Developing supplementary vocabulary activities to enhance vocabulary retention for tenth grade students at a high school in bac ninh province

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ---O0O---QUẢN THỊ MINH NGUYỆT DEVELOPING SUPPLEMENTARY VOCABULARY AC

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

-O0O -QUẢN THỊ MINH NGUYỆT

DEVELOPING SUPPLEMENTARY VOCABULARY ACTIVITIES

TO ENHANCE VOCABULARY RETENTION FOR TENTH GRADE

STUDENTS

AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN BAC NINH PROVINCE.

Phát triển các hoạt động bổ trợ học từ vựng để cải thiện vốn từ vựng

của học sinh lớp 10 tại một trường THPT Bắc Ninh

M.A MINOR PROGRAM THESIS

Field Code Supervisor

: English Teaching Methodology : 8140231.01

: Dr Vu Thi Thanh Nha

Hanoi 2019

I hereby certify the thesis entitled “Developing supplementary vocabulary

activities to enhance vocabulary retention for tenth grade students at a high

school in Bac Ninh province.” as my own work in the fulfillment of the

requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts at the University of Languages andInternational Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi

Bac Ninh, 2019Student‟s signature

Quan Thi Minh Nguyet

Secondly, my grateful thanks are also extended to Ms Le Thi Lien – mysupervisor in my training at Thuan Thanh 3 high school for her assistance inkeeping my progress on schedule and supporting me in collecting data for my paper.

Finally, I wish to thank my family for their support and encouragementthroughout my study

It can be understood that vocabulary is a key point in learning English As ateacher of English for high school students, I am highly aware of vocabularyacquisition function for my students They are from rural district with quite lowlevel of English In addition, they have obstacles with words when they are learningEnglish because of lacking vocabulary Therefore, they could face with a number ofdifficulties learning vocabulary effectively As a teacher, I want to find out asolution to this problem in my class It results a need for more supplementaryactivities to enhance students‟ vocabulary retention

Aiming to achieve my goals, I prefer action research with helps me in

finding out the effectiveness of supplementary activities on my students, and their attitudes towards those activities That using digital flashcards and paper flashcards

is expected to support students‟ vocabulary retention Observation and

questionnaire are research tools which help me to carry out my study Due to the limitattion of the study, the participants includes 45 students in the practitioner‟s class, quite a small number After an eight-week study, the practitioner gets some positive feedback of the students, and the students‟ output is a little better; their desire to the adjustment is an encouragement By applying some supplementary activities to enhance students‟ vocabulary retention, she hopes to help and suggest some effective vocabulary learning and teaching activities Therefore, she does expect that her findings would be the hints for further investigation in vocabulary retention as well Although the study time is not quite long, she would carefully review and think of later study

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii

ABSTRACT iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS v

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES viii

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Rationale of the study 1

1.2 Aims of the study 2

1.3 Scope of the study 2

1.4 Methodology 2

1.5 Organization of the thesis 3

CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE 4

2.1 Concepts of vocabulary 5

2.1.1 Definition of vocabulary 5

2.1.2 Classification of vocabulary 7

2.1.2.1 Vocabulary classification according to frequency of use 7

2.1.2.2 Vocabulary classification according to meaning 8

2.1.3 Aspect of vocabulary to be taught in class 9

2.1.3.1 Pronunciation and spelling 9

2.1.3.2 Word formation 10

2.1.3.3 Grammar 10

2.1.3.4 Collocation 11

2.2 The role of vocabulary in language teaching and learning 12

2.3 Currently techniques in vocabulary teaching 13

2.3.1 Visual techniques 14

2.3.2 Verbal techniques 14

2.3.3 Translation 15

2.3.4 The use of dictionary 15

2.4 Quizlet and flashcard as new vocabulary teaching and learning tools 16

2.4.1 Quizlet 16

2.4.2 Flashcard 16

2.5 Memorizing vocabulary 18

2.5.1 Vocabulary retention 18

2.5.2 Types of memories 19

2.6 Related studies 19

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY 23

3.1 The methodology 23

3.1.1 Reason to choose action research 23

3.1.2 Phases of action research 24

3.2 Participants of the study 26

3.2.1 The students 26

3.2.2 The textbooks 26

3.3 Data collection instruments 29

3.3.1 Observation 29

3.3.2 Questionnaire 30

3.4 Procedures of the research study 31

3.4.1 Plan: Planning the action 31

3.4.2 Act: Putting the plan into action 31

3.4.3 Observe: Observing the results of the plan 32

3.4.3.1 Observation: 32

3.4.3.2 Questionnaire 32

3.4.4 Reflect: Reflecting and planning for further action 33

3.5 Summary 33

CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 35

4.1 Current difficulties that students might face in their vocabulary retention 35

4.1.1 Difficulties that students might face 35

4.1.2 Aspects of vocabulary to be taught 36

4.1.3 The most frequently used techniques to teach vocabulary 37

4.2 Supplementary activities to enhance students’ vocabulary retention and

their attitude 38

4.2.1 Supplementary activities to enhance students‟ vocabulary retention 38

4.2.1.1 The first cycle: applying paper flashcards 38

4.2.1.2 The second cycle: applying digital flashcards 40

4.2.2 Students‟ attitude toward supplementary activities 42

4.2.2.1 Frequency of using supplementary activities prior to the study 42

4.2.2.2 Opinion of students on the effect of using DFs and PFs to teach vocabulary 43

4.2.2.3 Benefits of using supplementary activities in teaching vocabulary perceived by students 44

4.2.2.4 Difficulties of using supplementary activities to teach vocabulary perceived by students 46

4.2.2.5 The desire for using supplementary activities in vocabulary acquisition 48

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION 49

5.1 Summary of the findings 49

5.2 Some suggestions for using flashcards and Quizlet to teach vocabulary 50

5.2.1 For the teachers 50

5.2.2 For the students 51

5.3 Limitation of the study 51

5.4 Suggestions for further research 52

REFERENCES 54

APPENDICES I APPENDIX 1: LESSON PLAN I APPENDIX 2: LESSON PLAN III

APPENDIX 3 V SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE V PHIẾU CÂU HỎI KHẢO SÁT IX APPENDIX 4: XII APPENDIX 5:

