Using mind mapping to teach vocabulary communicatively for the 5th form students at a primary school in ninh binh province

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES PHAM THI HUONG USING MIND-MAPPING TO TEACH VOCABULARY COMMUNICATI

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

PHAM THI HUONG

USING MIND-MAPPING TO TEACH VOCABULARY

COMMUNICATIVELY FOR THE 5 TH FORM STUDENTS

AT A PRIMARY SCHOOL IN NINH BINH PROVINCE

(Sử dụng sơ đồ tư duy để dạy từ vựng theo đường hướng giao tiếp cho học sinh

lớp 5 tại một trường tiểu học ở tỉnh Ninh Bình)

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 8140231.01

HANOI – 2018

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

PHAM THI HUONG

USING MIND-MAPPING TO TEACH VOCABULARY

COMMUNICATIVELY FOR THE 5 TH FORM STUDENTS

AT A PRIMARY SCHOOL IN NINH BINH PROVINCE

(Sử dụng sơ đồ tư duy để dạy từ vựng theo đường hướng giao tiếp cho học sinh

lớp 5 tại một trường tiểu học ở tỉnh Ninh Bình)

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

FIELD:ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 8140231.01

SUPERVISOR: DR TRAN THANH NHAN

HANOI – 2018

DECLARATION

I certify that I myself write this thesis entitled “Using mind-mapping to teach

Ninh Binh Province” It is not a plagiarism or made by others Anything

related to others‟ works is written in quotation, the sources of which are listed

on the list of references If then the pronouncement proves wrong, I am ready

to accept any academic punishment, including the withdrawal or cancellation

of my academic degree

Signature Student

Pham Thi Huong

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Tran Thanh Nhan whose reference materials, support, stimulating suggestions and encouragement helped me in all stages of this research for and writing of this thesis Without her critical comments and valuable suggestions, this research could not have been completed

I take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to all my lecturers

in Faculty of Post-Graduate studies, University of Languages and International Studies, National University, Hanoi for their lectures which enable me to gain ample theoretical and practical knowledge

Furthermore, I want to thank my colleagues and students at Phu Loc Primary school who helped me carry out the investigation of the study

Finally, I am really grateful to my family for their encouragement and support to my process of writing of the thesis

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ABSTRACT

The aims of this research are to find out the effects of mind-mapping

on 5th graders‟ vocabulary communicatively at Phu Loc Primary school To limit the aspects to be analyzed in this study, I formulate two research questions (1) To what extent does the use of mind-mapping affect the students‟ vocabulary acquisition and skills development? (2) What are the students‟ attitudes toward using mind-mapping in vocabulary learning?

In the study, I carried out an action research with the 5A students of Phu Loc Primary school Data of this study were obtained from the results of questionnaires and from pre-test, while-test and post-test results Two instruments for collecting the data were (1) questionnaires toward vocabulary learning before and after applying the mind -mapping in teaching vocabulary and (2) the pre-test and post- test

The findings of the data analysis showed that (1) Mind-mapping can help the students to improve their abilities in retaining English vocabulary and using it in communicative activities; (2) the students had positive attitudes toward the mind-mapping.Thus, mind-mapping is hoped to be a promising technique to teach and learn English

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i

ABSTRACT ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iii

LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS vi

PART A: INTRODUCTION 7

1 Rationale of the study 7

2 Scope of the study 8

3 Research questions 8

4 Aims of the study 9

5 Methods of the study 9

6 Organization of the thesis 9

PART B: DEVELOPMENT 10

CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW 10

1.1 Vocabulary and its importance 10

1.1.1 Vocabulary definition 10

1.1.2 The role of vocabulary 11

1.2 Mind mapping 12

1.2.1 Definition of mind map 12

1.2.2 Functions of mind-mapping 13

1.2.3 Characteristics of mind-mapping 13

1.2.4 Steps to create a mind map 14

1.3 Mind mapping techniques 15

1.3.1 Definition of mind mapping techniques 15

1.3.2 The significance of mind-mapping in language classroom 16

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1.3.3 The application of mind-mapping to teaching a foreign language 17

