Promoting learning english througgh teaching core values in english comic books acase study at dak pne secondary school

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – HOCHIMINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LINGUISTICS & LITERATURE PROMOTING LEARNING ENGLISH THROUGH TEACHING CORE VALUES IN ENGLISH COMIC BOOKS: A CASE STUDY AT DAK PNE SECONDARY SCHOOL A thesis submitted to the Faculty of English Linguistics & Literature In partial fulfillment of the Master‟s degree in TESOL By A TRON Supervised by NGUYỄN HOÀNG TUẤN, PhD HO CHI MINH CITY, MAY 2018 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I hereby certify my authorship of the thesis entitled: PROMOTING LEARNING ENGLISH THROUGH TEACHING CORE VALUES IN ENGLISH COMIC BOOKS: A CASE STUDY AT DAK PNE SECONDARY SCHOOL in terms of the statement of Requirements for the Thesis in Master‟s Program The work in this thesis has not been submitted to any institutions or for the award of any degree or diploma in any other situation Ho Chi Minh City, 2018 A Tron i|Page RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby claim that I, A Tron, being the candidate for the M.A in TESOL Degree, accept the requirements of the University relevant to the retention and use of Master‟s Theses deposited in the library In terms of the conditions of the University, I agree that the originality of my thesis deposited in the library should be accessible for references and research purposes, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the library of the school Ho Chi Minh, 2018 A Tron ii | P a g e ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my thesis supervisor, Dr Nguyen Hoang Tuan, who spent much of his time reading and advising me so that I can finish my thesis successfully His guidance helped me a lot in finding ways so that I can properly accomplish my thesis Without his help, I could not have finished my present thesis I would like to express my thanks to Mr Le Hoang Dung, Dean of the Faculty of English Linguistics and Literature at Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities, and all other lecturers, who have taught me informative lessons and have assisted me during my TESOL course I also would like to all the teachers, who supported and assisted me during my research time in the study school My sincere thanks also go to my beloved sister, who assisted me much in the progress of the research, and to the friendly students, who participated in the teaching of the study and inspired the motivation in me to contribute my effort and knowledge to the development of the young students in remote areas I am really owed to my parents and my siblings during the time I conducted the present study for their support both mentally and physically Without the help from them, I would have never accomplished this thesis iii | P a g e TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP i RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS .ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vii LIST OF TABLES viii ABSTRACT .ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .1 1.1 Background to the study .1 1.2 Aims of the study 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Significance of the study .4 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW .6 2.1 Terms and related theories 2.1.1 Values .6 2.1.1.1 Terminal values 2.1.1.2 Instrumental values 2.1.1.3 Moral values .8 2.1.1.4 Cultural values 2.1.1.5 Core values .9 2.1.2 Emotional literacy .10 2.1.2.1 Role of Emotional Literacy 10 2.1.2.2 Values education 11 2.1.3 Comic book 16 2.1.3.1 Visual presentation 17 2.1.3.2 Verbal presentation 18 2.1.4 Theories related to promoting learning 18 2.2 Limitations of the previous studies .20 2.3 Conceptual framework 21 2.3.1 Instructional Scaffolding 21 2.3.2 Method used in the teaching of core values in English comic books 22 iv | P a g e 2.3.3 Techniques in teaching core values in English comic books .23 2.3.3.1 Reading aloud 23 2.3.3.2 Translation technique .25 2.3.4 Framework for the analysis of English comic books 26 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 28 3.1 Description of the research site 28 3.2 Research design 32 3.3 Participants 32 3.3.1 Students 32 3.3.2 Teacher and researcher 33 3.4 Teaching materials 33 3.5 Instrumentation 35 3.5.1 Documents 35 3.5.2 Questionnaire 36 3.5.3 Observation 37 3.5.4 Interview .38 3.6 Procedure 39 3.7 Data analysis .40 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 42 4.1 Analysis of English comic books 42 4.1.1 Analysis of the comic book "What is good, what is bad" 42 4.1.2 Analysis of the comic book “Teacher helps to learn” 48 4.1.3 Analysis of the comic book “Learning to love” 51 4.2 Analysis of students‟ qualitative responses .54 4.2.1 Respect 54 4.2.2 Love 55 4.2.3 Responsibility 57 4.2.4 Care 58 4.2.5 Integrity .60 4.2.6 Harmony 61 v|Page 4.3 Findings from observation and interview 64 4.4 Discussion of findings .68 4.4.1 Core values in comic books and students‟ improved understanding of them 68 4.4.2 Promoting English learning .71 4.4.2.1 Being curious about meanings of new words and sentences 72 