Using a story based approach to teach and learn english grammar at avmc and its effectiveness teachers and learners perception

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LINGUISTICS & LITERATURE USING A STORY-BASED APPROACH TO TEACH AND LEARN ENGLISH GRAMMAR AT AVMC AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS – TEACHERS AND LEARNERS’ PERCEPTION A thesis submitted to the Faculty of English Linguistics and Literature in partial fulfillment of the Master’s degree in TESOL By NGO THI NGOC TRAM Supervised by PHAN THI KIM LOAN, Ph.D HO CHI MINH CITY, MAY 2023 [Type here] [Type here] [Type here] ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Phan Thi Kim Loan Ph.D It has been my luck to have a great chance to work with my kind supervisor who allows me to discover freely most of the things by myself, and at the same time enthusiastically help me when I get stuck with my thesis It is also grateful for her extremely careful proof-reading and support for my writing Moreover, her patience and considerable enthusiasm for a slow researcher like me is really admirable Had there not been her support and devotion, I would not have finished my thesis My next heartfelt gratitude is given to my warmhearted friend who always encourages me to overcome my tiredness and wholeheartedly supported me in my research progress She also helped me pilot some of the instruments used in my study Moreover, profound thanks also go to my colleagues, who has enthusiastically upheld me in the data collection process I also genuinely owe my teachers, friends, and students for their stimulation and consultation during the process of administering my study and writing the thesis which requires a lot of trial and contains plenty of difficulties, but brings a great meaning to me Lastly but very important, my sincere acknowledgement is brought to my family who always support and boost me all the time to finish my work All in all, without their strong support, I cannot surmount all my obstacles, and have great effort to push me to spend time conducting the study and complete it as soon as possible ii STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY I certify that this thesis entitled “USING A STORY-BASED APPROACH TO TEACH AND LEARN ENGLISH GRAMMAR AT AVMC AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS –TEACHERS’ AND LEARNERS’ PERCEPTION” is my own work This thesis has not been submitted for the reward of any diploma or degree in any other institutions Ho Chi Minh City,June 9th, 2023 Ngo Thi Ngoc Tram iii RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby state that I, Ngo Thi Ngoc Tram, 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 Thesis 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 under the normal conditions established by the Library for the care, loan, or reproduction of the theses Ho Chi Minh City, June 3rd, 2023 Ngo Thi Ngoc Tram iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 15 1.1 Background to the study 15 1.2 Aim of the study 17 1.3 Research questions 17 `1.4 Significance of the study 18 1.5 Scope of the study 18 1.6 Organization of chapters 18 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 20 2.1 Story-based approach 20 2.1.1 Definitions of the story-based approach 20 2.1.2 Requirements of storytelling 21 2.1.3 Kinds of Storytelling 22 2.1.3.1 Available stories and self-designed stories 22 2.1.3.2 Online storytelling and face-to-face storytelling 22 2.1.3.3 Story reading and storytelling 23 2.1.4 Function of Storytelling in Education 23 2.1.5 Story-based approach’s benefits to grammar teaching and learning 25 2.1.6 The effects of storytelling on morals and thinking 26 2.2 Grammar 28 2.2.1 Grammar definition 28 2.2.2 Methods to teach grammar 29 2.2.2.1 The deductive approach 29 2.2.2.2 The inductive approach 31 2.2.3 Difficulties in learning and teaching grammar 32 v 2.2.4 Role of grammar in teaching and learning a language 33 2.3 PACE Model to teach Grammar through the Storytelling approach 34 2.3.1 Presentation 34 2.3.2 Attention 35 2.3.3 Co-Construction 35 2.3.4 Extension 36 2.3.5 An example of the PACE model 36 - Presentation: 36 - Attention: 37 - Co-construction: 37 - Extension: 37 2.4 Teachers’ and learners’ perception of the effectiveness of storytelling in grammar teaching 37 2.4.1 Definition of Perception 37 2.4.2 Teachers’ and learners’ perception