Using supplementary reading materials in teaching english medical vocabulary to college students

The results of the post-treatment vocabulary test at the end of the experiment indicated that using supplementary reading materials can help the participants develop their ability to ret

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

VINH UNIVERSITY

NGUYEN NU THU THUY

USING SUPPLEMENTARY READING MATERIALS

IN TEACHING ENGLISH MEDICAL VOCABULARY TO COLLEGE STUDENTS

MASTER’S THESIS IN EDUCATION

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

VINH UNIVERSITY

NGUYEN NU THU THUY

USING SUPPLEMENTARY READING MATERIALS

IN TEACHING ENGLISH MEDICAL VOCABULARY TO COLLEGE STUDENTS

Major: English Teaching Methodology

Code: 60.14.01.11

MASTER’S THESIS IN EDUCATION

Supervisor: Dr Tran Thi Ngoc Yen

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

I hereby acknowledge that the study “Using supplementary reading materials in teaching English medical vocabulary to college students” is mine The data and findings discussed in the thesis are true, used with permission from associates, and have not been published elsewhere

Vinh, August 2017

Author’s signature

Nguyen Nu Thu Thuy

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, I would like to express my deep gratitude to Dr Tran Thi Ngoc Yen, who I believe is the most wonderful supervisor, for her valuable direction and generous assistance while I was doing this project Her enthusiasm and positive attitudes were sparkling in such a way that it helped to make my research a serious task to fulfil

Second, I am also grateful to my colleagues and students of K10A1 and K10 A2 at HaTinh medical college who helped me to finish the study

Next, I would like to show my special thankfulness to my parents and my loved family who love, support and encourage me a lot in the production of this thesis

Finally, I am too aware that despite all the advice and assistance, the thesis

is far from perfect, it is, therefore, my sole responsibilities for any inadequacies that

it may be considered to have

ABSTRACT

Most learners and teachers understand the importance of vocabulary acquisition In recent years, second language vocabulary acquisition has become an increasingly interesting topic of discussion for teachers because vocabulary is crucial in language learning This study aims at examining the effectiveness of using supplementary reading materials on EFL students’word spelling and word meaning retention In the experiment, supplementary reading materials were delivered to the experimental group Before the treatment, a general English test, a pre-treatment vocabulary test on word spelling and word meaning were administered to assess the participants’ English proficiency and vocabulary level The results of the post-treatment vocabulary test at the end of the experiment indicated that using supplementary reading materials can help the participants develop their ability to retain word spelling and word meaning

TABLE OF CONTENTS

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

ABSTRACT iii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vii

LIST OF TABLES viii

LIST OF FIGURES ix

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Introduction 1

1.2 Rationale 1

1.3 Aims of the study 4

1.4 Research questions 4

1.5 Scope of the study 4

1.6 Thesis design 5

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 6

2.1 Theorical background of ESP 6

2.1.1 Definition of ESP 6

2.1.2 Charateristics of ESP 6

2.1.3 English for Medical Purpose (EMP) 8

2.2 Vocabulary 9

2.2.1 Definition of vocabulary 9

2.2.2 Classification of vocabulary 11

2.2.3 Roles of vocabulary in teaching and learning 12

2.2.4 Word aspects 14

2.2.4.2 Grammar 18

2.2.4.3 Collocation 18

2.2.4.4 Meaning 18

2.3 ESP vocabulary instruction 19

2.3.1 Factors affecting vocabulary acquisition 19

2.3.2 Methods and techniques to teach ESP vocabulary 21

2.4 Reading and vocabulary development 23

2.5 Supplementary reading materials 24

2.5.1 Definition 24

2.5.2 Criteria for selecting supplementary reading materials 25

CHAPTER 3 THE EXPERIMENT 27

3.1 Research questions 27

3.2 Participants 27

3.3 Materials 28

3.4 Procedures 29

CHAPTER 4 DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 31

4.1 Results 31

4.1.1 General English test 31

4.1.2 Pre-treatment vocabulary test 34

4.1.2.1 Word spelling 34

4.1.2.2 Word meaning 37

4.1.3 Post- treatment vocabulary test 39

4.1.3.1 Word spelling 40

4.1.3.2 Word meaning 43

4.1.4 The difference between pre-treatment and post treatment tests 46

4.1.4.1 Word spelling 46

4.1.4.2 Word meaning 50

4.2 Discussion 533

4.2.1 The effect of the supplementary reading materials on memorizing the word spelling 53

4.2.2 The effect of the supplementary reading materials on memorizing the word meaning 55

CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION 57

5.1 Summary of the main findings 57

5.2 Implications 60

5.3 Limitations 61

5.4 Suggestions for further research 61

REFERENCES 65

APPENDIX A 69

APPENDIX B 75

APPENDIX C 79

APPENDIX D 83

APPENDIX E 98

APPENDIX F 102

APPENDIX G 107

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

1 EFL: English as a Foreign Language

2 L1: First Language

3 L2: Second Language

4 ESP: English for specific purpose

5 EMP: English for medical purpose

LISTS OF TABLES

Table 4.1 The average total scores and standard deviations of general English test for the treatment group and the control group 31 Table 4.2 Means and standard deviations of the pre-treatment vocabulary test on word spelling for the treatment group and the control group 34 Table 4.3 Means and standard deviations of the pre-treatment vocabulary test on word meaning for the treatment group and the control group 37 Table 4.4 Means and standard deviations of the post-treatment vocabulary test on word spelling for the treatment group and the control group 40 Table 4.5 Means and standard deviations of the post-treatment vocabulary test on word meaning for the treatment group and the control group 43 Table 4.6 The improvement of the pre-treatment vocabulary test and the post-treatment vocabulary test on word spelling for the treatment group and the control group made 46 Table 4.7 The improvement of the pre-treatment vocabulary test and the post-treatment vocabulary test on word meaning for the treatment group and the control group made 50

