Enhancing the English-Speaking Ability of Primary Students Through the Natural Approach Combined with the Total Physical Response Method
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Abstract
This quasi-experimental research study investigated the effectiveness of the Natural Approach combined with the Total Physical Response method (NATPR) in developing English-speaking ability among third-grade primary school students. The study objectives were (1) to compare the English-speaking ability of students before and after receiving instruction through the NATPR method, and (2) to compare the English-speaking ability of students who received instruction through the NATPR method with that of students who received instruction through traditional language learning methods. Participants were selected through cluster random sampling of intact classrooms from schools under the Chaiyaphum Primary Education Area Office 2, Thailand. The study comprised 68 third-grade students, with classrooms randomly assigned to experimental and control conditions. Data were analyzed using dependent-samples t-tests and independent-samples t-tests. The findings revealed that (1) students taught through the NATPR demonstrated significantly higher English-speaking ability on the post-test compared to the pre-test (p < .05), and (2) students in the experimental group significantly outperformed those in the control group on the post-test (p < .05). The effect size (d = 2.23) exceeded the large effect benchmark (d = 0.8). The study demonstrates that the NATPR method is statistically and practically more effective than traditional language learning methods for enhancing the English-speaking ability of third-grade students.
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