Nghiên cứu về phát triển ngôn ngữ cho học sinh trường Tiểu học Đoàn Xá thông qua điệu ca, bài hát và trò chơi = A study on using chants, songs and games to DEVELOP LANGUAGE IN TEACHING ENGLISH TO STUDENTS AT DOAN XA PRIMARY SCHOOL

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES



NGUYỄN THỊ THOAN


A STUDY ON USING CHANTS, SONGS AND GAMES TO
DEVELOP LANGUAGE IN TEACHING ENGLISH TO
STUDENTS AT DOAN XA PRIMARY SCHOOL

NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ PHÁT TRIỂN NGÔN NGỮ CHO HỌC SINH
TRƢỜNG TIỂU HỌC ĐOÀN XÁ THÔNG QUA
ĐIỆU CA, BÀI HÁT VÀ TRÒ CHƠI


M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field : English Teaching Methodology
Code : 60 14 0111





Hanoi – 2014
VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES




NGUYỄN THỊ THOAN


A STUDY ON USING CHANTS, SONGS AND GAMES TO
DEVELOP LANGUAGE IN TEACHING ENGLISH TO
STUDENTS AT DOAN XA PRIMARY SCHOOL

NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ PHÁT TRIỂN NGÔN NGỮ CHO HỌC SINH
TRƢỜNG TIỂU HỌC ĐOÀN XÁ THÔNG QUA
ĐIỆU CA, BÀI HÁT VÀ TRÒ CHƠI


M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field : English Teaching Methodology
Code : 60 14 0111
Supervisor : Dr. Mai Thi Loan




Hanoi – 2014

i
DECLARATION
I certify that the thesis entitled “A study on using chants, songs and games to
develop language in teaching English to students at Doan Xa Primary school”

which is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree of Master
of Arts, is the result of my study. It has not been presented anywhere.

Hanoi 2014

Nguyen Thi Thoan






















ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Firstly, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor - Dr.
Mai Thi Loan for useful instructions, comments and support during the process of
fulfilling the thesis.
Secondly, I would like to give my sincere thanks to all the teachers of
English at the department of post graduate who gave me useful lectures.
My gratitude also sends to all English teachers at Doan Xa Primary school
for their interesting and important ideas which helped me so much for my
questionnaire.
Finally, I am thankful to my family and friends for their valuable care and
encouragement.
















iii
ABSTRACT
The aim of this thesis is to investigate whether using chants, songs and
games in teaching language in general and teaching vocabulary in particular is

effective or not. The researcher also tries to find out the ways of using chants, songs
and games to teach language for the third-grade students at Doan Xa Primary school.
In order to reach the aims of the thesis, the author used the following data
collection instruments: interview for teachers, survey questionnaire for students and
tests for students.
The results and findings show that students’ vocabulary improves
considerably after learning English through chants, songs and games. Furthermore,
the findings also point out that in the lessons using chants, songs and games,
teachers should design a variety of tasks such as gap-filling, multiple choice, ticking
true or false to enhance students’ vocabulary. Teachers should also choose chants,
songs and games from various sources such as internet, CD, VCD or television to
attract students’ concentration.














iv
LIST OF CHARTS AND TABLES
Chart 1: Students’ attitude towards learning vocabulary with the use of chants, songs
and games 22

Chart 2: Teachers’ frequency of using chants, songs and games 26
Chart 3: Teachers’ attitudes towards the effectiveness of chants, songs and
games 27
Chart 4: Raw marks in vocabulary test (pre-test) 31
Chart 5: Raw marks in vocabulary test (post-test) 33

Table 1: Students’ improvement after they had been taught with the use of chants,
songs and games 23
Table 2: Students’ favorite tasks in the lesson with the use of chants, songs and
games 24
Table 3: The sources of chants, songs and games 28
Table 4: Frequency distribution (pre-test) 30
Table 5: Mean and standard deviation (pre-test) 31
Table 6: Frequency distribution (post-test) 32
Table 7: Mean and standard deviation (post-test) 33













