Luận văn challenges in english vocabulary learning of ethnic minority grade 10 students at muong bi high school

‘This proves that problems in learning vònbulary ars undeniable, For bctler vocabulary teaching and learning, T have chosen Challenges in English vocabulary learning of ethnic minority g

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNLVERSLTY OF LANGUAGES AND LNTERNATLONAL STUDLES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

NGUYEN THI BICH HANH

CHALLENGES IN ENGLISH VOCABULARY LEARNING OF ETHNIC MINORITY GRADE 10 STUDENTS AT MUONG BL

TIIGTHII SCHOOIL,

(NATING KHO KHAN TRONG VIEC HOC TU VUNG TIENG ANH

CỦA HỌC SINH DÂN TỘC THIẾU SỐ LỚP 10

TRUONG THPT MƯỜNG BI)

M.A MINOR THESIS

FKLELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE : 601410

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOT UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND IXTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

NGUYEN THI BICH HANH

CHALLENGES IN ENGLISH VOCABULARY LEARNING OF

ETTINIC MINORITY GRADE 10 STUDENTS AT MUONG BI

HIGH SCHOOL (NHỮNG KHÓ KIIĂN TRONG VIỆC HỌC TỪ VỰNG TIẾNG ANII

CỦA HỌC SINH DẪN TỌC THIẾU SÓ LỚP 1U

TRUONG THPT MUONG BD

M.A MINOR THESIS

SUPERYISOR : Dr DƯƠNG THỊ NỤ

HANOT- 2011

1 Rationale of the study

2 Aims of the sludy

3, Sigmuticance of the StUGY neseominnnnenemensnsn

4, Soope of the study

5 Methad of reszarch

6, Organization of the study .seseominnnnsnemnensnn

Part 2 development

Chapter 1: literature review

1.1 The importance of vocabulary in language teaching and learning

1.2 Principlss of vocabulary †eaching

1.2.1, Criteria for selecting vocabulary

1.3.1 Factors affecting vocabulary leaming

1.4 Methods in teaching vocabulary

1.4.1 Repetition and attertion series

1.4.2 Relationship with other words

factor has great influenced on teaching, which means that the learners’ background is to be

since peuple from different countries may need differen, words to express ltrsir

ideas im the second language Expediency is one of the important crileria thal needs to he

concemed since the classroom is a world by itself and requires specific types of vocabulary such as grammatical terminology and activity instructions, Harter (1991) also adds mors ctitetia for selection of vecabulary as concretion vs abstraction (concrete words should be taught at lower levels whereas abstract terms should bs taught at higher lever), coverage (generat words shoutd be taught in more specific terms) and rapport (the student's involvement with the words is a major motivator for vocabulary leaming)

1.2.2 Vacabulary teaching

In general, when the teacher teaches a new English word, he should, by alt n

18, provide his leamers with its meaning, forms and use at the same time, Among these three areas, the use of a word is the most important, but it carmot be achieved if the forms and meaning of the word are nol finely understood and grasped by the learners

1.2.2.1 Forms of a word

* Pronunciation and spelling :

Each English word has its spelling and pronunciation, Leamers have to know all the spelling, pronunciation and irregularities of the word they are learning In teaching, we

The grarumar of a new word should also be taught to the Ieamers They need to know the

grammatical function, the unpredictable change of form in certain grammatical contexts, the regularity and irregularity, the singular and plural forms of the new word so that they

can usc it correctly For example, when teaching the verb unk, we might give its

irregularity in past form thougar

1.2.2.2, Meaning

* Denotative and connotative meaning

The meaning ofa word is primarity what itrefers ton the al world, meaning is found ina dictionary For cxample, dog denotes a kind of animal, common, domestic carnivorous mammal A less obvious component of the meaning of a word is its connotation in differen! contsxis or ils conmolative meaning This is the associations or posilive or

Chapter 2: methodology

2.1 Research selling

2.1.1, An overview of research setting

2.1.2, The materials of teaching and Jeaming

2.4.3, Data Collection Prooedure

2.5 Data Analysis Procedure secsseneseneneee

Chapter 3: FINDINGS and discussion

3.1 Results and discussions from the questiomnaires for stuđents

3.2 Results and discussions from the observation

3.3 Findings and discussions from the questionnaire

3.4 Recomunendations

3.4.1 Motivating students to leam

3.4.2 Adapting the textbook

3.4.3 Selection of the vocabulary teaching

3.4.4, Practising the vocabulary

3.1.5 Improving leaming and teaching conditions

3.4.6 Having local teachers to teach English for students in their

COMMUNITIES .sceccssesoessesseeeeesensansanvonsseseansentaiasis

Part 3: Conclusion

1 Coneluslons

2 Limitations of the study

3 Suggestions for further study

References

forget most of learned words only a few day later ‘This proves that problems in learning vònbulary ars undeniable, For bctler vocabulary teaching and learning, T have chosen Challenges in English vocabulary learning of ethnic minority grade 10 students at

Muang Bi high school as the the topic of the study

2, Aims of the study

‘The study aims at investigating the areas of challenges in leaming English vocabulary of ethnic minorily grads 10 student's im Muong Bi high school, Hoa Binh mountainous province Also, it is expected that some solutions to overcome challenges encountered will be suggested ‘I’ be more specific, in realizing this study, the objectives

3 Significance of the study

The study is hoped to be beneficial to both teachers and ethnic minority students in mountainous high schools First, the findings of the stdy, the challenges in leaming English vocabulary of cthnic minority grade 10 students in Muong Bi high school could be shared among teachers of English to improve the quality of teaching and leaming

in the coming years, Nexl, il might highlight the rationale for professional developmen! Programs for high schoot teachers of English in mountainous ars

findings could be used as a data base for further study

4 Scope af the study

in Violnan, Finally, the

The study only concentrates on problems in learning vocabulary from the textbook

“Tiéng Anh 10” (oy Hoang Van Van et al) of ethnic minority grade 10 students in Muong

Bi high school in Toa Binh province and some possible solutions for teaching vocabulary

5 Methods of research

The study combined qualitative and quantitive approaches Data were collected via questionnaires and classroom observations:

negative feelings it evokes ‘his meaning may or may not be indicated in a dictionary or instance the word , as understood by most British people, has positive comotations of Biendslmp and loyalty: whereas the equivalent in Arabic! as understood by most of the

