Journal of Physical Education and Sports Management

Teaching Kindergarten Children English Vocabulary by Total Physical Response in Physical Education Courses*
Zeynep Coşar, Rüstem Orhan

Abstract
This study deals with the effect of Total Physical Response (TPR) on English vocabulary teaching to kindergarten students in Physical Education and Play. TPR is a method of developing foreign language communication skills through physical movement and mostly imperative moods. TPR is employed to help teach a foreign language by combining speech and actions. This was an eight-week study program carried out with kindergarten children in Bursa Private Tan Schools. A total of 32 students (16 control and 16 experimental) participated in the study. A pretest in the 1st week and a posttest in the 8th week consisting of 16 questions were applied to both groups. Words determined from the kindergarten curriculum were taught to the control group by a classical method in the classroom and to the experimental group by TPR in the Physical Education and Play sessions. The related t-test results demonstrated that there were significant differences in pre-test and post-test scores on question basis (p<0.01). The results of the research indicate that the Physical Response Method applied in Physical Education and Play was more effective, fun and motivating for Kindergarten students in learning English vocabulary than traditional foreign language teaching methods.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/jpesm.v6n2a8