v
TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT i
DECLARATION ii
ABSTRACT iii
LIST OF CHARTS AND TABLES iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS v
PART I: INTRODUCTION 1
1. Rationale of the study 1
2. Aims and objectives of the study 2
3. Research questions 2
4. Scope of the study 2
5. Significance of the study 2
6. Methodology 2
7. Design of the study 3
PART II: DEVELOPMENT 4
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 4
1.1. Definition of language 4
1.2. The role of teachers and students in teaching and learning language 4
1.2.1. Teachers’ role 4
1.2.2. Students’ role 6
1.3. Review of methods and approaches for teaching language 7
1.3.1. Methods of teaching language 7
1.3.2. Approaches for teaching language 8
1.4. Chants, songs and games as motivations for students to improve language 9
1.5. Aspects of language that can be improved through chants, songs and games 11
1.5.1. Pronunciation 11
1.5.2. Vocabulary 11
1.5.3. Listening 12
1.5.4. Speaking 13
1.6. Choosing chants, songs and games 13

vi
1.6.1. Choosing chants and songs 13
1.6.2. Choosing games 14
1.7. Review of related studies 14
1.8. Summary 16
CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 17
2.1. The setting of the study 17
2.1.1. Conditions which affect students’ participation in a language lesson 17
2.1.2. Teaching and learning conditions at Doan Xa primary school 17
2.2. Participants 19
2.3. Data collection instruments 19
2.3.1. Questionnaire for students 19
2.3.2. Interview for teachers 20
2.3.3. Tests 20
2.4 Data collection and analysis procedure 20
2.5. Summary 21
CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS 22
3.1. Questionnaire for students 22
3.1.1. Aims 22
3.1.2. Participants 22
3.1.3. Data analysis 22
3.1.3.1. Students’ attitude towards learning vocabulary with the use of chants,
songs and games 22
3.1.3.2. The improvement of students after they had been taught with the use of
chants, songs and games 23
3.1.3.3. Students’ favorite tasks in the lesson with the use of chants, songs and
games 24
3.1.3.4. The difficulties the learners had while they studied with the use of chants,
songs and games 24
3.2. Interview for teachers 26

3.2.1. Aims 26

vii
3.2.2. Participants 26
3.2.3. Data analysis 26
3.2.3.1. Teachers’ frequency of using chants, songs and games 26
3.2.3.2. Teachers’ attitudes towards the effectiveness of chants, songs and games.27
3.2.3.3. The difficulties the teachers had while designing a lesson with the use of
chants, songs and games. 27
3.2.3.4. The sources of chants, songs and games. 28
3.2.3.5. The tasks teachers design to teach students with the use of chants, songs
and games. 29
3.3. Tests 29
3.3.1. Aims 29
3.3.2. Participants 29
3.3.3. Test description 30
3.3.4. Data analysis and findings 30
3.3.4.1. Pre-test (at the beginning of the term) 30
3.3.4.1.1. Frequency distribution 30
3.3.4.1.2. Correlation 31
3.3.4.2. Post- test (at the end of the term) 32
3.3.4.2.1. Frequency distribution 32
3.3.4.2.2. Correlation 33
3.4. Summary 34
CHAPTER 4: PEDAGOGICAL SUGGESTIONS 35
4.1. The use of chants, songs and games in the lesson 35
4.1.1. The use of chants 35
4.1.2. The use of songs 35
4.1.3. The use of games 36
4.2. Suggestions for task designing 36

4.3. A sample lesson plan using chants, songs and games 37
4.4. Summary 38
PART III: CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS 39

viii
1. Recapitulation 39
2. Conclusion 39
3. Limitations of the study 40
4. Suggestions for further study 40
REFERENCES 41

APPENDIX 1: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS (ENGLISH
AND VIETNAMESE VERSIONS) I
APPENDIX 2: INTERVIEW FOR TEACHERS V
APPENDIX 3: PRE-TEST VIII
APPENDIX 4: POST-TEST IX
APPENDIX 5: SAMPLE TASKS X
APPENDIX 6: SAMPLE LESSON PLAN XIV


