Revisiting Total Physical Response: Evaluating Its Impact on Vocabulary Acquisition and Retention in EFL Classrooms

Authors

  • Liqaa Habeb Al-Obaydi

    English Department, College of Education for Human Sciences, University of Diyala, Diyala 32001, Iraq
  • Marcel Pikhart

    Department of Applied Linguistics, Faculty of Informatics and Management, University of Hradec Kralove, 50003 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v6i5.7028
Received: 10 August 2024 | Revised: 19 August 2024 | Accepted: 6 September 2024 | Published Online: 15 November 2024

Abstract

This paper analyzes the impact of physical action on foreign language vocabulary acquisition. Total Physical Response (TPR) is a methodology developed half a century ago that was later abandoned, and there is now relatively little research into its potential for foreign language learning. The researchers aimed to revitalize this methodology and test its impact on vocabulary acquisition and retention in foreign language learning. The study was conducted at a secondary school in Iraq with twenty participants aged 14 to 15 years. A physical action game related to vocabulary spelling was integrated into English as Foreign Language (EFL) classes, after which participants were evaluated on vocabulary acquisition and retention. Additionally, a questionnaire was administered to assess their subjective satisfaction with the methodology. The results indicate that this method significantly enhanced vocabulary acquisition and retention among the students, and their subjective satisfaction was notably high. Given the relatively small sample size, this study serves as a pilot study, to be validated on a larger scale in the future. The implications are relevant for curriculum designers as well as the development of psycholinguistic theory. Further research is needed to explore the mechanisms responsible for improved vocabulary acquisition and retention when using this methodology in the context of emerging cognitive science and psychology.

Keywords:

Psycholinguistics; Applied Linguistics; TPR; Total Physical Response; Foreign Language Learning; Second Language Acquisition; ESL; EFL; TEFL

References

[1] Paul, A.M., 2014. Let's Move! How Body Movements Drive Learning Through Technology. KQED News. Available from: https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/07/11/lets-move-how-body-movementsdrive-learning-through-technology/ (cited 26 June 2017).

[2] Piaget, J., Inhelder, B., 1997. A psicologia da criança, 3rd ed. ASA Editores: Lisboa, Portugal. p. 143.

[3] Xie, R., 2021. The Effectiveness of Total Physical Response (TPR) on Teaching English to Young Learners. Journal of Language Teaching and Research. 12(2), 293–303. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1202.11

[4] Dedić, K., 2021. Attitudes toward Total Physical Response and the Natural approach. International Journal of Multidisciplinary and Current Educational Research. 3(6), 115–122. DOI: https://doi.org/10.58557/ijeh.v1i3.23

[5] Al-Obaydi, L.H., Pikhart, M., Derakhshan, A., 2022. A Qualitative Exploration of Emotional Intelligence in English as Foreign Language Learning and Teaching: Evidence from Iraq and the Czech Republic. Applied Research on English Language. 11(2), 93–124. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22108/ARE.2022.132551.1850

[6] Williams, J.N., 2005. Learning without awareness. Studies in Second Language Acquisition. 27(2), 269–304. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263105050138

[7] Krashen, S., 1989. We acquire vocabulary and spelling by reading: Additional evidence for the input hypothesis. The Modern Language Journal. 73(4), 440–464. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/326879

[8] Rippel, M., 2009. All About Spelling series. The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC. Available from: http://creation.com/effective-spelling-strategies (cited 23 January 2014).

[9] Oflaz, A., 2019. The Foreign Language Anxiety in Learning German and the Effects of Total Physical Response Method on Students' Speaking Skill. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies. 15(1), 70–82. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17263/jlls.547616

[10] Halliwell, S., 1992. Teaching English in the Primary Classroom. Longman: New York, NY, USA. p. 169.

[11] Wright, A., Betteridge, D., Buckby, M., 2005. Games for Language Learning, 3rd ed. Cambridge University Press: New York, NY, USA. p. 193.

[12] Bransford, J.D., Brown, A.L., Cocking, R.R. (Eds.), 2000. How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine: Washington, DC, USA. p. 374.

