the usage of comic strips in teaching possessive pronouns

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CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.0 Introduction Language is considered as the bridge that unifies the human population and is often used as a tool of communication, interpretation and evaluation of ideas. Language is also widely used as a medium to express both of our thoughts and feelings. According to Bhler, Goodwin, & Eschbach (2011), although such uses don't convey any information, they do serve an important function in everyday life, since how we feel sometimes matters as much as—or more than—what we hold to be true. In our country, the English language is given emphasis by the government and considered as the second language which is being taught since 1

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The usage of comic strips in teaching possessive pronouns. Analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of using comic strips in teaching grammar.

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Page 1: The usage of comic strips in teaching possessive pronouns

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.0 Introduction

Language is considered as the bridge that unifies the human population

and is often used as a tool of communication, interpretation and evaluation of

ideas. Language is also widely used as a medium to express both of our

thoughts and feelings. According to Buhler, Goodwin, & Eschbach (2011),

although such uses don't convey any information, they do serve an important

function in everyday life, since how we feel sometimes matters as much as—or

more than—what we hold to be true.

In our country, the English language is given emphasis by the

government and considered as the second language which is being taught since

kindergarten. With the introduction of Language Arts component in the

curriculum, there is now space for interactive actives such as drama, role-play,

debates, language games and songs to make the lessons more meaningful and

facilitate the learning of the language. ("From KBSR to KSSR – Why the need

for change? | Peekabook Blog," n.d.). This shows that mastery of English

language should be given emphasis by all of the parties. The teaching of

English language should not fall completely on the teachers’ shoulders alone.

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Teaching of grammar was later added during the level two from year four to

year 6. Teaching grammar was not an easy task because it is considered as both

confusing and hard to be mastered. Identifying the word class and constructing

simple sentences using the correct rules are some of the issues faced by the

pupils during the learning of grammar. Teaching grammar can be improved by

using visual aids to trigger the pupil’s attention and their interest towards the

lesson. Using the comic strips could be the answer to improve pupils’

understanding in grammar lesson.

1.1 Reflection on Past Teaching Experience

During the researcher’s practicum periods, his teaching experience starts

at SK Batu Bertangkup, Perlis for four week, SJK Tamil Kangar for eight

weeks and SK Taman Uda, Kedah for 12 weeks. Both SJK Tamil Kangar and

SK Taman Uda are in the urban area while SK Batu Bertangkup is in the rural

area. Teaching experience in both rural and urban schools provides the

researcher with an insight about pupils’ ability in mastering grammar and the

issues related to grammar.

Although SJK Tamil Kangar is situated in urban area, the level of pupils’

proficiency is almost the same as SK Batu Bertangkup. Meanwhile, the pupils

at SK Taman Uda acquire the language skills very well. Their level of

understanding is slightly higher than the pupils from the two previous schools.

Even though their level of understanding is higher, they are also facing

the same problem in mastering grammar. Only the pupils with high level of

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understanding were able to identify the grammatical aspects in a simple

sentence. The same problem occurs when the pupils were asked to construct

simple sentences using the correct grammatical rules. They struggled in

remembering which tenses to be used and whether to use singular or plural

verbs. The main reason for this problem is the lack exposure to the language

itself. Urban pupils were exposed to the English language through their

environment where some of them use English in their home. They use English

in daily conversation and through technology. In contrast, almost all of rural

pupils and most of urban pupils rarely use English in their daily life. English is

only used during the English lesson at school.

During the 12 weeks of practicum in SK Taman Uda, the researcher at

first tried to teach grammar overtly where the teacher or the researcher

presented the rule or pattern and then provided the exercise about the

application of the rules. Unfortunately, the technique was not effective for the

pupils with average and lower proficiency. The pupils were confused and

unable to construct simple sentences correctly without the guidance of the

teacher. Therefore, the researcher decided to design a different method in

teaching grammar. Several ideas were suggested by fellow colleague and lastly

the usage of comic strips was chosen.

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1.2 Reflection on Educational Values

The importance of this research were to explore the possible ways in

improving teaching practice and explore the possible ways to assist pupils in

constructing simple sentences using the correct grammatical rules. Realising the

importance of grammar in constructing a sentence, the researcher tried to come

out with the best available option in assisting pupils’ understanding of the

grammar teachings. By carrying out the intervention, it can indirectly boost up

pupils’ confidence in learning grammar in different and more enjoyable way.

This research also intended to improve and provide basic assistance to the

pupils in identifying grammatical rules in a sentence. In consideration of the

pupils’ grammatical skills, this research was important to assist them towards a

better foundation in mastering grammar. By building a strong foundation,

pupils will be able to improve themselves in the future.

Additionally, the findings derived from this research might be useful for

both teachers and other educational practitioners to consider using comic strips

not only in teaching grammar but other language skills as well.

Last but not least, this research will provide an insight on the current

grammatical issue emerged in the primary school and the possible ways to

intervene the problems. Therefore, this research will be a part of the solution in

assisting pupils in mastering grammar and provide a better learning experience.

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1.3 Summary

Teaching of grammar is considered as challenging even for the fully

qualified teachers. Pupils have the initial expectation that the topic is going to

be confusing and therefore they are unwilling to give full commitment during

the lesson. Some of the senior teachers tend to teach in a conventional way

where it mainly involves chalk and talk. They refused to upgrade their

methodology of teaching which suits the pupils’ interest. As a result, pupils

become uninterested and demotivated to learn.

The main problem faced by pupils is the sentence construction using

correct grammatical rules. They tend to make simple mistakes which are

unacceptable. The pupils struggle a lot even with the help of the teacher.

So, as a teacher, it is our obligation to teach the pupils in an interesting

and engaging way that the pupils will be more eager to learn something new.

Realising this, the researcher come out with an idea to use comic strips to teach

grammar because of the visual aids and the nature of the comics itself which are

funny and humorous.

The researcher believes that this research has the potential to be used by

other teachers in changing their methodology of teaching to become more

enjoyable and fun. All of this effort is done for the sake of our pupils’ education

which is the future of our country.

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CHAPTER 2

FOCUS OF INVESTIGATION

2.0 Introduction

The main focal point of this study was using comic strips to help pupils in

writing simple sentences using the correct possessive pronouns. The possessive

pronouns are used to show ownership.