1.4 Advantages and disadvantages of mind mapping techniques 19

1.4.1 Advantages of mind mapping techniques 19

1.4.2 Disadvantages of mind mapping techniques 19

1.5 Summary 20

CHAPTER II: THE METHODOLOGY 21

2.1 The context of the study 21

2.2 Participants 21

2.3 Research methodology 22

2.3.1 Action research definition 22

2.3.2 Action research procedure 23

2.3.3 Data collection instrument 24

2.3.4 Data collection procedure 24

2.4 Setting of the Study 25

2.5 Data collection instruments 26

2.5.1 Tests 26

2.5.2 Questionnaires 27

2.6 Data analysis methods 27

2.7 Summary 27

CHAPTER III: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS 28

3.1 An analysis of the vocabulary scores 28

3.2 An analysis of the writing scores 31

3.3 An analysis of the reading scores 34

3.4 Evidence of speaking skill 35

3.5 Results from questionnaire 38

PART C: CONCLUSION 41

1 Pedagogical implications 41

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2 Limitations of the study 42

3 Suggestions for further study 43

4 Conclusion 43

REFERENCES 45 APPENDICES I

Appendix 1A(Test 1) I Appendix 1B III Appendix 1C IV Appendix 2A(Test 2) VI Appendix 2B VII Appendix 3A(Test 3) VIII Appendix 3B IX Appendix 4A(Test 4) X Appendix 4B XI Apendix 5A(Test 5) XII Appendix 5B XIII Appendix 6A (Test 6) XIV Appendix 6B XVII Appendix 6C XVIII Appendix 7 XIX Appendix 8 XXI Appendix 9 XXIII Appendix 10 XXV Appendix 11: SAMPLE LESSON PLAN XXVI

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LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS

I.LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Procedure of the research 26

Table 2: Mean scores of test results 33

Table 3: Correlation between test 1 and the other tests 33

Table 4: Mean scores, Min, Max of reading test results 35

Table 5: Results of the questionnaire 39

II LIST OF CHARTS Figure 1: Action research cycle 23

Chart 1: Results of the vocabulary pre- test 28

Chart 2: Results of the vocabulary post- test 29

Chart 3: Comparison between pre-test and post-test scores 30

Chart 4: Results of the writing scores 31

Chart 5: Results of the reading scores 34

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PART A: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale of the study

English has been playing an important role in various aspects of life such as education, entertainment, economy, science, culture and so on It is a useful tool for people to keep up with the latest technological developments in the world

Therefore, teaching and learning English is now considered as a necessity in the society with the aim of mastering an international language English has become an integral part of general education and mostly a compulsory subject from primary to tertiary level

At Phu Loc primary school, English is a compulsory subject in the curriculum It is taught for 3rd, 4th and 5th form students to equip the students with some basic knowledge to communicate and complete tasks in the textbooks After observing and conducting an interview at the school, the teacher has identified a problem that involved the learning English vocabulary ofPhu Loc primary students They felt difficult to memorize and recall English vocabulary items including their pronunciation, their spelling and especially their meaning The students usually cannot remember the words for long and recall them when needed, hence, could not use vocabulary

to do the reading and writing tasks

Vocabulary is a basic factor necessary for mastering a language This is because vocabulary is integral to every language skill, including reading, writing, listening and speaking skill Individuals cannot easily make conversations or convey their thoughts in both oral and written forms without having a certain level of vocabulary knowledge David Wilkins (1972) emphasized the importance of vocabulary as, “Without grammar, little can be

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conveyed; without vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed”

Therefore, the lack of vocabulary leads to many serious difficulties in foreign language teaching and learning in Vietnam.Accordingly, low proficiency poses a major obstacle to the students in acquiring the language knowledge and taking part in class activities It is clear that they could not communicate well because they lack the words they need They could not practice writing tasks, either

In fact, there are manyvocabularylearning techniques such as matching, role play, semantic-mapping, dictionary use, learning vocabulary through the context, and many others The writer has a desire to help the students to be more successful in using English vocabulary communicatively and to motivate them to learn new words For this purpose, I would like to conduct this study entitled:

“Usingmind-mapping to teach vocabulary communicatively for the 5 th

form students at a primary school in Ninh Binh Province”

2 Scope of the study

Concerning the scope of the study, some of the following factors should be taken into consideration Firstly, the subjects of the study are 31 5thstudents at Phu Loc primary school Secondly, the writer chooses the 5th form students because she taught them in grade 3, 4 and observed that they do not have sufficient vocabularies Therefore, the writer would like to facilitate their vocabulary learning help them to be interested in learning vocabulary Thirdly, the major purpose of this study is to motivate students to learn vocabulary communicatively through mind mapping technique

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vocabulary acquisition?

