Implementing Visual Aids into Teaching English Vocabulary for Children
Perspectives from Teachers at Ho Chi Minh City
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33541/jet.v12i1.7573Keywords:
Cjildren, English vocabulary, Teacher, Visual Aids (VA)Abstract
The Vietnamese education system highly values English as a compulsory subject for schools at all levels. Regarding this increasing demand, English teachers are encouraged to come up with new approaches and strategies to make the English learning process faster and more enjoyable, and one solution is applying Visual aids (VA) in teaching English vocabulary to children. This study adopts a quantitative research design. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey administered to 62 participants, including university lecturers, secondary school teachers, primary school teachers, and teaching assistants in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). The questionnaire consisted of a Likert scale and one open-ended question to explore participants’ perceptions and challenges. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations. The findings show that VA is highly recommended by most participants; they claim that the benefits of using VA are undeniable. Several teachers share some of the challenges they encounter when implementing VA, even though most of the results collected are positive. This research concludes with some implications and recommendations for further studies.
References
Anggela, S., Warna, D., Alya, F., & Sukma, O. (2024). Teaching English in Rural Area: Difficulties and Strategies. Journal of English Teaching Adi Buana, 09(01). https://doi.org/10.36456/jet.v9.n01.2024.8753
Archila-Suerte, P., Zevin, J., & Hernandez, A. E. (2014). The effect of age of acquisition, socioeducational status, and proficiency on the neural processing of second language speech sounds. Brain and Language, 141, 35–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandl.2014.11.005
Aziz, Z. A., & Sulicha, R. (2016). The use of cartoon films as audio-visual aids to teach english vocabulary. English Education Journal, 7(2), 141–154.
Bedilu, W. B., & Degefu, H. W. (2024). Assessing the relationship between teachers’ perceptions and their classroom practices and challenges in teaching English vocabulary to young learners: the case of some selected primary schools in Dawro Zone, SWRS, Ethiopia. Cogent Education, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2024.2346039
Dakhi, S., & Fitria, T. N. (2019). The principles and the teaching of English vocabulary: A review. Journal of English teaching, 5(1).
Dalali, B. G., & Mwila, P. M. (2022). Effects of visual aids in enhancing teaching and learning process in public secondary schools in Ilemela Municipality, Tanzania. Journal of Research Innovation and Implications in Education, 6(1).
Dey, M., Amelia, R., & Setiawan, A. (2024). The impact of age on second language acquisition: a critical review. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (IJERE), 13(5), 3560. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v13i5.27958
Dinh, T. H. (2023). Exploring EFL university lecturers’ perceptions of benefits and challenges of using Audio-visual Aids. International Journal of Language Instruction, 2(4), 43–53. https://doi.org/10.54855/ijli.23243
Elmahdi, O. E. H., & Hezam, A. M. M. (2020). Challenges for methods of teaching English vocabulary to non-native students. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 7(5), 556–575. https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.75.8263
Feranty, L., Anggreini, S., Meylani, T., & Darmawan, I. N. P. (2024). Improving fifth-grade students' vocabulary mastery using flashcards at SDN 23 Pangkalpinang. Journal of English Teaching, 10(1), 51-60.
Gawi, E. M. K. (2011). The effects of age factor on learning English: A case study of learning English in Saudi Schools, Saudi Arabia. English Language Teaching, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v5n1p127
Government of Vietnam. (2025). Decision No. 2371/QĐ-TTg approving the Project “Developing English as a second language in schools for the period 2025–2035, with a vision to 2045”. Hanoi: Prime Minister of Vietnam.
