Sử dụng tranh ảnh trong dạy từ vựng tiếng anh cho sinh viên năm thứ hai khoa cơ khí trường cao đẳng nghề công nghiệp hải phòng

NGUYỄN THỊ THU HOÀ USING PICTURES IN TEACHING VOCABULARY OF ENGLISH TO THE SECOND YEAR STUDENTS OF MECHANICAL DEPARTMENT AT HAI PHONG INDUSTRIAL VOCATIONAL COLLEGE Sử dụng tranh ảnh tr

NGUYỄN THỊ THU HOÀ

USING PICTURES IN TEACHING VOCABULARY OF ENGLISH TO THE SECOND YEAR STUDENTS OF MECHANICAL DEPARTMENT

AT HAI PHONG INDUSTRIAL VOCATIONAL COLLEGE

(Sử dụng tranh ảnh trong việc dạy từ vựng Tiếng Anh cho sinh viên năm thứ hai khoa Cơ Khí trường Cao Đẳng nghề

Công Nghiệp Hải Phòng)

M.A MINOR THESIS

FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 601410

Hanoi - 2010

NGUYỄN THỊ THU HOÀ

USING PICTURES IN TEACHING VOCABULARY OF ENGLISH TO THE SECOND YEAR STUDENTS OF MECHANICAL DEPARTMENT

AT HAI PHONG INDUSTRIAL VOCATIONAL COLLEGE

sinh viên năm thứ hai khoa Cơ Khí trường Cao Đẳng nghề

Công Nghiệp Hải Phòng)

M.A MINOR THESIS

FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 601410

SUPERVISOR: KHOA ANH VIỆT, M.A

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CANDIDATE ’ S STATEMENT i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii

ABSTRACT iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iv

PART A: INTRODUCTION 1

1 Rationale 1

2 Aims of the study 2

3 Scope of the study 2

4 Methods of the study 2

5 Design of the study 2

PART B: DEVELOPMENT 4

CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 4

1.1 VOCABULARY TEACHING 4

1.1.1 Definition of vocabulary 4

1.1.2 Classification of vocabulary 5

1.1.3 The roles of vocabulary in language teaching and learning 6

1.1.4 Stages in teaching vocabulary 6

1.1.4.1 Presenting 6

1.1.4.2 Practicing 7

1.1.4.3 Consolidating and revising 7

1.2 PICTURES IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING 8

1.2.1 Conncept of pictures 8

1.2.2 Principles of selecting a picture 8

1.2.3 Types of pictures 9

1.2.4 The roles of pictures 13

PHONG INDUSTRIAL VOCATIONAL COLLEGE 15

2.1 Students and their background 15

2.2 Material and facilities 16

CHAPTER 3: THE METHODOLOGY 18

3.1 Research questions: 18

3.2 Participants 18

3.3 Instruments 18

3.3.1 Questionnaires 18

3.3.1.1 Objectives 18

3.3.1.2 The teachers' survey questionnaires 19

3.3.1.3 The studdents' survey questionnaires 19

3.3.2 Class observation 19

3.3.2.1 Ojectives 19

3.3.2.2 The criteria for observation 19

CHAPTER 4: DATA PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION 21

4.1 Data presentation 21

4.1.1 Data from the survey questionnaires 21

4.1.1.1 Data from the teachers' survey questionnaire 21

4.1.1.2 Data from the students' survey questionnaire 27

4.1.2 Data from the class observation 31

4.1.2.1 Introduction 31

4.1.2.2 Data analysis of the class observation 32

4.2 Discussion of findings 34

PART C: CONCLUSION 36

1 Implication 36

2 Conclusion 37

2.1 Summary 37

2.3 Suggestions for further study 38

REFERENCE 39 APPENDICES (SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE) I

English teaching involves four language skills Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing

In teaching and learning a language, there are four elements that support four language skills above: grammar, vocabulary, spelling and pronunciation that are also taught in English teaching and learning process