2 What are its advantages towards teaching vocabulary communicatively?

4 Aims of the study

The current study aims at motivating learning vocabulary communicatively through mind mapping technique at Phu Loc primary school

5 Methods of the study

This study was conducted as an action research with pretest, while test, and posttest in order to determine the causal relationship between teaching vocabulary through mind mapping and the enhancement of students‟ vocabulary retention, reading, writing, and speaking skills

6 Organization of the thesis

Part A: Introduction introduces the rationale, the aims, the research

questions, the scope and the design of the study

Part B: Development is divided into 3 chapters

Chapter 1: Literature Review presents theories related to vocabulary,

mind-mapping

Chapter 2: The study presents the research methods, the setting of the study,

the participants, the research data and the research procedures

Chapter 3: Findings and Discussion presents the analysis of initial collected data

to determine the problems, then the action plan The analysis of post-treatment data was then presented along with which the discussions were given

Part C: Conclusion provides the pedagogical implications, some limitations

of the study and suggestions for future study

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PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter presents a brief review of the literature relevant to the study It consists of the theory of vocabulary and mind mapping technique

1.1 Vocabulary and its importance

1.1.1 Vocabulary definition

Vocabulary plays a crucial part in the language learning process Having a wide range of vocabulary is strongly related to the degree of language proficiency Hence, it is necessary to clarify this term in this study at first

So far there have been ample definitions of vocabulary Specially, Ur (1996) characterized vocabulary as the words we teach in the foreign language She also stated that a new item of vocabulary may be more than a single word: a compound of two or three words or multi -word idioms In addition, Read (2001) viewed words as the basic building blocks of language, the units of meaning from which the larger structures such as sentences, paragraphs and whole texts are formed (p.1)

Vocabulary can be defined, roughly, according to the Cambridge Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary, as following:

- All the words known and used by a particular person

- All the words which exist in a particular language or subject

In short, from the definition above, it can be concluded that vocabulary

is a list of words or a set of words in a language and knowledge of words regarding its forms and meanings In the present study, vocabulary refers to the words, compounds and idioms in a language that have meanings used to

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convey and receive information in oral and written communication

1.1.2 The role of vocabulary

Even though vocabulary is the sub-set of a language, it plays a very important role in language No one can communicate in any meaningful way without vocabulary A large, rich vocabulary gives them the right words to use at the right time

According to Richards and Renandya in 2002, vocabulary is a core component of language proficiency and provides much of the basis for how well learners speak, listen, read, and write Similar opinion was also expressed by McCarthy who stated if you do not know enough vocabulary, you will not be able to express yourself adequately For learners, he also claimed that no matter how well the students learn grammar, no matter how successfully the sounds of L2 are mastered, without words to express a wider range of meaning, communication in an L2 just cannot happen in any meaningful way

Having a wide range of vocabulary, one‟s listening and reading will improve because he/she will be able to understand more of what is written or spoken Their writing will become more effective and more powerful A person with a limited vocabulary will never be able to speak, write, read or understand English effectively Hence, vocabulary shortage affects all the other skills

Nation (2001) emphasized the need to constantly expand vocabulary knowledge “acquisition of vocabulary is typically a more conscious and demanding process” Additionally, he claimed that even at an advanced level, learners are aware of limitations in their knowledge of L2 words He clarified the

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importance of vocabulary by bringing evidence that vocabulary knowledge is what the students most need while doing reading activities in order to make sense of what they are reading Moreover, it is his claim that those who do not attain enough vocabulary cannot understand enough of what they read Furthermore, they have more limited contextual information provided by known words to allow them to guess the meaning of unfamiliar words

All in all, from various above points of view, vocabulary can be seen as

a priority area in language learning and teaching However, the main obstacle all students face in vocabulary learning is to recall words or memorize words

to use them effectively in communicative situations Therefore, a focus on improving vocabulary retention is essential for learners to raise their English proficiency

1.2 Mind mapping

1.2.1 Definition of mind map

Mind map, according to Buzan (2006), is a technique of making an outline which used the represent words, ideas, tasks, or another linked to an arranged radically around a central key word or idea by lines and typically it contains words, ideas, short phrases or pictures

