CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction

The purpose of this study is to identify salient aspects and relationship of

implementation of storytelling and primary school students achievement in
learning English language for year three students in one of the school in Ampang
Valley known as SRK TAMAN KOSAS. In other words, this research is fully based
and concentrates on a school in Ampang and to investigate thoroughly and in
various aspects about teaching and implementing storytelling for English
subject.
To achieve the objective of this paper the research instruments , namely the
questionnaires, interviews and observation (Triangulation of data) used to collect
the information, and the method used to validate the findings of the research
project.

3 Methods
In this chapter I will describe how the present study was conducted: research
methods, setting, sample and informants (including research ethics), data
collection and
analysis. Towards the end of the chapter, the studys validity, reliability and
transferability
are commented upon.
3.1 Research methods
The research questions addressed in this study were as follows:
1. How is the storytelling approach perceived and used amongst L2 (English)
teachers in Ukraine?
2. How is the storytelling approach perceived and used amongst L2 teachers in
Norway?
3. What are the differences and similarities between Ukrainian and Norwegian
teachers use of storytelling and what can be learned from the Norwegian
experience?

4. Which challenges do teachers and students experience while working with

the storytelling technique and how do they deal with these challenges?
To receive answers to the research questions, I used qualitative research
methods,
more specifically semi-structured interviews. According to Johnson and
Christensen
(2012), qualitative research methods are well suited for studies where little is
known
about the topic or phenomenon, and when one wants to discover or learn more
about it
(2012:33). As was mentioned earlier, it is difficult to come by information about
Ukrainian
English teachers practices and attitudes concerning the use of storytelling in
language
teaching. Therefore, a qualitative approach to the issue appears sensible. It
would have
been interesting to combine qualitative interviews with a statistical survey with a
large
number of teachers addressed, but, due to the scope of this project, I find it
necessary to
limit the study to qualitative research. Duff (2012) notes that the greatest
strength of
qualitative studies is their ability to exemplify larger processes or situations in a
very
accessible, concrete, immediate, and personal manner. In qualitative research,
new
directions for the field may result from insights generated by the data collected.
As
qualitative studies seek depth rather than breadth in its scope and analysis, its
goal is not to
universalize but to particularize and then yield insights of potentially wider
relevance and
theoretical significance. (Duff 2012: 96). In addition, conducting qualitative
studies has
considerable practical value because only a small number of individuals and sites
are

normally involved, and participants may thus be easier to recruit and

permissions may be
easier to obtain than in a study with a different design for which hundreds of
permissions
from institutions etc. might be required. (Duff 2012:103).
3.2 Settings and informants
The setting in this study relates to where and when the data was collected, the
informants are those individuals who provided the empirical data. In qualitative
studies it is particular important to consider the kinds and the number
of participants one wishes to study closely, and the criteria for their recruitment
and
selection. (Duff 2012:105). In my study it was important to include several
informants
representing both Ukraine and Norway, as one of the research aims was to
compare the
experiences of the teachers. As I saw it, there were clear conditions and criteria
for
choosing the informants. The main focus of the study was children in the prereading
period, and as a result, I was interested in recruiting informants who teach
English to
children in the last years of kindergarten and early in school, independent of
gender or age.
Using my own and my supervisors contacts, I approached five schools and one
kindergarten, one private and two public schools in Ukraine, one public school,
one special
needs school and one private kindergarten in Norway. There were six informants,
five
female teachers and one male teacher. The six participants in this study are
between 23 and
65 years old and their amount of experience as teachers of English varied from
one to
forty-five years (tab.2
The goal of my research was not to generalize from a representative sample, but
to

gain a deeper insight into the subject through in-depth talks with a few teachers
about the
nature of the phenomenon. The focus of my study was children in the prereading period,
and the type of the educational institution was of less relevance. In a discussion
with my
supervisor it was decided to add informants who work at other types of
educational
institutions than ordinary primary school to widen the research and get a wider
range of
children. We managed to secure an interview with a teacher at one of the very
few
kindergartens where they teach English, and also at a unique school where the
classes for
historical reasons consist of both children whose intellectual development has
been normal,
and others, whose intellectual age require pre-school type teaching.
3.3 Research ethics
As there are ethical aspects involved in interview research, the research process
must
rely on research ethics. Kvale and Brinkmann (2010) suggest the following areas
to be
taken into account: informed consent, confidentiality, potential consequences
and the
researchers role.
The research participants were fully informed about the main purpose of the
research
and its main design features. They were also informed that their participation
was
voluntary and they could withdraw at any moment. For these purposes, each
time before
interviewing I delivered a short oral introduction on my project and the interview
procedure itself.
To ensure the anonymity of the teachers, they have been assigned aliases: Anne,
Therese and Jessica from Norway and Viktor, Marina and Nina from Ukraine.