1
PART I: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale of the study
“The entire middle class seem want to learn English for their children as an
international vehicle which they can then use with the rest of the world” (Arthur Mc.
in Graddol and Meinhof, 1995:5). This is true that people all can not deny that
nowadays English plays a significant role in the world in general and in our life in
particular. It is the international language in the world which is used widely in many
fields of our daily life. It is the language of science and technology, economy and
commerce. It is also the language of aviation, tourism, education and many other

fields. It is chosen to be taught in many schools in many countries as the second
language. Therefore, governments pay more attention to teaching and learning
English.
One of the most crucial goals of teaching and learning English is to
communicate. Communication helps people exchange knowledge, love, experiences,
etc but if people do not have enough knowledge of that language, they will have
many difficulties in exchanging information. They can not understand the things
people want to talk to them or they do not know how to express their thoughts or it
maybe lead to misunderstanding or the communication breakdown. Recognizing
the significance of language in our life, howerver, most of the classrooms in
Vietnam in general and at Doan Xa primary school in particular, people do not
appreciate highly English - the language which is taught as the second language.
Students learn Vietnamese and Maths more than six periods per week. They
even learn more these subjects at school or in the teachers’ house, while, they have
two periods a week to learn many skills such as listening, speaking, reading and
writing. As a result, many students complained that they had spent plenty of time
studying English but they can not remember lessons they had learned and some
days later even some hours later they forgot them completely. This is the reason
why teaching and learning English requires a new method to make learning English
language interesting and effective.

2
Facing with this situation, the researcher chooses the study on using chants,
songs and games to develop language for students at Doan Xa school.
2. Aims and objectives of the study
The study aims at finding out how chants, songs and games are used by
teachers in the classroom and how students respond to the ways chants, songs and
games are used in the classroom.
To be more specific, the objectives of this study are to:
- investigate how chants, songs and games are used to teach language for primary

students.
- find out the ways to teach language for primary students with the use of chants,
songs and games.
3. Research questions
With above aims, the researcher conducts this study to answer the following
questions:
1. What are the teachers’ purposes of using chants, songs and games in the
classroom?
2. What are the student’s opinions of chants, songs and games in their learning?
4. Scope of the study
Developing English language is a large field to research. Due to limitation of
time, experience and knowledge, this thesis only focused on exploiting English
chants, songs and games as supplementary materials to enrich vocabulary for the
3rd-form students at Doan Xa primary school.
5. Significance of the study
The study provides the teachers with the benefits of using chants, songs and
games in teaching language, especially in teaching vocabulary. This study also
suggests the ways of using chants, songs and games in the lesson.
6. Method of the study
In order to achieve the aims of the study, the following data collection
instruments were used:
1. A survey questionnaire for experimental class

3
2. An interview for four teachers of English at Doan Xa primary schools
3. A pre- test and post- test for both experimental and control classes
The collected data comes from four teachers of English and 60 students at
Doan Xa primary school. The data collection time lasted 17 weeks during the
second term of the school year 2013- 2014.
7. Design of the study

The study includes three parts:
Part 1 Introduction shows rationale, aims, objectives, research questions, scope,
significance, method and design of the study.
Part 2 Development includes 4 chapters:
Chapter 1: Literature review deals with some theoretical background relevant
to the study: definition of language; the role of teachers and students in teaching
and learning language; review of traditional methods and approaches for teaching
language; chants, songs and games as motivations for students to improve language;
aspects of language that can be improved through chants, songs and games;
choosing chants, songs and games and review of related studies.
Chapter 2: Research methodology focuses on the current situation of
teaching and learning Tieng Anh 3 at Doan Xa primary school, participants of the
study, data collection instruments, and data collection and analysis procedure.
Chapter 3 shows data analysis and findings
This chapter of the study goes on with data analysis and findings.
Chapter 4 shows implication for using chants, songs and games in the lesson,
suggestions for task designing, suggestions for using the topic of chants, songs and
games, role of teacher in teaching language and a sample lesson plan using chants,
songs and games.
Part 3: Conclusion and recommendations
This chapter summarises the major findings in part 2, states out the
limitations of the study and gives suggestions for futher study.



