The background of this research is based on the phenomenon that learning grammar is seen as one of the language item that is difficult to learn because of its intricacy.
This research is aimed to find the answer to the following research questions.
1. How effective is English songs as medium to teach simple past?
2. How are the students’ simple past achievements in experimental and control groups before and after the treatment?
The study was to find out whether or not English song medium is more effective to improve the students’ understanding on English simple past than non English song.
This study employed the true experimental design where senior high school MAN 2 Pekalongan was selected as the research setting. Of the ten sections of grade XI, two classes were selected randomly by the process of simple random sampling. One class was assigned as the experimental group, in this case was class XI.A2 and the other that was class XI.A4 as the control group. The methods of data elicitation used here were test and observation. The data were obtained by employing the relevant pre test and post test, and observation.
In this study the obtained data were analyzed. The test of significance of the difference between two groups was measured by two ways ANOVAs. The research result shown that the significance was seen at 0.05 level of significance as the criterion for the rejection of null hypothesis. By the 3 and 134 degrees of freedom, the critical value for the 0.05 level of significance of F table was 2.68. Meanwhile the result of pretest experimental class (57.50) higher than the pretest of control class. The result of posttest experimental (85.83) higher than the pretest of experimental class. The pretest of control class (56.06) lower than posttest control (78.48). Score posttest of experimental class (85.83) higher than score posttest of control class. It concluded that the use of English songs as teaching medium is effective way to teach simple past. It showed from the students’ achievement of experimental class higher than students’ achievement of control class. The observation was administered to know the students’ understanding during the experiment. Then, the result of the observation was interpreted.
The main finding of the study were; the experimental and control group were equivalent at the beginning of the experiment and the teaching and learning of English grammar through English song media played positive role in improving the students’ academic understanding.