towards the application of storytelling in grammar teaching and learning 39 2.5 Previous study 40 2.6 Conceptual framework 41 2.7 Summary 43 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 44 3.1 Research design 44 3.2 Research site 45 3.3 Participants 45 3.4 Teaching materials 48 3.4.1 Design of the teaching materials 48 3.5 Research instrument 50 vi 3.5.1 Interview 50 3.5.2 Teacher interviews 52 3.5.3 Learner interviews 52 3.6 Data collection procedure 53 3.7 Data analysis procedures 54 3.8 Summary 56 CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 58 4.1 Teachers’ and learners’ perception about using the story-based approach in teaching and learning grammar 58 4.1.1 Teachers’s and learners’ perception about grammar 58 4.1.1.1 The importance of grammar in teaching English 58 Learners’ perception 59 4.1.1.2 Effective teaching methods to teach English grammar in an English language class in Vietnam 63 Teachers’ perception 63 Learners’ perception 65 4.1.1.3 Criteria for Grammar Explanation 70 Teachers’ perception 70 Students’ perception 71 4.1.2 The necessity and effectiveness of the application of storytelling in grammar instruction 74 4.1.2.1 Teachers’ perception 74 4.1.2.1.1 Entertainment 74 4.1.2.1.2 Complex grammatical structures 75 4.1.2.1.3 Confidence 76 4.1.2.2 Students’ perception 78 4.1.2.2.1 Entertainment 78 vii 4.1.2.2.2 Increase in communication 80 4.1.2.2.3 Increase in Confidence 81 4.1.2.2.4 Creativity 83 4.1.2.2.5 Co-constructing knowledge 84 4.1.2.2.6 Acquisition of simple and complex grammar structures via frequent grammar structure repetition in the stories 85 4.1.2.2.7 The increase in interaction 86 4.1.2.2.8 A clear impression of moral truth 87 4.2 The effects of storytelling in grammar instruction on the success of students' English grammar acquisition 91 4.2.1 Teachers’ and learners’ behavior and activities in using the story-based approach in teaching grammar 91 4.2.1.1 Teachers’ perception 91 4.2.1.1.1 Story choice 91 4.2.1.1.2 Story topics 92 4.2.1.1.3 Story length 92 4.2.1.1.4 Vocabulary level 92 4.2.1.2 Students’ perception 93 4.2.1.2.1 Story choice 93 4.2.1.2.2 Story topics 94 4.2.1.2.3 Story length 95 4.2.1.2.4 Vocabulary level 96 4.2.2 The effects of storytelling on learners’ perception of English language acquisition 101 4.2.2.1.1 Motivation for grammar study 101 4.2.2.1.2 Natural language absorption 101 4.2.2.1.3 Concentration on the grammar lessons 102 viii 4.2.2.1.4 The increase in vocabulary 102 4.2.2.1.5 The raise of the analysis capabilities of communicative messages 103 4.2.2.2 The learners’ beliefs 103 4.2.2.2.1 Attention to grammar 103 4.2.2.2.2 Natural language absorption 104 4.2.2.2.3 Vocabulary improvement 105 4.2.2.2.4 Enhancing learners’ motivation to learn grammar 106 4.2.2.2.5 Analytical Abilities in Message Comprehension 107 4.2.3 Challenges and suggestions for the improvement of the storytelling in grammar instructions 108 4.2.3.1 Challenges 108 4.2.3.1.1 Teachers’ perception 108 4.2.3.1.2 Learners’ perspectives 109 4.2.3.2 Suggestions for improving storytelling in teaching grammar 111 4.2.3.2.1 Teachers’ perspectives 111 4.2.3.2.2 Learners’ perspectives 112 CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION 118 5.1 Summary of the study 118 5.2 Summary of the findings 118 5.3 Implications 119 5.4 Limitations and recommendations 120 Words: 29.418 words 121 REFERENCES 122 APPENDIX 134 APPENDIX 136 APPENDIX 142 ix APPENDIX 145 APPENDIX 148 APPENDIX 150 APPENDIX 165 x feedback and Perfect in forms: teacher And learning the explanation a Affirmative form: register (10 minutes) have/ has + V3/-ed Perfect’s form b Negative form: have/ has not + V3/-ed c Interrogative form: have/ has + S + V3/-ed ? 