‘Arab countries has negative associations of dirty and inferiority ‘The connotative meaning

of a word is varied from one conlext lo another

» Meaning relationship

How the meaning,

usefid in teaching It is noted that the teacher has to make a carefull choice of and decision,

on which meaning of a word to teach and how many wards to teach in the given class time

specially denotative meaning, of one word rclales cam also be

or clsc leamers will be impeded by the pressure te absorb loo many meanings and words This often results in contusion or forgetting

1.2.2.3 Use of a word

The most important thing for Icarncrs to learn a new word is to know how to usc it appropriately and effectively in different oral and waitten contexts or else it may become a dead or forgettable word ‘lo use a new word well, they need to know how to collocate it with olher words corraclly Thersfore, the teacher should put words inlo collacation, Far example, when introdueing, words like “to make” and “to do", the teacher may note that both words mean "to perform” but can be distinguished by the words they collocate with

We oflen say "to do the homework" bul never say “lo make the homework”

In shot, students should be taught the form, the meaning, and the use of words in vocatnilary lessons I'he teacher should ensure that vocabulary is regularly recyclsdrevised because if'students do not gel the chance to pul it into use they will easily forget il

Unknown vocabulary is low in such micssages, considerable vocabulary learning can occur even though students’ attention is not directed to vocabulary leaming Rubin and Thompson (1994: 82) suggest 3 strategies for dealing with this approach of vocabulary leaming, These strategies include receding a series of texts on a rélated topic, guessing the meaning of new words from context, and breaking up a word into components Similarly,

Deeerico fin Celeo-Murcia 2000: 255-299) says thal implicit vocabulary learning or

incidents vocabulary learmng is lzarmng that occurs when the mind is focused elsewhere, such as on understanding a text or using language for commumcative purposes

1.3 English vocabulary learning

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION

L Rationale for the study

These days, there is no doubt about the fact that the English language is becoming something of a forerunner in global communication It is the first and second language in

most countries of the world Almos

70% of the Internet is in Tgtish A huge volume of the information used on the Intemet is also in English, Thus, English is playing a very significant role in bringing the world together ‘Therefore, teaching and leaming English

have hocome the necessity all ovor the world, In Victham, English is # compulsory subject from primary schools to universities, However, the quality of leaning and teaching English is different from one school to another, especially from schools in cities, towns and those from remote and mountainous arcas

In Hoa Binh mountainous province, English is a compulsory subject in the curriculum and it is considered as one of the major subjects for the high school final examination English is taught with the purpose to give students some basic knowledge of English in order to communicate and usc it as a key to science and technology, However, there still exist many difficulties facing teachers in teaching English to students, especially those from elhnic minorities, It ean be observed thal ethic trinorily studsnts? scores are very low in English Less than 5 per cent earn good marks, even in the national graduation

exams (Hoa Binh Department of Education and ‘raining, 2008; 2009) In some remote

areas, lower level students understand tess than 20 per cent of whal teachers

places, cllmic minority sludetits have to struggle with Vietnamese ta study and

communicate with other people This is why not many can understand lectures, even at high school, because they do not thoroughly comprehend Vietnamese - and very few teachers can explain things to them in their native languages (“Ethnic Schools Lack”, 2007), ‘Thus, studying English language in addition to Vietamese language might be very challenging for ethnic minority students

In addition, T find oul that any pupils are noi sueocssfbl Ieamors, only because they lack vocabulary In fact they are provided with almost every word necessary for their communication inside and outside the elassroom, but many of my pupils complain they

- A Survey questionnaire for 100 grade 10 students was used to clarify the

difficulties of cthnie minority grads 10 students in learning English vocabulary

- Classroom observations were also carried out to get information about both

teachers’ ways of teaching and students’ ways of leaming in class

6 Organization of the study

This study consists of three parts

Part One: Introduction presents the rationale, aims, significance, scope, method af study, and orgamzation of the study

Part Two: Development consists of three chapters

Chapter One - Literature Review provides a theoretical basis for the study

Chapter Two — Methodology includes an overview of the approach used in conduoting the study It also provides a thorough description of the data collection procedure as well as the analytical procedure

Chapter 2: methodology

2.1 Research selling

2.1.1, An overview of research setting

2.1.2, The materials of teaching and Jeaming

2.4.3, Data Collection Prooedure

2.5 Data Analysis Procedure secsseneseneneee

Chapter 3: FINDINGS and discussion

3.1 Results and discussions from the questiomnaires for stuđents

3.2 Results and discussions from the observation

3.4.2 Adapting the textbook

3.4.3 Selection of the vocabulary teaching

3.4.4, Practising the vocabulary

3.1.5 Improving leaming and teaching conditions

2 Limitations of the study

3 Suggestions for further study

factor has great influenced on teaching, which means that the learners’ background is to be

since peuple from different countries may need differen, words to express ltrsir

ideas im the second language Expediency is one of the important crileria thal needs to he

concemed since the classroom is a world by itself and requires specific types of vocabulary such as grammatical terminology and activity instructions, Harter (1991) also adds mors ctitetia for selection of vecabulary as concretion vs abstraction (concrete words should be taught at lower levels whereas abstract terms should bs taught at higher lever), coverage (generat words shoutd be taught in more specific terms) and rapport (the student's involvement with the words is a major motivator for vocabulary leaming)

1.2.2 Vacabulary teaching

In general, when the teacher teaches a new English word, he should, by alt n 18, provide his leamers with its meaning, forms and use at the same time, Among these three areas, the use of a word is the most important, but it carmot be achieved if the forms and meaning of the word are nol finely understood and grasped by the learners

1.2.2.1 Forms of a word

* Pronunciation and spelling :

Each English word has its spelling and pronunciation, Leamers have to know all the spelling, pronunciation and irregularities of the word they are learning In teaching, we

need Lo make sure thal the: ° aspecls are accuralcly presented and learned

® Grammar

The grarumar of a new word should also be taught to the Ieamers They need to know the

grammatical function, the unpredictable change of form in certain grammatical contexts, the regularity and irregularity, the singular and plural forms of the new word so that they

can usc it correctly For example, when teaching the verb unk, we might give its

irregularity in past form thougar

1.2.2.2, Meaning

* Denotative and connotative meaning

The meaning ofa word is primarity what itrefers ton the al world, meaning is found ina dictionary For cxample, dog denotes a kind of animal, common, domestic carnivorous mammal A less obvious component of the meaning of a word is its connotation in differen! contsxis or ils conmolative meaning This is the associations or posilive or

