Using storytelling to enhance vietnamese young learners english vocabulary m,a

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE USING STORYTELLING TO ENHANCE VIETNAMESE YOUNG LEARNERS’ ENGLISH VOCABULARY A thesis submitted to the Faculty of English Linguistics & Literature in partial fulfillment of the Master‟s degree in TESOL By NGUYEN KHANH THAO DI Supervised by ASSOC PROF DR NGUYEN THANH TUNG Ho Chi Minh City, April 2022 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE USING STORYTELLING TO ENHANCE VIETNAMESE YOUNG LEARNERS’ ENGLISH VOCABULARY A thesis submitted to the Faculty of English Linguistics & Literature in partial fulfillment of the Master‟s degree in TESOL By NGUYEN KHANH THAO DI Supervised by ASSOC PROF DR NGUYEN THANH TUNG Ho Chi Minh City, April 2022 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my profound gratitude to those who have offered me wholehearted support and assistance so that I could complete this thesis First and foremost, I would like to express my gratefulness to my supervisor, Assoc Prof Dr Nguyen Thanh Tung, for his kindness, encouragement, sympathy, and valuable guidance Without his support and thoughtful comments, I would not have been able to finalize the thesis I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the Faculty of English Linguistics and Literature at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ho Chi Minh City and all lecturers, who have assisted me during the M.A program in TESOL Also, I am truly grateful to all of the classmates that I have had golden opportunities to work with in this program They have been incredibly inspirational, supportive, and resourceful My sincere thanks also go to my colleagues, who gave useful comments on my paper, and all the learners, who participated in the experiment Last but not least, my special thanks go to my family members, who have always taken tender care of me, strengthened my motivation, and provided me with great encouragement i STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY I certify that this thesis, entitled “Using storytelling to enhance Vietnamese young learners‟ English vocabulary,” is my original work It is based on my own research to meet the requirements for a thesis in the Master‟s program in TESOL at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities issued by the Higher Degree Committee All sources used for this thesis have been documented No other person‟s work has been used without due acknowledgement This thesis has not previously been submitted for the award of any degree or diploma in any other institution Ho Chi Minh City, April 2022 Nguyen Khanh Thao Di ii RETENTION OF USE I hereby state that I, Nguyen Khanh Thao Di, 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 Theses 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, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the library for the care, loan or reproduction of the thesis Ho Chi Minh City, April 2022 Nguyen Khanh Thao Di iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY ii RETENTION OF USE iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS viii LIST OF TABLES ix LIST OF FIGURES xi ABSTRACT xii CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY 1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 1.3 AIM OF THE STUDY AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS 1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY 1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY 1.6 ORGANIZATION OF THE THESIS CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 OVERVIEW OF STORYTELLING 2.1.1 Definition of storytelling 2.1.2 Characteristics of storytelling 2.1.2.1 Providing meaningful context 2.1.2.2 Providing natural repetition 2.1.2.3 Providing an enjoyable learning environment 2.1.3 Benefits of storytelling 2.1.3.1 Improving learners‟ vocabulary mastery in terms of meaning iv 2.1.3.2 Improving learners‟ vocabulary mastery in terms of use 10 2.1.3.3 Developing positive attitudes towards English vocabulary learning 10 2.2 THE BASIS OF USING STORYTELLING TO TEACH ENGLISH VOCABULARY TO YOUNG LEARNERS 13 2.2.1 Young learners 13 2.2.1.1 Definition of young learners 13 2.2.1.2 Characteristics of young learners 14 2.2.2 