The effects of using flashcards in teaching vocabulary to young learners in large classes

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY

GRADUATE SCHOOL

THE EFFECTS OF USING FLASHCARDS IN TEACHING VOCABULARY

TO YOUNG LEARNERS IN LARGE CLASSES

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the degree of Master of Arts in TESOL

Submitted by NGUYEN TRONG QUYET

Supervisor: Dr. NGUYEN NGOC VU

Class: MTESOL016A

Student Code: 1681401110018

Major Code: 60140111

Ho Chi Minh City, August 2018

i

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

I certify that the thesis entitled “THE EFFECTS OF USING FLASHCARDS IN

TEACHING VOCABULARY TO YOUNG LEARNERS IN LARGE CLASSES” is my own

work.

Except where reference is made in the text of the thesis, this thesis does not contain

material published elsewhere or extracted in whole or in part from a thesis by which I have

qualified for or been awarded another degree or diploma.

No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the main text of

the thesis.

This thesis has not been submitted for the award of any degree or diploma in any other

tertiary institution.

Ho Chi Minh City, August 2018

NGUYEN TRONG QUYET

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my special thanks to the contribution of those who supported and

encouraged me during the time I worked on this thesis. Without their help, I could hardly

complete this research.

Firstly, I am particularly grateful for the assistance given by my supervisor, Dr. Nguyen

Ngoc Vu, for all of his support during the time I have done this thesis. As a novice researcher, I

am lucky to have worked with him. He has helped me to acquire more knowledge and has

encouraged me to overcome the difficulties in conducting this research.

Secondly, I would like to give my heartfelt thanks to the teachers who have given

fascinating lectures and myriad of learning materials during the MTESOL course. I am inspired

to continuously broaden my knowledge in this field thanks to their encouragement and advice.

Thirdly, I would like to express my thanks to the staff of the postgraduate school and

librarians at Ho Chi Minh City Open University for their contribution to this research.

Fourthly, I am deeply indebted to all my colleagues and my students at Nguyen Trai

Secondary School. Their open-hearted sharings and support gave me the best condition to

conduct my study.

Lastly, I would like to thank my family for their love, sacrifice and support.

NGUYEN TRONG QUYET

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ABSTRACT

As an English learning aid, flashcards are widely used. They have been used by teachers

and learners in various educational activities around the world. For young learners’ learning

characteristics, it is suitable to apply flashcard-based activities as they successfully help learners

learn vocabulary in an effective and supportive way.

In learning an L2, teachers can employ flashcards to create useful learning activities

(Elgort, 2011; Webb, 2002, 2009a) by adapting this teaching aid suitably to the practical and

mental conditions. Flashcard-based instructions facilitate students’ vocabulary learning because

it encourages students to learn their language creatively, skillfully and collaboratively.

This study aims to investigate the effects of using flashcard-based instructions in learning

environment whilst teaching English vocabulary. It is a quasi-experimental study including a

twelve-week teaching with flashcards. The researcher uses statistical tools to calculate the data

from pre-test and post-test sessions. Then the result is compared and contrasted with knowledge

related to the issue of the research for further understanding. The research also includes student

survey, reflection paper and a teacher interview. The participants of the study include 78 students

from the eighth grade and five teachers at Nguyen Trai Secondary School in Binh Tan District,

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

From the results of this study, the majority of students consider flashcard-based

instruction a useful and supportive method thanks to its positive effects on providing them with

robust vocabulary competence and stress-free language learning lesson. Also, on the ground of

its own features flashcard-based instruction will effectively facilitate learners’ lexical learning.

Along with the development of CALL learning and teaching materials, students will increasingly

benefit from language lessons integrated with flashcards.

