1. Background
In the process of teaching and learning foreign languages, vocabulary is crucial. Teaching vocabulary is a major problem in language education since words are crucial for communicating our thoughts, feelings, and ideas to other people. This implies that no amount of grammatical or other linguistic expertise can be used in second language speech or communication without the mediation of vocabulary
| [12] | Haggard, M. R. (1982). The Vocabulary Self-Collection strategy: An active approach to word learning. Journal of Reading, 27(3), 203–207. |
[12]
. But experts in the area have long acknowledged that vocabulary knowledge plays a significant role in learning a second or foreign language, and this recognition began with the communicative method. Meaningful interactive activities have taken precedence over form in the current popular communicative approach to language training.
Additionally, it has been acknowledged that students' vocabulary learning practices have a bigger influence on how well their vocabulary instruction goes. More recently, scholars and thinkers in the subject have acknowledged the critical role that vocabulary knowledge plays in learning a second or foreign language. As a result, a wide range of exercises and practice methods have been brought into the subject of teaching vocabulary. Additionally, it has been recommended that teaching vocabulary should go beyond just teaching students words and instead focus on giving them the tools they need to increase the amount of vocabulary they know
| [1] | All wright, D. (1984). The Importance of Interaction in Classroom Language Learning. Applied Linguistics 5/2: 156-171 |
[1]
.
Given the importance of words in communicating our thoughts, feelings, and ideas to others during communication, teaching vocabulary is an essential component of teaching languages. There cannot be any conversation without words. Vocabulary is essential to both language and writing, in fact
| [2] | Anderson, R. & Nagy, W. (1992). The Vocabulary Conundrum. American Psychologist, 30, 821-828. |
[2]
. In language lessons, teachers mostly use vocabulary building exercises or reading comprehension exercises to assist students become more proficient readers. A strong vocabulary is essential for speaking and writing
| [3] | Barcroft, J. (2004). Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition: A lexical input approach. Foreign Language Annals, 200-208. |
[3]
. The awareness of teachers on vocabulary teaching strategies directly affects EFL teachers practice in teaching and learning of vocabulary
| [14] | Nation, I. S. P. (2001). Learning vocabulary in another language. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. |
[14]
. Since, without having sufficient awareness on the principles and purposes of teaching strategies, it is difficult to effectively practice it in the classrooms. Thus, effective learning occurs when correspondence exists between awareness and practices to apply strategies in the EFL class rooms.
Indeed, a learner of a language must prioritize expanding their vocabulary, as it is the foundation of the language. Thus, there are a number of reasons to be interested in concentrating on this vocabulary teaching method. To begin with, it is one of the major areas that language teachers highlight as a concern with the practice of vocabulary teaching techniques, as far as the researcher is aware. Secondly, vocabulary teaching through various tactics is extremely important in language teaching.
Conversely, from unofficial observations made while conducting master theses at Kombolcha Secondary School, it appears that EFL instructors in the majority of Eastern Hararghe Ethiopian Secondary Schools, especially those in Kerensa, Felana, and Kombolcha, are still having difficulty putting various vocabulary teaching tactics into practice because of the following concerns. First, the educational process that takes place at these particular schools. Secondly, the material of the textbook is inadequate for fully practicing vocabulary teaching practices that aid in students' vocabulary development.
Presently, all scholars and practitioners of second languages acknowledge the significance of vocabulary in language instruction. Though it was formerly thought that the only way to teach vocabulary was through isolated word lists, there are now many different approaches available
| [10] | Cohen, A. D. & Macaro, E. (2007). Language learning strategies: Thirty years of research and practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press. |
| [13] | Harmer, J. (1991). The Practice of English language teaching. New York: Longman. |
| [4] | Bejarano, Y. (1987). A cooperative small-group methodology in the language classroom. TESOL Quarterly, 21, 483-501. |
[10, 13, 4]
.
There has been a shift in the direction of more efficient methods for teaching vocabulary, and language experts and academics have offered a variety of learner-centered strategies and tactics for vocabulary acquisition. Vocabulary instruction in EFL classrooms has been criticized a lot. Numerous studies on the teaching of vocabulary, speaking, listening, reading, and writing have been done without taking into account how these areas interact with one another when it comes to language instruction. However, there is not much discussion of the extent to which EFL instructors in Ethiopian secondary schools specifically, those in Eastern Hararghe that are highlighted above apply various vocabulary teaching methodologies.
