The use of movement in virtual elementary music education

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Kelly A. Poquette (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Tami Draves

Abstract: Virtual education has been present for some time but gained popularity over the past two years due to COVID-19. As a result, music educators needed to adjust their teaching for online delivery, resulting in various approaches to teaching students in a virtual environment (Hash, 2021). The purpose of this study was to learn how four K-5 virtual music educators included movement in their classes. While many researchers have focused on using movement in in-person learning situations (Alperson, 1995; Dutkiewicz, 2020; Juntunen & Hyvönen, 2004; van der Merwe, 2015), few have focused on using movement in virtual music education. By listening to the stories, thoughts, and experiences of music educators teaching music with movement in a virtual classroom, this study was designed to provide insight into how music teachers implemented and perceived the use of movement in virtual lessons. The following questions guided the research: (a) What types of movement activities do virtual music educators use in their lessons? (b) How do virtual elementary music educators evaluate and assess movement activities? (c) What are the benefits of including movement in virtual elementary music lessons? and (d) What challenges are associated with including movement in virtual elementary music lessons? In this instrumental case study, the research questions were addressed by collecting stories of four virtual elementary music educators. Two interviews were conducted with each participant; additional data were gathered through one focus group, lesson plans, and guided journal responses. Purposeful and snowball sampling were used to enroll participants and the criterion strategy was used to narrow participant selection to those who taught for a virtual school during the 2021-2022 school year (Creswell & Poth, 2017). Five themes emerged from the data: types of movement, planning for movement instruction, challenges when including movement, embodied learning, and engaging students and their families. Based on the data, participants valued movement as a component of their lessons, yet faced challenges in successfully incorporating movement. Additionally, students faced different challenges than teachers regarding participation in movement activities during lessons. Teacher evaluation of movement activities took several forms, both synchronously and asynchronously. Finally, the resources teachers used to incorporate movement activities varied greatly. Suggestions for future research and practical application followed the findings.

Additional Information

Publication
Dissertation
Language: English
Date: 2023
Keywords
Elementary, Elementary Music Education, Movement, Music Education, Virtual Learning
Subjects
Web-based instruction
School music $x Instruction and study $z United States
Movement education

Email this document to