THE USE OF ENGLISH SONGS IN IMPROVING THE LISTENING COMPREHENSION OF STUDENTS AT MAN 1 MAKASSAR: A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH

MUHAMMAD BRAYEN. The Use of English Songs In Improving The Listening Comprehension of Students at Man 1 Makassar: A Communicative Approach. (Supervised by Prof. Dra. Nasmilah, M.Hum., Ph.D. and Dr. Abidin Pammu, Dipl., TESOL., M.A.) This research aims to examine the effectiveness of using English songs within a communicative approach to improve the listening comprehension skills of students at MAN 1 Makassar. A pre-experimental design was employed, involving pre-tests, treatment sessions using cloze dictation techniques with English songs, and post-tests. The study involved a sample of 39 eleventh-grade students, chosen through purposive sampling. Data analysis showed a significant increase in students’ listening comprehension scores, with a pre-test mean score of 69.17 and a post-test mean score of 84.52. The paired sample T-test yielded a significance value of 0.000 (p < 0.05), indicating that the treatment had a positive impact on students’ listening abilities. The findings suggest that English songs, used in a communicative approach, effectively engage students, reduce anxiety, and enhance their focus, leading to improved listening comprehension. This study highlights the potential of music-based learning as an innovative and enjoyable method for language acquisition.