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Article published In:
Language Teaching for Young Learners
Vol. 5:1 (2023) ► pp.59–84

ELT coursebooks for primary school learners

A comparative analysis of songs

| Shanghai International Studies University
| Shanghai International Studies University
| Shanghai Changning Institute of Education
This article reports on the findings of a comparative study on songs in four English coursebook series for primary school learners, with two published in China and another two in the UK. Detailed analysis focuses on the number, the coverage, the teaching purposes, and the instructional arrangements of songs. The findings show that although the total number of songs in coursebooks from China outnumbers that from the UK, no correlation exists between learners’ grade levels and the number of songs in each fascicle. The study further demonstrates that the purposes of songs in all four series are mainly to arouse learners’ interest, to improve pronunciation, and to enhance vocabulary and sentence structure understanding, revealing a lack of due attention to fostering learners’ intercultural awareness. Regarding the pedagogical approach and other instructional arrangements, British coursebooks feature a more diversified approach, highlighting the integration of learners’ physical, psychological and cognitive development, whereas Chinese coursebooks concentrate on providing simplistic and unified instructions which may pose a challenge for novice teachers but an opportunity for experienced teachers. Based on the findings, recommendations are offered to future coursebook writers.
Keywords: ELT coursebooks, English songs, young learners, comparative analysis
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Literature review
    • 2.1The role of songs in language learning
    • 2.2Teaching songs in ELT classrooms
    • 2.3Studies on ELT coursebooks
  • 3.Methodology
    • 3.1Research questions
    • 3.2Coursebook selection
    • 3.3Coursebook analysis
    • 3.4Questionnaire survey
  • 4.Findings and discussion
    • 4.1The number and distribution of songs in the four series of coursebooks
    • 4.2The intended teaching purposes of songs
    • 4.3The instructional arrangements of songs
      • 4.3.1The teaching designs
      • 4.3.2The position of songs
      • 4.3.3The presentation of lyrics and the titles of songs
  • 5.Implications for coursebook writers
    • 5.1The number of songs
    • 5.2The intended teaching purposes of songs
    • 5.3The instructional arrangements of songs
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
Published online: 7 February 2023
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ltyl.00031.pen
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