Saigon University

Department of Foreign Languages

MODULE: ENGLISH RESEARCH WRITING (813066)

TITLE

GROUP MEMBERS

HÀNG TRẦN HOÀI THU – 3121130134 (…%)

NGUYỄN QUỲNH NHƯ – 3121130104 (…%)

LÊ THỊ THUỲ TRINH– 3121130152 (…%)

NGUYỄN THỊ YẾN NHI – 3121130101 (…%)

Ho Chi Minh City, May, 2024

 CONTENTS PAGE

1. Introduction...........................................................................................page 3

2. Methodology...........................................................................................page 5

3. Results.....................................................................................................page 7

4. Discussion...............................................................................................page16

5. References ..............................................................................................page18

Appendix.....................................................................................................page 19

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 ABSTRACT

It is a fact that English is an international language with millions of people using it as a

second language in this day and age. … (VIẾT NGHIÊNG)150-200 WORDS

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 1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. Setting

Vocabulary learning has been the main factor in achieving a high level of English
language proficiency. Mediha and Enisa (2014) claimed that language learners could
not communicate proficiently without having enough vocabulary. In the process of
vocabulary learning, memorizing vocabulary plays a major role because
memorization is the most accessible means of possessing knowledge and is also a
crucial characteristic of knowledgeable and intellectual personalities (Yusuf, 2010).
Memorizing new words is subject to various challenges, so a variety of strategies are
designed and used to make the process of memorizing vocabulary more efficient for
many learners, especially those who are English majors. In particular, our study
investigates the memorization vocabulary strategies of English-majored third-year
students at Saigon University.

1.2. Literature review

1.2.1. Vocabulary:

1.2.1.1. Definitions of Vocabulary:

Vocabulary is one of the most essential parts, along with
phonetics/pronunciation and grammar, required to learn a foreign language (Pan & Xu,
2011). A few researches have been done to investigate the importance of vocabulary to
language acquisition. Some researchers have suggested that vocabulary is a core
component of language proficiency and provides much of the basis for how well
learners speak, listen, read, and write (Richards & Renandya, 2002). Vocabulary has a
real effect on skills in the English language, without vocabulary, it is difficult to
communicate orally with one another. Vocabulary is essential to teaching and learning
a second language since lexical knowledge is necessary for effective communication.
Human language is based on the vocabulary that is acquired or used (Schmitt, 2002). If
students possess a wide range of vocabulary, they may find it easier to comprehend
and acquire proficiency in the various components or competencies of the English
language.

1.2.1.2. Types of Vocabulary:

There are two forms of words: oral and written, and there are also two sorts of
knowledge: productive and receptive. Receptive vocabulary includes words that we
recognize when we hear or see them. Productive vocabulary includes words that we
use when speaking or writing (Hiebert & Kamil, 2005). In addition, Good's (1959)
categorization of vocabulary, as cited in Juita's (2011) thesis, identifies four distinct
types of vocabulary: written, oral, hearing, and reading. The lexicon that people use
alone or in groups to express ideas orally is known as oral vocabulary. The words that
are frequently used in written communication are referred to as "writing vocabulary".
The phrase "listening vocabulary" describes those who can understand both written
and spoken language. Vocabulary refers to the collection of words that are present in
written form.
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  Receptive vocabulary:
Receptive vocabulary pertains to the lexicon that a learner comprehends and
acknowledges when employed in a given context yet is unable to generate.
Students exhibit familiarity with certain vocabulary words when encountered in
written text, yet they tend to refrain from utilizing them in their oral and written
communication (Stuart Webb, 2009).
 Productive vocabulary:
Productive vocabulary refers to a set of words that learners comprehend and can
proficiently utilize in both oral and written communication. This entails the
requisite components for receptive vocabulary in conjunction with the aptitude to
verbally or textually communicate in a timely manner. The active nature of
productive vocabulary can be attributed to the ability of learners to generate words
for the purpose of communicating their ideas to others (Stuart Webb, 2005).

