1.

0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 INTRODUCTION

English Language has become a crucial language to be mastered as it is one of the most
applied languages in the world. The ISO 3166-1 code lists 83 countries and regions with English
as "official language". (Lewis et al, 2016). English is the most widely used "second" and
"learning" language in the world used for international communication in various fields like
aviation, business, internet, science and technology. Therefore, the government has been
making steps to improve mastery of English language among new generations of Malaysia
through education system to enable these human capitals to compete with other nations in globe
and build collaborations through human networking in many sectors provided that English
language as the medium for communication.

Since English Language serves as the second language in our country, it is expected
that English does not serve as the main language for the people around and the same thing
goes to pupils in national schools. Therefore, the ministry has come up with the new
standardized documents for all subjects including English language. The new document
standard for English Language (KSSR) implementation is now entering the second phase 2016-
2020.( Mohd Asron Mustapha, 2012). Hence, the elements such as creativity and innovation,
entrepreneurship, integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and
communication has now come to the verge of optimum infuse into the curriculum. When talking
about communication, the ability to converse orally in English Language is crucial and that
involves pronunciation aspect which stresses on the accurateness of the articulation of the
English phonemes. Hart D.C. (1969) mentions about the problems faced by Malaysians in
pronunciation of the English phonemes. He claims that Malaysians at that point of time
especially learners whose mother tongue is Malay or a southern Chinese dialect (namely
Hokkien, Cantonese or Hakka) make the homophones of the English tense and lax vowels. This
is one of the issue addressed related to pronunciation.

There are many ways used before to improve pupils pronunciation of these phonemes
which eventually help them to excel in their reading and speaking skills. Eventually, drilling is
one of the techniques applied with all the approaches used. As the saying goes, practice makes
perfect. Hence, whatever approach used, pupils should be trained thoroughly in order to
develop their pronunciation ability especially when it involves phonemes and diphthongs.

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1.2 CONTEXT

According to Brown, Lewis and Hacleroad (1969), media are tools used by a teacher to
facilitate instructions. Media in teaching learning process are often used to improve students
understanding on the materials and to make teaching and learning process more enjoyable.
Arsyad (2011) claims that teaching media are tools that are used to convey teaching message.
Media are needed in the teaching and learning process because of several factors. Levie and
Lentz (1982) state that there are four benefits in using media.One form of media that attracts the
researchers attention is the Nursery Rhyme. Levie and Lentz (1982) relate the use of Nursery
Rhyme as captivating and enjoyable.

The researcher will describe some researchers which are relevant to this action
research. The first previous research that I have read is entitled The Use of Nursery Rhymes to
Improve Students Mastery in Pronunciation (An Action Research of the Year Fifth Students of
SDN 01 Dukuh Dungus in the Academic Year 2010/ 2011) by Era Meiswaswati (2201407152).
She is a student of English Department Faculty of Languages and Arts Semarang State
University 2012. This research concerns with the use of nursery rhymes as a type of media to
improve students skill in English pronunciation, especially vowel sounds. It takes the fifth
graders of SDN 01 Dukuh Dungus as the subject of the study. There are two cycles in this study.
Each cycle consists of 4 meetings. The researcher begins the research by giving a pre-test to
the students. Then, they get a treatment in each cycle. In the end of each cycle, she gives an
assessment test to know their progress in pronouncing English words. After the first and the
second cycles are completely done, she gives a post test and a set of questionnaires to the
research participants. The researcher uses an observation guide, tests, and questionnaire to
collect the data. To analyse the result of the test, she uses the scoring guidance suggested by
Brown (2004). This research is about the same to the action research that will be carried out by
the researcher. The main question that comes to the researchers mind is whether nursery
rhyme is effective to help the samples (year 2 pupils) to improve their pronunciation of the words
containing the 8 Diphthongs. Another aspect that should be considered is the choice of nursery
rhyme. Are the pupils familiar with the melody and rhythm? Or is the nursery rhyme user-friendly
and easy to be learned?

