Using english songs to help EFL high school students improve their grammar knowledge

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING DANG THI HOAI THU USING ENGLISH SONGS TO HELP EFL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IMPROVE THEIR GRAMMAR KNOWLEDGE MASTER THESIS IN EDUCATION July 9th, 2017 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING DANG THI HOAI THU USING ENGLISH SONGS TO HELP EFL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IMPROVE THEIR GRAMMAR KNOWLEDGE Major: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Language (TESOL) MASTER THESIS IN EDUCATION Supervisor: Tran Ngoc Yen, Dr July 9th, 2017 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I hereby acknowledge that this study is my own work The data and findings discussed in the thesis are true and have not been published elsewhere Author Dang Thi Hoai Thu i ABSTRACT The aim of this research is to identify the problems that EFL students at high school have in learning grammar and see whether using English songs help them enhance their grammatical items in particular and grammatical knowledge in general There are fifty six 10th graders participated in the experiment They were divided into two groups: one control group and one experimental group All of them did an English general test and a pre- treatment test and a post- treatment test During the experiment, the experimental group was taught grammar through English songs with various activities while the control group followed the traditional way of teaching English grammar This experiment was conducted to see if using English songs helped the experimental group improved their grammatical knowledge The results revealed that the new method had positive influence on students’ grammar competence Based on the findings, implications for enhancing the effectiveness of English teaching and learning grammar have been put forward Hopefully, the results of the study can be beneficial for both EFL high school students and teachers ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would first like to thank my thesis advisor Tran Ngoc Yen The door to her office was always open whenever I ran into a trouble spot or had a question about my research or writing She consistently allowed this paper to be my own work, but steered me in the right the direction whenever he thought I needed it I would also like to thank my colleagues who were involved in the validation survey for this research project Without their passionate participation and input, the validation survey could not have been successfully conducted Finally, I must express my very profound gratitude to my parents and to my friends 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 Thank you Dang Thi Hoai Thu iii TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP i ABSTRACT ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iii LIST OF TABLES vi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Aims of study 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Methodology 1.5 Scope of study 1.6 Thesis design CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Definition of grammar 2.2 Classification of grammar 2.3 Levels of English grammar 22 2.4 Assessing grammatical knowledge 23 2.5 The role of grammar in language learning 26 2.6 Grammar instruction 33 2.6.1 Methods in teaching English grammar 36 2.6.2 Approaches in teaching English grammar 40 2.6.3 Techniques in teaching English grammar as a foreign language 46 2.6.4 Principles in teaching grammar 47 2.7 Songs in grammar teaching 50 2.7.1 Benefits of songs 50 2.7.2 Songs in foreign language teaching 51 2.8 Activities that can be done with songs 54 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 64 3.1 Introduction 64 3.2 Research questions 65 3.3 Participants 66 3.4 Materials 67 iv 3.4.1 The general English test 67 3.4.2 The pre-treatment English test 67 3.4.3 The post-treatment English test 67 3.5 Procedure 67 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 69 4.1 Results 69 4.1.1 Results of general English test 69 4.1.2 Results from pre-treatment and post-treatment grammar test 71 4.2 Discussions 75 4.2.1 The effects of song on enhancing EFL learners’ grammatical items 76 4.2.2 The effects of song on enhancing EFL learners’ general grammatical knowledge 77 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 78 5.1 Summary of the main findings 78 5.2 Implications 80 5.3 Limitations 83 REFERENCES 84 APPENDIX A: GENERAL ENGLISH TEST (A1) 90 APPENDIX B: PRE-TREATMENT TEST 97 APPENDIX C: LESSON PLAN 100 APPENDIX D: POST-TREATMENT TEST 105 APPENDIX E: SONGS’ LYRICS 108 v LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1 Advantages and disadvantages of the deductive approach to teaching grammar 42 Table 2.2 Advantages and disadvantages of the inductive approach to teaching grammar 44 Table 2.3 Gap Fill worksheet for “Home on the Range” 56 Table 2.4 Matching Meanings worksheet for “On Top of Old Smokey” 59 Table 2.5: Changing the Text worksheet for “Clementine” 61 Table 2.6: Song Strip Connections for “Red River Valley” 62 Table 