BINH DUONG PROVINCIAL PEOPLE’S COMMITTEE THU DAU MOT UNIVERSITY NGUYEN HOAI THANG DEVELOPING LISTENING SKILLS THROUGH SONGS IN TEACHING ENGLISH: A CASE STUDY AT TRAN VAN ON HIGH SCHOOL MAJOR: ENGLISH LANGUAGE MAJOR CODE: 8 22 02 01 MASTER THESIS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE BINH DUONG PROVINCE, 2022 BINH DUONG PROVINCIAL PEOPLE’S COMMITTEE THU DAU MOT UNIVERSITY NGUYEN HOAI THANG DEVELOPING LISTENING SKILLS THROUGH SONGS IN TEACHING ENGLISH: A CASE STUDY AT TRAN VAN ON HIGH SCHOOL MAJOR: ENGLISH LANGUAGE MAJOR CODE: 8 22 02 01 MASTER THESIS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE SUPERVISED BY NGUYEN HUU THE, Ph. BINH DUONG PROVINCE, 2022 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the following people; without their invaluable instructions, encouragement, and assistance, this project would not have been completed on time. Firstly, I want to express my great gratitude to my supervisor, Nguyen Huu The, Ph.D, who spent much valuable time giving me instructions, encouragement and comments on my thesis writing. Secondly, I acknowledge to the staff and all lecturers who are and used to be in charge of the courses at the class CH20AV02 of Thu Dau Mot University (2020-2022).
Thirdly, I am greatly indebted to my colleagues and my classmates for their valuable supports and contributions to the research. I also thank the principal, the vice-principal, leader and member of English group at Tran Van On high school, and all members in class 11A1 and 11A11 (2021-2022) for their co-operation. Finally, I would like to send my greatest gratitude to my family. They supported and sacrificed for me during the time to do the research.
iii STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY I certify that this thesis entitled “Developing listening skills through songs in teaching English: A case study at Tran Van On high school” is my own work. This thesis has not been submitted for any degree or other purposes. I certify that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work and that all the assistance received in preparing this thesis and sources have been acknowledged. Binh Duong, September 5th, 2022 NGUYEN HOAI THANG iv RETENTION OF USE I hereby state that, Nguyen Hoai Thang, being a candidate for the degree of Master accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of Master’s Theses deposited in the Library.
In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my Master’s Thesis deposited in the Library should be accessible for purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Librarian for the care, loan, and reproduction for theses. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. iii STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY. iv RETENTION OF USE.
v TABLE OF CONTENTS. vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. x LIST OF TABLES. xi LIST OF FIGURES.
xiii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION. Background to the study. Aim(s) of the study. Significance of the study.
Scope of the study. Definitions of key terms. 4 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW. The general concept of listening.
Types of listening. Motivation and listening skills. Importance of listening skills in language learning and teaching. The principles of teaching listening.
The procedure of teaching listening skills. Definition of music and song. Elements of songs. Importance of songs in teaching and learning foreign language.
Motivation and songs. The criteria for selecting songs in language teaching. Activities through the utilization of songs. The benefits of using music and songs in Foreign Language Acquisition.
Non-linguistic aspects. Other advantages and disadvantages of music and songs in EFL. Research questions and Hypotheses. Setting and sample data.
English-language background survey. 31 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION. Analysis of data. The students’ feedback on questionnaires.
Discussion of Findings. Research question 1: How could the usage of songs in teaching English for students at Tran Van On High school enhance their listening skill? 46 4. Research question 2: How will the usage of songs in teaching English in EFL classrooms affect the students’ motivation for learning English?. Limitation of the study.
Recommendation for further study. 100 ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Abbreviations Description CLT Communicative Language Teaching EFL English as a Foreign Language ESL English as a Second Language L1 First Language/ native language L2 Second Language PET Preliminary English Test SPSS Statistics Package for the Social Sciences Std Standard x LIST OF TABLES Table 4. Medians for pre-motivation questionnaire between control and experimental group. The statistics of pre-test total.
The frequency of pre-test total. The statistics of post-test total. The frequency of post-test total. Paired Samples Statistics.
Paired Samples Test. The statistics of pre- and post-test in control group. The frequency of pre- and post-test in control group. The statistics of pre- and post-test in experimental group.
The frequency of pre- and post-test in experimental group. Medians for pre- and post-motivational questionnaire. 51 xi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2. The most difficult language skills.
Favorite learning method. Aspects of pronunciation that having difficulty. Favorite kind of music. Importance of learning English.
Students liked learning English language. Students liked learning English by songs. Pre-test total. Post-test total.
The results of pre- and post-test totals. Students liked listening in English class. Listening English songs in leisure time. Pre- and post-test total of control group.
Pre-test and post-test total of experimental group. Pre-test total. Comparison of pre- and post-test totals. Students’ interest in learning English language.