The second research is entitled of Children Song as a Medium in Teaching English

Pronunciation (A case of Fifth Graders of SDN Bawang 02 Batang in Academic Year 2008/
2009) by Ahmad Yazid (3104075) thesis, Semarang: Bachelor Program of English Language
Education of Walisongo State Institute of Islamic Studies. This research uses children songs as
2
the medium in teaching English pronunciation. This research is using children songs to teach
English pronunciation. The concept is about the same with the action research that will be
carried out by the researcher but nursery rhyme is slightly different and will serve its special
features to the pupils. Children songs on the other hand do not fixed to the features of the
nursery rhymes. Nursery rhymes are songs for young children. (Rundell, 2002). Hence, by using
a nursery rhyme to help the researcher in improving pronunciations of diphthongs, positive
results are expected since nursery rhymes are not ordinary songs but designed specifically in
terms of lyrics , melody and rhythm to cater the needs of young children.

1.3 REFLECTION OF PAST TEACHING EXPERIENCE

The researcher went for his teaching practice in one of the primary schools in Johor
Bahru for two times which was 1 month for phase 1 and 2 months for phase 2. The school was
mainly consisted of Malay pupils and some Indians and Bumiputera pupils. In his previous
teaching experience, the researcher found out that the pupils were having problem with their
pronunciation especially with English Diphthongs. They pronounce the words as if they were
pronouncing the Malay words. The researcher was interested in helping the pupils to pronounce
the diphthongs correctly. Unfortunately, they were among the Year 2 pupils who needed
engaging activities to grab their attention toward the pronunciation exercise or else they will not
be paying attention to the teacher and they will easily forget the exact pronunciation of the
Diphthongs taught conventionally through ordinary Diphthong charts and oral explanation.

The researcher was currently doing his third practicum in another school in Pasir
Gudang. The school had 2 sessions to cater quite a big number of pupils which was over 1700
pupils. According to the school afternoon supervisor, most of the pupils came from the squatter
background. They were among poor people and thus English Language served a very small
relevance to their lives. The researcher noticed that a big number of the pupils could not
pronounce English words correctly. Some of them could not even read. They tend to be copying
the words but failed to pronounce the phonemes especially the Diphthongs correctly. The
researcher carried out a few teaching about phonemes and he stressed on a few Diphthongs
and he identified mistakes in pronouncing the Diphthongs among the pupils of Year 2.
Therefore, the researcher was interested to use one interesting yet effective way to teach
several Diphthongs to the pupils in his class to see whether they can learn and eventually
pronounce the Diphthongs better.

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1.4 PRELEMINARY OF DATA COLLECTION

1.4.1 English pronunciation of diphthong

Diphthong Pronunciation

According to Fromkin et al (2011), a diphthong is a vowel sound in which there is an

intentional glide made from one vowel position to another vowel position, and which is produced
in one single impulse of breath. The vowel sound in the following words are diphthong since
there is a deliberate glide made from one vowel position to another vowel position and produced
with one single impulse of breath: no, may, high, boy, and etc. Usually diphthong
difference based on the position the elements. So, there are ascend-diphthong and descend-
diphthong. We called ascend-diphthongs because the first position sound of diphthong is lower
than the second position of diphthong. And why we called descend-diphthong because the first
position sound of diphthong is higher than the second position. The total number of diphthongs
is eight (though is increasingly rare). The easiest way to remember them is in terms of three
groups divided as in this diagram:

Figure 1. Diphthong chart

The centering diphthongs glide towards the (schwa) vowel, as the symbols indicate

(example words: beard, Ian and fierce) the starting point is a little closer
than in bit and bin.

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 e (example words: aired, cairn and scarce) this diphthong begins with the
same vowel sound as the e of get and men.

(example words: moored and tour) for speakers who have this diphthong,
this has a starting point slightly closer than in put and pull. Many speakers
pronounce instead.

The closing diphthongs have the characteristic that they all end with a glide towards a closer
vowel. Because the second part of the diphthong is weak, they often do not reach a position that
could be called close. The important thing is that a glide from a relatively more open towards a
relatively closer vowel is produced. Three of diphthongs glide towards I, as described below:

eI (example words: paid and pain and face) the starting point is the same as
the e of get and men.

aI (example words: tide, time and nice) this diphthong begins with an open
vowel which is between front and back; it is quite similar to the of the words
cut and bun.

