The Effects Of Songs In The Foreign Language Classroom On Text Recall, Delayed Text Recall And Involuntary Mental Rehearsal

Abstract

Music represents an integral part of the human culture, and particularly language and communication. Music can be a powerful tool in the learning experience. The purpose of the present study is to investigate whether English native-speaker students learning a foreign language can benefit from integrating music into the curriculum. Students’ text recall was measured after listening to songs and text passages. Delayed recall and involuntary mental rehearsal (din) were also measured. Results showed text recall was better in the song condition that text passage. Also, treatment condition did not affect delayed recall; however it impacted involuntary mental rehearsal. Implications and suggestions about future applications of music in the curriculum are also explored.