1 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
DEPARTMENT OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES
NGUYỄN THỊ TỐ HOA TECHNIQUES TO TEACH ESP VOCABULARY EFFECTIVELY
TO STUDENTS AT COLLEGE OF NATURAL SCIENCES, VNU

(CÁC THỦ THUẬT GIÚP DẠY TỪ VỰNG TIẾNG ANH CHUYÊN NGÀNH
HIỆU QUẢ CHO SINH VIÊN TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC KHOA HỌC TỰ NHIÊN, ĐHQGHN)
MINOR PROGRAM THESIS Field: English Methodology
Code: 601410

Hanoi, 2010



Hanoi, 2010

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Candidate’s statement i
Acknowledgement ii
Abstract iii
Table of contents iv
List of tables and figures vii

PART 1 - INTRODUCTION 1
1. Rationale of the study 1
2. Aims of the study 2
3. Research questions 2
4. Method of research 2
5. Scope of the study 3
6. Design of the study 3

PART 2 - DEVELOPMENT 4

Chapter 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 4

1.1.Definition of vocabulary 4

1.2.Classification of vocabulary 4
1.2.1. Vocabulary classified according to the Concept of Morpheme 4
1.2.2. Vocabulary classified according to Meaning 5

Chapter 2: AN OVERVIEW OF ENGLISH TEACHING AND
LEARNING CONTEXT AT COLLEGE OF NATURAL SCIENCES 19

2.1.The English teaching and learning situation at College of Natural Sciences 19
2.2.The target students and their background 20
2.3.The teachers of English at College of Natural Sciences
and their methods of teaching 20
2.4.Materials and facilities 21 8

Chapter 3: THE STUDY 23

3.1.Research methodology 23
3.1.1 Participants 23
3.1.2. Data collection instruments 23
3.1.2.1. Questionnaires 23
3.1.2.2. Semi-structured interviews 24

3.2.Data analysis 24
3.2.1. Data analysis of the survey questionnaires 24
3.2.2. Data analysis of the semi-structured interviews 36

3.3.Findings and discussions 36
3.3.1. Teachers‟ problems 37
3.3.2. Students‟ problems 37
3.3.3. Materials and equipment 37

Chapter 4: SOME SUGGESTIONS 38

Figure 8: Teachers‟ opinions about further training on specialized knowledge

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PART 1 - INTRODUCTION
7. Rationale of the Study
English learning has been popular in Vietnam in the last few decades and has become a
burgeoning need when our country fosters its international relations. Every day an
increasing number of Vietnamese people learn and use English for a variety of purposes.
More and more Vietnamese people are aware of the significant role that English plays in
almost every field of our life such as: economy, technology, science, education, etc.
Therefore, English for Specific Purposes (ESP) has received a great deal of attention. An
ESP teacher may wish to provide teaching materials that will fit the specific subject area of
particular learners. In Vietnam, such materials may not be available commercially. As a
result, there has been an established tradition of ESP teachers preparing self-made
materials. These are written by the teachers of a particular institution for the students at
that institution. This is often difficult for teachers because of their limited knowledge in the
specific area and little training in materials writing (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987).
In Vietnam, English seems to be learnt and taught in a non-English environment, so
reading is an important means to acquire knowledge in ESP, and also a means for further
study. In other words, learners “read to learn” (Burn, 1988:11). This is true for the
students at College of Natural Sciences where learners are future scientists. They learn
English in order to be able to handle subject-related written materials in English and work
with modern scientific and technical equipment. So ESP materials used at College of