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 4.1 The percentage of participants’ number of scores on General English test for the control group and the treatment group 32 Figure 4.2 Summary of participants having different scores on Generel English test for the control group and the treatment group 33 Figure 4.3 The percentage of participants having right word spelling on the pre-treatment vocabulary test for the control group and the treatment group 35 Figure 4.4 Summary of number of participants having right word spelling on Generel English test for the control group and the treatment group 36 Figure 4.5 The percentage of participants having right word meaning on the pre-treatment vocabulary test for the control group and the treatment group 38 Figure 4.6 Summary of number of participants having right word meaning on the pre-treatment vocabulary test for the control group and the treatment group 39 Figure 4.7 The percentage of participants having right word spelling on the post-treatment vocabulary test for the control group and the treatment group 41 Figure 4.8 Summary of number of participants having right word spelling on the post-treatment vocabulary test for the control group and the treatment group 42 Figure 4.9 The percentage of participants having right word meaning on the post-treatment vocabulary test for the control group and the treatment group 44 Figure 4.10 Summary of number of participants having right word meaning on the post-treatment vocabulary test for the control group and the treatment group 45 Figure 4.11a The percentage of participants based on the number of right word spelling on the pre-treatment and post-treatment vocabulary test for the control group 47

Figure 4.11b The percentage of participants based on the number of right word spelling on the pre-treatment and post-treatment vocabulary test for the treatment group 47 Figure 4.12 Summary of the number of participants having right word spelling on the pre-test and post-test for both groups 49 Figure 4.13a The percentage of participants based on the number of right word meaning on the pre-treatment and post-treatment vocabulary test for the control group 51 Figure 4.13b The percentage of participants based on the number of right word meaning on the pre-treatment and post-treatment vocabulary test for the treatment group 51 Figure 4.14 Summary of the number of participants having right word meaning on the pre-test and post-test for both groups 52

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction

Vocabulary is an essential building block of language because it is the element that links the four skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing all together In order to overcome the challenges of specialized usage of vocabulary, learners need to be taught and learn about the different types of vocabulary, their

usage, and specific strategies that will help them acquire vocabulary

It is also undeniable that materials, including textbooks and supplementary materials are necessary in the process of language teaching and learning A number

of studies have shown that second language learners acquire vocabulary through reading However, there has not been any research on the effectiveness of using supplementary reading materials on word meaning and word spelling retention

This study aimed to explore the effects of using supplementary reading materials on EFL learners’retention of word spelling and word meaning Two groups of EFL students at a college learned a given stock of vocabulary with different homework instructions The experiment included nine lessons with two lessons per week The results were compared to see which group gained better retention of word spelling and word meaning

1.2 Rationale

Most second language learners are aware that the acquisition of vocabulary is

a fundamental and important component in the course of their learning A good mastery of vocabulary is vital for learners, especially for those who are learners of English for specific purposes (ESP) Nation (2001, p.187) describes how learners

should deal with specific vocabulary: “It is wise to direct vocabulary learning to

more specialized areas when learners have mastered the 2000 -3000 words of

general usefulness in English” Simultaneously, teachers also need to be aware of

the kinds of vocabulary words, which words are worth focusing on Should these important words be dealt with during a class or within a learner’s independent study time? This directly relates to what teaching content and classroom activities the instructor must prepare for the learners

One of the main concerns for those of us working in an ESP context is how

to help our students deal with (i.e understand, extract information, assimilate, evaluate, summarize) authentic academic texts which by their nature require a fairly advanced level of proficiency in order to be understood By advanced level of proficiency it is meant, infact, a good vocabulary size, because although it is possible to find examples in texts (especially scientific or technical texts) where grammatical structure is crucial to understanding the subtle nuances of meaning, what seems more important for comprehension is knowing what the words mean (Coady, 1993; Grabe & Stoller, 1997)

As Folse (2008) stated:

“To improve their second language proficiency, English language learners

need a solid knowledge of vocabulary While a basic level of vocabulary will allow learners to communicate some ideas to a certain degree, better communication – whether in speaking/listening or writing/reading – can be accomplished when learners have acquired more vocabulary” (p.16)

Thus, vocabulary is a core component of language proficiency and provides the fundamental basis for learners to speak, listen, read, and write In fact, for many students, vocabulary is the greatest threat of all They cannot get their messages across because they do not have adequate vocabulary to make what they want to convey understood Many students can not do well in English as they possess a small vocabulary size Students find it difficult to remember the words they have

effectively and how to motivate them in vocabulary lessons are big questions for English teachers In order to do this, teachers have to find out suitable ways that make learners find it easy to memorize the word

