http://dx.doi.org/10.35381/i.p.v4i1.1696
Songs to encourage English speaking in students
Canciones para fomentar el habla del inglés en estudiantes
miriam.orellana.30@est.ucacue.edu.ec
Universidad Católica de Cuenca, Cuenca, Cuenca
Ecuador
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4745-1530
Martha Magdalena Guamán-Luna
Universidad Católica de Cuenca, Cuenca, Cuenca
Ecuador
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6480-2270
Recibido: 15 de noviembre 2021
Revisado: 10 de diciembre 2021
Aprobado: 15 de febrero 2022
Publicado: 01 de marzo 2022
ABSTRACT
This study aims to explore that approach and demonstrate how the use of songs in English influences students' motivation while learning English as a second or foreign language. A sample of thirty students from the Tayuza Educational Unit located in the province of Morona Santiago, Ecuador, was used. The results of the application of a ten-question questionnaire show that students prefer the use of songs in English to participate and get actively involved in classroom activities. The importance of using tools other than traditional ones to motivate and encourage students to learn English as a second or foreign language is confirmed.
Descriptors: Activity learning; verbal learning; vocal music. (UNESCO Thesaurus).
RESUMEN
Este estudio tiene el propósito de explorar ese enfoque y demostrar cómo el uso de canciones en inglés influye en la motivación de los estudiantes mientras aprenden inglés como segundo idioma o un idioma extranjero. Se utilizó una muestra de treinta estudiantes de la Unidad Educativa Tayuza ubicada en la provincia de Morona Santiago, Ecuador. Los resultados de la aplicación de un cuestionario de diez preguntas, muestran que los estudiantes prefieren el uso de canciones en inglés para participar e involucrarse activamente en las actividades del salón de clases. Se confirma la importancia de utilizar herramientas diferentes a las tradicionales para motivar e incentivar a los estudiantes a aprender inglés como segunda lengua o lengua extranjera.
Descriptores: Aprendizaje activo; aprendizaje verbal; música vocal. (Tesauro UNESCO).
INTRODUCTION
In general, music is part of all the cultures of the world, and songs have been part of human experiences since times that we can remember (Safa, 2018; Singh & Jeganmohan, 2020). Songs have become an integral part of our linguistic trajectory, and in conjunction with learning a language, they can be of great help (Summer, 2018). The benefits of using songs or music in English classes have given rise to a large body of literature (Murphy, 2019) that suggests important support for using music in the language classroom. Mobbs & Cuyul (2018) mention that music can contribute to the acquisition of a language in several measures. For example, songs or music can attract the attention of children and/or young people in the affective aspect. In addition, the singing activity results in an authentic activity of educating students by enhancing the development of hearing and language skills.
However, developing speaking skills is considered a very difficult task for students and teachers. On the contrary, students may feel overwhelmed if the learning environment is inadequate in English classes (Albaladejo et al. 2018). Although many teachers feel it convenient to use music in the teaching of the English language, there is also the notion of lack of the theoretical foundation that reinforces such a choice (Degrave, 2019), (Johansson, 2021) mentions that children and young people learn a language faster than adults, through fun activities, against traditional methods of language teaching. However, if the learning environment is not adequate, the benefits of teaching English as an EFL or ESL cannot be obtained and incorporated into the primary and secondary curriculum.
Fortunately, access to music and lyrics has become easier (Muñoz et al. 2018), (Sayakhan & Bradley, 2019) believe that the integration of English songs in foreign language classes is a factor that leads to the improvement of students' hearing ability. Good listening comprehension facilitates the process of learning other language skills (Hadi, 2019). Therefore, the use of songs in the teaching of English in secondary school contributes significantly to the development of students' skills.
This article promotes the strategic use of songs in foreign language classrooms to motivate students while practicing the English language. The objective is to explore the perceptions of 30 high school students of the Tayuza High School about using songs in English classes. It represents a simple and effective method for students to express their ideas without restrictions on grammatical accuracy (Pratiwi, 2018). Therefore, the aim is to demonstrate the importance of songs as learning tools to improve students' pronunciation skills. Additionally, it suggests that a broader approach to the use of songs in English classrooms can lead to substantial and satisfying language learning.
