VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE-STUDIES
**************************************** NGUYỄN THỊ THÚY LAN
USING MIND MAPPING TO TEACH VOCABULARY TO
THE FIRST YEAR NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT
BAC GIANG UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND
FORESTRY

(Sử dụng bản đồ tư duy để dạy từ vựng cho sinh viên
năm thứ nhất không chuyên tại trường Đại học Nông-Lâm
Bắc Giang) M.A. Minor Programme Thesis
Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 60 14 10



Supervisor: Prof.Dr. Hoàng Văn Vân Hanoi-2012 Hanoi-2011

iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Declaration
i
Acknowledgements
ii
Abstract
iii
Table of contents
iv
List of abbreviations
vii
Lists of tables and figures
viii
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

9
2.3. The applications of mind mapping to teaching vocabulary
12
2.3.1. The overview of vocabulary
12
v

2.3.2. Strategies of teaching and learning vocabulary
13
2.3.3. Mind mapping in teaching vocabulary
15
2.4. The advantages of using mind mapping
16
2.5. Related studies
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2.5.1. Review of related studies worldwide
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2.5.2. Review of related studies in Vietnam
2.6. Concluding remarks
20
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CHAPTER 3: USING MIND MAPPING TO TEACH VOCABULARY
TO THE FIRST YEAR NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT
BUAF AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS
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3.1. Introduction
22
3.2. Using mind mapping to teach vocabulary to the first year non-English
major students at BUAF
22

30
3.3.3.2. Interviews
31
3.3.4. Data analysis procedures \
31
3.4. Findings and discussion
32
3.4.1. Discussion
32
3.4.2. The Findings
32
3.4.2.1. The effectiveness of mind mapping technique to teaching
vocabulary
32
3.4.2.2. Students’ feedbacks on the application of mind mapping in
vocabulary lessons
34
3.4.2.2.1. Questionnaires
34
3.4.2.2.2. Interviews
36
CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSION
37
4.1. Major findings of the study
37
4.2. Pedagogical implications and suggestions
38
4.3. Limitations of the study
38
4.4. Suggestions for further studies

viii

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

Page
Table 1: Question 1 & 2 in questionnaires and students’ answers
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Figure 1: Example of mind mapping
5
Figure 2: Network tree of U.S currency
7
Figure 3: Event chain
7
Figure 4: Cycle concept map
8
Figure 5: Spider concept map
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Figure 6: Mind map on “Transport”
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Figure 7: Mind map on “Family week away”
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Figure 8: Why to use mind maps?
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Figure 9: Mind map on “Transport”
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Figure 10: Mind mapping on “Drink”
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them.
The prominent role of vocabulary in second or foreign language learning has
been recently recognized by theorists and researchers in the field. Accordingly,
numerous approaches, techniques, exercises and practice have been introduced into
the field of vocabulary teaching (Hatch & Brown, 1995). It has been suggested that
teaching vocabulary should not only consist of teaching specific words but also aim
at equipping learners with necessary strategies to expand their vocabulary
knowledge (Hulstjin, 1993, cited in Morin & Goebel, 2001).
Vocabulary learning strategies are one part of language learning strategies
which in turn are part of general learning strategies (Nation, 2001). One of the
strategies in learning vocabulary is how to learn and remember vocabulary
effectively. Learning new vocabulary involves storing them first in short-term
memory, and then in long-term memory. There are some factors affecting the
process of remembering new vocabulary items. They may be the ways to present
the words, how frequently they appear or how words are recycled.
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Rivers (cited in Thornbury, 2002: 144) states that “vocabulary cannot be
taught, it can be presented, explained, included in all kind of activities and
experienced in all manner of associations…but it is ultimately learned by the
individual.” Moreover, one of the strategies to teach vocabulary is to apply images
and review well in a structured way. Mind mapping is believed to be one of the
techniques or activities which can be used in teaching and learning vocabulary
effectively.
For all the reasons mentioned above, I have decided to choose Using mind
mapping (MM) to teach vocabulary to the first year non-English major students
at Bac Giang University of Agriculture and Forestry (BUAF) as the topic of my
MA thesis.
1.2. Aim of the study
The study is aimed at finding the ways to use MM to teach vocabulary to the

