An investigation into the use of the tpr total physical response method in teaching and learning english at some primary schools in hue city

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAININGHUE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES ---    --- PHAM THI XUAN DUYEN AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF THE TPR TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE METHOD

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HUE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

-    -

PHAM THI XUAN DUYEN

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF THE TPR (TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE) METHOD IN TEACHING

AND LEARNING ENGLISH AT SOME PRIMARY

SCHOOLS IN HUE CITY

MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY

OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HUE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

-    -

PHAM THI XUAN DUYEN

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF THE TPR (TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE) METHOD IN TEACHING

AND LEARNING ENGLISH AT SOME PRIMARY

SCHOOLS IN HUE CITY

MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY

OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

CODE: 60140111

SUPERVISOR: Assoc.Prof Dr LE PHAM HOAI HUONG

HUE, 2013

BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO

ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ

-    -

PHẠM THỊ XUÂN DUYÊN

NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ VIỆC ỨNG DỤNG PHƯƠNG PHÁP TƯƠNG TÁC HÌNH THỂ (THE TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE METHOD) TRONG VIỆC DẠY VÀ HỌC TIẾNG ANH TẠI MỘT

SỐ TRƯỜNG TIỂU HỌC Ở THÀNH PHỐ HUẾ

LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ LÝ LUẬN VÀ PHƯƠNG PHÁP

DẠY HỌC BỘ MÔN TIẾNG ANH

MÃ SỐ: 60140111

NGƯỜI HƯỚNG DẪN KHOA HỌC:

PGS.TS LÊ PHẠM HOÀI HƯƠNG

HUẾ, 2013

ABSTRACT

The current study investigates into the use of the TPR (Total Physical

Response) method in teaching and learning English at some primary schools in Hue city The first aim of this study is to investigate primary teachers‟ perceptions of using the TPR method in teaching English to children The second aim is to find out whether and how the TPR method has been used in English teaching for Vietnamese children at some primary schools and finally is to explore some obstacles that teachers face when using the TPR method in their classroom and suggest solutions to them

The sample of the study consists of 50 students and 30 teachers from ten primary schools in Hue city The data were collected by means of questionnaires and interviews There are two sets of questionnaires; one for teachers and the other for students In addition, interviews were conducted with two groups: one group with 10 teachers and the other group with 20 students of grade 5 The findings revealed that both teachers and students had relatively positive perceptions of using the TPR in teaching and learning English For teachers, the TPR method played an important role in helping them to transfer the lesson to their young students easily and effectively For students, the TPR method helped them to achieve the lesson quickly and have a long retention about the knowledge

of the lesson under happy mood However, in spite of their strong perceptions of the importance and the benefits of teaching and learning English with the TPR method, both teachers and students still showed some shortages of the TPR method Therefore, the TPR method is successful when used as the core strategy

of a course or as a strong supplement

On the basis of the findings, some suggestions were made for teachers, students and policy makers

I am fully aware of that my thesis can never finished without the help of others during the process of writing Therefore, on this occasion, I would like to express my greatest appreciation to all those who gave me the possibility for the fulfillment of this thesis paper

First and foremost, I would like to express my most heartfelt gratitude to my supervisor, Assoc Prof Le Pham Hoai Huong, Ph.D., who helped me with all the means at hand to go ahead with motivation and interest along this work of research Without her guidance and persistent help, this thesis would not have materialized One simply could not wish for a better or friendlier supervisor

Second, I am deeply indebted to teachers and students from Hue Star primary school, Tran Quoc Toan primary school, Phu Cat primary school, Thuan Thanh primary school, Tay Loc primary school, Le Loi primary school, Nguyen Trai Primary school, Ly Thuong Kiet Prinmary school and Phu My Primary school for providing me the most favorable conditions to collect the needed information

Third, my sincere thanks go to all the lecturers of the graduate courses at Hue College of Foreign Languages for imparting their knowledge and enthisiasm of their respective areas of specification Besides, my special thank is also extended to Assoc

post-Prof Dr Truong Vien for helpful guidance in dealing with the SPSS sofware

Last but not the least, I am deeply grateful, as always, to my beloved parents, my sisters, my brothers and my close friends who constantly stand beside me, give me emotional support and encouragement throughout my ups and downs

TABLE OF CONTENTS

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

ABSTRACT iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iv

LIST OF TABLES vii

LIST OF FIGURES AND CHARTS ix

LIST OF ABREVIATIONS x

CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION 1

1 1 Rationale 1

1 2 Aims of the study 4

1 3 Research questions 4

1 4 Significance of the study 4

1 5 Scope of the study 5

1 6 Structure of the study 5

CHAPTER 2 - LITERATURE REVIEW 6

2 1 Introduction 6

2 2 The history of the TPR method 6

2 2 1 Definition of the TPR method 6

2 2 2 The origin of the TPR method 7

2 3 The goals of the TPR method 7

2 4 The principles of the TPR method 8

2 5 The roles of teachers and learners in the TPR method 8

2 5 1 Teachers‟ roles 8

2 5 2 Learners‟ roles 9

2 6 Characteristics of young learners 10

2 7 Benefits of the TPR 11

2 8 Drawbacks of the TPR method 13

2 9 The use of the TPR in classroom 15

2 9 1 What to be taught with the TPR method 15

2 9 2 Types of TPR activities: 18

2 10 Previous studies 23

2 10 1 Previous studies in other countries 23

2 10 2 Previous studies in Vietnam 24

2 11 Gaps in the literature 25

2 12 Summary 26

CHAPTER 3 - METHODOLOGY 27

3 1 Introduction 27

3 2 Research approach 27

3 3 Participants 28

3 4 Data collecting instruments 28

3 4 1 Questionnaire 28

3 4 2 Interviews 29

3 4 3 Class observation 30

3 5 Data analysis 31

3 6 Procedure 31

3 7 Summary 31

CHAPTER 4 - FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 32

4.1 Introduction 32

4 2 The reliability statistics of data collected from questionnaires 32

4 3 Results of teachers 33

iv

4 3 1 The perceptions of the teachers of teaching English in using the TPR

method (Cluster 1) 33

4 3 2 The use of the TPR method in teaching English to primary students (Cluster 2) 40

4 3 3 The obstacles and difficulties in using the TPR method that teachers usually face (cluster 3) 51

