Using Output Tasks to Improve 11th Graders’ English Vocabulary: An Action Research Project

Abstract

The study adopted an action research design to investigate the effectiveness of output tasks in increasing vocabulary for grade-11 students at a high school in Vinh Phuc Province, Vietnam. The study was conducted for 40 participants whose English proficiency was assessed at the levels of A2 or B1. In the study, several output tasks, mostly creative ones that involved prompting students to actively use their vocabulary in spoken or written production, were incorporated into the lessons using the textbook Tiếng Anh 11- Global Success. To assess the impact of the output tasks, the researcher employed multiple data collection tools. Pre-and post-study tests assessed improvement in the students’ vocabulary knowledge, while questionnaires mainly explored their attitudes towards the implemented activities and vocabulary learning. The teacher’s observation also helped provide valuable insights into students’ engagement and learning progress. After the two action research cycles, the results revealed that the students made satisfactory progress in their English vocabulary. The results also indicated that the students held positive attitudes towards the output activities in particular and vocabulary learning in general. This study, therefore, has pedagogical implications for the use of output tasks in facilitating English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) vocabulary acquisition.