4.4.2.2 Being interested in pronouncing individual words and sentences clearly .73 4.4.2.3 Active learning in class activities 73 4.4.2.4 Reviewing lessons outside classroom 74 4.4.2.5 Being interested in using English in class activities 75 4.4.2.6 Being more confident .75 4.4.2.7 Learning English from one another 75 4.4.2.8 Being interested in knowing how to progress in English learning 76 4.5 Summary of majored findings 76 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 78 5.1 Conclusion .78 5.2 Pedagogical Implications 79 5.3 Limitation of the study 83 5.4 Recommendations for further study 83 REFERENCES 85 APPENDIX A 92 APPENDIX B 97 APPENDIX C 98 APPENDIX D 99 APPENDIX E 101 vi | P a g e LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ELT English language teaching ATE Appraisal theory of emotion RQ Research Question MES Ministry of Education Singapore DCT Discourse Completion Test vii | P a g e LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1 Four types of meanings in language 26 Table 2.2 Three types of meanings in image .26 Table 3.1 Synthesis of general information of the participants 32 Table 3.2 Core values implied in each item 36 Table 4.1 Experiential meaning 43 Table 4.2 Interpersonal meaning 44 Table 4.3 Textual meaning and logic meaning 46 Table 4.4 Students‟ expressing their „respect‟ (students‟ responses) 54 Table 4.5 Students‟ purposes in learning English 56 Table 4.6 Students‟ expressing their „responsibility 57 Table 4.7 Student‟s expressing their “care” 58 Table 4.8 Student‟s expressing their “integrity” 60 Table 4.9 Student‟s expressing their “harmony” 61 Table 4.10 Student‟s expressing their “harmony” 62 Table 4.11 Students‟ characteristics .64 Table 4.12 Learning environment 66 Table 4.13 Teachers‟ influence .67 viii | P a g e ABSTRACT English learning involves not only the learning of the language itself but it also internally comprises human core values These values coordinate to make human beings “human” This study is intended to promote English learning both in terms of linguistic competence and attitudes through students‟ understanding of the core values embedded in English comic books It involves 22 secondary school students from Dak Pne Secondary School in Kon Tum province This case study is a qualitative method and the data are collected through interview, unstructured observation and qualitative questionnaire The research findings show that the students‟ attitudes towards English and their understanding of the core values have been developed Despite their limitted ability in using the English and Vietnamese language, their attitudes show their efforts in learning English Students‟ positive attitudes towards English learning can be interpreted that the use of core values in English comic books can effectively promote students‟ English learning by making them interested in their learning process Key Words: English learning, Core values, English comic books, Attitudes ix | P a g e Wikipedia, Curiosity, retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curiosity on 19th March, 2018 Wikipedia, Inductive Reasoning, retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductive_reasoning on 19th March, 2018 Wikipedia Meena (character) Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meena (character) at 10:46 a.m on 21 August, 2016 Wilkins, D A (1972) Linguistics and Language Teaching Edward Arnold: London Wilson, KG & Dufrene, T (2008) Mindfulness for two: An acceptance and commitment therapy approach to mindfulness in psychotherapy Oakland, CA US: New Harbinger Publications Yavuz, F (2012) The attitudes of English teachers about the use of L1 in the teaching of L2 Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 46, 4339-4344 Zuss, M (2012) The Practice of Theoretical Curiosity New York, N.Y.: Springer Publishing 91 | P a g e APPENDIX A Researcher and Teacher‟s Notes First notes The students said they really not know what core values are when they were asked whether they knew them They like to study English They asked me many sentences in Vietnamese and wanted to know the meaning of those sentences in English For example, „tơi mong gặp bạn lần sau‟, „tôi cần lời khuyên‟, „tôi cần giúp đỡ‟, „chúc bạn thành công‟, „tôi ngồi khơng?‟ Though many students liked the lesson, some others did not listen to their classmates and the teacher When I the researcher nominated them they answered me, but later they kept doing the same Only four students are prominent in the class thanks to their coordination in the class activities The moment I explained the role of learning and education to the students, they listened carefully The researcher used some examples related to the students‟ daily life to connect them to the meaning of what is aimed For example, learning the alphabet is important as the students learn how to cook from their mother, in which they need to step by step, and follow their mother, and they also need to work with the alphabet the same way They have to learn the alphabet and understand them, then pronounce and use them correctly From the alphabet, they can form words and read words correctly Another