The next ethical consideration is the researchers responsibility to evaluate

whether
the project might lead to negative consequences for the informants in relation
both to their
participation in the study and to the researchers interpretation of the data. To
make sure I
was not misinterpreting the answers, I repeated them to the informants during
the
interview, checking that I had understood correctly, and at the same time giving
them the
opportunity to add other comments.
The researchers role is to conduct the interviews competently, ask good followup
questions and generally be able to lead informants to speak freely on the topic of
interest.
Testing the questions on my fellow students and colleagues prior to interviews
and
preliminary practice helped me feel comfortable with the interview guide and
have more
focus on the informants.
According to the regulations, when conducting research with informants, the
project
must be approved by the Norwegian Social Science Data Service (NSD). We
applied to the
NSD for approval to conduct the study and received the answer that the project
was not
considered subject to notification.
3.4 Collecting data
For research purposes I decided to conduct face-to-face interviews with three
English
teachers in primary school in Ukraine and three English teachers in primary
school in
Norway. For my project I prepared semi-structured interviews, which ask openended
questions of the interviewee (Johnson and Christensen 2012). As is the norm for
semistructured

interviews, topics and questions were prepared beforehand by making an

interview guide (see appendix 1). This allowed me to adjust the questions for
each
interview situation, and the use of the guide made sure that all the important
topics were
discussed during the interview.
Each interview began with some opening questions about the teachers
background
in terms of working experience and education. This information is relevant for the
later
analysis, as I am interested in looking for a correlation between the teachers
background
and their attitude towards the storytelling method. Considerable attention was
paid to
general questions about teaching methods and materials used in the classroom
and the
teachers experience with them. This approach provided the interviewees with an
opportunity to talk spontaneously about the positive and negative aspects of the
different
techniques they use. As the overreaching aim of my study is to investigate the
need for
new teaching materials, many of the questions were directed specifically at any
drawbacks
and inconveniences the teachers might experience with the existing materials
and at a
discussion of what could be improved.
The use of a digital recorder is undoubtedly the most common method of
recording
interview data because it has the obvious advantage of preserving the entire
verbal part of
the interview for later analysis. The main drawbacks with recording are the
possible
malfunctioning of equipment and that some respondents may be nervous to talk
while
being recorded. As my methodology was pilot-tested before the main study, I
had an

Introduction and Problem Statement

According to Martin Rayala, art, media and design consultant for the Department
of
Public Instruction (2004), There are seven ways to communicate information,
and words and
numbers are only two of them. The other five are: movement, sound, images,
objects, and
spaces. (p. 2)
While traditionally in higher educational settings learning is conducted through
instructionalism, a curriculum based on a single means of communication; there
are cognitive
benefits to learning through a visual medium.
According to James S. Catteralls essay, The Arts and the Transfer of Learning
(2002),
how we experience information is directly proportional to how we learn
information. Thus by
learning through the five other methods of communication, one can stimulate
other parts of the
brain that coincide with how we learn other information.
For example hearing a single musical note for the first time has substantial
impact on the
brain. It can cause multiple reactions such as memory, linguistic and rational
responses and/or
autonomous reactions.
Within higher educational settings students today have access to a vast array of
technologies that can assist in communicating through a visual medium.
Technologies like video,
blogs, and websites, offer students countless resources for both learning and
creation
Unfortunately students have too little knowledge of available tools and
methodologies
that technology can offer. Traditionally both educators and students have been
slow to

incorporate new technologies into the classrooms. Educators seem content with
using technology
for administrative purposes as opposed to actual integration to help facilitate the
process of
learning. While students dont seem to realize any other means of presenting a
project than
through boring mundane slide presentations.
Pamela Harris Lawton recognizes that traditional learning and success has been
associated with the logical analytical thinking associated with the left-brain is no
longer
sufficient in a society that communicates through visual mediums. Rather the
abilities associated
with right-brain thinking, artistry, empathy, seeing the big picture and pursuing
the
transcendent, (p.10) is more relevant in todays society.
One of the problems is that the higher educational setting is designed through a
traditional means of students attending a lecture twice a week for a few hours,
asked to read and
memorize a textbook, then graded based on performance on a mid-term and
final, leaving the
student unengaged, bored, and not learning to their fullest potential.
Students want to be engaged and want to learn. But in order for them to do this
they need
to care about what they are learning. Visual communication through technology
and creation
enables students to care about what they are producing, thus having a stronger
impact on the
students understanding of content.
There are many technologies available to students that can help enhance
student learning.
Some examples of these technologies and how they help student learning are as
follows:
Blogs are online journals, or news feeds, that allow for instant publishing,
which
can include texts and graphics, and is readily available to the world. It allows for

feedback, and is a unique way for individuals to represent themselves online.

