THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING DICTATION TO THE

TEACHING AND LEARNING OF VOCABULARY IN A

FORM ONE CLASSROOM

SUMMARY OF RESEARCH PROPOSAL FOR

THE DEGREE OF B.E.D. (TESL) (HONS)

FACULTY OF EDUCATION, ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

OPEN UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA

1. Statement of The Problem

This research investigates the effectiveness of an innovative mode of instruction, the
dictation, to be used as an alternative teaching tool in learning. This study is aimed to see
the effectiveness of the use of dictation in teaching of vocabulary to lower secondary
school students rather than to the traditional product method. Besides that, it is used as
a measurement to see how it can minimize and improve existing problems such as
motivation and attitude among language learners.
2. Research Objectives
The objectives of this research are:i..To find out which approach to vocabulary teaching or the Dictation is more
effective
ii.To examine whether the Dictation is preferable in teaching and learning
vocabulary to traditional method.
iii. To examine whether dictation can help foster positive attitude and motivation
of students towards learning a language specifically vocabulary.
3. Research Questions
The following questions are formulated in order to meet the research objectives:i.Can dictation be considered as an effective means of instruction to teaching
vocabulary?
ii.Which method, dictation or the traditional method is preferable in teaching and
learning vocabulary?
iii.Can dictation stand as a tool of motivation towards learning vocabulary?

4. Research Sample
The subjects of this study are Form One students. This group is considered important
because the students come from different backgrounds and, therefore, are likely to have
different English proficiency level.
As for the experiment group, 10 students will be randomly chosen from the two
classrooms consisting of high, average and low achievers. The same will be done for the
control group. Their scores in the UPSR English exam will be used to determine their
ability levels based on the scales drawn up for proficiency level of students in English as
shown in Figure 2. The ability levels of the learners and the type of school chosen are
simply to fulfill the requirements of the research, that is, to see the effectiveness of using
dictation in a Form One classroom. The reason why these learners are selected in such a
way is simply because they are seen as those who need help in learning the language,
specifically vocabulary. For the low achievers, they need to be exposed to the new
techniques that will hopefully facilitate their learning. The high achievers are included in
the research for the purpose of observing the effects of the dictation on them.
5. Research Instrument
a.

Questionnaire 1

The first set of questionnaire will be given out to all students that participate in the
research. The purpose is to gather their background information such as their age, gender,
ethnicity, UPSR English grades etc
b.

Questionnaire 2

The post questionnaire is designed for the experimental students. This questionnaire
intends to obtain information on the learners preference towards learning vocabulary
through dictation. It is to find out if students prefer to use dictation when learning
vocabulary. This set of questionnaire will only be administered to the experimental
group.

c.

Pre-test

A pre-test will be given to the students in both the experimental group and control group.
The purpose of the pre-test is to examine students present vocabulary knowledge.
Students will be given an exercise on cloze-text. There will be 10 blanks to be filled with
suitable words. Students will be given 20 minutes to answer the pre-test. Students
vocabulary knowledge will be gauge according to the marks scored for their pre-test.
Their vocabulary knowledge will be divided into four groups, that is, excellent, good, and
average and poor according to the score received for their pre-test as shown in Figure 3.
Marks scored on the pre-test will be used as comparison with marks scored on the
post-test to evaluate the effectiveness of using dictation to teach vocabulary.
d. Post-test
A post-test will be given to the students in the experimental and control group at the end
of the study. The purpose is to find out if using dictation can be an effective means for
teaching vocabulary and as comparison between the experimental and control group as to
which group can perform better.
e. Pre-observation
The pre-observation is designed to check students attitude and motivation towards
learning vocabulary. It will be done on all the students in the experiment. It will be
carried out simultaneously with the pre-test.
f. Post-observation
The post-observation is conducted on the experimental group. It is to be conducted
simultaneously during the post- observation. The purpose of this observation is to find
out students attitude and motivation towards learning vocabulary after going through the
treatment phase.

APPENDIX A
QUESTIONNAIRE 1
Please write all the information required in the blank spaces and circle your choices in the
option provided.
Name :
Form :
Gender:
Race

Age

UPSR English Result:.

Semester One English Result:.
English Examination Result:...
Fathers occupation:
Mothers occupation:...
1. Do you speak English?
A. Yes
B. No
2. Where do you usually use the language?
A. At home
B. In your English class
C. Everywhere
3. Who encourage you to speak the language?
A. Parents
B. Your English teacher
C. Your friends
D. Yourself
THANK YOU!

