UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE EDUCACIÓN Carrera de: Pedagogía de los Idiomas Nacionales y Extranjeros Teaching and learning vocabulary using flashcards to high school students at a public institution in academic year 2021- 2022. Trabajo de Integración Curricular previo a la obtención del título de Licenciado/a en Pedagogía del Idioma Inglés Autor: Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle CI: 0104838172 Autor: Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana CI: 0107567919 Tutor: PhD. Uvaldo Recino Pineda CI: 1756655393 Azogues - Ecuador Marzo,2022 2 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana Agradecimiento y/o dedicatoria Gratitude First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to God and my parents, who have been the fundamental pillars in my life and whose blessings have allowed me to get to where I am today. I would also like to thank the Antonio Avila Maldonado high school for opening its doors and allowing me to carry out the entire research process. My deepest and most sincere thanks to all the officials and staff who are part of the Universidad de Educación (UNAE) for allowing me to be part of the university every day. I thank with all my soul to all my professors who were my guides from the first semester to the last one. They were a fundamental part of my educational process because they not only shared with me their valuable knowledge, which made me grow day by day, but they also supported me and were my advisors. Thanks to all of you for your patience, dedication, unconditional support, and friendship. Finally, I would like to express my greatest and most sincere gratitude to Uvaldo Recino, Ph.D., who was my main guide throughout this process. He helped me complete this research work successfully; his support, knowledge, and above all, patience, were extremely significant. 3 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana Acknowledgment My infinite gratitude to God and the Virgin, who were my compass day by day during my years of studies. Eternal gratitude to my family, for being day by day supporting me to continue standing. They are the most sacred thing I have in life. Thank you for being my main motivators and helping me to be what I am now; without you and your advice, your love, and affection, I would not be where I am. Thank you, mom, siblings, and grandparents. I love you very much. I am also incredibly grateful to my thesis tutor, Uvaldo Recino Pineda, Ph.D., whose support, patience, knowledge, and advice were especially useful in the development of this undertaking. Furthermore, I want to thank all the teachers of my major, who knew how to support me and walk with me to achieve my goals. Thanks to all of you for giving me your knowledge, patience, love, and friendship. I would like to thank my beloved "Universidad Nacional de Educación", for having allowed me to be formed in it and to spend one of the best stages of my life. My sincere thanks to "Unidad Educativa Antonio Avila Maldonado", and its teachers, particularly its English teacher, for all their support, for trusting me, opening their doors, and allowing me to carry out the whole research process in this distinguished high school. 4 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana Dedication This thesis is dedicated to: To God who has been my guide, my strength, and who with his love has remained by my side until this moment. To my father and angel, Fausto Quizhpi who, despite no longer being physically present, continues to give me strength every time I think of him. To my mother Monica Calle who, despite being alone was and continues to be my support every day of my life. This achievement is dedicated to them because with their love, patience, and effort they have allowed me to fulfill one more dream, thank you for instilling in me the example of effort and courage, not to fear adversity because God is with me always. To my siblings, Carlos and Maria del Carmen for their unconditional love and support throughout this process and for being with me, thank you. To all my family because with their prayers, advice, and words of encouragement, they made me a better person and in one way or another they accompany me in all my dreams and goals. I also want to dedicate this work to all my professors who, from the first day to the last in the university made this process something wonderful because more than professors they are excellent and wonderful human beings. 5 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana Dedication I dedicate my thesis to God, for allowing me to successfully complete my longed degree, always give me health and strength. I decided to devote all this effort to my lovely and adored mother Jessica Orellana, who with much sacrifice and effort gave me her unconditional support; she is the fundamental pillar in my life, and throughout my student formation, she knew how to instill in me values to be better every day. Even though there were too many problems, she knew how to keep me on my feet. She has always been my lighthouse, and with her guidance, I have progressed toward realizing all my ambitions. I am grateful that despite everything being against you, you never gave up so that I would not have to. To my beloved siblings Domenica and Sebastian, whose unwavering encouragement inspired me to conquer challenges I met throughout life. I also want to thank you for the unwavering love you show me every day. For displaying patience at the most trying times and for being my support system. They are the most important people I have in my life; I adore them. To my cherished grandparents Bertha Reino and Alejandro Mora, who helped shape me into a good person and a professional in the service of others with their guidance. They drilled it into me to be resilient in the face of adversity. I adore them, and they always wanted me to be successful and advance. To my family, especially to my uncle Fernando Mora, who has supported me throughout my time as a student, shared his ability with me, and helped me as I needed it, advancing my profession. Finally, I would want to extend my gratitude to Felix and Lucas, my lucky charms, my faithful companions, and my constant friends over the many restless nights. I simply had to see them dozing off in my bed to feel less alone and more at peace at work. 6 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana Resumen: A través de la observación, se comprobó que la clase de primer año de bachillerato tenía un bajo nivel de vocabulario debido a que les costaba presentar sus ideas habladas y escritas. Por ello, se decidió crear un plan de acción en el que se utilizaron tarjetas didácticas para mejorar el problema. Este recurso es útil en el proceso de enseñanza porque al utilizarlo, el profesor ayuda al alumno a procesar y retener la información durante más tiempo. Además de que, al tener su respectiva imagen y palabra, es más fácil de relacionarlos y aprender. Por lo tanto, esta investigación tuvo como objetivo indagar la influencia de la implementación de tarjetas didácticas como recurso en la mejora de vocabulario de los estudiantes en las aulas de inglés como lengua extranjera. Para este propósito, el investigador utilizo las herramientas de observación, test y entrevista para la recolección de datos. Esta investigación se llevó a cabo en dos ciclos. Después del análisis de los datos recopilados del estudio en el primer proceso a pesar de que hubo una mejora en léxico de los alumnos de un nivel bajo a un intermedio los resultados no fueron los esperados. Luego en el segundo, con los nuevos cambios implementados se obtuvo resultados positivos en la ampliación de su vocabulario pues pasaron de tener un nivel bajo a uno avanzado. Por lo tanto, las tarjetas didácticas ayudaron a los aprendices en la retención de las palabras, así como en su pronunciación. Además de que según sus percepciones para ellos el vocabulario es importante a la hora de aprender un idioma por lo que consideraron a las tarjetas didácticas como algo útil. A la luz de estos hallazgos se comprobó que el recurso implementado influye positivamente en la enseñanza y aprendizaje de vocabulario. Palabras claves: Tarjetas didácticas, vocabulario, enseñanza, aprendizaje, recurso. 7 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana Abstract: Through observation, it was found that first year baccalaureate class had a low level of vocabulary because they had difficulty presenting their spoken and written ideas. Thus, it was decided to create an action plan in which flashcards were used to improve the problem. This resource is useful in the teaching process because when using it, the teacher helps the learner to process and keep the information for a longer time. Besides, by having their respective image and word, it is easier to relate, and learn them. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the influence of the implementation of flashcards as a resource in improving students' vocabulary in English as a foreign language. For this purpose, the researcher used the tools of observation, test, and interview for data collection. This research was carried out in two cycles. After the analysis of the data collected from the study in the first process, even though there was an improvement in the lexicon of the students from a low to an intermediate level, the results were not as expected. Then, in the second one, with the recent changes implemented, positive results were obtained in enhancing their vocabulary, since they went from having a low to an advanced level. Thus, the flashcards helped the learners in the retention of the words as well as in their pronunciation. In addition to the fact that, according to their perceptions, vocabulary is important for them when learning a language, so they considered the flashcards to be something useful. In light of these findings, it was found that the implemented resource positively influences the teaching and learning of vocabulary. Keywords: flashcards, vocabulary, teaching, learning, resource. 8 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana Table of Contents Resumen: ................................................................................................................................................... 