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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction

There are a lot of challenges in Teaching English in primary school especially among the

students in rural areas. One of the basic requirements, getting the vocabulary is always

causing difficulty to them. The biggest challenge for the teacher is when the students are

having limited vocabulary. It is difficult for the students to understand the lesson if they

do not understand the language used for the instruction given. This problem occurred

probably because English language environment does not exist either outside the

classroom or at home. Students are only learning and using this language during an hour

of English period in school. Therefore the language learnt is not being practiced

adequately. This will make the student will not absorb the lesson that tried to be

emphasized by the teacher. It will also discourage them for further learning and usage of

the language.

Therefore, the new syllabus named “Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Rendah (KSSR)” has

been introduced. Vocabulary is one of the main components which need to be taught in

school. By looking at the learning outcomes stated in the scheme of work, students are

required to spend more on listening and speaking activities. In addition, they can learn

and get the chance to listen to English word. In the same time, they gain more vocabulary

on each topic that had been taught. However the normal lesson on introducing new

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vocabulary sometimes could be bored and uninteresting. To make the students more

attracted, teacher need to be creative in finding ways to make their lesson become more

fun and meaningful. Thus, it has been mentioned by many experts that using song can

always be an alternative ways and great tools to gain new words to pupils.

1.2 Background of Study

Using Song In A Classroom

Singing songs is always a favorite method in learning English. Children enjoy something

that breaks away from their normal routine especially when there is an element of play.

For the teacher, working around from their normal set of curriculum is sometimes a nice

break for them as well as it gives them liberty to use creativity in teaching. There is no

minimum or limit in term of the number of the student when teaching using song method

is used. Song normally can develop language learning as the rhythm and the song itself is

something that is enjoy to the mind. With the right and interesting song it enhances the

attitude towards learning session. Song can be a motivator and definitely it required

participation. They gain information, vocabulary and moment enjoyment with friend.

Choosing Song To Teach Vocabulary

People regardless of sex or age love listening to song. Thus could be the best tool to teach

vocabulary. Unfortunately many teachers still teach vocabulary the same way we were

taught years ago. Conventional methods such as drilling list of vocabulary using pictures

and word cards can be boring and sometimes teacher fail to arouse pupil’s interest in

learning new word. To be an effective English language teacher in teaching new

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vocabulary, it required the teacher to use variety of fun and attractive method or

strategies. As mentioned earlier using song is one of the best ways in enhancing new

vocabulary to young learners. However, teacher needs to be selective in choosing the

right song to meet her objectives successfully and also suite with their student’s level and

need.

The effectiveness of using song to teach vocabulary among young learners is undeniable.

It is simply because children song involves a lot of repetition. It helps the learners to grab

the new vocabulary learnt easily in more fun and enjoyable manner. For example,

teaching the pupils the vocabulary on parts of the body by using song is more effective.

This is because the rhythm and the lyrics used in the song make it easier for the students

to remember. Another fact is that we cannot escape from song. Song appears in our daily

life, from radio, advertisement and even from our phone. People are so familiar with song

and easily accepted to it. Song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing

or through musical instrument. Songs have great liability to attract attention of the

students. Besides it can release the stress, listening song is also fun. In addition, if we

refer to the lyrics while hear the song it can improve our vocabulary and collection of

words. As we know, the quality of the songs is based on their lyrics, rhythm and

background of music. At the time we listen to the song and music automatically we can

sing it together with the singer of the songs. If we concentrate and focus to the song,

actually we can practice our listening and catch new words that we never heard before.

When learning vocabulary, some vocabulary is easy to remember and some are difficult.

There are a few reasons why it is difficult, for example it is due to its pronunciation

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difficulty, spelling or its complexity of the word. Using songs in teaching vocabulary will

help to counter these difficulties. In music the word in the lyric appear in context. The

melody of the song will make it easy to catch the vocabulary while also makes the

learning almost effortless. Volín (1997) summarizes it perfectly when he says "We all

have experienced it. A songs stick in your head and it is impossible to get rid of it. But do

you know anybody who would have experienced a grammar exercise stick in their head".

1.3 Statement of problem

Being teaching the English Language subject for almost 8 years, I have discovered that

one of the major problems faced by English language learners’ is lack of vocabulary.

Young children in Malaysia started learning English as early as in kindergarten. At this

stage, they are already being introduced with a set of vocabulary which suit their level

and needs. However, not all the pupils have mastered this acquiring vocabulary

knowledge in English. It could be due to several reasons such as they do not have strong

basic foundation on phonics and vocabulary during pre schooling time. I noticed some of

the kindergarten also do not really emphasize on phonics lesson. Therefore this group of

student is not able to read and their acquiring vocabulary skills are very limited.

Furthermore it is very important at this stage the student need to acquire the vocabulary

skill as when they enter into level 2 in primary school, the requirement is more towards

writing skill. If they still do not get strong basic vocabulary skill, they will face problem

to perform as required.

