PhuongNhan's MAthesis

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

POST GRADUATE DEPARTMENT
PHNG NHN
AN INVESTIGATION ON VOCABULARY TEACHING IN

THE ADVANCED LEVEL TEXTBOOK PROGRAM FOR
ENGLISH SPECIALIZED STUDENTS GRADE 11TH IN CHU
VAN AN HIGH SCHOOL
NGHIN CU V VIC GING DY T VNG TRONG
CHNG TRNH SCH GIO KHOA NNG CAO DNH
CHO HC SINH LP 11 CHUYN ANH TRNG CHU
VN AN
M.A MINOR THESIS
FIELD
CODE
: METHODOLOGY
: 601410
HANOI, 2008
VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES
POST GRADUATE DEPARTMENT
PHNG NHN
AN INVESTIGATION ON VOCABULARY TEACHING IN

THE ADVANCED LEVEL TEXTBOOK PROGRAM FOR
ENGLISH SPECIALIZED STUDENTS GRADE 11TH IN CHU
VAN AN HIGH SCHOOL
NGHIN CU V VIC GING DY T VNG TRONG
CHNG TRNH SCH GIO KHOA NNG CAO DNH
CHO HC SINH LP 11 CHUYN ANH TRNG CHU
VN AN
M.A MINOR THESIS
FIELD
CODE
SUPERVISOR
: METHODOLOGY
: 601410
: INH HI YN, M.Ed
HANOI, 2008
CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY
I certify my authorship of the minor thesis submitted today entitled
An investigation on vocabulary teaching in the advanced level textbook program
for English specialized students grade 11th in Chu Van An High School
in terms of the statement of requirements for the thesis and the field study reports in
Masters programs is the result of my own work, except where otherwise acknowledged
and that this minor thesis or any part of the same had not been submitted for a higher
degree to any other universities or institution.
Signature
Date: December 29th, 2008
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Ms. Dinh Hai Yen,
M.Ed, for her academic guidance and support throughout this study. Without her valuable
assistance, my thesis would not have been completed.
I would like to sincerely thank the lecturers of the Department of Post Graduate Studies,
College of Foreign Languages, Hanoi National University for their useful lessons that have
helped in the clarification of many points.
Last but not least, many special thanks are due to the teaching staff and students from
English specialized classes 11th grade in Chu Van An High School, who contributed data to
the study. Without their enthusiastic cooperation, I would not have been able to conduct
my research. I hope that the insights this paper has yielded will be of benefit for future
students in the program.
ABSTRACT
Vocabulary acquisition is one of the most challenging obstacles language learners

must overcome. This is especially true for students in English specialized classes where
comprehension of academic texts is required. This minor thesis investigates the vocabulary
strategy teaching component of an advanced-level course book for students in the grade
11th of Chu Van An High School. It first describes the course and the issues which
prompted the study. The present study is an effort that aims to examine the students usage
of vocabulary learning strategies that occurs as the course progresses and to analyse the
development of passive and active vocabularies over a three-month period. It then reviews
the literature relevant to the topic of research which serves as a theoretical for framework
for the study. The data were collected by means of questionnaires and interviews. Results
showed that students employed some certain determination, social, memory, cognitive and
metacognitive strategies during the course. However, the frequency of determination
strategies use was significantly higher than that of social and metacognive ones. The
findings emphasize the potential influence of these strategies on the learners vocabulary
development. Particularly, this study can claim to have achieved its goal of measuring
improvements in students passive vocabularies and matching them to suitable targets after
a three-month period. However, the findings from these studies have neither been
completely sufficient nor consistent, which requires further research into particular
strategies employed by learners of different proficiency levels in varied contexts. The
study has developmental implication for researchers and teachers. It provides a
categorization scheme of vocabulary learning strategies that are applicable to other studies
in this field. In addition, based on the findings, it suggests explicit instruction to improve
the efficiency of teaching vocabulary strategies.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Acknowledgements
Abstract
Part I: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
2. Scope, aims and significance of the study
2.1 Scope of the study
2.2 Aims of the study
2.3 Significance of the study
3. Methods of the study
4. Organization of the thesis
Part II: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
1.1 Vocabulary in SLA
1.2. Linguistic Input of Word
1.2.1 Necessary information of knowing a word
1.2.2 Receptive and Productive knowledge
1.2.3 How many words do learners need to know?
1.3 Vocabulary learning strategies
1.3.1 Determination strategies
1.3.2 Social strategies
1.3.3 Memory strategies
1.3.4 Cognitive strategies
1.3.5 Metacognitive strategies
1.4 Vocabulary teaching in language education
1.5 Summary
CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY
2.1 Participants and settings of the study
2.1.1 The school system
2.1.2 Vocabulary in the curriculum
2.1.3 Needs analysis
2.2 Instruments of data collection
2.2.1 Questionnaires
2.2.2 Survey
2.3 Data collection procedures
2.4 Data analysis
2.5 Summary
CHAPTER 3: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
3.1 Results
3.1.6 Teaching staff survey
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3.2 Summary of major findings

3.3 Discussion of major findings
3.4 Summary
Part III: CONCLUSION
1. Summary of previous parts
2. Conclusions
3. Implications of the study
4 Limitations and suggestions for further research
REFERENCES
APPENDIXES
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Appendix 3
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III
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VII
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
CFL
College of Foreign Language
VNU
Vietnam National University
CVA
Chu Van An High School
SSP
Structured Speaking Practice
SLA
Second Language Acquisition
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Vocabulary size and text coverage in the Brown corpus
(Nation and Waring, 1997, p.9)
Figure 2. Text coverage in written academic text (Nation and Newton, (1997, p.239)
Figure 3. Determination strategy survey results
Figure 4. Social strategy survey results
Figure 5. Sample of Memory strategy survey results
Figure 6. Cognitive strategy survey results
Figure 7. Metacognitive strategy survey results
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PART I: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
It is common knowledge that learning a foreign language mainly involves learning
the sound system, grammar, and vocabulary of that language among which vocabulary
learning plays a very crucial role. Seal, (1990, as cited in Celce-Murcia, 1991, p.269) state
that
to the non-language specialist, the common sense how languages are learned is
that you substitute the words in your first language for the corresponding words in
the second language. Words are perceived as the building blocks upon which
knowledge of the second language can be built.
Considering the crucial role attributed to vocabulary learning in second or foreign
language learning, one can implicitly understand the importance of vocabulary teaching as
well. In the past, vocabulary teaching and learning were often given little priority in second
language programs, but recently there has been a renewed interest in the nature of
vocabulary and its role in learning and teaching (Richards & Renandya, 2002).
A number of research studies have dealt with lexical problems, that is, problems
which language learners face in vocabulary learning. The given research findings have
revealed that lexical problems frequently interfere with communication. As a matter of
fact, communication breakdown occurs when people do not use the right words (Allen,
1983).
It is also generally accepted that second or foreign language learners who possess
good word power or knowledge of vocabulary are usually more successful language
learners. To put it simply, people with large vocabularies are more proficient readers than
those with limited vocabularies. In fact, there is usually a positive correlation between
ones knowledge of vocabulary and his/her level of language proficiency (Luppescu &
Day, 1993).
In most English classrooms in Vietnam today, a significant amount of time is spent
on lexis teaching and learning. Indeed, many EFL learners favour the type of vocabulary
book that lists words frequently appearing in entrance examinations. However, these are
unhelpful for the communicative purposes since they do not present information on usage.
Therefore, considering the treatment of lexis in current English textbooks for EFL learners
11
and what improvements that could be made has become a major concern for language
professionals nationwide. The significance then is not simply a focus on lexical elements,
but a careful consideration of the kinds of lexical features that should be presented and
applied.
Advanced ESL (English as a Second Language) learners, particularly those who
have been admitted to English specialized classes which use English as the mode of
instruction such as the case of Chu Van An high school, ostensibly have a sizeable
vocabulary. To begin with, they must pass the school entrance exams, which test the
breadth of vocabulary at the disposition of the learner. In the English specialized classes,
vocabulary learning is of great importance to the students because they need to work with a
lot of English books and materials to support their studies. In recent advanced-level
courses I taught, the learners were expected to learn the entire Academic Word List
(Coxhead, 2000) and sublist over the course of one three-month semester. Remarkably,
the students in these particular classes consistently received 80%-100% correct answers on
AWL vocabulary quizzes, representing a gain of approximately 560 new word families.
However, apart from some students who are quite good at English, most students find
vocabulary acquisition one of the biggest challenges, especially when they have to work
with a wide range of academic materials. They often complain that they have little
understanding of the texts they have read and gain little knowledge from their reading
exercises in the advanced textbooks. Having worked with the newly developed advanced
textbooks for more than two years, I am fully aware of the students problems and want to
help them improve their vocabulary learning efficiency. Therefore, I intend to carry out an
investigation on vocabulary teaching in the advanced level textbook program for English
specialized class students who are in the grade 11th in Chu Van An High School.
2. Scope, aims and significance of the study
2.1 Scope of the study
The study investigates the vocabulary teaching in the advanced level textbook
program for English specialized class students who are in the grade 11 th in Chu Van An
High School. Particularly, this minor thesis only refers to the learners lexical strategy
training. That is how to develop learners lexical learning strategies in the most efficient
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way. Thus, the study of learning and teaching strategies involving other aspects would be
beyond the scope.
2.2 Aims of the study
This study evaluates the vocabulary teaching component of an advanced English
study program. The aims of the study are:
a) to examine the students usage of vocabulary learning strategies that occurs
as the course progresses,
b) to analyse the development of passive and active vocabularies over a threemonth period in order to assess whether students finishing the program have
acquired sufficient knowledge of lexical items to comprehend different types of
academic texts.
To realize the given aims, an attempt is made to seek answers to the following
research questions:
(1) To what extent does the vocabulary component of the advanced level textbook
program for grade 11th students support their own vocabulary development?
(2) What is the students evaluation of the effectiveness towards vocabulary
learning strategies that they employ after a three month period?
(3) What are the suggested solutions to improve the efficiency of teaching
vocabulary strategies?
2.3 Significance of the study
The study is the first one to be carried out in the field of vocabulary teaching at Chu
Van An High school. It gives a detailed description of vocabulary development used by
students in English specialized classes. More importantly, it works out changes in study
behavior over a three-month period. The findings of the vocabulary teaching of the
textbooks newly developed for the advanced level can help teachers to understand more
about their students vocabulary acquisition and can serve as the foundation for some
further recommendations on how to improve students vocabulary breadth.
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3. Methods of the study