6 Abstract: .................................................................................................................................................... 7 Table of Contents ...................................................................................................................................... 8 CHAPTER I ............................................................................................................................................ 11 Introduction......................................................................................................................................... 11 Research Question: ................................................................................................................................. 14 Sub-research questions: ...................................................................................................................... 14 Research Objective: ................................................................................................................................ 15 Specific objectives: .............................................................................................................................. 15 CHAPTER II ........................................................................................................................................... 15 Conceptual framework ....................................................................................................................... 15 Theoretical framework ....................................................................................................................... 16 CHAPTER III ......................................................................................................................................... 39 Research Methodology ....................................................................................................................... 39 Participants ..................................................................................................................................... 43 Research Procedure: ....................................................................................................................... 45 CHAPTER IV ......................................................................................................................................... 54 Results .................................................................................................................................................. 54 First cycle ......................................................................................................................................... 54 Second cycle ..................................................................................................................................... 62 CHAPTER V ........................................................................................................................................... 71 Discussion ............................................................................................................................................ 71 First cycle ......................................................................................................................................... 71 Second cycle ......................................................................................................................................... 73 Conclusions .......................................................................................................................................... 75 Implications ......................................................................................................................................... 75 9 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana Limitations .......................................................................................................................................... 76 Recommendations ............................................................................................................................... 76 ANNEXES: .............................................................................................................................................. 84 (Annex A)............................................................................................................................................. 84 (Annex B) ............................................................................................................................................. 86 (Annex C)............................................................................................................................................. 87 (Annex D)............................................................................................................................................. 90 (Annex E) ............................................................................................................................................. 94 (Annex F) ............................................................................................................................................. 96 (Annex G) ............................................................................................................................................ 98 (Annex H) ............................................................................................................................................ 99 (Annex I) ............................................................................................................................................ 100 (Annex J) ........................................................................................................................................... 101 10 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana Title: Teaching and learning vocabulary using flashcards to high school students at a public institution in academic year 2021- 2022. Research line/Area: Teaching Practice: student-teaching/practicum, classroom management, teaching materials construction/design, didactics, and curriculum adaptation in ELT. Type of degree Requirements: Requirement for obtaining the English language degree in Pedagogía de los Idiomas Nacionales y Extranjeros major. Research Modality: Research 11 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana CHAPTER I Introduction According to the Ministry of Education of Ecuador (2016), English was established as a compulsory subject from the second grade of Basic Education (EGB) to the third year of high school (BGU) in all public institutions in the country so that Ecuadorian students have more academic, cultural, and economic opportunities. The curriculum goal is that pupils finish high school with B1 level of English. B1 is the third level of English. According to the Common European Framework of Reference (n.d) “a definition of different language levels written by the Council of Europe. In everyday speech, this level would be called “intermediate”, and indeed, that is the official level descriptor in the CEFR” (EF SET, n.d). Ecuadorian schools usually have classrooms with 35 to 40 students, which are too many for a single teacher since he/she cannot effectively visualize and control the learners' learning. Previously, pupils received 5 hours of English per week; however, due to the pandemic class hours have decreased and now they have 1 or a maximum of 2 hours of English per week. The National University of Education (UNAE) is characterized by promoting the pre- professional practicum of its students from the beginning of the university degree until the end of it. Consequently, they carry out practicum for 9 semesters. We have had the opportunity to carry out pre-professional practicum in different public and private schools in Zone 6 of Ecuador. Due to the situation that the country was going through due to the pandemic, the internships were carried out face to face until the fourth semester, while those from the fifth to the eighth were 12 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana online. The way of teaching changed and the government declared the Plan "Aprendamos juntos en casa" which had the goal that people could continue with their academic activities from home. Fortunately, in the 9th semester we returned to normality and carried out the practicum face to face way. During the 8 semesters of practicum, we identified that students have a low level of vocabulary. Based on observation, we noticed that learners, in the schools where we did the practicum are unable to present their spoken and written ideas, understand texts, main ideas, and audios; all these issues are due to their low vocabulary. Low vocabulary within a classroom is a widespread problem that must be solved because vocabulary is essential in the development of literacy and important for reasoning and correct learning. Our stay at the university has allowed us to learn significant and important knowledge of each subject, which has served to guide us in the process and execution of our research. For example, action research taught us first to identify a problem and carefully look for ways to solve it. It also instructed us on the proper ways to analyze data that ultimately contributed to our results. Finally, it provided us with the knowledge to decide whether the methodology of a study is qualitative or quantitative as well as to identify the proper tools for data collection. The subject of didactics for adolescents which contributed with significant knowledge to differentiate that the teaching/learning process of a teenager compared to a child is totally different. In addition, it is directly related to the application of strategies, resources, interesting, and striking tools that contribute to the learning of our young people. In addition, it helped us find the "flashcards" resource for the possible solution to our students' vocabulary acquisition problem. Also, didactics of English which helped us classify the 13 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana flashcards as a didactic tool and its difference in relation to a strategy or tool. Finally, evaluation and assessment which gave us the necessary and important parameters that we must follow in the creation of our tests or exams so that they were validated. In the case of