Using simple english songs to promote confidence and motivation toward learning english for pupils at a primary school

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ********* NGUYỄN THỊ THUÝ NGA USING SIMPLE ENGLISH SONGS TO PROMOTE CONFIDENCE AND MOTIVATION TOWARD LEARNING ENGLISH FOR PUPILS AT A PRIMARY SCHOOL IN HANOI (Sử dụng hát tiếng Anh đơn giản để thúc đẩy tự tin động lực học tiếng Anh cho học sinh trường tiểu học Hà Nội) M A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 8140231.01 HANOI – 2018 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ********* NGUYỄN THỊ THUÝ NGA USING SIMPLE ENGLISH SONGS TO PROMOTE CONFIDENCE AND MOTIVATION TOWARD LEARNING ENGLISH FOR PUPILS AT A PRIMARY SCHOOL IN HANOI (Sử dụng hát tiếng Anh đơn giản để thúc đẩy tự tin động lực học tiếng Anh cho học sinh trường tiểu học Hà Nội) M A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 8140231.01 Supervisor : Assoc Prof Dr Hồ Ngọc Trung HANOI - 2018 DECLARATION I, the undersigned, declare that this thesis is the result of my own researcher and has not been submitted to any other university or institution partially or wholly Except where the reference is indicated, no other person’s work has been used without acknowledgement in text of the thesis Hanoi, 2018 M A Student, Nguyễn Thị Thúy Nga Approved by Supervisor Assoc Prof Dr Hồ Ngọc Trung iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis could not have been completed without the help and support from a number of people First and foremost, I would like to send my sincere thanks to my supervisors, Assoc Prof Dr Hồ Ngọc Trung for his enthusiastic guidance, insightful comments, and valuable support throughout my research He consistently allowed this paper to be my own work, but steered me in the right the direction whenever I thought I needed it I also would like to thank all of the lecturers of the Faculty of PostGraduate Studies, Vietnam National University, Ha Noi for their useful lectures and materials which are of great value to my thesis I would like to extend my special thanks to all of my colleagues and the students at Phuong Canh Primary School for their useful support Finally, I must express my very profound gratitude to my family for providing me with unfailing support and continuous encouragement throughout my years of study and through the process of researching and writing this thesis This accomplishment would not have been possible without them iv LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1: Demographic gender distribution 26 Table 3.2: Contents of songs 27 Table 4.1: The score of the Pre-test 32 Table 4.2: The syllabus of action 34 Table 4.3: The score of the Post-test 36 Table 4.4: Pre-test and post-test scores 36 Table 4.5: The mean scores of the items about language acquisition 38 Table 4.6: T- test of gender difference in language acquisition 38 Table 4.7: Gender difference about Item 15 39 Table 4.8: The mean scores of the items about learning motivation 40 Table 4.9: T- test of gender difference in learning motivation 41 v ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to look at the importance of using songs within the English classroom This study can determine if using songs within the English classroom can promote language acquisition, and if using songs within the room can encourage the kids to learn a foreign language The study was conducted at Phuong Canh Primary School in Hanoi, with one hundred and thirty-one students of grade three participating in the study The participants were examined through a pre-test, a post-test, a questionnaire and through classroom observations and field notes The pre-test and post-test were designed and developed in step with the choice of songs that had been chosen to show vocabulary, structure and practice listening skill by the investigator The instruments were analyzed using the statistical package (SPSS 20.0) The results of the pre-test confirmed that the students had not acquired the target vocabulary, structure beforehand The post-test results confirmed the rise of scores thus confirming language acquisition of the target vocabulary and structure that were taught using the choice of songs The results of the questionnaire discovered that once songs were wont to teach the target vocabulary in the English language classroom the students were motivated towards the lesson The results of the classroom observations and field notes showed that once songs are integrated into the foreign language room they promote the students’ confidence in learning the English language and also their native language, that is Vietnamese Keywords: songs, confidence, motivation, foreign language learning vi TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv LIST OF TABLES v ABSTRACT