Furthermore, Marton & Booth (1997) state that Mind map is a tool for enhancing learning and thinking It provides a structure to reveal various aspects of a story such as the sequence of events, the key points, the cause and effect, the relation of ideas and so on Students can use mind maps for revising and clarifying thoughts so as to get the deep meaning of a story Additionally, Murley (2007) affirms that mind maps are a non linear visual outline of complex information that can aid creativity, organization, productivity, and memory With the same opinion, Paul Emmerson (cited in

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the article “Using Mind Map in BE”, 2010) affirmed that “a mind map is a

way of making notes that is intuitive and highly personal You put „your world‟ down on paper as a visual diagram and then use it as the basis for a speaking activity There is a central topic in the middle, surrounded by sub-topics linked to it with lines The sub-topics have further branches, according

to the ideas/imagination of the person who draws the mind map (or the instructions of the teacher)”

In brief, mind map is a diagram used to visually outline information It

is often created around a single word or text, placed in the center, to which associated ideas, words and concepts are added

1.2.2 Functions of mind-mapping

According to Buzan (2009:6), mind-mapping have the following functions:

* To make active all parts of brain

* To make people (learners) focus on the main topic

* To help show the relation among parts of information

* To give a certain illustration in the whole and detail

* To help group the concept and compare it

1.2.3 Characteristics of mind-mapping

The mind map has four essential characteristics:

* The subject of attention is crystallized in a central image

* The main themes of the subject radiate from the central image on branches

* Branches hold a key image word printed on the associated line-details radiate out

* The branches form a connectedstructure

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1.2.4 Steps to create a mind map

Al Naqbi (2012: 15) suggests that there are seven steps in developing Mind

Map They are:

a) Starting from the center of blank paper, the long side of which is put flatly

b) Using picture or photograph for central idea It is because a picture or

photograph will have a thousand words helping the brain use imagination to

express

c) Using attractive color It is because for brain, color is as interesting as picture

d) Connecting the main branches to central picture, and connecting the

second-order and third-second-order branches to the first-, second-second-order, and so on

e) Drawing curving rather than straight connecting line It is because straight

line will make the brain bored

f) Using one keyword for each line It is because a single member keyword

has more power and flexibility in mind mapping

g) Using pictures It is because every central picture means a thousand words (See the example of mind map guidelines)

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1.3 Mind mapping techniques

1.3.1 Definition of mind mapping techniques

Buzan (cited in Yusuf Effendi 2004) states that a mind mapping is a powerful graphic technique which provides a universal key to unlock the potential of the brain It is visual map of ideas, laid out in a radial format around a central thought and it involves a unique combination of imagery, colour and visual-spatial arrangement which is proven to significantly improve recall when compared to conventional methods of note-taking and rote learning It needs imagination and association to activate our brain in remembering something

Based on DePotter and Hernacki as translated into English (2008) mind

In summary, Mind mapping can help poor readers to read more effectively because the format can show the relative importance of individual points and the way in which facts relate to one another

1.3.2 The significance of mind-mapping in language classroom

MM is an effective form of vocabulary learning and teaching tool because it can activate prior knowledge on a certain topic and help learners to organize and recall items of vocabulary (according to Casco in 2009) When using MM, the teacher starts with main topic or the theme as the central idea and the students think about the new and the old items related to the topic given Therefore, this will lead to more comfortable and more active learning atmosphere which is effective for longer retention of the learnt words

Additionally, MM can promote interactive learning process By implementing the MM technique in teaching, both the teacher and students can work together to build on the map building involving the targeted content The teacher can help students to recall the prior knowledge related to the topic given MMs provide students with an active interaction allowing them to learn through the use of a central image They are encouraged to join in and express their ideas to the map building The constructing process of map building involving discussing in groups/ class, writing words down, categorizing and

To sum up, MM can be an effective technique in vocabulary learning and teaching for the improvement of vocabulary retention Following is the

review of the studies related to this study

1.3.3 The application of mind-mapping to teaching a foreign language

It is obvious that memory plays an important role in learning and mastering a foreign language In communicative approach, learners need to retain words and use them effectively

Mind-mapping is a helpful memory technique which makes it easier to remember new materials and to visualize the thinking process, so mind-mapping proves to be a very helpful tool to master a foreign language Although it may cost time to use the technique, it will eventually speed up the learning process when learners know and understand how to use it

