LEARNING VOCABULARY THROUGH SONGS:
A STUDY ON THE ROLE OF MUSIC IN TEACHING ENGLISH VERBS
BY
NOR AZRUL HARDI BIN ADZMI
A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Human Sciences in Applied Linguistic
Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences
International Islamic University Malaysia
OCTOBER 2019
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ABSTRACT
Music and songs have been used in learning language for a long time. Second language users of English have been exposed to songs that are rich in vocabulary items since they were young. Peters and Webb (2018) and Medina (cited in Maneshi, 2017) found that repetition of single word and multiword items within songs are effective types of second language input. This study aims to investigate how the use of songs can aid tertiary-level students to increase their verb vocabulary power and their understanding of English verbs in their efforts to acquire English as a new language.
Two groups of diploma students from the Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah International Islamic University (UniSHAMS) were selected for the study. The students in the experimental group were given a pre-test prior to being exposed to songs that were rich in verbs during the lessons and then given a post-test after the lessons, while the control group did the same pre-test and post-test without being exposed to the songs during the lessons. The tests were then evaluated and the finding was that there were improvements in the experimental group’s post-test marks compared to the control group. The paired t-tests conducted on those results found a statistically significant difference in the results of the experimental group. The present research recommends that language teachers of tertiary level students should explore the possibility of using English songs in classrooms to aid their students’ learning and to motivate their students to use English songs as a learning aid rather than simply being songs that they enjoy listening to.
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ثحبلا صَّخلُم
مُّلعت في اقيسولماو نياغلأا مدختسُت ديعب نمز ذنم
،ةيبنجلأا ةغللا دقو
ومدختسم عمتسا
ةدحاو ةملك راركت نأ رهظ دقو ،مهرغص ذنم تادرفلمبا ةينغ ٍناغأ لىإ ةيبنجأ ةغل ةيزيلنجلإا لىإ ثحبلا فدهي ؛هيلعو ،ةيبنجلأا ةغللا مُّلعت في اًّدج رثؤم نياغلأا في تاملك ةدع وأ ةيزيلنجلإا مهتغل ينستح في يعمالجا ىوتسلما في بلاطلا ةدعاسم ةيفيك فاشكتسا للاخ نم
مهمهفو تادرفلما مبهاستكا ةديازب ؛نياغلأا ،لاعفلأا نياعم
بلاط نم ثحبلا ةنيع تيرتخاو
ىلع تعَّزوتو ،ةيلماعلا ةيملاسلإا هاش مظعم ميللحا دبع ناطلسلا ةعماج في مولبدلا ٍناغأ لىإ عمتست نأ لبق ةيبيرجتلا ةعومجملل ليوأ رابتخا يرجُأو ،ةيبيرتجو ةطباض ؛ينتعوممج ةطباضلا ةعوملمجا امأ ،سوردلا دعب يئانه رابتخا ىرجُأ ثم ،ملعتلا ءانثأ في لاعفلأبا ةينغ تناكو ،ملعتلا ءانثأ في نياغلأا لىإ عامتسلاا نود نم يئاهنلاو ليولأا نارابتخلاا اله يرجأف راقم ةيبيرجتلا ةعومجملل يئاهنلا رابتخلاا دعب ملعتلا ةبسن في ةدياز كانه نأ ةجيتنلا ةن
جئاتن في ةيئاصحإ ةللاد اذ اًقرف كلانه نأ )ت( رابتخا جئاتن ترهظأو ،ةطباضلا ةعوملمجبا يعمالجا ىوتسلما في ةيزيلنجلإا وملعم لوايح نبأ ثحبلا ىصوأ ؛ثم نمو ،ةيبيرجتلا ةعوملمجا ةيساردلا لوصفلا في ةيزيلنجلإا نياغلأا عاسم رثأ فاشكتسا مُّلعتلا في مبهلاط ةدعاسلم
اهيلإ عامتسلابا عاتمتسلاا نم ًلادب كلذ في نياغلأا فيظوت ىلع مهزيف تحو .طقف
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APPROVAL PAGE
I certify that I have supervised and read this study and that in my opinion, it conforms to acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Human Sciences in Applied Linguistics.
………..
Ainul Azmin bt. Md. Zamin Supervisor
I certify that I have read this study and that in my opinion it conforms to acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Human Sciences in Applied Linguistics.
………..