4
PART II: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
1.1. Definition of language
Language is defined in many ways by many authors. Sapir (1921:3) defined

language as a primarily human and non-instinctive method of communicating ideas,
emotions and desires by means of a system of voluntarily produced symbols.
Wharmough J. (1956:34) stated that “Language is a human, a verbal
systematic symbolism, a means of transmitting information, a form of social
behavior with a high degree of convention.”
According to Robert H. R. (1963:7), language is a symbol system, based on
pure and arbitrary convention, infinitely extendible and modifiable according to the
changing needs and conditions of the speakers.
Since language is a complicated concept which involves many aspects, it is
very difficult to make clear what definition of language is the most appreciated. In
opinion of the researcher, language is all of the ways which human use to
communicate and exchange information.
1.2. The role of teachers and students in teaching and learning language
1.2.1. Teachers’ role
Teacher plays a significant role in the success of second language learning.
Teacher plays one of the most influential roles to help students engage and persist in
the long process of second language acquisition. Joachim A. (1995:4) stated that
teachers have two major roles in the classroom: to create the conditions under which
learning can take place - the social side of teaching; to impart, by a variety of means,
knowledge to their learners - the task-oriented side of teaching.
Oxford and Shearin (1994:4) has mentioned some roles in the classroom of
language teacher as follows:
- Figure out learners’ real reasons for learning the language
- Help students build challenging but achievable goals
- Show students the benefits of learning the language
- Create a safe, welcoming, and non-intimidating teaching environment

5
- Motivate students to develop high but realistic intrinsic motivation
From the researcher’s viewpoint, teacher has a significant role in teaching

language to children as follows:
Firstly, teacher has an important role in showing students real reasons for
learning the language because most of the students love playing than learning. They
do not know the important role of learning in general and learning language in
particular, therefore teacher should highlight learners’ real reasons for learning the
language.
Furthermore, teacher often gives students challenging to help students find
learning not an easy job. To get the target of language is not an easy process which
requires great efforts. Depending on students’ ability of language, teacher gives the
suitable levels of challenge so that students feel learning not easy but not too
difficult. Of course, when facing with challenging, students sometimes feel tired
and want to give up the task. At this time, teacher helps students how to get
achievement goals.
In addition, many students are never absent from the class but they do not
recognize the real purpose of their learning. Some children go to school because
their parents want that. Some students see their all friends go to school and want to
go there to meet friends and have fun. Students try their best to get the best marks,
but they do not understand that what they do at school is for their future. Therefore,
the role of teacher is showing students the benefits of learning in general and
learning language in particular. Especially, nowadays learning language is very
significant. English is more important than an optional subject.
Moreover, the environment has a great influence on students’ learning. If the
atmosphere of the classroom is good, students will have fun and their learning is
more effective. Even shy students are not afraid of speaking, therefore, teacher
should create a safe, welcoming and non-intimidating teaching environment.
Finally, teacher also motivates students to develop high but realistic intrinsic
motivation. Teacher encourages students to develop their abilities that
are realistic to avoid wasting time and to get their purpose speedily.

6

1.2.2. Students’ role
Leo J. (2007:6) mentioned the role of learners as follows:
- Working alone, preparing ideas or making notes before a discussion, doing a
listening task, doing a short written assignment, or doing grammar or vocabulary
exercises.
- Working together in pairs or groups, comparing and discussing their answers, or
reading and reacting to one another’s written work and suggesting improvements.
- Working together in discussions or in role-plays, sharing ideas, opinions, and
experiences.
- Interacting with the teacher and the whole class, asking questions or brainstorming
ideas.
Gardner R. C. and Macintyre P. D. (2008:1-11) have listed some roles of
students such as: Firstly, students should have positive attitudes towards learning.
They have to learn vocabulary and they have to recognize the model as exactly as
they can. In each three lessons of one unit, there are two model sentences that
students have to remember because these are the language focus of the units. To do
this, students need to recognize, imitate and repeat activities until they can practice
the sentence pattern freely and correctly. In addition, if students would like to be
good language learners, they should find out their motivations. The progress
depends mainly on students’ effort, not teachers. Teacher can not help students to
get the language target if they do not practice, imitate, repeat sentence pattern.
Therefore, the important role of students is to find out their motivation and respond
activity during the lesson.
In the researcher’s opinion, environment is an important factor in learning
language. Teacher can only provide students with safe, welcoming, and non-
intimidating teaching environment at school only, therefore students should find
another environment to practice speaking language. Especially, nowadays there are
many foreigners in Vietnam, students should find the opportunity to practice
English language.

