CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
1.1. Rationale
English learning has experienced its popularity in Vietnam over the last few
decades. The demand for learning English even gets stronger when Vietnam fosters
its international relations. Every day an increasing number of people start learning
and use English for different purposes.
From the early 1960’s, English for Specific Purposes (ESP) has grown to
become one of the most prominent areas of EFL teaching today. Hutchinson and
Waters (1987) defines ESP as an approach to language teaching in which all
decisions as to content and method are based on the learner’s reason for learning.
In ESP, it is a need analysis that determines which language skills are most needed
by the students and the syllabus is designed accordingly. During the last few
decades, ESP has been developing vigorously for the reasons that there has been an
increase in vocational training and learning throughout the world and the spread of
globalization has resulted in the increasing use of English as the language of
international communication, more and more people are using English in a growing
number of occupational contexts. In teaching and learning English as a foreign
language in Vietnam, English for Specific Purposes (ESP) has recently received a
great deal of attention.
It is known that, in learning a foreign language in general, and English in
particular, the knowledge and mastery of vocabulary play an extremely important
role. Pyles and Algeo (1970) noted: "When we first think about the language, we
think about words. It is words that we arrange together to make sentences,
conversations and discourse of all kind". It has also been said that “without
grammar very little can be conveyed, but without vocabulary nothing can be
conveyed” (Wilkins, 1992). In order to communicate well in a foreign language,
students should acquire an adequate number of words and should know how to use
them accurately.

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To find out the causes of the difficulties the teachers and students have while
teaching and learning vocabulary of Automobile Technology.

-

To suggest some solutions to the problems in teaching and learning of
vocabulary to students of Automobile Technology effectively.

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1.3. Research questions
In order to meet the aims of the study, the following research questions are
generated:
1. What are the main difficulties that VKTC teachers and students face while
teaching and learning vocabulary of Automobile Technology?
2. What solutions should be offered to help teachers improve their teaching
effectiveness when teaching vocabulary to students of Automobile
Technology at VKTC?
1.4. Scope of the study
The study limited itself to the investigation of problems in teaching
vocabulary to students of Automobile Technology at Vietnam – Korea Technical
College. Solutions were provided to help improve teaching and learning English
vocabulary of AT in particular at VKTC.
1.5. Methods of the study
With the aim of detecting problems in ESP vocabulary teaching to the
second-year students at VKTC, diagnosing the causes of these problems and
providing possible solutions, I adopt the survey approach. A questionnaire and
informal discussions were used to collect the needed data.
1.6. Design of the study


parts

and

recommendations for improvement and suggestions for further research.

4

presents


CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Definition and types of vocabulary
So far, the term vocabulary has been defined quite differently according to its
various aspects such as criteria, features and functions. Each linguist gives his own
definition. According to Lewis (1993, p.89), vocabulary "...may be individual words
or full sentences - institutionalized utterances - that convey fixed social or
pragmatic meaning within a given community”. Penny Ur defined vocabulary as
"the words we teach in the foreign language. However, a new item of vocabulary
may be more than a single word: a compound of two or three words or multi-word
idioms” (1996, p.60). Along similar lines, Richards and Platt see vocabulary as
“a set of lexemes, including words, compound words and idioms” (1992, p.400).
Meanwhile, Pyles and Algeo argued that “when most of us think about language we
think first about words. It is true that the vocabulary is the focus of language. It is in
words that we arrange together to make sentences, conversation and discourse of all
kinds” (1970, p.96).
The mentioned researchers provided a general look at the notions of
vocabulary. At a deep level, vocabulary can be interpreted as knowledge of words
and word meanings. Firstly, words are virtually manifested in the two forms:

from what they read, they also need both many words in their vocabulary repertoire
and ability to use various strategies to establish the meanings of new words when
they encounter them. It is the case that most of the weak students who do not have
enough vocabulary or effective word-learning strategies often struggle to achieve
comprehension in reading. Also, as they do not have sufficient word knowledge to
understand what they are reading, they often avoid reading. As a result, students
who do not read very much do not have the opportunity to see and learn very many
new words in various contexts while students who read more can become better
readers and gain more words. The very particular relationship between vocabulary
knowledge and language skills highlights the significant position of vocabulary in
language learning and teaching.