Theoretical framework and literature review
Music and language
From the theory of Multiple Intelligences based on research in disciplines such as psychology, genetics, and anthropology, it is affirmed that the human being has a series of relatively independent intellectual capacities that they take advantage of individually and corporately (McPherson et al. 2019). These multiple skills include the analysis and creation of oral and written language (linguistic intelligence); solving problems and calculations (logical-mathematical intelligence); expressing and perceiving different sound patterns (musical intelligence), among others (Mobbs & Cuyul, 2018). The notorious relationship between music and language long-dated in the field of psycholinguistics is that the brain can understand and organize the rhythm and syntax of music and language similarly even before the age of two (Perveen, 2018).
According to (Bokiev et al. 2018) music enhances verbal and auditory skills, and in the educational context of a foreign language, it is flattering and stimulating. As mentioned by (Chamba & Gavilanes, 2018) music and language involve the use of complex sounds that stimulate thought and linguistic information.
Benefits of using music in the classroom
Mobbs & Cuyul (2018, p. 23) summarize the benefits of using music in class as follows:
a) Music is universal and valued by people and cultures, so it's a great way to engage students.
b) Music provides for both young and adult students, aspects of rhythm in a language, improving listening comprehension, and providing pronunciation practice.
c) An opportunity to examine culture and diversity through authentic songs.
d) It provides a way for students to discover vocal expression and communicative competence, from speaking to singing.
e) Students acquire vocabulary and idiomatic expressions characteristic of the language through music.
f) Students benefit most when an adequate song (ideally chosen by the students themselves) is selected to learn vocabulary, a specific grammar point, stress, intonation, and rhythm among others.
Music as a learning method
Music as a learning strategy is a contemporary theme. However, using music to teach languages involves several considerations on the part of teachers. According to Lems (2018), teachers should consider two main points: first, to attend to the auditory skills of a language in a general and selective way, and; second, to check fluidity and accuracy. By considering a song within the global, language-specific auditory framework, students can become more satisfyingly engaged with the meaning and content of the song.
To assess the general listening skills of the language, teachers can start by including varied authentic material, since songs intrinsically contain different speech patterns (Akbary et al. 2018) propose to include reduced forms of natural speech patterns, errors, and characteristics of different dialects. In this way, students can identify and understand that listening skills are developed in certain contexts. Likewise, teachers can use concrete strategies such as predicting parts of songs and evaluating the previous knowledge of the students, to help them identify specific characteristics of the language in the lyrics.
Regarding language-specific listening skills, (Mobbs & Cuyul, 2018) focus attention on atoning endings (those that are pronounced without accent and any syllable), articles, inflections and tones, and functional words such as prepositions or conjunctions. Parts of the speech help people to communicate and interact with their peers in a better way close to a native speaker.
On the other hand (McPherson et al. 2019) suggest that to highlight the differences between fluency and accuracy present in songs, reduced forms of speech are required, as well as concentrating on the correct grammatical characteristics. In this way, the common problem in students regarding fluency or precision in the pronunciation of songs in English is addressed.
Literature review
It is well known that music provides several advantages in learning any language. Its strategic importance within English classrooms is recognized and the debate on the inclusion of songs to improve students' listening and language skills is ongoing. Several recent studies have found that Songs in English help students improve their English language skills, as they are an effective alternative that combines music and text (Safa, 2018; Sayakhan & Bradley, 2019; (Singh & Jeganmohan, 2020). Students can learn and expand their lexicon as well as more complex grammatical structures through the varied use of words and phrases contained in the songs.
In practice, learning English through the use of songs is an optimal method for students: to focus on and actively participate in classes (Pratiwi, 2018); generate multiple ideas (Summer, 2018), and enjoy learning another language (Singh & Jeganmohan, 2020), add that, using songs in English, can improve language proficiency, students' motivation and attitude (especially social skills and cooperation), and the perception of teachers and students.
