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Teachers’ Perceptions about the Use of Background Music in Preschool Free Play Time

Lee, Y; Welch, GF; (2017) Teachers’ Perceptions about the Use of Background Music in Preschool Free Play Time. Asia-Pacific Journal of Research in Early Childhood Education , 11 (2) pp. 85-106. 10.17206/apjrece.2017.11.2.85. Green open access

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Abstract

The allocation of free-play time in an early childhood curriculum provides opportunities for child-centred learning and gives children a chance to explore safely the world around them. However, previous literature suggests that the beneficial use background music during free-play time is contested and that further research would be useful. A specially designed survey was sent to teachers in Seoul, Kyoung-gi, and Choong-chung provinces in South Korea by e-mail and supplemented post-survey by n=12 in-depth interviews. Data from n=127 surveys were gathered for final analyses. The responses were divided into two main categories: the case for the use of background music during free-play time and the case against. The numbers of teachers in each category were similar. 54% of teachers reported using background music for children’s free-play time and transitions, both in accordance with children’s preferences and also to facilitate a musical sound environment for children’s play; however, 46% of teachers did not use background music because of a perception that it would create noise problems in the classroom. Selected background music tended to be of medium tempi, with or without lyrics, often calm and quiet, with medium or soft dynamics. Music choices related to the perceived mood of the music, children’s perceived preferences, and the music’s relationships to a chosen educational theme. The majority of teachers who used background music during free-play time reported that this was also helpful in the learning of songs or to support content-related curricular themes.

Type: Article
Title: Teachers’ Perceptions about the Use of Background Music in Preschool Free Play Time
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.17206/apjrece.2017.11.2.85
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.17206/apjrece.2017.11.2.85
Language: English
Additional information: Copyright 2017 by THE PACIFIC EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION RESEARCH ASSOCIATION. This version is the version of record. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Background music, early childhood music education, free-play time, play, preschool
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Culture, Communication and Media
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1554648
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