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Vocabulary is one the main element in the English teaching however the effectiveness of

outcome of the learning session is seems low. Some of the lesson also does not give long

term retain effect on the new vocabulary that they learnt. Therefore there is a need for the

teacher to explore the method of the teaching as it is necessary to make sure the student

grab the skill at the stage.

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CHAPTER 2

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

2.1 Research Objectives

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of using song on vocabulary

acquisition among Year 1 students in SKS6 Kota Damansara.

2.2 Research Question

This study basically attempts to answer the following questions:

1) Does using songs in the English lesson help improve vocabulary learning?

2) Does using song while learning English help retain memory of vocabulary itself?

2.3 Significance of Research

Vocabulary acquisition is a very important element in learning English. The main

intention of this study is to identify the effective method to improve the vocabulary

learning in the school among year 1 student specifically on using song. It is hope that this

research can be used to perceive the relation between the usages of song in influencing

vocabulary acquisition. Besides, it is hope that teachers can maximize the usage of song

to motivate them in learning and using the language in their daily life.

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CHAPTER 3

LITERATURE REVIEW

3.1 Introduction

Thornbury (2002) quotes the linguist David Wilkins to stress the importance of learning

vocabulary "Without grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing

can be conveyed”. In English language learning, vocabulary plays an important role. It is

one of the elements that link with the four skills of speaking, listening and writing all

together (Nguyen and Khuat, 2003). Limited vocabulary is a big barrier when someone

engages in foreign language learning. Therefore adequate number of words and then

precisely know how to use them can only make them communicate well. If learners do

not know how to expand their vocabulary, they gradually will lose interest in their

learning (Barska, 2006)

3.2 Discussion of Major Topics of Study

Music can be an effective way to help learn a language as suggested by some research.

Medina (1990) and Obarow (2004) have performed studies on the beneficial nature of

songs and their ability to enhance memorization, retention, and motivation. Other

researchers found out how the repetitious nature of songs assists in acquiring various

language characters, such as syntax, word segmentation, intonation and automaticity

(Lems, 2001; Schoepp, 2001; Schön et al., 2008; Wallace, 2004; Abbott, 2002). On the

other hand, it is yet to be determined either music has an impact with the function as

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pedagogical tool for language acquisition specifically in the development of one’s

vocabulary. Another finding that yet to be established is on the analysis that to what

degree vocabulary can be improved through the use of songs during vocabulary

instruction may assist teachers.

Cruz-Cruz (2005) performed a same analysis. She did a study to a second-grade

bilingual/ESL student on the effects of utilising music to educate certain grammatical

elements and vocabulary. The study was done by dividing sample into two groups, a

control group and treatment group. The grammar and vocabulary lesson with song as

instructional tool was being used to the treatment group. The second group, the control

group was exposed to a more conventional method of instruction. The findings depicted

that the treatment group made more achievement from the pre-test to the post-test. From

the study it shows that that songs and music are advantageous for vocabulary and

grammar instruction.

3.3 Discussion of Related Theories

According to Z. Müge TAVİL and Korkut U. İŞİSAĞ (2009) in their jurnal title

“Teaching Vocabulary To Very Young Learners Through Games And Songs” songs play

a significant role in motivating students to learn English. They can support the

development of learners’ abilities in reading, writing, listening and speaking, as well as

provide opportunities for learning pronunciation, rhythm, grammar and vocabulary (Lo

and Li, 1998, akt. Al-Mamary, 1998). In addition, songs often offer a change from

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routine classroom activities. Songs, especially chants, are very popular with teachers

whose target audience is young learners, while adult learners are less often exposed to

songs (Orlova, 2003).

According to Nicole D. Winter (2010) in her journal title “How Using Songs Affect

Productive Vocabulary Acquisition Of English Language Learners” songs have the

capacity to improve rote memory and retention. Commercial advertisers know very well

the effect on memorization and retention by the power music. In order to stick in ones’

mind so that easy recall and product distinction frequently jingles are being used (Wolfe,

2001; Lake 2002). If someone shout “Old McDonald…” a lot of people could continue

the phrase with “… has a farm.” Song can facilitate stimulate memory and learning

(Cruz-Cruz, 2005; Lake, 2002). Allan (2006) performed an analysis on the effect of using

popular music in advertising. The results showed that song vocals served as an effective

stimulus for attention and memory. Allan (2006) extended the study on how songs with

lyrics can give better brand recall compare to using instrumental music only. No one will

forget the most famous advertisement on phone number when we want to order Pizza?

This Pizza’s repetitive song, “7552525” set these numbers to appealing rhythm and

melody, helping many people easily converts the sound into memorised number.

3.4 Discussion of Sub Topic

According to Dagmar Šišková (2008) in his article title “Teaching Vocabulary Through

Music”, mentioned that Blodget, who is a teacher as well as a songwriter, has utilized

song in his teaching and learning English classes. He highlighted that by using music to

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teach a second language “all of the (Howard Gardner’s) multiple intelligences are

engaged for example: kinesthetic (dance, clapping, stomping, body movement,

percussion), musical (listening, singing, playing, distinguishing), linguistic (interpreting

lyrics while listening or through exercises).