1.2.2. Vocabulary learning

It is believed that there are two ways to learn vocabulary, which are explicit
learning and implicit learning. In implicit learning, students can indirectly acquire new
words through other classroom activities such as listening and reading (Milton, 2009).
Several researchers have suggested that vocabulary can be enriched through reading
books without any explicit instructions (Krashen, 1989; Lightbown & Spada, 2016).
Moreover, implicit learning occurs not only in the written form but also in the oral
form. Teacher talk played an important role when learning a new language because
learners were likely to build lots of new words through spoken language (Milton,
2009). However, if learners really want to level up their language proficiency, it might
not be the best way. While implicit learning is important, especially at the beginning,
explicit instruction can significantly increase language acquisition because learning is
more effective when it targets specific aspects of the language you're trying to learn.
The study also pointed out that explicit instruction (grammar rules, vocabulary
memorization) is more successful than relying solely on implicit learning (Ellis, 2002).
In terms of durability, the knowledge gained through explicit instruction seems to stick
around for a longer time. However, it is argued that learners should prioritize implicit
learning or explicit learning because each aspect of vocabulary requires different
methods to be learned effectively. Implicit learning is good for recognition of the
phonological form of word, while explicit learning is usually applied to the meaning of
a word (Milton, 2009). Therefore, a combination of the two processes when learning
vocabulary is suggested as an effective way by most second language acquisition
researchers (Chacón-Beltrán et al, 2010).

1.2.3. Vocabulary memorization

Mastering English vocabulary requires good memory and knowledge (Al-Qaysi
& Shabdin, 2016; Wu et al., 2020). Memorizing English vocabulary is to store words
in the mind to be spoken or rewritten in the future, such as recalling vocabulary
learned at school and remembering it at another time (Schwartz & Otani, 2019).
Several researchers have suggested that memory is very important because good
thinkers are those who have learned to remember their experiences (Guo & Li, 2022;
Quy & Thi, 2022). Memorizing vocabulary is the process by which students enter,

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store, and retain vocabulary for future control of motor activities 5 and use in thought
processing (Feldman, 2010). The term ‘memorizing’ usually refers to conscious
processes. This indicates that English vocabulary memorization requires activating
certain brain regions and working memory in order to comprehend the information and
store it in long-term memory. The focus in memorization is on the storage and
retrieval of language and that memorization is a strategy used to recall information
(Kesen & Ozkan, 2008). A word cannot be well known after only one exposure since
there is so much information about a single word (Nation, 2001). Therefore, the ability
to speak and write language stems from a person’s ability to retrieve stored
information, and here lies the importance of memorization as a learning and teaching
strategy.
1.2.4. Strategies for vocabulary memorization
It was pointed out that memorization involves strategies designed to facilitate
the storage and retrieval of language, and this explains the use of some strategies, such
as drill and repetition, which used the same as memorization strategies (Wenden and
Rubin, 1987, p: 24). Arguments are bound in literature as regards which strategies
should be listed under which category headings. For example, repetition is categorized
under memorization by Rubin (1981), Grains and Redman (1986) and Purpura (1994),
whereas it was classified as a cognitive strategy by other studies (O'Malley et. al,
1985; Oxford, 1990; Schmitt, 1997).

According to Oxford (1990), memory strategies have the function of

remembering and retrieving new information. Oxford (1990) stated that memory can
be defined as strategies that help students remember and retrieve new information in
order to accept all the study materials they can accept in their brains.

Oxford’s study (1990) assigns strategies into two categories: direct and indirect
strategies. These strategies are further subdivided into six groups such as memory,
cognitive, and compensation for direct strategies, and metacognitive, affective, and
social for indirect strategies. Since this study concentrates on memorization strategies,
only memory strategies will be reviewed in depth. Based on Oxford (1990),
memorization strategies are divided into four sets, which are:
(1) Creating mental linkages (CML) is categorized into three strategies, namely: a)
classifying or sub-classifying vocabulary into meaningful bunches to decrease
the number of unrelated items either mentally or in writing to make the input
easier to remember by reducing the number of discrete elements. A group can
be types of words (e.g. nouns, verbs), topics (e.g., words about the weather),
practical function (e.g. terms for things that make a car work), linguistic
function (e.g. apology, request, demand), similarity (e.g. warm, hot, tropical) or
opposition (e.g. friendly/unfriendly); b) association /elaboration which
associates concepts already exist in memory with new language information, for
instance, assigning the names of well-known brands to the corresponding
business sector, like manufacturing/ Toyota, transportation/ Turkish Airlines,
etc.), and placing new words into a context which focuses on using a word or
phrase in a meaningful sentence, the translation equivalents, conversation, or
story to remember it.