vii

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Action Research Spiral 24

Figure 2: Detailed Action Research Model 25

Figure 3: Students' difficulties in learning vocabulary 35

Figure 4: Aspects of vocabulary to be taught in a lesson 36

Figure 5: Teachers‟ major current vocabulary teaching methods 37

Figure 6: Frequency of using supplementary activities to teach vocabulary 42

Figure 7: Opinion of students on the effect of using supplementary activities to teach vocabulary 43

Figure 8: Benefits of using supplementary activities in teaching vocabulary perceived by students 44

Figure 9: Difficulties of using supplementary activities to teach vocabulary perceived by students 46

Figure 10: The desire for using supplementary activities in teaching vocabulary 48

LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Benefits of using supplementary activities to enhance students‟ vocabulary as students‟ perception 44

Table 2: Difficulties of using supplementary activities to enhance students‟ vocabulary as students‟ perception 46

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale of the study

Mastering vocabulary plays an important role in learning a foreign language It isbecause vocabulary carries content which constitutes a language itself Each wordhas its own notion, so having good vocabulary helps the learners understand wellwhat they read and heard The larger amount of vocabulary the learners acquire, theeasier it takes to master language When we have command of a language, it meantthat we are able to manage vocabulary

It might be difficult for high school students, when they are at a beginning level,they might face difficulties with vocabulary learning It is obvious that if they havegood vocabulary, they will use language more proficiently In addition, their testrequires definite range of vocabulary to pass It is easy to understand thatvocabulary needed for high school student is not very much, but there is a number

of learners who can not find the way to master

It is obvious that vocabulary plays a very important role for learners of anylanguage not English only, but learning vocabulary has not been paid attentionenough yet Without vocabulary, language users can still communicate by othernonverbal means, but in tests they can not In writing, vocabulary is a must forusers That is the reason learners should master vocabulary well Some studentslearn by heart words when they are being marked on the following lesson, in otherway, they still have not found out the importance of vocabulary in languagelearning When we do not have any course for vocabulary separately, masteringvocabulary depends on individual‟s perception There are some students event donot understand basic words leading to be almost illiteracy Joining English test, theychoose the answer randomly without any responsibilities for their answer Inaddition, there is no extra activity for vocabulary mastering With the aim toenhance vocabulary retention for students in some extension, a new study on whichintegrates some activities after class will be conducted

1.2 Aims of the study

This study research aimed to enhance the students‟ vocabulary retention through supplementary activities

To achieve the objectives, the study answered the following research questions:

1) What challenges did the students have in learning vocabulary?

2) To what extent can supplementary vocabulary activities enhance the

students’ vocabulary retention?

3) What are the students’ opinion towards those activities?

1.3 Scope of the study

Due to the limited time as well as the limited scope of a graduation thesis, thisresearch is only paying attention to the use of supplementary activities in teachingEnglish vocabulary but not various kinds of teaching activities Also, the researchwas conducted on limited subjects of the grade 10th students at a high school in BacNinh province

As teaching for few weeks, the researcher found out the problems in vocabularyretention of students, she thought of any solutions to this problem As soon as shefigured out some supplementary activities which she thought they could helpimprove her students‟ vocabulary retention, she decided to choose action researchmethod It was helpful in this case because she could try the activities on herfamiliar participants She designed two cycles referring to two activities to improvestudents‟ vocabulary retention After each cycle, she had review on the result,which might favorable in students‟ learning output

1.4 Methodology

Aiming to deal with the current problem with students‟ vocabulary retention, thepractitioner selected action research because she could make a test to apply otheractivities to affect the current class situation In addition, she is the researcher whounderstands the problem and the participants the most

The participants of the study are students at class she is currently teaching, which isquite familiar with the researcher, since she clearly knows their characteristics ofvocabulary acquisition In order to achieve the targets of the study, she preferredquestionnaire and observation as a tool The data from survey as well as herobservation are expected to answer for her research question.

1.5 Organization of the thesis

The graduation thesis minor consists of five chapters, organized as follows:

Chapter I- Introduction: mentions the background to the study and rationale to

conduct it, states the aims, scope, organization of the graduation thesis

Chapter II- Literature Review: represents theoretical background knowledge of

vocabulary, current teaching vocabulary method and some new teaching method,and reviews some related researches

Chapter III- Methodology: states the subjects of the study, research instruments,

as well as data collection procedures employed to carry out this research

Chapter IV- Findings and discussions: analyzes and discusses the results

collected from the classroom observation, survey questionnaire Besides, thelimitations of the study are introduced

Chapter V- Conclusion: summarizes what have been discussed in the previous

parts, limitations of the thesis as well as provides some suggestions for furtherresearch

CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Vocabulary is known to play an important role in English learners to have afluent use Enriching vocabulary in their English acquisition is quite essential to useEnglish effectively But for vocabulary, language learners would not be able tocommunicate fluently because it helps carry all the content that language users need.All English language activities require the support of vocabulary You probably willnot be able to write or read academic English with narrow vocabulary resources.Consequently, an appropriate vocabulary learning method will help you with betterunderstand the meaning of words or phrases in English, leading to effective Englishlearning output

