Tài liệu Analyzing verbal visual interactions in the if you give... picture storybook by laura numeroff

BINH DUONG PROVINCIAL PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE THU DAU MOT UNIVERSITY ---------------- VO HOANG NGUYEN ANALYZING VERBAL-VISUAL INTERACTIONS IN THE “IF YOU GIVE…” PICTURE STORYBOOK BY LAURA NUMEROFF MAJOR: ENGLISH LANGUAGE MAJOR CODE: 8220201 MASTER THESIS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE BINH DUONG PROVINCE – 2021 BINH DUONG PROVINCIAL PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE THU DAU MOT UNIVERSITY ---------------- VO HOANG NGUYEN ANALYZING VERBAL-VISUAL INTERACTIONS IN THE “IF YOU GIVE…” PICTURE STORYBOOK BY LAURA NUMEROFF MAJOR: ENGLISH LANGUAGE MAJOR CODE: 8220201 MASTER THESIS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE SUPERVISED BY PHAM THI HUONG, PH. D BINH DUONG PROVINCE – 2021 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Completing this thesis research would have been impossible for me without the support and assistance from many people. I would like to express my sincere gratitude and respect to all of them. First and foremost, my deepest gratitude goes to the most important person, my supervisor, Dr. Pham Thi Huong, for her professional instruction and constant encouragement. My thesis was finally accomplished thanks to her excellent academic and hearted guidance from the first day of my journey to the last chapter of this thesis, her detailed feedback on every piece of my paper. I gratefully acknowledge Thu Dau Mot University in general, Postgraduate Department and Foreign Languages Department at Thu Dau Mot University in particular for allowing me to pursue this thesis. I also thank to Dr. Tran Thanh Du and other teachers and professors for their encouragement and lectures while I was taking the Master of Arts course at Thu Dau Mot University. I also thank to my classmates in the Master of Arts course in the academic years 2017-2019 for their friendship and support throughout the years. My profound thanks are also reserved for the principal boards, the English lecturers, who gave me the best possible conditions to conduct the study. And last, but by no means least, I have enormously appreciated the endless love of my family who is always by my side. I will never forget the day and night support of my parents, my brothers, to overcome all my life challenges. To all these significant people, I hope that the achievement of this thesis would make them feel pleased and satisfied enough. i STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I certify that this thesis titled “Analyzing verbal-visual interactions in the: “If You Give...” picture storybook by Laura Numeroff” is my original work towards the Degree of Master of the English language. Except where reference is made, this thesis does not contain materials published elsewhere or extracted in whole or in part from a thesis by which I have qualified for or been awarded another degree or diploma. No other person's works are used without due acknowledgment in the main text of this thesis. This thesis has not been submitted to award any degree or diploma in any other tertiary institution. Binh Duong, September 27th, 2021 VO HOANG NGUYEN ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................... i STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP ............................................................................. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................. iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS..................................................................................... vii LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................... ix ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................. xii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ 1 1.1. Background to the study........................................................................................... 1 1.2. Aims of the study ..................................................................................................... 2 1.3. Significance of the study .......................................................................................... 3 1.4. Scope of the study .................................................................................................... 4 1.5. Research questions ................................................................................................... 5 1.6. Structure of the study ............................................................................................... 5 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................... 7 2.1. Picture books ............................................................................................................ 7 2.1.1. History of development .................................................................... ………..7 2.1.2. Definition ........................................................................................................ 9 2.1.3. Characteristics ............................................................................................... 10 2.1.4. Functions ....................................................................................................... 11 iii 2.1.5. Benefits of visual storybooks........................................................................ 12 2.1.5.1 Visual storybooks from learners’ perspective……………...……....12 2.1.5.2 Visual storybooks from educators’ perspective…………………... 18 2.1.6. Guidelines for using picture books ............................................................... 21 2.1.7. Multimodality ............................................................................................... 23 2.1.8. Text-image relationships .............................................................................. 25 2.1.8.1 Definition of text-image relationships ............................................. 25 2.1.8.2 The meaning of the text-image relationships................................... 26 2.1.8.3 The nature of the text-image relationships ..................................... .28 2.1.8.4 The framework of the text-image relationships ............................... 28 2.2. The overview of related studies ............................................................................. 31 2.2.1. The relevant studies in Vietnam ................................................................... 31 2.2.2. The relevant studies around the world ......................................................... 33 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ............................................................................. 44 3.1. Research design ...................................................................................................... 44 3.2. Research questions ................................................................................................. 44 3.3. Materials ................................................................................................................. 45 3.4. Summary of the author and selected stories........................................................... 46 3.4.1. Laura Joffe Numeroff (the author) ............................................................... 46 3.4.2. Summaries of the series “If You Give …” ................................................... 