To the best of the researcher's knowledge, there is no systematic data on schools that demonstrates how much vocabulary teaching techniques are really used in EFL classrooms, despite the fact that it is expected that these chosen secondary schools utilize vocabulary teaching tactics. Furthermore, a number of national and international studies have examined the application of vocabulary teaching strategies in language learning and instruction across a range of institutions and academic levels. They thus developed a range of recommendations in accordance with the various issues the institutions were facing
| [9] | Coady, J and Huchin, Th. (2000). Second language vocabulary acquisition. Applied Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. |
| [15] | Richards, J. and T. Rodgers. (2001). Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching: A description and analysis. Cambridge: CUP. |
| [16] | Schmitt, N. (2000). Vocabulary in language teaching: Cambridge Language Education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. |
[9, 15, 16]
.
Despite the fact that several studies on vocabulary teaching techniques at various points in time in EFL courses at the secondary school level have been undertaken, none of the studies, to the best of the researcher's knowledge, have addressed the question of EFL instructors' understanding and implementation of secondary school-related vocabulary teaching strategies in EFL classrooms. How much language instructors use various vocabulary teaching techniques in general at the chosen secondary schools is not well-considered in the Ethiopian setting.
In light of this, the study essentially differed from the previous research in that it examined vocabulary teaching tactics; it concentrated on teachers' knowledge of and frequency of using these strategies, as well as how much they include their students in all opportunities to expose them to a variety of vocabulary learning and teaching strategies.
Comparatively to other language abilities, vocabulary instruction has not received the attention it deserves at the chosen secondary schools that are the subject of this study. This may impede the vocabulary deficiencies of these pupils. Thus, one of the most crucial aspects of every language class, according to the researcher, is the practice of teaching vocabulary using various ways. Therefore, it is essential to look at the knowledge and use of vocabulary teaching methodologies among EFL teachers in grade 9 and grade 10 Secondary Schools.
Research Questions
1. How much do EFL teachers know about the tenets and objectives of vocabulary teaching strategies?
2. Was one of the research topics that the current study attempted to address vocabulary teaching constructs?
3. How do EFL instructors put their vocabulary teaching techniques into practice in their classes?
3. Methodology
3.1. The Research Design
In order to gather information regarding EFL instructors' knowledge of and usage of vocabulary teaching tactics in EFL classrooms, a descriptive survey research design that combines quantitative and qualitative methods of data collecting and analysis was used in this study. A descriptive survey's primary goal is to describe the current condition of affairs. The primary features of a descriptive survey allow the researcher to determine what has occurred or is currently occurring. Furthermore, the researcher used a mixed strategy because it allowed her to see the topic from both a qualitative and quantitative viewpoint, and because the nature of the problem and the goals of the study encouraged her to do so.
3.2. Sampling Techniques
Out of all the secondary schools in Eastern Hararge, Kombolcha, Kerensa, and Felana were purposefully chosen since they provided the researcher with easy access to information. In order to make the study more doable and finish it in the allotted time, the researcher purposefully chose Kombolcha, Kerensa, and Felana Secondary Schools from among the 53 high schools in the East Hararge Zone. At these particular secondary schools, there were ten EFL teachers and thirty grade nine teachers. There were 989 students in Grades 9 and 10 overall in the Selected Schools. This fact led to the purposeful sampling of sixteen EFL instructors out of thirty (eight from grade nine and eight from grade ten) for this study. The EFL teachers were chosen since they were readily available in the schools. There were 989 students in 20 sections, or an estimated 49 students in each section, in terms of student participation. Students were included in the target population logically so they could see how EFL teachers implemented vocabulary teaching techniques.
In scholarly research, the ideal sample size is between 10% and 20% of the entire population. Therefore, using the lottery system, 180 students, or 18% of the total number of grade nine and ten students previously indicated, were evenly picked from each part. Because there was an equal probability for each member of the sample to be chosen to participate in the research.
