000069509 the effects of picture sequences on eighth form students narrative writing quality at dong tao decondary school
B ack gro un d to th e s t u d y
As English language teaching at secondary schools in Vietnam has increasingly balanced the four language skills—listening, speaking, reading, and writing—this balance is clearly reflected in students’ books In writing instruction, teachers introduce several main types: letter writing, procedure writing, descriptive writing, and narrative writing When focusing on narrative writing, students at Dong Tao Secondary School face many difficulties with writing in general Given that many students view writing as a challenging skill, it is important for teachers to find effective ways to teach narrative writing to them A practical approach to improve students’ narrative writing is to use pictures as prompts, helping learners generate ideas, structure their texts, and express events more clearly.
Using pictures in language classrooms has long been a focus of research because visual imagery tends to boost memory more effectively than words alone Pictures help students remember new language by providing meaningful, context-rich representations, and they also support productive skills such as writing and speaking When lessons incorporate visuals, learners engage more deeply and experience less stress, creating an encouraging environment that fosters communication practice and language development.
Pictures help learners use the appropriate associated language and create a social setting in language learning They can also be used on tests to determine whether students understand the syntax and structure of the target language (Canning, 1999) In addition, pictures serve as visual stimuli to attract learners' attention, boost motivation, and support the development of analytical thinking skills (Duchastel & colleagues).
Pictures provide contextual cues that allow viewers to interpret what they see, to organize information, and even to generate ideas beyond the immediate context (Waller, 1979; Levie, 1987; Winn, 1982, cited in Lee, 1994) The literature by Bransford & Johnson (1972) and Peeck (1980, cited in Lee, 1994) further demonstrates that images support comprehension by guiding interpretation and recall, enabling viewers to derive meaning and create new ideas beyond the visible scene.
S itu ated in a rural a re a o f K hoai C hau D istric t in H ung Y en P rov in ce, D o n g T ao
Secondary School is a school where English is taught as a compulsory subject for all secondary school students, just like many other schools in Hung Yen In grade eight and grade nine, English remains a required part of the curriculum, helping students build essential language skills.
Under the secondary school English syllabus, writing is taught as a separate skill, something that did not occur in grades six or seven when English textbooks mainly provided structures and grammar In grades eight and nine, however, students are expected to learn to write English as a skill in its own right, moving beyond the foundational content of earlier years.
E nglish 8 is a them e-b ased tex tb o o k o f V ietnam ese M in istry o f E d u catio n w ritten by
N gu yen V an L oi, et al (2 0 0 4 ) w ith 16 units, each u n it co n sists o f fiv e o r six sm all lessons
These lessons are normally divided into five areas: getting started with listening and reading, speaking and listening, reading, writing, and language focus In each unit, students have a writing lesson featuring styles such as informal letter, notice, narrative, instructions, and description They often complete writing tasks based on word prompts or samples in the book In seven years of teaching, the researcher has found that many students still struggle with narrative writing and feel stressed when tackling a writing task, even after two years of English study at the secondary level with a range of supported vocabulary, sentences, and structures from grades 6 and 7 This situation may be explained by a lack of sources to develop imagination, creativity, and ideas from prompts or samples, whereas those skills can be accessed with relative ease from pictures.
M oreo ver, teach ers o f E n g lish at D ong T ao in p articu la r a n d at o th er schools in
K Hoai Chau generally did not devote much attention to teaching writing, as he found the skill difficult None of these teachers used pictures to aid students because rural schools lacked teaching aids and they faced limitations in using modern technology to locate supportive teaching resources This was also true for two other English teachers at Dong Tao Secondary.
S chool, th e re s e a rc h e r has no t used p ictu res as p ro m p ts fo r w ritin g lessons to h elp students o v erco m e th e d iffic u ltie s in w ritin g lessons before.
A im s o f th e stu d y an d research q u e s ti o n s
A im s o f th e s t u d y
This study investigates the effects of picture sequences on the narrative writing of 8th-grade EFL students by comparing two teaching approaches: narrative writing instruction with picture sequences versus without them, and it also explores students’ responses to using picture sequences in narrative-writing lessons, examining how visual prompts influence engagement, writing quality, and learning outcomes in the EFL classroom.
R esearc h q u e s ti o n s
The research w as co n du cted to an sw er the follow ing questions:
- Do p ictu re seq u en ces help to im prov e stud ents’ n arrativ e w ritin g quality?
- W hat are stu d e n ts’ o p in io n s o f p icture sequences?
S cope an d sig n ific a n c e o f th e s tu d y
S co p e o f th e s t u d y
A quasi-experimental study was conducted at Dong Tao Secondary School to answer the research questions It compared two methods of teaching narrative writing: one using picture sequences and a conventional method without pictures In the experimental group, instruction focused on picture sequences, while the control group was taught narrative writing as usual without pictures These two approaches were implemented over three narrative-writing lessons The study concentrated on the effectiveness of picture sequences in teaching narrative writing, not on other writing genres Narrative writing was taught to eighth-form students at Dong Tao Secondary School, and the research assessed the impact of the picture-sequence method on students’ narrative writing outcomes.
T ao S eco n d ary S ch o o l, th e research m ore focused on th e tw o in tact classes o f th e eighth grade stu d en ts as co n tro l an d ex p erim en tal groups.
S ig n ifican ce o f th e s t u d y
Beyond speaking, listening, and reading, writing is one of the most important skills that secondary school students must master to continue their studies in high school and beyond Therefore, helping students improve their narrative writing is particularly necessary It is hoped that the study will suggest ways to help Grade 8 students write English narratives more effectively It is also expected that teachers and students at Dong Tao School will become more aware of the important role pictures play in teaching and learning English Based on the research results, some suitable adjustments in teaching techniques could be implemented so that students can benefit more Greater investment in teaching aids would also be made.