Murphy (2021) who has 27 published primary empirical studies and 1864 total participants from 1990 to 2020, establishes that the use of English songs has a great influence on learning English vocabulary. In this sense, songs are a necessary instrument that helps improve language skills, particularly listening comprehension and pronunciation. The author argues that an issue that should be addressed more frequently is how to help foreign learners learn the language effectively.
Evidence suggests that students' listening skills are reinforced by taking advantage of English songs (Afriyuninda & Oktaviani, 2021) determine the use of songs to improve the listening skills of 100 students in the fifth and seventh semesters of the English Education study program at Universitas Teknokrat Indonesia. The results show that English songs are effective in listening skills. (Safa, 2018) mentions that while at first students may be overwhelmed by the high standards and analytical thinking skills required to understand songs as an aspect of their English curriculum. Motivation by using contemporary songs as a teaching methodology results in improved and creative linguistic performance.
Another issue to consider, which can be difficult to establish songs in English as a methodology in the teaching of a foreign language is the high number of students per classroom. In this regard (Johansson, 2021) mentions that the solution to the low command of the English language in high school students and the difficulty to work with a large number of students per classroom is to allow them to speak in English regarding their favorite songs. This allows them to improve not only their pronunciation but also their attitudes, interest, and participation.
Motivation for learning appears to be related to learning performance (Summer, 2018) to facilitate an authentic context of learning and practicing English, proposes a quasi-experiment by recruiting two classes from a high school in northern Taiwan. The author employed a sample of 70 students and lectured a class to learn using two different approaches: an English song approach and a traditional approach.
The results included an assessment of the students’ writing abilities as well as their understanding of the songs, to determine the effectiveness of using songs in English. The author's results showed that, compared to the students in the control group, the students in the experimental group who learned with the songs in English, had a higher performance in writing in the aspects of fluency. In addition, it was found that most of the students considered the use of songs to be beneficial and interesting and were in favor of such a strategy.
(Hadi, 2019) also investigated the use of songs in English teaching at Dharma Karya High School in Indonesia. The findings for a sample of 25 students revealed that using songs in the learning process makes students more active in their interaction, as evidenced by an increase in their level of participation during teaching. The findings also revealed that using the songs from the preliminary stage to the water cycle in the research process resulted in a significant improvement in the students’ English language skills. This was demonstrated by the students’ average scores, which increased from 60 in the preliminary stage to 68 in the first cycle and finally to 80 points in the second cycle.
On the other side (Safa, 2018) investigates the effect of music on the acquisition of English vocabulary in two groups of 60 students (assigned in two groups, experimental and control) adult Male Persians of intermediate level English. The first group of students is exposed to the selected song for vocabulary learning and the other group receives the prose version of the song while listening. As a result of conducting an independent T-test, the author supports the claim that playing songs promotes vocabulary learning by adult language learners. However, he cautions that more research is needed to determine whether there is any difference between men and women and between different levels of competence in this regard.
In another study (Albaladejo et al. 2018) use songs and stories as popular and valid resources in the acquisition of English vocabulary in high school classrooms. The authors explored the effects of listening to stories, songs, and a combination of the two on the English vocabulary growth in a group of 17 students. Using an ANOVA test of repeated measures, and video recordings to verify learning patterns, the results indicated that, the use of songs compared to the use of stories, was the method that yielded the relatively higher scores. However, taken together, both songs and stories should be taken into account for content planning and vocabulary learning in English school contexts.
Using a less quantitative approach through a literature review of articles within the research area, (Johansson, 2021) examines how songs can affect the learning of English classes in a secondary school in Sweden. The results showed that the songs had a positive effect on casual vocabulary learning and retention of new words. Furthermore, the use of songs in the English classroom demonstrated positive attitudes among students and teachers, such as a reduction in anxiety and stress among students when participating in dynamic classes.
(Muñoz et al. 2018) analyze the impact of the use of songs in English classrooms and the extent to which it facilitates the development of grammar skills among two groups of young Danes and Spaniards. According to the results, the use of songs in formal English instruction played a larger role in young people’s grammatical comprehension. Likewise, they showed that the use of audiovisual material could explain the increase in the students' grammatical skills.