Adlina bt. Hj. Ariffin
Examiner
This thesis was submitted to the Department of English Language and Literature and is accepted as a fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Human Sciences in Applied Linguistics.
………..
Siti Nuraishah bt. Ahmad Head, Department of English Language and Literature
This thesis was submitted to the Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences and is accepted as a fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Human Sciences in Applied Linguistics.
………..
Shukran b. Abdul Rahman Dean, Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences
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DECLARATION
I hereby declare that this dissertation is the result of my own investigations, except where otherwise stated. I also declare that it has not been previously or concurrently submitted as a whole for any other degrees at IIUM or other institutions.
Nor Azrul Hardi b. Adzmi
Signature ... Date ...
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INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA
INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA DECLARATION OF COPYRIGHT AND AFFIRMATION OF
FAIR USE OF UNPUBLISHED RESEARCH
LEARNING VOCABULARY THROUGH SONGS: A STUDY ON THE ROLE OF MUSIC IN TEACHING ENGLISH VERBS
I declare that the copyright holders of this dissertation are jointly owned by the student and IIUM.
Copyright © 2019 Nor Azrul Hardi b. Adzmi and International Islamic University Malaysia. All rights reserved.
No part of this unpublished research may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder except as provided below
1. Any material contained in or derived from this unpublished research may be used by others in their writing with due acknowledgement.
2. IIUM or its library will have the right to make and transmit copies (print or electronic) for institutional and academic purposes.
3. The IIUM library will have the right to make, store in a retrieved system and supply copies of this unpublished research if requested by other universities and research libraries.
By signing this form, I acknowledged that I have read and understand the IIUM Intellectual Property Right and Commercialization policy.
Affirmed by Nor Azrul Hardi b. Adzmi
……..……….. ………
Signature Date
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
All praises to Allah SWT for His never-ending blessings, mercies and guidance that He had given to me throughout this long journey.
I also would like to dedicate my thesis and deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Ainul Azmin bt. Mohd Zamin, to whom I am very thankful for her support and attention towards my needs and queries. For her endless motivations, guidance and assistance, Dr. Ainul had been a prominent figure in pushing me towards the thesis’
completion. Without her unending sharing of knowledge, I would not be able to complete this research. I would also like to thank Dr. Adlina Ariffin, who dedicated her time marking this research and providing additional input and suggestions towards the betterment of my research. Also, a special thank you I bid to Sister Noorsiah for her continuous guidance and assistance for helping me in this journey that has been rather challenging.
This journey has also been incredibly beautiful with the never-ending support and inspiration from my beloved parents, Adzmi bin Ahmad and Norsiah Abd.
Rahman, and my parents-in-law, Mohamad Zahran Abd. Halim and Zaidah Abd.
Razak. My siblings and my best friends are also the people that have been supporting me to complete my writing.
Lastly, Ida Lisa Mohamad Zahran, my beloved wife, who has been there in my hours of need, holding my hands in darkness, my pillar of strength, my deep grounded foundation for without her, this is just merely ink on paper; absent of meaning.
To my daughter Husna; may we all be together as a family again someday.
InsyaAllah.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abstract ... ii
Arabic Abstract……….iii
Approval Page ... iv
Declaration ... v
Acknowledgements ... vii
Table Of Contents ... viii
List of Tables ... x
List of Diagrams ... xi
List of Figures ... xii
CHAPTER ONE:INTRODUCTION ... 1
1.1 Introduction ... 1
1.2 Background Information ... 1
1.3 Statement of The Problem ... 5
1.4 Significance of Study ... 6
1.5 Research Objectives ... 8
1.6 Research Questions ... 8
CHAPTER TWO:LITERATURE REVIEW ... 9
2.1 Introduction ... 9
2.2 Definition of Music And A Song... 9
2.2.1 Music and Language Learning ... 10
2.2.2 Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Music and Songs in the Classroom ... 11
2.3 The Importance of Teaching Vocabulary... 13
2.3.1 Criteria for Vocabulary Selection ... 15
2.3.3 Types of Vocabulary Activities ... 16
2.3.4 Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition ... 17
2.4 Previous Studies... 18
2.5 Grades and Achievement ... 20
2.6 Theoretical Framework ... 20
2.6.1 Input hypothesis ... 20
