storybook as a tool to enhance motivation

8/6/2019 Storybook as a Tool to Enhance Motivation

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Melissa Lai, 2008BEW, 696410671

Using Storybooks to Enhance Motivation of EFL Learners.

1. Introduction

1.1 PurposeStorybooks are readily available in first language environments and are often

used as a tool for educators. Evidence showed that home literacy experience would

enhance the learners print knowledge and young childrens development of the

language skills (Levy, Gong, Hessels, Evans, & Jared, 2006) However, EFL young

learners have little opportunities to read English storybooks at home or in the

classroom. How to enhance learners intrinsic motivation in the artificial environment

is an issue great concern in Taiwan. The nature of the storybook is interesting,

imaginative, and could provide various illustrations or pictures as visual aids for

learners. Therefore, it is helpful to use storybooks as a supplementary material in the

classroom environment.

1.2 Research question

The study examined whether the use of storybooks in the classroom

environment will enhance intrinsic motivation of ESL learners. Therefore, the

research question is as follow:

Will storybooks integrated into the English curriculum affect students motivation

towards English learning?

2. Literature review

2.1 Storybook and L2 reading

The format of the storybook is text along with a large amount of pictures. Those

visual aids in storybooks could enhance learner comprehension and motivation.

Besides, the storybook is authentic and interesting. Evidence suggests that reading

storybooks at home and in preschool is important for young childrens development

of the foundational skills required for the eventual mastery of decoding andcomprehension (Levy at al., 2004). Moreover, Grabe and Stroller (2002) stated that

reading storybooks could enhance leaner emergent reading and enhance vocabulary

knowledge, phonological awareness, and comprehension abilities of learners. Using

previewing techniques such as previewing a text and providing readers appropriate

background knowledge before reading would facilitate reading comprehension of

learners (Grabe, & Stroller, 2002). Therefore, the study adopted a facilitating reading

procedure to enhance learner comprehension and motivation.


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2.2 Intrinsic motivation

L2 intrinsic motivation involves enjoyment of learning a second or foreign

language for its own sake without any external coercion or pressure. It has been given

great importance by several researchers (Brown, 1990, 1994; Dickinson, 1995).

Moreover, Wu (2002) has showed that a predictable learning environment, moderately

challenging tasks, necessary instructional support, and evaluation that emphasized

self-improvement and attributed success or failure to controllable variables were

effective ways to enhance young learners self-perceptions of L2 competence.

Therefore, intrinsic motivation of learners could be enhanced by appropriately

designed classroom environments or activities.

3. Method

The design of the study is a comparison design with the instrument of storybooks

as the independent variable and learner intrinsic motivation as dependent variable.

The purpose of the study is to compare students attitude toward English learning after

the instruction of storybooks.

3.1 Participants

Twenty-four sixth grade EFL learners in Changhua elementary school engaged in

the study. They have learned English for three years and have taken some reading

courses but never had storybook teaching. The participants had an average age of 12

years, 50% were female, and 50% were male. And The English teaching experience of

the teacher is 8 years.

3.2 Instruments

The study examined whether learner motivation would be enhanced by

storybooks teaching and therefore, analyzed the data quantitatively. After the

implement of storybooks instruction, an interview with the teacher and a motivation

questioner were used to collect data. All measures were made on 5-point Linkertscales.

The motivation questionnaire contains 11 questions about the learners attitude

toward English learning and reading. For example, the question I think that reading

storybooks in class is interesting and stimulating intended to measure their attitude

toward English reading. And the question I found that it is easy to understand text in

English through storybooks was designed to examine the effect of storybooks

instruction.


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3.3 Procedure

3.3.1 Pretest

The motivation questionnaire was administered to students by the classroom teacher

before the storybook instruction courses. The students were told that there were no

right or wrong answers to the questions.

3.3.2 Instrument

Students received 25 minutes of reading instruction a week for three weeks. Since

the storybooks are viewed as supplementary materials, they read the books with the

teacher for short period of time only. The purpose of the study is to motivate the

learners and encourage them to do extensive reading after class time. The storybooks

for the lessons are commercial available books,Dirty Bertie (Roberts, 2003) and The

Mixed-up Chameleon (Carle, 1984). The books were chosen for the interesting

content and readability that was most appropriate for the students. The books contain

about 100 words. There were four parts to the lesson:

1. Introduction. In order to activate background knowledge of learners, the

teacher introduced the book by asking some questions, showing a picture, or

stating facts about the topic. Also, the teacher asked the learners to look at the

cover of the book and guess what happened in the story.

2. Vocabulary. The teacher introduced two or three vocabulary words that are

important for them to understand the story and explained it in their native

language.

3. Reading the story. The teacher did story telling and asked the students to read

with her. When reading, the teacher varied with different tone and gestures to

help understanding. The following week, the learners read chorally by

themselves.

4. Wrap up activities. The teacher asked questions to check comprehension and

some open-ended questions to encourage them to express their ideals. They

could adapt or rearrange the ending according to their own imagination and

draw it on the worksheet. Moreover, the students practiced writing the sentencepattern in the worksheets.