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 (2) Applying images and sounds (AIS) is subdivided into four types: using
imagery, semantic mapping, keywords, and representing sounds in memory.
Using imagery representations means relating new language information to
concepts settled in memory through meaningful visual imagery. Semantic
mapping involves making arrangements of highlighted key concepts and
relationships to create a semantic map in a diagram. The key concepts (in the
form of words) are connected with related concepts by means of drawing lines
and arrows. Semantic maps for Baumann et al. (2003) and Heimlich and
Pittleman (1986) are to assist students in developing linkage among words and
increase the learning of vocabulary words (For example, by writing an example,
a non-example, a synonym, and an antonym). Using keywords is then applied
by using auditory and visual links to remember a new word, and finally by
representing sounds in memory by remembering new information according to
its sound. For example, by linking an abstract word with a known object like
the word "bonus", a student will draw a picture of extra money paid for an
employee's good performance.

(3) Reviewing well (RW) can be accomplished through the strategy of structured
reviewing. Oxford (1990:66) stressed that reviewing well entails a systematic
review when long-term memory is the purpose of any learning to be stored.
After regular intervals, the review is conducted leading to the familiarity of the
word usage accruing automatically. For instance, a learner may choose to
review words so far learnt initially at 10-minute intervals after the time of
learning the words, this can be increased to 20 minutes and hourly later, and so
on, to assess the remembrance of the new target language words.

(4) Employing actions (EA) means involvement of meaningful actions, such as

physical responses instigating the senses and using mechanical techniques with
cards, letters, words, etc., to provide the kinesthetic mode of learning of
language for the improved acquisition of vocabulary. Associating meaningful
activities, for example, physical reactions trigger the senses by using
mechanical strategies with letters, cards, words, etc. This kinesthetic method of
learning language improves vocabulary acquisition Oxford (1990:69).

1.2.5. Previous research about our topic (làm chung):

Al-Qaysi and Shabdin (2016) conducted a study to investigate the types of

vocabulary memorization strategies used by the Arab students in the Intensive English
course at University Utara Malaysia (UUM). The samples of the study included 65
postgraduate Arab students from different colleges and UUM. The instrument was a
questionnaire. The results showed that the most preferred strategy was reviewing well,
while employing actions was the least frequently used strategy. One of the reasons for
this result was the nature of their study program and course instructions. Another
reason was that students may be unfamiliar with other memorization strategies or need
training on how to use them effectively.
In Sanaoui’s [12] study, the aim was to explore how learners approach
vocabulary learning activities and identify the memorization strategies they utilize.
Fifty multilingual students from various language backgrounds participated in his
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study. They were enrolled in a university program in a Canadian English-speaking city
and had previously been assigned to classes. During the six-week intense program,
daily in-depth discussions were held regarding the vocabulary exercises' adopted
approaches. His research also included case studies of learners learning English and
French as L2s in which various memorization strategies such as word recording, direct
repetition, linguistic associations, etc. were used. The results of the study reinforced
the view that learners are indeed able to employ various strategies to acquire the
vocabulary of a L2.
In addition, Harley and Hart [14] conducted research on courses of French in
Toronto on the strategies used by learners to learn new words in a L2 and to memorize
their meaning. A questionnaire was employed based on vocabulary learning strategies,
which included word identification (a set of 25 real strategies that learners utilized, but
they were different each time, to enable them to acquire and obtain the new words).
The strategies that stood out were asking their teacher or fellow students questions,
and utilizing grammatical clues, as well as guessing based on context.
Furthermore, Hoang, Le, and Nguyen (2014) investigated common vocabulary
strategies students use for memorizing words for the first time. The study participants
were 46 first-year English students of the Faculty of Foreign Language at Hung Yen
University of Technology and Education. Questionnaires and interviews were used to
collect the data. The findings revealed a diverse range of strategies students employ for
vocabulary memorization, highlighting both frequently utilized and underutilized
approaches. The study also found that students recognize the value of strategies to
memorize the word effectively.
1.3. Gap statement

However, several studies have explored the strategies used by students to memorize
vocabulary at Saigon University.

1.4. Statement of purpose

The purpose of this research was to investigate the strategies to memorize vocabulary
and find out the most favorite strategy used by English-majored third-year students at
Saigon University.

1.5. Statement of value

The results derived in this study can shed light on how students naturally approach
vocabulary memorization. This knowledge may be used to suggest more effective
memory methods and resources. Moreover, the result of this study may provide a
valuable reference for students who are in need of broadening their approaches and
seeing vocabulary memorization from a different perspective.

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 2. METHODOLOGY

2.1. Overview

The research was carried out in quantitative design. The survey method was used to
explore the strategies for vocabulary memorization and find out the most favorite
strategy from English third-year students. A questionnaire was the instrument used in
the study to explore and elicit quantitative data.