In a similar study (Çevikbas et al. 2018) delve into the incidence of the use of songs in English classrooms and examine the extent to which it facilitates the increase in vocabulary of first-grade students of a private school in Istanbul-Turkey. The results of data collection from pre-and post-vocabulary tests with the implementation of songs while teaching English revealed that songs assist young students in improving their vocabulary. Teachers regard them as an effective pedagogical resource for promoting vocabulary while teaching English classes.
Exploring teachers' perspectives and attitudes toward the use of English songs when teaching oral skills appears to be a good idea. The use of music and songs in English classrooms is not recent. To encourage the acquisition of English as a foreign language, teachers frequently recommend pop songs on websites and in experience-based articles. This upbeat attitude, however, contrasts with the scarcity of musical activities in the classroom. In addition, the number of empirical studies verifying the use and usefulness of songs in English teaching is small (Wissin & Starks, 2019). While many teachers intuitively believe that music is beneficial to English language teaching, the theoretical underpinnings that support such a choice are not always present (Hadi, 2019). Additionally, in the task of attending to the needs of students in general, teachers often identify some students as disinterested in the subject, for fear of making mistakes (Mobbs & Cuyul, 2018). As a result, pedagogical decisions and implementation are primarily the responsibility of the course teacher (Tegge, 2018).
In a study carried out at a public school in Amman (Al-efeshat & Baniabdelrahman, 2020) investigated teachers’ and students’ attitudes toward the use of songs in English language teaching and learning. The researchers used a questionnaire and administered it to 42 people in total; their findings show that the songs assisted students in learning vocabulary in English, and teachers regard it as a good practice in the classroom. Similarly (Wissin & Starks, 2019), capture elementary school teachers' perceptions of how well they prepared their classes to teach English at a Christian academy located in southern Haiti. The authors conducted a case study that included five North American teachers and included a questionnaire, two interviews, and observations of classroom teaching.
The results supported existing research on the use of English songs as part of language teaching tools. In addition, they also recommend using additional material and a curriculum that includes several texts in which the songs can provide useful training environments for vocabulary acquisition. As a result, the song-based approach works well in high school classrooms (Johansson, 2021).
Tegge's article (2018) reports on the findings of an international survey that examines teachers' attitudes toward using songs in the English classroom as a teaching method. According to the results of the survey, songs are frequently used as a diverse and meaningful didactic practice. Furthermore, the criteria used by the teachers to include the songs as part of their methodology were based primarily on the findings of cognitive psychological research.
In any case, the design and choice of authentic tools depend largely on the teachers, so in the future, the design of the research must take into account variables such as the type of song and the content of it. In this regard (Chamba & Gavilanes, 2018) point out the usefulness of authentic materials in improving students’ oral fluency by using 96 surveys and 31 voice recordings to assess oral fluency. They randomly selected 22 students third-level English students and divided them into two groups, one experimental and one control. Both groups were evaluated for oral accuracy and fluency. The experimental group of 15 students received original resources such as songs, whereas the control group of 7 students received information from a textbook and shorter material. Following tests reported a significant improvement in oral fluency when original teaching material such as songs, was used.
The way how students learn the English language is key, that is, teachers may be aware of its usefulness in the classroom, but addressing the problem of students' growing demotivation to acquire a foreign language seems to be crucial, (Hindémè et al. 2018) used a questionnaire to 65 randomly selected teachers to assess the role of songs in English teaching. Their findings indicate that songs are rarely used to improve students’ language and listening skills; rather, they are used as a hobby. The authors conclude that English teachers should be trained in the effective use of songs in the classroom, and secondary schools should have a variety of teaching materials.
Based on the results of previous research, it is clear that English teachers should use songs as an additional relevant educational methodology to promote and enhance the learning of their students' vocabulary in English classes.
