Music Matters for Text Recall: The Difference between a Song and a Poem for Teaching of a Foreign Language in the Classroom

This paper aims at investigating the effect of using lyrics in a foreign language classroom. Though there is a plethora of studies on this subject, there is a dearth of controlled experiments that measure the effect of using lyrics in English as Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms. This experiment tested three groups of university students on lyrics written for this experiment. The findings indicate that student recall improved when they listened to a musical version of the lyrics before a spoken version. Conversely, their recall showed deterioration when they heard the spoken version first. These findings demonstrate the strong need for a remodeling of the conventional material that is designed and used for EFL classes in many parts of the world, that are resisting the use of songs and other digital means in foreign language teaching.