FINAL

ASSIGNME
NT
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
LECTURER: DR. LE QUANG DUNG
A37401 Lã Anh Phương

HANOI 2023
THANG LONG UNIVERSITY
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
---o0o---

Research the current situation and propose methods of

learning English vocabulary of non-English major
students at Thang Long University

STUDENT’S NAME : LA ANH PHUONG

STUDENT’S CODE : A37401
LECTURER : DR. LE QUANG DUNG

Hanoi, 2023
TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT....................................................................................................................................4
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................1
1.1. Background of the study....................................................................................................1
1.2. Research problem...............................................................................................................1
1.3. Research purpose................................................................................................................1
1.4. Research questions (hypotheses).......................................................................................2
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.....................................................................................3
2.1. Review of related literature...............................................................................................3
2.2. Previous research................................................................................................................3
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY................................................................................................5
3.1. Research design...................................................................................................................5
3.2. Sampling & population......................................................................................................5
3.3. Research instruments.........................................................................................................6
3.3.1. Survey question.............................................................................................................6
3.3.2. Interview questions.......................................................................................................6
3.3.3. Output method..............................................................................................................7
3.4. Research procedures..........................................................................................................8
3.4.1. Surveys and interviews.................................................................................................8
3.4.2. Experimental method....................................................................................................9
CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS (RESULTS)......................................................................................12
4.1. Results about the situation...............................................................................................12
4.2. Method experimental results...........................................................................................13
CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSIONS.............................................................15
REFERENCES.............................................................................................................................16
LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Pre-experiment test results...............................................................................................13

Table 2: Test results after experiment............................................................................................14
ABSTRACT

The topic "Research the current situation and propose methods of learning English
vocabulary of non-English major students at Thang Long University" is carried out on the
basis of theory, results of previous studies and current situation. English learning of non-
English major students at Thang Long University. This study is a combination of
qualitative and quantitative research. Survey results on 400 students in the class of 2019
show that students are aware of the importance of skills in English communication in
general and of English vocabulary in particular. However, the actual learning of students
does not reflect that. In addition, the results of the experimental study show that two
methods of designing word cards and repeating words are proven effective and can be
widely applied among students.
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1. Background of the study

Vocabulary plays an important role in learning and using English. In learning and
practicing language skills such as listening, speaking, reading and writing, vocabulary
helps learners understand most of the information conveyed through reading, listening,
and communication with others in English. The use of proficiency and fluency mainly
depends on practice, the basic element is still the units of meaning such as words, phrases
and sentences, and the lexical element is an important component in the units of meaning.

Learning and improving foreign languages, especially English, is extremely necessary for
students because this subject is included in all study programs and is a mandatory
condition for students. students at colleges and universities. From the above reasons, I
deeply study the vocabulary learning methods of students at Thang Long University to
find new and more effective learning methods for students.

1.2. Research problem

TOEIC is applied at Thang Long University and students must study and pass all
necessary TOEIC English modules for their level of study. In fact, in the recent TOEIC
test for students in the 2019 and 2020 classes at the school, the number of students who
scored low and needed to learn basic English again was a lot: about 2000 students in both
courses, although most students have completed the English program in high school. In
addition, through preliminary analysis of some of the students' responses to the questions
in the reading and listening sections, I found that the incorrect answers often fell on
questions aimed at testing vocabulary. However, so far, there have not been any official
survey data on the reality of vocabulary learning in particular and English learning in
general of students at Thang Long University.

1.3. Research purpose

The study was carried out to assess the current situation of vocabulary learning of non-
English major students, highlight the problems and find out the nature of students'

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vocabulary learning. The information and data collected in the survey will be analyzed
and thereby build a vocabulary learning method for students.

1.4. Research questions (hypotheses)

In order to investigate the current situation of English vocabulary learning of non-English

major students and find out the proposed vocabulary learning methods, the study was
carried out to find answers to the following two research questions:

1. How do students perceive learning English in general and learning vocabulary in

particular? This research question aims to find out how students' perceptions and
evaluations of the importance of language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing)
along with vocabulary play a role in learning. and use English.

2. One of the important purposes of this study is to find out effective proposed vocabulary
learning methods for students. So the question “Which vocabulary learning methods can
match the attitudes and learning styles of non-English major students?” designed based
on the characteristics, style, nature and current learning methods of students.

