VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST - GRADUATE STUDIES ********* NGUYỄN THỊ THÚY HẰNG TEACHING ESP VOCABULARY TO STUDENTS MAJORING IN HEAT AND REFRIGERATION ENGINEERING AT INDUSTRY UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY: DIFFICULTIES AND SOLUTIONS (NHỮNG KHÓ KHĂN VÀ GIẢI PHÁP TRONG VIỆC DẠY TỪ VỰNG CHO SINH VIÊN CHUYÊN NGÀNH NHIỆT LẠNH TẠI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC CÔNG NGHIỆP THÀNH PHỐ HỒ CHÍ MINH) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Language Teaching Methodology Code: 60 14 10 Hanoi – 2013 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST - GRADUATE STUDIES ********* NGUYỄN THỊ THÚY HẰNG TEACHING ESP VOCABULARY TO STUDENTS MAJORING IN HEAT AND REFRIGERATION ENGINEERING AT INDUSTRY UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY: DIFFICULTIES AND SOLUTIONS (NHỮNG KHÓ KHĂN VÀ GIẢI PHÁP TRONG VIỆC DẠY TỪ VỰNG CHO SINH VIÊN CHUYÊN NGÀNH NHIỆT LẠNH TẠI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC CÔNG NGHIỆP THÀNH PHỐ HỒ CHÍ MINH) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Language Teaching Methodology Code: 60 14 10 Supervisor: MA Phan Thị Vân Quyên Hanoi – 2013 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ESP: English for Specific Purposes HRE: Heat and Refrigeration Engineer HREE: Heat and Refrigeration Engineering English IUH: Industry University of Ho Chi Minh City L2: Second language GE: General English T: Teacher T1: Teacher T2: Teacher T3: Teacher iv LIST OF CHARTS & TABLES Chart 1: Teachers’ opinion about teaching ESP vocabulary Chart 2: Teachers’ evaluation about students’ learning ESP vocabulary Table 1: Teachers’ comment on the course-book Chart 3: Teachers’ difficulties in teaching ESP vocabulary Chart 4: Teachers’ techniques in presenting new words Table 2: Teachers’ ways to ask students to practice vocabulary Chart 5: Teachers’ recommendations to overcome difficulties in teaching ESP vocabulary Chart 6: Students’ difficulties in learning ESP vocabulary Chart 7: Problems influenced on students’ motivation and interest Chart 8: Students’ solutions to a new word Chart 9: Ways of presenting vocabulary students are interested in Table 3: Ways of learning English vocabulary of HRE v TABLE OF CONTENT Declaration……………………………………………………………………… i Acknowledgement……………………………………………………………… ii Abstract………………………………………………………………………… iii List of abbreviations…………………………………………………………… iv List of figures and tables……………………………………………………… v Table of content………………………………………………………………… vi PART A: INTRODUCTION………………………………………………… 1 Rationale……………………………………………………………………… Aims of the study………………………………………………… Research questions…………………………………………………………… Scope of the study…………………………………………………………… Method of the study………………………………………………………… Design of the study………………………………………………………… Part B: Development ………………………………………………… Chapter 1: The Theoretical Background…………………………………… 1.1 English for Specific Purposes……………………………………………… 1.1.1 Definition of ESP………………………………………………………… 1.1.2 Classification of ESP…………………………………………………… 1.1.3 Teachers‟ roles and challenges in teaching ESP ……………………… 1.1.3.1 The roles of ESP teachers……………………………………………… 1.1.3.2 Challenges for the ESP Teacher……………………………………… 1.2 ESP vocabulary…………………………………………………………… 1.2.1 What is ESP vocabulary? 1.2.2 Terminology……………………………………………………………… 1.2.2.1 Definition of terminology……………………………………………… 1.2.2.2 Characteristics of terminology………………………………………… 1.2.3 General vocabulary and ESP vocabulary teaching and learning………… vi 1.2.3.1 Vocabulary and its role in language teaching and learning………… 1.2.3.2 What need to be taught? 1.2.3.3 Techniques in presenting new vocabulary……………………………… 10 1.2.3.4 ESP vocabulary teaching……………………………………………… 1.3 Heat and Refrigeration Engineering English (HREE)…………………… 10 11 1.3.1 Introduction …………………………………………………………… 11 1.3.2 Vocabulary in Heat and Refrigeration Engineering English …………… 12 1.3.3 HREE vocabulary teaching and learning ………………………………… 12 1.4 Previous Research on teaching ESP vocabulary…………………………… 13 1.5 Conclusion………………………………………………………………… 14 Chapter 2: Methodology……………………………………………………… 15 2.1 Context of the study……………………………………………………… 15 2.1.1 Textbook………………………………………………………………… 15 2.1.2 Students and their background…………………………………………… 15 2.1.3 Teaching staff and teaching methods…………………………………… 16 2.2 Method of study…………………………………………………………… 17 18 2.2.1 Research questions………………………………………………………… 2.2.2 The participants……………………………………………………………… 18 18 2.2.3 Data collection instruments…………………………………………………… 18 2.2.4 Data collection procedure…………………………………………………… 19 19 2.2.5 Data analysis………………………………………………………………… 20 Chapter 3: Findings and discussion……………………………………………… 21 3.1 Findings…………………………………………………………………… vii 21 3.1.1 Questionnaire for teachers……………………………………………… 21 3.1.2 Questionnaire for students……………………………………………… 30 3.2 Discussion of findings………………………………………………………… 35 3.3.Conclusion…………………………………………………………………… Chapter 4: Suggested Solutions…………………………………………………… 37 4.1 Towards contextual problems……………………………………………… 37 4.2 Towards the students……………………………………………………… 37 4.3 Towards the teachers……………………………………………………… 38 4.3.1 Improve teachers‟ ESP knowledge …………………………………………… 38 4.3.2 Making