3.3. Tools
Classroom observations, questionnaires, and interviews were the methods utilized to gather data for the research. Because of their potential to collect crucial data for the investigation, these instruments were chosen. A short description of each of these instruments is given below.
3.3.1. Interview
To conduct the current study, the researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with EFL teachers who teach grade nine and ten. Considering that semi-structured interviews provide greater flexibility in terms of gathering data for the current study as needed. For the purpose of gathering pertinent data for the descriptive research, semi-structured interviews are appropriate. Additionally, the interview was conducted to find out how knowledgeable teachers were about vocabulary teaching techniques and how they applied them in EFL lessons.
3.3.2. Questionnaire
Questionnaires were employed as data collecting tools in the current study in order to gain extra information and cross-check the data collected from the instructors through the interviews. The questionnaires were created to gather pertinent data from the sample pupils of the schools. The questionnaire items were created by modifying existing ones and applying knowledge from the literature and study objectives. Since, the goal of students’ questionnaire is to assess how their teachers’ practice of vocabulary teaching tactics in the EFL classrooms.
3.3.3. Classroom Observation
When doing descriptive research or any other sort of qualitative research, observations are a valuable tool for obtaining accurate and relevant information about how instructors and students behave in real-world settings. This data collection tool was utilized by the researcher in the current study as an additional instrument to capture the information needed for the investigation. In order to determine if the instructors' and students' answers to the questionnaires and interview questions reflect what they really did in the EFL lessons, the teachers' classrooms were watched for 40 minutes each, three days a week, in the morning and afternoon.
3.4. Data Collection Procedure
All required protocols were adhered to during the data collection phase of the current investigation. Thus, with permission from the principals of the schools, the researcher saw EFL classrooms six times per, at various times. Following the instructors' observations in the classroom, a sample of grade nine and ten EFL teachers were interviewed to learn more about their understanding of and approach to teaching vocabulary. In addition, the difficulties teachers have while implementing vocabulary teaching techniques in EFL classrooms were highlighted. Lastly, questionnaires were given to instructors and students at the schools in addition to the teachers' interview so that everyone could observe how the teachers implemented vocabulary teaching techniques in their EFL classrooms.
3.5. Methods of Data Analysis
In order to examine the problem under investigation from both a quantitative and qualitative standpoint, the researcher used mixed method data analysis for this investigation. Closed-ended item responses were tabulated, evaluated, and quantitatively represented using percentage and frequency values. These statistical methods are crucial to the study because they provide the average participant score on a given measure. Nevertheless, a qualitative approach to data analysis was used to examine the information gathered from the interview and observation items, interpreting the results through the use of narrative form.
4. Data Analysis and Interpretation
4.1. Introduction
The basic research questions posed in the problem statement are addressed in this chapter through the analysis and discussion of the data gathered from participants. This study's main goal was to evaluate grade nine and ten EFL teachers’ knowledge of and use of vocabulary teaching tactics in English EFL lessons. Consequently, it was anticipated that classroom observations as a sample would be sufficient for the analysis, and 180 students in grades nine and ten completed the questionnaires. Additionally, sixteen EFL teachers participated in the interview. The fundamental research issues posed in the study's first chapter were taken into consideration when doing the analysis.
4.2. Results of the Study
4.2.1. Teachers’ Awareness Towards the Principles and Purposes of Vocabulary Teaching Strategies
The teaching and learning process include vocabulary teaching concepts, one of which is teachers' understanding of vocabulary teaching tactics. Accordingly, when asked if they were aware of vocabulary teaching methodologies, their guiding principles, and their objectives, instructors were requested to respond honestly. The instructors who were questioned stated that employing many dimensions in the teaching and acquisition of vocabulary in EFL classrooms should be taken into consideration when developing vocabulary teaching techniques. Even though they believed that using various tactics for teaching vocabulary would be beneficial, the researcher did not see them when they successfully used various techniques in their language lessons.