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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1. Review of related literature

Over the past 50 years, the science of second language acquisition has had a lot of
research surrounding student vocabulary learning on a global scale. Most of the research
is done in the following specific areas:

 Methods of learning vocabulary based on situations and contexts and learning

vocabulary not based on situations and contexts
 The most used non-context-based vocabulary learning methods
 Research on vocabulary learning methods of fairly good students and weak
students

2.2. Previous research

Methods of learning vocabulary based on situations and contexts and learning

vocabulary not based on situations and contexts

There are many opposing views that coexist among linguists regarding these two modes
of vocabulary learning. There is a lot of convincing evidence that learning vocabulary
based on context (from real documents) is more effective than relying on pre-listed
vocabulary (word lists). For example, Oxford and Scarcella (1994) in their research found
that context-free vocabulary learning can help students memorize vocabulary for exams
and tests, but students will forget those words quickly right after those exams or tests. In
addition, McCarthy (1990) stated that if students learn vocabulary through a meaningful
situation with clear content, students will remember and assimilate that vocabulary for a
longer time. However most studies such as Morgan and Bailey (1943); Wind and
Davidson (1969), Gershman (1970), Tudor and Hafiz, 1989, Hulstjin, 1992 did not find
out whether or not vocabulary learning in "favorite" situations is more effective than in
other situations. situations that do not interest students.

The most used non-context-based vocabulary learning methods

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Recently, researchers have attempted to investigate which methods of learning context-
free vocabulary are most commonly used and have found that mechanical methods are
used more by students than highly complex methods. Cohen and Aphex (1981) observed
that students attempt to memorize words they do not know by memorization. In addition,
O'Mally et al (1985) also found that the method of learning by repetition is also used most
often by students in the process of learning vocabulary. Through studies, the above-
mentioned vocabulary learning methods are said to be disappointing for researchers and
ineffective for students. Ellis (1995) also added that the "Depth of Proccessing
Hypothesis" when applied to vocabulary learning, the information processing is at the
shallow level. Only helping students stop at the level of oral rehearsal does not help
students retain their memory, but the deep processing method allows students to approach
vocabulary in terms of form and semantic and as a result enhance students' ability to
remember and apply.

Research on vocabulary learning methods of fairly good students and weak students

Other studies on vocabulary learning methods have also found many different ways that
good students and weak students use to acquire vocabulary words. In a study of 300
Sudanese students learning English, Ahmed (1989) found that the vocabulary learning
methods of fairly good students were not only more quantitative but also more diverse in
genre than weak students. Sannoui's research (1992, 1995) identified two different
approaches to learning foreign language vocabulary. Firstly, students who shape the
structure of their vocabulary learning will independently participate in learning activities
and practice the vocabulary they need to learn. And students who do not shape their
vocabulary learning will not be independent. Research results show that at all levels of
learning, students who shape their learning are more successful than students who don't or
can't.

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CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY

3.1. Research design

The research topic is to investigate the current situation and find a method to improve the
vocabulary learning ability of non-English major students at Thang Long University, so
the subjects participating in the research are students of the majors other than English
language majors. The study was carried out in two phases: survey and experimental
research. The group of subjects who responded to the survey did not participate in the
methodological experimental study. Similarly, the group participating in the method
experiment did not respond to the survey.

3.2. Sampling & population

The group of respondents to the survey:

They are college students in the class of 2019 in different majors. Research subjects
participated in the survey, including 400 students randomly selected. The time to answer
the survey is that the research subjects are studying TOEIC. This means that all students
are enrolled in the same English program and this subject has the same characteristics for
all subjects; that is the condition for the students to be considered for graduation.
Therefore, students may have a relatively equal awareness of the importance of this
subject. Learning motivation cannot be expected equally because in the process of
approaching and researching the subject, the research subject is directly guided by many
different teachers. Depending on the individual requirements and teaching methods of
teachers, students' learning motivations between classes will vary considerably. This can
also be seen as a factor that has a certain influence on survey responses.

The group participating in the experiment

Participants in the experimental part of vocabulary learning methods are 135 students in
the class of 2022 who are majoring in marketing and accounting. The grouping of
students into 3 classes, each class is considered as a group and named the group as Group
A, Group B and Group C. At the time of experiment, these students had just started to
familiarize themselves with TOEIC. Thus, students participating in the study have many
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similarities. The first is that most students have just graduated from high school and they
have studied the same English program when they were in high school. The second is that
they have just entered the school in semester 1, so they can automatically understand that
they do not know much about TOEIC, have not been exposed to the specialized
vocabulary in commercial communication of TOEIC.