PART TWO: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

Research in English teaching and learning in ethnic regions

In the past 30 years, many scholars (Naimen, ct al., 1978; WEN, 1996, 2003,2004;

CHENG & ZHENG,2002; CHEN,2005; #HOU,2007) made research studies on learning

siralsgies and/or vocabulary learning slralegies, and most of them made greal success However, most of them took undergraduates as subjects, and few scholars focus on the English vocabulary learning difficulties of ethnic students Very few of research studies focus on the ethic mmorily students in senior high school in Vietnam

1.1 The importance of vocabulary in language teaching and learning

Vocabulary is commonly accepted to be the most important language elements among pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar Wilkins (1972) emphasized this with his saying, "wilhout grammar, very lillle can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing ean bs conveyed" (p.11) Pyles and Algeo also supported this idea with "when we first think about language, we think first words It is words that we amange together to make sentences, conversations and discourse ", These statements arc cnough to conclude that vocabulary is the decisive element in language communication

This is all trus in learning @ foreign language If a leamer has a wide range of vocabulary, he can lo make himself understood and understand othors casily On the contrary, if his vocabulary is limited he will surely have difficulty in doing so and in English learning Therefore, vocabulary is a "must" for all Janguage leamers by all means 1.2 Principles of vocabulary teaching

1.2.1 Criteria for sclecting vocabulary

It cannot be denied that vocabulary is an essential element in learning a foreign language Therefore, il is important 10 concern first the criteria for selecting vocabulary to help the teacher make valid decisions on the right vocabulary items to teach at the leamer's different level Gaims and Redman (1986) proposed some main criteria as frequency, student's needs and level; cultural faclor and expettiency In caching, the teacher necds ta select the most frequently used words to teach first The vocabulary should be appropriate

to students’ level and their needs, the priority given to vocabulary for English as a subject

in the curriculum might be different for that of English for specific purposes The Culture

- A Survey questionnaire for 100 grade 10 students was used to clarify the

difficulties of cthnie minority grads 10 students in learning English vocabulary

- Classroom observations were also carried out to get information about both

teachers’ ways of teaching and students’ ways of leaming in class

6 Organization of the study

This study consists of three parts

Part One: Introduction presents the rationale, aims, significance, scope, method af study, and orgamzation of the study

Part Two: Development consists of three chapters

Chapter One - Literature Review provides a theoretical basis for the study

Chapter Two — Methodology includes an overview of the approach used in conduoting the study It also provides a thorough description of the data collection procedure as well as the analytical procedure

factor has great influenced on teaching, which means that the learners’ background is to be

since peuple from different countries may need differen, words to express ltrsir

ideas im the second language Expediency is one of the important crileria thal needs to he

concemed since the classroom is a world by itself and requires specific types of vocabulary such as grammatical terminology and activity instructions, Harter (1991) also adds mors ctitetia for selection of vecabulary as concretion vs abstraction (concrete words should be taught at lower levels whereas abstract terms should bs taught at higher lever), coverage (generat words shoutd be taught in more specific terms) and rapport (the student's involvement with the words is a major motivator for vocabulary leaming)

1.2.2 Vacabulary teaching

In general, when the teacher teaches a new English word, he should, by alt n

18, provide his leamers with its meaning, forms and use at the same time, Among these three areas, the use of a word is the most important, but it carmot be achieved if the forms and meaning of the word are nol finely understood and grasped by the learners

1.2.2.1 Forms of a word

* Pronunciation and spelling :

Each English word has its spelling and pronunciation, Leamers have to know all the spelling, pronunciation and irregularities of the word they are learning In teaching, we

The grarumar of a new word should also be taught to the Ieamers They need to know the

grammatical function, the unpredictable change of form in certain grammatical contexts, the regularity and irregularity, the singular and plural forms of the new word so that they

can usc it correctly For example, when teaching the verb unk, we might give its

irregularity in past form thougar

1.2.2.2, Meaning

* Denotative and connotative meaning

The meaning ofa word is primarity what itrefers ton the al world, meaning is found ina dictionary For cxample, dog denotes a kind of animal, common, domestic carnivorous mammal A less obvious component of the meaning of a word is its connotation in differen! contsxis or ils conmolative meaning This is the associations or posilive or

factor has great influenced on teaching, which means that the learners’ background is to be

since peuple from different countries may need differen, words to express ltrsir

ideas im the second language Expediency is one of the important crileria thal needs to he

concemed since the classroom is a world by itself and requires specific types of vocabulary such as grammatical terminology and activity instructions, Harter (1991) also adds mors ctitetia for selection of vecabulary as concretion vs abstraction (concrete words should be taught at lower levels whereas abstract terms should bs taught at higher lever), coverage (generat words shoutd be taught in more specific terms) and rapport (the student's involvement with the words is a major motivator for vocabulary leaming)

1.2.2 Vacabulary teaching

In general, when the teacher teaches a new English word, he should, by alt n 18, provide his leamers with its meaning, forms and use at the same time, Among these three areas, the use of a word is the most important, but it carmot be achieved if the forms and meaning of the word are nol finely understood and grasped by the learners

1.2.2.1 Forms of a word

* Pronunciation and spelling :

Each English word has its spelling and pronunciation, Leamers have to know all the spelling, pronunciation and irregularities of the word they are learning In teaching, we

need Lo make sure thal the: ° aspecls are accuralcly presented and learned

® Grammar

The grarumar of a new word should also be taught to the Ieamers They need to know the

grammatical function, the unpredictable change of form in certain grammatical contexts, the regularity and irregularity, the singular and plural forms of the new word so that they

can usc it correctly For example, when teaching the verb unk, we might give its

irregularity in past form thougar

1.2.2.2, Meaning

* Denotative and connotative meaning

The meaning ofa word is primarity what itrefers ton the al world, meaning is found ina dictionary For cxample, dog denotes a kind of animal, common, domestic carnivorous mammal A less obvious component of the meaning of a word is its connotation in differen! contsxis or ils conmolative meaning This is the associations or posilive or