Consequently, there has been a lack of consistency between the results of the questionnaire and observation and the data analysis obtained through interview. In response to the first interview question, for instance, practically all teachers acknowledged the value of practicing vocabulary teaching techniques and stated that they used these techniques in their EFL lessons. From this, it may be inferred that a lack of knowledge exists regarding the guiding concepts and objectives of the various tactics used in vocabulary instruction. When the guiding principles and intentions are not understood, it is possible to stray from the intended goals.
Furthermore, adopting a variety of vocabulary tactics is crucial for learners, according to data collected from the teachers. However, when vocabulary education in the classroom, they did not put various techniques into practice. In response to questions on their reasons for not applying, instructors stated that they lacked the necessary resources, such as dictionaries and training on vocabulary teaching techniques, to use these techniques in EFL classrooms and provide their pupils with a working vocabulary.
Additionally, the results of the observation of classrooms confirmed that most teachers saw vocabulary instruction as a tool to increase student performance rather than as a technique to help students learn via vocabulary knowledge. Put differently, they misappropriate student outcomes for the purpose of passing or failing students in the classroom. It was found that the majority of EFL teachers teaching grades nine and ten realized that their methods of teaching vocabulary conflicted with the notion of the subject's guiding principles.
Teachers were asked, "To which one of the tactics they give importance most of the time during vocabulary instruction?" in reference to this concept. The majority of them stated that when it comes to topic practice in EFL classrooms, they prioritize contextual strategies. In response, they stated that because contextual technique is simple to implement in EFL classes and can be used from personal experience, it is beneficial for both instructors and students.
Since this might be employed in a variety of sentences to convey several interpretations of a single word, teachers can present their pupils a range of sentences based on the appropriateness of each word. The cooperative technique was prioritized by the other teachers since it increases practice opportunities and helps students recall more vocabulary. These reasons make it clear that the majority of EFL teachers appear to underestimate the significance of employing various vocabulary teaching tactics, which are essential to the teaching and acquisition of vocabulary. According to the majority of interviewees, teachers want to teach vocabulary lessons that use various vocabulary teaching tactics by integrating other language skills; however, they seldom put these strategies into reality in the classroom. This is consistent with their experiences utilizing various vocabulary teaching strategies in EFL classrooms.
The major goals of using various vocabulary teaching tactics are to enhance learning and mold the educational process, therefore this notion did not always align with those goals or the guiding principles of doing so. As a result, the goals and tenets of teaching vocabulary are at odds with the instructors' answers. This is among the signs that point to a lack of understanding of the primary goals of vocabulary teaching techniques in the process of teaching and learning vocabulary.
Overall, it is clear from the study above that EFL instructors of grades nine and ten have a sufficient theoretical comprehension of vocabulary teaching tactics, goals, and concepts, but not a practical one. Their experience of utilizing different tactics in the EFL classroom, especially in vocabulary sessions, is negatively impacted by this.
4.2.2. Teachers’ Practices of Vocabulary Teaching Strategies in EFL Classes
All of the teachers who were interviewed were questioned about the vocabulary teaching techniques they use in their EFL lessons in accordance with the interview questions. As a result, every educator who was questioned made an effort to enumerate the following, one by one. These participants claim that there are few vocabulary teaching tactics that they regularly use while instructing and studying vocabulary. "As far as our understanding is concerned, there was no attempt to employ alternative vocabulary teaching tactics; we just use approach that is for us," several of the instructors retorted. Teachers 1–11.
"We know that adopting varied vocabulary teaching tactics in our vocabulary sessions are beneficial for students," was the response given by the other instructors to this point. However, a variety of reasons prevented these from being used. Based on the previously disclosed information, it can be concluded that EFL instructors and interviewees employ a restricted range of vocabulary teaching techniques during vocabulary instruction. This can have an impact on the students' vocabulary development. Since the EFL teachers may ensure that their students’ progress in different directions by utilizing a variety of tactics in their vocabulary classes.
This suggests that students' language skills are better mastered when a variety of tactics are employed in the classroom. In an interactive learning approach, vocabulary self-selection encourages word consciousness since students actively choose key terms from their reading to discuss with their classmates, as Siyanova A. et al. pointed out
| [6] | Breen, M. & C. N. Candling. (1980) the Essentials of a Communicative Curriculum in Language Teaching. Applied Linguistics. |
[6]
. Regarding this, item 6 in the table below inquired as to whether the instructors used the self-selection vocabulary teaching technique in their English classrooms to help students understand the meaning of terms. As a result, 3 respondents (18.75%) always used the self-selection technique while receiving vocabulary instructions.
