Using English songs to enhance vocabulary learning

Abstract

Learning vocabulary is an essential part of the language learning process. Songs can serve as authentic materials to teach pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and the four skills. “Songs are widely being used nowadays as a powerful tool, in teaching new vocabulary to early grades pupils. Throughout our teaching of young learners, we have noticed that they are amazingly captured by songs, and they always enjoy listening to them.” (Al-Azri at al., 2015:40).This study investigates the effectiveness of using English songs to enhance vocabulary learning. “Do songs enhance vocabulary learning?” and “How the use of songs may support new vocabulary learning for grade 8 students in Sri Lanka?” were the two research questions administered in this study. Population of this research was 60 mixed ability students of Mawanella Mayurapada National School. The samples were taken from two classes of the grade-8. Furthermore, 30 students were assigned to experimental group and the other 30 students were assigned to control group. The experimental group learnt the target vocabulary through five English songs of four different music genres, i.e. Pop, Soft rock, Celtic and R&B. This group was highly motivated, as songs make the vocabulary learning more enjoyable, fun and interesting. The control group learnt the same target vocabulary just through English sentences without songs. Altogether 50 vocabulary items were administered in this study. Same teacher facilitated both groups in vocabulary learning process. Two short tests were administered to test the vocabulary knowledge of the participants. One of the two mentioned tests was administered immediately after the two groups finished studying the target vocabulary and the other common test was administered two weeks later. Implications and limitations are further discussed in this research paper. Moreover, this study provides a framework for investigation of the effectiveness of English songs in teaching vocabulary.