1.6. Organization of the study
The study consists of four chapters.
Chapter 1 – Introduction – covers the rationale, the aim, the research
question, the scope, the significance and the organization of the study.
Chapter 2 – Literature review – provides the theoretical background of the
study which includes some basic knowledge of MM in general and MM in teaching
vocabulary in particular. Besides, some advantages of using MM are also presented.
Chapter 3 – Using MM to teach vocabulary to the first year non-English
major students at BUAF and its effect – describes the method based on which the
study is carried out with the description of participants, data collection instruments,
data collection procedures and analysis procedure. It also gives a brief introduction
to BUAF, English teachers, students and the coursebook that the university is
currently using. Besides, in this chapter, it attempts to describe in detail three places
where vocabulary is taught to the first year non-English major students at BUAF,
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using the coursebook “NCE – Elementary”. Then to arrive at a preliminary
confirmation about the usefulness of MM in teaching vocabulary, a questionnaire is
designed to obtain students’ opinions. And when there is some doubt about the
results of the questionnaire, an informal interview is conducted. The chapter ends
with presenting the findings and a discussion of them.
Chapter 4 – Conclusion – summarizes the main issues of the study, points
out the limitations of the study, presents the implications for using MM to teach
vocabulary and make some suggestions for further research.

With the use of MM in the example above, it can be seen that the learners
can better understand the key concept “holiday” with detailed supporting ideas such
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as where and when to go, where to stay, who to go with and how to go. They can
not only organize their existing knowledge systematically but remember more
information related to the key concept.
In general, MM imitates the thinking process, namely helps us to move from
one topic to another topic back and forth, and presents the information through
symbols, pictures, emotional meaning and colors, exactly the same as our brains
process it. It uses lines, colors, arrows, branches or some ways of showing
connections between ideas generated on our mind map. Our brains can remember
things better with visual, colors and pictures and therefore remember the facts and
ideas that go with them.
2.1.2. Classifications of mind mapping
There are many different types of MM. Here are four common types that we
can find. They are network tree, event chain, cycle concept map and spider concept
map.
2.1.2.1. Network tree
A network tree is a representation, which shows the relationships among
ideas or concepts that are depicted in the form of branches. The terms are normally
ordered from general to specific and should incorporate examples to reinforce the
word meanings.
It can be used to show casual relationship. In science, it is often used to show
a progression of ideas such as particle to atom to iron to molecule to sub-atomic
particles or any classification process such as those for animals, plants or rocks, also
for hierarchical relationship such as food chains, manufacturing processes or energy
transforms.
With the use of network tree, in Figure 2, it can be shown that hierarchical
relationship in U.S currency is illustrated clearly with two kinds of currency, which

does not stop there. It backs to the initiating event and starts a new event chain like
the previous one.
2.1.2.4. Spider concept map
A spider concept map has a central or unifying concept in the centre with
related concepts radiating out from the main one. This is a map that you can use for
brainstorming. Once you have a central idea, you may find you have a jumble of
ideas that relate to it, but are not necessarily clearly related to each other. By writing
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these ideas outside the main concept, you may begin to separate and group
unrelated terms so that they become more useful.

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Figure 5: Spider concept map
Figure 5 presents spider concept map of “homework” with the central
concept “homework” in the centre and supporting ideas radiating out from it.
2.2. The applications of mind mapping to teaching a foreign language
It is reasonable that memory has an important role in learning and acquiring
a foreign language. Especially in the communicative approach, learners have to
become familiar with and internalize words and sentences to use them effectively.
MMs are memory tools which use personal associations to make it easier to
remember new information and to visualize the thinking process. Therefore, MMs
have proven to be a very helpful technique to master a foreign language. Although it
may cost time to use the technique, it will eventually speed up the learning process
when learners know and understand how to use it.
According to Casco (2009), MMs have some applications in teaching a
foreign language. They are as follows:
 Engage the learners:
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The map originally designed by the teacher and expanded upon by the
learners may become the starting point to write a paragraph or an essay on the topic
explored.
From all his above explanations, Casco (2009) proved that MMs can bring a
lot of benefits in teaching a foreign language in many aspects consisting of reading,
writing, reading skills as well as in motivating the learners and activating the prior
knowledge.
Having the same opinions with Casco (2009), Hofland (2007) agreed that
MMs are great tools for foreign language teaching and learning. Therefore, they can
be used for all skills including reading, speaking, writing and vocabulary.
 Mind maps and reading skills
Hofland (2007) confirms that “reading is a very linear process, a typical left
brain skill”. Furthermore, the human brain is not good at linear process but
extremely good at parallel processing tasks. That is why MM might be a good tool
to improve the learners’ reading skill. It is obvious that when a learner thinks of a
word, all the images, associations, ideas and pictures will come into his mind. In his
research, Hofland also considered that MMs can help the learners understand a text
like an article or a story better.
 Mind maps and writing skills
Writing can be considered as the most difficult skill for the language learners.
They often have many difficulties in expressing their ideas into words. A mind map
can activate the learners’ thinking ability and creativity. By using a mind map as a
brainstorming activity, the learners can express what they are going to write into
images, graphs, ideas, etc. That would be easier for them to follow when they start
to write.
 Mind maps and speaking skills
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MMs can be served as reminders. Learners can draw a mind map to prepare a
topic that they are going to speak. In those MMs, they should only use key words

