Effects of Total Physical Response on Vocabulary Learning in Urdu-English Deficit Bilingual Children

Abstract

Learning vocabulary items via multiple methods and strategies (one of them is TPR) is a challenging task not only in monolingual but also in bilingual speaker[s] who developed delayed speech (autism); therefore, in the current study, it is examined effects of total physical response (TPR) to enhance the vocabulary learning (VL) in Urdu-English deficit bilingual children (UEDBC). To achieve this goal, this study adopts an experimental research design. The participants have been recruited from Mianwali Region, Pakistan. Fifty-two Urdu-English deficit bilingual children (mean age 5-7) have randomly been included in this study after obtaining consent from their parents. They are divided into two groups: (a) control (n=26) and (b) experimental (n=26). The instructional materials consisted of chunks (words) that have been selected to provide stimuli for the students. The study reports that the results of post-tests predict a significant improvement in vocabulary learning and conceiving even in the deficit bilingual children typically using the total physical response method. It vehemently indicates that bi-competence is triggered via total physical response if and only the input material is unifiedly compatible with the sensory-motor system of bilingual competence.