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I. CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION
Research questions:
1. What are the attitudes of the teachers and the students at
Nguyen Gia Thieu high school to using songs in teaching pronunciation?
2. What is the situation of using songs to teach pronunciation at
Nguyen Gia Thieu high school?
3. What are teachers’ and students’ opinions about advantages and
disadvantages of using songs in teaching pronunciation?
4. What are suggestions of teachers and students at Nguyen Gia
Thieu high school to make full use of songs to teach pronunciation to 11th
form students?
5. Organization
This research will apply the survey method to find out the attitudes of
teachers and students towards using songs to teach pronunciation. Besides,
experiments will also be utilized to experiment some techniques of using
songs in a period of teaching English sounds to 11th form students so that
conclusion can be drawn out.
Diphthongs:
“A diphthong is a glide from one vowel to another, and the whole
glide acts like one of the long, simple vowels”, O’Connor, J.D. (1991).
1.1.2. Consonant sounds
Scarcella and Oxford (1994) explained, “Consonants are, or contain,
noises that are pronounced with a blockage of some sort of the air passage.
Consonants are classified into five categories including:
Friction consonants: /f, v, θ, ð, s, z, ʃ, ʒ, h/
Stop consonants: /p, b/, /t, d/, /k, g/ and /t ʃ, d ʒ/
Nasal consonants: /m, n, ŋ/
Lateral consonants: /l/
Gliding consonants: /j, w, r/
However, consonants do not always stand a lone. Sometimes two,
three or four or even more consonants follow one after the other, called
“consonant sequences”.
songs creates an atmosphere of interest in the study of English and can lead
from a “teacher centered” to a “student centered” class”. Using music can
lift the atmosphere in class, or develop a non-threatening classroom
atmosphere, bring in a boost of energy and capture the children’s attention.
Besides, English songs can motivate them in their quest to learn English.
Secondly, songs can be catchy and re-usable. In the article “Using
ESL Songs”, the author expressed: Unlike other recording materials, “songs
are catchy and fun and ESL students will feel happy to hear them many
times” till they can sing along. If teacher plays the recording of a dialogue
the second time, students may get bored with it. However, songs can be
reused without making students become fed up with listening.
Thirdly, songs related to cultural aspects could be chosen to present to
students about social situations, historical events, geographical descriptions,
and others. The use of songs, according to Jolly (1975), gives students the
opportunity to acquire a greater understanding of the culture underlying the
target language. The author of the article “Using ELT Songs” also cites
Cultural Literacy as one of “positive contributions to language learning
songs can make”. He said: “Songs used in English classes can shed light on
interesting musical traditions in countries, but can also teach teens, young
adults and adults to appreciate other cultures. For adult learners they can be
“a rich mine of information about human relations, ethics, customs, history,
humor, and regional and cultural differences” (Lems, 2001)”.
Besides, songs can help students remember vocabulary, grammatical
structures and aid in comprehending the general meaning. Music and
rhythm make it much easier to imitate and remember language than words
which are just “spoken” (Cakir). Practically all grammar points and a wide
variety of vocabulary can be found in musical texts. As Falioni (1993) states,
“The new structures that may seem isolated or out of context in pattern
drills, are seen in a different perspective when they are part of a song” (p.
101). Songs are a useful tool to help learners memorize phrase constructions.
They are more easily learned and tend to “stick” longer than straight-out
grammatical examples.
Pronunciation is also among those can be taught to students by using
songs. Leith (1979) stated that “There is probably not a better nor quicker
way to teach phonetics than with songs” (as cited in Nguyen, D. N. H 2007,
p.21). The melody, along with lyrics, provides an excellent opportunity to
review pronunciation and enjoy music at the same time. The next part of this
research is going to discuss the reasons why songs are useful in teaching
pronunciation.
2.3. The reasons why songs are useful in teaching pronunciation
The benefits of songs in language classroom are undeniable. In
particular, in teaching pronunciation, songs are also valued for its usefulness.