have effective ESP vocabulary teaching and learning methods.
9. Research Questions
With the aims above, the research is carried out with an attempt to find out the answers to
the following questions:
1. What are learners‟ ESP vocabulary learning methods and strategies?
2. What are teachers‟ ESP vocabulary teaching methods and strategies?
3. What tasks and activities should be used to help learners learn ESP vocabulary
effectively?
10. Method of Research
In this research, an extensive review of literature is conducted in order to examine
vocabulary‟s role in language teaching and learning, researching on vocabulary teaching
and learning methods and their influences on vocabulary teaching and learning, especially
ESP vocabulary.
The main method in this research is survey research in which questionnaires for both
teachers and learners are conducted to find out teachers‟ ESP vocabulary teaching methods
and strategies and learners‟ ESP vocabulary learning method and strategies.
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Besides, the research is also based on semi-structured interviews. Semi-structured
interviews are carried out to get better insight into the research questions and clarify
teachers‟ and learners‟ ideas.
11. Scope of the Study
The study is narrowed to the area of teaching and learning ESP vocabulary for second-year
non-major students at Faculty of Meteorology, Hydrology and Oceanography, College of
Natural Sciences, Vietnam National University (VNU). Specifically, this thesis deals with
the current situation of English teaching and learning here, investigating into teachers‟ as
well as learners‟ vocabulary teaching - learning methods and strategies in order to find out
which methods and strategies are favoured most so that interferences would be introduced.
12. Design of the Study
The study is divided into three parts:

So far vocabulary has been defined in a variety of ways. According to Ur (1960),
vocabulary can be “the words we teach in the foreign language”. In her opinion, “a new
item of vocabulary may be more than a single word, a compound of two or three words
and multi-word idioms”.
Vocabulary may also be defined as “the sum of words used by, understood by, or at the
command of a particular person or group” (The American Heritage Dictionary).
In another way, vocabulary “ may be individual words, or full sentences -
institutionalized utterances - that convey for social or pragmatic meaning within a given
community” (Michael Lewis (1993:89)).
To sum up, vocabulary can be roughly understood as the total number of all the words that
a language possesses, including a single word, two or three- word items expressing a single
idea and multi-word idioms of which meaning cannot be deduced from the analysis of the
component words but only understood in the sentences, or in certain contexts.
1.8.Classification of vocabulary
Vocabulary can be classified in different ways according to different criteria such as
morpheme, meaning, function, frequency of use, etc.
1.2.1. Vocabulary classified according to the Concept of Morpheme
In this way, words can be divided into three kinds: simple word, derived word and
compound word.
Simple words are those that consist of a root morpheme like temperature, orbit,
magnitude …
Derived words are those that consist of a root and one or more derivational morphemes
like meteorological, unsaturated, permeability…
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Compound words are those that consist of at least two roots with or without derivational
morphemes like snow flake, water vapour, rainfall, water table…
1.2.2. Vocabulary classified according to Meaning
A word normally has two kinds of meaning: lexical meaning and grammatical meaning.
Correspondingly, vocabulary can be divided into notional words and functional words.

vocabulary into productive and receptive. The productive vocabulary is the words which
the learner can use effectively to produce information in speaking and writing. The latter is
the words for him to receive and understand information in listening and reading.
Being aware of the above classifications is necessary and useful for foreign language
teachers and they can help students learn vocabulary effectively.
1.9.The importance of vocabulary in language teaching and learning
It is undeniable that vocabulary plays an important role in language learning. Vocabulary is
a key element in language learning because a widely productive vocabulary is essential in
enhancing a learner‟s language skills. This role can be clearly seen in the saying: “Without
grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed”
(David Wilkins, 1972).
Troike (1976:87) emphasizes that “vocabulary is the most important for understanding
and knowing names for things, actions and concepts”. This does not mean that other
aspects of language such as phonology or grammar can be neglected, but one thing which
can be clearly seen is that the first thing language learners need in order to be able to
communicate is vocabulary.
Due to these reasons, teaching and learning vocabulary is a very essential aspect in foreign
language methodology. If a learner has a wide range of vocabulary, he can help himself
understood and understand others easily. On the contrary, if his vocabulary is limited, he
will surely have difficulty in doing so and in English learning. It can be concluded that
vocabulary is a “must” for all language learners by all means.
1.10. Principles of vocabulary teaching
In fact, there are principles that the teacher needs to be aware of while he/she teaches
vocabulary. These principles include decisions about selection of vocabulary or ways of
vocabulary instructions and vocabulary consolidation. The teacher must discover and
assume his student needs and decides what vocabulary to teach, when and how to present
new vocabulary, even how much time to spend on teaching and learning vocabulary in a
lesson.
1.4.1. Criteria for selecting vocabulary
While teaching vocabulary, what the teacher needs to concern first is selecting which