“Vocabulary is the glue that holds stories, ideas and content together…
making comprehension accessible for children.” (Rupley, Logan & Nichols, 1998).
Learners’ word knowledge is linked strongly to academic success because learners
who have large vocabularies can understand new ideas and concepts more quickly
than learners with limited vocabularies.
In short, it can be concluded that vocabulary is the total number of all the
words that a language possesses ranging from a single word, two or three words
items expressing an idea to multi-word idioms.
2.3.2. Strategies of teaching and learning vocabulary
Vocabulary learning strategies are one part of language learning strategies
which in turn are part of general learning strategies (Nation, 2001). Language
learning strategies encourage greater overall self-direction for learners. Self-directed
learners are independent learners who are capable of assuming responsibility for
their own learning and gradually gaining confidence, involvement and proficiency
(Oxford, 1990). Thus, students need training in vocabulary learning strategies they
need most. Research has shown that many learners do use more strategies to learn
vocabulary especially when compared to such integrated tasks such as listening and
speaking. However, they are mostly inclined to use basic vocabulary learning
strategies (Schmitt, 1997). This in turn makes strategy instruction an essential part
of any foreign or second language program.
Learners acquire vocabulary in various ways. Students are exposed to a
lot of new vocabulary during lessons by the teacher, by texts or other
materials they work with. A lot of this vocabulary is automatically absorbed
(Harmer, 1993: 159). Various techniques and activities are aimed directly at
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learning vocabulary, which is usually put into sets of somehow related words, often
by topic or meaning.
As McCarthy (1992: 108) suggests, before presenting new language, pre-
teaching activities might be beneficial “to activate existing knowledge to make the

and vocabulary, the best way would be in many cases to combine them and use
several together.
2.3.3. Mind mapping in teaching vocabulary
Casco (2009) states that MM (MMs) was first applied to foreign language
teaching in the 1990s as an aid to activate prior knowledge on a certain topic and
help learners to organize and recall items of vocabulary. When being used to
activate prior knowledge, the teacher asks learners what they know about a certain
topic and the learners brainstorm associations which the teacher writes on the board
creating a collective map. When being used for vocabulary acquisition, teachers
first ask learners to brainstorm items of vocabulary associated with a certain topic
and then learners are asked to create their own maps instead of the more traditional
approach of creating glossaries with new vocabulary.
A mind map consists of picture, symbol and color that will not only help the
students to understand the vocabulary knowledge but also makes the students feel
good, enjoyable and attract their brain which at last leads them to have interest in
mastery vocabulary knowledge.
The examples below will describe clearly how MM can help students learn
vocabulary easily. (See Figure 6 in the next page).
It can be seen clearly in the example in Figure 6 that students not only learn
the meaning of the word “transport” but also know different types of transport
through this MM. By using MM, teachers can enhance students’ imagination;
moreover, students can learn and remember the words more easily and effectively.
16 ( />news/weekly-lessons/unblocking-writer-s-block-technique-3-mind-mapping-1.42101)
Figure 6: Mind map on “Transport”
By using colors and images that can be illustrated in Figure 7, MM can help
students a lot in learning the word and organizing the ideas systematically. In fact, it
usually takes a lot of effort to remember words and sentences; whereas when we

based on MM. We can put the label and category of something based on our own
opinions anywhere in MM.
2) Concentrate on the Topic
Getting the subtopics what we talk about with focus on the main ideas easily.
Keep focus on the keyword can help us to make it simple and it does not waste the
time.
3) Increasing Comprehension
Using MM can make easy in understanding the material. MM is a simple
think pattern so it does not make us confuse to understand what we have learned
and easy to remember the material.
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4) Enjoyable
Imagination and creativity are unlimited in using MM, so it can be funny to
learn. By using pictures and colors, it makes the brain enjoy and excited in thinking
something what we want about the material.
From the all explanations, it can be seen that MM can bring a lot of benefits
to the learners for the ability of memorizing and brain development. That’s why it is
chosen to apply for teaching language more and more popularly nowadays.

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Figure 8: Why to use mind maps?
According to McGriff (2000: 9), “MMs are an excellent way to help learners
organize knowledge, to empower themselves to better comprehend the key concepts,
and principles in lectures, readings, or other instructional materials”. Buzan
(1993) describes mind maps as a representation of cognition and comprehension in
the learner, and as an excellent way to help learners to express themselves both
verbally and visually. Indeed, in their mind map, learners may use graphic
representation which may help in the brainstorming process. McGriff (2000) found
that relating images to concepts is a creative task which requires thinking instead of