Fanny Chung

Previous studies have suggested that musical play is a powerful medium for enhancing children’s holistic development. The Hong Kong SAR Government’s recently-issued Kindergarten Education Curriculum Guide (Curriculum Development Council, 2017) was themed ‘Joyful Learning through Play’, and stated that ‘play’ should be the focus of the curriculum. Despite arts education is recognized as a key area in the current curriculum framework and music is officially recommended as the kindergarten daily activity, early childhood teachers in Hong Kong did not receive sufficient training in music education and the application of play-based approach in music education in their pre-service education. The conceptions of music and play among kindergarten teachers may still be vague, and this may create challenges for the application of recommendations made in the curriculum guide. Studies focusing on the implementation of play-based approach in music in Hong Kong are rare. To address this gap which is of relatively recent interest, we seek to: (i) examine the current ways in which a play-based approach in music has been delivered in kindergartens; (ii) investigate the perception and self-efficacy of teachers in the implementation of play-based approach in music; and (iii) explore the content knowledge, musical skills and pedagogical competencies that teachers need for implementing the approach.

This project will adopt a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design. The first phase will be a survey investigating teachers’ perceptions on the current conditions in which a play-based approach in music is delivered. By adopting Bandura’s self-efficacy theory, teacher self-efficacy will also be investigated. Using a cluster sampling approach, a questionnaire will be disseminated to kindergartens in Hong Kong. In Phase 2, a multiple-case study will be carried out in which 12 Hong Kong kindergartens will be purposively selected to cover a range of sizes, programme durations and kindergarten types. Interviews and observations will be conducted.

Our findings will fill an important gap in theoretical and professional knowledge about the implementation of a play-based approach in early childhood music education, which is notably an underexplored area. Significantly, they will provide teachers educators of the higher institutions with evidence-based recommendations on the development of music teacher training framework for addressing kindergarten teachers’ pressing professional needs, with wider implications to other creative arts with play-based elements. Ultimately, they may inform Hong Kong’s future policymaking in kindergarten education by providing significant insights into the application of play-based learning which is currently included in the policy agenda of kindergarten curriculum.

先前的研究顯示音樂遊戲是促進幼兒全面發展的重要媒介。香港特別行政區政府最近發布的《幼稚園教育課程指引》（課程發展議會，2017 ）以 「遊戲學習好開始 ，均衡發展樂成長 」為主題，並強調 「遊戲學習」應該是現今香港幼稚園課程的重點。儘管藝術教育在現行幼稚園課程架構中被定為重點領域，及官方建議將音樂作為幼稚園的日常活動，但香港的幼兒教師在遊戲為本的音樂教學的職前培訓十分不足。因此，很多幼稚園教師對遊戲為本的音樂教學的概念可能仍然相當模糊，這對教師在實踐官方課程建議或許構成極為重大的挑戰。 目前 ，關於香港幼稚園教師在音樂教育中實施遊戲為本教學的研究極為缺乏 ，為了填補這方面的研究空隙，我們尋求：(i) 檢視目前遊戲為本的音樂教育在幼稚園中的教學方式及實踐狀況； (ii) 調查教師對遊戲為本的音樂教學的觀感和自我效能； (iii) 探索教師實施該方法所需的內容知識、音樂技能和教學能力。本項目將採用順序解釋混合研究方法。第一階段將調查教師對當前遊戲為本的音樂教學的觀感 ，亦會通過採用阿爾波特·班杜拉的自我效能理論， 了解當前教師在遊戲為本的音樂教學方面的自我效能 ，我們會採用整群抽樣方法在香港的幼稚園派發問卷。在第二階段，將進行多案例研究，有目的地抽樣選擇香港的12 間幼稚園， 當中涵蓋不同規模、課程持續時間和幼稚園類型 ，進行訪談和觀察。我們的研究結果將填補關於遊戲為本的音樂教育在理論及實踐中的重要空隙 ；明顯地 ，這是一個未充分探索的研究領域。重要的是， 此研究計畫將為高等院校的教師教育工作者提供有關音樂教師培訓框架的循證建議，以回應幼稚園教師當前迫切的專業需要，並對其他具有遊戲元素的創意藝術教育產生更廣泛的影響。最終， 通過了解及檢視當前教育政策的實踐 ，本研究將為香港未來的幼兒教育政策制定提供重要的啟示及建議 。