example is that to illustrate how to study, the researcher mentioned the crossbow which the students all know Before they can hunt wild animals, they need to have a crossbow To have a crossbow, they need to make it and arrows They understand that they need to have all materials to make a crossbow and arrows so that they can hunt animals When the researcher asked the students what they studied for, rarely can they answer Though some students did answer the question, they responded without understanding what they are saying Some of the responses are „for knowing‟, „for understanding‟, and „for making friends‟ Mostly, one student goes with one phrase When the researcher continued asking for other purposes of learning, they kept silence because of not knowing Second notes Lesson teaching the core value „respect‟ Improvement gained 92 | P a g e Many students liked the lesson, some did not focus – asked more about new sentences and songs – asked for how to study English well (asked the experience from the teacher) – gave examples related to the core value „respect‟ – explained their understanding of the core value „respect‟ – followed repeating well, but WERE SHY TO STAND ALONE AND READ ALOUD – loved to stay in groups to be safe and not criticized of ignorance – started to make fun by using English words and sentences in class New sentences are „why are you sad?‟, „why are you good at English?‟, „What are we for each other?‟ They asked about how to make questions in learning English Feelings: some students were eager to know, willing to take part in, Knowledge: related to core values (giving explanations and examples about „respect‟), experiences of the teacher (how to learn English) – understand the meanings and read aloud new sentences in English Interest Learning songs in English – asking about how to play the guitar (both girls and boys) Why? They find that English is interesting and they feel like them They could name some English songs and singers that they knew They wanted to know English songs because they wanted to learn English words Value learnt Disadvantages/ limitations Some students were still shy because they did not dare to stand up to speak – they did not notice when the teacher were explaining – the time of listening is very limited Final notes Through observation and discussion Students liked to be given comic books When the researcher asked whether they wanted to know about core values, they all said „yes‟ Indications to show that students are improved in their understanding of core values and English language, particularly English vocabulary English language Asked many words in English – many sentences in English – wanted to know about songs in English to sing and learn by heart – always repeat after the teacher when they were asked – 93 | P a g e started to review their lesson outside classroom (important because they are known as the students who not study at home) – knew some easy sentences and could speak them – They wanted to know new words in comic books so that asked The researcher help them to translate the words in Vietnamese so that they understand the meanings of the words They asked many sentences because they would like to know how to talk to their teacher in English what they wanted to say They also wanted to know the lyrics in songs so they asked some expressions like “forever alone”, “never say never”, or “we don‟t talk anymore” These expressions and sentences are from songs so they are curious about them The students asked the researcher to provide them songs in English so that they could learn by heart and help them sing This was because of the fact that before and after each lesson the researcher sang English songs for the students Through observation, the researcher found that these students really loved to listen to songs, no matter English or Vietnamese songs The researcher took advantage of this aspect, so the researcher relaxed students with English songs before and after the teaching accompanied by a guitar The researcher was also curious about their interest in songs, so the researcher asked their English teacher about their interest Their English teacher approved this information by saying that the student liked music, songs and physical education more than the other subjects The reasons given by the English teacher were that the students did not have to think seriously while singing and playing physically, so they felt like doing activities without serious thinking They were delighted when they knew that the researcher would teach them songs in English Though the students are very low in English level, they are willing to follow what the teacher told them to in English class They said they liked to study English because they want to „know‟ it to „communicate‟ and to „understand‟ The fact that they were willing to participate in the class activities helped themselves progress in English learning Thanks to their participation, their autonomy in their own learning will increase, which is very crucial for a language learner Through observation, the researcher found that some students started to review their lessons not only in the