No Cover Image

E-Thesis 749 views 344 downloads

The Use of Singing, Storytelling and Chanting in the Primary EFL Classroom: Aesthetic Experience and Participation in FL Learning / ANNETT KAMINSKI

Swansea University Author: ANNETT KAMINSKI

DOI (Published version): 10.23889/Suthesis.54359

Abstract

This longitudinal small-scale study, which is based on data collected between 2007 and 2010in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany, analyses the use of songs, stories and chants in primaryEFL classrooms. A multi-method design is applied involving quantitative researchinstruments, such as a questionnaire...

Full description

Published: Swansea 2016
Institution: Swansea University
Degree level: Doctoral
Degree name: Ph.D
Supervisor: Hall, Geoff ; Preece, Julian ; Tschichold, Cornelia
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa54359
Abstract: This longitudinal small-scale study, which is based on data collected between 2007 and 2010in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany, analyses the use of songs, stories and chants in primaryEFL classrooms. A multi-method design is applied involving quantitative researchinstruments, such as a questionnaire distributed to primary school teachers, as well asqualitative research instruments, such as extensive participant observation and in-depthinterviews with learners as well as teachers.Questionnaire data indicates regular use of songs, stories and chants in primary FLclassrooms in the area under investigation. Audio-recorded classroom and interview discoursereveals that musical and literary texts spark learners’ interest due to the aesthetic qualities theyexhibit. Learners’ non-verbal and verbal responses show that they construct meaning fromvisual and acoustic cues that accompany songs, stories and chants and that they are eager toparticipate in the performance of these texts. Learners imitate language items immediately,their verbal participation increasing with every encounter of a song, chant or story. Learnersare able to recall individual and multi-word sequences from high-interest musical and literarytexts shortly after repeated exposure as well as 12 to 15 months later. There is evidence ofthem breaking up memorized language chunks and recombining them for generative languageuse. Furthermore, learners are able to jointly reconstruct the storyline of a picture book 12months after their first and only encounter with it, suggesting that a meaningful context hasbeen created which is accessible over an extended period of time.On the basis of these findings, it is argued that the aesthetic qualities of songs, storiesand chants foster FL learning in various ways. They support comprehension and retrieval,sustain learners’ interest and invite joint performances, all of which paves the way for themastery of multi-word sequences and creative FL use.
Item Description: A selection of third party content is redacted from this thesis.
Keywords: EFL, Young Learners of English

Similar Items