The experimental part of the study is to implement the vocabulary learning method, so
when the method is designed based on the results of analyzing survey data that we
directly apply, it will be more effective and ensure that the method is applied as designed
compared to asking another teacher to experiment with the proposed method.

3.3. Research instruments

3.3.1. Survey question

Based on the research question as well as the theoretical basis on learning vocabulary in
general and learning English vocabulary in particular and based on the results of other
studies in the same research field, the questionnaire includes: 15 closed and semi-open
questions. The questions revolved around three main issues: students' evaluations of the
importance of vocabulary in using and learning English, students' learning English
vocabulary, and the nature of vocabulary learning and the vocabulary learning methods
students are using.

3.3.2. Interview questions

Pre-experiment interview questions

The pre-experiment interview question is a questionnaire consisting of 4 open-ended

questions. The questions revolve around how students deal with vocabulary and learn new
vocabulary. The open-ended questionnaire aims to help the author better understand the
nature of students' English vocabulary learning. From there, more effective vocabulary
learning methods will be drawn for students.

Post-experiment interview questions

Post-experiment interview questions to investigate what methods students of the control

group used when learning vocabulary in the vocabulary list provided. From there, the
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study method of the control group and their test results will be compared with the
experimental method and test results of the two experimental groups to evaluate the
effectiveness of the experimental method and the student's method.

3.3.3. Output method

There are many methods of learning vocabulary that are considered effective for students,
both English majors and non-majors. However, in the experimental part of vocabulary
learning methods for students, 2 vocabulary learning methods are applied as a pilot test on
a small scale, so the fact that these two methods, if proven to be effective and proposed to
be widely applied, does not mean that other vocabulary learning methods are introduced
by other teachers, or that the students' own methods are not effective. The choice of two
methods "vocabulary card" and "word repetition" is built and adjusted based on the
analysis results of the experimental research. Choosing only two methods for
experimentation will serve as the basis and methodological foundation for conducting
larger-scale experiments when many methods are tested at the same time. In addition, the
experimental part is only to test whether the two proposed methods are effective or not,
not to compare which method is more effective.

Vocabulary cards

The survey results show that students are interested in the role and importance of
vocabulary in learning and using English. However, the survey results also show that
students' attitudes and methods of learning vocabulary are not reasonable.

Learning vocabulary by cards is not a new learning method and has been applied to major
students before. Is the use of vocabulary learning methods for English majors and non-
English majors really effective because the consciousness and motivation of English
language major students will be very different from those of English majors? non-
specialist. The answer is how to apply this learning method. There are no binding
regulations when designing vocabulary cards, so the design of vocabulary cards and what
types of information should be included is entirely up to the designer. In order to match

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the attitude, style and English ability of the group of students participating in the study,
the vocabulary cards are specifically designed as follows.

Record repeat words

Learning by this method requires learners to have a separate vocabulary book. When
learning a new vocabulary, learners are required to write down the new vocabulary with
prewritten meanings and examples in the notebook and must record it at least 5 times. The
reason the author provides vocabulary with meanings and examples of words to students
is because with the level of TOEIC 1, the ability for students to make sentences with
newly learned vocabulary is very difficult. Because students' real knowledge of grammar
and thinking ability in English is still very limited. The recorded examples are available to
help students remember the word and partly understand the usage of that word.

3.4. Research procedures

3.4.1. Surveys and interviews

After completing the survey questionnaire, we hired people to come to each class of the
2019 class to send and collect the survey. Since the senders and receivers of the survey
are not members of the study, they will be given very specific instructions on how to
distribute and collect the survey forms and require the respondents to clearly explain the
purpose of the survey. Research aims to help students respond to the survey understand
the content and purpose of the survey so that their answers are truly valuable. Because the
time and location of the survey depends largely on the student's concentrated study
schedule, the distribution and collection of survey forms takes a relatively long time. To
answer the survey questions, students only take 3 to 5 minutes, so the distribution and
collection of survey forms is very fast, students do not need to take it home or return it at
the next lesson.

Because in the process of answering the survey, there were some questions that students
did not provide answers to, so in the data table there will be questions with less than 400
answers. After the survey answers were available, the survey questions were coded and
defined and then entered using the SPSS computer program version 16.0. After the data

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was entered, the analysis was carried out using the statistical frequency method. The
results of the tests before and after the experiment will be analyzed by means of mean,
descriptive, sample comparison (One sample T-test and Paired T-test), correlation (One
sample T-test and Paired T-test).