English subject but also in other subjects such as History or Chemistry When teaching students core values, the researcher also appreciated the important role of self-learning and education in general for students to think about They were given examples and explanations why education was important for themselves and for their own family Though through those examples, they just knew ambiguously about education, but they knew that selfstudy is that they had to themselves They had to be responsible for their own learning They had to study to help their parents and their siblings as one student said “I study English to teach my parents” The students were eager to study new words and sentences They always asked for the meanings of new words and of new sentences Some examples of their asking sentences are „Tôi mong gặp lại bạn‟[I hope that I can meet you again], „Tôi cần lời khuyên‟ [I need an advice], or „Chúc bạn thành công‟ [may you succeed] Their desire for knowing may 94 | P a g e lead to the circumstances that they wish to know more and more The more they accumulate their knowledge, the better they are in learning English In the lessons, the students were asked to work in groups and individuals, so they learnt from their peers besides from the teacher They were asked to practice more than just to listen Therefore, they could speak some easy sentences Some examples are „what is good is not throwing garbage, collecting papers, bottles and cans‟, and „what is bad is picking leaves and flowers‟, etc The researcher aimed to ask every student to practice, but it is hard to that because of many reasons First, the students are very shy in nature The researcher even sat with them to encourage them to stand up to speak, but they refused to give answers Their only sentence was that „I don‟t know‟, and some students even said nothing Second, the students were afraid of making mistakes The English of these students also affirmed that they were very scared to speak in front many people because they did not want to make mistakes Third, they did not understand why they had to certain activity As mentioned before, the students were very low in their English level In addition to that, they were also low in Vietnamese language, because Vietnamese is their second language beside their mother tongue, Bahnar Though most of the time they use Vietnamese to interact with their teachers, they need to be explained clearly the Vietnamese words and how to actually The fact that students like music and songs can be used together with English lessons so that they feel relaxed when learning English Therefore, for the lessons that use comic books, it will be better if the comic books can operate in concordance with English songs The students loved to play physically than thinking seriously, so teachers can design some activities that combine moving around and speaking Moving around helps students feel at ease and have fun with their friends, meanwhile speaking will activate their brain and force them to work in English Teaching core values in comic books helps students develop their autonomy in learning Teachers can explain what students should at home, why they should that, and clearly design steps for the students to at home By this, students can self-develop their own autonomy in learning More practice should be encouraged in the teaching of English Students are quite active physically so teachers can exploit some activities that combine reading comic books aloud and physical activities such as slap the board or role-play in front of the class Core values What improvements in terms of attitudes and behaviors students have with respect to core values being taught? Gave some examples of „what is good and what is bad‟ in groups and individuals (integrity) – explained their understanding of what core values are – always showed respect to superiors (respect) – started to self-study (responsibility) – understood role of education for themselves and for their family (love and care for study and people) – understood how to try hard to reach purposes (resilient) 95 | P a g e Reasons to lead to those result: They were taught by the researcher of the meanings of core values and were given specific examples from the researcher The students learnt from these examples and gave their own examples relating to what they have known They understood the meanings and examples of core values and they expressed in their own ways One students said that integrity (what is good and what is bad) was not to badly to others and always good deed Though they just expressed some simple sentences of core values in Vietnamese, they activated their brain to talk When they themselves speak up their ideas, they have an opportunity to remember what they said and might actualize them in their daily life Integrity also appears in their usual English lessons though they are not guided to understand the term Whenever they can distinguish between right or wrong, true or false, they are approaching „integrity‟ The lessons teaching „what is good and what is bad‟ gave students a perspective of the term „integrity‟ and helped them link