The application of total physical response (TPR) in teaching vocabulary for children aged 3 to 5 at a kindergarten in hanoi

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES
AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE
STUDIES

ĐỖ THỊ MINH THU

THE APPLICATION OF TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE (TPR) IN
TEACHING VOCABULARY FOR CHILDREN AGED 3 TO 5 AT A
KINDERGATEN IN HANOI

Ứng dụng phương pháp phản xạ toàn thân (TPR) trong việc dạy từ vựng
cho trẻ từ 3 đến 5 tuổi tại một trường mầm non ở Hà Nội.

MA MINOR THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 8140231.01

HANOI, 2018


VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES
AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE
STUDIES

ĐỖ THỊ MINH THU

THE APPLICATION OF TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE (TPR) IN
TEACHING VOCABULARY FOR CHILDREN AGED 3 TO 5 AT A
KINDERGATEN IN HANOI

Ứng dụng phương pháp phản xạ toàn thân (TPR) trong việc dạy từ vựng
cho trẻ từ 3 đến 5 tuổi tại một trường mầm non ở Hà Nội.

MA MINOR THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 8140231.01
Supervisor: Dr. Tran Thanh Nhan

HANOI, 2018


DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this thesis submitted for the Master of Art degree at the
University of Languages and International Studies is a presentation of my own
research and has not been previously submitted by any other person at any other
universities for any degrees. Wherever contributions of other researchers are
involved, every effort is made to indicate this clearly, with due reference to the
literature, and acknowledgement of collaborative research and discussion. The work
was done under the supervision of Dr. Tran Thanh Nhan, at the University of
Languages and International Studies.

Hanoi, June 2018

Do Thi Minh Thu

i

Formatted: English

(U.S.)


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
At the completion of this thesis, I would like to express my sincere thanks to
my lecturer and my supervisor, Dr. Tran Thanh Nhan for her valuable suggestions and
instructions without which it would have been really challenging for me to
accomplish this study.
I would like to acknowledge my great appreciation to my colleagues for their
effective cooperation in collecting data for completing this study. Their enthusiastic
participation was indispensable to my research.
Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to my family for all the support I
received to finish this thesis.

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ABSTRACT
Early childhood is a precious period when children get their most rapid
performance in terms of emotional, physical, cognitive and language development
(Crain, 2005). It is deemed to be the most valuable time to start teaching one or more
languages to young children. There are various methods and techniques in teaching
foreign languages; Total Physical Response (TPR) is one of the effective methods of
teaching children. TPR is a method which is built around the coordination of speech
and action, in other words it is to teach language through activity (Richards and
Rodgers, 2001). There would be no texts involved in the teaching environment but
songs, games, and stories accompanied with actions, which attract the attention of
young active learners.
The purpose of this research project was to observe the impact that the
application of TPR method reveals in teaching English vocabulary to children aged 35 at a kindergarten in Hanoi. The findings and discussion are based on the analysis of

the data collected from 30 children. The results also highlight that the use of TPR can
be an effective way to help young learners improve their vocabulary especially in
understanding the meaning of words, pronouncing the words correctly and using
them in daily life. On the other hand, a stress-free environment allows children to be
more receptive and motivated to the target language (TL) learning.

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LIST OF ABRREVIATIONS
TPR:

Total Physical Response

ELT:

English Language Teaching

EFL:

English as a Foreign Language

GMT:

Grammar Translation Method

TL:

Target Language

L1:

First Language

L2:

Second language

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LIST OF CHARTS AND TABLES
Table 2.1: Information of the observed classes...........................................................13
Table 2.2: Information of the Test Plan.......................................................................14
Table 2.3: Test Criteria.................................................................................................14
Table 3.1: Information of the Pre-Test.........................................................................17
Table 3.2: Result of the Pre-Test..................................................................................18
Table 3.3: Information of the First Cycle Test.............................................................20
Table 3.4: Result of the First Cycle Test......................................................................21
Table 3.5: Information of the Second Cycle Test........................................................23
Table 3.6: Result of the Second Cycle Test.................................................................24
Table 3.7: Information of the Post Test.......................................................................25
Table 3.8: Result of the Post Test................................................................................26
Table 3.9: The result of the test during the Action Research......................................27
Chart 3.1: The result of the tests during Action ResearchError!

