İngilizce öğretmenlerinin çocuklara İngilizce öğretiminde şarkı kullanımına ilişkin görüşleri (Diyarbakır ili örneği)

In today's world, teaching English to children has gained considerable attention and the utilization of songs in language learning of children has become a subject that has increasingly drawn more interests. Studies have shown that the inclusion of songs in language teaching, especially in language teaching programs which are prepared for children contributes to the formation of a more comfortable language learning atmosphere. Besides, technological developments have rendered the utilization of language teaching materials in children's language classes far smoother and more functional. This situation obligates the adaptation and incorporation of technologically-produced materials including songs into language teaching. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the opinions of primary school English teachers about the utilization of songs to teach English to children. The study was carried out in state and private primary schools in the Kayapınar district of Diyarbakır, Turkey. A purposive sampling strategy was employed in the study. Sixty-two English teachers from 14 state primary schools and nine private primary schools participated in the study. To gather the relevant data, a questionnaire was prepared based on expert evaluation. The data were analyzed through SPSS 18. The findings obtained from the study indicated that there was a significant difference between English teachers' opinions and their ages. Similarly, the results revealed a significant difference between the participants' opinions and their teaching experiences. These findings reflect a correlation between the teachers' opinions regarding the use of songs and their ages and teaching experiences. Additionally, the findings indicated that the majority of primary school English teachers sometimes used songs in their English classes. They considered songs as effective language teaching materials for teaching English to children and increasing their students' language achievement levels. The findings did not indicate a significant difference between the opinions of state primary school English teachers and private primary school English teachers. Additionally, there was not a significant difference between male and female English teachers' opinions. Finally, there was not a significant difference between the opinions of the English teachers who took the course 'Teaching Foreign Language to Children' during their university education and those who did not take the course. Key Words: Young Learners, Songs, Motivation