this research, the diagnostic and summative test. Each of these themes has been especially useful since they have contributed greatly to the process of elaboration and development of our research work. The research was applied in a public institution in the country to students in the first year of high school from group "C". The students' teacher applied the student-centered approach in which presented himself to the class not as a teacher but as a guide for each one of them. He applied this in his classes’ activities where communication and dialogue were the main things for their learning. The first-year high school pupils had a low level of English in general. This situation was due to the fact that they came from different schools where the educational reality with respect to English was different for each of them. Hence, their level of English in vocabulary and in general was low. Through observation, we were able to realize that despite this level, they were more motivated and interested in English when the teacher implemented different strategies, games, and materials in their classes. Even though the students had a low level of English in general, we decided to focus on their vocabulary since they could not express their ideas or thoughts due to their poor vocabulary, therefore developing vocabulary was the main step to start developing the language. As vocabulary is the main cause for pupils to have a low level of English, we designed an action- research plan to help EFL (English as Foreign Language) first-year baccalaureate students develop and improve it. The learning theories that were used in the classroom for the teaching of 14 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana flashcards were the mix of behaviorism (repetition) together with cognitivism in which students not only learned by repeating but also through activities in which they put the newly acquired lexicon into practice. We used an action research process to implement our proposal. The techniques that allowed us to collect data to answer our research questions and objectives were the application of a diagnostic, summative test, observation, and interviews with the class. Finally, the main tools that figure out if the implementation of flashcards worked or not were interview protocols, observation sheets, and tests (diagnostic and summative tests). Based on what has been stated, we have proposed the following research questions: Research Question: • How can the use of flashcards influence the vocabulary learning of EFL first-year baccalaureate students in the classroom? Sub-research questions: • What is the level of learning of English vocabulary in first-of-baccalaureate students after and before using the flashcards as a resource? • What are the students' perceptions about using “flashcards” in their classes? In education, the development of vocabulary is an especially significant essential component in language development. Through lexicon, students not only exchange information, but they also explore and come to understand and identify ideas; express their emotions, thoughts, feelings, and opinions. Consequently, the aim of this action research is to implement flashcards to develop 15 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana the student’s vocabulary and to do this, we designed an action-research plan. To inform the purpose of this inquiry, we proposed the following objectives. Research Objective: • To determine the level of improvement of the students’ vocabulary with the implementation of the use of flashcards Specific objectives: • To diagnose students' vocabulary level before using flashcards. • To assess students' vocabulary level after using flashcards. • To analyze how students react to the implementation of flashcards as resource. CHAPTER II Conceptual framework In the history of education within the Ecuadorian context there have been several valuable tools for students' vocabulary development. One of the most significant tools are flashcards. These have always been valuable resources when teaching or transmitting knowledge. Despite not knowing exactly their origin or which were the schools that promoted their use, they have had a great impact on education as their use is becoming more frequent specifically in the teaching/learning of the English language since they are usually focused on the effective development of students' vocabulary. 16 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana González Paredes (2013), states that flashcards are elements of didactic support and of frequent use at school, in each English class at the different levels of basic education and early childhood education, as well as they, provide help when showing new vocabulary, which allows reinforcing and reviewing the vocabulary already studied (p.21). Theoretical framework We conducted some previous research and analyzed in-depth related existing studies and how they develop strategies to improve learning methods. González Paredes (2013) proposed research with the objective of implementing an interesting methodology of using flashcards. The sample used in this work was tenth-grade students. This is a topic of common benefit, both for students and teachers. For students, because with the use of these resources they get motivated, they have fun and interactive learning. This study established the influence that the use of flashcards has since through their use a quality education can be achieved, in the contents of a foreign language. It indicates that using sounds in flashcards helps to develop the lexicon. Another of the tips it gives us is that the images or drawings on the flashcards used by teachers significantly help the learning of the English language lexicon, which is an important factor to capture the attention of students and thus contributes to the process of interactive teaching. The size of the flashcards plays an important role in their elaboration, since it facilitates an optimal visual field, helping to obtain the attention and concentration of the students. Finally, they pointed out that learning with flashcards denotes a higher level of attention and 17 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana concentration on the part of the students in whom we find interactive, dynamic, participative, and motivating attitudes, thus being able to determine that this is a very appropriate system for interpersonal and interactive vocabulary learning. learning vocabulary (p.69). Nikoopour and Kazemi (2014) talk about learning vocabulary through flashcards, they tell us that learning vocabulary is a great way to develop students' skills. This study was carried out by the participation of 74 students from the University of Urmia. The results they obtained were represented by means of statistical graphs. At the end of their research, they found a big difference in learning vocabulary with flashcards, since it is more effective than learning in a normal way (p.1369). Garcia (2016) wrote a paper that tried to promote a learning strategy through the use of flashcards. The sample used for this research was 56 students. The analysis and data were presented using a statistical package. In addition, in each analysis, they were able to write their interpretation. In concluding with that project, the author was able to conclude that didactic materials are a very useful tool to contribute to the improvement of learning, as long as they are focused on the subject being taught. In addition, she comments that teachers should apply the appropriate techniques and strategies in the teaching-learning process so that the interest in learning vocabulary in a spontaneous and practical way is not interrupted (p.55). Velasco Pumasunta (2017) presented a paper on the use of flashcards as didactic material as a way of learning vocabulary in ninth-grade students. This tells us that flashcards have become very important in learning. This didactic material helps the teacher to teach new 18 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana vocabulary in a better way. In addition, she says that flashcards help to improve student-teacher communication and to provide quality education. The sample was 166 students. This study concluded that the use of flashcards as didactic material in vocabulary learning is a very significant contribution because it helps students to facilitate vocabulary learning (p.33). Chavez (2018) presented a paper aimed at demonstrating the application of flashcards as a strategy where students can learn in a didactic way and thus allowing the process of teaching and learning English vocabulary to be more efficient. The sample of this study was a group of twenty 5-year-old students. Finally, it tells us that the flashcards can be used in a simple and fun way, for the children since it favors the acquisition of English and the incomparable support for the teachers and those who are involved with the development of the teaching of the students, giving importance to this tool (p.50). The use of flashcards as a didactic resource to improve vocabulary Flashcards As Jha (2018) emphasizes that: Flashcard is a piece of card that has a cue or hint on the front side, and a corresponding answer on the back side. The cue can be a question, an image, or just one word that prompts or triggers an anticipated response. Anything that can be studied in a “question and answer” format can be literally turned into flashcards — from definitions, foreign 19 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana language vocabularies, scientific symbols, historical dates and traffic signs, to countries and their respective capitals or currencies.” (para. 1) Flashcards are of great importance and help teachers to teach any language more easily. In addition, the flashcards visually help the student to memorize something in their teaching- learning process, and from that the students will be able to be more active with their participation. Flashcards can be used freely in the classroom since the student with this resource can increase her ability to concentrate to learn new words in a new language. According to Ngarofah & Sumarni (2019), flashcards have a few typical uses which teachers can do: a. practicing important questions b. writing a sentence or story c. describing a picture d. arranging the words list in alphabet e. combining the opinions f. to get inspiration on writing a fable g. playing cards (p. 778). 