Teaching English vocabulary to young learners 14 2.2.2.1 Definition of vocabulary 14 2.2.2.2 Features of teaching English vocabulary to young learners 15 2.2.3 Storytelling as an effective method to teach English vocabulary to young learners 17 2.3 THE APPLICATION OF STORYTELLING IN TEACHING ENGLISH VOCABULARY TO YOUNG LEARNERS 18 2.3.1 Pre-storytelling 19 2.3.2 While-storytelling 20 2.3.3 Post-storytelling 22 2.4 EMPIRICAL STUDIES 23 2.5 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK 25 2.6 CHAPTER SUMMARY 27 CHAPTER METHODOLOGY 28 3.1 RESEARCH SITE 28 3.2 PARTICIPANTS 29 3.3 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY 30 3.3.1 Approach 31 v 3.3.2 Method 31 3.3.2.1 Design 31 3.3.2.2 Procedure 32 3.3.3 Instruments 36 3.3.3.1 Tests 36 3.3.3.2 Questionnaires 39 3.4 ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK 40 3.4.1 Tests 40 3.4.2 Questionnaires 41 3.5 VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY 42 3.5.1 Tests 42 3.5.2 Questionnaires 43 3.6 CHAPTER SUMMARY 44 CHAPTER DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS 45 4.1 DATA ANALYSIS 45 4.1.1 Tests 45 4.1.1.1 Pre-test 45 4.1.1.2 Post-test 51 4.1.2 Questionnaires 57 4.1.2.1 Pre-questionnaire 57 4.1.2.2 Post-questionnaire 60 4.1.2.3 Comparison of the two questionnaires 63 4.2 DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS 66 4.2.1 The effects of storytelling on young learners‟ vocabulary mastery 66 4.2.2 The effects of storytelling on young learners‟ positive attitudes towards English vocabulary learning 68 vi 4.3 CHAPTER SUMMARY 69 CHAPTER CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 70 5.1 CONCLUSIONS 70 5.2 SUGGESTIONS 72 5.2.1 Suggestions for teachers 72 5.2.2 Suggestions for syllabus designers and material writers 73 5.3 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY 73 5.4 RECOMMENDATION FOR FUTURE RESEARCH 74 5.5 CHAPTER SUMMARY 75 REFERENCES 76 APPENDICES 82 Appendix A – Pre-test 82 Appendix B – Post-test 90 Appendix C – Questionnaire 98 Appendix D – Control group‟s pre-test raw scores 99 Appendix E – Control group‟s post-test raw scores 100 Appendix F – Experimental group‟s pre-test raw scores 101 Appendix G – Experimental group‟s post-test raw scores 102 Appendix H – Cronbach‟s alpha of pre-questionnaire items 103 Appendix I – Cronbach‟s alpha of post-questionnaire items 104 Appendix J – Target lexical items of the teaching program 105 Appendix K – Stories used in the teaching program 106 Appendix L – Sample lesson plans 110 vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS A Agree CG Control group df Degree of freedom D Disagree EG Experimental group F F distribution I Item M Mean Max Maximum Mdn Median Min Minimum MOET The Ministry of Education and Training n Number of cases N Neutral S Student SA Strongly agree SD Strongly disagree Sig The significance value SPSS The statistical package for social sciences Std Dev Standard deviation Std Error Mean Standard error mean viii Appendix E – Control group’s post-test raw scores Table 3.7 Control group’s post-test raw scores Meaning Use Part Part CS1 11 CS2 11 17 CS3 10 CS4 11 17 CS5 12 17 CS6 10 16 CS7 12 17 CS8 13 20 CS9 14 23 CS10 14 10 24 CS11 16 22 CS12 17 25 CS13 16 22 CS14 12 17 CS15 14 20 CS16 13 19 CS17 13 10 23 Note CS1 = the first student in the Control group 100 Total Appendix F – Experimental group’s pre-test raw scores Table 3.8 Experimental group’s pre-test raw scores Meaning Use Part Part ES1 12 ES2 12 16 ES3 11 15 ES4 12 ES5 10 ES6 ES7 ES8 11 ES9 12 17 ES10 10 15 ES11 14 18 ES12 10 13 ES13 10 ES14 14 ES15 10 ES16 11 ES17 12 16 ES18 10 14 Note ES1 = the first student in the Experimental group 101 Total Appendix G – Experimental group’s post-test raw scores Table 3.9 Experimental group’s post-test raw scores Meaning Use Part Part ES1 15 24 ES2 14 10 24 ES3 17 11 28 ES4 11 20 ES5 12 10 22 ES6 15 ES7 13 20 ES8 13 22 ES9 17 12 29 ES10 15 24 ES11 16 12 28 ES12 12 19 ES13 12 20 ES14 10 17 ES15 11 10 21 ES16 10 17 ES17 14 11 25 ES18 12 21 Note ES1 = the first student in the Experimental group 102 Total Appendix H – Cronbach’s alpha of pre-questionnaire items Table 4.20 Pre-questionnaire item-total statistics Scale Mean if Scale Variance Corrected Cronbach's Item Deleted if