The efectiveness of storytelling in enhancing the sixth graders listening comprehension at phuc xuan lower secondary school

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES TRAN THI THANH HAI THE EFECTIVENESS OF STORYTELLING IN ENHANCING THE SIXTH GRADERS’ LISTENING COMPREHENSION AT PHUC XUAN LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOL M.A THESIS Field: English Linguistics Code: 8220201 THAI NGUYEN - 2021 Tai ngay!!! Ban co the xoa dong chu nay!!! THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES TRAN THI THANH HAI THE EFECTIVENESS OF STORYTELLING IN ENHANCING THE SIXTH GRADERS’ LISTENING COMPREHENSION AT PHUC XUAN LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOL M.A THESIS (APPLICATION ORIENTATION) Field: English Linguistics Code: 8220201 Supervisor: NgoThi Bich Ngoc, Ph.D THAI NGUYEN - 2021 ĐẠI HỌC THÁI NGUYÊN TRƯỜNG NGOẠI NGỮ TRẦN THỊ THANH HẢI HIỆU QUẢ CỦA PHƯƠNG PHÁP KỂ CHUYỆN TRONG VIỆC NÂNG CAO KĨ NĂNG NGHE HIỂU CHO HỌC SINH KHỐI Ở TRƯỜNG TRUNG HỌC CƠ SỞ PHÚC XUÂN LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ ( Định hướng ứng dụng) Ngành: Ngôn ngữ tiếng Anh Mã số: 8220201 Cán hướng dẫn: TS Ngơ Thị Bích Ngọc THÁI NGUYÊN - 2021 DECLARATION I hereby declare that this thesis paper is the result of my own research and that should this declaration be found to be false, disciplinary measures could be taken and penalties imposed in accordance with university policies and rules Thai Nguyen, 2021 Approved by Supervisor Student Ngo Thi Bich Ngoc, Ph.D Tran Thi Thanh Hai i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In the process of choosing and writing this paper, I am fortunate to receive valuable assistance and support In particular, I would like, from deep of my heart, to express my great graduate to my supervisor, Dr Ngo Thi Bich Ngoc- from Thai Nguyen University of Education, for her wholehearted help during my writing time I would not finish my study without her advice, instructions, and corrections I also would like to take this opportunity to show my sincere thanks to all my lecturers at School of Foreign Languages, Thai Nguyen University who have handed me basic knowledge to complete this study I am also thankful to all students of grade at Phuc Xuan Lower Secondary School for their whole-hearted participation in the study Constantly, rather than finally, my particular thanks are given to my family for their encouragement and support which played an important role in my thesis ii ABSTRACT This study investigates the impacts of Storytelling technique on helping students improve their listening comprehension ability, and students’ attitudes toward the use of the technique in listening lessons The study followed the quasiexperimental research model, with 60 students participated in the control and experimental groups Data were collected through two instruments including pretest and posttest, and pre and post questionnaires distributed before and after the research period Findings from the data analysis showed that Storytelling was effective in helping students improve their listening comprehension Storytelling helped students understand the details of the stories more easily, facilitated students in learning vocabulary and pronunciation, promoted their cognitive process in figuring out the meaning Students also acknowledged that storytelling made learning listening more interesting to them iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale of the study 1.2 Aims of the study 1.3 Scope of the study 1.4 Significance of the study 1.5 Design of the study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Listening comprehension 2.1.1 Definition 2.1.2 Listening comprehension difficulties 2.1.3 The strategies of listening comprehension process 2.2 Storytelling 2.2.1 Definition 2.2.2 Features of Storytelling 2.2.3 Benefits of Storytelling 10 2.3 Teaching listening comprehension using Storytelling technique 11 2.3.1 Guidelines to tell a story 11 2.3.2 Storytelling in teaching and learning listening comprehension 14 2.4 Previous studies 15 2.5 Summary 16 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 18 3.1 Method of the study 18 3.2 The study setting 20 3.3 Participants 20 iv 3.4 Data collection instruments 