the effects of mind mapping on the 12th graders’ vocabulary learning at nguyen van khai high school

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY --- DO NGUYEN XUAN THAO THE EFFECTS OF MIND MAPPING ON THE 12 TH GRADERS’ VOCABULARY LEARNING AT NGUYEN VAN KHAI HIG

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY

THE EFFECTS OF MIND MAPPING ON THE 12 TH GRADERS’ VOCABULARY LEARNING AT NGUYEN VAN KHAI HIGH SCHOOL

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the degree of Master of Arts in TESOL

Submitted by DO NGUYEN XUAN THAO

Supervisor: NGUYEN THANH TUNG, Assoc Prof Dr

HO CHI MINH City November 2015

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY

-

DO NGUYEN XUAN THAO

THE EFFECTS OF MIND MAPPING ON THE 12 TH GRADERS’ VOCABULARY LEARNING AT NGUYEN VAN KHAI HIGH SCHOOL

Major: TEACHING ENGLISH TO SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES Major code: 60140111

MASTER OF ARTS IN TESOL

Supervisor: NGUYEN THANH TUNG, Assoc Prof Dr

HO CHI MINH City, 2015

This thesis has not previously been submitted for assessment in this or any other subject

or course at this University or elsewhere

Dong Thap, August 2015

DO NGUYEN XUAN THAO

RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS

I hereby state that I, Do Nguyen Xuan Thao, being the candidate for the degree of Master

of to the TESOL, accept the requirement of University relating to the retention and use of the Master‟s theses deposited in the University library

In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my thesis deposited in the University library should be accessible for the purposes of the studies and research, in accordance with the normal condition established by the library for care, loan, and reproduction of thesis

ABSTRACT

The teaching and learning of vocabulary at a high school has recently been paid much more attention to by teachers and learners However, many students still have some trouble in lexical learning due to the lack of a suitable learning strategy Thus, this study was carried out to examine the role of „mind mapping‟ in improving vocabulary of the

12th graders at Nguyen Van Khai High School in Dong Thap Province

Based on the theoretical framework of mind-mapping, the quasi-experimental research was carried out during the first semester Fifty-six students of the two classes at Nguyen Van Khai High School were divided into two groups: control group and experimental group Data were collected from three sources: (1) the final Grade 11 exam of the second semester of the previous academic year and post-test to estimate the students‟ vocabulary improvement after the treatment, (2) the pre- and post- questionnaire to assess what the changes in their attitude towards vocabulary learning with mind-mapping were, and (3) interview with ten students in the experimental group to clarify their attitude

The findings of the study reveal that mind-mapping affects the Nguyen Van Khai High School students‟ lexical ability a lot In fact, it not only helps them remember words longer but also do tests better Moreover, questionnaires and interviews show that they feel more relaxed, active, creative, and learner-centered Thanks to this, their motivation

to learn vocabulary increased

TABLE OF CONTENTS

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP i

RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii

ABSTRACT iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS v

LIST OF FIGURES viii

LIST OF TABLES ix

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS x

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Background of the study 1

1.2 Statement of the problem 4

1.3 Purpose of the study and research questions 4

1.4 Significance of the study 4

1.5 Structure of the study 5

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 6

2.1 The concept of mind mapping 6

2.1.1 Definition of mind mapping 6

2.1.2 Classification of mind mapping 8

2.1.3 Characteristics of mind mapping 16

2.2 Ways to make mind mapping 18

2.3 Advantages and disadvantages of mind mapping 22

2.3.1 Advantages 22

2.3.2 Disadvantages 26

2.4 When and where to use mind mapping 26

2.5 Empirical research 28

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 33

3.1 Overall approach 33

3.2 Research site 33

3.3 Research participants 34

3.4 Research instruments 36

3.4.1 Teaching material: Textbook 36

3.4.2 The measurement instruments 39

3.5 Procedure 43

3.6 Analytical framework 44

3.6.1 Quantitative analysis of the Grade 11 final exam and post-test 44

3.6.2 Quantitative analysis of pre- and post-questionnaire 45

3.6.3 Qualitative analysis of interview 46

3.7 Validity and reliability 46

3.8 Summary 48

CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS 49

4.1 Data analysis 49

4.1.1 Results in the tests 49

4.1.2 Results from questionnaires 54

4.1.3 Results from interview 65

4.1.4 Overall summary 69

4.2 Discussion of findings 69

4.2.1 General findings 69

4.2.2 Specific findings 70

4.2.3 Summary 74

4.3 Chapter summary 75

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 76

5.1 Conclusions 76

5.2 Strengths and limitations in the methodology of the study 76

5.3 Recommendations 77

5.3.1 The teachers 78

5.3.2 The students 78

5.4 Suggestions for further research 80

5.5 Summary 80

REFERENCES 81

APPENDIX 1 88

WORKSHEET 1 92

APPENDIX 2 93

APPENDIX 3 98

APPENDIX 4 100

APPENDIX 5 103

APPENDIX 6 106

APPENDIX 7 108

APPENDIX 8 111

APPENDIX 9 113

APPENDIX 10 114

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 2.1: A mind map of wedding 8

