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HEY! LET’S LEARN NEW WORDS: USING ENGLISH SONGS TO

ENHANCE VOCABULARY ACQUISITION AMONG SECONDARY
SCHOOL STUDENTS.
ANBUKKARASI A/P KANNAN

KALA DEVI A/P SUBRAMANIAM
THUAIBAH BT MUSTAFA@ABD WAHID
WAN PIK TON
SMK Engku Husain
Abstract
The main objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of using English songs
to improve vocabulary knowledge among 30 form three students of a government secondary
school in Semenyih, Selangor. This study was conducted based on a preliminary study which
indicated poor vocabulary knowledge and lack of interest in learning vocabulary. A
vocabulary test (pre-test), an oral survey on attitudes towards learning vocabulary and
observation were conducted before the intervention. An intervention – “Let’s learn new words”
was carried out with English songs for three times over a three-week course. After the
intervention, a post-test, an oral survey on attitudes towards learning vocabulary and
observation were conducted. Results at the end of the study revealed that the experimental
group experienced an increase in the vocabulary knowledge. Meanwhile, the qualitative
results revealed that most of the students have positive attitude towards learning vocabulary
after the intervention. All in all, the findings showed that song-based activities are useful tools
to reinforce learning of vocabulary by providing an enjoyable classroom atmosphere. This will
make learning vocabulary fun for students and to create interest among them to learn the
language. Hence, it is highly recommended that English Language teachers use English
songs to teach vocabulary in schools.
Keywords: effectiveness, vocabulary, knowledge, attitude, intervention, reinforce
1.0 BACKGROUND OF STUDY
The four basic languages skills are reading, writing, listening and speaking. These skills are
the cornerstone of learning a language. But what about learning vocabulary? Krashen (1989),
mentioned that learning vocabulary is an equally important part in language acquisition.
According to him vocabulary appears to be a proper indicator of language ability because
learners regularly make use of dictionary rather than a grammar book. Meanwhile Wilkins
(1972) puts forward that without grammar very little can be conveyed but without vocabulary,
nothing can be conveyed (p111, quotes in Lewis, 2000). This means knowing a great amount
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of vocabulary is good since it assists learners to speak more and to have a good influence on
other people as well.
Learning vocabulary is a very complex matter. According to Nation (2001), second language
learners need to know very large numbers of words as this may be useful for them in the long-
term as learning vocabulary should not be a short-term goal. Even though they have received
skills on reading, writing, listening and speaking, they face difficulties when they communicate
in English because they lack the needed English vocabulary especially when it involves
complicated words. Therefore, it is significant to explore deeper on these difficulties as well as
provide innovative ideas in order to improve the teaching and learning of vocabulary. The first
thing to be done is to look at the strategies that the students use to learn new English words
and make them aware that there are many vocabulary learning strategies that they could use
in learning new words, especially in a language other than their mother tongue.
Since vocabulary is so vital in our lives, the issue of vocabulary acquisition is important to
English teachers who have to make various decisions about ways of enriching English
language learners’ vocabulary. Educators should be innovative by breathing life, passion and
excitement into their classrooms. They should apply various techniques to teach. By doing
so, learners’ interest can be maintained. However, there are some teachers who always think
that vocabulary learning is easy but language learners always have a serious problem
remembering the large amounts of vocabulary necessary to achieve fluency. “Vocabulary is
by far the most sizeable and unmanageable component in the learning of any language,
whether a foreign or one’s mother tongue” because of “tens of thousands of different
meanings,” according to Hague (1987, p. 219).
Various strategies have been used to promote vocabulary learning in the classroom
environment. Among the strategies, songs are widely being used nowadays as a powerful
tool, in teaching new vocabulary to students. Songs are one of the most captivating and
culturally rich resources that can be easily used in language classrooms to teach vocabulary,
Songs offer a change from routine classroom activities. They are precious resources to
develop students’ abilities in listening, speaking, reading and writing. They can also be used
to teach a variety of language items such as sentence patterns, vocabulary, pronunciation,
rhythm, adjectives and adverbs. Lo and Li (1998) said that learning English through songs
also provide a non-threatening atmosphere for students who are usually tense when speaking
English in a formal classroom. Songs also give new insights into the target culture. They are
the means through which cultural themes are presented effectively.
1.1 PROBLEM STATEMENT
English language has become a global means of communication and interaction. It is a