20 3.4.1 Tests 20 3.4.2 Questionnaires: 22 3.5 Data collection procedure 23 3.6 Data analysis 25 3.7 Summary 25 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 26 4.1 Pretest and post-tests results 26 4.2 Findings from the questionnaires with the experimental group 28 4.2.1 Findings from the pre-intervention questionnaires 28 4.2.2 Findings from the post-intervention questionnaires 32 4.3 Discussion 35 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 38 5.1 Summary of the study 38 5.2 Implications 39 5.3 Limitations of the study 40 5.4 Suggestions for further study 40 REFERENCES 42 APPENDICES I v LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES LIST OF TABLES Table The training procedure 23 Table Minimum and maximum scores of the pre-test and posttest 27 Table Pretest and posttest’s average score report .27 Table Students' difficulties in listening .31 Table 4 Students’ opinions about the benefits of learning listening through Storytelling 34 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Non-Randomized Control Group Design 19 Figure Pre-test and post-test average score results 26 Figure Students' opinion on the importance of listening in language acquisition 29 Figure Students’ interest in listening lessons 29 Figure 4 Students’ attention during listening lessons 30 Figure Students' interest in listening lessons through Storytelling 32 Figure Students’ attention during listening lessons before and after the use of Storytelling technique .33 vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS % : Percent CG : Control Group EG : Experimental Group PXLSS : Phuc Xuan Lower Secondary School vii What’s the order? Put the sentences in order ‘Come and eat my food with me.’ All the food is ready and the animals pull the webs Rabbit is cooking greens in his pot ‘Pull the web when the beans are ready and I’ll come running!’ Anansi falls over and his legs get thinner and thinner ‘Come and eat our beans with us.’ ‘Pull the web when the sweet potatoes are ready and I’ll come running!’ ‘Pull the web when the greens are ready and I’ll come running Fill it in! Watch the story Write the missing words in the sentences a This is Anansi the spider b He’s got eight legs, a big head and a very body c ……… is Anansi’s friend d Mmmm! I can smell ……… ! e Mmmm! I can ……… beans! f Mmmm! I can smell sweet potatoes – with ……… ! g When Anansi arrives at the ……………… all his eight legs are tied with webs h Look at my …… legs! XXII Write and draw! Do you like cooking? What’s your favourite food to cook? What food makes you ‘come running’? Draw a picture and write about it! XXIII STORY 6: The sneaky rabbit One night, when the moon was very bright, Rabbit was resting near a pond He was very tired and wanted to go to sleep, but he was scared the tiger was going to eat him up Rabbit tried and tried to stay awake He looked up at the sky and started to count the stars Soon Rabbit was fast asleep Suddenly, a loud, booming voice woke him up It was Tiger! ‘Aha! Now I’ve got you, little Rabbit! You’ll be perfect in my soup!’ Rabbit was very frightened, but he had an idea He looked in the water and saw the reflection of the moon It looked like a big lump of cheese He moved his mouth, pretending to eat, and said, ‘Mmm yum yum yum yum Ah, Tiger I’m happy to see you Yum yum yum Come and share this delicious white cheese with me Yum yum yum I’m keeping it fresh for you in the pond.’ Tiger loved white cheese He licked his lips ‘Mmm yum I can see the cheese, but how you get it out of the pond?’ he asked ‘Easy,’ said Rabbit ‘I tie this stone around my foot and jump in Do you want to try?’ Tiger tied the stone around his foot and jumped into the pond Splash! Rabbit ran away, saying, ‘Ha ha! Now you’re the one in the soup!’ And I’ve heard that Tiger is still trying to get out of the pond The activity worksheet: The sneaky rabbit What’s the word? Write the word under the pictures moon rabbit pond tired scared tiger stars soup cheese stone foot jump XXIV moon What’s the order? Put the sentences in order Tiger wanted to put Rabbit in his soup He told Tiger that the moon was white cheese Rabbit was resting near a pond Tiger jumped in the pond and Rabbit ran away Suddenly, a loud voice woke him up Rabbit told Tiger to tie a stone around his foot and jump in the pond Tiger wanted to know how to get the cheese out of the pond Rabbit saw the moon in the pond True or false? Circle true or false for these sentences a Rabbit was very tired true false b Tiger found Rabbit and woke him up true false c Rabbit thought the sun looked like cheese true false d Tiger pretended to eat the cheese true false e Rabbit told Tiger the cheese was in the pond true false XXV f Tiger hated white cheese true false g Tiger jumped into the pond with a stick true false h Tiger couldn’t get out of the pond true false Write and draw! How can Tiger get out of the pond? Imagine how he does it Draw a picture and write about it! XXVI STORY 7: Eric the engine The tape script: One day there was a big storm Lightning struck a mountain and a huge rock rolled onto the train line Seagull saw what happened He called his friends: Rabbit, Fox and Mouse ‘We must move it The 10:15 London train will be here in one hour,’ said Rabbit The animals tried to move it They pushed and pushed but it would not move ‘I know,’ said Fox ‘Let’s get Eric the Engine He’s stronger than all of us.’ ‘There’s no time,’ said Mouse ‘I’ll get him,’ shouted Seagull ‘Help! There is a rock on the train line and the London train is coming very soon.’ Eric tooted his whistle and called his friends All the engines gathered around Eric was big and strong but not very fast He asked the express trains to go ahead ‘You go first Then you,’ said Eric, and he sent his friends ahead ‘I’ll follow you.’ The engines raced along, but the London train was getting closer The trains arrived The two express trains pushed, but the rock wouldn’t move The London train was coming over the hill Two more engines arrived and they pushed too The rock moved a little but the London train was coming round the corner ‘They can’t it!’ said Mouse Then Eric arrived He tooted his whistle and pushed with all his strength He pushed the four engines and the four engines pushed the rock Slowly the rock moved Then it rolled faster and faster until it fell over the cliff The London train arrived It raced past the engines and the animals, who were waiting on the other line The train blew its horn, ‘Thaaaaank yooooou!’ The activity worksheet: Eric the engine What’s the word? Write the word under the pictures XXVII storm mountain rock whistle cliff push shout strong fast follow hill train storm What’s the order? Put the sentences in order Two more engines pushed, and the rock moved a little Two express trains pushed, but the rock wouldn’t move There was a big storm A rock from the mountain rolled onto the train line Seagull told Eric and he called all the other trains Eric pushed all the trains, and the rock moved and fell over the cliff The animals tried to move it The London train was coming round the corner The London train was coming over the hill Fill it in! Write the missing words in the sentences Lightning struck a mountain and a huge rock rolled onto the train line The animals but it would not move XXVIII The London was coming very soon Eric was big and but not very fast The engines raced along, but the London train was getting Eric pushed the four engines and the four engines pushed the The London train raced past the engines and the The London train said, ‘ !’ Write and draw! Imagine a special train! What’s its name? Is it big and strong like Eric? Is it fast like the express trains? Draw a picture and write about it! XXIX STORY 8: Twins’ week The tape script: Kim and Ken are twins and they live at the zoo Their father is the zookeeper He has so many things to On Mondays they take a shower, the hippos join the fun Then watch TV with the fish, the week has just begun On Tuesdays they eat breakfast with the pandas and the frogs And eat dinner in the evening with chimps and cats and dogs On Wednesdays they clean their teeth, the crocodile helps them brush Then at night they ride their bikes, the rhino gives a push On Thursdays they play football, with parrots in the park Then take a swim in the pool, the one without the shark! On Fridays they their homework, the octopus helps too Then play some games with their friends and run around the zoo On Saturdays they go