Figure 2.2: Linear, circular, hub spokes, tree, and network 8

Figure 2.3: KWL chart 9

Figure 2.4.a: Venn diagram 9

Figure 2.4.b: Venn diagram of Whales and Fish 9

Figure 2.5: QAR 10

Figure 2.6: Web organizer 11

Figure 2.7: T chart 11

Figure 2.8: A network tree 12

Figure 2.9: An event chain 12

Figure 2.10: A cycle concept map 12

Figure 2.11: A spider concept map 13

Figure 2.12: Word relationships 13

Figure 2.13: Synonyms, antonyms, examples and non-examples 14

Figure 2.14: Word connections 14

Figure 2.15: A word map 15

Figure 2.16: A concept map 15

Figure 2.17: A story map 16

Figure 2.18: Mapping components 16

Figure 2.19: The structure of semantic maps 17

Figure 2.20: How to make a mind mapping 20

Figure 4.1: Pre-test score distribution of control and experimental group 49

Figure 4.2: Post-test score distribution of control and experimental group 50

LIST OF TABLES

Table 3.1: Participants‟ characteristics 35

Table 3.2: Teaching material 37

Table 3.3: Five degrees of grades to classify the students‟ ability 40

Table 3.4: Summary of instruments of data collection 42

Table 3.5: Schedule for the main stages of data collection 43

Table 3.6: Reliability statistics for pre-questionnaire 48

Table 3.7: Reliability statistics for post-questionnaire 48

Table 4.1: Group statistics of pre-test results 51

Table 4.2: Independent samples t-test of the two groups before the treatment 52

Table 4.3: Group statistics of post-test results 53

Table 4.4: Independent samples t-test of the two groups after the treatment 53

Table 4.5: The students‟ attitudes to vocabulary learning 55

Table 4.6: The students‟ methods of self-studying vocabulary 56

Table 4.7: The teachers‟ methods of teaching vocabulary 57

Table 4.8: The students‟ difficulties in learning vocabulary 59

Table 4.9: The advantages to students who learn vocabulary by using mind mapping

61

Table 4.10a: The disadvantages to students who learn vocabulary by using mind mapping (before conversion) 62

Table 4.10b: The disadvantages to students who learn vocabulary by using mind mapping (after conversion) 63

Table 4.11: The students‟ future eagerness in using mind-mapping to learn vocabulary 64

Table 4.12: Students comments 67

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

A: Agree

ANCOVA: Analyses of Covariance

ANOVA: Analysis of Variance

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

Nowadays, English is one of the most popular languages in the world English also plays an increasingly important role in Vietnamese people‟s lives because the development of globalization has impacted – and is still impacting – this country Many foreign companies now invest in the Vietnamese market There are now good opportunities for English learners and users to find better jobs Therefore, it is becoming necessary for people to study English

To master English well, one has to learn four skills, namely reading, speaking, listening, and writing Moreover, one has to grasp language areas such as pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar Among them, vocabulary plays an influential part in learning English Wilkins (1987, p 135) declares that one can express a few things even when one has no grammar; however, one could not express anything without words To prove the importance of vocabulary, Krashen (1987, as cited in Lewis, 1993, p iii) similarly asserts that when students travel now, they will carry dictionaries instead of grammar books Vocabulary is extremely important to the process of learning English It is an essential part of the four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing In these skills, if learners lack lexical knowledge, they cannot demonstrate how well they have acquired the language With it, they feel more confident in attending a listening comprehension test or an oral contest They also communicate with others better The more vocabulary they acquire, the better they become

Learning vocabulary has become a very important part of learning English Nevertheless, Vietnamese students are not very good at learning English vocabulary and in rural areas – where information technology is not advanced enough to meet the requirements of learning a foreign language – students still encounter some obstacles

Firstly, some students do not have a sustainable interest in learning vocabulary (Dilek & Yürük, 2012) English is a compulsory subject at almost all high schools and it plays an important role in the General Certificate for Secondary Education (GCSE), a fact that can make some students psychologically stressed As

a teacher having taught English for two years, the writer of this thesis recognizes that most students are afraid of learning this subject owing to the pressure of learning vocabulary as well as its grammar

Secondly, the self-studying methods employed by students cause many problems After doing research on 80 first year mainstream students, Faculty of English Language, Trinh and Vu (2008) found that most students were not satisfied with their current methods of learning vocabulary In addition, whenever they learn vocabulary, many students write a list of new words with their equivalent meanings

in Vietnamese, or they use a bilingual dictionary to look up new words without any contextual use They often eschew understanding for rote-learning and mechanical memorization to cope with exams and tests This means that lexical activities have not been used widely and effectively enough in learning the language Although some like to learn English, they often fail to remember words deeply enough to put them into general use Therefore, they find that they cannot express themselves even in a simple sentence in communication

Thirdly, the time for teaching vocabulary is limited Traditionally, grammatical structures receive much more attention than the introduction of new words to students The teacher has one to two periods of 45 minutes for each to teach grammar, but he or she only ever has seven minutes to teach vocabulary

Fourthly, the teaching method influences students‟ vocabulary acquisition They must listen to the teacher‟s explanation of the form, meaning and use of vocabulary within too short a time Then, they write new words on paper and, like a parrot, try to learn them all by heart passively Day after day students are forced to learn new words out of habit, so – of course – they become bored As a

consequence, they only remember these words for a few lessons and then completely forget them since they are not taught to put them in the context of language usage