This study is to be conducted as a descriptive study that utilizes both quantitative
and qualitative approaches. The quantitative analysis is employed through the process of
data collected from written questionnaires to reveal changes in study behavior over a threemonth period and to measure passive vocabulary growth over the same period. In addition,
the qualitative approach is used to deal with the data collected from interviews with the
teaching staff that are fully responsible for the teaching of some 11 th English specialized
classes in Chu Van An High School. The combination of these data collection methods
will help ensure both reliability and validity of the study.
4. Organization of the thesis
The study consists of three parts:
Part I is the Introduction, which states the rationale, scope, aims, significance,
method and organization of the study.
Part II consists of three chapters.
Chapter 1 reviews the literature relevant to the topic of research and summarizes some
related studies on vocabulary acquisition, which serves as a theoretical framework for the
study.
Chapter 2 presents the research methodology of the study. It provides information about
the participants, the instruments, and the data collection procedures and data analysis.
Chapter 3 is the main part of the study that reports and discusses the main findings
according to the research questions.
Part III is the Conclusion that summarizes the major findings, presents the
implications and limitations of the study and gives some suggestions for further research.
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PART II: DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
For long, vocabulary learning has occupied an uncertain position in literature. Since
the 1970s though, there has been a growing appreciation of the importance of lexical
knowledge for learners. This, together with the gradual shift away from prescribed
methods of teaching, has led to a greater emphasis on developing the use of learning
strategies. Until recently, however, there have been few attempts to accurately describe the
strategies that learners can bring to bear on the task of acquiring vocabulary (Schmitt,
1997, p.199). Several key questions stand out regarding current thinking on vocabulary
learning, some of which attract a remarkable consistency of opinion, while others provoke
more debate.
1.1 Vocabulary in SLA
Some specialists in methodology believe that the meaning of words can not be
adequately taught, so it is better not to try to teach them. Others in methodology fear that
students would make mistakes in sentence construction if too many words are learned
before the basic grammar has been mastered. Actually, vocabulary learning is not simply a
matter of learning that a certain word in one language means the same in all contexts. It is
widely accepted that vocabulary is more important than grammar in SLA. Firstly, words
still can be used to communicate successfully without the grammatical correction. For
example, as in babys utterance Mummy, water, one can easily get his intention that he
asks his mother for water, although his utterance which lacks a subject and a predicate is
grammatically wrong. Secondly, knowledge of grammar is limited but that of words are
not. Thus, learning vocabulary should last as long as the language is being in use.
Vocabulary breadth in learning a foreign language is viewed as a primordial factor
in successful communication and, to a great extent, in high-level reading ability and
comprehension. Furthermore, reading itself is frequently singled out as the most important
vocabulary-building activity both for the first language (L1) and the second language (L2).
The impact of reading on vocabulary acquisition outweighs by far the impact of aural
language because of the relatively simple lexicon used in the spoken language (Krashen,
1989, p. 455). A large number of the studies on SLA (e.g., Horst, Cobb, & Meara, 1998;
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Knight, 1994; Krashen, 1989; Nagy, Herman, & Anderson, 1985; Nation & Coady, 1988)
examine the role of context in vocabulary acquisition which takes place through reading or
reading-associated tasks. Context plays a significant role in this acquisition by supplying
the necessary input. In many cases, the vocabulary acquisition which occurs while we are
reading is incidental and is largely dependent on the learners' guessing (Krashen, 1989).
However, numerous articles concerned with the controversy between guessing from
context and the use of a dictionary or glosses (marginal or computerized) in L2 acquisition
provide data in favor of dictionary/ gloss use in addition to vocabulary embedded in a
natural context (Groot, 2000 ; Hulstijn, 2000 ; Lomicka, 1998; Lyman-Hager & Davis,
1996; Summers, 1988). Dictionaries are particularly helpful for rarely occurring, lowfrequency words and for cases where the subjects do not have enough background for
correct guesses. Moreover, even a correct guess does not necessarily lead to acquisition.
This conclusion can be explained by the assumption that learners who guess words
correctly do not pay sufficient attention to the link between form and meaning in the
learning stage nor think they know the words well.
1.2 Linguistic Input of Word
1.2.1 Necessary information of knowing a word
It is important for learners to recognize that there is more to knowing a word than
checking its definition in a dictionary. Teachers need to emphasize that vocabulary
learning is an incremental, ongoing process, and that learners will be able to improve their
understanding of words by encountering them repeatedly.
Word knowledge can be thought of as encompassing three elements: the words
form, meaning and use. Knowledge of form might include phonological and orthographical
form as well as any recognizable word parts. Beyond the words definition as given in a
dictionary, meaning also encompasses connotation and synonyms. Using the word requires
an understanding of appropriate grammatical function, common collocations, appropriacy
in different contexts and frequency of use, all of which can be acquired from incidental
exposure to language (Ellis, 1997, p.127).
In Laufers study (1998) of vocabulary development in Israel high school students ,
productive knowledge is further subdivided into two parts. Controlled productive
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knowledge can be accessed when prompted by a task but free productive knowledge is
used spontaneously without prompts. This is an important point, since learners who are
being prompted to use a particular word are being provided with a context, and are
therefore not exhibiting complete control of a lexical item unaided. It is only when items
are used appropriately without any prompts that a teacher can be sure that an item has been
fully acquired.
1.2.2 Receptive and Productive knowledge
Much has been written about receptive and productive vocabulary. However, very
little work has been done to distinguish the two. More importantly, we must be careful
when using the terms 'receptive' and 'productive' and we don't necessarily know what we
are talking about when we refer to receptive or productive vocabulary nor do people agree
what they exactly are . It is not certain by any means that the two can be so neatly
separated.
Many attempts have been made to distinguish the terms 'receptive' and 'productive'
from theoretical and quantitative perspectives. These terms differ in productive use and
require more accurate mastery of connotations and denotations, register, syntactic
constraints, co-occurrence restrictions and so on. Quantitatively, Waring (1996b,
forthcoming) look at the relative vocabulary size of some Japanese learners of English and
found a difference between receptive and productive terms He found that if a high
frequency word was known receptively, there was good chance (64%) that it would be
known productively. However, if a low frequency word was known receptively there was
little chance (15%) it would be known productively. This means that we know far many
more words receptively than productively, but that there is no linear relationship between
the amounts known.
1.2.3 How many words do learners need to know?
Two possible answers to this question are offered. The first is that learners should
attempt, as far as is possible, to match the vocabularies of native speakers. The second
answer is to learn vocabulary in increments, based on the frequency, and therefore likely
usefulness, of each group of words.
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When estimating the vocabulary size of native speakers, the number of word
families known appears to be a commonly accepted measure. A word family is defined as a
head word, plus its inflected and derived forms. Recent conservative estimates of the
vocabulary size of an educated native speaker have been around 20,000 word families. The
growth rate of a native speakers vocabulary is estimated at approximately 1,000 word
families a year during early life (Nation and Waring, 1997, p.7). This is a challenging, yet
not insurmountable goal for a learner, but obviously is a long-term goal and as such is of
little use to the lower level learner.
A more practical solution for learners would be to make use of the frequency of
information provided by corpora, and in particular to concentrate initially on the most
frequent words and then to move on to less frequent items. Figure 1 shows the percentage
of text covered by vocabularies of increasing sizes.
Vocabulary size Text coverage
1,000
72.0 %
2,000
79.7 %
3,000
84.0 %
4,000
86.8 %
5,000
88.7 %
6,000
89.9 %
15,851
97.8 %
Figure 1. Vocabulary size and text coverage in the Brown

corpus
(Nation and Waring, 1997, p.9)
As can be seen in the table, each increase in vocabulary size is accompanied by
greater text coverage, but at each level, the increase in coverage becomes smaller and
smaller. Therefore, it is likely that learners will reach a point in their studies when learning
the next 1,000 words would be inefficient; they would benefit more by focusing on
vocabulary appropriate to their own likely English needs. The question is of course, how
are we to know when that point has been reached?
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In a 1990 study of written academic text, Nation and Newton produced the
following table of text coverage.
Level
High-frequency
words
Academic vocabulary
Technical vocabulary
Low-frequency words
Total
Number of words Text coverage

2,000
87 %
800
2,000
123,200
128,000
8%
3%
2%
100%
Figure 2. Text coverage in written academic

text
(Nation and Newton, (1997, p.239)
Using this data, Nation and Newton suggest that after the 2,000 most frequent
words that have been learned, students intending to learn English in an academic
environment would benefit from mastering the 800-word Academic Word List, rather than
the next most frequent 1,000 words in general use(1997, p.239).
1.3 Vocabulary Learning Strategies
The communicative approach to learning which became popular in the 1970s
emphasized a naturalistic, incidental approach to vocabulary learning. Krashen argued that
unconscious acquisition, through natural communication, was the only possible way to
acquire a language. Word meanings could be understood from context and repeated
encounters would help to improve the depth of understanding of each word, as well as
aiding retention. There is much to be said for naturalistic learning which provides a rich
diet of comprehensible input. Firstly, this approach closely matches our L1 learning
experience, and appeals to our sense of a normal way of learning there is no
memorization of word lists or other rote learning. Furthermore, the sheer number of words
to be learned, as well as those with multiple meanings, also suggests a primary role for
incidental learning (Nagy, 1997, p.71-72). The risk with explicit instruction, it is argued, is
that it is difficult to provide a sufficient number of encounters with a word for learning to
take place. Nagy also states that there is a likelihood of between one in twenty and one in
seven that a word will be learned after just one exposure.
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The drawbacks of incidental learning lie in the difficulties of guessing from