7
Preparing new lessons and reviewing old ones are also important for students
because learning language without self-practicing regularly makes students easy to
forget it. Therefore, the teacher should find the best way to encourage students to
learn by themselves.
1.3. Review of methods and approaches for teaching language
It is very necessary to understand the differences between a method and an
approach. According to Harmer (2001:78), an approach is a set of correlative
assumptions about the nature of language and language learning, and a method is a
plan for presenting the language material to be learned about and should be based
upon a selected approach.
1.3.1. Methods of teaching language
Rack R. and Theodore R. (1986:44-98) listed some methods of teaching
language as follows:
The Direct Method
The basic premise of the Direct Method was that students should attempt to
learn a second language in the same way as they learn their first language. The
method emphasized oral interaction, spontaneous use of language, no translation
between first and second languages, and little or no analysis of grammar rules.
Therefore, this method is rather difficult for primary students to use it because the
teaching is carried out entirely in the target language and emphasized good
pronunciation.
Grammar-translation method
The method focused on studying grammatical rules and morphology, doing
written exercices, memorizing vocabulary, translating texts from prose passages
into the language. Students have to keep in memory long lists of vocabulary by
heart. There is little or no emphasis placed on developing oral ability. Therefore,
this method is not suitable to primary students because they love action, and they
will learn better when taking part in lively activities.
Audio-lingual method

The emphasis of this method was on memorisation through pattern drills and

8
conversation practices rather than promoting communicative ability. It tends to be
teaching-centred. Language practice is carried out with the whole class; it is not
often carried out in pair-work and group-work; the language practiced is entirely
predictable and does not make too many demands on the teacher. This method
encourages students to listen carefully and memorize chunks of language, however,
it does not focus on meaning or encouraging students to think themselves or
produce language independently.
During the late 1960s and the 1970s, there has been a move from teacher-
centered to learned-centered classrooms. There is more emphasis on learners and
the teacher has to pay more attention to students’ need, meaningful task-based
practices to reach meaningful communication. Consequently, changing teaching
language methods must be the goals for any courses.
1.3.2. Approaches for teaching language
Jean B. and Gail E. (2004:43-45) mentioned some common approaches used
in teaching language as follows:
Total physical response
Total physical response is an approach to teaching a second language based
on the theory that the memory is enhanced through association with physical
movement. This approach is very popular in language teaching in general and
teaching language to children in particular since it develops listening skills,
introduces new language in a very visual, contextualized way, involves activity,
movement and does not give students any pressure.
The communicative approach
The communicative approach is based on the social-interactionist theory
which emphasizes the social nature of language learning and interaction. For
children, this approach means language teachers engage learners in drawing, acting
out, listening, talking, reading or writing based on meaningful and contextualized

tasks using language which has been carefully prepared for.
Task-based learning
This is one of the most recent methodological approaches in English

9
language teaching. This approach has three phases: pre-task preparation
(introduction of new language and procedures to be used), task cycle (the macro
task in pairs with a final public summary of their results) and language focus.
Using this approach, teachers encourage children to use the language they
have recently learned by providing a framework and supporting for the macro-task
and then allowing students to use language for their own purposes and meanings.
Story-based
This is a teaching approach using storybooks and storytelling. Its educational
value has always been undisputed throughout the world as follows: Stories are
motivating, challenging and fun and can help develop positive attitudes.
Furthermore, children can become personally involved in a story as they identify
with the characters and try to interpret the narrative and illustrations. Stories also
link fantasy and imagination with the child’s real world. They provide a way of
enabling children to make sense of their everyday life and forge links between home
and school.
Cross-curricular
This approach is linked to the activity-based approach and tasked-based
learning. The development of the students is linked to other areas of the curriculum,
such as Art, Physical Education, Mathematics or Nature Study.
Those are teaching language approaches and according to the researcher,
total physical response, the communicative approach, task-based learning and story-
based approach should be used to teach language to primary students. Depending on
students’ ability, teacher chooses the suitable ones.
1.4. Chants, songs and games as motivations for students to improve language
Teaching language in general and teaching English in particular through

chants, songs and games brings students with many benefits.
In contrast to traditional methods, children love actions, they learn better
through actions so teaching through chants, songs and games can improve
concentration. Students will focus more on the lessons than chatting, playing or
thinking something else.