20 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana This means that flashcards have been used for a long time to help students in learning foreign languages. Flashcards can motivate students in the learning process and help students understand the material on vocabulary acquisition, interestingly for students. In addition, it is also useful for teachers. As (Bevan, 2016) says “Flashcard is a piece of card with a cue on the front, and the answer on the back. The cue can be a question, a single word or a picture. Electronic flashcards can also have sound or video cues. When you review your flashcards, you will take one card at a time, look at the cue and try to answer it as quickly as possible before checking the answer and moving on to the next card." (para. 3). This means that flashcards are resources that help us with information and can vary between images, drawings, a question, and a word. At the same time, there are also flashcards in a virtual mode made from an application. Vicent (2019) reported that: Flashcards are a tried and tested method for studying vocabulary and a great way to encourage students to take more control of their own learning, not only in the sense that they can actually make the flashcards themselves, but also if you allow them the freedom to choose the vocabulary they personally wish to focus on. There are various types of flashcards that can be made, with the target word or phrase on one side and a definition, an antonym, a synonym, a gapped sentence, a translation, or even a picture on the flip side (para. 2). 21 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana This tells us that flashcards are cards with a word on one side and a definition on the other. In addition, any type of word can be written. There are a variety of flashcards, where you can put different kinds of things like synonyms, definitions, translations, and even a picture. Advantages of flashcards (Indriana, 2011) expresses “Flashcard media provides advantages for the reason that it is comfortable to carry due to its size and easy in making and implementing. In addition, flashcard media is also easy to remember because the presented images are colorful and attractive. Likewise, this media also provides better long-term memory dealing with the contains in the cards. Meanwhile, it is also possible to be used as an eye-catching learning media and enjoyable playing cards.” (p.68). This means that flashcards are an easy-to-use resource, as well as being colorful and attractive to learners. This helps to improve the memory of the people who use it because when they see the graphic and the word, the learner will relate it and remember the vocabulary in a better way. University of Southern Maine (USN, n,d) mentions that: Flashcards frees up some memory, since you will have a physical stack of cards with the information instead of trying to store individual facts, names, or terms in your mind. Flashcards are often part of spaced practice, and repetition helps you figure out what information you can remember easily and what needs additional effort. From a time 22 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana management perspective, flashcards allow you to take advantage of short amounts of time that become available throughout the day or week, in addition to during planned study sessions (para.2) Flashcards contain multiple benefits, which will help us when teaching vocabulary to students, where they can practice and repeat several times. In addition, this resource helps students to be more involved in the learning process, learners can take advantage of their free time to learn vocabulary by using flashcards. Vocabulary To start learning a foreign language, learners first seek to learn vocabulary and grammar that helps them better understand a second language and communicate with other people regardless of the activities they want to do first. Consequently, vocabulary is necessary when a person begins learning the English language. Alizadeh (2016) says “Vocabulary as a list of words arranged in alphabetical order with their definitions” (p. 22). When starting to learn a topic in classes the introduction of new vocabulary plays an important role, Alqahtani (2015) explains "vocabulary learning is an essential part in foreign language learning as the meanings of new words are emphasized, whether in books or classrooms. It is also central to language teaching." (p.21). 23 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana Consequently, according to these authors, we can say that vocabulary is very important in learning a new language. Moreover, it helps to improve the level of a second language. Speech-Language Pathology Services (SLPS ,nd) mentions that: Vocabulary refers to the words that we know. In the course of acquiring vocabulary we form concepts in our head, an indispensable foundation of language skills. A robust vocabulary positively influences other areas of communication — listening, speaking, reading and writing.” Vocabulary is critical to a child’s success for many reasons: 1. range of vocabulary is directly related to school academic achievement. 2. strong concept formulation teaches children to think and learn about the world. 3. expanding a child’s knowledge of words provides access to understanding and expressing new information (p.10). The vocabulary is a word with its respective meaning that fulfills a function of being taught and known by people. Vocabulary covers the knowledge of the meanings of the words and their uses in the context that we are going to use. It can also be used to facilitate the learning of a second language. In addition, vocabulary plays a very important role in understanding English, in this case, students will be able to know how to use it properly in our classes. Hence, vocabulary is the main key that the flashcards will address, as they will contain the necessary and important words (vocabulary) that students need to know in order to understand a given topic. 24 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana Hatch and Brown (1995) state that vocabulary refers to a list or set of words for a particular language or a list or set of words that individual speaker of a language might use (p. 457). According to Oxford Learner’s Pocket Dictionary (2008), “vocabulary is; first, all the words that a person knows or uses. Second, all the words in a language. Last, list of words with their meanings” (para.1). Akdogan (2017) explains “students must acquire vocabulary skill in order to get other abilities like listening, speaking, reading, and writing. In other words, vocabulary skill takes an important role in understanding the four basic skills of English” (p.34). Vocabulary is a unit of spoken or written language, which helps people express their ideas and understand their basic skills. Vocabulary is of the utmost importance since if the vocabulary is not mastered it becomes difficult to master the other competencies such as listening, speaking, and writing. Finally, we believe that vocabulary is an important element in the instruction of English. As vocabulary is a fundamental part of English language development, it is recommended to implement it in flashcards so that students prioritize the learning of these words. Therefore, they are more productive when learning. By combining vocabulary with other visual elements, information retention is facilitated. Dual-Coding theory As (Paivio’s et al., 1994, as cited in InstructionalDesign.org et al., 2018) says: 25 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana Dual-Coding theory assumes that there are two cognitive subsystems, one specialized for the representation, and processing of nonverbal objects/events (i.e., imagery), and the other specialized for dealing with language. Paivio also postulates two different types of representational units: “imagens” for mental images and “logogens” for verbal entities which he describes as being similar to “chunks” as described by Miller. Logogens are organized in terms of associations and hierarchies while imagens are organized in terms of part-whole relationships” (p.77). Dual Coding theory identified three types of processing: (1) representational, the direct activation of verbal or non-verbal representations, (2) referential, the activation of the verbal system by the nonverbal system or vice-versa, and (3) associative processing, the activation of representations within the same verbal or nonverbal system. A given task may require any or all of the three kinds of processing” (para. 86). This knowledge tells us that it is possible to jump-start learning and extend study material through verbal associations and visual images. Furthermore, it is supported by research evidence showing that recall of certain verbal information is enhanced if a relevant visual element is also present or if the learner can imagine a visual image to accompany the verbal information. Similarly, spoken information is usually augmented when it is accompanied by a visual image, real or imagined. This linguistic system deals directly with linguistic input and output, while using symbolic imagery to accommodate behavior. Visually and verbally codes can both be used to recall information. In addition, scrambling a stimulus in two distinct ways improves the likelihood of remembering a memorized element. 