4 4 Results of students 59

4 4 1 The perceptions of the students of teaching English by using the TPR method (Cluster 1) 59

4 4 2 Students‟ views to the use of the TPR method in teaching English (Cluster 2) 64

4 4 3 Students‟ perceptions of the shortcomings of the TPR method (Cluster 3)68 4 5 Summary 69

CHAPTER 5 - CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY 70

5 1 Summary of the key findings 70

5 1 1 Teachers‟ and students‟ perceptions of teaching and learning with the TPR method in Hue City 70

5 1 2 Teachers‟ appliance of the TPR method in teaching and learning English 71 5 1 3 Difficulties of the TPR method in teaching and learning English 71

5 2 Implications 73

5 2 1 For teachers 74

5 2 2 For students 77

5 2 3 For policy makers 77

5 3 Limitations of the study 78

5 4 Recommendations for further study 79

REFERENCES 80 APPENDICES

v

LIST OF TABLES

Table 4 1 The reliability of the two sets of piloted questionnaires 32

Table 4 2 The reliability of the two sets of the questionnaires 33

Table 4 3 Whole mean score of teachers‟ perceptions of using the TPR 33

Table 4 4 The mean score of teachers‟ perceptions of using the TPR 34

Table 4 8 Whole mean score of teachers‟ use of using the TPR method 40

Table 4 9 Mean score of the techniques used with the TPR method 41

Table 4 10 Mean score of language areas/ skills used to teach with the TPR method 44

Table 4 13 Mean score of the suitable stages of a lesson taught with the TPR 46

Table 4 16 Mean score of purposes of using the TPR method 48

Table 4 18 Mean score of using the TPR method in combination with others 50

Table 4 20 Whole mean score of teachers‟ difficulties in teaching the TPR method 51

Table 4 21 Frequency of item 7: I find it difficult to control the class when using this method because students are noisy and mischievous in freedom 52

Table 4 22 Frequency of item 17: I must spend much time preparing materials as well as ideas for the activity using the TPR method 53

Table 4 23 The mean score of difficulty of promoting students‟ creativity 55

Table 4 25 The mean scores of difficulties about instructions of the TPR 56

Table 4 26 The mean score of difficulties about the level and class size 57

Table 4 27 Whole mean score of students‟ perceptions of learning with the TPR 59 Table 4 28 Students‟ perceptions of the appropriateness of using the TPR 60

Table 4 30 The mean scores of benefits of using the TPR method 62

Table 4 33 Whole mean score of students‟ views to the use of the TPR method 64

Table 4 34 The mean score of techniques of the TPR method preferred by

students 65

Table 4 35 The frequency of the stages students like to learn with the TPR method 66

Table 4 36 The mean scores of students‟ preference of the TPR method 67

Table 4 37 The mean scores of the students‟ perceptions of the shortcomings 68

of the TPR method 68

viii

LIST OF FIGURES AND CHARTS

Figure 2 1: Brain functions 7

Chart 4 5 The percentage of teachers‟ perceptions of the importanceof the TPR method 35

Chart 4 6 Teachers‟ perceptions of effectiveness of using the TPR method 37

Chart 4 7 The appropriateness of the TPR method to primary students 39

Chart 4 11 Developing listening skill 45

Chart 4 12 Using the TPR to teach vocabulary 45

Chart 4.14 Warm-up is the most suitable Chart 4.15 Applying the TPR method at Stage to use the TPR method the Post-stage 47

Chart 4 17 Using the TPR method for revising lessons or checking the memory 49

Chart 4 19 The TPR method should be used in combination with others 50

Chart 4 24 Percentage of the limit of students‟ creative thoughts 55

Chart 4 29 Students‟ feeling when learning English with the TPR method 61

Chart 4 31 The percentage of understanding the meaning easily 63

Chart 4 32 The percentage of remembering the lesson effectively 63

LIST OF ABRREVIATIONS

- EFL : ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

- ESL : ENGLISH AS A SECOND LAGUAGE

- TEYL : TEACHING ENGLISH TO YOUNG LEARNERS

- TPR : TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE

- TPR-B : TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE - BODY

- TPR-O : TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE - OBJECTS

- TPR-P : TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE - PICTURES

- TPR-S : TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSSE - STORY TELLING

- SPSS : STATISTICAL PACKAGE FOR THE SOCIAL SCIENCES

CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION

1 1 Rationale

English plays an incredible role in language society and is a tool of communication which can help people in the world to interact, converse, and share with other people Hasman (2000, p 5) states, “English may become one tool that opens windows to the world, unlocks doors to opportunities, and expands our minds

to new ideas.” On commenting on the phenomenon of linguistic imperialism in the former colonies of Britain, Phillipson (1992, p 30) concludes, “English [in these countries] has a dominant role internally, occupying space that other languages could not possibility fill English is also the key external link, in politics, commerce, science, technology, military alliances, entertainment and tourism.” Similar to Phillipson, Pennycook (1994) believes that English is a language of imperialism and he also expresses deep concerns about the role English plays as a gatekeeper to better jobs and position in many societies Therefore, the acquisition

of English is really crucial to interact with the other civilizations

At present, Vietnam is the official 150th member of World Trade Organization Therefore, English becomes a communicative language with many countries This is the reason why it is extremely important for Vietnamese to have English ability, so learning English becomes more and more essential Because of the importance of English, it has been brought into the Vietnam school as a compulsory subject and taught for students since the early age because mastering English will be better if it starts as early as possible Ha Van Sinh (2006, p 111) states, “The economic and political changes over the past decade have brought about a more significant role for EFL in all spheres of life English has become an effective means of attaining well-paid jobs and promotions and accessing higher education” According to Decision No.50/ 2003 QD-BGD & DT on October 30,

2003 until the present, pupils in primary schools are to learn a foreign language as

an elective subject from grade 3 to grade 5 for two 40- minute periods per week, where there are adequate teaching conditions as well as demand of pupils and parents Later, on August 17, 2010, the Ministry of Education and Training of

