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Merton, Andrew (2016) An exploration into the value and use of English language pop songs for vocabulary acquisition in the Thai lower intermediate level EFL classroom: a guide for materials development. [Dissertation (University of Nottingham only)]

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Abstract

This study explored the attitudes and actions of 50 Thai teen and adult lower

intermediate level English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students at a private language

school in Bangkok towards using English language pop songs for vocabulary acquisition.

The purpose of this was to better understand the educational value of the media in

question, with the intention of developing a guide for materials design that could

support teachers in the creation of their own related classroom activities and

worksheets. This was achieved by using a questionnaire and follow-up focus groups that

asked the students about general attitudes towards English language pop songs and how

they might use them for learning new words. The questionnaire itself was designed with

reference to an earlier study by Schmitt (1997), which had helped to inform the

development of his taxonomy of vocabulary learning strategies (Ibid.). The materials

design aspect of the present study was discussed with reference to a principled

framework for pop song activity development that was adapted from the work of

Tomlinson (2010) and Jolly & Bolitho (2011). The results section of this paper showed

that the participants held an overall positive view of English language pop songs, and

the media motivated them to learn encountered new words, including in a classroom

context. The questionnaire also revealed some similarities between the vocabulary

learning strategy preferences of those surveyed in this research and the Japanese

students that took part in Schmitt’s (1997) investigation. The conclusion of this paper

suggests that the present study offers a starting point for teachers in a similar

educational context to conduct their own research on the topic. It also provides

guidance for the development of classroom materials based on pop songs that

encourage vocabulary learning, and ultimately, learner autonomy.

Item Type:	Dissertation (University of Nottingham only)
Depositing User:	Gigg, Diane
Date Deposited:	23 Jun 2017 12:19
Last Modified:	12 Oct 2017 23:55
URI:	https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/43735

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