Experiment a guided extensive reading program (GERP) in helping grade 10 students develop their English vocabulary

1 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1. Rationale As an effective medium of international communication, English language has been making a considerable contribution to the increasing development of various fields of people’s life such as economy, politics, culture, science, education and international relations. Indeed, to meet the increasing demands for the development and integration of the country into the greater English-speaking world, over the last two decades, English language teaching and learning have been carried out throughout the country, not only at tertiary level but also at secondary and primary education. Many Vietnamese linguists, educators and researchers have been doing their best in order that the quality of English language learning and teaching at all educational levels will be greatly improved for the time being. However, at upper secondary schools, the teaching and learning of English language in general, English vocabulary in particular are still far from satisfaction as students’ final results in most English examinations remain unchanged at low level. In fact, most secondary school students have not paid enough attention to vocabulary learning as they mainly receive basic lessons of grammar together with four skills from their teachers and textbooks. It is common knowledge that vocabulary has a very important role to play in the language learning process and in language use as Wilkins (1972: 11) has claimed that “without grammar, very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed”. Also, vocabulary can function as the cohesive device that links the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing all together. Thus, vocabulary deficiency will lead to deficiency in other language skills. Though vocabulary is vitally important to mastering any foreign languages, in reality, many grade 10 students' English vocabulary is still limited even though they have learned English for four years at the lower secondary schools. It is their limited vocabulary that explains their poor performance in using English and in their test performance. All these have motivated me to conduct this quasi-experimental research on the topic given, namely developing grade 10 students' English vocabulary through extensive reading. 1.2. Aims and Objectives of the Study The main aim of this study was to experiment a guided extensive reading program (GERP) in helping grade 10 students develop their English vocabulary. 2 To be more specific, the primary objectives of the study were set as follows: • To experiment the GERP and examine its effects on grade 10 students’ English vocabulary acquisition; • To investigate the experimental students’ attitudes towards the GERP, and then to make some recommendations for further study. 1.3. Research Hypotheses and Questions To achieve the aims and objectives, the study was designed to test the hypothesis: H1: Grade 10 students who participate in the GERP will make more significant improvement in their English vocabulary acquisition as measured by both pre-test and post-test scores than those who do not take part in such a program. If the above hypothesis was fully accepted, the following null hypothesis would be obviously rejected or vice versa: H0: There is no difference in English vocabulary acquisition as measured by both pre-test and post test scores between grade 10 students who participate in the GERP and those who do not take part in such a program. In order to identify which hypothesis would be accepted, the following research questions were formulated and needed to be answered satisfactorily: (1). Does an extensive reading program bring about differences in terms of students’ vocabulary acquisition as measured by their scores in the pre-test and post-test? (2). What are the students’ attitudes towards the GERP after the experimental period? 1.4. Method of the Study To test the hypothesis (Grade 10 students who participate in the GERP will make more significant improvement in their English vocabulary acquisition as measured by both pre- test and post-test scores than those who do not take part in such a project), a quasi- experiment was adopted in this study. A design of pretest and posttest was employed as the main research method to measure the validity of the hypothesis. Two non-random groups of 60 students (one control group and one experimental group, N= 30 each) participated in this experiment. The pre-test and post-test scores were analyzed by means of t-test to find out the correlation of the two means to accept or to reject the null hypothesis, namely extensive reading (ER) does not have any effect on grade 10 students' English vocabulary learning. Besides, a post-experiment questionnaire was also used as the supplementary instrument to elicit the students’ evaluative attitudes towards the GERP after the experimental period. 3 1.5. Scope of the Study This quasi-experimental study was designed to measure the effects of the GERP on grade 10 students' English vocabulary acquisition at HTSS. Due to the time constraint, the researcher could just carry out an experiment upon a small sample of grade 10 students who were non - randomly assigned to a control class and an experimental class, (30 students per each). The pre-test and post-test scores were used to measure both groups' English vocabulary before and after the trial period of 16 weeks in the first semester of the 2007- 2008 academic year. The post-program questionnaire was administered to get more feedback from the experimental students. The results of the questionnaire would give the researcher supplementary support for the conclusion drawing. Thus, the findings of the research could just reflect the effects of the GERP on the subjects in the context under consideration. 1.6. Significance of the Study The present research was carried out with the hope that it would bring practical benefits to teaching and learning English vocabulary at upper-secondary schools. If the GERP actually helps to develop grade 10 students' vocabulary knowledge, it should be applied to the teaching and learning of English at other grades. 