Integrating Task-Based Learning and Total Physical Response to Develop Listening Comprehension among Primary School EFL Learners in Thailand
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
This quasi-experimental study evaluated the effectiveness of integrating Task-Based Learning (TBL) with Total Physical Response (TPR) to improve listening comprehension among Thai Primary 6 EFL learners. Sixty students aged 11–12 from a primary school under the Nonthaburi Primary Educational Service Area Office 1 were assigned to an experimental (n = 30) or a control (n = 30) group using cluster sampling. The experimental group received 6 hours of integrated TBL-TPR instruction, whereas the control group received conventional Presentation–Practice–Production (PPP) instruction. Listening comprehension was assessed using a validated test (KR-20 = 0.72; IOC = 1.00) at pre-test and post-test. The experimental group demonstrated significant gains, with a 30.2% increase in listening scores (p < .05) and outperformed the control group by a mean difference of 1.83 points (15.1% relative to the control group’s post-test mean; d = 1.21; p < .05). The control group also demonstrated significant within-group improvement (15.6%), though the magnitude was substantially smaller than the experimental group. The findings indicate that TBL-TPR integration effectively enhances listening comprehension by leveraging motor-based learning, reducing affective barriers, and facilitating authentic communication. This study provides one of the few controlled empirical investigations into the synergistic effects of integrating TBL and TPR on listening comprehension in primary EFL contexts characterized by limited exposure to the target language and elevated language anxiety.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Materials in THAITESOL JOURNAL may be photocopied for educational purposes. Under no circumstances may any part of this journal be photocopied for commercial purposes.
References
Asher, J. J. (1969). The total physical response approach to second language learning. The Modern Language Journal, 53(1), 3–17. https://doi.org/10.2307/322091
Asher, J. J. (2009). Learning another language through actions: The complete teacher’s guidebook (7th ed.). Sky Oaks Productions.
Baker, W. (2008). A critical examination of ELT in Thailand: The role of cultural awareness. RELC Journal, 39(1), 131–146. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688208091144
Buck, G. (2001). Assessing listening. Cambridge University Press.
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Craik, F. I. M., & Lockhart, R. S. (1972). Levels of processing: A framework for memory research. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 11(6), 671–684. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-5371(72)80001-X
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). SAGE.
Darasawang, P. (2007). English language teaching and education in Thailand: A decade of change. In D. Prescott (Ed.), English in Southeast Asia: Varieties, literacies and literatures (pp. 187–204). Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227–268. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01
Dweikat, K., Fayyoumi, N., Shehade, A., & Jarrar, H. (2023). Impact of total physical response method (TPR) on vocabulary learning in the Palestinian school context. Journal of English Studies in Arabia Felix, 2(1), 50–59. https://doi.org/10.56540/jesaf.v2i1.48
Ellis, R. (2003). Task-based language learning and teaching. Oxford University Press.
Ellis, R., & Shintani, N. (2014). Exploring language pedagogy through second language acquisition research. Routledge.
Er, S. (2013). Using total physical response method in early childhood foreign language teaching environments. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 93, 1766–1768. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.10.113
Glenberg, A. M. (2010). Embodiment as a unifying perspective for psychology. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science, 1(4), 586–596. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcs.55
Graciano, J. C. (2025). Action research for implementing task-based language teaching and enhancing speaking skills in a class of 12th grade English students in an Angolan school. Open Journal of Modern Linguistics, 15(3), 473–496. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojml.2025.153027
Khamkhien, A. (2010). Thai learners’ English pronunciation competence: Lesson learned from word stress assignment. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 1(6), 757–764. https://doi.org/10.4304/jltr.1.6.757-764
Kirkpatrick, A. (2012). English as an international language in Asia: Implications for language education. In A. Kirkpatrick & R. Sussex (Eds.), English as an international language in Asia: Implications for language education (pp. 29–44). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4578-0_3
Krashen, S. D. (1985). The input hypothesis: Issues and implications. Longman.
Long, M. H. (2015). Second language acquisition and task-based language teaching. Wiley-Blackwell.
Macedonia, M., & Klimesch, W. (2014). Long-term effects of gestures on memory for foreign language words trained in the classroom. Mind, Brain, and Education, 8(2), 74–88. https://doi.org/10.1111/mbe.12047
MacIntyre, P. D., & Gardner, R. C. (1994). The subtle effects of language anxiety on cognitive processing in the second language. Language Learning, 44(2), 283–305. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-1770.1994.tb01103.x
Ministry of Education. (2008). The basic education core curriculum B.E. 2551 (A.D. 2008). https://academic.obec.go.th/images/document/1525235513_d_1.pdf
Noom-ura, S. (2013). English-teaching problems in Thailand and Thai teachers’ professional development needs. English Language Teaching, 6(11), 139–147. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v6n11p139
Norris, J. M., & Ortega, L. (2000). Effectiveness of L2 instruction: A research synthesis and quantitative meta-analysis. Language Learning, 50(3), 417–528. https://doi.org/10.1111/0023-8333.00136
Nuraeni, C. (2019). Using total physical response (TPR) method on young learners English language teaching. Metathesis: Journal of English Language, Literature, and Teaching, 3(1), 26–34. https://doi.org/10.31002/metathesis.v3i1.1223
Nunan, D. (2004). Task-based language teaching. Cambridge University Press.
Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I. H. (1994). Psychometric theory (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Pinter, A. (2017). Teaching young language learners (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Putri, C. S., Taslim, & Syarifuddin. (2025). The effectiveness of the TPR (total physical response) method in enhancing students’ vocabulary. International Journal of Integrative Sciences, 4(1), 29–40. https://doi.org/10.55927/ijis.v4i1.13387
Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (2014). Approaches and methods in language teaching (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Rost, M. (2011). Teaching and researching listening (2nd ed.). Pearson Education.
Rutamornchai, N., Manokarn, P., Petchmongkon, P., Thinthonglang, S., Montreewong, S., Jiamanukunkij, N., & Thatsakhorn, C. J. (2024). Listening problems in the TOEIC test for English majors: An exploratory case study in a Thai university. Journal of Studies in the English Language, 19(1), 93–125. https://doi.org/10.64731/jsel.v19i1.270888
Srasri, S., Siharak, S., & Khuanwang, W. (2025). The natural approach combined with the total physical response method to enhance English listening ability of primary students. Education Journal of Nakhonratchasima College, 4(2), 121–133. https://so08.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/edunmcj/article/view/5786
Vandergrift, L., & Goh, C. C. M. (2012). Teaching and learning second language listening: Metacognition in action. Routledge.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.
Wiriyachitra, A. (2002). English language teaching and learning in Thailand in this decade. Thai TESOL Focus, 15(1), 4–9.
