Tài liệu A study on using some language games in teaching vocabulary to grade 10th student at viet tri industrial high school

i HUNG VUONG UNIVERSITY FOREIGN LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT ---------- NGUYEN PHUONG THUY A STUDY ON USING SOME LANGUAGE GAMES IN TEACHING VOCABULARY TO GRADE 10th STUDENTS AT VIET TRI INDUSTRIAL HIGH SCHOOL (Nghiên cứu sử dụng một số trò chơi ngôn ngữ trong giảng dạy từ vựng tiếng Anh cho học sinh lớp 10 tại trường THPT Công Nghiệp Việt Trì) B.A. GRADUATION PAPER Field: English Methodology Supervisor: NGUYEN THI THU HANG, M.A Phu Tho, 2020 ii HUNG VUONG UNIVERSITY FOREIGN LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT ---------- NGUYEN PHUONG THUY A STUDY ON USING SOME LANGUAGE GAMES IN TEACHING VOCABULARY TO GRADE 10th STUDENTS AT VIET TRI INDUSTRIAL HIGH SCHOOL B.A. GRADUATION PAPER Field: English Methodology Phu Tho, 2020 i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to a number of people, without whose support, this graduation paper would not have been completed. First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest thanks to my supervisor Nguyen Thi Thu Hang, M.A. for the wholehearted guidance she gave me while I was doing this research. I am truly grateful to her for her ideas. comments and instructions, as well as her constant support throughout my research. Secondly, I would like to thank all the lecturers, teachers and staff at Hung Vuong University, especially those in Department of Foreign languages who have created favorable conditions for me to study and write graduation paper. Thirdly, my sincere thanks go to all teachers and students in Viet Tri Industrial high school whose endless enthusiasm has helped me to carry surveys which are very useful for my thesis. Last but not least, I would like to show my gratitude to my family, my friends for their spiritual, emotional and financial support and for giving me the optimism to continue my learning. Phu Tho, June 2020 Nguyen Phuong Thuy i ii ABSTRACT Vocabulary learning has always been a major concern for those who want to learn a second language. One of the techniques that can be used to master vocabulary is using vocabulary games. This study aims at checking the effectiveness of games in facilitating learning as well as improving vocabulary for the grade 10th students at Viet Tri Industrial High School. First, to learn about the current methods of learning vocabulary, the survey questionnaire about students' problems related to vocabulary and game technique was conducted among 40 students of grade 10A. Second, class observation was done to evaluate the quality of vocabulary studying among these students after using vocabulary games during three weeks of the second semester of the 2019-2020 academic school year. Last, the questionnaire also was used to find the students' attitudes toward using games to improve vocabulary. Based on the results of this thesis, the difficulties of students in learning vocabulary have been found out as well as the game technique that was introduced received positive responds from students. ii iii TABLE OF CONTENT PART A: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................ 1 1. Rationale........................................................................................................ 1 2. Previous studies ............................................................................................. 2 3. Research purposes ......................................................................................... 4 4. Research questions ........................................................................................ 4 5. Research methods.......................................................................................... 4 6. Significance of the research .......................................................................... 5 7. Research scope .............................................................................................. 5 8. Research design ............................................................................................. 5 PART B: MAJOR CONTENT ......................................................................... 7 CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND .......................................... 7 1.1. An overview of vocabulary ........................................................................ 7 1.1.1. Definition of vocabulary ......................................................................... 7 1.1.2. Classification of vocabulary.................................................................... 9 1.1.3. The importance of vocabulary .............................................................. 10 1.1.4. Aspects of vocabulary needed to be taught........................................... 10 1.1.5. Principles of teaching vocabulary ......................................................... 13 1.1.6. Stages of teaching vocabulary in CLT .................................................. 14 1.1.7. Factors affecting the decision in choosing vocabulary items to teach.. 15 1.2. An overview on using language games in language learning .................. 16 1.2.1. Definition of language games ............................................................... 16 1.2.2. Types of language games ...................................................................... 18 1.2.3. Games to teach vocabulary ................................................................... 20 1.2.4. Benefits and problems of using games to teach vocabulary. ................ 22 1.2.5. Steps of using games to teach vocabulary……………………….........24 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY .................................................................. 27 2.1. Research setting ....................................................................................... 