FRAMEWORKS OF ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL

1.0

INTRODUCTION
1.1

The Background of the Study

Action research generally came to be understood as an action reflection and

cycle of planning, acting, observing and reflecting. This cycle can be described as
the process of action research as. We review our current practice, identify an aspect
we want to improve, imagine away forward, try it out, and take stock of what
happens. We modify our plan in light of what we have found and continue w ith the
action, evaluate the modified action and so on until we are satisfied with that aspect
of our work.
For me as the final year pupils in the Institut Pendidikan Guru, we are required
to do an action research on a selected issue to be diagnosed and ways to improve
on it. This is done as to the needs of completing the PISMP course. The research
would be done along the course of our third phase practicum.
For this action research, I have came out with a few topics, but finally I came
out on how to deals with the problems of young learners especially from my school
that pupils are mostly not interested in reading english books. The research is
focused on motivating children to read books in English and enhance understanding
by using big books as a tool to promote reading. Big Books are magnified or
enlarged versions of children's books, usually narratives and are considered to be
one of the most effective ways of getting young children involved with into reading.
For this research, I have provide some valuable facts why reading in english
is important and beneficial and what makes you a good teacher. I hope all the
information and valuable facts gained from this thesis will help me to improve and
enrich my teaching practice and demonstrate achildren that reading in Eenglish is
fun. Every class in primary schools now spends part of each literacy lesson looking
at a book together, but it is difficult for thirty children and a teacher to discuss the
contents of the book and for them to share and view one book of an ordinary or small
size. Hence the large format book is designed for the whole class to share and
participate in the instructional program. This big book could perhaps offer an
excellent way to develop literacy, in particular, the learning of new vocabulary and
enhancing comprehension of texts, as well as the appreciation of literature in primary
schools in Malaysia. The advantage of the big book is it comprises self contained

double page spreads display of appealing colorful photographs, fact files, board
games and stories of our daily life which capture the distinctive physical and cultural
aspects of life in Malaysia
A good quality big book can be the basis of a brilliant lesson which
allows all the children to enjoy reading the text, learning varied sentences and new
words, in line with the literacy framework stipulated in the syllabus. However, merely
enlarging an existing book will not be adequate without good illustrations. Some
books have small print, which could be a disadvantage to pupils sitting at the back of
a classroom. This may result in them losing focus of any discussion that is taking
place.
Big books are a valuable tool in the teaching of English for children in
Malaysia as English is their second and third language. Teachers agree that using
big books can improve the development of the four language skills. The introductory
part of the lessons, which include the reading and discussion of the big books,
followed by activities based on the theme of the book, promote pupils' interest in
learning English. Children's confidence in using English can be enhanced. In
addition, using the big book creates a relaxing learning environment (Normaliza Abd
Rahim et.al, 2008).
Positive attitude towards reading can also be fostered among pupils through
the use of the big book. For instance, Morris et. al (2003) points out that pupils age
7-9 years old seem to have a positive attitude towards lessons using the big book.
Sitting on the floor and listening to the teacher reading appears to be a highly
enjoyable and positive experience.
For the research, I will try to provide some valuable facts clarifying why
reading in English is important and beneficial and what makes a good teacher of
reading. I hope all the information and valuable facts gained from this diploma thesis
will help me to improve and enrich my teaching practice and demonstrate children
that reading in English is fun.

1.2

The Reflection of Past Teaching Experience

I have been to three different schools for my practicum. For the first practicum,
I went to SK Felda. In this school, the use of English language is only during school
time, and to be exact pupils only learn English during English lesson. The pupils are
mostly from farmer and plantation workers who are not so able to use English at

home. Thus the results, pupils are weak in English and only depends on the teacher
to learn. For the second school, I went to SK Oran for two month. As a teacher, It
was an enjoyable experience for me as the surrounding is warm and I got support
from the teachers there. As in teaching, the same problems from the first practicum
also occurs here. The pupils are not exposed to learn English covertly from their
surroundings. It is quite challenging task to teach a year three without any interest in
learning English.
I realise that quite a lot of pupils from all these schools are having that pupils
have problem not interested in reading especially English, and this is also happening
in my new school for the practicum phase 3. From my experiences of attending
these schools, I can relate that both pupils in each schools needs something new to
trigger their interests in reading English books. During the teaching and learning
lesson, I have done a lot of activities to grab the pupils attention to read in English.
There are poem reciting, choral reading, jazz chant, choral speaking and other fun
activities. These activities looks enjoyable for pupils, but not as there is one activity
that I find very interesting for the pupils and can suit the teaching and learning
session well that is using big book.
From my experiences and observations, In planning a lesson for the teaching
and learning, I have conducted activities by using big book especially for language
arts and reading class. I have been using big book during practicum phase 1, phase
2, and also phase 3. So I have gone through some experiences by using the big
book and its effects on the process of teaching and learning. That is why I am using
big book as my focus on the action research because of the experience that I have.