O rg an iza tio n o f th e th e sis
This thesis is organized into five chapters, with Chapter I—the Introduction—discussing the background, the problem statement, the aims and hypotheses of the research, the scope and significance of the study, and the overall organization of the work.
The literature review presents the theoretical foundations drawn from experts and their research, establishing the basis for investigating the research problem It shows how established theories and prior findings frame the study, guiding the research questions, variables, and hypotheses Chapter on methodology describes the research design, detailing the steps and procedures of the study, the instruments used for data collection, and the rationale for selecting these procedures.
Chapter IV, Results and Discussion, explains the outcomes after conducting the research and gathering the necessary data, presenting the analysis, findings, and interpretation that reveal the study’s patterns and implications Chapter V, Recommendations and Conclusions, expands the interpretation of the results into final conclusions and practical suggestions related to the research, outlining implications for practice and directions for future work.
This chapter presents theories relevant to the research and elaborates on writing, including definitions of writing, the elements of narrative writing, and the use of pictures and picture sequences; it explains how a sequence of images can be used to teach writing and reviews previous studies related to using pictures in language teaching and learning, positioning the discussion within the broader literature on visual aids, narrative development, and instructional strategies for writing instruction.
W r itin g
D efin itio n s o f w r i t i n g
W riting seem s to h av e taken o n different d e fin itio n s by differen t p eo p le; th e se are so m e from som e profession als in the fields o f E nglish language teaching.
According to Klein (1985, cited in Hedda, 2009), writing is the ability to put pen to paper and express ideas through symbols In this definition, what appears on the page carries meaning and content that the writer can communicate to others, making writing a expressive act that enables clear transmission of ideas.
Grabe and Kaplan (1996) define writing through the rhetorical triangle, a framework that clarifies how meaning is created in text The triangle consists of three components: the reader, who is the recipient of the final written product; the writer, the originator of the message; and the subject matter along with the text itself This model emphasizes how writing depends on balancing audience expectations, author intent, and the treatment of content and form.
Writing is the process of formulating thoughts, ideas, and feelings and expressing them in written language so they can be clearly communicated to the intended audience It combines clarity, structure, and voice to turn inner concepts into accessible content that resonates with readers By choosing precise words and coherent organization, writers bridge intent and reception, producing effective written communication.
Writing is a productive skill in language learning that allows students to express their ideas and feelings clearly Mastering writing offers many advantages for learners, including the ability to develop critical thinking, organize and articulate ideas, present information effectively, and analyze their own feelings By practicing writing, students strengthen their cognitive and communication skills, making writing a fundamental component of language acquisition.
D'Angelo (1980) argues that writing is a form of thinking, but it is thinking for a particular occasion He further notes that writing improves critical thinking, enables us to perceive relationships, deepens perception, helps us solve problems, and gives order to experience.
Byrne (1988) offers a view that contrasts with Angelo’s (1980) perspective He argues that, as a medium of communication, writing functions as a primary means of recording speech, even though it should be recognized as a secondary medium of communication In writing, ideas must be organized into sentences or paragraphs, allowing readers to understand the author’s thoughts.
Writing is more complex than other skills because it requires integrating ideas, vocabulary, and grammar into a cohesive whole It involves careful planning and organization, managing tone and style, and choosing precise language, which goes beyond the spontaneity of speaking Harmer (2001) notes that producing good writing is more demanding than producing spoken language.
From those statements above, it can be inferred that w riting is one o f m edia o f com m unication that is m ore com plex than others are W hen students learn w riting, the often find it difficult to arrange their ideas into w riting form Therefore, teacher should figure out the problem by providing the appropriate m edia to help students produce a good writing.
T h e n atu re o f w ritin g
W riting has been a subject for d iscu ssio n since long tim e ago B esid es, the d iscu ssio n o f defin in g the term o f w riting in vo lves m any exp erts E ach o f th em view ed the term o f w ritin g and the n ature o f w ritin g d ifferently B yrne (1 9 7 9 ) states th a t the purpose o f w ritin g is to produce the com plete co h eren t text In other w o rd s, w riting is a process o f pro du cin g a sequence o f sentences arrang ed in a particular o rd e r and linked tog eth er in certain w ays.
T o in d ic a te a d iffe re n t v ie w p o in t, D ’A n g e lo (1 9 8 0 :4 ) a s s u m e s th a t w ritin g is n o t o n ly a m a tte r o f c o m p o sin g s o m e th in g b u t it is a fo rm o f th in k in g H e a lso sta te s th a t w ritin g fa c ilita te s th o u g h t an d h e lp s to th in k in a c ritic a l w ay M o re o v e r, w ritin g a llo w s us to p e rc e iv e re la tio n s h ip , to d e e p e n p e rc e p tio n , to s o lv e p ro b le m s a n d to g iv e o rd e r to e x p e rie n c e
Learning to write means learning to organize experience, information, and ideas into clear, varied language patterns Producing a strong text depends on focused practice and a disciplined writing process that transforms raw thoughts into coherent, engaging content.
H ow ever, w ritin g is a com plex p ro cess and co m m on ly d ifficu lt for m o st people
According to Byrne (1979:4), three major problems make writing a difficult activity: psychological problems, linguistic problems, and cognitive problems, with the aspects of writing classified as content, generic structures, language features, vocabulary, and mechanics.
From Pincas’s view (1982), writing is an instrument of both communication and self-expression Yet most people, especially when writing in a foreign or second language, use writing primarily to communicate with other members of their own community or with the wider world.
Writing is a complex skill that learners often find difficult to master, so teachers should clearly articulate the purpose of writing instruction By clarifying goals and expectations, educators can better support students as they encounter the challenges of writing and work through the process of developing their skills.
