8/2/2019 Modifying Song Lyrics to Improve Students

1/21

Classroom Action researchTerm 3, 2008

Improving EL 4 Students Mastery of Parts of Speech by Modifying Song Lyrics into

Their Own Versions

Parawati Siti Sondari

LB LIA BUAH BATU

ABSTRACT

This research was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of song lyrics to improve the

EL 4 students mastery of parts of speech. This research used pre-experimental design, the

intact group design, as the students were placed in classes on the basis of placement test

(Hatch and Farhady, 1982) and compared two groups; experimental (my EL 4 students who

modified the song lyrics into their own versions) and control group (another EL 4 class that

didnt use any songs). The data were gained from pre-test and post-test. Prior to starting the

treatment, a test was prepared as the pre-test and post-test. The test consisted of 16

multiple-choice items of 4 parts of speech (nouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs) presented

in a text in order to provide context. After some treatments the result showed that the

experimental group had better progress than the control group. Hence, it was concluded

that the contribution of song lyrics in teaching parts of speech to elementary 4 students ledto a higher level of parts of speech mastery improvement.

BACKGROUND

The most difficult part of utilizing lexicon is in terms of form and function. Especially to

the elementary students as they discovered that knowing the meaning of the lexicon is

clearly insufficient. As teachers, we need to demonstrate that there is some order and

coherence in lexicalization (Quirk and Stein, 1990). Thus, teacher must come up with the

suitable means to teach the lexical items which meet the prerequisite for learning grammar

as proposed by Thornbury (1999); attention, understanding, memory, and motivation. One

of the means that meet such prerequisites is song lyrics.

1

8/2/2019 Modifying Song Lyrics to Improve Students

2/21

Classroom Action researchTerm 3, 2008

Songs have good reputation as an effective teaching material. Lynch (2002) remarks,

songs are usually directed to the native-speaking population so they usually contain

contemporary vocabulary, idioms and expressions. Baoan (2008) also states, Songs not

only can motivate students but also contain rich linguistic information, including

pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, rhetoric and language sense.

According to Lynch (2005), EFL, English as a foreign language, ESL, English as a

Second language and foreign language teachers should all consider using songs as a regular

part of their classroom activities. Teachers need to come up with various methods in

teaching, and songs have so much to offer to be utilized in the classroom.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

In this research, the following questions are posed:

1. Are song lyrics effective to improve EL 4 students mastery of parts of speech?

2. Which parts of speech improves the most?

ASSUMPTIONS AND HYPOTHESIS

A. Assumptions

1. The test used as the pre-test and post-test is considered suitable to measure EL 4students mastery of parts of speech.

2. The experimental group and the control group are considered having relatively

similar ability in their mastery of parts of speech prior to the treatment.

B. Hypothesis

There are significant differences between the experimental group and the control group

METHODOLOGY/PROCEDURE

This research is aimed to investigate the effectiveness of song lyrics in improving EL 4

students mastery of parts of speech. It is also aimed to find out which parts of speech

improve significantly after the song lyrics are given. The parts of speech are limited only to

four parts of speech, namely noun, adjective, verb, and adverb in accordance with EL 4

grammar focus on lessons 7, 9, and 11.

2

8/2/2019 Modifying Song Lyrics to Improve Students

3/21

Classroom Action researchTerm 3, 2008

A. Research Method

The method of this research is pre-experimental study, the intact group design (Hatch and

Farhady, 1982). The formula is:

G1

(Experimental group)

X

(Treatment)

T2

(Post-test)

G2

(Control group)

T2

(Post-test)

Pre-test (attached on the appendix) was administered to both groups before the treatment in

order to know the students schemata on parts of speech (on August 23rd for the

experimental group and the 26th for the control group). The experimental group, consisting

of 16 students, was given treatment, which is the song lyrics, and post-test (on September

13th). The control group, which consists of 25 students, only got post-test (on September

9th) without treatment.