26 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana According to Kanellopoulou (2019): Dual-coding theory (DCT) is a general cognition theory that has been directly applied to literacy and language learning. In his theory, Paivio originally accounted for verbal and nonverbal influences in memory, but researchers soon started applying it in other areas of cognition. According to this theory, a person can learn new materials using verbal associations or visual imagery but the combination of both is more successful in learning (p.2). This theory tells us that the brain uses both visual and verbal information to stand for information, but also that this information is processed differently through two different channels in the human mind, creating different representations for the information processed by each channel. The two existing coding systems are the verbal system that stores linguistic information such as sound or text and the non-verbal/visual system that processes visual information such as images or videos. Teaching and learning process Teaching Impedovo (2012) informs us that “teaching is the concerted sharing of knowledge and experience, which is usually organized within a discipline and, more generally, the provision of 27 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana stimulus to the psychological and intellectual growth of a person by another person or artifact” (p.289). Teaching means keeping students involved in the learning process. This means that teaching is committed to allowing students to understand and apply their knowledge. It is an interactive process, which takes place with the teacher and the learner, it occurs during certain activities with the objective to guide the learner so that he or she feeds on knowledge and is capable of being able to self-learn involving them in the construction of new knowledge to develop logical reasoning and critical thinking. According to Zayapragassarazan & Kumar (2012), teaching involves some activities or actions that allow students to learn (p.3). This tells us that teaching is an activity carried out jointly through the interaction of teachers, facilitators, and students. Teaching is what a teacher does with her students so that they learn something. According to (Sun.ac.za., 2019): Teaching can be defined as engaging with learners to enable them to understand and apply knowledge, concepts and processes. To teach is to involve students in learning; therefore, to teach is to engage students in the active construction of knowledge. A teacher must not only know the subject matter, but also know how students learn and how to transform them into active learners. (para. 1). 28 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana Teaching is about transmitting information, and also transforming students from passive receivers of other people's knowledge into active builders of their own and others' knowledge. The teacher needs his students to be active in knowledge in order for them to have an effective involvement. Teaching is essentially about creating the pedagogical environment in which students accept to take responsibility for their individual and group learning. Learning According to PhysicsCatalyst (2021): Learning is a natural phenomenon which is natural to all organisms including both humans and animals. Learning affects a child’s development. A child learns new habits only through the process of learning and through imitated traditions and customs. Intellectual skills are also developed through learning. The decision of right and wrong, the concepts of justice and aesthetic sense, etc. develop through learning. This process of learning continues throughout life. Learning is the basis of maturation (para. 4). This tells us that learning is the acquisition of new behaviors by a person from previous experiences, in order to achieve a better adaptation to the physical and social environment in which he/she lives. What is learned is retained by the organism in a more or less permanent form and is available to be put into action when needed. 29 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana Learning is “a process that leads to change, which occurs as a result of experience and increases the potential for improved performance and future learning” (Ambrose, 2010, p. 3). Learning is the process of acquiring new knowledge, skills, and attitudes through study, experience, or exercise. In addition, it helps to develop imagination, memory, and thinking. Learning theories Learning theories are the description of a process that allows a living being to learn something. The way in which the flashcards will be taught will be through the combination of two learning theories (behaviorism and cognitivism) which we consider the most appropriate to help with vocabulary development. That is why these two theories will be described below for a better understanding. Behaviorism To manage students' discipline and the responses to the activities, it is used the behaviorist approach during the interventions. (Watson, 2017) expresses “Behavioristic psychology has as its goal to be able, given the stimulus, to predict the response –or, seeing the reaction to identify the stimulus that) called out the reaction” (p.16) emphasis omitted”. This tells us that, in the learning of behaviorism, repetition is used too much so that the desired behavior becomes a habit of the person, in this case, the student. In addition, this says that a learning process accompanied by stimuli and reinforcements is carried out in order to obtain positive responses from the student. 30 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana According to Mcleod (2017) “behaviorism is a theory of learning that states all behaviors are learned through interaction with the environment through a process called conditioning. Thus, behavior is simply a response to environmental stimuli” (para. 1). Behaviorism theory considers that learning is changing the behavior of students. In addition to being able to produce a product orally or in writing. Information is transferred from teachers to students based on a response to the appropriate stimulus. This should be done repetitively, to regularly remind students of what behavior a teacher is looking for. Therefore, the connection of behaviorism with flashcards is important because the first step to teaching the flashcards will be through the repetition of the words which will help the students to retain the acquired vocabulary in their minds. According to Budiman (2017), “Behaviorism Learning Theory is a theory of learning that emphasizes human behavior as a result of the interaction between stimulus and response” (p. 103). However, by the process of encouragement, response and reinforcement, correct behavior may be reinforced and improper behavior will be corrected in a timely manner by the professor. Behaviorism holds that learning changes students' behavior, ranging from the ability to produce oral or written products and that it is the teacher's job to control stimuli and the learning environment to change the approach to the desired destination. Thus, behaviorism is stimulus, response, and reinforcement. It is also based on the observation of the student's behavior that explains it as a set of relationships between stimuli and 31 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana responses. In addition, the learning process is accompanied by stimuli and reinforcement in order to obtain positive responses from the student. Cognitivism As Yilmaz (2011) says “cognitivism is a method of helping students grasp concepts and procedures by the guidance of the teacher, an example could be that the teacher performs a task and explains the process to the students to observe, which helps them to understand what they need to do to accomplish the learning task” (p. 209). This tells us that cognitivism is a theory of learning that focuses on how the mind receives, organizes, stores and retrieves information. Learners are actively involved in how they process information. It is essential in teaching vocabulary through flashcards because through the activities that we will implement after the repetition of the words (behaviorism) they will interpret, process, and store the information acquired in their memory (cognitivism). Resource National Teachers’ Institute (NTI, 2006) mentions that: Education resources refer to all material, non-material audio-visual school environment and community materials available in an academic environment to facilitate school administration and simplify the teaching learning process. They also include other fundamental materials used in the school to make teaching very easy and learning more meaningful and comprehensible to the learners (p. 35) 32 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana Resources are undoubtedly important in the development of an environment conducive to teaching and learning. Resources are meaningful materials that are used in a class and play a fundamental role in the learning process since they are a support and help students to better understand the lessons. Resources are used in a learning setting to assist and enhance with the development and learning of individuals, in this case students. They are intended to strengthen learning and, in certain cases, allow learners to test their knowledge. Educational resources are great for instructors and educators as they assist them in delivering lessons of the highest quality. Educational resources are important because they are a medium that helps us to reinforce students' learning. It is fast, simple, and, above all, very effective when you have to memorize or learn vocabulary. It is related to flashcards because it will be the main resource of our research that will help us to teach vocabulary to students. Flashcards are a useful resource in teaching vocabulary because they can help the learner to quickly memorize and learn vocabulary. In addition, it allows the student to relate the image to the word that he/she is going to learn so that when he/she hears certain words, he/she acquires an internal memory of the images. Finally, visual aids are very important because most students learn through visual forms. Communication According to Sword (2022) “communication is key in the classroom: successful teaching is generally considered to require only 50% knowledge to 50% communication skills. As a result, a teacher should be proficient in all four modes of communication – listening, speaking, 33 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana reading, and writing – and should know how to utilize this proficiency effectively in a school environment” (para. 1). This means that communication is essential in the field of education. Be it teacher to student, pupil to pupil, tutor to tutor, professor to parent or vice versa, communication is necessary to ensure the success of our students. Communication is not always something that happens. Sometimes it is due to lack of time, lack of resources, not knowing how to get the message across or the linguistic barrier. Communication involves an interaction or a conversation between two or more people. Here thoughts or ideas of the people who are involved in the conversation are transmitted and expressed. It allows and helps students to express their ideas, thoughts, emotions with teachers and their classmates in the classroom. Communication is important because the human being is a social individual. People need to communicate and to interact in their social group to survive, but for this communication to happen, the development of vocabulary is fundamental for the correct production of a language. From an early age, the human being begins with the development of their language by acquiring words (vocabulary) throughout their growth, and then through learning, people begin to use that vocabulary in sentences, thus producing a language. Therefore, vocabulary is an essential and relevant part of a language because it serves to understand and communicate ideas within a society. So, as teachers, we must look for ways, strategies, and resources to teach and develop the vocabulary of our students. 