The CATESOL Journal

In this study, I investigated how adult Latino ESL students reacted to two alternative methods of instruction: Total Physical Response (TPR) and Total Physical Response Storytelling (TPRS).The research regarding adult Latino attitudes suggests that this population expects a grammar-driven and “traditional” classroom atmosphere (Gault, 2003, 2004). The TPR and TPRS methods deviate from what is considered a “traditional classroom” because of their implicit and kinesthetic nature. I, therefore, researched the students’ expectations as well as their affective reactions to the kinesthetic class. I first collected a survey to find out the students’ learning preferences. Then, the students experienced a total of five hours of teaching, which consisted of a combination of TPR and TPRS. The students’ attitudes were collected through questionnaires, video recording, and professional observation. The data revealed that the students showed overwhelmingly positive attitudes toward these two methods, despite the fact that the students had more “traditional” expectations of English class. Although further research is necessary, teachers could use the findings of this study as an impetus to use alternative methods in their adult classes and to encourage teachers to conduct action research as a means to assess students’ attitudes toward various teaching methodologies.