Casco (2009) suggests some applications of mind-mapping in teaching

a foreign language which can be presented as follows:

Engage the learners:

Thanks to the map, the learners know easily what comes next and focus the learners‟ attention on the topic Moreover, the map supports a structure to reduce the learners‟ anxiety when they receive input through listening and reading when they speak

Active prior knowledge

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The use of keywords stimulates memory of what the student know about the topic

Encourage the learner to ask questions:

The map shows clearly what the students know and what they do not know about the topic Image and interrogation marks widen the information gap and encourage the learners to find out what they do not know

Scaffold reading and listening comprehension:

The map is an efficient tool to facilitate comprehension because it offers the students a globe view of listening or reading contents Furthermore, the cues showing in the map helps the learner to form inferences as an aid to understanding

Scaffold speaking

The map helps the learner to organize their thought and speech The different linked and cross-referenced elements of the map allow the learner to create a various discourse each time he/she use the map

Assess oral production

The map can assess the students‟ oral production by explaining the link

of the maps The learner has to use new structures and lexical items to introduce the content of the map

Scaffold written production

The map can be considered the starting point or the outline to write a paragraph or an essay on the topic explored

Casco (2009) showed that mind-mapping has ample benefits in teaching a foreign language in many aspects consisting of reading, writing, reading skill as well as in motivating the learners and activating the prior

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knowledge

1.4 Advantages and disadvantages of mind mapping techniques

1.4.1 Advantages of mind mapping techniques

Buzan (2007) proposes to use mind mapping technique because it makes students to be imaginative, to find new ideas, to save time, to be creative, to keep note, to develop a concept, and to perform a presentation

Similarly, Hofland (2007) argues that mind mapping can contribute to learners‟ motivation because of its creative aspects This statement is supported by Bono (1969) (as cited in Hofland (2007)) who states that

“creativity is a great motivator because it makes people interested in what they are doing Creativity gives hope that there can be a worthwhile idea Creativity gives the possibility of some sort of achievement to everyone Creativity makes life more fun and more interesting”.Additionally, Stanley (2004) affirmed that mind mapping techniques can help students generate their ideas more easily Based on theories above, it can be concluded that the use of mind mapping technique in classroom is effective because it could increase student‟s motivation and aid the teachers to explain the learning materials

1.4.2 Disadvantages of mind mapping techniques

Although using mind mapping technique in teaching reading text summary has many advantages, there are some disadvantages when using them for both teachers and students Firstly, using MM in summarizing the text is time consuming for teachers, they have to spend a lot of time preparing

MM by either hand made or software on computer in advance Besides, using

MM is only effective and easy when the classrooms have a computer and

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projector However, not every classroom has these teaching aids Furthermore, making MM costs the teachers a lot of money if they draw mind maps by hand For instance, teachers have to print, or buy pictures or posters from the bookshops to stick on mind maps Moreover, the students also have difficulties in constructing MM, and the way they solve it Most of students were still confused with new words, finding the key words and making branches in making MM Last but not least, students have less collaboration

with friends because each student was busy with her/ his work

1.5 Summary

This chapter was an overview of literature related to the study The first section of this chapter reviewed definitions of vocabulary and its importance The second part discussed mind mapping Next, mind mapping techniques were mentioned This chapter ended with the advantages and disadvantages of mind mapping techniques

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CHAPTER II: THE METHODOLOGY

As introduced in part A, this chapter was to test the effectiveness of teaching vocabulary communicatively through mind mapping

2.1 The context of the study

The participants of the study are 5th form students of Phu Loc primary school and 3 English teachers working at this school

As for students, they are mostly children of the farmers in a rural area of the North Vietnam Their English is of different levels, which means there are both excellent and weak students

As for 3 English teachers, all are female; both of them have university degrees in teaching English as a foreign language Their teaching experience ranges from 3 years to 5 years

At Phu Loc primary school, English is one of the compulsory subjects in the curriculum “Tieng Anh 5” textbook consists of twenty units for two terms The course book is designed in themes with familiar topics to children Each theme includes five topics, a review and a short story Learning activities in each topic are organized into three lessons for four skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) and basic language knowledge (phonics, vocabulary, grammar) Learning activities are suitable with young learners‟ characteristics, with Vietnamese culture as well as international interaction

