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ILEIID 2025 | International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS)
ISSN: 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS
Special Issue | Volume IX Issue XXV October 2025
Sing it to Memorise it (SINGEMORY): Enhancing Student Academic
Performance through Song
*1
Normarliana Laili,
2
Nurul Natasha Izzetty Mohd Nor Azamri,
3
Nurul Nabila Yahaya,
4
Noorie
Haryaniee Moulton,
5
Yus Aznita Ustadi
1 2 3 4 5
Faculty of Administrative Science and Policy Studies Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)
Campus Seremban, Negeri Sembilan,
*Corresponding Author
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.925ILEIID00007
Received: 23 September 2025; Accepted: 30 September 2025; Published: 04 November 2025
ABSTRACT
Due to the inherent complexity and continuously evolving nature of company regulations, there is an
increasing demand for innovative and effective teaching and learning methods, particularly for students
enrolled in corporate and compliance courses. Traditional pedagogical approaches often fall short in fostering
deep comprehension and long-term memorisation of the extensive and complex compliance terminology and
concepts essential in these subjects. This gap makes it challenging to connect theoretical knowledge with
practical application, a crucial skill for success in examinations and real-world corporate governance.
Consequently, there is a need for creative instructional strategies that transform passive learning into an
engaging, interactive, and memorable experience (Blessing, 2024). Among these innovative techniques, song-
based learning has emerged as a promising approach that capitalises on music to enhance memorisation and
facilitate the internalisation of complex information. The “Sing It to Memorise It” (SINGEMORY) is a
learning method that integrates songs into the curriculum to help students memorise key compliance concepts
and terminologies effectively. The SINGEMORY kit includes comprehensive guidelines, clear terms and
conditions, and a detailed scoring rubric to streamline and standardise the learning activities. One of the most
significant advantages of SINGEMORY is its versatility; both educators and students can adapt the method
across various subjects throughout their academic journey, fostering consistent engagement and improved
retention. By bridging theoretical understanding and practical application through an enjoyable medium,
SINGEMORY contributes to enhancing student performance and reducing the risk of corporate wrongdoing
due to inadequate comprehension.
Keywords: (Song-based learning, Memorisation Skill, Academic Performance, Corporate Compliance,
Teaching and learning)
INTRODUCTION
There is a growing need for effective teaching and learning methods, especially for students who are taking
corporate and compliance subjects, due to the nature of the subject. The nature of corporate compliance
subjects, which involve many compliance terms and concepts, makes it difficult to bridge the theoretical
knowledge and its application, especially during examinations. The traditional method of teaching and learning
may fall behind, especially in fostering deep comprehension and memorisation. Therefore, creative methods
are required to turn passive learning into an interesting and memorable experience (Blessing, 2024), especially
in the areas where careful retention of complex information is essential to avoid corporate wrongdoing.
Song-based learning approaches provide a fresh and efficient way to address these issues, improving student
performance by utilising songs' ability to help with memorisation and incorporate difficult concepts into an
approachable and interesting format. Even though memorisation has been studied extensively in past studies,
little is known about the differential effectiveness of memorisation methods towards students (Pals et al.,2018).
Among the main reasons for poor academic performance among students is the ability of the students to
memorise, which makes it difficult for students to answer in an examination. Given that corporate compliance
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ILEIID 2025 | International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS)
ISSN: 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS
Special Issue | Volume IX Issue XXV October 2025
requires not only a knowledge of regulations but also an adaptive understanding of dynamic regulatory
landscapes and their practical implications within organisational structures, such deficiencies are especially
problematic. Past studies have confirmed that music-based learning, particularly through singing, has been
widely recognised as an effective tool for enhancing memory and cognitive retention, such as in a foreign
language (Ludke,2018).