universal language used in certain functions such as business and notably in teaching and
learning science and technology. Mastering English language doesn’t only facilitate the
process of learning but also an essential requirement in most of the occupations, employment
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and market. According to the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 (MEB). the goal of the
Education Ministry is to develop “individuals that are equipped to work in a globalised economy
where the English language is the international language of communication”, and thus for
Malaysians to enjoy and benefit from gainful employability.
In spite of this , in SMK Engku Husain, the English proficiency among students is declining.
Many could not even string a sentence properly. In 2016, only 44.68% of the students who
sat for PT3 passed the English Language exam. In 2017, the percentage of passes dropped
further to 43.30%. The same is true for the SPM English Language paper. In 2016, only 44.32
of the students sat for SPM passed English whereas in 2017, only 43.18% passed the English
Language paper. Internationally, Malaysia scored 431 in “reading” under the Programme for
International Student Assessment (Pisa) in 2015. This programme which is led by the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), provides evidence on
how the achievement and abilities of 15-year-olds varies across the countries. The results
revealed that Malaysia’s achievement is still way below the global average score of 498.
The researchers believe that low proficiency in English among students can be attributed to
the lack of reading and. speaking in English. .Reading is an integral part in learning new words.
Words are the basic unit of language form. Without sufficient vocabulary, students cannot
communicate effectively or express their ideas. Having limited vocabulary is also a barrier that
prevents students from learning a language. If learners do not know how to expand their
vocabulary, they gradually lose interest in learning. Many students consider learning
vocabulary a tedious job. Generally, they lack interest in learning English language as they
find it a dry and difficult subject to learn. As a result, most students dislike learning English.
Since vocabulary acquisition is crucial in language learning and being the biggest component
of any language course (Mc Carthy, 1996), it should be delivered in a fun and enjoyable
manner. Therefore, teachers need to develop effective teaching strategies to facilitate
students’ interest towards learning vocabulary such as Word Game, flash card, video and
songs. Orlova, N. (1997) pointed out that incorporating English songs in learning vocabulary
encourages learners to use English language and this might of great help to non-English
speaking community, and secondly, listening to songs helps students to recognize words and
meanings much more easily. Songs also help learners develop a very positive attitude towards
language acquisition.
PRELIMINARY REFLECTION
The English teacher noticed that the students in Form 3I were not interested in learning
English especially vocabulary. They were bored, inattentive, and unmotivated especially
when vocabulary was being taught. Her observation showed that students did not pay
attention when the teacher was teaching. Instead they talk loudly and disrupt the class.
Majority of them do not do their homework and do not bring their books to school. The teacher
was disappointed with the lack of’ interest in learning English among students and she felt it
was her duty and responsibility to motivate the students. So, she decided to do an action
research to tackle this problem.
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1.2 PURPOSE OF STUDY
To determine the effectiveness of using English songs to improve vocabulary knowledge

among secondary school students.
1.3 OBJECTIVES
1 ) To determine students’ vocabulary knowledge before intervention.

2) To determine students’ vocabulary knowledge after intervention.
3) To use English songs to teach vocabulary.
4) To determine students’ attitude towards learning of vocabulary before intervention.
5) To determine students’ attitude towards learning of vocabulary after intervention.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1) How is the students’ vocabulary knowledge before intervention?.

2) How is the students’ vocabulary knowledge after intervention?
3) Is there a difference in vocabulary knowledge between the pre test and post test mean
scores of the target group?
4) How is the students’ attitude towards vocabulary learning before intervention?
5) How is the students’ attitude towards vocabulary learning after intervention?
1.5 METHODOLOGY
This chapter is about the research design, target group, research instruments and the
implementation of the intervention.
1.5.1 RESEARCH DESIGN
This study used a pre-experimental one group pre test post test study of an action research
approach together with qualitative and quantitative approaches. The quantitative data is the
vocabulary score. The empirical evidence collected from the intervention was used to explain
the results of the effectiveness from the usage of English songs to enhance the vocabulary
knowledge among secondary students. As for the qualitative data, semi-structured methods
were used such as participant observation, and an oral survey were conducted.
A vocabulary test, which served as a pre test was given to the participants on 26/3/2018. One
week after the pre test, the first song-based intervention was carried out. This was followed
by a second song-based intervention and third song-based intervention. Immediately after the
third intervention, a vocabulary test and oral survey was administered. As for the observation,
the teacher observed the students prior to the intervention for one hour in the classroom. They
were also observed during the intervention for three times by one of the teachers.
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1.5.2 TARGET GROUP
A total of 30 Form Three I students from SMK Engku Husain were selected as the participants
for this study. There was an equal proportion of boys and girls (15). There were 19 Malays, 6
Chinese and 5 Indian students. Nineteen respondents were 15 years old except one who was
previously from vernacular schools and all the respondents were low achievers. A
convenience sampling was used to select students because these students were "convenient"
sources of data for researchers (Saunders, M et al., 2012).
1.53 INSTRUMENTATION
i) Observation
Observation involves studying the spontaneous behaviour of participants in natural surround-

ings. The researcher recorded what they saw before, while and after the research.
ii) Oral survey
To find out about their attitudes and perceptions towards learning vocabulary, the researcher
conducted an informal survey in the classroom. The researcher did not give them the ques-
tionnaire forms. Instead the researcher asked 5 questions orally and noted their responses.
The questions were adopted from Gardner's AMTB (1985) and modified according to the ob-
jectives of this study.
iii) Vocabulary Test
A vocabulary test (appendix 1) was administered prior to the intervention as a pre test. The
purpose of the this pre test was to determine the level of vocabulary knowledge of the students
before intervention. Another vocabulary test was administered immediately after the third
intervention as a post test. This was done to determine the effectiveness of using songs to
improve vocabulary knowledge. Both the contents of pre test and post test were the same.
The test consists of 20 fill in the blank questions. The answers for these questions are words
taken from three English songs that was used in the intervention.
1.5.4 INTERVENTION
All action research arises from a problem. In this action research the problem is: poor
vocabulary competence among form 3I students’ This research design is based on Kurt Lewin
(1946) design. It was implemented in 4 stages and each stage contained specific tasks or
programmes.
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Diagram 1: Action Research Model by

