Using total physical response (TPR) method to improve students' vocabulary retension and learning attitudes at Le Duc Tho Primary School

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY

LE THI DIEU HUYEN

USING TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE (TPR) METHOD TO IMPROVE

STUDENTS’ VOCABULARY RETENTION AND LEARNING ATTITUDES AT

LE DUC THO PRIMARY SCHOOL

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment

of the requirements for the degree of

Master of Arts (TESOL)

Ho Chi Minh City, November 2019

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY

LE THI DIEU HUYEN

USING TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE (TPR) METHOD TO IMPROVE

STUDENTS’ VOCABULARY RETENTION AND LEARNING ATTITUDES AT

LE DUC THO PRIMARY SCHOOL

Major: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Major code: 60140111

MASTER OF ARTS IN TESOL

Supervisor: Dr. BUI THI THUC QUYEN

Ho Chi Minh City, November 2019

Le Thi Dieu Huyen – MTESOL015A Page i

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

I certify that this thesis entitled “Using Total Physical Response (TPR) method

to improve students’ vocabulary retention and learning attitudes at Le Duc Tho

Primary School” is my own work.

Except where reference is made in the text of the thesis, this thesis does not

contain material published elsewhere or extracted in whole or in part from a thesis by

which I have qualified for or been awarded another degree or diploma.

No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the

main text of the thesis.

This thesis has not been submitted for the award of any degree or diploma in

any other tertiary institution.

Ho Chi Minh City, 2019

Le Thi Dieu Huyen

Le Thi Dieu Huyen – MTESOL015A Page ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This thesis is the report of a research that could not have been accomplished

without the assistance of many people.

First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude

to my supervisor, Dr. Bui Thi Thuc Quyen, for her valuable advice, great

encouragement, expert support and enthusiastic guide. Her constructive comments help

me fulfill my research.

Second, I wish to extend my gratitude to all the lecturers for the Graduate

School in Ho Chi Minh City Open University for their precious and useful knowledge

as well as experiences during the TESOL course.

Third, special thanks are also forwarded to the Board of Principals and student

participants at Le Duc Tho Primary School for their permission and support during the

data collection process.

Fourth, my heartfelt thanks are sent to my classmates for their support,

assistance and encouragement throughout the study.

Finally, my gracefulness goes to my beloved family who are always by my side,

supporting and inspiring me in doing this research. Their creative energies and strong

spirit help me fulfill this academic goal.

Le Thi Dieu Huyen – MTESOL015A Page iii

ABSTRACT

The teaching and learning of vocabulary at a primary school has recently been

paid much more attention to by teachers and learners. However, many primary students

still have some trouble in vocabulary achievement. Thus, this study was carried out to

examine the role of the TPR method in improving vocabulary performance and

learning attitudes of the fourth graders at Le Duc Tho primary school, Go Vap District,

Ho Chi Minh City. To fulfill these research objectives, the quasi-experimental study

was conducted in the second semester of the academic year 2018-2019, with the

participation of 76 fourth-grade students. These students were divided into two groups:

one control group and one experimental group. Data were collected through a set of

instruments namely the vocabulary pre-test and post-test, the questionnaire and the

interview. The findings of the study revealed that the TPR method improved

vocabulary performance of the target students. Besides, this method also was positively

correlated with their learning attitudes, i.e. they felt motivated and interested in the

TPR activities (i.e. affective attitudes), they believed in the effectiveness of this method

(i.e. cognitive attitudes), and they actively participated in the activities of this method

(i.e. behavioral attitudes). Finally, some suggestions for teachers and further research in

applying this method were also made.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP ..................................................................................... i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................ ii

ABSTRACT....................................................................................................................... iii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS.......................................................................................... viii

LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. ix

LIST OF CHARTS ............................................................................................................. x

CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1

1.2 Problem statement ................................................................................................. 3

1.3 Research aims........................................................................................................ 4

1.4 Research questions ................................................................................................ 4

1.5 Significance of the study ....................................................................................... 5

1.6 Organization of the thesis...................................................................................... 5

CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................ 7

2.1 Total Physical Response (TPR)............................................................................. 7

2.1.1 An introduction to TPR............................................................................... 7

2.1.2 Principles of TPR ........................................................................................ 7

2.1.3 Advantages and disadvantages of TPR ....................................................... 8

2.1.4 Teachers’ and learners’ roles of TPR.......................................................... 9

2.1.5 TPR activities ............................................................................................ 10

2.2 Background of young learners............................................................................. 12

2.3 Vocabulary teaching and learning ....................................................................... 13

2.3.1 Definition of vocabulary ........................................................................... 13

2.3.2 Aspects of vocabulary ............................................................................... 14

2.3.3 Vocabulary teaching principles for young learners................................... 14

2.4 Concept of attitudes............................................................................................. 15

2.4.1 Definitions of attitudes.............................................................................. 15

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2.4.2 Roles of learners’ attitudes........................................................................ 15

2.4.3 Components of attitudes............................................................................ 15

2.5 Previous studies................................................................................................... 16

2.6 Research gaps...................................................................................................... 18

