1
VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES


Hanoi, 2010 2
Field: English Language Teaching Methodology
Code: 60 14 10
Supervisor: PROF. DR. HOÀNG VĂN VÂN

Hanoi, 2010 6
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Candidate’s declaration
i
Acknowledgements
ii
Abstract
iii
Table of contents
iv
List of abbreviations and tables
vii
PART 1: INTRODUCTION
1

1.1.3 The place of vocabulary in EFL teaching and learning
7
1.1.4 The place of vocabulary in EFL learners' reading comprehension
8
1.2 Principles in teaching and leaning vocabulary
9
1.2.1 Selection of vocabulary items for learners
9
1.2.2 Aspects of vocabulary that should be taught
10
1.2.2.1 Word form: Pronunciation and spelling
11
1.2.2.2 Grammar
11
1.2.2.3 Collocation
11
1.2.2.4 Aspects of meaning
12 7
1.2.2.5 Word formation
13
1.2.3 What makes words difficult?
14
1.2.4 Current approaches to teaching and learning vocabulary
16
1.3 Summary
17
CHAPTER 2: PROBLEMS FACING THE 10

22
2.3.1.1 Personal information (Questions 1, 2, 3, 4)
22
2.3.1.2 Students' perception about the importance of vocabulary in RC
lessons (Question 5, 6, 7)

23
2.3.1.3 Students' ideas about the reality of teaching vocabulary in RC
lessons to the 10th form students at TH-USS (Question 8, 9)

23
2.3.1.4 Students' ideas about the solutions to bettering the current
situations of teaching vocabulary in RC lessons to the 10th form
students (Question 10, 11) 24
2.3.2 Results from the interviews with the teachers of English
25
2.4 Problems facing the 10th students at TH-USS in learning vocabulary in
RC lessons

26
2.4.1 Rigid, insufficient and ineffective ways of teaching vocabulary
26
2.4.2 Unfavorable vocabulary teaching environment
26 8

3.4 Improving students’ English proficiency and reading skills to activate
students' vocabulary and enhance their RC

34
3.5 Adapting the textbook
35
3.6 Creating a favorable teaching and learning environment
36
3.7 Summary
36
PART 3: CONCLUSION
37
I. Summary of the study
37
II. Limitations of the study
38
III. Conclusion
38
IV. Suggestions for further research
39
REFERENCES
40
APPENDICES
I

learning vocabulary in RC lessons of the 10th form students (Question 11)

XIII
10
PART ONE: INTRODUCTION
I. Rationale of the study
In EFL teaching and learning program for high school students, there are no proper periods
for teaching vocabulary. It means vocabulary is integrated in all other language lessons,
especially RC lessons, the first period of any language unit. The purpose of reading lessons
is not only to develop students‟ reading skills but also to equip them with important
language input for the lessons that follow, such as: listening, speaking and writing. And
vocabulary seems to be one of the most effective tools to improve students‟ RC.
Obviously, knowing vocabulary of a language is a minimum self-requirement of those who
want to learn a foreign language such as English. The reason is that „vocabulary is central
to language and of critical importance to the typical language learner‟ (Zimmerman

paper, the goal is to get a sense of the life of the classroom and of the problems facing the
10
th
form students in learning vocabulary in RC lessons.
2. Proposing a number of feasible solutions to promoting the teaching of English
vocabulary, and lastly to enhance the effectiveness of learning English to the 10
th
form
students at the author‟s school.
With these above aims, the study is carried out in an attempt to provide a beneficial
reference to the researcher herself, to the teachers of English at her school and to anyone
who is interested in vocabulary teaching in RC lessons.
III. Research questions
In order to achieve the aim and the objectives above, the following research questions are
raised for exploration:
1. What are the problems facing the 10
th
form students at TH-USS in learning vocabulary
in RC lessons?
2. What are the feasible solutions to the problems facing the 10th form students at TH-USS
when dealing with vocabulary in RC lessons?
IV. Scope of the study
This minor thesis does not cover all the broad matter of four language skills, it only
focuses on giving an insight into the teaching of vocabulary in RC lessons to the 10
th
form
students at TH-USS. It deals with background knowledge of vocabulary teaching, provides
investigated and analyzed data of the current state of teaching vocabulary in RC lessons to
the 10
th