Kurt Lewin (1946)
Stage 1: Initial Reflection - identify the problem
In the first stage, the teachers identified the problem in the class room.- there was poor
vocabulary competence among students of Form 3G. Students were not interested in
learning vocabulary because they find the lessons dry, boring and unstimulating. This problem
identification was made based on the data collected from observations done in the classroom
by the teacher, the pre- test and a survey which was conducted orally.
Stage 2: Planning
After identifying the problem, we devised a plan to make learning vocabulary interesting. We
decided to use songs to teach vocabulary. For this purpose, we reviewed literature associated
with the field of study. In this stage, the research objectives and research questions were also
developed. The methodology, target group and measuring instruments to be used were also
planned. We also selected suitable songs to be used for the study. The songs were selected
according to the various criteria such as having comprehensible lyrics, moderate tempos, and
being popular among students. Interesting activities related to the vocabulary competence
based on the selected songs were planned out and included. Some of these activities were:
sing-along, cloze text, matching meanings of words and sequencing words and phrases in
song verses.
Stage 3: Act
The lessons / intervention using English songs to teach vocabulary were carried out in this
stage. The interventions were carried out in three phases. With the traditional method, the
researcher noticed that the students’ vocabulary knowledge was limited and the students
found the lesson difficult and not interesting. Therefore, the researcher designed an
intervention known as “Let’s Learn New Words “ which used English songs to teach
vocabulary. The intervention was carried out for three times ; 1/4/2018, 4/4/2018 and
11/4/2018.
Intervention 1 (refer to appendix 2)
1. Teacher distributes lyrics of the song “Count on Me” by Bruno Mars with 5 blanks..
2. Students listen to the song twice and fill in the blanks.
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3. Teacher discusses and explains the vocabulary words.

4. Students match words from Box A to meanings from Box B.
5. Students match sentences from Box A to sentences from Box B to form a complete
sentence.
6. Teacher checks answers orally.
1. Teacher distributes lyrics of the song “7 years” by Lucas Grahm. with 8 blanks.
2. Students fill in the blanks with correct words.
3. Students listen to the song again and checks the answers.
4. Students do exercise – sequence the sentences given.
5. Students construct sentences using the words just learnt.
1. Teacher distributes lyrics of the song “Thank you for being a friend” by Andre Gold” with
5 blanks.
2. Students listen to the song twice and fill in the blanks with correct words.
3. Teacher discusses and explains the answers.
4. Students are given a word search puzzle. Students identify the words studied earlier,
5. Students listen and put the lines in order.
Stage 4 Observation
Data was collected again through observations, oral survey and vocabulary tests ( post test ).
Data analysis was performed using the Microsoft Excel Program. The final stage also included
reporting whether the research questions have been answered or not based on the findings –
the effectiveness of the intervention using songs to improve vocabulary competence among
students.
Stage 5: Reflection
The teachers reflect on the strengths and weakness of the song based interventions, they
also review the gathered information and looked for new ideas to improve the intervention.
1.6 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
This section entails results from the research and answers to the research questions.
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1.61 FINDINGS FROM VOCABULARY TEST
Research Question 1
How is the students’ vocabulary knowledge before intervention?.
The table below shows the scores of the pre test.
Table 1: Pre test scores
Student Pre test Score Student Pre test Score

N=30 % N=30 %
Student 1 35 Student 16 25
Table 2: Classification of Vocabulary Knowledge (Pre test)
N=30 BEFORE BEFORE

INTERVENTION INTERVENTION
(n) (%)
LOW (O%-49%) 30 100
AVERAGE (50%-79%) 0 0
HIGH (80%-100%) 0 0
When the students’ pre test scores were classified according to 3 levels as shown in
the table above, it revealed that all (100%) the students score were between 0% -
49%, which is in the low category.
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Research Question 2
How is the students’ vocabulary knowledge after intervention?.
The table below shows the scores of the post test.