2.2 Participants

The participants of this study are the 5th students of Phu Loc primary school The class has 31 students, consisting of 12 females and 19 males The

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students are ten years old They have learnt English for 2 years The students felt difficult to memorize and recall English vocabulary items including their pronunciation, their spelling and especially their meaning The students usually cannot remember the words for long and recall them when needed Therefore, Students could not use vocabulary to do the task: reading and writing

The participants in this study consisted of 31(12 females and 19 males) After teaching them in grade 4, the teacher-researcher found that her students‟ vocabulary was very poor and their vocabulary strategies seemed to be ineffective Therefore, the researcher chose them to become volunteer participants in the action research project The entire class was selected to do

2 vocabulary tests, 6 writing tests and 6 reading tests

The researcher is an English teacher at Phu Loc primary school She has worked there for 3 years and is now taking a Master course TESOL at ULIS

2.3 Research methodology

2.3.1 Action research definition

This study was carried out using action research approach

Action research is first and foremost situational, being concerned with the identification and solution of problems in a specific context The aim of action research is to improve the current state of affairs within the educational context in which the research is being carried out(Cohen and Manion, 1985) Similar with this idea, Parsons and Brown in 2002 stated that action research

is an investigation carried out by teachers attempting to find solutions to problems and improve their professional practices in their own classroom

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Based on the above definitions, action research is an appropriate method in this thesis The aim of this research is to improve first-year students‟ vocabulary retention by using MM techniques This leads to changing the students‟ attitudes positively towards English vocabulary learning

2.3.2 Action research procedure

Different authors and researchers have established and proposed different models of action research In this study, action research was

designed and conducted in line with the cycle adopted from McBride &

Schostak (1995):

Figure 1: Action research cycle

As can be seen in the diagram above, the process starts with the identification of the problem area This is followed by collecting initial data,

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from which a pre-test during thirty minutes is implemented so as to confirm the problem stated in stage 1 After that, the data collected from the pre-test is analyzed to form a hypothesis The next step of this action research study is planning action In this phase, the researcher presents the alternatives to the usual practice so that the study could bring about desired changes Implementing action is the process of introducing the MM method as a major technique to see if there is any development in the students‟ vocabulary retention and their attitudes towards the use of this technique At the phase of collecting data to monitor change, the students are given the post-test during thirty minutes to determine the effectiveness of the intervention Along with the post-test, the students also receive one survey questionnaire to show their perceptions and opinions about this new technique After that the researcher analyzes the data collected through tests and questionnaire, reflection to identify the result of the research

2.3.3 Data collection instrument

In this study, the vocabulary, reading and writing tests were designed to examine the effectiveness of MM on 5th students‟ learning vocabulary and using it in both receptive and productive skills Many reasons for vocabulary testing are indicated by Nation (1990): to find learners' total vocabulary size,

to compare vocabulary knowledge before and after the course, to keep a continuing check on progress, to encourage learning by setting short-term goals, to see the effectiveness of your teaching, to investigate learning

Each test lasted ten minutes The vocabulary items used in the tests were taken from the students‟ book

2.3.4 Data collection procedure

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The mind- mapping technique was applied in 6 weeks in the 5th class during the first semester of the 2017- 2018 at Phu Loc primary school The following table summarized the procedures of the research:

As shown in the table 1, the mind-mapping technique was applied from week 2 to week 4 in the 5th class During four-week treatment, the students had four periods every week and one thirty- five minute period was taught in each lesson

2.4 Setting of the Study

This study was conducted in the first semester in the school year of 2017-2018 in Phu Loc primary school, Ninh Binh It started on August 25th

2017 and ended on October 15th, 2017 The research was conducted according

to the English teaching-learning schedule on weekday morning The schedule

of the study can be seen in the Table 1 below:

25/08/2017

Pre-test Before conducting the treatment, the teacher

has the students do the pre-test and tell them about the materials learnt

(The test can be seen in Appendix 1A, 1B, 1C.)