The last reason for the brevity of students‟ vocabulary is that they do not have a chance to practice it regularly (Nguyen, 2009) Therefore, they realize that while they have already learnt the words, they cannot remember them through lack

of practice They do not even understand how to use these lexical items in other contexts In recent years, one has seen a greater awareness of the questions that need to be addressed with regard to vocabulary learning by researchers and material designers; techniques for teaching and learning vocabulary have been provided for students in order to motivate them to learn more effectively

The above-mentioned reasons raise some valid questions that need answering To put it another way, effective solutions have to be found to enhance students‟ methods of learning and retaining vocabulary

There are many techniques to teach vocabulary, such as those that use pictures, films and videos, and translating Another technique is the use of mind-mapping because it is a powerful tool to optimize the brain‟s ability to create, learn and remember Buzan (1993, p 1) states that mind mapping is “a powerful graphic technique providing a universal key to unchain the potential of brain” This technique is like the thinking process in that it enables us to change from one topic

to another, from one side to another It records the information via the use of symbols, images, emotional meaning, and colors, like a progression in the brain (Effendi, 2004, p 8) Consisting of pictures, symbols and coloration, it produces patterns that not only helps students to understand lexical knowledge but also makes them feel good and enjoyable It attracts their brain activity and leads students to have an interest in mastering lexical knowledge Velliaris (2009, p 1) states that one‟s own key ideas and links among them helps one improve understanding and retain information One‟s thinking will be refined by classifying and grouping

related ideas Moreover, mind-mapping also activates one‟s thoughts in ways that allow for deeper analysis, richer associations and better learning (Budd, 2004, pp 4-7) With these kinds of memorizing techniques, vocabulary can be retained and applied in practice for long-term use

1.2 Statement of the problem

Some experts have already done research studies relating to the application

of mind mapping However, to the best of this researcher‟s knowledge, no one has done research into vocabulary acquisition via a mind map for high school students

in Vietnam Therefore, the researcher decided to carry out this study entitled “The effects of mind mapping on the 12th graders‟ vocabulary learning at Nguyen Van Khai High School” in the hope that it can help students enhance their vocabulary competence, become interested in learning vocabulary and remember it much better

1.3 Purpose of the study and research questions

Thus, this study aims to examine whether or not mind-mapping is significantly effective in assisting high school students in Dong Thap Province – and 12th graders at Nguyen Van Khai High School in particular – to learn vocabulary To achieve the above aim, the study addresses the two following research questions about students‟ vocabulary acquisition and their attitudes towards the employment of semantic-mapping in learning vocabulary:

1 To what extent is mind-mapping effective on vocabulary learning for the 12th

graders at Nguyen Van Khai High School?

2 What are students‟ attitudes towards using mind mapping in learning

vocabulary?

1.4 Significance of the study

The study will support one of the techniques that can help students overcome their learning difficulties The writer hopes students will find it easier and more

interesting to learn vocabulary; that they will remember and master as many words

as possible, which will help them get a higher score in their exams Moreover, the writer of this study wants to know her students‟ attitudes towards vocabulary learning with mind-mapping Based on their feedback, she will reconsider what she has done to now and think of the possibilities inherent to applying mind-mapping in teaching her students‟ vocabulary in the following years

1.5 Structure of the study

This thesis consists of five chapters Chapter 1 introduces the study by providing the context of the research, the statement of the problem, the aim and research questions, the significance of the study, and the structure of the thesis Chapter 2 reviews relevant literature to shape the conceptual framework for the study by presenting the issues related to mind-mapping, such as its definition, classification, characteristics, and its effects on teaching and learning vocabulary The chapter ends with empirical research related to the topic of this study Chapter 3 justifies the methodology employed to conduct this study by presenting the research site, participants, instruments, study procedures and analytical framework It also takes into account the issues of reliability and validity Chapter 4 analyzes the data collected from the three instruments of tests, questionnaire and interview Moreover, in this chapter, the researcher discusses the findings of the study based

on the results analyzed and interpreted in the previous part The final chapter – Chapter 5 – draws overall conclusions by answering the research questions, evaluates the methodology employed to carry out the research, gives some recommendations for English practitioners, and suggests topics for further research

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

Chapter 2 presents the theoretical framework of the study It deals with such issues as the concept of mind-mapping; the particulars of its definition, classification and characteristics appear first Next, it synthesizes different ways to achieve mind-mapping It then discusses its advantages and disadvantages in teaching and learning vocabulary and when and where it should be used This chapter ends with a review of some empirical studies carried out on the same topic

2.1 The concept of mind mapping

2.1.1 Definition of mind mapping

Mind-mapping was first introduced in the late 1960s by Buzan According to Jonassen, Carr and Yueh (1998, p 24), it was then also known by several other names, such as “semantic networking” and “concept maps” Krasnic (2012, p 37) has detailed all the most common alternative names for visual mapping: i.e „mind mapping‟, „concept-mapping‟, „flow-charting‟, „visual-thinking‟ or simply just