approach to its subject matter and gives priority to what the data contribute to important
research questions or existing information. Whereas, quantitative research is the systematic
scientific investigation of quantitative properties and phenomena and their relationships.
Quantitative methods explain the data collected and their statistical treatment as well as all
relevant results in relation to your research questions (Nunan 1992: 5).
In carrying out these research methods, two instruments are used. The first instrument is
questionnaire and the second instrument is the semi-structure interview.
* Survey questionnaire for the 10
th
students:
According to Brown (2001: 6), questionnaires are any written instruments that present
respondents with a series of questions or statements to which they are to react either by
writing out their answers or selecting from among existing answers. In this study, survey
questions were designed and distributed to the students to get information on actual
situation of teaching and learning vocabulary in RC lessons in ten language classes of
grade 10. Questionnaire focused on the problems facing the students in learning
vocabulary in RC lessons and suggested solutions to better the current state.
* Interviewing the teachers of English teaching staff:
Interview is one kind of questionnaire but it is the vocal questionnaire. Interviews have
been used widely by second language acquisition researchers seeking data on stages and
processes of acquisition (Johnston 1985), and also by language testers, who use the oral
interview as means of assessing proficiency (Ingram 1984). 13
According to Wisker (2001: 167-168), there are three main kinds of interviews such as
highly structured interview, semi-structured interview and unstructured interview among
which semi-structured interview is chosen as the second research instrument of this study.
This kind of interview addresses both the need for comparable responses, that is, there are
the same questions being asked of each interviewee and the need for the interview to be
14
PART TWO: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
This chapter provides a brief review of the literature relevant to the study. It is subdivided
into three sections. Section one clarifies the term vocabulary, its classification and its role
in EFL teaching and learning. Section two presents the principles in teaching and learning
vocabulary. Section three summarizes the whole part content.
1.1 Vocabulary in EFL teaching and learning
1.1.1 The notion of vocabulary
The teaching and learning of vocabulary in EFL has been investigated from numerous
perspectives - by linguists, psychologists, educators and second language researchers, but
an exact definition of „What is vocabulary?‟ is still in need of discussion. Different
scholars define the term in a different way, depending on the criteria they consider the
most important in terms of methodology, linguistics, semantics etc.
In terms of semantics, Richard, Platt (1992: 40), considered vocabulary as “a set of
lexemes, including single words, compound words and idioms.” Besides, Pyles and Algeo
(1970) say, “It is true that vocabulary is the focus of language with its sound and meaning,
which interlock to allow us to communicate with one another” (quoted in Nguyen Bang
and Nguyen Ba Ngoc 2002: 35). In contrast, Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary
(2000: 1447) provided its own definition, vocabulary here is simply understood as the total
number of words in a language that “a person knows or uses”.
From the point of view of teaching Ur (1996: 60) defines vocabulary as the words we teach
in the foreign language. However, vocabulary is more complex than this definition
suggests. Ur pointed out that a new item of vocabulary might be “more than a single
word” such as “post office’ and “mother-in-law”, which are made up of two or more than
three words but express a single idea. There are also multi-word idioms such as “call it a
day”, where the meaning of the phrase cannot be deduced from an analysis of the
component words.