In four elements above, vocabulary plays an important role in learning language as Wilkin (1972:11) emphasizes: “Without grammar, very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed”

In Vietnam in general and Haiphong Industrial Vocational College in particular vocabulary teaching has not been paid attention deservedly Vocabulary has been taught within lesson

of reading, writing, speaking and listening There are many difficulties in teaching such as mixed-level students, large class, and passive students in order to apply suitable teaching method So skills and techniques of teaching vocabulary are crucial for language teachers

Besides, students in Haiphong Industrial Vocational College in particular and Vietnam students in general have not changed their habits of learning vocabulary through the teacher’s explanations Being a teacher of English at Haiphong Industrial Vocational College, the author realizes a number of problems that the teachers and students encounter

in teaching and learning vocabulary That is the reason why the author would like to carry out this research entitled: “Using pictures in teaching vocabulary of English to the second year students of Mechanical Department at Haiphong Industrial Vocational College” As

states by Gerlach and Emily (1980:273) “A picture may not only be worth a thousand words but it may also be worth a thousand years or a thousand miles Through pictures, learner can see people, place and things from areas far outside their own experiences Pictures can represent images from ancient times or portray the future.”

2 Aims of the study

The study is aimed at:

a better understanding the notions, types and roles of vocabulary and pictures

b offering English teaching and learning context at Haiphong Industrial Vocational College

c determining the effectiveness of using pictures in teaching vocabulary of English to the second year students of Mechanical Department at Haiphong Industrial Vocational college

Hopefully, based on the results of the study, the research aims to offer English teachers some suggestions for the better use of pictures in their classes

3 Scope of the study

It is impossible to cover every aspect of language theory and practice in this study Therefore, the study focuses on using pictures in teaching vocabulary to the second year students of Mechanical Department at Haiphong Industrial Vocational College

4 Methods of the study

The study applied both qualitative and quantitative approaches with two methods of data collection: survey and observation The quantitative data were collected from questionnaires and were analyzed statistically, while the qualitative data were collected from the class observation Survey questionnaires were used to collect information and evidence for study with the hope that the research would be reliable Class observation was carried out to supplement the survey questionnaires It is hope the combination of the two methods would make the data more valid and reliable

5 Design of the study

This study is divided into three parts:

Part A presents a general introduction of study including the rationale, the aims, the

scope, the method and the design of the thesis

Part B presents the development consisting of four chapters:

Chapter 1 deals with the theoretical background of the research It is concerned with

the issues relevant to the topic of the research: Vocabulary theory consists of definitions of vocabulary, the classification of vocabulary, the roles of vocabulary, the stages in teaching vocabulary and picture theory includes concept of pictures, the principles of selecting a pictures, the types of pictures, the roles of pictures

Chapter 2 presents English teaching and learning vocabulary context at Haiphong

Industrial Vocational College

Chapter 3 presents the methodology including the research, the information of

instruments, participants, and the procedures of data collection

Chapter 4 deals with the data presentation and discussion consisting of the data

collected from the survey questionnaires and class observation and discussion of these data

Part C is the conclusion of the study consisting of the implication and review of the

study ending with suggestions for further research Finally, the appendix, presents the survey questionnaires

PART B: DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

This chapter is concerned with some of the important issues in the theories of: Vocabulary which consists of the definition of vocabulary, the classification of vocabulary, the roles of vocabulary in language teaching and learning, the stages in teaching vocabulary, then the pictures which consist of the concept of pictures, principles of selecting a picture, the types

of pictures and the roles of pictures

1.1 VOCABULARY TEACHING

1.1.1 Definition of vocabulary

There are different definitions of vocabulary as it is an important factor in learning a foreign language Each linguist gives his own definition of vocabulary depending on the criteria that he considers the most important in terms of linguistics, semantics, lexicology, etc