T e a c h in g w r i t i n g
Teaching writing has become an essential area for experts, teachers, and students in both first-language and second- or foreign-language contexts Teaching writing in a second or foreign language is not an easy task Brown (2001:334) notes that in teaching writing within second-language contexts, teachers increasingly focus on teaching fluency as well as accuracy, on using authentic texts and real classroom contexts, on focusing on the purposes of linguistic communication, and on leveraging learners’ intrinsic motivation to learn.
Byrne (1979:7) notes that, from a pedagogical standpoint, writing is a skill worth developing in a foreign language Yet the challenge is to teach it in a way that helps learners see the purpose of writing and demonstrate measurable progress through the performance of realistic and relevant tasks.
In second- or foreign-language education, the central goal is to identify effective ways to teach writing and to communicate the writing process clearly Therefore, language teachers must adopt appropriate approaches that motivate students to engage with writing and improve their skills This remains true for English teachers in Vietnam as well.
T y p e s o f w r i t i n g
A cco rd in g to R o zak is (1 9 9 7 ) the types o f w ritin g are div ided in to narration, description, exposition, a n d persuasion
- w ritin g that te lls a story
- tells ab o u t real ev en ts includes biographies and autobiographies an d deal w ith fictio nal e v e n ts include short stories, myths, narrative poem s, and novels.
- creates a w o rd p ictu re o f w hat so m eth in g o r so m eone is like.
- m ade up o f sensory d etails that help readers form pictures in their m inds
Imagery uses words that appeal to one or more of our five senses—sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell—to create vivid mental pictures This sensory language appears in all kinds of writing, not just poetry, and it helps readers experience scenes, emotions, and details more vividly Although imagery can be found across genres, it is most common in poetry, where concise, evocative language invites readers to see, hear, taste, touch, and smell the world the writer creates.
- e x p la in s, sh o w s, o r te lls about a su b ject - the m ost co m m o n ty p e o f ev ery d a y w ritin g
- in c lu d es n ew s article s: m em os; business reports, an d notes.
P ersu asion - tries to m o v e an au d ien ce to th o u g h t o r actio n (e.g n ew sp ap er ed ito rials, a d v e rtise m e n ts, and letters to th e editor)
T a b le 1 T y p e s o f w ritin g by R o za k is (1997)
In h is categ o ries, H edge (1988, cited in H edge: 3 2 2 , 20 00) divides w riting styles into: Personal writing Public writing C reative writing, Social writing, Study writing and Institutional writing
P erso n a l w r itin g P u b lic w ritin g C r ea tiv e w ritin g
D iaries Letters o f - en q u iry P oem s
Jo urnals - co m p lain t S to ries
S h o p p in g lists - requ est R h ym es
R em in d ers fo r o n e s e lf Form filling D ram a
P ack in g lists A p plication s (for S o ng s
A d d resses recipes m em berships) auto b io g rap h y
S ocial w r itin g S tu d y w ritin g In stitu tio n a l w ritin g
L etters M aking n otes w h ile A gendas P osters
In vitatio ns reading M inu tes Instructions
N otes T akin g n otes from M em o rand a S peeches
- o f co n d o len ce lectures R epo rts A pp lications
- o f th an k s M ak in g a ca rd index R ev iew s C u rricu lu m vitae
- o f c o n g ra tu la tio n s S u m m aries C o n tra cts S p ecification s
C ab leg ram s S ynopses B u sin ess letters N o te-m aking
T elep h o n e m e ssag es R eview s P u b lic notices (d octors an d other
In stru ctio n s - to friends R ep orts o f - ex p erim en ts A dv ertisem en ts professio nals)
- to fam ily - w o rk sh o p s
Even though Hedge (1988) places narrative writing within creative writing and labels it as stories, the parallel remains that narrative writing is a form of writing whose purpose is to tell a story, in line with Roszak’s (1997) categories.
N arrativ e w r i t i n g
D efin itio n s o f n a rra tiv e w r iti n g
A narrative tells a story by presenting events in chronological order People use narrative writing to share stories or describe something—whether it’s their own life, a personal experience, a joke, or the events of the day.
A cco rd ing to A nderson (2002, cited in F loriesti, 2010) a n arrativ e is retelling a story that is told by the d o e r o r o th er p erso n ’s point o f view.
Porto (2003, cited in H uang, 2 005) states that a n arrativ e is a story o r an acco u n t o f a series o f event.
T h e d e fin itio n o f a n a rra tiv e from h ttp ://w w w u n its m o u h io
Definition: a narrative is a kind of retelling, usually expressed in words, of something that happened—the story The narrative is not the event itself but the act of telling the story, which is why this concept is often discussed in terms of “the narrative” as the telling rather than the occurrence In writing and communication, understanding the distinction between the narrative and the story helps readers and listeners grasp how information is shaped and conveyed.
"w ritten narrative”, “oral narrative”, etc”.
Jordan (1990:26) defines narrative writing as prose that describes a sequence of past events arranged in chronological order The function of narrative is to tell a story or recount events, and its social purpose is to entertain, amuse, or reflect an experience.
Charlie's (2010) perspective is that when people narrate something to an audience, they are effectively telling a story This storytelling often draws on personal experiences from our own lives, making the narrative relatable and engaging for listeners.
Brownnick (2007) notes that narrative writing is a natural form of communication, using prose to tell a story and often rooted in the writer’s personal experience.
Narrative writing is understood as a text that retells a story in chronological order For this study, Anderson's (2002, cited in Floristi, 2010) definition and the language features of narrative writing are deemed suitable.