1.1.2.2 According to language teaching methodology
Methodologically, a foreign language learner‟s vocabulary is divided into active
vocabulary and passive vocabulary.
Active vocabulary is the words which language learners can understand and use effectively
in speaking and writing, whereas passive vocabulary is the words which the learner can
recognize and understand when they occur in a context, but which he cannot remember or
use in their own speaking and writing (Nguyen Bang & Nguyen Ba Ngoc 2002: 36).
However, the active and passive vocabulary of language learners changes constantly. They
start using words, try new meanings, forget words, abandon words that have no use, revise 16
words, etc. Lewis and Hill (1985: 100) suggested that it was helpful to guide students
towards the words which it would help them to add to their active vocabulary.
Besides, according to some methodologists of the Communicative Language Teaching
Approach, word knowledge also comes in two forms, receptive and productive. Receptive
vocabulary includes words that we recognize when we hear or see them. Productive
vocabulary includes words that we use when we speak or write. Receptive vocabulary is
typically larger than productive vocabulary, and may include many words to which we
assign some meaning, even if we do not know their full definitions and connotations – or
ever use them ourselves as we speak and write (Hiebert & Kamil, 2005).
1.1.2.3 According to sequence of use
It is worth distinguishing two kinds of vocabulary: high-frequency words and low-
frequency words.
High-frequency words are the words that appear most often in oral communication and
printed materials of different fields of life. Nation (2001: 9) pointed out that there is a
small group of high-frequency words which are very important because these words cover
a very large proportion of the running words in spoken and written text and occur in all
kinds of uses of the language. Learning to recognize high-frequency words by sight is
critical to developing fluency in reading. Considerable researchers been done to generate

L2 just cannot happen in any meaningful way.” This is also echoed by Laufer who stated,
“solid vocabulary is necessary in every stage of language learning, as is now being openly
stated by some second language acquisition researchers” (1997: 147). Vocabulary learning
is, therefore, one of the specific goals in a language classroom.
In conclusion, vocabulary plays a key role in any EFL course, for any language learner.
Without an extensive vocabulary, most language learners will not be able to use the
structures and functions they may have learnt for comprehensible communication. The
bigger vocabulary size language learners get, the better they understand and being
understood. Therefore, the acquisition of an adequate vocabulary is essential for successful
second language use.
1.1.4 The place of vocabulary in EFL learners’ reading comprehension
It has been found that vocabulary knowledge plays a very important role in EFL learners‟
RC. Actually, the major problem for EFL learners in RC is due to the presence of
unfamiliar vocabulary. Yet, vocabulary knowledge can be seen as the key for getting
meaning from a text. Specifically, understand the basis of grammatical structures enables
students to understand the relationship among words, but it does not provide access to the
meaning of the sentence. Knowing the meaning of the content words (nouns, verbs,
adjectives and adverbs) does. Therefore, “vocabulary knowledge is central to reading
texts” as Aebersold & Field (1997: 154) proposed. The larger vocabulary size students get, 18
the better they understand. Thus, language learners need to be provided strategies that can
reduce their frustration when encountering unfamiliar words in order to motivate them to
read more. Otherwise, they do not understand therefore they read slowly, and they would
not enjoy reading, as a result, they do not read much because of lack of comprehension.
1.2 Principles in teaching and learning vocabulary
1.2.1 Selection of vocabulary items for students
Actually, language learners‟ ability of RC is determined by their knowledge of words. This
word knowledge allows them to comprehend text. Therefore, word knowledge should be

