The Role of Music in Japanese Vocabulary Acquisition and Pronunciation Skills in Preschool Children

Abstract

The present study examines the effects of a music-based learning approach on vocabulary acquisition and pronunciation skills in Japanese language education for preschool children. It has been established that music significantly boosts preschool children's pronunciation and vocabulary development when learning a foreign language. Using an experimental design, forty preschool children aged five to six were equally assigned to the experimental and control groups. The experimental group received instruction in vocabulary and pronunciation through a music-based learning approach, while the control group followed a conventional method. Data collection involved administering a vocabulary test and a pronunciation assessment, which were analysed using SPSS software. The results showed that the children instructed through the music-based learning approach significantly outperformed those in the conventional group on both vocabulary and pronunciation assessment. These findings suggest that preschool children exposed to the music-based learning approach demonstrated enhanced learning outcomes, as evidenced by their higher scores on both the vocabulary test and pronunciation assessment in the context of Japanese language acquisition. These outcomes highlight the efficacy of music as a promising tool in foreign language learning, highlighting the practical value for educators seeking to design engaging and developmentally appropriate instructional strategies in preschool language education.