Table 3: Post test scores
Student Post test score Student Post test Score
N=30 % N=30 %
Table 4: Classification of Vocabulary Knowledge (Post test)

N=30 AFTER AFTER
INTERVENTION INTERVENTION
(n) (%)
LOW (O%-49%) 16 53.3
AVERAGE (50%-79%) 14 46.7
HIGH (80%-100%) 0 0
The students’ post test scores were grouped according to 3 levels as shown in the
table above. The results revealed that only 16 students (53.3%) are in the low
category compared to 100% in the pre test. This shows that students have done
better in post test than in pre test.
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Research Question 3
Is there a difference in vocabulary knowledge between the pre test and post test mean
scores of the target group?
Table 5: Difference in Vocabulary Knowledge between Pre test and Post test scores
Student Pre test Post Diffe Student Pre test Post Diffe
N=30 Score Test rence N=30 Score Test rence
% Score % Score
% %
Student 1 35 60 +25 Student 16 25 40 +15
Student 2 30 65 +35 Student 17 25 35 +10
Student 3 25 50 +25 Student 18 20 40 +20
Student 4 20 50 +30 Student 19 15 40 +25
Student 5 35 70 +35 Student 20 30 55 +25
Student 6 35 55 +20 Student 21 35 50 +15
Student 7 25 50 +25 Student 22 25 45 +20
Student 8 30 45 +15 Student 23 20 45 +25
Student 9 35 45 +10 Student 24 25 40 +15
Student 10 35 55 +20 Student 25 30 40 +10
Student 11 30 50 +20 Student 26 15 30 +15
Student 12 20 35 +15 Student 27 20 45 +25
Student 13 15 35 +20 Student 28 30 55 +15
Student 14 25 40 +15 Student 29 40 50 +10
Student 15 10 35 +25 Student 30 35 55 +20
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Table 6: A Comparison of Classification of Vocabulary Knowledge
N=30 BEFORE BEFORE AFTER AFTER

INTERVENTION INTERVENTION NTERVENTION NTERVENTION
(n) (%) (n) (%)
LOW (O%-49%) 30 100 16 53.3
AVERAGE (50%-79%) 0 0 14 46.7
HIGH (80%-100%) 0 0 0 0
Table 7: Mean and SD of Pre and Post Test Scores
Pre Test Post Test

Mean 26.5 46
S.D 7.560104 13.54431
The table below shows that all the post test scores are higher than the pre test. When the
students’ test scores were classified according to 3 levels as shown in the table above, the
results revealed that before intervention, 100% of the students were in the low category and
none of them had scores above 40 but after intervention, the number of students in the low
category reduced to 53.3%. At the same time, the number of the students in the average
category was 0% but after intervention it increased to 46.7.% . The mean scores of the pre
scores was 26.5 but after intervention the mean score increased to 46. Hence, the intervention
using English songs is effective in enhancing the vocabulary knowledge of the students. The
finding is supported by MJZ Abidin(2011) and Orlova (1997).
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1.62 FINDINGS FROM ORAL SURVEY
Research Question 4
How is the students’ attitude towards vocabulary learning before intervention?
Table 8: Attitude towards Vocabulary Learning Before Intervention
ATTITUDE N=30 %
Agreed Agreed
1. My vocabulary is limited. 30 students 100

2. Learning vocabulary is fun and interesting. 6 students 20
3. Learning vocabulary is important for me. 27 students 90
4. Learning vocabulary is difficult. 30 students 100
5. I want to improve and expand my vocabulary. 28 students 93.3
Before intervention, all the respondents reported that their vocabulary is limited. Only 20%
replied that learning vocabulary is fun and interesting. Almost all the students (90%) are aware
that learning vocabulary is important for them. Although, all the students said that learning
vocabulary is difficult. the majority of the students want to improve and expand their vocabulary
Research Question 5
How is the students’ attitude towards vocabulary learning after intervention?
Table 9: Attitude towards Vocabulary Learning After Intervention

ATTITUDE N=30 %
Agreed Agreed
1. My vocabulary is limited. 15 students 50

2. Learning vocabulary is fun and interesting. 26 students 86.7
3. Learning vocabulary is important for me. 27 students 90
4. Learning vocabulary is difficult. 15 students 50
5. I want to improve and expand my vocabulary. 30 students 100
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After intervention only half ( 50%) of the students said that their vocabulary is limited . The
study found that as many as 86.7% of the students said that learning vocabulary is fun and
interesting. The number of students who are aware that learning vocabulary is important for
them. Is the same as pre test. Now only 50% of the students perceive that learning vocabulary
is difficult. All the students expressed interest in improving and expanding their vocabulary
words.
Table 10 :Comparison between Attitude towards Vocabulary Learning Before and After
Intervention
ATTITUDE % %
Agreed Agreed
1. My vocabulary is limited. 100 50