47 3.4.2.1 If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (1985) ............................................ 47 iv 3.4.2.2 If You Give a Moose a Muffin (1991) ............................................ 48 3.4.2.3 If You Give a Pig a Pancake (1998) ................................................ 48 3.4.2.4 If You Give a Cat a Cupcake (2008) ............................................... 49 3.4.2.5 If You Give a Dog a Donut (2011) .................................................. 49 3.5. Data analysis .......................................................................................................... 50 3.6. Ethical considerations ............................................................................................ 52 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS ...................................................... 53 4.1. Message of these selected stories ........................................................................... 53 4.2. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie .............................................................................. 54 4.3. If You Give a Moose a Muffin ............................................................................... 62 4.4. If You Give a Pig a Pancake .................................................................................. 69 4.5. If You Give a Cat a Cupcake ................................................................................. 77 4.6. If You Give a Dog a Donut .................................................................................... 84 4.7. Findings .................................................................................................................. 90 4.8. Discussion of results .............................................................................................. 92 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS ....................................... 97 5.1. Conclusions ............................................................................................................ 97 5.2. Implications ............................................................................................................ 99 5.3. Limitations of the study ....................................................................................... 103 5.4. Recommendation for further study ...................................................................... 104 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................... 107 v APPENDICES………………………………………………………………………116 vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ESL English as a Second Language EFL English as a Foreign Language SFL Systemic Functional Linguistic SFG Systemic Functional Grammar vii LIST OF TABLES Table 4.1. Occurrence frequencies of text-image relationships ................................... 56 Table 4.2. The frequencies of sub-types in Complementarity ...................................... 57 Table 4.3. The frequencies of sub-types in Concurrence ............................................. 58 Table 4.4. The frequencies of sub-types in Enhancement ............................................ 60 Table 4.5. Occurrence frequencies of text-image relationships ................................... 63 Table 4.6. The frequencies of sub-types in Complementarity ...................................... 64 Table 4.7. The frequencies of sub-types in Concurrence ............................................. 66 Table 4.8. The frequencies of sub-types in Enhancement ............................................ 68 Table 4.9. Occurrence frequencies of text-image relationships ................................... 70 Table 4.10. The frequencies of sub-types in Complementarity .................................... 72 Table 4.11. The frequencies of sub-types in Concurrence ........................................... 73 Table 4.12. The frequencies of sub-types in Enhancement .......................................... 75 Table 4.13. Occurrence frequencies of text-image relationships ................................. 78 Table 4.14. The frequencies of sub-types in Complementarity .................................... 79 Table 4.15. The frequencies of sub-types in Concurrence ........................................... 80 Table 4.16. The frequencies of sub-types in Enhancement ......................................... 82 Table 4.17. Occurrence frequencies of text-image relationships ................................. 85 Table 4.18. The frequencies of sub-types in Complementarity .................................... 86 Table 4.19. The frequencies of sub-types in Concurrence ........................................... 87 Table 4.20. The frequencies of sub-types in Enhancement .......................................... 89 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2. Framework of text-image relationships (Unsworth, 2006) .......................... 30 Figure 4.1. Sample of numbered full pages ................................................................. 55 Figure 4.2. Projection of wording ................................................................................ 56 Figure 4.3. Text extends image .................................................................................... 57 Figure 4.4. Image extends text ..................................................................................... 57 Figure 4.5. Text-image relationships exemplification ................................................. 59 Figure 4.6. Text-image relationships as clarification below for the further information……………………………………………………………………………60 Figure 4.7. Text enhances image temporally ............................................................... 61 Figure 4.8. Text enhances image casually ................................................................... 62 Figure 4.9. Sample of numbered full pages ................................................................. 62 Figure 4.10. Projection of wording .............................................................................. 64 Figure 4.11. Text extends image .................................................................................. 65 Figure 4.12. Image extends text ................................................................................... 65 Figure 4.13. Text-image relationships exemplification ............................................... 66 Figure 4.14. Text-image relationships as clarification below for the further information .................................................................................................................... 67 Figure 4.15. Text enhances image temporally ............................................................. 68 Figure 4.16. Text enhances image casually ................................................................. 69 Figure 4.17. Sample of numbered full pages ............................................................... 69 Figure 4.18. Projection of wording .............................................................................. 71 ix Figure 4.19. Text extends image .................................................................................. 72 Figure 4.20. Image extends text ................................................................................... 72 Figure 4.21. Text-image relationships exemplification ............................................... 