The researcher chose the possessive pronouns as a basic starting point to

strengthen pupils’ grammatical foundation. Referring to Year 4 DSKP

(Dokumen Standard Kurikulum dan Pentaksiran) possessive pronoun is one of

the earliest topics being taught to year 4 pupils. Thus, the construction was a

basic and simple and act as a good starting level to improve pupils’

grammatical skills.

The researcher tried to introduce fun and interesting activities to keep

them occupied therefore develop their grammatical skills. The pupils need a

lesson that involves hands-on activity and visually appealing materials such as

comic strips and colourful materials. Harwood (2010), mentioned that

enjoyable teaching materials have become crucially important for English

language learners and teachers not merely because they provide enjoyment and

relaxation, but likewise as they encourage pupils to utilize their words in a

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creative and communicative way. Comic strips were colourful and humorous as

well as easy to be understood by the pupils. Therefore, using comic strips in

teaching possessive pronouns were appealing and assisting pupils to gain a

deeper understanding on the topics.

There are many aspects that influence pupils to be interested in studying

English. The aspects are materials, facilities, and the technique of teaching. To

make pupils make pupils like English subject, there are also some media that

can be used in teaching, such as TV, video, tape recorder, photograph, comic,

picture, and some others. As the teacher, he or she must be very committed and

dedicated in preparing the media in order to attract pupils’ attention during

teaching and learning session. It can also indirectly help inculcate pupils’

interest to the subject.

2.1 Issue/Problem Statement

Based on the researcher’s observation during the first month of practicum

at Sk Taman Uda, researcher found out that pupils sometimes reads and write

very well but lacking in the grammatical aspect. This is due to lack of practice

and their initial expectation that grammar is somehow ‘scary’ and difficult to be

learned. They faced some difficulties in constructing a sentence which is

grammatically correct. The pupils were having hard time in identifying the

correct possessive pronouns to be used in a sentence. This is because they were

not able to grasp the concept of possessive pronouns and rarely using it in their

sentences.

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Some of the pupils understood the concept of possessive pronouns but were

unable to apply it in sentence construction.

The researcher also found out that the most important issue was the

pupils’ interest and eagerness in learning the subject. In order to attract pupils’

attention during the lesson, there are many types of media that can be used.

Among them which looked very simple and fun was the usage of comics. They

are many types of comics which are cartoon, comic strip, comic book, annual

comic, comic album, web comic and instructional comic. Good and appropriate

choosing of aspects and media tends to result in the improvement of pupils

achievement.

The most important issue is the time factor whether it is enough to teach

the pupils in developing the mentioned skill. The research was merely to find

out whether the activity was suitable or not. To find out the effectiveness of the

activity may take a longer time.

There was also the issue of the pupils being confused of why they are

chose to participate in this study. However, after being briefed by the researcher

they seem to understand their roles in this research.

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2.2 Literature Review

2.2.1 Teaching grammar covertly

According to Wilson (2013), covert teaching of grammar is where the

teacher gets the pupils involved in using the grammatical structures without

drawing attention to the grammatical rules. Pupils’ attention is directed to the

activity being carried out instead of explaining the rules from the beginning.

After taking part in the activity, the pupils are tested in the application of the

rules with the completion of exercises provided by the teachers. Towards the

end of the session is when the teachers draw their attention to the rules which

they can conclude based on the activity being held earlier.

By using this type of approach, the grammatical rules learnt will be more

meaningful, memorable and serviceable. This is because they had already done

the application part of the grammatical rules when taking part in the activity

session.

Wilson (2013) mentioned that the pupils are actively involved with the

pattern recognition of the grammatical rules. This is where the teachers must

design a suitable yet simple activity to aid the pupils’ learning process.

As for this research, the usage of comic strips is also a covert way of

teaching grammar. The pupils are exposed to the pattern without being

explained of the grammatical rules beforehand. The pupils need to figure out

the pattern by referring to the pictures provided.

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2.2.2 Visual aids in teaching grammar

It is undeniable that keeping our pupils both motivated and actively

engaged in the classroom can be a challenging task. Teachers’ responsibility

does not rely on teaching alone but to make the teaching to become meaningful

and enjoyable. Visuals are important tools used by the pupils for the purpose

seeing and understanding. It enables the pupils to process and think about what

they are being asked to do.

There are some simple strategies we can use to help enhance our

students’ interest and keep them involved. By using visual stimuli we are more

likely to maintain student attention and encourage active participation. Fearing

(2011) said effective visual aids or stimuli help the students to understand and

remember the key points of the lesson.

The teaching grammar using visual aids can help the pupils to develop

listening, reading, spelling and writing at the same time. This is because the

pictures being used by the teachers are able increase pupils’ interest because of

the visual aspect which is both colourful and engaging. Moreover, the purpose

of visual aids is to motivate, to stimulate and guide the student in understanding

the grammatical pattern.

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2.2.3 The Use of Comic in Teaching

Comic is widely popular among the pupils and it has been used as a

medium entertain in their free time. The beautifully illustrated character and the

simplicity of the storyline are the two main factors that will attract the person

who read it. Amazingly, nearly everyone says yes if they are asked whether

they have ever read comic. The wide spread of comic has interested the writer

in using comic as a medium for teaching.

In Syma and In Weiner (2013) stated that comics impart meaning through

the reader’s active engagement with written language. Reading the text and

seeing the images is done simultaneously and this can indirectly lead to better

recall and transfer of learning. It is undeniable that with comics, students not

only learn the material faster, they learn it better.

The basic features of comic books which are laid out in frames are very

easy for readers to track a story. In fact, it is also easy for those readers to both

jump ahead and back as a story develops. In addition, the fact that each frame

contains some text and a picture makes it much easier for readers to grasp and

contextualize a story. Ultimately, the limited text in each frame is beneficial to

those for which reading is a challenge ("Innovative Teaching – Comic Books in

the Classroom," 2015).