Regarding teaching vocabulary method, some authors made a suggestionwhich involves quite a number of concerning Sokmen (1991) recommended amixed approach to teaching aiming to combine different styles of learning Herprinciple is based on the learner‟s independence, which means teachers will showvariety of methods and then students will choose one It means making decision isfor students They have a chance to select what is suitable for them She alsoemphasizes the importance of reading in vocabulary teaching Reading, especially

in academic context, will bring students a source of vocabulary

Although dictionaries use is so omnipresent, Scholfield (1980) suggests it as

a useful way to learn vocabulary, working on a language by language basis Despiteits effectiveness, using dictionaries well should take time Scholfield also givessome exercises at the beginning and then use dictionaries for effective outputlearning

In addition, Hwang and Nation (1989) found the effect on reading newspaperstories on the same topic The stories relating to topic are more helpful to encourageretrieval than unrelated topic When students face the words they learnt before, theywill have a chance to revise it The repetition should be twice or three times a week

In addition to the above-mentioned discussion, in this chapter, aspect of vocabulary,concept of vocabulary as well as vocabulary classification will be discussed in moredetail.

2.1 Concepts of vocabulary

2.1.1 Definition of vocabulary

There are quite a number of definitions of vocabulary in the world Differentdefinitions may be given for the term vocabulary regarding different viewpoints.However one of the most general definitions of vocabulary is as the knowledge ofwords and word meanings Or someone else may define vocabulary as a list ofwords arranged in alphabetical order with their definitions which explain how thewords are used Vocabulary basically defined as the knowledge of word and itsmeaning However, in reality it is more complex to clearly understand vocabulary inreality than its theory

Learning a language entails learning numerous of aspects about language, involvinglexicology and its pronunciation, syntax, writing system, discourse…, but of themost importance is vocabulary aspect, said Folse (2004) It means that when youlearn any language in the world, the first most essential aspect you should payattention to is its vocabulary In fact, there are many definitions of the theory ofvocabulary, and every linguist has a vocabulary definition of his own

Nation (2001) emphasizes that when we know a new word; it means that we knowmore than its meaning, its formation, and its basic use The relationship betweenvocabulary knowledge and language use is defined as complementary; that isknowledge of vocabulary enables language use and, conversely, language use helpsimprove vocabulary knowledge To be broader understanding, vocabulary is like akey leading us to master a foreign language generally When people think of anylanguage, the first thing coming to their mind is the vocabulary This shows how

vocabulary plays an important role in the way language is formed, said Pyles andAlgeo (1970).

It is true when we would like to make a sentence, or want to convey a meaning wehave to use words which build the sentence When you study a language, the firstthing you pay attention is its vocabulary, which represent the meaning of any notion

in that language Vocabulary learning has been considered as an integral andsignificant area of language teaching as Casco (2011:31) also mentions “words arethe basic building blocks of language, the units of meaning from which largerstructures such as sentences, paragraphs and whole texts are formed”, which clearlyreveal the importance of vocabulary in language learning as well

It is the fact that there is an essential element of foreign language learning is theamount of vocabulary one possesses, as vocabulary forms the biggest part of themeaning of any language (McCarthy, 1988); the larger amount of languagevocabulary a user possesses, the easier he can master that language A word, in mostlinguistic analyses, is described as a set of properties, or features that it carries intopractice, including its meaning, collocation, grammatical interaction, written form,spoken form (pronunciation) and frequency To master a word is not only to learnits meaning but also to learn other aspects of vocabulary All these properties arecalled word knowledge

Schmitt (2000) emphasizes that “lexical knowledge is central to communicativecompetence and to the acquisition of a second language” p 55 Vocabularyknowledge is normally considered as an indispensable part for second languagelearners because a limited vocabulary in a second language hampers successfulcommunication The dictionary meaning of a word is the basic meaning However, aword can have extra meanings in different texts In addition, there are someassociations between words Words can not only come in oral form as those we cansee in listening and speaking skill but also in writing form such as those words that

we recognize and use in reading and writing skill

Furthermore there are two forms, receptive and productive that we can understand

of word knowledge Receptive vocabulary includes words that we recognize when

we hear or see them Productive vocabulary includes words that we use when wespeak or write Receptive vocabulary is typically larger than productive vocabulary,and may include many words to which we assign some meaning, even if we do notknow their full definitions and connotations – or ever use them ourselves as wespeak and write (Kamil & Hiebert) (2005)

2.1.2 Classification of vocabulary

Vocabulary is categorized based on different criteria such as frequency of use,meaning, and other criteria

2.1.2.1 Vocabulary classification according to frequency of use

According to Nation (2001), there are four kinds of vocabulary in written language.They are: high-frequency words, specialized words, and low-frequency words Itmeans that high repetition words are basic and common words, so people can easilyunderstand the content He also states that high-frequency words include contentwords which mean words carry content It contains about 2000 word families asNation and Hwang (1995) present The high-frequency words of English areconsidered as the best selection for foreign language learners who want to masterlanguage academically, including nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs Therefore,when learning and teaching vocabulary, high-frequency words should be paidspecial attention Teachers and learners should carry under the direct of learning,direct of teaching, incidental learning and its collocation In brief, high-frequencywords are quite of importance that helps learners to basically use any language both

in written and spoken language

The second type is specialized word, including technical words Nation (2001:17)also states that “Special vocabularies are made by systematically restricting therange of topics or language uses investigated” Therefore, it is possible for users to

acquire vocabulary and understand vocabulary in some factors such as economicreports, magazine, education and etc…Academic words are not technical one but isalso considered sub-technical words because they include neither technical wordsnor formal words In technical words, there are some words only occur in specificarea, for instance; the word “cost”, “supplier” in economic field.