According to Hans (2009), through songs, “learners have the opportunity to
listen to pronunciation in a wide range of varieties of the language. Songs
will help learners become familiar with word stress and intonation, and the
rhythm with which words are spoken or sung also helps memorization”. This
results from the fact that songs usually have words repeated over and over
again in choruses. The repetition of words helps learners get familiar with
the sounds they hear; therefore, they can pronounce them more accurately.
Hannah, H. stated in her study “Teaching Mandarin through Chinese Pop
songs” that repetition “does not only create familiarity but also leads to
understanding, as it gives time for the penny to drop. What at first may be
strange and unfamiliar, after repeated exposure becomes clear and
3. Related studies
Using songs in language teaching and learning is not a new idea. The
exploitation of songs has been widely researched.
3.1. Related studies abroad
There is some literature on the usefulness of songs in a language class
as reviewed in the previous part. Besides, the use of songs in teaching
pronunciation can be found in some of the books about techniques to teach
pronunciation. Laroy (2001), in his book named “Pronunciation”, published
by Oxford English, cited a lot of activities to teach English sounds including
using music. According to Laroy, teachers can utilize “musical sounds” in
pronunciation lessons. In other words, teachers can “improve the
pronunciation of speech sounds through rhythm, singing and movement”
(p.95). He also thought that correcting words and sounds through singing is
advisable because “learners have an opportunity to try again and again
without being exposed to the scrutiny of the teacher and the other students
all the time” (p. 1212)
Silvia, C. B., Eva, E. V., Isabel, S. (2005) conducted a research on
“Teaching phonetics through singing and reciting”. This research presented
the results of the investigation into the role of singing and reciting in the
teaching and learning of English phonetics to non-native speakers. They
found that through singing and reciting, learners would be more native-like
(with less of a foreign accent) due to the well-established rhythmic patterns
of the verse and song conditions.
There is also a relating research named “Teaching English using songs
to improve student’s pronunciation in PG and TK Alam Surya Mentary
Kerten” conducted by Emi, Y. (2009) as a Fulfillment for Requirements for
getting Bachelor Degree of Education in English Department. This
research’s participants are limited, only from one kindergarten in a small
city in Indonesia.
In his article “The Use Of Songs To Teach Grammar and
Pronunciation in ESL Classes”, Rogers (1999) said:
The initial success of this approach led me to conclude that I should
base the curriculum almost totally on songs, at least until the majority
of the students had learned how to pronounce English relatively well.
After a few months, not only had the students' pronunciation
improved, but their overall interest in speaking and learning English
increased. I have found that there are a number of advantages to using
songs as an important part of any curriculum.
Besides, Balbina, E. & Marta. J. S., British Council Cameroon
suggested some activities based on songs’ rhymes to focus learners on
particular sounds in their article named “Developing pronunciation through
songs”.
1. Selection of subjects
The subjects of the research are four classes in 11th form chosen
randomly and teachers in Nguyen Gia Thieu high school. This helps to
provide reliable results and generalize the findings of the research.
Firstly, the name of each class amongst 15 classes in Nguyen Gia
Thieu high school was written in a piece of paper. Each class had an equal
chance to be selected as the participants of the research.
The similar process was used for the selection of 10 teachers as
subjects of the survey.
3.1. Phase 1
The first step was preparing for the data collection process including
designing two sets of questionnaire, two interview schedules and the
observation checklist. They were all checked by the researcher’s supervisor
in this phase. Moreover, necessary preparation for sampling procedure was
made such as the consideration of sample selection, asking for permission
for classroom observations and questionnaires. In this phase, appointments
for interviews with teachers were also made.
3.2. Phase 2
Delivering questionnaires to both teachers and students was done in
this phase. With the allowance of the Head of the English Group at Nguyen
Gia Thieu high school, the researcher took advantage of six-week practicum
to deliver all of the questionnaires. In break time, the researcher came to the
classes chosen as the participants randomly and delivered questionnaires to
students after a brief introduction about the researcher as well as the
research’s topic. An oral explanation for the terms used in the questionnaire
was given to avoid misunderstanding for some students. The same process
was applied to delivering questionnaire to teachers.