34 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana Diagnostic and summative assessment Diagnostic Assessment Top Hat (2019). mentions that: A diagnostic assessment is a form of pre-assessment where teachers can evaluate students’ strengths, weaknesses, knowledge and skills before their instruction. An identical assessment may be given post-instruction to identify if students have met a course’s required learning objectives. With this form of assessment, teachers can plan meaningful and efficient instruction and can provide students with an individualized learning experience. Written by students, the diagnostic assessment is a tool for teachers to better understand what students already know about a topic when submitted before the start of a course. A diagnostic assessment refers to an assignment written at the beginning and end of a course. Post-course assessments can be compared with pre-course assessments and can show students’ potential improvement in certain areas. These assessments allow the instructor to adjust the curriculum to meet the needs of current— and future—students (para 1-2). The purpose of the diagnostic test is to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the student taking the test, what he/she can and cannot do with the language, and to what extent he/she performs in the different skills. The information provided by this test is used to make decisions about the training the student should follow, although it can also be used to classify the student into a homogeneous level group, so that he/she receives instruction appropriate to the 35 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana level demonstrated. It also serves to identify their strengths and weaknesses in order to adapt the teaching and learning process to their real needs, taking into account the individual characteristics of each one of them. As Formplus Blog (2021) says: Diagnostic assessment is a type of pre-evaluation that allows the teacher to discover how much knowledge a student has on a subject matter. In other words, it is used to gauge the level of a student’s knowledge and to discover any learning gaps they might have. They happen at the beginning of a learning experience; that is, a unit, lesson quarter or period of time. Diagnostic assessments are “low-stake” assessments because they are non-graded and do not determine whether the student moves to the next educational level. Rather, they show a student’s strengths and weaknesses regarding a specific field of study. With this information, the teacher can make any required adjustments to the learning framework to get the most results (para. 3-4). The author says that the purpose of the diagnostic test is to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the student taking the test, and the extent to which he or she performs in the various skills. In addition, it serves to know the current state of the school and the personal situation of the students, and to be able to determine an adequate approach to curricular development. Summative Assessment 36 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana Precisely, DiSanto (2022) states that: Summative assessments are used to evaluate student learning, skill acquisition, and academic achievement at the conclusion of a defined instructional period—typically at the end of a project, unit, course, semester, program, or school year. Summative assessments are given at the conclusion of a specific instructional period, and therefore they are generally evaluative, rather than diagnostic—i.e., they are more appropriately used to determine learning progress and achievement, evaluate the effectiveness of educational programs, measure progress toward improvement goals, or make course- placement decisions, among other possible applications. Summative assessment is a type of assessment that takes place at the end of training. It is the process of assessing a learner's knowledge, competence and performance by comparing what he/she knows with what he/she should learn. Summative assessment has the role of assessing the degree of accomplishment that a learner has reached in relation to the objectives set for an area or stage. It is often performed, therefore, after the end of a teaching and learning process, and is connected to promotion, marking and qualification determinations. Present, practice and production Rhalmi, M (2016) mentions that: PPP stands for Presentation, Practice, and Production. It is referred to as a procedure, model, paradigm, or approach to teaching language components. The procedure is 37 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana straightforward. The teacher presents the target language. Then students are asked to practice it, first in well-controlled activities, then in freer activities. It is only later that the students are allowed to produce the desired language. The process starts with the input and ends with the output. What happens in between is practice (para. 2). In this method, you teach your students the vocabulary that you want them to learn. Then, you show them the language used in context. Finally, you require your learners to produce the language concept on their own. These activities can be similar to those used in the previous stage, and in terms of their purpose, which will not be consolidation or reinforcement, but communicative and production. They are free to practice activities. According to Cardenas (2020) the Presentation Stage is: This is where the language is introduced, or ‘presented’ to the learners, usually by way of introducing a context or situation. For example, you could: Tell or act out a short story or anecdote ( “I woke up this morning with a really bad cold… AHHH-CHOOO! I went to the doctor and…”) The aim is to make sure students understand the context and to get them thinking about it. You could elicit ideas or suggestions from students, get them to talk to each other about what they know or think about the situation, etc. This also helps them start to remember the language and vocabulary they already know about the topic (para. 1). According to Cardenas (2020) the Practice Stage is: 38 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana The ‘practice’ stage is when students use the language in a controlled way. This stage is sometimes divided into two — a controlled practice and a freer practice. Again, among many things, you could get students to: Drill sentences or sounds, chorally or individually. The aim of this stage is accuracy. Error correction is important in this stage, so make sure you monitor the students closely and take time to error correct immediately. For target language errors that seem to be common, a delayed error correction section after the activity would be useful (para. 2) According to Cardenas (2020) the Production Stage is: The ‘production’ stage is where the language is used in a more open way. Things like: Role-plays, communication tasks. The focus of this stage is using the language as fluently and naturally as possible, as students would do outside of the classroom (para. 3). It tells us that we have three stages, firstly, the teacher introduces the new word, or topic then the teacher allows the learners to practice the new word or grammar in a controlled environment, making sure that the learner has a good grasp of the vocabulary and usage. Finally, there is the production phase, in which there is a phase of less monitored practice and casual evaluation of learning. Here is where learners have the opportunity to utilize the new word, phrase and/or topic in an innovative manner and relate it to their own knowledge and experiences. It is also important to make sure that learners have understood the topic before encouraging them to practice it. It is often fun and very effective for students to play games to practice vocabulary and produce it. This is one of the easiest methods, in which the teacher 39 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana teaches by asking the students to practice with various activities. It begins with a brief presentation, then practice with activities and ends with the production of the language. CHAPTER III Research Methodology To carry out this study, we used action research. Educational action research is principally used for the development of teachers as researchers so that they can use their research to improve their teaching and thus their students’ learning. According to Eileen Ferrance (2000) says that “action research is a process in which participants examine their own educational practice systematically and carefully, using the techniques of research. Although there are many types of research that may be undertaken, action research specifically refers to a disciplined inquiry done by a teacher with the intent that the research will inform and change his or her practices in the future” (p.1) In order to begin our research, we had to request a consent form from the school principal. For this we sent an informed consent form in which we detailed the aim of our work and the time we needed to carry it out (SEE ANNEX A). Our methodology was qualitative because when applying the flashcards as a resource during the classes we collected non-standardized data since we tried to investigate opinions, behaviors, and expectations about the implementation of the flashcards in the students' classes and the increase of their vocabulary. In addition, the qualitative methodology addresses the methods and steps used to present the data, interpret them, validate them, and indicate the possible results of our study. Finally, our research includes comments and self-reflection on the data we obtained. 