Effects of Using Music in a Special Education Classroom
Poster Number
02
College
College of Education
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Carol Marchel
Abstract
A recent comparison of fifteen-year-olds across the globe from the Program for International Student Assessment indicated that students in the United States are falling behind in learning mathematics. Among the lowest scoring groups in the U.S. are students with identified disabilities, who score significantly below their same-age peers. It is important for the U.S. to improve mathematics instruction for all students, especially those with disabilities. As a method of intervention, music is used in the classroom as a tier two intervention. This paper uses teacher action research to explore the effects of using music as an intervention in a special education classroom. Six fourth-graders with disabilities at Hunter Street Elementary School received music intervention that included steady beat, rhythm, and pitch to support mathematics instruction once a week for twelve weeks. Formative assessments indicated that the songs used for multiplication facts improved the students’ abilities of recall. Students showed improvement in their abilities to solve mathematical problems on multiplication and division after eight weeks of music intervention.
Honors Thesis Committee
Carol Marchel, Ph.D.; Bradley Witzel, Ed.D.; Kerrin Hopper, M.A.
Start Date
22-4-2016 12:00 PM
End Date
22-4-2016 2:00 PM
Effects of Using Music in a Special Education Classroom
Rutledge
A recent comparison of fifteen-year-olds across the globe from the Program for International Student Assessment indicated that students in the United States are falling behind in learning mathematics. Among the lowest scoring groups in the U.S. are students with identified disabilities, who score significantly below their same-age peers. It is important for the U.S. to improve mathematics instruction for all students, especially those with disabilities. As a method of intervention, music is used in the classroom as a tier two intervention. This paper uses teacher action research to explore the effects of using music as an intervention in a special education classroom. Six fourth-graders with disabilities at Hunter Street Elementary School received music intervention that included steady beat, rhythm, and pitch to support mathematics instruction once a week for twelve weeks. Formative assessments indicated that the songs used for multiplication facts improved the students’ abilities of recall. Students showed improvement in their abilities to solve mathematical problems on multiplication and division after eight weeks of music intervention.