2.2 Next, the teacher asks them to answer why this grammar feature is used in the context of the story and to give examples in the story illustrating that function: - To describe an action/ event starting in the past and continuing in the present or future: 159 of the Present “I have always had a secret A tiny friend called Fear Fear has always looked after me and kept me safe Together we have explored new things and stuck by each other.” - To emphasize an action/ event having just occured: “It’s still not easy to understand everything, but I’ve started to notice that everyone else has a fear, too ” 2.3 The teacher gives the register of the form: • I/ You/ We/ They have = I/ You/ We/ They’ve 160 • He/ She/ It has = He/ She/ It’s • Have not = haven’t • Has not = hasn’t Extension: - To The teacher divides Working in groups and Students can meet Teacher allow students in groups and lets producing Present Perfect problem pushes of their learners to them produce the grammar creatively and freely by imagining the new competitiveness practise what feature “Present Perfect” retelling the one and a half- aspect of the story, by letting them they have creatively and freely by minute learned story retelling the one and a perspective of from Fear, the and also find it working or boring when doing groups in and - To recycle the half-minute story from the making a new ending for the the task limitting the time new words and perspective of Fear, or story of the story in one the and use of making a new ending for Present Perfect the story (5 minutes) in their A representative from new A representative from each group will tell their stories each group will tell their story in front of the class (11 minutes) story in front of the class (6 minutes) 161 a minutes half Moral - To support lesson their The teacher asks The students will try to give -Students cannot give -Teacher provides virtue learners: the moral lesson of the story the right answer some clues to from the development What moral lesson can we they have thought help them story learn from the story, class? recognize (1 minute) Answer: We have own moral lesson from fears However, if we can the story the overcome them, we will have new world to explore and become smarter, and stronger, more dependent Therefore, be brave to face ourselves! Home- work To help The teacher gives them - students review homework of dividing the (1 minute) the grammatical Students prepare Students may meet Teacher gives the homework at home difficult to rewrite instruction for the verbs in the brackets using the story such as tasks Present Perfect (Task B2) forgetting its content, letting before students point – Present And a writing task is having not enough at home and perfect - vocabulary, home at given to rewrite the story “ Me and my fear” using forgetting 162 asks how some of to them to retell the Present Perfect at home divide verbs Present Perfect in story in the next lesson ❖ Notes: Task B1: Rearrange the content of the story in order: a I feel more and more lonely Fear says because noone likes me b I have always had a secret A tiny friend called Fear Fear has always looked after me and kept me safe ………………… c Fear is getting smaller each day I’ve started to notice that everyone else has a fear, too and sometimes we all play together ……… d A boy in my class wants to show me something Soon we begin to draw and paint together e But since we came to this country, Fear isn’t so little any more Task B2 : Exercise: Put the verbs into the correct tense (simple past or present perfect simple) Mother: I want to prepare dinner (you / wash) _the dishes yet? Daughter: I (wash) the dishes _ the time yet to it today Mother: (you / / already) your homework? Daughter: No, I (come / just) home from school 163 yesterday, but I (have / not) Mother: You (come) _ home from school two hours ago! Daughter: Well, but my friend Lucy (call) _ when I (arrive) and I (finish / just) the phone call Mother: (you / see / not) _ Lucy at school in the morning? Daughter: Yes, but we (have / not) _ time to talk then A: (you / try / ever) haggis? 10 B: Oh, yes! 11 A: How often (you / eat) haggis yet? 12 B: Two times exactly 13 A: When (you / eat / first) haggis? 14 B: That (be) _ in 2005 We (have) _ a Scottish festival in our town and they also (sell) _ traditional Scottish food So I (buy) _ haggis 15 A: (you / like) it? 16 B: It (be / not) too bad And I (know / not) _ anything about haggis then 17 A: When (you / find out) _? 