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Chinese Journal of Applied Linguistics

Ed. by Wen, Qiufang

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Development of morphological awareness through English songs: a case study

Teng Feng
Published Online: 2016-06-15 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/cjal-2016-0011

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Abstract

The present study investigated the effects of English songs on morphological development— inflection, derivation, and compound words. Fifty Chinese EFL students were involved in this study. Two tests were administered to each learner immediately before and after the study. Results from the pre-tests revealed that all three groups with different vocabulary sizes brought some morphological knowledge to the study. The findings exhibited some evidence to support the fact that teaching through English songs can lead to the development of learner’s receptivity to morphology. However, exposure to the song was insufficient to develop productive knowledge in most of the learners. The study also revealed that groups with smaller vocabulary tended to achieve lower scores than groups with larger vocabulary. Based on these results and previous findings, pedagogical implications were made.

Keywords: morphology; English song; receptive; productive knowledge; vocabulary

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About the article

Teng Feng

TENG Feng is a language teacher educator at the department of English, Nanning University, China. His main research interests include teaching and learning vocabulary, extensive reading and listening.

This work was supported through New Century Higher Education Reform Project of Guangxi (2013JGA446).

Published Online: 2016-06-15

Published in Print: 2016-06-01

Citation Information: Chinese Journal of Applied Linguistics, Volume 39, Issue 2, Pages 167–184, ISSN (Online) 2192-9513, ISSN (Print) 2192-9505, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/cjal-2016-0011.

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