3.3. Phase 3
The next phase was conducted in classrooms. Soon after the
permission was granted and the two teachers were willing to directly try out
the techniques of using songs to teach English sounds to 11th form students,
observation was carried out. During these two periods at two different
classes, the researcher took observation notes. In order to make the lesson as
natural as usual, there was neither introduction of the research topic nor the
statement of the researcher’s objectives. At the end of the lesson, these notes
5. Summary
To sum up, this chapter has justified the methodology applied in this
research: the selection of subjects, the data collection instruments, four
phases of data collection procedures and lastly, procedures of data analysis.
Such clarification of methodology would help pave the way for the analysis
of the collected data in the next chapter.
1. Results
1.1. Teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards using songs to
teach pronunciation
1.1.1. Opinions of teachers and students at Nguyen Gia Thieu high
school about the importance of pronunciation
1.1.1.1. Opinions of teachers at Nguyen Gia Thieu high school
about the importance of pronunciation
Table 1: Teachers’ rating of the difficulty of pronunciation:
Aspects of learning English No of T find it
difficult
Pronunciation 64%
Grammar 27%
Four skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing) 9%
9% 0%
important
Grammar 23%
Four skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing) 31%
1%
35%
64%
very important
important
Clearly from the pie chart above, we can see 64% of the surveyed
students think that pronunciation plays a very important role in learning a
language, 35% of them have lower attitude towards pronunciation. However,
1% of students do not attach any importance to pronunciation. It is perhaps
because they think pronunciation does not influence their language learning
much. They may treasure grammar, or other skills such as reading, listening,
writing and fluently speaking more than pronunciation.
In short, the attitudes towards pronunciation of teachers and students
at Nguyen Gia Thieu high school do not differ much. The majority of both
90%
100%
80%
29 Lại Thanh Tình - 061E11
like
60%
dislike
40%
Using songs to teach English sounds to 11th form students at Nguyen Gia Thieu high school.
0%
27%
always
usually
sometimes
rarely
64% 9%
never
usually
Using songs to teach English sounds to 11th form students at Nguyen Gia Thieu high school.
90% 82%
teachers, said: “The most difficult thing is that I can hardly find songs
suitable to teach sounds as cited in each unit in 11th form text book”. They
all found that their students are usually distracted by music as well as sounds
in songs are not clear enough to teach sounds separately to students and
added “words in songs do not usually sound as normal and it is difficult for
students to produce sounds exactly like singers performing those songs”
Information from observation checklists reveals that class is
sometimes noisy and some students may sing along and forget about the
tasks they have to fulfill. This problem is hard to avoid.
1.3.2. Students’ opinions about advantages and disadvantages of
using songs in teaching pronunciation
From questionnaire:
On the on hand, students all agree that songs bring many benefits
From the chart below, it can be seen that there is few differences
between students’ rating of advantages of listening to songs in learning
pronunciation. At the top is both the number of students who agree that
songs help them relax and encourage them to pay attention to pronunciation
of words in songs, making up 62%. Around haft of students find that songs
help to reduce their boredom in the class (55%) and help them to access
examples of spoken language (50%). Nearly haft of them think the repetition
in songs is an advantage.
Chart 8: Students’ opinion about advantages of using songs in learning
pronunciation:
70%
62% 62% reduce the boredom in the class
60% 55%
36
50% Lại Thanh Tình - 061E11
help ss relax
50%
40%
Using songs to teach English sounds to 11th form students at Nguyen Gia Thieu high school.
On the other hand, students also fear that the use of songs may cause
them some problems. Chart 9 demonstrates students’ opinions about
problems of listening to songs in learning pronunciation.
80% 72%
70%
As clearly shown in the chart, the idea that songs usually contain
sounds that are unclear because singers link sounds together is agreed by the
largest number of students. Nearly haft of surveyed students (47%) find it
difficult for them to follow the speed of almost songs. The number of
students agreeing that accents of singers are not always Standard English
makes up 38%.The remaining 23% of the students stated that they are
distracted by music.