2. Learning vocabulary is fun and interesting. 20 86.7
3. Learning vocabulary is important for me. 90 90
4. Learning vocabulary is difficult. 100 50
5. I want to improve and expand my vocabulary. 93.3 100
The results showed that after the intervention, 50% of the respondents reported that their
vocabulary is limited. Prior to the intervention, 100% of the students replied that their
vocabulary is limited. This results may be due to the fact that students view their vocabulary
range positively after intervention. After the intervention, the number of students who perceive
that vocabulary is fun and interesting has increased by almost four times. The number of
students who are aware that learning vocabulary is important for them is the same as pre
test. The intervention has no effect on their awareness. At the same time, the number of
students who perceive vocabulary learning as difficult has decreased by 50% after
intervention. Almost the same number of students in pre test and post test expressed interest
in improving and expanding their vocabulary. However, the intervention has not much effect
on their interest to expand their vocabulary. In conclusion, after intervention, a large number
of students perceive learning vocabulary as fun and easy to learn. They also believe that they
know a lot of vocabulary words. Thus, song-based intervention is effective in changing the
students’ attitude towards vocabulary learning.
1.7 FINDINGS FROM OBSERVATION
The observations were carried out to examine the changes in the participants’ vocabulary
competence through the implementation of using songs. The target group was observed for
a total of five times. The target group was observed using an observation checklist, which
comprised of four aspects – knowledge, participation, interest and enthusiasm. Throughout
the activities, participants were seen to be very enthusiastic and happy in the lessons as they
enjoyed listening to songs played. However, there were a handful of students who did not
show much interest during the lesson. According to them, the song is an old song and that
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they do not like the song, By the third week, the students picked up a lot of words and they
revealed positive changes in interest as well as eagerness to study. They were able to answer
the tasks given correctly and able to provide oral responses as well.
1.8 Reflection on the Overall Study
The results of the study “Using English Songs to Enhance Vocabulary Acquisition among
Secondary School Students” revealed that the intervention ‘Hey! Let’s learn new words” ,is
effective in enhancing vocabulary acquisition among students. We were happy that after the
intervention the students have learnt some new words. We were overwhelmed by the
progress the students have made in vocabulary learning in a short period.
Incorporating songs in teaching vocabulary is a good idea, but teachers have to choose the
songs carefully for the intervention (Morales, 2008). There are plenty of songs , but the
majority of the songs do not match the requirements of the syllabus and the needs of the
students. The language, vocabulary and sentence structures of some songs can be quite
different from that used in spoken English (Richards, 1969). Therefore, teachers have to make
a survey of songs available and check whether they are suitable for the class before
implementation.
Besides enhancing vocabulary knowledge among students, songs have other benefits. Music
raises students’ energy level and reduces stress, relives frustration and create a peaceful
classroom environment. Therefore, I believe this idea of intervention using songs can be
applied for other topics and subjects as well. As such, I hope future studies on interventions
using songs can be done for other subjects.
Since intervention using songs to teach vocabulary is effective, the audio room in the school
should be well equipped. The room should have wireless and broadband internet convenience
and other facilities such as microphones, tape recorder with CD and pen rive player, overhead
LC display. Improving the facilities is an expensive undertaking, however, the benefits far
outstrips the cost of the investment.
There were some limitations to the current study. The sample was very small and secondly,
participants were recruited from one secondary school only. The probability to generalize the
findings is thus limited. Third, the study only examined short-term effects. Long-term effects
of the intervention were left unknown. We would like to see the long time effect of song based
intervention. Would the intervention be able to sustain students’ interest in learning
vocabulary? .
Finally, it is a good idea if the teacher finds out the songs favoured by the students beforehand.
There were a handful of boys who were not keen with the songs we played. I wish I had done
a survey prior to the intervention to find out what the students enjoy listening to. From my
observation, I suggest that teachers should try her/his best to use songs that students will
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like. I have found out that the students’ motivation levels are the determining factor in whether
or not a song will work.
1.8 SUGGESTIONS
Like any other research, this research should be conducted in a bigger scale as this will help
to obtain more data, confirm the findings and enable the drawing of a more concrete
conclusion. Ideally, the intervention should be implemented at least four times to enable the
researcher to draw a more valid conclusion and to see whether the improvements are
consistent. Apart from that, more efforts are needed to validate and confirm the findings
especially in the transcription of data gained through observation.
The researched revealed that the majority of the students are aware of the importance of
learning vocabulary and they want to improve and expand their vocabulary. As such, teachers
are recommended to create an encouraging atmosphere in the English classes to fulfil their
needs. They should also motivate the students to learn vocabulary by teaching the students
the various strategies to learn vocabulary. Furthermore, they should integrate up-to-date
materials and supplementary resources in addition to the English text books. This can help
them expose to the prominent and trendy words. Finally, curriculum makers should review the
content and the design of the curriculum to meet the needs and the interests of the students
nowadays,
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BIBLIOGRAPHY & REFERENCES
1. Abdullah al Mamun et al ;2012. Students’ Attitudes towards English: The Case of

Life Science School of Khulna University Sk.International Review of Social Sciences
and Humanities Vol. 3, No. 1 (2012), pp. 200-209.
2. Hague, A.S. (1987). Vocabulary Instruction: What L2 Can Learn from L1.
3. Hidayat, N. (2016). Improving Students’ Vocabulary Achievement through

Word Game. Journal of English Educators Society, 1(2), 95-104.
4. Jafre, ZA, Pour M.M;et al; (2011). Theory and Practices in Language Studies, Vol
1. No 11, pp 1488-1496
5. Kemmis, S. and McTaggart, R. (eds) (1988) The action research planner - 3rd ed.
Belmont, Victoria: Deakin University
6. Kurt Lewin, 1946. Action Research and Minority Problems, Journal of Social Is-
sues, 2: 34- 46
7. Lewis, M. (1993), The Lexical Approach, Language Teaching Publication, England
8. Lo, R. & Li, H.C. (1998). Songs Enhance Learner Involvement. English Teaching.
UP
9. Mc Carthy, M. (1990). Vocabulary. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
10. Ministry of Education. (2011). Malaysia Education Blueprint 201’3-2025.

