The use of songs in teaching english to young learners by teachers at primary schools in hanoi

ii Abstract This study investigates the use of songs in teaching English to young learners by primary school teachers of English in Hanoi.. 2 The researcher, instead of digging deep in

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION

ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI

TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ KHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH

KHÓA LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP

VIỆC SỬ DỤNG BÀI HÁT TRONG DẠY HỌC TIẾNG ANH CHO TRẺ EM CỦA GIÁO VIÊN TẠI

CÁC TRƯỜNG TIỂU HỌC Ở HÀ NỘI

Giáo viên hướng dẫn: Th.S Phạm Thị Thanh Thủy Sinhviên: Vương Diệu Linh

Khóa: QH2013.F1.E2

HÀ NỘI – 2017

Signature of Approval:

_ Supervisor‟s Comments & Suggestions

_ _ _ _ _

ACCEPTANCE

I hereby state that I: Vương Diệu Linh - class QH2013E2, being a candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (TEFL) accept the requirements of the College relating to the retention and use of Bachelor’s Graduation Paper deposited in the library

In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in the library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the care, loan or reproduction of the paper

Hanoi, May 2017

Vương Diệu Linh

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Acknowledgements

First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere and deepest gratitude towards my supervisor, Ms Pham Thi Thanh Thuy for her dedicatedly invaluable help and useful corrections It was she who continually reminded me about managing time despite her busy schedule at school and at home Her kindly constructive guidance and comments have made

it possible for me to finish this study

I am very grateful to more than fifty participating teachers who enthusiastically answered my survey questionnaire Especially Ms Lam, Ms Chi, Ms Thuy and Ms Thao are the four teachers who took part in the interview and allowed me to observe their lessons Without their kind cooperation, the methodology section of the study could not be accomplishedly completed

Last but not least, special thanks go to my family and friends for their support and encouragement from the beginning till the end of my doing this thesis

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Abstract

This study investigates the use of songs in teaching English to young learners by primary school teachers of English in Hanoi More specifically, the researcher strives to 1) explore the belief of teachers of English at primary schools in Hanoi toward the use of songs in their classes 2) examine their practice of employing songs in reality to get the whole picture of how songs are currently applied to teaching English for children

The researcher conducted a survey with the participation of fifty four teachers from twenty five primary schools in fourteen districts of Hanoi Questionnaire, semi-structured interviews and observation schemes were used as useful instruments for data collection The questionnaire-based survey aims to scrutinize teachers‟ beliefs about the importance, advantages and disadvantages

of using songs as well as how they use songs Oral interviews and observations serve to elaborate on the information gathered from questionnaires and assure the validity of the result collected

The results of the study indicate that teachers hold strong beliefs toward the importance and advantages of using songs but do not seem to recognize the disadvantages of songs Regarding the current situation of how songs are being used, songs are mostly used in teaching vocabulary, listening and phonics and used at warm-up and wrap-up of a lesson The top three criteria to choose songs

in teaching are songs must be easy to sing, contain targeted language and have exciting, catchy melody The teachers mainly use songs available in the textbooks and from online sources Almost all the surveyed teachers are satisfied with the outcome of using songs to teach in their lessons Nevertheless, the teachers still face some difficulties in using songs, the most common ones are class time is limited and the teachers cannot find appropriate songs for every topic of their lessons Lastly, some suggestions were made by the teachers with the hope to utilize this pedagogical tool more effectively in EFL classrooms for young learners

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List of tables, figures and abbreviations

1 Table 1 Number of participants in each district………

2 Table 2 Teaching experience of participating teachers…………

3 Table 3 Teachers‟ beliefs about the importance of songs………

4 Table 4 Teachers‟ beliefs about the advantages of using songs

5 Table 4 Teachers‟ beliefs about the disadvantages of using songs ………

6 Figure 1 The number of songs teachers use in teaching per unit 7 Figure 2 The use of song in teaching language elements and skills………

8 Figure 3 The use of song in stages of a lesson………

9 Figure 4 Criteria to choose songs………

10 Figure 5 Sources of songs used in teaching ………

11 Table 6 Teachers‟ satisfaction towards the outcome of lessons using songs………

12 Figure 6 Teachers‟ difficulties in using songs to teach…………

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Abbreviations

YLs: young learners

EFL: English as Foreign Language

T1: First teacher in the interview

T2: Second teacher in the interview

T3: Third teacher in the interview

T4: Fourth teacher in the interview

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TABLE OF CONTENT

Acknowledgements i

Abstract ii

List of tables, figures and abbreviations iii

Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Rationale and Statement of the research 1