S ocial fu n ctio n s o f a n a r r a t iv e
Narrative writing, like other forms of writing, serves its own social functions: it entertains and instructs by reflecting on experience, and it helps individuals resolve problematic events for better or worse (Horarik, cited in John 2002:22) In addition, narrative may inform readers and embody the writer’s reflection on experience, nourishing and extending the reader’s imagination (Derewianka, 1990:40, cited in Deni, 2009).
Generally, narrative has two social functions: to amuse the reader or listener and to expose problematic events, along with social and cultural values Through entertainment, stories engage audiences; through uncovering issues, they reflect, critique, and shape our understanding of society and culture.
L an g u a g e featu res o f a n a r r a tiv e
A cco rd in g to A nderso n (2002, cited in F loriesti, 2011) the language features o f a narrative te x t are:
(2) T im e w o rds that co n n ect events to tell w h en they occur
(3) V erb s to sh ow th e actio n s that o ccu r in the story.
(4) D escrip tiv e w o rd s to po rtray th e ch aracters an d settings.
G erro t an d W ignell (19 95 : 204, cited in R ustipa, 2010) indicate th a t n arrative co n sists o f five lan g u ag e features, they are:
(1) F o cu sin g on sp ecific and in dividu alized p articipants w ith d efin e d identities.
M ain p articip a n ts are h um an o r so m etim es an im als w ith hum an characteristics.
(2) U sing m aterial p ro cess (actio n verbs) M aterial p ro cesses are d efin ed into p ro cess o f d o in g o r say in g w h at so m eon e d o es o r w hat is done.
(3) U sin g o f relatio n al p ro cess and m ental processes.
(4) U sin g tem po ral c o n ju n ctio n and tem poral circum stances It can b e d iag n o sed by th e use o f lin k in g w o rd s to d o w ith tim e.
T h e im p o rtan ce o f te a c h in g n a r r a tiv e
Learning to write is an ongoing process of discovering and organizing ideas, putting them on paper, and reshaping and revising them to achieve clarity and coherence; as noted above, Anderson (2002, cited in ) emphasizes that writing development hinges on uncovering ideas, structuring them effectively, and revising for purpose and readability.
Floriesti (2011) defines narrative as a piece of text that tells a story and, in doing so, entertains or informs the reader or listener Narratives serve multiple purposes, including reflection, entertainment, storytelling, clarification, and influence Moreover, using narrative provides a more engaging way to convey teaching points and to present information in a form that captures students’ interest and enhances their understanding.
Narrative writing plays an important role in language learning, yet many students struggle to produce a narrative in English because they must generate ideas and translate them into written form To address this problem, the researcher used picture sequences as a teaching tool to help students develop ideas and render them into coherent writing This approach aims to overcome the difficulties students face in the learning process and to strengthen their narrative-writing skills Furthermore, the researcher sought to identify a new, effective teaching technique for narrative writing lessons that could be applied in English classrooms.
P ic tu re s
D efin itio n s o f p i c t u r e s
T h ere are so m e d efin itio n s o f pictures, the first d efin itio n is o n e from Rivai and
S u d jan a (2 0 0 2 , cited in M ardina, 20 11) w ho d efin e p ictu res as illu stratio n s o f that can be used a s a tw o d im en sio n al visual rep resentatio n o f perso n, p lace o r thing.
Hornby (2004) also shares the view that pictures—whether paintings, drawings, or sketches of objects—can be used to teach writing skills He notes that pictures are the media that can be employed in teaching and learning, particularly for junior high school students, where visual stimuli help develop writing abilities.
A picture is a visual representation of something—a person, a scene, or an idea—created on a surface and shared through formats such as photographs, paintings, drawings, or prints It captures moments, objects, or stories by translating what we see into a tangible image that communicates meaning through composition, color, light, and texture Whether produced as a photo or a painting, a picture serves as a record, a source of inspiration, and a universal means of storytelling that transcends language.
H arm er (2 0 0 1) p o in ts th a t p ictu res can be in th e form o f flash card , large wall pictures, cu e card s, p h o to g rap h , o r illustration.
Simple English Wikipedia is a free encyclopedia written in plain English for easy reading A described image shows a group of colored points on a flat surface, like a plate, that looks like something else, illustrating how visuals are used with accessible language to explain ideas.
From the definitions above, pictures are visual representations comprising paintings, drawings, photographs, and sketches of people, places, or things.
2 3 2 P ictu res: fea tu r es an d fu n ctio n s
Pictures are ubiquitous in everyday life, from newspapers and magazines to books and brochures, and they act as powerful visual media for language teaching and learning Images provide context, facilitate vocabulary and grammar understanding, and reveal cultural cues that help learners interpret meaning beyond words Teachers can leverage pictures in a range of activities—describing scenes, prompting dialogue, telling stories, or matching captions—to boost engagement, motivation, and retention In both print and digital formats, photos, infographics, and illustrated pages expand learning resources and support diverse learning styles and outcomes.
Images are more than mere depictions of people, places, and objects; they are a vital component of knowledge itself They offer numerous benefits and leave lasting impressions on learners Pictures can serve as references and stimuli to support five key language-teaching emphases: structures, vocabulary, functions, situations, and skills.
Moreover, Byrne (1988:83) argues that pictures used in writing activities act as visual stimuli that provide a frame for writing practice This approach helps students describe the framework of their ideas, plan what they will write, organize their thoughts, and learn how to present their ideas effectively.
Pictures can serve as powerful learning media in the teaching and learning process, providing multiple benefits and giving students a realistic impression of the topic Visual aids support the comprehension of learning content, enhance student engagement, and stimulate speaking and writing activities, making lessons more interactive and memorable.