3.5 Overview of Previous Research

According to Xiang Ming Li and Manny Brand (2008) in their research on the

Effectiveness of Music on Vocabulary Acquisition, Language Usage, and Meaning for

Mainland Chinese ESL Learners, the findings of their study showed that for these

Chinese students, varying the degree of use of songs produces different English language

achievement scores. Particularly, the sample who were exposed to the most music get

higher post test scores immediately following treatment as well as on the delayed post-

test three weeks following treatment. On top of that, the group with the most songs had a

more positive attitude toward their learning of English and greater confidence in their

ESL instruction. Therefore, the results depicted that in terms in achievement and attitude,

an ESL classroom that is intensively music/song based appears to be highly effective in

the teaching of English. However there is another peculiar result that needs to be

highlighted. Apparently it is also showed that ESL instruction containing no music

(songs) is also more effective (in terms of both attitude and mastery of target language)

than instruction containing a mix of music (half music and half no- music). Perhaps that

music is most effective with ESL students when it is used intensively and far less

effective when used in an intermittent basis. The inconsistent use of music (song lyrics)

for example might leave the ESL Learners confuses. ESL learners could be prefer

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consistency in instructional materials find the periodic use of music to be distracting, or

possibly even restraining, to the relevant cognitive processes in language acquisition.

While according to other researcher Dr. Z. Muge and Dr Korkut (2009) in their study on

teaching vocabulary to very young learners through games and songs, they concluded that

using song can help children learn vocabulary. The use of song may support the learning

of receptive vocabulary when the same vocabulary is taught without songs (Al-Mamary,

1998). The activities for very young learners should be within the capabilities of young

learners. For very young learners teaching vocabulary through play and movement

activities is more suitable, where a greater degree of participatory learning is more

appropriate for those young learners.

Based on the local researcher Mohamad Jafre Zainol Abidin, Majid Pour Mohammadi,

Kiranjit Kaur Balbir Singh and Rahima Azman (2011) from University of Science

Malaysia, in their research on The Effectiveness of Using Song in YouTube to Improve

Vocabulary Competence among Upper Secondary School, the findings in their study

indicated that using song does improve vocabulary competence among students provided

it is plan appropriately. With proper planning and song selections, students will be able to

learn new vocabulary effectively. The implementation of using song also had positive

effects on the students. This is because they went through the process of social interaction

and discussion with their peers.

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3.6 Research Gap

There have been a number of valuable studies of teaching vocabulary through song using

cross section data (Dr Z. Muge and Dr Korkut, 2009; Xiang Ming Li and Manny Brand,

2010; Neil T. Millington, 2011; Nicole D. Winter, 2010), all of which present evidence

on a productive vocabulary gains among English second language learners. It is true that

a number of significant studies have recently been done on how second language learners

acquire new vocabulary by using song. However the study do not relate on how long the

vocabulary can be stored in pupils’ brain or mind. Further exploration on memory effect

might help better understanding and structured implementation could be developed.

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CHAPTER 4

LIMITATION OF RESEARCH (BEFORE CONDUCTING THE RESEARCH)

4.1 Limitations and Scope of Study

The scope of the study is to investigate the usage of song in influencing vocabulary

acquisition. The limitation of this study is that the sample for this study is only limited to

20 pupils in a class of Year 1 Setia in a primary school in Kota Damansara which is the

weakest class among year one student. The interest in learning itself is very low and the

student attention span in this class is also short. Due to the short of resources and limited

scheduling time in school, the research also using this one set of student only to apply a

several test. The improvement could happen due to repetition of the methodology and

probably could not see the comparative result for the group of student that do not expose

to the method at all.

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CHAPTER 5

METHODOLOGY

5.1 Introduction

The purpose of this research is to test the hypothesis that the use of song can improve the

learning of vocabulary. The scope is to look at the acquisition of the vocabulary and the

other important angle is either using song also can retain the memory of the vocabulary

that just learnt. Qualitative methodology will be used in this study. A target audience’s

behaviour towards a certain specific program will be analysed and compare against

before the audience being exposed to the program. It involves observation, test and also

uses in-depth studies of the sample in order to guide and support the construction of

hypotheses. Normally the result will be in form of descriptive manner.

5.2 Research Design

Selected student from SK Seksyen 6 Kota Damansara will be used as sample for this

research. As the sample is small, the qualitative methodology is suitable and more

effective. A pre and post test will be run to the students and data will be collected from

this study. It is important to have checklist so there will be a structured data collection

can be done. The analysis will be done based on the result from the observation, test and

also other studies.

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5.3 Population and Sample Selection

The sample of the study was come from the selected student from Year 1 SK Seksyen 6

Kota Damansara. There were twenty students who involve in this study and comprised of

eight boys and twelve girls. The group consisted of only Malay ethnic. The background

of the students also came from the low income group family and low proficiency in

English. This class was also the weakest among Year 1students in the school.