1.2 Aims and objectives of the study 2

1.3 Significance of the study 2

1.4 Scope of the research 3

1.5 Organization 3

Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 4

2.1 Overview of songs 4

2.1.1 Definition 4

2.1.2 Reasons for using songs in teaching and learning English 4

2.2 Characteristics of primary school students 6

2.3 The use of songs in teaching English for primary school students 7

2.3.1 Pedagogical role of songs in teaching English for primary school students 8

2.3.2 Advantages and disadvantages of using songs to teach English for primary school students 10

2.3.3 Criteria to choose songs in teaching English for primary students 11

2.3.4 How to use songs in EFL classroom for primary school students 13

2.4 Review of related studies 16

Chapter 3: METHODOLOGY 17

3.1 Participants 17

3.2 Data collection methods 18

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3.2.1 Questionnaire 18

3.2.2 Semi - structured interview 18

3.2.3 Observation 19

3.3 Data analysis methods 19

3.4 Data collection procedures 19

3.4.1 Phase 1 20

3.4.2 Phase 2 20

3.4.3 Phase 3 20

3.4.4 Phase 4 21

3.5 Data analysis methods and procedure 21

Chapter 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 22

4.1 Findings 22

4.1.1 The beliefs of teachers in primary schools in Hanoi toward using songs to teach English 22

4.1.2 The use of songs in teaching English for YLs by teachers at primary schools in Hanoi 28

4.2 Discussion 37

Chapter 5: CONCLUSION 39

5.1 Summary of the findings 39

5.2 Limitations of the study 40

5.3 Recommendations for further study 41

REFERENCES 43

APPENDICES 47

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Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION

This opening chapter provides an overview of the whole research with the rationale, aims, research questions, scope, significance and organization of this research

1.1 Rationale and statement of the research

English, the predominant international language, has become a necessity since the era of the globalization Due to social expectations and economic needs, English teaching and learning at primary school level has become a “large-scale wave” all over the world (Brewster, Ellis & Girard, 2004, p 3) Vietnam inevitably has followed the trend with more emphasis on education for younger ages English has become a compulsory subject at primary school education since 2010, starting from grade 3 as a part of the National Foreign Language

2020 Project In reality, the need for learning English at young ages is getting higher with the burgeoning development of international schools and English centers, especially in big cities like Hanoi Thus, enhancing primary school learners‟ language proficiency has become a substantial task in English language education

Regarding effective methods in teaching English for young learners, songs cannot be excluded The melodic, rhythmic, and repetitive nature of songs can serve as useful language inputs and mood setters that contribute to the learning of language and linguistic skills, and affective, cognitive, and cultural aspects From the perspective of children‟s learning characteristics, one of the distinctive natures of young learners is that they “love to play” (Scott & Ytreberg, 2004, p 3) By singing and having fun with songs in the lesson, students can absorb their English learning in natural and enjoyable ways Song is one of the ways to help the students to create contexts in which the language is useful and meaningful English songs can be used for a wide variety of learning and teaching activities

In short, songs have long been proved to be effective tools encouraging young learners to learn a foreign language in interesting ways

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The researcher, instead of digging deep in the pedagogical values of songs

or techniques to use songs effectively, concerned the current situation of using songs to teach English for young learners by teachers at primary schools in Hanoi From that, further implications and suggestions can be made to improve the quality of teaching and learning

1.2 Aims and objectives of the study

The first aim of the study is to explore the belief of English teachers at primary schools in Hanoi on the use of songs in their classes Furthermore, their practice of employing songs in the real situation (both songs in the text books and songs from supplementary sources) is also examined to get the whole picture

of how songs are currently applied in teaching English for children From these findings, suggestions to make full use of song in Hanoi EFL teaching context will be provided

The study conducted at primary schools in Hanoi on the use of songs by teachers

in teaching English for young learners (YLs) focuses on answering the following research questions The results from these questions are used for later discussion

1) What is the belief of primary school teachers of English in Hanoi toward using songs to teach English to their students?

2) What is the situation of using songs in teaching English by these primary school teachers?

1.3 Significance of the study

Various studies over time have proved the importance of utilizing songs in teaching English, especially for young learners It is proved that children can benefit from using songs in teaching vocabulary, pronunciation, even grammar and all four language skills However, not much research is conducted to find out the opinion of teachers on using songs in EFL classroom and examine their practice in real situation

Regarding researches on the field in Vietnamese, the focus is mainly on how songs are applied to teach a language component rather than the current

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state of exploiting songs in general English education In the context of English

as an International Language, the need for acquiring English at early ages are imperious than ever Based on the investigation on the current situation, suggestions and adjustments can be made to improve the effectiveness of using songs to teach English in particular and the quality of English education at this level on the whole

1.4 Scope of the research

Using music is not strange to ESL/ EFL teachers all over the world but few research has examined the situation how songs are used in teaching To be more specific, this study will focus on the use of songs by 54 teachers in 25 primary schools in 14 districts of Hanoi in teaching English

1.5 Organization

This study consists of five chapters:

Chapter 1: Introduction - includes Rationale for the study, Research Statement,

Aims of the Research, Significance of the study and Scope of the study

Chapter 2: Literature Review - explains the key concepts related to songs,

characteristics of young learners and the use of songs to teacher English for this age and reviews findings of previous related studies