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2.3 Definition of Terms

2.3.1 Definition of Media

Media is widely used in teaching and learning process to assist pupils’

understanding regarding the lesson. Orey, Jones, & Branch (2013) mentioned

that pupils learn abstract, new, and novel concepts more easily when they are

presented in both verbal and visual form. By using visual media, the teaching of

concepts becomes more understandable to the pupils than text media. Popular

media which are a familiar and often used by pupils will be able to help gain

attention and maintain student interest in the lesson.

Danesi (2009) defines media as everything that can be used to send or

distribute in communication process. The communication here can be referred

to the teaching and learning process. Briefly, media is regarded as a tool in

aiding the teaching. Media does not replace the function of a teacher but acts as

a medium in conveying the information.

Media can also acts as instrument, method, and technique to enhance the

communication between teacher and students. The communication presented by

media is more interactive and enjoyable. In this way, pupils will be more eager

to learn the lesson.

It can be said that media is an important tool which can boost up pupils’

motivation and drive in participating in the classroom activities. The most

important aspect is that the media should be interesting and of course

meaningful to the pupils.

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2.3.2 Forms and Types of Media

Generally, there are three forms of media which are widely used in the

field of education which are audio, visual, and audiovisual. Audio involves

sound and music, visual is all about the graphics and audiovisual combine both

of the mentioned aspect above. Stafford (2011) said that comic falls in the

visual media category.

As for the types of media, it also can be divided into three categories

namely printed media, audio visual media and online media. Example of

printed media is the newspaper and comic books. Audio visual media is more

near and familiar to the pupils such as cartoons. Meanwhile, the usage of online

media should be carefully monitored by the parents and teachers there are no

filter in the information which is being published.

According to Ludwig (2013) there are four main types of media which

are printed which convey information through written word, audio which

comprises of spoken words and music, video which are the moving pictures and

lastly the media in the form software. It is pretty much anything where you are

interacting with an automated system.

Clearly there are several opinions regarding the types of media which all

can be used as teaching aids. A teacher must remember not to rely too much on

the media while neglecting the content of the teaching and learning session.

Teacher should also review the suitability of the media content before using it

in the classroom.

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2.3.3 Definition of Comic

Comics are a medium used to express ideas via images, often combined

with text or other visual information. Comics frequently take the form of

juxtaposed sequences of panels of images ("Comics - Wikipedia, the free

encyclopedia," n.d.).

As being mentioned before, comic falls into the category of visual media

and it is one of the effective way in promoting fun and meaningful learning

process for the pupils. The visual aspect which is both colourful and engaging act

as a attraction factor for the pupils. Frey & Fisher (2008) mentioned that using

comic in teaching is highly beneficial because it is people oriented and has a

wide range of increasingly realistic characters which can be easily modified.

Comic is undeniably easy, simple and humorous. By using comics in

teaching process, pupils will be able to enjoy the visual and the humor as well as

learning the desired lesson which was prepared by the teacher.

Manno (2014) said that emerging research shows that comics and graphic

novels are motivating, support struggling readers, enrich the skills of

accomplished readers and are highly effective at teaching sometimes dull or dry

material in subject areas such as science and social studies.

Comic acts as a an aid in teaching and learning process and it is seen as

one of the ways where pupils can have fun as well as learning something out of

it. Teachers must be aware of the content of the comic so that it is one the right

track whether it is related to the content of the topics or not.

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2.3.4 Types of Comic

According to Propp, Perron, and Debbeche (2009), there are six types of

comics which are cartoon, comic strip, comic books, annual comic, web comic

and lastly simple comic.

Cartoon is one of the most common types of comic where it is loved not

only by children but adults too. Usually, it consists of different kind of slides. To

simplify, there are some pictures and text in this type of comic. The reader can

grasp the general idea by looking at the pictures provided. It can be usually found

in magazines and newspaper.

Comic strip as the name suggests is a combination of pictures to become a plot.

It can also be a continued story. It can be found in daily newspaper and it is

usually focus on humorous stories.

Comic Book in a simple word is arranged in a book form. Comic books are

compilation of comic strips, published by certain publication company. Usually

the story presented represents a hero and often delivered not humorous in a way.

Annual Comic is launched in a certain period of time whether as monthly or

annual comic. Normally, the publisher will launch the comic once or three times

a year.

Web Comic is a type of comic which is widely spreading on the internet. It can

be both visual and audio visual comic. The reader can simply open the web

address on the internet and browse different kind of stories in there.

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2.3.5 Definition of grammar

In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules governing the

composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The

term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology,

syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics, and

pragmatics ("Grammar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia," n.d.)

In simple words, grammar is the study of the way the sentences of a

language are constructed. The rules should be adhered to when constructing

clauses, phrases or sentences.

Generally, there are eight types of parts of speech which are noun,

pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction and interjection.

The researcher focused on one type of parts of speech which is pronoun

and specifically possessive pronoun. Pronouns are small words that take the

place or replace the noun in a sentence. The writer can use a pronoun instead of

a noun to construct a sentence. For example this sentence:

I like to talk with Halim. Halim is very friendly.

I like to talk to Halim. He is very friendly.

The writer can replace Halim with a pronoun ‘he’ so that he does not need to

repeat the noun ‘Halim’ in the following sentences. In this case Halim is

replaced by the pronoun ‘he’.

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2.3.6 Definition of possessive pronoun

Possessive pronouns main function is to show ownership. Possessive

pronouns are used in a sentence to avoid repeating the same information that is

already obvious or clear. In general it makes the sentence less confusing

because the same information is not being repeated. For example:

This car is my car, not your car. (Repetitive)

This car is mine, not yours. (Mine and yours are possessive pronouns)

The possessive pronouns which are widely used in sentence construction are as

follows:

Subject Possessive Pronouns

I Mine

You Yours

He His

She Hers

It Its

We Ours

They Theirs

Table 1: List of possessive pronouns

2.4 SUMMARY

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The usage of visual aids or in this case comic strips in teaching enables

the pupils to understand the content of the lesson better. The problem with

teaching with comic books is that the teachers themselves have no respect for

them and believe they are merely for children pleasure and refuse to accept

them alongside other literature. As a teacher, we should widen our methodology

of teaching so that it is perfectly aligned with the pupils’ interests. We should

be able to put ourselves in their shoes and try to come out with the most

suitable teaching aids.

