The Sound of Learning: Teachers’ Perceptions on the Impact of Music and Rhymes on Kindergarten Pupils’ Engagement

Abstract

Music and rhymes are widely recognized as effective pedagogical tools for enhancing pupil engagement in early childhood classrooms. This study employed a descriptive–comparative survey design to examine differences in kindergarten teachers’ perceptions of the influence of music and rhymes on pupils’ classroom engagement when grouped according to age, length of teaching experience, gender, school type, and school size. A total of thirty (N = 30) kindergarten teachers participated in the study. The majority of respondents were from public schools (90%, n = 27), while 10% (n = 3) were from private schools. In terms of teaching experience, 30% (n = 9) had 10 years of experience, 23% (n = 7) had 15 years, 20% (n = 6) had 20 years, 17% (n = 5) had 5 years, and 10% (n = 3) had 25 years. Regarding school size, 53% (n = 16) taught in large schools and 47% (n = 14) in small schools. Results indicated that teachers rated the influence of music and rhymes on pupils’ classroom engagement as very high (M = 4.41, SD = 0.45). Inferential analysis revealed a statistically significant difference in perceptions when respondents were grouped according to teaching experience (p = 0.05). However, no statistically significant differences were found based on school type (p = 0.20) or school size (p = 0.886). These findings underscore the pedagogical value of integrating music and rhymes in early childhood education and suggest that teaching experience plays a significant role in shaping teachers’ perceptions of their effectiveness in promoting pupil engagement.