1.

INTRODUCTION
According to Kamil and Heibert (2005), vocabulary can be generically defined

as knowledge of words or word meaning. They stated that vocabulary learning is the
basis of language and without vocabulary, one cannot learn any language; it is the
knowledge of words. Vocabulary acquisition is the crucial element to learn English
as a second language, because it is the fundamental prerequisite to the four skills of
a language: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Wilkins (1972, pp. 111112) as
cited in Lessard-Clouston (2012) wrote . . . while without grammar very little can be
conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed. Lewis (1993, p. 89) as
cited in Sanchez (2007) wrote ...lexis is the core or heart of language. Vocabulary
is central to English language teaching because without sufficient vocabulary
students cannot understand others or express their own ideas
In Malaysian classroom, reading comprehension among the primary pupils
can be considered as weak. According to Berita Harian as cited in Aleenaruman
(2006), the Ministry of Education, through its Deputy Education Minister, Datuk Noh
Omar, revealed that 120,000 primary school students (2.2%) and 42,000 secondary
school students (0.8%) still had not mastered the basic skills of reading. During my
practicum, I face a difficulty in teaching reading. Every time I introduce the new
words during the pre-reading stage, pupils do not know the meaning of the words.
When they do not understand the words, they would not able to acquire the reading
comprehension. According to Kameli (2013), Haynes and Bayker revealed that that
the threshold for reading comprehension is lexical. Lexical issues will prevent
successful comprehension. Chou (2010) found that vocabulary knowledge and
background knowledge can help students read and comprehend better. The more
vocabulary students know, the better they can decode and understand what they
read. The Report of the National Reading Panel (2000) also concluded, The
importance of vocabulary knowledge has long been recognized in the development
of reading skills. As early as 1924, researchers noted that growth in reading power
relies on continuous growth in word knowledge (pp. 415). Therefore the knowledge
of vocabulary is vital in order to acquire the comprehension of reading text among
the pupils.

Apart from that, this problem also affects their other skills. When they are
unable to understand the comprehension of the texts, the pupils also unable to
master other skills. Although the year 4 pupils at this school had been studying
English as second language since year 1, their ability to understand and use English
are extremely limited. Only a few in the class are able to communicate in English and
not with any confidence. According to Ediger (2010), In order to communicate
effectively in English language, one must master the four language skills namely
listening, speaking, reading, and writing vocabulary ability of the students in primary
in order to support their competences in some language skill of English, students
must be able to improve their ability in vocabulary. This is related to the study of
words and which words are most useful to be taught at reading stages in language
learning process. My pupils face difficulties in mastering the four language skills.
One of the basic problems is lack of vocabularies. Vocabulary is really important
element of the language to be concerned with in order to master the four language
skills.
Apart from that, the reason why the pupils are unable to master the reading
skill is because they do not have interest to read. During my practicum, at the start of
my English class, I asked, How many of you like reading? A few students raised
their hands tentatively. Then I asked, How many hate reading? A sea of hands
waved wildly, churning up the air with their negativity. According to Al- Shorman
(2011), reading experts believe that reading interests play a very important role in
reading instruction and improvement. Furthermore, helping students learn through
reading requires an understanding of their interests and abilities. Ediger (2010) also
claims that interest is a powerful psychological factor in learning. Moreover, the
individuals reading interests are considered one of the major factors that determine
what s/he reads, not to mention the importance for ones attitudes toward reading. I
believe that the pupils does not interested to read because they do not understand
the comprehension of the text. According to Brummitt (2008), If a child is having
difficulty processing what they are reading they may become reluctant to read.
Because they are unsuccessful at reading they will avoid it. In order to encourage
them to read they need support developing essential reading skills. This shows that
it is crucial for pupils to understand the comprehension of the text in order to develop
their interest in reading. Ronald Wardhaugh (2011) mentions that, Vocabulary
2

