Using songs for beginners to learn Chinese : an action research study of local/global language education

  • Xia Hua

Western Sydney University thesis: Master's thesis

Abstract

Despite the previous research into the use of music, particularly songs, in teaching English, Spanish, and many other languages, the implication of employing songs in Chinese teaching classrooms is still under-developed. This research fills the gap in this area by combining pre-existing theories with practice in Sydney public school. Through examining student's responses and feedbacks, the effectiveness of using songs in Chinese teaching is critically analysed, and the basic procedures in classroom use is generated. It is argued that since this pedagogy provides students with the opportunity to practice Chinese through entertaining and culturally rich songs, it enhances the learnability of Chinese as a second language. There are three major findings to support this argument: 1. The use of songs can aid in the recall of lexical input by producing mental repetition. 2. Through learning with supporting activities, students can be scaffolded to recognise and reconstruct grammatical structure. 3. Songs can provide motivations for students to explore Chinese and cultural learning. This thesis is part of the researches on the use of music in language teaching. It contributes to the future pedagogical researches regarding language teaching, especially Chinese teaching domain. More importantly, by engaging more students in Chinese learning, it can enhance the popularisation of Chinese in Australian schools.
Date of Award2015
Original languageEnglish

Keywords

  • songs
  • Chinese
  • study and teaching
  • music in education
  • Australia
  • Chinese language

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