Conversely, 4 (or 25%) of them claimed to do so occasionally and commonly, respectively. However, 6 (31.75%) of the respondents admitted that they only infrequently used self-selection. This is consistent with what the researcher saw in the real classroom. The self-selection technique, which helps pupils utilize language more effectively, was not being used by the teachers throughout the observation sessions. Regarding issue 7, nearly half of the respondents (8, or 50%) acknowledged that they did not frequently use the self-selection vocabulary teaching approach.
Table 1. Summary Teachers’ Responses in line with Practicing Vocabulary Teaching Strategies in EFL Classes.
No Vocabulary Teaching Strategies | Scales |
5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
F % | F % F | % F % | F % | F % |
1. Teachers employ self-selection techniques while instructing vocabulary. | 3, 18.75 | 4, 25 | 4, 25 | 5, 31.25 | 0 |
2. In EFL lessons, teachers employ task-based tactics. | 3 18.75 | 1 6.25 | 4 25 | 8 50 | 0 |
3. Opportunities for peer communication are provided to students during vocabulary lessons. | 4 25 | 3 18.75 | 3 18.75 | 5 31.25 | 0 |
4. The amount of practice teachers get based on appropriateness | - - | 3 18.75 | 4 25 | 6 37.5 | 3 18.75 |
5. How much cooperative teaching and learning is used by instructors during vocabulary lessons | 2, 12.5 | 2, 12.5 | 4, 25 | 8, 50 | 0 |
6. The degree to which teachers use context to teach vocabulary | 2, 12.5 | 9, 56.25 | 4, 25 | 1, 6.25 | 0 |
7. Teachers employ collocation method when teaching vocabulary in vocabulary lessons. | 3, 18.75 | 3, 18.75 | 3, 18.75 | 7, 43.75 | 0 |
8. Teachers put their vocabulary teaching skills into practice. | 2, 12.5 | 2, 12.5 | 5, 31.25 | 4, 25 | 3, 18.75 |
9. Teachers utilize definitional contextual cues while teaching vocabulary. | 1, 6.25 | 6, 37.5 | 4, 25 | 2, 12.5 | 0 |
10. Contextual cues that teachers employ in vocabulary lessons | 1, 6.25 | 6, 37.5 | 4, 25 | 2, 12.5 | 3, 18.75 |
11. Facilitation of meaning practice in groups by teachers and learners | 2, 12.5 | 3, 18.75 | 4, 25 | 6, 37.5 | 3, 18.75 |
N. B (F=Frequency, %= Percentage, and (Scales: Always=5, usually=4, Sometimes=3, rarely=2, Never=1
In contrast, 3 respondents (18.75%) and 1 respondent (6.25%) said they did so always, and occasionally, respectively. In light of this, the concept presented in the above table appears to suggest that respondents in the English departments of the chosen secondary schools did not typically employ the self-selection vocabulary teaching technique for items 6 and 7, respectively.
As a result, the self-selection method was rarely applied in vocabulary classes. Possessing a large enough vocabulary helps language learners communicate, even when they don't understand language structures well enough. Consequently, three respondents (18.75%) to item 3 on classroom communication said that they frequently encourage their students to practice communicative methods in order to optimize communication opportunities, sometimes and always.
This contradicts, however, what the current researcher saw in the classroom, since the majority of teachers in the EFL courses did not practice allowing their pupils to speak with their peers or the teacher. Conversely, 2 (12.25%) and 6 (50%) of the respondents claimed to regularly and infrequently use communicative strategies while teaching vocabulary, respectively. Contrarily, observations made in classrooms revealed that just 7 (43.75%) of the teachers used this technique.
Item 9 asks respondents to practice various vocabulary teaching tactics according to their applicability. Almost half of the respondents (56.25%) said they practiced seldom. On the other hand, four respondents (25%) and eighteen (77.75%) said they practiced occasionally and generally, respectively. Nevertheless, nearly all of the teachers were seen hurrying from one task to another without considering other approaches during inspections in the classroom.