5.4 Method of Data Collection

20 pupils of a Year 1 class in SK Seksyen 6 Kota Damansara will be used as the subjects

in this study. Teacher designs three different lessons for the pupils. The gap between each

lesson is approximately 13 days. For each lesson, first the students will be shown pictures

with word card on selected topic. The lesson will be carried out in normal drilling

activities on vocabulary. After the session, the students need to complete written exercise.

Teacher will repeat the same method in lesson two and three. Students scored will be

recorded and this will be used as pre-test activity.

After completing the first cycle for the three lessons, teacher will carried out the next

cycle which also called the post-test activity. The student will be taught on the same topic

earlier but this time, in addition to picture and word cards, teacher will add song to teach

the targeted vocabulary. Again at the end of the lesson, students need to sit for the written

test. Once more teacher will record students scored accordingly. The next day, students

will engage in verbal test. They will need to answer verbally on the questions posted by

the teacher. The response from the students will be recorded based on the observation by

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the teacher. Teacher will repeat the same process in lesson two and three by using

different song. All the result will be recorded, both from written test and verbal test. In

order to ensure the consistency in the next post-test session, all test and verbal question

shall be kept the same and all teaching will be observed and recorded to ensure the

teachers shows an equal enthusiasm and competence during the teaching. There will be a

standard checklist what are the items that need to be observed to ensure easy for

comparison. This research will be carried out some times between July 2014 and

September 2014.

The teacher designed three session of test for the three lessons to the student for the

purpose to see if the conclusion can be made from a consistent result. Below are the

selected topic lessons with the chosen related song with the targeted vocabulary to learn.

Table 1 List of lesson and title of songs

Lesson / Title of the song Targeted Vocabulary to Be Learn

Lesson 1 -Animal on the farm cat - meow, cow - moo,dog - wolf, horse- neigh,duck - quack.

Lesson 2 -Head, shoulder, knees and toes

head, eyes, ears, mouth, nose, knees, toes, shoulder

Lesson 3 - This is the way I wear my clothes

dress, vest, shirt, cap, skirt

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The first lesson required the pupils to recognize the animals on the farm – dog, horse, cat,

duck and cow. To make it more interesting, the pupils are also need to identify the sound

that related to the animal. Following normal method, first teacher will display pictures

and word cards on the white board in front of the classroom. Teacher then will introduce

name of animal to the student. The teacher will use the normal method where the teacher

will say aloud and the student repeat after the teacher. In the same time the student can

read the pictures and the word card on the white board. Then the student need to read

another word card that shows the sound of the animal. Teacher then showed them the

relationship between the name of animal and the sound.

At the end of the lesson the teacher will do some verbal test which followed with the

students need to sit for the test where they need to match between the animal and its

sound correctly in the worksheet. Teacher will do the observation and record pupil’s

answer.

After two weeks from the pre-test activity, the teacher repeated the lesson on the same

topic. This time the approach is different. Instead of using picture card and word card

display at the white board in front of the class, the teacher displays the lyrics of the song.

The teacher will read aloud the lyrics and pupils repeat after. Next teacher will introduce

the video which consist the song of animals on the farm. The pupils will sing along the

song using the same lyrics which had been introduced earlier. Then the teacher will

repeat the song but this time the pupils will song with action. At the end of the lesson, the

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pupils will be given the same worksheet where they need to match the animals with its

sound. The teacher recorded the pupils mark.

The second lesson involve on the learning part of the body vocabulary. First teacher will

introduce the vocabulary by using the picture and word cards. Teacher did the drilling

activities. Teacher read and pupils repeated after. At the end of the lesson, teacher will

distribute the worksheet where pupils need to label parts of the body. Teacher recorded

pupils mark

After two weeks teacher will repeat the same lesson but this time teacher will use song –

Head, shoulder, knees and toes. Teacher will display the lyrics and pupils need to read the

lyrics loudly. Then the teacher will play the song and pupils need to sing along the song.

Pupils need to sing the song few times. Then at the end of the lesson pupils need to

complete the same worksheet – label parts of the body. Teacher record the pupils mark

accordingly.

The third lesson involve on the introduction of the clothing vocabulary. Teacher will

introduce the vocabulary using the picture and word cards and do the drillings. The pupils

then need to sit for simple test where they need to name type of clothes which had been

introduced. Teacher will record their mark accordingly.

After two weeks, teacher will repeat this lesson but this time teacher will use a song. This

time teacher will display the lyrics and pupils read aloud. Then teacher will show the

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video and pupils need to sing the song. Teacher repeats the song few times. At the ends

of the lesson pupils need to sit for the same test which is name type of clothes. Teachers

will records students’ achievement accordingly.

5.5 Method of Data Analysis

The data on the written test during the pre-test and post-test on the students will be

compared. The note from the observation also will be analysed. For the written test, the

average score of the test will be the basis for comparison. Any improvement will be

recorded. For the oral test, the behaviour of pupils shall be compared based on the

structured observation results. Any behaviour that shows the improvement of the students

in responding to the oral questions shall be classified as positive. Both results on data

analysis will be combined to post for the conclusion.

