Learning Vocabulary in Group Work in Vietnam

Abstract

This study investigated learning vocabulary in group work at university in Vietnam. The students were studied in two kinds of group settings, ‘unassisted’ and ‘assisted’, the first consisting of five students from the same class level and the second of four from the same class and a student from a higher class. Differences were observed in both the procedures and the outcomes of vocabulary learning in the two settings. The negotiation of word meanings and forms were collaborative in the unassisted groups and expert-novice in the assisted groups. The unassisted groups used the first language to code-mix their English utterances with Vietnamese words to express their ideas. The presence of a senior student in the assisted groups virtually eliminated the use of the first language in explaining new English words. Students in the two group settings reported that they learned new words and the group discussions helped them recall and remember English words.

EFL Students’ Reflections on Peer Scaffolding in Making a Collaborative Oral Presentation

“…In other L2 areas, Le's (2006) study on the use of group work in vocabulary learning in Vietnam finds that in both "unassisted" group work (5 students from the same class working together) and "assisted" group work (4 students from the same class working with 1 student from a higher class), students learnt new words, used collective memory and received help from other group members in learning and using the new words. However, the group assisted by a more capable peer used more target language in the discussion than the unassisted group.…”

Investigating Chinese HE EFL Classrooms

“…The textbook seeks to reflect recent research achievements in the areas of applied linguistics, psychology and English language teaching both at home and abroad (Huang and Yu 2005). However, they can use additional resources when necessary.…”

“…The first role was as the module leader, who was responsible for the teaching of students in the two classes throughout the research period. While reading the textbook, not only is a careful and a thorough reading of the information required, but also need to understand its purpose, its ideological orientation, language use and style (Huang and Yu 2005). 6 The teaching of the module lasted about three and half months.…”

The Effect of Linguistic Context on EFL Vocabulary Learning

“…Although many attempts have recently been made to introduce a more practical and effective way for teaching and learning vocabulary (Atay & Ozbulgan, 2007;Baleghizadeh & Nasrollahy Shahry, 2011;Bruton, 2007;Christ, Wang & Chiu, 2011;Çiftçi & Üster, 2009;Eckerth & Tavakoli, 2012;Erten & Tekin, 2008;Foil & Alber, 2002;Hoai Huong, 2006;Kasahara, 2010Kasahara, , 2011Milton, 2009;Webb, 2007Webb, , 2008Webb, , 2009, learners still find it a challenging task to acquire new vocabulary items. Therefore, vocabulary knowledge has always remained a complex and multidimensional construct to master in need of more research in terms of how it can be properly developed.…”

“…Despite the existence of different methods, and researchers" and methodologists" effort to find and introduce a more practical and useful way for teaching new vocabulary items (Atay & Ozbulgan, 2007;Baleghizadeh & Moladust, 2012;Bruton, 2007;Çiftçi & Üster, 2009;Eckerth & Tavakoli, 2012;Hoai Huong, 2006;Milton, 2009;Webb, 2007Webb, , 2008Webb, , 2009, the question of which method of introducing vocabulary is more practical still remains a controversial issue in the field of L2 acquisition and has not been answered properly (Doosti, 2012). Many teachers still do not know which method is more effective for students, and also many students cannot learn and retain new vocabulary items because of the same problem.…”