shopping, with the kangaroos Then come home on a big, red bus and have a little snooze On Sundays they are very tired and sleep until it’s lunch Then take a walk around the zoo and see the friendly bunch The activity worksheet: What’s the word? Write the word under the pictures tired zoo shower hippo brush crocodile football parrot XXX breakfast homework panda octopus tired Match them up! Match the days and who the twins the activities with crocodile Mondays parrots hippos Tuesdays kangaroos pandas and frogs Wednesdays their friends rhino Thursdays fish chimps and cats and dogs Fridays the friendly bunch Saturdays and Sundays octopus Choose the answer! Circle the correct answer On Mondays they take a break / shower / bath On Tuesdays they eat snacks / lunch / breakfast On Wednesdays they clean their XXXI teeth / rooms / clothes On Thursdays they play tennis / basketball / football On Fridays they their washing / homework / jobs On Saturdays they go shopping / fishing / to the cinema On Sundays they are very and sleep until it’s lunch sad / tired / bored 4.Write and draw! What you every day? Write sentences and draw a picture of your favourite activity! XXXII APPENDIX 6: SAMPLE LESSON PLAN FOR STORY 1: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM I Objectives: By the end of the lesson the students will be able to: II - Get information about the story “a midsummer night’s dream” - Complete the activity worksheet Description: Students are going to listen to the story told by the teacher; they will be exposed to English by the teacher’s pronunciation and teacher’s gestures Listening is very important because the students will recognize English words Next, the activity worksheet will help students learn the vocabulary and understand the content of the story III Procedure: At the beginning of the lesson, the teacher will introduce the Storytelling technique to the students Then, teacher will use Powerpoint to introduce the story and the characters in the story “A midsummer night’s dream” The teacher will teach some new words before telling the story In the second stage of the lesson, the teacher will tell the story with the help of PowerPoint Students will be heard three times For the first time, students will listen to the story and take any notes they want For the second time, the student will listen to the story illustrated by the pictures on the screen For the last time, students will be practiced more by doing an activity worksheet At the end of the lesson, the teacher will check the activities by calling some students to go to the board and write down their answers Teacher checks as a class IV Consolidation ( Home-link): XXXIII Teacher will ask students some questions related to the story to check their understanding then ask them to try to retell the story at home V What is being learned? Students will improve their ability to listen by listening to the story They also learn more new words in the story by doing activity worksheet Moreover, students will develop their memory to remember the characters and the contents of the story XXXIV APPENDIX 7: THE CONTROL GROUP'S SCORES Student A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 A6 A7 A8 A9 A10 A11 A12 A13 A14 A15 A16 A17 A18 A19 A20 A21 A22 A23 A24 A25 A26 A27 A28 A29 A30 Average Number of Items 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 XXXV Pre-test score 5.0 7.5 5.5 8.0 6.5 7.0 5.0 6.5 8.0 5.5 6.5 5.5 6.0 7.5 7.0 7.5 5.0 7.0 6.5 7.5 5.5 6.0 7.5 5.5 5.0 7.5 7.5 6.5 5.0 7.0 6.5 Posttest Score 5.5 7.5 6.0 8.5 7.0 7.5 6.5 7.5 8.5 6.0 7.0 6.5 7.0 7.0 7.5 8.0 6.5 8.0 7.5 8.0 5.5 6.0 7.5 5.5 5.5 7.0 7.5 6.0 6.5 7.5 6.9 APPENDIX 8: THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP'S SCORES Student B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7 B8 B9 B10 B11 B12 B13 B14 B15 B16 B17 B18 B19 B20 B21 B22 B23 B24 B25 B26 B27 B28 B29 B30 Average Number of items 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 Pre-test score 4.5 7.0 5.0 6.0 6.0 5.0 7.5 5.5 5.0 6.5 8.0 5.0 7.5 6.0 7.0 7.5 6.0 6.5 7.0 8.0 7.5 6.5 6.0 6.0 6.0 5.5 6.5 6.0 7.0 8.0 6.4 XXXVI Posttest score 6.5 8.0 7.0 6.5 7.5 6.5 8.5 6.5 6.5 7.0 9.0 6.5 8.5 8.0 8.0 9.0 8.0 8.0 8.5 8.5 8.5 7.5 7.0 7.0 6.5 6.5 7.0 6.5 8.0 9.0 7.5