Examining the influence of English songs on English L2 lexical learning: a quantitative meta-analytic review

Ongoing debate exists concerning pedagogical strategies including song to improve vocabulary learning in second or foreign language learners. A search of primary empirical studies published from 1990 to 2020 produced 27 articles with 28 studies and 1864 total participants. Effect sizes were analysed for the influence of English instructional interventions using songs on L2 vocabulary learning. Results established that using English songs has a large effect on English L2 vocabulary learning. Moderator analyses demonstrated the effect of several moderators including article publication status, song genre, control type instructional duration, education level, and learners’ L1. Based upon these findings, English teachers can feel more confident about using songs as a complementary instructional strategy to improve their students’ English L2 vocabulary learning. However, future researchers should strive to transparently follow best practices in research design while taking into account important variables like rate of song presentation, and teacher/learner musical background.