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2.3. ESP and ESP vocabulary
Understanding about ESP and ESP vocabulary plays an important part in the
process of teaching vocabulary.
2.3.1. Definition of ESP
What is ESP? This is a big and complicated question that requires much effort
in seeing how ESP at the present relates to the rest of English Language Teaching
(ELT). If we take a look at the tree of ELT (Hutchinson & Waters, 1987, p.17), it is
clear that ESP is a big multi-levels branch of ELT being nourished by the learning
and communication roots. Hutchinson and Waters regard it as “an approach to
language teaching in which all decisions as to content and method are based on the
learners’ reason for learning” (1987, p.17). ESP must be seen as an approach, not as
a product and is directed by specific and apparent reasons for learning ESP.
Students' goal of learning a second language might be to acquire not only general
linguistics competencies but also academic and job-related skills.
Strevens (1988, p.1), by contrast, stated that “ESP is a particular case of the

methodology, ESP courses aim to develop linguistic skills relating to particular
spheres of activity, not only the nature of the linguistic items introduced, but the
ways in which they are introduced and how they are practiced. It is therefore also
crucially important for teachers to apply good methods in ESP classes because good
methods decide most of the success in the classroom.
Generally speaking, due to the characteristics of ESP, in ESP courses,
activities to be carried out during learning the process should take place as
authentically as possible. The requirement of authenticity means that learning
materials should use actual texts produced by people working in the ESP field under
consideration. The texts involved in learning materials should be content-based
ones. That means they should focus on specific problems that people are likely to
encounter in their everyday working lives in the ESP field. If the learning materials
of ESP courses cover these two areas, many important linguistic items relevant to
the ESP field may be introduced and practiced.
In short, we can come to a conclusion that vocabulary in EGP somehow
differs from ESP vocabulary in terms of the purposes, the teachers, the students, the
texts and their roles.

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2.3.2. Differences between ESP and EGP
English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and English for General Purposes (EGP)
differ not in terms of theory, but in terms of practice (Hutchinson & Waters,1987).
On the face of it, ESP differs from EGP in the sense that the words and sentences
learned, the subject matter discussed, all related to a particular field or
discipline - for example, a lawyer writing a brief, or a diplomat preparing for a
policy paper. ESP courses make use of vocabulary and tasks related to the field
such as negotiation skills and effective techniques for oral presentations. The entire
program is designed to meet the specific professional or academic needs of the

is accounting, business management, economics, computer science or tourism.
Being able to use the vocabulary and structures that they learn in a meaningful
context reinforces what is taught and increases their motivation.
The students' abilities in their subject-matter fields, in turn, improve their
ability to acquire English. Subject-matter knowledge gives them the context they
need to understand the English of the classroom. In the ESP class, students are
shown how the subject-matter content is expressed in English. The teacher can
make the most of the students' knowledge of the subject matter, thus helping them
learn English faster.
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. The ESP approach enhances the
relevance of what the students are learning and enables them to use the English they
know to learn even more English, since their interest in their field will motivate
them to interact with speakers and texts.
2.3.3. Types of ESP vocabulary
In terms of teaching vocabulary in ESP, it is most important to make a
distinction between the two types of vocabulary: technical and semi-technical
because they are of great importance to learners studying English for specific and
academic purposes. Dudley-Evans & St John (1998, p.83) suggest resolving the
overlapping six categories into two broad areas:

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a) Vocabulary that is used in general language but has a higher frequency of
occurrence in specific and technical description and discussion.
b) Vocabulary that has specialized and restricted meanings in certain
disciplines and which may vary in meaning across disciplines.





related in content (i.e. in its themes and topics) to particular disciplines,
occupations and activities;



centered on the language appropriate to those activities in syntax, lexis,
discourse, semantics, etc., and analysis of this discourse;



in contrast with General English.
b) Variable characteristics: ESP may be, but is not necessarily:



restricted as to the language skills to be learned (e.g. reading only);



not taught according to any pre-ordained methodology.
Anthony (1997) notes that there has been considerable recent debate about

what ESP means despite the fact that it is an approach which has been widely used
over the last three decades. At the 1997 Japan Conference on ESP, Dudley-Evans
offered a modified definition. The revised definition he and St. John postulate is as
follows:




ESP is generally designed for intermediate or advanced students;



Most ESP courses assume some basic knowledge of the language system, but
it can be used with beginners.

