USING TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE

TO ENHANCE VOCABULARY RETENTION

FOR THE THIRD GRADE STUDENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Abstract: With the trend of globalization, teaching English to young
learners has been attracting a lot of attention all around the world,
including Vietnam. In teaching English, teaching vocabulary is an
indispensable activity. It is not only about helping students remember
the meaning of words but also about helping them to hear words,
pronounce words correctly and apply words in communication. So
finding the effective teaching methods is an urgent demand of all
teachers, especially Primary English teachers. Total Physical
Response (TPR), developed by James Asher in 1960s, is a language
teaching method which encourages people to combine language
learning with physical actions. This study explored the application of
TPR method to vocabulary teaching in a primary school by carrying
out the quasi-experimental method with two groups of students from
Quang Son primary school in Tam Diep city, Ninh Binh Province. In
the process of the experiment, one group of students was taught by
the TPR teaching method, another group of students was taught by
the common traditional teaching method. The data from this
experiment showed that "TPR" group had a better command of the
vocabulary retention and physical actions could encourage students
to enjoy learning English. Through the above results, this study
hoped to be a useful resource for teachers to understand as well as to
apply the TPR method in the class and help students to learn
effectively.
1. Introduction
Saleh (1997:12) argued, “the success in mastering a language is
determined by the size of the vocabulary one has learned”. Wilkins
(1972:111) said, “Without grammar, very little can be conveyed;
without vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed.” Without vocabulary
knowledge, both language production and language comprehension
would not be possible. Therefore, the retention of vocabulary
knowledge is one of the most important prerequisites to master a new
language and it can only be possible when teachers apply effective
teaching methods.
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 Moreover, teaching English for primary students is not the
same as teaching English in secondary or high schools. Primary
students face lots of difficulties. According to Brewster and friends
(2002:81) children at this age are still in the process of building their
first language and the learning of vocabulary in second language is a
complex matter. They maybe have less motivation to learn English
because their attention is weak and lack of sustainability, easily
dispersed by sounds and events other than content of learning. So, it
is a big challenge for the teacher to find a proper method to improve
the students' ability in comprehension and retention vocabulary.
There are lots of effective teaching methods that can be
applied in teaching vocabulary. One of them is Total Physical
Response. Total Physical Response (TPR) is a teaching vocabulary
method proposed by James Asher (1988). TPR is built around the
coordination of speech and action, it attempts to teach language
through physical activity (Richard and Rodgers, 2001:73). TPR
makes learning become enjoyable and less stressful because the
children seem like playing and moving all the time. This method is
especially effective for young learners to remember phrases and
words well as their first vocabularies are usually easy to be conveyed
in action.
In Quang Son Primary School - a small school in a difficult
mountainous commune, English teaching program for students from
grade 3 to grade 5 has been implemented since 2015 in the spirit of
Vietnam’s National Foreign Language 2020 Project. However, the
fact that students still face a lot of numerous difficulties in
pronouncing the words, how to write and spell, how to use
grammatical patterns correctly. Especially, most of them cannot
retain knowledge for a long time. This fact pushes up the necessity in
applying some way which can help children remember words better
and TPR is a potential solution as it is psychologically suitable for
children.
Based on the explanation above, the writer is interested in
conducting a research entitled "Using Total Physical Response to
enhance vocabulary retention for the third grade students."
This study firstly aimed at researching to know how TPR can
improve students' vocabulary. The second aim of the study was to
impact evaluation to identify the improvement of students by using
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TPR method. Finally, the study tried to find how to apply effectively
TPR method to help students enhance their vocabulary retention.
Based the aforementioned aims, the study attempts finding answers
to the following research questions:
1) What extent does the use of TPR help students to retain
vocabulary?
2) What are the advantages of using TPR method in enhancing
students' vocabulary retention.
The study was carried out with 60 third grade students at Quang Son
primary school. On completion, the study is expected to explore the
effects of applying TPR method in teaching and learning in order to
enhance students’ retention of English vocabulary. Then this research
aimed to propose the way that TPR can be applied as a method to
teaching and learning vocabulary to the third grade students in
Quang Son Primary School. The writer also hoped that this study
would be one of the references about teaching through TPR method.
2. Literature Review
Vocabulary is an extremely important element that requires
mastering when learning a language.According to Wilkins (1972),
without grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary
nothing can be conveyed. Thus, it can be said that vocabulary is the
heart of every language. In learning a foreign language, mastering
vocabulary is essential for successful second language use. As
Huckin (1995) stated, second language readers rely heavily on
vocabulary knowledge and the lack of that knowledge is the main
and the largest obstacle for L2 readers to overcome.
Thornbury (2002:23) added “The learner needs not only to learn a lot
of words, but to remember them.” Vocabulary retention can simply
be understood as the ability to recall or remember vocabulary after an
interval of time. Vocabulary retention is an essential factor affecting
the success of vocabulary learning. “In language teaching, retention
of what has been taught may depends on the quality of teaching, the
interest of the learners, or the meaningfulness of the materials”
(Richards & Schmidt, 2002).Especially, for primary school students,
vocabulary retention is one of the most important prerequisites to
master a new language and it can only be possible when teachers
apply effective teaching methods.

