VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES VŨ THỊ THANH TÂM AN ACTION RESEARCH ON USING STORIES AND DRAMA IN TEACHING ENGLISH TO PRIMARY STUDENTS AT QUAN TRU PRIMARY SCHOOL NGHIÊN CỨU HÀNH ĐỘNG VỀ DẠY TIẾNG ANH CHO HỌC SINH TIỂU HỌC QUA TRUYỆN VÀ KỊCH TẠI TRƯỜNG TIỂU HỌC QUÁN TRỮ M. MINOR THESIS Major: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60. HANOI - 2012 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES VŨ THỊ THANH TÂM AN ACTION RESEARCH ON USING STORIES AND DRAMA IN TEACHING ENGLISH TO PRIMARY STUDENTS AT QUAN TRU PRIMARY SCHOOL NGHIÊN CỨU HÀNH ĐỘNG VỀ DẠY TIẾNG ANH CHO HỌC SINH TIỂU HỌC QUA TRUYỆN VÀ KỊCH TẠI TRƯỜNG TIỂU HỌC QUÁN TRỮ M. MINOR THESIS Major: Methodology of English Teaching Code: 60.
Supervisor: TÔ THỊ THU HƯƠNG, Ph.D HANOI - 2012 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………. ii Abstract……………………………………………………………………… iii Table of contents……………………………………………………………. iv List of charts, figures and tables…………………………………………… vi List of abbreviations and symbols…………………………………………. vii CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION………………………………………….
Rationale of the research………………………………………………. Aims of the research …………………………………………………… 2 1. Scope of the research…………………………………………………… 2 1. Action research design………………………………………….
4 CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND ……………………. Teaching English to primary school children …………………………. Typical characteristics of young learners ……………………………. Models of teaching English to primary-school students……………… 8 2.
Child development through the use of stories and drama ……………… 8 2. Speaking and listening………………………………………………. Teaching nonverbal communication………………………………… 12 2. Typical activities in English lessons using stories and drama………….
Finger puppet show……………………………………………………. iv TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail. Picture Book Drawing…………………………………………………. Group Acting – Role play……………………………………………… 15 2.
Teacher in role…………………………………………………………. 17 CHAPTER III: THE STUDY- USING STORIES AND DRAMA IN TEACHING ENGLISH TO PRIMARY STUDENTS……………………. Action research questions and design…………………………………… 18 3. Observing a lesson that illustrated the problem……………………….
Conducting a survey to get information from the students……………. Consulting with colleagues …………………………………………… 24 3. Drawing up a plan of action to solve the problem……………………. Lesson using the story and drama "Little Red Riding Hood"………… 26 3.
Lesson using the story and drama "Goldilocks and Three Bears"……. Summary of the main findings…………………………………………. 38 CHAPTER IV: CONCLUSION…………………………………………… 39 4. Summary of the main findings ………………………………………….
Implications for teaching speaking and listening through stories and drama………………………………………………………………………… 39 4. Limitations and suggestions for further research………………………. Conclusion……………………………………………………………… 41 REFERENCES APPENDICES v TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com LIST OF FIGURES, CHARTS AND TABLES Figure 1: Writing through drama…………………………………………. 10 Chart 1: The lessons using stories and drama have made English easier for you to learn………………………………………………………………….
35 Table 1: Evaluating students‟ speaking abilities…………………………. 20 Table 2 : Evaluating students‟ listening abilities…………………………. 21 Table 3: The reasons why the teachers do not usually use stories and drama in their English lessons……………………………………………………. 24 Table 4: The English lessons using story and drama…………………….
34 Table 5: The successful changes made by the teacher……………. 35 Table 6: The Ss‟ changes after taking part in the lessons using stories and drama………………………………………………………………………. 36 Table 7: The Ss‟ problems in the lessons using stories and drama………. 37 vi TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS % Percent EFL English as a Foreign Language LRRH Little Red Riding Hood Ss Students T Teacher vii TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1.
Rationale of the research English has become a world language and is used as the medium of international communication and is the language of professional advancement. It has become the number one foreign language to be taught both inside and outside the formal educational systems of many countries. Nowadays, English teaching and learning in Vietnam has been developing at an unprecedented speed. As a primary English teacher, the author has witnessed how English has become one of the compulsory subjects in the curriculum and how Vietnamese education system appreciates the importance of English learning nowadays, especially at primary schools.
The National Foreign Language 2020 Project demands better English teaching and learning quality by expecting teachers to improve their language competence to train primary students. However, the fact that many primary English teachers, including the author, are not trained comprehensively to teach English to such special learners with special characteristics, primary students. Not only the teachers‟ low language competency but also their non-flexibility and uncreativeness in applying various teaching techniques and methods into their real teaching make a big quality gap in the current English teaching and learning. Most language teachers, following a traditional, test-oriented teaching approach, often concentrate on teaching English vocabulary, grammar, and sometimes on pronunciation, all the language elements covered in the textbooks, although there are more pleasant, practical and useful ways to introduce and practice all these textbook requirements.
Stories and drama are such effective vehicles in teaching English to primary students because of their important roles in bringing about young learners‟ interests and excitement. Thus, the study, reported in this thesis, on using stories and drama in teaching English to primary students, especially to improve their English speaking and listening skills, was conducted as an effort in filling the quality gap mentioned above by finding out suitable and effective techniques in teaching English to primary students. 1 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail. Aims of the research - Finding out the attitudes of primary teachers and students towards the use of stories and drama in English lessons.