In addition, items 5 and 11 inquired as to whether or not the teachers divided the class into several groups for vocabulary instruction. In light of this, 1 (6.25%) and 2 (12.25%) of the respondents in Items 5 and 11 respectively stated that they always and generally divided their students into groups while teaching vocabulary, whereas 4 (25%) and 6 (56.25%) of them in Items 5 and 11 respectively stated that they occasionally and infrequently use cooperative technique. This proved that the majority of teachers were not seen efficiently dividing the class into smaller groups throughout the observation sessions nearly half of them failed to do so. This suggests that it is crucial to follow the advice of
| [2] | Anderson, R. & Nagy, W. (1992). The Vocabulary Conundrum. American Psychologist, 30, 821-828. |
[2]
, who advises setting up the class and small groups for vocabulary instruction.
When words are used in context, learners are more likely to understand not just the meaning of the words but also their normal surroundings, such as related collocations or grammatical structures
| [16] | Schmitt, N. (2000). Vocabulary in language teaching: Cambridge Language Education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. |
[16]
. By drawing links between a new word and the text it occurs in, students may learn from context. Consequently, 2 (12.5%), 6 (56.25%), and 4 (25%) of the respondents stated that they practiced context clues always, generally, and occasionally, respectively, to assist the students in understanding phrases that they were unfamiliar with.
In line with item 7, revealed, and 2 (12.25%) confirmed that respondents always practiced how words go together to enhance student’s vocabulary use; while 3 (18.75%) of them answered that they usually and sometimes did so. Whereas 5 (31.25%) of the respondents replied that they practiced collocation strategy rarely. The mean value of item 12 (3.15) further shows that the respondents sometimes practiced this strategy to encourage their students to understand how to use words according to their collocation. This implies the importance of obeying
| [3] | Barcroft, J. (2004). Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition: A lexical input approach. Foreign Language Annals, 200-208. |
[3]
who recommended collocations are very important part of second language vocabulary teaching.
Word meanings can be inferred from context information. The phrase containing the term or a nearby location in the text may include such hints. In order to emphasize textual clues that lead to the meaning of the target word, practicing various kinds of context cues is necessary during vocabulary instruction. Students' ability to identify textual cues will improve as a result. Synonyms, meanings, contrasts, antonyms, and instances are some of the hints.
Accordingly, the questions in items 9 and 10 focused on whether or not the teachers used definitional and various kinds of context hints while teaching vocabulary. Thus, 1 (6.25%) and 2 (12.5%) of the respondents said that they regularly and infrequently practiced using context cues, respectively. In contrast, six respondents (56.25%) and four respondents (25%) said that they exercised definitional cues and other context clues both frequently and seldom during vocabulary training in EFL classrooms. In addition to the instructors' interview, ninth-grade students were asked to provide their opinions on the ways in which teachers implement vocabulary teaching tactics in the instruction of vocabulary in EFL classrooms. Consequently, their summary is included in the table below.
Teachers help students choose their own language by including them in the process, which is consistent with the self-selection technique. Following a brief reading from the book with the teacher, the students read in small groups of three to five. The instructor provides guidance to help them choose a term. To determine the meaning of a word, the teacher provides examples of how to utilize context and additional resources
| [17] | Siyanova, A. & Schmitt, N. (2008) L2 learner production and processing of collocation: A multi-study perspective. Canadian Modern Language Review, 64(3), 429-458. |
[17]
. The percentage of item 7 (50%) that is titled "words infrequently" is evident from the above. This could indicate that the EFL teachers in the selected Secondary Schools do not always practice self-selection strategy to engage students so that they do not get exposed to practice this strategy from a short passage or from the book with the teacher.
Table 2. Students’ response regarding to their teachers’ practice/use of vocabulary teaching strategies in EFL classes.
