Transfer effects of daily singing in the classroom on narrative skills in primary school pupils

Abstract

The aim was twofold, to study effects of a classroom singing intervention on narrative comprehension and production in primary school students and to study the role of language background and family SES on the linguistic measures and intervention effects.

The effects of singing intervention has been studied with focus on different language domains, showing gains in e.g. vocabulary (e.g. Busse et al., 2021). Music has been found to promote pupils' academic success (e.g. Román- Caballero et al., 2022). The present study’s focus is on transfer effects of singing intervention on narrative skills. Assessment of narrative skills are considered an ecologically valid approach to assessment of linguistic competence (Botting, 2002).

Ninety second grade pupils from three schools participated in a daily, fifteen minute singing intervention during five weeks led by the school’s music teacher. The pupils’ production and comprehension of narratives were measured before (one or two times) and after intervention at two times. Picture sequences from the Multilingual Assessment Instrument for Narratives (MAIN, Gagarina et al., 2019) were used to elicit narratives. The production of macrostructural elements (MSE) and the use of internal state terms (IST) were analyzed according to Gagarina et al. (2019). For microstructure, the proportion of subordinate clauses was measured by Subordination Index (SI). Comprehension of narratives was measured with auditory passage comprehension test, Lyssna Förstå Minnas (LFM, Carlie et al., 2021).

Preliminary analyses from two schools showed differences in parental SES, but the results were similar between schools regarding LFM, MSE and IST. Group level SI differed between schools. Directly after intervention, the number of MSE increased in one school. The number of IST increased after intervention while SI decreased in both schools . Follow-up data and data from the third school are yet to be analysed.

These preliminary findings suggest that singing intervention in the classroom may support language learning. In an upcoming study we will investigate singing intervention effects on pupils’ vocabulary, as measured by word definition skills.This study is part of a five years longitudinal interdisciplinary study, Singing, health and well-being in school – a societal matter.