Bookmark

not

defined.
Figure 2.1. Cycle of Action Research.......................................................................... 17

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TABLE OF CONTENT
DECLARATION ........................................................................................................
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................

ABSTRACT...
LIST OF ABRREVIATIONS ...................................................................................
LIST OF CHARTS AND TABLES............................................................................
PART A: INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................
1.Rationale ..........................................................................................................
2.Aims and objectives of the study .....................................................................
2.1. Aims of the study .........................................................................................
2.2. Objectives of the study .................................................................................
3.Research questions ...........................................................................................
4.Scope of the study ............................................................................................
5.Methods of the study ........................................................................................
6.Significance of the study ..................................................................................
7.Organization of the study .................................................................................
PART B: DEVELOPMENT .......................................................................................
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................
1.1. The principles of teaching vocabulary to children .......................................

1.1.1.D

1.1.2.C

1.1.3.T
1.2. A brief history of Total Physical Response ..................................................
1.2.1. The conception of TPR ........................................................................
1.2.2. The objectives of TPR .........................................................................
1.2.3. The teacher and learners role in TPR ..................................................
1.2.4. The principles of TPR .........................................................................
1.3. Related studies ..............................................................................................
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CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY .....................................................................
2.1.

Setting and participants ..............................

2.1.1.

2.1.1.1. General information about the kind

2.1.1.2. Students and English classes at the
2.1.2.
2.2.

Data collection instruments .......................

2.2.1.
2.2.2.
2.3.

Data collection procedure ..........................

2.4.

Data analysis procedure..............................

CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION ..................................
3.1.

Data analysis ..............................................

3.1.1.

3.1.1.1. Pre-test ..........................................

3.1.1.2. First Cycle Test .............................

3.1.1.3. Second Cycle Test .........................

3.1.1.4. Post- test ........................................
3.1.2.
3.1.2.1. Students’ engagement in activities .................................................
3.1.2.2.
3.1.2.3.
3.1.2.4. Their reactions towards the English Language ..............................
3.2.

Findings and discussion..............................

PART C: CONCLUSION .........................................................................................

1.

Summary of major findings .......................

2.

Concluding remarks ...................................

3.

Recommendations ......................................

4.

Limitations .................................................

5.

Suggestions for further studies ..................
vii


REFERENCES............................................................................................................35
APPENDICES.............................................................................................................37

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PART A: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale

The importance of English as an international language causes a
phenomenon in Vietnam where English is taught to students at very young ages.
Working as an English teacher, the researcher found that young learners had problems
in memorizing and mastering English vocabulary items. Therefore, it is necessary to
find a proper teaching method in order to stimulate students’ interest in learning
vocabulary.
According to Harmer (2001: 38), young learners especially those up to the age
of nine to ten learn differently from older learners, adolescents, and adults. They may
easily get bored, and lose their interest after ten minutes or so. As a result, teachers of
this level need to plan a wide range of activities for a given time period, and also be
flexible enough in conducting their activities in order to achieve the aims of the
lesson.
In teaching English to children, teachers play an important role since they not
only keep students interested in learning English but also motivate them to use
English in real life. There are many methods applied in teaching language to children.
Total Physical Response (TPR), a method developed by James J. Asher (1942), is one
of the methods that motivate children to learn and use vocabulary as a set of
language, not just a separated component. The research conducted by Wulandari
(2002), has proven that there is a significant difference of the students’ achievement
in mastering English vocabulary by using TPR. Therefore, in this study, the writer
will focus on applying TPR in teaching English vocabulary for the very young
children.
Aims and objectives of the study
1.1.
Aims of the study
As the title suggests, the overarching aim is to study the application of TPR in
teaching vocabulary for children in the context of a kindergarten in Hanoi.
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1.2.