Putrajaya: Bahagian Pendidikan Guru.
11. MJZ Abidin, M Pour-Mohammadi, H Alzwari . (2011). The Effectiveness of Using

Songs in YouTube to Improve Vocabulary Competence among Upper Second
ary School Studients. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, Vol. 1, No. 11, pp.
1488-1496, November 2011 © 2011
12 Nation, I. S. P. (2001). Learning Vocabulary in another Language. Cambridge:

Cambridge.
13 Orlova, N. (1997). ―Developing Speech Habits with the Help of Songs. : 25

December, 2007. International Journal of Scientific & Technology Research Volume
4, Issue 06, June.
14 Saunders, M. N. K., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2012). Research Methods for
Business Students. Harlow, England: Pearson Education
15 Wilkins. D.(1972). Linguistics in Language Teaching. Cambridge: CPU

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APPENDIX 1
VOCABULARY TEST
(PRE TEST/POST TEST)

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SMK ENGKU HUSAIN, SEMENYIH

HEY! LET’S LEARN NEW WORDS
PRE TEST/POST TEST
Name :________________________ Form: __________________________
remind sail stuck count guide
a) Fill in the blanks with the words given below. (Count on Me)
1. Who was the first person to _____________ around the world?
2. Can you please _________________ the number of words in this essay?
3. The little baby ____________________ his little finger in the pie.
4. Her example helped to ___________________________ me towards a career in
medicine.
5. She wanted her mother to ___________________________ her about her aunty’s
birthday.
liquor failure lonely goal least
limit major
1) “Try to ______________________ the amount of Coke you drink”. It is bad for your
health.
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2) She felt ______________________ after her parents had died in a car crash.
3) You should at ______________________ brush your teeth three times a day.
4) My ______________________ in my life is to be the richest man in Malaysia
5) You should make ___________________ changes in your life style if you want to be
successful.
6) The biggest ______________________ in my life is “not trying very hard”.
7) _____________________ such as beer is bad for your health. You should not give
them to children and teenagers.
c)Fill in the blanks with the words given below.
attached travelled float ashamed
bow ascend confidant
1) She_______________________ to Mantin every week to see her sick mother.
2) Basir is a very close and trusted __________________________ of the President.
3) Colin who was very _________________________to his step-father missed him very
much when he passed away.
4. The coach taught the children how to __________________________ in the water.
5. The boy refused to _________________________ down before the priest.
6. The boy looked very _________________________________ when he was caught with

the money.
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7. The path started to ______________________________ more steeply as they climbed

higher up the hill.
APPENDIX 2
COUNT ON ME
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"Count On Me" by Bruno Mars
If you ever find yourself stuck in the middle of the sea

I'll sail the world to find you
If you ever find yourself lost in the dark and you can't see
I'll be the light to guide you
We find out what we're made of

When we are called to help our friends in need
You can count on me

Like 1, 2, 3
I'll be there
And I know when I need it
I can count on you
Like 4, 3, 2
You'll be there
'Cause that's what friends are supposed to do
If you're tossin' and you're turnin'

And you just can't fall asleep
I'll sing a song beside you
And if you ever forget how much you really mean to me
Every day I will remind you

You can count on me

Like 1, 2, 3
I'll be there
I can count on you
Like 4, 3, 2
You'll be there
You'll always have my shoulder when you cry

I'll never let go, never say goodbye
You know
You can count on me

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Like 1, 2, 3
I'll be there
I can count on you
Like 4, 3, 2
And you'll be there
You can count on me 'cause I can count on you
"Count On Me" by Bruno Mars
Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks with the correct words.
If you ever find yourself _____________________ in the middle of the sea

I'_____________________ the world to find you
If you ever find yourself lost in the dark and you can't see
I'll be the light to _____________________ you

You can _____________________ on me

Like 1, 2, 3
I'll be there
I can count on you
Like 4, 3, 2
You'll be there
If you're tossin' and you're turnin'

And you just can't fall asleep
I'll sing a song beside you
And if you ever forget how much you really mean to me
Every day I will _____________________ you

You can count on me

Like 1, 2, 3
I'll be there
I can count on you
Like 4, 3, 2
You'll be there
21
You'll always have my shoulder when you cry

I'll never let go, never say goodbye
You know
You can count on me

Like 1, 2, 3
I'll be there
I can count on you
Like 4, 3, 2
And you'll be there
You can count on me 'cause I can count on you
Exercise 2: Match the words to the meanings.
BOX A BOX B
remind determine the total number of .
stuck travel with boat
travel cause to remember someone or something.
sail children in the hall, but he was too busy.
count Make a journey
Exercise 3: Match the sentence from Box A to Box B to form a complete

sentence.
BOX A BOX B
He asked me if I could remind children with their homework.
He wanted to count the number of neighbouring islands in search of food,