Vietnam made the announcement No, 4919/ BGDDT-GDTH about the directions for the school year 2010-2011 applied for primary education According to this latest regulation, all primary schools in Vietnam will start teaching an optional foreign language from grade three with at least two periods per week According to Asher (2007), if children start a second language program before puberty, they have

a high probability of achieving a near-native or even native accent After puberty, students can still acquire another language, but most all will have some accent even

if they live for fifty years in another country where the language is spoken

However, teaching English for children at primary schools has caused many difficulties for teachers because they are too young to have enough perception to acquire a second language or a foreign language easily There are some researches carried out to find difficulties that children usually have when learning English and suggest some solutions to them For this reason, one method considered as one of the efforts to English teaching for children that should be introduced is Total Physical Response (TPR) This method is was developed by James Asher (1965), a professor of psychology at San Jose State University, California with the hope for helping children get English easily in a funny and active way

In fact, teaching English for children is not easy if teachers do not know or cannot find a suitable method for the learners‟ age Louanna Piccolo (2010) states that TEYL – teaching English to young learners is not the same as teaching English

to adults or even teenagers In addition, Harmer (2001, p 38) states that young learners especially those up to the ages of nine to ten learn differently from older learners, adolescents, and adults They easily get bored, losing interest after ten minutes or so The current methodology used by primary teachers found that the teaching methods are “adult-oriented” It was identified by many delegates at the workshop on “Training and retraining of teachers in English primary education to meet the social needs of the local Central-Highlands” held in Danang on March 5th, 2011” (as cited in Doan, 2010) Therefore, one of the most serious problems is that primary school teachers of English have not really been trained in professional

skills to teach English to primary children, so finding a proper and new method is extremely necessary

With my experience as a teacher teaching some mixed classes for children from grade 1 to grade 5 at some centers in Hue city, I have found it difficult to transfer vocabulary or some small grammatical points to my young students The traditional method I learned at the University does not really bring the effectiveness

as well as the motivation to this early stage of children in grasping English Furthermore, when being asked about using the TPR method, some colleagues of mine at Hue Star School in Hue city also know it as physical responses and sometimes use it for teaching some simple vocabularies Besides, they do not deny that the TPR method is interesting for their young learners However, they have not had the deep perception of the TPR method, its benefits, drawbacks as well as many things that they can teach with the TPR to help them overcome obstacles they face when teaching English for children Correspondingly, this research was carried out for the following reasons:

Firstly, English is a compulsory subject at most schools in the world in general and in Vietnam particular Furthermore, nowadays English is taught not only at secondary schools, high schools but also elementary schools in Vietnam Therefore, how to find and employ a suitable method is always a great concern

to teachers

Secondly, most teachers and I also find it difficult to teach English for children at some primaries in Hue city because they are too young to perceive a language In addition, some methodologies we learned at the university are not really effective to teach young learners Moreover, teaching English to the elementary school students is not an easy task since it requires a lot of creativity Their world is still full of enjoyable activities If English is taught interestingly, it will motivate them to learn it better, so applying a method like the TPR is really important

Thirdly, most teachers do not really have clear perceptions of the use of the TPR in classrooms This is because they have not been trained and understand

about this method clearly Consequently, they do not know how to use it effectively

as well as overcome difficult times they meet when using it in the classroom

Therefore, this research is hoped to help teachers at some primary schools understand more about the TPR method so that they can apply it together with other methods appropriately and effectively

1 2 Aims of the study

2 How is the TPR method being used to teach English for children in classrooms?

3 What problems do teachers and students face in using the TPR method?

1 4 Significance of the study

In theory, it helps to find out the perceptions of teachers as well as the use of the TPR method in teaching English for children It provides language teachers with the rationale for carrying out the TPR method to improve children‟s English learning Besides, it explores problems that teachers usually face in using the TPR From there, some useful ways are suggested in order to help teachers know how to apply the TPR method into classroom the best

In practice, it is hoped the findings of the study will help primary children to learn English in an interesting way and improve their ability about vocabulary as

well as grammar through the TPR method Moreover, teachers can use the TPR method as an alternative way to teach English to primary students

1 5 Scope of the study

This research will investigate how the TPR method is being used in classroom for teaching and learning English for children This research will be carried out with the participation of 50 grade-5 students and 30 teachers at different primary schools

in Hue city

The data will be collected by using questionnaire and interview

1 6 Structure of the study

This study consists of five chapters

Chapter 1 introduces general information of the research including background, the reason, the aims, research questions, significance, the scope and

the structure of the study Chapter 2 presents relevant background theories as well

as researcher‟s points of views on the examined issue Chapter 3 presents the information related to the methods used in the research such as methodology, participants, and procedures of the research and data collection Chapter 4 includes the analysis of data collected during research The data collected will be analyzed to answer the research questions of the research paper Chapter 5 summarizes the results of the study Additionally, it suggests some applications and implications for teachers It also suggests some unanswered problems for further research

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW

2 1 Introduction

This chapter presents the history of the TPR method, the goal, the principles and the use of the TPR in the lesson Besides, it shows benefits and drawbacks when using the TPR to teach elementary students whose characteristics are expressed in this chapter Finally, the review of previous studies in the world and in Vietnam relating to the topic with their gap is presented

2 2 The history of the TPR method

2 2 1 Definition of the TPR method

The Total Physical Response method is one of the language teaching methods which was developed by James Asher, a professor of psychology at San Jose State University, California in the 1960s His first paper on TPR (Asher, 1965) shows how language can be taught using commands The teacher gives the command, models the movement, and the students perform the action Students are not asked

to speak, only to try to understand and obey the commands TPR considers that one learns the best when he is actively involved and grasps what he hears (Haynes, 2004; Larsen-Freeman, 1986; Lines, 2005) Besides, Richard and Rodgers (1993, p 90) state, “Total Physical Response is a language teaching method built around the coordination of speech and action It attempts to teach language through physical (motor) activity.”It is obviously described that physical response is the medium to stimulate interaction between teacher and learners Additionally, Octaviany (2007) states, “the two very important concepts in TPR are the notion of Total Physical Response involvement and the role played by the right hemisphere of the brain in learning a second language by action” (p 15)

Figure 2 1: Brain functions

2 2 2 The origin of the TPR method

This method was originated based on the

assumption that when an additional language is

learned, this language is internalized through a

process of decoding similar to the development

of the first language, and this process demands a

long period of comprehension development

before the production of language According to

Asher (1977), the TPR is based on the theory that

the human brain is biologically programmed to

learn any natural language within interaction The process is visible when we observe how the children internalize the language, the communication among parents and children combines the verbal and kinesthetic skills, the child answers physically to the verbal commands of the father, and the response of the child is reinforced positively by the voice of the father For many months the child absorbs the language without speaking it

2 3 The goals of the TPR method

A method or technique in teaching and learning process must be developed in order to get a better purpose for a better life Richard and Rodgers (1986, p 91) point:

The general Objectives of Total Physical Response are to teach oral proficiency at a beginning level Comprehension is a mean to an end, and the ultimate aim is to give basic speaking skills TPR aims to produce learners who are capable of an uninhibited communication that is intelligible to a native speaker.