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CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS

3.0 Introduction

The process of writing both research questions and objectives is an

extremely important part of any research project and should be done with a

careful consideration. It is considered as important because the upcoming

research strategies usually depend on the nature of the problems and the

formulation of the research questions. Research objectives and research

questions are being laid out to answer any related questions and verify the

hypothesis whether it is correct or not. .

The formulation of precise research questions requires deep insights into

the nature of the study: Do the questions that are to be answered "fit" the

research objectives? Are they the ones most worthy of investigation? To which

degree will answering the questions contribute to any progress within the

research area? Do practitioners perceive the research questions to concern real

problems?

In this research, the formulation of research question and research

objectives revolves around these keywords which are comic strips, possessive

pronouns and simple sentence construction.

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3.1 Research Objectives

The purpose of this research was to improve pupils’ ability to identify

possessive pronoun by exploring comic strips as the teaching aids. Furthermore,

this study was done to help pupils in constructing simple sentences using the

possessive pronouns by exploring the same teaching aid which is the comic

strip.

The objectives of this research were to discover any possible ways in

which the researcher or the teachers can teach possessive pronoun effectively.

Secondly, to investigate the usage of comic strips as a fun and enjoyable

technique to be used during English lessons in encouraging the pupils to write

simple sentences using possessive pronouns.

3.2 Research Questions

The research questions are as follows:

3.3.1 Do comic strips help pupils in identifying possessive pronouns?

3.3.2 Do comic strips help pupils in constructing simple sentences using

possessive pronoun?

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3.3 Summary

Despite the mentioned research objectives, there are some minor

purposes which were not included. One of them was to improve the pupils’

ability in understanding the dialogue taught by using the comic strips. In

addition, the developed strategy is formulated to improve pupils’ motivation in

learning English. Both of these objectives can be achieved in the long term

process and not while this study is being carried out.

Basically, there are two main elements being highlighted which are the

identification of possessive pronouns and simple sentence construction using

the possessive pronouns. First, the researcher intend to teach the pupils on how

to get to know the basic features of possessive pronouns so that they will be

able to point out if they come across into one later. Next, the pupils should be

able to construct a very simple and basic sentence using the possessive

pronouns. The pupils should be able to come with a correct sentence using a

possessive pronoun.

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CHAPTER 4

TARGET GROUP

4.0 Introduction

Before choosing the target group, the researcher tried to identify which

year was the most suitable for this research topic. The researcher chose Year 4

because the research topic was mentioned in the Year 4 DSKP and it is one of

the earliest topics being mentioned. After choosing the Year 4 class, there are

two level of pupils’ proficiency which comes to consideration which are the

average and the lower level. The advanced level pupils are being ruled out

because they understand the topics really well. Lastly, the average level of

proficiency was chosen because the research only takes a short time to be

finished. In case the research was given a longer time, the low proficiency level

pupils will be chosen.

Furthermore, the researcher also chose several teachers and fellow

researcher to gain their professional opinion in making the research a success.

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4.1 Target Group

The target group was among the Year 4 Sabar from SK Taman Uda, Alor

Setar, Kedah. The participants comprises of five pupils, 3 boys and 2 girls. All

of the respondents were at the age of 10.

The class was the first class. After teaching this class for 3 months during

practicum session, the researcher observed that the pupils have average

proficiency compared to the other pupils but has a strong will in learning to

improve themselves. Although they from the first class, they ability in grammar

was still poor because this was the first year grammar was introduced to them.

The researcher chose the participants according to their marks in the

English mid-term examination where they at least score from C to D grade. The

participants was very eager to be part of this study and with an adequate push

and motivation, the pupils were able to conduct the given task accordingly.

On the other hand, three female English teachers were chosen as the

interviewee to ask about their opinion regarding the intervention that was

carried out. One colleague who was also a fellow researcher was involved in

the observation session where he was in charge of observing the participants’

behaviour.

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The research was carried out at Access Room and permission was already

being asked to the teacher in charge of the particular room. The teachers and the

parents of the participants were also informed beforehand to avoid any

unwanted confusion among them.

4.2 Summary

The participants were chose from the Year 4 Sabar class and the

researcher was very familiar with them because they are being taught for three

months during the practicum. Therefore, the participants were managed easily

because they knew the researcher beforehand. The participants were given an

adequate explanation about why they part of this study and the purpose of

choosing them to be one of the respondents. All permission to use the room and

making the pupils as the part of the study was asked beforehand. Three

qualified English teachers and one colleague was also involved in this research.

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CHAPTER 5

ACTION PLAN

5.0 Introduction

Action research is an ongoing process of both action and research

followed by series of reflection. It is where the researcher identifies a problem

and plans a series of actions as a way of gaining deeper understanding of the

range of possible solutions or interventions. According to N.Padak and G.Padak

(2015), although research frequently focuses somehow on new ideas in adult

literacy programs or instruction, the research process involves more than simply

trying them out. Trying out the action plan also involves series of trial and error

to see the effectiveness of the research action plan.

To formulate the action plan, the researcher must first set up a goal, target

or objectives to be achieved so that the research will not sway away from the

right track. Understanding why we need to conduct this project will be helpful

in developing an action plan to fix the need we have identified. The next step is

to reflect on what we have learned about this project, what our plan are for this

project, and determine if we will be able to successful complete this project.

As for this study, there are series of action plan being carried out during

the intervention process. The plan does not involve pre-test and went straight to

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the intervention session. The intervention can be divided into four main steps

which involve three main activities which are the identification of possessive

pronoun for the first two steps, sentence construction and comic strips making

session.

5.1 Action Plan/Intervention

This research was conducted in four weeks time. The research started

with a selection of target group which was done by referring to the mid-term

English examination. After that, the participants were given a brief explanation

on why they are chosen and the purpose of the study. Then, the researcher

informs the teachers that 5 pupils of the Year 4 Sabar will be going out for

certain period of time to carry out the research. The permission to use the

access room was asked to the teacher in charge of the particular room.

The next action plan was the intervention sessions to assist pupils in

understanding the concept of possessive pronouns by using comic strips. The

interventions were conduction in four main steps. Each step consumed one hour

and was done once a week.

