The Effects of Song Use on Vocabulary Learning: Studies of Distribution of Practice, Modes of Input, Retrieval, and the Input-Output-Input Sequence of Exposure
Abstract
This dissertation investigates the effects of the distribution of practice, modes of input, retrieval, and the input-output-input sequence of exposure on incidental vocabulary learning from songs. This thesis takes an integrated article format, organized into five chapters, including an introduction, articles one, two, and three, and a conclusion. The participants (N=225) across all three studies involved Thai students learning English as a foreign language (EFL) in Thailand. All three studies measured vocabulary learning gains by comparing participants' scores on the vocabulary knowledge tests used for pretests, immediate posttests, and two weeks delayed posttests. Study one partially replicated and extended Pavia et al.'s (2019) study investigating the effects of repeated listening to songs on incidental learning of single words and collocations with the addition of spaced listening conditions exploring the effects of distributed practice on vocabulary learning. The results indicated that repeated listening to songs in mass listening and spaced listening conditions may foster learning of single words and collocations.
Furthermore, the mass listening condition produced higher learning gains on the immediate posttest. However, participants in the spaced practice condition showed less regression than those in the mass practice condition on the delayed posttest. Study two explored the effects of modes of input (i.e., Listening only (L), listening while reading the lyrics (LL), listening and singing (LS), and listening and singing while reading the lyrics (LSL)) on learning formulaic sequences (FS). Based on the results, it was found that the LSL group had the most effective mode of learning through songs. Study three examined the effect of retrieval and the sequence of input and output on incidental learning of receptive and productive aspects of FS from a song. The results indicated that using retrieval activity in the input-input-output-output-input sequence of exposure was the most effective condition for learning FS incidentally from a song. Overall, the three studies in this volume provided empirical evidence that songs can be an invaluable source of language input for vocabulary acquisition and how learning can be optimized by manipulating the distribution of practice, modes of input, and retrieval activities.