In addition, TPR was developed in order to reduce the stress people feel when studying foreign languages, and thereby encourage students to persist in their study beyond a beginning level of proficiency (Larsen-Freeman, 2000, p 113) For the students to obtain academic improvement, an appropriate method or technique must

be developed The TPR was developed to improve the result of the learning process of a second language, especially in teaching children

teaching-2 4 The principles of the TPR method

To apply the TPR method effectively in classroom, teachers should understand its principles to use it properly in the teaching and learning process Larsen and Freeman (2000, p 111) describe several principles in teaching learning process by using the TPR upon which the teacher‟s behaviors is based such as meaning in the target language can often be conveyed through action Memory is active through learner‟s response The target language should not be presented in chunks: not just word by word; the students‟ understanding of the target language should be developed before speaking and students can initially learn one part of the language rapidly by moving their body Besides, the imperative is powerful linguistics device through which the teacher can direct students‟ behavior and students can learn through observing actions as well as by performing the action themselves Furthermore, students must not develop flexibility in understanding a novel combination of target language chunks; they need to understand more than the exact sentences used in training as well as language learning is more effective when it is fun In addition, spoken language should be emphasized over written language in this method, so students will begin to speak when they are ready and students are expected to make errors when they first begin speaking Finally, working on the fine details of the larger scale should be postponed until students have become somewhat proficient

In summary, the above principles emphasize on characteristics of the TPR method so that teachers understand it clearly and how to apply and transfer it to their students the best

2 5 The roles of teachers and learners in the TPR method

2 5 1 Teachers’ roles

In the teaching learning process using TPR method, teacher plays an active and direct role According to Larsen and Freeman (2000, p 113), “The teacher is the director of all students‟ behaviors” Asher (1977) as quoted by Richard and Rodgers (1986, p 93) states “Teachers play an active and direct role, the direction

of a stage in which students are actors” According to Knight (2001, p 154), the

teacher‟s role in TPR is to select the teaching material and plan the tasks the students are going to do His/ her main role in the classroom is to give commands

to the students The teacher might for example tell the students: “Stand up!”, “Sit down!”, “Take your pencil!” etc The instructor also serves as a model and gives feedback to the students The feedback he/she gives is likened to the feedback children receive from their parents Therefore, teachers are those who have a right

to decide what to teach, select topics for class and appropriate materials Asher (1977) declares that teachers must be clear in mind about the expression and new orders that will be used in the classroom, since the development of the class must

be fast-moving and there is no time to make it spontaneously For this reason, teachers need to have a careful preparation as well as a good organization so that their lesson can flow smoothly as their expectation The teacher is to gradually increase the amount of correction given to the learner as he progresses in his knowledge of the target language just as parents will tolerate less mistakes as a child gets older (Richards & Rodgers, 2001, p.76)

Besides, the teacher has the responsibility to offer the appropriate exposure to

the target language with the intention that the students internalize the basic rules of the language In that sense, the teacher can control the language input that the students should learn by providing the basic information for the students to create their cognitive map Teacher should permit that the students develop the speaking skill step by step according to their capacity

2 5 2 Learners’ roles

“In the TPR, learners are considered as listeners and performers They listen attentively and respond physically in both individually and collectively to commands by their teachers They have few influences over the content of learning since the content is determined by the teachers who must follow the imperative form for the lesson” (Richard and Rodgers, 1986, p 93) Furthermore, “Students are imitators of the teachers‟ nonverbal models” (Larsen-Freeman, 2000, p 113)

To sum up, in the TPR, teachers need to be careful to give commands that are taken action by learners while learners are imitators of teachers‟ verbal and non-

verbal models Besides, teachers should not interrupt and correct learners‟ mistakes

at once because this will make them frightened and the result of this is children will not dare to take the actions as well as speak out As another note, teachers should not pressure the students to speak any earlier than the students feel ready to do so Also, as children make many mistakes by the time they are speaking, learners will make mistakes at the later stages of learning but should not be criticized early on

In the process of teaching and learning, a teacher sends commands to learners and performs the actions with them and learners will demonstrate that they grasp the commands by performing alone This shows that the interaction between a teacher and learners is carried out by teacher‟ speaking and learners‟ responses nonverbally Later on, learners become more verbal and the teachers respond nonverbally (Larsen - Freeman, 1986; Rodgers, 2003)

2 6 Characteristics of young learners

Children like doing any kinds of activities as long as they feel happy They will choose the activities they like to do according to their own characteristics The characteristics of the children may be one of the signs of their development Slattery and Willis (2001) point that the children from seven to twelve are learning to read and write in their language They are developing as thinkers, so they can plan and organize how best to carry out an activity Moreover, they can work with others and learn from others and especially, they can understand the difference between real and imaginary Furthermore, they can be reliable and take the responsibility for class activities and routines

From the above characteristics, it can be said that children like to do physical movement, so using the body movement in the process of learning is suitable for the children Staying long in one place makes them bored because they like to move around class and make actions with their friends about lesson in teacher‟ permit Geoffrey (1980, p 169) states, “Young children are physically active” Besides, children also like to imitate and mime They will give attention to other people and try to imitate merely like other people do and say This is the way how children learn and develop their knowledge This is supported by Geoffrey et al (1980,

p.169) that “Children love to imitate and mime: they are uninhibited in acting out roles, and they enjoy repetition because it gives them a sense of assurance and achievement.”