[13] Liu, F., Vadivel, B., Rezvani, E., et al., 2021. Using games to promote English as a foreign language learners' willingness to communicate: potential effects and teachers' attitude in focus. Frontiers in Psychology. 12, 762447. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.762447

[14] Brown, H.D., 2001. Teaching by Principle: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy. Longman: New York, NY, USA. p. 480.

[15] Harmer, J., 2001. The practice of English language teaching. Pearson Longman: Essex, UK. p. 370.

[16] Teaching Vocabulary Through TPR Method to Children. Available from: http://aminudin241072.wordpress.com/2009/02/08/teaching-vocabulary-through-tpr-method-to-children/ (cited 28 February 2010).

[17] Hounhanou, A.J.V., 2020. Promoting TPR (Total Physical Response) Method in Teaching Vocabulary for EFL Beginners in Benin Secondary Schools. International Journal of Applied Linguistics & English Literature. 9(6), 23–31. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.9n.6p.23

[18] Brown, J.D., Rodgers, T.S., 2002. Doing Second Language Research. Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK.

[19] O'Neill, T., Snow, P., 2016. English For Iraq 3st Intermediate Student's Book. Republic of Iraq - Ministry of Education. Garnet Education: Reading, UK.

[20] Al-Obadyi, L.H., Al-Mosawi, F.R., 2018. Dictogloss as a technique to Raise EFL college students' Knowledge of Grammar, writing and the comprehension of Meaning. International Journal of English Linguistics. 9(1), 293–300. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v9n1p293

[21] Al Harrasi, K.T.S., 2014. Using “total physical response” with young learners in Oman. Childhood Education. 90(1), 36–42. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00094056.2014.872513

[22] Tawafak, R.M., Alfarsi, G., Jabbar, J., 2021. Innovative Smart Phone Learning System for Graphical Systems within COVID-19 Pandemic. Contemporary Educational Technology. 13(3), ep306. DOI: https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/10879

[23] Enayat, M.J., Derakhshan, A., 2021. Vocabulary size and depth as predictors of second language speaking ability. System. 99(102521). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2021.102521

[24] Al-Obaydi, L.H., 2020. Towards Implicit Vocabulary Acquisition of Young Learners: The Use of Input Flooding and Peripheral Learning. The Journal of Asia TEFL. 17(3), 11021110. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2020.17.3.27.1102

[25] Doncheva, J., 2016. Formation of ethical rules (code) in preschoolers through the Bulgarian children's folklore games. Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference; University "Goce Delcev”, Stip, Republic of Macedonia; 24–25 September 2015. pp. 32–35.

[26] Derakhshan, A., Shakki, F., 2019. The effect of incidental and intentional instruction of English collocations on Iranian advanced EFL learners' comprehension. Language Related Research, 10(2), 25–51.

[27] Liu, J., 2011. The effects of glossing on incidental vocabulary learning through reading-based oral tasks. The Journal of Asia TEFL. 8(3), 221–241.

[28] Pishghadam, R., Derakhshan, A., Zhaleh, K., et al., 2021. Students' willingness to attend EFL classes with respect to teachers' credibility, stroke, and success: a cross-cultural study of Iranian and Iraqi students' perceptions. Current Psychology. 40, 1–15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01738-z

[29] Fiore, N., 2014. The Benefits of Movements in School. The Creativity Post. Available from: http://www.creativitypost.com/education/the_benefits_of_movement_in_scho ols?platform=hootsuite (cited 20 June 2024).

[30] Pikhart, M., Al-Obaydi, L.H., Tawafak, R., 2022. The Implementation of Critical Pedagogy in Digital Second Language Acquisition in Higher Education: Age and Gender Differences. Computer-Assisted Language Learning Electronic Journal (CALL-EJ). 23(2), 56–75.

Downloads

How to Cite

Habeb Al-Obaydi, L., & Pikhart, M. (2024). Revisiting Total Physical Response: Evaluating Its Impact on Vocabulary Acquisition and Retention in EFL Classrooms. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 6(5), 822–832. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v6i5.7028

Issue

Vol. 6 , Iss. 5 (November 2024)

Article Type

Article

License

Copyright © 2024 Moussa Diagne Faye, Vini Yves Bernadin Loyara, Amadou Keita, Mamadou Diop, Angelbert Chabi Biaou, Mahamadou Koita, Hamma Yacouba

Creative Commons License

This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.