Frequency of doing students’ homework. Medians of pre- and post-motivational questionnaire. 56 xii ABSTRACT The current research concentrates on listening, one of the four language skills. According to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR, 2001), listening is frequently overlooked, and students struggle to learn through it.
This study’s goal is to evaluate the influence of songs on students’ listening skills and motivation. This study comprised two groups of 11th grade students from Tran Van On high school in Binh Duong province, who learn English as a foreign language. Interviews and questionnaires were utilized to acquire qualitative and quantitative data. In addition, a pre- and post-test, as well as a motivational questionnaire, were prepared to assess how far the students progressed after implementing the study project.
At the end of this study, the average post-test score was greater than the pre-test score (Ma 5.10) in experimental group and students’ motivation increased obviously in learning English. Keywords: English as a foreign language, listening skills, songs, motivation, paired sample t- test xiii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1. Background to the study Learning a new language promotes understanding among individuals from various countries and backgrounds, as well as aids in the preservation of linguistic and cultural variety. Many experts claim that bilingualism has become vitally important as the world shifts to a global paradigm in which communities, economics, and cultures are merging and linking in ways that were not before imaginable.
As a result, learning several languages has become essential in order to avoid falling behind. Critical economic and political transformations have occurred all across the world in the last 30 years. As a result, global relationships have reached new heights, eradicating physical and geographical boundaries (Spolsky, 2009; Zakaria, 2011). These developments have also influenced language education policies and practices, since multilingualism has become a global phenomenon.
With the advent of globalization, the English language has continued to flourish as a second or third language in many regions of the world. English is a universal language that is used in almost all countries and is a foreign language that is used as the language of instruction for international communication. Educational and linguistic policy decisions made outside of the learning and teaching institutions of nursery, pre-primary, and primary school have a substantial impact on the framework circumstances controlling early foreign language learning. The amount of money set aside for language acquisition is heavily influenced by the country’s political, economic, cultural, and sociological character, as well as its international connections and level of participation in regional and global networks (Ammon, 2003).
Listening is the most essential language skill and a component of communication since it allows us to communicate our thoughts with others. According to Brown (2001), “Listening is the major component in language learning and teaching because in the classroom learners do more listening than speaking.” It means that listening is an important thing in daily life. Although students are aware that listening comprehension is difficult to master, they frequently disregard it. In the area of education, this becomes a problem, particularly for students.
The ability to comprehend the meaning of what is heard is known as listening abilities. Students will be able to comprehend or reply to what has been asked or said through the listening process. Without successfully listening to messages that are readily misconstrued, all effective communication would fail. The appropriate learning approach for an English teacher is essential.
Learning and teaching using songs is one of the effective learning media. Creative instructors may also utilize songs to teach English through songs. Hidayat (2013) expresses that songs give a break from the textbook and workbook. For them, it is fresh and exciting.
Songs may also boost your mood and increase your brain's cognitive capabilities, particularly your memory. Campbell (2003) explains that music can help a child’s academic abilities, emotional expression, and social connection to family, society, and culture. Furthermore, the teacher benefits from using songs in teaching and learning activities. Through songs, students are also content since they are learning something new.
In the context of learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Vietnam, we often wonder why the majority of undergraduate students are unable to listen to English precisely, particularly in real-life settings with international speakers. Before enrolling in a university or college, the majority of Vietnamese undergraduate students have studied English for about 7-10 years. At present, many students in Vietnam generally and Tran Van On High school in particular study English as a requirement. Therefore, they mainly concentrate on grammar, writing and reading which do not cover the full of the English language skills.
Students’ level is not equal, so they are not able to learn effectively. They lack of confidence when listening English. Consequently, there are some problems about English listening of students. Songs will inspire students to pay attention while also improving their listening abilities.
Students will listen attentively and cheerfully since they are 2 hearing something familiar from their daily lives. As an example (Miller, 2002), Dennis Bricault, a professor at North Park College in Chicago, Illinois, and William Bickerdike, a professor at the British Council in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, both recommended utilizing songs to help teach listening in the classroom. Their goal is to make it interesting for students to listen in class. Despite the fact that the song levels are long and the singer’s speaking ability varies, students may still enjoy the songs they are familiar with.
Furthermore, the instructor benefits from employing songs in teaching and learning activities. Through songs, the instructor can teach students about vocabulary, language, culture, social habits, and other topics. Students are also pleased since they are learning something new. Students should not always listen to their teacher's voice, which may be limited or even uninteresting.
From the background, the writer is interested in researching songs as media to teach a listening skill. By title “Developing listening skills through songs in teaching English: A case study at Tran Van On high school”. Aim(s) of the study The main purpose of this study was to explore ways of enhancing the listening skills of eleventh-grade EFL students at Tran Van On high school. To achieve this aim, the study employed non-traditional teaching materials such as songs to test their effects on students.