MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY THE EFFECTS OF MIND MAPPING ON THE 12TH GRADERS’ VOCABULARY LEARNING AT NGUYEN VAN KHAI HIGH SCHOOL A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in TESOL Submitted by DO NGUYEN XUAN THAO Supervisor: NGUYEN THANH TUNG, Assoc Prof Dr HO CHI MINH City November 2015 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY DO NGUYEN XUAN THAO THE EFFECTS OF MIND MAPPING ON THE 12TH GRADERS’ VOCABULARY LEARNING AT NGUYEN VAN KHAI HIGH SCHOOL Major: TEACHING ENGLISH TO SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES Major code: 60140111 MASTER OF ARTS IN TESOL Supervisor: NGUYEN THANH TUNG, Assoc Prof Dr HO CHI MINH City, 2015 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I certify that the thesis entitled “The effects of mind mapping on the 12th graders‟ vocabulary learning at Nguyen Van Khai High School” is my original work It is based on my own research to meet the requirements for theses in Master‟s Programs at Ho Chi Minh City Open University issued by the Higher Degree Committee All sources used by me have been documented No other person‟s work has been used without due acknowledgement This thesis has not previously been submitted for assessment in this or any other subject or course at this University or elsewhere Dong Thap, August 2015 DO NGUYEN XUAN THAO i RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby state that I, Do Nguyen Xuan Thao, being the candidate for the degree of Master of to the TESOL, accept the requirement of University relating to the retention and use of the Master‟s theses deposited in the University library In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my thesis deposited in the University library should be accessible for the purposes of the studies and research, in accordance with the normal condition established by the library for care, loan, and reproduction of thesis ii ABSTRACT The teaching and learning of vocabulary at a high school has recently been paid much more attention to by teachers and learners However, many students still have some trouble in lexical learning due to the lack of a suitable learning strategy Thus, this study was carried out to examine the role of „mind mapping‟ in improving vocabulary of the 12th graders at Nguyen Van Khai High School in Dong Thap Province Based on the theoretical framework of mind-mapping, the quasi-experimental research was carried out during the first semester Fifty-six students of the two classes at Nguyen Van Khai High School were divided into two groups: control group and experimental group Data were collected from three sources: (1) the final Grade 11 exam of the second semester of the previous academic year and post-test to estimate the students‟ vocabulary improvement after the treatment, (2) the pre- and post- questionnaire to assess what the changes in their attitude towards vocabulary learning with mind-mapping were, and (3) interview with ten students in the experimental group to clarify their attitude The findings of the study reveal that mind-mapping affects the Nguyen Van Khai High School students‟ lexical ability a lot In fact, it not only helps them remember words longer but also tests better Moreover, questionnaires and interviews show that they feel more relaxed, active, creative, and learner-centered Thanks to this, their motivation to learn vocabulary increased iv TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP i RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii ABSTRACT iv TABLE OF CONTENTS v LIST OF FIGURES viii LIST OF TABLES ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS x CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study 1.2 Statement of the problem 1.3 Purpose of the study and research questions 1.4 Significance of the study 1.5 Structure of the study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 The concept of mind mapping 2.1.1 Definition of mind mapping 2.1.2 Classification of mind mapping 2.1.3 Characteristics of mind mapping 16 2.2 Ways to make mind mapping 18 2.3 Advantages and disadvantages of mind mapping 22 2.3.1 Advantages 22 2.3.2 Disadvantages 26 2.4 When and where to use mind mapping 26 2.5 Empirical research 28 2.6 Chapter summary 32 v CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 33 3.1 Overall approach 33 3.2 Research site 33 3.3 Research participants 34 3.4 Research instruments 36 3.4.1 Teaching material: Textbook 36 3.4.2 The measurement instruments 39 3.5 Procedure 43 3.6 Analytical framework 44 3.6.1 Quantitative analysis of the Grade 11 final exam and post-test 44 3.6.2 Quantitative analysis of pre- and post-questionnaire 45 3.6.3 Qualitative analysis of interview 46 3.7 Validity and reliability 46 3.8 Summary 48 CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS 49 4.1 Data analysis 49 4.1.1 Results in the tests 49 4.1.2 Results from questionnaires 54 4.1.3 Results from interview 65 4.1.4 Overall summary 69 4.2 Discussion of findings 69 4.2.1 General findings 69 4.2.2 Specific findings 70 4.2.3 Summary 74 4.3 Chapter summary 75 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 76 5.1 Conclusions 76 5.2 Strengths and limitations in the methodology of the study 76 5.3 Recommendations 77 vi 5.3.1 The teachers 78 5.3.2 The