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Using Rhythm and Rhyme in Elementary School English for Developing a Sense of How Languages Work

Research Project

Project/Area Number 19K13263
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists

Allocation TypeMulti-year Fund
Review Section Basic Section 02100:Foreign language education-related
Research InstitutionThe University of Tokushima

Principal Investigator

カイザー メイガン・レネー  徳島大学, 教養教育院, 講師 (10808950)

Project Period (FY) 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
Project Status Granted (Fiscal Year 2020)
Budget Amount *help
¥2,860,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥660,000)
Fiscal Year 2021: ¥650,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥150,000)
Fiscal Year 2020: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000)
Fiscal Year 2019: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000)
Keywordsrhythm / syllables / fluency / English education / pattern recognition / emerging readers / language chunking / 外国語活動 / Database / Picture book / 絵本 / データベース / Phonics / フォニックス / English Sound System / Storybooks / Teaching methodology / Elementary education
Outline of Research at the Start

This research is designed to help students achieve understanding of the sound system of English. A database of storybooks will be created for teachers that includes information on vocabulary, grammatical repetition, rhythm and rhyme. Activity plans and materials will also be developed, focusing on TPR Storytelling.
The SECI model will be used to share the teaching method. Cognitive psychology assessment strategies will be used to gauge effectiveness; and the research outcomes will be shared through publishing, presenting, and making the materials and teaching methodology available online.

Outline of Annual Research Achievements

In 2020, I gave a workshop presentation at the ThaiTESOL conference in Bangkok entitled, ‘Music is Fundamental to Language Education for Young Learners.’ The presentation explored themes such as rhythm and syllable patterns, fluent cadence in music and language, making the alphabet meaningful for L2 preliterate children and emerging readers, pattern recognition and substitution play, and language chunking through rhymes and music. The content was based on research for this project into what we know already in the field about these topics as they relate to language learning, practical reflections on my own classroom practices, and elicitation of narratives around classroom practices and beliefs from teachers who participated in the workshop. The feedback from experienced teachers from around the world was invaluable.

Current Status of Research Progress
Current Status of Research Progress

3: Progress in research has been slightly delayed.

Reason

Due to COVID-19 Pandemic schools and classes have been operating in emergency mode, rendering the learning environment anything but normal. Libraries and campuses have been inaccessible at various points, and teachers have needed all of their energy just to cope with day-to-day teaching - researchers included. This project was paused in 2020 to cope with the emergency and in hopes that 2021 would bring a return to normalcy, both making it easier for teachers and students to participate, and to ensure the research environment would be something that could be considered ‘typical’. Clearly pre-pandemic ideas of normal are still a long way off, and the only thing we can do is adapt as well as possible for the time being.The project is slightly delayed for these reasons, but we are finding ways to do as much as we can within the current context.

Strategy for Future Research Activity

Due to the current circumstances, it has become clear that working with private children’s language schools is going to be a much more feasible option than the public schools at present.
The plan in 2021 is to recruit co-researchers and participants from the private language school sector and refine teaching methods using the resources collected and created in 2019 and 2020, with an aim toward conducting a pilot of the materials and teaching approach within this year.
After reflection on the 2021 pilot, we should be on track to conduct more in-depth analysis in 2022, with publication and presentation happening nearer to the end of 2022 than originally planned, but still within the Phase 4 timeline.

Report

(2 results)
  • 2020 Research-status Report
  • 2019 Research-status Report

Research Products

(7 results)

All 2020 2019 Other

All Presentation (5 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 4 results) Book (1 results) Remarks (1 results)

  • [Presentation] Rhythm, Notation, and Melody - Music is Fundamental to Language Education for Young Learners2020

    • Author(s)
      Meagan Renee Kaiser
    • Organizer
      40th Thailand TESOL & PAC International Conference 2020, Thailand,
    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Rhythm Notation and Melody Music is Fundamental to Language Education for Young Learners2020

    • Author(s)
      Meagan Kaiser
    • Organizer
      40th Thai TESOL & PAC International Conference
    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] A Lesson from the World of Filmmaking: Using Storyboarding to Deepen Understanding and Help Students to Grow in Their Ability to Summarize a Story Well2020

    • Author(s)
      Meagan Kaiser
    • Organizer
      16th Annual CamTESOL Conference on English Language Teaching : Cambodia
    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Phonemic Script Importance to Vocabulary Learning2019

    • Author(s)
      Meagan Kaiser
    • Organizer
      JALT National Conference 2019 Nagoya
    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Syllable understanding and young learner fluency2019

    • Author(s)
      Meagan Kaiser
    • Organizer
      JALT PanSIG Conference 2019
    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
  • [Book] Tests that Second Language Teachers Make and Use2019

    • Author(s)
      Meredith Anne Stephens and Meagan Renee Kaiser
    • Total Pages
      555
    • Publisher
      Cambridge Scholars Publishing
    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
  • [Remarks] 英語のナルホド

    • URL

      https://www.eigononaruhodo.com/picturebooks

    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report

URL: 

Published: 2019-04-18   Modified: 2021-12-27  

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