Chapter 3: Methodology - gives information on the participants, methods and

procedure to collect and analyze data

Chapter 4: Data analysis and Findings - offers profound analysis on findings of

the study and critical discussions with those of the literature research

Chapter 5: Conclusion - summarizes the major findings, limitations of the

research and recommendations for further studies

Following this chapter are the References and Appendices

2.1.2 Reasons for using songs in teaching and learning English

According to Schoepp (2001), there are three reasons that make songs

valuable in EFL classrooms Regarding the affective reason, Schoepp mentions

the practical application of Krashen‟s affective filter hypothesis Krashen (1982) suggested that to achieve learning the affective filter should be weak, since a weak affective filter means that a positive attitude towards learning is present Otherwise, with a strong affective filter the learner will not seek language input and will not be open for language acquisition Hence, he believes that teachers should provide a positive atmosphere conductive to language learning Using songs may contribute to create a positive atmosphere which may lower the affective filter and thus contribute to language acquisition In the context of weak affective filter, Saricoban and Metin (2000) find out that songs can develop the four skills (reading, listening, speaking and writing) effectively

Related to cognitive reasons, songs present opportunities for developing

automaticity, which is the main cognitive reason for using songs in the English programs Segalowitz and Gatbonton (1988, p.473) define automaticity as “a component of language fluency which involves both knowing what to say and

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producing language rapidly without pauses” Songs can facilitate students in automatizing the language development process It used to be a common notion that automatization in language acquisition would occur through repetitive exercises Yet the major shift towards communicative teaching methodology demands the changes in approach The nature of songs is quite repetitive and consistent, which allows students to remember and even adapt the lyrics of the songs based on their interest Abbott (2002) stated, songs “presumably enhance and stimulate memory because dual coding leads to deeper processing and better retention” (p 10), thus facilitating language learning (as cited in Teng, 2015)

There is also a linguistic reason for using songs in the classroom, which

stands up for the idea that songs offer a good variety of language samples Although the majority of language that students encounter in the songs is informal, using songs still benefits students in preparing the genuine language they will face Saricoban and Metin (2000) further suggested that songs and rhymes are precious inputs for students as they encourage them to develop language skills and to learn various language aspects, such as rhythm, stress, rhyme, intonation, vocabulary, and sentence patterns

In addition, songs are also the representation of the target culture and consequently, form the concept for learning cultural differences As indicated by Iudin-Nelson (1997), the application of songs and rhymes offers the opportunity

to develop L2 skills in an authentic cultural context Zola and Sandvoss (1976) added that song and rhymes are sound materials and a good medium for learning language because of their authenticity, and they are also culturally representative texts Teachers are encouraged to introduce the historical background of each song and rhyme so that learners can achieve a deeper comprehension of the foreign culture (Sokka-Meaney, 2008) Learners can then perceive the cultural concept, get to know people using the language, and try the form to create the target language In addition to cultural differences, teachers might guide learners

to discover the connections between similar, typical patterns, both in their native and the target language To summarize, songs are good avenues for learners to

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get in touch with both similar and different cultures and customs

2.2 Characteristics of primary school students

Primary students, whose age is from 6 to 11, can be defined as young learners According to Sarah Phillips (1993), “young learners” are “children of formal schooling (five or six years old) to eleven or twelve years of age.” (p.4) Zhao & Morgan (2007) noted in one of their journals that “children or young learners are those who are not consciously interested in language for their own sake and usually tend to direct their interest towards things that are easy for them

to understand.”

Thornbury (2006) mentioned the affective characteristic of this age as “a lack of self-consciousness about expressing themselves inaccurately or through minimal means, and the need for encouragement and support.” Also, young learners are more likely to be motivated by intrinsic factors, such as the inherent interest of an engaging task or game, than by extrinsic factors, such as the need

to pass a test They are particularly predisposed to learning through play (p.251)

Likewise, a study from Expeditionary Learning in 2014 synthesized the characteristics of students at primary level from many researches and suggested that “Young children learn through play” (p.2) It is no surprise that children prefer acting and interacting to listening passively Play encourages children to create and narrate their own worlds, grapple with the challenges most urgent to them, and gain experience negotiating alliances, roles, and strategies with their peers Encouraging play in the classroom, and strategically harnessing its power for specific learning purposes allows for authentic engagement and deep learning opportunities for our youngest students

Besides, the study also claimed that “young children want to belong to a community that is safe, beautiful, and good” (p.3) What is more important than any curriculum or instruction is a culture of love, warmth, and beauty A strong relationship with an adult in the classroom is especially critical for young students to feel safe The teacher‟s love, care, and thoughtfulness are evident in

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the organization of the classroom, the display of beautiful student work, and the quality of the materials for expression, learning, and play Singing and dancing together create a language of unity that young children understand - a sense of safety in a community that is greater than any individual member Feeling secure

in a kind and beautiful classroom creates a strong inner foundation for the development of young children's academic and relational character Preferably,

as young learners are subject to rapid mood changes and often find it difficult to sit quietly, they can learn at best when they are involved in a large variety of activities (Koce, 2009)