Objectives of the study

To achieve the above aims, the following objectives are set for exploration:

a. To know how TPR can improve children’s English vocabulary.
b. To identify the improvement of students by using TPR methodology.
c. To study the effectiveness of TPR approach to help children master English
vocabulary.

2. Research questions
To make the task manageable, the above objectives are translated into the
following research questions:

1) How can TPR improve the children‟ mastery of English vocabulary items?
2) What are the children's responses and attitudes towards TPR?
3) What are the advantages of using TPR method in teaching English vocabulary
to children?

3. Scope of the study
Actually, the TPR method can be used to teach listening, speaking, reading
and writing, too. However, within the framework of this minor thesis, the study only
focuses on the teaching of vocabulary using the TPR method, in particular to the
teaching of children aged 3-5 at a kindergarten in Hanoi.

4. Methods of the study
The researcher used action research to investigate the topic. According to
Cohen, Manion, and Morrison (2005: 226) “action research may be used in almost
setting where a problem involving people, tasks, and procedures try out for solutions,

or where some change of feature result in a more desirable outcome”. The writer
carried out the study with two cycles to investigate how effective the TPR was in
improving students’ vocabulary.
The study adopted qualitative and quantitative method for data collection and
data analysis. Two collection instruments were employed including four tests (1 pretests, 2 cycle-tests, and 1 post-tests), which would contribute to quantitative

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collection method and classroom observation which would give data for qualitative
collection method.

5. Significance of the study
The findings of the present study are hoped to be useful to the following
groups:

a. For the teacher: English Teachers at investigated kindergarten and other
kindergartens or English centers for children can make use of the findings
and become aware of the effectiveness of TPR in teaching second language
(L2). They also can consider using TPR as an alternative teaching method so
that they can get the best results in teaching English for the early age
children.

b. For students: Children can learn English in an interesting way and naturally
enrich their vocabulary by implementing the TPR method.

c. For researchers: Language teaching methodology researchers can conduct
further studies in the area which may form other new English teaching
methods and techniques that identify the appropriate way of teaching L2 for
children at very young age.

6. Organization of the study
The thesis consists of three parts, namely Introduction, Development and
Conclusion.
Part A: Introduction
This part presents the rationale, the aims, the scope, the method and the design
of the study.
Part B: Development
This part consists of three chapters including Literature Review, Methodology
and Analysis and Discussion.
Chapter 1: Literature Review

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This chapter provides an overview history of TPR as well as the review of
related works in this topic.
Chapter 2: Methodology
It presents the subjects of the study, research instruments, collecting data
procedure and data analysis procedure from which answers for research questions
could be found.
Chapter 3: Data analysis and discussion
The data collected from tests (Pre-tests and Post-tests) and classroom
observations are analyzed in this chapter. Also, some findings and discussion based
on the analysis are presented.
Part C: Conclusion
In this part, the major findings, some recommendations, limitations of the
research as well as suggestions for further study are presented.
The appendices are the last part of the study following the reference.

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PART B: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
1.1.

The principles of teaching vocabulary to children
1.1.1. Definition vocabulary mastery
Vocabulary is one of the language aspects which should be learnt. In learning