2.0 THE FOCUS OF INVESTIGATION

1.3

The research issue

The issue is pupils are mostly not interested in reading especially English.
Pupils from my school are not interested to read. As we all know, this will influence

their language development and knowledge about the subjects. From reading, pupils
can gain a lot of benefit such as expanding their vocabulary, boost creativity,improve
writing skills, enhance memory and analytical thinking. So, if the pupils are neglected
in reading, what should we do to grab their attention and have them to sit down and
read?
When teaching English to young learners, I recognised the fact that children
at primary schools read very much for practice, which means that they only when
they are asked to, however, they do not read much for pleasure. I believe that
presenting language through big books and activities related to big book is one of
effective ways of teaching and learning English.
Through reading or listening stories from the big books, children develop their
imagination, creativity and making predictions. It involves them into the learning
process and thus they absorb the language naturally and with fun. The problem is
that the pupils in my school do not read much for pleasure in their free time and their
ability to use the knowledge extracted from the book is very low. I chose this topic as
I would like to imrove the pupils interest in reading find the most suitable and efficient
methods and activities motivating children to read books in English by using the big
book.
Why use big book?
Big Books are a valuable tool in the teaching of English. Teachers agree that
using Big Books can improve the development of the four language skills. The
introductory part of our lessons, which include the reading and discussion of Big
Books, followed by activities based on the theme of the book, promote pupils'
interest in learning English. Children's confidence in using English can increase and
using Big Books creates a relaxing learning environment.
Pupils have a positive attitude towards Big Book lessons. Sitting on the floor
and listening to the teacher read appears to be a highly enjoyable and positive
experience. In addition, they enjoy the language games in groups or pairs that often
follow the reading of Big Books. Pupils usually are on task during pair/group work.
They are willing to take risks and work collaboratively on art work. Pairs and groups
are enthusiastic about reporting their work. There is always increased motivation,
enjoyment and participation in Big Book lessons.
When teachers choose Big Books, they should look for a degree of repetitive
language structure; themes that would interest and motivate pupils, and bright,

colourful illustrations. Pupils show enthusiasm for the illustrations each time the
teacher turns a page. Pupils' facial expressions and their oral expressions are clear
indicators of their interest in the illustrations. They encourage creative responses.
They inspire many of the less able pupils to respond in English, thus encouraging
responses from all ability levels.
All students of differing abilities are interested in big book. They are motivated
by the big book and they respond well to questioning and reading with the teacher.
They usually respond to the best of their abilities and clearly display a very high
degree of interest in the lesson.

Using the Big Book in the Classroom

The Big Book is a rich source of many activities which promote reading and
meet curriculum objectives (Strickland, 1988; Strickland and Morrow, 1990; Cassady,
1988). Depending on the developmental level of the pupils and the teaching
objectives, different strategies can be used.
(1) Activating Prior Knowledge
Before the actual reading the teacher can ask the children what they think the story
is going to be about by engaging in a discussion of the title and the illustration on the
cover page. By using clues from the text and their background knowledge, children
are encouraged to make inferences and formulate predictions, a strategy that all
proficient readers indulge in.

(2) Modelling the Thinking Process

Strickland (1990) suggests that the teacher occasionally use the first reading to
demonstrate how readers think when they read a text. As the teacher reads the story
enthusiastically, she thinks aloud about her own understanding. She models selfqueries such as, "I wonder if this story is going to be about...", "This is a little
confusing but I will keep on reading to find out more", "This is a new word. Could it
mean...?" or "If I were..., I wouldn't do it because ...". The pupils, as they observe the
teacher, soon realise that reading involves bringing together what they already know
with what they actually see in print, in order to construct their own meaning. This is
particularly significant for the less proficient readers, many of whom think that
reading is limited to accurate decoding.

(3) Tracking Print

As the teacher reads aloud, she follows the text with her hand or a pointer.
This ensures that the children can see exactly what the teacher is reading and they
learn to associate sound with the printed symbol. Children who learn to finger point
demonstrate higher levels of concepts of print and phonemic awareness (Morris
et.al, 2003). In the same vein, the teacher can introduce terms of book language
such as 'word', 'sentence', 'page', 'author' and 'title' in naturally occurring contexts,
e.g. "I like this word because it reminds me of...".
(4) Encouraging Skills of Prediction
As the teacher reads aloud, she can pause at suitable junctures to allow
pupils to predict the words or phrases that should follow. The children will carry out
the task easily and with pleasure because they have heard the words being

repeatedly read and also because of the rhyming structures. Similarly at strategic
points teachers can stop and ask children to predict what will happen next in the
story. Besides the sense of fun and active involvement that is encouraged, children
are also being trained to use the story line to anticipate and predict.

1.4

What is learnt about the research issue

1. The Importance of Reading Books for Children

Children are being told that books and reading are good for them. They hear it
especially from their teachers at school. However, teachers should be able to
motivate children to read. Reading books has both social and emotional value. It
significantly influences the childs language development and communicative skills.
In one analysis of vocabulary development, through reading books and television
programmes, it was found that even in preschool childrens books it was noticed that
there was more sophisticated vocabulary than in adult television shows (Temple
435).
Moreover, it has been proved that early readers show better results on
language screening tests than children who started to read later (Morrow 105). By
reading books, children can develop their fantasy and imagination, creativity, their
general knowledge of the world, moral and culture values. Furthermore, reading