A n day ani, 2003:45, cited in M ardina, 2 011)
Within writing activities, pictures used as visual materials provide a framework for writing practice and stimulate students to plan, organize, and present their ideas Visual prompts help learners articulate the structure of their thoughts—outlining what they will write, deciding how to arrange their ideas, and determining how to present them effectively (Byrne, 1983:83).
Pictures provide concrete stimuli for forming imagery, a key strategy in the production of writing (Sinatra, 1981) They function not only as visual material for students' compositions but also effectively stimulate students' imaginative power, encouraging them to imagine creatively to generate and develop new ideas A student with a creative imagination will often find language learning enjoyable through the use of pictures (Bowen, 1982, cited in Era, 2002).
In ad d itio n , W right (1989:17) states som e ro les for p ictu res in sp eaking an d w riting:
(1) Pictures can m otivate the stu den t and m a k e him o r h er w ant to p a y attention i an d w ant to take p art in.
(2) Pictures contribute to the te x t in w hich th e language is b e in g used T hey bring th e w orld into the classroom
(3) Pictures can be described in an o bjectiv e w ay o r interpreted o r resp o n d ed to subjectively.
(4) Pictures can cue responses to questions o r cue substitutions through controlled practice.
(5 ) P ictures can stim ulate and provid e inform atio n to be refe rre d to in co n v ersatio n , d iscu ssion an d story tellin g
O b serv in g the features and fu nction s o f p ictures abo ve, it is reaso n ab le th a t m any teach ers h igh ly reco m m end ed pictures fo r w ritin g activities.
T h e a d v a n ta g e s o f p ic tu re s
T h ere are several advantages o f u sin g p ictu res in teach in g E nglish A c c o rd in g to
H arm er (2 0 0 1 ) pictu res h ave tw o m ain advan tages.
Using pictures can significantly cut preparation time for lessons Reusable picture sets, which can be laminated for durability, work across all classroom levels—from early childhood and K-12 to teen classes, exam-prep sessions, and adult learners in general or business courses.
Pictures s e q u e n c e s
D efinitions o f p icture seq u en ces
According to Noor (1981:49, cited in Leny, 2006), a picture series or sequence is a linked set of related images arranged to form a coherent progression, whose primary function is to tell a story or depict a sequence of events This concept underlines how visual storytelling uses consecutive visuals to guide viewers through narrative beats, convey mood, and illustrate the progression of actions, making picture series a powerful tool for narrative presentation and comprehension.
B row n (2 00 4:22 7-2 28 ) defines a series o r a sequence o f pictures is a sequence o f th ree to six p ictu res d escrib in g a story line, a series o f p ictu res can p ro v id e a suitable m o tiv a tio n for w ritten production.
Horney (1973, cited in Martindale, 2011) notes that a sequence of pictures depicts one or more events with a significant amount of detail, typically ranging from four to eight images A series of pictures is particularly useful for teaching composition because such visuals provide a complete idea and stimulate students' imaginative power From these definitions, a sequence or series of pictures can be understood as a set of related composite images that tell a story In this study, the researcher will use the terms “sequence of pictures” and, at times, “series of pictures” interchangeably to refer to picture sequences.
2 4 2 P ictu re seq u en ces: featu res an d fu n ction s
As Heinick et al (1988, p 89) suggest, a sequence of pictures can create the impression of a motion picture and this is roughly similar to the perception of viewing a three-dimensional object Furthermore, when teaching concepts that involve motion, a single image is often less effective than a series of pictures depicting the same action, a conclusion supported by Brown et al (1997, p 179) and cited in Indah (2010).
According to Bowen's opinion (1982:20, cited in Era, 2002), a sequence of pictures used in a writing class should be selected to maintain continuity of characterization, setting, and subjects from image to image, with pictures that are the same size and similarly mounted Before selecting pictures, consider several factors: first, choose images that capture students' interest and imagination to engage their thoughts and feelings and stimulate creativity; second, ensure the pictures align with the lesson's purpose, so in a writing activity they serve as visual material that reveals a story or theme in a connected set and helps students write narrative text; third, select pictures that students can recognize and that relate to their knowledge and cultural understanding, helping translate abstract concepts into concrete ones and preventing or correcting misconceptions; finally, opt for colorful pictures to minimize misinterpretation and misconception about the visuals.
B a s e d on th o s e c la rific a tio n s , it c a n b e sa id th a t s e q u e n c e s o f p ic tu re s p a r tic u la r ly h a v e p o s itiv e c o n trib u tio n to th e s tu d e n ts in le a rn in g w ritin g B y rne
(1 9 8 3 :8 4 , c ite d in M a rd in a , 2 0 1 1 ) s ta te s th a t v is u a l m a te ria ls e s p e c ia lly s e q u e n c e s o f
T h e use o f seq u en ce o f pictures in w r iti n g
s e q u e n c e s o f p ic tu re s a re c o n sid e re d as o n e o f m e d ia fo r h e lp in g s tu d e n ts im p ro v e th e ir n a rra tiv e w ritin g in th e research
2.4.3 T h e use o f seq u en ce o f pictures in tea ch in g w ritin g
In writing contexts, visual materials—particularly picture sequences—offer an attractive and stimulating framework for writing practice, and learners generally respond favorably to tasks that engage a visual context Although visual materials, including picture sequences, have great potential to develop writing skills and provide both context and stimulation for a variety of activities, they must be used properly to avoid problems According to Byrne (1988: 79–80), to do so, teachers should follow a set of guidelines that maximize benefits while minimizing potential drawbacks.
(1) Identify and d efin e an appropriate w riting task w hich relates to th e th e m e o f the visual m aterial.
(2) Identify the language w hich the learners w ill need in o rd e r to carry ou t the task.
(3) D ecide how to prepare the learners for the w ritin g task.
