Factors Responsible for Students’ low Interest in Taking Music as a Course: a Study of Selected Secondary Schools in Nsukka.
CHAPTER ONE
Objective of the study
The objectives of the study are;
- To determine whether students’ perception influence their preference for music as a course of study
- To determine whether gender and culture influence students’ preference for music as a course of study
- To determine whether peer groups influence students’ preference for music as a course of study
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
BENEFITS OF STUDYING MUSIC
The study of Music just like any other course cannot be without benefits, there are many reasons why students should choose music as an important discipline/field of study. According to Fulton (2007), if public education is to help all our children reach their individual potential and serve the collective good of our society, music must be a part of the education of all American children. The No Child Left Behind act defines “core academic subjects” as English, reading or language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, history, and geography. Music, as a valued part of culture, is a birthright of every child. In addition, learning music in school contributes to student achievement in four important categories: Success in society, Success in school and learning, Success in developing intelligence and Success in life. Perhaps the basic reason every child must have an education in music is that music is a part of the fabric of our society. The intrinsic value of music for each individual is widely recognized in the many cultures that make up Nigeria, every human culture uses music to carry forward its ideas and ideals. The importance of music in our economy is massive. And the value of music in shaping individual abilities and character are evident
Adults who receive formal music instruction as children have more robust brainstem responses to sound than peers who never participate in music lessons and that the magnitude of the response correlates with how recently training ceased. These results suggest that neural changes accompanying musical training during childhood are retained in adulthood (Skoe & Kraus, 2012). Young Children who take music lessons show different brain development and improved memory over the course of a year, compared to children who do not receive musical training. Musically trained children performed better in a memory test that is correlated with general intelligence skills such as literacy, verbal memory, visuo-spatial processing, mathematics, and IQ (Trainor in Skoe & Kraus, 2012). Music education readies students for learning by helping to develop their basic mental skills and capacities. Music instruction impacts learning in the following ways: It enhances fine motor skills. Motor function is the ability to use small, acute muscle movements to write, use a computer, and perform other physical activities essential for classroom learning. The parts of the brain associated with sensory and motor function are developed through music instruction, and musically trained children have better motor function than non-musically trained children (Forgeard, 2008; Hyde, 2009; Schlaug et al., 2005). It prepares the brain for achievement. Complex math processes are more accessible to students who have studied music because the same parts of the brain used in processing math are strengthened through practice in music. For example, students who take music in middle school score significantly higher on algebra assessments in ninth grade than their non-music counterparts, as their brains are already accustomed to performing the processes used in complex math (Helmrich, 2010). It fosters superior working memory. Working memory is the ability to mentally hold, control and manipulate information in order to complete higher-order tasks, such as reasoning and problem solving. Musicians are found to have superior working memory compared to non-musicians. Musicians are better able to sustain mental control during memory and recall tasks, most likely as a result of their long-term musical training (Berti et al., 2006; Pallesen et al., 2010). Music Cultivates better thinking skills. Thinking skills such as abstract reasoning are integral to students’ ability to apply knowledge and visualize solutions.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research design
The researcher used descriptive research survey design in building up this project work the choice of this research design was considered appropriate because of its advantages of identifying attributes of a large population from a group of individuals. The design was suitable for the study as the study sought to factors Responsible for Students ‘Low Interest in Taking Music as a Course: A study of selected Secondary Schools in Nsukka.
Sources of data collection
Data were collected from two main sources namely:
Primary source:
These are materials of statistical investigation which were collected by the research for a particular purpose. They can be obtained through a survey, observation questionnaire or as experiment; the researcher has adopted the questionnaire method for this study.
Secondary source:
These are data from textbook Journal handset etc. they arise as byproducts of the same other purposes. Example administration, various other unpublished works and write ups were also used.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION ANALYSIS INTERPRETATION OF DATA
Introduction
Efforts will be made at this stage to present, analyze and interpret the data collected during the field survey. This presentation will be based on the responses from the completed questionnaires. The result of this exercise will be summarized in tabular forms for easy references and analysis. It will also show answers to questions relating to the research questions for this research study. The researcher employed simple percentage in the analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was on factors Responsible for Students ‘Low Interest in Taking Music as a Course: A study of selected Secondary Schools in Nsukka. In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges of factors Responsible for Students ‘Low Interest in Taking Music as a Course
Summary
This study was on factors Responsible for Students ‘Low Interest in Taking Music as a Course: A study of selected Secondary Schools in Nsukka. Three objectives were raised which included: To determine whether students’ perception influence their preference for music as a course of study, to determine whether gender and culture influence students’ preference for music as a course of study and to determine whether peer groups influence students’ preference for music as a course of study. In line with these objectives, two research hypotheses were formulated and two null hypotheses were posited. The total population for the study is 200 staff of selected secondary schools in Nsukka. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study. A total of 133 respondents made principals, vice principals adm, teachers and junior staffs were used for the study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies
Conclusion
Contributing factors towards music students’ performance in examinations were highlighted as: student’s entry behavior, frequency with which music activities are utilized during the music lesson, frequency of evaluating the music curriculum
Recommendation
Student should avoid placing much value on certain course than others because ideally, no course is not a top course.
The society in general should avoid behaving that certain courses are useless. The society should learn to see that every course has a unique role to play in transforming the society.
The idea that music study is a thing for men or women alone should be abolished. Let both males and females see music study as a unisex course with many opportunities.
Different cultural/ethnic groups should stir up and innovate practices that will promote music in their locality. This will help expose young ones to music in the immediate environment before giving up.
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