„visualization‟, „spider-diagramming‟, „memory-mapping‟, „semantic-mapping‟ and

„thought-webbing‟ Researchers now define mind mapping in various ways

Schwartz and Raphael (1985, p 199) state that mind mapping, or semantic mapping, is a category of information arranged in a graphic form that can also lead students to connect up with their own experiences and prior knowledge in studying

a new word These authors also consider that these students are the real architects of such word-maps Dilek and Yürük (2012, p 1533) express similar views to those of Schwartz and Raphael, except for disregarding learners as the real architects According to Heimlich and Pittelman (1986, p 779), mind-mapping is one type of a graphic organizer that “helps students visually organize and graphically show the relationship” Antonnaci (1991, p 174) has adopted a similar opinion to those of Heimlich and Pittelman who assert that it symbolically represents knowledge visually and shows a picture of conceptual relationships Buzan, T and Buzan, B

(1993, pp 84-85) portray a mind map as a skeleton in which ideas and pictures are produced from a central concept They describe a mind map as a visual-spatial map which consists of from five to ten main ideas bounding and relating to the central word or concept From this word, from five to ten main ideas or supporting details associated with it can be drawn Besides, Strangman, Vue, Hall, and Meyer (2003,

p 1) state that semantic-mapping is a „diagrammatic exhibition‟ in which the connection between terms and ideas is shown in learners‟ task performance The map helps a reader reconstruct meaning by integrating and retaining information systematically (Bogatikov, n.d., p 2) Luu and Le (2011, p 130) show a clear distinction between a concept map and concept mapping They conclude that a concept map consists of concepts connected in a diagram whereas concept mapping

is a technique exhibiting the knowledge structure of given topics and the relationship among these topics within this structure

Moreover, mind-mapping is a visual representation of hierarchical information that includes a central idea surrounded by the connective branches of associated topics One can also say that mind-mapping, which does not have to be abstract, is basically a visual representation of ideas and the relationship between them According to Wikipedia (2013), the free encyclopedia, a mind-map is an image-centered diagram being used as a symbol of semantics – or other connections – in a radical, non-lineal graphical manner It thus stimulates students‟ organizational skills by using a „brainstorming‟ approach

In some ways, mind-mapping is like a traditional „outline‟ that presents written ideas on paper within an organizational system It uses a free-flowing system of images, texts, and lines that spread out from a central idea that is represented by a central image and is employed to explore ideas and stimulate the mind

Although there are various definitions of mind-mapping, all these share something in common They are visual representations of categorical relationships

The connections among the ideas generated in mind-mapping are displayed by lines, colors, arrows, images, and pictures, which motivate the brain and allow individuals to visualize related ideas This is an example of a mind map:

Figure 2.1: A mind map of wedding (Busy teacher, n.d.)

2.1.2 Classification of mind mapping

Kinchin (2000, as cited in Mistades, 2009, p 2) proposes five possible structural types of mind maps: linear, circular, hub-spoked, tree-like, and networked

Figure 2.2: Linear, circular, hub spokes, tree, and network (Kinchin, 2000)

Hembree (2008, p 1) divides graphic organizers into five sorts:

1 KWL chart: KWL stands for Know, Wonder, and Learn With this chart, students can express what they want to know, what they already know, and what they learned about the subject

Figure 2.3: KWL chart (My warrior kids, n.d.)

2 Venn diagram: This diagram shows the similarities (overlap) and differences (discrete part-circles) of the two different subjects

Figure 2.4.a: Venn diagram (Sixth Grade Tales, 2014)

Figure 2.4.b: Venn diagram of Whales and Fish (Walbert, n.d.)

3 QAR: This acronym stands for Question – Answer – Relationship It is a

map which includes four parts: Right there, Think and search, Author and me, and

On my own In Right there questions, the answer can easily be found in the text

The answers to Think and search questions are also in the text, but at a higher

level; readers must know the same meaning of the word in the question and in the text to find out the correct answer They may look in different parts of the text

Author and me questions are not available in the text The reader needs to use his

or her own background knowledge and infer the information in the text to find out

the result Finally, On my own questions are an extension to Author and me

questions Moreover, the reader need not read the text; they solicit his or her opinions

Figure 2.5: QAR (Weebly, n.d.)

4 Web organizer: it looks like a net in which the large circle in the center is connected with the smaller circles outside by many lines

Figure 2.6: Web organizer (Wise, 2014)

5 T chart: it is a chart in which the students can list two facets of the topic

or two things from the same chapter

Figure 2.7: T chart (Enchanted Learning, 2003/2015)

Trianto (2009, as cited in Effendi, 2004, pp 10-11) distinguishes four kinds

of mind-mapping: (1) network-tree, (2) event-chain, (3) cycle-concept map, and (4) spider-concept map

(1) Network-tree: It consists of main ideas written in rectangles based on hierarchy; the relationship between ideas and words is written on the lines in the map

Figure 2.8: A network tree (Glencoe Science, n.d.)

(2) Event-chain: It is used to describe concepts in an order, a sequence of events, the steps in a procedure or of the stages of a process

Figure 2.9: An event chain (Glencoe Science, n.d.)

(3) Cycle-concept maps: It is a special type of event-chain map in which the sequence of events in a cycle-concept map has no final result and thus repeats itself

Figure 2.10: A cycle concept map (Glencoe Science, n.d.)

(4) Spider concept map: The main idea is portrayed at the center and it is often used for „brainstorming‟ The sub-ideas relate to the central one, but they are not hierarchically listed and nor are they necessarily related to each other: They are the results of sharing ideas

Figure 2.11: A spider concept map (Glencoe Science, n.d.)

