THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SONG IN IMPROVING STUDENTS’ LISTENING SKILLS

The researcher applied songs to teach listening to students of class XI Bahasa at MA Muhammadiyah 1 Plus Malang to find out how effective the use of English songs was as a medium for teaching and improving students’ listening skills. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the use of English songs was effective. The researcher employed Classroom Action Research (CAR). The subjects of the study were 16 students of class XI Bahasa. The instruments used to collect data were an observation list and test. In the first cycle, the strategy used was individual learning, and in the second cycle, group or pair learning was employed. The researcher administered a pre-test before treatment, which was before providing instruction in the teaching and learning process in the classroom. Then, the post-test was given after the treatment. From the results of data analysis, it can be concluded that the data obtained in cycle I showed an average score of 70, with a pass percentage of 31,25%, while in cycle II, the average score was 82,18, with a pass percentage of 93,75%. Since the average score of post-test II had reached the success criteria (75), the research was concluded with cycle II. Additionally, the use of songs increased students' participation during the learning process.