Chapter 2: methodology

2.1 Research selling

2.1.1, An overview of research setting

2.1.2, The materials of teaching and Jeaming

2.4.3, Data Collection Prooedure

2.5 Data Analysis Procedure secsseneseneneee

Chapter 3: FINDINGS and discussion

3.1 Results and discussions from the questiomnaires for stuđents

3.2 Results and discussions from the observation

3.4.2 Adapting the textbook

3.4.3 Selection of the vocabulary teaching

3.4.4, Practising the vocabulary

3.1.5 Improving leaming and teaching conditions

2 Limitations of the study

3 Suggestions for further study

negative feelings it evokes ‘his meaning may or may not be indicated in a dictionary or instance the word , as understood by most British people, has positive comotations of Biendslmp and loyalty: whereas the equivalent in Arabic! as understood by most of the

‘Arab countries has negative associations of dirty and inferiority ‘The connotative meaning

of a word is varied from one conlext lo another

» Meaning relationship

How the meaning,

usefid in teaching It is noted that the teacher has to make a carefull choice of and decision,

on which meaning of a word to teach and how many wards to teach in the given class time

specially denotative meaning, of one word rclales cam also be

or clsc leamers will be impeded by the pressure te absorb loo many meanings and words This often results in contusion or forgetting

1.2.2.3 Use of a word

The most important thing for Icarncrs to learn a new word is to know how to usc it appropriately and effectively in different oral and waitten contexts or else it may become a dead or forgettable word ‘lo use a new word well, they need to know how to collocate it with olher words corraclly Thersfore, the teacher should put words inlo collacation, Far example, when introdueing, words like “to make” and “to do", the teacher may note that both words mean "to perform” but can be distinguished by the words they collocate with

We oflen say "to do the homework" bul never say “lo make the homework”

In shot, students should be taught the form, the meaning, and the use of words in vocatnilary lessons I'he teacher should ensure that vocabulary is regularly recyclsdrevised because if'students do not gel the chance to pul it into use they will easily forget il

Unknown vocabulary is low in such micssages, considerable vocabulary learning can occur even though students’ attention is not directed to vocabulary leaming Rubin and Thompson (1994: 82) suggest 3 strategies for dealing with this approach of vocabulary leaming, These strategies include receding a series of texts on a rélated topic, guessing the meaning of new words from context, and breaking up a word into components Similarly,

Deeerico fin Celeo-Murcia 2000: 255-299) says thal implicit vocabulary learning or

incidents vocabulary learmng is lzarmng that occurs when the mind is focused elsewhere, such as on understanding a text or using language for commumcative purposes

1.3 English vocabulary learning

- A Survey questionnaire for 100 grade 10 students was used to clarify the

difficulties of cthnie minority grads 10 students in learning English vocabulary

- Classroom observations were also carried out to get information about both

teachers’ ways of teaching and students’ ways of leaming in class

6 Organization of the study

This study consists of three parts

Part One: Introduction presents the rationale, aims, significance, scope, method af

study, and orgamzation of the study

Part Two: Development consists of three chapters

Chapter One - Literature Review provides a theoretical basis for the study

Chapter Two — Methodology includes an overview of the approach used in conduoting the study It also provides a thorough description of the data collection procedure as well as the analytical procedure

- A Survey questionnaire for 100 grade 10 students was used to clarify the

difficulties of cthnie minority grads 10 students in learning English vocabulary

- Classroom observations were also carried out to get information about both

teachers’ ways of teaching and students’ ways of leaming in class

6 Organization of the study

This study consists of three parts

Part One: Introduction presents the rationale, aims, significance, scope, method af study, and orgamzation of the study

Part Two: Development consists of three chapters

Chapter One - Literature Review provides a theoretical basis for the study

Chapter Two — Methodology includes an overview of the approach used in conduoting the study It also provides a thorough description of the data collection procedure as well as the analytical procedure

factor has great influenced on teaching, which means that the learners’ background is to be

since peuple from different countries may need differen, words to express ltrsir

ideas im the second language Expediency is one of the important crileria thal needs to he

concemed since the classroom is a world by itself and requires specific types of vocabulary such as grammatical terminology and activity instructions, Harter (1991) also adds mors ctitetia for selection of vecabulary as concretion vs abstraction (concrete words should be taught at lower levels whereas abstract terms should bs taught at higher lever), coverage (generat words shoutd be taught in more specific terms) and rapport (the student's involvement with the words is a major motivator for vocabulary leaming)

1.2.2 Vacabulary teaching

In general, when the teacher teaches a new English word, he should, by alt n

18, provide his leamers with its meaning, forms and use at the same time, Among these three areas, the use of a word is the most important, but it carmot be achieved if the forms and meaning of the word are nol finely understood and grasped by the learners

1.2.2.1 Forms of a word

* Pronunciation and spelling :

Each English word has its spelling and pronunciation, Leamers have to know all the spelling, pronunciation and irregularities of the word they are learning In teaching, we

The grarumar of a new word should also be taught to the Ieamers They need to know the

grammatical function, the unpredictable change of form in certain grammatical contexts, the regularity and irregularity, the singular and plural forms of the new word so that they

can usc it correctly For example, when teaching the verb unk, we might give its

irregularity in past form thougar

1.2.2.2, Meaning

* Denotative and connotative meaning

The meaning ofa word is primarity what itrefers ton the al world, meaning is found ina dictionary For cxample, dog denotes a kind of animal, common, domestic carnivorous mammal A less obvious component of the meaning of a word is its connotation in differen! contsxis or ils conmolative meaning This is the associations or posilive or

negative feelings it evokes ‘his meaning may or may not be indicated in a dictionary or instance the word , as understood by most British people, has positive comotations of Biendslmp and loyalty: whereas the equivalent in Arabic! as understood by most of the

‘Arab countries has negative associations of dirty and inferiority ‘The connotative meaning

of a word is varied from one conlext lo another

» Meaning relationship

How the meaning,

usefid in teaching It is noted that the teacher has to make a carefull choice of and decision,

on which meaning of a word to teach and how many wards to teach in the given class time

specially denotative meaning, of one word rclales cam also be

or clsc leamers will be impeded by the pressure te absorb loo many meanings and words This often results in contusion or forgetting