I (example words: void, loin and voice) the first part of this diphthong has
the same quality as : in ought and born.

Two diphthongs glide towards , so that as the tongue moves closer to the roof of the mouth
there is at the same time a rounding movement of the lips. This movement is not a large one,
again because the second part of the diphthong is weak.

5
 (example words: load, home and most) the vowel position for the
beginning of this is same as for the schwa vowel , as sound in the first
syllable of the word about. The lips may be slightly rounded in anticipation of
the glide towards , for which there is quite noticeable lip-rounding.

a (example words: loud, gown and house) this diphthong begins with a
vowel similar to . Since this is an open vowel, a glide to begins would
necessitate a large movement. Usually in English the glide towards begins
but is not completed, the end of the diphthong being somewhere between
close-mid and open-mid in tongue height. There is only slight lip rounding.

1.4.2 Nursery Rhymes to Teach Diphthong Pronunciation

According to Macmillan English dictionary (2002) , a nursery rhyme is a traditional poem

or song for young children such as little jack Horner, Humpty Dumpty, and Twinkle- Twinkle Little
Star and etcetera. A nursery rhyme is a good media to teach pronunciation especially,
pronunciation of diphthong to young learners. The rhythm of the rhyme helps students to build
up fluency of pronunciation and helps them concentrate on pronunciation of the students. (Mills ,
2011).

1.4.3 Applying the Nursery Rhyme in Pronunciation of Diphthongs

The researcher will be adapting the Nursery Rhyme entitled If You Are Happy And You
Know It. The original version of the song is composed by Joe Raposo (c) Jonico Music, on
January 29, 1971.The origin of "If You're Happy and You Know It" comes from an old Latvian
folk song and the melody is similar to "Molodejnaya" written by the famous Russian composer
Isaak Dunayevsky. The original version of the nursery rhyme involves action verbs. However, by
adapting the lyrics, pupils can practice to pronounce the Diphthongs and some words containing
the Diphthongs while singing the song. The concept applied is drill in a fun way (using a nursery
rhyme).

6
2.0 RESEARCH FOCUS

2.1 DESCRIPTION OF RESEARCH FOCUS

2.1.1 Introduction

In this study, the researcher wants to improve the pronunciation of the pupils for the
selected Diphthongs. In this case, the researcher will use an adapted nursery rhyme entitled If
You Are Happy And You Know it to teach the selected Diphthongs to year 2 pupils in a primary
school. The action research focuses should cater the aspects of practicality, significance and
workability. In term of practicality, the intervention that will be carried out is practical as Nursery
Rhymes are loved by pupils. (Murcia et al, 2014). Young children love songs. Through singing
activity they will learn the pronunciations anonymously in an enjoyable learning environment. In
term of significance, the issue of Diphthongs pronunciation among the research participants is
very relevant. Exploring ways to improve their pronunciation is very promising in our education
system as most of Malaysian pupils are second language learner of English Language. Hence,
any success in helping them to pronounce English Diphthongs correctly will create huge impacts
on their proficiency in English Language. In term of workability, the setting of the research will
be in a primary school in Pasir Gudang, Johor. It is located about (16 km) or 20 minutes drive
from IPG Temenggong Ibrahim Campus through Ungku Mohsin residence and Pandan Malay
Village. Majority of the people living near the school are from mixed social backgrounds and they
are speaking in Malay Language. They are living in the squatter area. Some of them are living in
the residences nearby. Since the researcher is currently teaching that class, hence it is
appropriate for the researcher to apply the intervention for this issue (Diphthongs pronunciation)
through his daily lesson plans.

2.1.2 Focus of Investigation

Based on researchers observation during his teaching in the classroom, the pupils in his
class do mistakes when pronouncing Diphthongs in words. Therefore, the researcher chooses
the nursery rhyme to help them to pronounce the selected Diphthongs and also because:

a) The nursery rhyme entitled If You Are Happy And You Know it is an interesting media
or instrument to help pupils to pronounce the Diphthongs correctly. (/aI/ , /a/ , /I/,//

,/e/, //, /eI/ and /I/).

