Teaching Italian as a foreign language through songs: effects on Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety and operational proposals

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to elucidate how language acquisition can be facilitated through the utilization of songs within the context of Italian as a foreign language instruction. Initially, the discourse will encompass an overview of the psychological processes inherent in learning. Furthermore, the thesis will delve into an in-depth analysis of three fundamental cognitive processes crucial to the learning process: memory, attention, and emotions, including an examination of the phenomenon of Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety. Subsequently, the advantages and limitations associated with the integration of music and song into language teaching will be thoroughly explored. Finally, attention will be directed towards compelling factors that lend support to the reduction of Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety facilitated by songs, and additional limitations of this didactic instrument will be explored. This discussion will be followed by a detailed description of a practical experiment conducted within an Italian language class at the Language Center of the University of Zurich. The aim of this experiment is to provide empirical validation for the central hypothesis posited by this thesis.