Understanding the potential of picture sequences in teaching writing, the researcher uses picture sequences as a tool to teach narrative writing to students, because narrative writing, together with descriptive and procedural writing, can be developed and practiced with picture sequences.
Previous s tu d ie s
F oreign stu d ies
Huang (2005) conducted the first investigation into the effects of content-related pictures on ninth-grade students’ reading performance in Kaohsiung County The study collected data from 78 ninth-grade junior high school students using tests and questionnaires in this experimental design The participants were divided into two equal groups: a control class of 39 students and an experimental class of 39 students.
In the experiment, the reading test for the experimental class included pictures, while the control class’s test did not The researcher found that the added pictures did not provide a meaningful benefit to the experimental group, suggesting that students may not have been trained to read pictures Nevertheless, across both groups, students performed best on portions of the assessment that did not rely on visual cues.
H allow een In the experim ental class, it m ay be that th e pictu res w ere m ore d etailed than those in the o th er festivals w ere T he researcher also found that th e stud ents w ith low
English proficiency clearly benefited from pictorial aids, with experimental-class students also positive about how pictures helped them understand the text, retain textual content, and build background knowledge Fee (1994) noted that pictures can be used very effectively to facilitate students’ writing, since images reinforce vocabulary, grammar structures, and students’ cognitive organization to express their ideas This study involved 53 secondary school students with prior Spanish knowledge, conducted in spring 1994 at SUNY Plattsburgh Data were collected through two student questionnaires, writing assignments, and individual interviews, with pre-study background questions and a post-study questionnaire to gauge self-rated improvement and the relation between attitude shifts and changes in writing performance, followed by a second interview for deeper insights into views of pictorial instruction and its effectiveness for L2 writing Six writing tasks were administered, including topic-selected and picture-guided writing, both under guided instructions, and three black-and-white realistic line drawings served as visual prompts defined as simple line representations of objects, people, or ideas The findings indicated that students felt pictures helped them express and organize their thoughts and even develop their writing skills, with pictures acting as a visual stimulus that reduced stress, increased engagement, and provided motivation to write.
Schweizer (1999) demonstrated that picture prompts were used to elicit writing samples in performance-based assessments of writing skills and to generate writing samples for achievement batteries When pictures were used, writers were forced to interpret the visuals, derive meaning, and translate that visual information into verbal expression Schweizer conducted a study with 100 fifth-grade students and 133 eighth-grade students to examine whether the style and color of picture prompts affected the quality of narrative writing The choice of grade levels was based on the idea that eighth-grade students respond to styles more like adults, whereas fifth graders can produce samples that can be evaluated by a rubric but do not respond to style in adult-like ways Four sets of pictures, controlled for content but varied in style and color, were used: (a) color photographs, (b) black-and-white photographs, (c) color drawings, (d) black-and-white line drawings Results indicated that the content of the picture prompts was the main factor in producing better narratives, with images that contained events being most suitable for story production; style and color did not significantly affect writing Additionally, the thirteen-year-old eighth-grade students produced stronger plots and more interaction between characters than the ten-year-old fifth-grade students.
Pan and Pan (2009) conducted action research to investigate the effects of pictures on the reading comprehension of low-proficiency Taiwanese college students The study examines how visual images influence learners’ ability to understand written texts within a college setting, and aims to offer practical guidance for instructors and curriculum developers working with low-proficiency readers in Taiwan.
Southern Taiwan, 2009, marked the fourth study in a series and used action research with 95 first-year college students (49 male and 46 female) to examine their views on the effectiveness of visuals for reading comprehension The participants were divided into four groups: low-level text with pictures, low-level text without pictures, high-level text with pictures, and high-level text without pictures Results showed that the low-level text with pictures outperformed the low-level text without pictures, while students reading the high-level text with pictures demonstrated improved performance compared with those reading a high-level text without pictures.
R eik o (2 0 0 3 ) is a Jap an ese researcher w ho co n d ucted a case stu d y w ith fifty Jap an ese learners (23 first year studen ts and 2 7 th ird year stud ents) o f E nglish in
This study examines how students compose narratives from a six-picture sequence and compares storytelling in English and Japanese Participants wrote a story in both languages on separate days, could consult a dictionary, and were required to mark the words they checked There were no length constraints, so readers could understand the story without looking at the pictures Results showed a strong preference for third-person narration, with 92% of students using it and only 8% writing in the first person in both English and Japanese In terms of speech style, learners used different registers in English writing and Japanese writing The researcher also found that students were highly engaged with the pictures and enjoyed turning them into stories, indicating that picture-based storytelling can be a motivating activity for language learners.
In 2011, an action research study was conducted with 43 Indonesian eighth-grade students in class VIII-4 at SMP Negeri 21 Malang during the 2010–2011 academic year to examine the use of picture sequences as a medium to stimulate students’ ability to write narrative text Before introducing picture sequences, the researcher determined that fewer than 50% of students reached level 3 or above in content, diction, and grammar, on a 1–4 scale Most students appeared bored and did not pay attention to teachers’ explanations and instructions, and less than 70% showed enthusiasm in asking and answering questions during the teaching and learning process.
This study used a picture-sequence treatment and collected data through a structured interview guide, questionnaires, an observation checklist, and field notes The findings show clear improvements in students’ writing content, diction, and grammar, with 27.9% of students reaching level 4 and 72.1% reaching the remaining level.
3 in term o f co n ten t; 2 7 9 % reached level 4, 7 2 1 % reached level in term o f d ictio n an d
Around 20.1% reached grammar level 4 and 55.8% reached grammar level 3, highlighting the distribution of grammar proficiency among students In addition, there were clear improvements in students' attitudes during the teaching and learning process, with 100% of students actively participating in narrative writing—evidenced by providing comments, asking and answering questions, attending to the researchers' explanations and instructions, completing work promptly, and submitting drafts on time.