27 2.2. Subject of the study .................................................................................. 28 iii iv 2.3. Participants of the study ........................................................................... 28 2.4. Data collection instruments ...................................................................... 29 2.4.1. Survey questionnaires ........................................................................... 29 2.4.2. Observation ........................................................................................... 31 2.5. Research procedure .................................................................................. 32 CHAPTER 3: THE CURRENT SITUATIONS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING VOCABULARY FOR STUDENTS IN CLASS 10A AT VIET TRI INDUSTRIAL HIGH SCHOOL………………………………………. 33 3.1. The real situation of learning vocabulary …………………....................33 3.2. The real situation of teaching vocabulary ……………………………...37 CHAPTER 4: EXPERIMENT AND RESULTS ............................................ 45 4.1. Experiment procedure .............................................................................. 45 4.2. Description of the experimental teaching ................................................ 46 4.3. Evaluation on learning and teaching vocabulary with some language games after experiment............................................................................................... 50 4.3.1.Students’ evaluation on learning vocabulary with some language games ......................................................................................................................... 50 4.3.2. Teacher’s evaluation on learning and teaching vocabulary with some language games ............................................................................................... 56 4.4. Major findings .......................................................................................... 57 4.4.1. The real situation of using some language games in learning vocabulary …………………………………………………………………………….....56 4.4.2. Some benefits of using some language games in teaching and learning vocabulary ....................................................................................................... 58 4.4.3. Some differences of using some language games in teaching and learning vocabulary ....................................................................................................... 58 4.5. Implications .............................................................................................. 60 4.5.1. For teachers ........................................................................................... 60 4.5.2. For students ........................................................................................... 62 iv v PART C: CONCLUSION ............................................................................... 64 1.Conclusion…………………………………………………………………62 2. Limitations in the research .......................................................................... 65 3. Suggestions for further research ................................................................. 65 RERERENCES APPENDIX 1 APPENDIX 2 APPENDIX 3 APPENDIX 4 APPENDIX 5 APPENDIX 6 APPENDIX 7 APPENDIX 8 v vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CLT Communicative language teaching EFL English as a foreign language ELT English Language Teaching ESL English as a second language vi vii LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1: Current situation of students’ learning vocabulary........................ 33 Table 3.2: Students' knowledge and attitudes toward using language game in learning vocabulary ......................................................................................... 36 Table 3.3: Teachers’ techniques in teaching new words…………………….38 Table 3.4: Frequency of using vocabulary games .......................................... 41 Table 4.5: Students’ attitude toward playing language games ....................... 52 Table 4.6: Students’ expectation and preference for the use of language games in vocabulary classes ....................................................................................... 55 vii viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 3.1: Students’ view about teacher’s techniques ................................... 35 Figure 3.2: Students' attitude toward using language games in learning vocabulary ....................................................................................................... 37 Figure 3.3: The use of vocabulary games in teaching and learning vocabulary to grade 10th students at Viet Tri Industrial high school ................................. 38 Figure 3.4: Benefits when using vocabulary games in class………………...38 Figure 3.5: Difficulties when using vocabulary games in class ..................... 40 Figure 3.6: Stages at which vocabulary games are used ................................. 41 Figures 3.7: Teachers’ suggestions on how to better employ games in teaching vocabulary ....................................................................................................... 42 Figure 3.8: Teacher' knowledge and attitudes toward using language games in learning vocabulary ......................................................................................... 43 Figure 4.9: The students' attitudes towards language games .......................... 50 Figure 4.10: Students' participation in language games ................................. 51 Figure 4.11: Benefits of using language games in learning vocabulary ......... 53 Figure 4.12 Students’ difficulties in learing vocabulary................................. 