APPENDIX B
QUESTIONNAIRE 2
This set of questionnaire is distributed in order to obtain information regarding your
responses towards the use of dictation. Your full cooperation is needed in answering all
the questions designed. Please write your responses or circle your choices in the option
provided.
THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP STUDENT
PART A
1. Do you think by using dictation you can improve your vocabulary?
A. Yes
B. No.
2. What do you think of learning vocabulary through dictation?
A. Interesting
B. Useful
C. Fun
D. Boring
3. Will you use dictation to improve your vocabulary in future?
E. Yes
F. Maybe
G. No
4. Do you prefer to be taught using this method in future?
H. Yes
I. No
5. Do you enjoy learning new words through dictation?
J. Yes
K. No

PART B
Please read the following statements very carefully. Then circle the
appropriate responses.
L.
M.
N.
O.

1. How useful is learning vocabulary through dictation?

Very useful
Useful
Not useful
Not useful at all

P.
Q.
R.
S.

2. How much do you like learning vocabulary?

Very much
Much
Not much
Not much at all

3. How useful is the method?

T. Very useful
U. Useful
V. Not useful
W. Not useful at all
4. How easy is the method?
X. Very easy
Y. Easy
Z. Not easy
AA. Not easy at all

APPENDIX C
PRE-TEST
Each question in the text below refers to a numbered blank. For each question, write the
correct answer to fit the numbered blank.

I am a potato farmer. I ____________ (!) alone on a small farm in Idaho. I grow

my potatoes from seed potatoes. Every year, I ____________ (2) to town to buy my seed
potatoes. I choose the seeds very ____________ (3). I am very poor, so I dont have any
machine to help ____________ (4). I use my hands to plant the seed potatoes in the
ground. Then, I cover all the seed potatoes ____________ (5) layers of soil. These layers
of soil help to prevent my seed potatoes ____________ (6) turning green.
I check my potatoes daily to make sure that the cold, diseases and pets do not
____________ (7) my potatoes. Four months later, my potato plants are fully grown.
____________(8) are ready to be harvested. I use my hands to dig out each potato. I keep
some potatoes for ____________ (9) and sell the rest. I also give ____________ (20) to
my neighbours who are poor like me. I have a hard life but I am a happy man.

APPENDIX D
POST-TEST
Each question in the text below refers to a numbered blank. For each question, write the
correct answer to fit the numbered blank.

Bali is blessed with sunshine, beautiful sunsets and white beaches. ____________
(1) from all over the world come to ____________ (2) the delights of the mountain
scenery, the clear ____________ (3) lake and sea. There are many modern hotels and
____________ (4) exciting nightlife to keep you ____________ (5) till dawn. But behind
the bright lights, you ____________ (6) find a traditional way of life in Bali. The
temples, the colourful rituals ____________ (7), and handicrafts all ____________ (8)
the strength of the local culture.

The ____________ (9) and gentle Balinese will

welcome you to ____________ (10) their island and you will want to return again to this
paradise on earth.

APPENDIX E
PRE-OBSERVATION
PRE-OBSERVATION CHECKLIST
Put a ( ) where applicable
S S S S S S S S S S
Remarks

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1.Students like learning vocabulary

2.Students like vocabulary lesson in

school

3. Students think vocabulary is interesting

4.Students find it easy to answer vocabulary
questions.
5.Students

have

confidence

in

answering

vocabulary questions.

10

APPENDIX F
PRE-OBSERVATION
OBSERVATION RECORD FORM

Remarks

Number
of students

1. Students like learning vocabulary.

2. Students like vocabulary lessons in school.
3. Students think vocabulary is interesting.
4. Students find it easy to answer vocabulary questions.
5. Students have confidence in answering vocabulary questions

APPENDIX G

11

POST-OBSERVATION
POST-OBSERVATION CHECKLIST
Put a ( ) where applicable
S S S S S S S S S S
Remarks

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1.Students like learning vocabulary

2.Students like vocabulary lesson in

school

3. Students think vocabulary is interesting

4.Students find it easy to answer vocabulary
questions.
5.Students

have

confidence

in

answering

vocabulary questions.

APPENDIX H

12

POST-OBSERVATION
OBSERVATION RECORD FORM

Remarks

Number
of students

1. Students like learning vocabulary.

2. Students like vocabulary lessons in school.
3. Students think vocabulary is interesting.
4. Students find it easy to answer vocabulary questions.
5. Students have confidence in answering vocabulary questions

13