18 B: When I (be) _ in Scotland in 2007 I (go) to a resta haggis Afterwards, the waiter (tell) _ me about haggis: it's the heart, liver and lungs of a sheep, boiled in the animal's stomach Well, I (eat / never) _ haggis again since then 164 APPENDIX STORIES STORY 1: ME AND MY FEAR (By Francesca Sanna) Grammar feature: Present Perfect I have always had a secret A tiny friend called Fear Fear has always looked after me and kept me safe Together we have explored new things and stuck by each other But since we came to this country, Fear isn’t so little any more I want to go outside and discover my new neighbourhood but Fear won’t move And when I have to go to school, Fear doesn’t want me to go Fear hates my new school When the teacher says my name wrong, she grows angry Even though, I know it was just an accident At break time, Fear keeps me all to herself I don’t understand anyone, and they don’t understand me When school is over, Fear can’t wait to go home And at dinner, she eats all the food she can At night, in my new room, Fear dreams so loudly that I can’t sleep I feel more and more lonely everyday Fear says it’s because noone likes me Well, I don’t like it here! But, what’s this? A boy in my class wants to show me something Soon we begin to draw and paint together At break time, I want to go outside and play with the boy As we run through the playground, suddenly the dog barks at us through the fence “AARRGH!” the boy screams and hides quickly behind something strange and small He has a secret fear like me! I thought I was the only one to have one Fear is getting smaller each day And school is not so difficult anymore It’s still not easy to 165 understand everything, but I’ve started to notice that everyone else has a fear, too and sometimes we all play together Moral lesson: we have own fears However, if we can overcome them, we will have new world to explore and become stronger, smarter, and more dependent STORY 2: THE PINE TREE’S WISHES Grammar feature: Wish Clause – Present Wish In the woods, there was a pine tree It was not happy with its needles One night, the pine tree thought, “I wish I had golden leaves.” The next morning, the pine tree had golden leaves But soon, a woodcutter pulled off all its golden leaves So, the pine tree thought,”I wish I had glass leaves” The next morning, the pine tree had glass leaves It was very pleased But that night, a storm came All the glass leaves shattered So the pine tree thought, “ I wish I had green leaves” The next morning, the pine tree had green leaves But then, a giraffe came and ate all the green leaves The pine tree was very sad It cried out, “I wish I had my needles back” The next morning, the pine tree had its green needles again It learned a lesson that it should be with what it had Moral lesson: We should be satisfied with what we have The unreal things cannot bring happiness to us 166 STORY 3: THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG (Written by Tasha Guenther and illustrated by Leanne Guenther - based on the German fairy tale first collected by the Brothers Grimm) Grammar: Passive Voice There once was a Princess She was not an ordinary princess, however This Princess loved to play alone in the palace gardens while her favourite beaming golden ball was tossed around Now, the problem with playing alone was that no one was ever there to catch the ball if it was tossed too high in the air One day, as she was running around lilies and daisies and hedges and roses, her ball was tossed higher in the air than she ever had before SPLASH!! Her beautiful golden ball had plopped right into a small pond nearby! She ran over to the pond and watched sadly as the golden sphere sank deeper and deeper into the water Her favourite golden dress was wearing; the sparkles and gems on the front of the brilliant gown were rare and she was afraid that if she entered the water, her outfit would be destroyed Frustrated with her situation, the princess began to cry Suddenly, a strange noise coming from the middle of the water was heard by the Princess Hop! Hop! The Princess looked up and scrunched her face up at the sight of the green creature sitting on the lily pad – a small frog! He agreed to help her to find her golden ball But before he jumped into the water, the frog asked her what 167 she would give him in return for grabbing her golden ball The Princess impatiently replied he could get anything The frog said what he would like was a friend to spend time with him, to eat supper with him, to read for him, to sleep beside him, and to kiss him goodnight And with that, the minute he handed it over, the girl ran around giggling and tossing her beloved ball up in the air; the frog had been completely forgotten all about At supper, before either of them could take a bite, there came a small knock at the door The King got up and walked to open it Hop! Hop! Hop! In walked the small green