Using music in secondary school to help EFL learners develop spelling skills.

What is it about?

This research has as a main aim to check the benefits of using music in the FL classrooms, specifically with students who present lower proficiency levels in the target language. In order to carry out this project, the design of a pedagogical intervention has been necessary. In particular, two groups of the first year of secondary education took part. One group belonged to a bilingual program, the other one was a group formed by students with some difficulties in their learning process, due to diverse circumstances. The intervention focused on teaching the spelling of the sounds /aI/, /eI/, /i:/ and of regular and irregular verbs in the past simple tense having music an essential role during the sessions. The intervention lasted three sessions, data was collected through two dictation passages made at the beginning and at the end of the intervention. Classroom observation also offered qualitative data. Data gathered show interesting results which are highly positive. However, some students would need more time to acquire the knowledge expected. Finally, some pedagogical implications for future teaching interventions are provided.

Featured Image

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Secondary EFL students from diverse background have more difficulties to learn how to read and write in the FL.