Sharon Ahlquist - Thesis

Link to thesis

The Storyline approach was developed for primary education in Scotland in the 1960s and is today used in many countries and at different levels of education. It is less known in the field of second language teaching, though it has much in common with task-based learning. In Storyline a fictive world is created in the classroom. Learners play the parts of characters in an unfolding narrative, collaborating on tasks in small groups, a method which combines the use of language skills with practical work. The word most commonly used by learners of all ages to describe the experience of learning through Storyline is 'fun´. I wanted to investigate which features of Storyline particularly appeal to young learners and what impact the Storyline experience has on their learning of English as a second language. The study class was aged between 11 and 13.

One reason for the choice of age group was that this particular age is interesting from a research point of view. Learners of this age still learn in the way that younger children do, that is to say, holistically, but at the same time they are developing an analytical capability. In other words they are starting to show awareness of grammatical phenomena – how English differs from their first language and why the language behaves as it does. The current view in second language acquisition research is that learners need both exposure to the language and opportunities to use it in a meaningful context, but at the same time if their knowledge and competence is to develop then there must also be a focus on structural features. Storyline work provides both holistic exposure and the opportunity for focus on language.

Another reason for the choice of age group is that as learners approach puberty they often become reluctant to speak English, afraid of being laughed at by their classmates or publically corrected by the teacher. Storyline provides opportunities to speak in small groups and it motivates the young learner to take the opportunities.

Results of the study were that learners respond positively to working in groups, art work, variety and role play. Where boys and girls differed slightly was on the one hand, the preference in girls for writing and the chance to use their imagination; boys on the other hand preferred speaking and they also liked not using a textbook in the English lesson. The popularity of group work was a little surprising considering that some groups did not always collaborate well, usually due to personality issues. However, even though many individuals remained reluctant to speak English, all the groups were eager to present their findings for the class, suggesting that group work led to a sense of solidarity among the members. With regard to language development it can be said that there was clear development in the language skills, and that the learners attributed this to the work being fun. Their view was that the more fun something is, the more they learn. My conclusions were firstly that the Storyline approach offers significant benefits for second language learning, and secondly, that even where teachers do not use Storyline, there is much to be gained from including both group work and art work in the English lesson.