Penny Ur (1996:60) defined vocabulary “as the words we teach in the foreign language However, a new item of vocabulary may be more than a single word, a compound of two

or three words and multi word idioms”

Hatch and Brown define vocabulary as a list or set of words for a particular language or a list or set of word that individual speakers of language might use

Pyles and Alge (1970:96) also indicates that “When most of us think about language we think first about words It is true that the vocabulary is the focus of language It is words that sounds and meanings interlock to allow us to communicate with one another, and it is word that we arrange together to make sentences, conversation and discourse of all kinds” That is reason why vocabulary is essential for learning a language

The American Heritage Dictionary defines vocabulary as “the sum of words used by, understood by, or at the command of a particular of group”

From the definitions above, the author comes to the conclusion that vocabulary is a group

of words arranged from a single word, two or three words items expressing an idea to multi

- word idioms and briefly explained and should be understood in the sentences, or in the contexts, etc

In terms of grammar, vocabulary is classified basing on different parts of speech such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, etc

In terms of methodology, a foreign language learner’s vocabulary is categorized into two kinds, namely active vocabulary and passive vocabulary Active vocabulary refers to the words in which the learners can understand and pronounce the words correctly and use them constructively in speaking or writing On the other hand, passive vocabulary refers to the words in which the learners can recognize and understand while they are reading or listening to someone speaking, but they do not use the words in speaking or writing

However, some methodologists of the Communicative Language Teaching approach classify the learner’s vocabulary into productive and receptive vocabulary The productive vocabulary is the words which the learners can use effectively to produce information in speaking and writing The receptive vocabulary is the words for the learner to receive and understand information in listening and reading

As foreign language teacher, the teachers should know these classifications so that they can help students learn vocabulary better, especially help students widen their vocabulary with more active and productive words

1.1.3 The roles of vocabulary in language teaching and learning

It can not be denied that vocabulary is one of the most important language elements among pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary Wilkins (1972:11) emphasized that “without grammar, very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed” It does not mean that the author wants to compare between vocabulary’s role and grammar’s but to show a fact which the author has experienced in her English learning process that language learners need vocabulary first in order to communicate And Harmer (1993:153) states that “if language structures make up the skeleton of language, then it is vocabulary that provides the vital organs and the fresh” Moreover, Pyles and Algeo also state that

“when we first think about language, we think first about words It is words that we arrange together to make sentences, conversations and discourse of all kinds”

These statements are enough to conclude that vocabulary is the decisive component in language communication It helps the students to enjoy their class One who masters enough vocabulary will find fewer difficulties than those who have fewer vocabularies On the others hand, those who lack of vocabulary will face a lot of problem Mastery of vocabulary will be useful for the process of achieving language-teaching objectives That

is the mastery of language skills (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing) In short, vocabulary is an essential element of all uses of language

1.1.4 Stages in teaching vocabulary

Basically as proposed by Thornbury (2002) there are three stages in teaching vocabulary namely presenting, practicing and revising In this research, the researcher is going to list each stage with its typical features to have a better review for using pictures in teaching vocabulary

1.1.4.1 Presenting

The first stage has indicated clearly its function in introducing new lexical items to learners Thornbury suggested that at least learners need to learn both the meaning and the form of a new word Therefore, as Thornbury (2002:75) claimed, it’s worth pointing out that both these aspects of a word should be presented in “close conjunction in order to ensure a tight meaning-and-form fit”

Proposed by Doff (1988) and Thornbury (2002) and Nation (2000) a variety of ways can

be used or combined in introducing vocabulary Such as the latter listed a set of choices related to presenting the meaning through: Translation, Real things, Pictures, Actions/ Gestures, Definitions, Situations and presenting the word through: Spoken form, or written form According to Doff, the most common way in the first stage to present vocabulary is that using pictures (mostly for concrete words), using realia (the real object to bring to classroom) or using mine (demonstrate meaning of the word by actions or facial expressions)