According to Antonacci (2015, p 20), the three kinds of semantic maps are based in Word relationships – synonyms, antonyms, examples and non-examples – and Word connections

Figure 2.12: Word relationships (Antonacci, 2015, p 21)

Figure 2.13: Synonyms, antonyms, examples and non-examples (Antonacci, 2015,

p 21)

Figure 2.14: Word connections (Antonacci, 2015, p 22)

Salameh (n.d, p 6) determines that three kinds of semantic mapping exist: word-maps, concept-maps and story-maps A word map consists of a central key word and many key-related words to help us understand the nature of the central one A concept map is a way to organize information about the subjects A story-map is a map in which the events, characters, settings, etc in the story are arranged chronologically and logically

Figure 2.15: A word map (Walpole & McKenna, 2007)

Figure 2.16: A concept map (Penn State, 2000/2015)

Figure 2.17: A story map (Manis, 2012)

Again, there are many types of mind-mapping Teachers should carefully consider which kind of maps to use and how to use them effectively; the choice of maps depends on the content of the material taught Among these types of mind mapping, the researcher would like to apply the three kinds of semantic maps classified by Antonacci: Word relationships; synonyms, antonyms, examples, and non-examples; and word connections The first and the second types were applied more regularly It is because the vocabularies in the English 12 mainly focus on the main topic which is the title of the lesson From the title, some key words are radiated The mind map continues making in this ways

2.1.3 Characteristics of mind mapping

Some authors mention that a semantic-map consists of three components: core question or concept, strands and supports A core question is a key word or a main idea Strands are the ideas that support the key image Supports are the details

of strands that are used to distinguish one strand from the others

Figure 2.18: Mapping components (Richard & Joanne, 2007)

According to Windura (2008, as cited in Effendi, 2004, p 13), each feature

of mind-mapping has its own benefits to the learners A central image describes the main idea behind a mind-map by putting it in the center, which makes students‟ right hemisphere and memory more strongly active, thus making learning activity more enjoyable A key word is a word that can lead to a sentence or an event It urges students to remember many more words since they are only allowed to use one key word per line In addition, the branches collect subsidiary information connected to the central topic To organize basic ideas well, students need to understand their material in depth Moreover, the branches should be curving and thinner but of the same length as the words or pictures that contain the major details Last but not least, color serves as an excellent memory device, especially for stimulating the right brain to remember words much longer Besides helping in memorization, color also encourages creativity and adds life to the mind-map, thus making it much easier to grasp and retain key concepts; prior key words can also be changed or strengthened

Dilek and Yürük (2012, p 1533) display a picture of a mind-map with two components: a key concept and categorized concepts A key-concept is the major idea governing the assembly whereas categories are associated with the key-concept

to form a unique system

Figure 2.19: The structure of semantic maps (Dilek & Yürük, 2012, p 1533)

According to Le (2012, p 107), a mind map has four characteristics: a central image or a subject, main branches spreading out from a key-image, major themes tied to the main themes, and branches connected to all of them to form a nodal structure

All mind-mappings have something in common There are five main characteristics governing mind-mapping The major one is the main idea, known as the central image Secondly, some branches are sub-ideas radiating from the main idea Next, the key-image printed on the branch signals the sub-idea Fourthly, twigs are the secondary thoughts that have strayed from the primary thinking Finally, all the branches form a nodal structure, which is a symbol of the conceptualizing matrix of that self-same thinking in the brain With these characteristics, mind-mapping becomes a wonderful tool to present to various levels

of language-learners

2.2 Ways to make mind mapping

Fraser (1993, as cited in Luu & Le, 2011, p 132) has proposed four rules to construct a concept-map or a mind-map Firstly, single key-words or phrases or even simple drawing is put in rectangles or other geometric forms Arcs – sometimes with linking words written upon them – are lines that are used to fasten the concepts together Secondly, the optional linking words should describe in detail the relationship between the two concepts For example, in the sentence “a nonverbal communication is waving”, two concepts “nonverbal” and “waving” are linked by the word “is”; „is‟ being optional as writing on the arc Thirdly, no „right‟ map exits Finally, the more interconnections a map has, the more sophisticated students need to be to understand it

There are many ways to make a mind-map However, these ways share something in common in characteristics and rules

Johnson and Pearson (1984, as cited in Nguyen, n.d, p 635) generalize the ways of creating a mind map in teaching vocabulary At the beginning of the

process, the teacher writes a key word or topic on the board or paper Then, students are stimulated to think of as many words relating to the main theme as possible Next, they are guided to categorize the words, and then, label them Finally, they discuss the relationships between these words

Chall (1996, as cited in Amoush, 2012, pp 715-716) mentions the steps in creating a map They are analyzing the concepts and vocabulary in the text, arranging related words in a suitable order and adding to the diagrams related words or concepts

Birbili (2007, p 7) suggests three steps of making a mind map for teachers First of all, the teacher tells students the topic of the lesson, writes and circles the key-concept on the board or a paper; he/she can also use pictures, photos, or drawings Next, he/she encourages students to think and discuss in groups to discover the related words When they talk, he/she writes the sub-concepts on the sides of the board After discussing with them to choose the sub-words focusing on the lesson, he/she writes down the key concept Lines and arrows are used to link the sub-concepts with the key one To make the mind-map clearer, the teacher also writes connecting words on the lines; different colored chalks for circles and lines are also used Finally, students continue in their group-work to categorize the remaining words at the secondary levels from the most general on the top to the most specific at the bottom The teacher asks them to reveal the reasons behind their particular arrangement of sub-concepts Based on their ideas, he/she then colligates concepts from the list with directional links, labels the linking lines, and encloses the concepts in a box or an oval This process continues until the map is completed