vocabulary automatically students have to know the meaning of words itself, how to
pronounce, how to spell, and how to use them in different contexts. The vocabulary
tests will be utilized to measure the learners’ vocabulary mastery.
1.1.2. Characteristics of children
Generally, the way children learn L2 is different from the way adults do due to
their characteristics. Children are willing to do any kinds of activities as long as they
feel relaxed and happy. Piaget (Cameron, 2001:2) added that, “children are active
learners, that’s why a teacher should be able to make the circumstance of learning
process suitable to the characteristics of the children”. They love to play and learn
best when they enjoy themselves, but they also take themselves seriously and like to
think what they are doing is really work. They have very short attention and
concentration span. Concerning those characteristics, a teacher needs to make his
teaching be more interesting like their daily world. By that way, students would be
motivated and enjoy learning the target language.
1.1.3. The principles of teaching vocabulary to children
Teaching vocabulary plays an important role in language acquisition because
the mastery of vocabulary will help students in mastery all the language skills;
listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Vocabulary will help students practice the
structure more easily; it is useful for the students in order to communicate in daily life

and will strengthen the belief that English can be used to express some ideas or
feeling they express in their native language (Finocchiaro, 1974: 38). In teaching
vocabulary, teachers should not give it separately word by word. It will make the
students know the words just the way they are without understanding how to apply
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the words whether in spoken or written into sentences or paragraph. As stated by
Charty (1995:64), that is the best method of teaching vocabulary is not teaching the
students to memorize but also teaching them to pronounce, to spell, and to use it in
context.
According to Wallace (1984:27), there are six principles of the teaching
vocabulary. First, teachers should define clearly the aim of the lessons. They have to
decide which words should be mastered by his/her students. Second, teacher may have
to decide the number of vocabulary items to be learnt; how many words in the lesson
can be achieved by the learners because they would be confused, discouraged, and
frustrated if there are too many. Next, in teaching vocabulary, teachers should choose
highly frequency words in order to put students in context. Furthermore, frequent
exposure and repetitions are also important for students to truly understand and use
the words confidently. In addition, teachers should make sure to provide students
meaningful presentation so the learners fully and clearly understand what they taught.
Lastly, the choice of words can be various to the situation. Therefore, students should
learn words in situations that appropriate to the context.
1.2.

A brief history of Total Physical Response
1.2.1. The conception of TPR
Total Physical Response (TPR) is one of new methods developed by James

Asher, a professor of psychology at San José State University, California, USA, to aid

learning foreign language. TPR is a language teaching method built around the
coordination of speech and action; it attempts to teach language through physical
(motor) activities (Richard & Rodgers, 2001)
In TPR classroom, students respond to command that require physical
movement (Richard and Rodgers: 2001). They are involved through teaching learning
process by following the teacher’s instruction. This method is suitable for the children
in learning a foreign language. TPR makes learning become enjoyable and less
stressful.

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From the explanation above, the writer concludes that TPR places more
emphasis on the link between word and action. The activity, where a command is
given in the imperative and the learners obey the command, is the main activity of
TPR. Therefore, it will be easier for the students to recall the words they have learned
if they use their body in learning vocabulary items. TPR can be varied in any
different activities such as storytelling, dialogue, games, or a pattern drill.
1.2.2. The objectives of TPR
TPR was developed in order to improve the better result of teaching learning
process of a new language. Teachers who use TPR believe in the importance of
having the students enjoy their experience in learning to communicate a foreign
language. According to Larsen-Freeman (2000: 113), 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.
Richard and Rodgers (1986: 91) say:
“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”.

From the statement above, there are some objectives of Total Physical
Response:

1) Teaching oral proficiency at a beginning level.
2) Using comprehension as a means to speaking
3) Using action-based drills in the imperative form
1.2.3. The teacher and learners role in TPR
In the teaching learning process using TPR method, the learners and the
teachers play different roles.
For learners, in TPR they play the primary roles of listeners and performers.
They listen attentively and respond both individually and collectively. They have little
influence over the content of learning since the content is determined by the
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teacher who must follow the imperative form for lesson (Richard and Rodgers
1986:93). In TPR, the learners monitor and evaluate their own progress. They are
encouraged to speak when they feel ready to speak that is when a sufficient basis in
the language has been internalized.
For teachers, in the teaching learning process using TPR method, they play an
active and a direct role. According to Larsen and Freeman (2000: 113) teacher is the
director of all students’ behaviors. Teacher is the one who decides what to teach, who
models and presents the new material, and who selects supporting materials for
classroom use. Teacher encouraged to be well prepared and well organized so that the
lesson flows smoothly and predictable.
1.2.4. The principles of TPR
Before applying TPR method for teaching a foreign language, in this case is
English, a teacher should understand its principles well so he will be able to use it
properly in the teaching learning process.
Asher as the developer of TPR elaborates the five principles of this method.