enables the children to dream and enriches their lives. If teachers are capable of
inspiring children to read, they can help them to think of books as a great source of
new knowledge, pleasure and fun and thus encourage children to want to be
readers.
2. The Value of Learning English through Reading
According to Halliwell, language teaching should be combined with real life.
However, teachers should bear in mind that reality for children involves fantasy and
imagination as well (qtd. in Bobulov 15). Therefore, the role of imagination and
fantasy, being an indispensable part of all childrens books, are essential for
childrens motivation to learn English. To help children develop their language skills
through reading books, teachers can provide children with books where varieties of
language are incorporated. Some childrens books are focused on the sounds of
language, and thus provide childrens language stock with new phonemes. Other
books enable to develop syntactic complexity and the use of various adjectives and
adverbs, such as the book Were Going on a Bear Hunt. Craft books force children to
understand and follow directions.
Big books enable them to make their own stories. Realistic books, such as the
book Silly Billy, deal with childrens everyday problems. Discussions of these
problems encourage children to express themselves, their feelings and worries
through the foreign language. Poetry and nursery rhymes help children to learn
rhymes, introduce them to figurative language and encourage them to recite poems.
The exposure to the language they hear and use, when discussing the language of
books, leads to the childrens acquisition and immediate, spontaneous usage of the
new language (Morrow 95). The more of input they get, the more easily they
automatize the language and use it without thinking about it.
3. Using Childrens Big Book in English Language Classroom
One of the aims of all teachers of English should be their effort to motivate and
support their learners to read books in English. Moreover, the teachers should be
able to inform children how to read effectively, which is the problem for the majority
of pupils especially in the rural area. Using books in English language classroom is
unquestionably one of the most effective means of teaching English. Nowadays
modern concept of foreign language teaching offers various activities coming out
from the usage of foreign language literature.

By reading books in the classroom, especially big book, and the use of
various pre-, while-and post-reading activities such as storytelling, games or drama,
children can start to view the reading as a pleasurable, interesting and fun activity.
Krashen notices that reading for pleasure can lead to the comprehensible input
(Lightbown, Spada Theoretical Approaches). Moreover, the great advantage of
using literature in foreign language classroom is its socialising factor as well as the
fact that children have the opportunity to build upon their previous knowledge and
experience. All of these make children feel safe and create a stress-free and friendly
environment, essential for successful foreign
language learning (Bobulov 18).

3.0 THE RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS

The population in statistics includes all members of a defined group that we
are studying or collecting information on for data driven decisions. A part of the
population is called a sample. It is a proportion of the population, a slice of it, a part
of it and all its characteristics. A sample is a scientifically drawn group that
actually possesses the same characteristics as the population if it is drawn
randomly. By using random samples, I can generalize the population that I am
interested in.
For this study, Set of pupils involved in are randomly selected. 4 person has
been chosen that comes among 21 pupils of year 2 Bestari .To make it fair and not
biased, pupils involved is two boys and two girls. From my research through their
record book, these pupils have a balanced academic achievement, but have different
family background. Three out of four pupils lives in a rural area with no English
environment. Their access to English books are also limited where their parents did
not provide them with English books. The parents of the other one remaining pupils
is a teacher and the access to English books is available at home.

4.0 THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS

This study was conducted to obtain the solution to the question:
1. Would the use of big book able to promote reading to pupils and increase
their interests in reading?
2. Would the graphics and illustration can help to improve pupil understanding of
the sentence in the story?
3. Do big books can become a better teaching aid rather than normal books?
4. Are the attitudes of pupils towards big books more positive compared with the
other method of learning?
.

5.0 THE RECOMMENDED INTERVENTIONS

5.1 Storytelling as a Preparation for Reading
Storytelling is like an umbrella, like a raining umbrella to prepare children for hard
times in their life. Mgr. rka Dohnalov.
According to Bland, storytelling is a great source of enriching listening
experiences. Moreover, it affords the first steps to an enthusiasm of narratives and a
desire for books (IATEFL 3). Storytelling is kind of an incentive that teachers can give
children, to engage them in reading books in English. It is a useful tool in developing
childrens positive attitude towards the reading in English. Storytelling is motivating
and fun and can create a desire to read a book after listening to the story.
According to Ilieva, a professor and specialist on teaching English through
stories and childrens books, using stories and childrens books significantly
contributes to childrens positive attitude to foreign language learning and motivates
them for extensive reading. Furthermore, she emphasizes the positive impact of
integrating storytelling and drawing pictures as children love both of these activities.
Therefore, experiencing pleasure and enjoyment through these activities, their
motivation for foreign language learning and reading books in English is activated
and reinforced ( IATEFL 16-17).
There is one important recommendation for teachers to have an original book
with them, when telling a story, and use it both during the storytelling and as a followup. When telling a story, it is advisable to use various props such as very popular felt
boards

with

story

characters,

puppets,

that

facilitate

childrens

language

development and comprehension, or sound-story techniques that enable teachers

to give children an idea of sound effects described in a book. These can be made by
a teacher or much better by children themselves with the use of musical instruments,
voice or recordings on CDs. When teachers finish telling a story, they can show the
book to the children and let them see the pictures and thus absorb and reread the
story once again in a funny and enjoyable way.

