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.
Highlights
One of the key requirements for sustainable early childhood development is effective educators who understand developmentally appropriate practices and are able to employ diverse strategies to transfer skills to children (Knight & Rabon 2017)
According to Horng et al (2005), creative Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) educators use a constructivist approach to learning, are able to create music and rhymes, use games, use technology and multimedia, use stories and establish a connection between the teaching content and real life
Childhood Care and Education educators in developing countries need to be skilled and creative, as research has shown that many children below age five are from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds and are faced with challenges that affect their readiness for further learning, such as malnutrition and generally poor health as a result of an unhealthy environment, inadequate parental care and stunted growth (Walker et al 2011)
Summary
One of the key requirements for sustainable early childhood development is effective educators who understand developmentally appropriate practices and are able to employ diverse strategies to transfer skills to children (Knight & Rabon 2017). Adams-Ojugbele and Moletsane (2019) found that when children in the classroom are from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, the key indicator of a proficient educator is the ability to employ child-centred strategies for an inclusive classroom. There is a need for professional educators with the knowledge of a variety of child-centred pedagogies to transfer the necessary skills to these children. 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
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