development is also a primary determinant of reading comprehension. Readers

cannot understand the content of what they are reading unless they understand the
meaning of the majority of words in the text. Therefore the pupils must acquire the
vocabularies in order to understand the reading comprehension.
Based on my interview with the teacher, I found out that the teacher teach
vocabulary by memorizing words and if the pupils do not know what the meaning of
the words, they will open the bilingual dictionary that translate English words to
Bahasa Melayu words in order to get the meaning. However, despite of making
pupils understand in their mother tongue, the student are still unable to acquire many
vocabularies. According to Kaye (2009), direct translation encourages learners to
use mother tongue often for long periods of class time, when the aim of modern
teaching is to remove it from the classroom. Jin-Fang (2007) wrote that limitations
of practice techniques never emancipate the learner from the dominance of the first
language. Therefore, the direct translation should be avoided in introducing the new
words to the pupils.
There are some consequences of lack of vocabulary in reading skill. A few
researchers stated that the main obstacle in English learning is facing entirely new
words in an English text (Qian, 2002). While according to Lin (2002), Limited
vocabulary often leads to misunderstanding or poor comprehension of English
texts. This shows that the pupils cannot understand the comprehension of the text if
they are lack in vocabulary which is leads to have difficulties in learning the English
language. According to Sedita (2005), the students word knowledge is linked
strongly to academic success because students who have large vocabularies can
understand new ideas and concepts more quickly than students with limited
vocabularies. The high correlation in the research literature of word knowledge with
reading comprehension indicates that if students do not adequately and steadily
grow their vocabulary knowledge, their performance in English class will be affected.
This is supported by the research done by Chang and Gould (2008), they found a
strong correlation both between vocabulary and reading comprehension. Vocabulary
knowledge is essential in reading comprehension because it has a similar function to
background knowledge in reading comprehension. A limited vocabulary size, as well
as a lack of sufficient knowledge of word meanings, often hinders learners from
understanding the meaning of the text. In order to understand the reading
3

comprehension, the pupils must acquire the knowledge of vocabulary. If they are
unable to understand the comprehension of the text, the pupils are unable to master
the reading skill. Therefore, I will focus on the improvement of the vocabulary in
order to improve my pupils reading comprehension.
According to Kang and Dennis in the article written by Timothy Green (2005)
"Any attempt to treat vocabulary learning as learning of isolated facts certainly will
not promote real vocabulary knowledge". Students need to learn vocabulary in
context and with visual clues to help them understand. ICT can provide this rich,
contextual environment. ICT also allows students to become active learners in a
one-on-one environment. (Renee Ybarra, 2003). Teaching the vocabulary
particularly is very complicated. In the classroom, face I had tried dozens of
technique applied to the students under the expectation that they are able to or easy
to understand the lesson. As a teacher, it is necessary to find new teaching media to
overcome the problems and not to forget to motivate the students. Jeng-yih and Tim
Hsu (2010) suggest that a new vocabulary item is acquired when the learner can
identify its meaning in and out of context and it can be used naturally and
appropriately. Therefore, the teacher should have an interesting technique to teach
the students about vocabulary. Based on my observation during reading skill class, t
my pupils display positive understanding on the text inspired me to adapt an ICTbased technique in teaching vocabulary in context and thus helping my pupils to gain
better comprehension on a reading text.
2.0 FOCUS OF INVESTIGATION
The issue that I encounter in my reading skill class is pupils have difficulty to
in text comprehension due to limited vocabulary. According to Ponnudurai and
Rycker (2012), most Malaysian students who enter tertiary education seem to lack in
vocabulary suitable for academic purposes. Vocabulary is one of the significant
factors in influencing reading achievement. Many students struggle particularly with
words that have different meanings in different contexts. (Pickens, Glynn,
Whitehead, 2004). The pupils have limited vocabulary in order for them to
understand the idea of the text. The pupils do not understand the text
comprehension because they do not familiar with the words. The National
Reading Panel (2001) stated that vocabulary plays an important role both in learning
4