Denton, Bryan, Wexler, Reed, and Vaughn (2007, pp 145-151) adapt five teaching steps of drawing mind-mappings Firstly, the teacher introduces a topic and writes it on the board Next, he/she models and teaches it to the whole class; in this step, he/she asks the students to list all the words, and then identify related

words with his/her help, draw a topic in the middle of the circle, and group the words in a category Then, the teacher guides practice Students can practice independently, and then compare with their friends Finally, the teacher generalizes the situations wherein students can use semantic maps

Buzan, T and Buzan, B (1993, pp 97-103) present the steps for making mind-mapping First, one takes a piece of white paper in landscape position Next, he/she draws a colorful image in the center of the paper and writes the key word with capital letters Then, he/she draws the main themes of the mind mapping on the thick branches radiating out from the central image with different colors After that, he/she adds other main-theme branches around the mapping and continues to make thick and colorful branches He/She uses capital letters to write basic ideas about the key words In the final step, to make his/her mind-mapping be as imaginative as possible, he/she adds an image to all the main branches to represent each key theme and uses images to visualize every important key word on his/her map The way to make a mind mapping is illustrated in Figure 2.2

Figure 2.20: How to make a mind mapping (Illumine training, 2015)

Le (2012, p 107) conducts four steps of making a mind map First, she begins with the main topic Then she writes the sub-headlines connected to the main topic Next, she adds the sub-sub-headlines She maintains the second and the third steps until the map is completed

Krasnic (2012, pp 48-61) mentions ten steps to draw a visual map Firstly,

he selects the concept, topic, or subject to map Secondly, he gathers all the relevant information Thirdly, he keeps the map simple, concise, relevant, accurate, complete, logical, and clear Fourthly, he starts in the center with the central concept Next, he adds primary concepts on the branches connected to the central concept For this step, he also organizes ideas for the main concepts and sub-concepts They are Ws (what, when, where, how…), classification (arrangement or relationship), definitions (meaning), divisions (chapters, lessons, and themes), evaluation (benefits), function (what things do), and history (chronological sequence of events), and process (how things work), properties (characteristics), and roles or relationships of characters and structure (how things are formed) Sixthly,

he branches sub-concepts off the primary concepts to elaborate and clarify, which means adding supplementary concepts to expand the previous ones Obviously, it is arranged from general to specific concepts Seventhly, he captures and maps key concepts, reorganize, and edit, as needed Having established a „skeleton‟, he adds more information – providing it adds value – to the key concepts he has already mapped After finishing the content of the map, he adds visual elements and formatting such as icons, colors, and images to increase the map‟s effectiveness Finally, he goes through the visual map checklist for any final edits These are the guidelines:

1 Map is well organized and clear

2 Content is factually accurate and complete

3 Concepts are logically arranged and follow a natural progression

4 Concepts are succinctly presented with minimal text

5 Visual map shows what you have learned about the topic and what you want presented

6 Links show correct and meaningful relationships between each connected concept

7 Labels accurately describe the relationship between concepts

8 Text is clear and easy to read

9 Color is effectively used for emphasis and increased comprehension

10 Graphics are used only when necessary to increase comprehension

11 If someone other than you will be using the map, it must still make sense to the intended audience

12 Spelling and grammar are correct throughout the map

(Krasnic, 2012, p 60)

Students can also create a basic mind map via writing the topic in a circle in the center of their paper As ideas come to their mind, they draw lines radiating out from the central theme Then, they write their ideas on these branches When they recognize other related ideas, they draw a new branch Finally, they continue until their minds run out of ideas

The differences among the above-mentioned ways of mind-mapping are in the degrees of effectiveness they produce With different colors and images, mind-mapping is much more effective in learning vocabulary

2.3 Advantages and disadvantages of mind mapping

2.3.1 Advantages

There are many benefits of using mind-mapping Buzan, T and Buzan, B (1993, p 89) mention that mind-mapping can help readers save time by noting and reading only words relevant to the core-ideas Krasnic (2012, p 42) lists the major advantages of a visual map: using a mind‟s full range of skills, overcoming information overload, storing pertinent information and resources in one place,

providing a focused and detailed view, thinking flexibly and freely, increasing creativity, developing holistic understanding, thinking clearly through organized connections, enhancing problem-solving and decision-making, improving memory and understanding, and maintaining interest through its attractiveness, interaction and fun-disposition Additionally, in their research paper Zarei and Adami (2013, p 17) state that semantic-mapping recollects known words or concepts in isolation or

in a context Witter-Merithew (n.d, p 15) also finds the benefits of mind-mapping:

it is easy to prepare for representation and helps recall the information more efficiently This is because a mind-map is structured in a logical way Moreover, its visual-spatial representation and hierarchy encourage further review, understanding

of the text and discovery of contradictions in terms, paradoxes and extant text gaps