According to Slattery and Willis, stories are the most valuable source of unconscious
foreign language learning. They give several reasons for using stories for language
teaching. These are:
Stories:
Can be told with pictures and gestures to help children understand.
Help children enjoy learning English
Introduce new language in context
Help children revise language they are familiar with
Help children become aware of the structures of the language
Help children acquire intonation and pronunciation by listening
Can help bring English into other subjects
Can lead on to lots of activities using listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

5.1.1Storytelling by Reading Aloud to Children

Reading aloud to children teaches vocabulary in one of the most natural ways
possible. Most of the questions come from them rather than the teacher. Words that
are puzzling can be quickly explained in the context of the story. Frank B. May
Reading aloud to children by a teacher or a parent is a very useful technique
of how to promote childrens reading literacy and enthusiasm for reading books in
English. Teachers or parents should read aloud to young learners at least twenty
minutes every day as it is one of the most important thing they can do.
Reading aloud to children helps to enrich vocabulary, develops language and
comprehension skills and thus increases the chance for success in reading in future
as well as helps to learn a foreign language in a pleasurable way. Moreover, reading

aloud to children helps them to learn how to calm themselves down and listen to the
spoken word, cultivates aural perception, improves phonological skills and makes a
child think things through, predict them, remember and recollect.
While teachers or parents are reading a book, they can motivate children to
read it later by referring to amusing and eye catching illustrations in it as they
function as a great source of visual information and play an important role in
supporting the childs comprehension. In this way, they can combine the reading
aloud with the enthusiasm and enjoyment children gain from the contact with the
book.
Similarly, both teachers and parents can naturally motivate children to read a
book by inviting the children to read repeated parts with them, by rereading the
whole book with them or by taking turns in reading, which children like very much. In
other words, applying the methods of shared and choral-reading is very effective way
of engaging children in reading books in English. Moreover, reading and especially
rereading aloud to children provides a useful reading model and facilitates childrens
independent and extensive reading. After reading a book aloud to children, teachers
or parents should always leave the book available to the children and thus
encourage them to read it on their own.
When comparing storytelling and reading aloud, teachers and especially
parents can find reading aloud less demanding as no memorization and excellent
language skills are required. For young children, books with rhymes, repetition and
rhythm are very attractive and for parents not so difficult to read aloud. However, it is
important to choose books that are a little bit above the childs reading level in
English but still interesting and easy to follow. According to Wright, the good points
about reading aloud are:
Teachers do not have to learn the story
They do not have to worry about making mistakes in English
If they read the story then the children will always hear exactly the same text
and this will help them to predict what is to come
It demonstrates that books are a source of interesting ideas and so encourages
reading
The children can, perhaps, borrow the book afterwards
Pictures in the book can help the childrens understanding

Regular reading aloud to children encourages them to read more and creates
a positive attitude towards reading. Furthermore, sharing books with children,
making the reading aloud fun and entertaining activity, and following the reading by a
discussion creates friendly, stress-free teacher-pupil relationship and positive
reading environment in the classroom, and the effect will be doubled if teacher use
big book. In addition, reading aloud enables children to practise other necessary
skills such as listening, predicting, thinking about context or expressing ideas and
opinions. If teachers and parents are capable of associating reading aloud in English
with pleasant and warm feelings, then childrens motivation for reading books in
English is reinforced.

5.1.2 Using Stories for Project Work

Project work is a kind of an activity that almost all children love to do.
Therefore, teachers can take full advantage of this fact and motivate children for
reading books in English. There are various types of story projects teachers can do
with children as an activity. They can make a big book or a film strip book, a puppet
performance based on a story, a digital story or just a wall display. There are a lot to
gain from making big books for pupils.
Although Big Books are commercially available together with normal-sized
copies, they are usually expensive. The benefits of making your own Big Book are
numerable. Besides the collaborative effort among pupils and teacher needed to
produce a Big Book, the pride in the final product is considerable. There is even the
possibility that children might put in more effort when the book they read is selfproduced (Slaughter, 1983). The sources of the book could be children's favourite
story books or poems as well as stories that contain repetitive phrases and strong
rhyme patterns, or simple story lines with predictable plots and easy to sound out
words. Based on the Language Experience Approach (LEA), children can also relate
original stories which the teacher can record on their behalf. In general, projects
allow co-operation between children and give each child in the class a chance to
create his or her own piece of work that everyone can be proud of.

Moreover, children together with their teachers can invite parents to come to
see their work (Slattery, Willis 116). Story projects not only engage children in
reading books in English. They also give an opportunity to praise childrens effort and
most importantly, they inspire children to read further English storybooks.

6.0 METHODS OF COLLECTING DATA

In total, four pupils from year 2 Bestari participated in the study. All of them
has been involved in administered questionnaire and pre-test and post-test. The four
respondents provided comments and ideas on the use of the big book. The
questionnaire comprises 25 questions from 2 parts. The pre-test and post-test
compromise on pupils understanding about the story that comes in 10 questions.

6.1 Pre-test and Post-Test

Pre-Test
A written test is given to selected pupils after the teaching and learning activities
through read aloud activities. Pupils are provided with plain text of the story My Cat
and teacher read aloud the story. Pupils then continue the lesson with chain reading
and each of them was involved.
After the activities are done, pupils were given the test to know their
understanding about the story. This test consists of 10 questions that requires pupils
to choose the right answer whether it is A, B, or C (Appendix C). It aims to measure
the level of pupil understanding and comprehension of what has been taught. Pupils
are required to answer all questions within 10 minutes of the test. After a pre-test,

responses are collected, reviewed and analyzed to determine the scores to get the
grade point averages and percentages to allow the researcher to assess pupils'
mastery of the story studied.

