Confirmation of Candidature – PhD – Oral Presentation Thao Nguyen

STORYTELLING AS PEDAGOGY TO FACILITATE MEANING-MAKING IN ENGLISH LEARNING AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE FOR YOUNG LEARNERS

Thi Phuong Thao Nguyen 

Abstract
Foreign language teaching and learning has become extremely popular and important in recent years in Vietnam. Currently, the 2020 National Project of Foreign Languages from primary to tertiary levels is being proceeded to innovate the quality of teaching and learning. However, teaching English as a foreign language to young learners seems to focus more on linguistic forms (e.g. grammar and vocabulary) and overused chorus repetition drills rather than on meaning. Children are almost disengaged in learning. A big challenge for teachers is how to expose children to quality English language exchanges and how to make children’s learning effective, interesting and engaged.
Children own a natural disposition to stories and storytelling and children’s meaning making is one significant aspect in their language developmental process. Therefore, this study will investigate how storytelling as pedagogy may support children’s meaning-making in English learning as a foreign language. The values of joy of learning, freedom of expression, and holistic learning as living standards of judgement will guide my living theory research practice (McNiff & Whitehead, 2006) on meaning-making through storytelling with young learners. The meaning concept refers to lexical meaning, meaning in social context, and meaning in language use as defined by Vygotsky.
The concepts of mediation and activity theory conceived by L.S. Vygotsky in sociocultural theory are applied to understand how aspects of storytelling as pedagogy work to facilitate children’s meaning-making of the story, about children themselves, and the world around. Observational data from storytelling and classroom activities as well as workshop plans, reflective journals, discussion and interviews will be collected through storytelling workshops with a teacher of English and primary-aged children. The process will involve monitoring practice and gathering data, then interpreting the data and generating evidence in relation to living standards of judgement. I will contribute to the storytelling workshops as a practitioner-researcher and a participant observer to theorise the practice of storytelling as pedagogy in English as a foreign language learning.

Panel:

Assoc Professor Liz Mackinlay and Dr Sue Creagh (Chair)
Principal Advisor: Dr Louise Phillips
Associate Advisor/s: Dr Simone Smala
Date Tuesday 19 April 2016
Time 1pm to 2pm
Room 302
Location Social Sciences Building 24
St Lucia Campus