From these descriptions, primary students need an open and comfortable learning environment for them to enjoy and freely express themselves “A good primary classroom mixes play and learning in an atmosphere of cheerful and supportive harmony” (Hammer, 2007, p.38) Songs undoubtedly can contribute

to enjoyment in learning for children

2.3 The use of songs in teaching English for primary school students

Throughout researches on the content of English syllabuses for young learners, communicative use of the English language is emphasized in most of them Songs also play a part as a useful resource to teach English for these students In 1993, Halliwell suggested young learners in EFL context should be taught through songs and games Later, Rumley (1999), in arguing songs help children learn English, clarifies the role of songs in providing a safe, non-threatening context within which to play with language Ersöz (2007) argues that the focus of teaching programs for young learners should be on the communicative value of the language and songs should not be excluded Sharing the same viewpoint on designing a syllabus for YLs, Bourke (2006) asserts we should make sure a syllabus is experimentally appropriate and definitely contains songs, chants and rhymes Therefore, songs play an inevitable role in teaching English for students at primary school level

of reading, writing, speaking and listening

The natural contexts carried by songs and rhymes provide learners with

tremendous chances to learn grammatical structures and their language

functions As suggested by Mora (2000, p 151), songs “help EFL students to have a handy model in their minds to deduce grammatical information” Cook (2000) further explained that it is the rhythmic breaks in songs and rhymes that maintain constancy with linguistic boundaries and emphasize everyday speech

Students improve their pronunciation while singing, but at the same time

the repetitive lyrics in songs have a positive effect on the students‟ language acquisition level Songs can be easily remembered, and are therefore an effective

means of providing students with lexical patterns that are stored in their minds

and that can be retrieved with ease during any oral communication (Vinyets, 2013)

With regard to the development of speaking skills, music was viewed as

both an alternative method and an input that can develop participants‟ oral performance (Niño, 2010) In Niño‟s classroom research, the role of musical activities served as a trigger for speaking Musical materials were the tool that grasped the target vocabulary, fostered or even extracted the words to speak, and further reinforced speaking skills As a result, learners expanded their oral vocabulary size, had better pronunciation, and gained a better mastery of expression in English Furthermore, songs and rhymes are a great trigger for classroom discussion since they are imaginative and narrative in nature As suggested by Griffee (1992), learners can easily become involved in active conversation by discussing one specific type of song with its relevant works, describing possible scenes that are cultivated from the song, exploring the real

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intention of the original composer, or sharing their feelings about that song

In the development of listening skills, songs and rhymes are treated as

good teaching materials and activities The dictation of songs and rhymes focuses

on the bottom-up processing of listening skill For developing the top-down listening process, teachers could guide students to try to make a prediction about the title, describe features of the lyrics, think about the association between the listener‟s interpretation and the composer‟s intention, or discuss the vocabulary usage in the lyrics (Mizener, 2008) In addition to bottom-up and top-down listening activities, Montaner (n.d.) proposed a three-phrase listening activity when teaching songs: pre-listening, listening, and post-listening activities

Musical activities are also good prompters for developing reading skills

Singing songs, as suggested by McCarthy (1985), reinforce word recognition, reading comprehension and literacy appreciation Songs and rhymes are the kind

of texts that are rich in repetition and language patterns Utilizing songs and rhymes in print can help to build the concept and convention about print in a meaningful context (Woodall & Ziembroski, 2004) Once the print concept has been built up, learners‟ ability to recognize different words are reinforced through each repetition of the words The rhythmical nature of rhymes and chants fosters reading fluency since the rhythmic flow drawn from chanting could transfer to the reading fluency necessary for reading comprehension (Mizener, 2008) Further to achieving reading comprehension, McCarthy (1985) promoted reading appreciation through the creation of new lyrics

Songs and rhymes, full of rich material and used as an enjoyable vehicle,

have the potential to stimulate learners in second language writing In the

brainstorming stage, elements, such as melody, harmony, timbre, rhythm, tempo, and the music lyrics, could be exploited to explore various ideas in writing (Wijaya & Tedjaatmadja, 2006) Orlova (2003) thought the experiences

of listening to songs could be the repertoire for later writing For instance, writing a personal letter to the composer or predicting the possible ending of the

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character in song and rhyme are great practice for developing writing skills After taking part in listening to and reading the songs, learners could further try

to analyze and interpret the lyrics in their writing (Mizener, 2008)

From the above-mentioned, songs and rhymes can serve as both the avenue and the repertoire for students to practice their grammar, listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills In the long run, songs greatly contribute to enhancing a young learner‟s language development and further form the basis for various language skills in later learning (Baleghizadeh & Dargahi, 2010)

2.3.2 Advantages and disadvantages of using songs to teach

English for primary school students

Below are some advantages and disadvantages that authors have studied about the use of songs in primary classroom Murphey (1992), in his work

“Music and Songs”, presents different reasons why songs should be used in

primary classroom Some of these reasons and benefits include:

 It is easier to sing the language than to speak it

 Songs act both in short and long term memory

 Songs contain repeated phrases that teachers can use to teach

 They are more motivating than repetitions in other texts

 Songs lead students to identify themselves with the text

 They make the group relax, have fun at the same time they give

harmony to the group

In the same work, he also reveals some disadvantages of the use of the songs:

 Teachers do not take the music seriously

 It can disturb adjacent lessons

 Teachers can lose control of the class easily

 The vocabulary of the songs is too poor

 Expressions are different to the rules of grammar and this can lead to make mistakes

