USING SONGS TO ENHANCE YEAR FIVE PUPILS’ MASTERY OF

PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE

LOW LOO KEN

INSTITUT PENDIDIKAN GURU

KAMPUS KENT

2017
 USING SONGS TO ENHANCE YEAR FIVE PUPILS’ MASTERY OF

PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE

LOW LOO KEN

This action research report is submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement

for the Ijazah Sarjana Muda Perguruan Dengan Kepujian Pengajaran Bahasa
Inggeris sebagai Bahasa Kedua (TESL) Pendidikan Rendah

INSTITUT PENDIDIKAN GURU KAMPUS KENT

NOVEMBER 2017

ii
 SUPERVISOR’S APPROVAL

I hereby confirm that I have read through this research report and to my knowledge

it meets adequate standards in terms of scope and quality for the purpose of

awarding Ijazah Sarjana Muda Perguruan Dengan Kepujian Pengajaran

Bahasa Inggeris sebagai Bahasa Kedua (TESL)

Pendidikan Rendah

Signature :

Supervisor’s Name : ROSEMARY ANAK LAYAT

Date :

iii
 DECLARATION

“I hereby declare that this research report is my own work and that, to the best of my

knowledge and belief, it contains no materials previously published or written

by another person nor materials which to a substantial extent has been

accepted for the award or degree or diploma of the university or

other institution of higher learning, except where due

acknowledgement has been made in text.”

Signature :

Researcher’s Name : LOW LOO KEN

Date :

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 DEDICATION

My parents:

Low Ho Hooi, Koh Lian See

My supervisor,

Madam Rosemary Anak Layat

My sister,

Low Ai Vy

My best friend,

Young Poh Ping

Irene Tiong Ying Ying

For their constant love and being understanding as well as supportive

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation

towards everyone who had contributed to the completion of this thesis.

First of all, I thank God for instilling the strength and will power in me. Initially

I wish to express my sincere thanks to my supervisor, Madam Rosemary Anak

Layat. Her wide knowledge and reasonable ways of thinking have been a great

value for me. She has supported me throughout my research with patient and, whilst,

allowing room for me to work on my own. I really appreciate her encouragement and

effort and without her, this research too, would not have been completed or written.

One simply could not wish for a better, friendlier and supportive supervisor.

I also wish to extend my appreciation to the teacher, Madam Kamsiah @

Norfaezah for supporting me by providing valuable information that would have been

difficult to obtain. I am extremely thankful to my friends, for their on-going support,

being there for me and making my Degree’s program enjoyable. Not forgetting IPG

Kent too, which provided a ground for me to purse my education.

I cannot end without thanking my family members especially my parents and

my sister who guided me through and helped to proof read this research. Without

their understanding and constant love, that I have relied all the way through, I would

not be able to succeed. It is to them that I dedicate this work.

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 ABSTRACT

This action research is on using songs to improve pupils’ mastery of prepositions of

place. The research was implemented for sixteen weeks in a sub-urban primary

school in Tuaran, Sabah. A total of five pupils from a Year 5 class were involved in

this study. The two research questions used are 1) How can I enhance the Year 5

pupils’ ability in using prepositions of place? and 2) How can songs help to enhance

the Year 5 pupils’ mastery of preposition of place? I had adopted Whitehead and

McNiff’s Action Research Model (2011) which consists of five disciplined and

systematic stages i.e. observe, reflect, act, evaluate and modify. This study

comprised one cycle and three different instruments were used to collect data

namely field notes, interview and pupils’ worksheets for the purpose of triangulation.

Data collected was analysed qualitatively using thematic coding. Findings indicated

that using songs to teach prepositions helped to enhance pupil’s writing and

speaking skill. Songs that have happy and rhythmic tune as well as simple lyrics

allowed pupils to understand the prepositions easily. Songs also boosted the pupils’

confidence as well as motivated them. Therefore, the research had impacted the

pupils’ learning of prepositions of place positively. However, it would create a

greater impact if this technique incorporates actions. Also, I would like to suggest

that songs be used to teach other grammar points, due to the benefits mentioned.

ABSTRAK

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Kajian tindakan ini menggunakan lagu untuk meningkatkan penguasaan murid

dalam menggunakan prepositions of place. Kajian ini dilaksanakan selama enam

belas minggu di sebuah sekolah rendah kebangsaan pinggir bandar di Tuaran,

Sabah. Sejumlah lima murid dari kelas Tahun 5 terlibat dalam kajian ini. Dua soalan

kajian tindakan adalah 1) Bagaimanakan saya dapat meningkatkan penguasaan

murid dalam menggunakan prepositions of place? dan 2) Bagaimanakan lagu dapat

meningkatkan penguasaan menggunakan prepositions of place bagi murid Tahun 5?

