The influence of the Total Physical Response (TPR) method in the development of students’ English vocabulary from fifth grade at a public school in Ecuador

Abstract

In Ecuador, students who are native Spanish speakers, struggle while learning new English vocabulary due to the overuse of traditional teaching methods (Saydaliyeva et al., 2020). Due to this, this research focused on applying Total Physical Response (TPR) as a method to teach vocabulary in a fifth-grade public school class. The objective of this study is to explore the influence of this method on English vocabulary learning. This is an action research study which has a qualitative approach and uses a few quantitative data to give a stronger support to the findings. The data collection tools used are a diagnostic evaluation and a post-intervention evaluation carried out before and after the intervention process, semi-structured observations during the TPR implementation, and two focus group discussions, one in the middle and the other at the end of the intervention process. After interpreting and analyzing the information, researchers identified that the use of the TPR method and its strategies such as storytelling, roleplays, music and songs, and command drills positively affected students’ vocabulary acquirement, as well as students’ participation, motivation, and engagement.