7
 b) Children love song better than plain texts. Murcia et al (2014) state that songs exhibit an
engaging form of rhythm, linking, stress, or sound patterns. Songs that have clear lyrics,
a catchy tune, and multiple occurrences of the targeted feature work best for
pronunciation practice.

2.1.3 Statement of the Problem

The researcher is teaching Year 2 pupils for English Language subject. The class is the
third best class among the 9 classes of Year 2 in that particular school. The pupils are having
problem in pronouncing the Diphthongs correctly within the given words. They can spell the
words correctly but lack of awareness on the correct pronunciations of the Diphthongs. The
researcher has been teaching the pupils to pronounce the Diphthongs by using Diphthongs
charts and oral explanation but the pupils seem to forget the correct pronunciations easily and
are not quite interested to learn. Therefore, the researcher wants to use this media instead.

2.2 ACTION

This research will be carried out using an action research. According to Wallace (1998),
action research is done systematically by collecting the data and then analysing it to produce
some decisions about future lesson. The research will begin with the problems or issues that
arise in the teaching cycle and then followed by the finding of the strategies to overcome the
problem by applying some techniques to treat the group of pupils who face the problems.
Harmer (2001) claims that action research is a series of procedures that teachers can engage
with to evaluate the effectiveness of particular activities and procedures. Therefore, this action
research is a process of carrying out investigations to find new ideas and facts about the
effectiveness of the researchers actions toward the issue of diphthongs pronunciations among
the research participants.

In conducting the action research, the researcher needs to carry out some steps. The
researcher will use the research model by Stephen Kemmis. He will use only one cycle. One
cycle contains four phases which are planning, acting, observing and reflecting. The process of
the action research is shown as follow.

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 Figure 2. Kemmiss Action Research Model.

The cycle for this action research is as follow:

1. Designing planned action (plan)

Figure 1 illustrates the action research model as cyclical in nature in one cycle and moving
through the major steps of planning, action, observation and reflection.

2. Implementation of the action (action)

This phase will be the phase where the researcher will implement the plan made earlier. The
plan will be executed through the classroom activities according to the standard curriculum
set by the Ministry of Education of Malaysia (MOE).

3. Observation (observe)

The observation is carried out to identify the pupils reaction and condition while the research
is conducted and what will be the results of the action taken by the researcher.

9
4. Reflection (reflect)

Reflection is done to evaluate whether the intervention or plan through the activities done are
suitable and effective to solve the problem statement. Hopkins (1985) claims that researcher
has to make sure that judgment that will be made regarding the results of the research is fair,
reasonable and accurate. Therefore, evaluation should incorporate multiple perspectives that
will be gathered through different instruments. In this research, the researcher plans to use
field notes, pronunciation tests, audio and video recordings, and questionnaires.

3.0 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS

3.1 Research Objectives

a) To improve the pupils ability to pronounce Diphthongs correctly.

b) To motivate pupils in term of their interest to learn the pronunciations of Diphthongs.

3.2 Research Questions

a) Does the use of Nursery Rhyme entitled If You Are Happy and You Know It improve the
pupils ability to pronounce Diphthongs correctly?
b) Does the use of Nursery Rhyme entitled If You Are Happy and You Know It motivate
pupils in term of their interest to learn the pronunciation of Diphthongs?

4.0 RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS

In this research, the researcher has chosen pupils of Year 2 B from the primary school
(School B) as the researchers target group. The class has 35 pupils in total and is conducted in
afternoon session. Most of them are Malay pupils and this group consists of pupils with
moderate and low proficiency in English. Their mother tongue is Malay Language and thus they
are communicating in Malay language.

10
 The participants of this research love activities of pronunciation that are related to songs,
games and any tasks that involve physical movements (hands-on). Therefore, the researcher
will take the group as the target group. According to Mills (2011), the researcher needs to obey
the research ethics about privacy and confidentiality of the participants. The researcher needs to
use labels to represent the participants, school and the children to acknowledge the research
participants privacy. The pupils that the researcher will take as the participants of this study are
the 10 pupils from the class Year 2 B and the 25 pupils will be the controlled group.