1.2.2.3 Use of a word

The most important thing for Icarncrs to learn a new word is to know how to usc it appropriately and effectively in different oral and waitten contexts or else it may become a dead or forgettable word ‘lo use a new word well, they need to know how to collocate it with olher words corraclly Thersfore, the teacher should put words inlo collacation, Far example, when introdueing, words like “to make” and “to do", the teacher may note that both words mean "to perform” but can be distinguished by the words they collocate with

We oflen say "to do the homework" bul never say “lo make the homework”

In shot, students should be taught the form, the meaning, and the use of words in vocatnilary lessons I'he teacher should ensure that vocabulary is regularly recyclsdrevised because if'students do not gel the chance to pul it into use they will easily forget il

Unknown vocabulary is low in such micssages, considerable vocabulary learning can occur even though students’ attention is not directed to vocabulary leaming Rubin and Thompson (1994: 82) suggest 3 strategies for dealing with this approach of vocabulary leaming, These strategies include receding a series of texts on a rélated topic, guessing the meaning of new words from context, and breaking up a word into components Similarly,

Deeerico fin Celeo-Murcia 2000: 255-299) says thal implicit vocabulary learning or

incidents vocabulary learmng is lzarmng that occurs when the mind is focused elsewhere, such as on understanding a text or using language for commumcative purposes

1.3 English vocabulary learning

forget most of learned words only a few day later ‘This proves that problems in learning vònbulary ars undeniable, For bctler vocabulary teaching and learning, T have chosen Challenges in English vocabulary learning of ethnic minority grade 10 students at

Muang Bi high school as the the topic of the study

2, Aims of the study

‘The study aims at investigating the areas of challenges in leaming English vocabulary of ethnic minorily grads 10 student's im Muong Bi high school, Hoa Binh mountainous province Also, it is expected that some solutions to overcome challenges encountered will be suggested ‘I’ be more specific, in realizing this study, the objectives

3 Significance of the study

The study is hoped to be beneficial to both teachers and ethnic minority students in mountainous high schools First, the findings of the stdy, the challenges in leaming English vocabulary of cthnic minority grade 10 students in Muong Bi high school could be shared among teachers of English to improve the quality of teaching and leaming

in the coming years, Nexl, il might highlight the rationale for professional developmen! Programs for high schoot teachers of English in mountainous ars

findings could be used as a data base for further study

4 Scope af the study

in Violnan, Finally, the

The study only concentrates on problems in learning vocabulary from the textbook

“Tiéng Anh 10” (oy Hoang Van Van et al) of ethnic minority grade 10 students in Muong

Bi high school in Toa Binh province and some possible solutions for teaching vocabulary

5 Methods of research

The study combined qualitative and quantitive approaches Data were collected via questionnaires and classroom observations:

negative feelings it evokes ‘his meaning may or may not be indicated in a dictionary or instance the word , as understood by most British people, has positive comotations of Biendslmp and loyalty: whereas the equivalent in Arabic! as understood by most of the

‘Arab countries has negative associations of dirty and inferiority ‘The connotative meaning

of a word is varied from one conlext lo another

» Meaning relationship

How the meaning,

usefid in teaching It is noted that the teacher has to make a carefull choice of and decision,

on which meaning of a word to teach and how many wards to teach in the given class time

specially denotative meaning, of one word rclales cam also be

or clsc leamers will be impeded by the pressure te absorb loo many meanings and words This often results in contusion or forgetting

1.2.2.3 Use of a word

The most important thing for Icarncrs to learn a new word is to know how to usc it appropriately and effectively in different oral and waitten contexts or else it may become a dead or forgettable word ‘lo use a new word well, they need to know how to collocate it with olher words corraclly Thersfore, the teacher should put words inlo collacation, Far example, when introdueing, words like “to make” and “to do", the teacher may note that both words mean "to perform” but can be distinguished by the words they collocate with

We oflen say "to do the homework" bul never say “lo make the homework”

In shot, students should be taught the form, the meaning, and the use of words in vocatnilary lessons I'he teacher should ensure that vocabulary is regularly recyclsdrevised because if'students do not gel the chance to pul it into use they will easily forget il

Unknown vocabulary is low in such micssages, considerable vocabulary learning can occur even though students’ attention is not directed to vocabulary leaming Rubin and Thompson (1994: 82) suggest 3 strategies for dealing with this approach of vocabulary leaming, These strategies include receding a series of texts on a rélated topic, guessing the meaning of new words from context, and breaking up a word into components Similarly,

Deeerico fin Celeo-Murcia 2000: 255-299) says thal implicit vocabulary learning or

incidents vocabulary learmng is lzarmng that occurs when the mind is focused elsewhere, such as on understanding a text or using language for commumcative purposes

1.3 English vocabulary learning

PART TWO: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

Research in English teaching and learning in ethnic regions

In the past 30 years, many scholars (Naimen, ct al., 1978; WEN, 1996, 2003,2004;

CHENG & ZHENG,2002; CHEN,2005; #HOU,2007) made research studies on learning

siralsgies and/or vocabulary learning slralegies, and most of them made greal success However, most of them took undergraduates as subjects, and few scholars focus on the English vocabulary learning difficulties of ethnic students Very few of research studies focus on the ethic mmorily students in senior high school in Vietnam

1.1 The importance of vocabulary in language teaching and learning

Vocabulary is commonly accepted to be the most important language elements among pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar Wilkins (1972) emphasized this with his saying, "wilhout grammar, very lillle can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing ean bs conveyed" (p.11) Pyles and Algeo also supported this idea with "when we first think about language, we think first words It is words that we amange together to make sentences, conversations and discourse ", These statements arc cnough to conclude that vocabulary is the decisive element in language communication

This is all trus in learning @ foreign language If a leamer has a wide range of vocabulary, he can lo make himself understood and understand othors casily On the contrary, if his vocabulary is limited he will surely have difficulty in doing so and in English learning Therefore, vocabulary is a "must" for all Janguage leamers by all means 1.2 Principles of vocabulary teaching

