The effects of group musical activities on children's behaviour

Abstract

The study sought to examine the effects of group musical activities on children's challenging behaviour. Six Grade Five students participated in this mixed-method case study. Qualitative data were gathered from observations, interviews, and written outputs. The quantitative data used the BarOn Emotional Quotient Inventory: Youth Version (BarOn EQ-i: YV) instrument to measure socio-emotional skills and behaviour levels. The qualitative results suggested that group musical activities such as listening and moving to music, singing, instrument-playing, improvising, and composing positively affected the behaviours of children in terms of (1) being considerate of others' feelings, thoughts, and ideas; (2) doing one's best in a role or task given; (3) focusing; and (4) being creative and confident. Analysis of the t-test of the BarOn EQ-i: YV, pretest and posttest result, with a range from 0.087 to 0.973 at 0.05 significance level, was not significant which was possibly due to the threats to validity such as history and experimental mortality. However, a comparison of the pretest and posttest raw scores of individual students revealed mixed results.