E ra (2009) conducted a co llab o rativ e classro o m actio n research w ith 31 stu d en ts o f class V III”4 at S tate Iskam ic Ju n io r H igh School o f M T s N egeri L ub uk B asun g 1 W est
Sumatra, in the academic year 2008–2009, conducted a study to describe how picture sequences can be used to improve students' ability to write recount texts Before the study, the researcher noted that students had difficulties getting ideas, could not write smoothly because they did not know what to write to develop the topic, and were stuck in the middle of their writing, finding it hard to compose sentences The study used a combination of instruments, including a writing test, observation sheets, field notes, and an interview guide The researchers found appropriate procedures for using picture sequences in teaching recount texts, such as dividing students into groups, having them arrange scrambled pictures into a sequence, guiding them to gain vocabulary and information from the pictures, asking students to determine the outline of each picture, providing a model recount text, having students identify the verbs used in the texts, prompting discussions about the content, having students identify capitalization and punctuation in a model recount text, rearranging jumble sentences into a good recount text based on the picture sequences, using flash cards with connective words to link pictures, having students individually write a recount from the sequences, rereading and revising their drafts, and reading their writings aloud in class and responding to peers' writings After testing, 73.3% of students scored 65 or above, with a mean score of 66 The researcher also observed that picture sequences increased not only writing scores but students' motivation in teaching and learning, making writing an enjoyable and interesting activity with positive responses to the approach.
N guyen, H A (2007) is a V ietnam ese researcher w ho conducted a quasi-experim ent w ith 4 3-second y ear students in N av igation D epartm ent a t V ietnam M aritim e U niversity in
Over a 16-day period, the study explored whether introducing new nautical terminology with pictorial illustrations would help students remember nautical terms better than instruction without pictures The data collection used two vocabulary assessments—recognition and recall Comparison of pre-test and post-test results showed that teaching nautical glossaries, whether accompanied by pictures or not, effectively increased students' vocabulary size of nautical terminologies However, the pictorial group did not outperform the non-pictorial group on immediate recognition, while they did show superior performance on immediate recall, as well as delayed recognition and delayed recall tasks.
Nguyen, T B (2006) carried out action research at Vietnam’s Military Science Academy (MSA) with 25 students aged 19–21 from various provinces, collecting data through informal student interviews, two questionnaires, classroom observations, and discussions with other teachers The study finds that pictures used as visual aids can generate more ideas related to oral tasks; the way pictures are used significantly helps leverage their benefits to improve student participation and motivation; picture-based activities organized in alternating small-groupings yield higher participation and motivation than whole-class formats; teacher guidance when using pictures is important because it saves time and helps students produce correct work; and implementing an action plan that uses pictures in alternating groupings was effective in class 3A DIA at the MSA by boosting students’ participation and motivation.
N g u y en , T H (2006) w ith ano th er q u asi-exp erim ental research co n d u cted in
Quang Ninh Teacher Training College conducted the third Vietnamese quasi-experimental study, examining topic-related pictures as a pre-reading activity to enhance reading comprehension and motivation among 28 non-English-major students.
S u m m a ry
Definitions of writing, narrative writing, and picture sequences vary, but they can be distilled into a few core ideas First, narrative writing is essentially storytelling told from the narrator’s point of view, whether that voice belongs to the doer or to another character Picture sequences accompany the text to organize events and illustrate the story, helping convey its sequence and meaning.
Narrative writing has its own distinctive language features: specific characters, time words that link events and indicate when they occur, verbs that show the actions inside the story, and descriptive language that vividly portrays characters and settings In language teaching, pictures are a familiar and widely used tool, and many teachers have tapped into their advantages Moreover, picture sequences—sets of related composite images that tell a story—are frequently used in the language classroom, especially to teach writing.
This chapter presents the study’s methodology and procedures, detailing the description of the participants, the variables under study, and the data collection instruments, as well as the methods of data analysis; it also describes the materials used for the study and outlines the step-by-step research procedure.
R esearch c o n t e x t
T h e research w as carried o ut a t D ong T ao seco nd ary scho ol in K hoai C h a u D istrict,
H ung Y en P rovince A t D ong T ao seco n d ary school, like o th e r seco n d ary sch o o ls in H ung
Y en, E nglish is taught as a co m p u lso ry su b ject to studen ts from grade six to grade nine w ith three lessons a w eek.
Dong Tao Secondary School employs three English teachers—two female and one male—with one of the female teachers bringing more than 20 years of English teaching experience.
T h e o th er has seven years o f teach in g E nglish T h e m ale teach er has nin e years o f ex p erien ces in teaching English.
All English textbooks used at Dong Tao Secondary School are issued by the Vietnamese Ministry of Education The books for grades 6 and 7 are designed in one format, while the books for grades 8 and 9 share the same format Nevertheless, all of them are theme-based textbooks Each book for every grade contains 16 units.
Across grades 6 and 7, students are introduced to essential English vocabulary, sentence structures, and verb tenses By grades 8 and 9, the curriculum expands to developing all four language skills—listening, speaking, reading, and writing—something not emphasized in grades 6 and 7.
Similar to three other skills, writing is taught in each unit of the Grade 8 textbook Six main types of writing are introduced for eighth-form students, including descriptive writing, procedure writing, narrative writing, letter writing, and making notices These writing types are taught with unequal amounts of time and are repeated across different units and themes For example, the narrative writing type is taught three times in a unit.
T h e research w as co n d u cted w ith tw o in tact classes a t D o n g T ao S eco nd ary School
T ea ch er o f th ese tw o classes is th e research e r w ith sev en y ears o f ex p erien ces in teaching
E nglish T h e learn in g c o n d itio n s and facilities o f th e tw o classes are th e sam e w ith the su p p o rt o f cassettes, m u lti-p ro jecto r, tex tb o o k an d w orkbook.