10
Jean B. and Gail E. (2004:162) emphasized the benefits of chants and songs
in many fields such as:
A linguistic resource
- They allow new language to be introduced and structures and vocabulary to be
reinforced and recycled.
- They present familiar language in new and exciting forms and in a rich,
imaginative context.
- They provide for lots of natural and enjoyable repetition.
- They can be used to develop all skills in an integrated way.
- They help improve all aspects of pronunciation.
A psychological/ affective resource
- They are motivating and fun and help develop positive attitudes towards the target
language.
- They are non-threatening and the more inhibited child will feel secure when
singing and chanting as a class or in group.
- They can encourage a feeling of achievement and build children’s confidence by
allowing children to learn chunks of language which they can show off or teach to
friends or to members of the family.
A cognitive resource
- They help to develop concentration, memory and coordination.
- They sensitize children to rhyming clues as aids to meaning.
- Repetition enables children to predict what comes next and to consolidate
language items.

- Accompanying actions or gestures help to reinforce meaning, while channelling
high levels of energy in a positive way.
- The variety they provide changes the pace and atmosphere of a lesson and caters
for different learning styles.
- They can be compiled into songs/ rhyme books to help children develop good
study habits.
A cultural resource

11
- They are from authentic sources and can contribute to the cultural component of a
language programme. Children can be encouraged to compare with those in their
own language.
A social resource
- Singing and chanting together is a shared social experience and helps to develop a
class and group identity.
- They can be used as the basis for a performance or show.
According to Jean B. and Gail E. (2004:162), teaching and learning through
games also bring a lot of benefits:
- They add variety to the range of learning situations.
- They change the pace of a lesson and help to keep pupils’ motivation.
- They lighten more formal teaching and can help to renew pupils’ energy.
- They provide hidden practice of specific language patterns, vocabulary and
pronunciation.
- They can help to improve attention span, concentration, memory, listening skills
and reading skills.
- Pupils are encouraged to participate; shy learners can be motivated to speak.
- They increase pupil-pupil communication which provides fluency practice and
reduces the domination of the class by the teacher.
- It helps create a fun atmosphere and reduces the distance between teacher and
pupils.

- They can help reveal areas of weakness and the need for further language.
- They can help to motivate and improve writing skills by providing a real audience
context and purpose.
Now, with the all clues, people can not deny the role of chants, songs and
games in teaching English.
1.5. Aspects of language that can be improved through chants, songs and games
Jean B. and Gail E. (2004:163-172) stated that children enjoy chants, songs
and games. They are not only motivating and fun but also provide excellent practice
for improving pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar and the four language skills. To

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be brief, aspects of language which can be improved through chants, songs and
games are as follows:
1.5.1. Pronunciation
Jean B. and Gail E. (2004:166-164) pointed out that chants, songs and games
are particularly useful for practising pronunciation. This includes individual sounds
and sounds in connected speech, features relating stress, rhythm and intonation.
Chants, songs and games are useful for showing what happens to sounds in
connected speech. Furthermore, more important features of pronunciation, such as
stress and rhythm, can also be practiced in a very natural way by clapping the beat.
1.5.2. Vocabulary
Carthy Mc. ( 1990:210) showed the role of vocabulary that “No matter how
well the students learn the grammar, no matter how successful the sounds of second
language are mastered, without words to express a wide range of meanings,
communication in the second language just can not happen in any meaningful
ways.”. Recognizing the importance of vocabulary, the researcher finds that
teaching and learning with the use of chants, songs and games can enhance students’
vocabulary because the regular repetition of words, wonderful melody, fun
atmosphere can focus students’ attention and reinforce students’ vocabulary greatly.
1.5.3. Listening

Be aware of listening in English is very important because the purpose of
language teaching is to communicate. Students can interact with others in a more
extended way better when they listen well. Karen L. (2007:3) said that “Listening is
the catalyst that fosters mutual understanding and provides us with insight into
people’s needs and desires so that we can connect with them”. Poor listening is the
cause of misunderstandings. Therefore, listening must be highly appreciated in each
lesson. By focusing on listening to the chants, songs and games to do the tasks such
as gap-filling, ticking true or false, multiple choice, etc, students’ listening skill has
great progress.