1.2.1 Criteria for sclecting vocabulary

It cannot be denied that vocabulary is an essential element in learning a foreign language Therefore, il is important 10 concern first the criteria for selecting vocabulary to help the teacher make valid decisions on the right vocabulary items to teach at the leamer's different level Gaims and Redman (1986) proposed some main criteria as frequency, student's needs and level; cultural faclor and expettiency In caching, the teacher necds ta select the most frequently used words to teach first The vocabulary should be appropriate

to students’ level and their needs, the priority given to vocabulary for English as a subject

in the curriculum might be different for that of English for specific purposes The Culture

PART TWO: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

Research in English teaching and learning in ethnic regions

In the past 30 years, many scholars (Naimen, ct al., 1978; WEN, 1996, 2003,2004;

CHENG & ZHENG,2002; CHEN,2005; #HOU,2007) made research studies on learning

siralsgies and/or vocabulary learning slralegies, and most of them made greal success However, most of them took undergraduates as subjects, and few scholars focus on the English vocabulary learning difficulties of ethnic students Very few of research studies focus on the ethic mmorily students in senior high school in Vietnam

1.1 The importance of vocabulary in language teaching and learning

Vocabulary is commonly accepted to be the most important language elements among pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar Wilkins (1972) emphasized this with his saying, "wilhout grammar, very lillle can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing ean bs conveyed" (p.11) Pyles and Algeo also supported this idea with "when we first think about language, we think first words It is words that we amange together to make sentences, conversations and discourse ", These statements arc cnough to conclude that vocabulary is the decisive element in language communication

This is all trus in learning @ foreign language If a leamer has a wide range of vocabulary, he can lo make himself understood and understand othors casily On the contrary, if his vocabulary is limited he will surely have difficulty in doing so and in English learning Therefore, vocabulary is a "must" for all Janguage leamers by all means 1.2 Principles of vocabulary teaching

1.2.1 Criteria for sclecting vocabulary

It cannot be denied that vocabulary is an essential element in learning a foreign language Therefore, il is important 10 concern first the criteria for selecting vocabulary to help the teacher make valid decisions on the right vocabulary items to teach at the leamer's different level Gaims and Redman (1986) proposed some main criteria as frequency, student's needs and level; cultural faclor and expettiency In caching, the teacher necds ta select the most frequently used words to teach first The vocabulary should be appropriate

to students’ level and their needs, the priority given to vocabulary for English as a subject

in the curriculum might be different for that of English for specific purposes The Culture

Chapter 2: methodology

2.1 Research selling

2.1.1, An overview of research setting

2.1.2, The materials of teaching and Jeaming

2.4.3, Data Collection Prooedure

2.5 Data Analysis Procedure secsseneseneneee

Chapter 3: FINDINGS and discussion

3.1 Results and discussions from the questiomnaires for stuđents

3.2 Results and discussions from the observation

3.4.2 Adapting the textbook

3.4.3 Selection of the vocabulary teaching

3.4.4, Practising the vocabulary

3.1.5 Improving leaming and teaching conditions

2 Limitations of the study

3 Suggestions for further study

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION

L Rationale for the study

These days, there is no doubt about the fact that the English language is becoming something of a forerunner in global communication It is the first and second language in

most countries of the world Almos 70% of the Internet is in Tgtish A huge volume of the information used on the Intemet is also in English, Thus, English is playing a very significant role in bringing the world together ‘Therefore, teaching and leaming English have hocome the necessity all ovor the world, In Victham, English is # compulsory subject from primary schools to universities, However, the quality of leaning and teaching English is different from one school to another, especially from schools in cities, towns and those from remote and mountainous arcas

In Hoa Binh mountainous province, English is a compulsory subject in the curriculum and it is considered as one of the major subjects for the high school final examination English is taught with the purpose to give students some basic knowledge of English in order to communicate and usc it as a key to science and technology, However, there still exist many difficulties facing teachers in teaching English to students, especially those from elhnic minorities, It ean be observed thal ethic trinorily studsnts? scores are very low in English Less than 5 per cent earn good marks, even in the national graduation

exams (Hoa Binh Department of Education and ‘raining, 2008; 2009) In some remote

areas, lower level students understand tess than 20 per cent of whal teachers say in

Vicinamase (Minority Studonls Necds”, 2008) Rihnic minority students mainly use thair mother tongues Muong, Thai, Hmong, Tay and other languages - to communicate inside their families and small communities l'rom first grade onward, at school and in public

places, cllmic minority sludetits have to struggle with Vietnamese ta study and

communicate with other people This is why not many can understand lectures, even at high school, because they do not thoroughly comprehend Vietnamese - and very few teachers can explain things to them in their native languages (“Ethnic Schools Lack”, 2007), ‘Thus, studying English language in addition to Vietamese language might be very challenging for ethnic minority students

In addition, T find oul that any pupils are noi sueocssfbl Ieamors, only because they lack vocabulary In fact they are provided with almost every word necessary for their

Chapter 2: methodology

2.1 Research selling

2.1.1, An overview of research setting

2.1.2, The materials of teaching and Jeaming

2.4.3, Data Collection Prooedure

2.5 Data Analysis Procedure secsseneseneneee

Chapter 3: FINDINGS and discussion

3.1 Results and discussions from the questiomnaires for stuđents

3.2 Results and discussions from the observation

3.4.2 Adapting the textbook

3.4.3 Selection of the vocabulary teaching

3.4.4, Practising the vocabulary

3.1.5 Improving leaming and teaching conditions

2 Limitations of the study

3 Suggestions for further study

negative feelings it evokes ‘his meaning may or may not be indicated in a dictionary or instance the word , as understood by most British people, has positive comotations of Biendslmp and loyalty: whereas the equivalent in Arabic! as understood by most of the

‘Arab countries has negative associations of dirty and inferiority ‘The connotative meaning

of a word is varied from one conlext lo another

» Meaning relationship

How the meaning,

usefid in teaching It is noted that the teacher has to make a carefull choice of and decision,

on which meaning of a word to teach and how many wards to teach in the given class time

specially denotative meaning, of one word rclales cam also be

or clsc leamers will be impeded by the pressure te absorb loo many meanings and words This often results in contusion or forgetting

