Abstract
D.Ed.
This thesis investigates concept maps as an effective learning strategy for Business English vocabulary development of first year students at the former Technikon Witwatersrand. The research has been conducted with first year students in the National Diploma in Human Resources Management at the Faculty of Business Management (the Auckland Park Bunting Road Campus). The study involved research on the understanding and use of the subject vocabulary of two groups of students.
The problem of this study was that the majority of the former Technikon Witwatersrand students had difficulty understanding and using technical terminology related to Business English writing. The research question for this study was: To what extent does the use of concept maps help to improve the business vocabulary of first year ND Human Resources Management students registered at the TWR? The aim of the study was to teach students how to draw concept maps in order to make use of meaningful (conceptual) learning to improve their Business English vocabulary, and it is assumed that this would empower the learners to write better academically.
The methodology used was that of action research in order to make an inductive analysis of the students‟ acquisition of Business English vocabulary. A mixed purposeful sampling scheme was chosen. Triangulation was used as method to integrate the literature review with the qualitative and quantitative research tools. The quantitative data in this study indicated that the students in Group A enhanced their performance in the vocabulary tests and examinations in their different first year subjects and the qualitative data indicated the students‟ feelings and attitudes about the construction of concept maps and learning Business English vocabulary. The research tools were questionnaires, concept maps, journals, vocabulary lists and tests, examinations, paragraph writing, and focus group interviews. The findings made were that students who constructed concept maps of the business vocabulary did perform somewhat better than the students who did not make use of concept maps.
The conclusion from this study was that learners who use concept maps can perform better in learning business vocabulary.