 1.2 vocabulary (Min, 2008) From among all the

proposed methods, contextualization has received special attention, Webb (2007) points

to the fact that different aspects of a word like its semantic relationships, syntagmatic and

paradigmatic associations, and oven ils collocational behavior can be learned through

context

It is believed that context can have a positive effect on vocabulary acquisition of L2 leamers Researchers like Engelbert and Theuerkauf (1999) refer to the positive effect

of context on vocabulary learning reported m the literature Corrigan (2007) loo claims

that seeing vocabulary items in the context provides learners with information about the characteristic features of that word and the linguistic context in which that specific word occurs Gardner (2007) argues thal many words in English have multiple meanings which are context-dependent When one iries ta teach those words isolated

from contexl, they lose their meanings and become vague

In the work namely “The book of Leaming and Forgetting”, Frank Smith asserts

“Teaching one word al a time out of context is the worst way of teaching vocabulary, with rapid forgetting almost guaranteed.” In his opinion, people assimilate new words from context the first time they read them, “provided that gist of the material being read

is both interesting and comprehensible Within five more encounters, the wort and ils conventional meaning are usually firmly established in the mind of the reader.”

2 AIMS OF TUE STUDY

‘rhe study is aimed at:

* Examining the feasibility of using dialogues to teach vocabulary for the second- year non-Bnglish major students in Hanoi Universily of Tudusiry

* Measuring the effectiveness of this vocabulary teaching technique on students’

vocabulary acquisition

Hopefully, based on the results of the study, the research aimns to offer English teachers

some suggestions for the better usc of dialogues in their classes

3 RESEARCH QUESTION

The research was to seek answers to the following question

1 What is the students’ attitude toward Icarning vocabulary through dialogues’?

2 “To what extent does using dialogues to teach vocabulary affect students’ vocabulary acquisition?”

4, RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

To obtain the aims mentioned above, an action research is chosen for the study In this action research, pre-test and post-test are designed and used as data collection instruments The pre-test was exploited to gain the overview abaut student’s vocabulary

level before the study The post-lesl was administered to the students afler four weeks in

which dialogues wore applied to help students learn vocabulary to measure the impact or effectiveness of this technique on students’ vocabulary acquisition Collected scores were thon processed and analyzed by T-teat Paired Sample Tn addition, a group itderview was

conducts to get more in-depth data,

PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW

1 Teaching vocabulary in context

1.1, Definition of context

Context is an important concept Therefore, there have been many different definitions about context

The word “context” comes from Latin words “co”, which means “together” and

“text”, which means words, sentences Thus we can define that “context is the circumstance in which the word is used” In other words, it is the relationship between a word and other words around it

In the light of linguistics, David Nunan (1993°7) points out in his book that “context refers to the siluation giving rise lo the discourse and within which the discourse is embedded”,

Another as noted by Nguyen Hoa (2000: 39), “context scoms to be the minimal stretch of language that helps to understand what is written and spoken”

Tn the light of human commumication, Hymes (1974) views contexts as a Triter of

the range of possible interpretations, and, on the other hand, a supporter of the intended

inlerprelation onlcxL can be soon as information and in tum, information 13 that, which

reduces uncertainly

Tn this study, context is delined as a particular linguistic environment where

a particular word is used and interpreted semantically and pragmatically In other words,

in linguistics, context carries tremendous importance in disambiguation of meanings as well as in understanding the actual meaning of words Consequently, if learners cannot contextualize new words, the words are of little value and if meaning is not

contextualized, i will be nol easy for leamers to memorize in addition to use new words

4

PART A: INTRODUCTION

1 RATIONALE

Hammer (1991) states “If language structure makes up the skeleton of Ianguage, then it is vocabulary that provides the vital organs and flesh” It is clearly seen from

this statement that vocabulary is central to language and is of great significance in

language Jeaming, In the past, the importance of vocabulary teaching and learning was generally neglected for a long time, yet in recent years, the nature of vocabulary and its

role in learning and teaching has been an imcreasingly inleresting lopic of discussion for

language learning Accordingly, numerous research studies related to this topic have been camied oul It comes to a conclusion based on the rescarch findings that “Through research the scholars are finding that lexical problems frequently interfere with communication: communication breaks down when people do not use (he right words " (Allen 1983) ‘This highlights the significance of vocabulary in classroom teaching, for

without vocabulary it is hardly possible to communicate

When teaching the second-year students at llanoi University of industry, the writer finds out that vocabulary learning is a big problem to the students For young leamers, perhaps it is less difficull to learn voesbulary items for the [ist time thant to consolidate and remember them We often hear young leamers complain that they keep learning and forgetting When English language young learners are acquiring ew vocabulary, they need concrete methods to collect, store, and retrieve words for retention and future use Therefore, it is necessary to find out effective methods to help young leamers relain new words in long-term memory According to Oxford and Crookall (1988), leammg words in context is an effective vocabulary learning strategy and a main approach to improve vocabulary knowledge This has urged the researcher to carry out

this action research

4.1, The result of the pre-test and post-test

42 The result of group interview

4.2.1, Students’ opinions of the effect of using dialogues to learn vocabulary

4.2.2 Preference of aclivilies and exercises related to dialogue

appropriately As a result, using context to teach vooabulary is considered as one of

ofleclive vocabulary leaching techriquc

1.2 Context and vocabulary teaching & learning

Learning vocabulary is an important factor in fluent second language (L2) speech

Researchers have tried to find effective ways of teaching L2 vacabulary to L2 learners