40 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana The techniques that were part of our research and were the key to collecting the necessary data to determine if our research worked were observations, tests (diagnostic and summative), and interviews. Observation was the first technique used. It was used to see, write, and analyze the behavior and reactions of the students with respect to the application of our resource in the process of teaching and learning vocabulary. The first section of the sheet corresponds to the general data of the template, which contains the observation number, the number to which the class corresponds, the date, and the time. With this data, we were able to organize the sheets in an orderly way. In addition, this allows the reader to understand the sequence of how the research was carried out. The second section includes a small box explaining the topic and objective of the class. While the third section includes a large box with the subtitle "observations" for pertinent annotations of everything that occurred and was seen during the classroom intervention or in each section or stage of the class. In this same section, a double box with the subtitles engagement and behavior that summarized everything happened in the class or in the class stages. (SEE ANNEX B) The second technique was tests: diagnostic and summative tests were applied in each action research cycle. A diagnostic test and two summative tests were used because there were two cycles in this research process. Before the application of the tests to the students. These were validated by two external experts in the field of English language teaching. A professor of English from the ESPOCH, Riobamba, Chimborazo, and professor of English from the UNAE 41 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana Language Center, UNAE, Azogues, Cañar. (SEE ANNEX C) Although the "conducting a test" technique belongs to the quantitative methodology, the results obtained were analyzed, and then interpreted, turning them into qualitative data that contributed significantly to the research. The diagnostic test was applied with the objective of knowing what were the levels of knowledge of the students in terms of vocabulary. It was applied before using flashcards as a resource as part of their classes. While the summative tests were used with the objective of knowing what the students' levels were after using flashcards in their classes and, in turn, to determine if the application of this resource gave effective results. It was important to carry out a diagnostic and summative test within this research to know the level of acquisition of the learners about the vocabulary that was taught through the flashcards before and after applying them with the aim to know if the flashcards helped improve students' vocabulary. Regarding the diagnostic test, it had an objective purpose since it was based on a set of clear and precise questions with the aim of having the student provide a limited response to a choice among a series of alternatives. The test was divided into four sections of questions among which we had multiple-choice with words, fill in the blanks, matching items, and multiple-choice with images. Additionally, each test question was organized by word type, that is to say, verbs, then nouns, and after adjectives. (SEE ANNEX D) The diagnostic text had a total of 40 difficulties which at the time of qualifying them we made a cross multiply so that the final grade was out of 10 as it is normally the qualification system within the schools, colleges, and universities of Ecuador. On the other hand, the summative tests were structured in the same way. The type of 42 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana questions were fill in the blanks using sentences, multiple choice with images, and matching items. The only difference was that a subjective and more difficult type of question was implemented for participants in which they had to complete the sentences using a group of previously learned words from a box. These summative tests were similar to the diagnostic test because the learners had a very low level of English in general, therefore that level did not allow them to correctly complete the subjective tests, so our professional tutor recommended that we use an objective assessment. In addition to our research, the flashcards were intended to help students learn vocabulary. Besides, each question was organized by the type of word, that is, verbs, then nouns, and adjectives. The total of difficulties was 20 in each of the tests because two cycles were carried out. Lastly, a cross multiply was also made to get the grade out of 10 points. (SEE ANNEXES E AND F) Finally, as part of the analysis of the summative and diagnostic tests to analyze the level of the vocabulary of the participants in general, we created a rubric that addresses and focuses on the number of correct answers of them in the tests. In this rubric, we found the low, medium, and high levels of learners' vocabulary. This rubric helped us to analyze and interpret the quantitative and qualitative data of the participants and to know what is the general level of the course before and after the implementation of the flashcards. (SEE ANNEXES G AND H) The last technique used to collect data was the interview: Through this technique, we were able to understand, decipher and know the perceptions, feelings, opinions, and needs those students had in relation to the implementation of flashcards as a resource in their classes to develop vocabulary. 43 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana The interview was structured in two sections. The first section contains the interview number and date, while the second section contains the questions and the corresponding space for the transcription of the answers. In this research, two cycles of action were carried out in which the same interview format was used. (SEE ANNEX I) The only difference is that in cycle one the interview consisted of 7 questions and in cycle two of 6. The question that differentiated the interviews between the two cycles was number 7 belonging to cycle one, which sought to know what the participants would change with respect to the implementation. On the other hand, in cycle one, the interview was implemented to find out the opinions of the learners regarding this new implementation and to be able to create a new action plan based on their opinions. While, the interview of cycle two, it was implemented with the objective of knowing the perceptions of the participants regarding the new implementation but with the changes made. In the interview, the transcription process was carried out first, then we looked for key phrases in the students' responses and selected the findings that were most repeated, represented, and contributed to each question. Then the selected answers were interpreted in a general way to publicize the perceptions of the learners in a general way. Participants Our pre-service teaching practicum these two semesters took place in a public school named Unidad Educativa “Antonio Avila Maldonado” in Ecuador. It is located in the center of Cuenca. It is a large school; it has a total number of 1024 pupils and fifty five teachers. The participants of our research were first of baccalaureate students. One class was chosen to apply our research, 44 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana the learners’ average age was approximately between fifteen and sixteen years and they were a total of thirty five participants. All thirty five participated in both the observation techniques and the tests. For the interview technique described previously in the tools section, a total of six pupils were chosen from the group of thirty five. The way in which they were chosen to be part of the interview process was through their representatives since a letter of authorization was sent to the parents requesting them to allow their children to be recorded for the interviews. (SEE ANNEX J) Therefore, six pupils out of the ones who had the signed authorization and wished to be part of the interview were chosen. However, the vast majority of students wanted to be part of the interventions but did not want to be recorded due to embarrassment at the time of speaking, hence their decision was respected and the selection of the sample was made for convenience. The selection of the sample was made for convenience. According to Etikan (2015) “convenience sampling is a type of nonprobability or nonrandom sampling where members of the target population that meet certain practical criteria, such as easy accessibility, geographical proximity, availability at a given time, or the willingness to participate are included for the purpose of the study” (p.2) Students had different levels of English, there were some learners with a high, intermediate, and low levels of English, and however, most of them had a low level because they came from different high schools (private and public). Despite having a low level, the learners were motivated to learn English and they actively participated in class. Their learning rhythm was normal; they were the ones who assimilated a new topic and the directions without a problem. Their learning styles varied between auditory, reflective, and kinesthetic, however, the styles that 45 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana they dominate the most are visual and kinesthetic since they learn by doing and need to see examples to understand better. The teaching method of the collaborating teacher in our last two semesters was based on the Student-Centered Approach because as an instructor, he presented himself to his learners as a guide and not as an authority in which the student had to do everything he said. In general, our professional tutor facilitated the students' learning and overall understanding of the topics. He commonly used strategies such as group work, cooperative learning to discuss a reading, tried to make his learners understand unfamiliar words