1.7. Design of the Study The study is divided into five chapters, which are presented as follows: Chapter one provides an overview of the study, consisting of the rationale for the study, aims and objectives, research hypothesis and questions, research method, scope, significance and design of the study. Chapter two presents essential literature review relevant to the study including the place of vocabulary in foreign language learning, L2 vocabulary acquisition processes, extensive reading and vocabulary learning. Chapter three deals with the methodology underlying the research, which presents the context of the study, the rationale for using quasi-experiment, the background information about the subjects of the study, the procedures as well as the instruments for data collection. Chapter four is devoted to a detailed description of the significant findings from data collection, i.e., the presentation of the two groups' pretest and posttest scores and the experimental students' attitudes towards the GERP. Chapter five presents the discussion and conclusion which focus on the findings and summary of the major points of the study. This chapter also point out several limitations of the research as well as some recommendations ad suggestions for further study. 4 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1. Introduction In Chapter One, the rationale, aims and the hypothesis to be tested in the present study were presented. This Chapter reviews the relevant literature on the relationship between extensive reading and L2 vocabulary acquisition. The Chapter begins with a definition of vocabulary, which is followed by the discussion of the role of extensive reading in L2 vocabulary from both Second Language Acquisition theory and pedagogical perspectives. 2.2. Vocabulary in Foreign Language Teaching and Learning 2.2.1. What is Vocabulary? So far, the term vocabulary has been defined quite differently according to its various aspects such as criteria, features and functions. According to Ur, P. (1996: 60), vocabulary can be defined “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”. Lewis, M. (1993: 89) states that vocabulary “… may be individual word or full sentences – institutionalized utterances – that convey fixed social or pragmatic meaning within a given community”. Pyles & Algeo (1970: 96) also emphasizes that “It is words that sounds and meanings interlock to allow us to communicate with one another, and it is word that we arrange together to make sentences, conversation and discourse of all kinds”. The above quotations have helped us have general look at the notions of vocabulary. However, as going into further features, vocabulary can be interpreted as knowledge of words and word meanings. Firstly, words are virtually manifested in the two forms: spoken form and written form. Oral vocabulary including the words, phrases or sentences are used for listening and speaking, and the words which we recognize and use for reading and writing can be identified as written vocabulary. Secondly, our word knowledge is also represented in two forms, receptive and productive. The words that we use to write and speak are considered as productive vocabulary and the words that we hear from the people around us and see or read from stories, books, newspapers, etc… are recognized as receptive vocabulary. In language learning and teaching, the term vocabulary is used with changing 5 meanings by the teachers at different levels of education. For example, the teachers at nursery or primary schools might regard the word as synonymous with “sight vocabulary" by which they mean a certain number of the most common words in language that young pupils need to recognize quickly when they see them in print or written materials. Meanwhile, for the upper secondary school teachers, vocabulary usually means the “hard” words that students encounter in a subject matter and literature selections. Therefore, it is possible to state that the word vocabulary means both the knowledge of words and word meanings in both oral and print language and in productive and receptive forms. Of course, lexical meanings vary from context to context. In language communication, there are many cases in which the lexical meaning can not be deducted from analysis of the individual components of that word. For this reason, in foreign language teaching and learning, helping students to gain vocabulary from the different contexts is a must for all the instructors. If this is regularly done, the learners will not only know how to use appropriate vocabulary in communication, but also develop their vocabulary repertoire themselves. 2.1.2. The Place of Vocabulary in Foreign Language Teaching and Learning Nowadays, more and more people become aware that besides their mother tongue or first language, they need to acquire several foreign languages in order to take full advantages of the advancements in information technology. For many people, the first thing to do in learning a foreign language is to acquire its vocabulary, which is perceived as the building blocks upon which knowledge of language can be built. In fact, vocabulary always holds a significant place in foreign language teaching and learning. According to Troike (1976: 87), “vocabulary is most important for understanding and knowing names for things, actions and concepts”. Also, vocabulary knowledge can help language users perform and develop language skills since “substantial vocabulary knowledge is always a prerequisite to the performance of language skills. Vocabulary enables language use, language use enables the increase of vocabulary knowledge and language use and so on” (Nation and Waring, 2004: 6-19). Therefore, it is undeniable that vocabulary plays an extremely important role in making a success of language learning and that the acquisition of adequate vocabulary is essential for successful second language use. The main objective of language learners is to be able to use their learning language to communicate well with people around them. To achieve this objective, they have to master enough vocabulary of that language; if not, they will find it impossible to express themselves 6 in most circumstances. Wallace (1982: 73) has said that “failure to find the words one needs to express himself is the most frustrating experience in speaking another language”. Indeed, as students succeed in obtaining wide knowledge of vocabulary, they often get more confidence in using language and they can perform other language skills for various communicative purposes. Thus, vocabulary knowledge always