22
Parents should guide their him of his meeting at 2pm.
The people decided to sail to the children in the hall, but he was too busy.
She travelled all over the world looking for her mother
APPENDIX 3
SEVEN YEARS
23
"7 Years" by Lukas Grahm
Once I was seven years old, my mama told me

"Go make yourself some friends or you'll be lonely"
Once I was seven years old
It was a big big world, but we thought we were bigger

Pushing each other to the limits, we were learning quicker
By eleven smoking herb and drinking burning liquor
Never rich so we were out to make that steady figure
Once I was eleven years old, my daddy told me

"Go get yourself a wife or you'll be lonely"
Once I was eleven years old
I always had that dream, like my daddy before me

So I started writing songs, I started writing stories
Something about that glory just always seemed to bore me
'Cause only those I really love will ever really know me
Once I was twenty years old, my story got told

Before the morning sun, when life was lonely
Once I was twenty years old
(Lukas Graham!)
I only see my goals, I don't believe in failure

'Cause I know the smallest voices, they can make it major
I got my boys with me, at least those in favor
And if we don't meet before I leave, I hope I'll see you later

I was writing 'bout everything I saw before me
Soon we'll be thirty years old, our songs have been sold
We've traveled around the world and we're still roaming
24
Soon we'll be thirty years old
I'm still learning about life

My woman brought children for me
So I can sing them all my songs
And I can tell them stories
Most of my boys are with me
Some are still out seeking glory
And some I had to leave behind
My brother, I'm still sorry
Soon I'll be sixty years old, my daddy got sixty-one

Remember life, and then your life becomes a better one
I made a man so happy when I wrote a letter once
I hope my children come and visit once or twice a month
Soon I'll be sixty years old, will I think the world is cold
Or will I have a lot of children who can warm me?
Soon I'll be sixty years old

"Go make yourself some friends or you'll be lonely"

25
"7 Years" by Lukas Graham
Exercise 1 : Fill in the blanks with the correct words.

"Go make yourself some friends or you'll be lonely
It was a big big world, but we thought we were bigger

Pushing each other to the _____________________, we were learning quicker (limit, lane)
By eleven smoking herb and drinking burning _____________ ( water, liquor )
Never rich so we were out to make that steady figure
Once I was eleven years old, my daddy told me

"Go get yourself a wife or you'll be lonely"
Once I was eleven years old
I always had that dream, like my daddy before me

So I started writing songs, I started writing stories
Something about that glory just always seemed to bore me
'Cause only those I really love will ever really know me

Before the morning sun, when life was lonely
I only see my ___________________, I don't believe in ________________

'Cause I know the smallest voices, they can make it _______________
I got my boys with me, at _____________________ those in favour
And if we don't meet before I leave, I hope I'll see you later

I was writing 'bout everything I saw before me
Soon we'll be thirty years old, our songs have been sold
26
We've travelled around the world and we're still roaming

Soon we'll be thirty years old
I'm still learning about life

My woman brought children for me
So I can sing them all my songs
And I can tell them stories
Most of my boys are with me
Some are still out seeking glory
And some I had to leave behind
My brother, I'm still sorry
Soon I'll be sixty years old, my daddy got sixty-one

Remember life, and then your life becomes a better one
I made a man so happy when I wrote a letter once
I hope my children come and visit once or twice a month

"Go make yourself some friends or you'll be _____________________ "

27
Exercise 1: Sequence the sentences.
……….I got my boys with me, at least those in favour
……….And if we don't meet before I leave, I hope I'll see you later
……….Once I was twenty years old
……….I only see my goals, I don't believe in failure
……….'Cause I know the smallest voices, they can make it major
……….Once I was twenty years old, my story got told
……….Before the morning sun, when life was lonely
Exercise 2. Make sentences with the words below.
1. liquor
2. failure
3. lonely
4. goal
5. least
6. major
28
7. limit
APPENDIX 4
THANK YOU FOR BEING MY FRIEND

29
THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND – Andrew Gold
Thank you for being a friend

Travelled down the road and back again
your heart is true you're a pal and a confidant
I'm not ashamed to say

I hope it always will stay this way
My hat is off, won't you stand up and take a bow
And if you threw a party

Invited everyone you knew
You would see, the biggest gift would be from me
and the card attached would say,
Thank you for being a friend (3X)
If it's a car you lack

I'd surely buy you a cadillac
Whatever you need, anytime of the day or night

And when we both get older

With walking canes and hair of grey
Have no fear, even though it's hard to hear
I will stand real close and say,
(I want to thank you)

30

Let me tell you about a friend
And when we die and float away

Into the night, the Milky Way
You'll hear me call, as we ascend
I'll see you there, then once again

Whoa, tell you about a friend
(Thank you right now, for being a friend)
(I wanna tell you about a pal, and I'll tell you again)
(I wanna thank you, thank you, for being a friend)
31
Exercise 1 : Fill in the blanks with correct words.
THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND- Andrew Gold