In terms of frequency of word use, there is another type – low-frequency word Alsoaccording to Nation (2001), the relationship between low-frequency word and high-frequency word is quite arbitrary This is quite of importance for language user toremember that the boundaries on which we classify sometimes is arbitrary We canalso interpret that low-frequency words are words that may not be familiar withalmost every foreign language learner Low-frequency words contain proper nameswhich are not popular to every user, and they often appear in some kinds of textsuch as novels, newspaper…

It is such an amazing thing that some proper nouns like character name, name ofplaces… are like technical words because they are high- frequency in that kind oftext, but not in another one As such, the readers do not need to study the name ofcharacter in novel However, the classification is quite arbitrary because somewords belong to low-frequency for beginners but high-frequency ones for advancelearners Therefore, learners should focus on improving their vocabulary every day

so that they can use the language in many situations

2.1.2.2 Vocabulary classification according to meaning

In terms of meaning, vocabulary can be divided into two types: notional words andfunctional words Notional words are words which clearly convey a meaning Theycan perform nominative function, and can stand alone with complete meaning Inother words, some items including prefixes or suffixes can be added into notional

words to extend the meaning For example, we have the word lonely-loneliness, care-careless…

Actually we can see these words under the form of subjects, verbs, adverbs andadjectives in the sentence which can stand independently Regarding of meaningclassification, functional words in language can be preposition, articles,conjunctions, and particle They can not stand alone to convey a completenominative force as the notional ones can.

2.1.3 Aspect of vocabulary to be taught in class

According to Ur (1996), when a new word is going to be introduced to the learners,such types of word aspects must be focused on: its pronunciation and spelling, wordform, grammar, and collocation It means that all the aspects of the word will helplearners to have clear knowledge of that word For example, when a teacherexplains a new word with its collocation in class, the student will be able to applythat word or its phrase with the same context later

Nu (2004) also shares the same opinion that knowing a word means knowing someaspects of words such as its pronunciation and spelling, grammar, its collocationand word formation In his writing, Nation (2001) stated that knowing a wordreferring to some aspects including word parts, grammartical functions, connectingform and meaning, and collocations It can be understood that knowing a wordshould go with its collocation resulting the effective output for students They willunderstand the cases that phrase suits with and will apply better the following time

2.1.3.1 Pronunciation and spelling

Bosch (1997:12) said that “learning to pronounce written words means learning theintricate relations between a language‟s writing system and its speech sounds” Inother words, it mentions the relationship between the written words and the soundsystem, and how the word is pronounced based on its symbol

2.1.3.2 Word formation

Word formation refers to the ways in which new words are made on the basis ofother words or morphemes It is also called derivational morphology Most Englishvocabulary come by adding some affixes to its roots, altering their word class, orcombining into compound words For instance: connect- disconnect, bark (V)-bark(N), or bread-winner…

Therefore, when teaching in the classroom, teachers should provide the learners theword knowledge such as word formation to help students have broader views ofvocabulary, which is easy to remember and apply it later We can compare andintroduce the new word by adding prefix to the students at the same time if possible

2.1.3.3 Grammar

Grammar lays the base for effective communication, so improper grammar couldhave impact on the meaning and clarity of an intended message Grammar makeswriting more readable and more interesting Grammar constitutes the system of alanguage It is sometimes described as the "rules" of a language, but actually nolanguage in the world has its rules There are always exceptions in language use If

we use the word "rules", we suggest that somebody created the rules first and thenspoke the language, like set up a new game But languages did not start like that Itmeans that an article with many grammatical errors will make the readers feel alittle discomfort, as well as an incomplete statement or use of the wrong wordchoice will also annoy listeners Languages started by people making sounds whichevolved into words, phrases and sentences There is no common rule for language isfixed All languages change over time Therefore, grammar is of important inlanguage use Grammar skills are useful in every aspect of life from education toleadership, and social life to employment opportunities

They are equally important at home where children learn their grammatical patternsfrom their parents and family What we call "grammar" is simply a reflection of a

language at a particular time, or around the spoken time In addition, grammar addsmeanings that are not easily inferable from the immediate context We shouldacknowledge that as important as it is to develop our understanding of thegrammatical facts of the language we are teaching.

What we do hope to do is to have students be able to use grammatical structuresaccurately, meaningfully, and appropriately In other words, grammar teaching isnot so much knowledge transmission as it is skill development In fact, it is better tothink of teaching "grammaring" (Larsen-Freeman: 1997, 2001) Briefly, grammarrules are likewise essential in everyday life for clarity of meaning

2.1.3.4 Collocation

Collocation is used in spoken and written language to make the passage more fluentand natural A collocation is made up of two or more words that are commonly usedtogether in English Collocation is also another aspect that should be known about anew item, which is intended to be taught

Taylor (1990) says that collocation means knowing the function associated with theword and also knowing the association between that word and other words in thelanguage It shows the relationship between words There are different kinds ofcollocations in English Strong collocations are word pairings that are expected tocome together In English, there are some collocations we can guess the meaningfrom its components for example: make a bed, have a dinner…Besides; some of themost common collocations involve verb and noun collocations used in everydaysituations such as: make progress, prepare report, make a wish…

In some exercise in English exam which students must sit on, if they haveknowledge of collocation, they can do it well Therefore, it is better if the teachersprovide the knowledge for learners through lessons

2.2 The role of vocabulary in language teaching and learning

In spite of its prominence in language learning, vocabulary has been undervalued inthe past 50 years of ELT history (Carter & McCarthy, 1988; Seal, 1991;Zimmerman, 1997a; O‟dell, 1997) The role of vocabulary is typically considered interms of the classic ELT methodologies and the theories of reading models.Vocabulary, as one of the knowledge areas in language, plays an essential role forlearners in acquiring a language (Cameron, 2001)