2.6.2 Affective filter hypothesis ... 21
2.6.3. The impact of combining input and affective filter hypotheses ... 21
CHAPTER THREE:METHODOLOGY ... 23
3.1 Introduction ... 23
3.2 Research Design ... 23
3.3 Pilot Study ... 24
3.4 Participants ... 25
3.4.1 Education background and age of participants ... 26
3.4.2 Nationality, ethnicity, and first language of participants ... 26
3.4.3 Selection of participants for the study ... 26
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3.5 Instruments ... 27
3.5.1 Criteria for a Song Selection in the Classroom ... 27
3.5.2 Songs ... 29
3.6 Data Collection ... 31
3.7 Treatment... 32
3.8 Summary of methodology ... 33
CHAPTER FOUR:FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS ... 34
4.1 Introduction ... 34
4.2 Data Analysis ... 34
4.3.1 Control Group Results ... 37
4.3.2 Experimental Group Results ... 41
4.3.3 Paired Sample T-tests ... 47
CHAPTER FIVE:CONCLUSIONS ... 51
5.1 Introduction ... 51
5.2 Summary ... 51
5.3 Limitation of Study ... 53
5.3.1 Students’ Interest in Selected Songs ... 53
5.3.2 Students’ Commitment and Personality ... 53
5.3.3 Syllabus ... 54
5.4 Pedagogical Implications ... 55
5.4.1 Implications For Teachers ... 55
5.4.2 Implications For Students ... 55
5.4.3 Using Multimedia Devices ... 56
5.5 Recommendations ... 57
5.6 Concluding Remarks ... 58
REFERENCES ... 59
APPENDIX 1 ... 64
APPENDIX 2 ... 68
APPENDIX 3 ... 72
APPENDIX 4 ... 76
APPENDIX 5 ... 80
APPENDIX 6 ... 82
APPENDIX 7 ... 84
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LIST OF TABLES
Table No. Page No
3.1 Number of participants in experimental and control groups 27
3.2 List of tests and treatment 31
3.3 Summary of methodology 33
4.1 UNISHAMS grading scale 35
4.2 T-tests used in research 36
4.3 Control Students’ Pre-test Score Breakdown 38 4.4 Control Students’ Post-test Score Breakdown 40 4.5 Experimental students’ pre-test score breakdown 42 4.6 Experimental students’ post-test score breakdown 44
4.7 Control Group Performance 47
4.8 Control Group Differences 48
4.9 Experimental Group Performance 49
4.10 Experimental Group Differences 49
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LIST OF DIAGRAMS
Diagram No. Page No
2.1 Krashen’s Input Hypothesis and Affective Filters 22 3.1. Mix mode research design of qualitative and
quantitative researches
24
3.2 Conditions for song selections 29
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure No. Page No
4.1 Control Students’ Pre-test Grade 38
4.2 Control Students’ Post-test Grade 41
4.3 Experimental students’ pre-test grades 43
4.4 Experimental students’ post-test grades 45
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CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
1.1 INTRODUCTION
English is a West Germanic language and is the primary language of several countries and is a second language in a number of multilingual countries, as well as the official language in several African countries (Baugh & Cable, 1993).
In today's increasingly diverse and interconnected world, English has become a global lingua franca that greatly facilitates cross-cultural communications between people from different nations and cultures (Seidlhofer, 2005). As a primary language of business throughout the world, having a good grasp of the English language is also advantageous to one's advancement in career.
Learning English as a new language amongst tertiary level students of non- native English speakers has thus become an increasingly important pursuit. However, adults often find it difficult to become proficient in a new language compared to children.
This research paper, “Learning Vocabulary Through Songs: A study on the role of music in teaching English verbs”, aims to study how the use of songs can aid tertiary-level students in learning English as a new language.
1.2 BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Music is everywhere and it is part of everyday life. Music may be found in every culture. It can create a wide range of feelings, and it is so widely accepted that people will pay a lot of money for musical business (McDermott & Hauser, 2005). Some
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people use songs and music to create a social environment, form a feeling of partnership, or dance (Murphey, 1992).
However, hearing and listening to music are two different things. According to the Oxford dictionary (2002), hearing is being able to hear and listening means the capability to give attention and understandefficiently.Hearing is just an act of hearing sounds; the sounds could be unintelligible, like bangs on the wall, sounds that are made by the gears inside heavy types of machinery, drills at the construction site, screaming and yelling of children desiring attention or when they are having fun, or the cooing of a baby. To put it simply, depending on its source and people’s preference, hearing could create or incite curiosity, or could incite nuisances.