13
1.5.4. Speaking
Among four skills such as listening, speaking, reading, writing, the
importance of speaking is very prominent. Ishrat A. Q. (2010:2) emphasized that
“without speech, a language is reduced to a mere script”. When children start
learning English at primary school, there is usually an emphasis on developing
listening and speaking skills. Through listening, student’s speaking is more natural.
Through speaking, student’s listening is improved. In this point, through chants,
songs and games, students can easily remember sentence patterns of the lessons. As
a result, students are self-confident to practice to improve their English speaking
frequently.
1.6. Choosing chants, songs and games
1.6.1. Choosing chants and songs
Songs and chants can be used in many different ways, some examples of
which are warm – up, a transition from one activity to another, introducing language
target, getting students’ attention, etc. Curtain & Pesola (1988:246-265) stated that
the teachers should select chants and songs basing on the following criteria:
- The chants and songs should contain limited vocabulary.

- The song should contain language compatible with that being used in the
classroom.
- The song should present a limited musical challenge.
- The rhythm should be straight forward and repetitive.
- Song topics should be within the experiences of children.
- For primary level 4 and 5 it is useful if songs are accompanied by actions.
- It is also helpful if the words of the songs are highly repetitive and if they have a
refrain: a repeated stanza, between verses of the song.
According to researcher, depending on the conditions of class, the teachers
have their own methods, but the participants are primary students, therefore chants
and songs should contain sentence pattern, but a few new words. Chants and songs
should be accompanied by actions since this attracts students’ attention.


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1.6.2. Choosing games
Jean B. and Gail E. (2004:177-181) gave suggestions when selecting a game
for children:
- Games should have simple language and be easy to explain, set up and play. Every
one should be able to participate and it should be fun.
- The teachers should choose lively games to keep children physically occupied and
for them to let off steam.
- Depending on the target of the lesson, the teachers can choose a game to practice
that aspect of language.
- The teachers should choose the games that relate to the theme the students are
learning or familiar things.
In the researcher’s opinion, a game which is suitable for primary students
should be easy to understand and play. In addition, the game should be related to the
theme students are learning. It should also be attractive enough to focus students’
attention.

1.7. Review of related studies
In modern society, teaching and learning language play a prominent role in
our life. Learning language opens many opportunities for learners such as getting a
good job, exchanging information, learning civilization from other countries in the
world, etc.
There have been many foreign researches investigating the teaching language
methodology with the use of chants, songs and games. Eberhard K. (2001) studied
about ways and means of teaching young learners listening and speaking skills and
realized that songs and rhymes combine important didactic claims like the holistic,
the monolingual and the contextual approach with fun, activity and motivation.
Furthermore, almost incidentally the children become familiar with parts of the
foreign culture and see them as enrichment for their own life.
Claudia S. S. (2002) carried out the study about the significance of songs and
found the effects of songs in the foreign classroom on text recall and involuntary
mental rehearse.

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Veronika R. (2007) conducted the diploma thesis about the use of music in
teaching English and recognized the importance of songs in language teaching such
as cultural significance, enjoyable drill, the help of songs when learning
pronunciation, the help of songs focused on sounds, the help of songs focused on
words, the help of songs focused on connected speech.
Shaheen A. (2009) investigated the use of chants, songs and games in
teaching English to young learners in Bangladesh and found that chants, songs and
games can be used in children’s classes to utilize their natural ability to learn a
language and the high motivation results from enjoyable lessons in the primary
schools where learning takes place through chants, songs and games.
Jin Z. (2011) studied the benefits of chants in language teaching and found
that listening and speaking are probably the most important skills a person needs to
be able to communicate. Music, rhyming and chanting can combine these two

necessary skills for learning a language and give the system of language pleasure.
Mohammed M. E. (2011) examined the effectiveness of using children songs
on developing the fourth graders' English vocabulary in Rafah Governmental
schools. The results showed that children songs had many benefits in enhancing
students’ vocabulary.
Some Vietnamese scholars also carried out the studies about chants, songs
and games and the results showed that chants, songs and games have a positive role
in teaching and learning language.
Bui Thi Minh Thu (2005) exploited songs to motivate students in learning
English grammar. She pointed out that songs have an important role in helping
students memorize the grammatical rules more easily.
Tran Thi Tuyet Mai (2010) did the research on the use of English traditional
songs to improve students’ pronunciation. She found that the use of songs could
make students’ pronunciation better and she also suggested how to exploit songs in
class to teach pronunciation to students.