1.1.4.2 Practicing

Gower, Phillips and Walters (2005:148) state that students often need a little time for the new lexical items (or new words for short) to “sink in” Additionally, Gower, Phillips and Walters pointed out that learners may recognize new item but often delay putting it into active use In this case, the use of planned activities for recycling and reactivating the new vocabulary is necessary This kind of practice, as implied by Thornbury (2002:93) underlines the popular belief that “practice makes perfect” Thornbury also emphasized the action of moving words from short-term memory into permanent memory Thornbury (2002:93) indicated that “new knowledge – i.e new words – needs to be integrated into existing knowledge – i.e learner’s existing network of word associations, or what is called the mental lexicon.” This means in order to ensure the long-term retention and recall, words or lexical items need to be put to work, or into practice as it is often understood in many other contexts Thornbury proposed that vocabulary need to be placed in “working memory” and subjected to different operations which would be mentioned

1.1.4.3 Consolidating and revising

In accordance with presenting and putting words into practice, checking students’ comprehension and revising those words are a final important stage in teaching this specific field Thornbury (2002.100) states that the third stage sounds familiar and may be equated to the second one, however; as its name suggests, in this stage, students are advised to complete high-level tasks namely production tasks So, production tasks are one

of the most important tasks in this stage

1.2 PICTURES IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING

1.2.1 Concept of pictures

Pictures are also one of medium to teach and learn language and help students become active Gerlach and Emily (1980:241) stated that “a medium is any person, material or even that establishes condition which enables learners or students to acquire knowledge, skill and attitude” Additionally, Gerlach and Emily (1980:273) said that “picture is a two-dimensional visual representation of person, place, and things Picture may not only be worth thousand words but it may also be worth a thousand year or a thousand mile A picture is also simple in that it can be drawn, printed, or photographically processed and it can also be mounted for preservation for the use in future” Through pictures, learners can see people, place and things from areas for outside their own pictures and can also represent image from ancient times or the future According to Cobuild (1987:1320),

“pictures” can be defined as “a visual representation or image painted, drawn, photographed, or otherwise rendered on a flat surface”

Besides, pictures are kinds of visual instruction materials could be used more effectively to develop and retain motivation in producing positive attitudes towards learning English and

to teach or strengthen language skills As stated by Wright (1989:29) that “picture is not just an aspect of method but through its representation of place, object, and people, it is essential part of the overall experiences” And Mckenchnie (1980:1357) defines pictures in Webster dictionary that “Picture is an image or likeness of an object, person, or scene produce on a flat surface, especially by painting, drawing or photography”

From the definitions above, the author comes to the conclusion that picture is a dimensional visual that is used to clarify or show things, person, and place from areas outside learners’ experience And pictures can exchange and represent the real object into a simple device which has displayed series of places, object, person, or even experiences

two-1.2.2 Principles of selecting a picture

Selecting a picture is one of the most important factors when teachers use pictures in teaching vocabulary Bowen (1982:5) put forward the following principles that teachers should consider before selecting a picture:

a Appeal: The content of the picture should attract the interest and stimulate imagination

of the whole class

b Relevance: The picture should be used to serve the aim of the lesson

c Recognition: The significant features of the pictures should not be beyond students’knowledge and culture understanding

d Size: A picture should be visible for all members of the class in any position (except for cue cards or word cards, they can be smaller)

e Clarity: For a self-made picture, its outline as well as its details must be clear enough with appropriate colours For picture collected from other materials such as: (magazines, newspapers, etc) The teachers must re-edit them and omit unnecessary parts so that the pictures will not confuse and distract students

1.2.3 Types of pictures

There are many types of pictures that the learners can see always lead to the reality of their minds But the realities which have been presented by pictures depend on the types of the pictures

According to Wright, he stated the following types of pictures in “Pictures for Language Learning” book:

a Pictures of single objects:

Wright (1989:193) states that “Many of the activities described in this book make use of pictures showing a single object General things to talk about:

Food: appearance; naming; preferences; comparing foods of the same type; countable and uncountable; cost; origin; containers; weight; how to cook; good or bad for health

Clothes: appearance; naming; preferences; suitability; cost; fashion

Cars: naming the manufacturer; country of manufacture; performance; suitable to different kinds of people; appearance; cost; comparisons

Animals: appearance; naming; habitat; characteristics; rarity; relationship with people; comparison

Everyday objects: naming; possession; cost; usefulness; purpose and appropriateness; unusual uses; comparisons

Gifts: naming; preference for self and for others; appropriateness; cost

For some examples of the use of pictures of single objects, Wright wants to state ideas on the teaching of meaning”

b Pictures of one person: pictures of famous people, pictures of several people, pictures of people in action

Wright (1989:196) points out that “pictures of people invite us to speculate who they are, what sort of people they are (age, family, work, concerns) and what they are thinking and feeling”

c Pictures of places: Pictures of places might include: home or abroad; landscapes; townscapes; single buildings; views

d Pictures from history: Pictures illustrating scenes, customs and objects from history can

be used like other pictures but have the additional quality of inviting the use of past tense forms

e Pictures with a lot of information: Some pictures are full of information There may be a lot of people doing different things, or it may be a landscape or cityscape showing lots of objects, buildings, etc The complexity of some pictures makes them particularly suitable

to some activities

f Pictures of the news: News pictures invite identification of the incident, what happened, where, when, and to whom They are normally linked with captions and articles, and it is usually a good idea to retain in the texts even if they will not be read in detail Text can be read for gist and then matched up with one of similar pictures

g Pictures of fantasies: Fantasy pictures often illustrate everyday activities, for example, eating, sleeping, running, etc

h Pictures of maps and symbols: Pictures of symbols can be found in road traffic booklets, holiday brochures, etc

According to Bowen, there are some types of pictures as their shapes:

a Wall pictures and wall charts

Bowen (1982:13) shows that “a wall chart is a large diagram or picture display card Most wall charts consist of combinations of visual and verbal material Their aim is to give information on a topic A wall picture, on the other hand, is simply a large illustration of a scene or event, or a set of scenes or events” For example, the following wall picture can be used to teach vocabulary about leisure activities

Generally, wall pictures can be seen by the whole class So they are used with the whole class Conversely, wall charts are usually complex, with printing too small to be seen by the students from their seats Therefore, Bowen (1982:15) states that “wall charts are ideal, however, for pair or group work intermediate and advanced classes Word cards can be prepared to accompany the charts so that students may work together to prepare a presentation before the whole class and/or to prepare a wall display”

b Sequence pictures is a series of pictures of a single subject its function that told a story

or a sequence of events

c Flash cards

- Word Flash cards: According to Bowen (1982), word flash cards are cards on which words have been printed and they can be held up rapidly or “flashed” by the teacher before class Bowen (1982:25) put it “a good width is 10 cm (4 inches) but the length varies according to the number of the letters in the word to be printed on the card” Generally, word flash cards are inexpensive, easy to make, store and carry to classes, and they can be held, propped, or stuck to any objects in the classroom

- Picture Flash cards: As for classroom use, Bowen (1982:28) states that “pictures flash cards are more suitable for the presentation of a singe concept, such as an object or an action It is best to use picture flash cards for revision and practice of previously taught language, rather than for the presentation of new items” The following pictures flash cards would be ideal for teaching vocabulary on sports

Meanwhile, Wright & Haleem (1991) points out the following pictures in their book

a Wall pictures and wall posters

Wall pictures and wall posters illustrate scene, people or objects and are large enough to be seen by all the students

The picture can be displayed quickly and its complexity can provide a rich source of vocabulary practice

b Picture flash cards

Wright & Haleem (1991:50) state that “picture flash cards are pictures mounted or drawn

In summary, there are various types of pictures to be used for language teaching, learning, practicing and organizing, which help students understand and remember new words better and they help the teachers to make the lesson more effective, interesting and beneficial