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CHAPTER 6

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

6.1 Introduction

This chapter will discuss on the result of the pre-test and the post-test s which have been

designed to help the analysis of this research. The result that discussed in this chapter is

based on the test that had been done in the session between teacher and students. The first

part which is more on written test will look into on how using song can improve the

vocabulary learning for students. The additional part is on the oral test which will look

into is using song really can retain the memory of the learnt vocabulary itself.

6.2 Finding

6.2.1 Written Test Result

Lesson 1.

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q50

5

10

15

20

Number of Correct Answer For Animal Farm Matching Exercise

Pre-TestPost-Test

Figure 1 Comparison of results between pre test and post test for lesson 1

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Based on the result it can be clearly seen that the number of student gave a correct answer

to each question was very much improve in the post test session.

Questions

PRE-TEST POST TESTIMPROVEMENT

(DIFFERENCE POST & PRE-TEST)

Number of students with

correct answerPercentage


correct answerPercentage Percentage

Q1 10 50% 18 90% 40%Q2 8 40% 17 85% 45%Q3 6 30% 15 75% 45%Q4 12 60% 20 100% 40%Q5 7 35% 17 85% 50%

Total Average Improvement 44%

Table 2 Number of students with correct answer for pre-test and post-test for lesson 1

From the Table 1 above, shows a tremendous increase in the percentage of post-test

activity. The average correct answer percentage for the pre-test is around 43%. After the

same lesson repeat with the student but this time with the element of using song, the

lesson really give impact on the number of the correct answer given by the student. It

reached around 87%.

Obviously from the data, we know that using song does help pupils acquiring the

vocabulary. The song has helped for student to associate the picture with the correct

vocabulary. The excitement also made them participated actively especially on this topic

of animal, as they can play some acting between their friends which make them easy to

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remember. From the observation, the song needs to be played several times before the

student can get the idea.

In this session the media that being used in this lesson was by using Youtube. This may

be another positive factor that helped the student easy to capture the vocabulary. With the

combination of visual and audio, it will give more impact to the learning experience.

Lesson 2

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q802468

101214

Number of Correct Answer For Labelling Part of The Body Exercise

Pre-testPost-Test


The topic on the labelling of the body part is the most favourite exercise for the student as

the new vocabulary knowledge is very near to them, their body. The song also is quite

catchy and easily followed by the student. The rhythm is energetic, providing positive

environment to the class. The song requires them to have a movement pointing to their

body which straight away make them relate the vocabulary with the body part. However

the topic may be something very new to them. They can relate to themselves straight

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away but some of the vocabulary is not easily heard in normal daily life in their

environment.

Questions







Q1 8 40% 12 60% 20%Q2 10 50% 13 65% 15%Q3 5 25% 10 50% 25%Q4 3 15% 7 35% 20%Q5 4 20% 8 40% 20%Q6 5 25% 10 50% 25%Q7 9 45% 11 55% 10%Q8 8 40% 12 60% 20%



From the data above shows there is an increase in the percentage of post-test activity. The

average correct answer percentage for the pre-test is around 32.5%. After the same lesson

repeat with the student but with the element of using song, the lesson showed some

improvement where the number of the correct answer given by the student increased to

51.87%.

In lesson 2 the percentage of pupil’s post-test score was just slightly lower compare to

lesson 1. The highest score was only 65% for Question 2. The possible factor was due the

number of vocabulary being introduced is more compare to the previous lesson 1.

Another factor was that it could be due to the change of learning method. In lesson 2, the

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teacher used only songs and no video was being displayed to the pupils. However the

effectiveness of using song is undeniable when there was still an improvement during the

post-test activity.

Lesson 3

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q502468

101214

Number of Correct Answer For Labelling Type of Clothes Exercise

pre testpost test


When carried out task 3, as expected the students showed an improvement in post-test

activity. There was an incremental score in each question but the different was only small

except for question 5. The method used was similar as in lesson 1 where the teacher used

YouTube as teaching tools. The audio together with the visual again created better impact

in learning experience. The student enjoyed the lesson and gave positive attitude towards

the session.

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Questions







Q1 9 45% 12 60% 15%Q2 10 50% 12 60% 10%Q3 5 25% 8 40% 15%Q4 10 50% 12 60% 10%Q5 4 20% 13 65% 45%



From the table the average score for Pre-Test was 38% whereas the average score for

Post-Test is 57%. There was an enhancement in this written test post-test result however

still not as good as in lesson 1. One of the reasons was that because task 3 is more

challenging compare to the rest where students need to fill in the missing letters of the

required vocabulary. The students know how to associate the words with the picture, but

they were still having problems to spell the words correctly. As a result none of the

students got full marks for this task.

6.2.2 Oral Test Result

The purpose of this oral test is to observe student’s ability in retaining memory of the

vocabulary taught during the lesson. The teacher conducts this oral test one or two days

after the written post-test.