students 78 5.4 Suggestions for further research 80 5.5 Summary 80 REFERENCES 81 APPENDIX 88 WORKSHEET 92 APPENDIX 93 APPENDIX 98 APPENDIX 100 APPENDIX 103 APPENDIX 106 APPENDIX 108 APPENDIX 111 APPENDIX 113 APPENDIX 10 114 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1: A mind map of wedding Figure 2.2: Linear, circular, hub spokes, tree, and network Figure 2.3: KWL chart Figure 2.4.a: Venn diagram Figure 2.4.b: Venn diagram of Whales and Fish Figure 2.5: QAR 10 Figure 2.6: Web organizer 11 Figure 2.7: T chart 11 Figure 2.8: A network tree 12 Figure 2.9: An event chain 12 Figure 2.10: A cycle concept map 12 Figure 2.11: A spider concept map 13 Figure 2.12: Word relationships 13 Figure 2.13: Synonyms, antonyms, examples and non-examples 14 Figure 2.14: Word connections 14 Figure 2.15: A word map 15 Figure 2.16: A concept map 15 Figure 2.17: A story map 16 Figure 2.18: Mapping components 16 Figure 2.19: The structure of semantic maps 17 Figure 2.20: How to make a mind mapping 20 Figure 4.1: Pre-test score distribution of control and experimental group 49 Figure 4.2: Post-test score distribution of control and experimental group 50 viii LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1: Participants‟ characteristics .35 Table 3.2: Teaching material 37 Table 3.3: Five degrees of grades to classify the students‟ ability 40 Table 3.4: Summary of instruments of data collection 42 Table 3.5: Schedule for the main stages of data collection 43 Table 3.6: Reliability statistics for pre-questionnaire 48 Table 3.7: Reliability statistics for post-questionnaire 48 Table 4.1: Group statistics of pre-test results 51 Table 4.2: Independent samples t-test of the two groups before the treatment 52 Table 4.3: Group statistics of post-test results 53 Table 4.4: Independent samples t-test of the two groups after the treatment 53 Table 4.5: The students‟ attitudes to vocabulary learning 55 Table 4.6: The students‟ methods of self-studying vocabulary 56 Table 4.7: The teachers‟ methods of teaching vocabulary 57 Table 4.8: The students‟ difficulties in learning vocabulary 59 Table 4.9: The advantages to students who learn vocabulary by using mind mapping 61 Table 4.10a: The disadvantages to students who learn vocabulary by using mind mapping (before conversion) 62 Table 4.10b: The disadvantages to students who learn vocabulary by using mind mapping (after conversion) 63 Table 4.11: The students‟ future eagerness in using mind-mapping to learn vocabulary 64 Table 4.12: Students comments 67 ix or even many times Fourthly, a small number of the students wrote the words they needed to remember on the play cards they took everywhere for studying Moreover, they did not learn vocabulary via videos or films Their teacher‟s inappropriate methods of teaching vocabulary also made them lose interest in learning vocabulary The most traditional ways of teaching vocabulary are translating words into Vietnamese and writing them on the board for them to copy These were the most common ways of lexical teaching although others were sometimes employed For instance, some teachers used real objects and pictures to illustrate word meanings, or introduced new words by highlighting a certain context to help students know how to use them more correctly As these methods were not regularly used, students were not keen on learning vocabulary As for the powerful method of mind-mapping, it was rarely used to teach vocabulary The post-questionnaire, on the contrary, showed a positive change in the students‟ attitudes toward learning vocabulary They were surer that they could easily remember new words via mind-mapping They did not feel bored, either, when taught vocabulary with mind-mapping Moreover, they found that mindmapping was a precious instrument to help them overcome their disinclination to learn new vocabulary They agreed that mind-mapping could help them create an active environment to feel comfortable, become learner-centered and practice the lesson eagerly They also had opportunities to discuss with their friends about how to make a mind-map, which helped them be more creative Therefore, they could acquire lessons better and remember words longer, faster, and more easily With these benefits as voiced in their responses to the questions in the post-questionnaire, they hoped to continue studying with mind-mapping process Furthermore, they hoped to learn the whole reading passage with mind-mapping These mind-mapping benefits – especially about long-term memory – are similar to those expounded in the studies by Abdollahzadeh and Amiri (2009), Dang (2011), and Le (2012) Thus, the differences in the students‟ attitudes in the pre- and post-questionnaire contributed to proving the importance of using mind-mapping 73 4.2.2.2.2 The results from interview The findings from the results of an interview with four guiding questions help to confirm the effects of mind-mapping on the students‟ feelings When asked about the definition of mind-mapping, most of them gave quite precise definitions When asked about their thoughts on it, the most prominent one was its advantages in creativity, long-term memory and better understanding of the word relationship in the map For the third question about the advantages and disadvantages of using