1.2.4 The roles of pictures

Pictures play an important role in teaching vocabulary to encourage and motivate the learner to learn language As stated by Coppen (1969:88): “The purpose of picture is to provide a stimulus which will elicit a particular response from the learner The picture represents some action and in order to learn the appropriate words to describe the action itself must not be in question”

In one study by Sakar (1999) who investigated the importance of pictures used in an Arabic language class, Sakar concluded that pictures of the costumes used by people at a particular time history had greatly enhanced learners’ understanding than any amount of painstaking explanation

There are many reasons for using pictures in language teaching As Wright (1989:2) pointed out, they are motivating and draw learners’ attention Furthermore, Wright (1989: 2) refers to the fact they provide a sense of the context of the language and give a specific reference or stimulus

The use of pictures will offer a number of benefits in teaching a second language One of such is to promote interest in the learner toward learning a foreign language Bowen (1980:

20) points to the importance of vision or the eye of the learner as “the primary channel of learning” The key function of these pictures is to make concepts more concrete or visible

to the learner In the foreign language classroom, the learners can speak and memorize vocabulary better and more automatically from the images than by listening to a long explanation

In summary, pictures when in conjunction with various effective teaching techniques by the teachers will attract the learner and make him or her to want to pay attention and want

to take part Besides, picture will be useful in teaching and learning processes if they are carefully and creatively prepared by the teachers, and they, then, are used effectively to support the teaching new vocabulary

CHAPTER 2: ENGLISH TEACHING AND LEARNING CONTEXT AT HAI PHONG INDUSTRIAL VOCATIONAL

COLLEGE

Teacher’s role, learner’s background, their needs, learning environment and material play

an important role in learner’s success or failure in learning a foreign language In this chapter, I want to present an overview on learners and their background at Haiphong Industrial College Further, the materials and facilities for language teaching are also assessed

2.1 Students and their background

This is a Vocational College belonging to Haiphong city It is a big and prestigious college

in our city Training vocation for students is the most essential factor in my College and the main and compulsory subjects in the training program are wheeling, metal work and industrial electrical skills Our English subject is only a subsidiary and basic one, so there

is not an own Department of English It belongs to Department of Basic Technology which covers different subjects as mathematics, computer practice, literature, physical education, politics, etc The whole curriculum of English are divided into two parts as follows:

Part 1: General English with 70 periods

Part 2: English for Specific Purposes with 30 periods

With such a time frame, the students can not learn much, especially for English for specific purposes they can not come to know a number of technical terms or concepts in English

Most of the students who enter Haiphong Industrial Vocational College are aged from sixteen to twenty and male students and they come from different provinces in the North such as Thaibinh, Quangninh and Haiduong The majorities of the students are from rural areas It is the fact that teaching and learning conditions at different schools across the areas differ greatly so students entering this College are mixed up in their levels of English Most of them have learned English in high school for three years Some have six years of English: three years in primary school and three years in high school But their English knowledge especially vocabulary is still limited Their attitudes towards learning English is

also a matter considered Most of them are not interested in learning English because their level of knowledge is low and foreign language seems to be too difficult for them to learn well Moreover, they are not students of English and they do not devote themselves to learning English The fact is that many of them do not prepare the lesson at home or review the lesson regularly Especially, in English learning periods they are not also enthusiastic with topics which teachers give to discuss in the classroom and they always sit silently and write things being written on the blackboard by teachers in their notebooks Meanwhile, some of them only try to learn in order to pass the exam or get at least the score five and the others try to get award or scholarships Most of them lack of vocabularies so they can not have a certain source of word to express their ideas in speaking and writing Moreover,

it was difficult for them to communicate in English as they did not know how to apply English structure in real situations outside the classroom The other problem is that there is

no language environment for students to practise English because their classmates and roommates do not like speaking English and they do not have chance to meet or talk with the native speakers of English During class time activities, the teachers are people who have to talk much, nevertheless, students are passive in participating in the activities Besides, class is too large for learning language: each class has about 50 to 60 students with mixed-abilities, different motivation and expectations of learning English It is reason why it is difficult for teachers to apply suitable method for all of these mixed-students