Wilkins (1972) also denoted that “without grammar very little can be

conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed.” (p.111) Vocabulary is an

inseparable element which is used to activate learners' both mind and ability to express the intended meaning in the field According to Hatch (1983), the words will make basic communication possible Vocabulary knowledge is therefore a major factor to facilitate communication and other activities such as writing and reading appropriately in using second language or foreign language Furthermore, vocabulary can convey the meaning more than grammar in different contexts (Wilkins, 1972)

A great deal of studies has been done on the effectiveness of developing vocabulary through the supplementary reading materials so far According to Pigada

and Schmitt, (2006, p.1) “knowledge of 65% of the target words were enhanced in

some way” Overall they have claimed, “more vocabulary acquisition is possible from extensive reading than previous studies have suggested” (Pigada & Schmitt,

2006, p.18) Matsuoka and Hirsh (2010) proposed a need to supplement use of such texts with an extensive reading program and other forms of language rich input to promote vocabulary development Hui and Wen (1997) have also conducted a study

on the impact of supplementary reading and found that the group receiving the reading-plus-vocabulary-enhancement activities significantly outperformed the one receiving the narrow reading treatment on both acquisition and retention tests In Vietnam, Tran (2008) looked at the effect of extensive reading on EFL learners’ vocabulary development and concluded that the experimental group had made bigger improvement in vocabulary acquisition than the control group

For the above reasons, helping learners to remember well vocabulary items that they have learnt has become one of the biggest concerns to English language teachers Teaching vocabulary especially in ESP courses has always been a challenge for many teachers It is essential to carefully decide what vocabulary should be selected for teaching, and what approach or activities will be used to teach it to the students The purpose of this study is to provide supplementary reading materials to an experimental group at a college as to find out whether supplementary reading materials is effective in helping these medical students remember the word meaning and word spelling

Hence, it would be useful to carry out the study on the effects of using supplementary reading materials to investigate students’ memorization of word spelling and word meaning

1.3 Aims of the study

The research was carried out with the aim of exploring the effects of using supplementary reading materials on students’ memorization of word spelling and word meaning medical vocabulary The findings of this research were expected to

be helpful for English language teachers, especially those who work with college students

meaning retention were measured Other aspects of vocabulary such as functions, collocation were not taken into consideration in the research The study was conducted among second year non-English majored students coming from different parts of the country

1.6 Thesis design

The thesis comprises five chapters:

Chapter 1 is the introduction, which provides a brief introduction, rationale and an overview of the study

Chapter 2 presents the literature review, in which the theorical background of the ESP, the definition and classification of vocabulary, roles of vocabulary in language learning and teaching, aspects of vocabulary need to be taught, ESP vocabulary instruction, factors affecting vocabulary acquisition, method and techniques in teaching ESP vocabulary, supplementary reading materials are discussed

Chapter 3 presents the methodology including the information about participants, instruments and research procedure

Chapter 4 consists of results and discussions about students’ memorization

of word spelling and word meaning

Chapter 5 summarizes the main findings and provides implications and limitations of the research This chapter also presents suggestions for further study

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Theorical background of ESP

2.1.1 Definition of ESP

“ESP” stands for English for Specific Purposes Different authors have proposed different definitions for this term

According to Hutchinson and Waters (1987), ESP is “an approach rather

than a product to language teaching in which all decisions as to content and methods are based on learner’s reason for learning” (p.7) Similarly, Munby

(1978, p.2) states “ESP courses are those where the syllabus and materials are

determined in all essentials by the prior analysis of the communication needs of the learner” Robinson (1991, p.3) had another definition about ESP: “An ESP course

is based on a need analysis, which aims to specify as closely as possible what exactly it is that students have to do through the medium of English” Likewise,

Streven (1988, p.1-2) posited that “ESP is a particular cause of the general

category of special purpose language teaching”

2.1.2 Charateristics of ESP

ESP – English for specific purposes has emerged as a significant field in applied linguistics To determine the similarities and differences between ESP and General English, Dudley-Evans and St John (1998) put forward the list of absolute and variable characteristics that reflect specific characteristics of ESP courses Among absolute characteristics are such features:

First of all, ESP is defined to meet specific needs of the learner

Secondly, ESP makes use of the underlying methodology and activities of the disciplines it serves

For the variable characteristics, there have been following features:

First, ESP may be related to or designed for specific disciplines

Second, ESP may use in specific teaching situations, different methodologies from General English

Third, ESP is likely to be designed for adult learners, either at an institute or in a professional work situation; however, it could be used for learners at secondary level

Next, ESP is generally designed for intermediate or advanced students Lastly, ESP course assumes that learners have some basic knowledge of the language system, but it can be used for beginners (Dudley-Evans & St John, 1998,

pp 4–5)

Carver (1983) discusses three characteristics of ESP courses as below:

The first feature is authentic material Using authentic learning materials is entirely feasible Closer examination of ESP materials will follow that use of authentic content materials