Different methods like glosses, mnemonic devices, and morphological and syntactic analyses are some examples of the attempts of second language teaching researchers

lo find practical ways of teaching 1.2 vocabulary (Min, 2008) From among all the

proposed methods, contextualization has received special attention, Webb (2007) points

to the fact that different aspects of a word like its semantic relationships, syntagmatic and

paradigmatic associations, and oven ils collocational behavior can be learned through

context

It is believed that context can have a positive effect on vocabulary acquisition of L2 leamers Researchers like Engelbert and Theuerkauf (1999) refer to the positive effect

of context on vocabulary learning reported m the literature Corrigan (2007) loo claims

that seeing vocabulary items in the context provides learners with information about the characteristic features of that word and the linguistic context in which that specific word occurs Gardner (2007) argues thal many words in English have multiple meanings which are context-dependent When one iries ta teach those words isolated

from contexl, they lose their meanings and become vague

In the work namely “The book of Leaming and Forgetting”, Frank Smith asserts

“Teaching one word al a time out of context is the worst way of teaching vocabulary, with rapid forgetting almost guaranteed.” In his opinion, people assimilate new words from context the first time they read them, “provided that gist of the material being read

is both interesting and comprehensible Within five more encounters, the wort and ils conventional meaning are usually firmly established in the mind of the reader.”

PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW

1 Teaching vocabulary in context

1.1, Definition of context

Context is an important concept Therefore, there have been many different definitions about context

The word “context” comes from Latin words “co”, which means “together” and

“text”, which means words, sentences Thus we can define that “context is the circumstance in which the word is used” In other words, it is the relationship between a word and other words around it

In the light of linguistics, David Nunan (1993°7) points out in his book that “context refers to the siluation giving rise lo the discourse and within which the discourse is embedded”,

Another as noted by Nguyen Hoa (2000: 39), “context scoms to be the minimal stretch of language that helps to understand what is written and spoken”

Tn the light of human commumication, Hymes (1974) views contexts as a Triter of

the range of possible interpretations, and, on the other hand, a supporter of the intended

inlerprelation onlcxL can be soon as information and in tum, information 13 that, which

reduces uncertainly

Tn this study, context is delined as a particular linguistic environment where

a particular word is used and interpreted semantically and pragmatically In other words,

in linguistics, context carries tremendous importance in disambiguation of meanings as well as in understanding the actual meaning of words Consequently, if learners cannot contextualize new words, the words are of little value and if meaning is not

contextualized, i will be nol easy for leamers to memorize in addition to use new words

4

appropriately As a result, using context to teach vooabulary is considered as one of

ofleclive vocabulary leaching techriquc

1.2 Context and vocabulary teaching & learning

Learning vocabulary is an important factor in fluent second language (L2) speech

Researchers have tried to find effective ways of teaching L2 vacabulary to L2 learners

Different methods like glosses, mnemonic devices, and morphological and syntactic analyses are some examples of the attempts of second language teaching researchers

lo find practical ways of teaching 1.2 vocabulary (Min, 2008) From among all the

proposed methods, contextualization has received special attention, Webb (2007) points

to the fact that different aspects of a word like its semantic relationships, syntagmatic and

paradigmatic associations, and oven ils collocational behavior can be learned through

context

It is believed that context can have a positive effect on vocabulary acquisition of L2 leamers Researchers like Engelbert and Theuerkauf (1999) refer to the positive effect

of context on vocabulary learning reported m the literature Corrigan (2007) loo claims

that seeing vocabulary items in the context provides learners with information about the characteristic features of that word and the linguistic context in which that specific word occurs Gardner (2007) argues thal many words in English have multiple meanings which are context-dependent When one iries ta teach those words isolated

from contexl, they lose their meanings and become vague

In the work namely “The book of Leaming and Forgetting”, Frank Smith asserts

“Teaching one word al a time out of context is the worst way of teaching vocabulary, with rapid forgetting almost guaranteed.” In his opinion, people assimilate new words from context the first time they read them, “provided that gist of the material being read

is both interesting and comprehensible Within five more encounters, the wort and ils conventional meaning are usually firmly established in the mind of the reader.”