what they have known to this core value The students were taught that whenever they meet their teachers or adults coming to school they should greet them This was to show their respect for them Through observation, the researcher also found that many students used „hello‟ instead of „chào‟ when the researcher came to school This meant that they loved to greet in English to English teacher This may lead to the circumstance that when they are provided enough knowledge about English they will use that knowledge in English like the way they greeted the researcher in English As their English teacher said, when she came to visit the students‟ family, the students‟ family live deeply into forest They rarely interact with the people from outside their surroundings Most of the time, only members in family talk to one another They also give their special respect for their „Thầy‟ (meaning: Spiritual master) This person is very powerful in their community as the teacher said that the students and their family could easily refused to go to the medical center but could never did what opposite to what the spiritual master said This belief may somehow affects students‟ perception, and may affect their learning There can be good and bad aspects concerning this perception First, students are accustomed to showing their respect to their parents and their spiritual master, so they can learn to understand the core value „respect‟ quickly if they are instructed properly However, this perception may make students stand at one place in their learning or even left behind Their English said that concerning this aspect their parents asked why their children had to study because after all they would only get married and give birth to children As can be seen, even the students‟ parents are very stubborn in their perception of knowledge and education This may be very difficult for teachers to attract students to new things and new approaches Concerning the students‟ responsibility, they started to realize the importance of self-study though ambiguously They kept their books with them to study at night They asked their friends for something they did not know They also formed different groups to play with and study 96 | P a g e APPENDIX B QUESTIONNAIRE The following questionnaire consists of two sections Section I contains questions and situations in this discourse completion test ask about your knowledge about values education with the use of comic books in English classes Section II tests what words you have learnt from the teaching Please answer the items truthfully Thank you for your cooperation I CORE VALUES LEARNT When you meet your teacher, what you often do? _ _ One of your classmates does not want to study, what will you to help him? _ _ If your classmate is sick, what will you do? _ _ What you often for your self-study in English subject? _ _ When doing an activity and your friend has an idea opposite to your idea, what you often to work with your friend? _ _ What you often to protect school facilities? _ _ How you often react in your group when many members have different viewpoints? _ _ Your friends tell that your pronunciation is wrong, what should you to react to that comment? _ _ When you know that a friend cheats in an English test, what you often do? _ _ 10 When you have a really difficult problem in study, what you often do? _ _ 97 | P a g e APPENDIX C The questions used to ask the teacher in the interview: What are some specific characteristics of the students in this school concerning their learning and living environment? What languages most of students and people around this school use? Why the students not want to go to school? Do students‟ parents support the learning of their own children? Can you tell me about the cultures and values of the people around this school? 98 | P a g e APPENDIX D SAMPLE LESSON PLAN Aim: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to - Understand basic words‟ meanings related to the comic book named “What is good and what is bad” - Understand some core values embedded in the comic book: cleanliness, tidiness, respect and love Language: vocabulary Teaching aids: chalkboard, handouts, and comic books Teaching method: GTM Main techniques: Reading aloud, translation Teaching procedure: Stages/ time Teacher’s activities Students’ activities Warm-up mins Greet students: Introduction in Vietnamese: Chúng ta học tiếng Anh truyện tranh Greet teacher Presentation Read the following content to the students 15 mins Listen to teacher‟s presentation and instruction One fine day a tiny laddie came and asked his dad: “Could you tell me, Daddy, What is good and what is bad?” All his daddy said I heard Children, gather near Daddy‟s answer, word for word, I shall tell you here If the wind behaves like mad, bringing hail and sleet, anybody knows it‟s bad – no walking in the street … Kind of lad! -Show pictures and ask students: Answer teacher‟s question in What can you see in this picture? Các em thấy English or Vietnamese tranh này? Which words in English can you use to talk about this picture? Các em dùng từ để nói tranh Does this character respect others? Nhân