From interviews and class observation:
Students from two groups interviewed almost had the same ideas
about both advantages and disadvantages of listening to English songs in
learning pronunciation. Students from group A commented: “I think lessons
with songs like this (the experiment lesson) are very effective because we
can learn without any tensions and pressure. Songs help us to pay attention
to words so that we can sing along”. One student from group B stated:
“Songs have many words repeated, so we cam memorize them more easily”.
When being asked about the problems they encountered when
listening songs to learn pronunciation, one student from group A said: “I
only listen to the song’s melody, the sweet voice of the singer, I almost
cannot catch any sounds in the song”. “The use of songs in pronunciation
lessons has to become frequent so that it can bring effectiveness in the long
run”, one student from group B claimed.
2. Discussion
Through the investigations of the use of songs in teaching
pronunciation to 11th form students at Nguyen Gia Thieu high school, it can
be drawn. Hence, a number of questions have been posed for teachers to
consider when teaching pronunciation, especially sounds separately.
Firstly, it is necessary to make pronunciation lessons more enjoyable
and easier for students to memorize. Because a large number of teachers and
students find pronunciation difficult, it is recommended that teachers should
design more interesting tasks and create pleasant atmosphere in order to
avoid frustration and tensions for students. To arouse passion for learning is
essential but difficult. So, what is an effective way to reduce boredom and
encourage students to learn pronunciation?
Secondly, using songs may be an effective way to teach
pronunciation, but some problems still exist as follows:
One is a need to equip teachers with specific kind of background in
phonetics and its application in communicative approaches. Another is how
to design tasks and activities basing on authentic materials. This depends on
the ability of the teachers and their enthusiasms in teaching career because
looking for suitable materials and designing tasks both interesting and
effective may take a lot of time and is quite difficult. Moreover, in a 45-
minute class of language focus, it is hard to have enough time to teach both
pronunciation and grammar as regulated in the curriculum. To find a helpful
song is really a problem to some teachers who cannot apply information
technology or do not have facilities for it. Finally, to teachers who do not
have a good voice and sense of music. Although songs can be played by
tapes or discs, etc. it is better for teachers to motivate students by singing as
a model or simply by singing together with them. If teachers sing with
wrong rhythm, they may lose confidence or be laughed at by their students.
3. Suggestions
Some suggestions of applying songs in pronunciation lessons,
especially lessons of teaching English sounds separately to 11th form
students, are going to be generated in this part.
Firstly, it is necessary to choose suitable songs. Teachers should note
down the sounds they are going to teach in the first place. Then, they go
through the lyrics of some songs to see which one can help. Besides, the
tune, the speed and especially, the clarity of sounds in the song must be
taken into consideration. A list of songs suggested to teach English sounds
can be found in Appendix 7.
After choosing a suitable song, teachers have to think of how to
design appropriate tasks and activities to students’ level and their interest as
well. Some following activities of teaching English sounds can be taken as
examples:
Activity 1:
Get tapes and discs of English song containing sounds that are going
to be taught.
Introduce how to pronounce those sounds.
Play the song and have students pick a few sentences containing
sounds they have just learned.
Cakir, A. Musical activities for young learners of EFL. Retrieved March 30,
2010, from http://iteslj.org/Lessons/Cakir-MusicalActivities.html
Claerr, T., & Gargan, R. (1984). The role of songs in the foreign language
classroom. OMLTA Journal, 28-32. Also in Snyder, B. (Ed), Look out
World, Here we come! (Eric Document Reproduction No. ED 254
104)
Emi, Y. (2009). Teaching English using songs to improve student’s
pronunciation in PG and TK Alam Surya Mentary Kerten”. School of
Teacher Training and Education Muhammadiyah University of
Surakarta.