PART A: INTRODUCTION

1 RATIONALE

Hammer (1991) states “If language structure makes up the skeleton of Ianguage, then it is vocabulary that provides the vital organs and flesh” It is clearly seen from

this statement that vocabulary is central to language and is of great significance in

language Jeaming, In the past, the importance of vocabulary teaching and learning was generally neglected for a long time, yet in recent years, the nature of vocabulary and its

role in learning and teaching has been an imcreasingly inleresting lopic of discussion for

language learning Accordingly, numerous research studies related to this topic have been camied oul It comes to a conclusion based on the rescarch findings that “Through research the scholars are finding that lexical problems frequently interfere with communication: communication breaks down when people do not use (he right words " (Allen 1983) ‘This highlights the significance of vocabulary in classroom teaching, for

without vocabulary it is hardly possible to communicate

When teaching the second-year students at llanoi University of industry, the writer finds out that vocabulary learning is a big problem to the students For young leamers, perhaps it is less difficull to learn voesbulary items for the [ist time thant to consolidate and remember them We often hear young leamers complain that they keep learning and forgetting When English language young learners are acquiring ew vocabulary, they need concrete methods to collect, store, and retrieve words for retention and future use Therefore, it is necessary to find out effective methods to help young leamers relain new words in long-term memory According to Oxford and Crookall (1988), leammg words in context is an effective vocabulary learning strategy and a main approach to improve vocabulary knowledge This has urged the researcher to carry out

this action research

PART A: INTRODUCTION

1 RATIONALE

Hammer (1991) states “If language structure makes up the skeleton of Ianguage, then it is vocabulary that provides the vital organs and flesh” It is clearly seen from

this statement that vocabulary is central to language and is of great significance in

language Jeaming, In the past, the importance of vocabulary teaching and learning was generally neglected for a long time, yet in recent years, the nature of vocabulary and its

role in learning and teaching has been an imcreasingly inleresting lopic of discussion for

language learning Accordingly, numerous research studies related to this topic have been camied oul It comes to a conclusion based on the rescarch findings that “Through research the scholars are finding that lexical problems frequently interfere with communication: communication breaks down when people do not use (he right words " (Allen 1983) ‘This highlights the significance of vocabulary in classroom teaching, for

without vocabulary it is hardly possible to communicate

When teaching the second-year students at llanoi University of industry, the writer finds out that vocabulary learning is a big problem to the students For young leamers, perhaps it is less difficull to learn voesbulary items for the [ist time thant to consolidate and remember them We often hear young leamers complain that they keep learning and forgetting When English language young learners are acquiring ew vocabulary, they need concrete methods to collect, store, and retrieve words for retention and future use Therefore, it is necessary to find out effective methods to help young leamers relain new words in long-term memory According to Oxford and Crookall (1988), leammg words in context is an effective vocabulary learning strategy and a main approach to improve vocabulary knowledge This has urged the researcher to carry out

this action research

5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

It is impossible to cover every aspect of language theory and practice in this study Therefore, the study focuses on using dialogues to leach vocabulary for the second-year non-English major students in Hanoi University of Industry

6 SIGNIFICANCE O¥ THE STUDY

‘The results of this action research will help the author to improve her approaches

to vocabulary teaching Those resulls can also be helpful to other teachers in the

university or in other universities which have the same problems (vocabulary teaching & leaming) with the university where this research was conducted

7 DESIGN OF THE STUDY

The research includes three main paris: Parl A, Part B and Part C

Part A: Introduction presents the rationale, the aims of the study, the research question, the method of the study, the scope of the study, the significance of the study and the design of the study

Part B: Development, consists of four chapters

© Chapter 1: literature review

* Chapter 2; English teaching and leaming context at Hanoi University of Industry

© Chapter 3; methodology

© Chapler 4: data analysis and discussion

Part C: Conclusion provides summary of major findings, implication, as well as presents limitation and suggestion for further study

CHAPTER II: ENGLISH TEACHING AND LEARNING CONTEXT

AT HANOL UNIVERSITY OF INDUSTRY

2.1 Students and their background

2.2 Teachers and teaching methods

2.3, Material and facilities

2.4 Remarks ou dialogues in the course baok

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY

3.1 Rationale for the use of an action research

3.2 Action research procedure

3.3 Background of the study

3.3.1 Participants

3.3.2 Dala collection imstruments

3.3.2.1 Test

3.3.3.2 Group Trierview

3.3.4 Data collection procedure

CIIAPTER IV: DATA ANALYSIS

ie »

PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW

1 Teaching vocabulary in context

1.1, Definition of context

Context is an important concept Therefore, there have been many different definitions about context

The word “context” comes from Latin words “co”, which means “together” and

“text”, which means words, sentences Thus we can define that “context is the circumstance in which the word is used” In other words, it is the relationship between a word and other words around it

In the light of linguistics, David Nunan (1993°7) points out in his book that “context refers to the siluation giving rise lo the discourse and within which the discourse is embedded”,

Another as noted by Nguyen Hoa (2000: 39), “context scoms to be the minimal stretch of language that helps to understand what is written and spoken”

Tn the light of human commumication, Hymes (1974) views contexts as a Triter of

the range of possible interpretations, and, on the other hand, a supporter of the intended

inlerprelation onlcxL can be soon as information and in tum, information 13 that, which

reduces uncertainly

Tn this study, context is delined as a particular linguistic environment where

a particular word is used and interpreted semantically and pragmatically In other words,

in linguistics, context carries tremendous importance in disambiguation of meanings as well as in understanding the actual meaning of words Consequently, if learners cannot contextualize new words, the words are of little value and if meaning is not

contextualized, i will be nol easy for leamers to memorize in addition to use new words

4