In general, because children like to join in active tasks; the teacher should design or create the suitable circumstance of learning process for the characteristics

of the children Therefore, it motivates students and makes them learn effectively

and so hopefully the goal of the learning can be well achieved

2 7 Benefits of the TPR

The success of learning process cannot be separated from the advantages of the TPR method itself The advantages of using the TPR method in teaching English are wide

First, the TPR method creates positive thinking which facilitates the student to

„involve in learning process, so it can develop not only motivation but also the aim

of students in learning It takes away the “stress” of a regular language class It gives students the freedom to decide when they feel confident enough to speak up

in class as opposed to being forced to Therefore, Richards and Rodgers (2001) maintain the idea that stress (an affective filter) intervenes between the act of learning and what is to be learned; the lower the stress, the greater the learning In a languageclass setting, this means that although an individual might be receiving appropriate input, he might be prevented from learning due to his emotional state, needs etc When a learner is for example anxious, tired or hungry, he will not be able to absorb input as complete as learners who are relaxed and not distracted by any kind of needs or emotions Asher sees TPR as a stress-free way of learning where the student is “liberated from self-conscious and stressful situations” (Richards & Rodgers, 2001, p 75) The student is supposed to learn the second languagein such a carefree way as a child encountering its mother tongue Asher (1966) reported that acting out in training has intense motivation power which sustains students‟ interest and effort Principles of the TPR such as correction in an unobtrusive manner, tolerance of errors also reduce the stress of learners and facilitate learning (Larson – Freeman, 1986)

Besides, this method is very easy and the usage of language contains action games This is why it can help students to learn fast and effectively Cabello (2005,

p 3) says, “As you work with the TPR, you will discover that your students have instant understanding of everything you are saying in the target language As a result, students of all age experiences remarkable self – confidence as revealed in comments such as: I can do this! I was afraid that I would not understand, but I get it! I am really enjoying this language class.”

Moreover, teaching materials of the TPR are commands related to daily life, for example, Asher (2002) suggests that setting short term goals that are of keen interest to students such as buying a bus ticket, calling a hotel to book a room, ordering breakfast or directing a taxi driver to a location Thus it will be easier for students to generalize

Furthermore, Kristin Dodds (2004) states that the TPR is based on the concept that language acquisition can be greatly accelerated through the use of kinesthetic behavior (body movement) Therefore, the TPR is very suitable for kinesthetic learners who are required to be active in the class because the process

of learning is emphasized on physical response in the students‟ response In addition, it works well with mixed-ability classes The physical actions get across the meaning effectively so that all the learners are able to comprehend and apply

to the target language

Finally, it makes learners easy to remember because this method can facilitate students with the meaning in real life that teachers teach words or a point of grammar by using basic commands, real things in the process of learning According to one of principles of the TPR mentioned by Larsen and Freeman (2000, p.111), “Meaning in the target language can often be conveyed through action Memory is activated through learners‟ response” Cable et al (2010) also pointed out the focus on repetition for helping memorization in MFL The students‟ understanding was then assessed as a group by repeating the different imperatives without showing them the correct action This group assessment created a more

supportive environment, making it more likely that the students found the activity enjoyable (Cable et al., 2010)

2 8 Drawbacks of the TPR method

Any method has both advantages and disadvantages The TPR is one of the methods that has many benefits as I mentioned above, however, it consists of some drawbacks that seem obvious for both teachers and students

First, the TPR will become uninterested by teachers if they do not believe in the Natural Approach This is because the TPR method is not considered, by its own creator, as an independent method, it will require others and assumptions of others to function Brain Lateralization defines different learning functions in the left and right brain hemispheres (Richards & Rodgers, 2001) In the general view, the right brain internalizes comprehensible input; the left brain synthesizes them to produce language In the context of the TPR, the right brain is more commonly catered to, as many students need a great deal of instruction time before they will be able to utilize the left brain production Therefore, to use the TPR method effectively, teachers need

to understand it clearly Otherwise, they will consequently not use the TPR This limits the potential audience for the TPR method

Second, the materials and procedures for the TPR method are usually concerned with the beginning levels of language learning or the most useful for beginners Therefore, according to Keats (2011), the TPR teaching method is only available for new language learners, for its movements and words are all simple activity, which cannot be used to learn deeper contents and it must be used by being combined with other methods Whilst, it is clear that it is far more useful at lower levels because the target language lends itself to such activities even though it can successfully be applied at Intermediate and Advanced levels In this respect, it is essential to adapt the language, accordingly Therefore, for adults, teachers need to have much preparation It is also at the higher levels where preparation becomes an issue for the teacher

Third, the TPR method is not flexibly used to teach everything, and if used a lot, it would become repetitive It is fairly difficult to give instructions without

using imperatives, so the language input is basically restricted to this single form.This method is a fun way of changing the dynamics and pace of a lesson used

in conjunction with others since it needs much energy so that learners do not feel tired of learning language and bored in the course This is only the tip of the iceberg within any given language to its complexities that cannot be addressed by the TPR According to Bowen (n.d.) from a purely practical point of view, it is highly unlikely that even the most skilled and inventive teacher could sustain a lesson stage involving commands and physical responses for more than a few minutes before the activity became repetitious for the learners, although the use of situational role-play could provide a range of contexts for practicing a wider range

of lexis

Fourth, students are not generally given the opportunity to express their own thoughts in a creative way Very small children may not speak their own language correctly yet Students only listen and do the action following teacher‟s imperatives

in repetition There is little expression of their own thoughts and consequently, they limit the development of their creative ability as well as speaking skill In addition,

it can be a challenge for shy students who are hesitant to participate in activities Fifth, children have short attention spans Harmer (1991, p 7) states:

At the same time children‟s span of attention or concentration is less than adults Children need frequent changes of activity They need activities which are exciting and stimulate their curiosity They need to be involved in something active (They will usually not sit and listen)

Moreover, classroom teaching can‟t use game teaching method entirely, or else children will be addicted in games and expect games so that study will be forgotten Once the teacher doesn‟t design games for the class, they may lose interest in study and the study efficiency will decrease For this reason, teaching method of playing games should be added into ordinary classroom teaching alternately (Keats, 2011)

Finally, the TPR method includes a large number of game activities such as role plays and group competition, children will dance when they feel happy If there

are not good management patterns of classroom teaching, even the best teaching method and the richest teaching activity will not get their expected achievement (Keats, 2011)

2 9 The use of the TPR in classroom

2 9 1 What to be taught with the TPR method

2 9 1 1 Vocabulary

Vocabulary is one of the language components which has to be mastered by the students in learning a new language Vocabulary is not only sign of symbol for ideas but also a part of how to improve language skills in the target language The more vocabulary students learn, the more ideas they should have, so they can communicate with others by using their ideas more effectively As Swan and Walter (1984) mentioned in the introduction to their Cambridge Course that vocabulary is the largest and most important task facing the language learners If learners do not know how to expand the vocabulary, they gradually lose interest in learning English Therefore, students will get difficulties in using English if they

lack vocabularies Similarly, Hornby (1995, p 1331) defines vocabulary as the total

number of words in language All the words know to a person or are used in a particular book, subject, etc and a list of words with their meanings, especially one that accompanies a text book in a foreign language