The second one is purpose- related orientaion It means that orientation lessons must be according to the needs of the learners It is modified or unmodified

in formparticularly in self-directed study and research tasks Purpose-related orientation refers to the simulation of communicative tasks required of the target setting The students were encouraged to conduct research using a variety of different resources, including the Internet Carver (1983) also cites student simulation of a conference, involving the preparation of papers, reading, notetaking, and writing At Algonquin College, English for business courses have involved students in the design and presentation of a unique business venture, including market research, pamphlets and logo creation The students have presented all final products to invited ESL classes during a poster presentation session For our health science program, students attended a seminar on improving their listening skills They practiced listening skills, such as listening with empathy, and then employed

their newly acquired skills during a field trip to a local community centre where they were partnered up with English-speaking residents

Finally, self-direction is also one of characteristics of ESP courses in that "

the point of including self-direction is that ESP is concerned with turning learners into users" (Carter, 1983, p.134) In order for self-direction to occur, the learners

must have a certain degree of freedom to decide when, what, and how they will study Carter (1983) also adds that there must be a systematic attempt by teachers to teach the learners how to learn by teaching them about learning strategies which is essential for these learners is learning how to access information in a new culture

Robinson (1991) suggested that ESP is based on two criteria: ESP is normally ‘goal-directed’, and ESP courses develop from a needs analysis which aim to specify what exactly it is that students have to do through the medium of English He defined a number of characteristics which explain that ESP courses are generally constrained by a limited time period in which their objectives have to be achieved and are taught to adults in homogenous classes in terms of the work or specialist studies that the students are involved in

2.1.3 English for Medical Purpose (EMP)

English for Medical Purposes (EMP) is one of the genres in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) Class subjects in ESP have been getting widespread among Vietnamese university ESP has attained its popularity since the 1990s among Vietnamese universities in the growing necessities in ESP genres such as English for economics, business, English for law, and English for Science and Technology (EST) However, class subjects in EMP are still small in number in Vietnam compared to other ESP genres despite the strong need of EMP Medical language is a special language It is made up of vast pool of words and terms that is

for learning medical English (Kawagoe, 2009) Doctors need to learn to read and write medical terminology in L2 to complete hospital admission notes, diagnosis, and orders, which, later on, nurses must read, follow in order to carry out nursing interventions and take care of their patients For these medical and nursing professionals, their first step to access medical language is to learn medical words Besides, they also need to read journals and books in medical genres to speak to colleagues on professional visits, to make use of the expanding and increasingly important database available through the Internet, to participate in international conferences, to write up research for journal publication, to take postgraduate courses in the U.S or in U.K to work in hospitals where English is the first language or the lingua franca

2.2 Vocabulary

2.2.1 Definition of vocabulary

According to Pyles and Algae (1970, p.96), vocabulary is“words that sound

and meanings inter-lock to allow us to communicate with one another and it is words that we range together to make sentences, conversations and discourses of all kinds”

Ur (1996, p.60) also noted that “vocabulary is 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 or multi-word idioms”

Vocabulary is a list of words and their combination in particular language (Joklova, 2009) Vocabulary learning is important because it is needed by learners

to acquire a lot of words so they can use the vocabulary in any needs especially academic needs (Komachali & Khodareza, 2012) Vocabulary learning can be applied in classroom activities by teachers by considering the level of language

proficiency of the students so successful and effective vocabulary learning can be reached

The word “vocabulary” came from the Latin word “vocabulum” which means “name” It has come to English since 16th

century In the Macmillan English Dictionary, the word “vocabulary” means “all the words in a particular language” There have been many different definitions of vocabulary Joklova (2009) stated that vocabulary is a list of words and their combination in particular language Each

linguist gives his own definition Lewis (1993, p.89) states that “vocabulary may be

individual words or full sentences-institutionalized utterances that convey fixed social or pragmatic meaning within a given community” According to Pyles and

Algeo (1970), when people think about language, they think just about words They

assert that “the vocabulary is the focus of language It is in words that we arrange

together to make sentences, conversation and discourse of all kinds” (Pyles &

Algeo, 1970, p.96)

Harmer (1991, p.153) indicated that “If language structures make up the

skeleton of language, then it is vocabulary that provides the vital organs and the flesh” Knowing a word means being able to do thing with it: to recognize it in

connected speech or in print, to access its meaning, to pronounce it and to be able to

do these things within fraction of a second (Stahl & Fairbanks, 1986)

To summarize, vocabulary is the total number of all the words that a language possesses including single words, two or three words items expressing single idea and multi-word idioms of which meaning can not be deduced from the analysis of the component words but only understood in the sentences; or in contexts, etc

2.2.2 Classification of vocabulary

Vocabulary can be classified in various ways according to different criteria Below are three most common ways of vocabulary classification

According to the concept of morpheme

According to McCarthy (1990), there are three kinds of vocabulary: simple word, derived word and compound word A simple word has only one root morpheme, for instance: pen, cat, big, book, bag A derived word has a root morpheme and one or more than one affixation morphemes, for example: unhappy, careless, friendliness, booked A compound word has at least two roots with or without affixation morphemes, such as: car park, feedback, rainfall, greenhouse, etc