5.0 PLAN OF RESEARCH IMPLEMENTATION

5.1 PROCEDURE OF ACTION

This research will be applying classroom action research according to Stephen Kemmiss
action research model along with the major steps of planning, action, observation and reflection
by Hopkins (1985). The researcher will use one cycle and it consists of three actions
(treatments). The single cycle will be as follow:

Planning 1) Preparing materials for intervention or treatment and designing steps to carry
out action plan.
2) Preparing items for pre-test and post-test. Pre-test is the diagnostic test to
test the 10 pupils pronunciation prior abilities. 8 words containing the 8
Diphthongs respectively will be listed into a table. Each research participant
is required to pronounce the 8 words which is one word at a time and the
researcher will record the audio for every research participant (pupils). The
audio recordings will confirm the researchers decisions of evaluating the
research participants performance in their pronunciations of the 8 words
(wrongly or correctly pronounced). The same test will be applied to both pre-
test and post-test. Analysis of data will be referring to the results of the pre-
test and post-test.
3) Preparing field notes templates to be filled in throughout the Action step.
4) Preparing a set of questionnaire to be answered by the 10 research
participants.

11
Action 1) Giving pre-test (pronunciation test) to the 10 research participants, recording
the audio of each research participants pronunciation of the 8 words and
giving task sheet to the controlled group ( the rest of the pupils who are not
the research participants). Identify what word or words and how many word
or words that are correctly pronounced for each research participant.
2) Explaining the instructions on the activity (Singing a Nursery Rhyme If You
Are Happy and You Know It.) by referring to the prepared version to the
whole class (10 research participants including the controlled group).
3) Giving opportunity for pupils to ask for further guidance to do the activity.
4) Conducting the activity of singing the Nursery Rhyme.
5) Conducting post-test (pronunciation test). The procedure is the same as the
pre-test.
6) Taking field notes based on the researchers observation during the pre-test
, actions or interventions or treatments , and post-test.
7) Giving questionnaire forms to the 10 research participants and collecting the
completed forms from the research participants.
8) Record videos of all three sessions of actions.
9) Record audios of the pre test and post test for all research participants.
Observation 1) The researcher will observe the pupils and use the field notes to write any
behaviour of the pupils, their reactions towards the treatments or actions or
towards the tests given.
2) The researcher will analyse the audio and video recordings to observe the
pupils response toward the intervention whether the activity motivates them
to learn and to identify any improvement in their pronunciation after the
treatments or the actions.
3) The researcher will analyse the results of the questionnaire.
Reflection 1) After the researcher accomplishes his analysis, the researcher will conclude
whether there is any improvement in the 10 research participants
pronunciation performance of the 8 words containing the diphthongs
respectively and whether the actions improve their motivation to learn the
pronunciation of the Diphthongs and the words.

12
5.2 DATA COLLECTION METHOD

According to Saleh (2001), a few methods can be used together in a research. They are
questionnaire, observation sheet or field notes, interview and test. Wray et al (1998) claim that
even tape-recording data and case studies can be used to collect data. In this research, the
researcher decides to use a pronunciation pre-test and pro-test, audio and video recordings,
questionnaire and field notes to support the action research. The Pronunciation Tests (pre-test
and post-test) that will be used are as shown in appendix 1. The questionnaire is as shown in
appendix 3 and the form for field note is shown in appendix 4. The researcher will be the Active
Participant Observer. The researcher is actively engaged in teaching and observes the
outcomes of his teaching. The researcher will use field notes to record his observation and audio
recordings to collect the data for pre-test and post-test. (Mills, 2011). The researcher will be
using the data collection techniques as suggested in Mills (2011) called the Three Es. Firstly is
Experiencing (through observation and field notes); secondly is Enquiring (through
Questionnaires) and thirdly is Examining (through audio recordings and video recordings). Since
this action research will be done in qualitative form, hence the qualitative validity of the research
will be based on Maxwells criteria. (Mills, 2011). According to Maxwell, one of the validity
aspects that can be applied is Descriptive Validity. The researcher can focus on the factual
accuracy of his account and will not distort things he will see and hear. The next factor that will
be considered is the reliability of the test that will be carried out. The test is designed to test
specific items according to the research title and questions. The Diphthongs that will be tested
are the eight Diphthongs that will be focused during the intervention. Hence, the test is reliable
to measure performance and gather results to cater the research questions and research focus.

