Improving the Mathematical Skills of Grade Students through Musical Therapy

Abstract

Introduction

Mathematical learning difficulties and problems are getting more evident, observable and prevalent among learners nowadays. These learning difficulties require appropriate interventions on multiple platforms. These learning difficulties, when left unaddressed and unattended, would lead to more serious learning problems in Mathematics. Thus, the researcher realized the need to pursue an intervention to address these mathematical learning difficulties. This intervention is in the form of music therapy or teaching Mathematics using a musical approach.

Methods

The single group pre-test –the post-test design was utilized in the study. The intact class was used in order not to disrupt the normal school program during the experiment. The single group constituted the study. Samples of forty-one (41) students were used for the experiment. Any student belonging to the Grade 10 of Lananpin National High School was automatically a subject for the experiment.

Results

Based on the post-intervention assessment results, the achievement gap between the pre-test and the post-test was 57.80% which implied that the performance of the students in Mathematics was significantly improved.

Discussions

The majority of the respondents obtained low pre-test scores with a mean of 4.76 and a mastery performance level of 15.87. Thus, a need to apply intervention is necessary to address the problem. The application of Music Therapy as an intervention has a significant impact on the level of Mathematical Skills of the Grade 10 students. The significant improvement in the performance of the students in the post-intervention assessment established the effectiveness of Music Therapy as an intervention.