- Exploring how the use of stories and drama in teaching English can enhance primary students‟ English speaking and listening skills. Scope of the research Due to the limitation of time and knowledge, this thesis only focused on using stories and drama in teaching English to third - grade students at Quan Tru Primary School in the second term of the school-year of 2011-2012. What are the attitudes of Quan Tru third-grade teachers and students towards the use of stories and drama in English lessons? 2. How can the use of stories and drama in teaching English enhance Quan Tru third- grade students‟ English speaking and listening skills? 1.
Methodology The methodological approach was action research using various methods for data collection. The tools for data gathering include two questionnaires, one for teachers and one for students, class observation and teacher journals. Action research design The action research consisted of four main stages: Planning, Acting, Observing and Evaluation stage. Stage 1: Planning: - Identifying problem and causes of the problem: low quality of English teaching - learning due to unsuitable methods and techniques used by teachers of English at Quan Tru Primary School.
The unsuitable methods and techniques coupled with the wrong focus on teaching language elements for high test scores lead to students‟ low level of motivation and their underdeveloped English speaking and listening skills. A video camera was used to record three third-grade English lessons, and 2 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com then an evaluation of the students‟ speaking and listening abilities was made. The criteria for evaluating each student‟s speaking and listening abilities in English lessons include pronunciation, vocabulary, accuracy, fluency, communication and interaction and mentioned listening skills. There are standard tasks to evaluate student‟s speaking and listening abilities in 3 English classes for third-graders.
- Designing strategies for improvement (plan for action): plan lessons to try out the use of stories and dramas in English teaching to motivate Quan Tru third-grade students to learn English and to improve their English speaking and listening skills. Stage 2: Acting - Trying out the techniques of using stories and drama in English lessons and making records of what happened in class. Stage 3: Observing - Three volunteer teachers were asked to observe a lesson after the trying-out stage that illustrated the changes in Quan Tru third-grade students‟ English speaking and listening skills. - The results of class observation ware used to evaluate the success of the action on using stories and dramas to teach English to third-graders at Quan Tru Primary school.
Stage 4: Evaluation - A questionnaire survey was carried out to get information from students on the extent to which the use of stories and drama has helped improve their English speaking and listening skills. The 4 questions in the questionnaire were designed in Vietnamese for thorough understanding and translated into English by an experience translator. - From the surveys, conclusion and commendations were made. Participants The participants of the research were 80 third - grade students and 10 teachers of Quan Tru Primary School.
The research was carried out during the second term of the academic year 2011-2012 at Quan Tru Primary School. 3 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail. Procedures - At the beginning of second term of the academic year 2011-2012, three third- grade English lessons from 3 classes with 80 students were recorded with a video camera, then an evaluation of the students‟ speaking and listening abilities (80 students) was made. The criteria for evaluating each student‟s speaking and listening abilities in English lessons include pronunciation, vocabulary, accuracy, fluency, communication and interaction and listening skills.
There are standard tasks to evaluate student‟s speaking and listening abilities in 3 English classes for third-graders. - A consultation with 10 teachers and a student pre-trying-out questionnaire survey were conducted to find out the causes of students low English speaking and listening skills as well as their attitudes towards the use of stories and dramas in teaching English. - The researcher planned lessons to try out the use of stories and dramas in English teaching to motivate Quan Tru third-grade students to learn English and to improve their English speaking and listening skills. - The researcher tried out the techniques of using stories and drama in English lessons and making records of what happened in 3 classes with 80 students in her journals.
- Three volunteer teachers were asked to observe lessons in the three classes after the trying-out stage that illustrated the changes in Quan Tru third-grade students‟ English speaking and listening skills; - The results of class observation were used to evaluate the success of the action on using stories and dramas to teach English to third-graders at Quan Tru Primary school. - A post-trying-out questionnaire survey was carried out to get information from the 80 students on the extent to which the use of stories and drama has helped improve their English speaking and listening skills. The 5 questions in the 4 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com questionnaire were designed in Vietnamese to ensure students understanding and truthful answers then translated into English by an experience translator. - Data from teacher/student questionnaires, class observations, and teacher journals were analyzed quantitatively for descriptive statistics and qualitatively for tendency towards the two themes represented in the two research questions.
- Then writing up was made to complete the research 5 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND OF THE RESEARCH 2. Teaching English to primary-school students 2. Typical characteristics of young learners Young learners are physically active. As Pauncz (1980) points out, it is children‟s nature to fidget, jump, talk, and interrupt.
The teacher should provide activities which allow the child‟s body to be in motion. However, their need to move is often ignored in the primary classroom because Vietnamese teachers often consider this a discipline problem. They always expect their students to learn in nice way which means their students have to keep silent every time during the lesson. If someone move, talk or interrupt, they are considered not to obey the classroom‟s rules and will be punished.
This happens even in foreign language classes in almost all primary schools in Vietnam. As argued by Brumfit et al. (1991), young learners need physical movement and activity as stimulation for their thinking, and the closer together these can be, the better. Children need to use language for making or doing things.
By doing so, they are able to fix the linguistic input and situations in the long-term memory and strengthen recall.