CHAPTER IV FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
4.2 Discussion
The first discussion was about how the teacher implemented TPR method in his English teaching. The themes were discussed in groups based on three categorize namely physical activity, language, literacy, and communication, and social relation. The data discussed were the results of observations that I had collected.
The first was physical activity that contained four TPR activities conducted by the teacher, namely song with gesture, TPR game, gesture the word, and instruction and gesture. In the beginning, there was a song with gestures. This activity was related to the TPR activity proposed by Er (2013), which was written in the literature review. Song materials that were accompanied by gestures could be more memorable for students because they enjoyed the activity. Song in English language learning was useful as a motivational interest of students and had produced positive results in vocabulary recall (Engh, 2013). The next physical activity was TPR game. TPR game was related to the TPR activity proposed by Er (2013) written in the literature review. The teacher always invited students to learn while playing in every meeting. He played several games, but not all of them used TPR method. Based on the results of my observations, games that used physical activity made students have more fun. He also said in the interview that children loved to do movements. This was the reason why the teacher used games for his teaching activities. Students always enjoyed physical games because they liked kinesthetic activities. It was also conveyed by Shin (2009) that young learners were very energetic and interested in physical activity. Gesture the word was the next TPR activity of this theme. In the learning process, the teacher always gestured the word he said. Gesturing the word could help students who didn't know and had difficulty in understanding words or when they wanted to speak but didn't know the word in English. As the example in Findings, the teacher gave gestures to words that the students could not guess. Students were also allowed to respond to the teacher nonverbally (with gesture or movement) at first if they did not know how to respond verbally. Allowing students to respond to the teacher with gestures also helped to build their self-confidence and kept
them from feeling pressured. The last physical activity was instruction and command. It was a TPR activity implemented by the teacher in his teaching. It was in line with the literature review. Er (2013) and Savic (2014) stated that instructions and commands were TPR activities to encourage students' vocabulary. Based on the results of observations, the teacher used instruction and command as an ice-breaking during the learning process. This was intended to arouse students' enthusiasm and focus. In addition, the instructions and commands mentioned by the teacher were also intended to increase students' vocabulary in a fun way. Students were very enthusiastic every time it was an ice-breaking time.
The second was language, literacy, and communication that oversaw two themes, namely teaching vocabulary and teaching speaking. It was in accordance with Savic (2014) who said that the TPR method was used to teach speaking and graded vocabulary to young learners. Based on the results of observations, the teacher taught vocabulary to students with movement activities. He taught vocabulary to students using games, song materials, and also gesturing the words.
It was in line with Klimova (2013), who in his research said that TPR method was the most effective method for teaching vocabulary to children because they could learn while playing, singing, and doing other physical activities. Teaching vocabulary with TPR method was found to be beneficial for academic learning and processing, as well as for speed and memory (Rakison & Woodward, 2008).
The next TPR activity observed was teaching speaking. According to Oflaz (2018), students often feel anxious and even afraid when they have to speak a foreign language due to the fear of making mistakes. The use of TPR method was able to reduce students' speaking anxiety. It was in line with the teacher who used TPR method to teach speaking to his students. TPR activities in teaching speaking were applied in the form of games to make it more enjoyable for the students. The teacher also encouraged students to come forward and introduce themselves to boost their confidence in public speaking. Throughout the learning process, students were allowed to respond nonverbally (with gestures) if they were unsure how to respond verbally, so they did not feel pressured. These factors made the TPR method suitable for teaching speaking. Based on observations, students
joined the learning process joyfully. This was because young learners were more inclined to learn and retain language knowledge when they were involved in activities they liked (Nair, 2018).
The third was social relation and teamwork was the only theme discussed in this paragraph. The teacher implemented two TPR games in groups to introduce students to how to socialize with their friends. He also mentioned during the interview that students were taught teamwork because they enjoyed studying together, communicated with each other, and complemented each other. Young learners liked to participate in social activities and had a greater ability to communicate with others, such as with teachers and other students. It aimed to enhance their social development and allowed their minds to expand as they learned and grew together (Nair, 2018). Based on the observations, students were excited when they were asked to play games in the group. They worked together and communicated with each other to complete the game. This could help their social development. They could also learn to share and manage tasks with each other so that they could finish the game successfully. Teamwork activities could invite students to be active and interact with their friends.
Based on the TPR method theory, teachers are allowed to carry out exercises repeatedly. The Seiza English school teacher did the same thing during the observation. According to the observation results, he repeated the material by singing songs, reading a list of vocabulary at the pre-activity of class sesion, and reviewing what was learned in the previous class. He always reviewed the material so that the students could memorize what was learned.
The second discussion revolved around the teacher's reasons of why he used TPR method to teach English to young learners. Similar to the first discussion, the second discussion was divided into three themes. The first theme focused on how the TPR method influenced students' feelings. The second theme discussed the TPR method's suitability to the students' characteristics. Lastly, the third theme focused of the learning atmosphere when using TPR method. The data discussed in this section were obtained from the interviews conducted with the Seiza English School teacher.
