Browsing by Author "Kriger, Samantha"
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- ItemMusic teaching and the integration of music education in the grade one curriculum(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2020-12) Kriger, Samantha; Jansen, Jonathan D.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Curriculum Studies.ENGLISH SUMMARY : This is a study about the practice of music education in the first grade (grade one) of different primary schools in the Western Cape. It begins with an inquiry into how teachers understand the value and importance of music education, then examines what music teachers actually do in classrooms that are diverse in terms of history and resources, and concludes by asking to what extent teachers integrate music into the Life Skills curriculum. The rationale for the study was the commonplace observation that while music education is indicated within the grade one curriculum, schools typically focused much of their attention on improving learner performance in Literacy and Numeracy. Schools would come under pressure from national and provincial government because of South Africa’s poor performance in reading and mathematics in both national tests (the so-called ANA’s or annual national assessments) as well as international evaluations such as the Progress in Reading and Literacy Studies (PIRLS). Given these curricular priorities, what has happened to music education in general and music integration in the grade one classroom? This research was conducted through the medium of seven qualitative case studies of grade one classrooms in schools drawn from different historical and resource contexts of the Western Cape. Each case was composed from semi-structured interviews, systematic observations, the analysis of classroom texts and, to a limited extent, photographic documentation. Using contingency theory as the conceptual framework, the study found that whether, how and to what extent music education transpired in grade one classrooms was largely contingent on factors such as the available resources for teaching and learning music, the utilisation of those resources when available, pre-service teacher preparation, the non-examination status of the subject, and the deployment of generalist teachers without professional or specialist teacher support. There was little evidence of music integration in the seven case study classrooms. It is recommended that policy interventions focus on adequate resourcing, appropriate pre-service training, in-service teacher support, and some assessment value for the subject (music) to be taken seriously in classroom teaching and learning.