54 viii 1 PART A: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale Up to now, English has confirmed its position as the global language that appears on many official documents and public signs as well as being taught in a variety of schools as a second language in many countries, which can show how important this language is to human life nowadays. Never before has English become so popular in Vietnam like today. The increasing number of people, young and old alike, is rushing to learn this foreign language with hope to find a better position in society and adapt with this exciting world. English has been a compulsory subject at almost high schools and universities around our country. To be good at this foreign language, one of the most difficult aspects of learning, particularly in an EFL context, is the retention of vocabulary. Vocabulary learning plays a major role in English language learners’ success. If a learner has huge vocabulary stock, he can make himself understood by others with few difficulties. However, learning vocabulary has never been an easy task. Consequently, teachers have to help students to improve their English vocabulary by using different techniques such as using visual aids, exercises, and especially games. The use of language games to teach vocabulary for students is one of common ways used in high schools because this teaching method is very suitable for young and naughty students who specially like the combination between learning and playing. ESL/EFL specialists often justifies the use of games with reference to the motivation and benefits that they can provide the students. “Games are, by definition, fun, and nearly everyone would agree that if learning can be made enjoyable, then students will learn more” (CelceMurcia, M. & McIntosh, L, 1979:56). In games, “language use takes precedence over language practice” and in this sense, “games bring classroom closer to the real world. Each game, by nature, focuses on one or more aspects 2 of English like a grammar point, a vocabulary area, or a communication skill” (Celce-Murcia & McIntosh, et al., 1979:54). Games can teach, and there might be no reason why they cannot be included as a part of a lesson. However, do vocabulary games only bring the good things in all cases? Do they create any hindrances that prevent teachers from applying this technique? The facts have shown that beside a great deal of good points mentioned above, vocabulary games are also the root of many adverse effects. Therefore, the author has decided to conduct an investigation into “A study on using some language games in teaching vocabulary to grade 10th students at Viet Tri Industrial high school” to explore the issue in more depth. 2. Previous studies 2.1. In the world When researching about using games in teaching and learning English vocabulary, Efendi (2013) conducted a study named ‘‘The use of games to improve vocabulary mastery’’. The aim of his research described the way of “got it game” and “back to the board game” in improving vocabulary mastery of the seventh grade students. His research was a kind of classroom action research (CAR) in which the researcher acted as the teacher who leads teaching activity. In order to collect data, he used observation checklist, field note and a test. The participants of his study were 29 students of seventh grade students. His study consisted of four major steps: planning, implementing, observing, and reflecting. The findings of the study showed that “the use of “Got It Game” and “Back to the Board Game” with the topics vocabulary of daily English communication, people’s occupation, and personal care and appearance could improve students’ vocabulary mastery achievement.” In 2017, Esra Akdogan, a PhD from Presidency University of Bangladesh, did a research on ‘‘Developing vocabulary in game activities and game materials’’. The main aim of this study was specifically designed to find out how to develop game materials and hopefully come out with results 3 providing insight to the question “How can we easily memorize vocabulary items and how can we promote effective ways to learn English vocabulary in a relaxed manner. The findings suggested that the use of games in foreign language learning may benefit the process in many aspects such as memory of vocabulary. The results proved that the occurrence of memorize is improved with games, and therefore might be a more efficient way to encourage language acquisition. Liu Zhi - Liang (2010) presented in “A study on English vocabulary learning strategies for Non - English major in China Independent College” the pattern of English vocabulary learning strategies used by the non - English major student in China Independent College. The aim of this paper was to help English learners to improve their ability of vocabulary learning and develop their English proficiency by providing some practical suggestions to both teachers and students. 2.2. In Viet Nam In their article “Learning Vocabulary through Games” Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen & Khuat Thi Thu Nga (2003), found out that the most common perception that the people have towards vocabulary learning was that it means learning a list of words and their meaning without any real context learning. Pupils would have to pick up one of those bilingual dictionaries and found the definition of the new words they come across. This learning technique had been proven in effective specially when it came to young learners. This was due to the fact that most of the time these young learners would not be able to remember all of the words that they have looked up for in the dictionary. The other study was “The survey on how to learn English vocabulary on the first stage of University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City " by Mrs. Bui Thi Xuan Hong. The aim of study was to learn how lexical approach to help students remember and learn from the best usage and survey of habit, when and 4 how to use them to learn vocabulary, the advantages and disadvantages of studying and investigating their vocabulary. This was the first time the study about “A study on using some language games in teaching vocabulary to grade 10th students at Viet Tri Industrial high school” is carried out at Hung Vuong University. Different from the other studies, the researcher would find out benefits and difficulties when using games in teaching vocabulary at Viet Tri Industrial high school in general. And then the researcher proposed some suitable suggestions. 