context. Sokmen (1997, p.238) lists several points which suggest a place for other, more
intentional, methods of vocabulary instruction. The first point is that while learning from
context may provide a huge amount of exposure, it is likely that acquisition rates will be
slow. Other concerns include the error-prone nature of context-guessing, the fact that
emphasizing only one method neglects individual learning preferences, and most
significantly, that guessing a word successfully does not mean that the word has been
acquired. Schmitt (2000, p.121) refers to the depth of processing hypothesis, which states
that the more one manipulates, thinks about and uses mental information, the more likely
it is that one will retain that information (p.122).
Current thinking seems to point toward a combination of incidental and intentional
learning. Time constraints ensure that guessing from context remains among the most
valuable skills a learner can possess (Nation, 2000, p.232), and the book flood studies by
Elley (in Nagy, 1997, p.76, and Schmitt, 2000, p.122) shows the benefits of extensive
reading, but other studies investigating combinational methods have shown positive
results. Paribakht and Wesches (1997) study showed greater gains for students who
completed vocabulary exercises after reading activities than for those who were only given
reading work.
Many researchers today (e.g. Nation, Sokmen, Ellis) seem to advocate intentional
learning for highly frequent words and the teaching of learning strategies to cope with less
frequent ones. Other worthwhile activities include: building a large sight vocabulary,
making use of schema to access encyclopedic knowledge to integrate with new
information, using deep-processing techniques, encouraging learner independence, and
making use of learning strategies (Sokmen, 1997, p.239; Fan, 2003, p.223)
One group of determination strategies involves analyzing the unknown word, its
constituent elements or the surrounding context to determine the meaning. Identifying the
part of speech will offer some information; the learner might be able to identify the word
as an entity, state, action or quality. Inflectional or derivational word parts could also be
examined. Due to the limited number of inflections available in English, learners should
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encounter and understand them quite rapidly. Derivational affixes are far more numerous,
yet they offer tremendous insights into word class and definition. Nation (2001, p.264)
refers to a study which found that 60% words containing the prefixes un-, re-, in- and discould be understood if the base word was known.
Dictionaries, while lacking the depth of processing that comes with guessing
strategies, are commonly used by many learners of foreign languages. Although
monolingual dictionaries may offer better quality anchovy information and also improve
learners ability to paraphrase, Schmitts (1997, p.209) survey of attitudes to learning
strategies showed a clear preference for bilingual dictionaries. This might be due to the
sense of security they provide Grabe and Stoller (1997, p.112) noted a learners
unwillingness to give up his accuracy anchor.
To achieve maximum benefit, dictionary skills have to be taught in the same
manner as other skills. It is important that learners are taught when not to use dictionaries
because they may be overused, resulting in the neglect of other strategies and increasing
the length of time taken to complete tasks. Nation (2001, p.283) presents a summary of
studies carried out on dictionary use, which show a positive effect on vocabulary
comprehension for all but high-level learners, but also an increase in completion time.
Nation (2001, p.239) suggests that inferencing skills should be prioritized, but that
following up with dictionaries has a significant impact on retention.
Some social strategies such as direct translation, paraphrasing, or using synonyms
can be used to determine word definitions. In the first place, teachers are a valuable source
of information for learners and they can provide information about L2 vocabulary in
several ways, if the teacher understands the learnersL1, then a direct translation is
possible. Although this may be the fastest and most appealing method for learners, there
are notes of caution to be added. Learners receiving a translation of an L2 word may
assume that it carries all of the functional and stylistic properties of its nearest L1
equivalent and so use it in the same manner as they would in their L1. There is also the
attendant risk that learners used to hearing L1 translations will become reliant on them,
which is likely to have a negative impact on their ability to hold L2 conversations.
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Teachers can also offer L2 paraphrases, synonyms, or example sentence using the
unknown word. If the goal of learners is to use the L2 productively, then these methods
will be more beneficial than translation. The teacher must, however, consider the
knowledge necessary to use each word while also making an efficient use of class time.
Although this information could also be provided by classmates instead of teachers,
some learners might feel that information from a teacher is more reliable. However, if
classmates all work together at providing information through group work or pair work, the
whole class will benefit from improved paraphrasing skills and by becoming less
dependent on the teacher.
Social strategies can also be used to consolidate information. Sanaouis (1995)
study highlighted the need for learners to create their own opportunities for language use
outside the classroom. Students may make an effort to use the L2 together outside class, or
seek opportunities to speak to native speakers or even to their teacher outside class. There
are obvious benefits to practising L2 vocabulary in a less academic setting. The more
opportunities to speak a learner has, the more he/she will be able to experiment with new
language. Accordingly, the experience of using the language for genuine communication is
likely to increase learner motivation. (Schmitt 1997, p.211).
Researchers have identified a large number of strategies that learners use to aid
recall of vocabulary. Schmitts (1997) taxonomy, for example, lists no less than 27
separate memory strategies. One group of strategies involves using images when learning
to form a stronger association with the word and its meaning. These images can be
sketched in notebooks, formed in the mind or even drawn from personal experience. This
is a good example of how a deeper level of processing can be achieved without it
becoming excessively arduous and thus potentially demotivating.
There is another large group of strategies that link or group words together to assist
retrieval. There is evidence that the brain stores vocabulary in a lexical matrix, with
individual words entering into a variety of semantic relationships including: synonymy,
antonymy, hyponymy and meronymy (Miller and Fellbaum, 1991, p.199-204). Using
words in sentences can also be considered a memory strategy because the added context
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may make retrieval easier. Grouping L1 words spatially has also been shown to improve
recollection. L1 words arranged into patterns can be recalled easier than when the words
are in a list. Schmitt postulates that the same approach is likely to work for L2 vocabulary
(1997, p.213).
A final group of memory strategies uses aspects of word knowledge to consolidate
meaning. This includes paying special attention to the words orthographical or
phonological form, memorizing affixes and roots and learning the word class. Matching
some words to their corresponding physical action, as is taught in the Total Physical
Response Method (Richards and Rogers, 2001, p.73-74), will also aid recall (Schmitt,
1997, p.215).
Cognitive strategies focus on the mechanical aspects of learning vocabulary. These
methods may be required parts of the course, set as homework by the teacher or habits of
individual learners.
Vocabulary notebooks are a valuable way of increasing learner independence. By
giving the learner the responsibility of choosing the words, the notebooks help to develop
greater self-awareness, and at the same time, remove the teacher from some of the learning
process. Schmitt (1995, p.139) emphasize the necessity of giving learners the responsibility
of selecting vocabulary to increase their sense of discovery. Fowles introduction of
vocabulary notebooks to a school in Thailand also brought about increased metacognitive
knowledge in the form of appropriacy of strategy selection a better understanding of the
demands of vocabulary learning and a greater tolerance of ambiguity (2002, p.385).
One cognitive strategy that was commonly employed by learners in Schmitts
(1997) survey of learning strategies was repetition. In order to improve vocabulary,
learners repeat the words either orally or in written form. This method lacks the depth of
processing recommended by researchers and seems to review only a limited amount of the
knowledge that is necessary for communicative use. However, both Nation (2001, p.383)
and Read (2004, p.148) noted that learners in the past used rote methods to reach high
levels of proficiency.
23
Other examples of cognitive strategies include taking notes and highlighting words,
using the vocabulary sections in textbooks, and labeling physical objects. These strategies
could all be said to assist noticing, an important first element in bringing an item into
conscious attention (Schmitt, 1990). Once an item has been noticed, learners are more
likely to focus attention on it and so the process of acquiring the item has begun.
It is imperative that learners develop an awareness of their own learning and how
they are able to improve it most efficiently. Many of the habits used by successful learners
as noted by Sanaoui (1995) could be categorized as metacognitive strategies, since they
reflect learners ability to find opportunities to learn and then record and review those
experiences.
The first requirement for a learner is to find sufficient opportunities to learn.
English learners are fortunate in that there is a vast number of commercially produced
pedagogic materials available and the internet and other electronic resources are also easily
accessed, thus providing EFL learners with an even wider range of potentially useful
material. Once vocabulary has been encountered, it is vital that it is recorded and reviewed
in an organized fashion. Without such a system in place, learning is likely to be haphazard
and sporadic, as a number of the studies reviewed earlier in this chapter have shown.
Finally, learners should also consider which words most deserve their attention. It is
commonly agreed that learners usually have a limited amount of time available for
studying. Hence, learning to skip infrequent or obviously technical vocabulary when it is
not crucial to overall comprehension will greatly improve their proficiency.
1.4 Vocabulary teaching in language education
Vocabulary instruction is one of the most misunderstood aspects of language
learning and language teaching. Research shows that most teachers deal with vocabulary in
a haphazard and rather unprincipled way, and most teachers leave the selection of
vocabulary to the course book. Nevertheless, for a program aimed at blending a large
amount of incidental learning with a smaller amount of intentional learning, certain
practices stand out in the literature. In addition to establishing an optimal learning
environment, teachers also have to consider the learners themselves. Rather than merely
24
disseminating information, a successful program will train participants how to become

better learners. Nation has stated that teachers can play a critical role in directly and
indirectly shaping approaches to learning (2001, p.229). This role carries heavy
responsibility, so rather than imposing a potentially unsuitable learning style, teachers
ought instead to present learning strategies as a toolbox allowing learners to select their
own remedial action. This implies that teachers should also aim to help language learners
develop a more reflective and self-directed approach to learning their new language. In
order to bring about this improved self-awareness, learners will need to be given
opportunities and encouragement to plan, monitor and evaluate their own learning.
Learners will also need to be aware of the range and appropriacy of vocabulary learning
strategies.
Research has produced mixed results on the effectiveness of explicit strategy
training. Among the reasons given for the unsuccessful tests were: learner acceptance,
proficiency and culture and also whether the strategy could be used immediately (Schmitt,
2000, p.136). Nunan (1995, p.56) argues that the overriding factor regarding strategy
preference is personality. If this is true, then knowledge gleaned from the learners
themselves in this regard can be further utilized in future course planning. Schmitt (2000,
p.136) suggests that
vocabulary learning strategies have a great deal of potential, but we must be very
sensitive to our learners and their needs when we incorporate strategy instruction
into our curriculum.
Acquiring a large sight vocabulary must be regarded as imperative at the very
beginning. Rote-learning and regular rehearsal of words may be unfashionable, says Read
(2004, p.148), but they will offer greater gains for low-level learners than incidental
learning. Nation and Warring (1997, p.11-12) also support the use of vocabulary cards to
provide an initial stage for learning a large number of words in a short period of time. A
further way to help expand vocabulary, which, unlike the other methods, could be
continued into higher levels of proficiency, is to raise awareness of word families. Even
from a beginners level, learners could be taught inflected or derived forms of the target
word to improve knowledge of the inter-relatedness of vocabulary.
25
Discouraging learners from viewing unknown words as isolated semantic problems