through contexts and motivated them not only to participate deeply in their English learning, and acquisition process but also advised and taught them why studying English is useful in their daily lives and in their future. Research Procedure: A total of eight steps were created and followed to successfully carry out this action research. Each of these were a key point to develop this exploration in an effective and orderly manner. The following chart can help us to better understand the process followed in this action research. Figure 1 46 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana Shows those steps that we will follow. Authors: Researches. Step 1 Observation: During a month of our practices, we had the opportunity to observe our students and the problems they had in relation to the English language learning. Among the problems present, we Action Research Process 1.Observe 2. Identify of the problem 3.Create an action plan. 4.Apply the action plan 5. Recollect Data 6. Analyze the data 7.Determine if the results are positive or negative 8.Repeat the action plan 47 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana had a lack of motivation, low participation in the class by the pupils, and problems to present their ideas due to their limited vocabulary. So, through this important stage known as observation, we came to the conclusion that the most common problem for the first year of baccalaureate grade was that they had trouble expressing their ideas in writing or orally, and that this was due to their limited level of vocabulary. Step 2 Identify the problem: Through this observation, several existing problems within the educational environment were determined. However, the one that most caught our attention due to a large number of learners with the same problem was their low level of vocabulary. In this case, the low vocabulary level in first-of-baccalaureate students. Step 3 Create an Action Plan: 3.1: Upon identifying the problem, a solution was sought to help improve it. For this, techniques, strategies, and tools that facilitate the acquisition of vocabulary in participants were investigated, reaching the conclusion that flashcards as a resource could help. 3.2: The vocabulary chosen to teach first-of-baccalaureate students through the flashcards was together with our professional tutor. For this, he recommended and requested us to teach the vocabulary previously proposed by the curriculum and the ministry of education in its modules, because each topic to be taught has its proposed vocabulary. Finally, a total of forty words were selected from the baccalaureate modules. 48 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana 3.3: Since the vocabulary we were going to teach was new, we decided to create a diagnostic test to determine the level of the students according to vocabulary and to determine which words they knew and which ones needed more emphasis. The test was created with the help of our professional tutor and was arranged by means of questions. In each question, the words were organized in an order, that is, verbs first, then nouns, and finally adjectives. 3.4: It was determined that the flashcards would be physical because this year there was a progressive return to in-person instruction of all educational schools, high schools, and universities in the country. 3.5: After the analysis based on our objectives, the creation of the flashcards was determined. Each of them had the word, its respective image, meaning, and its figurative pronunciation. 3.6: The diagnostic test was created together with the integration project mentor and professional tutor to administer to students. Step 4 Implement the plan: 4.1: The diagnostic test was applied to the first year of baccalaureate class in our first week of practicum. In addition, it was explained to the students who we are, the objective of the research, and the process of how this research would be carried out. Finally, what the flashcards consisted of was explained to them. 4.2: The flashcards were implemented as part of the classes. The teaching and learning process consisted of our professional tutor giving us an hour of his classes to teach the new vocabulary to 49 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana the learners who were going to learn a new topic using the flashcards. Once our one-hour class was over, the teacher would continue teaching the new topic. 4.3: The diagnostic test was applied to the participants. Step 5 Collect data: The diagnostic, summative tests, interviews, and observation data were collected. In the observations, one of the researchers took the role of participant, and wrote down everything that happened in the classes while the other researcher intervened or taught with the flashcards. Regarding the tests (summative and diagnostic) they were taken physically, that is, by means of a sheet, therefore the results were present in each of the students' tests. Finally, in relation to the interviews, these were conducted orally and previously recorded to be transcribed later. Step 6 Analyze the data: The results of both the diagnostic and the summative test were analyzed. The analysis was done through previously established diagnostic and summative rubrics, which helped to determine the level of the students' vocabulary before and after the interventions. Regarding our observation technique, each of the sheet was carefully analyzed focusing on two categories (behavior and engagement) which helped us determine how the flashcards influenced participants. Finally, regarding our interview technique. Student responses were transcribed and then analyzed for repeated phrases and responses that contribute to our aim of learning about their perspectives on implementation and the flashcards resource. 50 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana Step 7 Determine the results: Determine if the results were positive or negative. Once analyzed, it was observed that there was an improvement in the vocabulary level of the first-year students, however, they were not the expected results. Therefore, a new plan was developed to implement it in a new cycle of action. Step 8 Repeat the action plan: Once it was determined that the results were not as expected, an implementation was modified that included further emphasizing the presentation stage and using activities that help participants practice and produce more. The phenomenon was identified through the observation process that lasted thirty days of our practices. This situation was carefully selected through the analysis of students and their deficiencies in language acquisition. Therefore, it was observed that the most common problem present in most of the participants was the low level of vocabulary. Because of this problem, it was decided to create an action plan to help improve it. Once the problem was identified, it was decided to investigate possible solutions that could help improve or influence this problem in a positive way, thus creating an action research plan. This action plan was carried out through the proposal to implement flashcards as an important and fundamental part of the student's classes to teach and learn vocabulary, which is a fundamental part of language acquisition. Once the proposal was designed, we continued with the next step, 51 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana which was the process of devising, designing, and researching the words, and materials according to the first-of-baccalaureate class. During the practicum and with the help of our professional tutor, forty words previously chosen from module two proposed by the Ecuadorian education ministry were determined to be taught. Then, the idea of developing fourteen hours of classroom interventions to teach the chosen vocabulary words was proposed. The interventions were carried out twice a week one hour on Tuesdays and one hour on Fridays. Each of these presentations had its own lesson plan, which in turn was created following the process known as “PPP” which means, presentation, practice, and production -with the addition of a small warm-up to engage the learners. In each lesson plan, it was decided to implement an interesting warm-up to make the vocabulary acquisition classes more attractive and innovative for first-year high school students. With respect to the stage of practice and production of knowledge, activities were implemented in which the students had to work individually and in groups with the aim of practicing so that they could then efficiently produce the words learned. In carrying out the activities they always had the guidance of the teachers in case they needed any help. Regarding the presentation, flashcards were used to develop the vocabulary of the participants. Where a process was followed in, which they had to identify the image, define it, and try to give a synonym, and then teach them the correct pronunciation and they had to repeat it until they acquired that knowledge. 52 __________________________________________________________________ Trabajo de Integración Curricular Mónica Alexandra Quizhpi Calle Joseline Cristina Mora Orellana In this action research process, two cycles of research were carried out because although good results were obtained in the first one, these were not as expected. Therefore, another cycle was implemented. The first cycle of our intervention had a duration of six days (six hours) that were taught through three lesson plans while the second had a duration of eight days (eight hours) that were taught through four lesson plans. The first cycle of action aimed at teaching half of the forty selected words, that is twenty vocabulary words. Due to the participants' classes, it was decided to teach and implement each of the lesson plans in two hours of classes on Tuesdays and Fridays according to their schedule. Commonly, the first hour on Tuesdays was used for the part of the warm-up, presentation, and practice stages. While the second hour on Fridays was used to give them a short but useful review of the words previously learned and to apply the production stage to the class giving them a reasonable amount of time to complete it due to their low level of English. The teaching and learning process of the interventions will be described and shown below. Before intervening in class using t