Session Information
20 SES 03 A, Music Education and Intercultural Education
Paper Session
Contribution
Interculturalism consists of an important approach which is needed in order to inform teaching in the university as well as at the kindergarten. Nowadays, the concept of intercultural education is frequently used, especially in Europe, due to the globalization. Intercultural education offers the opportunity to different groups of students, such as students from different countries enrolled in a specific class or program, to interact with each other, leading them to understand the concept of democracy and the different traditions, cultural behaviors, faiths and values. Therefore, the need for intercultural education, which addresses the problem of educational inequality around the world, and furthers the respect for differences and diversity in all educational systems, is obvious.
The significance of emotions experienced in educational settings has been recognized by researchers focusing generally on achievement emotions and models that address the effects of emotions on learning and performance. Research has shown that preschool aged children can non-verbally identify the emotional meaning of expressive body movements and also have the ability to use specific movements on the performance of emotional intensity. The symbolic communication through expressive art is an effective vehicle for children to overtake the verbal communication barrier and be driven to their natural feelings. Through organized activities based on music and dance, children are able to examine, understand and express basic emotions better (joy, sorrow, anger, terror).The lack of inquiry on emotions in pre-school education has been noted by several scholars.This lack of curriculum in emotional learning, combined with the reluctance of teachers to explore this area of basic education, shows that so far little has been done to use emotional education in the classroom.
Emotion theorists agree that emotions have two dimensions, varying from high to low such as rage and annoyance, to pleasant and unpleasant such as joy and anxiety. Children at the ages of the preschool period were found to understand the situation determinants of feeling happy, scared, sad, and angry with the emotions of happiness and fear being understood earlier than anger and sadness.
The purpose of this study is to observe and systematically investigate two basic emotions of happy/accepting vs. angry/aggressive among sixteen children- eleven Greek and five Albanian- ages three to four, in their kindergarten class, using an action-based curriculum. Through music themes with familiar as well as unfamiliar cultural and intercultural elements, the two ethnically different groups will create the performance of four emotionally opposed songs.
The research questions of this research were:
1. What is the social-emotional developmental level of all children using observational indexes? Are there differences among the two groups (Greek and Albanian)?
2. Where Greek children able to receive, understand and portray the emotions of the two Albanian songs, given the cultural difference?
3. Where Albanian children able to receive, understand and portray the emotions of the two Greek songs, given the cultural difference?
4. Where the children able to perceive and experience the common emotions between the Greek and Albanian culture, through the learning and performing of the culturally different songs?
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Agostino, P. (2008) Intercultural education in Europe: epistemological and semantic aspects, Intercultural Education, 19, (6), 481 — 491. Boone, R. T., & Cunningham, G. J. (1998). Children’s decoding of emotion in expressive body movement: the development of cue attunement. Developmental Psychology, 34(5), 1007-1016. Ciges, G. S., & García L. R. (1999) Gypsy Children's Schooling and Intercultural Attitudes in Spain, Intercultural Education, 10: 2, 207 — 217. Coulby, D. (2006) Intercultural education: theory and Practice. Intercultural Education, 17, ( 3), 245–257. Custodero, L. (1998). Observing flow in young people's music learning. General Music Today, 12 (1), 21-27. Custodero, L. (2002). Seeking challenge, finding skill: Flow experience in music education. Arts Education and Policy Review, 103 (3), 3-9. Custodero, L. (2005) Observable indicators of flow experience: a developmental perspective on musical engagement in young children from infancy to school age Music Education Research, 7, (2), 185-209. Jagdish, G., & Agostino, P. (2008) Theoretical reflections on intercultural education, Intercultural Education, 19, (6), 463 — 468 Hubbard, J. A., & Coie, J. D. (1994) Emotional correlates of social competence in children's peer relationships. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly. 40(1), 1-20. Linder, T. (2008). Transdisciplinary Play-based Assessment 2. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. Lorenzo- Lasa, R., Ideishi, R., & Ideishi, S. (2007). Facilitating preschool learning and movement through dance. Early Childhood Education Journal, 35(1), 25-31. Xeromeritou, A. (1992). The ability to encode facial and emotional expressions by educable mentally retarded and non retarded children. Journal of Psychology, 126, 571-584
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