is best begun while they are still at a relatively level, says McCarthy (1984, p.16). Lexical
sets and collocations are examples of activities which promote paradigmatic and
syntagmatic knowledge, thus deepening learners understanding of lexical items. Sokmen
advises using these, and other deep methods, such as verbalizing thoughts on the
definitions and nuances of words, to provide richer encoding, which will help students to
learn better than if they had simply memorized a definition (1997, p.242). Ellis (1997,
p.138) cites a summary of almost one hundred studies which demonstrated that exposing
learners to words in multiple contexts greatly enhanced their comprehension in later
reading activities.
As mentioned above, knowing lexical items requires understanding on many
levels. It is only by repeatedly encountering a word that a full appreciation of its uses can
develop. It has been estimated that 5-16 encounters with a word are necessary for
acquisition to take place (Nation, 1990). Teachers, then, must allow vocabulary recycling
to occur in class whether this is through expanded vocabulary activities or regular review
of vocabulary notebooks. Reviewing words soon after they have been studied and then at
increasing intervals has been shown to aid retention (Schmitt, 2000, p.130). This method,
known as expanded rehearsal, could easily be introduce by teachers and then encouraged
as an independent learning strategy.
Finally, once learners have reached an appropriate level, the bulk of vocabulary
learning should take place in context, i.e. incidentally. The only true test of vocabulary
learning is whether or not a lexical item is understood when the learners attention is on the
meaning of the whole text, rather than on that particular item. Although Nation concedes
that experiments in learning from context have only shown small gains in vocabulary
(2001, p.238), extensive reading will clearly increase those gains. To put it simply, people
who read more know more vocabulary (Ellis, 1997, p.134).
1.5 Summary
Since it has been apparent that individual effort has a greater influence on
vocabulary acquisition than aptitude, researchers have identified a large number of
vocabulary strategies (determination, social, memory, cognitive and metacognitive
26
strategies) used by learners. The definition of a strategy contains four criteria: that it is one
of several options a learner may select, that it involves multiple steps, that it can be
improved by training and that it will be benefitial for learners when learning or using
vocabulary.
One of the key features of successful learners has been highlighted by researches is
that they make use of a variety of learning strategies. If strategies are indeed trainable, then
they can be taught to less successful learners. It is also likely that learners will be more
proficient in certain aspects of vocabulary learning than in others, and so by encouraging
the use of different classes of strategy, teachers may be able to target individual
weaknesses to improve. Therefore, having taxonomy of vocabulary learning strategies
would enable teachers to select appropriate strategies for learners and instruct them in their
use. Previous studies on several aspects of vocabulary learning and teaching were reviewed
in this chapter: the important role of vocabulary in SLA; varying approaches to vocabulary
learning; the number of items that should be learned and strategies for aiding learning.
These issues serve as a theoretical and methodological foundation of the study.
27
CHAPTER 2
METHODOLOGY
2.1 Participants and settings of the study
2.1.1 The advanced English program at Chu Van An High School
The context for this study is the advanced program in English for the 11 th grade
students in Chu Van An High School, Hanoi, Vietnam. The first aim of the program is to
improve students language skills to the desired level at which students are expected to be
able to use English as a second language fluently. The second is to prepare them for further
academic education in colleges and universities - both in Vietnam and overseas - by
teaching them how to become more independent learners. All of the students in the
program are in English specialized classes in Chu Van An High School and they have been
learning English for at least five or six years at junior and senior secondary schools.
The advanced program with 16 units of different themes covers two semesters. One
unit consists of 7 lessons, each of which lasts 45 minutes. The English specialized classes
have five lessons a week. The lessons cover reading, listening, structured speaking practice
(SSP), writing and language focus. There are testing periods after every two units and two
final tests at the end of each semester. Those students whose English meets the required
level of the final term tests progress into higher level classes. Those who fail have to move
into basic English classes.
2.1.2 Vocabulary in the curriculum
In most classes, a vocabulary lesson is taught once a week, which provides explicit
instruction and communicative practice of lexical items as well as vocabulary building
skills, including learning common affixes and word roots. The main emphasis of the lesson
is to provide students with an opportunity to build on their productive vocabularies,
without the pressure of being judged on the grammatical correctness.
Skills for guessing the meanings of unknown words are introduced in the reading
classes in the very first lessons and then reviewed and repeated in all subsequent ones.
Learners are encouraged to overcome their natural desire to check the meaning of every
unknown word and instead concentrate on understanding the text as a whole. If knowing
28
the meaning of a particular word is important, then examining the context for clues, using
knowledge of grammatical form and identifying known words parts are all stressed as
useful skills.
The main focus of the SSP lessons is to develop the learners communicative use of
English grammatical forms. However, there is also a significant amount of vocabulary to
be learned in each lesson. New words are often introduced in the textbooks by gap-fill or
definition-matching exercises and retention is then encourages by the teachers through the
use of role plays or other communicative activities.
As part of their homework, students are required to keep individual vocabulary
notebooks and journals. Each student should add three new words to the notebook
everyday, and then share those words with their classmates at the beginning of reading and
writing classes. For each word, the students are expected to write a definition and an
example sentence using their own words. The journals are intended to provide an
opportunity for productive use of new language, as well as further reinforcement of the
conventions of writing in English. Every week, the students complete three short writing
pieces based on topics usually selected by their teachers. Errors and sentences which are
grammatically correct yet contain unnatural English usage are highlighted by the teacher
for correction by the students themselves.
2.1.3 Needs analysis
At the end of every academic year, a debriefing session is held by the school
management board and Department of Education and Training to discuss the successes and
areas for further development of the advanced program. At the meeting conducted in
summer 2007 and 2008, a number of issues related to vocabulary learning were discussed.
It was felt that while the advanced program was clearly beneficial for all students in
the English specialized classes, there were clear points at which individuals began to
struggle. At the beginning of the first term, there were comparatively few students who
experienced difficulties with vocabulary, but the number became larger at each level of the
program. By the time the students reached the second final term tests many regarded
vocabulary as their main obstacle. This was not considered to be an unexpected outcome
29
but it was felt that more effort could be made to increase the students use of learning
strategies.
It was agreed that learners who achieved a greater degree of independence were
more successful than those who were more reliant on the teachers. Factors that seemed to
set successful learners apart included: wider use of resources, greater attention to
weaknesses, more regular reviewing of previous work and strong intrinsic motivation.
Good vocabulary learners also made better entries in their vocabulary notebooks. They are
able to select to include words that were useful for them and attempted to use those words
in oral or written exercises. Although these study habits were all introduced as part of the
program, it was obvious that some learners were applying them more often than others. If
the teachers could help raise the less successful students metacognitive awareness, then
perhaps some of their language learning difficulties could be addressed.
2.2 Instruments of data collection
2.2.1 Questionnaires
Adoption of vocabulary learning strategies was taken as an indication of the
students becoming more independent and successful. The questionnaire was based largely
on previous work by Fan (2003) and Schmitt (1997). Fan presented learners with a list of
60 vocabulary learning strategies and asked them to answer two questions, as follows:
1. How frequently do you use the strategy stated?
2. To what extent do you think the strategy is or may be useful to you?
The learners then gave their responses on five-point Likert scales, with the
available options: never, seldom, sometimes, often and very often; and not useful, not sure
it is useful, quite useful, very useful and extremely useful. This system, which seemed to
offer a reasonable variety of responses and was simple for the learners to answer, was
adopted for this study. Schmitts taxonomy of vocabulary learning strategies was also clear
and extensive so this became the source of the strategies to be surveyed. The questionnaire,
which are written in English, consists of 39 questions about 5 main strategies:
determination, social, memory, cognitive and metacognitive. (For a sample of the
Language Learning Strategy Survey, see Appendix 1).
30
2.2.2 Survey
The final element of the research phase is a survey completed by some selected
members of the teaching staff who are responsible for the English specialized classes. The
survey asked the teachers to comment on three main points: how successful they believed
the efforts made to improve student vocabularies were; what the characteristics of learners
with good or poor vocabularies are and the positive and/or negative points of vocabulary
notebooks, student journals, and the material used in classes. (For a sample of the
Language Learning Strategy Survey, see Appendix 2).
2.3 Data collection procedures
In order to maximize the length of the research period, the learning strategy survey
was administered within two weeks of the course beginning early September 2008. At this
point, the majority of the students were new to school, although there were some who had
been members of the English Club which operated during the summer vacation. For this
reason, the students were considered to have wide-ranging degrees of experience in
vocabulary learning, from those who were quite familiar with deep-level processing
strategies to others who were more reliant on rote-learning. After three months (late
November 2008), the students were asked to complete a survey identical to the one they
had previously done. The results of these tasks were then compared with the previous
research.
Towards the end of the research period (late November 2008), the teaching staff
was surveyed on their opinions on positive and negative aspects of the vocabulary teaching
component of the program. It was felt that the perceptions of others involved in the
program would provide a valuable contrast with the large amounts of quantitative data
generated by the other elements of the research phase.
2.4 Data analysis
After the questionnaires and interview results were collected, they were tallied.
Each response of the learning strategy questionnaires was given a numerical score from
one to five, with very often and extremely useful receiving five points. The mean and
standard deviation for each learning strategy were then calculated. In the following
discussion, both results will be given; for example, 3.67/0.49 refers to a mean of 3.67 and a
31
standard deviation of 0.49. The results of the survey were analyzed for statistical
significance by using the t-test. (For full results of the survey, see Appendix 3).
2.5 Summary
This chapter reported the methodology employed to conduct the study in terms of
data collection methods, participants, data collection procedures and data analysis. Firstly,
a detailed description of participants and settings of the study including the school
system, Vocabulary in the curriculum and Needs analysis - was given. Then, data
collection instruments including questionnaires and interviews were presented in detail.
The data collection procedures were also described in various steps. Finally, a coding
scheme employed for data analysis was given and illustrated with examples and statistical
procedures were explained.
32
CHAPTER 3
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The previous chapter presented the methodology used in the study including the
participants, the data collection instruments and data analysis procedures. By using such
instruments as questionnaire and interviews, the study collected sets of data on the
participants vocabulary learning strategies and vocabulary teaching. This chapter reports
results gained from the analysis of data elicited from each instrument.
3.1 Results
After the questionnaires and interview results were collected, they were tallied.
standard deviation for each learning strategy were then calculated. In the following
discussion, both results will be given; for example, 3.67/0.49 refers to a mean of 3.67 and
a standard deviation of 0.49. The results of the survey were analysed for statistical
significance by using the t-test.
As shown in Figure 3 below, with a mean score of 3.80/0.42 in the first survey and
3.98/0.56 in the second, determination strategies were far more frequently used than any
other category. For perceived usefulness, a mean score of 3.50/0.35 in the first survey was
lower than those of social, cognitive and metacognitive skills, but after the second survey,
determination strategies were perceived as being the most useful (3.74/0.48). These results
appear to reflect the increasing use that the students are required to make of determination
strategies as they progress into more challenging levels.
A1
A2
A3
Frequency of use
Survey 1
Survey 2
(Mean/SD) (Mean/SD)
Check the new words 4.00/1.18
4.07/0.96
form
Look for any parts of the 3.64/1.05
3.80/0.94
word that I know
Check the meaning of the 2.95/1.46
2.80/1.26
word in Vietnamese by
33
Perceived usefulness
Survey 1
Survey 2
(Mean/SD) (Mean/SD)
3.52/1.17
4.07/1.28
3.32/1.29
3.47/0.92
2.83/1.11
2.80/1.21
A4
A5
A6
A7
using a bilingual dictionary