frog came to eat supper with the Princess However, the frog was gently grabbed and placed outside the door by the Princess SLAM!! The stern look from her father caused her to go red with embarrassment She told him about her promise with the frog However, the King said wisely she should keep her promise With that the frog ate supper with her, and then followed the Princess into her bedroom where she began to read But, she did not want to read anything Sadly, the frog hopped over to her bed and sat down on her pillow Before he could get comfortable, he was picked up, and placed by the window by the Princess “But you promised!” he cried She sighed and took him back with her to bed She read him a bedtime story and, surprisingly, the frog was quite smart and funny She actually enjoyed his company When it was time to sleep, the frog asked her for a bedtime kiss She refused, scrunching her face once more at the sight of the green creature before her The light was shut out and the Princess tried to go to sleep Suddenly, the sounds of weeping were heard She turned the light back on to see the frog beside her, wiping tears from his eyes She was hit with a wave of guilt for making the poor frog cry He was tucked in bed beside the Princess and kissed gently WHOOOSH!! 168 All of a sudden, the small green frog transformed into a handsome young prince right before her eyes; she jumped back from the bed in surprise The Prince informed her that an evil witch had put a spell on him and he could only be returned to his original state by a kiss It just so happened that the Princess was the first one to break the spell Forever after, the Prince and Princess were able to play together in the palace gardens The Princess was happier than ever to have a playmate and, whenever she accidently threw the ball too high in the air, she was ecstatic to have a companion to go and fetch it for her Moral lesson:Keeping your promise is gold When someone serves his or her promise, it is considered he or she is believable to become an emotional crutch for the others STORY 4: MARIE AND THE ORANGE FISH (Based on the African and Louisianna Creole Folktales) Grammar feature: Verb (S.O) + to Vo: begin, decide, want, confuse, have to, order S.O to S.T, ask S.O to S.T Watch S.O do/ doing S.T, see S.O do/ doing S.T, Find S.O do/ doing S.T Spend time doing S.T 169 Stop doing S.T Make S.O S.T There once was a beautiful girl, Marie, who lived in a house with her dear mother and father near a bubbling brook This girl’s loveliness was revered across the land Her beauty eventually caught the attraction and attention of the kind prince Unfortunately for the prince, the girl’s father was extremely protective over his daughter One morning, when the prince had gone back to his palace – after the two had spent the entire evening gazing up at the stars, in love – the girl’s father approached her and told her to stop seeing him this instant Upset, Marie shook her head and did not agree to stop seeing him Marie’s father was not pleased with her response and decided to take action He decided to lend a witch that lived in the woods just beyond the creek a visit to make the prince leave her alone Later that evening, the witch approached the house and found the girl and prince sitting by the stream The witch dipped her wand in the special brew, she had boiled for the father and pointed it directly at the prince As the old man does desire You in the stream to splash and flop Oh, change thee into orange fire,And I will make you swim non-stop! As she chanted this spell, a magical mist shrouded the two friends The young girl fell into a temporary sleep and the prince was changed into a bright orange fish, and the current of the water took the poor prince away from the girl’s house When Marie awoke, she was confused to find herself alone by the stream with no prince in sight Her father was filled with happiness at the news and he hoped that his daughter would assume that the prince had run away In his new found happiness, he also knew that he would not have to watch his beautiful daughter so carefully Unfortunately, Marie became very sad over her lost love She sat by the brook each day filled with sorrow One fine day, Marie began to sing: 170 Caliwa wa, caliwa co Waco, Mother says yes Waco, Father says no Caliwa wa, caliwa co Suddenly, as if the entire brook was split in