 Teachers do not know how to develop material successfully

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 Classrooms may need media

 A teacher or student may not like singing

 The songs go out of fashion soon

(as cited in Vinyets, 2013) 2.3.3 Criteria to choose songs in teaching English for primary

students

To maximize the benefits and limit the drawbacks of songs in classrooms, teachers must play a vital role in choosing the appropriate songs with the learning context Choosing proper materials for teaching is never an easy task, no exception for songs Picking out the most suitable ones from the gigantic ocean of the various kinds of music available is one of the most difficult tasks for teachers when applying songs and rhymes There is a pressing need for criteria to evaluate the compatibility of a song for each lesson

According to Beall and Nipp (2002, p 329), there are a few questions

we should firstly consider before actually playing the rhymes and songs in classroom: “which the grammar of the song is, which songs work best with a specific age group, or whether the teacher needs to be musical, and what if children do not want to sing” (as cited in Conesa & Rubio, 2015)

With regard to the first question, the grammar of songs, it is ideal to find the

songs that use the same structures with the lesson For examples, through the

song Do you like broccoli?, the structure of answer “Yes, I do/ No, I don‟t” to

“Do you like + food?” question is emphasized and repeated for students to practice with fun However, the language of songs may differ from Standard English in certain aspects since there is a poetic imperative involved here Rhythm and rhyme can be more important than the correctness of form in songs It might be shortsighted then to discard songs because of concerns about the correctness of form Songs may still be useful for language learning even when the words are completely nonsense as they may offer a fun way to

addition, the topics or themes should be close to their real life experiences and interests like animals, food, clothes, etc Besides, songs that involve a lot of repetition with catchy melodies are easier to remember The simpler the

melody, the less important it will be to sing in tune

As far as the third question is considered, we have to consider whether

the teacher needs to be musical or not There are some teachers who feel

comfortable at singing in class for either personal reasons or academic and professional training On the other hand, singing out in the public is challenge for others However, regardless what personal situation is, singing in class not only is a natural activity, since singing stimulates the students learning, but also can be used as a way of entertainment for pedagogical reasons Therefore, the first necessary step for teachers to take is to feel confident with singing in class

so as to show and pass this confidence on to the students

Finally, regarding the last question, what if children do not want to sing,

some children may be reluctant to sing But the experience for them should be just as positive Lots of smiles and encouraging nods from the teacher will help them feel relaxed enough to join in when they are ready

Therefore, chosen songs must contain targeted language of the lessons, familiar and suitable to students and especially easy to sing to ensure that

teachers as well as students can involve in the activities

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To make it short, Curtain and Dahlberg (2004, p246) suggests a list of criteria for a song to be used in EFL classroom According to them, songs are used to use in primary school English classroom should fulfill the following criteria:

 The song should contain limited vocabulary

 The song should contain language compatible with that being used in the classroom

 The song should present a limited musical challenge

 The rhythm should be straightforward and repetitive

 Song topics should be within the experiences of children

 For primary level, it is useful if songs are accompanied by actions

 It is also helpful if the words of the songs are highly repetitive and if they have a refrain or a repeated stanza between the verses of the song

(as cited in Conesa & Rubio, 2015)

Only by choosing the most appropriate songs for the lessons, teacher can make full use of benefits of songs for the language acquisition of students

as well as delivering lessons

2.3.4 How to use songs in EFL classroom for primary school

students

In fact, songs are mainly good at introducing vocabulary because songs

provide a significant context for the vocabulary In this context, words could be understood better and other related words could be completed by visual images

or some other methods

Furthermore, using English songs in teaching English grammar might

be an instructive approach It is recommended that English teachers make the most of English songs in teaching grammar in the right time The methods can vary from one teacher to another

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Ahmad (2005) claimed that songs can be integrated into language learning by doing activities around the songs Teachers must bear in mind that learners must be actively involved in their learning He recommended some techniques for using songs as classroom activities

Likewise, below are seven different activities of using songs in English lessons with specific instruction for activities suggested by Vinyets (2013)

With these suggestions, teachers can employ and adapt songs suitably to the lesson content

1) Cloze or fill in the blank worksheets: One of the simplest ways to introduce

a song is to remove all appearances of the grammar point from the lyrics For

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example, if the grammar point is adjectives, and the lyrics are, “I‟m so tired,” the fill-in-the-blank worksheet will show, “I‟m so .” Give your students the worksheets and have them try to fill in the blanks while listening to the song

2) Scrambled lyrics: Another popular activity is to cut up all the lyrics Most

people separate them by line, but you could even do it by phrase, that‟s your choice Divide the class into teams and give each team a set of lyrics Play the song and have them try to put all the lines in the correct order

3) Act out the verb: If the song you are playing uses a lot of verbs, play the

song for them once without any lyrics Every time the students recognize a verb, they have to act it out This can be a lot of fun and gets the class relaxed

4) Listening for points: To introduce a song to the class, divide them into two

teams Explain that the song contains a certain grammar point that you have been studying If someone hears that grammar point, they must raise their hand

If they identify it correctly, their team gets a point It‟s a good idea to pause the song at this point so that you don‟t miss anything

5) Theme-based songs: If the song you are using is not related to a specific

grammar point, but instead to a theme, that‟s good Play the song first without the lyrics and have students write down anything they hear that is relevant to the theme: nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc

6) Combination of topics: The above activities can be combined or altered to

make different activities For example, Act out verb and Listening for points could be combined to make a fun and competitive activity I find that students often get more involved when it is a competition, even if there isn‟t a prize!