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To enhance vocabulary retention, TPR is one of the best methods that
are appropriate with the characteristics of primary students who are
always energetic, receptive, imaginative and creative.
This method developed by Professor James Asher in the 1960s has
been being applied widely around the world because of its
outstanding advantages. Asher in his website
(http//www.tpr.world.com) cites some the advantages of using TPR
method as follows:
- Total Physical Response is very easy and the usage of language
contains action games, that’s why it can help student to learn fast and
effectively.
- Total Physical Response method activities do not require a great
deal of preparation on the part of the teacher. However, some other
more complex applications might.
- This method can facilitate students with the meaning in real context.
Students can memorize the vocabulary by looking at the action, even
though the vocabulary is not translated.
- Finally, using Total Physical Response method is interesting and
fun. It is very suitable for the students’ characteristics which have
been mentioned before.
3. Materials and Methods
3.1. Research Design
To describe and prove the effectiveness of TPR method in teaching
vocabulary to improve students’ vocabulary retention, this study used
a quasi-experimental design (Non randomized control group design).
The independent variable was TPR method that was applied to teach
vocabulary for students, and the dependent variable was the students’
scores in the vocabulary tests.
3.2. Participants
The participants of this study were 60 third grade students of Quang
Son Primary School in the academic year 2019 – 2020. They were
from from 2 classes 3A and 3B. Class 3A was experimental group
which consist of 30 students and class 3B was control group which
consist of 30 students.
3.3. Data collection instruments
3.3.1. Vocabulary tests
In this study, the writer used Pre-test and Post-test. Pre-test was the
test students take before the treatment to help teachers better
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understand their students' ability. Post-test was a test given to
students after completion of the treatment It had conjunction with a
pre-test to measure students' achievement as well as the effectiveness
of the applied method.
The pre-test was designed to check students' vocabulary
before applying TPR method.
The post-tests was designed to know the English vocabulary
retention of students after applying TPR method. One post test was
given to the student as soon as all the lessons completed. The other
one was given to students 3 weeks later after training to check
students' ability to memorize vocabulary
All the tests were in forms of multiple choice questions,
matching gap filling and coloring with 20 test items and the time
allowance was 30 minutes for each test. The three tests were in the
same level and the same for both groups.
3.3.2. Interview
Interviewing is a way to collect data as well as to gain knowledge
from individuals. Because the participants are young and their
language skills (especially reading and writing skills) are limited, the
researcher chose interview method to collect feedback from students.
Among many different types of interview, semi structured interview
in groups was chosen.
3.4. Data collection procedures
The whole procedure of the study is expected to follow four phases
below.
Pre-test Training Post- Intervie
Pre - test tests w
A test will be given to 60 third grade students to check their
English vocabulary before applying TPR method. The test will be in
the forms of multiple choice questions, matching, colouring and gap
filling with 20 test items. It is designed to assess students’ vocabulary
before training. The time allowance is 30 minutes.
Training
This is the most important phase of the study. After doing the
pre - test, two classes will experience different vocabulary lessons.
The objectives of the lessons for both classes are identical or in other
words, the word items to be taught for each class are the same.
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However, the treatments for each group in terms of method were
different. Class 3B - control group will be taught by the common
traditional teaching method. Class 3A - experimental group will be
taught by the TPR teaching method.
This training would carry out in 8 weeks with four units
corresponding to four topics: “Shapes and colors”, “Body parts”,
“Daily routines”, “Prepositions of place”. According to the program
distribution of the 3rd grade in Quang Son primary school, each week
will have one English club lesson. I apply my research to the English
club lessons so every two weeks students will finish one topic.
Applying TPR method, teacher teaches new vocabulary not
only in the form of single words but also in the form of word phrases
with funny actions to help students remember vocabulary in the right
contexts. Before conducting the new lesson, the teacher will let
students review what they had learned in the previous cycle follow
the spiral learning pattern. TPR learning activities like singing,
chanting, playing roles or games are applied flexibly to create interest
and motivation to help students learn effectively and remember
vocabulary longer.
Post – test
Right after the lessons, students of both groups were given the
first post-test to evaluate their memory of the language items taught
in 8 weeks ago to measure the students’ vocabulary when teaching
vocabulary applying TPR method. Three weeks later, students of the
two groups would take another posttest in order to check the memory
of students after a period of time from the lessons.
Interview
The interviews include 2 key questions relate to the advantages
and disadvantages of applying TPR to vocabulary teaching and
vcabulary retention for the third grade students. In addition to giving
direct answers to questions, interviewees will be encouraged to give
examples, personal views.
3.5. Data analysis instruments
The analysis was based on the notes from the interview and three
tests. After having collected data, the steps below will be followed.
The first one is test result analysis, the writer will analyze the data in
two ways (1) individual scores and (2) conversion of percentage

