| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立彰化師範大學 === 英語學系 === 105 === Using English picture books as materials to learn English has been widely adopted in teaching. Teachers are found to design numerous teaching procedures and activities based on picture book stories; however, most of the activities focus more on the language features, such as vocabulary and sentence structure drills, or perhaps singing and dancing. Usually there is less opportunity for students to discuss their personal opinions with classmates about the themes that the author may be trying to express, the qualities of the characters, the arrangement of the plot and setting, and the readers’ own personal life experiences in connection to the story. In addition, the pictures may have some hidden messages to be conveyed to readers, and teachers perhaps are unlikely to lead students to observe and analyze the underlying information of pictures in picture books.
Picture books form a kind of literary work that offers students authentic materials for foreign language learning. Short stories in picture books could be effective used in the elementary classes due to the time limitation of class periods. The colorful pictures can potentially arouse children’s interest in books and offers visual aids for their reading comprehension. Additionally, task-based instruction which emphasizes meaning-focus learning is a learner-centered method conducive to classroom language acquisition. TBI assists learners in using the target language to discuss the themes in picture books and in learning language features as well. Furthermore, interaction between classmates is an important learning stage for elementary higher graders to develop positive value regarding social behaviors. As they are approaching the age of adolescence, they are developing their own independent thinking, and also are giving much thought about how the character aspects of others are having an influence on themselves. It is necessary to cultivate good social behaviors that students need to develop their positive attitude toward peers getting along.
This study aimed to implement task-based instruction integrated with the theme of peer-rejection from the picture book in order to explore learners’ comprehension on the meaning of their English reading in the context provided in picture stories and to exam their language learning performance. The present study utilized the English picture book Cornelius, written and illustrated by Leo Lionni, to probe the theme of peer-rejection. Ninety-eight elementary higher graders participated in this study, being randomly arranged into two groups. The experimental group received task-based instruction, while the control group underwent grammar translation method for story reading. One standardized test, Cambridge Young Learners English Tests: Movers (Cambridge ESOL, 2007) was administered to examine the students’ homogeneity in English language proficiency before the teaching experiment. A post-instructional vocabulary and reading comprehension test designed by the researcher was to explore the students’ language promotion. Two kinds of pre- and post-instructional questionnaires were respectively administered to survey the students’ attitudes toward peer-rejection and assess the students’ viewpoints in reading English picture books.
According to the results of independent samples t-test analyses, it showed a significance that the task-based instruction assisted learners of experimental group in a better English vocabulary and reading comprehension performance than grammar translation method story telling of control group. Furthermore, based on the findings of questionnaires of peer-rejection, learners receiving the task-based instruction had a more positive attitude toward the theme of peer-rejection in the story than those receiving the grammar translation method. Additionally, the analyzed results of questionnaires of English picture book teaching and reading also indicated that learners undergoing task-based instruction stated more positive feedback to the picture books teaching and reading.
It is suggested that elementary English teachers could try to implement task-based instruction with picture books to enhance students’ performance on language features learning and reading comprehension. This also helps to improve their awareness of theme of the picture books. For future studies exploring the effects of task-based instruction combining the English picture books reading, teachers may use more picture books, more different themes and even extend to other students’ grade levels.
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