Educators have claimed that listening to music in a second or foreign language
(L2) can provide fun and motivating educational material and that singing can
enhance the L2 learning process by improving listening and speaking skills,
pronunciation, intonation, and vocabulary. Experiments have shown that under certain
conditions, a sung presentation of linguistic material can facilitate verbal learning in
the native language. To date, however, there is very little research evidence that
singing can increase L2 skills. This thesis begins to methodically evaluate whether
listening to songs and singing in a new language can facilitate L2 learning, compared
to practising L2 material through more traditional, speech-based instructional
methods. The research studies also explore the extent to which individual di erences
(IDs) between learners may mediate any observed benefits of using songs in L2
instruction.
The first two studies examine under controlled experimental conditions whether
singing can support adults’ beginning-level modern language learning compared to
speech over a short time period. Results indicate that when no significant group
di erences exist for the ID measures, an instructional method that incorporates L2
singing can facilitate short-term learning and memory. Results also showed that IDs
between learners, in particular previous language learning experience, musical
abilities, mood, and motivation, can mediate the benefits of L2 learning through a
singing method. The third study describes a four-week, classroom-based arts
intervention exploring the e ects of incorporating songs and dramatic dialogues into
the L2 curriculum, both in terms of learning outcomes and the adolescents’ opinions.
In addition to increases in French skills, many children reported that the dramatic and
musical activities had increased their confidence to speak in French. There was also
an overall preference for listening to songs and more children reported that the songs
repeated in their heads after class. The thesis concludes by discussing practical
implications for L2 instruction and proposes a framework to guide future research
exploring how and why singing can support modern foreign language learning