According to the meaning

According to the meaning of word, there are two kinds of word: lexical meaning and grammatical meaning Vocabulary, therefore, can be divided into notional words and functional words (Read, 2000, p.18) Notional words whose meanings are lexical, form a great mass of the speakers’ vocabulary They name objects, actions, qualities and have meaning in themselves They are nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, etc Function words whose meanings are grammatical, only have meanings in relation to other words with which they are used They are particles, articles, prepositions, and so on

According to the use of word

There are two kinds of vocabulary: active and passive vocabulary Passive vocabularies are words which a student can recognize but not necessarily use in reading or listening Passive vocabularies are useful for receptive skills such as reading and listening Whereas, active vocabularies are words which students can both understand and use in communication Active vocabularies are useful for the

productive skills such as speaking or writing Thus, learners should try to activate the passive vocabulary knowledge

Learners can understand many more words than they use in their own conversations One’s passive vocabulary is much larger than one’s active vocabulary The total number of words activity used in one’s whole life is much smaller than the total number of words understood in one’s whole life Even if we learn a word, it takes a lot of practice and context connections for us to learn it well This means that one word has different meanings in different contexts A word connected with different prepositions will give different meanings We cannot remember and use all words exactly at the same time Therefore, having a great of English vocabulary does not mean that you can use these words and phrases when you need This is the difference between passive and active vocabulary

2.2.3 Roles of vocabulary in teaching and learning

Words are the building blocks in a language By learning the lexical items,

we start to develop knowledge of the target language Based on our experience of being a language learner, we seem to have no hesitation in recognizing the importance of vocabulary in L2 learning Meare (1980) points out that language learner admit that they encounter considerable difficulty with vocabulary even when the upgrade from an initial stage of acquiring a second language to a much more advanced level Language practitioners also have reached a high degree of consensus regarding the importance of vocabulary The findings in Macaro’s survey (2003) indicated that secondary language teachers view vocabulary as a topic they most need research to shed light on to enhance the teaching and learning in their classrooms Therefore, it may be claimed that the role of vocabulary in L2 learning

is immediately recognized and implications for teaching from substantial researchare in great demand

Vocabulary is considered as a strong foundation for learners to build up their

communicative castles Wilkin (1972, p.110) says that “Vocabulary is one of the

three dimensions of languages (phonetics, grammar, vocabulary) Without grammar, very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed” Vocabulary is the foundation of a language The size of vocabulary is an

important criterion to evaluate a learner’s English level Without adequate vocabulary knowledge, a second language learner will have problems with conversation fluency and reading comprehension as well Rivers (1981) also

emphasizes the important role of vocabulary in a language: “language is not a dry

bone It is a living growing entity, clothed in the flesh of words”(cited in Hoang,

1985, p.23)

On the other hand, vocabulary has been acknowledged as L2 learners’ greatest single source of problems (Meara, 1980) This remark may possibly reflect that the openness of a vocabulary system is perceived to be a cause of difficulty by learners Another possible reason is that, unlike syntax and phonology, vocabulary does not have rules the learners may follow to acquire and develop their knowledge

In other words, it is not clear in L2 vocabulary learning what rules apply or which vocabulary items should be learned first Oxford (1990) also claims that vocabulary

is “by far the most sizeable and unmanageable component in the learning of any

language, whether a foreign or one’s mother tongue, because of tens of thousands

of different meanings” Despite these difficulties that language learners face in L2

vocabulary, they still have to deal with it in their examinations as ‘‘vocabulary has

traditionally been one of the language components measured in language tests’’(Schmitt, 1999, p.189) Furthermore, many learners see second language

acquisition as essentially a matter of learning vocabulary and therefore they spend a great deal of time on memorizing lists of L2 words and rely on their bilingual dictionary as a basic communicative resource As a result, language teachers and applied linguists now generally recognize the importance of vocabulary learning

takes the form of investigation of strategies learners use specifically for vocabulary, which is our focus of attention

Without a large vocabulary it is difficult to hold a proper conversation Consequently, learners have to make a conscious effort to acquire the target language not only in the classroom but outside it as well In effective language teaching students are exposed to the target language in multiple ways, and teachers’ aim is to encourage their students to be autonomous in their language learning

From what have been discussed above, it can be concluded that with native speakers in general, college students in particular, vocabulary is needed as first in order to survive If a learner has a wide vocabulary, he can get himself understood and understand other easily On the contrary, if it is limited, he will have difficult in doing so Therefore, vocabulary is a “must” for all English learners to acquire by all means

non-The important role of vocabulary raises question of how can learners increase their vocabulary knowledge Prator and Murcia (1979) stated that

“Vocabulary is expanded as fast as possible since the acquisition of vocabulary is

considered more important than grammar skill” (p.73) As a result, it goes without

saying that teaching and learning vocabulary is a very crucial aspect in foreign language methodology Nevertheless, it is also one of the hardest things to do, especially when you have reached a certain level Learning vocabulary is a process requiring time and effort investment In vocabulary teaching, teachers are advised to organize various learning activities to create motivation for learners

