Integration of music in kindergarten curriculum_ perception of kindergarten teachers in Shama district Ghana

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of kindergarten teachers on integration of music in the kindergarten curriculum. The theoretical perspectives of the social cognitive theory of Bandura and Gardner‘s theory of multiple intelligences were adopted for the study. The pragmatist philosophy underpins this study. This study adopted the descriptive design using mixed-methods sequential exploratory approaches. The target population for the study was the thirty-six public kindergarten schools in the Shama District in the Western Region of Ghana. Simple random sampling method was used to select a sample of ninety (90) teachers in the Shama District. Structured questionnaires and semi-structured interview were used to gather data for the study. The quantitative data was analyzed using frequencies and percentages while the qualitative data was analyzed through thematic analysis. The study revealed that early childhood educators perceive that children enjoy music activities though they have limited content knowledge and support for music integration. The teachers often lack confidence in integrating music due to inadequate training and skills and educational resources. Age-teaching experience, motivation and encouragement from head teachers, past experiences and gender were some of the factors that influence teachers‘ integration of music in their teaching. It was also discovered that the concept of student engagement is of paramount concern for children‘s learning, teachers use music to gain the children‘s attention, motivate and increase children‘s engagement. It was identified thatprofessional development is a necessity for better teaching and that KG teachers should study music teaching courses, training programmes should regularly be organized for KG teachers to improve their knowledge in music integration.It is recommended, among others, that early childhood educators are provided with intensive training to improve their knowledge and skills in music integration.