To help elementary students remember vocabulary quickly and deeply, most teachers try their best to find out the way such as teaching vocabulary through the songs, teaching vocabulary by tree-pattern or mind-map, etc Besides, one another method being considered well to be used for teaching vocabulary is the TPR When teaching vocabulary, especially, vocabulary with the action such as run, smile, jump, swim and so on, so teacher should use the TPR method to transfer it to students effectively Students express their action in response of the vocabulary the teacher requests, which makes them feel interested and funny and help them easy to remember vocabulary in depth

2 9 1 2 Grammatical items

Grammar plays an important role in the process of learning a language It is one of the bases for students to achieve a language successfully Grammar is usually taught by deductive or inductive method, however, these method are usually more suitable for students at secondary or high school than ones in elementary school In deductive method, teacher shows form first and then asks students to practice sentences by applying the structure or form they have learned Students, especially, elementary students, are very difficult to understand the forms that are abstract and will be easy to forget later In inductive method, students withdrawn forms or structures from the given examples This method is better than deductive method because students can understand the situation before giving forms However, it is more effectively for adults than young learners that have not really had enough perception as well as language knowledge Therefore, it is difficult for very young students at elementary school to remember the forms as well as structures They will be easy to understand and remember the sentences containing actions to express tenses more than learning forms of those tenses because they can understand the meaning of tense through those actions Therefore, teacher can use the TPR method to teach grammatical points Asher (2007) answered the questions

“Does TPR really help students with grammar?” that TPR can be used to teach grammar through actions for students Eric Schessler‟s English Grammar through Actions is a fine little book showing how to TPR 50 grammatical features in English He recommends that teachers use this as a supplement as they go along for pinpoint instruction of specific grammatical features

Grammatical items, including tenses that are usually used in the TPR such as simple past, present, future, continuous tense (for examples: Every morning, I brush

my teeth, I wash my face, and I have breakfast) Students will perform these actions

in their teacher‟s request, which helps them learn more effectively

2 9 1 3 Imperatives/ Instructions

Generally, every English sentence must have both a subject and a predicate But there are other types of sentences which seem to violate this fundamental

phrase structure rule One of the important idiosyncrasies of imperatives is that they are tenseless and take no modals Imperatives “do not make statements at all, but express commands or instructions (Come here! Put your coat on!, etc” (Lyons, 1968) They give orders, make requests and usually have no overt subject (Todd, 1987) Since commands or instructions are generally issued directly to the hearer, what one might call the „central‟ class of imperative sentences are associated with the „second person‟; and it is rather striding fact in very many languages which inflect the verb for person, number, tense, mood, etc

One of the most successful things used with the TPR method is imperatives or instructions Celce-Murcia and Larsen-Freeman (1999) show that the best way

to teach imperatives is through TPR methodology as developed by Asher (1977) Within this methodology, the second language learner carries out commands issued solely in imperative form in the target language by the teacher such as classroom language (for examples: open your book, close your book), imperatives/ instructions (for examples: stand up, sit down) By building up

a systematic and lexical repertoire gradually, the learner is increasingly able

to respond appropriately Besides, when students act out commands as a first step in learning imperatives, it helps them associate the syntactic pattern with action Commands such as “Stand up", "Turn around", "Turn left", "Turn right", "Point to the board", "Sit down", and so on could be taught from the very earliest days of instruction Later, to get practice in production, students can give commands with which the teacher and the other students are asked to comply (Celce-Murcia and Larsen-Freeman, 1999)

Especially, Asher (1977, p 4) states, "Most of the grammatical structures of the target language and hundreds of vocabulary items can be learned from the skillful use of the imperative by the instructor" He views the verb and particularly the verb in the imperative, as the central linguistic motif around which language use and learning are organized Asher sees language as being composed of abstractions and non-abstractions, with non-abstractions being most specifically represented by concrete nouns and imperative verbs He believes that learners can acquire a

"detailed cognitive map" as well as "the grammatical structure of a language" without recourse to abstractions

2 9 2 Types of TPR activities:

Wilson (2000) reviewed in his article “Maximize Your Language Learning

through TPR” that there are four major types of activities that can be done using the TPR mindset He likes to refer to them as TPR-B, TPR-O, TPR-P, and TPRS

2 9 2 1 TPR-B (TPR with body)

The TPR with body means that everything that can be done with body movements in teaching and learning, which is demonstrated through many

games following:

2 9 2 1 1 Simon Says (with a spin!)

Simon Says (or Simple Simon Says) is an American game for 3 or more players where 1 player takes the role of "Simon" and issues instructions (usually physical actions such as "jump in the air" or "stick out your tongue") to the other players, which should only be followed if prefaced with the phrase "Simon says", for example, "Simon says, jump in the air" Players are eliminated from the game

by either following instructions that are not immediately preceded by the trigger phrase or by failing to follow an instruction which does include the phrase "Simon says" It is the ability to distinguish between valid and invalid commands, rather than physical ability, that usually matters in the game; in most cases, the action just needs to be attempted The object for the player acting as Simon is to get all the other players out as quickly as possible; the winner of the game is usually the last player who has successfully followed all of the given commands Occasionally however, 2 or more of the last players may all be eliminated by following a command without "Simon Says", thus resulting in Simon winning the game (from Wikipedia)

The game is well embedded in popular culture, with numerous references in films, music and literature According to Manier (2008), a recent psychological study found that the game can be a healthy way to help children to improve self-

Says for generations without the slightest inkling that such games may be preparing them for success in the classroom and the work world Besides, psychology researchers say the game is one of many that draw on the crucial capacity to restrain impulses and exert self-control Until recently, many experts believed that teachers could do little to foster those skills in young children, thinking that kids would either develop the knack over time or require medication

Clearly, it is a classic among TPR activities, one that is more commonly used

to teach the parts of the body But why not go beyond the simple, “Simon says touch your nose” and try more complex commands? Say teacher is teaching your students how to give directions Clear up a space in the classroom, students can easily maneuver around The teacher‟s commands could be directions: “Simon says turn right, Simon says go straight ahead.” Create a mini neighborhood! Place

a flashcard or picture on each of your students‟ desks: a bank, a pharmacy, a shopping center, etc Arrange the desks so they create “streets” Students take turns giving each other directions to and from locations in their neighborhood

