Activities to increase a dult learners' retention of vocabulary at Yenbai Centre of Continuing Education Các hoạt động nhằm nâng cao khả năng lưu nhớ từ vựng c

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ---  --- PHẠM THỊ KIM THANH ACTIVITIES TO INCREASE ADULT LEARN

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

-  -

PHẠM THỊ KIM THANH

ACTIVITIES TO INCREASE ADULT LEARNERS’ RETENTION OF VOCABULARY

AT YEN BAI CENTRE OF CONTINUING EDUCATION

(Các hoạt động nhằm nâng cao khả năng lưu nhớ từ vựng cho học viên lớn tuổi tại Trung tâm Giáo dục thường xuyên tỉnh Yên Bái)

M.A Minor Programme Thesis

Field: English Teaching Methodology

Code: 60 14 10

HA NOI – 2010

-  -

PHẠM THỊ KIM THANH

ACTIVITIES TO INCREASE ADULT LEARNERS’ RETENTION OF VOCABULARY

AT YEN BAI CENTRE OF CONTINUING EDUCATION

(Các hoạt động nhằm nâng cao khả năng lưu nhớ từ vựng cho học viên lớn tuổi tại Trung tâm Giáo dục thường xuyên tỉnh Yên Bái)

M.A Minor Programme Thesis

Field: English Teaching Methodology

Code: 60 14 10

Supervisor: Trần Thanh Nhàn, MA

HA NOI – 2010

iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Declaration i

Acknowledgements ii

Abstracts iii

Table of contents iv

List of abbreviations viii

List of tables ix

PART I INTRODUCTION 1

1 Rationale 1

2 Aims of the Study 2

3 Research Hypotheses and Questions 2

4 Scope of the Study 2

5 Methods of the Study 2

6 Design of the study 3

PART II DEVELOPMENT 4

CHAPTER 1 LITERATURE REVIEW 4

1.1 Vocabulary in Foreign Language Acquisition 4

1.1.1 Definition of vocabulary 4

1.1.2 Vocabulary: What needs to be taught? 5

1.1.2.1 Form: Pronunciation and Spelling 5

1.1.2.2 Aspects of meaning 5

1.1.2.3 Grammar 7

1.1.2.4 Word formation 7

1.1.2.5 Collocation 8

1.1.3 The roles of vocabulary in Foreign Language Acquisition 8

1.2 Factors affecting the retention of vocabulary 9

1.2.1 Memory 9

1.2.2 Learning strategies 10

1.2.3 Learning context 11

1.2.4 Word-related factors 12

1.3 Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition Process 13

1.3.1 Noticing 14

1.3.2 Retrieval 14

1.3.3 Generation 15

1.4 Repetition and vocabulary retention 15

1.4.1 Types of repetition 15

1.4.2 Spacing of repetition 17

1.4.3 Number of repetition 17

CHAPTER 2 METHODOLOGY 19

2.1 The rationale for using action research 19

vi

2.2 Procedures 19

2.3 Participants 20

2.4 The course book 20

2.5 Data collecting instruments 21

2.6 The Intervention 22

2.6.1 The intervention procedures 22

2.6.2 The intervention activities 23

CHAPTER 3 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 27

3.1 Results of the pretest and discussion 27

3.2 Results of the posttests and discussion 29

3.3 Comparison of scores of pretest and two posttests 32

PART III CONCLUSION 35

1 Conclusions 35

2 Limitations of the study 36

3 Suggestions for further study 36

REFERENCES 38 APPENDIX A PRETEST I

APPENDIX B POSTTEST 1 II

APPENDIX C POSTTEST 2 III

APPENDIX D KEYS FOR THE TESTS IV

APPENDIX E ASKING AND ANSWERING ABOUT TIME V

APPENDIX F A DAY IN MY LIFE VI

APPENDIX G INTERVIEWING VII

APPENDIX H DESCRIBING THINGS IN A HOUSE .VIII

APPENDIX I READING-BASED VOCABULARY ACTIVITY IX

APPENDIX J FINDING THE LOCATION OF THINGS IN THE HOUSE X