vi TABLE OF CONTENTS vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Aims and objectives of the study 1.3 Research Questions 1.4 Scope of the study 1.5 Significance of the study 1.6 Research method 1.7 Structure of the thesis CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Songs in learning language 2.1.1 Definition of song 2.1.2 Using songs in foreign language acquisition 2.1.3 Advantages of using songs in teaching and learning language 2.1.4 Strategies with songs and music on language acquisition 11 2.2 Motivation 12 2.2.1 Definition of motivation 12 2.2.2 Motivation in language learning 14 2.2.3 Roles of motivation in language learning 15 2.2.4 Strategies for motivating students in the classroom 16 2.3 Confidence 17 2.3.1 Definition of confidence 17 vii 2.3.2 The Importance of students’ confidence in language learning 18 2.4 Summary 19 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 20 3.1 Restatement of the objectives and research questions 20 3.2 Research design 21 3.3 Research procedures 22 3.4 The setting of the study 24 3.5 Participants of the study 25 3.6 Research Instruments 26 3.6.1 Songs 26 3.6.2 Pre-test and Post-test 28 3.6.3 Questionnaire 28 3.6.4 Classroom Observations and Field Notes 29 3.7 Data collection 30 3.8 Method of Data Analysis 31 3.9 Summary 31 CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 32 4.1 Analysis of the Pre-test 32 4.2 Analysis of the Action Process 33 4.2.1 Planning 33 4.2.2 Processing 35 4.2.3 Reflection 35 4.3 The Analysis of the Questionnaires 37 4.4 Analysis of the Classroom observation and field notes findings 42 4.5 Discussion 44 4.5.1 To what extent does the use of songs influence language acquisition? 44 viii 4.5.2 To what extent songs affect students’ motivation when learning English? 45 4.5.3 Does the use of songs promote confidence toward learning English for students? 45 4.6 Summary 45 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 47 5.1 Conclusion 47 5.2 Limitations 48 5.3 Suggestions for further studies 48 REFERENCES I APPENDICES VI Appendix A: Questionnaire VI Appendix B: VIIQuestionnaire (Vietnamese Translation) VII Appendix C: Pre-test & Post-test IX Appendix D: The Sample of lesson plan XI Appendix E: Sample of Student’s Pre-test XV Appendix F: Sample of Student’s Post-test XVII Appendix G: Sample of Student’s questionnaire XIX Appendix H: Checklist for teacher’s observation XX Appendix I: Song lyrics XXI ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale In today’s global world, the importance of English cannot be denied and ignored since English is the most common language spoken everywhere With the help of developing technology, English has been playing a major role in many sectors including medicine, engineering, and education, in my opinion, is the most important arena where English is needed Particularly, as a developing country, Vietnam needs to make use of this world wide spoken language in order to improve its international power In many public school’s teachers cannot rely on good resources for teaching and it is a barrier that in most cases does not let students learn English in an interactive and pleasant way For this reason, searching for better methodologies to instruct this subject and helping students enhance their English is important One of the major weaknesses of my students is the lack of confidence to talk On the other hand, students not acquire a second language the same way that they acquire their first language They not have a real interaction with that language in their day-to-day lives or the possibility to practice it outside of the classroom and that makes the acquisition even more difficult Using simple English songs seems to be one of the useful solutions to promote confidence and motivation toward learning English for pupils at Phuong Canh Primary School, Nam Tu Liem District in Hanoi, Vietnam The students often find problem with learning English when they speak, read, listen and write to English 1.2 Aims and objectives of the study This study is aimed at implementing songs as a resource to develop communicative abilities properly in a foreign language, providing students - T asks Ss to listen carefully individual/pairs/gr - oup - III New lesson - Look, listen and repeat - Have Ss to look at the book at page - Set the scene: we are going to review phrases saying hello and bye - Have Ss listen to the recording as they Look at pictures read the lines in the speech bubbles 7m - Play the recording again for Ss to repeat the lines in the speech bubbles two times - Divide the class into two groups One repeat Mai’s part and the other repeat Nam’ part - Play the recording again for the whole class to repeat each line in the speech bubbles to reinforce their pronunciation Point to the