Use any pictures or
gestures to help me guess
the meaning
Guess
meaning
from
context
Use a Vietnamese
English dictionary
Use an English English
dictionary
4.23/0.61
4.40/0.74
3.71/0.90
3.93/1.16
4.05/0.90
4.40/0.74
3.86/0.83
4.00/0.85
3.96/0.98
4.27/0.80
3.48/1.08
3.67/1.23
3.77/0.97
4.13/0.74
3.77/1.07
4.21/0.70
Figure 3. Determination strategy survey results

Obviously, the students appear to have mixed attitudes to strategies that make use
of word knowledge to determine meanings. While checking word form (strategy A1) was
often used and was perceived as much more useful at the time of the second survey,
checking if the word was also a loan word in Vietnamese (A3) was much less popular and
had become less frequently used by the time of the second survey. Using knowledge of
affixes to determine meaning (A2) was also relatively popular and improved its scores later
in the year.
Using pictures and gestures (A4), or context (A5) to guess word meanings, two
strategies that are reinforced in almost every class, also became more popular over the
course of the research period. In particular, the use of guessing from context became far
more frequent; with a significant increase at the .20 level when measured by the t-test.
The final determination strategies were using bilingual (A6) or monolingual (A7)
dictionaries. Interestingly, while bilingual dictionaries were used more frequently,
monolingual dictionaries were seen as more useful. This contrasts with Schmitts (1997)
survey of Japanese learners, in which monolingual dictionaries lead both categories. The
increase in usefulness of monolingual dictionaries was significant at the .20 level on the ttest.
According to the statistics in the Figure 4, social strategies were sometimes used at
the time of the first survey, with a frequency of use score of 3.17/0.53. This result,
however, dropped to 2.88/0.58 in the second survey. Likewise, usefulness fell from
3.58/0.43 to 3.31/0.63. These were the largest falls suffered by any of the groups.
34
Frequency of use
Survey 1
Survey 2
(Mean/SD) (Mean/SD)
B1 Ask the teacher for a definition 3.27/1.12
2.80/0.94
Survey 1
Survey 2
(Mean/SD) (Mean/SD)
3.77/0.92
3.87/0.83
or sentence
B2 Ask my classmates for the 3.95/0.95
3.72/0.94
3.53/0.74
meaning
B3 Study the word with my 2.59/0.80
2.07/0.88
3.00/0.98
classmates
B4 Ask the teacher to check the 2.77/0.87
2.67/0.90
3.29/0.90
definition of the word
B5 Talk with native speakers
3.27/1.16
3.33/0.98
4.09/0.11
Figure 4. Social strategy survey results
3.47/0.92
2.27/0.70
3.20/1.08
3.73/1.03
Actually, in order to emphasize learner independence, students are encouraged to

follow a set routine when they encounter an unknown word which prevents
comprehension. First, they are to attempt to guess the meaning by themselves. If this is
impossible, they should ask a classmate or use a monolingual dictionary. Only if these
methods have proved unsuccessful should asking a teacher become necessary. It seems
likely that the students who has been used to this system may explain the survey results
for strategies B1 and B2. The t-test showed that both strategies frequency of use scores
dropped significantly at the .20 level. Although students are encouraged to check their own
definitions with teachers, the results for strategy B4 may have declined for similar reasons.
The results for studying new words with classmates (B3) and talking with native
speakers (B5) were surprising. Group work is certainly a central part of most lessons, and
students are constantly told that using new vocabulary is crucial for successful acquisition.
The frequency of use score for B3 fell remarkably at the .10 level on the t-test, while the
drop in perceived usefulness was significant at the .20 level. Despite the fact that strategy
B5 was seen as slightly less useful in the second survey, it remained the second most
useful social strategy after asking a teacher for a definition.
Overall, the students opinion of memory strategies remained reasonably consistent
over the research period. This is clearly shown in Figure 5 with mean scores of 2.94/0.58
and 2.85/0.56 which meant that they were used slightly less than sometimes. Although the
35
students clearly regarded them as quite useful, with means of 3.27/0.47 and 3.16/0.49,
memory strategies obtained the lowest usefulness ratings of any group.
C2
C3
C7
C8
C11
C12
Frequency of use
Survey 1
Survey 2
Survey 1
Survey 2
(Mean/SD) (Mean/SD) (Mean/SD) (Mean/SD)
Make a mental image of 3.64/0.95
3.47/0.74
4.00/1.07
3.27/1.16
the words meaning
Connect the word to a 3.00/1.11
3.07/1.10
2.95/1.05
3.60/0.91
personal experience
Group words together to 2.18/0.73
1.80/0.68
2.86/0.94
2.47/0.99
study them
Use new words in making 3.09/0.75
3.27/0.70
3.82/0.96
3.40/0.91
sentences
Study the pronunciation of 4.05/0.79
3.71/0.83
4.09/1.02
4.07/1.27
a new word
Say the new words aloud 4.09/0.87
3.79/1.05
4.14/0.94
3.71/0.99
when I first meet them
Figure 5. Sample of Memory strategy survey results
In fact, the strategy of making a mental image of the words meaning (C2) was not
explicitly taught to students during the course. Nonetheless, it appears to have been used
quite often, although the large drop in perceived usefulness was significant at the .10 level
on the t-test. The drop could be explained by the equally significant gain made in strategy
C3, which is more commonly used by teachers in class, who attempt to link the often quite
specialized vocabulary in the textbooks to the students lives.
Two quite disappointing results were the significant falls in the frequency of use of
grouping words together to study them (C7) (level .20), and using new words in sentences
(C8) (level .20). Strategy C7 has been considered by the teaching staff as a worthwhile
addition to the course, yet has only been implemented on an ad hoc basis. Strategy C8
however, is already part of the students daily routine, in which they must use new words
in original sentences for their vocabulary notebooks everyday.
Of all the memory strategies included in the survey, studying the sound of a word
(C11) and saying the word aloud when it is first encountered (C12) were most frequently
used and most useful. Although neither strategy is explicitly taught as a strategy in itself,
the advanced course places a high value on correct pronunciation and it is likely that
students receive feedback on this skill several times a day. In Schmitts (1997) survey,
36
these skills were also regarded as highly useful, so it is possible that these strategies have
been encountered earlier in the students educational lives.
The results for cognitive strategies remained reasonably consistent over the two
surveys. In Figure 6 below, frequency of use dropped marginally from 3.34/0.91 to
3.28/0.97, while perceived usefulness was virtually unchanged with scores of 3.59/0.41
and 3.57/0.48. In both categories, these were the highest results for consolidation
strategies. This mirrors the work of Schmitts (1997), in which cognitive strategies were
both frequently used and regarded as the most useful.
D5
Frequency of use
Survey 1
Survey 2
(Mean/SD) (Mean/SD)
Reread the words aloud 3.45/1.10
3.29/1.44
many times
Rewrite the words many 2.95/1.05
2.79/1.05
times
Make lists of new words
3.55/1.26
3.29/1.07
Use flashcards to record 3.32/1.04
4.00/1.18
new words
Take notes or highlight 4.45/0.67
4.36/0.63
D6
new words in class

Put English labels
on 1.59/1.05
1.43/0.51
2.82/0.85
2.71/0.73
D7
physical objects
Keep
a
vocabulary 4.05/0.95
3.79/0.70
3.95/0.84
4.00/0.68
D1
D2
D3
D4
Survey 1
Survey 2
(Mean/SD) (Mean/SD)
3.68/1.04
3.79/1.25
3.73/1.08
3.29/1.27
3.73/0.98
3.27/0.98
3.57/1.09
3.93/1.07
3.95/1.13
4.07/1.00
notebook
Figure 6. Cognitive strategy survey results
In an interesting contrast with Schmitts (1997) results, the strategies of repeating
words either orally (D1) or in writing (D2) were not amongst the most popular. Schmitt
(1997:215) makes the point that popular strategies can easily become entrenched, and that
teachers can face resistance when trying to introduce alternative methods. In this case,
although verbal repetition increased in usefulness, written repetition suffered a large drop
in the same category, and both became less frequently used.
Using flash cards to record new vocabulary (D4) was the only strategy to improve
significantly in both frequency of use and perceived usefulness. In comparison with
making lists of new words (D3), flash cards can be used to study words in groups, as well
37
as providing a flexible method of reviewing repetitive or productive vocabulary. Other

strategies which received high scores were D5 Take notes or highlight new words, which
allows new vocabulary to become more noticeable and D7 Keep a vocabulary notebook,
which is already an important element of the program.
Metacognitive strategies were the least frequently used group in both surveys (see
Figure 7), with mean scores of 2.80/0.46 and 2.58/0.34. In contrast, scores of 3.58/0.36 and
3.53/0.47 show that they were perceived as being amongst the most useful.
Frequency of use
Survey 1
Survey 2
(Mean/SD) (Mean/SD)
E1 Use English language media 3.05/1.33
2.87/1.06
Survey 1
Survey 2
(Mean/SD) (Mean/SD)
3.23/1.11
3.20/0.86
(songs, movies, the Internet)

