The Impact of the Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS) Approach on Reading Comprehension in Year Four Students

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effect of Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS) on the reading comprehension ability of Year 4 students. Thirty-four participants were selected from Heathfield International School in Thailand and divided equally into an experimental group taught through TPRS and a control group taught through traditional methods. The experiment lasted six weeks during the first semester of the 2025 academic year. The research instruments included three unit plans, and an English reading comprehension test. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, including mean and standard deviation (S.D.), and inferential statistics, including a dependent samples t-test. Findings revealed that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group on the posttest (p < .05). Students taught through TPRS showed significant improvement from pretest to posttest, indicating that the integration of storytelling, contextual vocabulary exposure, and interactive physical engagement fosters better comprehension and motivation. These results support TPRS as an effective instructional approach for English as a foreign language students in primary education.