ASSESSING THE ROLE OF VOCABULARY KNOWLEDGE IN READING COMPREHENSION OF LEARNERS
Assistant Professor Nagdeve S. R.
“Language is the expression of human personality in words, written or spoken.”
-Robert Hads One of the main function of education is to develop in the individual ability to communicate with other others as well as to express himself in suitable language. With this basic orientation, personality development remains, a mere rhetoric. According to H.W.
Beacher, “Words are pages to hang ideas on”. Means thoughts and speech are closely inter- woven. They grow and decay to-gether. Man thinks and dream in language. Vocabulary is the first step to teach a language. “Research on vocabulary is therefore, of fundamental importance with regard to curriculum and instruction”.
Olson rightly observes in this connection “To a require pupil to read a book he cannot read with understanding will only result in confusing him.”
Language is a predominant tool of human communication. It is a symbolic system.
Words are concrete symbols representing relatively abstract ideas. It is a code whereby ideas about the world are represented through a connectional system of arbitrary symbols for communication. Language plays an important role in education. It becomes an index of a learner‟s progress. It is necessary for a child to learn language because it is through language that a child is going to express his/her ideas in all the areas of his/her life. As a child grows in age, his/her use of language has to satisfy supplementary demands at school and society at large. Language enables humans to open the arch of knowledge.
1 ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN INDIA
English holds the status of second language, medium of direction and partner Official Language, and also has the status of library language for containing the most modern awareness of science and automation besides being a treasure house of world literature.
language is a window to the knowledge of the world. It functions as a information language, as well as a link language. Learning English thus helps extremely for optimizing the academic achievement of a child. It is therefore essential to enrich English language. The University Education Commission 1948 headed by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan as well as the Secondary Education Commission 1952-53 headed by Dr. L. S. Mudaliar have emphasized the need for the study of English in high schools and universities. In the three-language formula English has been given a well known status. The Indian Education Commission 1964-1966 headed by Dr. D.S. Kothari recommended English to be link language and medium of instruction in universities. They have highlighted its importance as international language. The 1986 policy on education has recommended that English should be stronger.
Indian Education Commission (1964 – 1966) has recommended that, “a strong foundation in the language will have to be laid at the school stage”. This envisages compulsory study of English either as a second language or as a third language, for English is the only means of preventing our isolation from the world and preventing ourselves to be enveloped in the folds of a dark curtain of ignorance. This makes us to visualize the role and importance of English language in all walks of human life. N.P.E. also emphasized on English language.
2 IMPORTANCE OF VOCABULARY KNOWLEDGE
Vocabulary means words that are used in day today‟s life for giving an outlet to human‟s feeling and thoughts. A word is a basic unit of any language form. H. Dippie in his work suggestions for primary school teachers in India considered, “words are like bottles and contains ideas just as bottles contain medicines. The things that are important for us in words are the ideas that they embody and not their sounds or shapes when written or printed, they only exist for what they contain”. The words in a language may be limited but sentences formed with those limited words will be infinite. Frisby has pointed out that it is obvious, if we do not know the words of a language, we cannot speak the language. On the other hand, learning a language does not mean merely learning the words and substituting these words for the corresponding words in our own language. For learners, it is important
to learn a certain amount of vocabulary to communicate their ideas. The total number of words known to learners are given appropriate meanings or used in context; that is the vocabulary of an individual. Now the question arises whether every learner of English language is well equipped with vocabulary or not.
In every sphere of knowledge vocabulary is of great importance. Not only it records, conveys, communicates and expresses the idea thought and importance but it also measures the amount and achievement a person gains in certain sphere of knowledge.
Many times to test the general ability are composed of vocabulary/ now it is admitted fact that better command a child has on his vocabulary, the better result he obtains in his achievement.
The significance of vocabulary in measuring the achievement of a child is emphasised by garrison (1952) in three words, “the number of words a child knows determines in language measure his school progress and normally has for reading significance, words are means by which child leans about his words. If his knowledge of words is grossly inadequate the interpretation of his environment will be correspondingly so”.
It is not feasible for us to learn all the words entire language. We have to depend on a list of selected words. We hold those words many times in speech, reading and writing.