2 9 2 1 2 Songs

Songs play a significant role in motivating students to learn English They can support the development of learner‟s abilities in reading, writing, listening and speaking, as well as provide opportunities learning pronunciation, rhythm, grammar, and vocabulary (Lo & Li, 1998) Besides, Agawu (1992, p 6) explains more about the term “song” when stating that song does not result from a loss of identity of works; rather song is a structure in which words and music coexist rub shoulders with each other, so to speak, without ever losing their individual essences Songs can help students remember vocabulary, grammatical structures and aid in comprehending the general meaning Music and rhythm make it easier to imitate and remember language than words which just “spoken” (Cakir, 1999) Young ESL learners love to sing songs, but if teachers add movement

or miming, they will enjoy them so much more It is, in fact, difficult for most children to sing songs while sitting absolutely still Singing and moving comes naturally to them So, why not take advantage of this and incorporate lots of songs

with movement? Here are some great songs teachers can use or adapt to suit their needs: Here We Go „Round the Mulberry Bush – Use the original song and have students mime the washing of clothes, ironing, etc., or replace these actions with personal hygiene (brush our teeth, wash our hands, comb our hair, etc…) Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes – A familiar song used to teach kids the parts of the body Wheels on the Bus-The wheels on the bus go round and round and so should students - go round the classroom! Have them line up and go around the classroom

in a single or double file, or arrange their seats so that they resemble a bus

2 9 2 2 TPR – P (TPR with pictures or flashcards)

TPR-Pstands for "TPR with pictures" Pictures are effective language learning tools For instance, one student is actually living in England and has gone around and taken 150 or so pictures of people doing different things and then arranged these pictures in an album Her/ his English friend could go through and say "This is a man This is a boy This is a man This is a boy Where is the man? Where is the boy?" Gradually both background and foreground objects in the pictures could be learned, as well as verbs: "The carpenter is hitting the nail with a hammer," leading to requests such as "show me the man who is hitting something" Even verb tenses can be incorporated thanks to the TPR method by asking students to talk about all of the pictures which express the actions happened in

different time such as last week, now, next week The actual physical response with

pictures is fairly basic-pointing at something but the opportunity for vocabulary acquisition is a broad as the types of pictures students can use In addition to taking the own pictures, teachers can probably find some children's picture or story books that are also useful for this kind of learning Newspaper and magazine pictures work well too

The popular game used with pictures of flashcards is Charades In the Free dictionary, charades is considered as a game in which words or phrases are represented in pantomime, sometimes syllable by syllable, until they are guessed by the other players It is a classic game; this one is best suited to action verbs

and sports For example, to teach sports teachers must first introduce each with flashcards, act out each of the sports themselves, and have students say each out loud with you According to Cooper (n.d.), charades encourage social interaction, helps kids learn to work with one another and builds skills of deduction among those trying

to figure out the pantomime and methods of expression among those acting

2 9 2 3 TPR-O: TPR with objects

TPR-O stands for "TPR with objects" This is the best done for sitting a table that has some objects on it To transfer new vocabularies to students, especially, elementary students, objects play an indispensable role in the classroom Objects or realias will help students understand the word clearly because they connect things

in the real life For instance, for the lesson of fruit, teachers can ask each student to bring real fruit to the class and put them on the table Students could raid a table of fruit of their friend and make sentences such as “give me an apple”; “peel a banana”, etc That day he/ she could not only learn the words for "apple", "banana",

"orange", and so on, but also, "give me", "take", "put", "smell", "bite", "roll",

"peel", and "show me" For this activity, students could start off with: "This is an apple This is an orange This is an apple This is an orange Where is the apple? (Teachers would point) Where is the orange?" Once again new words can be fairly quickly built up one at a time

One of the actives that teachers usually use by TPR-O is “A Stroll around

the Classroom” This activity is great for kids and adult students The teacher

needs several objects or props/realia - as many as he/ she likes to use First, he/ she pantomimes a series of actions while he/ she says the phrases Then he/ she says the phrases and asks a student to pantomime the actions He/ she can try this with several students and use different objects Finally, they should do it on their own and walk around the classroom interacting with objects Try something like this to students such as: open your bag; look inside; take out a pencil case; open it; close it; put it in the bag; look at your book; open it; close it; touch your ear; find your pencil!

2 9 2 4 TPRS (TPR Story telling)

TPRS is a language teaching method designed to develop real fluency Students and teachers spend class time speaking in the target language about interesting, comprehensible stories (Litchman, 2011) Besides, Spangler (2009) found that middle school and high school students in TPRS classrooms significantly outperformed classrooms using Communicative Language Teaching on speaking, and that the two groups of students performed the same on reading and writing Moreover, Davidheiser (2001) reports that TPRS improves pronunciation and vocabulary memory, reduces anxiety, is a natural way to learn language, promotes active learning, and is good for different types of learners He discusses the integration of grammar instruction with TPRS at the college level In addition, Braunstein (2006) found that even adult ESL students, who expected more traditional instruction, responded positively to TPRS Students were enthusiastic about the class and reported that the methods helped them to remember vocabulary, and understand English

TPRS builds proficiency in the use of grammatical structures by having the students read and invent stories The structures are not explained at length, nor are the students drilled in grammatical paradigms Instead, the teacher creates a context

in which the target structures and vocabulary return repeatedly within a conversation In this context, students acquire proficiency in a natural,

conversational way They are not learning about the language; they are learning to

use the language

According to Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (n.d.), a

TPRS lesson progresses in three phases as follow: step 1 - establish meaning; step 2

- reinforce the structures; step 3 - reiterate the material

2 9 2 5 Reading and writing activities

Reading and writing are two important skills in acquiring a language Reading and writing activities develop not only vocabulary but also train students to make sentences based on the right order According to Kondrat (2009), reading skills serve as a foundation for writing Developed and mastered, effective reading skills

give people the opportunity to learn new information about the world, people, events, and places, enrich their vocabularies, and improve their writing skills Besides, application essays, CVs, cover letters, and even e-mails often have to represent an individual In such cases the person‟s writing is to form the reader‟s opinion about the individual‟s personality and abilities.