independent of a teacher.
Another important point when selecting vocabulary to teach is that language teachers
should begin by teaching new items in context. Nunan (1991: 122) emphasized, “even with
a functional vocabulary of the three thousand most frequently occurring items in English,
learners will still not know around 20 per cent of the items they will encounter in an
unsimplified text.”
As for teachers of EFL at high school, we should take into consideration the number of
items to teach in a period of 45 minutes. The number of vocabulary items to be taught may
depend on several factors like the target language of the lesson and students‟ level.
According to Cross (1991), students are able to internalize circa six new words within a
40-minute lesson, and Schmitt (2000) claims that students can learn ten words in a one
hour lesson. Thus, in a period of 45 minute teaching, we should teach around six or seven
new items.
In short, teachers of English as a foreign language can use these above suggestions as a
guide, but should adapt the number of vocabulary items taught during a lesson as they
believe appropriate and should take account of factors such as the objective of each lesson
and the ability of the students.
1.2.2 Aspects of vocabulary that should be taught
One of the greatest concerns of a language teacher is selecting what aspects of vocabulary
to be taught in a language classroom. In general, when we teach a new English word, we
should, by all means, provide our learners with its meaning, form and use simultaneously.
However, with hundreds of thousands of words in the English language, teaching
vocabulary can seem like a very daunting prospect. Moreover, our students will not need to
produce every word they learn, some they will just need to recognize. Selecting what to
teach, based on frequency and usefulness to the needs of the particular students is therefore
essential.
Ur (1996: 60-62) suggested the aspects of vocabulary as word form, grammar, collocation,
aspects of meaning and word formation need to be taught when teaching vocabulary.
powerful. A similar observation holds for “powerful computers” which is preferred over
“strong computers”. 21
Since there are no rules of collocation, it is difficult to group items by their collocational
properties, so teachers and learners are generally more successful when they deal with
common collocational problems in isolation or as they arise Gairns & Redman (1986: 39).
1.2.2.4 Aspects of meaning
It is essential to mention about denotation, connotation, appropriateness and meaning
relationship when concerning with aspects of word meaning. The teacher has to decide
which aspect of meaning that needs to be taught to students in certain language classrooms.
 Denotation and connotation
When we analyze word meaning, we should distinguish two separate concepts called
„denotational and connotational meaning‟. The denotational meaning gives us the basic
meaning of a word on conceptual level (this is a dictionary definition). For example,
“ball” denotes a round object used for throwing, hitting or kicking in games and sports.
The connotational meaning can be created thanks to different factors and they turn out to
be more problematic. Connotation includes stylistic, affective, evaluative, intensifying
values, pragmatic communicative values, the word acquires by virtue of where, when,
how, and by whom, for what purpose and in what context it is or may be used. The words
“house” and “home” have the same denotational meaning. However, they have different
connotational meanings. “House” refers to a material thing whereas “home” denotes a
spiritual sense. Connotations vary considerably according to culture, historical period, and
personal experience.
Understanding the difference between denotation and connotation is important to
understanding definitions and how concepts are used.
 Appropriateness
According to Ur (1996: 61), appropriateness is another essential aspect of word meaning
that needs to be taught. Learners should know whether a particular item could be used in a

the superiordinate of “dog, lion, mouse”.
In language teaching and learning, sense relations are of paramount importance. As a
means of presentation and testing, these relationships are extremely valuable and can
provide a useful framework for the leaner to see where meaning overlaps and learn the
limits of use of an item.
1.2.2.5 Word formation
According to Bauer (1983: 1), word formation is of central interest to theoretical linguists
of all persuasions because of the light it throws on other aspects of language. We may
consider word formation the creation of a new word. Ur (1996: 62), drew out “Vocabulary
items, whether one word or multi-word, can often be broken down into components „bits‟.
Exactly how these bits are out together is another piece of useful information – perhaps
mainly for more advanced learners.” 23
When talking about word formation, affixation is the first sector that is mentioned about.
Affixation is, thus, the linguistic process speakers use to form new words (neologisms) by
adding morphemes (affixes) at the beginning (prefixation), the middle (infixation) or the
end (suffixation) of words, for example, replay, kindness, sinambung(in Indonesian). New
combinations using affixes are usual and the reader or hearer would be expected to gather
their meaning from an understanding of their components.
Besides, there are various other ways of forming new words such as compounding (home +
work → homework), conversion (permit → an entry permit), clipping (hamburger →
burger), blends (motor + hotel → motel), etc.
In all, words can be formed in different ways. Language learners should know well about
word formation and the way to use words in appropriate grammatical contexts.
1.2.3 What makes words difficult?