The first step was the introduction of comic strip and the identification of

possessive pronouns. The researcher first explains basic features of comic strips

and introduces the usage of possessive pronouns in the dialogue by referring to

the pictures in the comic strips. Teacher highlights the pictures and the

respective possessive pronouns. For example, if the possessive pronoun said

that the book is his, then the picture of a male holding a book will be shown

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including the dialogue saying the book is his. Teacher repeats the possessive

pronoun identification process until the pupils understands and able to list down

the possessive pronouns.

In the second step, researcher distributed the comic strips and asked the

participants to read silently. The participants were encouraged to refer to the

pictures while reading the dialogue. Then they were asked to underline the

possessive pronouns found in the comic and circle the object being mentioned.

For example, for the sentence: the car is mine, the participants underline the

word mine and circle the car picture.

For the third step, pupils are given the same comic strips which were

given before. This time, the possessive pronouns were left in blanks and they

were required to fill in the blanks with correct answer by referring to the

pictures. Then, new comic strips were given with pictures and without the

dialogues. Pupils were required to form a simple sentence from the picture.

Researcher guided them through the process where they need to determine the

person involved in the picture whether it is a boy or girl and singular or plural.

They also need to identify the object being shown in the picture. The

identification of person and the object were done with the help of the researcher

but the formation of sentence was done without any help.

The fourth step was not carried out during the research where they were

asked to come out with a comic strip containing three panels. They also need to

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include one possessive pronoun about an object and a person. This task was

done by the pupils in their free time and was not supervised by the researcher.

Lastly, all the data collected from the four weeks time were analysed,

presented and discussed in the data analysis section.

5.2 Summary

The implementation of action plan was where the intervention was

introduced to the participants. The process went smoothly without any arsing

problem and the pupils seem to enjoy themselves to be part of this research.

Surprisingly, the pupils managed to finish up the task. Some of them need extra

guidance but still managed to finish up the task given by the researcher.

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CHAPTER 6

METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION

6.0 Introduction

Gathering the data required multiple well planned instruments. The

purpose of carrying out action research is to grasp the understanding on some

element of your classroom by collecting data. Data can be defined as are any

form of information, observations, or facts that are collected or recorded

(Johnson, 2012). The process of collecting data during the research is what

makes the action research different from any normal study. As a researcher, we

cannot simply write our own opinion regarding the subject matter but action

research writing is all about collecting data and making conclusions based on

that data.

The instruments used to collect data for this research were observation,

interview and document analysis. The interview was done during the

intervention while both of interview and data analysis was carried out after the

intervention process.

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6.1 Data Collection Methods (Instruments)

The first instrument was the observation which was carried out by one of

the colleague who was also conducting his own action research. The observer

tried to observe the pupils behaviour and their responses during the intervention

process. The data gathered was based on his personal reports regarding the

pupils’ behaviour. The pupils were well aware of the observer’s presence but

had no idea what was his purpose in the study. The observer shrewdly observed

the pupils responses on each section and concluded their overall performance in

a form which was provided by the researcher. (Refer appendix 1).

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Figure 1: Observation Checklist

The second instrument was the interview which was carried out after the

intervention process. The interviewer was the researcher himself while the

interviewees involved three English teachers. The purpose of this interview was

to ask about their professional view regarding the effectiveness of the usage of

comic strips in teaching grammar. Interview was carried out in the Access

Room of SK Taman Uda. Each interview took only 15 minutes. The questions

(refer appendix 2) were designed beforehand by the researcher and recording

was done using a Smartphone. The data collected was purely taken from their

views and experiences of teaching English.

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Figure 2:Interview questions

The last instrument was the document analysis (refer appendix 3) which

was done by the researcher himself. The instrument involved an analysis of

participants’ works and exercises. All of the task given were collected and

analysed by the researcher in the form of teacher’s reflection. The reflection

was carried out to conclude the pupils’ ability and understanding of the activity.

The teacher or in this case the researcher will be analyzed pupils’ worksheet

and their bahaviour when completing the work which was given during the

intervention.

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Figure 3: Document analysis (teacher’s reflection)

6.2 Summary

It can be concluded that the data collection method for this research

involved three types of instruments namely observation, interview and

document analysis in the form of teacher’s reflection. Based on the data

obtained, the analysis and discussion was done.

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CHAPTER 7

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

7.0 Introduction

According to Agresti (2013) analysis and interpretation are the process by

which sense and meaning are made of the data gathered in qualitative research,

and by which the emergent knowledge is applied to participants' problems. The

main purpose of analysing and interpreting data is to transform or change the

collected data into believable evidence about the development of the

intervention which was designed by the researcher.

The analysis process can help answer an important key question which is:

has the intervention made any difference? As the researcher, we should be able

to see the effectiveness of our intervention to the participants by analysing he

raw data collected.

The process of analysing data includes three main steps. The first step is

the organization of the data. The data obtained should be organized neatly in

the form of table or graph so that the analysis can be made easier. The second

step is describing the data where the researcher highlights the outcome or the

implication of the data to the participants. The last step is the interpretation of

the data where the assessment of the findings takes place.

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7.1 Data Analysis and Interpretation

There were five respondents involved in this research and all of them

were in the average level of proficiency. I chose them based on their last

midterm examination result. All of them are from year 4 Sabar class which I

taught for 3 months during the practicum. The information of the respondents is

as follows:

.

Table 2: Number of respondents according to gender

35

Gender No. of Respondents

Male 3

Female 2

RaceNo. of Respondents

Male Female Total

Malay 1 2 3

Chinese 0 0 0

Indian 2 0 2

Total 3 2 5

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Table

3:

Number of respondents according to race

Table 4: Number of teachers involved according to gender

Table 2 showed that out of the 5 respondents, 60% or three of the pupils

were males and 40% or two females. According to table 2, 33% or 1 of the

male pupil is Malay and 66% or two of the males are Indians. Meanwhile,

100% of the female are Malays. Totally there were 60% Malays while 40% of

them are Indians.

36

Gender No. of Teachers

Male 0

Female 3

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As for the teachers, they were involved in the interview session where

they were asked about their opinion regarding the usage of comic strips in the

classroom to teach grammar. 100% or total of 3 were female and Malay

teachers. The teachers’ opinion is important because of their experience in

teaching English classroom. On the other hand, researcher also asks help from a

male colleague to carry out the observation process.

