This study explored how kindergarten teachers think and behave in the promotion of creativity in young children, particularly in relation to music. It centred on three case studies of Hong Kong kindergarten teachers (nursery, lower and upper class) who were recognized in their school communities as demonstrating exemplary music pedagogy. Using the paradigm of social constructivism, relationships were investigated among creative person, process, product and environment in the promotion of musical creativity in early childhood. Multi-faceted descriptions of the kindergarten contexts included video-taped transcriptions of children's musical creative processes during free play, the teachers' scaffolding of their learning, stimulated recall with teachers, researcher-collected field notes, anecdotal records and photographs of the classroom context. Each of these data sources were documented in narrative form in a series of vignettes, and analysis of musical outcomes centred on instrumental play, background music, movement, singing and imaginative play. Recommendations drawn from the study include several principles for the promotion of musical creativity in young children, such as making room for play within the curriculum, providing environments rich in resources, scaffolding young children's musical creativity, advocating for creative music in the kindergarten curriculum, and providing excellent role models for young children.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/265349 |
| Date | January 2006 |
| Creators | Lau, Margaret Wing Chi |
| Publisher | Queensland University of Technology |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Copyright Margaret Wing Chi Lau |
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