The Effects of an Integrated Reading and Music Instructional Approach on Fourth-grade Students' Reading and Music Achievement
Author | : James C. Eaton |
Publisher | : |
Total Pages | : 198 |
Release | : 2006 |
Genre | : Fourth grade (Education) |
ISBN | : 9781109838756 |
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Integrated instruction is among the most widely discussed concepts in educational reform with resurgence during the past decade. Arts integration has become an area of great interest as schools discover the power of the arts when used as a catalyst for teaching across the curriculum. Recently, there has been an interest in determining whether music instruction would improve reading skills. Although there appears to be a positive relationship between music and reading abilities, research has not determined that integrated reading and music instruction improves reading achievement. Using a quasi-experimental approach, the researcher determined whether integrated reading and music instruction increased or decreased reading and music achievement. Two classes of fourth grade students in a suburban Maryland elementary school were randomly selected as the experimental and control groups. Thirty-seven students participated in the study. Fourteen females and five males received integrated reading and music instruction for twelve weeks during the final thirty minutes of the regularly scheduled reading instruction. The control group was comprised of nine males and nine females and only received music instruction during their final thirty minutes of their scheduled reading instruction. Reading and music achievement was measured prior to and after treatment. Pretest and posttest scores on the Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) and assessments from the music text book series, Spotlight on Music, were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Results showed that an integrated approach positively affected fourth grade students' reading and music achievement. Continued research is warranted to enable educators to make decisions for integrating music and reading instruction. Developing measures of music achievement for integrated instruction, refining integrated content, and assessing learning within the integrated classroom continue as promising avenues for investigation.