VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LINGUISTICS & LITERATURE USING A STORY-BASED APPROACH TO TEACH AND LEARN ENGLISH GRAMMAR AT AVMC AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS – TEACHERS AND LEARNERS’ PERCEPTION A thesis submitted to the Faculty of English Linguistics and Literature in partial fulfillment of the Master’s degree in TESOL By NGO THI NGOC TRAM Supervised by PHAN THI KIM LOAN, Ph. HO CHI MINH CITY, MAY 2023 [Type here] [Type here] [Type here] ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Phan Thi Kim Loan Ph. It has been my luck to have a great chance to work with my kind supervisor who allows me to discover freely most of the things by myself, and at the same time enthusiastically help me when I get stuck with my thesis. It is also grateful for her extremely careful proof-reading and support for my writing.
Moreover, her patience and considerable enthusiasm for a slow researcher like me is really admirable. Had there not been her support and devotion, I would not have finished my thesis. My next heartfelt gratitude is given to my warmhearted friend who always encourages me to overcome my tiredness and wholeheartedly supported me in my research progress. She also helped me pilot some of the instruments used in my study.
Moreover, profound thanks also go to my colleagues, who has enthusiastically upheld me in the data collection process. I also genuinely owe my teachers, friends, and students for their stimulation and consultation during the process of administering my study and writing the thesis which requires a lot of trial and contains plenty of difficulties, but brings a great meaning to me. Lastly but very important, my sincere acknowledgement is brought to my family who always support and boost me all the time to finish my work. All in all, without their strong support, I cannot surmount all my obstacles, and have great effort to push me to spend time conducting the study and complete it as soon as possible.
ii STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY I certify that this thesis entitled “USING A STORY-BASED APPROACH TO TEACH AND LEARN ENGLISH GRAMMAR AT AVMC AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS –TEACHERS’ AND LEARNERS’ PERCEPTION” is my own work. This thesis has not been submitted for the reward of any diploma or degree in any other institutions. Ho Chi Minh City,June 9th, 2023 Ngo Thi Ngoc Tram iii RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby state that I, Ngo Thi Ngoc Tram, being the candidate for the degree of Master in TESOL, accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of Master’s Thesis deposited in the Library. In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my thesis deposited in the Library should be accessible for the purpose of study and research under the normal conditions established by the Library for the care, loan, or reproduction of the theses.
Ho Chi Minh City, June 3rd, 2023 Ngo Thi Ngoc Tram iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION. Background to the study. Aim of the study. Significance of the study.
Scope of the study. Organization of chapters. 18 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW .1 Story-based approach .1 Definitions of the story-based approach .2 Requirements of storytelling .3 Kinds of Storytelling .1 Available stories and self-designed stories .2 Online storytelling and face-to-face storytelling .3 Story reading and storytelling .4 Function of Storytelling in Education.5 Story-based approach’s benefits to grammar teaching and learning .6 The effects of storytelling on morals and thinking. Methods to teach grammar.1 The deductive approach .2 The inductive approach .3 Difficulties in learning and teaching grammar.
Role of grammar in teaching and learning a language .3 PACE Model to teach Grammar through the Storytelling approach .5 An example of the PACE model .4 Teachers’ and learners’ perception of the effectiveness of storytelling in grammar teaching.1 Definition of Perception .2 Teachers’ and learners’ perception towards the application of storytelling in grammar teaching and learning .1 Design of the teaching materials .6 Data collection procedure .7 Data analysis procedures. 56 CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION .1 Teachers’ and learners’ perception about using the story-based approach in teaching and learning grammar .1 Teachers’s and learners’ perception about grammar.1 The importance of grammar in teaching English.2 Effective teaching methods to teach English grammar in an English language class in Vietnam .3 Criteria for Grammar Explanation .2 The necessity and effectiveness of the application of storytelling in grammar instruction.2 Complex grammatical structures .2 Increase in communication .3 Increase in Confidence .5 Co-constructing knowledge .6 Acquisition of simple and complex grammar structures via frequent grammar structure repetition in the stories .7 The increase in interaction .8 A clear impression of moral truth .2 The effects of storytelling in grammar instruction on the success of students' English grammar acquisition .1 Teachers’ and learners’ behavior and activities in using the story-based approach in teaching grammar .2 The effects of storytelling on learners’ perception of English language acquisition.1 Motivation for grammar study.2 Natural language absorption .3 Concentration on the grammar lessons .4 The increase in vocabulary .5 The raise of the analysis capabilities of communicative messages .2 The learners’ beliefs .1 Attention to grammar .2 Natural language absorption .4 Enhancing learners’ motivation to learn grammar .5 Analytical Abilities in Message Comprehension .3 Challenges and suggestions for the improvement of the storytelling in grammar instructions .2 Suggestions for improving storytelling in teaching grammar .1 Summary of the study .2 Summary of the findings .4 Limitations and recommendations. 165 x LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS EFL English as a Foreign Language ELT English Language Teaching SS Substantive statement RQ Research question AVMC Au Viet My Center xi LIST OF TABLES Table 3. Participants of the Interview.