2.2.4 Word aspects

Ur (1998) listed five aspects that the learner should master and the teacher

According to Cross (1991) the procedure of teaching vocabulary can be divided into three stages:

- Presentation: In this stage, the teachers can use various techniques mentioned in the previous discussion However, the teachers have to be careful in selecting the techniques that they use in teaching activity

- Practice: In the second stage, the teacher gives exercises for students to practice the items being learnt Making completion, matching, words classification, etc are several examples of exercises that can be used

- Production: In this stage students are expected to apply the newly learnt

vocabulary through the speaking activities or writing activities

Grains and Redman (1986, p.13-52) indicated that there are several aspects

of lexis that need to be taken into account when teaching vocabulary:

- Boundaries between conceptual meanings: knowing not only what lexis refers to, but also where the boundaries are that separate it from words of related meaning (e.g: bowl, cup and mug)

- Polysemy: distinguishing between the various meaning of a single word form with several and closely related meanings (e.g: head: of a person, of a pin and of an organization)

- Homonymy: distinguishing between the various meaning of a single word form which has several meanings which are not closely related (e.g: a file: used to put paper in or a tool)

- Homophony: understanding words that have the same pronunciation but different spellings and meanings (e.g: see, sea)

- Synonym: distinguishing between the different shades of meaning that synonymous words have (e.g: big, huge)

- Affective meaning: distinguishing between the attitudinal and emotional factors (denotation and connotation), which depend on the speakers attitude or the situation Socio-cutural associations of lexical items are another important factor

- Style, register, dialect: Being able to distinguish between different levels of formality, the effect of different contexts and topics, as well as differences in geographical variation

- Translation: awareness of certain differences and similarities between the native and the foreign language

- Chunks of language: multi-word verbs, idioms, strong and weak, collocation,

- Grammar of vocabulary: learning the rules that enables students to build up different forms of the word or even different words from that word (e.g: buy, bought, buying)

- Pronunciation: ability to recognize and reproduce items in speech

In short, when teaching a new English word, teachers should provide his learners with its pronunciation, spelling, meaning, collocation as well as aspect of meaning (Ur, 1996)

2.2.4.1 Word form

Each English word has its spelling and pronunciation Teaching pronunciation is important It is one of fossilize good and hard It needs to be taught properly at the beginning of language study Pronunciation involves for more than individual sounds, thus, it is necessary to teach correct pronunciation They are word stress, sentence stress, intonation, and word linking all influence the sound of spoken English It is well-known that the teaching of English to Vietnamese learners presents unusual difficulties The biggest difficulty is that there is virtually

no similarity between the two languages in the areas of sounds or rhythmic and intonation patterns The unusually rich system of the Vietnamese vowels (with 6 tones) and consonants can produce an extraordinary number of different sounds without having to emphasize the final consonants in any syllables and without ever having to combine two or three consonants at any time English does not make extensive use of two, three, four and even five consonants in “clusters” within syllables and at the end of syllables Consequently, during the teaching process, teacher should let the students be familiar with the articulators, the functions of them, help students write correct transcription of the words as well as help them know how to use the words Additionally, teacher should help students practice sounds more and more give them more variety of pronunciation practice as well

2.2.4.2 Grammar

The grammar aspect of a new word should be also taught to the learners They should know the grammar function, the unpredictable change of form in certain grammatical contexts, the regularity and irregularity, the singular and plural forms of the new words so that they can use it correctly For example, when teaching the verb “buy”, we might give its irregularity in the past form “bought” When a noun is taught, such as “child”, teacher should give the plural form

“children” as well Word formation means how words written and spoken and knowing how they can change their form

2.2.4.3 Collocation

Collocation is the way words are used together regularly in a specific language This form refers to the restriction on how words can be used together in right contexts Thus, it is another piece of information about a new item, which maybe word teaching Collocation also enables learners to identify multi word items and further justifies their treatments as single items of the vocabulary Therefore, collocation can provide a useful framework for revising items

2.2.4.4 Meaning

Aspects of meaning conclude denotation, connotation, appropriateness and meaning relationship The meaning of a word is what it refers to in the real word, its denotation This meaning is found in a dictionary For instance, “cat” denotes a kind

of animal, more specifically, a common, domestic carnivorous mammal A less obvious component of the meaning of a word is its connotation in different contexts

or its connotative meaning This is the associations or positive or negative feelings

it evokes

2.3 ESP vocabulary instruction

2.3.1 Factors affecting vocabulary acquisition

Vocabulary acquisition is one of the important features in estimating one’s language proficiency (Henriksen, 1999; Huckin & Coady, 1999; Laufer & Hulstijn, 2001; Paribakht & Wesche, 1996) Many researchers have explored the process of vocabulary acquisition Henriksen (1999) investigated three dimensions of vocabulary development Aitchison (1994) found that a learner goes through three stages in vocabulary learning: labeling, packaging, and network building Paribakht and Wesche (1996) presented that a classification scheme for new vocabulary acquisition is activated through reading Also, incidental vocabulary acquisition takes place through written input (Huckin & Coady, 1999) or oral input (Brown, Sagers, & Laporte, 1999) Lewis(1992) holds the idea that vocabulary acquisition is the main task of second language acquisition and the language skills as listening, speaking, reading, writing and translating all can not go without vocabulary

