IMPACT ON THE ROLE OF MUSIC AND SONGS IN TEACHING ENGLISH VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT ON PUPILS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN NURSERY SCHOOL GWAGWALADA AREA COUNCIL

ABSTRACT

This study is on impact on the role of music and songs in teaching English vocabulary development on pupils’ academic performance in nursery school in Gwagwalada area. The total population for the study is 200 staff of selected nursery schools in Gwagwalada are. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study. A total of 133 respondents made head teachers, class teachers, senior staff and junior staff were used for the study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies

 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

• Background of the study

Traditionally, conventional  methods  in  the  teaching  of  English  as  a foreign language, such as plain explaining and drilling, are unappealing and can be very monotonous to the students. Hence, this will inexorably affect and obstruct their spirit to learn that foreign language. New syllabuses are developed to depict the natural use of language in the real world so that the children  can  use  the  language and  perform it  pleasingly.  And one  of  the main ways to achieve this goal is by means of the use of music and songs. Their use in the teaching of English is undoubtedly very natural. We cannot deny  that,  as human beings,  we  have  a  special ear  for  music.  If  we try teaching  alphabets  to a  child, for  example,  we will  realize that  the  child picks them up faster and hence will memorize them better if we sing them out for them. Songs are a form of language that use tones and rhythm and they are also the media of universal language for everybody. Language and music  are  known  to  have  similar  communicative  modes.  According  to Peacock,  “they  are  aurally  and  orally  transmitted,  they  both  contain phonetic, syntactic and semantic components and they develop early in life as social interactive media” (Peacock 1997, pág. 51).  Many writers  share the  opinion that  children are  more motivated  and stimulated  in  the  foreign  language  classroom  when  authentic  materials (rhymes,  songs,  realia)  are  used  rather  than  the  artificial non-authentic materials (course books). Authentic materials increase the children’s level of  involvement  and  concentration. 

This  is  the  main  accurate  reason  why music  and songs  are  the chief  models  of  teaching the  basic lessons  to  a child  in  the  early  years  of  life. Actually,  different scientific  research  has shown  off that  the  melody echoes in  the  child’s mind  and the  child soon grows familiar with the music and with the accompanying task. Taking that perspective into  account,  the  current  official  English  language  teaching programs are chasing in on this natural human fondness for music enhanced by the use and  further exploitation of songs in  the teaching of the foreign language. Nonetheless, there are still quite a few more valid reasons for the use of  songs in  the  teaching of  English in  nursery Education.  Above  all, songs  are  generally  a  real  authentic  source  of  language,  valid  for  all purposes. Since a large part of the world nowadays listens to either English songs or songs in English, it will be more fun, for us and the children alike, to acquire a proper mastery of English or at least an adequate and desirable one.  Another important reason  is that  songs make  up  a powerful  means of teaching  English  at all  ages.  We can use  songs  as a  classroom activity  in order to enrich our  students’ vocabulary or to  improve their grammar and the  different  English  accents.  Adding that  music  and  songs  are  basic elements of each human society does not constitute any update or novelty. They show many aspects of the culture of each society as they occur in all phases of our life, from birth to death. Since they play an important role in the process  of  learning  and using  our mother  tongue,  they  are  also quite important in the learning of any foreign language, and especially for young learners.

According to Murphey (1992) using songs in the language classroom has its advantages it can aid the young learner to develop and improve their listening skills and pronunciation, eventually their speaking skills. Alternatively it can also be a useful tool for learning vocabulary, sentence structures and sentence patterns. Young learners develop their cognitive skills through music, it enhances their language skills through singing, and children learn language appreciation, vocabulary and rhyme Shipley (1998). In addition Cameron (2001) stated that songs can be a valuable teaching and learning tool as it helps the learners to improve their listening and vocabulary.

• STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The study is to find out if using music and songs within the English language classroom would promote vocabulary acquisition, would the children be motivated to learn the English language through the selection of songs and music on pupil’s in selected nursery schools in Gwagwalada area.