E2 Test myself with word tests
2.27/0.94
2.20/1.21
3.55/1.01
E3 Study new words many times
3.09/1.05
2.67/0.90
3.95/1.05
Figure 7. Metacognitive strategy survey results
3.33/1.11
4.07/1.03
The results for using English language media (E1) indicate that while the students
sometimes make use of authentic language sources, they regard them as being only quite
useful. This contrasts with the results of Fans (2003) survey, in which students rated this
strategy as very useful. The intensive nature of the program may mean that students are
less willing to spend their free time reading in English. However, this result mirrors a
concern raised in the most recent debriefing session which only the most successful
learners made full use of the wide variety of resources available in the schools language
laboratory.
The other metacognitive strategies Test yourself with word tests (E2) and Study
new words many times (E3) also became less frequently used. E3 in particular, suffered a
significant drop at the .10 level as measured by the t-test. The perceived usefulness scores
show that these techniques are considered valuable by the students, and therefore for
teachers the challenge lies in increasing the amount of review work the students can do
without from their other coursework.
3.1.6 Teaching staff interviews
38
The responses to the first question of the survey (see Appendix 2) were broadly
similar: the teaching staff (8 out of 10) believed that while the advanced program is very
good at raising awareness of techniques for learning vocabulary, and offers opportunities
for them to be applied, there is only limited success at instilling independent learning
habits in students. It was felt that more could be done in the areas of goal-setting and
attempting to raise self-motivation, especially regarding the use of English language media
outside class. Another point raised was the need to better integrate target vocabulary
throughout the syllabus.
Several key characteristics of successful vocabulary learners were identified by the
teaching staff. 6/10 agreed that the first was an enquiring personality and introspective
attitude toward learning. The ability to find opportunities for vocabulary enhancement was
also considered important by 5 members, especially reading for pleasure and speaking
English with friends. All of the teachers being interviewed thought that successful learners
are well-organized and have good methods of learning vocabulary; they make
comprehensive notes about new items and review them regularly. Other positive attributes
were selecting only vocabulary that is useful and finding enjoyment in studying English.
Vocabulary notebooks were viewed very positively by all members of staff,
although it was felt that some improvements could be made. Actually, all teachers place a
requirement on learners to constantly seek out new terms to add in their vocabulary books.
They can also be personalized according to individual learning preferences and are a
tangible resource one that gives a clear indication of words that have been acquired. 8 out
of 10 shared that the main challenge for teachers is to instill this belief in all learners; for
some of the students, vocabulary notebooks are clearly a chore, the definitions are too brief
and the example sentences are sometimes too simple or misuse the word. There was also
concern about the lack of organization in the notebooks; words are listed only according to
the order they are encountered, and there is no attempt to sub-divide the entries
grammatically or topically.
As with vocabulary notebooks, journals were seen as being of enormous benefit for
students, if used properly. Having regular opportunities to make productive use of new
language is essential if that language is to be fully acquired by learners. The fact that
journals are seen as opportunities to experiment, rather than to produce prefect, but basic,
39
language is another positive aspect, as is the feedback students can receive from teachers.
The key point of journal writing is that the more students push themselves to write at a
higher level, the more they are likely to benefit (7/10). Learners who neglect to analyse
their errors, or make little attempt to incorporate new language into their writing, will
improve less. There is even the danger of errors becoming fossilized unless attention is
given to corrections.
The vocabulary contained in class textbooks was seen as useful if it could easily be
related to classroom activities, and relevant for end-of-session tests. In the higher levels,
however, there are a lot of highly specialized terms or uncommon idiomatic language with
little relevance to the students lives. Using graded readers for homework and in-class
activities was seen in a far more positive light. Having lexical items graded for each level
means that students are exposed to new language at a manageable rate, and the high degree
of contextualization helps to aid guessing and recalling. Having a weekly class discussion
also allows students to work with the text more confidently, having been given several
days to prepare.
It is important to remember that each class is a collection of individuals who each
have their own learning styles and preferences. While the course content should not be
dictated by those styles, it is valuable for teachers to understand learners beliefs about
language learning. This information will yield insights as to the varying degrees of
metacognitive awareness within the class and may also help to explain learners responses
to different classroom activities.
3.2 Summary of major findings
The learning strategy survey yielded numerous insights into learning habits and
preferences, and there was also some evidence of changes in behavior over the three-month
period. For the first survey, the overall mean score of the 39 strategies for frequency of use
was 3.21 (3 = sometimes, 4 = often), while for usefulness it was 3.5 (3= quite useful, 4 =
very useful). After the second survey, these figures had dropped slightly - to 3.11 and 3.46
respectively. Perhaps the clearest of these was the increase in perceived usefulness of
determination strategies, an unsurprising result since these strategies are clearly of more
benefit when dealing with higher-level texts. Within the category of determination
40
strategies, guessing from context, noting word forms and using a monolingual dictionary,
all of which are encouraged heavily in the program, showed gains in both frequency of use
and usefulness.
While some of the significant changes in study habits occurred in concert with the
intentions of the teaching staff, others were more surprising. The fall in the perceived
usefulness of using new words in sentences contradicts expectations since this is a skill that
is practiced every day in students vocabulary books. Likewise, the decline in the use and
usefulness of studying new words with classmates suggests that learning vocabulary is
increasing being seen as an independent activity.
3.3 Discussion of major findings
The findings of the present study suggested that there is a significant reduction in
the frequency of use of social and metacognitive strategies. Some of the social strategies,
including asking teachers or classmates for definitions, were clearly affected by the
emphasis on applying other strategies to determine word meaning. The general decline of
social strategies as a whole, however, is of some concern. Given that the students
consistently regarded teachers and other native speakers as more useful than classmates,
there appears to have been limited acceptance of the value of social strategies. Working in
groups to share knowledge and ideas is a central element of this teaching program, and so
there may be a case for establishing activities that will demonstrate more clearly and
convincingly to the students the benefits of learning socially.
The relatively infrequent usage of metacognitive strategies, despite the fact that
their value is clearly recognized, highlights a key dilemma of the advanced program: how
to allow learners time to review their work and engage in wider reading without interfering
with their regular coursework. In their own survey, many of the teachers mentioned
seeking opportunities for learning and reviewing work as key characteristics of successful
students, so there would appear to be valuable in creating activities that focus on these
skills.
When carrying out surveys of learning styles, there is a potential risk of
respondents giving answers they feel they are expected to make rather than true responses.
But the fact that bilingual dictionaries were revealed as being more frequently used, despite
41
being perceived as less useful and being banned from classroom use, suggests that the
responses obtained were reliable. There is also the possibility that the students own views
on the survey categories might have changed during the course. At the time of the first
survey, most of the students were relatively unused to intensive study and therefore by the
time of the second survey, their definitions of often or quite useful might well have
changed. This could only be confirmed by obtaining more data from the continued of the
survey in future programs.
Some of the teachers concerns that vocabulary notebooks required more
organization were echoed in the limited usage of group strategies by the students. By
developing a system whereby students can organize their notebooks topically or
grammatically, it may be possible to encourage learners to return to their entries and add
information as it is acquired, thus promoting the use of deeper processing strategies that
will allow for richer encoding.
Moreover, the low frequency of use scores for metacognitive strategies implies that
learners are not taking control of their own learning the attitude element of autonomous
study. Here there may be an opportunity to stress the value of group work, since reviewing
and informal testing is an activity which could easily be accomplished without the
presence of a teacher.
Furthermore, goal-setting, if properly carried out, would help to improve learners
self-awareness. Again this is an activity amenable to pair or small group work which
would highlight each individuals desire, or lack thereof, to assume responsibility for their
own linguistic development.
Overall, the surveys helped to confirm that the program was often successful in
inculcating independent study habits in the students, particularly strategies for
determination of meanings. What was also apparent, however, was that the use of
strategies in vocabulary learning is a complicated issue, one which is not and probably
never will be entirely under teachers control. Learners may well react to classroom
instruction in unpredictable ways, and the value of surveys is that they can offer insights
into these changes in habits, allowing teachers to oversee the process more clearly, and if
necessary, plan remedial actions.
42
3.4 Summary
This chapter reports results gained from the analysis of data elicited from the
questionnaires (for students) and interviews (for teaching staff). The questionnaires for
students
include 5 strategies:
Determination,
Social,
Memory, Cognitive
and
Metacognitive strategies. The mean and standard deviation for each learning strategy were
then calculated in 2 categories: Frequency of use and Perceived usefulness. The results of
the survey were analyzed for statistical significance by using the t-test. The teaching staff
interview results were tallied and described according to the order of the 3 questions given.
Then the summaries and discussions of main findings were presented in a logical and
systematical way.
PART III: CONCLUSION

The objective of the study is to examine the differences in the vocabulary learning
strategy employed by the students who are learning the advanced program in English
specialized classes, grade 11th in Chu Van An High School after a period of three months.
43
Five sets of data were collected from 52 subjects via written questionnaires and 10 subjects
via individual interviews. This chapter summarizes the previous parts, major findings of
the study based on the research questions, discusses the implications and the limitations of
the study and proposes some suggestions for further research.
1. Summary of previous parts
Since vocabulary has been highlighted as a common source of difficulty for the
students, particularly those who desire to comprehend different types of academic texts, it
was felt that a study of the effectiveness of the vocabulary strategy teaching would offer
insights for better understanding the students needs. At the outset of this investigation,
two main goals were established. The first goal was to find evidence of vocabulary
learning strategy use, or lack thereof, in the students who are learning the advanced
program in English specialized classes, grade 11th in Chu Van An High School after a
period of three months. The second goal was to examine receptive and productive
vocabularies, firstly in order to judge whether students finishing the course have acquired
sufficient knowledge of lexical items to comprehend different types of academic texts and
secondly to develop a form of diagnostic analysis that allow better insight into students
vocabularies. The students evaluation was measured by surveys of vocabulary learning
strategy usage and preference conducted at the beginning of the course (early September
2008) and again three months later (late November 2008). Finally, a survey was carried out
to record the opinions of the teaching staff on the vocabulary teaching element of the
program. After the questionnaires and interview results were collected, they were tallied.
standard deviation for each learning strategy were then calculated. The results of the
survey were analyzed for statistical significance using the t-test. The teaching staff
interview results were described according to the order of the 3 questions given. Then the
summaries and discussions of main findings were presented in a logical and systematical
way.
One of the key features of successful learners has been highlighted by researches is
that they make use of a variety of learning strategies. If strategies are indeed trainable, then
they can be taught to less successful learners. It is also likely that learners will be more
44
proficient in certain aspects of vocabulary learning than in others, and so by encouraging

