The Effects of Group Musical Activities on Children’s Behaviour
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37134/mjm.vol6.2.3.2017Keywords:
behaviour, challenging behaviours, children, group musical activities, socio-emotionalAbstract
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.