Advantages and disadvantages of using Visual Storytelling to Teach English Vocabulary to Young Learners at Viet Anh Primary School

Abstract

This research was conducted to investigate the use of visual storytelling in teaching English vocabulary to young learners at Viet Anh Primary School in Vietnam’s context. Specifically, the research aimed to determine the possible advantages and disadvantages of using visual storytelling to teach vocabulary to young learners, as well as to explore specific solutions to disadvantages of using visual storytelling in teaching English vocabulary to young learners. The study followed a mixed-methods research design which collected both quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data was collected with a questionnaire, while qualitative data was collected with interviews. The study took place at Viet Anh Primary School in Ca Mau City and included 30 teachers from the school as participants. All the teachers responded to the questionnaire, whereas five teachers participated in the interviews. The findings revealed that teachers perceived various benefits associated with visual storytelling, including affective, cognitive, teaching, and behavioral/social benefits. Visual storytelling was considered an effective way to motivate students to learn vocabulary. The affective and cognitive benefits were perceived most prominently. Concerning the disadvantages, the findings showed that the teachers struggled with preparing relevant and suitable visual stories, evaluating students’ performances during visual storytelling activities, and preparing stories in a reasonable timeframe. The interview participants recommended solutions to address these challenges, which included using pre-made resources, effective time management, collaboration, involving students in the process, customizing content, utilizing various sources, observing engagement, and implementing assessments. The research findings can serve as a useful reference for English teachers of young learners and those with similar contexts.