However, students usually feel bored in these skills because they depend much on the material, textbook and they only do the tasks quietly without any actions Especially, elementary students feel difficult to learn reading and writing skill; teacher can use the TPR method in reading and writing activities so that students are easier to understand and improves these skills in the useful and funny games This activity can create students‟ imagination because they try to illustrate and translate the others‟ action into sentence by writing on the whiteboard Or while reading a passage, the others‟ describe it in acting in front of classroom

2 10 Previous studies

In the field of teaching English to young learners, there have been quite a lot

of studies from different parts of the world Those studies share the same interest in investigating the English learning situation of the young learners However, in the search for studies which are more closely related to the topic “TPR” of this thesis, there are only some as followed

2 10 1 Previous studies in other countries

Yenny Octaviany (2007) did a research on “The application of Total Physical Response in teaching English vocabulary to the fourth graders of Sd Generi O4 Krajankulon Kalinwungu Kendal in the Academic year of 2006/2007” The objectives of this study were to describe the procedure of teaching English vocabulary to the fourth year students of elementary school by using the TPR method and to identify the advantages and disadvantages of using the TPR method

in teaching foreign language vocabulary The result of the study showed that the students‟ progress during the teaching and learning activity by using the Total Physical Response is better The students‟ mastery in English vocabulary can be

improved; the students‟ motivation in learning English was increased and they expected that the program is given continuously and regularly

Gita Neupane (2008) carried out a study with the topic “Act, Don‟t explain: Total Physical Response at work” In this research, she wanted to find out the effectiveness of the TPR method in teaching imperatives to the beginners of English language learning The result of the research revealed that the TPR was very effective in teaching imperatives at primary level It was equally effective to teach both the listening and speaking skill

Ke-Cheng Tsai (2010) had an investigation into the topic “The effects of Total

Physical Response on English Words Learning for Moderately Mentally Challenged Students in Elementary School.” His aim is to investigate the effect of the Total Physical Response on English words learning for moderately mentally challenged students at the Zhong-Zheng elementary school in Changhua County The important findings of the research were: (1) TPR method had obvious effect on the participants‟ English words instant listening comprehension (2) TPR had obvious effect on participants‟ English words listening comprehension retention (3) TPR had no proven effect on the participants‟ English words instant expressing (4) TPR had no proven effect on the participants‟ English words expressing retention Similar to Yenny Octaviany, Milton Andres Valencia Forero (2011) continued

to study the topic “Teaching English Vocabulary to Third Graders through the application of the Total Physical Response Method” This research project aimed to observe the impacts that the application of the Total Physical Response method reveals in the teaching of English language vocabulary to third graders The results obtained reveal that teaching English vocabulary through physical response developed high On the other hand, a stressful environment allowed children to be more receptive and motivated to the target language learning

2 10 2 Previous studies in Vietnam

Khong Duc Chinh (2010) carried out the research “ Ứng dụng phương pháp TPR trong giảng dạy môn Tiếng Anh THCS.” His aim is to solve difficulties that he

teaching and to find out whether it is really suitable and effective for teaching English to children In the result of the study, he states that:

“During the time of the research and application of the TPR method, I find that my students were attracted by the TPR method at the first time This method helped my students to have opportunity applying what they had learned at once, therefore, they were easy to remember the lessons deeply They became more interested and self- confident in learning English There were more students to get high marks They no longer felt afraid and tired of learning English This proves that I had a right way for

my investigation” (Khong, 2010, p 75)

Ho Thi Ngoc Thuy (2011) carried out a research entitled “An investigation into teachers‟ perceptions of the use of games for children to learn English at some primary schools in Hue city.” Although the research did not directly mention the TPR method, it was investigated into the effectiveness of games used in one of activities of the TPR method on teaching English to children The study mainly focused on teachers‟ perceptions of the use of the games for children to learn English in classroom, how games were organized for language lessons

2 11 Gaps in the literature

In general, most studies in the world mainly focused on the aspect of teaching English vocabulary in using the TPR method and its impacts on teaching and learning vocabulary and imperative drills It seems that no research has been carried out to teachers‟ perceptions of the TPR method or how teachers use it in their classroom to find out problems or obstacles they face to give solutions and implications

The TPR method mainly contains active games with physical responses, however, in Vietnam, Ho Thi Ngoc Thuy (2011) mentioned general games in teaching English for primary children Besides, Khong Duc Chinh (2010) only investigated into the effectiveness of the TPR method in teaching in general, the study did not go into the perceptions of teachers and explore obstacles teachers as well as students encounter

From the above gaps, I propose to carry out the research project “An investigation into the use of the TPR (Total Physical Response) method in

teaching and learning English at some primary schools in Hue city” to find out

the perceptions of teachers, the shortages as well as the most effective use of the TPR method to supply it as a method in the classroom

2 12 Summary

This chapter has discussed on the theoretical foundation of the TPR method at the aim to provide teachers with a general understanding about the TPR method Furthermore, the role of teachers and learners in the TPR are mentioned to help teachers understand more about their duty or responsibility and what students will play during the process of teaching and learning by the TPR method In addition, the chapter points out some benefits and drawbacks of the TPR method Finally, some previous researches relating to my research topic and the gaps for the study are showed

CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY

3 1 Introduction

This chapter describes information of the research methodology The design combines both qualitative and quantitative methods to collect data Moreover, the participants of the study, the procedures of doing the research and data analysis are all presented

3 2 Research approach

Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were employed in this research so that the data could be obtained easily and rather objectively According to Condelli and Wrigley (2004), the best research design is a mixed method design that integrates qualitative and quantitative research In addition to qualitative method used for interviews whose information was quoted and analyzed quantitatively, and presented in charts and tables, quantitative method with the support from Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 17.0) was utilized Qualitative method was used to analyze and describe data Meanwhile, by means of quantification, the researcher could look for recurring from the data and give statistics in terms of frequencies of occurrence in percentages Besides, statistic and descriptive methods were used in my study The statistics would be presented in terms of frequencies of occurrence and percentages which the researcher bases on to describe, analyze and make a comparison Hence, analytic and synthetics were also used to achieve the aims of the study to point out certain factors or problems that teachers usually had when they used the TPR method in greater detail to the exclusion of others Questionnaire and interview were the data collection methods used to help the researcher to get relevant information about themes relating to the research All data were analyzed carefully for offering suggestions as well as implications of how to use the TPR in classroom the best