using songs to reinforce the learning of subject-verb agreement shazwani binti abd rahman ...

28 Pages·2008·1.06 MB·Indonesian

USING SONGS TO REINFORCE THE LEARNING OF
SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

SHAZWANI BINTI ABD RAHMAN

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA

USING SONGS TO REINFORCE THE LEARNING OF
SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

SHAZWANI BINTI ABD RAHMAN

A report submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the award of the degree of
Bachelor of Science with Education (TESL)

Faculty of Education
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

April 2008

iii

Thank you so much
Mak & Abah
Kak long & Abg Long
Abijul
Amirul
Aiman
Aydan
8 Charmed Ones
Even if you don’t get this very often
I mean it every time it’s said
iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Praise to God, Allah the Almighty who has blessed and given me strength and
ability to complete this study. It was indeed a challenge for me, mentally and
emotionally. Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my supervisor, Mr
Affendi bin Hashim, Faculty of Human Resource Development and Management,
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, for his insight and encouragement in completing this
study. It is an honor to work with him.

I wish to extend my sincere thanks to the principal, En Othman bin Ahmad and
the deputy principal, En Maskor bin Suparlan of Sekolah Kebangsaan Sri Pulai. I am
also grateful to the teachers of Sekolah Kebangsaan Sri Pulai especially Cik Nazimatun,
Puan Latifah, and Puan Salina. I thank the children for participating in this study and
giving me all the more reasons to become an educator. I am indeed appreciative of the
assistance provided. Last but not least, I would like to thank En. Fidhlah and En. Rosli
from Jabatan Multimedia, Fakulti Pendidikan for their assistance.

I would also like to thank my parents, Mek Zum Mohamed and Abd Rahman
Ismail for their never-ending support and love. To my sister, Wahida, brothers, Farizul
and Amirul, brother-in-law, Azman, thank you for all the help they have given me. Not
to forget, to the two cutest things in the world, Aiman and Aydan for making my life
brighter than the sunshine.

Finally, to my dearest friends, thanks a bunch. I would not get this stage of life
with ease without moral and emotional support from them. They have made my journey
a fun one. You deserve your name to be mentioned here – Ana, Aida, Nad, Awe, Jaja,
Pka, and Anim.
v

ABSTRACT

Malaysian students have always faced difficulty in understanding subject-verb
agreement (SVA). The reason for this to happen is because of interference from
students’ first language (L1). However, explicit teaching of this grammar point may
increase students’ level of anxiety. Therefore, teachers need to camouflage the teaching
by including fun elements in the lesson. Thus, this study aims to investigate the
effectiveness of using songs in enhancing the understanding of SVA. The study adopted
quasi-experimental design. Thirty-seven primary five pupils from Sekolah Kebangsaan
Sri Pulai were involved. They were divided into two groups, the experimental group and
the control group. The experimental group went through the song-based tasks in three
different sessions while the control group resumed normal lesson. The instruments used
in collecting data were pre-test, post-test, observation of the treatments from a recorded
tape, and students’ reflection sheet. Data were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively.
The findings showed that song-based activities are useful tools to reinforce the learning
of SVA and provide an enjoyable classroom atmosphere. Hence, it is highly
recommended that language teachers incorporate songs in grammar lesson.
vi

ABSTRAK

Pelajar-pelajar di Malaysia sering mengalami masalah dalam memahami
“subject-verb agreement” (SVA). Ini berlaku kerana terdapat gangguan daripada bahasa
pertama mereka. Tujuan utama kajian ini adalah untuk membantu para pelajar
memahami peraturan-peraturan dalam SVA. Walau bagaimanapun, pengajaran
tatabahasa secara eksplisit mungkin akan meningkatkan tahap kebimbangan pelajar.
Jadi, guru perlulah memasukkan elemen-elemen yang menyeronokkan dalam
pengajaran. Oleh yang demikian, kajian ini ingin menyiasat keberkesanan penggunaan
lagu dalam membantu pemahaman SVA. Kajian ini menggunakan rekabentuk “quasi-
experimental”. Tiga puluh tujuh pelajar tahun lima dari Sekolah Kebangsaan Sri Pulai
yang terlibat dibahagikan kepada dua kumpulan iaitu kumpulan eksperimental dan
kumpulan kawalan. Kumpulan eksperimental menjalani pembelajaran menggunakan
aktiviti berdasarkan lagu dalam tiga sesi yang berlainan. Manakala kumpulan kawalan
meneruskan pembelajaran seperti biasa. Alat-alat yang digunakan untuk mengumpul
data ialah “pre-test”, “post-test”, pemerhatian rawatan dari pita rakaman, dan refleksi
pembelajaran dari para pelajar. Analisis data dilakukan dengan cara kuantitatif dan
kualitatif. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahawa aktiviti berdasarkan lagu dapat
memberikan faedah dalam menolong pelajar memahami SVA dan menyediakan suasana
pembelajaran yang menyeronokkan. Maka, adalah digalakkan untuk para guru bahasa
bagi menggunakan aktiviti-aktiviti berdasarkan lagu dalam pengajaran tatabahasa.
TABLE OF CONTENT

CHAPTER TITLE PAGE

DECLARATION OF STATUS OF THESIS
SUPERVISOR’S DECLARATION
TITLE PAGE i
RESEARCHER’S DECLARATION ii
DEDICATION iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv
ABSTRACT v
ABSTRAK vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS vii
LIST OF TABLES xi
LIST OF FIGURES xii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xiii
LIST OF APPENDICES xiv

1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 Background of the Study 3
1.3 Statement of the Problem 5
1.4 Purpose of the study 6
1.5 Objectives of the study 7