بررسی اثربخشی استفاده از موسیقی بر افزایش سطح هَیَجامد و دانش واژگانی در فارسی‌آموزان

In recent years, music has garnered increasing scholarly interest as a complementary tool in language education, largely due to its strong connection with human emotions and affective engagement. Within this context, the “Emotioncy” model—emphasizing the interaction between emotional involvement and frequency of exposure—offers a pertinent theoretical lens. The present study examined the impact of music, as an independent variable, on vocabulary knowledge and emotioncy levels. The participants comprised 18 foreign learners of Persian at upper-intermediate and advanced proficiency levels, originating from Iraq, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, and Nigeria. Using purposive sampling, they were selected from two Persian language teaching centers. At the outset, a pre-test questionnaire was administered to measure baseline vocabulary knowledge and emotioncy levels. Learners were then assigned to three instructional groups with identical content but distinct pedagogical methods: (1) reading-based instruction, (2) audio-lingual instruction, and (3) music- and song-based instruction. Following the instructional period, a post-test questionnaire was administered. Data were analyzed using the independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA via SPSS. Results revealed that music significantly improved vocabulary knowledge but did not lead to a statistically significant increase in emotioncy levels. Nonetheless, qualitative feedback indicated substantial learner appreciation for the integration of music in the learning process. These findings suggest that, although music may not directly raise emotioncy in measurable terms, it plays a meaningful role in fostering learner engagement and motivation. Consequently, incorporating music into language instruction may provide valuable pedagogical benefits for curriculum design and the development of interactive, motivating learning environments.
Extended Abstract:
Introduction
In the contemporary era, the expansion of human knowledge across various scientific disciplines has accelerated remarkably, and linguistics has not been exempt from this trend. Language education, as one of the key domains within the humanities, has undergone a significant evolutionary trajectory and has now, by drawing on empirical research findings, practical experience, and the application of modern tools, adopted more effective approaches to enhancing the learning process. Scholars in linguistics and language education have developed methods aimed at optimizing language learning, particularly in the area of vocabulary acquisition, which contribute to improving learners’ ability to acquire new lexical items. One of the fundamental challenges in second language learning is the retention and memorization of vocabulary. To address this challenge, various tools such as Leitner box flashcards, computer-based games, and mobile learning applications have been proposed by linguists, psychologists, and educational specialists. However, the effectiveness of these tools is not uniform, as individual differences in cognitive characteristics, learning styles, and personality traits—such as visual and auditory preferences, introversion, and extroversion—directly influence the ways in which learners acquire a language. Consequently, the design of instructional tools and methods should be such that they can accommodate a wide range of learning styles.
From a neuroscientific perspective, Hebb’s (1949) theory of synaptic connectivity among neurons represents a milestone in explaining the neural mechanisms underlying learning and memory. In the same vein, Patel, Joshi, Rehan, and Kuppa (2019) emphasize the network-based nature of learning, while Field (2020) argues that lexical items are not stored in the mind in isolation but are embedded within a network of conceptual associations. Therefore, employing methods that strengthen these lexical networks and facilitate the formation of new connections can contribute to improved learning outcomes. Within this framework, the concept of Emotioncy, introduced by Pishghadam (2015), is considered a relatively novel construct in education and refers to the emotional frequency experienced in relation to a given concept. According to Pishghadam, Tabatabaei-Farani, and Moghimi (2019), increasing this frequency through external stimuli can enhance individuals’ cognitive engagement with concepts. Emotioncy is a process generated through auditory, visual, tactile, and kinesthetic inputs and is classified across various levels, ranging from zero to comprehensive. Among these stimuli, music has been recognized as a significant and influential factor in educational contexts, as supported by studies conducted by Bartle (1962), Jolly (1975), and Degrave (2019), and it can exert a substantial effect on learners’ Emotioncy.
In light of the discussions surrounding music and Emotioncy, two main research questions were formulated as follows:

Does the use of music and song lyrics have a statistically significant effect on enhancing the vocabulary knowledge of intermediate-level non-Iranian learners of Persian?
Does the use of music and song lyrics have a statistically significant effect on increasing the auditory-level Emotioncy of intermediate-level non-Iranian learners of Persian?

Based on these research questions, the following hypotheses were proposed:
Hypothesis 1: The use of music and song lyrics has a significant effect on increasing the vocabulary knowledge of intermediate-level non-Iranian learners of Persian.
Hypothesis 2: The use of music and songs has a significant effect on increasing the auditory-level Emotioncy of intermediate-level non-Iranian learners of Persian.
Considering the above research questions and hypotheses, the present study aims to investigate the relationship between music and Emotioncy in Persian vocabulary instruction by analyzing the pre-test and post-test data of Persian language learners. The results of this analysis indicate that music, as an independent variable, is capable of enhancing learners’ vocabulary knowledge.
 