Vocabulary generally plays an important part that shapes your ability to use foreignlanguages One of the factors that can help you to use a foreign language, especiallyEnglish is the vocabulary You may not be interested in the grammar of English, butyou can not ignore the vocabulary because the vocabulary is one that will help youexpress your thoughts, and feelings

People can use non-verbal language when they meet and communicate to theirpartners, but sometimes they do not work as expected For example, when you want

to express your thoughts and concerns, body language can not perfectly perform It

is not by chance that almost every linguist admits the importance of vocabulary aswell For instance, Krashen (1989) states that most of the meaning in language isconveyed by words, and lack of vocabulary is the greatest obstacle forcommunication Without grammar, very little information can be transpired; novocabulary, no information can be communicated It makes sense in learning aforeign language, vocabulary can be considered as small cells that make up theability to use the language of learners Vocabulary plays an important role in foreignlanguage learning, both in the first language and second language

There are quite number of linguist as well as writers concerning about vocabularyrole or its importance regarding practical language Several linguists andinvestigators in learning foreign language mentioned that vocabulary learning andforeign language learning have a strong relationship to each other (Qian & Schedl

2004) In addition, vocabulary has impact on language using Researchers such asLaufer and Nation (1999), Gu (2003) and others have realized that the acquisition ofvocabulary is essential for successful second language use and plays a vital role inthe formation of complete spoken and written texts.

In English as a second language (ESL) and English as a foreign language (EFL)learning vocabulary items takes a vital part in all language skills including listening,speaking, reading, and writing Moreover, there is an argument that the acquisition

of an adequate vocabulary is essential for successful second language use It isimpossible to use the structures and functions we may have learned forcomprehensible communication without an extensive vocabulary

2.3 Currently techniques in vocabulary teaching

From the facts, Allen (1993:3) reveals that "many teachers assume that vocabularycan be developed in teaching learning process." However, the students actually facesome problems to find out the meaning of words The problem might be due to thelack of understanding of words, and ability to interpret from given text intocommunication meaning Sometimes it is because students‟ lack of opportunities tomeet the words, which result in low frequency word to them It is teachers‟ dutythat helps students improve the ability of understanding and using vocabulary inspecific context Generally, there are several techniques regarding the vocabularyteaching However, there are a few things that should be remembered by the mostEnglish teachers if they want to present a new vocabulary or the lexical items totheir students

It is obvious that the English teachers want students to remember new vocabularyand master it in quite appropriate context Therefore, it is supposed that studentshave to learn, practice, and revise to avoid from forgetting In this paper, there aresome popular teaching vocabulary techniques to be mentioned including visualtechniques, verbal techniques and translation

2.3.1 Visual techniques

Regarding the visual techniques, Gairns and Redman (1980) as cited by Marla, et al(1999:12) says that "there are there form visual techniques; “relia, pictures, andmime or gestures.” Relia means using a variety of real-object brought by thestudents in the classroom Picture means the images of new words in reality thatteachers tend to teach in class For instance, some objects like table, apple, pen…should be better to be applied this technique in presenting

Therefore, if students can join in preparation for lessons at home, they tend to bemore willing and eager to join the lesson That helps to promote students interactionand motivation for class For example, at junior high school level, concerning tofood and drink topic, if a student is appointed to bring a kind of food then presentabout his or her favorite food; that will be much more interesting than teachers‟presentation It is under teachers‟ introduction obviously The usage of mimes inteaching new words is also considered of great value, especially with actions such

as jumping, running, writing and smoking Referring to ideas mentioned above,Klippel (1994:115) implies that "mime or gesture is useful if it emphasizes theimportance of gestures and facial expression on communication That bodylanguage or facial expression is applied appropriately will warm the classatmosphere Instead of reading and understanding the word meaning from textbookonly, students can join extra activities that help them remember new word in reality,which is better

2.3.2 Verbal techniques

This technique applies to the use of illustrative situation, synonyms, opposites,scale, definition and categories when teachers introduce a new word to students,said Sanusi (2009) Moreover, the English teachers using the technique are expected

to introduce a word in English through the use of other word in the same language

We can obviously see that synonyms and antonyms are especially important inbuilding new vocabulary because learners are able to know vocabulary incomparison with its family word In addition, when teachers select this technique, italso explains the meaning and the use of a foreign word in the foreign languageitself That knowing a word meaning and its use in appropriate context helps studentmaster foreign language more confidently.

2.3.3 Translation

One of the most common techniques in vocabulary presentation is translation,which is to translate the word in question into a learner‟s native language That isconsidered to be the simplest and easiest to apply Although it is quite useful, someexperts however do not recommend this technique (Doff, 1988, p 12) “if we onlygive a direct translation, the students cannot see how the word is used in an Englishsentence” Translation is simple, clear and quick for reaching the goal particularlywhen teachers give examples then students give the word translation

2.3.4 The use of dictionary

By Allen, using dictionaries is "passport to independence and use them is one thestudents-centered learning activities.” (1993:83) Meanwhile, Gerald and Laura(1989:120) state that "dictionaries are more easily used to determine wordmeaning.” Using dictionary as a strategy of learning new words in a foreignlanguage is supposed to be one of the most fruitful strategies Mc Carthyconcentrated on types of dictionaries in relation to learner‟s level

Some issues have been raised around the choice of dictionary for beginners.Although it can be a useful learning resource, it makes the learner more independent

of the teacher Learners can use dictionaries for checking word meaning, doarrangement exercises…

In conclusion, the use of dictionary is an effective way for the students in findingout the meaning of words.