Item Item-Total Alpha if Item Deleted Correlation Deleted I1 29.67 35.882 703 852 I2 30.56 43.085 398 877 I3 29.50 40.971 722 854 I4 29.89 43.281 523 868 I5 29.67 41.294 745 854 I6 29.67 39.765 701 853 I7 30.67 38.941 546 868 I8 30.94 38.291 666 855 I9 30.11 35.634 678 855 103 Appendix I – Cronbach’s alpha of post-questionnaire items Table 4.21 Post-questionnaire item-total statistics Scale Mean if Scale Variance Corrected Cronbach's Item Deleted if Item Item-Total Alpha if Item Deleted Correlation Deleted I1 36.11 25.634 646 900 I2 36.67 23.412 834 885 I3 36.11 26.810 692 900 I4 36.61 23.193 848 884 I5 36.50 26.147 571 904 I6 36.11 27.987 648 906 I7 36.11 25.634 646 900 I8 37.00 19.765 765 904 I9 36.33 22.706 826 885 104 Appendix J – Target lexical items of the teaching program Table 4.22 Target lexical items of the teaching program Lesson Vocabulary Structures Lesson fruit, rice, meat, pasta, milk I want some (milk) Lesson card, mask, candle, present, game There‟s a (present) here Lesson zoo, supermarket, park, swimming I want to go to the (zoo) pool, library Lesson run, dance, jump rope, ride a bike, I can (run) ride a scooter Total 20 105 Appendix K – Stories used in the teaching program STORY – I WANT SOME MILK Benny, Leo, and Polly are sitting in their house Benny points at his tummy Benny: Look at my big tummy!! Leo: There‟s too much pasta in your tummy Polly: Let‟s run! They run around the house Benny: I want some pasta Leo: I want some rice Polly: No Run faster! They run around the tree Benny: I want some meat Leo: I want some fruit Polly: No Run faster! They run around the flowers Benny: I want some milk Polly: OK They stop running Polly gives Benny and Leo some milk Polly: Here you are Leo and Benny: Thank you! Target language: fruit, rice, meat, pasta, milk, I want some (milk) 106 STORY – THERE’S A PRESENT HERE Benny and Leo are playing in the yard Polly comes Polly: Hello! Benny: Hello! Let‟s play! Leo: We are finding a present Polly sees something She goes to the tree She picks up the object Polly: There‟s a card here Benny sees something He goes to the chair He picks up the object Benny: There‟s a mask here Leo sees something He goes to the table He picks up the object Leo: There‟s a candle here Polly sees something She goes to the flowers She picks up the object Polly: There‟s a game here Leo and Benny see something They go to the box They pick up the object Leo and Benny: There‟s a present here Polly: Yeah! Target language: card, mask, candle, present, game, There‟s a (present) here 107 STORY – LET’S GO TO THE SUPERMARKET Benny, Leo, and Polly are sunbathing Leo: It‟s sunny Benny: Yes It‟s sunny Do you want to go somewhere? Leo: Yes I want to go to the zoo Polly: I want to go to the swimming pool Leo: Zoo! Polly: Swimming pool! Benny: I want to go to the library Leo and Polly: Noooooo! Benny: I want to go to the park Polly: It‟s sunny It‟s hot! Leo: Yes I‟m very hot Benny: I‟m hungry I want to go to the supermarket Leo and Polly: OK Let‟s go Target language: zoo, supermarket, park, swimming pool, library, I want to go to the (zoo) 108 STORY – I CAN JUMP ROPE Benny, Leo, and Polly go to the park Leo runs Leo: I can run Polly dances Polly: I can dance Benny sees a bike He goes to the bike He rides the bike Benny: I can ride the bike Leo sees a scooter He runs to the scooter He rides the scooter Leo: I can ride the scooter Polly finds some jump ropes Polly: Jump rope! Come here Benny and Leo run to Polly Benny, Leo, and Polly jump rope Benny, Leo, and Polly: I can jump rope Target language: run, dance, jump rope, ride a bike, ride a scooter, I can (run) 109 Appendix L – Sample lesson plans LESSON PLAN – EXPERIMENTAL GROUP (LESSON – STORY 2) A LESSON AIMS - Provide students with the meanings of five target words, i.e CARD, MASK, CANDLE, GAME, PRESENT, and the target structure THERE‟S A (CARD) HERE - Provide students with the ability to use the target lexical items correctly - Provide students with the ability to understand and retell a story B TEACHING MATERIAL - Story – There‟s a present here - Puppets + pictures + realia C TEACHING PROCEDURES *Note: T = Teacher Stage Pre- Aim Ss = Students Time - To engage Ss -10 mins storytelling Activities - T uses