Master minor programme thesis English linguistics: Using images in communicative activities to improve students’ retention of English vocabulary in architecture for students at Hanoi architectural university

This study, which focuses on vocabulary teaching methods, is going to investigate the application of multimodality to the vocabulary learning of students from the perspectives of using images in some communicative activities to enhance students‟ vocabulary retention. The major aim of the research is to investigate whether the use of images in vocabulary teaching can help improve students‟ vocabulary retention. The participants in the study are students at Hanoi Architectural University.
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Master minor programme thesis English linguistics: Using images in communicative activities to improve students’ retention of English vocabulary in architecture for students at Hanoi architectural university VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES **************************************** NGUYỄN THỊ HÒA USING IMAGES IN COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ RETENTION OF ENGLISH VOCABULARY IN ARCHITECTURE FOR STUDENTS AT HANOI ARCHITECTURAL UNIVERSITY(SỬ DỤNG HÌNH ẢNH TRONG HOẠT ĐỘNG GIAO TIẾP ĐỂ NÂNG CAO KHẢ NĂNG LƯU NHỚ TỪ VỰNG TIẾNG ANH CHUYÊN NGÀNHKIẾN TRÚC CHO SINH VIÊN TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC KIẾN TRÚC HÀ NỘI) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 60140111 Hanoi, 2016 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES **************************************** NGUYỄN THỊ HÒA USING IMAGES IN COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ RETENTION OF ENGLISH VOCABULARY IN ARCHITECTURE FOR STUDENTS AT HANOI ARCHITECTURAL UNIVERSITY(SỬ DỤNG HÌNH ẢNH TRONG HOẠT ĐỘNG GIAO TIẾP ĐỂ NÂNG CAO KHẢ NĂNG LƯU NHỚ TỪ VỰNG TIẾNG ANH CHUYÊN NGÀNHKIẾN TRÚC CHO SINH VIÊN TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC KIẾN TRÚC HÀ NỘI) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 60140111 Supervisor : Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lâm Quang Đông Hanoi, 2016 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research has been accomplished with the support and encouragement ofmany people. Hence, I hereby would like to express my appreciation to all of them. In the first place, I would like to express my deepest thanks to my supervisor- Assoc. Prof. Lâm Quang Đông, PhD for his valuable assistance and guidanceduring the time I made efforts to carry out my research. Also, I would highly appreciate all professors and staffs of the Faculty of Post-Graduate Studies for their meaningful lessons and precious support thanks to which Iwas able to overcome obstacles during the time my research was carried out. Besides, I would like to give my whole-hearted thanks to students at HanoiArchitectural University for their enthusiastic participation in my research. Withouttheir help, I would not have been able to complete this paper. Last but not least, I owe a great debt of gratitude to my beloved familywhose support and encouragement have always been a great deal of motivation thathas helped me to ovecome all problems to complete my thesis. Hanoi, Nguyễn Thị Hòa i ABSTRACTThis study was carried out in the form of an action research in which students wereinstructed with the use of images in their vocabulary lessons. The research aimedfirst to figure out whether the use of images in vocabulary teaching could helpimprove students‟ vocabulary retention and then to investigate students‟perspectives towards the use of images in vocabulary lessons. In order toaccomplish these purposes, 20 sophomores at Hanoi Architectural University wereselected to participate in the study, which last for eight weeks. Three data collectioninstruments were employed, namely pre-test/post-tests, class observation andinterviews in order to have data triangulation to achieve most reliable findings forthe research. Findings from the tests, observation and interviews revealed thatstudents had experienced an improvement in their vocabulary memorizationthroughout the eight weeks of study and the reason for the vocabulary retentionprogress was mainly attributed to the use of images in language classroom. Benefitsof using images can be listed as the deeper impression of vocabulary on students‟memory and a more frequently exposure to vocabulary use. Results from theinterviews and observation also reflected a completely positive attitude of studentstowards the use of images, claiming that visuals helped them have more fun andmotivation in learning. On this basis, some implications for teachers‟ preparation,classroom practices and future research were proposed. ii TABLE OF CONTENTSACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................ iABSTRACT .............................................................................................................iiTABLE OF CONTENTS ..........................................................................................iiiLIST OF FIGURES AND ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................. vPART A: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 11.Statement of the problem and rationale for the study....................................................... 13.Researchquestions ................................................................................................... 24.Scope of the study .......................................................................................................... 25.The organization of the thesis ......................................................................................... 2PART B: DEVELOPMENT ..................................................................................... 3CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE R ...