VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ------- ------- VŨ THỊ XUÂN AN ACTION RESEARCH ON USING MUSIC AND ANIMATED CARTOONS TO TEACH ENGLISH TO PRIMARY STUDENTS AT DONG HOA PRIMARY SCHOOL NGHIÊN CỨU HÀNH ĐỘNG VIỆC SỬ DỤNG PHIM HOẠT HÌNH CÓ NHẠC ĐỂ DẠY TIẾNG ANH CHO HỌC SINH TIỂU HỌC TẠI TRƯỜNG TIỂU HỌC ĐỒNG HÒA M. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 60 14 0111 HANOI – 2014 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ------- ------- VŨ THỊ XUÂN AN ACTION RESEARCH ON USING MUSIC AND ANIMATED CARTOONS TO TEACH ENGLISH TO PRIMARY STUDENTS AT DONG HOA PRIMARY SCHOOL NGHIÊN CỨU HÀNH ĐỘNG VIỆC SỬ DỤNG PHIM HOẠT HÌNH CÓ NHẠC ĐỂ DẠY TIẾNG ANH CHO HỌC SINH TIỂU HỌC TẠI TRƯỜNG TIỂU HỌC ĐỒNG HÒA M. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 60 14 0111 Supervisor: Prof. HOÀNG VĂN VÂN HANOI – 2014 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com CANDIDATE’S STATEMENT --------------*****------------- I hereby declare that the thesis entitled: “AN ACTION RESEARCH ON USING MUSIC AND ANIMATED CARTOONS IN TEACHING ENGLISH TO PRIMARY STUDENTS AT DONG HOA PRIMARY SCHOOL” represents my own work for the Degree of Master of Arts at University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi and that it has not been previously submitted to this university or any other institutions in application for admission to a degree, diploma or other qualifications.
Hanoi, 2014 Vu Thi Xuan i LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to my supervisor, Prof. Hoang Van Van, for his thoughtful advice and assistance in completing this study. He devoted a lot of his time to guide and assist me throughout this study. But for his advice and guidance, this thesis would not have been completed.
My thanks are also extended to all the lecturers in the Faculty of Postgraduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, VNU for their useful lectures from which I have benefited a lot for the accomplishment of this study. I am greatly indebted to my students, class 3B, my school principal and my colleagues at Dong Hoa Primary School for their participation and assistance. I would like to thank my mother and members of my family and my friends who motivated me to go ahead for this study. ii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ABSTRACT This study aims to examine the application of animated cartoons to teach English to the third graders at Dong Hoa Primary School.
This study is an action research which consists of four stages: planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. The subjects of this study are 39 students from class 3B of the Academic Year 2013 – 2014. The data is collected using the following instruments: document analysis and questionnaire. The study employs both qualitative and quantitative method for analyzing the data and obtaining the results.
The results of the research show that the employment of animated cartoons in teaching can help primary students improve the quality of their English learning. The students also show their positive reponses toward the implimentation of animated cartoons in teaching English. iii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS Abbreviations Stands for CD Compact disc DVD digital video disc EFL English as a Foreign Language FL Foreign Language FLT Foreign Language Teaching Q Question T Teacher TEFL Teaching English as a Foreign Language VCD Video compact disc % Percent / or iv LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS CANDIDATE‟S STATEMENT. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS.
iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS. vi LIST OF APPENDICES. vii PART A: INTRODUCTION 1. The aim of the study and research questions.
The significance of the study. Scope of the study. Method of the study. Design of the study.
3 PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW 1. Teaching English to young learners. Definition of young learners. Characteristics of young learners.
Teaching English as foreign language to young learners. Definition of instructional media. Types of instructional media. Definition of animated cartoons.
Advantages of using animated cartoons in ELT. Criteria for selecting animated cartoons for teaching.13 v LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Techniques for utilizing animated cartoons in classroom. Lesson plan using animated cartoons.
Previous studies related to TEFL to young learners .17 CHAPTER II: THE STUDY 2. The context of teaching English at Dong Hoa Primary School. Identifying the problem .22 CHAPTER III: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS 3. Analysis of questionnaire 1.
Analysis of questionnaire 2. Analysis of questionnaire 3. Limitations and suggestion for further study .35 vi LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com PART A: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale English plays an important role nowadays since it is used as a mean of international communication.
Now, in the globalization era all nations need to communicate with other and English will be their medium of communication. English has been taught in many countries as a foreign language including Vietnam where it has officially been taught from secondary school to university. However, for over ten years now, it has been introduced to primary schools. Especially, since the 2020 National Foreign Language Project was implemented, it has formally been taught from the third grade at all primary schools.