The main objective of this study is to identify the obstacles faced by students in memorising facts, sections,
and provisions relating to corporate compliance when they took the corporate compliance subject. In addition,
this study evaluates the effectiveness of using the SONGEMORY kit in the learning process. The Songemory
kit comprises instructions, terms and conditions, and the scoring guide to be used by students in creating songs
and lyrics during the Complitunes Competition. The song created must be related to the topics that have been
listed in the instruction paper. The topics covered are the constitution of the company, statutory documents and
registered offices, directors, secretary, and auditor. Each group is required to sing the song during the
competition, and judges will announce the winner based on the scoring guide provided in the SONGEMORY
kit.
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION & METHODOLOGY
There were two phases of SINGEMORY, which are pre- and post-SINGEMORY implementation. The first
phase is before the SINGEMORY is introduced and implemented for students. This study employed a
quantitative method of data collection to identify the reasons or obstacles while learning ADM222: Corporate
Compliance I for Diploma of Corporate Administration students. There were a total of 111 students who took
this subject for Semester Mac-July 2025. The survey consists of 5 questions, and students are required to give
feedback on each question. Quantitative data from the survey were analysed using descriptive statistics to
determine the percentage of students encountering specific obstacles in this course. The results of the survey
were used to identify the relevant teaching method to address the obstacles, which is through a song-based
learning technique.
The second phase is the implementation of SINGEMORY. The song-based learning technique was introduced,
which is usually used in subjects that require a lot of memorisation. The method was introduced to students
through a “Corporate Compliance & Practice 1: Complitunes Competitions”. During the competition, students
are divided into groups and are asked to create a song and lyrics related to the subjects. There were five (5)
topics included, which are the constitution, statutory documents, director, secretary, and auditor. After the
competition, a quick survey was carried out to evaluate the impact of the song-based learning technique on
students' understanding and learning aid. This study uses descriptive statistics to gauge students' feedback and
evaluation on SINGEMORY implementation.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Phase 1: Pre-SINGEMORY
The primary survey among 111 Diploma in Corporate Administration students at UiTM Seremban revealed
that most of them have problems memorising the sections and topics in the subject. Table 1 shows the results
of the survey.
Table 1 Survey Results on student difficulties (n = 111)
Questions
Percentage (%)
1
Difficult to memorise
69.5
2
Too much reliance on memorisation
60.0
3
Too much content to memorise in a short time
56.7
4
Need memorisation skills to memorise key provisions
70.0
5
Answering problem-based exam questions
48.3
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ILEIID 2025 | International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS)
ISSN: 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS
Special Issue | Volume IX Issue XXV October 2025
From Table 1, the results show that most of the students (69.5%) found it difficult to memorise as the most
difficult obstacle in learning ADM 222 in the first question. This is because the subject requires a lot of
memorisation of the sections and provisions of the Companies Act 2016. Next, for the second question,60 %
students responded that it is very challenging for them because they relied so much on memorisation to pass
this subject. It was also very challenging for students to explain the statutory requirement, which is about
27.4%. The rationale behind this is that in order to answer questions, whether in the final exam or assessment,
they need to understand and memorise related provisions to ensure that the compliance issues are all addressed.
Furthermore, for the third question, most of the students (56.7%) responded that there was too much content to
memorise in a short time, followed by difficulty in linking theory to practice (22.6%). Additionally, most of the
students (60%) believe that they need memorisation skills in order to improve their performance in this subject,
followed by analytic thinking (19.4%) and writing skills (17%). Finally, for the last question, most students
(48.4%) reported having difficulties with answering the problem-based exam questions. The results from the
pre-SINGEMORY signalled that the students were having difficulties in memorising all related provisions,
case laws, and sections, which impacted their academic performance, especially in this subject.
Phase 2: Post SINGEMORY implementation.
The second phase is the SINGEMORY implementation, whereby the kit was distributed to students during the
Complitunes Competition. A quick survey was conducted after the “Corporate Compliance & Practice 1:
Complitunes Competitions” was carried out to gauge the benefits of SINGEMORY to student performance
based on the student perspective. The findings were presented in Table 2.
