Using hand mnemonics in the acquisition of the verbs 'be', 'do' and 'have': A study among learners with limited english proficiency

Teoh, Ah Nui (2009) Using hand mnemonics in the acquisition of the verbs 'be', 'do' and 'have': A study among learners with limited english proficiency. Masters thesis, Universiti Malaysia Sabah.

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Abstract

This study has been conducted in view of the dearth of studies on the use of mnemonics in the teaching of grammar to Malaysian students with limited English proficiency (LEP). A mnemonic strategy that used loci, keywords, pegwords and letter-based techniques was modified to lessen learners' anxiety towards English. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of using Hands Mnemonics (HM) in the teaching of the verbs 'be', 'do' and 'have' to the LEP students. As a simple and fun memory tool, it has taken into consideration the learning needs of such participants. The study was carried out among 32 experimental students in a school from a rural setting in Sabah. The results have shown that the weak students improved significantly and were able to answer even questions at a much higher level after the instructional treatment. Behaviours of the subjects in the experimental group were also recorded using a video camera during the practice sessions involving the use of hand mnemonics. A split-half reliability of .89 was obtained. The p-values obtained from the paired samples t-tests based on the pretest-posttest scores were .277 and .000 for the control and experimental groups respectively, whereas those from the independent samples t-tests on the experimental group in the posttest was less than 0.001, thus showing that the experimental group achieved significant improvement in the learning of the verbs. Qualitative data elicited through interviews were on a positive note given that many learners were capable of distinguishing the past tense verbs from the present tense forms and managed to link the verbs correctly with their respective singular and plural nouns.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Keyword:	Hands mnemonics (HM), Verbs, Memory tool, Limited English proficiency (LEP), Qualitative data.
Subjects:	L Education > LB1028 Education research > LB5-3640 Theory and practice of education > LB1025-1050.75 Teaching (Principles and practice) P Language and Literature > PE English language > PE1-3729 English > PE1001-1693 Modern English
Department:	SCHOOL > School of Education and Social Development
Depositing User:	RAZALINAH BINTI DARAIM -
Date Deposited:	06 Jan 2026 14:34
Last Modified:	06 Jan 2026 14:34
URI:	https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/45804

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