Themes from the interview data. Teachers’ and learners’ perception of the grammar definition and its importance in language teaching and learning. The effective grammar teaching methods in Vietnamese language classrooms. Criteria of grammar explanation.
The criteria for the stories in grammar teaching. Challenges for the improvement of the storytelling in grammar instructions. Suggestions for improving storytelling in teaching grammar. 113 xii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.
Deductive Research Approach. Inductive Research Approach. The necessity of storytelling in grammar instruction and grammar learning. 88 xiii ABSTRACT Vietnamese evaluation systems now continue to emphasize students' grammatical proficiency.
However, grammar has turned into a nightmare for the majority of students. As a result, it calls for serious consideration to be given to redefining grammar instruction via the use of technology or other contemporary resources. Thus, in this study, a case-study method research design, including 16 semi- structured interviews for 12 EFL adolescents in four Pre-intermediate classes and 4 English teachers at the center as participants is used to address teachers’ and learners’ perception of the story-based approach in teaching English grammar. Moreover, it investigates in what aspects the storytelling approach to teach English grammar affects learners’ language acquisition at a language center - Au Viet My International English Center (AVMC).
The findings of the study revealed that the story-based approach effectively teaches grammar at AVMC, improving both teachers' and learners' skills. This method enhances their confidence in teaching and usage of grammar, creating an enjoyable environment for study. Additionally, learners' interactive, communicative, storytelling, vocabulary, and personal development improved, resulting in a more enjoyable and efficient acquisition of English language. Keywords: story-based approach, teaching grammar, teaching English grammar via stories, storytelling in grammar instruction, storytelling xiv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION This chapter presents the background of the study, the aims and scope of the study, and research questions.
The significance of the study is also mentioned. Clearly described at the end of the chapter is the organisation of the thesis. Background to the study In the globalized world, language plays an important role to get people closer; and the demand for using language has become more than ever. In this circumstance, Keshta (2000) conceives of English as the most widespread language in the world and many fields such as technology, education, and economy.
Moreover, Ortega (2013) states humans use the English language to communicate with others as well as with specific individuals. Sometimes this involves talking to oneself more than to others, which is known as self-talk, and other times, it involves addressing strangers. It may be said that English is the means of international communication among people regardless of their race, colors, and tongues. Therefore, in 1986, Vietnamese government began to apply its open-door policy, which has made a premise for language centers’ mushroom all over Ho Chi Minh City and other big cities as well as towns in Vietnam (Tran, 2013; Nguyen, et al.
Consequently, this circumstance leads to the reality that English teachers in Vietnam have to be willing to accommodate and accept changes to help their students acquire proficiency in English. Considering the aspect of efficiency for English communication, grammatical competence is an important element that contributes to communicative competence. Grammar is regarded as a very important tool for fostering competence, accuracy, and fluency (Vasilopoulos, 2008). Doff (1988) asserts that earning the fundamental grammar rules of the English language can greatly facilitate and aid learners all over the world in using, speaking, and writing the language.
Similarly, Kamaludin et al. (2015) find L2 learners less confident in acquiring grammar knowledge, leading to incomprehensible and mechanical learning experiences. However, to many people, especially, grammar is a boring subject done at school (Cook, 1993). Lee and Collins (2009) also note that many students still face difficulties with basic grammar after over 15 ten years of instruction.
This reality happens similarly to the recent situation at an English language center in District 8 in Ho Chi Minh City. The learners at this center meet troubles in applying grammatical structures to their study as well as to their communication. They do not know how to absorb and remember grammatical structures well, and how to use them to communicate and do exercise or the tests at schools effectively. This problem has lead them gradually to lose their interest in learning grammar.
The difficulties in learning grammar make them slowly reduce their motivation at grammatical lessons. Therefore, to support them to overcome their obstacles and to stimulate them to study grammar better, a story-based approach is applied to English grammar teaching at the center. Storytelling has been a crucial part of entertainment and communication for thousands of years, and is now in many forms from television, magazines, email, radio, and books. It is divided into ten types based on six values (1.
Fate Worse than Death, 3. Storytelling is also employed as a teaching methodology and learning tool in contemporary corporate enterprises and educational institutions. Abrahamson (1998) highlighted the importance of storytelling in the teaching profession, as it is a meaningful teaching tool for adult learners. Additionally, McDrury and Alterio (2003) emphasized the reflective nature of storytelling, which correlates with real-life experiences, making it an effective academic discipline.
Similarly, Heo (2004) suggests that storytelling is a learning strategy in online education that permits learners to connect old knowledge with new knowledge, fostering natural rumination and deeper processing of new knowledge. In the pedagogy field, it has been proved that the stories in significant and the storytelling in specific are effective and interesting in teaching methods. The stories can bring advantages to the learners in many aspects such as vocabulary, listening or speaking skill (Lestari, 2011; Rashid, 2011; Akhyak and Indramawan, 2013; Keshta, 2013; Abdul-Ameer, 2014). The story-based approach progresses the grammar teaching along with the learning of the target language.
It surmounts meaning and form 16 instruction by contextualizing both (Villavicencio, 2003). Hence, storytelling can be a successful tool for the acquisition of English verb tenses, especially among second language low proficiency learners (Soo & Nor H.