puppets to introduce the characters in the story - T shows the puppets, pictures, and real objects used in the story - T encourages the Ss to make predictions about the story -To prepare Ss - 10 mins - T explains new concepts - Ss practice pronouncing words for the story - T checks Ss‟ pronunciation Whilestorytelling - To tell the story -15 mins - T uses introduced puppets, pictures and real objects to tell the story - T checks Ss‟ understanding and asks Ss to predict what is going to happen when possible 110 - T asks Ss to repeat target lexical items: card, mask, candle, game, present, there’s a (card) here - To get Ss -30 mins retelling the - T instructs Ss to practice the lines along with the gestures and actions - T models the gestures and elicits narration story - T divides the class into groups - T asks Ss to role-play in groups - T asks the groups to take turns retelling the stories (T reduces her support over time.) Poststorytelling - To check Ss‟ -10 mins - T asks questions about the story (e.g the understanding characters‟ feelings, the Ss‟ feelings, and the of the story moral lesson of the story) - T encourages Ss to answer - T conducts the matching game - T asks Ss to rearrange the pictures in the correct sequence of the story - To get Ss -30 mins - T asks Ss to play the game Treasure hunt T produce the hides some objects round the classroom and target tell Ss what to find Ss should say There’s a language (card) here when they find the treasures and give them to the T to win the game - T asks Ss to draw the birthday present they want to receive 111 LESSON PLAN – CONTROL GROUP (LESSON 2) A LESSON AIM - Provide students with the meanings of five target words, i.e CARD, MASK, CANDLE, GAME, PRESENT, and the target structure THERE‟S A (CARD) HERE - Provide students with the ability to use the words and the structure correctly B TEACHING MATERIAL - Pictures/ flashcards + realia C TEACHING PROCEDURES *Note: T = Teacher Stage Warm-up Aim - To engage Ss = Students Time -5 mins Activities - T shows a picture of a birthday party Ss in the - T asks Ss what they can see in the picture lesson - T asks Ss about the birthday present they want to receive Presentation - To present the target -5 mins - T shows pictures/ flashcards and says the words (card, mask, candle, game, present) language Practice - To get Ss -30 mins - T gets Ss drilling the words practicing - T holds the flashcards and asks Ss to say the target the words language in a - T asks a S to say a word and asks another controlled one to pick the correct flashcard way - T asks Ss sit in a circle T gives Ss the flash cards, Ss pass the flashcards When the music stops, Ss read aloud the words represent the objects in the pictures 112 - T asks a S go to the front of the class and pick a flashcard, the others try to guess the flashcard that he/she picks Presentation - To present -5 mins the target - T points to the objects and says: There’s a (card) here language Practice - To get Ss -30 mins - T gets Ss drilling the chunks practicing - T says a sentence (e.g There’s a card here) the target and asks Ss to pick up the correct object (e.g language in a card) controlled - T points at the objects and asks Ss to say way expected sentences (e.g There’s a card here) - T places the objects at different places in the room and asks Ss to go to their favorite objects and say the appropriate sentences - T asks Ss to go to the front of the class Each of them is asked to secretly pick an object T invites other Ss to guess what the first Ss have by saying: There’s a (card) here The Ss who have the objects answer by saying Yes/No The first person to get it right wins Production - To get Ss -30 mins - T asks Ss to play the game Slow reveal T practicing covers a flashcard with a sheet of paper, the target then reveal the flashcard a little at a time language in a The Ss call out the word as soon as they more open can tell what the flashcard shows way - T asks Ss to play the game Treasure hunt T hides some objects round the classroom 113 and tell Ss what to find Ss should say There’s a (card) here when they find the treasures and give them to the T to win the game - T asks Ss to draw the birthday present they want to receive 114