METHODOLOGY
This study follows the methodology proposed in Çevikbas et al., (2018), (Hadi, 2019), and (Johansson, 2021), who apply the quantitative method to analyze and explain how students use the songs to improve their speaking skills. As it is descriptive, the obtained information concerning the phenomena provides rich material.
The students used in this research were a sample of 30 tenth-grade students from the Tayuza High School in the province of Morona Santiago, Ecuador. The instrument selected to collect the data was a questionnaire instrument containing ten questions.
RESULTS
Table 1 shows the results obtained from the application of the questionnaire. Regarding the first question, the results show that 50% of respondents like English classes more or less. This is closely related to students' responses to the seventh question, where again 50% mention feeling more or less motivated to learn English as a foreign language. In the next question about whether you like to participate in English classes, most of the respondents (73.33%) answered they like to participate in classes.
In the third question, 66.67% indicated that they feel nervous when they have to speak in English, followed by 23.33% who mentioned that they feel scared. These answers are in line with the 66.67% of students who answered question eight, who never feel safe speaking in English. These findings corroborate the results of other studies (Wissin & Starks, 2019) mentioning that students feel overwhelmed when they must speak in English. That is, in addition to the challenge of meeting the needs of all students, teachers frequently discover that some students are afraid of making mistakes or are simply uninterested in the subject, resulting in low participation in classes (Mobbs & Cuyul, 2018).
In question number four, 80% of the students answered that the activity they would like to do in English class is to sing a song. This is related to 73.33% of the answers to question nine, where students mention that they would like to sing songs in English as a tool to improve their pronunciation skills. Compared to the other options, singing a song sounds simpler, and more fun. According to (Degrave, 2019) music is a universal language and if students are taught a language creatively using music or songs, learning a foreign language becomes a dynamic and entertaining activity, in addition, it increases the motivation of students to learn (Safa, 2018).
In question number five, on how one could help improve English pronunciation skills, 76.67% believe that the use of audiovisual material can do so. Again, the other two options seem to be more complicated compared to using visual material, which generates more interest and ease for students. How to effectively motivate students to learn has long been a major concern for language educators and practitioners (Summer, 2018). Among all the factors that influence learning motivations, teaching styles and teaching materials may be the most important to consider to achieve more successful teaching and learning.
Finally, question number ten has divided answers, with 36.67% considering that they have developed few speaking skills in the last two years, while 53.33% mention that they have not developed any English-speaking skills in the last two years. Literature evidence suggests a strong relationship between students' success in their English classes with language teaching methodology by adopting non-traditional tools. To summarize, we can argue that the findings of this study support previous research on the role of songs in English learning and proficiency in young students.
It is clear that using songs to teach another language, especially English, can affect student performance, in addition to developing more skills such as increasing vocabulary, better pronunciation, and a growing interest in learning the language. When students acquire these elements among others, they are capable to develop the productive skills to communicate using phrases, words, and structures taken from the songs.
Table 1.
Opinions about the English classes of high school students.