Post-test
Post-test is conducted in the second mode of teaching and learning after the
researcher uses the big book as a tool in the teaching and learning session. This test
uses the same set of questions to the pre-test that has been conducted earlier. Its
aim is to assess the extent of pupils understanding of the story taught by teachers
using the big book. Pupils answers are collected and reviewed to determine their
scores and are analyzed to obtain the average scores, grades and percentage. The
results are then compared with the pre-test results in order to see if there are any
positive or negative results after the big book has been used.
Each pupil has the opportunity to get maximum marks of 10 and a minimum
score of 0 for both test. These values are converted to a percentage. Pupils scores
are calculated by the number of correct answers and the scores are then divided by
the total scores of 10 and multiply by 100 to find the marks of pupils in percentage.

6.2 Questionnaire
Questionnaire (Appendix 1) was also selected as another instrument in this
study. Question items in the questionnaire was constructed to determine the
perception and attitude of pupils' interest generally in reading English books and the
use of big book in the classroom to improve pupils understanding. All respondents
were asked to respond to a written questionnaire. This questionnaire is the heart of
the survey in other words it is a substitute for personal link between the researcher
and the respondents. However, the format and content of the questionnaire also can
influence respondents results. The weakness of the questionnaire sometimes can
cause problems for overall conclusion. This is because the interpretation of the
behaviour of an individual is something that is quite difficult to be explained. In this
study, the researcher uses 'yes' and 'no' questions just because they are appropriate
and suitable to the age of the respondents. This can ensure pupils ability to answer
each of the questions given. This questionnaire has three parts:

Part A: This part is the only general question done to 4 selected pupils in
class 2 Bestari. The questions are basically related to the personal pupils
attitude towards English subject and attitudes towards reading. This part
consists of 5 questions.

Part B: This part consists of more specific questions that have been
conducted to 4 selected pupils from 2 Bestari. Respondents were asked to
answer all questions related to the pupils perceptions towards the use of big
books in the classroom and ability to increase interest and understanding of
the story being taught. This part consists of 20 questions.

7 METHOD OF ANALYSING DATA

7.1 Pre and Post test

Pre and post test questions were conducted and pupils answers are reviewed and
evaluated to determine the level of pupils' understanding and mastery of what was
gained during the teaching and learning process. Analysis is performed based on a
set of research questions. Data were analyzed in tables and graphs as below.

ScorePoints
RightAnswer
WrongAnswer

ScoreValue
1
0
Table 1

Interpreting scores of pre and post-test answers

In this study, there were 10 multiple choice questions designed to identify pupils'
understanding of the story told during the big book activities. Each question has 3
answers and pupils have to choose the right one based on their understanding
(APPENDIX 1). Overall score for this test is 10 marks. If the respondent is able to
answer correctly the items given, this means that the pupils have no problem of

understanding in the classroom. If the answer given is wrong, then there is the
problem of understanding during the teaching and learning session. From Table 2,
the minimum score is 0, maximum score is 10 scores are then categorized into the
following levels as in Table 2:

Score
Level
0-3
Low
4-6
Intermediate
7-10
Excellent
Table2:Testscoregrading

To show the results of the study, the researcher will interpret the data in terms of
percentages of the 10 questions. The average score of 7-10 showed a positive
acceptance of the pupils. Low mean score of 0 to 3 indicates a negative reception
from the pupils. All the analysis in this study will be evaluated and correlated in order
to obtain accurate and valid results. The results are in table 3 below:

Item
Pre-test
percentage
Post-test
percentage

S1
4/10
40%
10/10
100%

S2
7/10
70%
7/10
70%

S3
5/10
50%
8/10
80%

S4
7/10
70%
10/10
100%

Table 3: Overall score of multiple choice questions results

Analysis of pre and post-testing

Pre-test
In the first week of teaching, the method carried out by the researcher is using
simple read aloud method where the researcher reads aloud the text in the story and
pupils follow the reading. After teaching has been conducted, the researcher gave a
special test to see whether the pupils achieved the objective of the learning or not.
Pupils results are recorded and analyzed to know the level of pupils' achievements.
Available results of pupils are as follows:
Item
Pre-test
percentage

S1
4/10
40%

S2
7/10
70%

S3
5/10
50%

S4
7/10
70%

Table 4: Pre-test results

Table 4 above shows marks obtained by pupils from pre-test results showing
that the pupils did not understand the contents of story my cat taught by the
teacher. The results of this test has shown that pupils only understand on certain
parts of the sentence in the story. For pupil 1 (S1), he had correctly answered only 4
over 10 of the questions (APPENDIX 1). He answered wrong for question 4, 6, 7, 8,
9 and 10. For S2, he answered 7 questions correctly and that is the highest marks
from all of the respondents. He got the wrong answers for question 6, 8 and 9. The
third pupil which is S3 only got half of the questions correct. She answered 5
questions wrong, that is question 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9. The last pupil (S4) got 7 out of 10
which is the same with S1. She answered wrong on question 7, 8, and 9.
All in all, we can see that for question 1, 2, 3 and 5, all four pupils answered
correctly where for questions 8 and 9 all pupils answers are wrong. The questions

that all pupils answered correctly mostly about animals name, colours, and the
characters in the story. They can answer the questions mostly because they have
learned the topics in the previous lesson and familiar with the vocabulary used in the
sentence. For question 8 and 9, the question is about the cats behaviour and
adjectives. We can see that pupils cannot choose the right answer. This is because
pupils might not understand the meaning of the sentence due to unfamiliar
vocabularies.

