2020 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
Using Rhythm and Rhyme in Elementary School English for Developing a Sense of How Languages Work
| Project/Area Number |
19K13263
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| Research Institution | The University of Tokushima |
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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)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
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| Keywords | rhythm / syllables / fluency / English education / pattern recognition / emerging readers / language chunking / 外国語活動 |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Causes of Carryover |
In 2020, there were zero travel expenses, as well as personnel expenditure and remuneration due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021 we are carefully considering the situation with regards to how we can safely proceed with a collaborative experiment project and are working to reset expenditure targets accordingly.
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Research Products
(1 results)