Mind-mapping plays an important role in education and teaching There are six reasons to use mind-mapping to teach a class The first is that it has great benefits for lesson planning With its visual mode, the teacher can tease out the topics, the order of such topics and the ways to interest students Furthermore, he/she can start with a topic and continue to explain all related matters using this visual aid Besides, an audio-visual lesson is always more interesting than a plain one Additionally, it is easy for students to follow the teacher‟s lesson properly Likewise, the linkage of ideas and topics will help students follow a logical path and naturally they will understand better Finally, mind-mapping enhances cooperation between students and the teacher When they work in groups, they accumulate their own resources at the same time Moreover, they can be ready to grasp, assimilate and evaluate the information to be read (Heimlich & Pittelman,

1986, as cited in Tateum, 2007, p 18)

For students, mind-mapping helps them „brainstorm‟ and explore ideas, concepts, or problems as well as communicate new ideas and thought progression more easily It also allows them to understand the relationships and connections between ideas and concepts more easily Moreover, it facilitates their note-taking and critical planning tasks so that they can recall information with little trouble

Zaid (1995, p 6) claims that students can improve their reading comprehension, written expression and vocabulary development by using mind-maps Moreover, they may develop their ability to use words properly because they know the relationship behind the words (White, 1998, as cited in Saeidi & Atmani,

2010, p 52)

Kinchin (2000, as cited in Mistades, 2009, p 2) emphasizes that produced-maps” are the most favored in the learning process because the students‟ learning misconceptions can be more clearly explored than in traditional methods Besides, student errors and alternative frameworks are easily investigated within the term of study (Edmondson, 2000, as cited in Mistades, 2009, p 2)

“pupil-Dilek and Yürük (2012, p 1542) write that a mind-map helps students eliminate the traditionally routine ambiance of the classroom, recall information and more importantly, relate new information to prior knowledge

DePorter and Hernacki (n.d, as cited in Effendi, 2004, p 9) describe some of the advantages of using the mind-mapping technique Firstly, it is flexible; this means a learner can label or deposit ideas anywhere on his/her mind-map according

to his/her own professed opinions Secondly, he/she can save time since all the topics focus on the main one This also helps the learner comprehend his/her material clearly and more easily remember it Finally, with the infiniteness of imagination and creativity as well as its associated pictures and colors, a learner can stimulate his/her mind to more enjoyable and exciting learning prospects

sub-Specifically, mind-mapping can help learn vocabulary It is because mind mapping “stores vocabulary in a logical and helpful way, so that the students can find old words and they can add new words easily and quickly” (Baker & Westrup,

2000, p 41)

Learning vocabulary does not mean that one just has to learn new words; it also means that one has to remember them To put it another way, learning is

remembering However, remembering a long list of words or even a word in the long-term memory is not easy Therefore, sensory memory has an important role in learning vocabulary According to Johnson C and Johnson D (n.d, p.10), graphic organizers including mind-mapping are some of the additional activities that can help deepen students‟ word knowledge Mind-mapping is an especially excellent way to „brainstorm‟ vocabulary in a language classroom One idea leads to another, thus making a whole page of words to learn This is true because of these reasons: firstly, mind-mapping meets the requirement of the brain function in terms of memorization As many of us know, the left hemisphere controls logical and rational reasoning while the right hemisphere inspires creativity and visualization Mind-mapping combines both and becomes a whole-brained uni-minded exercise, which helps students think more holistically Secondly, with pictures, drawings, or graphics, students develop graphic word impressions in their minds Thirdly, confronted with colorful pictures, students become more excited and creative The more interested they are in the activity, the more effective it will be Moreover, the relationship between sub-topics relating to the central topic helps students understand words in depth and remember them longer Mind-mapping thus allows students to clarify their thoughts by categorizing and grouping them together into related ideas Moreover, to achieve the best mind-maps, students will have to work

in groups and discuss issues with their friends, thus making learning a collaborative venture Working in groups helps students develop critical thinking and remember words longer; it also saves time in their vocabulary learning

To maximize mind-mappings‟ advantages, Buzan, T and Buzan, B (1993, p 96) gives some principles The first is capitalizing words for ease of reading; the second is to use unlined paper; the third is to start a mind-map in the center of the paper and connect all words or phrases with lines; and finally, the designer may use different colors for each hierachy of words The same classification of words has the same color to distinguish it from the others

2.3.2 Disadvantages

However, Hofland (2007, p 31) finds some disadvantages to mind-mapping when he used it Mind-mapping often appeared strange to his students; older students think it is childish to bring crayons, whereas others just write in their notebook Therefore, they do not welcome its use This makes the researcher think

of the solution for their positive attitudes towards working with mind mappings Stewart (2010, p 6) states one of the limitations of mind mapping is that “it isn‟t a catch-all teaching solution or all-purpose graphic organizer… It is not a suitable replacement for diagramming a sentence or charting a novel‟s plot” Being aware of this disadvantage, the reseacher applies mind-mapping to teach vocabulary in a reading comprehension lesson, not in a story

2.4 When and where to use mind mapping

Since first trademarked by the first mind-mapper, Tony Buzan, in May 1990, many organizations – including those of education and business – have become familiar with mind-mapping They have found that while mind-mapping is still a relatively un-tapped resource in education, it is a very efficient tool to use for

„brainstorming‟ solutions to business problems (as cited in Stewart, 2010, p 4)