So, the minimum number of words, i.e. the Oxford 3000, is very essential for acquiring mastery over the four aspects of English language. This list of words is termed as the foot vocabulary. Vocabulary development is generally thought of as the procedure of increasing over store of words and meanings. Vocabulary development consists of a great deal more and must consists word power, which is the power to deal effectively with new words and with new meanings for old words when they are encountered. Vocabulary development therefore consists of both knowledge and skills. Word knowledge includes knowledge of specific words and specific meanings, but more fundamentally it includes knowledge of how words acquire meanings and how they convey meanings. The skills of vocabulary are the skills required to work out a meaning for a word through use of context and clues, which are provided by word parts.
The National Reading Panel (2000) concluded that comprehension development cannot be understood without a critical examination of the role played by vocabulary knowledge. Given that students success in school and beyond depends in great measure upon their ability to read with comprehension, there is urgency to providing instruction that equips students with the skills and strategies necessary for lifelong vocabulary development. Without sufficient vocabulary, one cannot communicate effectively or express ideas. So, Vocabulary development is essential for children to become independent readers and to develop the background knowledge needed to understand both stories and academic texts.
2.1 Importance of the Study
At present we find that the standard of teaching English is falling constantly. People think that learning English will make them think in western style. The feeling of slavery is not yet out but it would be brought in other way that if English is ignored our nation will scientifically and technically left behind. in order to keep pace with others nations learning English is necessary.
According to Indian Education Commission 1964-1966 “If we give up English, we would cut ourselves off from the living stream of our growing knowledge. Unable to have access to this knowledge English is the only mean of preventing our isolation from the world and we will act unwisely if we allow ourselves to be developed in the folds of dark curtain of ignorance”.
John Drink Water says, “Words are the bricks with which by skilful and imaginative arrangement, the poetry and literature of the world has been built”. As I have mentioned earlier, vocabulary is important for learners to be successful in four aspects listening, speaking, reading and writing, this study is to assess the level of vocabulary of the learners.
So, it could be feasible for a language teacher to concentrate on vocabulary development in the learners to increase the ability of listening, speaking, reading and writing with comprehension in context. There are possibilities that this study could help teachers to change an appropriate plan to teach vocabulary to the learners. The students should have
certain level of vocabulary at fifth grade, so this study seeks to survey the level of vocabulary of the learners in English as a second language.
2.2 Objectives
a) To develop a set of lists of vocabulary test for fifth grade.
b) To assess the level of the vocabulary knowledge of the learners at fifth grade.
c) To study the difference in vocabulary among boys and girls in English as a second language.
2.3 Methodology
The study undertaken is survey in nature. The design that is used for the study is a vocabulary test at fifth grade students in ten schools, two government schools, and eight private schools. The samples selected for this study is from Amritsar district in Punjab. A convenient sampling technique was used while choosing schools. In Amritsar there are number of schools, located in the various parts of this area. Therefore, due to the time constraints, the investigator selected ten schools in order to administer the test on the acquisition of vocabulary in second language English. A survey study is used in this study to explain the outcome of the results from the tests from ten schools.
2.4 Sample
This study has convenient sample, the primary School students, from fifth grade, two Government schools and eight private schools at Amritsar district in Punjab. The researcher has visited all ten schools.
S.NO. NAME OF SCHOOL NUMBER OF CHILDREN
1 C.L.H. Sr. Sec. School, Putlighar 5
2 Amarjyoti Sr. Sec. School, Putlighar 5
3 Ideal Sr. Sec. School, Islamaba 5
4 Dr Modern Sr. Sec. School, Chherta 5
5 Govt. Sr. Sec. School Putlighar 5
6 Govt. Sr. Sec. School Gawal 5
7 Mandhi Navjot School Sr. Sec. School, Batala Road 5 8 BABA School Sr. Sec. School, Majitha Road 5
9 New model high school, Katra 5
10 Baghyan Rastrya Bal Siksha Kendra 5
TOTAL 50
2.5 Description of the test
A set of Vocabulary test for fifth grade was developed by the investigator with the help of experts in the field of Education.
