The Research Basis for EduTunes Songs
The research basis for EduTunes songs comes from a peer-reviewed study that included EduTunes math songs (2009); an informal pilot study that I conducted in South Bay Union School District (2001); action research in my own classroom (1997-present); general peer-reviewed studies indicating that music is an effective tool to promote learning; and feedback from thousands of teachers world-wide over the last 24 years.
I originally developed these songs after learning about research indicating that children learn more with music. I noticed an immediate difference in my students' attitudes, test scores, and general abilities when I began using songs with them. That's why I continued to create songs, and that's why other teachers originally asked to use them.
I first informally piloted the phonics songs in 2001 in South Bay Union School District with 80 teachers who volunteered to come to my classroom after school. They worked with their 1500 students to give me valuable feedback on best meeting children's needs.
Some of the math songs were included in a 2009 independent, peer-reviewed study on attitudes and achievement of 286 students (Kocobas, 2009). Kocobas used a pre- and post-test experimental design along with a time series design within five mathematics units. Schools were randomly selected from eight different Turkish schools. They were divided into four control groups that did not use songs during instruction, and four experimental groups that sang songs that related to subject matter content daily. Kocobas used the Scale of Attitudes Toward Mathematics (Baykul, 1990; as cited in Kocobas, 2009) and mathematics achievement tests for 5 units as measurement tools. Participants in the experimental groups also completed song evaluation scales for teachers and students to determine practicality, as well as students’ opinions of songs.
Kocobas found that students using these math songs to supplement learning had significantly more positive attitudes, reduced anxiety, as well as significantly higher achievement scores, than the control groups (Kocobas, 2009). She recommended that classroom teachers be trained in using songs to teach mathematics content, and she also suggested that math songs should be used in first through fifth grade in both music and mathematics classrooms.
According to Kokabas, “Mathematical songs decreased mathematics anxiety and increased positive attitudes toward mathematics, which result(ed) in an increase in students’ achievement…The developed songs for mathematics courses should be used first of all in primary schools…from 1st to 5th grades…Mathematical songs should take place in the content of “Teaching Mathematics” and “Teaching Music” courses in the Elemenatary Teacher Training Programme in the faculty of education" (Kokabas, 2009).
I have also used action research in my own classroom, along with feedback from thousands of teachers world-wide to continually improve songs over the past 20 years. Finally, as a doctoral student in the "Learning Design and Technology" program at UH Manoa, I continually read about the latest research on best practices in education. I have included many of these practices in the "Introduction" page, and in the suggestions included under individual songs.
***This page will be updated shortly to include additional current research on using music as a teaching tool for native English speakers, English language learners, and Special Education students. Thanks for your interest in my music!
Reference
Kocabaş, Ayfer. Using songs in mathematics instruction: Results from pilot application.” Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, World Conference on Educational Sciences: New Trends and Issues in Educational Sciences, 1, no. 1 (2009): 538–43. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2009.01.097.
I originally developed these songs after learning about research indicating that children learn more with music. I noticed an immediate difference in my students' attitudes, test scores, and general abilities when I began using songs with them. That's why I continued to create songs, and that's why other teachers originally asked to use them.
I first informally piloted the phonics songs in 2001 in South Bay Union School District with 80 teachers who volunteered to come to my classroom after school. They worked with their 1500 students to give me valuable feedback on best meeting children's needs.
Some of the math songs were included in a 2009 independent, peer-reviewed study on attitudes and achievement of 286 students (Kocobas, 2009). Kocobas used a pre- and post-test experimental design along with a time series design within five mathematics units. Schools were randomly selected from eight different Turkish schools. They were divided into four control groups that did not use songs during instruction, and four experimental groups that sang songs that related to subject matter content daily. Kocobas used the Scale of Attitudes Toward Mathematics (Baykul, 1990; as cited in Kocobas, 2009) and mathematics achievement tests for 5 units as measurement tools. Participants in the experimental groups also completed song evaluation scales for teachers and students to determine practicality, as well as students’ opinions of songs.
Kocobas found that students using these math songs to supplement learning had significantly more positive attitudes, reduced anxiety, as well as significantly higher achievement scores, than the control groups (Kocobas, 2009). She recommended that classroom teachers be trained in using songs to teach mathematics content, and she also suggested that math songs should be used in first through fifth grade in both music and mathematics classrooms.
According to Kokabas, “Mathematical songs decreased mathematics anxiety and increased positive attitudes toward mathematics, which result(ed) in an increase in students’ achievement…The developed songs for mathematics courses should be used first of all in primary schools…from 1st to 5th grades…Mathematical songs should take place in the content of “Teaching Mathematics” and “Teaching Music” courses in the Elemenatary Teacher Training Programme in the faculty of education" (Kokabas, 2009).
I have also used action research in my own classroom, along with feedback from thousands of teachers world-wide to continually improve songs over the past 20 years. Finally, as a doctoral student in the "Learning Design and Technology" program at UH Manoa, I continually read about the latest research on best practices in education. I have included many of these practices in the "Introduction" page, and in the suggestions included under individual songs.
***This page will be updated shortly to include additional current research on using music as a teaching tool for native English speakers, English language learners, and Special Education students. Thanks for your interest in my music!
Reference
Kocabaş, Ayfer. Using songs in mathematics instruction: Results from pilot application.” Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, World Conference on Educational Sciences: New Trends and Issues in Educational Sciences, 1, no. 1 (2009): 538–43. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2009.01.097.