5.3 DATA ANALYSIS METHOD

Analysis of data will be done in qualitative method. Pre-test and post-test results will be
recorded in tables and eventually will be analysed in descriptive form. The data from the video
recordings, questionnaire forms and field notes will be analysed to justify the results of the tests
that will be recorded in audio format and as will be evaluated by the researcher directly during
the tests. The researcher will focus on the pupils performance and improvements of diphthongs
pronunciations, interest, their feelings and motivation toward learning through the Nursery

13
Rhyme , participation in the intervention , attitude toward the activity and their responses to the
questionnaire given along with the results of their observations through the field notes and the
audio and video recordings.

5.4 TRIANGULATION DATA

The researcher will be using these collecting data methods which are pre-test and post-
test, audio and video recordings, field notes and questionnaire. According to Mills (2011),
triangulation refers to the use of multiple sources of data. Wolcott, 1988 (as cited in Mills, 2011),
claims that the effectiveness of educational research lies in its triangulation and collection of
information in various ways. Therefore, three qualitative fieldwork strategies that include
experiencing, enquiring and examining represented by the methods above will be used to collect
data. The data gathered will be compared and contrasted by using the triangulation matrix by
Sagor ,2000 (as cited in Mills, 2011).

Pre test and post test.

Audio and video Questionnaire and field

recordings notes

14
Research Data Source
Questions 1 2 3
Preexisting Field notes Pre-test. Audio recordings
knowledge:
(pronunciations
of the 8
words)?
Pronunciation Field notes Post-test Audio recordings
of the 8 words
after actions or
treatments?
Motivation to Questionnaire & Field Video recordings
learn by using notes
the Nursery
Rhyme?

Table 1. Triangulation Matrix

5.5 SCHEDULE OF RESEARCH IMPLEMENTATION

Date / Week Anticipated Anticipated pupils Rationale of the

researchers actions. activity.
actions.
Week 1 The researcher will Pupils do the pre-test. To check pupils
give pre-test to the Appendix 1 pronunciation of the 8
pupils. Diphthongs.
Week 1 The researcher will nil To analyse data
collect data and
present it in a table.
Week 2 The researcher will Pupils will learn and To improve pupils
use intervention- engage in the activity. pronunciation.
Using a Nursery

15
 Rhyme.
Week 3 The researcher will Pupils will do the post- To check whether
continue with the test. there are
intervention and do improvements in
the post-test. pronouncing the
Diphthongs.
Week 4 The researcher will nil To analyse the data.
collect the data and
present it in a table.

Table 2. Schedule of Research Implementation.

No Weeks/Days Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4

Tasks 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
1 Pre test and
observations on
pupils learning on
Diphthongs
2 Action 1
3 Action 2
4 Action 3 and Post
test
5 Analysing data
( pre and post
tests ; field notes ;
questionnaire ;
audio and video
recordings).

Table 3. Gantt Chart of Research Implementaion

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5.6 COST ESTIMATION

No Items Price per unit Unit Price

1 A4 Paper RM11.00 4 RM 44.00
2 Printer Ink (Black, RM40.00 1 RM 40.00
Cyan, Magenta
and Yellow).
3 Gifts ( pencils and RM1.00 35 RM35.00
books)
4 Writing tools (pen) RM1.20 3 RM3.60
Total RM60.80 43 RM122.60

Table 4. Cost Estimation.

17
REFERENCES

Arsyad, & Azhar. (2011). Media Pembelajaran, Ed Xii. Jakarta: PT. Raja Grafindo Persada.

Brown, Lewis and Hacleroad,. (1969). Audio Visual Instruction. New York: Mc. Graw, Hill Book
Company.

Collins.(1990). English Nursery Rhymes for Young Learners. Hongkong: Wing King Tong Ltd.

Fromkin, V. , Rodman, R., & Hyams, N. (2011). An Introduction to Language. Wadsworth :

Cengage Learning.

Harmer,J.(2001). The Practice of English Language Teaching. New York: Longman Inc.

Hart D.C. (1969). Some English pronunciation difficulties in Malaysia. ELT Journal, 23 (3)
, pp. 270-273.

Hopkins,D.(1985). A Teachers Guide to Classroom Research. Philadelphia: Open University

Press.