4.1 Scores on the general English test for all participants: Group A (the control group), Group B (the experimental group) 69 Pie chart 4.2 Summary of number of scores in groups (I, K, H) of the control group (A) 70 Pie chart 4.3 Summary of number of scores in groups (I, K, H) of the experimental group 70 Table 4.4 Scores on the pre-treatment test for all participants: Group A (the control group), Group B (the experimental group) 71 Pie chart 4.5 Summary of scores among all participants of the control group in the pre-test 72 Pie chart 4.6 Summary of scores among all participants of the experimental group in the pre-test 73 Table 4.6 Scores on the post-treatment test for all participants: Group A (the control group), Group B (the experimental group) 74 Bar chart 4.7 The number of students who got 60 scores and higher through the tests 75 vi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Globalization and reform movements – as recently witnessed around the world – invite waves of change impacting aspects of human life, including the language and culture of communication and exchange (Canagarajah, 2005) With English becoming the lingua franca of the global community in major professional fields such as science, technology, commerce, and education, there is an increasing demand for effective teaching and learning of English in many world contexts Effective English language skills are seen as vital for the workforce of countries which seek to participate actively in the global economy and want to have access to the information that forms the basis of social, educational, and economic development (Burns & Richards, 2009) Even on the individual level, a good command of the English language has a major role in elevating an individuals’ socio-economic status and thus is key to success and prosperity In Vietnam, English teaching aims at mastering four basic skills of language, which include listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills Nowadays, based on our newest curriculum that is launched by the Ministry of Education and Training, the students are expected to master those four skills in order to be able to use English communicatively However, its aim will not be successfully achieved if the language teaching does not consider the language components such as grammatical structure, vocabulary, spelling, and pronunciation Therefore, grammar needs to be mastered by the students since it is the basic rule of language 1.1 Rationale Over the past few decades, grammar instruction has evolved as a major topic of concern in the field of second language During the long history of second language instruction, Savage, Bitterlin, and Prince (2010) stated that grammar was viewed as a body of knowledge to be studied and a set of rules to be memorized than as a skill to be practiced and developed Today, grammar is still taught and tested in this way in many parts of the world In particular, English language teaching (ELT) in Vietnam has for quite a long time followed the traditional path-teaching vocabulary and grammar textbooks, cramming students with a considerable amount of exercise and then evaluating their accomplishments through consecutive exams It is no surprise that ELF learners view English language learning as insipid and an unconquerable obstacle Based on information obtained from various English teachers, it was found that many students still had difficulties in mastering grammar Simple past tense, for instance, is important as the basic rule for the students to make and use sentences to communicate in daily life Based on the information given by the English teacher, some students even could not use the subject-verb agreement and usage; it was known that the ability of the students in using Past simple tense was low It seemed that the most significant reason of this was the teacher grammar teaching method influenced the students’ motivation in learning From the observation, the researcher found that the English teachers tended to teach the grammar deductively The teacher taught grammar by giving a note on the whiteboard, gave some examples, and then asked the students to take a note After that the students were only given limited time to some exercises As a result, it is inevitable for students’ learning motivation to be decreased since there were no interesting or attractive activities involved in their learning process Practically, the students would become not interested in learning if the technique used was monotonous which made the learning process not effective However, there is a great way which can strengthen the students’ learning motivation – utilizing music In fact, songs have been an amusing companion for human beings for as long as or even longer than we can speak As an integral part of our language experience, it can be of great value to foreign language teaching And the manyfaceted merits songs possess may enrich and activate our foreign language class Georgi Lozanov incorporates music into his teaching method – Suggestopedia, for music is instrumental in creating a relaxing and