2.4 Quizlet and flashcard as new vocabulary teaching and learning tools

2.4.1 Quizlet

Quizlet is "a mobile and web-based study application that allows students to studyinformation via learning tools and games", from Wikipedia It utilizes user-designedlearning modules composed of terms and their definitions or descriptions Thesemodules (which are called study sets as used in Quizlet) are presented to studentsthrough different learning modes including flashcards, games, collaborativeactivities and quizzes to facilitate learning environments that can help studentsmaster languages and vocabulary The application interfaces designed for thewebsite incorporate 8 learning modes of which 5 are available in the mobileapplication interface

Quizlet is a digital flashcard application that was used in this research study Quizletprovides learners with an attractive and easy-to-use interface that can enhance theexperience of paper flashcards (Ashcroft & Imrie, 2014) Some of the advantages ofQuizlet include the ability to rapidly create flashcards with pictures and audio, theability to access the application on a computer or smartphone, the ability toautomatically rearrange flashcards to avoid serial learning, or memorizing the order,and the ability to interact with the cards using a variety of study and game sets

2.4.2 Flashcard

According to Oxford Advanced learners‟ Dictionary (1995:94), flashcard is a cardwith the word or words and sometimes a picture down it Furthermore, in LongmanDictionary (1985:107), in language teaching flashcards is a card with words,sentence, or pictures It can be inferred from these definitions that flashcards arecards with a word or words, a phrase, or a picture on it used to learn and memorize

vocabulary Flashcards are divided into two types: picture flashcards and wordflashcards, in which picture flashcard might be more attractive and interesting toacquire.

a Picture flashcards: According to Wright & Haleem (1991:50), picture

flashcards are cards with pictures printed or drawn on having 15×20 cm They should besmall enough for the users to easily handle and big enough for the whole class to seeclearly The teachers can prepare them before class Advantages of picture flashcards arethe attractiveness and colorfulness which blackboard pictures do not have Pictureflashcards are useful for presenting, practicing and revising vocabulary of previouslesson

b Word flashcards: In Bowen (1982), word flashcards which are cards with

words printed on can be held up rapidly or “flash” by the teacher before the class A wordflashcard is about 8cm high and 10cm wide; and its length

depends on the size of class They are useful for representing words or

structure

2.5 Memorizing vocabulary

Retention is defined as the ability to provide the meaning of a new word after agiven period of time There are two types of word retention: short-term retentionand long-term retention

2.5.1 Vocabulary retention

Incidental vocabulary learning refers to acquisition of a word when there is noconscious intention (Hulstijn, 2011), whereas the intentional vocabulary learningrefers to “a deliberate attempt to commit factual information to memory” (Hulstijn,

2011, p.1) Read (2004) believes that in terms of vocabulary learning, bothincidental and direct vocabulary learning are necessary

Based on Schmitt‟s opinion, Yali (2010) pointed out that a combination ofincidental learning, or reading text, and intentional vocabulary learning (specificexplicit vocabulary exercises) resulted in better retention, and greater depth ofvocabulary knowledge than the incidental vocabulary learning alone

2.5.2 Types of memories

Zhang (2004) states that depending on the amount of time the memory lasts onhuman brain, memory is divided into three types: sensory memory, short-termmemory, and long-term memory Sensory memory is “the shortest-lived memorythat lasts for milliseconds to a few seconds” (Zhang, 2004, p 1)

The first one, sensory memory is the shortest-term element of memory It is theability to retain impressions of sensory information after the original stimuli haveended

The second type, short-term memory or working memory is considered totemporarily recall of the information which is being processed at any point in time

It means that when teachers present new words, students have ability to rememberand process information at the same time, and then can use vocabulary in correctcontext

Unlike short-term memory, long-term memory encodes information for storagesemantically (i.e based on meaning and association) Like its name, long-termmemory is extended for storage of information over a long period of time Short-term memory can develop into long-term memory by process of consolidation

2.6 Related studies

Vocabulary learning strategies and vocabulary memorization developing areimportant in learning a foreign language It is because vocabulary plays importantroles in mastering language in general as well as foreign languages in particular tocommunicate It is such a lot of previous research concerning with vocabularyimprovement, including effective vocabulary learning and teaching Some authorsfrom Ta Ku Ling Ling Ying Public School including Carol Pua, Dorothy Li, CherieLui & Shirley Cheng paid special attention to teaching and vocabulary learning

strategy and found out technique by using mind-map as a tool to teach English foryoung learners Researchers have indicated that mind-mapping could be an effectivetool that helps students to associate new information to their existing knowledge Inthis study, they aim to improve students‟ competence in English learning byintroducing mind-mapping techniques to facilitate the knowledge acquisition andretrieval process, reflecting on techniques in teaching vocabulary and increasingstudents‟ motivation to do more revision Mind-mapping can be used in differentlearning and thinking processes People make use of various colors, images,symbols and errors, etc to associate and connect ideas The strong visual of mindmaps occurrence can speed up the learning process and help students to memorizeand recall information effectively (Brinkmann, 2003).