- L2 learning is parallel to first language (L1) learning and should reflect the
same naturalistic process.

- Listening should be developed before speaking.
- Children respond physically to spoken language, and adult learners learn
better if they do that too

- Once listening comprehension has been develop, speech develops naturally
and effortlessly out of it

- Delaying speech reduces stress.
Moreover, Larsen and Freeman (2000: 111) describe several principles based
on teacher’s behaviors.

- Meaning in the target language (TL) can often be conveyed through action.
Students can learn through observing actions as well as by performing the
action themselves.

- The imperative is a powerful linguistic device that the teacher can direct
student’s behavior.
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- The TL should be presented in chunks; not just word by word. Students cannot
develop flexibility in understanding a novel combination of TL chunks. They
need to understand more than the exact sentences used in training.

- Language learning is more effective when it is fun. Feeling of success and low
anxiety facilitate learning. Correction should be carried out in an unobtrusive

manner.

- Spoken language should be emphasized over written language. Students will
begin to speak when they are ready.

- Students are expected to make errors when they first begin speaking. Work on
the fine details of the language should be postponed until students have
become somewhat proficient.
According to the principles above, it can be concluded that students are able
to master vocabulary items easily if they use their bodies while they are learning. In
the learning, students should feel free and enjoyable, even when being corrected. As a
result, teachers should be careful when giving correction. Also, vocabulary should be
presented in a context not word by word.
1.3.

Related studies
There are previous studies related to this research which have discussed the

implementation of TPR method.
According to James Asher (1969), who developed the methodology of TPR,
the way TPR works is similar to the L1 learning process, which focusing on listening
fluency as the primary language skill especially during the early learning stage. TPR
strategy is “to have the students listen to a command in a foreign language and
immediately obey with a physical action” (Asher, 1969, p. 4), which requires teachers
to successfully scaffold with modeling, demonstration or visual aids. Providing
comprehensible input is very important during TPR, which means “new items are
introduced within the framework of items taught in previous lessons or available from
the learners’ preexisting knowledge” (Cantoni, 1999, p. 54).
9

Currently, TPR is used in most western foreign language teaching, such as
Spanish, French, German, etc., and has proven to be effective for students’ language
proficiency. Based on the studies of Patrick et al. (2008), the students taught through
TPR “performed significantly higher” than the other students. Also, Sitaula (2008)
and Yadav (2010) conducted research studies comparing the effects of TPR with
traditional methods on foreign language learner’s listening and speaking, and
vocabulary learning, and they came up with similar results.
Why is TPR effective? As an interactive student-center learning mode, TPR is
practiced by consistently using TL, assisted with visual aids and body language to
help ensure students’ comprehension. Within the immersion TL context, commands
are repeated frequently. Students absorb the language through multiple stimulations,
including listening, watching, physical movement and repetition. The language is
directly connected to the concept; therefore, the learning process is much more natural
than getting help from students’ L1.
TPR is effective for the teaching of language, especially for the foreign
language teaching. The researches on the ESL concern English vocabulary and
grammar. When it comes to English vocabulary, studies of TPR have expanded to
pronunciation and meaning involving all word classes. Nugrahaningsih has studied
the effectiveness of TPR in teaching English prepositions (Nugrahaningsih 2007: 24).
Arif Yulianto argues that the TPR method has considerable advantages over the
Grammar-Translation Method (GTM) when it comes to English vocabulary to
children of the same age (Yulianto 2009). Handoyo Puji Widodo’s experiment shows
that TPR can significantly improve the acquisition of English (Widodo 2005).