Hoa, L. H., Dan, T. C., & Han, T. P. B. (2022). An Investigation Into Perceptions and Use of Visual Aids by English Teachers at Senior High Schools In Can Tho City, Vietnam. European Journal of Applied Linguistics Studies, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.46827/ejals.v5i2.394
Jalongo, M. R., & Sobolak, M. J. (2010). Supporting Young children’s vocabulary growth: The Challenges, the benefits, and evidence-based strategies. Early Childhood Education Journal, 38(6), 421–429. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-010-0433-x
Kien, T. T. (2024). The effectiveness of using visual communication in teaching vocabulary to non-English majors students at the Foreign Languages Center of Nguyen Tat Thanh University. Journal of Science and Technology, 7(3). https://doi.org/10.55401/c1kpm641
Lelawati, S., Dhiya, S., & Mailani, P. N. (2018). The teaching of English vocabulary to young learners. PROJECT (Professional Journal of English Education), 1(2), 95-100.
Maharani, S., Susilohadi, G., & Pudjobroto, H. (2012). Improving Students’ Vocabulary Mastery Through the Use of Wall Charts in Elementary Students. English in Education, 1(1), 60867.
Mahmood, I., Bukhari, S. K. U. S., & Bahoo, R. (2024). Effectiveness of visual aids in teaching of English at secondary school level. Pakistan Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.52131/pjhss.2024.v12i2.2200
Mansourzadeh, N. (2014). A comparative study of teaching vocabulary through pictures and audio visual aids to young Iranian EFL learners. Journal of Elementary Education, 24(1), 47-59.
Mayer, R. E. (2009). Multimedia learning (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511811678
Munir, F. (2016). The effectiveness of teaching vocabulary by using cartoon film toward vocabulary mastery of EFL Students. Journal of English Language Teaching and Linguistics, 1(1), 13. https://doi.org/10.21462/jeltl.v1i1.20
Nguyen, T. T., & Pham, H. T. T. (2024). The effectiveness of using visual aids in teaching English vocabulary to Vietnamese young learners: an experimental study. English Education and Applied Linguistics Journal (EEAL Journal), 7(3), 149–162. https://doi.org/10.31980/eealjournal.v7i3.2483
Sanjaya, I. G. H., Dewi, N. L. P. E. S., & Paramartha, A. a. G. Y. (2022). An investigation of teaching aids used by English teachers in teaching vocabulary for young learners. Journal of Educational Study, 2(1), 26–34. https://doi.org/10.36663/joes.v1i2.227
Shabiralyani, G., Hasan, K. S., Hamad, N., & Iqbal, N. (2015). Impact of Visual Aids in Enhancing the Learning Process Case Research: District Dera Ghazi Khan. Journal of Education and Practice, 6(19), 226–233.
Todd, R. W. (2013). The effects of class size on English learning at a Thai university. ELT Research Journal. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/eltrj/issue/5474/74385
Trilestari, N. K., Manurung, R. M. L., & Simangunsong, V. N. (2024). The Benefits of Learning English in Early Childhood: Positive And Negative Effect. Esteem Journal of English Education Study Programme, 7(2), 669–681. https://doi.org/10.31851/esteem.v7i2.16151
Vicontie, C., & Santosa, I. (2023). Exploring parents’ perceptions toward early childhood English language education in Jakarta. Stairs English Language Education Journal, 4(1), 72–81. https://doi.org/10.21009/stairs.4.1.7
Wallin, J., & Cheevakumjorn, B. (2020). Learning English as a Second Language: Earlier is Better. JEES (Journal of English Educators Society), 5(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.21070/jees.v5i1.349
Wei, B. T., Shen, S., Almeda, S. G., & Hartmann, B. (2025). generating visual aids to help students understand graphic design with EKPHRASIS. Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1145/3706599.3719807
Yunus, M. M., Salehi, H., & John, D. S. (2013). Using visual aids as a motivational tool in enhancing students interest in reading literary texts. arXiv (Cornell University). https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.1305.6360
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 JET (Journal of English Teaching)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyrights for articles published in JET are retained by the authors, with first publication rights granted to the journal. The journal/publisher is not responsible for subsequent uses of the work. It is the author's responsibility to bring an infringement action if so desired by the author.