Percentage (%)
1
68.4
2
69.4
3
63.4
4
79.0
The first question is regarding the benefits of SINGEMORY, which the majority (68.4%) of the students find
easier to memorise the facts and sections, followed by a more enjoyable and engaging session (33.9%). The
second question is regarding the willingness to learn the subject with songs or music. The results show 69.4%
responded yes, and the rest responded no. Other than that, the majority of the students responded that the
SINGEMORY is effective for them to recall provisions (63.4%), and for the final question, SINGEMORY
helps them to remember legal provisions, where 79% of the students agreed to the statement. The results
suggested that with the relevant and correct learning tools, students can memorise important points and
therefore will have a strong base for the students to answer questions. The finding is in line with past studies,
which claimed that music-based interventions increase students' interest and memory which making they more
successful than traditional teaching methods at educating kids (Dzanic 2017). It was also supported by the
Constructivist Learning Theory, pioneered by Piaget in 1972. The theory emphasises that learners get
knowledge through interaction, experience, and reflection rather than passively receiving information.
Learning occurs most effectively when students engage with materials in ways that allow them to connect new
knowledge to prior understanding within meaningful contexts. The Singemory approach, which combines
singing and memory, was strongly allign strongly with this theoretical foundation as it transforms the learning
process into an active, participatory, and socially engaging experience. Therefore, it can be said that the
SINGEMORY methods will help them to improve their academic performance. It is because the significant
characteristics of songs are fun and make students excited. In addition, the most important characteristic is
repetition, which can have an impact on students in memorising. Thus, with a good memorising technique, it
can help to organise and link all the information received and store it in long-term memory, as it can be kept
for a longer time (Ishak et al. 2011).
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ILEIID 2025 | International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS)
ISSN: 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS
Special Issue | Volume IX Issue XXV October 2025
LIMITATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH
Even though the findings show the importance of music-based learning in the teaching and learning process,
and its impact on student performance, the result is limited to a group of students who are taking ADM 222,
Corporate Compliance and Practices, semester March-July 202. Since this is the inaugural initiative conducted
by lecturers, therefore, the result may be limited and cannot be generalised to all students. Future research
should include multiple institutions, subjects, students and disciplines to enhance the generalisability of the
study.
Other than that, this study is based on the findings of descriptive statistics that provide basic and surface
information about the overall data. This study employed only descriptive statistics, including mean and
percentage comparisons, to examine pre- and post-intervention differences. Inferential statistical tests such as
t-tests or regression analyses were not applied because the study was exploratory in nature and involved a
limited, non-random sample. However, future research with a larger and more representative sample will
incorporate appropriate inferential statistical analyses to test the significance and robustness of the observed
effects.
CONCLUSION
The findings of this study indicate that good memorisation helps students store fundamental concepts and
information, which they can then build upon to grasp more complex ideas, especially during examinations.
Sing It to Memorise It (SINGEMORY): Enhancing student academic performance through Song" is a learning
technique which comprises instructions, terms and conditions, and a scoring guide for students to be used by
both students and educators as part of their learning activity. The positive outcome after the SONGEMORY
implementation shows that songs have a positive impact on students in memorising, which later on can be seen
in their academic performance. Finally, the most vital part is that both educators and students are able to use
the same method for other subjects throughout their academic journey.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to express their sincere gratitude to the Dean and all members of the Faculty of
Administrative Science and Policy Studies for their continuous support and encouragement throughout the
development of this project. Special thanks are also extended to the students of the Diploma in Corporate
Administration (AM120), Semester 2, for their active participation and valuable feedback, which greatly
contributed to the success of this project.
REFERENCES
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Performance Of Faculty Health Science Student , Universiti Kebangsaan The Study Of Working Memory
And Academic Performance Of Faculty Health Science Student ,(December).
3. Ludke, K. M. (2018). Singing for learning: How the use of songs in foreign language teaching supports
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4. Pals, F.F.B., Tolboom, J.L.J., Suhre, C.J.M., Geert, P.L.C. Van, Pals, F.F.B., Tolboom, J.L.J., Suhre, C.J.M.
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