1.2.2.3 Use of a word

The most important thing for Icarncrs to learn a new word is to know how to usc it appropriately and effectively in different oral and waitten contexts or else it may become a dead or forgettable word ‘lo use a new word well, they need to know how to collocate it with olher words corraclly Thersfore, the teacher should put words inlo collacation, Far example, when introdueing, words like “to make” and “to do", the teacher may note that both words mean "to perform” but can be distinguished by the words they collocate with

We oflen say "to do the homework" bul never say “lo make the homework”

In shot, students should be taught the form, the meaning, and the use of words in vocatnilary lessons I'he teacher should ensure that vocabulary is regularly recyclsdrevised because if'students do not gel the chance to pul it into use they will easily forget il

Unknown vocabulary is low in such micssages, considerable vocabulary learning can occur even though students’ attention is not directed to vocabulary leaming Rubin and Thompson (1994: 82) suggest 3 strategies for dealing with this approach of vocabulary leaming, These strategies include receding a series of texts on a rélated topic, guessing the meaning of new words from context, and breaking up a word into components Similarly,

Deeerico fin Celeo-Murcia 2000: 255-299) says thal implicit vocabulary learning or

incidents vocabulary learmng is lzarmng that occurs when the mind is focused elsewhere, such as on understanding a text or using language for commumcative purposes

1.3 English vocabulary learning

Chapter 2: methodology

2.1 Research selling

2.1.1, An overview of research setting

2.1.2, The materials of teaching and Jeaming

2.4.3, Data Collection Prooedure

2.5 Data Analysis Procedure secsseneseneneee

Chapter 3: FINDINGS and discussion

3.1 Results and discussions from the questiomnaires for stuđents

3.2 Results and discussions from the observation

3.4.2 Adapting the textbook

3.4.3 Selection of the vocabulary teaching

3.4.4, Practising the vocabulary

3.1.5 Improving leaming and teaching conditions

2 Limitations of the study

3 Suggestions for further study

- A Survey questionnaire for 100 grade 10 students was used to clarify the

difficulties of cthnie minority grads 10 students in learning English vocabulary

- Classroom observations were also carried out to get information about both

teachers’ ways of teaching and students’ ways of leaming in class

6 Organization of the study

This study consists of three parts

Part One: Introduction presents the rationale, aims, significance, scope, method af study, and orgamzation of the study

Part Two: Development consists of three chapters

Chapter One - Literature Review provides a theoretical basis for the study

Chapter Two — Methodology includes an overview of the approach used in conduoting the study It also provides a thorough description of the data collection procedure as well as the analytical procedure

negative feelings it evokes ‘his meaning may or may not be indicated in a dictionary or instance the word , as understood by most British people, has positive comotations of Biendslmp and loyalty: whereas the equivalent in Arabic! as understood by most of the

‘Arab countries has negative associations of dirty and inferiority ‘The connotative meaning

of a word is varied from one conlext lo another

» Meaning relationship

How the meaning,

usefid in teaching It is noted that the teacher has to make a carefull choice of and decision,

on which meaning of a word to teach and how many wards to teach in the given class time

specially denotative meaning, of one word rclales cam also be

or clsc leamers will be impeded by the pressure te absorb loo many meanings and words This often results in contusion or forgetting

1.2.2.3 Use of a word

The most important thing for Icarncrs to learn a new word is to know how to usc it appropriately and effectively in different oral and waitten contexts or else it may become a dead or forgettable word ‘lo use a new word well, they need to know how to collocate it with olher words corraclly Thersfore, the teacher should put words inlo collacation, Far example, when introdueing, words like “to make” and “to do", the teacher may note that both words mean "to perform” but can be distinguished by the words they collocate with

We oflen say "to do the homework" bul never say “lo make the homework”

In shot, students should be taught the form, the meaning, and the use of words in vocatnilary lessons I'he teacher should ensure that vocabulary is regularly recyclsdrevised

because if'students do not gel the chance to pul it into use they will easily forget il

Unknown vocabulary is low in such micssages, considerable vocabulary learning can occur even though students’ attention is not directed to vocabulary leaming Rubin and Thompson (1994: 82) suggest 3 strategies for dealing with this approach of vocabulary leaming, These strategies include receding a series of texts on a rélated topic, guessing the meaning of new words from context, and breaking up a word into components Similarly,

Deeerico fin Celeo-Murcia 2000: 255-299) says thal implicit vocabulary learning or

incidents vocabulary learmng is lzarmng that occurs when the mind is focused elsewhere, such as on understanding a text or using language for commumcative purposes

1.3 English vocabulary learning

forget most of learned words only a few day later ‘This proves that problems in learning vònbulary ars undeniable, For bctler vocabulary teaching and learning, T have chosen Challenges in English vocabulary learning of ethnic minority grade 10 students at

Muang Bi high school as the the topic of the study

2, Aims of the study

‘The study aims at investigating the areas of challenges in leaming English vocabulary of ethnic minorily grads 10 student's im Muong Bi high school, Hoa Binh mountainous province Also, it is expected that some solutions to overcome challenges encountered will be suggested ‘I’ be more specific, in realizing this study, the objectives

3 Significance of the study

The study is hoped to be beneficial to both teachers and ethnic minority students in mountainous high schools First, the findings of the stdy, the challenges in leaming English vocabulary of cthnic minority grade 10 students in Muong Bi high school could be shared among teachers of English to improve the quality of teaching and leaming

in the coming years, Nexl, il might highlight the rationale for professional developmen! Programs for high schoot teachers of English in mountainous ars

findings could be used as a data base for further study

4 Scope af the study

in Violnan, Finally, the

The study only concentrates on problems in learning vocabulary from the textbook

“Tiéng Anh 10” (oy Hoang Van Van et al) of ethnic minority grade 10 students in Muong

Bi high school in Toa Binh province and some possible solutions for teaching vocabulary

5 Methods of research

The study combined qualitative and quantitive approaches Data were collected via

factor has great influenced on teaching, which means that the learners’ background is to be

since peuple from different countries may need differen, words to express ltrsir

ideas im the second language Expediency is one of the important crileria thal needs to he

concemed since the classroom is a world by itself and requires specific types of vocabulary such as grammatical terminology and activity instructions, Harter (1991) also adds mors ctitetia for selection of vecabulary as concretion vs abstraction (concrete words should be taught at lower levels whereas abstract terms should bs taught at higher lever), coverage (generat words shoutd be taught in more specific terms) and rapport (the student's involvement with the words is a major motivator for vocabulary leaming)