Interviews were conducted in the pre-empirical study. Students are invited to interview
and their answers are recorded on paper. Interview information will be aggregated into
groups and then frequency statistics will be recorded.

3.4.2. Experimental method

Vocabulary cards

Student group A applies the method of learning vocabulary by cards. All students in this
group were provided with hard A4 paper to design vocabulary cards. To encourage
students to design beautiful vocabulary cards that stimulate interest in learning
vocabulary, a small prize is given to the student with the best set of vocabulary cards. In
addition, each student receives a copy of a set of TOEIC English vocabulary words on
certain topics.

Every day students are required to learn 3 vocabulary words from the first word in the
vocabulary list. Students are asked to learn vocabulary with cards in different ways. The
first way is that after students have a certain number of vocabulary cards, they can self-
study by looking at the information on one side of the card and guessing the information
on the other side. Students can either say aloud or whisper the information they guessed
or write the information they guessed on paper and then look at the other side of the card
to check. Another way to learn vocabulary cards is that students can study in pairs.
Student A shows student B the information on one side of the card and asks student B to
guess what the information on the other side is. In addition to the two card learning
methods mentioned above, students are encouraged to use their own learning method.

Each week students are required to bring in vocabulary cards for testing. The vocabulary
card test serves two main purposes. The first is to check the number of self-designed
student cards to see if they meet the requirements in terms of quantity and quality
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compared to the number of days of learning vocabulary. For example, in the first week,
the number of vocabulary cards each student has is 21 equivalent to 21 words. To ensure
that students are learning the specified number of words or just designing vocabulary
cards, when they bring the flashcards into the class, students are asked to cross-check
each other by working in pairs and by quizzes. meaning of words. The second purpose is
to check the vocabulary learning process, which also helps students realize that learning
vocabulary is serious and thereby have a better learning attitude.

Record repeat words

Student group B applied the vocabulary learning method by repeating words. Students are
required to have their own vocabulary book and are provided with a vocabulary list.
Every day students are also required to learn 3 vocabulary words. Each student was asked
to write each word with its meaning and illustrated vocabulary at least 5 times in the
vocabulary book. Just like the group of students using the vocabulary cards, the students
were checked on their vocabulary learning progress each week. The test can be performed
directly by the author or by the students (class staff) will do. In addition to checking if
students have written correctly and with the required number of words, students are also
tested to see if they remember the vocabulary they have learned. One of the ways to check
the vocabulary students have learned is that the teacher asks all the students to close all
the books, the teacher reads a word aloud or shows the students an English word or
Vietnamese meaning. Students who know, raise their hands, if they are correct, they will
sit down. Another way is that all the students sit and close the book, the teacher reads a
word aloud or shows the students an English word or Vietnamese meaning and at the
same time randomly calls a student. If the answer is correct, the student continues to sit
and if the answer is wrong, the student must stand up. The teacher did the same with the
rest of the students.

The control group

Students in the control group were only provided with a vocabulary list and were asked
to study 3 words a day. In the learning process, the author often reminds students to learn

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vocabulary. And checking the vocabulary learning situation is still carried out as two
groups applying the method. The test method is the same as that of the control group.

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CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS (RESULTS)

4.1. Results about the situation

For the first survey question 'How do students perceive learning English in general and
learning vocabulary in particular?', the information from the analysis data shows that the
majority of students appreciate the importance of learning. Listening and Speaking skills
in learning and using English, and most students are aware of the role and importance of
vocabulary in the process of learning and using this foreign language. Background
information about the time learning English can be considered as enough for students to
have an awareness of skills as well as vocabulary. The survey results show that the vast
majority of students have studied English at the high school level with a study period of 6
years or more with a rate of 95.7% out of 370 students responding to this question. This
confirms that the time students learn English before entering university is relatively long,
enough for students to equip themselves with basic and even intermediate English
knowledge high-class. However, a surprising thing here is that 89.5% of these students
think that they are not able to use English effectively. This may explain that the previous
school environment (at the high school level) of most students did not allow them to use
English in and out of class or they did not pay attention to learning English.

Regarding the key information and necessary to answer the first research question – the
importance of language skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing) – in using English
effectively, most students Survey respondents said that speaking and listening skills are
more important than other skills. Out of 370 responses to this question, 297 votes (75.4%)
think that speaking is important, and 57.6% consider listening and speaking as important.
However, most people underestimate the role of the other two skills: reading
comprehension (29.7%) and writing (39.5%). Along with appreciating the importance of
listening and speaking skills, the vast majority of students (92.4%) also stated that
vocabulary plays an important first-order role in contributing to effective communication
by means of the English language.

