Improving the speaking skill of primary school students instructed in a multigrade class through cartoons

Abstract

In the current study, it is aimed to improve the speaking skill of primary school students instructed in a multigrade class through cartoons. The current study employed the action research design. Participants of the study are 3rd and 4th grade primary school students instructed in a multigrade class in a village school in the city of Kahramanmaraş in Turkey in the 2019-2020 school year. The data in the study were collected through observations, interviews and documents. A program consisting of 7 applications in which cartoons are used for students with speech problems was prepared and applied within the scope of the language teaching course. The application continued for four weeks until the students' speech problems were reduced to a certain level and they achieved some improvement in speaking. Plans were prepared every week in line with the opinions of the field experts and the development status of the students in speech was evaluated. At the end of the study, the students' opinions about the application were taken through semi-structured interviews. At the end of the study, it was observed that the speech errors of the students decreased. At the same time, it was determined that there was an increase in the speaking time of the students and the number of words and sentences they used. The most important and positive change occurred in the psychological dimension of speech. Students' motivation increased and they started to behave more comfortably when speaking. In this direction, their anxiety decreased and their desire to speak increased. Furthermore, positive changes occurred in the students' adjustment of their tones and sound intensities. The words spoken by the students became more comprehensible.