Pre-test Students score

80
70
60
50

Students score

40
30
20
10
0
s1

s2

s3

s4

Figure 1: Pre-test pupils score

Based on figure 1, no pupils are in low score marks, which is from 0 30%.
For s1, he scored 40% which means he is in the intermediate level. Another pupil
who is in intermediate level is s3 where she score 50% from the full marks. The other
two pupils which are s2 and s4 are remarkably in excellent level where both scored
70%.

Post-test
After intervals of one week, the teacher teaches the same story but using
different approaches, namely the use of big book in teaching and learning to improve
the extent of pupils understanding and interest in reading in English. The teacher
has conducted a storytelling session by using the big book. After that, the teacher
once again give the same test with the previous test questions to assess and see
whether or not the learning outcomes is achieved after the use of big book. Pupils
results are recorded and analyzed. Results of the analysis are in table 5 as follows:

Item
Post-test
percentage

S1
80/10
80%

S2
S3
7/10
9/10
70%
90%
Table 5: Post-test results

S4
10/10
100%

Marks obtained by pupils from post-test results have shown that there are
positive improvements made by pupils after the storytelling session using the big
book. Pupils understanding about the story my cat mostly has improved compared
to the pre-test results except for one pupil. The results of this analysis shows that
pupils understanding is increased and only certain parts of the sentence in the story
they still have issues in understanding the sentence. For pupil 1 (S1), in the pre-test,
he had correctly answered only 4 over 10 of the questions. He answered wrong for
question 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 but during this post-test, he managed to score on 8
questions, an improvement by 4 questions.
For S2, he does not manage to show any improvement from the storytelling.
As recorded, in the pre-test he answered 7 questions correctly, that is the highest
marks from all of the respondents. The post-test maintains the same results where it
is supposed to show some positive improvement. He still got the wrong answer for

question 6, 8 and 9. The next pupil which is S3 whom only got half of the questions
correct during the pre-test, managed to improve to 9 correct answers. The last pupil
(S4) shows remarkable results where she got 100% correct answers after the
storytelling session. During the pre-test, she only managed to get 7 correct answers.

Post-test Students score

120
100
80
Post-test Students score
60
40
20
0
s1

s2

s3

s4

Figure 2: Post-test pupils score

Based on figure 2, there are no pupils in low and intermediate score marks,
which is from 0 30%, and 40 60%. This is a big improvement to the results where
two pupils able to improve from intermediate to excellent score level. Also, this
means that there is no negative results after the storytelling by using the big book is
conducted. For s1, he managed to double his score from 40% to 80%. S3, who is
also in intermediate level during the pre-test, managed to score 90% that also
brought her to excellent score level. Meanwhile, s2 still maintains his results at 70%.
He is the only pupil who doesnt show any improvement. The last pupil which is s4
still manages to impress where she scored full marks that is 100%.

7.2 Questionnaire
Part A: This part the is only general question done to 4 selected pupils in class 2
Bestari. The question basically related to the personal pupils attitude towards English
subject and attitudes towards reading. This part consist of 5 questions.

Questionnaire question (1) :

I love reading English books.

The findings from the results shows that 2 over 4 pupils love to read English
books. 2 of them answered yes while the other one answered no. This shows that
half of the respondents love to read in English. Both of the pupils said that they love
to read English after listening stories from the teacher. Pupils who answered no
explained that they dont know the meaning of some words in the story. Without
whole understanding of the story, it is quite boring for the pupils to read. The result of
the findings is shown in figure 3 below:

YES

NO

Figure3:Question1questionnairescore

Questionnaire question (2) :

My parents reads story books to me at home.

The findings from the results show that only not one respondent answered
yes and the others answered no. From these results, we can see that the parents
are not reading books to their children and only let their children read at school.
From my knowledge, one of the parents of the pupils is teachers. After a few
questions, the pupil (s4) said that her parents usually ask her to do homework or
read with the help of her older siblings. For other pupils, their parents only make sure
that they do their homework, and only help when asked by their children. The results
of the findings is are shown in figure 4 below:

YES

NO

Figure4:Question2questionnairescore

Questionnaire question (3) :

I read English books during my free time.

The findings from the results show that only one respondent answered yes
while the others answered no. From this result, we can see that the most
respondents did not have the interests to read English books during their free time
except for (s4). From my knowledge, (s4) parents were both teachers, so the access
to English books is available at home. For other pupils, they answered that they

usually read Malay books and prefer to read Malay books rather than English books.
The results of the findings are shown in figure 5 below:

YES

NO

Figure5:Question3questionnairescore

Questionnaire question (4) :

I went to the library to read books

The findings from the results show that only one respondent answered no
while the others answered yes. From this result, we can see that the respondents
go to the library to read books. The respondent that answered no (S2) might have
problems in accessing the library or he didnt have the opportunity to go to the
library. The results of the finding are shown in figure 12 below:

YES

NO

Figure6:Question4questionnairescore

Questionnaire question (5) :

When I read I look at the picture.