to read and in comprehending text: readers cannot understand text without knowing
what most of the words mean. While Biemiller (2005) argues that Teaching
vocabulary will not guarantee success in reading, just as learning to read words will
not guarantee success in reading. However, lacking either adequate word
identification skills or adequate vocabulary will ensure failure. Snow, Griffin, and
Burns (2005) explained that young children having a less extensive
vocabulary may not have problems, but by the end of Grade 3, vocabulary
limits take a toll on reading comprehension (p. 30). According to William E.
Nagy (2006), failure to improve reading is measurably relates to the
comprehensibility of texts containing unfamiliar words. This clearly shown that the
struggling readers comprehension is often impaired by a limited reading vocabulary.
Increasing vocabulary is an important goal and necessary component of
comprehension.
According to Chou (2011), the importance of vocabulary in reading
comprehension arises from the fact that vocabulary knowledge is part of background
knowledge. The more words the readers know, the easier they will understand what
they read. This means the knowledge of vocabulary will help the pupils to acquire the
schemata on the reading text. Manzo (2006) states that the reader is called and
reflect upon it, asses its value by comparison with previously learned concept and
finally to reach out in imagination to new real as a result of stimulus of the text.
According to Charnmy (2009), In order to comprehend a reading selection fast
person must be able to use the information a make conclusion and read critically, to
understand the figurative, to determinate the authors purpose. Hence, schemata
plays a critical role in the comprehending of text. In Nigel Stott (2001) wrote that "
comprehension of a message entails drawing information from both the message
and the internal schemata until sets are reconciled as a single schema or message.
Therefore, in order to comprehending the text, the pupils should have the schemata
on the text. That is why the adequate of the vocabulary is needed to understand the
meaning of the text. According to Nourizate (2012), Prior knowledge should be
discussed before reading the text to help set the stage for what is coming. When
students make connections to the text they are reading, their comprehension
increases. This shows that the pupils should be encouraged to make connections to

the text from their experience and the teacher should model this process using his or
her own connections.
During my practicum, I did an interview with the English teacher regarding.
Based on my interview with the teacher, I found that most of them feel difficult to
express what they want to say, or what they want to write. During reading skill
lesson, many students still confuse when they are introduced with difficult words.
They also confuse with the words that have same rhyme. The problem that has been
faced by students are, they are low in mastering vocabulary. According (Rany, 2013)
Less proficient students in primary schools, especially those in lower grades, had
problems understanding the materials set for students at their age mainly due to a
lack of vocabulary and an inability to master the structures of the language. This
gravely hindered their understanding and progress in learning English. As a result,
they found it more stressful in the classroom to learn the materials given to them and
this lowered their level of motivation to learn English. Apart from that, the teacher
also told me that, the best way to make the pupils acquire the vocabulary in order to
understand the comprehension of the text is by using direct translation or bilingual
dictionary. The teacher should not use the mother tongue in order to teach the pupils
about the foreign language. According to Timor (2012), classroom situations can
create various experiences for students such as real-life situations through if the
teacher uses the mother tongue to a great extent, students may lose the chance to
benefit from these situations. In addition, teachers who overuse their students
mother tongue deprive these learners of an important language process in which
students try to make sense of what is being said in class. This shows that the use of
the mother tongue in class influences students achievements and proficiency in
foreign language because of the experiences they gain in class. The teacher also
added that the pupils have limits of vocabulary because of their family background.
According to Michelle J. Sobolak (2008), The children from families on welfare or
near the poverty line having a limited vocabulary, in comparison to their peers from
higher socioeconomic households. The children from low-income families may hear
roughly 30 million fewer words by age 3 than their more affluent peers.
In order to investigate their problem with the vocabulary in reading
comprehension, I prepared a diagnostic test for the pupils. I prepared a reading text
(Appendix A) and distributed to each one them. For this activity, I will focus on Noun.
6

The topic of the reading text was about the tool which can be found in Topic 13 of
Year 4 textbook. After done with the reading, the pupils were asked to group the tools
according to their types. Their result is as shown as below.
Gardening
tools

Baking

Carpentry tools

Cleaning tools

tools

Table 1: Table for the pupils to classify the types of tools

NO.