Falioni, J.W. (1993). Music as means to enhance cultural awareness and
literacy in the foreign language classroom. Mid-Atlantic Journal of
Foreign Language Pedagogy, 7, 97-108. (Eric Document
Reproduction No.ED 335 796)
Gerald, K. (2003). How to teach pronunciation. Oxfordshire, UK: Longman
Hans, M. (2009). Using songs in the English classrooms. Retrieved March
30, 2010 from website http://www.hltmag.co.uk/apr09/less01.htm
Jolly, Y. (1975). The use of songs in teaching foreign language. Modern
language Journal, 59, 11-14
Jones, D. (1998). The pronunciation of English, definite ed., Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press
Laroy, C. Pronunciation. Oxford: Oxford English
Marianne, C-M., Donna, M.B., Janet, M.G., (year). Teaching pronunciation.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Nguyen, D. N. H. (2007). Teaching English through songs to children from
6 to 10 years of age at Han Thuyen primary school. Vietnam National
APPENDICES
Appendix 1
I am Lại Thanh Tình, last year student from Vietnam National University, Hanoi
University of Languages and International Studies, English Department. I am conducting
a research on “using songs to teach English sounds to eleventh form students at
Nguyễn Gia Thiều highschool”, which aims at investigating the reality of exploiting
songs to teach English sounds to eleventh form students at Nguyễn Gia Thiều highschool
and suggesting different techniques to use songs in teaching pronunciation. I would be
grateful if you could spend some of your precious time completing this questionnaire.
Please read the questions carefully and tick the answer you agree most for each question.
You are encouraged to ask me if you find something you do not understand. It is assured
that your personal opinions will be kept secret under all circumstances.
Thank you for your cooperation.
SURVEY QUESTIONS
1. How long have you been teaching English?
a. less than 2 years
b. 3-5 years
c. 6-10 years
d. more than 10 years
2. In your opinion, what aspect of learning English is the most difficult?
a. Pronunciation
b. Grammar
c. Four skills: reading, speaking, listening, writing
3. In your opinion, how important is pronunciation in learning a language?
a. very important
b. important
c. not important at all
4. Which material do you often choose to teach English sounds in particular?
a. live speech (teacher reads the sounds aloud and students repeat)
b. videos or tape recordings
c. other, please specify………………………………………………………
5. What are your problems when teaching English sounds? You can choose
more than one answer.
a. The English sounds are different from Vietnamese sounds
b. Students feel discouraged when they cannot produce the sounds correctly
c. You cannot find suitable materials to teach pronunciation
d. Other, please specify………………………………………………………
6. Do you like English songs?
a. yes b. no c. don’t care
7. How often do you use songs to teach pronunciation?
a. very often b. often c. sometimes d. rarely e. never
8. Do you think that using songs can be an effective tool for teaching
pronunciation?
a. yes. In what way?........................................................................................
……………………………………………………………………………….
b. no. Why?......................................................................................................
…………………………………………………………………………….....
9. What do you think are the advantages of listening to English songs in
teaching pronunciation? You can choose more than one answer.
a. Songs can reduce the students’ boredom in the class.
b. Songs can help students relax during the lesson.
c. Songs can encourage students to pay attention to the pronunciation of the
words in the songs.
d. The rhymes in songs provide listeners with repetition of similar sounds.
e. Songs are easily accessible examples of spoken English.
f. Other, please specify………………………...…………………………...
10. What do you think are the disadvantages of using songs to teach English
sounds? You can choose more than one answer.
a. The class becomes noisy and out of control.
Appendix 2
I am Lại Thanh Tình, last year student from Vietnam National University, Hanoi
University of Languages and International Studies, English Department. I am conducting
a research on “using songs to teach English sounds to eleventh form students at
Nguyễn Gia Thiều highschool”, which aims at investigating the reality of exploiting
songs to teach English sounds to eleventh form students at Nguyễn Gia Thiều highschool
and suggesting different techniques to use songs in teaching pronunciation. I would be
grateful if you could spend some of your precious time completing this questionnaire.
Please read the questions carefully and tick the answer you agree most for each question.
You are encouraged to ask me if you find something you do not understand. It is assured
that your personal opinions will be kept secret under all circumstances.
Thank you for your cooperation.