The findings from the results show that all respondents answered yes. From
these results, we can see that the respondents find book with more pictures is more
interesting than with fewer pictures. The respondents might be attracted to the
illustration design of book with lots of colours. One pupil (s2) said that he will not
read book that have no pictures. The results of the findings are shown in figure 7
below:

YES

NO

Figure7:Question5questionnairescore

Part B: This part consists of more specific questions that has been done to 4
selected pupils from 2 Bestari. Respondents were asked to answer all questions
related to the pupils perceptions towards the use of big books in the classroom and
ability to increase interest and understanding of the story being taught. This part
consists of 20 questions.

Based on figure 8, for question 1 and 2, half of the subjects agreed that it is
the first time they see a big book being used in the classroom. They were also
excited when the teacher used the big book for storytelling. From the illustration of
the big book they can guess what the story is all about. These were the evidence
that the teacher managed to get when listening to the pupils whispering to their
friends when they saw the teacher holding the big book. Comments from a number
of the pupils in Malay were translated such as the following:
Look at that big book, it is very big
I never saw a book that big,
I have a cat at home
For question 3, 4 and 5, all of the pupils agreed that they were excited and
love it when the teacher uses the big book in the storytelling session. The
respondents were happy when the teachers started the storytelling activity by using
the big book. These can be seen in their comments: I am so happy now, Look, the
big book, I love the big book, I like the big book, and I am so happy. This
excitement could be seen in their facial expression. They were seen smiling and
whispering to their friends when they saw the teacher holding the big book.

4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5

YES

NO

1.5
1
0.5
0
Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Figure 8:
Q1 Is this the first time you see a big book?
Q2 Have your previous teacher use the big book in the classroom?
Q3 I like when teacher use the big book for storytelling.
Q4 I am excited to see the big book in the classroom.
Q5 I love it when teacher starts the storytelling by using the big book.

Q5

As for question 6, 3 respondents mentioned that they understand the story

when the teacher used the big book for storytelling. Some of the positive comments
made by some of them are: I love to listen to my teacher, My teacher has good
voice, I love looking at the big book while listening to the teacher, My teacher can
make different kind of voices, and My teacher is good in storytelling, I love to listen
to my teachers storytelling as he has good voice.
For question 6 (Q6), when asked about their understanding of the story from
the big book, 3 persons of the subjects said that they understood the story in the big
book. Some subjects pointed out:
I understand the story very well,
I love the ending part of the story,
I want to listen to the story again, and
I understand the story completely,.
For the other pupil, he is able to understand some parts of the story but
cannot manage to know the flow of the story. The subjects points out:
what is the end of the story?
what is the meaning of this sentence?
According to graph 2 above (Q7), 2 persons stated that they understood the
whole story from the big book. They gave reasons like, I understood the whole story
and I can even tell my friends about the story; .The subjects are then asked to
volunteer to retell the story when asked by the teacher. A high percentage of the
subjects agreed that they could not retell the story due to shyness and lack of
confidence (Q8). The subjects mentioned that I dont want to retell the story, I am
very shy, I know the story but I dont want to retell the story and No, I dont want to
retell the story. For question 9, a large percentage of 3 persons of the subjects
agreed that they liked to sit on the floor while listening to the story from the big book.
They were seen rushing to sit right in front. Their comments in the interview concur
with this finding. These can be seen below:

I would run to sit in front when I saw the teacher with the big book,
I love to sit on the floor to listen to the story from the big book, and
I can really see the big book clearly if I sit on the floor.
The only one pupil that answered no for (Q9) said that she did not like when
have to compete with other pupil to get the best place. She prefers to stay at the
back and sit on the chair. When asked what they would do if they did not understand
the story related by the teacher from the big book (Q10), all of the pupils agreed that
they will ask the teacher directly during the storytelling session. They mentioned that
they love how the teacher explains the story with the facial expression and
intonation.

4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5
YES
2

NO

1.5
1
0.5
0
Q6

Q7

Q8

Q9

Q10

Figure 9
Q6 I understand the story when teacher use the big book for storytelling.
Q7 I understand the whole story when teacher use the big book for storytelling
Q8 I can story tell the story after the teacher story tell the story from the big book
Q9 I like to sat on the floor while listening to the teacher using the big book for
storytelling
Q10 I will ask the teacher if I dont understand the story that the teacher story told from
the big book