7) Sing the song: After any activity, remember to take a few minutes and sing

the song as a class The students‟ enthusiasm will be influenced by the teacher,

so be excited about it Singing the song after these games will give the students

a sense of accomplishment They have just learned some authentic material and are proud of it

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2.4 Review of related studies

As mentioned above, songs play an inevitable role in human development Using songs to teach has been an interest for researchers for many years In general, they all share the same opinion on the benefits and importance of using songs in teaching English, especially for young learners There are many methodology books or journals in ELT which provide guidance on how to use songs effectively in ESL/ EFL classrooms However, only a few of researches which explore the perception of teachers in using songs and examine their real practice have been carried out

Firstly, Sevik conducted a survey in 2011 to investigate the views of Turkish state primary school EFL teachers about songs and using songs in teaching English to young learners 52 Turkish EFL teachers all teaching in 24 Turkish state primary schools were asked for their beliefs, attitudes, thoughts, and frequency and accessibility of songs through a questionnaire The results showed that Turkish EFL teachers have strong beliefs about the pedagogical value of songs and about the effectiveness of using songs in teaching EFL to young learners However, the findings revealed that teachers had difficulty in accessing to appropriate songs to use in their classes and in measuring students success He also gave out suggestions to improve the situation and offered more in-service training on how to teach songs for teachers

Likewise, in another study, Tse (2015) explored the perspectives of 60 English as Second Language (ESL) teachers in Malaysian state primary schools on using songs to teach English to young learners (YLs) through questionnaire A majority of them trusted that songs should be included in the English curriculum but also faced difficulties in selecting songs

Regarding Vietnamese context, researches mainly focus on the use of songs

in teaching language components/ skills like pronunciation or listening The situation of using songs in teaching by primary school teachers, especially in Hanoi have not been examined yet

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Chapter 3: METHODOLOGY

3.1 Participants

The participants of this study are 54 teachers from 25 primary schools in

14 districts of Hanoi The sample was selected randomly The teachers are working either in ordinary or gifted primary schools

Table 1 The number of participants in each district of Hanoi

Table 2 Teaching experience of participating teachers

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3.2 Data collection methods

Triangle methods including questionnaire, interview and observation were employed to answer the two research questions thoroughly and assure the validity of the results collected It was carefully calculated that each method was used in order to support the others

3.2.1 Questionnaire

Considered as the main medium of the research, questionnaire survey allows collecting data from a wide group of participants for such a quantitative research and have a fair reliability (Mackey & Gass, 2005)

The questionnaire consists of three parts The first one is to get some personal information and teaching experience of the selected teachers The next

is about their belief in the use of songs in teaching English including the importance as well as the pros and cons of using songs in classroom The last part focuses on their experience in employing songs in teaching such as how/when they use songs, if they are facing any difficulties, etc In using such

a way, the researcher could gather most of the information needed for the study The questionnaire is designed in English but the language is simple and clear to avoid ambiguity and misunderstanding from participants

3.2.2 Semi - structured interview

An interview is needed for the researcher to purse in-depth information around the topic The questionnaire was followed by semi-structured interviews to provide the interviewees with flexibility while offering the interviewer adequate control over the interview Due to time limit, only four teachers from the survey sample were chosen as participants for the interview

In each interview, the teachers individually clarified, if necessary, some unclear points as perceived by the researcher about their experience in using songs in English lessons as well as further suggestions to make full use of this teaching tool All the interviews were scripted for further study The researcher could

3.3 Data analysis methods

The survey questionnaire and interview were constructed to answer the two research questions Firstly, the questionnaire was deliberately divided into subcategories suitable to the main content of expected answers for each research question The interview, on the other hand, served to answer most of the content included in the second research question whose emphasis is put on explanation for the results and recommendations in making full use of songs in English lessons at primary schools– some facts or notes Lately, data collected from observation was used to illustrate and clarify to what extent all two research questions have been touched in each lesson To be more exact, they were merely added to the analysis of questionnaire and interview so that the researcher could have a broader view of the results

3.4 Data collection procedures

The data collection went through four major phases in chronological order: preparing the instruments, delivering questionnaire, interviewing and

3.4.2 Phase 2

Delivering questionnaire to English teachers at primary school in Hanoi was done in this phase The questionnaire was distributed in both paper and online survey by Google form With the allowance of the Head of the English Group at Vinschool Primary School, the researcher took advantage of six-week practicum to deliver all of the questionnaires Besides, the researcher contacted other primary schools in different districts in Hanoi with the help of some lecturers and friends Especially, the link survey online was shared to reach many teachers through email and facebook with great help from the supervisor Data from the questionnaire were collected within one month

