Abstract
AbstractMusic and language engage similar processing mechanisms, including auditory processing and higher cognitive functions, recruiting partially overlapping brain structures. It has been argued that both are related in child development and that linguistic functions can be positively influenced by music training above 4-years-old. In this randomized control study, with a test–training–retest methodology, 44 children (3–4 years old) were assessed with a phonological awareness test, prior and after an intervention period of a school year with weekly music classes (experimental group, n = 23) or visual arts classes (control group, n = 21) in kindergarten. In the preassessment there were no significant differences between groups. When comparing pre- and postassessment, results showed significant differences in both groups, but music classes’ students outperformed the control group, showing larger differences between the beginning and the end of the intervention. Improvement in both groups is expected due to general developmental reasons. However, the fact that children receiving music classes show greater improvement indicates that music lessons have influenced phonological awareness. Our results support the hypothesis that music training may promote language abilities, specifically phonological awareness, prior to the ages previously studied.
Highlights
In the last years, the relation between music and language development has attracted great attention in various research fields, and in particular in linguistics
From the analysis of the results of Conf-IRA total score, it is possible to see that the activity by itself had no impact on phonological awareness skills, showing a small effect on the test results, F (1, 42) = 1.21, p > .05, r =
If we consider the interaction between time and training activity, there were significant differences between groups, F (1, 42) = 9.28, p < .01, r = .42, showing that the type of training activity influenced the development of phonological awareness, with a medium size effect
Summary
The relation between music and language development has attracted great attention in various research fields, and in particular in linguistics. In the investigation involving a test–training–retest methodology, the training period consisted most often in an intensive training Results from this type of research indicate significant effects of music in children’s subsequent abilities, the sort of intensive training involved is difficult to provide to children at these ages in large scale, for instance, as part of the state schools curricula. The aim of the present study is to contribute to understanding the relation between music training and phonological development before the ages already studied, with typical music classes that were not designed to promote phonological awareness abilities, with no intensive training, in a kindergarten context. In the experiment we report here, the children tested are native speakers of European Portuguese (EP), a language where the effect of music in phonological awareness promotion was never investigated, to the best of our knowledge. Some of the most salient phonological properties are given below
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