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SCORE (5 marks)NUMBER OF

STUDENTS

PERCENTAGE NUMBER OF

STUDENTS

5 10 50%

4 6 30%

3 2 10%

2 2 10%

1 0 0%

Total 20 100%

Table 5 Oral Test Result For Lesson 1

From the data above, it depicted that 80% of the students can still remember at least 4 out

5 words that they learnt yesterday. It shows that the song they learnt previously helps

them remembering the vocabulary. The repetition in the song does help the students to

retain the word longer. Teacher also noticed that some students seemed too excited to

answer the verbal questions. Some of them also seemed confident and participated

actively during this session. Most of them still can recalls the vocabulary learnt

previously.

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STUDENTS


STUDENTS

6 - 8 8 40%

4 - 6 4 20%

2 - 4 5 25%

0 - 2 3 15%

Total 20 100%


From the table above, it shows that 60% of the students can still remember at least 4 out 8

words that they learnt yesterday. It demonstrates that the song the students practice in the

last session assist them remembering the vocabulary. Teacher also noticed that some

students seemed managed to answer the questions confidently. The movement part where

they were pointing at the body part together while singing the song is one of the stronger

effect that make them remember the vocab. In fact some of the students repeated the

movement in order for them to answer the verbal question.

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PUPILS


STUDENTS

5 8 40%

4 4 20%

3 6 30%

2 2 10%

1 0 0%

0 0 0%

Total 20 100%


From the table above, it shows that 60% of the students can answer at least 4 out 5

questions orally. The result was much better from the written test as it did not required

the student to spell the word. Throughout the session, the students seemed still can recall

the word learnt previously. The students also showed an improvement in pronunciation.

A lot of repetition being used in the lyrics does help them.

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6.3 Discussion

Result

Lesson

Average Improvements(Difference Post & Pre-Test)

Lesson 1 44%

Lesson 2 19%

Lesson 3 19%

Overall Average 27%

Table 8 Overall Average Improvements (Difference Post and Pre-Test) for All the Lessons

Result

Lesson

Score 75% and above with

correct Answer

Percentage Number of

Students

Lesson 1 Score 4/5 and 5/5 50% + 30% = 80%

Lesson 2 Score 6/8 and above 40%

Lesson 3 Score 4/5 and 5/5 40% + 20% = 60%

Overall Average Percentage 60%

Table 9 Overall Average Percentage which Score 75% and above for Oral Test Result for

All the Lessons

The main goal of this research is to discover the improvement in vocabulary competence

by using song among young learners and how far the usage of song can retain memory on

vocabulary itself. Based on the table 8 above, the overall average improvements is 27%

and therefore it can be safely conclude that there is improvement in their vocabulary

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competence after went through the method of using song. These students after being

exposed to the song get higher post-test scores. Teacher can also see a change of

student’s behaviour while teaching using song. Students seem more enthusiastic and

enjoy learning using song compare to the other conventional method. Teacher managed

to make learning environment more fun and enjoyable. Besides it also does helps to

attract students attention and helps them memorize the word better as depicted in table 9

where overall average 60% of the students can retain memory 75% and above vocabulary

that they learnt before. In conclusion, the findings show that usage of songs is an

effective way to improve vocabulary learning.

31

CHAPTER 7

REFLECTION OF RESEARCH

7.1 Reviews About The Research Conducted

From my observation, I could see that the students now have improved their vocabulary

skill. They are able to answer my question in written and verbally better. They manage to

associate the word learnt with the vocabulary in the song they heard. What makes it more

than satisfactory is that the students feel more fun and enjoy learning English using song.

The results in findings indicate their great improvement in acquiring new vocabulary and

the research had benefited them a lot.

7.2 Limitation of Research (After Conducting The Research)

This study was conducted and only applied to 20 Malay students only. Teacher suggests

that further studies should involve on students of other ethnic as well such as Chinese and

Indian in order to improve their English vocabulary. This study was also conducted using

three children songs only. The total vocabulary learnt from the songs also limited to 18

words only. It is suggested that future studies can be done by using more songs which

have more vocabulary that suit with the student’s level and needs.

32

7.3 Suggestion For Future Research.

In view of the limitations the teacher has come across, there is a need for a further

research to be conducted with a bigger sample size. It will help to obtain more data,

confirm the findings and enable the drawing of a more concrete conclusion with regard to

the effects of using songs to improve vocabulary competence. Furthermore, a longer

experimental period is needed to enable the researcher to draw a more valid conclusion

and to see whether the improvements are consistent. The interval between the written

post-test and oral post-test could be made longer so that can really test how long the

memory on the vocabulary newly learnt lasting.

33

CHAPTER 8

CONCLUSION

Vocabulary is one of the most important components in learning English. With limited

vocabulary, the student will not master the language and discourage them to use the

language. In the same time there is always a challenge situation that faced by the teacher

in order to teach English vocabulary. With only 1 hour a day English period in the school,

it does not help much for the student to learn and catch any new vocabulary. Furthermore

there is limited English environment outside the school and inadequate exposure of new

vocabulary to the student. Therefore it is very important for the teacher to find out an

interesting methodology to teach vocabulary to the student.

