The influence of listening to songs in English on the improvement of pronunciation skills of high school students

Abstract

This research aims to determine how incorporating English songs into classroom instruction can improve the pronunciation skills of high school students in Santo Domingo de Los Tsáchilas. The participants were 40 high school students divided into two groups: an experimental group and a control group. The study encompassed ten English lessons in which the experimental group worked with a task-based program that included English songs, while the control group received standard instruction with varied tasks; both groups focused on improving pronunciation. To collect data, a Likert scale questionnaire with ten items was administered to identify students' preferences regarding music and their attitudes toward listening to music in class. Additionally, pre- and post-tests were conducted to evaluate the students' pronunciation before and after the intervention. Interviews with English teachers were conducted to understand their perspectives on the use of English songs in the classroom and its potential impact on pronunciation. The findings indicate significant improvements in the pronunciation skills of the students in the experimental group compared to those in the control group, highlighting the effectiveness of using English songs as a pedagogical tool. The implications of these results for teaching practices are discussed in conclusion