7.1.1 Research Findings

Gathering the data required multiple well planned instruments. The

instruments used to collect data for this research were observation, interview

and document analysis. The instruments involved three parties which are

observation by the colleague, interviewing the teachers, and data analysis.

1. Observation

The first instrument was observation which was carried out during the

intervention session. Observation is a systematic data collection approach

where the researchers use all of their senses to examine people in natural

settings or naturally occurring situations. Everything that happened was duly

noted as if it was happening for the first time, and everything is considered as

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important. Nothing is taken for granted. It is an attempt to see the world from

the other person's point of view which in this case is the respondents’.

There are a lot of benefits of carrying out observation during the research.

Among them were, observation can help the observer in understanding of the

phenomenon, situation and the behaviour of the respondents in the particular

setting. Observation is also an essential part of gaining an understanding of

naturalistic settings and its members' ways of seeing. It also can provide the

foundation for theory and hypothesis development.

Observation, particularly participant observation, has been used in a

variety of discipline as a tool for collecting data about people, processes, and

cultures in qualitative research. They provide researchers with ways to check

for nonverbal expression, how respondents communicate with each other, and

check for how much time is spent on various activities

Overall, during the intervention, pupils were observed of their behaviour,

interest, and ability to answer the questions given. Observers may use multiple

methods to gather data.  One primary approach involves writing field notes.

When observing, field note was taken if there was any important event that

occurred.

During the observation process, surprisingly, all of the respondents were

showing positive attitude and showed eagerness to participate in the activity.

One of the reasons was because they were going out of class and they feel

happy about it. It is also because they were in a small group which was easier to

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be controlled. The following are the field notes taken during the observation

process:

No. Items Field Notes

1.

Respondents were able to list

down all of the possessive

pronouns.

Before the activity, some of the pupils are able

to list down the pronouns but only half of it.

After the intervention and post test being

carried out, majority of the pupils are able list

down and understand the usage of possessive

pronouns.

2. Respondents show interests

during the activity.

Surprisingly, pupils show a lot of eagerness

and commitment during this activity being

carried out especially when they are told to

create their own comic strips.

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3.

Respondents give attention

during the explanation of the

instructions.

Overall, pupils give full attention because they

are a small crowd and easy to be controlled

and managed.

4.Respondents were able to

create their own comic strips

Pupils managed to complete the task given

with the guidance of the teacher.

Table 5: Field Note

From the table above, it can be seen that the observer highlighted on four

main aspect which were respondents’ ability in listing possessive pronoun,

respondents’ interest, respondents’ behaviour and the question whether they

were able to complete the task or not. For the first aspect, observer mentioned

about two time period which were before and after the intervention. Before the

intervention, respondents were able to list down some of the possessive

pronouns while after the intervention, majority of the respondents were able to

list down and understand the usage of possessive pronouns.

As for the second aspect, respondents show full commitment during the

activity being carried out. Observer specifically mentioned when the

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respondents were asked to create their own comic strips, they showed a lot of

interest in completing the task. The respondents gave full cooperation during

the intervention process.

Observer mentioned that during the activity being carried out,

respondents showed positive behaviour and gave full attention to the

instruction. He also mentioned the reason was because the crowd was small and

easier to be controlled.

As for the last part, observer noted that all of the respondents were able to

complete the task within the given time with the guidance of the teacher or in

this case the researcher. Overall, the process went well and smooth with the

cooperation from both the observer and the respondents.

2. Interview

The interview was conducted in the access room of SK Taman Uda.

Three English teachers were interviewed by researcher regarding their opinion

about the usage of comic strips in teaching grammar. Overall, the teachers gave

full cooperation during the interview session and shared some positive input to

improve the activity. The reason of interviewing the teachers was because of

their vast experience in teaching English classes. They knew a lot about

teaching pedagogy and the researcher intend to make good use of their

knowledge. All three of the teachers were female and had at least 10 years of

experience in teaching English for primary schools. Below are the transcribed

interview conducted by the researcher:

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Table 6: Interview coding

No. Questions Interviewee Response Coding

1

Did you ever

use comic strips

to aid your

teaching?

Why?

1No. I don’t think that comic strips are the best

for teaching.A

2Yes. It is a good idea because it is humorous

and graphical.B

3No. Because of the limited availability in the

textbooks.D

2

What is your

opinion

regarding this

activity?

1 The activity was great. C

2I think It is a creative idea to use comic strip to

teach grammar.B

3 It was interesting and a new idea. B

3 Did you think

the usage of

1 Yes. Pupils can relate the pronouns with the

pictures.

C

42

Aspect Coding

Not suitable A

Good/creative idea B

Good/suitable activity C

Limited resources D

Visual aid E

High frequency words F

Dialogue G

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comic strips is

effective?

2Yes. It is different and interesting and the pupils

seem to accept it well.C

3Yes. Pupils can refer to the provided pictures

and gestures.E

4

What is the

most important

issue to be

considered?

1Clarity of the picture so that pupils will not get

confused.E

2Use simple words so that pupils can understand

better.F

3The graphic should be able to attract pupils’

attention.E

5

Did you think

that the activity

is suitable for

year 4 pupils?

Why?

1 Yes. It is simple and understandable by pupils. C

2 No. It may be more suitable for year 5. A

3 Yes. Pupils can refer to the graphics provided. G

Table 7: Interview questions, responds and coding.

Coding

As for the coding, the codes represent certain topic or theme which was

categorized by the researcher. If the answer of the interviewee falls within the

A code, then it will be labeled as A and so on. Code A is not suitable where the

interviewee thought that the idea, activity or opinion is not suitable to be carried

out. Meanwhile, the B code is all about the respondent regarding the idea as

creative and innovative. The interviewee apparently agrees with the

implementation of the idea. On the other hand, code C represents the activity

whether it was suitable or not where in this case, the respondent totally on

board with the activity. Code D is used when the respondent thinks that there is

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a limitation of resources. Next, the code E is all about visual aids or graphics.

Code F is the usage of high frequency word which was not recommended for

the pupils. Lastly, code G represents the dialogue which can be found on the

comic strips.

