THE USE OF SONGS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING: A MIXED-METHOD STUDY IN A SECONDARY SCHOOL CONTEXT

Abstract

Despite its central role in global communication and academic life, English continues to pose significant challenges for learners in traditional classroom settings. Conventional instructional approaches that prioritize rote grammar exercises and vocabulary memorization have long been criticized for generating passive, disengaged learners with diminished intrinsic motivation. This study explores an alternative pedagogical avenue—the integration of songs into English language instruction—and examines its influence on pronunciation, vocabulary acquisition, grammatical comprehension, and affective engagement among secondary school students. A mixed-method design was employed, drawing on questionnaire data, classroom observations, and semi-structured interviews from a cohort of 20 students from eighth-grade across a six month intervention period. Quantitative analysis revealed statistically meaningful improvements across linguistic and motivational indicators, while qualitative findings offered richer insight into students' subjective learning experiences. The results demonstrate that song-based instruction not only supports language acquisition at a structural level but also substantially reduces classroom anxiety and cultivates a more participatory, confident learning environment. These findings contribute to the growing body of research advocating for creative, affectively sensitive pedagogies in ELT and carry practical implications for instructional design in secondary education.