two, a stunning bright orange fish swam up to the beautiful girl For the next few days, the father watched Marie excitedly go to the brook He saw the orange fish bring Marie gifts from the stream: brilliant coloured stones, musical reeds, and berries that had fallen into the water Filled with anger at this sight, Marie’s father followed her to the brook one day, with a spear in his hand As Marie began to sing her song once more, her father ran towards the fish and speared it SPLASH!! With fish in hand, the father took it home for dinner Once home, Marie’s father ordered her to cook the Orange Fish Then, he ordered her to serve the Orange Fish Then, he ordered her to sit down at the table and watch him eat the Orange Fish Marie sat down and regretfully watched her father eat the Orange Fish He ate and ate and ate some more He ate until his belly became so full Abruptly, a loud POP!! sound came from the father’s belly His stomach had split open and out traveled thousands of little orange fish Marie ran and opened the door, watching the tiny orange fish swim, flop, and splash into the river As she watched the thousands of little orange fish swim away downstream, Marie began to sob terribly The tears from her crying began to form a pond beneath her The pond grew larger and larger and suddenly she was surrounded by water Unexpectedly for Marie, her prince emerged from beneath the pond’s surface In his human form, he asked his love to join him for eternity under the water She followed him into the depths of her pond of tears and the two lived happily together for many suns and moons 171 Moral lesson: Being selfish will destroy us gradually Selfish people cannot live happily as kind people can Especially, being selfish in love is more dangerous, because it can change ourselves as fast as we cannot recognize STORY 5: DADDY LONG LEGS (By Nadine Brun – Cosme and Aure'lie Guillerey) Grammar feature: If 1: If S V1, S will Vo One morning, the old green car had a lot of trouble starting It had the hiccups! At last it got going, and Daddy drove Matty to nursery “See you later!” he said, giving Matty a big kiss goodbye But Matty was worried “What if the car doesn’t start again?” he said “You won’t be able to pick me up.” Matty’s dad thought for a bit Then he said, “If the car doesn’t start then I will borrow the neighbour’s big red tractor and drive it over the fields to fetch you.” “But what if the big red tractor is too tired? asked Matty “Then I will whistle to Martin, your lazy old teddy bear.” his dad said “He will lift me up with his giant paws and carry me to you on his back.” “But what if Martin fast asleep and doesn’t hear you?” asked Matty 172 “Then I will go and round up all the birds in the garden,” said his dad “They will take me by the arms and fly me to you.” “But what if the birds are too busy looking after their babies?”“Then I will call to the neighbour who waters his garden everyday He will turn up his hose and make a stream, and just like that I will jump into your little boat and sail straight to you.” “But what if the neighbour doesn’t want to waste his water?” asked Matty “Then I will find the two rabbits who live at the end of the garden.” said his dad “I will put one under each foot, and they will hop me to you.” “But what if the rabbits have gone to see their granny?” asked Matty “Then I will call the big green dragon who breathes into the heater to keep us warm in winter,” said Matty’s dad And in two flaps of his wings and three big leaps I will be right here with you.” “But what if the big dragon is out hunting?” said Matty in a small voice “Ahh,” said Matty’s dad “Well, if the tractor is too tired, And Martin is fast asleep, And the birds are busy taking care of their babies, And the neighbour doesn’t want to waste water, And the rabbits are with their granny, And the big dragon is out hunting ” “Well, I will simply take to my own two feet and run Because my legs will never be too tired to come and get you.” Moral lesson: It’s the combination of a relatable and universal subject matter – a parent’s fierce and limitless love for their child How the depth of a dad’s devotion is conveyed in a way that children can clearly understand It stimulates children’s filial piety to their parents, which is a good virtue that should be developed and restored through human character development process 173