vật có tơn trọng người khác khơng em? Why you know that? Tại em biết điều 99 | P a g e Practice mins Checking mins 100 | P a g e đó? -Give students a situation: When you meet your teacher or your parents, what you do? Khi em gặp giáo viên bố mẹ em làm gì? Explain more -Ask students to read aloud sentence by sentence (three times) -Correct students‟ mistakes when they occur Ask students to focus on these words: Behave: cư xử Good = not bad, mad = crazy Clean = (pic) , hate (v): ghét, Weaker mate: bạn yếu What is good and what is bad? -Ask the students to read aloud each word three to five times - Show another picture consisting of the value „love‟, and ask what students can see in the picture Explain more Ask two or three students to look at a short text again and read them aloud -Write words‟ meanings on the board and ask them to read aloud the original word -Show pictures on the board showing the values: respect, love and equality -Ask in Vietnamese what students think about the pictures, and what can they talk about the pictures using English -Answer the question Repeat after the teacher Read aloud again -Read aloud the words -Say what they think about the picture -Read aloud the sentences -Read aloud the answers and translate word‟s meanings -Say what they think about the pictures and make simple sentences related to the pictures APPENDIX E Notes from teacher interview Meeting the teachers in the school after visiting the accommodation The students are quite shy, and they are told “not studious, or even lazy” One teacher said that the students not want to study, even their parents not know what learning is The reason for this is that they keep on living in their environment, in their long-lasting place that their ancestors have granted them They not know how to fertilize the soil so that their crops can be better They not know what „Kontum city‟ is because they have not come to the center of Kontum though they are living in Kontum province The way of living here is quite closed This means that the people here live in their surrounding and their habits as what they often day by day Change seems to be very far from them They eat what they grow, they drink alcohol when they have nothing to They wait for the support or aids from the authority That is why they keep on living that way of living The interesting aspect is that my arrival attracts students‟ interest They are curious about my presence and seem to ask about me I asked some students about their knowledge about Kontum, but only one of them said she used to come to Kontum once and it has been a long time ago There are only four villages around the school, and there are not many houses in those villages The villages include Kon Gu 1, 2, Kon Tom and Plei Bang The people in these villages live on their land, but they not interact with outside world, even the center of Kontum They have lands but they not know how cultivate their land in a most effective way This proves the necessary role of education in the region Thanks to learning, their life may be changed in a positive way, or else they will be left behind for more time in the future The language the people in this area speak is one dialect of Bahnar The researcher is also a Bahnar, but his dialect comes from the center of Kontum When I ask some students some easy words in Barnar like „hello‟ or „their names‟ they know my intention, but when I ask more about their tasks and their study they use Vietnamese to answer me The difference of the language here and other area is made clear through a story that a teacher retold the researcher There is a family in Kon Gu In the family, the wife speaks one language and the husband speaks another They cannot use their mother tongue to communicate with each other, so they use Vietnamese to communicate Their children not know their own mother tongue either because the wife and husband cannot teach their children their own language because of the differences in the languages they use and especially they not know how to write their language and their language does not have dictionary to keep their linguistic heritage 101 | P a g e On the first day, some students greeted me “cháu chào chú” (meaning „hello uncle‟) They realized that I was a guest in the school so they greeted me to show their respect to superiors This knowledge appears naturally in them not taught Notes from teacher interview The reasons why they not want to stay at school and have lunch at school? They answer that they miss their home, they are not interested when staying at school, and they have mouse to eat so they have to go home to have mouse to eat; mountain mouse is a kind of food for many Bahnar people in Kontum, especially this area School boys, especially, not want to stay at school because they want to hunt and shoot birds by catapults – handmade tool for people to shoot by using stones as bullets But some students said that they want to stay at school and eat meal because the foods at school are good It is not impossible to promote young Bahnar learners who are living in mountainous areas to learn English, but that goal needs some time to