STUDENTS

DIAGNOSTIC MARKS

NAME
1
A
2
B
3
C
4
D
5
E
6
F
7
G
8
H
9
I
10
J
Table 2: the result of Diagnostic Test.

(20)
15
14
10
13
8
10
12
5
6
4

From the activity, I discovered that most of the pupils have lack of vocabulary.
The pupils were unable to classify the tool according to their types. This is because
they do not know the meaning of the words. Ahmad Azman Mokhtar (2010) argued
that the majority of students failed to achieve passing levels on tests that measure
passive vocabulary and active vocabulary in a controlled context. This clearly shown
that the main obstacle in is facing entirely new words in an English text.

Figure 2.1 Curriculum Content for reading skills Year 4 DSKP

Judging from this situation, I realised that getting pupils to improve their vocabulary
development is crucial matter. The pupils need to know the meaning of the words in
order to master the reading skill. James Milton (2009) claims that L2 learners should
know a vast amount of words for the purpose of achieving basic text comprehension
in explicit and implicit learning.
Apart from that, I interviewed one of the Year 4 pupils about the problem.
Based on the interview, I found out that some problems in learning vocabulary faced
by the students. One of the problem is similarity to their first language. The difficulty
of vocabulary items often depends on how a similar item is in form and meaning to
the students first language. (Depe, 2010) For example, the word air in Bahasa
Melayu is same spelling with the word air in English language and both have
different meaning. Next is the spelling and pronunciation. According to Wells (2010),
the spelling of English word can cause problems for students who speak languages
with very regular spelling systems. Particular spelling patterns can also cause
confusion where the pronunciation concerned. For example: through, though, tough.
Apart from that, the interviewer also told me that the way their teacher teaches are
bored and dull. Kadir (2013) states that children like to learn using many kinds of
materials and activities which are colourful, attractive and interesting to them. This is
supported by Nga (2003), he says that, the students usually feel bored in
vocabulary lessons because the teacher have not changed their learning habits, and
using the same materials when learning in the classroom. Therefore, in order to
improve students vocabulary, I must identify the interactive technique that suits the
pupils interest.

In this era of globalization, teaching learning environment can be made more

interactive and effective with the help of the ICT tools at our finger tips. According to
8

Big Data website (2015), ICT stands for Information and Communication
Technologies. ICT refers to all the technology used to handle telecommunications,
broadcast media, intelligent building management systems, audio visual processing
and transmission systems, and network-based control and monitoring function It is
similar to Information Technology (IT), but focuses primarily on communication
technologies. This means ICT is the technology to technologies that provide access
to information through telecommunications. This includes the Internet, wireless
networks, cell phones, and other communication mediums. The impact of information
and communication technology (ICT) on language learning has been acknowledged
globally such that the integration of ICT in language learning has become
indispensable in todays teaching learning environment. (Houcine, 2012). According
to Rank (2011), Teacher are expected to prepare the students for more challenging
world ahead by using and applying ICT tools in the classroom are demanding.
Teachers are highly expected to exploit technological tools, leading teachers to
experience the pressures of having tune themselves with pedagogy and technology
in seamless way. When the world is fast becoming a global village where the use of
modern technological gadgets to improve language learning has become imperative.
Therefore, ICT has a lots of benefits and can improve the language learning in
the classroom. Krashen (2007) claims that using computers for will encourage
students to wander through the Internet and read what interests them. Krashen also
claims that it will result in higher levels of literacy. Computer assisted language
learning provides new opportunities for learners to engage in active communication
that facilitates the development of second language competence (Peterson, 2005).
This shows that language classes are more receptive and responsive in using ICT as
compared to the traditional method. Alipanahi (2005) conducted a study that
examined EFL learners attitudes toward reading comprehension after being taught
via the Internet. She also explored the issue of whether the teaching of reading
comprehension via the Internet led to better achievements in comparison to
traditional non-internet teaching. The forty students participating in this study were
divided into two groups: experimental and control. The experimental group received
English learning instruction through the Internet whereas the control group received
English learning instruction in a traditional manner. The analysis of the results
indicated that there were significant differences between the two groups in relation to
9