Meanwhile, listening could be a source of pleasure when it brings deep understanding or promotes relaxation, but can also cause a nuisance for others.
The basic elements of music are typically considered to be composed of seven parts; rhythm, dynamics, melody, harmony, tone colour, texture, and form (Grove, 1980). However, a lot of modern music we are exposed to on a daily basis will also include another layer, and that is speech in the form of musical lyrics. From nursery rhymes to advertisements and songs, the use of speech in the form of musical lyrics has been used across many types of music to convey additional expression and/or information. Thus, the development of speech with exposure to music is intricately linked, not just in terms of exposure to musical lyrics, but also in the view that perception and processing of music and speech share a lot of similarities.
Speech according to the Oxford dictionary (2002) is the condition of or the capability to express musings and sentiments by articulating sounds. Speech is also a tool for communication as it is a basic component of language. Processing speech, and processing language by extension, is in many ways similar to processing music. If
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music has its tones, pitches, and rhythm then so do speech and language. Thus, the brain processes these auditory inputs in much the same way. It has been shown that there is a neural overlap in processing music and speech as measured by the co- activation of brain regions in neuroimaging studies (Peretz, Vuvan, Lagrois &
Armony, 2015).
Processing auditory inputs can be seen in the speech development of a child.
An infant does not speak from the moment of its birth; however, it will learn to recognize sounds. For example, a deep-pitched tone of voice would be coming from its father and a higher pitched tone of voice would be from its mother. And these sounds that the parents make are not monotonous especially when the parents are speaking to the baby. Every syllable of the words spoken by the parents is bound to have different intonations and also different sounds. These sounds later will be recognised as words as the infant grows older as a toddler.
Although at this age it has yet to fully develop its speech capability, the toddler would be able to recognise and understand simple syllable words, for instance, ‘stop’,
‘no’, ‘happy’, ‘walk’ etc. How did this happen? Throughout its developmental age, the toddler would have heard and listened to these words repeatedly. In addition, these words would be accompanied by gestures to aid the toddler’s understanding of those words. For example, the word ‘eat’ would mean feeding time for the toddler, as the parents would be feeding him/her food at the time. Other examples may also include the moment when the toddler is curious over some fruits that are newly introduced to him/her. The parents would nod to the toddler as a reinforcement to the word ‘eat’
signalling to the toddler that it is okay for him/her to eat it. Toddlers are also able to recognise multi-syllable items like ‘table’, ‘orange’, or ‘coconut’, not only because of
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the reinforcement of the objects shown to them, but it is also due to the different intonations, tones and pitches within those words.
Learning languages can also occur past this developmental age. Such is true for people who are interested to learn other languages that are foreign to them. For example, it is common for people in Malaysia to be bilingual. As they would have already mastered their mother tongue, they would perhaps learn English as a second language in school or were taught by their parents, siblings or friends who are already bilingual. Such learning occurs through interest, necessity, or perhaps desperation.
Someone could be interested in learning a second or third language because they are genuinely interested in learning them as a hobby, as a means to learn another culture, or it is needed to progress in their workplace. Someone may also learn another language out of necessity or desperation because they are sent to live or study in a foreign country and they need it as a communication tool. Like any other learning process, learning languages would take effort and follow a variety of methods that are already available everywhere. And one of those methods is learning with the aid of music.
Combining music and teaching language is not a new idea. Lozanov (1979) introduced the teaching method that combined both music and language learning and it was called Suggestopedia. As the name suggests, the method applied positive suggestions in teaching. This method uses three phases; deciphering, concert session, and elaboration. Deciphering involves the teacher introducing grammar and lexis.
During the concert session, the teacher read texts at normal speed and intoned some words and the students followed. While this went on, Baroque music was played in the background. And in the elaboration session, the students finished the class with dramas, songs, and games. Lozanov claimed that his method provided positive effects
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in more than the areas of language learning like health, social, and psychological fields.
Despite these claims, Baur (1984) criticised the method by claiming that the students only received input by listening, reading, and musical-emotional backing and neglected other important factors of language acquisition. Suggestopedia was also deemed ‘pseudo-science’ by Richards and Rodgers (2001) but highlighted that like other methods of learning language, all of them have their strengths and weaknesses.
Nevertheless, the use of music in classrooms to teach language to students should not be disregarded as students are indeed very close to music. They spend a lot of time listening to them. It is the intention of this current research to seek for more evidence on the benefits of using music in classrooms.