2.2. Population/Sample

Participants included 60 English-majored third-year students.

2.3. Location

This study was performed at Saigon University.

2.4. Restrictions

2.5. Sampling Technique

The study employed the convenient sampling technique. The questionnaire was
assigned to English-majored third-year students who are acquaintances at Saigon
University.

2.6. Procedures

Before the main study, the questionnaire was piloted with 10 English-majored third-
year students by inviting them to do it in Google Forms, and all of them were also
involved in the main study. In the main study, 100 English-majored third–year
students then answered that questionnaire via Google Forms. After that, the data
was analyzed using Google Form charts to see how the memorizing strategies were
associated with learning vocabulary. The results were based on the percentage of
each item chosen by 60 people.

2.7. Materials

This current study made use of the questionnaire adapted from Fouad Hussein
(2016), which was actually based on the studies of Li (2004) and Oxford (2003). The
questionnaire was used as the main instrument to identify the vocabulary
memorization strategies (patterns and preferences) used by the informants. This
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questionnaire included a five-scale likert measurement with the following measures:
never, seldom, sometimes, usually, and always. The questionnaire contains two parts.
The first part consists of questions about the participants’ demographic information,
such as major, and the period of learning English. On the other hand, the second part
included 19 items reorganized and classified under 4 different groups of
memorization strategies (CML, AIS, RW, EA). In particular, there were five statements
on CML, AIS, EA, and four statements on RW. We eliminated 6 items (1, 3, 4, 10, 13,
and 24) from the questionnaire of Fouad Hussein (2016) because they overlapped
with other statements, and some of them (items 4, 10, and 13) were vague and might
cause the informants to not clearly understand the statements. With item 5, we
deleted the word “regular” in order to avoid the double-barreled question. The word
“Arabic” in item 9 was also changed into “Vietnamese” to be associated with the
context of this study, where the informants were Vietnamese.

2.8. Variables (Optional)

2.9. Statistical Treatment

Charts from Google Form, which provide a convenient way of summarizing and
interpreting the results, were used in this study. Thus, a descriptive statistical analysis
method was used in the study to handle the students’ questionnaire data in order to
find the percentages as well as the frequencies of the strategies.

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 3. RESULTS

(chia theo strategies)

3.1. Participants’ background information

Figure 1. Participants’ English Exposure

Figure 1 shows the amount of time participants have spent studying English.

In general, as most participants reside in Vietnam, a large majority of participants

reported having studied English for over 5 years, with 48% having studied for 5 to 10
years, and 41% studying for more than 10 years. …

3.2. The Acknowledgement and Dedication of Participants about ELSA Speak

Figure 3. Participants’ Sources of Introduction of ELSA Speak

Figure 3 compares the proportion of participants who learned about ELSA Speak from
different sources of information.

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Overall, it is clear that the majority of participants learned about ELSA through social
media, while the English center informed the lowest proportion of participants about
…

4. DISCUSSION

4.1. Purpose

This research attempted to …

4.2. Findings

The findings of this research show that …

4.3. Explanation for findings

One possible explanation is that …

4.4. Limitations

We readily acknowledge that our research had some limitations. …

4.5. Implications

These findings suggest that …

4.6. Recommendations

Due to these limitations, it is advised that more similar research is needed to substantiate
the findings from this study. …

5.REFERENCES

Sarmita Samad, I., & Aminullah, A. (2019). Applying ELSA Speak Software in the
Pronunciation Class: Students’ Perception. Edumaspul: Jurnal Pendidikan, 3(1), 56-63.
https://doi.org/10.33487/edumaspul.v3i1.85

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 APPENDIX

Questionnaire (1 bảng tiếng anh + 1 TV)

Greetings everyone! We are conducting a survey on the use of ELSA Speak (English
Language Speech Assistant-a mobile application) in improving English pronunciation
for tertiary students in Ho Chi Minh city. Please respond to all of the following
questions by selecting appropriate answers for each one. We guarantee that all of the
information you provided will be used for research purpose only. Thank you for your
support.

I. Personal background information

1/What is your gender?

 Male
 Female
 Others

2/How long have you learned English?

 Under 5 years
 5 to 10 years
 More than 10 years

3/How do you evaluate your level of pronunciation?

 Excellent
 Average
 Not good

II. ELSA Speak related information

------ Thank you for your response! ------

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