NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND PROPOSED SHORT-TERM MUSIC TRAINING CURRICULUM MODULES FOR NON-MUSIC MAJOR TEACHERS

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Music is a core subject within the Arts learning area of Thailand’s Basic Education Core Curriculum and plays an important role in fostering students’ intellectual, emotional, social, and creative development. However, music education in Thai basic education schools continues to face a shortage of specialist music teachers, particularly in small-sized and rural schools. As a result, many general classroom teachers without formal music training are required to teach music. This situation affects teachers’ readiness to organize music activities and to select appropriate media, activities, and resources for their students and school contexts. This study therefore had two aims: (1) to investigate the needs for a short-term music training program among teachers without a music background, and (2) to propose short-term music training curriculum modules for teachers without a music background based on the synthesis of teachers’ needs and expert recommendations.

Methods: This study employed an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design, using qualitative data to inform the subsequent quantitative phase. Qualitative data were first collected through semi-structured interviews with five experts in music education and curriculum development, who were selected through purposive sampling. The qualitative findings were then used to inform the development of a questionnaire for the quantitative phase. Quantitative data were collected from 100 teachers in schools under Mae Hong Son Primary Educational Service Area Offices 1 and 2 who were responsible for teaching music without formal music qualifications and were selected through purposive sampling. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including percentage, mean, and standard deviation, while qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis. The findings from both phases were synthesized to propose short-term music training curriculum modules for non-music major teachers.

Results: The findings revealed that teachers without a music background needed to develop practical music skills that could be applied to classroom learning activities, particularly body-based rhythm activities, singing, and the construction of simple musical instruments using available materials. In contrast, the need for music theory, especially basic music notation reading, was comparatively lower. Expert recommendations indicated that the training curriculum should progress from foundational skills to practical applications, emphasize hands-on activities and classroom-adaptable practices, and align with the learning standards and indicators of the Basic Education Core Curriculum. Based on the synthesis of the findings, three short-term music training curriculum modules were proposed: musicianship skills, song-related skills, and music teaching skills.

Conclusions: The proposed short-term music training curriculum modules were formulated from the synthesis of teachers’ needs and expert recommendations. The modules emphasize fundamental music skills, song-related skills, and music teaching skills through practice-based activities and the use of resources appropriate to school contexts. The proposed modules can serve as an initial guideline for designing training programs for teachers without a music background in basic education, particularly in contexts with limited specialist music teachers. However, the proposed curriculum modules have not yet been implemented with a sample group; therefore, future research should pilot the modules and evaluate their effectiveness.