use of visual aids ……………………………………………… 39 4.3.3 Improving teacher's activities in teaching vocabulary…………………… 39 Part C: Conclusion…………………………………………………………… 41 Conclusions…………………………………………………………………… 41 Limitations of the study…………………………………………………… 42 Suggestions for further research …………………………………………… 42 References…………………………………………………………………… i Appendices………………………………………………………………… ii viii Part A: Introduction Rationale Nowadays English has become an international language of various industrial and trade fields Therefore, there are more opportunities for our students to make use of not just their ´general´ English knowledge but they also can study their specialized subjects in English or to perform qualified work abroad Obviously, the students should also have certain knowledge of specialized English (ESP) vocabulary related to their field Their knowledge of ESP vocabulary will help them to adapt easily to changing working environment and meet the requirements of the present day world “ESP must be seen as an approach not as a product ESP, then, is an approach to language teaching in which all decisions as to content and method are based on the learner‟s reason for learning”(Hutchinson and Waters 1987:19) However, teaching and learning vocabulary in general, ESP (English for specific purposes) vocabulary in particular is a difficult task for the teachers and students Besides vocational knowledge, teachers need to carry out researches in teaching vocabulary so as to open their views and instruct students later In my opinion, ESP vocabulary in Heat and Refrigeration Engineering (HRE) is very interesting but teaching and learning it successfully are extremely hard Factually, both teachers and learners have faced many difficulties in teaching and learning ESP vocabulary Facing such problems, the teachers of English of Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City (IUH) want to something to change the ways of teaching and learning vocabulary in order to improve the students' learning effectiveness to help them succeed in their future job Therefore, I have conducted a research to find out the main difficulties in teaching HRE vocabulary at IUH and then to offer some solutions to these problems Aims of the study The study aims at: - Finding out difficulties that ESP teachers and learners at IUH are facing in teaching and learning English for HRE vocabulary - Suggesting some solutions to teaching HREE vocabulary effectively Research questions The research is carried out with an attempt to find out the answer to the following research questions: What are the difficulties experienced by English teachers in their teaching HREE vocabulary at IUH? What major problems are HRE students facing in learning ESP vocabulary at IUH? What are solutions to improving HRE vocabulary teaching at IUH? Scope of the study The study limited itself to the investigation of difficulties in teaching and learning ESP vocabulary to students of HRE at IUH The solutions are also provided to help to improve teaching and learning English in general, teaching and learning HREE vocabulary in particular at IUH Methods of the study The research is carried out using both qualitative and quantitative methods The main data collection instruments are survey questionnaires and informal interviews The informants are students at HRE Department and English teachers at IUH The questionnaire was designed in such a way that both closed and openended questions to ensure deep data One questionnaire is designed for the students and the other is designed for the teachers The informal interview to teachers is to get more information to support the study Design of the study This study is organized into main parts: Part A: Introduction: in this part the rationale, the aims, the research questions, the scope, the method, and the design of the study is presented Part B: Development: It consists of four chapters Chapter provides the theoretical background, which is relevant to the purposes of the study Chapter presents an introduction on the context of learning and teaching vocabulary of HRE at IUH, the context of the study, the subjects, and the data collection methods and data collection procedure Chapter is the main part of the study In this chapter, the data will be analyzed and the finding will reveal teachers' difficulties in teaching vocabulary to students of HRE at IUH Chapter includes some solutions in teaching and learning based on the findings Part C: Conclusion: This part offers conclusions, limitations of the study and some suggestions for further study ... HO CHI MINH CITY: DIFFICULTIES AND SOLUTIONS (NHỮNG KHÓ KHĂN VÀ GIẢI PHÁP TRONG VIỆC DẠY TỪ VỰNG CHO SINH VIÊN CHUYÊN NGÀNH NHIỆT LẠNH TẠI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC CÔNG NGHIỆP THÀNH PHỐ HỒ CHÍ MINH) M.A... Thanh hoa teacher’s Training School conducted the study “Difficulties in teaching vocabulary to students of information technology at Thanh Hoa teacher‟s training school and some solutions” to... ESP vocabulary Facing such problems, the teachers of English of Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City (IUH) want to something to change the ways of teaching and learning vocabulary in order