2.2 Material and facilities

The facilities used for teaching and learning foreign language are not interested and invested much Now, my College does not still have a language lab for students to learn English and we only have got two radios to practise listening for students, so students find

it very difficult to learn Overhead projector is equipped in each department and it is not suitable to use for great number of classes As a result, it is not frequently used especially for teaching English except for the special occasions The library can not provide any other books or magazines for reference except the main course book Therefore, the materials for reference and self-study are not available

For many years, the English course books have been changed The first textbook used for part 1 was Streamline by Bernad Harley and Peter Viney, the second one which we are using is New Headway-Elementary by John and Liz Soars This book helps the students have ability to communicate in common situations of daily life and have amount of the vocabulary as well as the basic knowledge of grammar after the course

For part 2, the ESP material at Haiphong Industrial Vocational College is “English for technical students” by David Bonamy According to the author, the ESP materials are little concerned with students’ specialization and their content is not suitable for developing current science and technicality

In summary, both teachers and students still have a lot of difficulties in teaching and learning English subject The author hopes that leaders at Haiphong Industrial Vocational College should be more interested in teaching and learning English subject

CHAPTER 3: THE METHODOLOGY

In this chapter, the research methods chosen for the achievement of the aims and objectives

of the study will be discussed in detail

3.1 Research questions

For the main purpose of the study, as mentioned in Part A, the major research questions are:

1 What are the teachers’ attitudes toward using pictures in teaching vocabulary?

2 What are the students’ attitudes toward using pictures in teaching vocabulary?

3 How is the effectiveness of using pictures in teaching and learning vocabulary?

3.2 Participants

The participants of the survey questionnaires are divided into two groups

The first group involves twenty teachers of English ranging from twenty five to forty two years old All these teachers have been teaching English at least two years at Haiphong Industrial Vocational College They all have Diploma Degree in English

The second group involves one hundred second year students at Haiphong Industrial Vocational College These students are between sixteen and twenty years old, almost of male All of them have similar background, that is, they are supposed to be at elementary level English

3.3.1.2 The teachers ’ survey questionnaires

The teacher questionnaire, comprising nine questions, was delivered to twenty teachers of English The questionnaire completed by the teachers covered two main parts The first two questions aim at investigating their attitudes toward using pictures in teaching vocabulary The next questions (questions 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) aim at finding the effectiveness

of using pictures in teaching vocabulary The last question is an open-ended one that focuses on suggestions made by the teachers for using pictures more effectively in teaching vocabulary to the students

3.3.1.3 The students ’ survey questionnaires

The student questionnaire, consisting of six questions, was delivered to a hundred students Similarly, the questionnaire was divided into two parts Part one consists of the first questions aiming to show the students’ attitudes toward using pictures in learning vocabulary The next questions (questions 3, 4, 5, 6) show the types of pictures which will

be revealed from the eyes of the students and the effectiveness of using pictures in learning vocabulary

3.3.2 Class observation

3.3.2.1 Objectives

Apart from the survey questionnaires for the teachers and students, class observation was employed to clarify and test the validity of information about the current situation of using pictures in teaching vocabulary of English to the students The method of structured observation was chosen in this research since just the class activities related to vocabulary teaching and learning were observed and recorded The observation was carried out in several English classes of Mechanical Department at Haiphong Industrial Vocabulary College and it was kept in the form of diary

3.3.2.2 The criteria for observation

With an attempt to check the questionnaire results in real life, the class observation was carried out basing on the following criteria:

- the types of pictures used in the lesson

- how pictures are used

- the students’ attitudes, reaction and knowledge toward learning vocabulary through pictures