Interviewee 1

When asked about the usage of comic strips in the classroom, she

answered no because she did not think that comic strips are suitable for

teaching. The interviewee thinks that the usage comic strips is not suitable for

teaching grammar and that is why she has not used it during the teaching and

learning session.

The second question was about the opinion of the interviewee regarding

the comic strips activity and her answer was positive in which she said, “The

activity was great.” She certainly thought that the idea was creative and

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innovative. This was because it did not occur to her to use comic strips in her

teaching.

She also thought that the activity was effective because the respondents or

the pupils could relate the pronouns with the pictures in the comic strips.

The most important issue to be taken into consideration was the clarity of

the picture so that pupils will not get confused. This was important because the

pictures were the essence of the comics. Pupils referred to the pictures in order

to come out with the correct possessive pronouns.

The interviewee thought that the activity was indeed suitable for year 4

pupils because it was simple and understandable.

Interviewee 2

For the first question, the interviewee was asked if she did use comic

strips in her class and her answer was, “Yes. It is a good idea because it is

humorous and graphical.” She thought that the usage of comic strips was great

because of the humor and the visual aids which can assist pupils in identifying

the grammar points.

Next, the second question in which she was asked about her opinion and

she thought that it was a creative idea to use comic strips to teach grammar.

Pupils will be able to understand the lesson better.

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“Yes. It is different and interesting and the pupils seem to accept it well,”

said the interviewee when asked whether the activity is effective or not. She

believed that the acceptance of the pupils was important and the activity should

be carried out more often.

Her opinion about the matter to be considered was the usage of simple

words so that pupils could understand better. Using high frequency words can

motivate pupils to learn because of the familiarity and commonness.

She answered that this activity was not suitable for year 4. Her actual

answer was, “No. It may be more suitable for year 5.”

Interviewee 3

For the first question, she answered, “No, because of the limited

availability in the textbooks.” This was because she used textbook during the

lesson. She thought that the usage of comic strips is an interesting and a new

idea.

Her opinion regarding the effectiveness of comic strips was, “Yes. Pupils

can refer to the provided pictures and gestures.” The pictures usually showed

some gestures which was the clue for the correct possessive pronouns.

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The most important aspect for her was the graphic which should be able

to attract pupils’ attention.

She also gave her opinion about the suitability of this activity in which

she said yes because of the graphics and visual aids which can assist the pupils.

3. Document Analysis (teacher’s reflection)

. By analyzing the document, we are able to finds and interpret patterns in

data as well as classifying the patterns. As for this research, the method of

carrying out document analysis was by conducting a teacher’s reflection.

Teacher in this case was the researcher himself. The teacher analysed pupils’

worksheet and their bahaviour when completing the work which was given

during the intervention.

Aspect Teacher’s reflection

Pupils’ understanding

Pupils seem to understand the concept of possessive

pronouns with the help of comic strips. They also

understand the instruction given in the worksheet with

the help of teacher. From their responds, they understand

what is expected from them which are to complete the

worksheet given.

Pupils’ behaviour Pupils show positive behaviour when completing the

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task. They were silent and listened to the instruction

attentively.

Pupils’ ability to complete

task on time

All of the pupils manage to finish the task on time except

for one pupil who needed some help from the teacher to

finish up the work.

Language used by pupils

Pupils mostly used simple English and communicate in

Malay language with each other. They can understand

simple English but use Malay language to provide any

feedback.

Pupils’ feedbackWhen asked, pupils seem to enjoy the activity very

much.

Table 8: Teacher’s reflection

The researcher highlighted five important aspects to be analysed for the

document analysis. The first aspect was the pupils’ understanding based on

their worksheet and exercises. The researcher thought that the pupils were able

to understand the concept of possessive pronoun with the help of pictures in the

comic strips.

As for the pupils’ behaviour the researcher was impressed by the positive

behaviour shown by the pupils when completing the task.

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Pupils were able to complete the activity within the time given. The

researcher said that one of the pupils needed some guidance to complete the

task.

Meanwhile, the pupils mainly used Malay language to communicate with

each other and used simple English language to communicate with the teacher.

However, the pupils used Malay language to respond to the questions.

Pupils seemed to enjoy the activity and provided positive feedback when

asked.

7.2 Summary

From the data analysis and interpretation it can be concluded that the

intervention showed some positive feedback from the pupils. They seemed to

enjoy the activity very much and eager to take part in the study. The analysis of

their work also showed significant increase of understanding in the particular

topics. This means that the intervention is effective but due to time constraint,

the effectiveness of the intervention could not be fully observed.

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CHAPTER 8

RESEARCH FINDINGS

8.0 INTRODUCTION

To conduct the discussion of the research findings, the researcher was

presented with an opportunity to develop the pattern found in the data, making

necessary connections between result of the analysis and existing theory.

In the discussion of research findings, the researcher must try to relate the

research question formed with the research results. First, briefly summarise the

major findings that come from the research and relate them to what the

researcher originally proposed to find out. If the research was done to test a

hypothesis, the researcher needs to answer the following questions which are:

1. Do the research findings support the initial hypothesis?

2. Do the research findings disprove the formulated hypothesis?

These questions should be answered by the researcher to check and see if

the research findings were indeed in the same line as the formed research

questions and objectives. At the end of the process, reflection should be carried

out to see the strengths and weaknesses of the research methodology.

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8.1 Findings

Based on the data obtained and analysed, the researcher was able to

conclude that the research findings was aligned with the proposed research

questions. The first research question is: Do comic strips help pupils in

identifying possessive pronouns? During the intervention process, the observer

mentioned that there were some changes in pupils’ understanding of the

possessive pronoun before and after the intervention. After the intervention,

majority of the pupils were able list down and understand the usage of

possessive pronouns. This clearly shows that the intervention process was

indeed effective to the pupils although it was not entirely or fully effective.

Furthermore, the data from the document analysis also showed that the

pupils seemed to understand the concept of possessive pronouns with the help

of the visual aids in the comic strips. It is undeniable that the intervention has

somehow helped the pupils in identifying and understanding the usage of

possessive pronouns.