mind-mapping, the students replied that they had some difficulties with it; they sometimes felt embarrassed by their failure to understand the complexity of extensive mind-maps when copying them down into their notebooks Sometimes, they could not work out the long phrases Their most complicated problem was how to make a perfect mind-map; while they could know each word and could arrange the words in their proper relationship, they were still afraid of arranging them in suitable positions Although they experienced difficulties, most of them recognized there were distinct advantages to using mind-mapping It could help them become excitedly creative When working in groups, their collaboration with their partners increased Moreover, they could understand the relationship between words more clearly and understand the reading passage before reading it Therefore, they could remember lessons longer and more easily With these benefits, they hoped to learn more vocabulary using mind-mapping They also had some pertinent suggestions to reduce the disadvantages of using mind-mapping In short, the findings from the interviews supported the students‟ ideas in the questionnaires This proves that mind-mapping created a positive attitude in the students‟ vocabulary learning 4.2.3 Summary The second main part of this chapter discusses the findings from an analysis and interpretation of the three types of data in the first main part about the students‟ performance in vocabulary learning via the pre- (which is actually Grade 11 final test) and post-test and the students‟ attitude toward the use of mind-mapping in learning vocabulary via questionnaires and interviews It can be seen from the 74 discussion of the major findings that mind-mapping can contribute to vocabulary learning because it helps to improve their vocabulary competence and create positive attitudes towards learning vocabulary 4.3 Chapter summary Chapter analyzes and interprets the results from the three sources of data: vocabulary tests, questionnaires and interviews The discussion of the findings follows the data analysis and interpretation and is laid out in such a way to the answer the two research questions about the students‟ lexical ability and their attitudes toward the treatment 75 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS In this chapter, the responses of the two research questions were explored In addition, the researcher has reappraised the whole process of the mind-mapping study Therefore, she has some recommendations for using this strategy Finally, some suggest-ions for further research are taken-up in this chapter 5.1 Conclusions In the first chapter, the two research questions were raised as follows: To what extent is mind-mapping effective for the 12th graders at Nguyen Van Khai High School in vocabulary learning? What are the students‟ attitudes towards using mind mapping in learning vocabulary? The findings, as discussed in the previous chapter, show: The results of testing proved that mind-mapping was a powerful tool for learning vocabulary From the start, most of these students had proved very bad at remembering long and difficult vocabularies Therefore, they had difficulty in taking the Grade 11 final exam Many students in both groups scored below average However, after using the new method, the students in the experimental group achieved higher points in their test and, more importantly, the improvement was proved to be statistically significant With the help of questionnaire and interview, it was found out that the majority of students had developed positive attitudes towards mind-mapping At first, they did not know what a mind-map was; the first time they had to work with mind-mapping, they thought it was very complicated, childish and time-consuming However, they gradually discovered its advantages They could remember many more words – especially long phrases – than they had before They themselves realized this when they did the monthly fifteen- 76 minute period test in class Moreover, they felt more relaxed, active and learner-centered They said working with mind-mapping helped their creativity develop and encouraged their motivation to learn new words What is more, they thought it gave them a range of different ways to eagerly practice their lesson, because they could discuss how to achieve the best product with their friends 5.2 Strengths and limitations in the methodology of the study Based on the theory and its methodology, the study went smoothly The researcher could accumulate enough information intended to prove it Therefore, on the whole, the survey was successful in its methodology because the researcher achieved all of its specific goals On the other hand, the inquiry still has some limitations Firstly, the model was rather small with only 56 of 146 grade 12 students at Nguyen Van Khai High School participating in the investigation These were restricted to two classes: one in the control group and the other in the experimental group Besides which, the researcher delivered 56 questionnaires in the pre-stage and 28 questionnaires in the post-stage In addition, because the Principal had committed her to teach these two classes, she could not choose any others Therefore, the sampling was not random