Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

1-1-2022

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D. in Music

Department

Music

First Advisor

Rhonda S. Hackworth

Second Advisor

Elizabeth Hearn

Third Advisor

Andrew Paney

Relational Format

dissertation/thesis

Abstract

For the past three decades, Inclusive Education (IE) has emerged as a crucial educational agenda all over the world. In this study, IE is the practice of including students with disabilities in the general (music) education classroom, where they are educated together with their typically developing peers. Although IE efforts began in Ghana in 1957, some pitfalls have characterized the implementation process over the years, especially regarding music teacher preparation to implement the policies. Studies have reported a state of frustration among stakeholders, notably the elementary school teachers, who feel inadequately prepared to teach within IE settings. In this case study, underpinned by the post-colonial, the care, the social identity, and the zone of proximal development theories, I investigated the scope of the inclusive music education program, instructional strategies, extent of professional collaboration, resources available, level of preparedness of pre-service teachers to teach music in inclusive elementary schools, and other inclusive teaching strategies that could be employed to improve teacher preparation in the Presbyterian College of Education. I collected data from purposively selected participants (N=21) through focus group discussions, and non-participant observation, observation memos, and interviews, I then transcribe the data and proceed with thematic analysis by means of MS Word and color coding. Findings indicated that PCE practiced inclusive music education while using the traditional teacher preparation curriculum of Ghana. I recommended better funding, and introduction of inclusive music instruction in all colleges of education across Ghana. Further research will investigate the problem of funding for inclusive music education in Ghana. Also, more research is needed to clarify the attitudinal and perceptual disparities between pre-service music teachers and practicing music teachers with regards to inclusion in Ghana. Keywords: inclusive, teacher preparation, music education, policies, implementation

Concentration/Emphasis

Music Education

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