the use of different classes of strategy, teachers may be able to target individual
weaknesses to improve. Therefore, having taxonomy of vocabulary learning strategies
would enable teachers to select appropriate strategies for learners and instruct them in their
use with the ultimate aim: to develop the students as independent word learners.
Previous studies on several aspects of vocabulary learning and teaching were reviewed
serving as a theoretical and methodological foundation of the study.
2. Conclusions
As stated in the Introduction chapter, the study addressed three research questions:
(1) To what extent does the vocabulary component of the advanced level textbook
program for grade 11th students support their own vocabulary development?
(2) What is the students evaluation of the effectiveness towards vocabulary
learning strategies that they employ after a three month period?
(3) What are the suggested solutions to improve the efficiency of teaching
vocabulary strategies?
Through the major findings, it is proved that the study has fully answered the given
research questions. The conclusions therefore can be summarized as follows:
1. For the first research question, the vocabulary contained in class textbooks was
seen as useful as it could easily be related to classroom activities and relevant for the end
of term tests. At higher levels, however, there are a lot of highly specialized terms or
uncommon idiomatic language with little relevance to the students lives. Using graded
readers for homework and in-class activities was seen in a far more positive light. Having
lexical items graded for each level means that students are exposed to new language at a
manageable rate, and the high degree of contextualization help to aid guessing and recall. It
is widely concluded that the vocabulary component of the advanced level textbook is very
good at raising awareness of techniques for learning vocabulary and offers ample
opportunities for students to apply in their own vocabulary development.
2. Based on the analysis of data elicited from the questionnaires and interviews in
the previous chapter, the study has come to an answer for the second research question that
45
there are some significant differences in the strategy use after a three-month period. A
number of the determination strategies which are promoted by the teaching staff have
become more frequently used and are seen as being very useful by the students, especially
in comprehending academic texts. The associations created by the learner between form
and meaning while attending to the unknown lexical items either during attempts to guess,
or to check meaning in reference sources (marginal glosses or dictionary) lead to
successful L2 vocabulary acquisition. However, there remain some social and
metacognitive strategies which have not yet been fully accepted by many students which
could be highly beneficial. Given that the students consistently regarded teachers and other
native speakers as more useful than classmates, there appears to have been limited
acceptance of the value of social strategies. Working in groups to share knowledge and
ideas is a central element of this teaching program, and so there may be a case for
establishing activities that will demonstrate more clearly and convincingly to the students
the benefits of learning socially. Besides, the relatively infrequent usage of metacognitive
strategies, despite the fact that their value is clearly recognized, highlights a key dilemma
of the advanced program: how to allow learners time to review their work and engage in
wider reading without interfering with their regular coursework.
3. For the third research question, it was felt that more could be done in the areas of
goal-setting and attempting to raise self-motivation, especially regarding the use of English
language media outside class. It was strongly recommended that the ability to find
opportunities for vocabulary enhancement was very important, especially reading for
pleasure and speaking English with friends. Another point raised was the need to better
integrate target vocabulary throughout the syllabus. As with vocabulary notebooks,
journals were seen as being of enormous benefit for students, if used properly. Having
regular opportunities to make productive use of new language is essential if that language
is to be fully acquired by learners. The fact that journals are seen as opportunities to
experiment, rather than to produce prefect, but basic, language is another positive aspect,
as is the feedback students can receive from teachers. The key point of journal writing is
that the more students push themselves to write at a higher level, the more they are likely
to benefit
46
In short, this study has achieved its second objective of measuring improvements in
students passive vocabularies and matching them to suitable targets. Students finishing the
program have acquired sufficient knowledge of lexical items to comprehend different types
of academic texts. However, there was a limited degree of success in the first objective
which was to look for evidence of improvements in the students usage of vocabulary
learning strategies that occurs as the course progresses. But the research clearly helped to
define key areas for further actions.
3. Implications of the study
The study has made some contributions to the learners lexical strategy training. It
has attempted to categorized 39 students vocabulary learning strategies based on previous
work (including 60 strategies) by Fan (2003) and Schmitt (1997) that has been adapted to
fit the specific data of the study. This categorization scheme can be applied to other studies
on vocabulary teaching strategies. In addition, the study has found out the differences in
the vocabulary learning strategy employed by the students who are learning the advanced
program in English specialized classes, grade 11th in Chu Van An High School after a
period of three months. Based on these findings, some recommendations can be made to
the teachers as follows.
As shown in the study, there are some significant differences in the strategy use
after a three-month period among the participants. A number of the determination
strategies which are promoted by the teaching staff have become more frequently used and
are seen as being very useful by the students. However, there remain some social and
metacognitive strategies which have not yet been fully accepted by many students. This
indicated that these determination strategies can be considered one of the most important
factors that affect the students vocabulary acquisition. Therefore, it is necessary for a
teacher who is in charge of the 11th specialized class to be aware of the differences and
think of ways to improve his students lexical training by providing them more integration
between different strategies. Working in groups to share knowledge and ideas would be
beneficial and so there may be a case for establishing activities that will demonstrate more
clearly and convincingly to the students the benefits of learning socially.
4. Limitations and suggestions for further research
47
* Limitations
While the study provides some implications for teachers and researchers in general,
it is not free from limitations. These limitations are found in the number of participants and
the data collection instruments. Due to the limited time for conducting the study (from
early September to late November 2008), only 2 classes with 52 students were chosen as
the participants of the study. Although two data collection instruments including
questionnaires and interviews were used, data from this small number of participants could
be insufficient to ensure the reliability and of the study findings. Moreover, this paper has
examined the learners lexical strategy training within a relatively specialized teaching and
learning environment - only in the English specialized classes in which the advanced
textbooks are being used - and as such, its conclusion cannot be applied to more general
situations.
However, it is hoped that the data obtained will be of practical use in planning
future developments in this school, and that the insights gained into the strengths and
weaknesses of the vocabulary teaching component of the advanced program will help
reinforce the value of conducting such action research projects in any context.
* Suggestions for further research
When compared with Nations three elements of autonomous learning, the survey
results suggest that progress has been made, but that room for improvement sill remains.
Many of the students appear to be more aware of the learning process, and have showed
themselves capable of applying their knowledge to further their own learning needs. A
number of the determination strategies which are promoted by the teaching staff have
become more frequently used and are seen as being very useful by the students. There
remain, however, some memory and metacognitive strategies which have not yet been
fully accepted by many students which could be highly beneficial. Learners should be
encouraged to make their own lexical associations when they are actively learning new
vocabulary. Vocabulary notebooks and journals also provide regular opportunities to link
new vocabulary to personal experience. Such strategies provide a focus for future
development planning within the school.
48
In order to obtain a picture of the students productive use of vocabulary, it is

suggested that Laufer and Nations Lexical Frequency Profile should be used. The
students weekly journals would be an ideal source of freely-composed writing. If samples
were taken from these journals and entered into the VocabProfile program, then the
students vocabulary usage at different stages of the course could be compared. They
would also be capable of highlighting the comparative lack of academic items in the
students writing. Perhaps a more controlled experiment using Lexical Frequency Profiles
would yield better results, for example, by asking all students to write journal-length piece
on the same topic, and then repeating this exercise at intervals throughout the year. If these
intervals were sufficiently large enough to allow improvement, and the topics chosen
allowed students to demonstrate their vocabularies fully, conclusive data might be
obtained.
49
REFERENCES
Allen, V. F. (1983).Techniques in teaching vocabulary. New York: Oxford University
Press.
Carter, R. (2000) Vocabulary: Applied Linguistic Perspectives (2nd edition) London:
Collins
Celce-Murcia, M. (1991).Teaching English as a second or foreign language. Boston:
Heinle & Heinle.
Coxhead, A. (2000). A new academic wordlist TESOL Quarterly, 34, 213-238. de Cock,
S., Granger, S., Leech, G., & McEnery, T. (1998). An automated approach to the
phrasicon of EFL learners. In S. Granger (Ed.), Learner English on computer, (67-79)
London: Longman.
Ellis, N.C. (1997) Vocabulary Acquisition: Word Structure, Collocation, Word-class and
Meaning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Grabe, W and Stoller, F.L. (1997) Reading and Vocabulary Development in a Second
Language: A case study, in Coady, J and Huckin, T (eds) Second Language Vocabulary
Acquisition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Luppescu, S., & Day, R. R. (1993).Reading, dictionaries, and vocabulary learning.
Language Learning, 43, 263-287. New York: Oxford University Press.
Nagy, W. (1997) On the role of context in First and Second-language Vocabulary
Learning in Schmitt, N and McCarthy, M. (eds) Vocabulary: Description Acquisition and
Pedagogy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Nation, I.S.P (2001) Learning Vocabulary in Another Language. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press
Nation, P. and Newton, J. (1997) Teaching Vocabulary, in Coady, J and Huckin, T. (eds)
Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Nunan, D (1999) Second Language Teaching and Learning. Boston: Heinle & Heinle
50
Paribakht, T.S and Wesche, M. (1997) Vocabulary Enhancement Activities and Reading
for Meaning in Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition, in Coady, J and Huckin, T.
(eds) Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Richards, J. C., & Renandya, W. A. (2002). Methodology in language teaching: An
anthology of current practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Sanaoui, R. (1995) Adult Learners Approaches to Learning Vocabulary in Second
Languages The Modern Language Journal 79/1: 15-28
Schmitt, N. (1997) Vocabulary Learning Strategies, in Schmitt, N and McCarthy, M. (eds)
Vocabulary: Description, Acquisition and Pedagogy. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press
Schmitt, N. (2000) Vocabulary in Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press
Skmen, A.J. (1997) Current Trends in Teaching Second Language Vocabulary, in
Waring, R. (1996) A comparison of the Receptive and Productive Vocabulary Sizes of
some Second Language Learners. London: Collins
Wesche, M. and T. Paribakht. (1993) Assessing vocabulary knowledge: depth versus
breadth. Boston: Heinle & Heinle
Internet References
Daulton, F.E (1998) Japanese Loanword Cognates and the Acquisition of English
Vocabulary the Language Teacher. Retrieved 20/10/2007 from http://www.jaltpublications.org/tlt/articles/1998/01/daulton
VocabProfile. Retrieved 08/04/2008 from http://www.lextutor.ca/vp/eng
51
APPENDIXES
APPENDIX 1: VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGY SURVEY
When I find a new word that I dont know, I
never
seldom
I. do this
sometimes Often
very
Not
not
often
useful
sure it
I think this is
quite
very
useful
useful
Extremely
useful
is
useful
A1
Check the new

words
form
A2
(verb, noun, etc)

Look for any
A3
parts that I know

Check the word
ietnamese
by
using a bilingual
A4
dictionary
Use any pictures
or
gestures
to
help me guess
A5
the meaning
Guess meaning
A6
from context
Use
Vietnamese
English
A7
dictionary
Use an English
English
B1
dictionary
Ask the teacher
to give me the
definition of the
B2
word
Ask
my
classmates
for
the meaning
When I want to remember new words and build my vocabulary, I

never
seldom
I do this
sometimes
often
very
often
not
not
useful
sure it
is
useful
B3
B4
Study the word with

my classmates
Ask the teacher to
check definition
52
I think this is
quite
very
useful
useful
extremely
useful
B5
C1
C2
C3
C4
C5
C6
C7
C8
C9
C10
C11
C12
C13
Talk with native

speakers
Draw a picture of
the word to help me
remember it
Make a mental
image of the words
meaning
Connect the word
to
a
personal
experience
Remember
the
words that follow or
precede the new
word
Connect the word
to other words with
similar or opposite
meanings
Remember
the
word in scales of
frequency (alwaysoften-sometimesnever)
Group
words
together to study
them
Use new words in
making sentences
Write paragraphs
using
newly
acquired words
Study the spelling
of a word
Study
the
pronunciation of a
new word
Say the new words
aloud when I first
meet them
Make a mental
image of the words
form
never
seldom
I do this
sometimes
often
very
often
not
not
useful
sure it
is
useful
C14
C15
C16
C17
D1
D2
Remember
the
word derivatives by
learning
its
prefixes/suffixes its
parts (im-,un-, ex-able, -ful)
Remember
the
word using its word
form (verb, noun,
etc) to make a
sentence
Make
my
own
definition for the
word
Use a physical
action
when
learning a word
Repeat the words
aloud many times
Write the words
53
I think this is
quite
very
useful
useful
extremely
useful
D3
D4
many times
Make lists of new
words
Use flashcards to
record new words
When I want to remember new words and build my vocabulary, I

never
seldom
I do this
sometimes
Often
very
not
not
often
useful
sure it
is
useful
D5
Take
notes
highlight
D6
new
words in class
Put
English
labels
D7
or
on
physical objects
Keep
a
vocabulary
E1
notebook
Use
English
language media
(songs, movies,
E2
the Internet)
Test myself with
E3
word tests
Study new words
many times
54
I think this is
quite
very
useful
useful
extremely
useful
APPENDIX 2: TEACHING STAFF SURVEY