2.7 Chapter summary................................................................................................. 19

CHAPTER 3. METHODOLOGY .................................................................................... 20

3.1 Research setting and participants ........................................................................ 20

3.1.1 Research setting......................................................................................... 20

3.1.2 Research participants................................................................................. 20

3.2 Research design ................................................................................................... 21

3.3 Procedures of the study........................................................................................ 23

3.3.1 Teaching material ...................................................................................... 23

3.3.2. Time distribution ....................................................................................... 23

3.3.3 Training for experimental group ............................................................... 25

3.3.4 Training procedure for the control group.................................................. 26

3.4.2 Questionnaire............................................................................................. 29

3.4.3 Interview.................................................................................................... 30

3.5 Data analytical framework................................................................................... 31

3.5.1 Tests........................................................................................................... 31

3.5.2 Questionnaire............................................................................................. 31

3.5.3 Interview.................................................................................................... 32

3.6 Methodological issues ......................................................................................... 32

3.6.1 Reliability and validity .............................................................................. 32

3.6.2 Ethical consideration ................................................................................ 34

3.6.3 Triangulation ............................................................................................. 34

3.7 Chapter summary................................................................................................. 34

CHAPTER 4. DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS ....................... 36

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4.1 Research question 1............................................................................................. 36

4.1.1 Data analysis of the tests........................................................................... 36

4.1.2 Discussion ................................................................................................. 48

4.2 Research question 2............................................................................................. 49

4.2.1 Data analysis of the questionnaire............................................................. 50

4.2.2 Data analysis of the semi-structured interview ......................................... 53

4.2.3 Discussion ................................................................................................. 56

4.3 Chapter summary................................................................................................. 58

CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATION..................................................... 59

5.1 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 59

5.1.1 Key findings of research question 1.......................................................... 59

5.1.2 Key findings of research question 2.......................................................... 60

5.2 Implications......................................................................................................... 60

5.3 Evaluation of the overall methodology ............................................................... 61

5.3.1 Strengths.................................................................................................... 61

5.3.2 Limitation of the study .............................................................................. 62

5.4 Recommendations for further studies.................................................................. 62

5.5 Chapter summary................................................................................................. 63

REFERENCES.................................................................................................................. 64

APPENDICES................................................................................................................... 70

APPENDIX A................................................................................................................ 71

APPENDIX B................................................................................................................ 77

APPENDIX C.1. PRE – TEST...................................................................................... 84

APPENDIX C.2. POST – TEST.................................................................................... 87

APPENDIX D.1. QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH VERSION) ................................... 90

APPENDIX D.2. QUESTIONNAIRE (VIETNAMESE VERSION)........................... 92

APPENDIX E.1. INTERVIEW (ENGLISH VERSION).............................................. 94

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APPENDIX E.2. INTERVIEW (VIETNAMESE VERSION) ..................................... 95

APPENDIX F.1. TRANSCRIPTS (ENGLISH VERSION) ......................................... 96

APPENDIX F.2. TRANSCRIPTS (VIETNAMESE VERSION)................................. 98

APPENDIX G.1. TEST SCORES OF THE CONTROL GROUP ............................. 101

APPENDIX G.2. TEST SCORES OF THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP.................. 103

APPENDIX H.1: CONSENT FORM TO THE BOARD OF LE DUC THO

PRIMARY SCHOOL (ENGLISH VERSION)........................................................... 105

APPENDIX H.2: CONSENT FORM TO THE BOARD OF LE DUC THO

PRIMARY SCHOOL (VIETNAMESE VERSION) .................................................. 106

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

TPR : Total Physical Response

ESL : English as a Second Language

EFL : English as a Foreign Language

CG : Control Group

EG : Experimental Group

SPSS : Statistical Package for the Social Sciences

S1 : Student 1

S2 : Student 2

S3 : Student 3

S4 : Student 4

S5 : Student 5

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 3.1: Profile of the participants................................................................................. 20

Table 3.2: Research design ............................................................................................... 22

Table 3.3: Description of the teaching material................................................................ 23

Table 3.4: The main stages of the study............................................................................ 24

Table 3.5: The link between research questions and research instruments ...................... 27

Table 4.1: Group statistics on the pre-test of the control and experimental groups ......... 38

Table 4.2: Independent Samples T-test on the pre-test of the two groups........................ 38

Table 4.3: Paired samples statistics in the pre-test and the post-test of the control group 40

Table 4.4: Results of the paired samples t-test in the pre-test and the post-test of the

control group ..................................................................................................................... 41

Table 4.5: Paired samples statistics in the pre-test and the post-test of the experimental

group.................................................................................................................................. 43

Table 4.6: Results of the paired samples t-test in the pre-test and the post-test of the

experimental group............................................................................................................ 43

Table 4.7: Tests for the normality of pre-test scores......................................................... 44

Table 4.8: Tests for the normality of post-test scores....................................................... 46

Table 4.9: The students’ affective attitudes ...................................................................... 50

Table 4.10: The students’ cognitive attitudes ................................................................... 51

Table 4.11: The students’ behavioral attitudes ................................................................. 53

Table 4.12: Interview results (See Appendices E.1 and E.2)............................................ 54