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

CALL Computer-Assisted Language Learning

CG Control Group

CLT Communitive Language Teaching

CPH Critical Period Hypothesis

EFL English as a Foreign Language

EG Experimental Group

ESL English as a Second Language

HCMCOU Ho Chi Minh City Open University

L1 First language

L2 Second language

M Mean

Max Maximum

Min Minimum

MOET Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam

SD Standard Deviation

SLA Second Language Acquisition

TESOL Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP.............................................................................................. i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................... ii

ABSTRACT..................................................................................................................................iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................. v

LIST OF TABLES........................................................................................................................ x

LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................... xi

CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................ 1

1.1 Background of the study ..................................................................................................... 1

1.2 Aims of the study................................................................................................................ 4

1.3 Statement of the problem.................................................................................................... 6

1.4 Research questions of the study.......................................................................................... 6

1.5 Significance of the study..................................................................................................... 6

1.6 Statement of the problem.................................................................................................... 7

1.7 Overview of the study......................................................................................................... 7

CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW.................................................................................... 9

2.1 Young learners.................................................................................................................... 9

2.1.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................... 9

2.1.2 Characteristics of young learners.................................................................................. 11

2.1.2.1 Intellectual development........................................................................................... 12

2.1.2.2 Vocabulary retention................................................................................................. 12

2.1.2.3 Attention span ........................................................................................................... 13

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2.1.2.4 Sensory input ............................................................................................................ 14

2.2 Vocabulary........................................................................................................................ 15

2.2.1 What is vocabulary?...................................................................................................... 15

2.2.2 Kinds of vocabulary...................................................................................................... 15

2.2.3 Fundamental hypotheses related to vocabulary teaching and learning......................... 16

2.2.4 Stages of teaching vocabulary ...................................................................................... 17

2.2.5 Techniques in teaching vocabulary............................................................................... 18

2.2.6 Vocabulary mastery ...................................................................................................... 20

2.2.7 Vocabulary acquisition for young learners................................................................... 21

2.2.8 Previous studies on the relationship between flashcards and vocabulary retention ..... 24

2.3 Flashcards ......................................................................................................................... 25

2.3.1 What is flashcard?......................................................................................................... 25

2.3.2 Kinds of flashcards ....................................................................................................... 26

2.3.3 Use of flashcards........................................................................................................... 26

2.3.4 Flashcards in SLA......................................................................................................... 29

2.4 Large classes..................................................................................................................... 33

2.4.1 What is large class?....................................................................................................... 33

2.4.2 Difficulty in teaching large classes............................................................................... 34

2.4.3 Flashcard as a teaching tool in large classes................................................................. 34

CHAPTER 3. METHODOLOGY............................................................................................. 36

3.1 Introduction....................................................................................................................... 36

3.2 Research approach ............................................................................................................ 36

3.3 Research site ..................................................................................................................... 36

vii

3.4 Participants........................................................................................................................ 37

3.5 Research approach ............................................................................................................ 37

3.6 Research design ................................................................................................................ 39

3.6.1 Pre-test .......................................................................................................................... 39

3.6.2 Post-test......................................................................................................................... 40

3.6.3 Questionnaire ................................................................................................................ 40

3.6.4 Reflection paper............................................................................................................ 42

3.6.5 Teacher’s interview....................................................................................................... 43

3.7 Study procedure ................................................................................................................ 43

3.8 Analytical framework ....................................................................................................... 44

3.8.1 Experimental data analysis ........................................................................................... 44

3.8.2 T-Test............................................................................................................................ 45

3.9 Reliability and validity...................................................................................................... 45

3.9.1 Checking assumptions for t-tests.................................................................................. 45

3.9.2 Checking internal consistency of the questionnaires.................................................... 46

3.10 Chapter summary.............................................................................................................. 46

CHAPTER 4. DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION .......................................................... 47

4.1 Introduction....................................................................................................................... 47

4.2 Pre-test and Post-test Result.............................................................................................. 47

4.2.1 Comparison of mean scores.......................................................................................... 47