Saya telah menggunakan Model Kajian Tindakan Whitehead dan McNiff (2011)

yang terdiri daripada lima peringkat disiplin dan sistematik iaitu memerhati,

merefleksi, melaksanakan, menilai dan mengubahsuai. Kajian ini terdiri daripada

satu kitaran dan tiga instumen yang berbeza digunakan untuk mengumpul data iaitu

nota lapangan, temu bual dan lembaran kerja untuk tujuan triangulasi. Data yang

dikumpul dianalisis secara kualitatif menggunakan kod tematik. Dapatan kajian

menunjukkan bahawa menggunakan lagu untuk mengajar prepositions of place

dapat membantu meningkatkan kemahiran menulis. Lagu yang gembira dan

berirama serta lirik-lirik yang mudah membolehkan murid-murid memahami dengan

tepat. Lagu juga memberikan keyakinan kepada murid serta memotivasi mereka.

Oleh itu, kajian tindakan ini telah memberi kesan kepada pembelajaran murid

tentang prepostions of place secara positf. Walau bagaimanapun, ia akan memberi

impak yang lebih besar jika teknik ini menggabungkan dengan aksi. Selain itu, saya

juga ingin mencadangkan agar lagu dapat digunakan untuk mengajar tatabahasa

yang lain kerana manfaat yang telah disebutkan.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

viii
TITLE PAGE ii
SUPERVISOR’S APPROVAL iii
DECLARATION iv
DEDICATION v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT vi
ABSTRACT vii
ABSTRAK viii
TABLE OF CONTENT ix
LIST OF TABLES xi
LIST OF FIGURES xii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xiii
LIST OF APPENDICES xiv

1.0 INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Background of the Study 1
1.2 Context 4
1.3 Reflections on Past Teaching and Learning Experiences 6
2.0 FOCUS OF INVESTIGATION 10
2.1 Discussion on the Focus of Investigation 10
2.1.1 Significance of Study 10
2.1.2 Workability of Study 11
2.1.3 Practicality of Study 13
2.2 Preliminary Data and Interpretation 16
2.3 Research Framework and Procedures 20
3.0 OBJECTIVES OF STUDY AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS 22
3.1 Research Objectives 22
3.2 Research Questions 22
4.0 RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS 23
5.0 METHODOLOGY 24
5.1 Plan of Action 24
5.2 Data Collection Methods 27
5.2.1 Field Notes 27
5.2.2 Pupils’ Works 27
5.2.3 Interview 28
5.3 Data Analysis Methods 29
5.3.1 Field Notes 29

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 5.3.2 Pupils’ Works 29
5.3.3 Interview 29
5.4 Data Interpretation Methods 30
6.0 FINDINGS 32
6.1 Research Question 1: How Can I enhance the Year Five
32
Pupils’ Mastery of Prepositions of Place?
6.1.1 Using Songs to Teach Prepositions of Place 32
6.1.2 Frequent Exposure of Prepositions through Engaging
35
Activities
6.2 Research Question 2: How Can Songs Help to Improve the
37
Year Five Pupils’ Mastery of Prepositions of Place?
6.2.1 Songs Help in Memory Retention 37
6.2.2 Songs Have Happy and Rhythmic Tune 40
6.2.3 Songs Boost Confidence and Motivation 43
7.0 DISCUSSION 46
7.1 Discussion on the Strategy to Enhance the Year Five Pupils’
46
Mastery of Prepositions of Place
7.2 Discussion on the Usage of Songs in Enhancing Mastery of
49
Prepositions of Place among Year Five Pupils
8.0 SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH 52
9.0 CONCLUSION 54
REFERENCES 55
APPENDICES 60

LIST OF TABLES

Table Page

x
 1 Interview on problems faced by pupils in Year Five 17

2 Results of the test 19

3 Results obtained through Worksheet A, B and C 32

4 Excerpt of Field Note 1 (FN1A) and Field Note 2 (FN2A) 34

5 Excerpt of Interview Transcript 1 (IT1A) 34

6 Excerpt of Field Note 3 (FN3A) 36

7 Excerpt of Field Note 1 (FN1B), Field Note 2 (FN2B) and 37

Field Note 3 (FN3B)
8 Difference between Preliminary Data A, Worksheet A, B and 39
C
9 Excerpt of Interview Transcript 2 (IT1B) 40

10 Excerpt of Field Note 2 (FN2C) and Field Note 3 (FN3C) 41

11 Excerpt of Interview Transcript 3 (IT1C) 41

12 Excerpt of Field Note 1 (FN1C) and Field Note 2 (FN2D) and 43

Field Note 3 (FN3D)
13 Excerpt of Interview Transcript 4 (IT1D) 44

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure Page
1 Methods used to collect preliminary data 16

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 2 Excerpt from pupil’s preposition worksheet 17
3 McNiff and Whitehead’s Action Research Model (2011) 20
4 Five steps of McNiff and Whitehead’s action research cycle 24
5 Comparison of results from Preliminary Data and Worksheets 38
A, B and C

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

ESL English as Second Language

EFL English as Foreign Language
TESL Teaching English as a Second Language
L1 First Language

xii
 L2 Second Language

LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix Page
A Preposition Worksheet 60

xiii
B Lesson Plan for First Lesson in Cycle 1 62

C Worksheet A 68

D Lesson Plan for the Second Lesson in Cycle 1 69

E Worksheet B 76

F Lesson Plan for the Third Lesson in Cycle 1 78

G Worksheet C 85

H Field Note 1 87

I Field Note 2 89

J Field Note 3 91

K Semi-structured Interview Transcript 93

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