Moreover, the more personalized the mind maps, the more easily the learner couldretrieve information (Buzan & Buzan, 2000) The result is students‟ expectation toteachers‟ drawing In their own mind maps, they provided new „meaning‟ to thevocabulary with different drawings and word association They could master thevocabulary after seeing the teacher‟s demonstration without asking forexplanations Generally, it is found that helping elementary students to createpersonalized, colorful and interesting mind maps could ease their difficulties toacquire and recall the vocabulary for a longer period of time

In addition, Barr from Tamagawa University conducted a study to measure thesuccess of users by comparing vocabulary test scores for Quizlet users and nonusers

of the application The result is without a doubt, many of his students were visiblyengaged by Quizlet in the classroom, which can be predicted Unsurprisingly, theresults of this study demonstrated that learners using Quizlet performed better thannon-users on tests recycling contents from gap-fill card

Another study by Sanosi (2018) aims to find out the benefits of Quizlet use toimprove vocabulary retention to language learners Also, the findings suggests thatQuizlet represents an ideal environment for learning that can provide active learning

both inside and outside classroom; it helps students more active and get involved inclass Other researchers were still concerned about the perception of studentstowards Quizlet In this regard, Kose, Cimen, and Mede implemented to observeand interview 42 students who used Quizlet as vocabulary learning tool for fourweeks The results revealed that most of the students considered Quizlet effectiveespecially in learning definitions, synonyms and pronunciation It can be revealedthat Quizlet is a quite amusing tool and method to learn vocabulary and remember.

As such, It can be considered that Quizlet application is an effective tool for bothteachers and students for vocabulary instruction and learning

There are many comparisons between Digital Flashcards (DFs) and PaperFlashcards (PFs) In their research studies, Dizon and Tang (2017) mentioned that

“most comparison studies of DFs versus PFs have revealed that incorporatingcomputer assisted language learning (CALL) is more effective at enhancing L2vocabulary learning.” To support his idea, a list of former studies was shown in hiswriting

Başoğlu and Akdemir (2010) studied and made a comparison at the use of DFs onmobile phones versus PFs with a group of L2 English students at a Turkishuniversity The result of the studies showed that both groups were able to makesignificant gains in learning vocabulary, but the DF group made a little greatersignificant enhancement Azabdaftari and Mozaheb (2012) also looked at the use ofDFs with L2 English students at an Iranian university The participants in theexperimental group used a combination of DFs over mobile phones, and the Internet

to study the vocabulary, while those in the control group used PFs as usual The use

of mobile-learning and DFs had a greater positive effect on vocabulary learningthan PFs, basing on the results of post-test These studies proved that DFs may helpstudents more effective remember L2 vocabulary in the short-term Therefore, if thestudents applied it seriously for a long time; it might be a definite improvement intheir vocabulary retention

In Vietnam, there is a study which aims at finding the impacts of flashcards on English major students at a in Tra Vinh university, by Phung Van De (2012) Theyare encouraged to prepare flashcards on A4 paper There are 2 ways to utilizeflashcards: individual or in pairs They can learn vocabulary by collecting andprepare flashcard themselves, then they will learn on their own In addition, theycan swap to their partners, and do more activities for interesting learning activities.Regardless of which ways they apply, the students had to be checked every week tomeasure how effectively they work at home However, the quite minority studentsagree with that technique, only 25.8%, because they prefer other techniques to learnvocabulary It might be less interesting than others in learning vocabulary for adults.

non-CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY

In this chapter, the researcher discusses the methodology used to study the use of flashcards and some activities to teach the grade 10 th students at a high school There are three main parts: the subjects, data collection instruments and data collection procedures.

3.1 The methodology

3.1.1 Reason to choose action research

In the study, I choose action research type because I would like to find out thatwhether I apply a new teaching tool in my profession is effective or not In addition,the situation in my class is improved after my action or my students like orcooperate with me during the study time or not In addition, action research is quiteflexible, especially for teachers It is because teacher is the only one who can see theproblem in class himself, and find the solution for the problem to improve theperformance of their students‟ learning

The second point is that action research is a reproduction cycle, which means afterthe evaluation the process can be repeated with the revised plan Thirdly, it iscollaborative Teachers when they conduct an action research participate andcollaborate, examine their knowledge and how they interpret themselves and theiractions They do research themselves and collect data about how they teach

Moreover, it can be easily understood that this class problem is of the researcher notanyone else, so the researcher can be the person who understand them most Thatclearly understanding the problem helps researcher find out the results of action orany improvement later Last but not least, action research aims at changing things(cited in Nunan, 1992, p.17) It means that for teacher, the study is conductedaiming to change and improve only the situation within class that the teacher aretaking care of, and it also affect the students‟ output in some extents We can also

infer that action research is extremely helpful for teacher to conduct his or herinternal research for the specific context of his classroom.

In this study, discussion of supplementary activities in teaching vocabulary wasemployed to improve students‟ vocabulary retention This research was done in foursteps: planning, acting, observing, and reflecting

3.1.2 Phases of action research

Figure 1: Action Research Spiral

Adapted from Kemmis (1983), the figure outlines four steps in action, themovement from one critical phase to another, and the way in which progress may bemade through the system It can be seen clearly that in an action research project,the researcher does not stop after getting the result from his actions That is the

reason why two spirals are repeated It can be understood that when getting resultfrom the first action, the teacher must revise the whole procedure and improve Hemust evaluate the effectiveness of his actions as well as the limitations of themethods After that, he should revise the plan, make some changes and implement itagain to get better results These stages will not separate but are embedded withinaction and reflection.

Figure 2: Detailed Action Research Model

Figure 2 presents detailed action research model, according to Susman (1983) Thefive steps in this model can be described as follows:

- Diagnosing: the researcher needs to identify the problem by observing the context,

the class or collecting information about the problem

- Action planning: the researcher proposes different solutions or methods which can

be used to solve the problem

- Taking action: after considering the advantages and disadvantages of different

solutions, the researcher chooses one course of actions to apply in the study context

- Evaluating: the researcher analyzes the data to find out the consequences of a

taken action

- Specifying learning: the researcher presents the general findings, what can be

solved and what remains problematic, from which he adjusts the plan to act again.Another cycle in an action research begins

In this study, I prefer the model by Kemmis (1983) in which mentions clearly twocycles As far as I am concerned, two cycles of action help me approach and figureout the problem as well as improvement in my trial if any After the first cycle, there

is time for me to reflect and review my action, from which I might have appropriateadjustment later at second cycle

3.2 Participants of the study

writing, communication and culture, and looking back and project However, weonly focus on the first three units in the first semester for the research study.