The first theme was how TPR method affects the students' feelings. Based on the interview results, the teacher was asked about the reasons for using TPR method in his English teaching. One of the reasons the teacher mentioned was that this method positively affected students' feelings. The various physical activities carried out by the teacher made the students feel pleased. This was in line with Savic's (2014) statement that the TPR method had the potential to create a fun and enjoyable learning process. The students assumed physical activities to be fun and exciting. When this method was applied, the students always responded enthusiastically and were eager to participate in every learning activity. The teacher also revealed some advantages he felt related to students' feelings during the learning process. The teacher said that through TPR activities, students did not feel like they were learning because they enjoyed themselves, even though, in reality, they were learning. According to the teacher's opinions, students' feelings played an important role in the learning process. If students enjoyed and felt excited about participating in learning activities, the teaching and learning process would run smoothly, and students would be able to understand the lessons presented easily.
The second theme was about the suitability of the TPR method to students' characteristics. The teacher stated that the other reason for using the TPR method was because of its relevance to the characteristics of young learners. Based on the interview, the teacher explained that young learners typically enjoy kinesthetic activities and physical movement. Thus, the TPR method was a suitable approach to teaching them. In fact, the TPR method offers various enjoyable activities in that students can participate (Singh, 2011). The teacher also mentioned that young learners used to get bored easily. This method allowed the teacher to implement various fun activities, such as games, song with gesture, gesturing the word, and giving instruction and command. It created a positive mood for the students so they could increase their motivation and achievement in learning foreign languages.
The third theme discussed the learning atmosphere when using TPR method. The teacher stated that a pleasant classroom atmosphere was one of the
reasons for using this method. Based on the interview results, he mentioned that this method creates a relaxed and enjoyable learning environment. As the learning activities were conducted in a fun way, the learning atmosphere was not stressful.
This was consistent with Shi (2018) that concluded that TPR method creates a more relaxed learning environment. Young learners needed to be physically active, learn by doing, and have a stress-free learning atmosphere (Savic, 2014).
With various TPR activities, such as games, songs with gestures, and other physical activities, students did not feel pressured or stressed while studying.
Moreover, the teacher allowed students to respond to the teacher nonverbally at first if they did not know how to respond verbally. This aligned with Savic's (2014) statement that the TPR method helped students respond to the teacher through gestures, particularly if they were still unable to respond verbally. This approach relieved the pressure on students and made the learning atmosphere more comfortable. However, it cannot be denied that the teacher also experienced difficulties in implementing this method. Sometimes, students became too excited about the games which caused a chaotic atmosphere in the class. In the interview, the teacher mentioned that he implemented a point reduction system if the students became too loud and disruptive to manage the class to keep it conducive.
In the interview, the teacher explained why he did not include storytelling and role-playing in his teaching process. This was different from what was mentioned in the literature review, as Er (2013) and Savic (2014) described storytelling and role-playing as TPR activities. The Seiza English teacher did not implement these two activities because they required preparation time that extended beyond one class session. This could make students feel bored, as some students performed while others only listened without actively participating. The process also took a lot of time, thereby reducing class productivity.
43 CHAPTER V
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS
5.1 Conclusion
This research analyzed how the English school teacher implemented TPR method. From the findings, there were four TPR activities implemented by the teacher, namely song with gesture, TPR game, gesture the word, and instruction and command. The TPR method was implemented for teaching speaking and vocabulary to young learners. The teacher also improved students' social relations by implementing TPR games in the form of teamwork. This was in line with what the teacher had said during the interview, that young learners preferred to study together, communicate with each other, and work together. Furthermore, the teacher repeatedly taught and reviewed the learning materials so students could memorize and understand what had been studied. Additionally, not all TPR activities could be implemented. It was necessary to pay attention to the classroom circumstances during the teaching-learning process to determine which learning activities were suitable to be implemented in the class.
In addition, the research aimed to investigate the teacher's reasons regarding why he used TPR method in teaching English to young learners in an English school. Based on the interview results, it could be concluded that the teacher used TPR method because it positively affected students' feelings. This method allowed the teacher to implement a lot of fun TPR activities that kept students excited and engaged. Besides that, TPR method was related to the characteristics of young learners who liked kinesthetic activities and got bored easily. Creating a pleasant learning atmosphere was also a reason for using this method. However, according to the teacher's experiences, the use of this method presented an obstacle. Sometimes, students became too excited about the game, which led to a chaotic atmosphere in the class. Nevertheless, the teacher had his way of dealing with this by implementing a point-reduction system for students
who were not conducive to the learning process. Even so, there were more positive advantages than obstacles when using this method.
5.2 Suggestions
After conducting the research, I would have proposed several suggestions to the teacher and future researchers. The suggestions were proposed for the following stakeholders:
5.2.1 Teachers
Based on my research, in order to determine which TPR activities are effective to be implemented in the language learning process, it is crucial for teachers to have a thorough understanding of the classroom conditions. This includes factors such as learning duration and student abilities. Teachers need to consider these aspects to select TPR activities that align with the specific needs and characteristics of their students. This consideration ensures that the selected TPR activities are relevant, engaging, and conducive to effective language learning for the specific classroom context.
5.2.2 Future Researchers
Future researchers are encouraged to conduct further and more comprehensive studies on the outcomes experienced by students when using the TPR method. This is because the scope of this research is limited to the analysis of how to use the TPR method. It is recommended that future studies explore and investigate the impact of the TPR method on various aspects of student learning, such as language proficiency, motivation, and engagement. Furthermore, it is suggested that other researchers interested in investigating similar topics explore different research settings such as diverse educational institutions and utilizing various research designs, such as experimental or longitudinal studies.
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