In terms of forms of a word, what learners need to know are spelling, pronunciation,
affixes, part of speech, and irregularities of that word. It is necessary for teachers to make
sure that these aspects are accurately presented and learned. Besides, the grammar of a new
word should also be taught. The learners need to know grammatical functions, the change
of form in different grammatical contexts, the regularity and irregularity, the singular and
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plural forms of the new word. For example, when teaching the noun child we might teach
the plural form children or when teaching the verb have we might give its irregularity in
past form had. Once having known the grammar of a word, the learners can use the word
in such a way that is grammatically true.
1.4.2.2. Meaning
When we talk about the meaning of a word, it is necessary to refer to its denotative and
connotative meaning as well as its meaning relationship. The meaning of a word is
primarily what it refers to in the real world, i.e. its denotation. This meaning can be found
in a dictionary. For example, if you look up the word snake in a dictionary, you will
discover that one of its denotative meanings is "any of numerous scaly, legless, sometimes
venomous reptiles; having a long, tapering, cylindrical body and found in most tropical and
temperate regions."
Another component of the word meaning which is less obvious is its connotation in
different contexts or its connotative meaning. This is the associations of positive or
negative feeling it evokes. This meaning may or may not be indicated in a dictionary. For
example, the connotations for the word snake could include evil or danger.
Knowing denotative and connotative meanings of a word is not adequate. The learners also
need to know its meaning relationship, which is how the meaning of that word relates to
the meaning of others. A variety of meaning relationships can be listed such as synonyms,
antonyms, translation, etc. One thing to be noted is that the teacher has to make a careful
choice and decision on which meaning of a word to teach and how many words to teach in
a given class time or else it will be impossible for learners to absorb too many meanings
and words. Then confusion or forgetting will be unavoidable.

students pictures illustrating different kinds of food when teaching such vocabulary items
as “cheese, bread, milk, beef, chicken…”.
These techniques are attractive to students and can make students get involved in the
lesson. They are extremely effective because Jordan (1997:162) states that “the most
effective way for students to increase their active vocabulary store is for them to be
centrally involved in the learning process”. However, they seem to be only useful for
concrete words that refer to cheap and small objects. Moreover, it is not always easy to
find absolutely suitable pictures and photographs. Drawing takes time and not all teachers
can draw well. Meanwhile, mime and gestures are also very effective ways of introducing
a new word since it clearly promotes the understanding and meaningful retention of new
vocabulary items.

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1.5.1.2. Verbal techniques
Verbal techniques are often used to help students understand words more deeply,
especially abstract words. These techniques involve the use of illustrative situations,
synonyms and antonyms, definitions and explanations, gradable items, examples of the
type, guessing from the context, and matching/labelling .
Using illustrative situations (oral or written) is helpful when the words are more abstract, it
can show students how the new word is used.
Synonyms and antonyms are to help students build the new vocabulary based on the words
they already know, i.e. using the words students have already known to teach them similar
words.
Definitions and explanations are more appropriate for intermediate learners. To make
definition of words can be difficult, especially at elementary levels.
Gradable items (scales) are also commonly use: for example, if students know 'big' and
'small', other steps could be to teach 'short' and 'long' etc. The techniques of the
presentation of related words in scales are very useful as it can combine the visual and
verbal techniques. Once students have learnt two contrasting or related gradable items, this