Below are several factors in reading significantly contribute to vocabulary acquisition:

Repetition is significantly effective for vocabulary acquisition: as the frequency of

exposure to the as the frequency of exposureto the target words increase, a learner not only better retains the word meanings but also more easily uses the target words

in speech

Marginal glosses and dictionary use have a positive impact on vocabulary

acquisition Learners acquire new vocabulary words better when they encounter the meaning of unfamiliar words through marginal glosses or dictionary use

Instruction of the target words positively affects acquiring new words, while only

reading a word meaning is less effective

Context– whether it contains enough contextual cluesto guess the target word –

plays a significant role in understanding and recalling a word meaning

As the level of text comprehensionincreases, learners have more benefits in intake, gain, and retention of the new vocabulary

The level of learner proficiency can be a variable that affects vocabulary

acquisition For instance, for learners in lower proficiency groups, the frequency affects vocabulary acquisition less than for those in higher level groups

Pictorial input added to text definitions makes gain and retention of words stronger,

compared to a text-only condition

Reading-while-listening mode is more effective to gain a new word than the

reading only condition

L1 lexicalization greatly helps learners not only immediately understand the word

meanings but also better retain the target words

Type of tasks of reading can be a matter for vocabulary acquisition For example,

the form oriented task is more effective in retaining the target words than the message-oriented task

Word class can be a factor related to the effectiveness of gaining and retaining a

new word: students retain nouns easier than verbs and adjectives

Semantic elaboration can have a negative impact on vocabulary acquisition For

instance, the activity of synonym generation negatively affects vocabulary acquisition

2.3.2 Methods and techniques to teach ESP vocabulary

Teaching vocabulary is very important in language teaching in general and

in English language teaching in particular Knowing words is not filling papers with new words and memorizing them To let students achieve English vocabulary, teacher should use different techniques in teaching English vocabulary in order to motivate the learners, enrich their vocabulary knowledge and enable them to speak English properly The selection of an appropriate technique depending on the age of the students, their skills and interests, what the teacher thinks will bring desirable results as well The following are most commonly used techniques in presenting vocabulary items

Visual techniques

According to Gains and Redman (1986), visual techniques consist of realia, flashcards and mine, action and gesture Realia refers to the use of real objects in the classroom These objects help to make the meaning of word clear such as: a pencil, a rubber, a cat, etc The teacher may use classroom environment: a table, a board, a window, etc Classroom things can be touched The success in learning depends on the number of senses involved in the learning process

Flashcards may be the most useful aids in language teaching because they can be used in different ways Flashcards are maybe cards having two sides: one side is a picture and other side is a word

Mine, action and gesture are considered as a technique which is useful for explaining the actions and grammar items Such as kicking, running or walking Mine and action is a great fun for children who like acting and moving in the class

Thirdly, explanation is the technique which is usually used for upper beginners, who already have some knowledge of English It is essential for the teacher to bear in mind that while explaining certain word he should use the language that is comprehensible for the students

Next, using synonyms means teachers explain the meaning of a word by giving another word, which students know and understand, and which means nearly the same with the word, for example, big-huge, tall-high, little-small, etc

Antonyms is a technique that teachers can use to present the meaning of words Using this, teacher explains the meaning of a word by giving its opposite, for example, sad – not happy

Definition is a common technique that language teachers use to present word meaning to the learners It is a suitable method for upper beginners and relies on giving the definition of given word It can be the definition from the dictionary, it can be simple or complex

Polish equivalent

In this method, teacher gives the translation of given word in the native language The translation is the quickest way of demonstrating the meaning of vocabulary items However, being exposed to this presentation technique, students may be discouraged from interacting with words When presenting vocabulary, teacher is obliged to bear in mind the techniques and also the fact that words are learnt better In addition, the lexical items must be taught in context The reason is that the meaning of many words can change depending their use in particular sentences or contexts

2.4 Reading and vocabulary development

It is common knowledge that reading is of great importance in learning a foreign language Reading gives learners a number of benefits among which acquiring a number of new words through reading is one of the most significant In fact, reading as a very close relationship with vocabulary development There are several studies that have shown the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension (Joshi, 2005; Joshi & Aaron, 2000; Manyak & Bauer, 2009; Martin-Chang & Gould, 2008; Ricketts, Nation, & Bishop, 2007) As Nation (2001,

p.144) demonstrated that “research on L1 reading shows that vocabulary

knowledge and reading comprehension are very closely related to each other This relationship is not directional Vocabulary knowledge can help reading and reading can contribute to vocabulary growth” Tze-Ming Chou states that “in reading comprehension involves understanding the vocabulary, seeing relationships among words and concepts, organizing ideas, recognizing the author’s purpose, evaluating the context, and making judgments (Tze-Ming Chou, 2011, p.108) He also found

that a limited vocabulary size, as well as alack of sufficient knowledge of word meanings, often hinders learners from understanding the meaning of the text Hedge (1985, p.23) also agrees that every student needs to master a progressively

words carefully through the context lessons or course materials, but the main way for a student to gain control of an adequate vocabulary is through reading Tze-