3. Research purposes The study is aimed at: - Investigating the current situation in teaching English vocabulary for grade 10th students at Viet Tri Industrial High school. - Using some games to teach vocabulary for grade 10 th students at Viet Tri Industrial High school. - Finding out the benefits and difficulties of using some games to teach English vocabulary. 4. Research questions In order to achieve these aims, the study is to answer the following key research questions: - How is vocabulary taught and learned at Viet Tri Industrial high school? -What are the benefits and difficulties of using games in teaching vocabulary? 5. Research methods In order to accomplish this study systematically and adequately, the following methods were used: Theoretical research method: This helped review the relevant documents about using games in teaching and learning to provide the background of the thesis. 5 Investigative method: This method was used with the aim to investigate the current situation teaching and learning vocabulary at Viet Tri Industrial high school. Mathematical statistical method: Calculating the data collected from survey questionnaires and observation to get the final results. Experimental method: This method was employed to apply language games to teach vocabulary for grade 10th students at Viet Tri Industrial high school. 6. Significance of the research The author hoped that this research would bring about some benefits in the teaching of English language in general, and especially in teaching English vocabulary. The students would be more interested and motivated to engage in the lesson and especially they were expected to use their active vocabulary successfully. The teachers could be able to determine better teaching materials, and they could use the result of this research for more effective application of games in teaching and testing English vocabulary. 7. Research scope This research focuses on applying some games to teach English vocabulary to 40 students of grade 10A at Viet Tri Industrial High School. 8. Research design The study consists of three main parts: PART A: INTRODUCTION This part presents the overview of the thesis including the rationale for the research, research purposes, research questions, significance of the research, methodology as well as design of the study. PART B: MAJOR CONTENT This part consists of 4 chapters: Chapter 1: Theoretical background. 6 In this part, the study presents definition of major terms used in this study, including overview of teaching vocabulary, overview of games . . . Chapter 2: Methodology This chapter provides the detailed information about participants of the study and details the tools for data collection, data analysis and the procedure of conducting the research. Chapter 3: The current situations of learning and teaching vocabulary of grade 10th students at Viet Tri Industrial high school. Chapter 3 analyzes statistic collected from chapter 2 in order to investigate the teaching and learning of English vocabulary. Chapter 4: Experiment and results This chapter gives description of the experiment on applying some language games to teach vocabulary, as well as draw out the significance of applying some language games in teaching vocabulary, gives the major findings of the study, gives implications of study for teachers and students. PART C: CONCLUSION This part includes the summary of the limitations of the study, gives the suggestions for further research. 7 PART B: MAJOR CONTENT CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND This chapter focuses on providing an overview of the theoretical knowledge relevant to the study including the theory of vocabulary, types of vocabulary, the important of vocabulary, vocabulary learning strategies and theory of games, integrating games in learning English foreign language vocabulary. 1.1. An overview of vocabulary 1.1.1. Definition of vocabulary According to Oxford Advanced Learners‟ Dictionary Sixth Edition (2000), vocabulary is: 1) “all the words a person knows or uses”, and 2) “all the words in a particular language”. As the paper particularly focuses on the students‟ learning of vocabulary, “vocabulary” should be understood in the first denotation. In association with vocabulary is the term “word”, which, according to McCarthy (1995:31), “when we speak of the vocabulary of a language, we are speaking primarily, but not exclusively, of the words of that language”. Random House Webster ‟s Unabridged Dictionary (Flexner, 2003) defines “word” as “a unit of language, consisting of one or more spoken sounds or their written representation that functions as a principle carrier of meaning”. Thus, vocabulary is knowledge of words and word meaning in a broader sense. The term “vocabulary” is almost introduced to any learner of English at the first lesson. They commonly think that vocabulary is the total number of words that a language possesses but hardly explore what its definition is. In fact, there have existed a variety of definitions of this term. As for Penny Ur (1996:60), vocabulary can be defined, roughly, as the words which are taught in the foreign language. He thought that a new item of vocabulary may be more than a single word, it can be made up of two or three words but expresses a single concept or idea. There are also multi word idioms whose meaning cannot be deduced from the analysis of the component words, for example: 8 mother-in-law. Meanwhile, Nguyen Ngoc and Nguyen Bang (2001) claimed that vocabulary of a language is all its words, compounds and idioms used to convey and receive information