According to Sujana (1989), the comparing test of mean between experimental and control

group, which is calculated by using statistical analysis (t-test) where the level of

significance () is 0.05, requires the investigation on the normal distribution assumption in

order to justify that the changes occurred are caused by the treatment. Homogeneity of

variances also needs to be calculated by using One-Way ANOVA in order to prove

whether both groups means population is homogenous or not. Conclusion was finally

drawn based on this t-test by comparing the improvements of both groups.

B. The Song Lyrics as the Treatment

The song lyrics utilized were taken from www.azlyrics.com. There song lyrics were

Nothing Really Matters by Madonna, My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion, I Have A

Dream by Westlife,Im Like A Birdby Nelly Furtado (the sample of songs were attachedon the appendix). These songs were given some blanks on particular parts that enable the

students to change the original message of the songs, the titles were changed and the

context of the songs was also subjected to change.

C. Procedures or Techniques of Teaching Parts of Speech by Using Song Lyrics

3

http://www.azlyrics.com/http://www.azlyrics.com/http://www.azlyrics.com/

8/2/2019 Modifying Song Lyrics to Improve Students

4/21

Classroom Action researchTerm 3, 2008

The followings are the techniques in using the song lyrics to teach parts of speech.

The first treatment on Saturday, August 30th The second treatment on Saturday, August 30th

Pre-writing activity

Analyze the parts of speech in a song

entitledBad Actress by Def leppard(attached on the appendix) while

listening to the song.

Fill out the derivational chart of those

words.

Discuss the analysis result.

Whilst-writing activity

Analyze the original songNothing

Really Matters in pairs.

Fill out the blanks on the song while

listening to the song in pairs.

Post-writing activity

Give feed back and correction to the

modified lyrics.

Pre-writing activity

Listen to the songNothing Really Matters

and fill out the blanks. Analyze the parts of speech of the words

in the blanks.

Fill out the derivational chart of those

words.

Discuss the analysis result.

Whilst-writing activity

Analyze the original songMy Heart WillGo On individually.

Fill up the blanks on the song while

listening to the song.

Post-writing activity Give feed back and correction to the

modified lyrics.

The third treatment on Saturday, September 6th The fourth treatment on Saturday, September 6th

Pre-writing activity

Listen to the songMy Heart Will Go

On and fill out the blanks.

Analyze the parts of speech of the

words in the blanks.

Fill out the derivational chart of those

words.

Discuss the analysis result.Whilst-writing activity

Analyze the original songI Have A

Dream in pairs.

Fill out the blanks on the song while

listening to the song in pairs.

Post-writing activity

Give feed back and correction to the

modified lyrics.

Ask the students to read aloud their

modified songs.

Pre-writing activity

Listen to the songI Have A Dream and fill

out the blanks.

Analyze the parts of speech of the words

in the blanks.

Fill out the derivational chart of those

words.

Discuss the analysis result.Whilst-writing activity

Analyze the original songIm Like A Bird

individually.

Fill up the blanks on the song while

listening to the song.

Post-writing activity

Give feed back and correction to the

modified lyrics.

RESULT OF THE STUDY

In testing the hypothesis, several steps need to be undertaken. The first is to figure out the

normality of distribution of the data, the second is to find out the homogeneity of variances

and the last one is the t-test. These steps are inferential statistics which is intended to prove

4

8/2/2019 Modifying Song Lyrics to Improve Students

5/21

Classroom Action researchTerm 3, 2008

the hypothesis. Due to the limitation of the number of pages, the detailed steps are attached

on the appendix.

A. The Pre-test and Post-Test between The Experimental and The

Control Group

A. 1. The Experimental Group and Control Group Pre-test

The normality distributions of the pre-test results of the two groups were calculated using

Kolgomorov-Smirnov on SPSS program. The pre-test results of both groups, as shown on

table 1, are normally distributed as the value of probability is more