HYPONYMS: rose tulip violet sunflower lily
The superiordinate could replace any of the hyponyms in many contexts. The case is clear
in the following example, „Mr Bill came in slowly. The man looked tired, I thought.‟ Here,
the general word man refers to Mr Bill. Difficulties arise if the readers fail to realize that
the two terms have the same referent.
* Transfer of meaning
A metaphor is the expression of an understanding of one concept in terms of another
concept, where there is some similarity or correlation between the two. Nutall (1996:67)
proposed, “Metaphors and similar kinds of transferred meaning are always potential
problems. Like idioms, they do not mean what at first glance they seem to mean.” „He is a
tiger when he’s angry.‟ is an example of a metaphor. The trouble is language learner may
wonder if they are reading zoology or botany. We can see that metaphor always involves
an implicit comparison between A and B, so one ways of handling it is to analyze what A
and B have in common that is relevant to the context.
* Irony
For Nutall (1996: 68), irony is one of the most difficult uses of language. The problem is
the words may be simple, but the way the writer uses them is not. A statement, when taken
in context, may actually mean something different from, or the opposite of what is written
literally; the use of words expressing something other than their literal intention, notably as
a form of humor. Thus, language learners may misunderstand the apparent meaning and
the writer‟s underlying intention. For example, it would be ironical for you to say, „He is
as smart as a soap dish‟. If language learners did not know what a soap dish was, or how 25
smart it was (not), they might interpret the statement as a compliment, whereas the
underlying meaning you intended to convey is an insult.
* Other kinds of difficulty
Nutall also suggested us two other categories such as text-structuring words and pin-down

vocabulary by “asking others”. They can ask their teacher or other students to explain the
meaning of an item which they have just encountered. The teacher should decide to have a
final feedback session with the class to ensure that the activity has been effective in
supplying accurate information. Otherwise, students can use a dictionary to check the new
word they meet. This act may increase laziness on the part of the student who is unwilling
to use his own resources and guess the meaning for himself. However, we cannot deny
certain advantages in the use of dictionaries. A dictionary can be seen as a valuable
support to contextual guesswork. Moreover, making good use of a dictionary will give
students considerable autonomy about the decisions they make about their own learning.
Then, for more advances learners, learning vocabulary through guessing from context is
suggested as an independent strategy.
Besides the above approaches, traditional ways of learning and teaching vocabulary,
“visual techniques, verbal techniques and translation” (Gairns & Redman 1986:73-75) are
also valuable in teaching and learning of vocabulary.
1.3 Summary
This chapter has provided a brief description of the theoretical knowledge about
vocabulary and its important role in EFL teaching and learning. Firstly, the study was
concerned with different definitions of vocabulary by different scholars. Secondly, it
mentioned about the place of vocabulary in EFL teaching and learning, particularly its role
in EFL learners' reading comprehension. The chapter also included principles in teaching
and learning English vocabulary, which comprised the selection of vocabulary items for
students, aspects of vocabulary that should be taught, factors that make words difficult and
current approaches to teaching and learning vocabulary. That knowledge served as an
important basis for the present study.

th
form students who have just had at least four
or five years learning English at lower secondary schools. However, they enter high school
with very low English proficiency and encounter many problems in comprehension
causing by their limited vocabulary size.
2.1.1 Subject of the study
The central purpose of the study is to investigate the reality of teaching vocabulary in RC
lessons to the 10
th
form students at the author‟s school to suggest possible solutions to the
problems facing the students. The final goal is to enhance the 10
th
form students‟ RC and
uplift their communicative skills. Thus, the informants are 100 students who were
randomly selected from 10 classes at grade 10 at TH-USS in Hai Duong. The 10th form
students are the major subjects of the study. Besides, six teachers of the English teaching
staff, aged from 27 to 52 are involved in the study. They have been teaching English at this
school for at least 5 years. Half of them graduated from the Hanoi University of Foreign 28
Language and International Studies, VNU. The rest had in-service EFL training
programmes.
2.1.1.1 Students in 10
th
form class and their background
Students who have studied in the 10
th
form class at TH-USS all come from rural areas.
They are both male and female aged sixteen or seventeen and many of them were born in