Point and say 7m - Have Ss look at the pictures on page pictures and - Elicit the characters in the pictures and practise their names - Ask Ss to guess and complete the speech bubbles - T models/ allocates the parts of characters Mai and Nam to Ss - Ask them to act out the dialogue1 Repeat the step with some other pairs for pictures XIII - Have Ss practice acting out the dialogue Play role and speak in pairs, using the pictures out - Monitor the activity and offer held Correct pronunciation errors (stress, assimilation of sounds, intonation) when necessary - Call on some pairs to perform the task at the front of the class The others observe and give comments - Have the whole class repeat all the phrases in chorus to reinforce their pronunciation Work - Let’s talk: in pair practice talking: - Show picture and give task - Have Ps work in pair to greet and respond 5m to greeting - Display in class, others comment Listen and correct Have Ps 4.Consolidation 2m - Ask Ss look at the screen and sing along Listen and sing the song “Hello” with the lyric along 5.Homelink - Practice to sing the song “ hello” Do Do exercises in the exercises in workbook, learn by heart the workbook new words XIV Appendix E Sample of Student’s Pre-test XV XVI Appendix F Sample of Student’s Post-test XVII XVIII Appendix G Sample of Student’s questionnaire XIX Appendix H Checklist for teacher’s observation CHECKLIST FOR TEACHER'S OBSERVATION - CLASS:…… Periods Date of teaching Speaking Speaking participation volunteering Period: Lesson Period: Lesson: Period: Lesson: Period: Lesson: Period: Lesson: Period: Lesson: XX Appendix I: Song lyrics Lyrics for Song A: Hello Hello! Hello! Hello, how are you? (Repeat) I'm good! I'm great! I'm wonderful! (Repeat) Hello! Hello! Hello, how are you? (Repeat) I'm tired I'm hungry I'm not so good (Repeat) Hello! Hello! Hello, how are you? Lyrics for Song B: What is your name? Hello, hello, what’s your name? Hello, hello, what’s your name? My name is Noodle My name is Blossom Nice to meet you! Hello, hello, what’s your name? Hello, hello, what’s your name? My name is Cheesy My name is Broccoli Nice to meet you! Hello, hello, what’s your name? Hello, hello, what’s your name? My name is Jelly My name is Kernel Nice to meet you! Let’s be friend XXI Lyrics for Song C: How old are you? Hello, hello! How old are you? Hello, hello! How old are you? Hello, hello! How old are you? Hello, hello! How old are you? I’m one, I’m one, I’m one I’m four, I’m four, I’m four Hello, hello! How old are you? Hello, hello! How old are you? Hello, hello! How old are you? Hello, hello! How old are you? I’m two, I’m two, I’m two I’m five, I’m five, I’m five Hello, hello! How old are you? Hello, hello! How old are you? Hello, hello! How old are you? Hello, hello! How old are you? I’m three, I’m three, I’m three I’m six, I’m six, I’m six Lyrics for Song D: How old is he? How old are you? How old are you? I’m five, I’m five years old How cute! How cute! Yeah! Yeah! How old is he? How old is he? He’s fifteen, He’s fifteen years old How smart! How smart! Yeah! Yeah! How old is she? How old is she? She’s twenty, She’s twenty years old How wonderful! How wonderful! Yeah! Yeah! XXII Lyrics for Song E: Fast and slow Hop, hop I can hop Skip, skip I can skip Hop, hop I can hop Everybody skip! Hop, hop I can hop Fast, fast skipping fast Everybody hop! Fast, fast skipping fast Fast, fast hopping fast Fast, fast skipping fast Fast, fast hopping fast Everybody skip fast! Fast, fast hopping fast Slow, slow skipping slow Everybody hop fast! Slow, slow skipping slow Slow, slow hopping slow Slow, slow skipping slow Slow, slow hopping slow Everybody skip slow! Slow, slow hopping slow Swim, swim I can swim Everybody hop slow! Swim, swim I can swim Walk, walk I can walk Swim, swim I can swim Walk, walk I can walk Everybody swim! Walk, walk I can walk Fast, fast swimming fast Everybody walk! Fast, fast swimming fast Fast, fast walking fast Fast, fast swimming fast Fast, fast walking fast Everybody swim fast! Fast, fast walking fast Slow, slow swimming slow Everybody walk fast! Slow, slow swimming slow Slow, slow walking slow Slow, slow swimming slow Slow, slow walking slow Everybody swim slow! Slow, slow walking slow Everybody skip fast! Everybody walk slow! Everybody walk slow! Skip, skip I can skip Everybody hop fast! Skip, skip I can skip XXIII Lyrics for Song F: Stand up, sit down! Stand up stand up, sit down sit down
 Stand up stand up, turn around turn around
 Sit down sit down, stand up stand up
 Turn around turn around turn around 
 
 Put one hand up, put one hand down
 Put two hands up, put two hands down
 Sit down sit down, stand up stand up
 Turn around turn around turn around
 
 Jump jump jump
 Hop hop hop
 Run run run
 Stop stop stop!