their attitudes and achievement. This show that ICT is very effective in teaching
language.
Owen (2014) argues that as an interactive and collaborative medium, ICT
allows responding, composing, and publication to be easily shared and offers
students the opportunity to explore the language of texts more creatively and
develop as speakers, writers and readers for an ever widening range of purposes
and audiences. According to Yunus (2009), the impact which has been brought by
this media, is very visible and stiffening. This new technologies instrument has
changed and innovated the way we learn. This is clearly shows that ICT provides a
variety of learning opportunities for students to learn language.
Theobald (2006) points out some students need extrinsic tools to increase
their motivation. A well-balanced ICT environment will enable students to feel the
above and stay motivated throughout the language learning process. This clearly
shows that ICT motivate pupils to learn the foreign language. This is supported by
the journal done by Isisag (2012). He wrote Modern technologies are very powerful
because they rely on one of the preference for visually presented information.
Television, movies, videos, and most computer programs are very visually oriented
and therefore attract and maintain the attention of young children. Therefore, ICTs
can be used to introduce the important notions of context, culture and relevance of
the language to a real world. Owen (2014) also stated that the features of ICTs
enable the pupils to have playful interactions with words and sounds in order to
encourage enjoyment of 'playing' with other languages, and familiarity with the
sounds of other languages. According to Abanormey (2013), using computers and
the Internet in language teaching, in general, and reading comprehension
instructions, in particular, exemplifies the attempts to expose L2 learners to authentic
language. This will help pupils to learn the vocabulary in context.
One of the ICT methods that were frequently used in the ESL class of
teaching vocabulary were the use of online visual dictionary to suit the needs of the
learners as more learners acquire vocabulary better through visual learning. The
Visual Dictionary Online is an interactive dictionary with an innovative approach
(Merriam-Webster, 2015). According to Sengupta (2012), Online visual dictionaries
help when someone is not sure about the spelling of a word which is not possible in
10

a traditional paper dictionary. Online visual dictionary allows to write in just the letters
one knows and it will return all the words with those letters in the positions earlier
specified. Then one may select the word which is required. By using online visual
dictionary, pupils can come across a word they are unsure of, they can search for a
visual image to better understand the meaning of the word.
As vocabulary is essential for pupils reading comprehension, it is important to
consider how it can be improved, particularly when learning an additional language.
According to Scott (2008), Researchers look into vocabulary acquisition repeatedly
include dictionary skills as an important word learning strategy for additional
language learners. A dictionary is a well-established method for learning new words
and a strategy which can benefit the learners in all subjects, providing positive
learning opportunities including the possibility of looking up problematic words
without interrupting the lesson. According to McWilliam as cited by Well (2010), it is
important for learners to be given frequent opportunities to explore word meanings in
ways which develop their conscious attention to how words work and cultivate their
curiosity about words. This means dictionary is the best way to make the pupils
acquire the vocabulary. While Prichard (2008) stress the important role a dictionary
plays in improving vocabulary as well as the difficulty of using one without adequate
metalinguistic knowledge. Where a learner does not have a good understanding of
the principles of vocabulary the wrong dictionary definition may be applied to a text.
When much of the context is not understood it can be difficult to know which words
to look up without losing the main point of the passage. Often unimportant words are
looked up and important ones ignored which can take up too much time and
adversely affect learning. This showed that dictionary make it easy for pupils to look
up the words with context.
According to LoPiccolo (2013), A visual dictionary is a dictionary that
combines drawings, diagrams or photographs and corresponding text to explain the
meaning of a word or term. Research shown that visual dictionaries used in the
classroom benefited students in improving comprehension, speech development and
language, writing skills, self-confidence. Safford as cited in Addie (2012) stated that
in an article titled Visual Dictionaries: Pictures + Text = Learning stated that, The
combination of pictures and their word analysis appeals to a combination of learning
styles. Students also have better recall of ideas learned from visual sources
11

compared to text sources after many years. This showed that visual dictionary not
only help pupils who have different learning style but also help them to keep the
word learnt

