Winter, N. D. Sing, Sing a Song: How using songs affect productive

130 Pages·2010·1.98 MB·English

by  Nicole Winter

Winter, N. D. Sing, Sing a Song: How using songs affect productive vocabulary
acquisition of English language learners (2010)

This study explores how using songs during ESL instruction could lead to productive
vocabulary gains in 2nd grade English language learners. Key influences included
Medina (1990) and Beck, McKeown, and Kucan (2002). This study included a control
group—given traditional vocabulary instruction, and experimental group—exposed to
vocabulary instruction incorporating songs. Three sets of vocabulary were presented in
conjunction with three stories. Pre-tests, end-of-story oral assessments, and post-tests
were administered. Most of the findings were inconclusive; however, students given
instruction using songs felt more confident in their vocabulary knowledge at the
conclusion of the study.
SING, SING A SONG:
HOW USING SONGS AFFECT PRODUCTIVE VOCABULARY ACQUISITION OF ENGLISH
LANGUAGE LEARNERS

by
Nicole D. Winter

A Capstone submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of Masters of Arts in English as a Second Language

Hamline University
St. Paul, Minnesota
May 2010

Committee:
Kathryn Heinze, Primary Advisor
Cynthia Lundgren, Secondary Advisor
Lori Henry, Peer Reviewer
DEDICATION

To my amazing students and their wonderful families that together work so hard to
make their dreams come true. You are my inspiration!
To my family, friends, and colleagues that have supported me throughout this process.
Your encouragement has been a blessing.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the following people that were vital to
my successful completion of this thesis.
• Nancy Clark, my colleague, mentor, and friend. I learn so much from you each
day. Thank you for your guidance and friendship.
• My interpreter and friend, Valentina Gallegos. You are such a wonderful asset to
our school and community. You help bridge the divide often found at schools
with such large diverse populations. Thank you for all your assistance with this
endeavor.
• My colleagues. I am so lucky to work with such wonderful people. Your
flexibility and kindness during this research was remarkable. Our students are so
lucky to have such caring and dedicated teachers striving to ensure their on-
going success.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1
Music and Productive Vocabulary Development....................................................... 3
Importance of Vocabulary Development .................................................................. 4
Role of the Researcher ............................................................................................ 6
Background of the Researcher ................................................................................. 7
Summary ................................................................................................................. 7
Chapter Overviews .................................................................................................. 8
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW............................................................................... 9
Music and Culture .................................................................................................. 10
Music and Brain Research....................................................................................... 12
Music and Language Learning ................................................................................ 15
Receptive and Productive Vocabulary..................................................................... 19
Using Music to Enhance Vocabulary ...................................................................... 25
Chapter Summary .................................................................................................. 29
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY ................................................................................. 31
Overview of Chapter .............................................................................................. 32
Research Paradigm ................................................................................................ 32
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Data Collection ...................................................................................................... 33
Procedure ............................................................................................................... 41
Data Analysis .......................................................................................................... 47
Verification of Data ................................................................................................ 48
Ethical Considerations ............................................................................................ 49
CHAPTER FOUR .............................................................................................................. 52
Pre-test Results ...................................................................................................... 52
End-of-Story Production Assessment Results .......................................................... 54
Post-tests Results ................................................................................................... 61
Data Comparison: Pre-test and Post-test Results .................................................... 64
General Findings ..................................................................................................... 68
CHAPTER FIVE ................................................................................................................ 70
Major Findings........................................................................................................ 70
Implications for Teaching ....................................................................................... 72
Limitations ............................................................................................................. 74
Further Research .................................................................................................... 76
Professional Growth ............................................................................................... 76

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APPENDICES .................................................................................................................. 78
Appendix A–Written tests: pre-tests and post-tests ............................................... 79
Appendix B—oral production post-test .................................................................. 83
Appendix C—Rubrics .............................................................................................. 87
Appendix D—Lesson plans...................................................................................... 89
Appendix E—Songs for enhancing productive vocabulary..................................... 102
Appendix F—Consent form .................................................................................. 106
References................................................................................................................... 109

