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The Effect of Stories on Young Learners' Proficiency and Motivation in Foreign Language Learning

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The Effect of Stories on Young Learners' Proficiency and Motivation in Foreign Language Learning International Journal of English and Education 200 ISSN: 2278-4012, Volume:2, Issue:3, JULY 2013 Kharazmi University Foreign Language Department M.A Dissertation Submitted to Graduate Board Title of Dissertation The Effect of Stories on Young Learners' Proficiency and Motivation in Foreign Language Learning Author Zahra Safdarian Supervisor Dr. Mahmood Atai Head of Foreign Language Department Dr. Ahmadgoli Date of Defense: 20/08/2012 Copyright © International Journal of English and Education | www.ijee.org International Journal of English and Education 201 ISSN: 2278-4012, Volume:2, Issue:3, JULY 2013 Kharazmi University Foreign Language Department THE EFFECT OF STORIES ON YOUNG LEARNERS' PROFICIENCY AND MOTIVATION IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING A Research Project for Partial Fulfillment of Master of Arts in Teaching English as a Foreign Language By Zahra Safdarian August 2012 Copyright © International Journal of English and Education | www.ijee.org International Journal of English and Education 202 ISSN: 2278-4012, Volume:2, Issue:3, JULY 2013 Abstract: The present study was conducted to assess the effect of storytelling on Iranian EFL learners’ motivation and general English proficiency level. 102 homogenized secondary school students at elementary level of proficiency randomly were selected and assigned to experimental and control groups. Data of the study were collected within one semester period through a pre-posttest design. While the control group was instructed through traditional approach, the curriculum of the experimental group was accompanied by storytelling. To investigate the influence of storytelling on students’ motivation, Attribute/ Motivation Test Battery (AMTB) questionnaire was administered after the term. To confirm the results of quantitative data of this part, a semi-structured interview was conducted. Comparing the results of the tests and questionnaire of both groups, it was found that although experimental group outperformed at proficiency measure, the two groups did not show significant difference in motivational level. However, this conclusion was in contrast with pertained research literature and interview results which showed that applying storytelling would greatly motivate students in learning a foreign language. All these findings imply that storytelling can be used as an effective pedagogical tool in EFL setting, but choosing appropriate stories along with suitable implementation approaches is a key point in achieving its educational aims. Key words: Language proficiency, motivation, storytelling Copyright © International Journal of English and Education | www.ijee.org International Journal of English and Education 203 ISSN: 2278-4012, Volume:2, Issue:3, JULY 2013 Table of Contents 1. Introduction 1.1. Introduction 1.2. Significance and Justification of the Study 1.3. Purpose, Research Questions and Hypotheses 1.4. Definitions of Key Terms 1.4.1. Proficiency 1.4.2. Motivation 1.4.3. Story 2. Review of Related Literature 2.1 History 2.2 Theoretical Background 2.3 Storytelling in Classroom 2.4 Storytelling in Language Classroom 2.5 Storytelling and Motivation 2.6 Storytelling and proficiency 2.6.1 Teaching Proficiency through Reading Stories (TPRS) 2.6.2 Storytelling and Grammar 2.6.3 Storytelling and Vocabulary 2.6.4 Storytelling Critics and Their Rational 2.6.5 Review of Literature 3. Methodology 3.1 Participants 3.2 Instrumentation 3.3 Design 3.4 Procedure 4. Findings 5.Conclusion 6.Suggestions and Recommendations 7.References Copyright © International Journal of English and Education | www.ijee.org International Journal of English and Education 204 ISSN: 2278-4012, Volume:2, Issue:3, JULY 2013 Acknowledgments This research paper would not have been completed without the support and encouragement of many people. Firstly, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my professor Dr. Atai for his suggestions and thoughtful advice. Secondly, my sincere gratitude is extended to my kind, thoughtful husband, Mr. Behzad Motesharei for his encouragement and valuable suggestions at times of frustration and doubt. I have been extremely fortunate to have excellent friends and colleagues around throughout this program. My particular thanks go to Mr. Majid Ghyasi for his helpful cooperation, suggestions and kindness. Also, I would like to thank the brave participants of the study, all those students of Allame secondary school who will remain anonymous but willingly participated in this study, for opening their hearts and secrets, so there could be a better future for English language teaching in Iran. Finally, I express my thanks to all those friends and