AN INVESTIGATION TO TEACHING GRAMMAR THROUGH THE STUDY OF STORY STRUCTURES IN NARRATIVE WRITINGS
Strand: The implementation of innovative pedagogies
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Abstract
This action research study investigated the outcomes of a learning study on using a communicative approach to the teaching of grammar. The participants of the study, 22 Year 4 students studied story structures in narrative writings. The purpose of this study was to provide an understanding on how the study of story structures can help improve student’s acquisition in the English language learning. The focus on grammar was identified as the critical learning of the study due to a significant number of students (19 out of 22) scoring low in the grammar part of the pre-test. The lesson study included 2 intervention cycles of lessons using the text-based approach, which incorporated the study of story shape and structures using plot diagrams. The idea was to encourage students build awareness of the language discourse organization through planned lessons sequences and communicative activities. These learning cycles were taught to help students discern the object of learning and 2 types of narrative texts: folk story and realistic fiction were used. Quantitative data, comprised of test results were collected and comparison was then made between the pre, and post-test. Research findings indicated an increase in the discernment of said critical aspect. The implication of the intervention cycles enables students to develop crafting and writing skills better if the communicative approach of studying story structures were to be sustained.
KEYWORDS
Learning study, English language, grammar, text-based approach, plot diagram, narrative writing, critical aspects
Tan Chun Yang
Head of the English Department / Literacy Coach
Sekolah Rendah Kuala Belait
Tan Chun Yang is an education officer and has been teaching in Sekolah Rendah Kuala Belait since 2013. He obtained his B.A. in Primary Education with upper secondary honours from Universiti Bru nei Darussalam in 2011. Subsequently, he pursued his M.A. in Professional Studies and graduated from University of Birmingham, United Kingdom in 2012. Currently, he is the head of the English department in his institution and was appointed as a literacy coach in 2017. He has a deep passion in teaching young learners and has 8 years of experience teaching English for pre-school children. His research interests include second language learning, communicative language learning and autonomous learning for young learners.