In recent years, mind-mapping has been used not only to organize people‟s lives and develop new business ideas but also to teach learners in a variety of educational environments Because employers can tap into their employees‟ creativity and foster the sharing of innovative ideas, it improves productivity at work In addition, it improves productivity at home We often make a list of things

we need to buy at the market or what we should daily do and this helps us to think more logically and strategically Most importantly, mind mapping improves productivity at school

Wittkower (n.d, pp 5-7) mentions mind-maps can be used as expert-created and learner-created maps While experts use them to outline their plans, present

their entire speech in a single document, take crucial notes, and record presented material rapidly and precisely, students use them as evaluative, mnemonic, writing and analytic tools In the same vein, Krasnic (2012, pp 43-45) describes mind-maps

as a learning assessment tool since they can be used to summarize information, take notes of all information in one place, negotiate advantages and disadvantages of a topic, plan or outline before writing, develop ideas, review an entity of pictures, and present clearly

Because mind-mapping can be used in an educational context to analyze and organize what learners know or learn (Jonassen, Carr & Yueh, 1998, p 25), it serves three main purposes in language learning They are: (1) learning vocabulary, (2) building a clear context in the pre-stage, while-stage and post-stage of a lesson, especially a reading comprehension one, and (3) organizing one‟s thought in pre-writing Historically, Heimlich and Pittelman (1986, as cited in Dilek & Yürük,

2012, p 1535) first gave credence to the idea that mind-maps can be applied in pre- and post-stage He especially mentions their three applications in general vocabulary development, pre- and post-reading and study-skill techniques Moreover, Bogatikov (n.d, pp 6-10) specifies the use of mind-mapping in the three stages of a reading lesson and in writing As a pre-reading activity, he applies them

in the activation of the students‟ available knowledge, categorization and text prediction In while-reading, students read the text and fill in the mind-map but mind maps are also handy in the post-reading stage via creating a semantic-map after reading texts together with writing composition

Hofland (2007, p 38) urged his class to experience mind-mapping and found that its members could easily recall the content and even details of the reading text, which enabled them to be better students in reading skills Moi and Lian (2007, p 8) also use mind-maps as a strategy for reading comprehension In addition, students‟ thinking ability and creativity can be harnessed into writing skills as well; they can plan what they are going to write, which helps them save time and write logically Mind-mapping is also beneficial to one‟s speaking-skills in preparing a

topic for an oral test as well as in teaching pronunciation Finally, the students mention that mind-maps are very suitable for the elicitation of vocabulary

Regarding the employment of mind-mapping in remembering new vocabulary, Deporter, Readon, and Singer-Nourie (1999, p 175) propose some reasons why teachers can use mind-mapping in teaching vocabulary

(1) Mind mapping is very appropriate and flexible when applied to different age levels, themes, subjects and situations for whole classes, groups or individuals; (2) mind-mapping is a very good tool for creative thinking and problem solving; (3) in foreign language teaching and learning, mind-mapping can improve memory recall – the retrieval of facts, words or images; (4) mind-mapping is a creative note-taking method that helps us to remember more information, and (5) mind-mapping is a colorful use of pictures or symbols, which leads to an increase in the student interest in the subject

According to Antonacci (2015, p 19), the three most effective usages of the map are guiding discussion by teachers before, during and after reading a text, the selection of critical key words to teach and students‟ active discussion on constructing their word maps

In short, mind-mapping is used for learning vocabulary, building a concise context before, during and after study sessions, as well as organizing one‟s thought before writing

2.5 Empirical research

Research on mind mapping has shown that there still appears to be strong support for the effectiveness of mind mapping in vocabulary learning Researchers suggest that it is an effective teaching strategy for teaching vocabulary because of the benefits it brings to students in terms of their performance and learning attitude

This section reviews numerous research studies relating to mind-mapping They were conducted in Vietnam and in other socioeconomic contexts such as Indonesia, Iran and Turkey

First of all, a research study entitled “Teaching vocabulary through mind mapping technique to the tenth grade students of Sma Negeri 15 Palembang” was conducted by Effendi (2004), a student of PGRI University in Indonesia In her research, she randomly chose 60 students from 360 10th grade students of SMA Negeri 15 Palembang in the academic year of 2009-2010 She divided them into two groups, control and experimental group, each with 30 students Post-testing after the treatment was the only testing instrument in her research The result of the calculation of the matched t-test formula was 2.396, which was higher than the t-critical value of 1.725 This means that mind mapping was effective in teaching vocabulary As a result, the researcher suggested other researchers apply mind- mapping technique at a tertiary level

Secondly, Abdollahzadeh and Amiri (2009) conducted a quasi-experimental study to investigate the effect of semantic mapping as a vocabulary instruction technique on EFL learners with different perceptual learning styles with the help of vocabulary tests and perceptual learning style preference questionnaires They chose 196 participants from 264 intermediate adult Iranian EFL learners from different language institutes in Orumieh, upon whom they conducted their pre-testing Their scores were between one standard deviation above (SD = 14.08) and below the mean (M = 57.64) to ensure that the participanta were homogenous from the start They were divided into two equal groups – nine classes in the control group and eight in the experimental group After an eight-week treatment, the results from vocabulary post-testing indicated that in comparison to traditional methods, semantic-mapping significantly improved EFL learners‟ vocabulary learning The learners found many benefits from semantic-mapping; their long-term memories were improved and their keenness for studying vocabulary was accelerated However, the researchers failed when they tried to discover which