Enhancing Students' Vocabulary Mastery through English Song Lyrics at Man 2 Bulukumba: A Classroom Action Research

Abstract

One of the most important aspects of studying English is mastering vocabulary as it makes it possible for students to comprehend and communicate concepts clearly. However, due to boring classroom instruction and little exposure to relevant learning materials, many Indonesian EFL students still struggle to acquire an adequate vocabulary. The purpose of this study was to find out how much using English song lyrics improves students' vocabulary proficiency at MAN 2 Bulukumba. Based on the Kemmis and McTaggart model, the study used Classroom Action Research (CAR), which consists of two cycles: planning, action, observation, and reflection. Purposive sampling was used to identify 25 eleventh-grade students to participate. Speaking performance assessments with an emphasis on vocabulary mastering that were given throughout the diagnostic stage, Cycle I, and Cycle II were used to gather data. The results were additionally supported by reflective notes and observations made in the classroom. Descriptive statistics were used to compare the mean scores of the students and the proportion of students who met the Minimum Mastery Criterion (KKM). The results showed that after using English song lyrics, pupils' vocabulary proficiency significantly improved. During speaking exercises, students showed improved comprehension of word meanings, pronunciation, vocabulary use, and contextual application. The results imply that English song lyrics offer fun learning opportunities, recurrent word exposure, and meaningful language input that promotes vocabulary development. Thus, in EFL classes, English song lyrics may be regarded as a useful teaching tool for raising students' proficiency with English vocabulary.