Young EFL Learner Beliefs about Classroom Songs

Abstract

We know mainly from common knowledge and partially from research that songs are
among the most appropriate activities for young EFL learners. Therefore, any syllabus
designed for teaching foreign languages to young learners contains songs as effective
materials. However, research on songs is scarce in Turkish contexts considering the
importance of the topic. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the beliefs of Turkish
state primary school EFL learners about songs. Primary school EFL learner beliefs (n=129)
were collected through a questionnaire and the results demonstrated that Turkish state primary
school EFL learners have strong beliefs about songs, paralleling to previous research.
However, results also demonstrated that songs were not being frequently used in Turkish EFL
contexts. Therefore, the study concludes that classroom songs should be used more frequently in
teaching EFL to young learners in Turkey.