The Description of Vocabulary Test Items
1. Picture Recognition 2. Numbers
3. Word Puzzle 4. Match 5. Opposites 6. Missing letters
7. Arrange spelling meaningful word order 8. Plural forms
2.6 Pilot Study
The vocabulary test was tried out to a sample of 15 students of fifth grade in Amritsar to know any obscurity or error in the test items and also to find out difficulties of students in answering the items on the basis of the try out results, the items were then revised and arranged accordingly and the final form of vocabulary test was prepared 2021
2.7 Administration of the test
After selecting the samples from the schools through convenient sampling method, the investigator visited each school and administered the test. The students were given all the important instruction before writing the test. The test was of 60 minutes duration and
consisting of 50 marks. The data was collected through a set of vocabulary test at fifth grade class from 10 different schools.
2.8 Data Analysis and Interpretation
The analyses have been carried out descriptively, inferentially and are presented section wise.
In the above chart the data is conferred in the form of percentages under three categories such as below average, average and above average. The ranges 0 – 15, 16 – 35 and 36 – 50 are considered as below average, average and above average respectively. It is seen that 22.0% of the boys and 20.00% of girls have secured below average marks (0-15), 42.0% of both boys and girls have secured average marks (16-35) and 36.0% of the boys and 38.0%
of girls have secured above average marks (36-50). On the whole, it is observed that 21.0%
of the students have secured below average, 42.0% of the students have secured average and 37.0% of the students secured above average marks. From this it may be referred that utmost of the students showed an average performance on vocabulary acquisition test. The histogram shows that it is not an exact normal probability curve. Because here we get mean tykbZ&fnlEcj2018tqykbZ&flrEcj] 2021 265 (28.33), median (30) and mode (31.46) so from that it could be concluded that mean is not equal to median and not equal to mode (Mean „“
Median „“ Mode).
Research question No – 1
Do the learners of fifth grade possess English Language Vocabulary expected of their grade?
In the total number of students 50, the mean score is 28.33 which is less than median score 30. The skewness is negatively distributed -0.28. So, this shows that learners have average English language vocabulary expected of their grade. The kurtosis value is -1.02, that shows it is the nature of platokurtic. The learners scored in gradual level. Still most of the pupil are in the average category. So, there is need to refine the level of the learners vocabulary in English language.
Research question No – 2
Is there any difference in vocabulary among Boys and Girls at the fifth grade?
The mean, standard deviation and the value of the fifth-grade boys and girls with reference to acquisition of vocabulary in second language English is represented in the following table:
The above table reveals that the calculated “t value is 0.75 at 0.05 level of significance. Therefore, a null hypothesis is accepted as it describes that, there is no significant difference between boys and girls in the acquisition of vocabulary by the fifth- class students in second language English. The analysis part shows the result that the most of the learners have the vocabulary which is the expected of their level, they fell in the average category. There is need the vocabulary to be developed in English as second language. Then the results of both boys and girls showed no-significant different between them in the level of their vocabulary in English language.
3 FINDINGS
The present study was intended to find out the level of vocabulary of the 5thgrade students in the second language English. The capacity of the students in the level of vocabulary in English is not found up to the expected level. The data was examined by dividing the students under three categories such as below average, average and above average. Another factor which influences the students language learning is, in government schools the students are not aware of the importance of learning English as a second language. English vocabulary is taught through grammar translation method by using regional language, Punjab. Majority of teachers do not give significance to spoken English in schools. It is a common scrutiny that the students learn English language just for the sake of examination.
The findings of the study clearly stipulate that the level of vocabulary of the learners in second language English is not up to the expected level. There is need for developing the vocabulary skill of the learners in English language to expand the communication skill in English language. Vocabulary is the heart for any language skills such as basic and advanced skills such as Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing, then the reference skill, study skill and etc.
4 CONCLUSION
This study leads to understand the essential role of vocabulary skill to support the communication skill in English as a second language to be developed to meet the needs of the society. The findings exhibit that the level of vocabulary of the learners is not up to the expected level, majority of the learners fall in the average category. It opens our eyes to elixir more on vocabulary development in the learners at the primary stage as the basis for learning English language successfully.
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