but simply convenient The findings must be better validated with a larger study-population Secondly, the researcher had to follow the teaching curriculum of the school strictly so she did not have enough time to apply mind-mapping activities In addition, the students were scheduled elsewhere twice a day: in the morning and in the afternoon they were inaccessible, so it was hard to record all the students‟ utterances Some students were also shy and somewhat afraid of being recorded The researcher had to spend a lot of time explaining and encouraging them to express their opinions Thirdly, the study would have had better results if the questionnaires had been more carefully explained to all the students to make the students‟ understanding that much clearer However, because of inappropriate conditions and the time-limitations, the researcher could not 77 send questionnaires to the testees in person nor carefully explain all the pertinent background details Fourthly, the students initially found mind-mapping so alien to them that they only wanted to learn with the traditional methods that they were used to The researcher had to introduce the new method and demonstrate that it was not so odd as they thought Fifthly, replicating a mind-map proved time-consuming for most of the students, especially if the students had not paid attention to the lesson or actively participated in it; some could not write-up the lesson in the correct manner Finally, the lack of colored pencils was an obstacle The students could not display their mindmaps in the most productive way, which made them reluctant to learn lessons at home 5.3 Recommendations These are possible solutions for the teacher and students to implement 5.3.1 The teachers First of all, the teacher should be a patient and clever facilitator even when students develop negativity about what they perceive to be a bizarre method He/she can explain specifically to them what they should do, what they will gain after studying with the technique from the beginning Then, most importantly, he/she should carefully model mind-mapping to help students have a clearer understanding Generally, these flowing basic steps can be applied: Step 1: The teacher writes the key word in the center of the board, and then asks students to think about the relational words Step 2: Students freely say the words they think about The teacher writes the words in the corner of the board Step 3: The teacher asks them to chorally accompany the words having relationships in the same category 78 Step 4: The teacher and students arrange the map word by word with the different colors, symbols or shapes, creating a hierarchy of trunk, branches and twigs However, for the second map, the teacher can ask students to work in groups instead of chorally as in step Additionally, making a mind map was often time-consuming because students have trouble categorizing words due to a lack of time in class Therefore, after the students become familiar with mind-mapping, the teacher can the following steps: Step 1: In the homework part of the previous period, the teacher can write a list of words on the board as a preparation for the next lesson Step 2: Beside classes, the students work in groups to discuss suitable mindmappings They have a lot of time to carefully think of their map as well as search for information they not yet know They can also attach attractive pictures or draw or make paintings to illustrate the words in the map, which helps them feel comfortable and creative Step 3: They hand in their map to their teacher The teacher should give feedback on each group‟s product He/She may choose the best one to give marks After that, the teacher and the whole class make a „step-by-step‟ exact mind map Secondly, the teacher can use media to attract students‟ attention Using customized animations, students can follow the lesson more easily; they can use different colors and vivid pictures, which are much more eye-catching than those limited by colorful chalks Finally, to help the students correctly write up the lesson, the teacher can provide a printed mind map 79 5.3.2 The students The most important thing is for the students to pay attention to the lesson In addition, they have to actively participate in making a mind map To achieve good results, they should be given time to read books or search in the Internet to extend their knowledge of vocabulary like parts of speech or contextual usage Moreover, they should practice English both orally and in writing and – but not least of all – they should develop a passion for studying English and a strong intrinsic motivation to continue it 5.4 Suggestions for further research Applying mind-mapping in teaching vocabulary is not new in some countries, but it is for many schools in Vietnam, especially at the aforementioned high school The success of this research study proves that mind mapping is a constructive tool for high school students‟ vocabulary acquisition The study could be bettered by using larger study groups Additionally, the teacher could use media to teach vocabulary with mind-mapping Moreover, for the selected class, the teacher could choose the best mind maps and ask their creators to present their product, which helps them develop oral