The usefulness of singing as a teaching method among Islamic education teachers in Malaysia

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the usefulness of singing as an instructional method in teaching process as evaluated by Islamic Education teachers in Kuala Selangor. The purpose is to investigate their self-practice of using singing as their teaching method. The purpose also to analyze whether their evaluation correlates with their self-practice of using singing in their teaching and learning processes at school, and to compare whether there are significant differences in evaluation among the teachers who come from different demographic backgrounds. This study was done using a self-developed questionnaire involving teachers in schools at Kuala Selangor, Malaysia. Data were collected from 18 public schools in Kuala Selangor area in which 220 questionnaires were distributed and 186 samples were used. The results of the study show the majority of the respondents regarded singing method as useful. Furthermore, most of the respondents also practice singing frequently. However, there is only a slight difference in percentage between those who frequently practice singing and those who practice less. Other than that, the results also indicate that there is a weak correlation between respondents’ evaluation and their self-practice. In addition, there is no significant difference in the evaluation and self-practices of respondents when it comes to gender, teaching experience and qualification. As a conclusion, the study identifies that most of the respondents evaluated singing positively. The study provides useful insights into the need to help concerned parties to better understand the teachers’ evaluation on the usefulness and self-practice of singing method in their classroom.