As for the second research question which was: Do comic strips help

pupils in constructing simple sentences using possessive pronoun? Based on the

data obtained from the document analysis, it can be seen that the pupils were

able to complete the given task within the given time. Before the research, the

pupils struggled to construct a simple sentence because they did not understand

the concept of possessive pronouns. After going on a thorough intervention

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process, they were able to write simple sentences using possessive pronouns

except for one of the pupil who still need some guidance from the researcher.

One of the research objectives was to promote fun and enjoyable learning

situation. Based on the data obtained, the pupils generally seemed to enjoy

taking part on the activity and show eagerness to be part of this research. They

showed positive behaviour during the intervention process indicating that the

research objective was achieved.

However, the situation might be changing in a larger crowd of pupils.

The research only focused on small crowd of pupils which was easy to be

controlled. And pupils seem to enjoy themselves because they were somehow

‘the chosen one’ to be part of this research. The situation might be different

with a larger crowd where it will be harder to control and capture their interests

as was proposed in the research objectives.

According to the answers from the teachers, all three of them thought that

the idea of using comic strips to teach grammar was both great and creative.

Two out of three of them agreed that this activity was suitable for the year 4

pupils. The suitability of the activity are not yet proved because it was not

tested on the real classroom situation. The activity was regarded as suitable

merely by referring to the opinion of the teachers alone.

The positive feedback from the pupils was one of the indicators that this

research was effective for them. Therefore, the research should be continued to

an even wider prospective to solidify the data obtained.

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8.2 Implication

The implication of this research was limited to the participants alone. So,

the intervention proposed should be used again in the future to widen the

implication to the other pupils as well. One of the most obvious implications

was to promote fun learning environment with different kind of teaching

methodology in order to motivate the pupils to learn more. As for the teacher,

this research was to promote an idea in order to improve our pupils

understanding on the lesson especially when it comes to grammar. As a teacher,

we should not be rigid and teach in an uninteresting way which will bore the

pupils and demotivate the pupils from taking part in classroom activities.

Next, the research also provides some input about teaching with visual

aids. This is because, pupils usually forget what they have heard but certainly

will remember what they have seen or witnessed. Using visual aid is somehow

very helpful in assisting pupils’ understanding of the grammar concepts and

patterns. As for this research, the pupils were able to identify the possessive

pronouns by referring to the pictures included in the comic strips. Teachers can

also use an audiovisual media to enhance both their reading and listening skill.

On the other hand, the findings from this research will certainly be useful

for teachers and researchers in using comic strips or visual aids in their

teaching. This research has the potential to go further into other language skills

such as reading and writing.

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8.3 Summary

This research has clearly shown some positive findings and implications

towards the participants. Based on the data obtained by the researcher, it can be

concluded that the research has a huge effect on the pupils’ understanding on

the lesson. The intervention process went on smoothly without any disturbance

from the pupils. This was because the small crowd involved in this study was

easy to be controlled and managed. As a teacher, we need to strategise and

come out with a different action plan in order to implement the intervention to

an even larger crowd which will be harder to be managed.

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CHAPTER 9

SUGGESTION FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

9.0 Introduction

Suggestion for future or further research often related with the limitation

of this research. This is because the idea of further research often arises out of

drawback found on the existing research.

The findings from the research will highlight several aspects that has a

potential to be explored in future studies. These aspects can be divided into two

main categories. The first category is that findings that was not anticipated from

the start. These are useful when making future research suggestions because

they can lead to entirely new aspects to explored in future studies. Factors that

address unanswered aspects of your research questions

The second aspect is a rare case where the research questions was left

unanswered. This is not necessarily a flaw in the research strategy, but may

simply reflect that fact that the findings did not provide all the answers that was

hoped.

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9.1 Suggestion

This research can be further expanded whether the researcher wants to

use the same intervention or develop a different one. By using the same

intervention, the study can be expanded by focusing on other grammatical

aspects such as verbs and prepositions. For example, by using comic strips to

teach verb, pupils can refer the action illustrated on the pictures and come out

with a correct answer.

This research can also be developed to other language skills such as

reading and writing. As for reading, the researcher can conduct a study to

promote reading among pupils by exploring the usage of comic strips. Pupils

will be more interested in reading if the reading content was based on their

interest. So, the characters and the storyline should be familiar to the pupils

such as stories about their favourite superheroes and popular cartoon characters.

On the other hand, the study which focused on writing can promote

pupils in writing simple sentences based on the actions illustrated on the comic

strips. Simple sentences comprise of subject, verb and object can be drawn in

the form of pictures and the pupils can use it as a reference to construct a

sentence. For example a picture of a boy kicking football can guide the pupils

in constructing a simple sentence based on the action shown in the picture.

The researcher can also choose other intervention which falls on the

category of visual aids such as using picture cards to learn action verbs, develop

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reading by using power point slides or using mind map to assist pupils in essay

writing.

The following were merely suggestions for further studies on visual aids in

teaching and learning session. The researcher believes that visual aid is one of

the most common ways to enhance pupils’ understanding on the lesson.

9.2 Conclusion

As a conclusion, this research has a potential to be developed into more

sophisticated research where the researcher can come out with a more desirable

intervention for the pupils. The limitation of this research where it was not

being carried out in the larger crowd should be taken into consideration when

performing a future studies. The researcher should involve more participants

from lower level of understanding. The period of the research should be longer

in order to see a more accurate data.

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Appendix 1

OBSERVATION CHECKLIST

Date :

Time :

Place :

No. Items Field Notes

1.

Respondents were able to list

down all of the possessive

pronouns.

2. Respondents show interests

during the activity.

3.

Respondents give attention

during the explanation of the

instructions.

.

4.Respondents were able to

create their own comic strips

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Appendix 2

INTERVIEW

Date: Time: Place:

No. Questions Responses

1.

Did you ever use comic strips to aid

your teaching? Give me your

reason.

2.What is your opinion regarding this

activity?

3.

Did you think the usage of comic

strips is effective in teaching

possessive pronoun? Why?

4.

What is the most important issue to

be considered when carrying out

this activity?

5.

Please give me some suggestions to

improve my teaching related to this

activity.

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Appendix 3

DOCUMENT ANALYSIS

Date: Time: Place:

Aspect Teacher’s reflection

Pupils’ understanding

Pupils’ behaviour

Pupils’ ability to complete

task on time

Language used by pupils

Pupils’ feedback

63