The research is basically to study whether using song will improve the vocabulary

learning. In the same time the study also to look either using song will retain the memory

of the vocabulary learnt. From the findings it indicates that students show much

improvement in their vocabulary competence after went through the method of using

song. This is because students feel it is easier to learn new vocabulary through song. The

environment is very much relaxing and gives positive attitude toward the lesson. As

showed in previous study, the best learning session is during the play time as the student

is not in the stress position.

34

The finding also shows that using song also help the student to memorise the new

vocabulary. With a lot of repetition during learning the song, it will assist to retain the

memory of the vocabulary learnt. During song learning session there is also some

physical movement that contribute to the easy recall of the vocabulary that they catch.

Therefore it is strongly recommended for the teacher to use song in vocabulary lesson.

The teacher should be more creative to find suitable songs while the school should

support this methodology perhaps in providing complete equipment and tools. The

findings also show that using teaching tools such as YouTube which having audio and

visual element give higher impact to learning experience.

However using songs to improve vocabulary competence among participants will only be

effective if it is properly planned. The selection of songs also important to ensure the

students can easily grab the new word learnt.

Overall, it can be concluded here that using song will improve vocabulary learning and

can retain the memory of the vocabulary learnt.

35

REFERENCES

Alice O, Ann H, (2006). Writing Academic English Fourth Edition.USA: Pearson Longman

Al-Mamary, N.N. (1998). Using Songs to Promote Vocabulary Learning in Grade 1, Retrieved April 30, 2014 from http://www.moe.gov.om/portal/sitebuilder/sites/eps/English/MOE/baproject/Ch%2019%20Using%20songs%20to%20promote%20vocabulary%20learning%20in%20grade%201%20.pdf (12.05.2008).

Barska, K. (2006). Using Songs to Teach Vocabulary to EFL Students, Retrieved May 7, 2014 from http://www.acgrenoble. fr/reaso/article.php3?id_article=58 (05.06.2008)

Cruz-Cruz, M. L. (2005). The effects of selected music and songs on teaching grammar and vocabulary to second grade English language learners. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Texas A&M University, Kingsville.

Dagmar Šišková. (2008). Teaching Vocabulary Through Music, Retrieved April 8, 2014 from http://is.muni.cz/th/237375/pedf_m/Teaching_Vocabulary_through_Music.pdf

Duke,N. and Moses,A. (2003) 10 research tested ways to build children’s vocabulary. New York,NY: Scolastic Inc.

Medina, S. L. (2002). Using music to enhance second language acquisition: From theory to practice. Retrieved July 18, 2008, from ESL through Music: http://www.forefrontpublishers.com/eslmusic/articles/06.htm

http://www.forefrontpublishers.com/eslmusic/articles/06.htm

http://is.muni.cz/th/237375/pedf_m/Teaching_Vocabulary_through_Music.pdf

http://www.acgrenoble/

http://www.moe.gov.om/portal/sitebuilder/sites/eps/English/MOE

36

Mohamad Jafre Zainol Abidin, Majid Pour Mohammadi, Kiranjit Kaur Balbir Singh, Rahima Azman, Thongma Souriyavongsa (2011). The Effectiveness of Using Song in Youtube to Improve Vocabulary Competence Among Upper Secondary School Studies. Retrieved October 30, 2014 from http://ojs.academypublisher.com/index.php/tpls/article/download/011114881496/3867

Nicole D. Winter. (2010). How Using Songs Affect Productive Vocabulary Acquisition Of English Language Learners, Journal, Retrieved June 2, 2014 from http://www.hamline.edu/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=2147491054

Neil T. Millington. (2011). Using Songs Effectively to Teach English to Young Learners Language Education in Asia, 2011, 2(1), 134-141. Retrieved May 15, 2014 from http://dx.doi.org/10.5746/LEiA/11/V2/I1/A11/Millington

Norazman Abdul Majid, Masdinah Alauyah Md. Yusoff, Tina Abdullah, Sahirah Marzuki, Zanariah Md. Salleh, Faruk Muhammad, Siti Aishah Abd. Hamid, Rohayah Kahar, (2011). Academic Report Writing: From Research to Presentation. Selangor: Pearson Hall Malaysia

Nguyen, T.H. & Khuat, T.N. (2003). Learning Vocabulary Through Games, Asian EFL Retrieved May 26, 2014 from http://www.asian-efl-journal.com/dec_03_vn.pdf (09.06.2008).

Thornbury, Scott. How to Teach Vocabulary. Essex: Pearson Education Limited,2002. 185 s. ISBN 0582 429668

Xiangming Li, Manny Brand. (2008) Effectiveness of Music on Vocabulary

Acquisition, Language Usage,and Meaning for Mainland Chinese ESL LearnersContributions to Music Education Vol.36, No. 1, pp. 73–84.

Z. Müge TAVİL and Korkut U. İŞİSAĞ. (2009). Teaching Vocabulary To Very Young Learners Through Games And Songs, Journal, retrieve May 22, 2014 from connection.ebscohost.com/.../teaching-vocabulary-very-young-learners-t...

http://dx.doi.org/10.5746/LEiA/11/V2/I1/A11/Millington

http://ojs.academypublisher.com/index.php/tpls/article/download/011114881496/3867

37

APPENDIX 1

Question

No of student’s score

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5

Boy 4 3 2 5 2

Girl 6 5 4 7 5

Total 10 8 6 12 7

Table 10 Student’s score for lesson 1 during pre test activity.