28/8-7/9

Unit 2 The topic was “Daily activities”

(The test that can seen Appendix 2A, 2B) (The lesson plan can be seen in Appendix) 10/9-19/9 Unit 3 The topic was “Last holiday”

(The test that can seenAppendix 3A, 3B) (The lesson plan can be seen in Appendix)

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20/9-28/9 Unit 4 The topic was “Past activities”

(The test that can seenAppendix 4A, 4B) (The lesson plan can be seen in Appendix) 1/10-10/10 Unit 5 The topic was “Future activities”

(The test that can seenAppendix 5A, 5B) (The lesson plan can be seen in Appendix) 15/10/2017 Post-test (The test that can seenAppendix 6A, 6B, 6C)

Table 1: Procedure of the research

2.5 Data collection instruments

This study adopted questionnaires and tests as instruments for data collection

2.5.1 Tests

With the intention to find out the effects of mind-mapping on using vocabulary communicatively, the teacher designed tests: a pre-vocabulary test and a post-vocabulary test; a pre-writing test, four tests during the process of applying mind-mapping techniques and a post-writing test; a pre-reading test, four tests during the process of applying MM techniques and a post- reading test to compare the students‟ progress before and after applying mind-mapping in teaching vocabulary Students had 10 mins to do the test

writing, because learners doing these need to produce language They are also known as active skills They can be compared with the receptive skills of listening and reading

Questionnaire 2 (Appendix 10)

This questionnaire was given at post-action stage to evaluate the students‟ attitudes towards the effects of mind-mapping on the students‟ vocabulary Question 1 was set up to determine the level of the students‟ vocabulary after the action stage Questions 2-5 aimed at gathering the students‟ opinions toward the classroom atmosphere when mind-mapping was applied

2.6 Data analysis methods

The researcher employed the software Microsoft Excel to count the level of marks, calculate the correlation and means of tests

2.7 Summary

This chapter presented the research settings, the participants and teaching material They were followed by action research definition and action research procedure The chapter finally concluded with the through description of data collection instruments, data collection procedure and data analysis procedure The following chapter will show the results of the study

mind-mapping

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CHAPTER III: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS

The previous chapter presented the context of the study, participants, method and procedure of the study, the data collection instruments, and the data analysis procedure as well This chapter focuses on analyzing the results obtained from the tests and the questionnaires A detailed discussion of the findings is also presented in this chapter

3.1 An analysis of the vocabulary scores

The analysis of scores from pre-test and post-test aimed at answering the first question of this study

Before and after the treatment, all the students were given a pre-test and

a post-test to test the students‟ vocabulary The researcher herself checked the papers of the two tests and used the following score interval in her study

Chart1: Results of the vocabularypre- test

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As can be clearly seen from chart, the majority of the students (54.84%) get 5-6 marks while 12.9% gets good marks at the beginning The result from the pre-test revealed that almost all the students were aware of the importance of learning vocabulary but they encountered problems in learning vocabulary They did not receive good grade because they had low motivation

in learning vocabulary These are several reasons for this situation: the students had difficulties in memorising vocabulary because the teacher did not use appropriate technique which can motivate them or help them learn words more effectively Therefore, the teacher had to intervene to improve the situation

Chart 2: Results of the vocabularypost- test

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From this chart, it can be seen that the number of students who got bad marks fell dramatically from 9.68% to 0% whereas the number who got marks 7-8 increased considerably from 22.58% to 41.94% Students‟ scores were shown clearly from mark 0 to mark 10 (see Appendix 8) The teacher then counted the number of each mark for each test

Chart 3: Comparison between pre-test and post-test scores

The difference between the result of the pre-test and post-test showed that the students achieved high vocabulary level after 5 units of applying mind-mapping In the post-test those who got marks 3-4 was none and while the students getting marks 9-10 accounted for 12.9% (4 students) and up to 22.58% (7 students) The students who got marks 7-8 increased considerably from 22.58% to 41.94% Therefore, the scores between the two tests indicated the students‟ remarkable progress in retaining vocabularies

In conclusion, the result showed the students held positive attitudes

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towards mind-mapping and got more motivated in learning vocabulary Therefore, the students could make progress in their learning Moreover, the result of post test proved their progress through their higher results in post-test although there may be others factors affected their results

3.2 An analysis of the writing scores

As stated in the previous chapter, the first research question was answered first by the results taken from the tests The writing tasks were tested after the teacher applied the mind-mapping and let students do tasks (except from test

1 which was not applied with mind- mapping and test 6 which was tested without mind-mapping) This meant the students were indeed familiar with these topic Therefore, the tests were designed to investigate the effectiveness

of mind- mapping in helping students writing skill

Students‟ scores were shown clearly from mark 0 to mark 10 (see Appendix 9) The teacher then counted the number of each mark for each test

