Action Research - Learning Vocabulary through Drama Games

By Hamorn K. Y. Lau, Grade 1 Homeroom Teacher, hlau@ais.edu.hk American International School of Hong Kong

Introduction Children’s vocabulary has to grow substantially in order to become proficient readers. Schools which recognize the strong relationship between one’s vocabulary size and his/her reading competence often adopt a textbook-based vocabulary curriculum, such as Wordly Wise 3000 ®. Such a curriculum provides a well-structured vocabulary program and makes teachers accountable for the delivery of explicit vocabulary instruction, which is particularly important to young language learners. However, a textbook-driven vocabulary curriculum offers teachers little space for teaching the prescribed vocabulary creatively.

To fill in this gap, I conducted an action research project to investigate how drama games, which might engage learners actively in the learning process, influenced my First-Graders’ vocabulary acquisition. Drama games offer students a lot of opportunities to get actively involved in the cyclical process of acquiring and deepening word knowledge. They also allow young children to recognize and utilize words in various yet meaningful settings in their imagination while transforming traditional vocabulary lessons to a more playful, creative, joyful experience. In this research, it was my intention to explore the impact of a textbook-based vocabulary curriculum which was modified by dramatization, in order to enhance young learners’ learning experience.

Method For triangulation purpose, this research adopted a mixed methodological approach, which allowed me to validate and expand quantitative results with qualitative data.

In my Grade One class, there were 12 boys and 12 girls, with an average age of 6. Most of them are bilingual (or trilingual) with English as one of their mother languages. A within-subjects design was adopted, i.e. each child experienced both learning conditions (textbook-only and with dramatization). The first two weeks (stage I) consisted of pre-intervention testing in order to measure children’s initial vocabulary size, word knowledge of the target vocabulary, and reading proficiency. First, all participants took individual Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test with me in order to assess their initial receptive vocabulary size. Then, they were given 10 vocabulary-definition questions, in the format of Vocabulary Knowledge Scale (VKS), of the target words. The words came from a unit of Wordly Wise 3000® Book 1 (Grade 1) which would be taught in “textbook-only” condition at stage II. The children had 20 minutes to complete the pretest, and draw on a sheet of paper to show their word knowledge. The result was analyzed. In addition, Fountas & Pinnell reading assessments were implemented to diagnose participants’ reading levels.

In the third and fourth weeks (stage II), the unit of Wordly Wise 3000 ® was taught exactly the way prescribed in the teacher manual (i.e., textbook-only condition). At the end of stage II, twenty-four hours after the textbook-only intervention, there were post-intervention VKS and drawings, and a follow-up group discussion.

In the fifth and sixth weeks (stage III), students first did another VKS and drawing to assess their pre-intervention word knowledge of the target words which would be taught in with-dramatization condition. The result was analyzed. Words that 80% or more of students were unfamiliar with would be taught through drama games, while familiar words were taught as described in the teacher manual. At the end of the Week Six, twenty-four hours after the intervention, there were post-intervention VKS and drawing, and another group discussion.

Different statistical tests were carried out to analyze the collected quantitative data. First, Pearson correlations were used to analyze the relationship between vocabulary size and reading proficiency. Second, paired-samples T tests were executed to investigate students’ performance in textbook-only and with-dramatization conditions. Next, one-way ANOVA (ANalysis Of VAriance) was carried out to compare the means of score change among different categorical groups. I hypothesized that with-dramatization was a more effective intervention than textbook-only in teaching young children new vocabulary.

Results and Reflection The data revealed that vocabulary size and reading proficiency have a statistically significant linear relationship (r = .828, p < .001). The direction of the relationship is positive (i.e., vocabulary size and reading proficiency are positively correlated), meaning that these variables tend to increase together (i.e., greater vocabulary size is associated with higher reading proficiency). Even after controlling the effect of exact age (ranged from 6.3 to 7.6), the correlation between vocabulary size and reading proficiency remains unchanged (r =.828,

p<.001). Thus, age does not make a significant impact on the relationship. Surprisingly, this statistical analysis contradicts to parent interview findings. First-graders’ parents believed that if their children were younger (even if they were just a few months younger) than other students in the class, their younger ones would have disadvantages in reading testing.

In textbook-only setting, pretest and posttest scores were strongly and positively correlated (r = .513, p < .05). There was a significant average difference between pretest and posttest scores (t23 = -2.725, p < .05). In average, posttest scores were 1.7 points higher than pretest scores in textbook-only setting. On the other hand, in dramatization setting, pretest and posttest scores were strongly and positively correlated (r = .508, p < .05). There was a significant average difference between pretest and posttest scores (t23 = -13.765, p < .001). In average, posttest scores were 8.8 points higher than pretest scores in dramatization setting. In other words, students performed better in dramatization setting than textbook-only setting by a mean difference of 8.8 - 1.7 = 7.1.

The above statistical result was evident from participant interview as well as teacher reflection. All participants reflected that they enjoyed vocabulary learning more in dramatization condition than textbook-only condition. Although 6-year-old children are not yet excellent in expressing themselves, they were able to explain briefly what they liked about drama games with phrases, such as “fun”, “do real action”, full of excitement” and “no making fun of others”. In addition, my teacher reflection notes documented my observation that students in dramatization condition were a lot more active and energetic than when they were in textbook-only condition.

In dramatization setting, the means of score change are significantly different for at least one of the initial reading ability groups (F2, 21 = 5.576, p < .05), which are “below Grade One expectation”, “at Grade One expectation”, and “exceed Grade One expectation”. Nevertheless, according to my class observation notes, children whose initial English reading ability was “below Grade One expectation”, were as active as others in acting, using props and using new word knowledge in various drama games. These children tended to be more sociable than usual in dramatization setting. Impressively, at the end of this search project, all “below Grade One expectation” children’s reading proficiency met the grade-level expectation and were promoted to Grade Two!

There is no significant difference of score change means between gender groups (F1,22 = .596, p > .001). Expectedly, dramatization is effective on young children regardless of gender. This quantitative data was consistent with my teacher field notes, which recorded that all children (both boys and girls) were actively engaged in acquiring and constructing word knowledge through drama games.

Based on my self-reflection on this action research, I would like to offer the following guidelines to teachers who would like to integrate drama games in their vocabulary curriculum:

1. Use props, costumes and other visual tools to teach tier 1 vocabulary words, which are usually labels and can be taught through direct association with objects. 2. Utilize drama games (e.g. hot-seating, dramatize a story and im

provisation) to teach tier 2 vocabulary, which is usually more experience-oriented. 3. Engage learners, regardless of their age, in the reflective process of stop, think and act. Their voice is essential. 4. Invite other teachers to your drama-driven vocabulary class and seek their feedback. Sometimes they can shed a light on matters that you seem to neglect.

Conclusion Despite the practical constraints (e.g. time was not strictly controlled and small sample size) faced by this action research, this empirical study was expected to explore several implications for early childhood teachers whose schools adopt a textbook-based vocabulary curriculum. Drama games can make traditional textbook-driven vocabulary lessons more interactive and experiential. While dramatization had a statistical significance on vocabulary test scores, young language learners in this study found such an intervention joyful. Further studies should address how drama games can be integrated into a vocabulary curriculum in a coherent and systematic way. It would be beneficial to study whether dramatization has differential impact on particular groups of children, such as emergent bilinguals (in English-speaking schools).

Hamorn K. Y. Lau is a recipients of $1,000 EARCOS Action Research Grant.

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