Kinesthetic skills play a crucial role in young children’s growth development, yet this development had received less attention. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of song-based music and movement intervention on kinesthetic skills among elementary-age children. Ancillary purposes of this study were to investigate the contribution of kinesthetic abilities to 21st century learning skills. The participants for this study consisted of 60 students with ages ranging from 7 to 9 years from four different daycare centers in Malacca. This study conducted a randomized pre-post-test between-subjects experimental designs and participants were exposed to no treatment, song-based, music and movement, and song-based music and movement interventions. The treatment sessions were 30-minute session per week for an eight-week duration. The kinesthetic skills were assessed through researcher-adapted measurement forms, Kinesthetic Skill Test (KST). The results indicated that the song-based music and movement intervention significantly improved kinesthetic skills and the kinesthetic variables contributed to critical thinking and creativity skills. The suggested intervention is highly beneficial in preparing young children to become successful learners.
This study examines the influence of individual differences in sensory sensitivities and motor functions of four individuals with a spectrum of autistic traits on impacting their responses to the music and movement intervention. A multiple case study approach examines the participants’ individualised responses to rhythmic entrainment during the six-week music and movement intervention. Sensory sensitivities play a vital role in affecting the four participants entraining their body movements to the rhythmic cues, and inducing their auditory-motor mechanism. The findings indicate that each participant with autism has a distinctive response to the rhythmic cues, and this impacts the treatment outcomes of the music and movement intervention. The study recommends future researchers include individual differences in sensory and motor development as part of their investigation. These factors can directly influence the treatment outcomes of music and movement intervention from a neurological aspect.
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