4.2.2 Independent Samples T-test in Pre-test of CG and EG................................................. 48

4.2.3 Paired Samples T-test of CG in Pre-test and Post-test.................................................. 50

4.2.4 Paired Samples T-test of EG in Pre-test and Post-test.................................................. 51

viii

4.2.5 Independent samples t-test in post-test of CG and EG ................................................. 52

4.3 Results from questionnaires.............................................................................................. 54

4.3.1 Reliability Statistics...................................................................................................... 54

4.3.2 Students' attitudes on the importance of vocabulary .................................................... 55

4.3.3 Strategy of learning vocabulary.................................................................................... 56

4.3.4 Experience of learning with flashcards......................................................................... 58

4.3.5 Students’ attitudes towards vocabulary learning .......................................................... 58

4.3.6 Advantages of learning vocabulary with flashcard-based instruction .......................... 60

4.3.7 Disadvantages of learning vocabulary with flashcard-based instruction...................... 61

4.4 Reflection paper................................................................................................................ 62

4.5 Teachers’ interview and discussion .................................................................................. 66

4.5.1 Popularity of flashcards in language lessons................................................................ 66

4.5.2 Some difficulties in teaching with flashcard-based techniques.................................... 67

4.5.3 Evaluation on students’ attitudes toward flashcard-integrated lessons......................... 68

4.5.4 Some advice using flashcards in large classrooms....................................................... 68

4.6 Chapter Summary ............................................................................................................. 69

CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSION, RECOMMENDATION, AND LIMITATION ................... 70

5.1 Introduction....................................................................................................................... 70

5.2 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 70

5.3 Implication ........................................................................................................................ 71

5.4 Recommendation .............................................................................................................. 72

5.5 Limitation.......................................................................................................................... 73

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REFERENCES............................................................................................................................ 74

APPENDICES............................................................................................................................. 86

Appendix 1 Pre-test paper form.................................................................................................... 86

Appendix 2 Post-test paper form .................................................................................................. 90

Appendix 3Answer sheet of pre-test and post-test paper.............................................................. 94

Appendix 4 Score table of pre-test and post-test .......................................................................... 96

Appendix 5 Questionnaire on using flashcards to learn English vocabulary (Vietnamese) ......... 97

Appendix 6 Questionnaire on using flashcards to learn English vocabulary (English) ............. 100

Appendix 7 Reliability of item-total statistics............................................................................ 103

Appendix 8 Questionnaire on using flashcards to learn English vocabulary (Vietnamese) ....... 104

Appendix 9 Reflection paper of students (English).................................................................... 105

Appendix 10 Questions for teacher interview ............................................................................ 106

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 3.1. Description of the Participants.................................................................................... 37

Table 3.2. Structure of Experimental Design................................................................................ 38

Table 3.3. Taxonomy of the Questionnaire................................................................................... 41

Table 4.1. Descriptive Statistics for Pre-test of CG and EG ........................................................ 48

Table 4.2. Results of Independent Samples T-test on Pre-test of CG and EG.............................. 48

Table 4.3. Descriptive Statistics for Pre-test and Post-test of CG................................................ 50

Table 4.4. Paired Samples T-test of CG in Pre-test and Post-test................................................ 50

Table 4.5. Descriptive Statistics for Pre-test and Post-test of EG................................................ 51

Table 4.6. Paired Samples T-test of EG in Pre-test and Post-test................................................ 51

Table 4.7. Descriptive Statistics on Post-test of CG and EG........................................................ 52

Table 4.8. Results of Independent Samples T-test on Post-test of CG and EG............................. 52

Table 4.9. Cronbach’s Coefficient Alpha for Questionnaire........................................................ 55

Table 4.10. Students’ Attitudes Towards Vocabulary Learning................................................... 59

Table 4.11. Advantages of Learning Vocabulary with Flashcard-Based Instruction .................. 60

Table 4.12. Disadvantages of Learning Vocabulary with Flashcard-Based Instruction ............. 62