No | Vocabulary Teaching Strategies | Scales |
5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
F % | F % | F % | F % | F % |
1. | Self-selection strategies teachers use while vocabulary teaching | 3, 19.21 | 13, 4.43 | 11, 71.5 | 90, 34 | 66, 2.52 |
2. | Task based strategies teachers use in EFL classes | 17, 14.4 | 19, 21.1 | 54, 28.9 | 30, 35.6 | 60, 33 |
3. | Opportunities given for students to communicate in peers in vocabulary lesson | 22, 13.3 | 19, 21.1 | 87, 30.0 | 32, 35 | 6, 30 16.5 |
4. | How much teachers practice according to their suitability | 13, 3.85 | 19, 21.1 | 28, 24.8 | 90, 34 | 30, 16.5 |
5. | The extent to which teachers practice cooperative teaching- learning strategy in vocabulary lesson | 25, 16.7 | 10, 11.1 | 25, 27.8 | 90, 34 | 30, 16.5 |
6. | The extent to which teachers teach vocabulary through context | 32, 24.4 | 31, 34.4 | 24, 26.4 | 63, 14.4 | 30, 16.5 |
7 | Collocation strategy teachers use in vocabulary in vocabulary lesson | 18, 8.9 | 10, 11.1 | 32, 35.6 | 90, 50 | 33, 18.3 |
8 | Teachers practice of different vocabulary teaching strategies | 21, 12..2 | 74, 22.01 | 28, 31.1 | 33, 36.7 | 34, 23.7 |
9 | Definitional contextual clues teachers use in vocabulary teaching | 20, 12.5 | 30, 33.3 | 20, 24.1 | 81, 24.1 | 30, 16.5 |
10 | Types of contextual clues teachers use in vocabulary lesson | 10, 11.1 | 40, 34.4 | 23, 25.5 | 47, 18.9 | 60, 33 |
205 | Teachers-learners facilitations to practice meaning in group | 21, 12.2 | 31, 23.3 | 35, 27.8 | 33, 18.3 | 31, 17.2 |
N.B (F=Frequency, %= Percentage, and (Scales: Always=5, usually=4, Sometimes=3, rarely=2, Never=1
In order to encourage them to ask questions and freely express their opinions, the students were also asked if their teachers used task-based vocabulary education. For instance, in the extracted items 2, 3, and 11, it is stated whether or not the instructors provided their students with opportunities to engage in a communicative learning process. This way, the students assume responsibility for initiating conversations and communicating with classmates and teachers to enhance their vocabulary use after receiving task-based and communicative training. For this reason, teachers have a variety of choices for improving student attention while teaching vocabulary through projects. Allowing students to collaborate on activities to make sense of new terminology is one of these approaches. The function of the instructor in communicative language teaching with regard to communicative vocabulary Teaching vocabulary in particular involves facilitating activities in the classroom and assigning homework that requires students to work in groups or pairs. For learners to receive messages and ideas, instruction is crucial. To the advantage of students, teachers are expected to fulfill all requirements.
Additionally, item 8 was created to gather data from students whose teachers employ several vocabulary teaching techniques in which students are challenged to expand their vocabulary and deepen their comprehension of vocabulary use, then practice two or more of these techniques simultaneously. This suggests that EFL teachers do not frequently employ various vocabulary teaching techniques as a means of assisting students in honing their vocabulary use.
Likewise, over the course of the observations conducted in the classroom, only few of the teachers attempted to implement different vocabulary teaching tactics based on their applicability. Once more, the above table shows that 22.2% of the percentage falls into the seldom bracket. This indicates that teachers often do not attempt to utilize cooperative technique to group or pair students so that they may participate in the activities and get interested in the language they are teaching. This suggests that while teaching vocabulary, teachers may not be paying enough attention to utilizing group or cooperative instruction. The outcomes of the classroom observations supported this as well.
Items 9, 10, and 11 highlighted whether or not the professors provided helpful text to place the terms in context, and students are more likely to infer meaning from a context. The students were also asked if their teachers helped them to find out the meaning of new words using definitional context clues or through other sorts of context clues. It has been noted that removing words from their context reduces the chance of understanding and retention
| [17] | Siyanova, A. & Schmitt, N. (2008) L2 learner production and processing of collocation: A multi-study perspective. Canadian Modern Language Review, 64(3), 429-458. |
[17]
and that new vocabulary should only be encountered in sentences and relevant situations. The results would seem to suggest that the teachers attempted to practice this strategy more than the other strategies to enhance the students’ strategy to understand the meaning of unfamiliar words and develop their ability to practice how to guess the meaning of new words through this type of contextual clues. Likewise, this is very consistent with what the present researcher observed in the classrooms.
