EXTENDED ABSTRACT
Introduction Education is a continuous process that encompasses acquiring, shaping, and changing behaviors throughout an individual's life. Within this framework, art education plays a crucial role in fostering aesthetic thinking, judgment, and creativity. Music, as an integral part of human life, contributes significantly to cognitive, affective, and psychomotor development. In Turkey, formal music education begins compulsorily in primary school. However, music lessons at this level are typically conducted by classroom teachers rather than subject specialists. This situation raises questions about the quality and effectiveness of music education, as classroom teachers often lack specialized musical training and proficiency.
This study focuses on the 4th grade of primary school, a transitional stage to secondary education where the curriculum demands specific musical skills and knowledge. The primary aim is to determine the realization level of the "musical perception and knowledge" learning area acquisitions in the 4th-grade music curriculum and to evaluate the current situation based on the opinions of classroom teachers and students. The study addresses the problem: "What is the realization status of the Primary School 4th Grade Music Lesson Curriculum acquisitions?"
Methodology This research employs a mixed-methods approach, specifically a convergent parallel design, combining both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis methods. This design was chosen to provide a comprehensive understanding of the research problem by corroborating findings from different data sources.
• Study Group: The study was conducted during the 2021-2022 academic year in public primary schools in Viranşehir, Şanlıurfa. The participants included 698 fourth-grade students and 50 classroom teachers.
• Data Collection Tools:
o Achievement Test: A 15-item test was developed to measure students' attainment of the "musical perception and knowledge" acquisitions. The test included gap-filling, true-false, and multiple-choice questions. The reliability coefficient (Cronbach's Alpha) of the test was calculated as 0.79.
o Student Questionnaire: A questionnaire was used to gather students' views on the implementation of the music curriculum, their engagement, and preferences.
o Teacher Interview Form: A semi-structured interview form was used to collect in-depth qualitative data from teachers regarding their experiences, challenges, and suggestions concerning the music curriculum.
• Data Analysis: Quantitative data (achievement test and questionnaire) were analyzed using jMetrik software to calculate frequencies, percentages, and reliability. Qualitative data (teacher interviews) were analyzed using content analysis to identify key themes and patterns.
Findings The findings of the study are presented in three main sections:
1. Student Achievement Levels: The analysis of the achievement test revealed a very low success rate among students. The average number of correct answers out of 15 questions was 2.71, corresponding to a success percentage of 18.07%. This indicates that the students generally failed to meet the targeted acquisitions in the "musical perception and knowledge" learning area. The topic students struggled with most was "drawing a staff (stave)," while "defining rhythm" was the most correctly answered question.
2. Student Opinions:
o Only 25.35% of students stated that music lessons are held regularly every week, while 52.43% said they are held "partially."
o A vast majority of students reported that neither they (84.24%) nor their teachers (87.96%) play a musical instrument in class.
o Despite the low academic achievement and lack of instrumental practice, 93.83% of students expressed that they love music lessons, and 85.38% wished for an increase in the number of music lesson hours.
o When asked to recall songs learned in class, 32.52% could not recall any song, and 16.61% could recall only one.
3. Teacher Opinions:
o Physical Conditions: All 50 teachers (100%) reported that their schools do not have a dedicated music classroom. While most have smartboards, there is a significant lack of musical instruments and materials.
o Curriculum Implementation: 50% of teachers stated they could not implement the 4th-grade music curriculum effectively, citing reasons such as lack of personal musical competence (36.84%), insufficient physical facilities (21.05%), and an unsuitable curriculum (21.05%).
o Challenges: The most significant challenge reported by teachers was their own lack of equipment/competence in the field of music (53.33%). Other challenges included material shortages (23.33%), crowded classrooms, and insufficient lesson hours.
o Specialist Teachers: An overwhelming 96% of classroom teachers believe that music lessons in primary schools would be more beneficial if conducted by specialist music teachers. They emphasized that specialists would provide more qualified instruction, especially in instrument training and technical knowledge.
o Suggestions: Teachers suggested that the curriculum should be more practice-oriented (playing instruments), simpler, and supported by better physical resources.
Conclusion and Discussion The study concludes that the 4th-grade music curriculum acquisitions are not being adequately met. The low achievement scores suggest a systemic issue in music education at the primary level. The fact that students enjoy the subject but fail to learn the core concepts highlights a gap between interest and instruction quality.
The findings strongly support the view that classroom teachers often feel inadequate to teach music effectively due to a lack of specialized training and resources. The consensus among teachers is that music education requires specific expertise that generalist teachers typically do not possess. Consequently, the study recommends that music lessons in primary schools be conducted by branch teachers (music specialists) to improve the quality of education. Additionally, there is an urgent need to improve the physical infrastructure of schools by providing music rooms and instruments, and to offer in-service training for classroom teachers to enhance their musical competencies.
Keywords: Primary School Music Lesson, Curriculum, Classroom Teacher, Music Education, Student Achievement