The Use of Songs in English Language Teaching : A Literature Review of Benefits and Theoretical Foundations

Abstract

This research examines various scholarly works that discuss the use of songs in English language teaching (ELT), focusing on their pedagogical benefits and theoretical foundations. The main objective of this research is to identify how songs support language acquisition from linguistic, cognitive and affective perspectives. The research used a systematic literature review method, with a qualitative content analysis approach and narrative synthesis of ten selected sources published between 2000 and 2024. The analysis shows that songs can improve students' vocabulary acquisition, pronunciation, grammar awareness, motivation and emotional engagement. These findings are reinforced by various learning theories such as Krashen's Affective Filter Hypothesis, Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Theory, and Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development. Although songs proved to be an effective tool in teaching English, some challenges were also identified, such as curriculum limitations, lack of teacher training, and inappropriate song selection. This study concludes that songs are a powerful learning medium if applied carefully and adapted to the context. It also recommends further development of structured and theory-based song-based teaching materials and teacher training to support their effective implementation in the classroom.