accomplish Are the students really lazy? Are they lazy when in fact they work to make the school so clean so often? Are they lazy when in fact they work and follow the teachers as they give commands? Are they lazy when in fact they are really interested in playing Chinese chess but they have no chance to perform? Are they lazy when in fact they spend all their afternoon to play football because they really like doing that? Are they really lazy when in fact they work for their own family from their very young age? And many other „their laziness‟ Once they work to clean the school, they make grass and bushes become soil and the school is clean and bright The economics of students‟ family The students‟ daily life The students‟ ways of living Waiting for aids from government seems to be their way of living The people in this area are supported much from the government because this area is a very difficult reason and it belongs to the 135 program The fact proves that the more they are supported, the more they become dependent on that aid and cannot strive for their own living They are provided with rice, cattle, goats, and money for them to improve their living condition However, they have not used that aid properly, so they still live in poverty, and that life style keeps on existing Drinking destroys human life Many people in this area love drinking Once, when they receive compensation money from the government because some constructions affect their land and life They use money for buying alcohol or beer to invite their companion villagers No matter how much money they have, if they not use that money properly and invest that money in the right way they will lose all The fact has shown that truth The people are still living in poverty because of lacking education 102 | P a g e One teacher said that some parents considered her advice as “too far away” and not suitable for them They listen at that moment and then the same thing happens Some parents are very responsible One teacher said that when she asked a male parent that “tomorrow is a commencement day for a new school year, can you inform other parents?” and he did that Students‟ discipline One teacher said that the students in the school are very disciplinary They are punctual Every Monday they come very early to spangle the national emblem Though they have to walk a long way from home to school they enter school on time They are said to wake up early at around a.m to prepare for school After that, they have to cross streams and rivers to get to school (Are they superb? Yes, I must say that they are admirable Not many students can as they weekly Some students I know in the city even get up at a.m.) We often say that many students not try their best to study even though they are supported a great deal from the government Let us imagine the circumstance of the students in this area They live far from school, they have to cross streams and rivers to get to school, they walk on foot to school and only some are taken to school by parents, less material for them to study, studying without clear purposes, etc why they have to study? For what? If we were them, can we as well as them in our environment? If many children were not directed to go to school, are they willing to go to school One teacher said that some students in the school can be very intelligent For example, there is one student named Toi who is the excellent student of the school She can analyze problems in learning and perform well her learning tasks The teacher also said that if that student could attend schools in the Kontum center she could get along well with Vietnamese students thanks to her ability One important aspect of this students is that the support and encouragement from parents The teacher said that her parents always take her to school and pick her up when she finishes her school Even when she is ill but she wants to go to school, her father takes her to school The encouragement and support also go to her brother who is now studying in grade six Therefore, it is necessary that the family members present their supports for the wellbeing of their own offsprings For other students, their parents not care about their schooling, so they just go to school when they want to Parents not care about what students before school, while school and after school Some parents said “why they have to go to school? in the future, their job will always be getting married and giving birth to children” Students‟ interests Singing and taking part in entertainment activities are their interests in school On occasion of 20th November, they are eager to stay at school only for entertainment activities Collectivism 103 | P a g e One teacher said that students in the school are quite similar in proficiency in any subject There used to be two or three students who are good at grade six but because of seeing their friends not good and not wanting to study, these students become the same with those low level students The notion of group or collectivism affects individuals in their thinking and as a result affects their performance “I‟ll tell you When I followed one of my