colleagues who may not have been mentioned here but have made a helpful contribution to the accomplishment of this study. Copyright © International Journal of English and Education | www.ijee.org International Journal of English and Education 205 ISSN: 2278-4012, Volume:2, Issue:3, JULY 2013 Chapter One Introduction 1.1. Introduction While the experience of language learning is something interesting and attractive for some learners, for some others it is a boring activity that makes them wish to get away from it. Teacher domination over the classroom, having learners to do what they are told to, lack of creativity, learners not having any room for their saying and being bound by their benches for over an hour, and following a monotonous schedule are some of the factors augmenting this boredom. The problem with traditional monotonous schedule is the assumption that what goes on in the classroom is appropriate for all learners while there are so many varieties among the students in terms of their personal characteristics, learning styles, and foreign language learning needs. Besides that, the activities that learners are engaged in traditional classrooms are not authentic because they are specifically designed for teaching purposes, so they don’t have any similarity to their real life situations. One of the important issues in designing a syllabus is whether it is flexible enough to account for all the learners with different personality and learning types. While the assigned materials and teaching resources might be suitable for a group of students, they cannot be adaptable to other learners’ preferences and learning styles which result in compulsory continuance or if possible to dropping out the course. The syllabus should also provide this opportunity for the learners to show their capability in language learning so that they can stand out, receive feedback, and get encouragement. Among many techniques and strategies available for foreign language educators to encourage students and help the acquisition of a language, the enormous benefits and applicability of language literature in foreign language learning have distinguished it from the other techniques that can be used in a language classroom. Literature in the language classroom can change the monotonous schedule, create a much more motivating environment and provide wide variety of language input which is adaptable to every learning style. Stories as one of the important elements of literature are full of enjoyable events and characters that bring fun, creativity, enjoyment and authenticity to the language classrooms. Having a language classroom supplemented with different stories, a change of atmosphere would be created which brings a feeling of camaraderie among students who then will be able to communicate their ideas freely without being bound by their psychological drives. Stories have been found to be so efficient in increasing language competency, and also motivating learners Copyright © International Journal of English and Education | www.ijee.org International Journal of English and Education 206 ISSN: 2278-4012, Volume:2, Issue:3, JULY 2013 and reinforcing positive attitudes toward language learning (Ellis & Brewster, 2002). They have the potential to increase learners’ enthusiasm toward language learning, foster creativity and create an enjoyable classroom atmosphere in which learners do not feel afraid of language learning task and enjoy their learning experience (Harmer, 2001). Krashen (1982) utters that a weak affective filter triggers language learning in a stress-free environment. The variety introduced through the story lowers the affective-filter, minimizes the stress, and creates a non- threatening classroom atmosphere that greatly helps learning and retention of the material. It needs to be pointed out that when we talk about storytelling, we mean the use of stories in language classroom as teaching aids that are taught along with the main instructional materials rather than introducing them as a source of mere fun. In addition to their potential benefits in changing classroom atmosphere that have been mentioned so far, stories have been reported to have positive effects on learners’ language proficiency. Depending on how they are used in the classroom and what areas are the main focus of teaching, stories help to improve different skills, grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. They expose students to so much amount of vocabulary and structure in an authentic context which can be beneficial for their proficiency in these areas. According to Scott and Ytreberg (1990), introducing stories in language classrooms provides much comprehensible input that can contribute to more effective acquisition of the target language. 1.2 Rationale of the study According to Murphey (1992), language literature is a valuable tool in language classroom due to its flexibility, making students
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