competence as well as confidence Finally, with the benefits of mind-mapping, the teacher can successfully teach other skills of reading, listening, speaking, and writing 5.5 Summary In short, the mind-mapping technique is valuable and can be taught to help students overcome their vocabulary difficulties In this chapter, the researcher has come to the two main conclusions of the study, pointed out all the strengths and weaknesses of this method Besides, she has provided some recommendations for the teacher and students and suggestions for further study, in the hope that the method will become better and better 80 REFERENCES Abdollahzadeh, E., & Amiri, N (2009) The effect of semantic mapping as a vocabulary instruction technique on EFL learners with different perceptual learning styles Applied Linguistics, 2(1), 1-27 Amoush, K H (2012) The effectiveness of using “semantic mapping strategy” on reading comprehension of Jordanian University students Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business, 4(6), 714-729 Antonacci, P A (1991) Students search for meaning in the text through semantic mapping Social Education 55, 174-194 Antonacci, P (2015) Semantic mapping developing robust academic vocabularies Sage Bachman, L F (1990) Fundamental considerations in language testing Oxford: Oxford University Press Baker, J., & Westrup, H (2000) The English language teacher’s handbook London: Continuum Birbili, M (2007, June 1) Mapping knowledge: Concept maps in early childhood education Retrieved January 25, 2014, from http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v8n2/birbili.html Bogatikov, T Computer-based concept maps in primary English classroom (Unpublised thesis) Brown, J D (2001) Using surveys in language programs New York: Cambridge University Press Budd, J W (2004) Mind maps as classroom exercises The Journal of Economic Education, 35(1), 35-46 Busy Teacher (n.d.) 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2 What are students‟ attitudes towards using mind mapping in learning vocabulary? 1.4 Significance of the study The study will support one of the techniques that can help students overcome their learning difficulties The writer hopes students will find... map for high school students in Vietnam Therefore, the researcher decided to carry out this study entitled The effects of mind mapping on the 12th graders‟ vocabulary learning at Nguyen Van Khai High School in the hope that it can help students enhance their vocabulary competence, become interested in learning vocabulary and remember it much better 1.3 Purpose of the study and research questions Thus,... examine whether or not mind- mapping is significantly effective in assisting high school students in Dong Thap Province – and 12th graders at Nguyen Van Khai High School in particular – to learn vocabulary To achieve the above aim, the study addresses the two following research questions about students‟ vocabulary acquisition and their attitudes towards the employment of semantic -mapping in learning vocabulary: ... ideas on paper within an organizational system It uses a free-flowing system of images, texts, and lines that spread out from a central idea that is represented by a central image and is employed to explore ideas and stimulate the mind Although there are various definitions of mind- mapping, all these share something in common They are visual representations of categorical relationships 7 The connections... connected in a diagram whereas concept mapping is a technique exhibiting the knowledge structure of given topics and the relationship among these topics within this structure Moreover, mind- mapping is a visual representation of hierarchical information that includes a central idea surrounded by the connective branches of associated topics One can also say that mind- mapping, which does not have to be... knowledge, they cannot demonstrate how well they have acquired the language With it, they feel more confident in attending a listening comprehension test or an oral contest They also communicate with others better The more vocabulary they acquire, the better they become Learning vocabulary has become a very important part of learning English Nevertheless, Vietnamese students are not very good at learning. .. associations and better learning (Budd, 2004, pp 47) With these kinds of memorizing techniques, vocabulary can be retained and applied in practice for long-term use 1.2 Statement of the problem Some experts have already done research studies relating to the application of mind mapping However, to the best of this researcher‟s knowledge, no one has done research into vocabulary acquisition via a mind ... stimulate the mind Although there are various definitions of mind- mapping, all these share something in common They are visual representations of categorical relationships The connections among the. .. certify that the thesis entitled The effects of mind mapping on the 12th graders‟ vocabulary learning at Nguyen Van Khai High School is my original work It is based on my own research to meet the. .. To what extent is mind- mapping effective on vocabulary learning for the 12th graders at Nguyen Van Khai High School? What are students‟ attitudes towards using mind mapping in learning vocabulary?