KPM.( 2011). EnglishTextbook Year 2 KSSR. Kuala Lumpur : Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

Rundell, M et al. (2002). Macmillan English Dictionary For Advance Learners. United Kingdom :
CECL.

Meiswarawati, E. (2011). The Use of Nursery Rhymes to Improve Students Mastery in

Pronunciation (An Action Research of the Year Fifth Students of SDN 1 Dukuh Dungus in
the Academic Year 2010/2011) (Doctoral dissertation, Universitas Negeri Semarang).

Mill, G.E. (2011). Action Research : A Guide for the Teacher Researcher. Boston: Pearson
Education Inc.

Mohd Asron Mustapha.(2012,September 12). Kurikulum Baru Mulai 2016. Utusan Online.
Retrieved from http://ww1.utusan.com.my/utusan/Pendidikan.

Murcia, M.C. , Brinton, D.M. , & Snow, M.A. (2014). Teaching English as a Second or Foreign
Language. Boston: National Geographic Learning.

18
Lewis, M.P, Gary F. Simons, & Charles D. & Fennig (eds.).(2016). Ethnologue: Languages of
the World, Nineteenth edition. Dallas, Texas: SIL International.

Levie, W. H. & Lentz, R. (1982). Effects of text illustrations: A review of research. Educational
Communication and Technology, 30(4), 195-233.

Ramelan,.(1994). English Phonetics. Semarang: UPT UNNES Press.

Roach,P.(2000). English Phonetics and Phonology. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Salleh,M.(2001). Teaching Language . Semarang: IKIP Semarang Press.

Wallace, M.J.(1998). Action Research for Language Teacher. Cambridge. Cambridge University
Press.

Wray, A. , Trot , K., & Bloomer, A. (1998). A Practocal Guide to Researching Language. London
: Hodder Education.

Yazid, A. (2009). Children songs as a medium in teaching English pronunciation (a case of fifth
graders of SDN Bawang 02 Batang in academic year 2008/2009) (Doctoral dissertation,
IAIN Walisongo).

19
APPENDICES

APPENDIX 1 Pronunciation Test (Pre-test and Post-test).

INSTITUT PENDIDIKAN GURU KAMPUS TEMENGGONG IBRAHIM

JOHOR BAHRU.

Pronunciation Test Rubric for Selected Diphthongs Among Year 2 Pupils (S.K).

Tested by : Date :

Instruction: Pronounce these words correctly based on the 8 Diphthongs : /aI/ , /a/ , /I/,//
,/e/, //, /eI/ and /I/. Correct pronunciation will be marked with (/) and wrong pronunciation
will be marked with (X).

Participants /aI/ /a/ /I/ // /e/ // /eI/ /I/ Total of

(pie) (cloud) (hear) (bowl) (fair) (sure) (clay) (oil) Correct
Pronunciation
Pupil A
Pupil B
Pupil C
Pupil D
Pupil E
Pupil F
Pupil G
Pupil H
Pupil I
Pupil J
Total of
Correct
Pronunciation

20
APPENDIX 2 NURSERY RHYME (If You Are Happy and You Know It).

If You Are Happy and You Know It.

If you are happy and you know it say /aI/ ,

If you are happy and you know it say /aI/ ,

If you are happy and you know it and you really want to show it,

If you are happy and you know it say pie,

If you are happy and you know it say pie,

If you are happy and you know it say pie,

If you are happy and you know it and you really want to show it,

If you are happy and you know it say pie.

Instructions

1. Change /aI/ with /a/ , /I/,// ,/e/, //, /eI/ and /I/.

2. Change pie with cloud ,hear ,bow ,fair ,sure ,clay and oil.

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APPENDIX 3 Questionnaire Form

Questionnaire

( Nursery Rhyme entitled If You Are Happy and You Know It.)

Name :

Class :

Read the questions and put ( / ) in the boxes.

No Questions

Yes No
1. I love the song.
2. I can sing the song.
3. I can make the sounds //.

4. I can say bowl correctly.

5. I want to sing the song again.

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APPENDIX 4 Field Notes Form.

Field Notes Form

Name :

Grade :

Date : Comments:

Recorded by :

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