1.2.2 Vacabulary teaching

In general, when the teacher teaches a new English word, he should, by alt n

18, provide his leamers with its meaning, forms and use at the same time, Among these three areas, the use of a word is the most important, but it carmot be achieved if the forms and meaning of the word are nol finely understood and grasped by the learners

1.2.2.1 Forms of a word

* Pronunciation and spelling :

Each English word has its spelling and pronunciation, Leamers have to know all the spelling, pronunciation and irregularities of the word they are learning In teaching, we

The grarumar of a new word should also be taught to the Ieamers They need to know the

grammatical function, the unpredictable change of form in certain grammatical contexts, the regularity and irregularity, the singular and plural forms of the new word so that they

can usc it correctly For example, when teaching the verb unk, we might give its

irregularity in past form thougar

1.2.2.2, Meaning

* Denotative and connotative meaning

The meaning ofa word is primarity what itrefers ton the al world, meaning is found ina dictionary For cxample, dog denotes a kind of animal, common, domestic carnivorous mammal A less obvious component of the meaning of a word is its connotation in differen! contsxis or ils conmolative meaning This is the associations or posilive or

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION

L Rationale for the study

These days, there is no doubt about the fact that the English language is becoming something of a forerunner in global communication It is the first and second language in

most countries of the world Almos 70% of the Internet is in Tgtish A huge volume of the information used on the Intemet is also in English, Thus, English is playing a very significant role in bringing the world together ‘Therefore, teaching and leaming English have hocome the necessity all ovor the world, In Victham, English is # compulsory subject from primary schools to universities, However, the quality of leaning and teaching English is different from one school to another, especially from schools in cities, towns and those from remote and mountainous arcas

In Hoa Binh mountainous province, English is a compulsory subject in the curriculum and it is considered as one of the major subjects for the high school final examination English is taught with the purpose to give students some basic knowledge of English in order to communicate and usc it as a key to science and technology, However, there still exist many difficulties facing teachers in teaching English to students, especially those from elhnic minorities, It ean be observed thal ethic trinorily studsnts? scores are very low in English Less than 5 per cent earn good marks, even in the national graduation

exams (Hoa Binh Department of Education and ‘raining, 2008; 2009) In some remote

areas, lower level students understand tess than 20 per cent of whal teachers say in

Vicinamase (Minority Studonls Necds”, 2008) Rihnic minority students mainly use thair mother tongues Muong, Thai, Hmong, Tay and other languages - to communicate inside their families and small communities l'rom first grade onward, at school and in public

places, cllmic minority sludetits have to struggle with Vietnamese ta study and

communicate with other people This is why not many can understand lectures, even at high school, because they do not thoroughly comprehend Vietnamese - and very few teachers can explain things to them in their native languages (“Ethnic Schools Lack”, 2007), ‘Thus, studying English language in addition to Vietamese language might be very challenging for ethnic minority students

In addition, T find oul that any pupils are noi sueocssfbl Ieamors, only because they lack vocabulary In fact they are provided with almost every word necessary for their

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION

L Rationale for the study

These days, there is no doubt about the fact that the English language is becoming something of a forerunner in global communication It is the first and second language in

most countries of the world Almos

70% of the Internet is in Tgtish A huge volume of the information used on the Intemet is also in English, Thus, English is playing a very significant role in bringing the world together ‘Therefore, teaching and leaming English

have hocome the necessity all ovor the world, In Victham, English is # compulsory subject from primary schools to universities, However, the quality of leaning and teaching English is different from one school to another, especially from schools in cities, towns and those from remote and mountainous arcas

In Hoa Binh mountainous province, English is a compulsory subject in the curriculum and it is considered as one of the major subjects for the high school final examination English is taught with the purpose to give students some basic knowledge of English in order to communicate and usc it as a key to science and technology, However, there still exist many difficulties facing teachers in teaching English to students, especially those from elhnic minorities, It ean be observed thal ethic trinorily studsnts? scores are very low in English Less than 5 per cent earn good marks, even in the national graduation

exams (Hoa Binh Department of Education and ‘raining, 2008; 2009) In some remote

areas, lower level students understand tess than 20 per cent of whal teachers

places, cllmic minority sludetits have to struggle with Vietnamese ta study and

communicate with other people This is why not many can understand lectures, even at high school, because they do not thoroughly comprehend Vietnamese - and very few teachers can explain things to them in their native languages (“Ethnic Schools Lack”, 2007), ‘Thus, studying English language in addition to Vietamese language might be very challenging for ethnic minority students

In addition, T find oul that any pupils are noi sueocssfbl Ieamors, only because they lack vocabulary In fact they are provided with almost every word necessary for their communication inside and outside the elassroom, but many of my pupils complain they

forget most of learned words only a few day later ‘This proves that problems in learning vònbulary ars undeniable, For bctler vocabulary teaching and learning, T have chosen Challenges in English vocabulary learning of ethnic minority grade 10 students at

Muang Bi high school as the the topic of the study

2, Aims of the study

‘The study aims at investigating the areas of challenges in leaming English vocabulary of ethnic minorily grads 10 student's im Muong Bi high school, Hoa Binh mountainous province Also, it is expected that some solutions to overcome challenges encountered will be suggested ‘I’ be more specific, in realizing this study, the objectives

3 Significance of the study

The study is hoped to be beneficial to both teachers and ethnic minority students in mountainous high schools First, the findings of the stdy, the challenges in leaming English vocabulary of cthnic minority grade 10 students in Muong Bi high school could be shared among teachers of English to improve the quality of teaching and leaming

in the coming years, Nexl, il might highlight the rationale for professional developmen! Programs for high schoot teachers of English in mountainous ars

findings could be used as a data base for further study

4 Scope af the study

in Violnan, Finally, the

The study only concentrates on problems in learning vocabulary from the textbook

“Tiéng Anh 10” (oy Hoang Van Van et al) of ethnic minority grade 10 students in Muong

Bi high school in Toa Binh province and some possible solutions for teaching vocabulary

5 Methods of research

The study combined qualitative and quantitive approaches Data were collected via