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4.2. Method experimental results

In addition, in order to serve as a basis for the design of vocabulary learning methods
proposed in the experimental part and also to contribute to providing information to
answer the second research question "Which vocabulary learning methods can match
the attitudes and learning styles of non-English major students?”

Before applying the vocabulary learning method designed for students, all three groups of
students were assessed for their professional vocabulary in the direction of TOEIC by a
multiple choice vocabulary test. The test includes vocabulary that students will have to
learn during the method experiment. After more than 2 months of organizing the method
experiment, all groups of students participating in the method experiment were asked to
evaluate again and this vocabulary test was the test they did before participating in the
experimental method. The results of the students' two tests are shown in the following
tables.

Table 1: Pre-experiment test results

Amount Average score

Pre A 45 18.60

Pre B 45 19.13

Pre C 45 19.37

According to the data presented in Table 1, the vocabulary of group A (the group
applying the learning method by vocabulary cards) is determined at an average of 18.6,
the lowest compared to the average score of 2 remaining group. Group B (group using
repeated writing method) and group C (group not applying any experimental method) had
equal mean scores of 19.1 and 19.4, respectively. In general, the vocabulary level of the
three groups of students participating in the study is relatively equal.

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During the implementation of the method, although only two groups of students were
selected to test the method, all three groups of subjects were checked and regularly
reminded of daily vocabulary learning. After nine weeks of applying the method, all three
groups of students were asked to take the same test they had taken before. The test results
are summarized and described as follows:

Table 2: Test results after experiment

Amount Average score

Post A 45 38.86

Post B 45 38.41

Post C 45 33.02

The results show that the group of students experimenting with the repeated writing
method had the highest average score of 38.86, followed by the experimental group of the
vocabulary card method with an average score of 38.41 and finally the group of students
with the control had the lowest mean test score of 33.0. Preliminary results show that the
group of students using the experimental method have higher achievements than the
group of students who do not apply the experimental method.

For the second research question "Which vocabulary learning methods can match the
attitudes and learning styles of non-English major students?". The results of 2 tests
before and after the experiment show that the 2 proposed vocabulary learning methods are
really effective.

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CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSIONS

The scientific research topic "Study the current situation and propose methods of learning
English vocabulary of non-English major students at Thang Long University" is carried
out on the basis of theory and reality of learning English. General English of non-English
major students at Thang Long University. The survey results show that students are fully
aware of the importance of English in general and of English vocabulary in particular.
However, there is a relatively large contradiction between students' thinking and doing
and that also partly explains their TOEIC test results. If it is necessary to reconsider the
role of vocabulary in using English in communication, then vocabulary is the basic
element that students need to equip. If students want to communicate well or use English
effectively, they need to practice (Practice makes perfect).

In addition, two methods of learning vocabulary are designed on the basis of information
collected from students and theories of lexical methods stated in previous studies in the
same field. The experimentally designed vocabulary learning method has proven to be
two effective vocabulary learning methods, although not really superior to the methods
that students are using, but these two methods are also considered feasible. and can be
widely applied among non-English major students.

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REFERENCES

Ahmed, M.O. (1989). Vocabulary Learning Techniques. In P. Meara (Ed.) Beyond Words
3-14, London:CILT.

Brown, C. & Payne, M. E. (1994). Five Essential Steps of Processes in Vocabulary

Learning. Paper presented at the TESOL Convention, Baltimore, Md.

Cohen, A.D. & Aphek, E. (1981). Easifying Second Language Learning. Sudies in
Second Language Acquisition 3 (2), 221-236.

Cunningsworth, A. (1995). Choosing Your Coursebook. Oxford: Heinemann.

Ellis, N. (1995). Vocabulary Acquisition: Psychological Perspectives and Pedagogical

Implications. The Language Teacher 19(2), 12-16.

Gershman, S.J. (1970). Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning under Seven Conditions.
Unpublished doctoral thesis, Columbia University, New York.

Hulstjin, J. (1992). Retention of Inferred and Given Word mezanings: Experiments in

Incidental Vocabulary Learning. In P. Arnaud & H. Béjoint (Eds.), Vocabulary and
Applied Linguistics 113-125. Basingtoke: Macmillan.