Songs in Adult ESL Classrooms: Examining Materials, Practices, and Teachers’ Pedagogical Decision-making

This study examines extant teacher praxis and decision-making regarding song use in an adult ESL university setting. This study approaches the investigation of authenticity beyond authentic texts to explore their actual use as instructional materials in the context of the classroom. It attempts to uncover insights on teachers’ practices and beliefs regarding songs in order to contribute to the limited literature on the subject. Through reviewing the literature, I constructed a rationale for the study’s research questions. Juxtaposing the dearth of information on song use in ESL classrooms with empirical evidence on the effectiveness of song use in language learning, the researcher demonstrates a clear need for further research. The study incorporates research methods aligned with a sociocultural conceptual framework by emphasizing the context through its focus on teachers’ perspectives. Participants in this study were experienced ESL instructors in a program at a large Midwestern university. The data set analyzed includes survey responses from 12 teachers along with transcripts of five semi-structured interviews with focal teacher participants. Findings revealed interesting patterns in teachers’ practices such as a tendency to use songs from the country and rock genres, most frequently in intermediate proficiency-level classes and most often with a linguistic learning objective of vocabulary, grammar, or pronunciation. Analyses of findings indicated that teachers’ decision-making on song use and song selection is driven by both contextual and belief-based factors. These findings have implications for pedagogy and demonstrate the need for further research.