__________ down the road and back again
your heart is true you're a pal and a __________
I'm not __________ to say

My hat is off, won't you stand up and take a __________
and if you threw a party
Invited everyone you knew
You would see, the biggest gift would be from me
and the card __________ would say,
Thank you for being a friend (3X)
If it's a car you lack

I'd surely buy you a cadillac
Whatever you need, anytime of the day or night

And when we both get older

32
With walking canes and hair of __________
Have no fear, even though it's hard to hear

I will stand real close and say,

Let me tell you about a friend
And when we die and _________ away

Into the night, the Milky Way
You'll hear me call, as we ________
I'll see you there, then once again

Whoa, tell you about a friend
(Thank you right now, for being a friend)
(I wanna tell you about a pal, and I'll tell you again)
(I wanna thank you, thank you, for being a friend)
33
I M A G I N A Q R U
T R A V E L L E D K
N E R T Y R E L R A
A R M Y T U T P B S
D U C K B A I T O H
I C H I O V C Y U A
F U E L W H 0 H G M
N O F I R W T S E E
O V E R A S C E N D
C O S M O P O F D Z
Exercise 2 : identify the following words in the word- maze.
FOAT CONFIDENT
34
ATTACHED BOW
ASCEND ASHAMED
GREY TRAVELLED
Exercise 3: Put the lines in order
_____ I'm not ashamed to say
_____and the card attached would say,
_____My hat is off, won't you stand up and take a bow
_____Invited everyone you knew
_____Thank you for being a friend
_____your heart is true you're a pal and a confidant
_____Travelled down the road and back again
_____You would see, the biggest gift would be from me
_____Thank you for being a friend
_____I hope it always will stay this way
_____And if you threw a party

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HEY! LET’S LEARN NEW WORDS: USING ENGLISH SONGS TO

ANBUKKARASI A/P KANNAN

SMK Engku Husain

Keywords: effectiveness, vocabulary, knowledge, attitude, intervention, reinforce

1.0 BACKGROUND OF STUDY

1.1 PROBLEM STATEMENT

English language has become a global means of communication and interaction. It is a

1.2 PURPOSE OF STUDY

To determine the effectiveness of using English songs to improve vocabulary knowledge

1 ) To determine students’ vocabulary knowledge before intervention.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1) How is the students’ vocabulary knowledge before intervention?.

1.5.1 RESEARCH DESIGN

1.5.2 TARGET GROUP

Observation involves studying the spontaneous behaviour of participants in natural surround-

ii) Oral survey

iii) Vocabulary Test

Diagram 1: Action Research Model by

Stage 1: Initial Reflection - identify the problem

Intervention 1 (refer to appendix 2)

3. Teacher discusses and explains the vocabulary words.

Intervention 2 (refer to appendix 3)

Intervention 3 (refer to appendix 4)

1.6 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

1.61 FINDINGS FROM VOCABULARY TEST

How is the students’ vocabulary knowledge before intervention?.

The table below shows the scores of the pre test.

Table 1: Pre test scores

Student Pre test Score Student Pre test Score

Table 2: Classification of Vocabulary Knowledge (Pre test)

N=30 BEFORE BEFORE

How is the students’ vocabulary knowledge after intervention?.

The table below shows the scores of the post test.

Table 4: Classification of Vocabulary Knowledge (Post test)

AVERAGE (50%-79%) 14 46.7

Table 6: A Comparison of Classification of Vocabulary Knowledge

N=30 BEFORE BEFORE AFTER AFTER

Table 7: Mean and SD of Pre and Post Test Scores

Pre Test Post Test

1.62 FINDINGS FROM ORAL SURVEY

How is the students’ attitude towards vocabulary learning before intervention?

Table 8: Attitude towards Vocabulary Learning Before Intervention

1. My vocabulary is limited. 30 students 100

How is the students’ attitude towards vocabulary learning after intervention?

Table 9: Attitude towards Vocabulary Learning After Intervention

1. My vocabulary is limited. 15 students 50

1. My vocabulary is limited. 100 50

1.7 FINDINGS FROM OBSERVATION

1.8 Reflection on the Overall Study

BIBLIOGRAPHY & REFERENCES

1. Abdullah al Mamun et al ;2012. Students’ Attitudes towards English: The Case of

3. Hidayat, N. (2016). Improving Students’ Vocabulary Achievement through

7. Lewis, M. (1993), The Lexical Approach, Language Teaching Publication, England

9. Mc Carthy, M. (1990). Vocabulary. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

10. Ministry of Education. (2011). Malaysia Education Blueprint 201’3-2025.

11. MJZ Abidin, M Pour-Mohammadi, H Alzwari . (2011). The Effectiveness of Using

12 Nation, I. S. P. (2001). Learning Vocabulary in another Language. Cambridge:

13 Orlova, N. (1997). ―Developing Speech Habits with the Help of Songs. : 25

15 Wilkins. D.(1972). Linguistics in Language Teaching. Cambridge: CPU

(PRE TEST/POST TEST)

SMK ENGKU HUSAIN, SEMENYIH

Name :________________________ Form: __________________________

Name : Form: __