Early childhood care and education educators’ understanding of the use of music-based pedagogies to teach communication skills

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.