comfortable environment, which can propel language learning (Larsen- Freeman, 1985) Besides music, another indispensable of songs is lyrics which serve as a direct genuine source of teaching materials in foreign language classes, so why should songs be overlooked by the teachers? There have been abundant researches abroad on songs as an authentic teaching resources in language teaching (Maley, 1997; Eken, 1996; Gaston, 1968; Geoff, 2003), but a paucity of such studies are reported in Vietnam Stimulated by the inner urge of providing readers with deeper insight into this method, the researcher would like to carry on this study entitled “Using English songs to help EFL high school students improve grammar knowledge.” Hopefully, the results will serve as APPENDIX B PRE-TREATMENT TEST I Put the verbs in the brackets in the correct forms What Mr Brown(do) _in the garden? I(not sleep) _very well lately because of the noisy traffic I(try) to get a loan from the bank for eighteen months now The architect (finish) _ the plans for the new high school The yard (be) full of dead leaves I (wait) _ for Tom since ten o’clock The council (build) _ twenty new houses every month There (not be) any open fireplaces in this house The government (make) _ many laws about housing 10 The residents’ association generally (meet) once a month 11 Last week I(drive) to the office everyday 12 In hot weather, fresh milk quickly (turn) sour 13 How many lessons you (have) before you passed your test? 14 How _you (manage) to stop in time when that car shot out in front of you? 15 He ran over the cat as it (run) _ across the road 16 The front type bursts just as he (run) _the corner 17 The car was stolen because he (forget) to lock it 18 I (think) _ of going out when you (call) 97 19 The thief (take) the money when the staff (have) _lunch 20. _you (see) Jack at the party last week? 21 What _you(do) at p.m yesterday? 22 He (win) _ the gold medal in 2004 23 He(leave) home two weeks ago and we (not hear) from him since 24 While you (play) the guitar, I (write) a letter 25 We(not see) your father for ages 26. you(read) _that novel yet? 27 I think she (hear) all about it by the time I (see) her 28 Don’t phone them now They (not get) _home yet They (probaly get back) at about half past eight 29 Ann is very tired She (work) hard 30 I think he (leave) as soon as he (know) the news 31 All of them(sing) _when I came 32 Up to then, I _never (see) such a fat man 33 Bill (work) at the university for 40 years before he(retire) 34 They (just lose) _way 35 Please not make so much noisy I (study) 36 Where _you(live) _? I (live) _in Xuan Hoa town 37 What _he (do) now? He(water) _flowers in his garden 38 What she (do) _? 98 She (be) a teacher 39. you (be) in 4A? No, I (not be) _ 40 Where _you (be) from? 41 At the moment , my sisters (play) volleyball and my brother (play) _soccer 42 It is 9.00, my family(watch) _TV 43 In the summer, I usually (go) to park with my friends and in the spring , we (have ) Tet Holiday, I (be) happy because I always (visit) my grandparents 44. _your father (go) _to work by bus ? 45 How _your sister (go) _to school? 46 What time _they (get up) ? 47 What _they (do) _in the winter? 48 Today, we (have) _English 49 Her favorite subject (be) English 50 Now, my brother (eat) _a banana 99 APPENDIX C LESSON PLAN Name of the songs: Somebody that I used to know The one that got away Language level: Intermediate (B1) Time: 60 minutes Activity: Listen to two pop songs, finishing a variety of applied exercises Grammar: Past simple tense, phrasal verbs Materials: Two pop songs PROCEDURE Step Show the music videos on the projector, ask students the following questions: What songs are they? Who sing these songs? Can you guess what these songs are about? Find the similarity among them Step If students haven’t come up with the answers, give them some clues Somebody that I used to know: It describes what happened in that relationship from each vocal’s point of view The one that got away: A girl recalled the memory with her boyfriend who had passed away All these events happened in the past Step Lead in the today lesson Revise some key points about the past simple tense: The past simple tense 100 a Form: S + V(ed, column 2)+ O S+ did+ not + V(inf) + O Did + S + V(inf)? b Usage: We use the past simple tense to denote an action happened and finished in the past with no relating to the present Step Ask students to exercise Handout Exercise Complete the table below Infinitive Past simple tense Addict Feel Get Happen Have Know Make Say Take Step Ask students to write down the answers on black board Give check and correction Step Go back to the first song “Somebody that I used to know” Let students listen to it again and list out all verbs used in past tense 101 *Suggestion: was, were, said, felt, happened, addicted, found, used, screwed, could, had Step Come to the second song “The one that got away” Let students listen to it twice and fill in blanks to complete the lyrics Handout Summer after high school when we first We _out in your Mustang to Radiohead And on my 