1.5.2. Techniques in practising and consolidating vocabulary
As Thornbury (2002: 23) states, “in fact, learning is remembering. Unlike the learning of
grammar, which is essentially a rule-based system, vocabulary knowledge is largely a
question of accumulating individual items.” The great challenge for learners is to transform
vocabulary from the quickly forgotten (short-term store) to the never forgotten (long-term
store), and to turn passive knowledge of vocabulary into an active form. Research into
memory suggests that in order to ensure that information moves into permanent long-term
memory, a number of principles must be followed. One of them is use. “Putting words to
use, preferably in some interesting way, is the best way of ensuring they are added to long-
term memory. It is the principle well-known as Use it or lose it” (Thornbury, 2002: 24).
For this reason, words must be presented in their usual contexts, so that learners can get a
sense for their meaning, and their collocations. Presenting a word in the class does not
secure that it will be remembered for a long time. The aim of practising vocabulary is to
make learners remember and memorize the words and how to use them. There are many
practice activities that include repeating of the new vocabulary to fix the new words in the
learners´ memory. The practice activities are divided into two main groups: receptive and
productive.
* Receptive practice (the learner does not really produce the target words) includes these
types (Thornbury, 2002: 94-99):
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1) Identifying – means finding words in a text or listening, e.g. underline specific words or
expressions in the text, or tick, put in the correct column or list items that you hear.
2) Selecting – means recognizing words and making choices among them, e.g. circle the
odd word in the line.
3) Matching – includes recognizing words and than pairing them with their synonym,
antonym, definition, pictures to words etc. It can be intended to matching parts of lexical
items to create collocations.
4) Sorting – putting the lexical items into different categories, e.g. put these adjectives in
two groups – positive and negative.

and games are very useful to motivate students as crosswords, puzzles, category games.
ESP vocabulary can be practised and consolidated by similar methods and techniques used
for practising and consolidation of general vocabulary.
1.6.Vocabulary in ESP teaching and learning
1.6.1. What is ESP?
ESP is currently a widely-used term. However, we still need to define the concept of ESP.
ESP relates to different fields which require the mastery of specific linguistic items. As a
matter of fact, ESP combines subject matter and English language teaching. Such a
combination is highly motivating because students are able to apply what they learn in
their English classes to their main field of study, for example: accounting, business, etc.
The term "specific" in ESP refers to the specific purpose for learning English. Students
approach the study of English through a field that is already known and relevant to them.
This means that they are able to use what they learn in the ESP classroom right away in
their work and studies. Their interest in their field will motivate them to interact with
speakers and texts. ESP is “English taught to people whose first language is not English,
but who need to know technical, scientific, and other English vocabulary from specific
fields for their careers or education” (MacMillan Dictionary).
There is much confusion regarding the meaning of ESP. Being aware of the confusion, on
the basis of the definition given by Streven (1988), Dudley – Evans (1997) came up with a
definition of ESP in terms of „absolute‟ and „variable‟ characteristics:
Absolute Characteristics: a) ESP is designed to meet specific needs of the learner; b) ESP
makes use of the underlying methodology and activities of the disciplines it serves; c) ESP
is centred on the language (grammar, lexis, register), skills, discourse and genres
appropriate to these activities.
Variable Characteristics: a) ESP may be related or designed for specific disciplines; b)
ESP may use, in specific teaching situations, a different methodology from that of general
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English; c) ESP is likely to be designed for adult learners, either at a tertiary level
institution or in a professional work situation; it could be used for learners at secondary


* As a teacher: The first role as 'teacher' is synonymous with that of the GE teacher. ESP is
a practical discipline with the most important objective of helping students to learn.
However, the teacher is not the primary knower of the carrier content of the material. The
students may know more about the content than the teacher. The teacher has the
opportunity to draw on students‟ knowledge of the content in order to generate
communication in the classroom. The relationship is much more of a partnership. In some
situations, the role of ESP teacher extends to giving one-to-one advice to students. ESP
teachers need to have considerable flexibility, be willing to listen to learners, take interest
in the disciplines or professional activities the students are involved in, and to take some
risks in their teaching.
* As a collaborator: It is believed that subject-specific work is often best approached
through collaboration with subject specialist. This may involve cooperation in which ESP
teacher finds out about the tasks that students have to carry out in their jobs. Or it might
involve the language teacher specifically preparing learners for the language of subject
lectures or presentations. Another possibility is that specialist checks and comments on the
content of teaching materials that the ESP teacher has prepared. The fullest collaboration is
where a subject expert and a language teacher team-teach classes. This might involve the
language teacher and the expert working together to teach both the skills and the language
related to the field. When team teaching is not a possibility, the ESP teacher must
collaborate more closely with the learners, who will generally be more familiar with the
specialized content of materials than the teacher him or herself.
* As a course designer and material provider: Since it is rarely possible to use a particular
textbook without the need for supplementary material – sometimes no really suitable
published material exists for identified needs - ESP teachers often have to provide the
material for the course. This involves selection of published material, adapting material if
it is not suitable, or writing it. ESP teachers also need to assess the effectiveness of the
teaching material used whether it is published or self-produced. However, since the
teachers are encouraged by their employees to write new material there is a danger of
constant re-invention of the wheel; advantages of published materials are ignored even