74 Figure 4.22. Text-image relationships as clarification below for the further information .................................................................................................................... 74 Figure 4.23. Text enhances image temporally ............................................................. 75 Figure 4.24. Text enhances image casually ................................................................. 75 Figure 4.25. Sample of numbered full pages ............................................................... 77 Figure 4.26. Projection of wording .............................................................................. 78 Figure 4.27. Text extends image .................................................................................. 79 Figure 4.28. Image extends text ................................................................................... 79 Figure 4.29. Text-image relationships exemplification ............................................... 81 Figure 4.30. Text-image relationships as clarification below for the further information .................................................................................................................... 81 Figure 4.31. Text enhances image temporally ............................................................. 83 Figure 4.32. Text enhances image casually ................................................................. 83 Figure 4.33. Sample of numbered full pages ............................................................... 84 Figure 4.34. Projection of wording .............................................................................. 85 Figure 4.35. Text extends image .................................................................................. 86 Figure 4.36. Image extends text ................................................................................... 86 Figure 4.37. Text-image relationships exemplification ............................................... 88 x Figure 4.38. Text-image relationships as clarification below for the further information .................................................................................................................... 88 Figure 4.39. Text enhances image temporally ............................................................. 89 Figure 4.40. Text enhances image casually ................................................................. 90 xi ABSTRACT Both written and illustrative elements are indispensable for reading materials, especially in those targeted at children. Incorporating distinctive meanings, languages, and images can unfold new-founded meanings in texts. A functional geometric theory on the interaction between the visual and scripted devices to create meaning can provide a text language. This study addresses the field of multimodal discourse analysis that looks at the multiple modes of communication, namely the interaction between text and image by investigating selected children’s picture storybooks. It examined how the meanings in picture storybooks for children are built both verbally and visually. The picture books are “If You Give ...” series, presented in color pictures and verbal texts in English by Laura Joffe Numeroff. The analysis explores the interaction of text and pictures in the formulation of idea content by using Unsworth’s (2006) framework. The results indicate that these picture storybooks show both text and images relationships with different frequencies of appearance. From there, the readers will see the good effects of learning the English language through picture books. Theoretically, the positive effects of learning English through picture books contribute to the materials used in teaching and learning English. These effects also have a practical meaning in improving the method of teaching and learning English today, contributing to improving the level and logic of language thinking of learners. As such, this study, contributing to the literature on young learners' multimodal texts, provides practical meaningful ramification in the context of teaching English as a second language, exploiting accessible multimodal resources to captivate young learners in the subject of literary works and English proficiency advancement. Keywords: multimodal discourse analysis, text-image relationships, picture storybooks, picture book, “If You Give…”, teaching and learning English. xii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Picture books are of highly aesthetic genres that tell stories via combining written and illustrated contents, therefrom interpretations of these books can be derived. These interpretations express through verbal-visual interactions. In picture books, verbal-visual interactions encourage readers to create imaginative constructs corresponding to everyone. Picture books define an array of classic characters and reflect societal behaviors, thus, provide readers with perspectives on possible roles and different worlds. Picture books can help readers visualize what is related to the world around them. Therefore, picture books can help readers develop logical thinking and linguistic thinking based on the way readers visualize through picture books. 1.1. Background to the study There is a wide range of approaches to picture books among the existing studies on children’s literature. These narratives have been analyzed in connection with developmental psychology, in relation to their therapeutic effects on children and their thematic and stylistic diversity. In most of these studies, the visual aspects have been considered as secondary, and their relationship to the verbal text has been practically ignored. In the past 25 years, however, several critics have analyzed how these two forms of communication, the verbal and the visual, work together to create meaning in picture books. They all seem to agree that the possible relationships between verbal and visual components range from those in which images simply illustrate or translate what is related in the words, to more complex and sophisticated forms of interaction. Thus, the understanding of meaning not only requires the analysis of language in text, but also the study of other semiotic resources, such as images, gestures or sounds (Guijarro & Jesus, 2014). 1 This study analyses the relationship between visual and verbal modes in “If You Give…”, a series of picture storybooks written by Laura Joffe Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia Bond for children. Laura Joffe Numeroff is a New York Times bestselling author of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Raising a Hero, and What Mommies/ Daddies Do Best. “If You Give…” book series by Laura Joffe Numeroff with illustration by Felicia Bond is a suitable series book for parents and teachers who share an interest in assisting children to develop new languages. The stories are described in simplified language, with a repetitive cause-and-effect structure that enables children to speculate on the narrative progression of these books; these are also the reasons why the researcher chooses this series to study. Besides, each work in the series is presented in very different ways, bringing meaningful lessons to readers as follows. The series “If You Give…” is for readers of varying ages with a diversity of underlying messages and has proven itself to be a must-have for parents and nursery or kindergarten teachers. These stories are introduced equally through all the cute animals for children following to different backgrounds and upbringing. With the series being one of the long-lasting and beloved children's books since its publication, the conceptualization of the text-image relationships in these books in the series would be of great benefit to potential children's book authors in the future. 