Effects of Communication-Based Translation Activities on EFL High School Students’ Vocabulary Achievement

Abstract

Effects of Communication-Based Translation Activities on EFL High School Students’ Vocabulary Achievement Pham Ngoc Truong Linh Abstract In most EFL contexts of Vietnam high schools, vocabulary learning is accompanied with long lists of L1 equivalents in the grammar-translation method (GTM), which is criticized for abusing translation, focusing much on form and structure, lacking space for communicative performance; whereas the communicative language teaching (CLT) is more preferred in modern language teaching trends because it motivates learners’ discovery, participation and communication. How likely is it to integrate translation withCLT in communication-based translation activities (CTAs)? This study suggests some models of CTAs for teaching and learning EFL vocabulary at high school in Vietnam then tests their effects in an experimental project with 73 tenth-graders in two groups (with and without CTAs application), pre-post tests and a survey. After 8 weeks of treatment, the results highlighted CTAs in enhancing students’ vocabulary achievement both in recognition and its assistance in subsequent productive skills while GTM only improved students’ receptive vocabulary knowledge. Additionally, the survey indicated the experimental students’ positive attitudes, which were statistically influenced by their L1 and translation habits except for their gender. The study is supposed to provide practical implications for improving EFL students’ vocabulary and communicative performance at high school in Vietnam and those with similar contexts. Full Text: PDF DOI: 10.15640/ijlc.v5n2a3