fundamental principles of the subject areas, and an awareness of how much they probably
know.
In other words, the ESP teacher “should not become a teacher of the subject matter but
rather an interested student of the subject matter” (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987:163).
1.6.3. The roles of ESP students
In order to get the best result in ESP learning, the students should come to the class with a
specific interest and positive attitude towards learning, subject matter knowledge, and
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well-built learning strategies. They are in charge of developing English language skills to
reflect their native-language knowledge and skills.
* A specific interest and positive attitude towards learning: It is undeniable that students
will acquire English more effectively as they work with materials which they find
interesting and relevant and which they can use in their professional work or further studies.
The more students pay attention to their learning, the more they are successful. If students
have positive attitude towards ESP learning, they will be more motivated, active and
creative in their learning. The positive attitude is the decisive factor in ESP learning.
* Subject-content knowledge: Learners in the ESP classes are generally aware of the
purposes for which they will need to use English. Having already oriented their education
toward a specific field, they see their English training as complementing this orientation.
Knowledge of the subject area enables the students to identify a real context for the
vocabulary and structures of the ESP classroom. In such way, the learners can take
advantage of what they already know about the subject matter to learn English.
* Learning strategies: Being aware of learning skills allows students to learn faster and
more efficiently. The skills they have already developed in using their native languages
will make learning English easier. Each student should decide what the best way of
learning is and equip himself/herself with necessary skills and learning strategies.
1.7. Linguistic features of vocabulary in Meteorology, Hydrology and Oceanography
The vocabulary of English for Meteorology, Hydrology and Oceanography is different
from that of normal English.

vocabulary teaching and learning is considered to be effective.
For example, in Meteorology, Hydrology and Oceanography we have the phrase “spring
tide”. In normal English, “spring” refers to the first season in the year or the device that
can return to its original shape when pushed and released. However, in Meteorology,
Hydrology and Oceanography, “spring tide” is a tide that rises highest and falls lowest
from the mean sea level at any time of the year and in any season of the year. Another
example is that “mother-of-pearl cloud”. If we combine normal meanings of the three
words “mother-of-pearl”, we cannot understand this phrase because the whole phrase
means “luminous iridescent cloud at a high altitude that may be seen when the sun is a few
degrees below the horizon” which has no relation to “mother” or “pearl”.
To sum up, in Chapter 1, the theoretical background relevant to the research is presented.
Vocabulary issues are mentioned including vocabulary description, classification, its roles
in language teaching and learning, principles and common techniques used in teaching
vocabulary, brief review of ESP and linguistic features of vocabulary in Meteorology,
Hydrology and Oceanography.
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Chapter 2: AN OVERVIEW OF ENGLISH TEACHING AND LEARNING
CONTEXT AT COLLEGE OF NATURAL SCIENCES
It can be said that teachers, learners‟ background, learning environment and coursebooks
play a significant role in learners‟ success or failure in language learning generally and in
vocabulary learning in particular.
In this chapter, a brief overview on learners‟ profile, language proficiency and their
vocabulary learning methods as well as the teachers‟ methods of vocabulary teaching
methods at College of Natural Sciences will be thoroughly discussed.
2.5.The English teaching and learning situation at College of Natural Sciences
English teaching and learning at College of Natural Sciences has experienced a lot of
changes in recent years. These changes can be seen at coursebooks (Lifelines, New
Headway-2
nd