Early childhood care and education educators’ understanding of the use of music-based pedagogies to teach communication skills

Abstract

Background: Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) learners have unique needs, and specific pedagogies, therefore, need to be employed to support the acquisition of their essential skills. A great deal of research has been conducted on the use of music-based pedagogies to teach mathematics, life skills, civics and literacy at various levels of education. In South Africa, where ECCE is a relatively new educational sector, very little structure has been put in place to facilitate using music-based pedagogies to teach communication skills to ECCE learners. Aim:The aim of this study was to explore ECCE educators use music-based pedagogies to positively impact children's communication skills and language development. Setting:The qualitative case study was conducted at two Urban ECCE centers in Durban, KwaZulu Natal Province, South African. Method:The study was informed by a social constructivist paradigm underpinned by Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, focussing on ECCE learners' interaction with the more knowledgeable other (MKO). Data were generated through semi-structured interviews and classroom observations with six educators, and through document analysis. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings:The study confirmed that the ECCE educators have some levels of understanding of using music-based pedagogies as a strategy for teaching communication skills to children aged from three to four, but there are constraints. These limitations include insufficient training, a lack of musical resources and the non-inclusion of music-based pedagogies in both the pre-service teachers' curriculum and the ECCE curriculum. Conclusions:The study recommended a comprehensive review of the content and implementation of the ECCE curriculum in relation to music pedagogy.

Effectiveness of music education in developing and fostering reading and writing for learners

“…The findings of this article pointed out that learners from ruralbased communities are deprived of proper music resources, which make them unable to connect to their culture and express their indigenous music. The findings of this article are in line with the study by Arasomwan and Mashiy (2021), which affirms that music education plays an important role in the classroom.…”

“…Improving learners' diverse communication abilities is a significant goal of music education. This finding was supported by Arasomwan and Mashiy (2021), who affirm that music education significantly affects reading ability development in the classroom. Below are two songs for different groups, which are children and teenagers.…”

“…Music education fosters reading and writing abilities for learners, especially in early childhood care and education (ECCE) (Arasomwan & Mashiy 2021;Gordon et al 2015). This was revealed by Arasomwan and Mashiy (2021), who affirm that music plays an essential role in developing basic communication skills for learners: the ability to read, write, listen, and speak. Dumont et al (2017) (Biasutti & Concina 2018).…”

“…According to Olugbenga and Olaniyan (2011), in Africa, for the past 25 years, there has been an increase in concern about the calibre of teachers and learning across the continent of Africa and particularly in rural-based schools. The main issues impacting the level of quality education in many rural-based schools in Africa are the lack of competent educators and the inadequate infrastructure (Arasomwan & Mashiy 2021;De Villiers 2015;Du Plessis & Mestry 2019). These are the significant factors contributing to the visible challenges that affect the quality of education in rural-based schools.…”

“…Scholars have pointed out that even though South African rural-based schools remain isolated and underdeveloped, music education has played an essential role in improving reading and writing English and other African languages for learners (Arasomwan & Mashiy 2021;Du Plessis & Mestry 2019;Yende 2021). This was substantiated by Hugo and Horn (2013) who state that, in Africa, learning a second language such as English can be an intimidating task; however, using music in the classroom can make it an interesting experience for learners.…”