Ming Chou (2011, p.108) affirms that “the more a person reads, the more they will

develop their vocabulary knowledge” Moras points out that vocabulary teaching

above elementary level was mostly restricted on presenting new items as they appeared in reading or listening texts This indirect teaching of vocabulary supposed that vocabulary can be increased when other language skills are practised (2001)

Therefore, the teachers should provide their students with reading texts in class With proper textbooks and reading materials, students will be able to develop their vocabulary knowledge

2.5 Supplementary reading materials

2.5.1 Definition

Supplementary materials have been defined in different ways According to

Tomlinson (1998, p.13), supplementary materials are “Materials designed to be

used in addition to the core materials of a course They are usually related to the development of skills of reading, writing, listening or speaking rather that to the learning of language items” Richards and Schmidt (2002, p.529) states “in language teaching, supplementary learning materials which are used in addition to

a course book often deal more intensively with skills that the course book does not develop or address in detail” Actually, most language-teaching course books

probably need supplementing to some extent, if only in order to tailor them to the needs of a particular class or to offer richer options Supplementary materials have

various types As Ur (1996, p.190-191) asserts: “There are packages of

supplementary materials such as computers, simplified readers, overhead projectors, posters, pictures or games Each type, obviously, has certain

To sum up, it is necessary for teachers to use supplementary materials in the classroom to help learners develop their four skills Importantly, teachers need to know how to select suitable supplementary materials and how to adapt them appropriately for teaching purposes

2.5.2 Criteria for selecting supplementary reading materials

Supplementary materials are essential tools in English language teaching They allow students to interact with words, images, and ideas in ways that develop their abilities in multiple literacies such as reading, listening, viewing, thinking, speaking, writing, and technology Because supplementary materials are a primary resource for English language teaching, they must be selected wisely with an eye toward coordinating instruction within and between grade levels, courses, and disciplines

When selecting supplementary materials, Nunan (1991) says “it is important

to match the materials with the goals and objectives of the course …with one’s learners’ attitudes, beliefs and preferences” (p.209) According to Nuttall (1996,

p.170), three main criteria should be taken into consideration when choosing a text: suitability, exploitability and readability

Suitability of content is concerned with the text’s ability to address students’ needs

and interests A text with interesting content makes the learners’ task far more rewarding and the classroom more effective

Exploitability means facilitation of learning When you exploit a text, you make use

of it to develop students’ competences readers Reading texts should not only interest the readers, but aso develop their language competence Therefore, different kinds of exercises and activities should be designed to best exploit the text so that the course’s objectives could be obtained

Readability refers to the combination of structural and lexical difficulty That means

the text must be suitable with students’ English proficiency levels in terms of vocabulary, syntax, and style The teachers must know what their students’ language proficiencies are to find out what vocabulary and structures the students are familiar with in order to choose text at the right level and balance different levels of proficiencies

Selecting materials requires in-depth knowledge: not just of students' backgrounds and learning experiences, but also of their abilities and interests; not just of educational objectives, but of the best practices and range and quality of materials for meeting them; not just of the particular work being considered, but of its place within the medium, genre, epoch, etc., it represents In short, responsible selection demands not only the experience and education needed to make sound choices but also the ability to defend the choices made

CHAPTER 3 THE EXPERIMENT

by 110 teachers and officers and had been training health care proffession in college

level with three years curriculum

The participants in the experiment were 90 nursing college second year students in Ha Tinh Medical College There were 70 females, and 20 males They were non-majored English and they were 19-26 years old at the experiment time These participants had been studying English for at least seven years at secondary

school and high school for approximately 6 hours a week

The participants finished learning the basic English course with the textbook

“New Headway” (Elementary, Liz and Soars) in their first year They were following the ESP course with the textbook “English for Medical Students” (For internal curculation only) This program occupied roughed two lessons a week

Ninety participants were divided into two groups: control group and treatment group They became the subjects of the research and all information about them was gathered and analyzed in the next chapter Despite the fact that there

might be some inevitable variables such as intelligence and characteristics among students, the differences between two groups were limited to minimum

3.3 Materials

As for the purpose of present study, the participants in the experimental study used “English for medical students” Textbook as the main course book There are sixteen topics in this course book; Vocabularies in the “English for medical students” Textbook are learnt by topics These are sixteen topics corresponding with the sixteen units:

- Unit 1: Parts of the body - Unit 9:Stress

- Unit 2: Medical specialists - Unit 10: Headaches

- Unit 3: Jane Johnson - Unit 11: Common cold

- Unit 4: Jane on the ward - Unit 12: Shock

- Unit 5: How to examine a sick person - Unit 13: Hepatitis

- Unit 6: General condition of health - Unit 14: Dehydration

- Unit 7: Temperature - Unit 15: Anemia

- Unit 8: The eyes - Unit 16: Better food at low cost

However, only nine units were chosen for the experiment, from unit 7 to unit 15 There were nine lessons during the experiment (two lessons per week) It has nine reading texts, exercises and activities In each the reading text, there are pictures or charts to illustrate the target content In addition, some exercises were designed and collected from several sources to add to the reading texts