 Sit down sit down, stand up stand up
 Turn around turn around turn around Lyrics for Song G: Big, big, big Big, big, big Little, little, little A pig, is dirty Long, long, long Short, short, Fast Slow short Big, big, big Little, little, little Clean, Clean Dirty, dirty, dirty Long, long, long Short, short, Tall, tall, tall short Short Fast Slow Clean, Clean An elephant is big, big, big, big Dirty, dirty, dirty An ant is little, little, little, little Tall, tall, tall Short A cat is clean, clean, clean, clean XXIV Lyrics for Song H: School song This is my table, this is my chair Pick up your pencil, pencil, pencil This is my bag, I take it everywhere Write your name, write your name Sit down, stand up, Put your pencil down One, two, three Touch your book Time's up! School, School, School Touch your bag Time's up! For you and me, Pick up your pencil, pencil, pencil This is my pencil, this is my pen Write your name, write your name I use my school things again and Put your pencil down again Touch your eraser Time's up! Sit down, stand up, Touch your ruler Time's up! One, two, three Pick up your pencil, pencil, pencil School, School, School Write your name, write your name For you and me, Put your pencil down This is the window this is the door Touch your paper Time's up! This is the ceiling this is the floor Touch your glue Time's up! Sit down, stand up, Pick up your pencil, pencil, pencil One, two, three Write your name, write your name School, School, School Put your pencil down For you and me Put your pencil down XXV Lyrics for Song I: The balloon song Do you like balloons? I Up it goes, pull it down This is my blue balloon This is my green balloon This is my blue balloon Pop-pa pa-pop pop Up it goes, pull it down This is my pink balloon Up it goes, pull it down This is my pink balloon This is my blue balloon Up it goes, pull it down Pop-pa pa-pop pop Up it goes, pull it down This is my green balloon This is my green balloon This is my green balloon Pop-pa pa-pop pop Up it goes, pull it down This is my red balloon Up it goes, pull it down This is my red balloon This is my green balloon Up it goes, pull it down Pop-pa pa-pop pop Up it goes, pull it down This is my black balloon This is my green balloon This is my black balloon Pop-pa pa-pop pop Up it goes, pull it down XXVI Lyrics for song K: What you like to do? I like dancing But I don’t like dancing with a bear I like swimming But I don’t like swimming in the air I like drawing But I don’t like drawing with a spoon I like cooking But I don’t like cooking on the moon I like riding a bike But I don’t like riding a shark I like petting a soft furry dog But I don’t like petting an aardvark Oh I like running But I don’t like running with a bee I like painting But I don’t like painting in a tree I like reading But I don’t like reading upside-down I like skiing But I don’t like skiing on a merry-go-round I like playing hide and seek But I don’t like playing hide and sleep I like singing with all my friends But I don’t like singing with a sheep (Baaaa!) What you like to do? XXVII ... language learners’ attitudes and achievements" cited in Al Khotaba (2012: 533) Pae, (2008) stated that "Another causal factor that directly explains the variances associated with language learning. .. integration of lyrics and language By blending education and entertainment, approaches to learning are evolved and reinforced Music infused throughout learning creates authentic interactions that are... dictation The use of songs can generate strong motivation to participate in classroom activities Songs also give a chance to develop automaticity which is the main cognitive reason for using songs