For Q11, more than half the subjects, 3 persons of the subjects agreed that
they would ask their friends if they did not understand the story. When the subjects
were asked the reason why some of them kept quiet during the lesson, they said that
they would only like to confirm the story and gave their views to the peers. Some of
the comments made are: I would ask my friends if I dont understand the story, I
like to explain to my friends if they dont understand the story, I actually understand
the story and I want to help my friends by telling them the story again, and I love
talking about the story again. The remaining 1 person of the subjects disagreed by
saying that they would not ask their friends if they did not understand the story. This
was because they probably did not like to interrupt the flow of the story. This was
mentioned by a few subjects who said that I would rather listen to the teacher, and
I would prefer to concentrate well.
According to figure 10 below, majority of the subjects of the subjects agreed
that they liked to see beautiful illustrations in the big book (Q12). They commented
as follows: Look at that beautiful pictures, Look that is really beautiful, Really
fantastic pictures, and I like that!.
For questions13 and 14, all the subjects agreed that they liked the colour in
the big book and they liked to see the cartoon illustrations in the big book. Their
comments include the following: Wow, I like the colours, Good pictures, Look at
that one, I love the colours on that page and Wow, beautiful. Also, they mentioned
that That cartoon looks real, I like the eyes of that rabbit, I wish I can draw like
that, and That girl looks so pretty. All the conversations were followed by their smile
when they looked at the illustrations. They were seen happy and contented while
looking at the illustrations.
For question 15, all subjects also agreed that they liked to see the illustration
while listening to the story from the big book story related by the teacher. The
subjects agreed and happy when they said I loved it when we have storytelling
because I can see the pictures, I would prefer to look at the illustration when the
teacher is telling us stories and I like the illustration there. Figure 1o presents the

results of pupils responses to five questions pertaining to the big book and their
reactions towards the illustration in the big book.
4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5

YES

NO

1.5
1
0.5
0
Q11

Q12

Q13

Q14

Q15

Figure 10
Q11 I will ask my friend if I dont understand the story that the teacher story told from
the big book
Q12 I like to see beautiful illustration in the big book
Q13 I like to see the colour in the bog book
Q14 I like to see the cartoon illustration in the big book
Q15 I like to see the illustration while listening to the teacher

In relation to question 16, majority of the subjects said that they would look at
the illustrations while reading the words in the pages while the teacher was telling
the story from the big book. The subjects mentioned, I will read on my own and look
at the pictures, When the teacher is telling us stories from the big book, I read and
look at the pictures at the same time, I love looking at the pictures in the big book
and I can read very well when the teacher shows me the big book.
For Q17, 3 of the subjects agreed that they would use their fingers to point at
the characters that they liked in the big book. The subjects also mentioned I love to
point at the best characters, I would prefer to point at the animals there, and That
is not the character that I like. The subjects felt that they would understand the story
more if they use their fingers to point at the pictures. For question 18, a similar
percentage of the subjects 3 respondents agreed that they would tell their friends
sitting next to them about the illustrations when the teacher was using the big book
for storytelling. They pointed out: I would tell my friends, I would share with my
friends, and I would tell my friends if they dont understand. The remaining of the
subjects disagreed to tell their friends. This might be due to the fact that they would
prefer to concentrate more on the listening to the teachers voice when reading from
the big book.
For question 19, half of the subjects agreed that they understood the story
more by looking at the characters in the big book. Respondents that agree with the
question pointed out : I understand the story more by looking at the characters, I
love the story when I see the characters and The characters are beautiful and I
understand the story better whereas both that disagree cannot give proper
comments. For the last question, that is (Q20), all respondents agreed that they will
read the big book alone after the storytelling session. They also mentioned that they
would prefer to read the book alone after storytelling because they would be able to
appreciate the illustrations more. They said I want to read the book on my own now,
I love to see the pictures from the big book on my own, and I love when I look at
the pictures on my own.

4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5

YES

NO

1.5
1
0.5
0
Q16

Q17

Q18

Q19

Q20

Figure 11
Q16 I will see the illustration while reading the words in the pages where the teacher is
storytelling
Q17 I will use my finger to finger point the character I like in the book
Q18 I will talk about the illustration in the book with my friend
Q19 I understand the story more by looking at the characters in the big book
Q20 I will read the big book alone after the storytelling session

8.0 THE PLAN OF ACTION

-

Schedule
Budget

9.0 REFERENCES
Bobulov, Ivana, et al. Childrens and Juvenile Literature: Written in English. Nitra:
Pedagogick fakulta UKF [Faculty of Education UKF], 2003. Print.
Morris, R.G, et al (2003) Elements of a neurobiological theory of the hippocampus: the role of activitydependent synaptic plasticity in memory. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B. Biol Sci. 358: 773 786.
Normaliza Abd Rahim, Noraien Mansor, Wan Roselezam Wan Yahya, Arbaie Sujud, and Siti Nur Aliaa
Roslan (2009) Childrens Emotions and its Social Meaning. Journal of Interdisciplinary
Social Science. Vol 4: No 1. Pp 171-176.

Walton, R (2008) The Book of Illustrations 2. Harper Collins. United Kingdom.

of

Morrow, Lesley Mandel. Developing Literacy in Preschool. New York: The Guilford
Press, 2007. Print.
Temple, Charles, et al. All Children Read: Teaching for Literacy in Todays Diverse
Classrooms. USA: Pearson education, 2005. Print.

Lightbown and Spada. Theoretical Approaches to Explaining Second Language

Learning. Mood-link-a: Faculty of Education. Web. 10 Nov. 2009
<http://moodlinka.ped.muni.cz/mod/resource/view.php?inpopup=true&id=53833>.

IATEFL Young Learner 2009 1. Cantebury: IATEFL Young Learner and Teenager
Special Interest Group Publication, 2009. Print.

Slattery, Mary, and Jane Willis. English for Primary Teachers: A Handbook of
Activities and Classroom Language. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. Print.

10.0

APPENDICES