Additional benefits include student literacy, linguistic development, and creative
expression
Digital Stories are the use of digital media that tells a story, usually through
video.
Students form a bond to what they are learning through the aspect of creation,
changing a students mentality from having to learn, to wanting to learn.
Wikis are online documents that can be edited repeatedly and divided into
sections
based on content. Students learn collaboration, editing skills, organization skills,
and
exposure to the idea of never having a finished product.
Project Purpose and Improvement Goals
The purpose of this project is to help students communicate more effectively
visually by
becoming more proficient and familiar with alternative methodologies that
technology offers, in
addition to transitioning students to think, outside the box, helping to foster
creativity and
imagination in their learning process.
Key Questions and Tasks
I plan to improve student learning by creating an experimental class at the
University of
Delaware that helps students by focusing on projects and assignments that
incorporate creative
visual learning with technology. Throughout this process I will measure my
findings based on
student performance both within the class, and how they continue to use the
skills acquired.
Following are a set of key questions I will keep in mind throughout this process.
These
prompts suggest areas I need to explore, and develop to delve into a more
effective learning
environment.

What are the traditional means of instructionalism?

-Uniform Learning
-Teacher Control
-Teacher as Expert
-Standard Assessment
-Knowledge in Lead
-Coverage
-Learning by Absorption
-Just in Case Learning
Why do students tend to work in traditional means of instructionalism?
-Examine traditional means of instructionalism and the cognitive impact on
students learning
abilities.
What are the benefits of creative visual learning?
-Constructionist method i.e. learning by creation suggests students learn best
when they are
actively engaged in creating something they care about.
How does technology offer solutions in creative learning

Integrating storytelling objectives in daily teaching

Teaching objectives of storytelling

skills training in the curriculum

Suggested daily class activities

1. To help students feel at ease and

c) Story warmers relax, group dynamics, trust-building.

minimize their stage fright when

speaking to others- confidence
building

2. To encourage students to select

appropriate aids to supplement their
self-expression

a)

3. To help students to learn to visualize

Use puppets, any relevant objects, students own picture book,

Story time hat, scarf to draw attention of audience

f)

images when learning a story

Stick puppets to instruct change of voice of characters

4. To help students to empathize with

others, and to show emotion and
mood with body language

g)

5. To encourage students to have

spontaneous oral production with
emphasis on coherence, and the
mood of the story

expression with emphasis on the use

of body language, manipulation of
setting, to make a lively and
communicative presentation

7. To encourage students to speak at a

moderate pace, have clear
enunciation, and pay attention to the
following phonetic features:
Consonant clusters, stress, linkage,
single word and phrases

Role play before a full length mirror

A story of gesture- e.g. from a happy girl to an old woman who
is coughing, when you find something in a box and feel
surprised,..

b)

6. To encourage students to have self

Improvisations
Play narrator- dramatize story moments
Use TV episodes, comic books

On the ball (Whoever gets a ball has to speak on a topic)

Continuous story (using Powerpoint, cue cards)
Impromptu stories/speech (e.g. If there is no sun tomorrow)
One-minute morning speech
Retelling: Change ideas, feelings, values of characters: a hero
into a heroine, foolish behaviour into brave behaviour;
expanding or reducing the story; combining 2 stories, improving
the story- change the sequence of events.(All these can be
drawn from stories in textbooks, or the short stories in Reading
Workshops).

h)

More drama skills practice

Play charades#

d)

Phonics workshop
Tongue twisters
Sound patterns practice
Retell a story with a change of words- original words into all
words with a particular consonant cluster, vowel..
Singing

8. A second target after

pronunciationTo encourage
students to express other shades of
meaning of a message through a
change of stress, and tones

9. To develop students ability to pay

attention to the coherence in speech
delivery and to be able to memorize
chunks of utterance effectively.

e)
A game to contribute a sent to a story-Fortunately (rising to
show positive aspect), unfortunately (fall to show negative
aspect)

Games to elicit the use of question types (rise for questing for
information, fall for questing for agreement of the content; and
listing examples Do you want tea, coffee or Horlick? (rise>
rise> rise> fall)

Yes/No questions and Wh- questions; question tags.

(All these may be practice using dialogues at lower primary level)

I)

Simon says (memory game)

Chinese Whispers (memory game)
Group picture story making
Add-a-line story making
3-part flow chart story, eight-box flow chart
Clothes line story making- clip some pictures on a clothes line
in the classroom. Ask groups to sequence them to make a story
from time to time.
Recount : students own experience-releasers e.g. a toy of mine,
a particular time when I was ill.
Ambiguous pictures- draw a stick person and a rectangle.
Students to guess what it is about, and what will happen next.
Teacher then draws the next bit of clues to encourage guessing.

2.7. EVALUATION SHEET Name of activity

Skills practised
Level of activity
Communication:
- Information gap
- Choice
- feedback
Preparation Time
Comments
Realisation Time

learnt/revised
things
Appropriate
(Would you use it?)