1.3 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Teaching English using songs has been a common practice in schools (Kusnierek, 2016). This practice is often used with children in the kindergarten years and perhaps until the first few years of primary school. Engh (2013) mentions that a lot of teachers almost instinctively feel that music is useful in teaching English but their effort is limited because of the lack of theoretical foundation to support their effort. He goes on to conclude that music and language can and should be studied together not only because using songs in the language-learning classroom is supported by practising teachers but it is also grounded in the empirical literature. Saricoban and Metin (2000) added that using songs to teach adults and teenagers is possible and had also suggested using songs that are more meaningful and popular.
However, implementing this at the tertiary level is bound by the rules and regulations of the college or university and also the socio-cultural norms of the place
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where the songs will be used. For example, it would not be suitable to use songs that contain explicit content such as sex, drugs, and violence in classrooms. Similarly, it would not be suitable to use songs that are against the religious or moral code of practices held by the college where the method is going to be practised.
Rahmawati (2010), Kusnierek (2016) and Maneshi (2017) had focused their study on students in the primary years and grade schools. Rahmawati’s main focus was on the acquisition of nouns using children songs, while both Kusnierek and Maneshi were focused on the acquisition of vocabulary in general, by using the popular songs that are readily available through the mass media. These are indeed in line with Lenneberg’s Critical Period Hypothesis (cited in Friedmann & Rusou, 2015) that stated the period begins with a maturation of the brain and ends when the brain lost its plasticity.
Unfortunately, the researches above did not extend its potential towards the tertiary level. There is a lack of study on the effects of using English songs in teaching English verbs at the tertiary level. Therefore, this current study aims to provide research and data on the effectiveness of using English songs in teaching tertiary level students as a tool that can improve their vocabulary and overall grasp of the language.
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY
This study could also highlight the kinds of songs that are suitable to be used in class for students at the tertiary level. Although colleges and universities have their sets of rules and regulations and the socio-cultural norms of the place may be foreign to the practice, it is hoped that this study could highlight the possible ways to implement such practice at the tertiary level and at the same time comply with the socio-cultural norms wherein the practice takes place. For example, if the college is a religious
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college, this paper could aid teachers to select songs that do not have explicit content on sex, drugs, and violence or songs that are against the religious or moral code of practices held by the college.
It is also the hope of the researcher that the results of this research will add weight to other previous studies in second language acquisition. This will in turn aid the responsible parties to perhaps change the related policies in order for institutions to allow or adopt this method of teaching language, in particular, teaching vocabulary at tertiary level classes.
Teachers could benefit from this study by making it a guide for them in using English songs as part of their syllabus and at the same time, students will find the class more attractive and relevant to them. From the result of the present research, other than teaching vocabulary, teachers could also use songs to teach their students other parts of grammar, such as tenses, and parts of speech. Other than that, this study could also convince students that they could learn languages from listening to songs and not only from the conventional ways of learning languages.
8 1.5 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
The aims of this study are:
1. To investigate the use of English songs in improving vocabulary acquisition of verbs among students.
2. To identify the students’ understanding of verbs after using English songs as a medium.
1.6 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
This current study seeks to find answers to the research following questions:
1. Does the use of English songs increase students’ vocabulary acquisition in English verbs?
2. Is there any significant improvement in students’ understanding of verbs after using English songs?
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CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 INTRODUCTION
Before proceeding with the intended study, a review of literature was conducted to critically analyse the available literature within the area of using songs in language- learning classrooms. Other than gaining an overall picture of the current knowledge within the topic, this literature review also aspires to identify the gaps in current knowledge as mentioned earlier and determine how the intended study can contribute towards the research and data on the effectiveness of using English songs in tertiary level language-learning classrooms.
This literature review will first explore the definitions of music and song, as well as the relationship between music and language learning. This will be followed by reviewing current methodologies and different aspects of teaching vocabulary in a language-learning classroom.
2.2 DEFINITION OF MUSIC AND A SONG
Music is an art form and cultural activity where sound is organised in time. Defining music would include elements like pitch, rhythm, dynamics and sonic qualities that are timbre and texture (Grove, 1980). Murphey (1992) defines songs as “adolescent motherese”, where “motherese” refers to the highly affective and musical language adults use to communicate with infants. While Grove (1980) defines a song as a piece of music that is intended to be sung, whether accompanied or unaccompanied by a human voice or voices or, “the act or art of singing,” the term is generally not used for
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large vocal forms including opera and oratorio. A song is also generally used by the public in describing any musical composition whether they are accompanied by voice or played instrumentally. Grove (1980) defines lyrics as written words that are created specifically to accompany music and vice versa.
