Music education through the lens of ITERS-R: Discussing results from 206 toddler day care groups

Författare
Vist, T. & Os. E.
År
2020

Syfte

The study investigates the quality of music teaching in Norwegian kindergartens using a standardised data collection tool (ITERS-R). The research question is: What indications does ITERS-R give about the quality of music teaching in Norwegian kindergartens?

Resultat

Kindergartens scored very low on the IERTS-R scale regarding quality in music teaching (average: 2.4 out of 7 points). The researchers describe music teaching as traditional in the Norwegian sense, with a strong emphasis on singing and a limited selection of available material for digital playback. There was little access to instruments and also little focus on playing instruments. The researchers behind the study problematise the low score by pointing out that the performance of music (singing, instruments, digital playbacks) also takes place outside of music teaching in Norwegian kindergartens, but that such musical events are not covered by the study. Moreover, the IERTS-R form is not adapted to national conditions. The dominance of singing at the expense of instruments in Norwegian kindergartens is not necessarily something negative. However, the researchers conclude that the quality of music teaching in Norwegian kindergartens needs to be improved.

Design

A total of 206 kindergarten groups (2811 children between one and six years old) from 93 public and private kindergartens distributed throughout the country participated in the study (representative sample). 203 of the groups were led by staff with kindergarten teacher education. The music teaching was observed by 14 observers, who scored the teaching using the ITERS-R form. The employee who led the music lessons, usually a kindergarten teacher, was also interviewed.

Referenser

Vist, T. & Os. E. (2020). “Music education through the lens of ITERS-R: Discussing results from 206 toddler day care groups”. Research Studies in Music Education, 42(3):326-346.

Uppdragsgivare

The Research Council of Norway, Norway