SURVEY QUESTIONS
1. How long have you been learning English?
…….. years
2. In your opinion, what aspect of learning English is the most difficult?
a. Pronunciation
b. Grammar
c. Four skills: reading, speaking, listening, writing
3. In your opinion, how important is pronunciation in learning a language?
a. very important
b. important
c. not important at all
4. Do you like English songs?
a. yes b. no c. don’t care
5. How often do you listen to English songs?
a. Always b. usually c. sometimes d. rarely e. never
6. Do you like to have songs in lessons?
a. yes b. no
Why yes/no:………………………………………………………………
7. How often does your teacher of English use songs to teach pronunciation?
a. very often b. often c. sometimes d. rarely e. never
8. Do you think that using songs can help you better your pronunciation?
a. yes. In what way?.....................................................................................
…………………………………………………………………………….
b. no. Why?..................................................................................................
9. What do you think are the advantages of listening to English songs in
learning pronunciation? You can choose more than one answer.
a. Songs can reduce the boredom in the class
b. Songs can help you to relax during the lesson
c. Songs can encourage you to pay attention to the pronunciation of the
words in the songs
d. The rhymes in songs provide listeners with repetition of similar sounds
e. Songs are easily accessible examples of spoken English
f. Others, please specify………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………….
10. What are your problems when listening to songs? You can choose more
than one answer.
a. I am distracted by the music.
b. I cannot follow the speed of almost songs
c. The accents of singers are not always of Standard English
d. The sounds are not clear because singers usually link sounds together
e. Others:…………………………………………………………………..
Thank you for your cooperation
Appendix 3
Full name:
Time of teaching English:
Appendix 4
Interview questions for students
Full name:
Time of learning English:
Appendix 5
I. Group A:
I can count for three or four times in two last semesters that my teacher used
songs to teach pronunciation, but only when my teacher’s lessons were observed by
other teachers
2. In your opinion, what are the advantages of listening to songs in
learning pronunciation, especially learning English sounds?
Student 1:
Songs have many words repeated, so we can memorize them more easily.
Student 2:
Songs help us learn more eagerly. Songs make lessons more interesting and
we can relax during the lesson.
3. What are your problems when you learn English sounds by listening
to songs?
The use of songs in pronunciation lessons has to become frequent so that it
can bring effectiveness in the long run.
4. What do you think of this experiment lesson? Are the tasks
appropriate to you?
This lesson is very interesting. However, songs should be applied more and
more, just one or two lessons like this, in my opinion, cannot bring full
effectiveness.
5. Can you suggest some ways to choose songs more suitable for teaching
English sounds?
I think songs with slow speed and clear voice will be the most suitable to us.
We cannot follow the songs that the singer sings too fast and omits sounds as well
as links sounds together.
Appendix 7
Songs for phonology
Appendix 8
I. Tasks to teach sounds: /s/, z, st, sp, zd, sm, nd, nt/
Task 2: Listen again and write the words corresponding to the sounds you
hear
II. Tasks to teach /s/ - /z/ and /θ, ns, nz, nt, nd/
Love story
Task : Put the words in bold into correct columns:
We were both young when I first saw you
I close my eyes and the flashback starts
I'm standing there
On a balcony in summer air
See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns
I see you make your way through the crowd
Shining Friend
Task 1: Listen to the song and choose the sounds you hear:
A little /fes/-/feθ/…………………
/'bratnz- /bratns/ ……………a rainy day
Life is difficult you can go away
Don't hide yourself in a corner
You have my /ples/- /plez/………………. to stay
Task 2: Listen again and write the words corresponding to the sounds you hear
Appendix 9
Classroom observation checklists
Elements Comments
Input Sounds that have been taught
Teacher’s - Teacher (T) lets students listen to the song and do the
activities tasks followed
- T helps students revise the way to pronounce and
distinguish the sounds and when to pronounce /s/ and /z/
in ending sounds of nouns in plural form.
- T asks students to practice pronouncing the sounds after
finishing the tasks
=>T can check Students’ pronunciation and their
background knowledge about English sounds quite
effectively
Students’ - Students are eager to do the tasks
activities - All of students are motivated
Criteria Comments
Teacher’s - Song: “When there was me and you”
exploitation => a popular song among teenagers, interesting to
students and suitable to teach /s, z, st, sp, zd, sm, nd, nt/
sounds
- The tasks designed are suitable with students’ level
Students’ - Relaxing and motivating atmosphere which can involve
involvement almost all students in class.