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Dudley-Evans and St. John have removed the ESP is in contrast with General
English absolute characteristic and added more variable characteristics. They assert
that ESP is not necessarily related to a specific discipline. Furthermore, ESP is
likely to be used with adult learners although it could be used with young adults in a
secondary school setting.
From a broader perspective, Hutchinson and Waters (1987) theorized: "ESP is
an approach to language teaching in which all decisions as to content and method
are based on the learner's reason for learning" (p. 19). Anthony (1997) notes that, it
is not clear where ESP courses end and general English courses begin; numerous
non-specialist ESL instructors use an ESP approach in that their syllabi are based on
analysis of learner needs and their own personal specialist knowledge of using
English for real communication.
2.4. Vocabulary teaching and learning
The status of vocabulary in language teaching and learning has changed
dramatically in the last two decades. “Since the mid-1980s there has been a renewed
interest in the role of vocabulary in second language learning” (Coady & Huckin,
1997, p.ix). There have been studies on the nature of the bilingual lexicon,

tongue but also knowing its collocations, register, polysemy, and even its
homonym. There is also the issue of precision with which we use a word, how
quickly we understand a word, and how well we understand and use words in
different modes, receptive or productive; and for different purposes. In addition, it
is important to consider how well the students need to know a particular word in
relation to their needs and current level.
It is generally agreed that knowledge of the following is necessary in order to know
a word:
- form, pronunciation and spelling.
- word structure, bound root morpheme and common derivations of the word
and its inflections.
- syntactic pattern of the word in a phrase and sentence.

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- meaning, referential, affective/connotation, pragmatic.
- lexical relations, synonymy, antonym, hyponymy.
- common locations .
There are two factors that have great impacts and help to create the lexical
competence:

Explicit

Vocabulary

Instruction

and


It occurs through “multiple exposures to a word in different contexts” (Huckin &
Coady, 1999).
In implicit vocabulary learning, learners are able to pick up vocabulary
through extensive reading, through communicative interactions, through exposure
to natural input such as movies and television. However, for implicit vocabulary
learning to be successful, the learners should have a sight vocabulary of 2,000 to
3,000. As well, the input should be comprehensible and interesting to the learners;
unknown words should be no more than 2%. Besides, input enhancement may be
beneficial, guessing should be encouraged, and guessing strategies should be
trained.
If exploited in a suitable way, implicit vocabulary learning will have many
advantages. Firstly, it is contextualized, giving the learner a richer sense of a word’s
use and meaning than can be provided in traditional paired-associate exercises.
Secondly, it is pedagogically efficient in that it enables two activities – vocabulary
acquisition and reading – to occur at the same time. Thirdly, it is more
individualized and learner-based because the vocabulary being acquired is
dependent on the learner’s own selection of reading materials. Lastly, presentation,
consolidation and lexical/semantic development occur at the same time.
In summary, at the beginning level, explicit learning seems more important
than implicit learning, and the more advanced students become, the more the
implicit learning becomes practical. It is also important to consider what Schmitt
(2000, p.141) declares “... for second language learners, at least, both explicit and
incidental learning are necessary, and should be seen as complementary”.
In fact, many students at Vietnam- Korea industrial technology college tend to
learn vocabulary through explicit learning rather than implicit learning. They have

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not reached the high enough language level to guess words from contexts, thus

target language not only in the classroom but outside it as well. In effective
language teaching, students are exposed to the target language in multiple ways, and
teachers’ aim is to make the vocabulary lessons not boring and above all encourage
their students to be autonomous in their language learning.