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CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY
2.1.

Setting and participants
2.1.1.

Setting

2.1.1.1. General information about the kindergarten
The study is conducted at kindergarten which was established in 2009 and was
the pioneers in learner- centered approach. Ever since, it has upheld its reputation as
the leading school for children in Hanoi.
The school’s prestige was made not only by its effective teaching methodology
but by a thorough understanding of the development needs of the children as well.
From the beginning, the school has focused on providing the students a safe,
productive and rich learning environment in which students learn not only essential
life skills but also English as a second language.
In teaching English, their modern teaching methods are the result of
continuous development and research into the ELT field combined with infant
education. With a communicative approach to learning, four skills of listening,
speaking, reading and writing are focused so that students can communicate in
English in real life. Also, by acknowledging the different learning styles of students,
they have made sure that the English learning experience at school stimulates as
many senses as possible through the use of visual aids, songs, realia and fun activities
as well as experiments.
2.1.1.2. Students and English classes at the kindergarten.
The children’s age at that kindergarten ranges from 24 months old to 5 years
old. There are from twenty five to thirty students in each class and most of them are
at the same age. Each class also benefits of a weekly session with a native English
speaker in order to develop a natural fluency, pronunciation and speaking skills as
well as benefit from this inter-cultural exposure. In most English lessons, students sit
on chairs in U shape and use flexible tables when needed. Due to the fact that

children below three years old need more special learning approach, this study
focuses on researching the students at the age from three to five years old.

11


The class division is mostly based on students’ age. Within this research, there
are three main levels named: “Pooh”, “Donald”, and “Mickey”. Students in all
researched levels have one hour with foreign teachers out of four learning hours per
week. This research studies only the effectiveness and students’ response of using
TPR in teaching vocabulary.
The teaching curriculum at the school is quite complicated, depending on the
students’ age and their English background. Therefore, the school’s lesson plans are
gradually updating each semester.
2.1.2.

Participants

The writer observed thirty students aged from 3-5 with different levels. The
writer chose randomly 10 students in each class to observe.
Three Vietnamese teachers who are teaching different level classes at the
researched school volunteered to take part in the study. Although they come from
various educational backgrounds, all these three teachers graduated from universities
and colleges, majoring in English teacher training; and they already passed the
intensive training course in teaching English for kids which is the compulsory
condition to work at that school. Each of them is teaching about three classes
including low level and high level ones.

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Table 2.1: Information of the observed classes.
Observed classes’ information
Age (Years old)
Class
Number of observed
students
Year of learning
English
Outstanding
characteristics
Teacher in charge
(Coded)
Teachers’ Age
Teachers’ Experience
of teaching English

2.2.

Data collection instruments

To collect data for investigation, the researcher decided to use two
instruments: they are tests and classroom observation. The aims of using these
techniques were to know the learners’ responses during the activities. They were
applied to figure out to what extent the students’ achievement and their progress in
mastering vocabulary was using TPR.
2.2.1. Tests
There are four vocabulary tests: 1 Pre-test, 2 tests in each cycle (cycle 1 and
cycle 2), and 1 post-test. These tests are utilized to measure the students’ achievement
in mastering the vocabulary. English Department is responsible to design these tests

based on the school’s curriculum and lesson plan; then these tests are submitted to the
board before implementing. Testing plan was listed as below:


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Table 2.2: Information of the Test Plan
Test
Number
1
2

3
4
In order to assess students’ progress, the researcher created a rubric which was
adopted from Rubistar Form constructed by ALTEC at University of Kansas
(2000-2008). All test criteria was described as below:
Table 2.3: Test Criteria
Criteria
Pronunciation

Meaning

Using of the
words

Speak clearly
2.2.2. Classroom observation
In the study, to get information about the effectiveness of using TPR in

teaching vocabulary for children, the researcher observed thirty students at the age