Vocabulary teaching survey
1. In general, how successful do you think you are in helping 11 th grade students to
improve their vocabularies after a three-month period of the advanced program?
2. There are several elements of the course that require students to focus on vocabulary.
Please comment on the positive and/or negative points of the following items.
vocabulary notebooks
journals
vocabulary/ idioms options classes
vocabulary in Structured Speaking Practice textbooks
vocabulary in R/W textbooks and graded readers
3. In your opinion, what characteristics or habits can separate students who have good
vocabularies from those with poor ones?
55
APPENDIX 3: VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGY SURVEY RESULTS

Frequency of use scores: 1 = never, 2 = seldom, 3 = sometimes, 4 = often, 5 = very often
Perceived usefulness scores: 1 = not useful, 2 = not sure it is useful, 3 = quite useful,
4 = very useful, 5 = extremely useful
Significance measured using the t-test
Frequency of use
Survey 2
Signi(Mean/SD
ficance
)
4.07/0.96
Not
A1
Check the
words form
A2
Look for any parts

of the word that I
know
Check the meaning
of the word in
Vietnamese
by
using a bilingual
dictionary
Use any pictures or
gestures to help me
guess the meaning
Guess
meaning
from context
3.64/1.05
3.80/0.94
2.95/1.46
2.80/1.26
4.23/0.61
Use a Vietnamese
English dictionary
Use an English
English dictionary
A3
A4
A5
A6
A7
B1
new
Survey 1
(Mean/SD
)
4.00/1.18
Ask the teacher
3.32/1.29
3.47/0.92
Not
significant
Not
significant
2.83/1.11
2.80/1.21
Not
significant
4.40/0.74
Not
significant
3.71/0.90
3.93/1.16
Not
significant
4.05/0.90
4.40/0.74
Significant
3.86/0.83
4.00/0.85
Not
significant
3.96/0.98
4.27/0.80
3.48/1.08
3.67/1.23
3.77/0.97
4.13/0.74
3.77/1.07
4.21/0.70
Not
significant
Significant
Survey 1
(Mean/SD
)
3.27/1.12
sentence
Ask
my
at .20 level
B4
meaning
Study the word
with
my
classmates
Ask the teacher to
at .20 level
Survey 1
Survey 2
Signi-ficance
(Mean/SD (Mean/SD
)
)
3.77/0.92
3.87/0.83
Not
significant
3.95/0.95
3.53/0.74
Significant
at .20 level
3.72/0.94
3.47/0.92
Not
significant
2.59/0.80
2.07/0.88
Significant
3.00/0.98
2.27/0.70
Significant at
classmates for the

B3
at .20 level
Not
significant
Not
significant
Frequency of use
Survey 2
Signi(Mean/SD
ficance
)
2.80/0.94
Significant
for a definition or
B2
significant
Not
significant
Survey 1
Survey 2
Signi(Mean/SD (Mean/SD
ficance
)
)
3.52/1.17
4.07/1.28
Not
significant
at .10 level
2.77/0.87
2.67/0.90
Not
56
.20 level
3.29/0.90
3.20/1.08
Not
B5
C1
C2
C3
C4
C5
C6
C7
C8
C9
C10
C11
C12
C13
C14
C15
check
the
definition of the
word
Talk with native
speakers
significant
3.27/1.16
Draw a picture of the

word to help remember
it
Make a mental image
of the words meaning
Connect the word to a
personal experience
Remember the words
that follow or precede
the new word
Connect the word to
other
words
with
similar or opposite
meanings
Remember the word in
scales of frequency
(always-oftensometimes-never)
Group words together
to study them
Use new words in
making sentences
Write paragraphs using
several new words
Study the spelling of a
word
Study
the
pronunciation of a new
word
Say the new words
aloud when I first meet
them
Make a mental image
of the words form
Remember the word
derivatives by learning
its prefixes/suffixes its
parts (im-,un-, ex-able, -ful)
Remember the word
using its word form
(verb, noun, etc) to
make a sentence
3.33/0.98
Significant
significant
4.09/0.11
3.73/1.03
at .20 level
Survey 1
(Mean/SD
)
2.24/1.22
Frequency of use
Survey 2
Signi(Mean/SD
ficance
)
2.00/1.18
Not
Not
significant
Survey 1
Survey 2
ficance
)
)
2.92/0.87
2.50/1.02
Not
significant
3.64/0.95
3.47/0.74
3.00/1.11
3.07/1.10
3.10/0.83
2.86/0.95
Not
significant
Not
significant
Not
significant
4.00/1.07
3.27/1.16
Significant
at .10 level
2.95/1.05
3.60/0.91
3.24/1.00
3.43/1.16
Significant
at .10 level
Not
significant
3.24/0.70
3.00/0.85
Not
significant
3.68/0.95
3.53/0.83
significant
2.45/0.84
2.40/0.70
Not
significant
2.95/0.95
2.93/1.03
significant
2.18/0.73
1.80/0.68
3.09/0.75
3.27/0.70
2.41/0.80
2.60/0.74
3.23/1.15
3.21/1.19
4.05/0.79
3.71/0.83
Significant
at .20 level
Not
significant
Not
significant
Not
significant
Significant
Not
Not
significant
2.86/0.94
2.47/0.99
3.82/0.96
3.40/0.91
3.23/1.07
3.00/0.85
3.59/1.30
3.64/1.22
4.09/1.02
4.07/1.27
at .20 level
Not
significant
Significant
at .20 level
Not
significant
Not
significant
Not
significant
4.09/0.87
3.79/1.05
Not
significant
4.14/0.94
3.71/0.99
Not
significant
3.00/1.20
2.93/0.73
2.95/0.95
2.79/0.89
2.59/1.10
2.57/0.85
Not
significant
Not
significant
2.95/1.13
2.86/1.03
Not
significant
Not
significant
2.68/1.13
3.00/1.11
Not
significant
3.00/1.02
3.07/1.14
57
Not
significant
C16
C17
Make
my
own
definition for the word
Use a physical action
when learning a word
D1
Reread the words

aloud many times
D2
Rewrite
the
words
many
times
Make lists of new
words
Use flashcards to
record
new
words
Take notes or
D3
D4
D5
highlight
D6
D7
2.43/0.85
2.41/0.73
2.29/0.17
Survey 1
(Mean/SD
)
3.45/1.10
2.95/1.05
2.79/1.05
3.55/1.26
3.29/1.07
3.32/1.04
4.00/1.18
4.45/0.67
4.36/0.63
significant
Not
significant
2.68/1.21
2.71/0.99
2.86/0.77
2.43/0.94
Not
significant
Significant
at .20 level
Survey 1
Survey 2
Signi-ficance
(Mean/SD (Mean/SD
)
)
3.68/1.04
3.79/1.25
Not
significant
3.73/1.08
3.29/1.27
Not
significant
Not
significant
Significant at
.10 level
3.73/0.98
3.57/1.09
3.27/0.98
3.93/1.07
Not
significant
Significant at
.10 level
Not
3.95/1.13
4.07/1.00
Not
significant
significant
1.59/1.05
1.43/0.51
Not
significant
2.82/0.85
2.71/0.73
Not
significant
4.05/0.95
3.79/0.70
Not
significant
3.95/0.84
4.00/0.68
Significant at
physical
objects
Keep
Not
significant
Not
significant
Frequency of use
Survey 2
Signi-ficance
(Mean/SD
)
3.29/1.44
Not
new
words in class
Put English labels
on
2.64/0.85
vocabulary
.20 level
notebook
E1
Use
language
English
Survey 1
(Mean/SD
)
3.05/1.33
media
Frequency of use
Survey 2
Signi-ficance
(Mean/SD
)
2.87/1.06
Not
significant
Survey 1
Survey 2
ficance
)
)
3.23/1.11
3.20/0.86
Not
significant
(songs, movies, the

E2
Internet)
Test myself with
2.27/0.94
2.20/1.21
3.55/1.01
3.33/1.11
Not
significant
E3
word tests
Study new words
Not
significant
3.09/1.05
2.67/0.90
Significant at
3.95/1.05
4.07/1.03
Not
many times
.10 level
58
significant

PhuongNhan&#39;s MAthesis

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VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

AN INVESTIGATION ON VOCABULARY TEACHING IN

M.A MINOR THESIS

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

AN INVESTIGATION ON VOCABULARY TEACHING IN

M.A MINOR THESIS

Date: December 29th, 2008

Vocabulary acquisition is one of the most challenging obstacles language learners

3.2 Summary of major findings

College of Foreign Language

Vietnam National University

Chu Van An High School

Structured Speaking Practice

Second Language Acquisition

3. Methods of the study

PART II: DEVELOPMENT

Figure 1. Vocabulary size and text coverage in the Brown

Number of words Text coverage

Figure 2. Text coverage in written academic

The drawbacks of incidental learning lie in the difficulties of guessing from

disseminating information, a successful program will train participants how to become

Discouraging learners from viewing unknown words as isolated semantic problems

using a bilingual dictionary

Figure 3. Determination strategy survey results

Actually, in order to emphasize learner independence, students are encouraged to

new words in class

as providing a flexible method of reviewing repetitive or productive vocabulary. Other

(songs, movies, the Internet)

PART III: CONCLUSION

proficient in certain aspects of vocabulary learning than in others, and so by encouraging

In order to obtain a picture of the students productive use of vocabulary, it is

Check the new

(verb, noun, etc)

parts that I know

When I want to remember new words and build my vocabulary, I

Study the word with

Talk with native

When I want to remember new words and build my vocabulary, I

APPENDIX 2: TEACHING STAFF SURVEY

vocabulary/ idioms options classes

vocabulary in Structured Speaking Practice textbooks

vocabulary in R/W textbooks and graded readers

APPENDIX 3: VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGY SURVEY RESULTS

Look for any parts

Ask the teacher

classmates for the

Draw a picture of the

Reread the words

(songs, movies, the

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PhuongNhan's MAthesis

PhuongNhan's MAthesis