3.3.3 Posttest

One week after the reading courses, the participants filled the motivation

questionnaire again. Moreover, an interview with the course teacher was administered

to survey learners motivation and attitude during the class time.

3.4 Data collection and analysis

Added the scores of 5-point Linkert scales questionnaire, the data analysis

included the computation of descriptive statistics (means, standard deviation and


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frequencies) to compile the information about learner motivation. Paired sample t test

was used to analyze the pre- and post-survey scores.

The scores of motivation questionnaire were calculated. In the pre survey, the

mean score was 33, therefore, students who had a score of 33-55 were considered to

have a positive attitude towards mathematics.

5. Results

The purpose of the study is to investigate Whether storybooks integrated into

the English curriculum affect students motivation towards English learning? On the

pre survey, 54% (thirteen) of the students had positive attitude, scored within the 33-

55 point range, while on the post survey, 63% (fifteen) of students had positive

attitude, scored within the 33-55 point range.

Table 1 showed that the mean of motivation survey 2(M=34.95) is larger than

motivation survey 1(M=33.41). That is, the mean of post survey was improved after

instruction of storybooks.

Table1. Descriptive Statistics of Survey

N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation

survey1 24 11.00 47.00 33.4167 9.13625survey2 24 11.00 50.00 34.9583 8.33264Valid N(listwise)

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To provide further support for the hypothesis, paired-sample t test was calculated on

the scores of learner intrinsic motivation. Nevertheless, the t test results did not show

significant differences (p=.151).

Table2. Paired Samples Test of questionnaire scores

Paired Differences t df Sig. (2-tailed)

Mean

Std.Deviati

on

Std.ErrorMean

95% ConfidenceInterval of the

Difference

Lower Upper

Pair 1 survey1 -survey2

-1.54167

5.09031 1.03905 -3.69112

.60778 -1.484

23 .151

6. Discussion

Findings from pre and post attitude surveys did not show learners motivation

toward English learning were significantly enhanced. Nevertheless, the use of

storybooks in the English curriculum has some effect on students attitudes towards

English. There were 9% learners changed their attitude from negative to positive.

According to the teacher, she observed that learners showed great change in their


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attitude toward learning. The teacher reported that perception of learner motivation is

greatly improved. Learners showed more interest compared to other reading activities

or other English activities in the class. Therefore, from the perspective of the teacher,

their motivation was improved. In the perspective of the teacher, she saw a great

difference on learner attitude.

The weakness of the study is the small sample size and short period of instruction

time which would affect the result of the study. Due to the time limitation, the

participants only had three weeks instruction which is really short that may not has

significant effect on learner motivation. In the words of Wu (2002), a predictable

learning environment, moderately challenging tasks, necessary instructional support

were effective ways to enhance young learners self-perceptions of L2 competence.

The instruction of storybooks not only provided a predictable learning environment

but some instructional support. Therefore, using of storybooks has some advantages

in English learning.

References

Ghosn, K. I. (2002). Four good reasons to use literature in primary school.ELT

Journal, 56(2), 172-179.


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Grabe, W., & Stoller, F. L. (2002). Teaching and researching reading. UK:

Longman.

Humphreys, G., & Spratt, M. (2008). Many languages, many motivations: A study of

Hong Kong students' motivation to learn different target languages. System,

36(2), 313-335.

Levy, B. Y., Gong, Z., Hessels S., Evans M. A., & Jared, D. (2006). Understanding

print: Early reading development and the contributions of home literacy

experiences.Journal of Educational Psychology, 93, 63-93.

Van Kraayenoord, C. E., & Paris, S. G. (1996). Story construction from a picture

book: An assessment activity for young learners.Early Childhood Research

Quarterly, 11(1), 41-61.

Whitehurst, G. J., Falco, F. L., Lonigan, C. J., Fischel, J. E., DeBaryshe, B. D.,

Valdez-Menchaca, M. C., et al. (1988). Accelerating language development

through picture book reading.Developmental Psychology, 24(4), 552-559.

Wu, X. (2003). Intrinsic motivation and young language learners: The impact of the

classroom environment. System, 31(4), 501-517.

Appendix

Interview Question

1. When listening or reading the stories, did all the students pay attention to it? How


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many of them?

2. Did students actively involve in the activities related to stories? Actively raised

their hands to answer the question or not?

3. Did the content interest the students? Were they eager to finish reading the

storybooks?

4. Did they actively participate in the activities related to storybooks than other

activities in normal class activities?

Intrinsic Motivation Questionnaire

Name ___________ Grade__________ Class _________


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1. I think that reading storybooks in class is interesting and stimulating.

strongly agree agree disagree strongly disagree

2. I have much fun in reading storybooks than other tasks.


3. I would like to read some English books, articles or story books after class time.


4. I enjoy reading articles with my classmates.


5. I found that it is easy to understand text in English through storybooks.


6. I am proud of myself when I can read some English by myself.


7. I always ask my teacher or others for English words because I want to know more

about the story.


8. Things I read in English class are always meaningful to me.


9. I feel it is easy to understand the articles taught in the class.


10. I feel sad when I can not understand the content of the storybooks.


11.I learned something through storybooks.


storybook as a tool to enhance motivation

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