2.2.1 MUSIC AND LANGUAGE LEARNING
The coexistence of music and language learning is indeed not a new discovery. As it has been mentioned earlier, the two have coexisted within the early stages of education, and more importantly, language learning. Nursery rhymes sung to children, which at first act as a medium to calm them down, in turn, teach children the necessary parts of speech needed by the children to communicate as soon as they acquire speaking skills. Songs like “Ten Little Injuns” written by Septimus Winner in 1868 (Grove, 1980), has long been used by parents and teachers in school to teach counting up or counting down.
A more recent example would be the “Finger Family” (Leehosook, 2007) where it teaches children about the family members. While in the South East Asian region, particularly in its Malay speaking region, there is “Burung Kakak Tua”, (according to Kusno (2013) which is originally a Portuguese folk song called “O Meu Chapéu Tem Três Bicos” that means ‘My Hat Has Three Nozzles’) which is a song that teaches children common nouns and proper nouns such as burung kakak tua (parrot), jendela (window), and nenek (grandmother) among others.
Engh (2012) states that music and language could and should be studied in parallel as the use of music and song in language-learning classes are indeed theoretically supported by practising teachers and has a solid base in the empirical
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literature. He also added that using music and songs “increase linguistic, sociocultural and communicative competencies.”
2.2.2 Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Music and Songs in the Classroom While some teachers have hesitations in using music and songs in the classroom due to perceived disruption or discipline problems, Stanislawczyk and Yavener (1976) believe that music is an advantageous tool during linguistic practice as learners are engaged when listening to songs or creating their own lyrics at an advanced level.
Kusnierek (2016) states that “popular songs touch the lives of learners, and are connected with their various interests and everyday experiences. Almost all popular songs are related to the same topic of friendship, love, dream, sorrow, and the rest which are the common feelings of people. Since most young people nowadays are interested in a wide range of cultural forms outside classes, songs may be a really motivating and unique teaching tool. Experiencing with films, television, computer games, and popular music seems to be highly motivating” (p. 24). She also refers to Baoan (2008) who stated that “more time and concentration to popular music in English foreign language classroom would surely increase learners’ motivation as classroom tasks would reflect on their knowledge, their music and the vocabulary they already know from the songs” (p. 24). Since motivation plays a huge role in studying a foreign language, using songs as classroom tasks can increase a learner’s motivation (William & Burden, 1997).
As people often identify songs as fun, songs can also create a positive atmosphere favourable for learning, helping to shift the perception of language learning as something that is laborious, frustrating, and entailing the unenjoyable tasks
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of exams and corrections (Murphey, 1992). Even playing instrumental music softly in the background can make students feel more relaxed in the classroom (Griffee, 1992).
Songs are also a great method to learn about the culture of a specific country, as well as the language used inside the cultural community, since music is not universal and are a reflection of the time and place that produced it, which makes songs themselves a vehicle of meaningful pieces of social information (Griffee, 1992).
Both teachers and learners can gain a lot of background knowledge by analysing the reasons why some particular kinds of music are well-known at a certain time and abandoned at another time (Baoan, cited in Kusnierek, 2016).
Another advantage of songs in the English classroom is the inclusion of rich linguistic content such as vocabulary items, pronunciation, or grammar which can help students acquire new knowledge even without the intention to do so. Jolly (1975) points out that normal speech and songs both represent forms of communication in a linguistic sense and have melodic and rhythmic content. Baoan (cited in Kusnierek, 2016) advises teachers of foreign language to use songs as an aid for students to learn language elements through unintentional learning, while Griffee (1992) points out that the relationship between rhythm and speech is a fundamental first step in language learning, and since music and songs in the classroom expose students to rhythms of the language, the use of natural and everyday language of songs in classrooms can be more advantageous than artificial language of course books (Griffee, 1992).
However, as much as we want to believe that using music and songs in classrooms could be the magic ingredient that has been missing in language acquisition, some disadvantages may occur. A few disadvantages of using music and songs in the classroom include disturbing neighbouring classrooms if the music is played too loud (Murphey, 1992), learners getting too excited and losing discipline,