|
N° |
Questions |
Alternatives |
Percentage |
|
1 |
Do you like the English class? |
A lot |
7 (23,33%) |
|
More or less |
15 (50%) |
||
|
A little bit |
6 (20%) |
||
|
Nothing |
2 (6,67%) |
||
|
2 |
Do you enjoy participating in English class? |
No, I don´t like |
8 (26,67%) |
|
Yes. I do |
22 (73,33%) |
||
|
3 |
How do you feel when you have to speak English? |
Happy |
3 (10%) |
|
Nervous |
20 (66,67%) |
||
|
Afraid |
7 (23,33%) |
||
|
4 |
What activity would you like to do in the English class? |
Singing a song |
24 (80%) |
|
Memorize a lot of vocabulary |
3 (10%) |
||
|
Copy grammatical structures |
3 (10%) |
||
|
5 |
What of the following aspects do you think could help you to improve your speaking skills? |
Use of audiovisual material |
23 (76,67%) |
|
Increase a new vocabulary |
6 (20%) |
||
|
Memorizing grammatical structures |
1 (3,33%) |
||
|
None of them |
0 |
||
|
6 |
What of the following skills do you like to improve? |
Listening |
10 833,33%) |
|
Reading |
2 (6,67%) |
||
|
Speaking |
15 (50%) |
||
|
Writing |
3 (10%) |
||
|
7 |
Do you feel motivated to learn a new language? |
A lot |
9 (30%) |
|
More or less |
15 (50%) |
||
|
A little bit |
6 (20%) |
||
|
Nothing |
0 |
||
|
8 |
Do you feel sure to speak English? |
Always |
5 (16,67%) |
|
Sometimes |
3 (10%) |
||
|
Often |
2 (6,67%) |
||
|
Never |
20 (66,67%) |
||
|
9 |
What would you like to implement in your English class? |
English songs |
22 (73,33%) |
|
Grammar exercises |
3 (10%) |
||
|
Writing activities |
5 (16,67%) |
||
|
None of them |
0 |
||
|
10 |
Do you think you have developed speaking skills in the last two years? |
A lot |
1 (3,33%) |
|
More or less |
2 (6,67%) |
||
|
A little bit |
11 (36,67%) |
||
|
Nothing |
16 (53,33%) |
Source: Own elaboration based on questionnaire application.
Table 2 uses the Bayesian Statistics with the SPSS application to show how the findings are relevant to solve this methodological problem that 30 tenth-grade students from the Tayuza High School face in their English classes, poor performance at speaking. These significant findings reinforce the idea that the use of songs is a method that students would like to use to get better results and improve their speaking skills.
Table 2.
Bayesian Estimates.
Source: IBM SPSS statistics.
The results of a questionnaire applied to 30 tenth-grade students of the Tayuza High School suggest that songs can be a good tool to create skills such as pronouncing and spelling words, phrases, and sentences accurately. In short, students' perception indicates that songs can greatly motivate students to learn English.
This study proposes to use songs in the English classroom to increase the motivation of students to learn English and also to improve the pronunciation of English as a second language. Students should have the opportunity to speak in English about their favorite songs, choosing those whose lyrics are clear, and which can be easily memorized. The songs will help students improve pronunciation, increase vocabulary, understand grammatical structures by analyzing the lines of songs, at the same time, students will improve listening skills.
Teachers can conduct several sessions in which students participate with the chosen song and then assess the student's behavior, for example, whether he expressed interest in singing the song, relaxation, and self-assurance. Students can practice song lyrics pronunciation in small groups, pairs, or individually. Following that, the teacher meticulously monitors the students to assess the group’s pronunciation capacity as well as what they need to improve. It is also suggested that teachers receive training on how to teach songs, what materials to use, and how to reactivate English classes.
PROPOSAL
Improving speaking skills is essential since students do not like English (50%) and feel nervous when they have to speak it (66,67%). Thus, it is necessary to implement a strategy that brings positive effects and provides effective learning for the students. Based on the findings, it can be assumed that the majority of the students, 80% would like to sing songs in class, and 76,67% would like to use audiovisual material to improve their speaking skills in the interest of their daily modern activities.
The proposal takes a playful approach, allowing teachers to use songs in the classroom to encourage and promote English speaking skills (Lems, 2018) proposes three simple ideas for using music to help students learn English. Aside from the fact that each requires listening, speaking, reading, and writing, techniques can be improved by taking advantage of digital technology. However, teachers have to use the songs wisely and create a positive and active atmosphere to avoid passiveness and boredom. Appropriate songs for this purpose should be motivated to activate the right side of the brain to enhance vocabulary, progress grammar, master pronunciation, and help students move their bodies, especially for those who have musical intelligence & Baniabdelrahman, 2020).
Table 2.