holds an important role in performing language skills. For example, vocabulary has a close relationship with reading skills which in turn have an interconnection with reading comprehension. This relationship seems logical because of the fact that when students get meaning 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 don’t have enough vocabulary or effective word-learning strategies often struggle to achieve comprehension in reading. Also, as they don’t have sufficient word knowledge to understand what they are reading, they often avoid reading. As a result, the students who don’t read very much don’t have the opportunity to see and learn very many new words in various contexts but the students who read more can become better readers and gain more words. The very particular relationship between vocabulary knowledge and language skills once again highlights the significant position of vocabulary in language learning and teaching as Wilkin (1972: 110) has summed up “Without grammar, very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed”. 2.3. Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition Processes As examining “vocabulary acquisition: word structure, collocation, word-class, and meaning”, N. C. Ellis (1997: 122-139) states that language consists of strings of units hierarchically organized into increasingly large chunks. He argues that the acquisition of phonological form, collocation and grammatical class results from unconscious analysis of sequence information but the acquisition of semantics and the mapping of form to meaning are accomplished by conscious learning processes. Much of language learning is the memorization of strings which results in the formation and retention of patterns in long-term memory. These in turn help language learners in the memorization of new strings of language units. Knowing a word involves knowing its form, morphological structure, syntactic pattern, meaning, connotation, pragmatics, lexical relations, and collocations. According to Nagy, Anderson, & Herman (1985: 233-253), developing understandings of word meanings is a long-term process that involves many encounters with both spoken and written words in varying contexts. On the first encounter with a new word, a student 7 stores in memory some information about how the word fits into what he is reading. This information is reinforced each time he sees or hears the word. With each new encounter, the student picks up more information about the word from its use in various contexts. As a result, the student gradually acquires “ownership” of the word. Thus, L2 vocabulary acquisition is a very complex phenomenon involving several different learning processes. The most common distinction between implicit and explicit learning is that implicit or incidental learning is often defined as “accidental learning of information without the intention of remembering that information” (Hulstijn, J., Hollander, M. & Greidanus, T., 1996: 327), and explicit learning, on the other hand, refers to the application of vocabulary learning strategies on the part of the learner. L2 vocabulary acquisition processes are also presented quiet enough by Krashen (1989: 440-464) in the Implicit Vocabulary Learning Hypothesis and Explicit Vocabulary Learning Hypothesis. According to Krashen’s Input Hypothesis, the former holds that meanings of new words are acquired subconsciously as a result of repeated exposures in a range of contexts, where the conscious focus is not on form, but on the message. The latter holds that the employment of a range of vocabulary learning strategies can greatly facilitate and enhance vocabulary acquisition; on this view, learners are seen as active processors of information. Agreeing to some points in Krashen's Hypothesis, Ellis (1995: 12-16) also claims that both hypotheses are true, but apply to different aspects of vocabulary acquisition. According to him, the implicit vocabulary learning hypothesis holds true for simple pattern recognition of surface forms of input and output. Explicit learning, on the other hand, is necessary for the mapping of those surface input and output forms to their corresponding semantic or conceptual representation. Then, learners can recognize the word meanings via spelling, associations, grammatical information and meaning. He, therefore, suggests the following possible explanations for the process of vocabulary acquisition: • According to the strong implicit vocabulary learning hypothesis, new words are acquired totally unconsciously. • A weak implicit vocabulary learning hypothesis holds that it is at least necessary for learners to notice that a word is new to them. • A weak explicit vocabulary learning hypothesis suggests even when words are learned implicitly, some active processing is also taking place. • A strong implicit vocabulary learning hypothesis holds that learners consciously apply meta-cognitive strategies in acquiring new vocabulary. In sum, each hypothesis explains different aspects of vocabulary acquisition. The strong implicit hypothesis can explain a learner's ability to recognize and produce words. This 8 ability is a skill developed through repetition. Hence, extensive reading can offer students good opportunities to fortify their vocabulary acquisition. 2.4. Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition & Intentional Vocabulary Learning The fact that incidental vocabulary acquisition takes place in second language learning is generally acknowledged among researchers. Most scholars agree that except for the first few thousand most common words, L2 vocabulary is predominantly acquired incidentally (Huckin & Coady, 1999: 181-193). The terminological clarification visualized in the following figure (adapted from Schmidt, 1990: 138-149; Ellis, 1994: 38) enables us to relate the terms implicit and explicit by viewing incidental vocabulary acquisition as being composed of implicit learning processes which happen without the learner’s awareness and/or of explicit learning processes which take place without learning intention but involve online awareness and hypothesis formation. Figure 1: Incidental vocabulary acquisition as a process involving implicit and/or explicit learning is achieved by and/or With regard to the role of consciousness, however, two complementary viewpoints can be distinguished. An implicit viewpoint would hold that incidental vocabulary acquisiti