18th birthday we _matching tattoos _ to steal your parents' liquor and climb to the roof Talk about our future like we a clue Never _ that one day I'd be losing you In another life I _ be your girl We keep all our promises, be us against the world And in other life I would make you stay So I don't have to say you were the one that _away The one that got away! I _June and you _my Johnny Cash Never one without the other, we _a pact Sometimes when I miss you, I put those records on, (whoa) Someone said you had your tattoo _ Saw you downtown singing the blues It's time to face the music, I'm no longer your muse In another life I _ be your girl We keep all our promises, be us against the world And in another life, I would make you stay So I don't have to say you were the one that got away The one that got away All this money can't buy me a time machine, (Nooooo) 102 Can't replace you with a million rings, (Nooooo) I should've _you what you to me, (whoa) 'Cause now I pay the price In another life I would be your girl We keep all our promises, be us against the world And in another life, I would make you stay So I don't have to say you were the one that got away The one that got away Step Turn on two songs again Pause lyric when it has important idioms or phrasal verbs Explain their meanings: - Cut somebody off: to prevent somebody/something from leaving or reaching a place or communicating with people outside a place - Hang up on somebody: to end telephones call by suddenly and unexpectedly putting the telephone down - Make out: to say that something is true when it may not be - Face the music: to accept and deal with criticism or punishment for something you have done - Tobe one’s muse: Tobe somebody’s great inspiration Step Get student to take some examples with these phrases Step 10 Get students to next exercise to practice with these phrases Handout Fill in the blank Use the phrasal verbs and idioms you have just learnt a The others all ran off, leaving me to b He that he had been robbed c He from all human contact d Don't _ me — we must talk! 103 e He felt that he was no longer Homework Give students a link to some other songs used past tense to practice at home 104 APPENDIX D POST-TREATMENT TEST Put the verbs in brackets into the simple past or the past continuous tense I lit the fire at 6.00 and it (bum) brightly when Tom came in at 7.00 When I arrived the lecture had already started and the professor (write) on the overhead projector I (make) a cake when the light went out I had to finish it in the dark I didn't want to meet Paul so when he entered the room I (leave) Unfortunately when I arrived Ann just (leave), so we only had time for a few words He (watch) TV when the phone rang Very unwillingly he (turn) down the sound and (go) to answer it He was very polite Whenever his wife entered the room, he (stand) up The admiral (play) bowls when he received news of the invasion He (insist) on finishing the game My dog (walk) along quietly when Mr Pitt's Pekinese attacked him 10 When I arrived she (have) lunch She apologized for starting without me but said that she always (lunch) at12.30 11 He always (wear) a raincoat and (carry) an umbrella when he walked to the office 12 What you (think) of his last book? ~I (like) it very much 13 I (share) a flat with him when we were students He always (complain) about my untidiness 14 He suddenly (realize) that he (travel) in the wrong direction 15 He (play) the guitar outside her house when someone opened the window and (throw) out a bucket of water 16 I just (open) the letter when the wind (blow) it out of my hand 17 The burglar (open) the safe when he (hear) footsteps He immediately (put) out his torch and (crawl) under the bed 105 18 When I (look) for my passport I (find) this old photograph 19 You looked very busy when I (see) you last night What you (do)? 20 The boys (play) cards when they (hear) their father's step They immediately (hide) the cards and (take) out their lesson books 21 He (clean) his gun when it accidentally (go) off and (kill) him 22 He (not allow) us to go out in the boat yesterday as a strong wind (blow) 23 As I (cross) the road I (step) on a banana skin and (fall) heavily 24 I still (lie) on the road when I (see) a lorry approaching 25 Luckily the driver (see) me and (stop) the lorry in time 26 How you (damage) your car so badly? I (run) into a lamp-post yesterday I suppose you (drive) too quickly or were not looking where you (go) 27 As he (get) into the bus it (start) suddenly and he (fall) backwards on to the road 28 I (call) Paul at 7.00 but it wasn't necessary because he already (get) up 29 When he (mend) the fuse he (get) a very bad shock 30 When I (hear) his knock I (go) to the door and (open) it, but I (not recognize) him at first because I (not wear) my glasses 31 When I came in they (sit) round the fire Mr Pitt (do) a crossword puzzle, Mrs Pitt (knit), the others (read) Mrs Pitt (smile) at me and (say), 'Come and sit down.' 32 While the guests (dance) thieves (break) into the house and (steal) a lot of fur coats 33 The next day, as they (know) that the police (look) for them, they (hide) the coats in a wood and (go) off in different directions 34 She was very extravagant She always (buy) herself new clothes 35 Her mother often (tell) her that she (spend) too much money but she never (listen) 36 Whenever the drummer (begin) practicing, the people in the next flat (bang) on the wall 37 Mr Smith never (wake) up in time in the mornings and always (get) into trouble for being late; so one day he (go) to town and (buy) an alarm clock 38 To get home he (have to) go through a field where a bad-tempered bull usually (graze) 106 39 This bull normally (not chase) people unless something (make) him angry Unfortunately, as Mr Smith (cross) the field, his alarm clock (go) off 40 This (annoy) the bull, who immediately (begin) to chase Mr Smith 41 I (see) the accident when I was waiting for the taxi 42 What you (do) when I phoned? 43 They (not visit) their friends last summer holiday 44 It (rain) heavily last July 45 While people were talking to each other, he (read) his book 46 Chris (eat) pizza every weekend last month 47 While we (eat) in the park, Mary fell over 48 You (find) your keys yesterday? 49 Who she (dance) with at the party last night? 50 They (watch) football on TV all day 107 APPENDIX E SONGS’ LYRICS SOMEBODY THAT I USED TO KNOW Gotye feat Kimbra Now and then I think of when we were together Like when you said you felt so happy you could die Told myself that you were right for me But felt so lonely in your company But that was love and it's an ache I still remember You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness Like resignation to the end, always the end So when we found that we could not make sense Well you said that we would still be friends But I'll admit that I was glad that it was over But you didn't have to cut me off Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing And I don't even need your love But you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough No you didn't have to stoop so low Have your friends collect your records and then change your number I guess that I don't need that though Now you're just somebody that I used to know Now you're just somebody that I used to know 108 Now you're just somebody that I used to know Now and then I think of all the times you screwed me over But had me believing it was always something that I'd done But I don't wanna live that way Reading into every word you say You said that you could let it go And I wouldn't catch you up on somebody that you used to know But you didn't have to cut me off Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing And I don't even need your love But you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough No you didn't have to stoop so low Have your friends collect your records and then change your number I guess that I don't need that though Now you're just somebody that I used to know 109 THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY Katy Perry Summer after high school when we first met We made out in your Mustang to Radiohead And on my 18th birthday we got matching tattoos Used to steal your parents' liquor and climb to the roof Talk about our future like we had a clue Never planned that one day I'd be losing you In another life I would be your girl We keep all our promises, be us against the world And in other life I would make you stay So I don't have to say you were the one that got away The one that got away! I was June and you were my Johnny Cash Never one without the other, we made a pact Sometimes when I miss you, I put those records on, (whoa) Someone said you had your tattoo removed Saw you downtown singing the blues It's time to face the music, I'm no longer your muse In another life I would be your girl We keep all our promises, be us against the world And in another life, I would make you stay So I don't have to say you were the one that got away The one that got away All this money can't buy me a time machine, (Nooooo) Can't replace you with a million rings, (Nooooo) I should've told you what you meant to me, (whoa) 110 'Cause now I pay the price In another life I would be your girl We keep all our promises, be us against the world And in another life, I would make you stay So I don't have to say you were the one that got away The one that got away And in another life I would make you stay So I don't have to say you were the one that got away The one that got away! 111 ... to English songs facilitate EFL high school students' retention of the grammatical items they learn in class? To what extent English songs help EFL high school students extend their grammar knowledge? ... EDUCATION AND TRAINING DANG THI HOAI THU USING ENGLISH SONGS TO HELP EFL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IMPROVE THEIR GRAMMAR KNOWLEDGE Major: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Language (TESOL) MASTER... readers with deeper insight into this method, the researcher would like to carry on this study entitled ? ?Using English songs to help EFL high school students improve grammar knowledge. ” Hopefully, the