Chart 4: Results of the writing scores

After collecting the paper tests of students, the researcher herself marked and categorized the scores according to the above score interval After

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that, the researcher made comparison among pre-test, progressive test and post-test scores to find out any difference before and after the treatment The following table presented the distribution of the test results

As can be clearly seen from the chart, before treatment, the majority of the students could not do the test successfully Up to 67.74% of the students got weak and bad marks The number of the students who got medium points comprised 16.13% Especially, only 6.45 % of the students received good marks and there were three students who got excellent marks (9.68%) The results indicated that the writing skill of the students was comparatively low Therefore, the researcher decided to try a new method in classroom with expectation of solving this problem

Also from the above chart, it can be clearly seen that there was considerable improvement in the students‟ scores after the treatment was used

in test 2, test 3, test 4 and test 5 The number of the students who received weak marks was none On the contrary, the number of the students who got average scores considerably increased by 35.48% to 58.06% The highest rate

of excellent marks belonged to the fourth test with 19.35% In the post test

which did not apply MM, none of them gained very poor marks in the

post-test The students receiving good, excellent marks amounted to 25,8%

To see the positive effects of MM, the author calculated the means of test results

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Tests Test 1

(pre)

Test 2 (U2)

Test 3 (U3)

Test 4 (U4)

Test 5 (U5)

Test 6 (post)

Means

of test

results

Table 2: Mean scores of test results

It can be seen that among six tests, the average of test 1 was 5.77 that was the lowest There was a continuous increase in the scores from test 2 to test 5 from 6.54 to 7 Test 4 had the highest mean score of the test results Although in test 6 mind- mapping was not applied, there was a slight decline

in this test, its mean score of test results was also higher than test 1

The researcher calculated correlation (r) between test 1 (T1) and the other tests (T2, T3, T4, T5, T6)

T1 – T2 T1 – T3 T1 – T4 T1 – T5 T1 – T6

r 0.91 0.80 0.83 0.82 0.81

Table 3: Correlation between test 1 and the other tests

The table showed that the correlation between test 1 and test 2, test 1 and test 3, test 1 and test 4, test 1 and test 5, test 1 and test 6 was 0.91, 0.8, 0.83, 0.82 and 0.81 respectively This meant that there was a positive correlation between them In other words, the tests before which MM was applied were more effective than the pretest

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3.3 An analysis of the reading scores

The reading tasks were tested after the teacher applied the mind-mapping and let students do tasks (except from test 1 which was not applied with mind- mapping and test 6 which was tested without mind-mapping) Students‟ scores were shown clearly from mark 0 to mark 10 (see Appendix 10) The teacher then counted the number of each mark for each test

Chart 5: Results of the reading scores

From the chart, it can be seen that the number of the students who got weak marks fell dramatically from 11% to 2% whereas the number of the students who got good marks, excellent increased considerably from 15% to 26%

The difference between the result of the pre-test and post-test showed that the students achieved high vocabulary level after 5 units of applying mind-mapping In the post-test those who got marks 1-2 rested only 1 student

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(2%) and 5 of them (11%) got marks 3-4 while the students getting marks

9-10 accounted for 18% (8 students) and up to 42% (19 students) got marks 7-8 Therefore, the scores between the two tests indicated the students‟ remarkable progress in retaining vocabularies

Tests Test 1

(pre)

Test 2 (U2)

Test 3 (U3)

Test 4 (U4)

Test 5 (U5)

Test 6 (post)

Table 4: Mean scores, Min, Max of reading test results

3.4 Evidence of speaking skill

A nice way of engaging creative interest would be to provide students with blank maps which just have a central idea This time ask students to add an image to each branch associated with the central idea In this way they are providing their own images associated with the topic and making their own associations before speaking By adding keywords to sub-branches or child branches, as they‟re called, students are filling in their own context of useful words and phrases that they can use for the speaking activity

One thing to remember about mind-mapping is that we only put one keyword

on each branch, so students have to choose a key word from particular expressions without writing out the whole thing This is good because they start memorizing chunks based on these key words, so the process of mapping like this enhances memory, flow and fluency, whilst allowing students to build up a collection of theme-based word-maps, as opposed to word lists These are some student‟s project based on mind-mapping They had

presentation in front of class from unit 2 to unit 5

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