4.3. Result Discussion
This study's primary goal was to find out how EFL teachers in the classes used vocabulary teaching tactics and how aware they were of them. The goals and guiding ideas of vocabulary teaching techniques were the main areas of awareness for EFL teachers. Additionally, the practice examines the tactics and frequency of use in EFL classrooms. In accordance with certain empirical findings, the findings from the examination of the data from the questionnaire, observations, and interviews are presented.
Finding out EFL instructors' understanding of the goals and guiding principles of vocabulary teaching methodologies was the aim of the first study question. It was inquired as to whether or not educators are aware of the goals and tenets of vocabulary instruction techniques. The overall conclusion drawn from the interview in this respect was that the majority of EFL instructors teaching grade nine seemed to have doubts about the fact that EFL teachers employ a variety of vocabulary teaching methodologies when instructing and learning vocabulary. Based on this concept, it may be concluded that EFL teachers do not fully comprehend the tenets and objectives of vocabulary teaching methodologies.
The results of this study also appear to corroborate the findings of
| [4] | Bejarano, Y. (1987). A cooperative small-group methodology in the language classroom. TESOL Quarterly, 21, 483-501. |
[4]
, which stated that instructors' understanding of the goals and guiding principles of vocabulary teaching methodologies was inadequate. This conclusion, however, conflicts with
| [12] | Haggard, M. R. (1982). The Vocabulary Self-Collection strategy: An active approach to word learning. Journal of Reading, 27(3), 203–207. |
[12]
, which discovered that the majority of Tareff Science teachers' college in Niger has a sufficient comprehension of the underlying goals and concepts of vocabulary teaching tactics, despite their informal approach to implementing them in the classroom.
Examining the extent to which EFL teachers use vocabulary teaching strategies in their own EFL classes was the second research question. This question was created to evaluate how various strategies were used in vocabulary lessons in EFL classes (i.e., how frequently teachers used these strategies in their EFL classes).
As was already mentioned, the researcher's first area of focus was on vocabulary teaching strategies used by teachers to help students learn and teach vocabulary. The study's findings demonstrated how little vocabulary teaching strategies are used by teachers to help students learn and grow in vocabulary. The results of this study generally corroborate/conform with those of
| [8] | Carter, R. (1998). Vocabulary: Applied linguistic perspective (1st Ed.). London, UK: Rout ledge. |
[8]
, which indicated that different strategies were being improperly used in classrooms. Regarding this matter,
| [11] | Dessie Berhanu (1988). An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Modern Vocabulary Teaching Methods and the extent to which these are implemented in Freshman English Courses, Addis Ababa: Addis Ababa University. |
[11]
further emphasized that using various vocabulary teaching strategies by teachers in secondary schools is inappropriate (i. e., the strategies that teachers should be using are insufficient).
The results of the study
| [5] | Berhane Achame (1998). An Exploration of Vocabulary Teaching in Primary Schools. Addis Ababa: Addis Ababa University. |
[5]
indicated that the schools under investigation did not properly practice teaching vocabulary. When it comes to the different methods that EFL teachers employ to evaluate their students' writing abilities,
| [17] | Siyanova, A. & Schmitt, N. (2008) L2 learner production and processing of collocation: A multi-study perspective. Canadian Modern Language Review, 64(3), 429-458. |
[17]
said that "in vocabulary instruction, the students' advancement in a course, interests, work behavior, and self-esteem would be assessed through using variety of strategies." The learners' vocabulary knowledge can be enhanced with the use of these various vocabulary teaching techniques
| [14] | Nation, I. S. P. (2001). Learning vocabulary in another language. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. |
[14]
. But according to information gathered from student respondents, teachers in grade nine and ten EFL classrooms essentially ignored the use of different vocabulary teaching strategies during vocabulary lessons.
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