The Effect of Music on Students’ English Pronunciation at Primary School

Abstract Musical intelligence, regarded as one of the multiple intelligences, plays an important role in foreign language learning, no matter at what age learners are. Therefore, integrating experiences with music in the TEFL classroom for children supports English language learners’ literacy development. And the purpose of this thesis focuses on the effect of music on students’ English pronunciation at primary school. Two classes of Grade Four from Hangzhou Foreign Language School were selected by the author, one as the experimental class and the other control class. The experiment lasted for one month.  Music was used in the experimental class for facilitating students’ pronunciation learning, but not used in the control class. Data were collected and analyzed through an oral test and a questionnaire. The oral test aims at investigating whether music facilitates students’ pronunciation learning, in the aspects of phoneme accuracy (articulation) and stress (rhythm). All the audio data were recorded while in the oral test. And the purpose of the questionnaire is to investigate students’ interest in the songs and their willingness to participate the class. The results of this study reveal that music has a positive effect on improving students’ English pronunciation at primary school, both in the perspectives of phoneme accuracy and stress. Besides, it is found through the questionnaire that music helps boost student’s interest and willingness to participate the class. 49351

Key words: music; English pronunciation; primary school students

关于音乐对小学生英语语音影响的研究

摘要音乐智能，多元智能之一，在外语学习过程中，无论学习者年龄差异，都起着重要的作用。因此，在儿童课堂上，渗入音乐元素有助于儿童语言发展。本文的目的就在于调查，英语歌曲是否对中国小学生的英语语音学习有影响。本实验的被试来自于杭州钱塘外语学校，来自四年级两个班级，一个班级作为实验组，另一个班作为对照组。针对相同的教材内容，实验组增添了英语歌曲元素辅助语音学习，对照组没有英语歌曲元素。所有的数据会通过口语测试和问卷调查的形式收集起来。口语测试的目的在于从发音准确度和轻重音的角度检测音乐是否真的能提高学生的语音。口语测试学生的原音会通过录音软件记录下来。结果显示，英语歌曲不仅有助于小学生英语语音的发音准确度，也有助于提高学生英语语音重音的素养。通过问卷调查也发现，音乐能提到学生的兴趣和意愿参与课堂。

毕业论文关键词：音乐；语音；小学生

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Literature Review 2

2.1 English pronunciation 2

2.1.1The concept of English pronunciation 2

2.1.2 The issues of English pronunciation in China 3

2.2 Musical intelligence 4

2.2.1 The concept of musical intelligence 4

2.2.2 Musical intelligence and language learning 4

2.2.3 Musical intelligence and Pronunciation learning 5

3. Research Design 6

3.1 Research questions 6

3.2 Participates 6

3.3 Research tools 6

3.3.1 Tests 6

3.3.2 Questionnaire