in their long term memory. Erin argued (2010) that online visual

dictionary with supports for vocabulary development, such as linked mini-videos

demonstrating a concept or dictionaries and thesauruses with text-to-speech
capabilities, can help students to improve comprehension. According to Arslanyilmaz
and Pedersen (2010) concluded that learners produce better language after
observing subtitles videos. This had proven that visual learning helps to enhance
learners vocabulary as they will learn better in relaxing environment without
concerning about the forms and functions of the language. Kilickaya (2004) cited
from Matsuda (1998) who claimed that using audio-visual materials aiding students
comprehension is beneficial since it will prevent students especially beginning ones
from being frustrated about authentic materials. Based from what Matsuda claimed
we can agree that audio visual materials appeal to the eye and ear as they provide
for a systematic improvement of knowledge and skills. The learners will not only
have fun but at the same time they will learn to acquire the vocabulary.
Amy Beth Rell (2005) had cited in her review of the book by Nancy Rhodes
and Ingrid Pufahl, Language by Video: An Overview of Foreign Language
Instructional Videos for Children which proposes that videos itself are capable of
serving as the language program in its entirety. From here, it is understandable that
the visual dictionary are important and capable in language learning as it provides
authentic language input thus made it clear that audio visual material can enhance
vocabulary acquisition. Ali Murtaza, Muhammad Naseer Ud Din, Faridullah Khan
(2011) says that the advantages of using visual dictionary techniques during
teaching- learning sessions are immense and remarkable as compared to the
traditional dictionary methods of teaching since they can enhance classroom
learning, create opportunity for individualized learning programs, and can serve as
an effective tool for motivating students to learn. By using online visual dictionary,
teacher can encourage the pupils to do the self-learning. According to Suzuki (2012),
the effectiveness of multimedia-based dictionaries primarily stems from their
multimodality, referring to the combination of text, images, sound. According to Bran
(2014), online visual dictionaries, and multimedia elements can all be great ways to
help students build vocabulary, background knowledge, and apply strategies for
12

tackling unfamiliar words. This stressed the importance of online visual dictionary to
facilitate English vocabulary learning. Day (2012) mentions that embedded
dictionaries offer a variety of flexible supports including text-to-speech, voice
recognition, animation, music and sound effects, linked videos to boost background
knowledge and vocabulary, study tools such as highlighters and annotation
capabilities, and animated agent tutors. This shows that online visual material offer
many facilities in assist pupils to improve their vocabulary.
According to Harris (2010), online visual dictionary has been investigated for
its effectiveness in providing opportunities to experience language in an engaging,
fun, and memorable way. It animates the creation and manipulation of words, such
as the programs described in the previous section, have been shown to improve
students word recognition. Therefore, pupils can build their prior knowledge about
the comprehension text when they see how the language work. Therefore I hope that
the technique chosen will be effective in helping pupils to improve their vocabulary in
order to comprehend the reading text.

2.0

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Research objective.
The aim of the action research will be to:
Explore the effectiveness of online visual dictionary in helping pupils to improve their
vocabulary in relation to text comprehension.
Research question
i.

Can the use of online visual dictionary improve the pupils vocabulary in

ii.

text comprehension?
How can the use of online visual dictionary help to improve the pupils
vocabulary in text comprehension?

4.0 RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS

The respondents were chosen from a sub-urban school in Penang, located at Bagan
Tuan Kechil, Butterworth. There are 10 of them in this selected Year 4 class. In this
13

class, there are 3 male respondents and 7 female respondent. Most of the
respondents come from the families without an English background. Most of the
parents are the factory workers and only few of them who work as a government
servant. From my observation during reading skill class and also information from
the English teacher, the pupils vocabulary level is at the critical level whereby they
needs a lot of practice from time to time. Having teaching the pupils for few months, I
can classify the respondents into low and average achievers. The classification is
based on the written exercise, participation during English class and previous
English test result. Some of them are able to speak, read and write simple sentences
with guidance whereas others cannot perform those tasks.

14