Some ideas for using songs in English classes.
|
Ideas |
Description |
|
Create and share playlists |
Students make playlists of their favorite mp3 songs. Most of us have multiple playlists, whether for studying, working, or relaxing. Students in English classes can listen to and/or share their favorite playlists or songs with the class. |
|
Use karaoke |
There are many English karaoke tracks available on various digital platforms. Karaoke is typically used for recreational purposes outside of the academic realm. However, if they use it in the classroom via a networked device, it results in a different way of teaching classes. External speakers and available displays in the classroom should be considered. |
|
Make a brief report a favorite artist (Singer) |
It's about putting students' research skills into practice, by leveraging them by creating a report on their favorite artist, highlighting the reasons why they have chosen it. In any case, oral and organizational skills are also put to the test with this activity. Finally, students can find this activity fun by sharing and meeting artists they've never heard of before. |
Source: Elaboration based on Lems (2018).
To make this proposal easier is suggested some digital platforms for scaffolding and fulfilling the requirements to get the objective that is to use songs to encourage speaking. Lyrics Training uses YouTube videos to encourage students to focus on the lyrics and assess their ability about listening and speaking at the time of singing. There are several activities like completion or multiple choice to reinforce those abilities. FluentU is a personalized music video platform with exercises to improve vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, rhythm, and stress for all levels. Multimedia-English has a variety of activities related to lyrics, activities, games, explanation of words and phrases, and singers’ biographies. With these activities, students can sing, learn and have fun. These platforms will catch students’ attention to encourage their speaking skills because of the innovation and interaction.
Lesson Plan Model
|
Class: Tenth |
Subject: English |
Time: 40 minutes |
No. of Students: 30 |
|
|
Topic |
Past of regular verbs |
|||
|
Objectives:
|
||||
|
Assessment
|
||||
|
Materials
|
||||
|
Anticipated problems
|
||||
|
Methodological Strategies |
Achievements Indicators |
|||
|
|
|||
Own elaboration
CONCLUSIONS
According to this study, students have a positive attitude toward learning English as an EFL/ESL if the teachers’ methodology differs from the traditional one. Songs are a highly valued input in this case for learning languages creatively. The reason for this is that the songs foster a positive classroom environment and encourage students to devote more time to in-and-out class activities. Similarly, students can participate more frequently and with greater vigor and excitement in all of their tasks because they deal with music and songs. Teachers can create an environment in which students can experience a dynamic English class by generating musical experiences through the use of songs in English classrooms and reaping all of the benefits they offer.
Furthermore, because most people enjoy music, students and teachers can easily learn and enjoy new artists and new music, both within and outside their circle. On the other hand, harnessing the unquestionable benefit of the digital revolution to access a diversity of songs around the world is a key strategy that teachers should put into practice. Similarly, audiovisual materials can be used to teach English classes (songs and videos, films, and audio). This allows students to learn and enjoy English classes.
The research could serve as a reference point for conducting another research on the same topic. Future research could focus on the results obtained from the use of songs in English classes, and observe whether students' performance improves. It can also be explored whether there are significant differences in the learning of English through songs between men and women and by different age groups.
FINANCING
Non-monetary.
GRATITUDE
To Tayuza High School and the Catholic University of Cuenca for allowing the development and promotion of research.
REFERENCES CONSULTED
Afriyuninda, E., & Oktaviani, L. (2021). The use of English songs to improve English students’ listening skills. Journal of English Language Teaching and Learning, 2(2), 80-85. https://doi.org/10.33365/jeltl.v2i2.1442
Akbary, M., Shahriari, H., & Hosseini Fatemi, A. (2018). The value of song lyrics for teaching and learning English phrasal verbs: a corpus investigation of four music genres. Innovation in language learning and teaching, 12(4), 344-356. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2016.1216121
Albaladejo, S. A., Coyle, Y., & de Larios, J. R. (2018). Songs, stories, and vocabulary acquisition in preschool learners of English as a foreign language. System, 76, 116-128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2018.05.002
Al-efeshat, H., & Baniabdelrahman, A. (2020). The EFL Teachers' and Students' Attitudes towards the Use of Songs in Learning English. International Online Journal of Education and Teaching, 7(3), 844-858. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1258439
Bokiev, D., Bokiev, U., Aralas, D., Ismail, L., & Othman, M. (2018). Utilizing music and songs to promote student engagement in ESL classrooms. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 8(12), 314-332. http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v8-i12/5015
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