Jazz chants and speaking skill

Abstract

In English language learning speaking skill can be the most challenging skill to develop for EFL students since it involves several subskills to master in order to be competent when speaking. In that way, there are many different strategies that can be applied to English classrooms as a practical manner to improve students’ speaking abilities. The current research study aims to determine the relationship between Jazz Chants and speaking skills in 30 students of first semester from PINE career. Also, this research was conducted with a mixed approach in which a pre-test and post-test retrieved from Cambridge Assessment were given to the experimental group in order to diagnose students’ abilities at speaking through a standardized rubric. Then, the target group was exposed to a treatment using jazz chants in speaking lessons. The experimental design consisted in a set of five lesson plans that incorporated suitable jazz chants so as to teach different grammatical points as well as instruction for improving pronunciation and acquiring new vocabulary. Finally, the results obtained showed that the use of jazz chants influences positively in students’ speaking skills. It can be demonstrated by the final averages obtained into each test; for instance, into the pre-test students obtained an average of 8 over 15 points, after the treatment had been applied the average increased to 12, 3 over points showing a significant improvement of 4,3 points. Consequently, it can be concluded that the jazz chants were useful for improving speaking skills thanks to some features that provided to the classroom such as, practical opportunities to produce language, a friendly environment, and attractive chants for students