Question


Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5

Boy 13 12 10 15 12

Girl 5 5 5 5 5

Total 18 17 15 20 17

Table 11 Student’s score for lesson 1 during post test activity.

38

Question

No of pupils

Q

1

Q

2

Q

3

Q

4

Q

5

Q

6

Q

7

Q

8

Q

9

Q

10

Boy 1 5 0 3 3 9 2 2 3 2

Girl 5 4 2 2 2 2 1 2 3 3

Total 6 9 2 5 5 11 3 4 6 5


Question

No of pupils

Q

1

Q

2

Q

3

Q

4

Q

5

Q

6

Q

7

Q

8

Q

9

Q

10

Boy

Girl

Total

Table 13 Student’s score for lesson 2 during post test activity.

18 16 18 16 18 20 16 14 18 16

13 13 15 12 13 15 13 10 15 11

5 3 3 4 5 5 3 4 3 5

39

Question


Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6

Boy 5 6 2 5 1 1

Girl 4 4 3 5 3 2

Total 9 10 5 10 4 3


Question


Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6

Boy 11 12 4 9 9 4

Girl 5 5 4 3 4 4

Total 12 12 8 12 13 8

Table 15 Student’s score for lesson 3during post test activity.

40

APPENDIX 2

Lyric 1

Topic : Farm Animals and its sound

Learning Objectives : To match animals and its sound

ANIMALS ON THE FARM

The dogs on the farm goWoof! Woof! Woof! (3x)The dogs on the farm goWoof! Woof! WoofAll day long

The cats on the farm goMeow! Meow! Meow! (3x)The cats on the farm goMeow! Woof! WoofAll day long

The cows on the farm goMoo! Moo! Moo! (3x)The cows on the farm goMoo! Moo! MooAll day long

The dogs on the farm goWoof! Woof! Woof! (3x)The dogs on the farm goWoof! Woof! WoofAll day long

The horses on the farm goNeigh! Neigh! Neigh! (3x)The horses on the farm goNeigh! Neigh! NeighAll day long

The ducks on the farm goQuack! Quack! Quack! (3x)The ducks on the farm goQuack! Quack! QuackAll day long

41

Lyric 2

Topic : Parts of my body

Learning Objectives : Label parts of the body correctly

HEAD, SHOULDER, KNEES AND TOES

Head and shoulder knees and toesKnees and toesHead and shoulder knees and toesKnees and toes 1And eyes and ears and mouth and noesHead and shoulder knees and toesKnees and toeS

Feet and tummies arms and chinsArms and chinsFeet and tummies arms and chinArms and chins 2And eyes and ears and mouth and chinsFeet and tummies arms and chinsArms and chins

(Repeat 1 & 2)

42

Lyric 3

Topic : Clothings

Learning Objectives : Fill in the missing letters correctly.

THIS IS THE WAY I WEAR……

This is the way I wear my shirtI wear my shirt, I wear my shirtThis is the way I wear my shirtEarly in the morning

This is the way I wear my dressI wear my dress, I wear my dressThis is the way I wear my dressEarly in the morning

This is the way I wear my skirtI wear my skirt, I wear my skirtThis is the way I wear my skirtEarly in the morning

This is the way I wear my vestI wear my vest, I wear my vestThis is the way I wear my vestEarly in the morning

This is the way I wear my capI wear my cap, I wear my capThis is the way I wear my capEarly in the morning

43

APPENDIX 3

WORKSHEET

Name :_________________________________ Class :________________________

Exercise 1

Matching the animals with its sounds.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

cow

dog

horse

cat

duck

neigh

meow

woof

quack

moo

44

Name :______________________________ Class :_________________________

Exercise 2.

Label parts of the body correctly.

Name :____________________________ Class :________________Fill in the missing letters correctly.

head

eyes

nose

mouth

knees

Shoulder

ear

toes

45

Name :____________________________ Class:_____________________________

Exercise 3.

Fill in the missing letters correctly.

s h __ __ tc __ p

d __ __ s s s __ i __ t

v __ __ t

46

APPENDIX 4

PICTURE CARDS

Picture cards for Oral Test 1

Oral Test Question.

1) What picture is this?

2) Can you make the sound of this animal?

(*Teacher will repeat this questions for the other 5 animals)

Teacher will do the observation and record their answer accordingly.

47

Oral Test Question for Test 2

1. Can you show me your head?

2. Can you show me your eyes?

3. Can you show me your nose?

4. Can you show me your ears?

5. Can you show me your knees?

6. Can you show me your toes?

7. Can you show me your shoulder?

8. Can you show me your mouth?

48

Picture cards for Oral Test 3

Oral Test Question.

1) What picture is this?

(*Teacher will repeat this question for the other 5 clothes)

Teacher will do the observation and record their answer accordingly