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LIST OF TABLES
Table 3.1 Students’ scores on the Woodcock-Muñoz Language Survey—Revised .......... 37
Table 3.2 Participant Information .................................................................................. 38
Table 3.3 Example of Self-assessment chart used during the pre-test and post-test ...... 45
Table 4.1 Red-Eyed Tree Frog—Production Test Results—Control Group ...................... 55
Table 4.2 Red-Eyed Tree Frog—Production Test Results—Experimental Group ............. 55
Table 4.3 What Do You Do When Something Wants to Eat You?—Production Test
Results—Control Group ................................................................................................ 57
Table 4.4 What Do You Do When Something Wants to Eat You?—Production Test
Results—Experimental Group ....................................................................................... 57
Table 4.5 Grandpa Toad’s Secret —Production Test Results—Control Group ................. 59
Table 4.6 Grandpa Toad’s Secret —Production Test Results—Experimental Group........ 59
Table 4.7 Oral Production Post-test Results-Control Group ............................................ 63
Table 4.8 Oral Production Post-test Results-Experimental Group................................... 63

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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 2.1 Researchers’ Divisions of Word Knowledge ................................................... 20
Figure 2.2 Synthesized continuum of Word Knowledge ................................................. 22
Figure 3.1 Demographic Breakdown of School’s Ethnicity .............................................. 34
Figure 3.2 Demographic Breakdown of School’s Home Languages ................................. 34
Figure 4.1 Pre-test Cloze Assessment Results for the Control Group and Experimental
Group ........................................................................................................................... 53
Figure 4.2 Pre-test Self-Assessment Results for the Control Group and Experimental
Group ........................................................................................................................... 53
Figure 4.3 End-of-story Oral Production Test result comparisons for the Control Group
and Experimental Group ................................................................................................ 60
Figure 4.4 Post-test Cloze Assessment Results for the Control Group and Experimental
Group ........................................................................................................................... 61
Figure 4.5 Self-assessment results for the Control group and Experimental Group on the
Post-test ........................................................................................................................ 62
Figure 4.6 Pre-Test and Post-test Results for Control Group .......................................... 65
Figure 4.7 Pre-Test and Post-test Results for Experimental Group ................................. 65
Figure 4.8 Comparison of Pre-test and Post-test Result for the Control and
Experiemental Group ..................................................................................................... 66
Figure 4.9 Pre-test and Post-test Self-Assessment Results for Control Group ................. 67
Figure 4.10 Pre-test and Post-test Self-Assessment Results for Experimental Group ...... 68

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1

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

While teaching elementary English as a Second Language (ESL) students, I found
that they were struggling with the production of new vocabulary terms. This seemed
odd to me since the vast majority of them passed the multiple-choice vocabulary
portion of their ESL unit tests with over 90 percent accuracy. A question arose: Why
are my ESL students successful on the vocabulary tests, but unable to use the new
words in their oral or written language? This question lingered in the back of my mind
when I stumbled upon an article about receptive and productive vocabulary. I then
discovered that productive vocabulary is the ability to know and use a word in various
written and spoken contexts. In contrast, receptive vocabulary means that learners may
be aware of the word, and may even understand it when others use it, but do not
produce it in oral or written discourse (Webb, 2005; Waring, 1999; Lehr, Osborn, &
Hiebert, 2004). Previously, I had viewed vocabulary learning as one category of word
knowledge. I had not thought about the differences in productive versus receptive use
of new words. After becoming aware of these differences in vocabulary acquisition, I
realized that my students were successful in the receptive area of vocabulary learning
(the multiple-choice questions on the unit tests), but not necessarily the productive area
(using the new words in written or spoken contexts).
English language learners need to be able to use new vocabulary productively in
order to be fully proficient in the language. The ability to produce words is crucial in