Effective teaching strategies used by music teachers in the Malaysian primary schools / Feranita Lither Padis

Contemporary literature suggests that there is a growing body of research in music education, however, research on the teaching processes and effective teaching strategies of primary teachers in teaching music is highly limited and highlights the need for qualitative research in the pedagogy of music. Thus, with reference to music as one of the foundation subjects of the Malaysian primary curriculum, this study aims to investigate primary teachers' teaching strategies in Malaysian primary classrooms. In the study, the 'qualitative' research approach was adopted in order to fulfill the aims and objectives of the study. A total of eight primary school teachers with different educational backgrounds participated in the study. As one of the research instruments, a semi-structured interview schedule was prepared and participant teachers were interviewed regarding their perceptions about music education and experiences in the classrooms. The analysis of the qualitative data suggests that there are several factors influencing teacher's music teaching activities negatively. Negative factors influencing the classroom were found to come from the students, curriculum, and lack of teacher competencies. The findings suggest that in the field of music education teachers need more support in improving their pedagogical skills in teaching music as well as their technical skills in the subject. It is suggested that due to the lack of confidence and competence of primary teachers, music specialist teachers should be assigned to the task of delivering music curriculum. In addition, it is recommended that education faculties should take a more active role in training teachers, and more in-service training activities should be provided for teacher development in music education.