1.2. Aims of the study This study explores the verbal-visual interactions in the picture book series "If You Give…." with the aim of discovering the meanings delivered within the language and images and how these modes intercorrelate with each other during the meaning-making process. Using the "If You Give…" storybooks by Laura Numeroff, this study was undertaken to add to the field of multimodality analysis vis-a-vis identifying verbal and visual interactions. The multimodal study of the pictures and words in picture books is expected to unpack meanings in this form of 2 text which takes into consideration the complementary functions of both the verbal and visual modes. 1.3. Significance of the study This study can contribute to teaching and learning English in the Vietnamese context by exploring the multimodality of picture books. The insights in the analysis of the texts and images interactions further assist the reading of and for particularly children. The knowledge can be used to facilitate the understanding of the message to young readers and capture their attention throughout the story. Children’s books are very diverse and creative, which can be easily seen in the bookstores, including not only Vietnamese books but also English books, given the increased popularity in the movement of letting children access English language from early ages. The children themselves have to still depend on their parents and teachers in selecting the books to read, and still have limited knowledge of the English language and experiences with written texts. They try to interpret the meaning of the stories by actively responding to the questions around their understanding of the text and images, their feelings towards looking at them, and making comments and repeating the reading way of their parents and teachers, through which the children can comprehend the texts through spoken interaction. The research findings are expected to lead to an understanding of meaning configuration in texts of the picture books plus the use of these texts during a reading process for children. The meaning of the picture books is constructed from a complex interplay of the verbal and visual resources. It means that this form of texts has a particular potential in providing rich literacy experiences when it is utilized by parents, teachers, caregivers, and any adults who have relationship with children from their early reading stages. As such, the study explores how instances of picture book reading indicate a shared context of experience for a teacher or a parent and a child to explore both the meanings in and outside of the texts, as well as to discover 3 the use of language and images in the texts. Above all, the role of the teacher or parent, in general an adult in mediating the experiences of reading practices will be crucial for assisting the children’ use of the language and the picture book texts in English language. Reading materials of children in both English and Vietnamese language are diverse as well. The research findings of this study can be somehow important for the similar picture books in Vietnamese language, although this area must be investigated further in future studies due to the difference between the children learning Vietnamese as a native language and the English as the foreign language. However, it is essential to have such background research like this one to expand additional similar studies. In any case, the research findings are very meaningful for a number of stakeholders involved in the reading process for children such as teachers, parents, educators, children, and the book publishers as well. For the teachers and parents, they will have a better understanding towards their choice of the books for children. Meanwhile, the book publishers and educators can determine their range of selection of which kind of books should better target the children at which age. 1.4. Scope of the study It is one of the best-selling series on The New York Times List. Vivid illustrations, combined with the phrase "If... then..." are easy to make children's readers feel excited. Besides, this study attempts to find the verbal and visual interactions within the five picture books by Laura Numeroff. 1) If You Give a Mouse a Cookie 2) If You Give a Moose a Muffin 3) If You Give a Pig a Pancake 4) If You Give a Cat a Cupcake 4 5) If You Give a Dog a Donut These five works are also the scope of study on the effectiveness of using picture books for teaching and learning the English language compared with conventional texts. 1.5. Research questions To address the research objectives, a key research question was formulated: How are verbal-visual interactions expressed in the "If You Give…" picture books series to show the meaning of the stories? Considering the significance of the topic regarding visual storybooks in pedagogy, further follow-up question can help explore the topic further with regards to the aim of the study: How would visual storybooks benefit ESL teachers in engaging very young learners, priming their interest and encouraging attention to the subject being taught? These questions will be approached in the discussions following any findings on the analysis of “If You Give ...” series of picture books in the context of their meanings and application in pedagogy. 1.6. Structure of the study Apart from the abstracts and the references, the organization of current research is designed as follows: Chapter 1: Introduction This chapter entails background to the study, aims, and significance of the study, and the scope of the study, altogether with research questions as well as and the structure outline of this paper. 5 Chapter 2: Literature review This chapter presents a brief overview of some theoretical basics as the foundation for the theory applied to conduct current research as well as the literature review on relevant studies. Chapter 3: Methodology This chapter describes the methodology used to conduct the research. It also presents the sources from which the researcher collected data, the data collection procedure, data analysis process. Besides, the reliability and validity of the research are also mentioned in this chapter. Chapter 4: Results and discussions This chapter emphasizes an array of findings to satisfy the research questions mentioned in the first chapter. This underscores the most significant characteristics of the English language used in the "If You give…" picture storybooks. The results of the data analysis are then presented and described. This chapter also includes further discussion and interpretation. Chapter 5: Conclusions and implications This chapter summarizes the outcomes of the research, which has been discussed and described in detail in the preceding chapter, as the answers to the research questions. Some conclusions drawn from the discussion are also presented in this concluding chapter. Based on the conclusion, the study suggests some implications followed by some discussion of the limitations of the research. The chapter ends with some recommendations for further analysis. 6