The Effects Of Applying Pictologics (Pls) Method On English Vocabulary Learning By Malaysian Year Six Primary School Students
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Date
2012-02
Authors
Sasi, Abolfazl Shirban
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Abstract
This study investigated the effects of Pictologics (PLS) method on English vocabulary learning by Malaysian Year Six primary school students. One hundred and thirty Year Six Malaysian primary students in two public schools in Bukit Mertajam in the state of Penang, Malaysia participated in this experiment. They were almost equally divided into two groups: the treatment group which received their training with PLS; and the control group that received their instruction via a conventional method. The research was a Concurrent-Triangulation-Strategy Mixed Methods in which the quantitative section contained a Pretest-Posttest Control-Group Design. A50-item TOEFL vocabulary test, in addition to a multiple-choice questionnaire were administered for the quantitative section. The two methods of instruction, i.e. PLS and the conventional method were the independent variables. Moreover; students’ gain score in English vocabulary, and students’ opinion towards the usage of imagination and pictures were the dependant variables. The control variable was the students’ gender. Also, imagination and critical thinking were considered as the intervening (mediating) variables. The analysis of the quantitative data revealed that students under PLS obtained a significantly higher gain score in the vocabulary test than the students under the conventional method. However, the difference between the vocabulary gain score between the male and female students in the treatment group was not significant. Furthermore, there was a significant difference between the control and the treatment groups as to their opinion towards usage of imagination and pictures in teaching English; the students under PLS felt more positive towards learning English via imagination and pictures. In the qualitative section of this study, various interviews with the students, the English teachers who had participated in the PLS training sessions, and students’ parents; as well as the researcher’s direct observations during the experiment, his field notes, video films and photos; and finally the open-ended version of the opinion questionnaire which was administered at the end of the experiment, were being utilized. The analysis of these qualitative data demonstrated that not only can PLS help students learn English vocabulary more efficiently; it can provide them with tools to become better critical thinkers. PLS also changes students’ opinion towards the process of teaching/learning English by imagination and pictures. It can also help students to become more focused in their other subjects of study. This study concluded that by applying the PLS method in the English language classes, the students can learn better and faster. Furthermore, provided that the teachers be trained properly, and the students are taught sufficiently to use the various techniques which PLS improvises, they will face a brighter future in their education.
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Keywords
APPLYING PICTOLOGICS , ENGLISH VOCABULARY