in oral and written communication. The term vocabulary is defined in different ways. So far, many linguistics have given out their different definitions of word. Some define it according to semantic criterion while others refer to it according to the phonological or potential one. According to Mackey (W.T 1978): “Vocabulary is the total number of all the words and multi-word items whose meanings cannot be deduced from the analysis of the component words”. Penny Ur (1995) in book “A course in Language Teaching” said that: “Vocabulary can have defined roughly; as the words we teach in foreign language.” Vocabulary is one of language elements which are important in English. Vocabulary is very essential for people, especially the students, in the process of learning, mastering and using language for communication. In the book ‘‘Vocabulary and Language Teaching’’, McCarthy says: "Vocabulary is the biggest component of any language. If you do not know enough vocabulary you will not be able to express yourself adequately" (1990:2). It is obvious that the more words we know, the more we can say and understand the others. According to Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary Online, vocabulary is defined as a) all the words that a person knows or uses, b) all the words in a particular language, c) the words that people use when they are talking about a particular subject and d) a lists of words with their meanings, especially in a book foreign language , vocabularies express our ideas, felling, motivation and information to the people clearly .Vocabulary is each one of English subject at school that learnt with listening, speaking reading, writing skills by students. In this study, vocabulary means the students" ability in mastering any kinds of words or stock of words such as noun, verb, adjective, adverb., and others in teaching and learning process and the students know how to use vocabulary in a particular situation and regularly in their daily life. We notice that vocabulary, 9 lexis and word are used to refer to the same thing. However, according to Scrinever (2005), vocabulary and lexis are different terms. He stated that vocabulary typically refers mainly to single words (e.g. dog green, wash) and sometimes to very tightly linked two-or three word combinations (e.g. stock market, compact disc, sky blue). However he defined lexis as our internal database of words and complete ready-made" fixed/ semifixed / typical combinations of words that we can recall and use quite quickly without having to construct new phrases and sentences word by word from scratch using our knowledge of grammar ,And word is a single unit of language which means something and can be spoken or written (Oxford Advanced Learner 's Dictionary) So in this paper there is no difference in use between words and vocabulary to refer all the words that existed in a language, which can transmit and express ideas. We can make a conclusion that vocabulary is the starting step to acquire any language, because without understand vocabulary they will have difficulties in the next learning process. Vocabulary is used to express ideas, feeling, motivation and information to the people clearly, and it is each one of English subject at school that learnt by students. 1.1.2. Classification of vocabulary There are many way to classify vocabulary, McCarten (2007) stated that the vocabulary of the English language can be divided into two main types: a. Active vocabulary Words which students will need to understand and also use themselves. We call this active vocabulary. In teaching active vocabulary, it is usually worth spending time giving examples and asking questions, so that students can really see how the word is used. b. Passive vocabulary Words which we wants students to understand (e.g. when reading a text), but which they will not need to use themselves. We call this passive vocabulary. 10 To save time, it is often best to present it quite quickly, with a simple example. If it appears as part of a text or dialogue, we can often leave students to guess the word from the context. Emphasize that students should understand far more words than they can produce so we should not try to treat all new words as active vocabulary. 1.1.3. The importance of vocabulary It cannot be denied that vocabulary is one of the most important dimensions of a language. Day by day, there have been more and more methodologists and linguists turning their attention to vocabulary and its role in language teaching and learning process. McCarthy (1990:8) confirmed how important vocabulary is through his statement, “no matter how well a student learns grammar, no matter how successful the sounds of L2 are mastered, without words to express a wide range of meanings, communication in an L.2 just cannot happen in any meaningful way.” Sharing this idea, Mathews & Spratt (1985) said, “One of the tools that enables students to function accurately, appropriately and fluently in any situations is the ability to recognize and produce a wide range of vocabulary items.” The extreme importance of vocabulary is strongly confirmed by Wilkins (1974), “without grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed” (1974). This statement implicates that a conversation still can be understood by speakers but little without grammar. Nevertheless, without vocabulary, no information can be passed on to others in their talks. To succeed in learning a language, learners need to possess a huge stock of vocabulary. However, in teaching process, if teacher only focuses on the meaning of individual words and takes little care of word combination in a sentence, learners will face up with difficulties in communicating. Therefore, it is very necessary to associate vocabulary with grammar, which helps them not only know the meaning of words but also know how to use them correctly. 1.1.4. Aspects of vocabulary needed to be taught