The impact of employing vocal music on listening comprehension enhancement of language learners with visual impairment: The case of Iranian EFL learners

Abstract

Limited scholarly knowledge exists on various aspects of language learning in the case of learners with visual impairment. This study aims to investigate the effect of vocal music on English listening comprehension of Iranian EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners with visual impairment. In this study, ten 14- to 18-year-old completely and partially visually impaired (VI) learners from Tehran were selected as the participants. The sampling method was non-random availability sampling, as there was no access to other VI learners. This study adopted a pre–post study design. Because of some limitations in finding more VI learners at pre-intermediate level, this study was run without a control group. The homogeneity of the learners’ English proficiency at pre-intermediate level was determined through Preliminary English Test (PET) administration. Seven out of 10 students were completely VI, and just 3 of them were partially VI. The teaching instruments used in this study were the textbook (Solutions Intermediate, 3rd Edition published by Oxford University Press) and 10 selected English songs related to the content of that textbook, and the only instrument used for evaluating their performance was the PET test in two stages, pre-test and post-test. The VI learners in this study expressed enthusiasm for participating in the course and appeared to be more engaged in listening during the 10 sessions of playing songs in the EFL classroom. Furthermore, the students expressed their increased satisfaction with this new teaching approach. According to the study’s results, there was a significant improvement in the listening comprehension of students with visual impairment, comparing the pre-test and the post-tests, and the students also performed better when the songs were used in their classes. Therefore, using English songs may be advantageous for both completely and partially VI EFL students and their teachers. This pioneering study on students with visual impairment has implications for policy makers, textbook writers and teachers involved in educating people with disability.

Keywords

Completely visually impaired EFL learners ethnomusicology listening comprehension partially visually impaired song

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