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Description
Undoubtedly, vocabulary is regarded as a cornerstone of foreign language learning as it is central to achieving proficiency in any foreign language. According to Wilkins (2004), while without grammar, very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed. In fact, vocabulary acquisition still remains one of the biggest challenges to a vast number of EFL learners at beginner-English levels in Vietnam when they struggle to memorize the learned lexical items, let alone use them in communication. This action research aims at exploring how EFL learners at level A2 at University of Engineering and Technology, a university member of Vietnam National University, Hanoi had learned vocabulary before their English courses at university. More importantly, it also involves the investigation of how effective teacher-guided in-class and after-school activities were in enhancing learners’ memory in vocabulary learning. The research was conducted for 2 consecutive English courses lasting 15 weeks each with a group of 38 non-English majors at level A2. The findings revealed that before taking the English courses, 93% of the surveyed participants had relied on rote learning while a modest percentage had actively practiced new vocabulary in context by making full sentences and composing short paragraphs. The results also indicated that such activities as memory games, dictation, translation, making full sentences, paragraph writing and identifying key words in texts proved their effectiveness when being conducted in class rather than at home, which highlight teacher’s crucial role in guiding and motiving learners in their vocabulary learning journey.