2.4.2.2. What needs to be taught while teaching vocabulary?
To teach or to learn a word means to teach or to learn its form, meaning and
usage.
pronunciation
spelling
inflections
Form

derivations

Usage

Meaning

sub categorization

basic and literal meanings
derived

and

collocation

figurative


vocabulary to non-English majors at training institutions in the north of Vietnam.
With the audio-lingual method, teaching vocabulary is also tuned up to grammar
and words were presented and learned in structures. Also, great attention is paid to
pronunciation. Vocabulary according to Total Physical Response is emphasized
over other language areas by using commands to direct behavior and action
sequence. This method involves a substantial amount of listening and
comprehension in combination with various physical responses. Teachers often use
gestures, body language, facial expressions to illustrate the words to students
2.4.3 Teaching and learning ESP vocabulary
Teaching vocabulary especially in ESP courses is becoming a challenge for
English Language Teachers. Vocabulary is an inseparable part of any teaching
syllabus and vocabulary should be taught in a well-planned and regular basis. It is

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essential to carefully decide what vocabulary will be selected for teaching, and what
approach or activities will be used to teach it to the students. Such languages as
Russian and French are losing their power in Vietnam and English is becoming the
primary foreign language. English has been taught in primary schools from the third
grade for several years. From 2007, it is a required subject throughout the 12 years
of schooling. The traditional textbooks have been replaced by more modern books
that include pictures and focus on language skills. However, the big class size of
around 30-40 is still an issue that should be resolved in the near future. English
teachers are being trained to use modern methods of English teaching and attending
local and international conferences. Old teaching methods are rapidly being
replaced with modern ones. University curricula are usually designed based on the
students’ needs and interests. Vocabulary learning is a very important part of the
curricula designed for students who learn English for different purposes: to deal
with foreign business partners in their jobs, to know it for their studies, to travel

which is closely associated with blue or “red” usually associated with love.
Driscol (2005) gives a detailed explanation of two kinds of memory: episodic
memory refers to specific events such as in specific events as remembering the
circumstances of how one learns to read a map; whereas semantic memory refers to
all the general information stored in memory and recalled independently of how one
has learned the information. The circumstances under which reading a map is
learned are not memorable but the skill is remembered. The long-term and working
memories are also important in producing speech where the material is accessed and
assembled from the long-term memory.
Learning concrete words is easier than learning abstract words. Learners can
more easily remember words like: peach, house, and horse if they appear on a list
than words such as freedom and injustice. The reason is that the verbal system
represents the meaning of the words, but the imaginable system represents images
of the words. The concrete words are remembered better with two memories
available at recall, as opposed to one for abstract words (Driscol, 2005).

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A recent trend in higher education is ESP (English for Specific Purposes)
courses. These courses are designed around students’ needs based on their field of
study. The goal is to strengthen students’ proficiency and help them to get ready to
cope with everyday situations and deal with professionals in many fields such as:
engineering, medicine, education, IT, etc. There are many training sessions
organized by international experts whose goal is to train local teachers to teach
these courses successfully.
In order to develop an ability to learn new vocabulary, for both general
English and technical vocabulary in learning ESP (English for Specific Purposes),
students should become aware of the importance of language learning strategies and
be trained to use them appropriately. Teachers should put a lot of effort toward

and should be treated that way. Chunks are also very important in learning ESP
because the learners should be able to identify them and should be aware of them.
The usage of lexical chunks helps students write and communicate better and they
should be able to distinguish high-frequency and low-frequency lexical items. It is
also widely believed that language fluency and accuracy is achieved largely by
retrieving and combining ready-made chunks of language.
Most of the students taking ESP identify it with specific terminology related
to their field of study. There are degrees of technicality depending on how restricted
a word is to a particular area (Nation, 2001, p.198). ESP is seen as an approach
rather than a product, by which is meant that ESP does not involve a particular kind
of language, teaching material or methodology. Hence, ESP relates to the learners,
the language required and the learning context, and thus establishes the primacy of
need. Need is defined by the reasons for which the student is learning English
(Dudley-Evans and St John, 1998).
Nation claims that “technical vocabulary” is a type of specialized vocabulary
and its occurrence is affected by factors that influence the use of all vocabulary.
Language teachers should prepare their learners to deal with the large numbers of
technical words that occur in specialized texts (Nation, 2001). It is my opinion that
language teachers who teach ESP courses should be familiar with the core
vocabulary of the field of study and design curricula that integrate both content area

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and English language. Dudley-Evans and St John (1998) distinguish two types of
ESP vocabulary, general vocabulary with higher frequency or with specific
meaning in a particular field.
Dudley-Evans and St John (1998) are convinced that teaching ESP vocabulary
is the same as teaching English for General Purposes. The only distinction that
should be made is between the vocabulary for comprehension and the vocabulary