3.4.3 Phase 3

Coming to the third phase was short interviews with 4 teachers Each interview was expected to last the maximum of 15 minutes as most of the information had been collected through survey Chosen from previous questionnaire phase, each interviewee might choose to take part in the interview or not During the interview, questions were asked one at a time and the teachers were encouraged to express personal experience, subjective points

of view and to give specific examples so that in-depth information could be achieved Semi – structured also allowed the researcher to pose questions on unclear points in the interviewees‟ responses to clarify information Besides

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recording the content of the interview, the researcher took notes on important points throughout the interviews, which helped with the interview transcription later on

3.4.4 Phase 4

Lastly, observation for six lessons was carried out with the permission from both the school and teachers Notably that the six lessons presented here were those of four interviewees in the third phase During these six periods at four different schools, 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 Therefore, the result gained from observations can be guaranteed and reassured

3.5 Data analysis procedure

Generally, the data analysis in this study was implemented according to question-based analysis Data collected from the three instruments were analyzed and synthesized to answer thoroughly the two research questions After collected, data were then analyzed by using both descriptive statistics (percentage) and qualitative statistics (answers to open-ended questions in questionnaires and interviews) Firstly, statistics obtained from the questionnaire were synthesized and analyzed by Excel More than fifty offline surveys were distributed and eighteen answers obtained through online survey but the researcher just got fifty four qualified answers The results were placed

in the form different table and charts to analyze and compare figures Moreover, typical quotations from the interviews, the answers to open-ended questions in the questionnaires, and classroom observations were cited when necessary Interpretations and conclusions were drawn after analyzing the data

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Chapter 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

4.1 Findings

This section serves its best to answer the two questions that were proposed by

the researcher in chapter 1 through the analysis of data collected from the

questionnaire, interviews and observation

4.1.1 The beliefs of teachers in primary schools in Hanoi toward

using songs to teach English

The beliefs of teachers were mainly examined in three aspects: the importance

of songs, the advantages and disadvantages of using songs in EFL context

4.1.1.1 Teachers’ belief about the importance of songs in

teaching English to primary students

Table 3 Teachers’ beliefs about the importance of songs in teaching English (N=54)

Statement

Strongly Disagree (1)

Disagree (2)

Neutral (3)

Agree (4)

Strongly Agree (5)

Mean

a) Songs should be an essential

part of the English language

teaching curriculum for young

learners

_ _ _ _ 9 16.7 28 51.9 17 31.5 4.14

b) Songs are important in

developing students‟ 4 English

skills (reading, listening, speaking

& writing)

_ _ 2 3.7 14 25.9 24 44.4 14 25.9 3.92

c) Songs are important in

developing students‟ vocabulary,

grammar & pronunciation

_ _ 1 1.9 10 18.5 30 55.6 13 24.1 4.01

d) Songs must be used only for

fun and breaking down boredom 6 11.1 21 38.9 9 16.7 15 27.7 3 5.6 2.77

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As can be seen from Table 3, the teachers‟ beliefs about the importance

of songs in teaching English for primary school students were explored by means of four statements The analysis of the results for the statement a) reveal that the majority of the participating teachers, 83.1% believed that songs should

be an essential part of the English language teaching curriculum for YLs Only 16.7% declared that they undecided, and none disagreed With regard to the role of song in developing students‟ 4 English skills, a great part of the teachers, 70.3% agreed with statement b) One fourth of the participants, 25.9% are neutral and two of them disagreed Results for statement c) indicate that most of the participating teachers, 79.7% believed that songs are important in developing students‟ vocabulary, grammar and phonics 18.5% stated that they were undecided and only one participant disagreed The last statement asked whether teachers should use songs only for fun, and breaking down boredom

A half of the participating teachers, 50% disagreed with the statement, 16.7% stated that they were undecided and 33.3% agreed

Overall, the findings in the Table 3 strengthen the beliefs of teachers about the important of songs in teaching English to elementary students The mean scores of the first three statements are approximately 4 (4.14, 3.92 and 4.01 respectively), which indicates the mutual agreement among primary school teachers in Hanoi on the role of songs The findings are parallel to those

of earlier research study that songs should be an essential part of the YL EFL teaching curriculum, and songs are pedagogically valuable in developing students‟ language skills and elements Statement d) is the most “strongly disagreed” and “disagreed” item With the mean score of 2.77, statement d) proves that teachers believe the role of songs in EFL classrooms is further than just bringing fun for children

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4.1.1.2 Teachers’ belief about the advantages of using

songs to teach English to primary students

Table 4 Teachers’ belief about the advantages of using songs to teach English (N= 54)

Statement

Strongly Disagree (1)

Disagree (2)

Neutral (3)

Agree (4)

