Page 8 - ELG2102 Feb Issue 474

RESEARCH NEWS .

Sticking to the story helps learners

learn lexis better, study shows

Storytelling without targeted word focus or follow-up activities is the most efficient way to use
stories to introduce new vocabulary to young learners, according to new research from Taiwan

By Gillian Ragsdale
Stories are a popular way to
introduce vocabulary in a SHUTTERSTOCK
meaningful context, but previous
research on how to get the best
use out of storytelling has been
inconstant. It’s common practice
to target key vocabulary and
employ a range of activities, such
as organising scrambled sentences
or using drama to consolidate the
new vocabulary, yet it’s far from
clear if these techniques actually
work or just waste valuable
classroom time.
Ya-Ling Gao and colleagues
put 134 third graders (aged
eight to nine years) into three
randomly selected groups. Each
group had nine weekly 30-minute
storytelling sessions using picture
books, such as I Wish I Were a
Dog and How Do Dinosaurs Say
I Love You? Pupils were given a
vocabulary pre-test and post-test
with a further delayed post-test a
month later. to the amount of time employed students were just told stories: pay natural attention to the
One group listened to the by the three different methods of they learned new words at the speaker, appears to be the best
story and then had some free storytelling, were able to calculate rate of 0.044/minute. method – and one as old as
reading time. The second group’s how efficient each was in terms Looking at videos of the classes, human history. As the researchers
teacher pulled out key vocabulary of words learned per minute of pupils appeared easily distracted quote: “experiences not framed
onto a whiteboard for focused instruction. during the activities, which into story suffer loss in memory”.
attention. The third group had All three groups acquired new may help to explain the poor
targeted activities after the vocabulary. However, pupils in outcome. Given the amount of REFERENCE
story to use the vocabulary. the targeted activities group time such activities consume, it’s ■ Gao, Y-L, Wang, F-Y and Lee,
The details of the method and showed the poorest efficiency useful to know that they may not S-Y (2020): ‘The effects of three
tests had all been tried out and in learning new words: 0.013/ help in consolidating vocabulary, different storytelling approaches on
established in a pilot study on minute. Those whose teacher so the time may well be better vocabulary acquisition and response
66 pupils. focused on key words did better spent elsewhere. patterns of young EFL students’,
The researchers took the test at 0.026/minute. But the most Old-fashioned, straightforward Language Teaching Research. DOI:
scores and, by comparing them efficient learning occurred when storytelling, where the listeners 10.1177/1362168820971789

Oxford solution to research quandary

By Melanie Butler and resources on addressing review of systematic reviews, by the team following a wide-
ELT researchers will be all questions for which an answer is which is also designed as a ranging search, simply go to
too familiar with the problem already known.” clearing house for registrations of IDESR.org and type in second-
outlined here by Dr Hamish The good news is that Dr protocols for planned and ongoing language education to access the
Chalmers: “When we embark Chalmers and his colleagues at the systematic reviews. searchable database.
on new research in education, it University of Oxford Department Better still, the first area IDESR is currently accepting
is imperative that we understand of Education have come up with of education tackled by the protocol registrations in the field of
what is already known about a solution. It’s the International Oxford team is second-language second-language education. Enquiries
our subject of interest. If we don’t, Database of Education Systematic learning, including ELT. To can be sent to Dr Chalmers at
we risk wasting our time, energy Reviews (IDESR), a free-access check out the reviews curated IDESR@education.ox.ac.uk
8 February 2021