students, I went to a very high mountain, and their house is in the top of the mountain.” R: Their house is in the top of the mountain? “Yes, I climbed the mountain to get into that house The people in this area call that house “Đầm house” That kind of house is like a tent that people make for temporary stay However, people in this area consider that kind of house is a real house They live, eat and work there The condition of that kind of house is very poor They eat what nature grants them and sometimes they eat what they grow around their house That kind of house is also a place for them to rest and for them to work for their own living There is nothing in the house; no food, no furniture, just only some old torn clothes They eat foods from trees and from animals that they hunt The most delicious and precious foods that they possess are fat, salt and vinegar that they bought from someone However, the students here are very strong and agile You know, my female student, G, is very strong and agile when climbing mountains She took me to her house to pick some Ropang leaves and she did not let me bring anything because she is afraid that I am tired, so she brings everything She did not let me to take anything from her She and her friends took turns to carry The teacher said that their strength and agility are really admirable When she and her colleagues had a day off and they went to mountainous areas They went with motorcycles but they still feel tired However, these students walk by foots more than ten kilometers and they still feel normal Even, some students carry their tools on their right hand, and their carry their little siblings on their back What a surprised I was to hear those accounts! Most of the students in this school live very far so they are prioritized to be staying in the school at night They spent their days from Monday to Saturday to stay at school for studying In the Saturday afternoon and Sunday they return to their home with family I remember some lines from Nguyen Ngoc when he described some characteristics of the people in the mountainous area in his work “Rung XaNu” The people are little but very strong as the strength of the Xa Nu trees – which is known as pine trees Life seems to be like hundreds years ago Though they are living in the twenty-first century, their life is still outdated This experience is told by a head teacher who follows one of her students to pick the Ropang leaves – a kind of leaf used for eating Many families in this area not possess motorcycles, so they travel mostly on foot 104 | P a g e Sometimes, when it rains, they cannot pass streams and rivers they have to stay at home and they have a day off Therefore, if the weather is not good so often, it is certain that they stay at home and school is empty The students are used to crossing streams and rivers so they go very fast when encountering those barriers One teacher told that she used to be in danger when she crossed the stream Because the stream is very slippery and contains many rocks, she slip and was drown at that time As the teacher described, 100% of the students in this area know how to swim When the school administrators want students to learn to swim, it is fun that all the students know how to swim The reason for their well-trained skill is that it is their life They have to struggle since they were very young They have to cross mountains, they have to swim across rivers so they are skillful with that respect What they eat for their living? “They eat foods from forest Sometimes, some people come here from the center of Kontum, and they buy salts and some fat for their daily life However, mostly they eat wild vegetables that grow around their house Some vegetable names are Kotonh leaves, Hopuol, Ropang, etc They also grow rice for their own use One admirable characteristic of the students here is that they work hard physically When the teachers ask them to make the school yard clean they happily follow the teachers They their tasks very fast and neatly They are also good at imitating what the teachers told them When the teachers carefully, they will the same Nevertheless, when the teachers not as well as they wish they the same Unfortunately, these students not work hard mentally as their physical aspect Thinking seems to be very difficult for them That is why they said they love physical education because this subject does not requires them to think much Daily the boys and girls plays football and volleyball Even when it rains, they play joyfully 105 | P a g e ... their English learning in English classroom 2.3.2 Method used in the teaching of core values in English comic books Comics have been used in teaching arts, but not found in teaching values in English. .. the teaching and learning with core values in English comic books? 1.4 Significance of the study The current study which investigated the use of core values in English comic books to promote learning. .. core values in English comic books can effectively promote students‟ English learning by making them interested in their learning process Key Words: English learning, Core values, English comic books,