Strongly Agree (5) Mean

e) Songs strengthen the

memorization of vocabulary _ _ _ _ 7 13.0 32 59.3 15 27.7 4.14

f) Songs provide a large

amount of repetition which

results in automatic use of the

target language

_ _ 2 3.7 14 24.9 28 51.9 10 18.5 3.85

g) Songs are motivating and

entertaining ways of teaching

English for young learners

_ _ _ _ 6 11.1 22 40.7 26 48.2 4.37

h) Songs can lower students‟

anxiety toward learning

English

2 3.8 5 9.4 9 17.0 24 45.3 13 24.5 3.77

i) Songs provide cultural

values of the target language

then inspire students to learn

more

_ _ 2 3.7 14 24.9 28 51.9 10 18.5 3.85

j) Songs can be used with

different purposes to teach

various contents

_ _ 1 1.9 13 25.1 30 55.5 10 18.5 3.90

k) Teachers can adapt or

create songs to teach different

content by changing words on

familiar music

_ _ 3 5.6 5 9.3 29 53.7 17 31.4 4.11

Overall mean: 4

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As can be seen from Table 4, the teachers‟ beliefs about the advantages of using songs to teach English for primary school students were explored by means of seven statements From these findings, statement g) and e) have the most participants agreed Hence, the great majority of participating teachers believed that songs are motivating and entertaining ways of teaching English for young learners (88.9%) and songs help to strengthen students‟ memorization of vocabulary (87.0%) A small part of them (11.1% and 13.0% respectively) were neutral and none disagreed The results of statement k) point out that most of participants (85.1%) believed that teachers can adapt or create songs to teach different content by changing words on familiar music There were 5 teachers stated that they were undecided and 2 teachers disagreed Next, about three fourth of participants (74%) believed that songs can be used with different purposes to teach various contents 25.1% of the teachers were unsure about the usefulness of songs in EFL context, and only one participant (1.9%) disagreed Statement f) and i) share the same results 70.4% of participating teachers believed that songs provide a large amount of repetition which results

in automatic use of the target language and cultural values of the target language then inspire students to learn more as well One fourth of participants, 24.9% stated that they are undecided and only 2 teachers (3.7%) disagreed Lastly, statement h) has the lowest level of agreement among the participants 69.8% of participating teachers believed that songs can lower students‟ anxiety toward learning English The rest, 17% of the participants were unsure about that and 13.2% disagreed

Evaluated overall, the findings in the Table 4 prove that the participating teachers hold strong beliefs towards the advantages of using songs to teach English to YLs with the overall mean score of seven statements is 4

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4.1.1.3 Teachers’ belief about the disadvantages of using

songs to teach English to primary students

Table 5 Teachers’ belief about the disadvantages of using songs to teach English

(N= 54)

Statement

Strongly Disagree (1)

Disagree (2)

Neutral (3)

Agree (4)

Strongly Agree (5) Mean

l) Songs may distract

students‟ attention during the

lesson

9 16.7 17 31.5 14 25.9 11 20.4 3 5.6 2.66

m) Teachers face difficulties

in managing class when

using songs

7 13.0 17 31.5 16 29.6 14 25.9 _ _ 2.68

n) The vocabulary of the

songs is limited 8 14.8 15 27.8 13 24.1 17 31.5 1 1.9 2.77

o) Expressions are different

to grammar rule, which

causes students to make

mistakes later

5 9.3 11 20.4 22 40.7 15 27.8 1 1.9 2.92

Overall mean: 2.76

As can be seen from Table 5, teachers‟ beliefs about the disadvantages

of songs were explored by means of four statements The analysis of results for statement l) shows that one fourth of the participating teachers, 25.9% believed that songs may distract students‟ attention during the lesson Nearly half of the participants (48.2%) disagreed together with 25.9% stated that they are neutral about statement l) Results of statement m) reveal that one fourth of the participants, 25.9% believed that they face difficulties in managing class when using songs 29.6% of the participating teachers say that they were undecided and the rest, 44.5% disagreed with this statement Results of statement n) indicate that one third of the participating teachers, 33.4% believed that the vocabulary of songs is limited 24.1% of the participants stated that they were neutral while 42.6% disagreed Lastly, results of statement o) point out that a

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small part of the participating teachers, 29.7% believed that expressions in songs are different to grammar rule, which causes students to make mistakes later 40.7% of the teachers were unsure and 29.7% disagreed with statement o)

Overall, the findings of Table 5 show that the participating teachers do not hold strong beliefs towards the disadvantages of using songs in teaching English for YLs The mean score of the four statements is 2.76 with the rate of those who disagreed for each one is all more than 40% The rate of the participating teachers who opposed songs may distract students and do not face difficulties in managing class when using songs are highest (48.2% and 44.5% respectively) This can be attributed to their skills in teaching as 35.2% of participants have more than 10 years of teaching experience For the rest, half

of the participating teachers have problems about the ways to present and teach songs to YLs while not causing distraction and getting students under control Only one third of the participating teachers (33.4%) thought that the vocabulary of songs for young learners is limited while the rest, 67.6% in total

of those who disagreed and who were neutral didn‟t see that drawback When being asked in the interview, T4 explained that “it‟s apparent that songs contain limited vocabulary but the aim of using songs in each lesson is for students to remember some targeted words or structures, not all words in the songs.” The percentage of those who believed that expressions in songs are different to grammar rule, which may cause students to make mistakes later and those who disagreed are the same (29.7%) This should be depended on the selection of songs and the aim of activities using songs