We have to cover three units and one review in ten weeks, with thirty one periods,forty five minutes for each period There is also a work book for students to practice(in the series book of English 10) This workbook provides some supplementaryexercises for students for further practice at home Although the course book doesnot spend much for language and vocabulary, students can enrich their ownvocabulary source through the rest parts of unit

We also can see looking back and project part give a good chance for students torevise their vocabulary retention at home through their project After all the parts ofeach unit, students gain some vocabulary and present it in the last part- the project.The researcher can measure students‟ vocabulary retention at the following class bychecking homework

Although the course book is quite useful in teaching English, the teacher still wants

to make her own assessment so that she can implement some supplementaryactivities That the practitioner evaluate teaching material on her own is quiteimportant in her teaching profession It might be help her to prepare teaching tools,and visual aids to support her job There are not many materials that help to makeassessment The work of Cunningsworth (1995) has helped to provide a good briefsummary of how a leveled evaluation can be conducted When applying theimpressionistic method, we take the literal meaning of the method by quicklylooking through the textbook cover to cover, to try and get an overview of thestrengths and weaknesses of the book

An in-depth evaluation will be undertaken subsequently to provide a detailed evaluation ofspecific items in teach textbook on areas such as how the exercises can cater for thesyllabus and learners‟ needs (Cunningsworth, 1995; McDonough & Shaw, 1993)

27

I would follow Cunningsworth‟s point of view to evaluate the course book English

10, by Hoang Van Van, Hoang Thi Xuan Hoa and David Kaye (2012)

Strengths

* Layout and design: The course book layout and design are clear and easy book

map to follow and evaluate the object after each unit lesson The book contains 5 unitsand two reviews Each unit consists of five parts: Getting Started, Language, Reading,Listening, Writing, Speaking, Communication and Culture, Looking back &Project.Moreover, the authors insert pictures into most of the parts of one unit; therefore, theyhelp students a lot in assessing the task or understanding the text One interesting thing isextra activity at the end of each lesson which helps students to find out something abouttheir life relating to the topic

* Language content: English 10 is an interesting and flexible book with an

integrated range of activities to develop students‟ knowledge of the world Each unit is about familiar topic surrounding students‟ life

* Skills: The book helps students improve all four language skills with speaking,

listening, reading and writing Furthermore, it has grammar rules and exercises for them

to practice and vocabulary to enhance

* Language type: The language used in the course book is quite popular and high

frequency because it is related to familiar issues around them

Weaknesses

Despite a large number of good points, the course book still has some minor

weaknesses

* Layout and design: The cover is not attractive and colorful.

* Skills: The writing skill is quite difficult of all skills, because its instruction is not

very clear for students to follow

* Language type: In Language lesson, there are quite a number of grammar issues in

one forty-five period, which makes students hard to follow

In brief, material which plays an important role in teaching and learning English arequite effective despite some limitations The strong points are good design, variousand familiar topics, and easy to understand and follow the lesson content Thematerial aims to develop four skills, focusing more on communicative strategy, sothe project and activities are interesting However, it has some weaknesses, since it

is not suitable for all students It is meant that students have different level, and it ishard for weak students to complete the lesson, especially writing skill

3.3 Data collection instruments

There are two kinds of data which the researcher collected The first one wasquantitative data and the second one was the qualitative data

Quantitative data refers to students‟ opinion of applying supplementary activities byanswering questionnaire Qualitative data deal with any occurrences and changesduring classroom activities Students‟ behaviors, classroom situation, the process ofclassroom activity are the examples of qualitative data The researcher collectedqualitative data by observation and questionnaire

3.3.1 Observation

A key advantage of conducting observations is that the researcher can witness whatteacher and students actually do, rather than what they say they do Observationscan be made in real life situations, allowing the researcher to access to the contextand meaning so real-life data is collected Two kinds of observations, pre-observation and classroom observation are deployed in the research study The firstweek prior to the data collection was the time for pre-observation Classroomobservation was implemented to find out whether supplementary activities have anyinfluence on students‟ vocabulary retention

3.3.2 Questionnaire

According to Polit and Hungler (1997:466), questionnaire is defined “a method ofgathering information from respondents about attitudes, knowledge, beliefs and

feelings” Based on Advanced Design in Nursing Research (Brink and Wood (1989)

it can be concluded some characteristics of a questionnaire which bring theresearcher benefits:

 As compared to the time required to conduct personal interviews,

questionnaire is faster and less expensive so it save the researcher‟s time andmoney

 Respondents feel that they remain anonymous and can express themselves intheir own words without fear of identification Therefore, it is a good tool for theprotection of the privacy of the participants

 Data on a broad range of topics may be collected within a limited period of time

The questionnaire was delivered to students at the end of the study aiming to findout their opinion of using supplementary activities and their desire of the use Thedetails of questionnaire are as follows:

The first six questions are to explore their attitudes towards the importance ofteaching and learning vocabulary and how vocabulary is taught in English lesson.The seventh question is aimed at asking for their opinions of whether using somesupplementary activities is useful or not

The eighth and ninth questions are designed to find out their opinions of thestrengths as well as drawbacks of using supplementary activities

The eleventh question aims at asking their desire of continuing using supplementaryactivities