Methodology
The present study employed a quantitative research design, as this approach enables abstract constructs such as music and Emotioncy to be operationalized through measurable variables and numerical data. The use of structured, categorized instruments allowed the collected data to be subjected to statistical analysis, thereby ensuring objectivity and methodological rigor. Participants were assigned to three instructional groups. The first group received vocabulary instruction through music and songs, the second group was exposed to spoken recitations of the same song lyrics used in the first group, and the third group, serving as the control group, received instruction through a traditional reading-based method using identical lyrics. The research procedure followed a systematic, time-sequenced design consisting of a pre-test, instructional phase, post-test, and subsequent statistical analysis.
To assess the targeted constructs, 40 researcher-developed items were designed, focusing primarily on vocabulary items extracted from the selected songs. Content validity was established through expert review conducted by specialists at the Persian Language Teaching Center of Allameh Tabataba’i University. Of the total items, 30 measured vocabulary knowledge, while the remaining 10 assessed Emotioncy based on the five-level framework proposed by Pishghadam (2015). These levels ranged from lack of familiarity to deep experiential and research-based familiarity with lexical items. To enhance comprehensibility for intermediate and higher-level learners of Persian, the original tabular framework was simplified and presented as direct response options. The assessment items were distributed across two parallel questionnaires, each containing 15 vocabulary items and five Emotioncy items. Vocabulary knowledge was allocated 15 points, whereas Emotioncy assessment accounted for 25 points. To control for test effects, each questionnaire functioned as a pre-test for one group and a post-test for the remaining groups. Given that all instructional content was based on song lyrics, careful attention was devoted to song selection. The selected songs were required to conform to standard Persian, be linguistically clear and comprehensible, evoke emotional engagement, align with Iranian cultural norms, and be suitable for presentation within a single class session. Additionally, the songs needed to reflect Krashen’s comprehensible input hypothesis and maintain learners’ motivation.
An examination of various musical genres revealed that pop music was the most suitable for Persian language instruction. Traditional and folk music were excluded due to linguistic complexity and dialectal variation, while other genres such as jazz, rap, rock, and heavy metal were found inappropriate because of excessive musical dominance or thematic incongruence. Consequently, three pop songs performed by male singers were selected based on their linguistic clarity, motivational quality, and cultural appropriateness. Instructional procedures varied across groups. In the music-based group, learners read the lyrics, identified unfamiliar vocabulary, listened to the musical rendition, and received explicit explanations of word meanings. This process aimed to enhance Emotioncy progressively from auditory and visual exposure to a comprehensive level. The reading–listening group followed the same procedure, substituting music with spoken recitation. In the control group, instruction relied on reading and teacher-led oral explanation. Overall, the study targeted upper-intermediate and advanced learners of Persian, as learners at these levels possess sufficient linguistic competence to process lexical networks and benefit from music-based instruction.
Results and Discussion
In the initial stage of data analysis, the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test was conducted to assess the normality of data distribution. The results indicated that data in all three groups (A, B, and C) followed a normal distribution (p > 0.05). Furthermore, Cronbach’s alpha was employed to evaluate the reliability of the instruments. Only Group B demonstrated acceptable reliability with a coefficient of 0.962, while Groups A and C showed inadequate reliability with coefficients of -0.133 and 0.612, respectively. Consequently, statistical analyses for Groups A and C were performed only after normalizing the data. Descriptive statistics revealed that Group C exhibited the most improvement in the vocabulary posttest. In this group, both the increase in mean scores and the decrease in standard deviation indicated greater convergence of data toward the center of the normal distribution. In contrast, Group B experienced a decline in mean scores, and Group A showed increased data dispersion, suggesting limited effectiveness of traditional methods. To test the first research hypothesis, a comparison was made between the combined experimental groups (B and C; n=13) and the control group (A; n=4) using an independent-samples t-test. The significance level decreased from 0.059 in the pretest to 0.045 in the posttest, confirming the first hypothesis with 95% confidence regarding the effectiveness of audio files containing music and songs on vocabulary acquisition. Regarding emotioncy, reliability and normality were confirmed only in Group B (α = 0.827). Although Group C showed an increased mean and reduced standard deviation, the overall test yielded p-values above 0.05, leading to the rejection of the second hypothesis. However, one-sample t-tests between Groups A and C, and A and B, revealed significant differences (p < 0.05), suggesting partial effectiveness of music. The non-significant result in the independent t-test may be due to small sample size (n=7) or structural group differences.
Conclusion
The findings of the present study indicate that the use of music and songs in Group C had a positive effect on the vocabulary learning of non-Iranian Persian learners. Although the mean post-test scores increased only marginally by 0.092, a significant reduction in the standard deviation by 1.699 reflects improved score homogeneity and a distribution approaching normality. In Group B, simultaneous decreases in both the mean (−0.667) and standard deviation (−0.673) demonstrated that the reading-listening method did not yield a significant effect but merely increased relative score consistency. Group A (control) exhibited a decrease in the mean and an increase in the standard deviation, confirming the ineffectiveness of the reading-only approach in this study. Statistical analyses further supported the efficacy of the combined music and song method in the B-C groups; the significance levels for the pre-test (0.059) and post-test (0.045) confirmed the first hypothesis with 95% confidence. Additionally, the decrease in the two-tailed test significance from 0.440 to 0.279 in the post-test corroborates the educational improvement within this group. However, the independent t-test between Groups A and C rejected the hypothesis due to the small sample size of Group C (n = 7), whereas the comparison between Group A and the combined B-C group (n = 13) confirmed it, highlighting the impact of sample size on the results. Regarding the second research question, Group C exhibited a substantial increase in emotioncy mean scores by 4.142 units and a decrease in standard deviation by 0.834, indicating the positive effect of music and songs. Group B experienced a slight decrease in mean (−0.333) and a reduction in standard deviation (0.983), while Group A showed a decrease in mean (−0.567) and an increase in standard deviation (1.51), reflecting the inefficacy of the reading method in enhancing emotional awareness. One-way ANOVA results showed significance levels above 0.05 across all three groups in both pre- and post-tests; therefore, the second hypothesis was rejected at the 95% confidence level. Repetition of the test on raw data yielded similar results. The one-sample t-test in pairwise comparisons supported the hypothesis, whereas the independent t-test rejected it, likely due to sample size disparities. This underscores the necessity of carefully controlling sample sizes in future statistical analyses.
Acknowledgment
The author expresses gratitude to the Persian language teaching centers at Allameh Tabatabai University and Ahlul Bayt International University for their support in facilitating the collection of research data.
Conflict of Interest
The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.