A lot of efforts have been made by both primary teachers and curriculum developers to improve the quality of teaching and learning. But, it seems that the quality of instruction at primary schools is not improved much. This is due to the following problems. Firstly, many primary English teachers are not adequately trained to teach English to such special learners with special characteristics.
Most English teachers still follow traditional teaching methods that usually make students bored and the lessons un-enjoyable. A lot of teachers still follow test-oriented teaching approach that often concentrates on teaching English vocabulary and grammar, which does not develop students‟ language skills. Not only the teachers‟ low language proficiency but also their inflexibility and uncreativeness in searching and applying various teaching techniques and methods into their real teaching make a big quality gap in current English teaching and learning. Secondly, although the 2020 National Foreign Language Project was introduced in 2008, English is still one of the optional subjects in primary schools, which often demotivates students.
As English is not a compulsory school subject, both students and their parents especially in rural and semi-rural areas underestimate it. They do not consider it important to devote time to learning English. Even, there are a lot of students going to school without any books or notebooks during a semester. 1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Thirdly, the textbook Let‟s Learn English appears to be inappropriate and unattractive to young learners.
When teaching young learners, we must find methods, which create fun environment making them feel comfortable to learn English. We can use chants, songs, games, poems, or storytelling to make the environment more alive and entertaining to deliver the lessons, but using these materials is already ordinary and common to use. These techniques also seem to be very familiar to my students so no longer catch much of their attention. In order to keep students‟ motivation and to improve the quality of teaching, I decide to choose animated cartoons to teach English to my primary students.
The rationale behind choosing animated cartoons to teach my students rather than other techniques is that animated cartoons contain humorous characters and colorful and catchy visual presentations accompanied by enjoyable sound and music. Moreover, young learners are much interested in watching animated cartoons. The aim of the study and research questions The main aim of this research is to investigate the employment of animated cartoons as a medium to teach English at Dong Hoa Primary School and to find out the attitudes of third-grade students towards learning English by using animated cartoons. To fulfill the aim of the study, the following questions are raised: 1.
Is the employment of animated cartoons to teach English to the third grader students at Dong Hoa Primary School effective? 2. What are the attitudes of Dong Hoa third-grade students towards studying English by using animated cartoons? 3. The significance of the study It is hoped that this study will benefit both teachers and students. For teachers, this study will introduce to them a cartoon-based lesson and how to use cartoons to teach English to young learners.
It will bring them a new medium and a new way of teaching English at primary schools and provide them with some techniques of using animated cartoons to teach English to their students effectively. 2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com For students, this study will offer an effective lesson and a fun learning model which can involve them in the learning process. It will also help them to improve their proficiency of English. Scope of the study Given the aim of the study as stated in Section 2, this study will confine itself to the application of animated cartoons to teach English to the third graders at Dong Hoa Primary School to see whether it is an effective technique of teaching English to children.
In this study, music is mentioned in the title, but it does not mean using songs in teaching English. Rather, it is used as the background music accompanying animated cartoons activities. Method of the study This study is an action research. After providing the theoretical background, the writer follows the action research procedures.
There are different views on procedures of an action research. In this study, the author implements the procedures suggested by McNiff (1992:7). There are four stages. The first stage is planning which is done to give the solution to the identified problems.
The solution is employing animated cartoons to teach English to the third grade students. In order to apply animated cartoons in teaching, first the researcher plans to search animated cartoons on the internet, then redesigns animated cartoons so that they are appropriate to the content of textbook; next makes lesson plan using these cartoons, and finally designs questionnaires to collect students‟ responses after every lesson to see whether the lesson is effective or not. The second stage is acting in which the writer carries out the treatment referring to the plan has been made. The author presents three lessons using the animated cartoons.
The third stage is observing in which the writer identifies and analyzes the data collected during the treatment. The fourth stage is reflecting in which the writer presents some findings. In the process of researching, the author employs both qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze the data. Design of the study The thesis will be organized in three parts as follows: 3 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Part A is the Introduction which presents the rationale, the aim and the research questions, the significance, the scope, the method and the design of the study.
Part B is the Development which consists of three chapters. Chapter 1 is the Literature Review which offers the theoretical background to the study. Chapter 2 is the focus of the study which reports the context of teaching English at Dong Hoa Primary School, identifies the problems and conducts the action. Chapter 3 is concerned with data analysis and findings.
It provides an analysis of the data and the interpretation of the results. Part C is the Conclusion which summarizes what has been studied, makes some recommendations for textbook writers and primary English teachers, points out the limitations of the research and makes the suggestion for further study.