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range to compare between the experimental group and the control
group.
Individual Scores:

The formula is used to know the individual score: X = x 100.

In which:
X – The result of English vocabulary scores
R – The total number of correct answers
N – The total number of test items
Conversion of percentage range
Percentage range Qualification

85 – 100 Excellent
70 – 84 Good
55 – 69 Enough
40 – 54 Poor
0 – 39 Very poor
The second one is interview result analysis. In the procedure of
this step, all students' answers will be recorded, considered,
synthesized into main problems and concluded. Finally, after
analyzing the data from interview, the researcher compared it with
the data obtained from the test.
4. Results and Discussion
4.1. Tests result analysis
40%
30%

20%

10%
0%
Very Excelle
Poor Enough Good
poor nt

CG 28% 13.50% 736.70% 21.80% 0%

EG 0% 13.40% 19.80% 32% 34.80%
 Comparison between pre-test score and post-test 2 score of
experimental group
As it can be seen in the chart above, there was a significant
change in the pre-test score and post-test 2 score of students in
experimental group. The post-test 2 was carried out three weeks after
the training to check the memory of students after a period of time
from the lessons. After eight weeks trained applying TPR method,
the percentage of very poor scores of experimental group students
was vanished. Instead of that, the percentage of good scores,
especially excellent scores had a drastic increase. This was an
significant evidence to the improvement in students’ vocabulary
memory when applying TPR method.
Consequently, the result of vocabulary tests proved that
students who were taught usingTPR method had improvement in
vocabulary retention. Or in other words, using TPR method to teach
vocabulary for third year students is proved effective.
4.2. Interview result analysis
In the last activity, after doing the post-test, the writer asked
students some questions. The purpose of giving questions was to
answer the problem of the study. Because the participants wwere
young and their language skills (especially reading and writing skills)
were rather limited, the researcher chose group interview in
Vietnamese to collect feedback from students.
The interviews included 2 key questions. Beside giving direct
answers to questions, interviewees were encouraged to give

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examples, personal views. The students were very excited to give
their views on the TPR method together with the fun demonstrations
and actions.
The result of interview as follows:
Question 1: Do you like learning vocabulary with TPR
method?
100% of the answers received are "Yes" / "Yes, I do"
Question 2: Why do you like this method? Why don't you like
this method?
This open question gave after the question 1 to find out the attitudes
and opinions of students towards the advantages and didadvantages
of TPR method in vocabulary learning. The students were very
excited to give their views on the TPR method together with the fun
demonstrations and actions. Over 40 percent of students said that
TPR method is more interesting, vivid and attractive. They enjoyed
English lessons instead of fearing them as before. About 30%
expressed that learning vocabulary with TPR method was easier for
them to understand new words / phrases and practice them in
interesting situations such as story telling, role plays or games. Most
of the remaining students think that the TPR method helps them
remember the vocabulary longer than just reading and writing as the
traditional method. There were also the answers that TPR method
helped them learn vocabulary creatively. They like to express
vocabulary items through actions to create a their own helpful action
dictionary.

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 Based on the result of data analysis above, it could be
concluded that:
- The students’ interest in the teaching learning process using
TPR was high.
- TPR has many advantages. It can help the students in
mastering English vocabulary.
- The students’ motivation in learning English after having
activity by using TPR was high.
- The relevancy between vocabulary offered in this action
research and the vocabulary that the students often used and needed
in their daily activities was very relevant.
- Students’ ability to remember words was better.
-The application of TPR method in teaching and learning
English was very necessary.
5. Discussion
The results showed that there was no distinction in English
level between two groups. But after teaching experiment, there is a
significant difference between them. The mean score of the
experiment group is higher than the control group. The experiment
group has a better vocabulary retention than that of the control group.
So the TPR approach can help students with their vocabulary
learning effectively and rehance their vocabulary retention longer.

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