Singing and arts activities in support of foreign language learning: an exploratory study^*

* The questionnaire, French lesson plans and test materials are available from the author by request.

ABSTRACT

Educators have reported that incorporating the arts into the classroom can support foreign language (FL) learning. However, there is very little empirical evidence from the classroom to support this claim. This exploratory, quasi-experimental arts intervention study was conducted with native English speakers aged 12–13 years old as part of their beginning-level French instruction. For a total of 8.5 hours over a 6-week period, 1 group had their French lessons supplemented with singing and song activities, while the second had their French lessons supplemented with visual art and drama activities. French language performance was assessed by comparing each student’s scores on curriculum-based language tests that were administered before and after the arts intervention program. Both groups showed large gains in overall French test scores, p < .01. Repeated-measures ANOVA showed a significant effect of the method of instruction on overall French test scores (p < .05), with the greatest pre- to post-test percentage improvements occurring in the class that engaged in additional singing and song-related activities. This study adds to our understanding of how musical and arts activities can support FL learning and suggests that it is valuable to conduct future research studies in this area.

KEYWORDS:

• Foreign languages
• arts intervention
• singing
• visual art
• drama
• adolescents

Acknowledgements

Very special thanks to Dr Katie Overy and Prof. Nigel Osborne for their support of my research, their contributions to this study’s design and implementation, and their valuable feedback on previous drafts of this paper. I also wish to thank Finn and Tricia Anderson, Madeleine Campbell, Henrik Ekeus, Dr Nelly Lakestani, Antoine Legoux, Lewis MacColl, Dr Valérie Molière, Prof. Brian Parkinson, Peter Reid, Dr Gareth Roberts, Prof. Colwyn Trevarthen, Tapestry Partnership, Gordon Ford, and Katrina Bowes for their assistance with this research. I especially thank the teachers, pupils and administrators who generously offered their time to make this study possible.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Karen M. Ludke is a Lecturer in English Language at Edge Hill University, UK, where she teaches linguistics, child language acquisition, bilingualism and psycholinguistics. In 2010 she completed her PhD, Songs and singing in foreign language learning, within the Institute for Music in Human and Social Development at the University of Edinburgh. From 2009 to 2012, she contributed to the European Commission-funded European Music Portfolio – A Creative Way into Languages project. In 2013-2014, she was a Postdoctoral Fellow for the Advancing Interdisciplinary Research in Singing project, working with Dr Annabel Cohen and the AIRS Digital Library team at the University of Prince Edward Island, Canada. Her research interests focus on the potential of the arts, particularly music and singing, to support language learning and intercultural understanding.

ORCID

Karen M. Ludke http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2410-9046

Notes

* The questionnaire, French lesson plans and test materials are available from the author by request.

1 For example, the Métro Vert textbook used in the two French classes that took part in this arts intervention study included a French song at the end of each unit to reinforce the material covered (McNab 2000).

2 The students’ CAT scores are not reported because of an agreement with the school regarding data protection. In addition, CAT scores for four participants were not provided (two students in each group).

3 Students also completed a brief musical ability task (sing and tap the syllables of ‘Happy Birthday’) and drawing task (copy a drawing of an elephant) which established that there were no pre-existing differences between the groups on these factors. At post-test, students’ scores had improved slightly on the art form that was included in their French lessons (n.s.).