R esearch q u e s tio n s
H y p o th e s e s
F ro m the research qu estions, follow ing hyp otheses w ere addressed:
Null hypothesis: Using picture sequences does not affect students’ narrative w riting quality
Alternative hypothesis: U sing picture sequences does affect students’ narrative w riting quality.
D escription o f v a r ia b le s
A ccording to th e research q uestions, the in depen dent and d ep end en t v ariab les are d escrib ed below
3 2 2 1 In d ep en d en t variables
T h e independent variab les w ere tw o m etho ds o f teaching narrative w ritin g d u rin g
Three narrative-writing lessons were evaluated to compare teaching narrative writing with sequences of pictures to teaching without sequences of pictures In the no-sequences condition, students were given narrative-writing prompts with guiding questions as the guided information, applied to the control group; in the sequences condition, students completed a narrative-writing task using picture sequences as the guided information, applied to the experimental group These conditions were treated as the treatments and were assumed to cause changes in the dependent variables.
3 2 2 2 D ep en d en t varia b les
The dependent variable is the outcome that changes in response to variations in the independent variables In this study, the dependent variable was the student’s narrative writing quality, which changed as the independent variables varied.
Subjects o f the s t u d y
This study could not randomly assign participants to control and experimental groups; instead, the two intact classes were used due to the teaching and learning conditions.
T h e subjects involved 70 stu d en ts o f eighth form at D ong T ao S eco nd ary School in
Khoai Chau District, where seventy rural students from Dong Tao commune live under poor learning conditions, have only textbooks and exercise books, with few possessing reference materials The cohort consisted of two eighth-grade classes: Class 8B (Group E, the experimental group) and Class 8C (Group C, the control group) The researcher chose these two groups because they were identical in many aspects First, both groups had the same size: 35 students each Second, the gender distribution was similar—Group E had 13 boys and 22 girls, while Group C had 15 boys and 20 girls Third, the students were all the same age, 14 years old Fourth, they shared similar numbers of students classified as average and good.
15 good stud ents and 2 0 fair students; g roup C: 17 good stud en ts and 18 fair stu d en ts) at the end o f g rad e 7 o f the school year 2010-2011.
N um bers M ale/fem ale Age G eneral good result
G en eral fa ir resu lt
T a b le 3 C h ara cteristics o f stu d en ts from ex p erim en ta l a n d co n tro l g ro u p s
D ata co llectio n in s tru m e n ts
P re-test and p o s t- te s t
Before the treatment, a pre-test in the form of a writing test—taken from the eighth-form student book—was used to evaluate the quality of students' narrative writing and to measure how similar the two groups were in terms of writing ability.
The test content reflects what students learned in grades 6 and 7, with a focus on grammar, sentence structures, and vocabulary It also assesses the ability to use the provided information as a guide to writing, blending comprehension with practical writing skills.
A post-test (Appendix 2) was administered after the treatments were applied to both the experimental and control groups to determine whether the narrative writing quality changed following the intervention and whether there were significant differences in post-test scores between the groups The post-test comprised a narrative writing task designed by the researcher, drawing on the program and the narrative-writing activities in the textbooks for secondary-grade students This task was used because it had previously been given to Class 8D students at Dong Tao Secondary School before the experiment, ensuring that the task presented to students was clear and understandable.
S c o r in g
Two English teachers at Dong Tao Secondary School, one with more than twenty years of experience and the other with nine years of experience teaching English to secondary students, were invited to score the two tests to ensure the reliability of the results Before scoring, the teachers had been trained to assess the tests independently.
T h e p re-te st a n d p o st-te st w ere m arked w ith th e sam e m ark in g schem e w hich w as adapted from In dah (2 01 0) T h e sco rin g criteria w ere as follow s:
- T h e su b stan ce o f w riting, (from 0 to 1 point)
- T h e e x p re sse d ideas, (from 0 to 1 point)
- The arra n g e m e n t o f schem atic structu re, (from 0 to 1 point)
- T h e em p lo y in g o f g ram m atical form and syn tactic patterns, (from 0 to 1 point)
- T h e use o f p ast tenses, (fro m 0 to 1 point)
- T h e o rg a n iz a tio n o f the co ntents, (fro m 0 to 1 point)
- T h e arra n g e m e n t o f gen eric structure, (fro m 0 to 1 point)
- T h e c h o ic e o f w o rd s, (fro m 0 to 2 p o in ts)
- C a p ita liz a tio n , p u n c tu a tio n and spelling, (fro m 0 to 1 point)
S tudents q u e s tio n n a ire
Appendix 4 describes the questionnaire, which served as the study’s primary research instrument It was distributed to the experimental group at the end of the treatment to capture students’ responses regarding the use of picture sequences in their narrative writing The questionnaire was adapted from Lee (1994); while the original version contained ten items, the version used in this study consists of eight items tailored to the present research Each item provides five response options on a Likert scale, typically ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree.
(5), A = ag ree (4), A S = ag ree som ew hat (3), D = disag ree (2) to SD = stron gly disagree
Seven research questions explored the impact of picture sequences on narrative writing lessons: whether such sequences increase students' enjoyment of narrative writing; whether they help students understand the writing task; whether the sequences are engaging and comprehensible enough to sustain interest; whether they help students develop appropriate writing vocabulary; whether picture sequences aid in generating ideas for writing; whether they make the lessons feel enjoyable; and whether they improve the overall quality of students' narrative writing while revealing preferences for colorful versus black-and-white images For clarity, the Vietnamese version was used so students could express their thoughts and feelings more easily.