The effects of cooperative learning on music teaching in inclusive classrooms

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of cooperative learning at music lessons students? attitudes towards music lessons, music lesson achievements and social status of the students at primary schools.The design of the study is a pre-post test experimental design with control group. The schools included in the sample were selected according to the amount of class population, socio cultural and economical condition, number of mainstreaming studentes and mainstreaming students? level of deficiencies. The study was conducted on 56 students at Balıkesir Karesi İlköğretim Okulu and General Kemal Balıkesir İlköğretim Okulu in Balıkesir, during 2008-2009 educational semester.The experiment was conducted for six weeks within the subjects and target behaviors of the unit on ?Build Your Own Rhythm? and ?My Melody?, 8th year of the Primary Edcation Music Curriculum. During the study, in experimental group, Learnig Together technic of Cooperative Learning was used; and traditional methods with the narration and question-answer tecniques in control group.In this study, data collection instrumentes were ?Achievement Test for Music Lesson? for measuring students? cognitive behaviors, ?Music Lesson Attitudes Test? for measuring students? attitudes abıut music lessons, ?Sociometric tests? for measuring mainstreaming students? social acceptance level, ?Students Opinion Form? to determine the views of students into cooperative learning, ?Structred Interwiev Form? to determine the views of music teacher into cooperative learning; and camera records for students? interest and paticipation. In order to analyze data gathered, frequency, percentage, nonparametric tests Mann Whitney U and Wilcoxon. For the statistical level .05 significance level was chosen.At the and of the research, cooperative learning was found more effective on students? music lesson achievement, attitudes to music lesson, social status of mainstreaming students, attendance and interestings to music lesson than traditional teaching methods. Also the disabled and nondisabled students were started to connecting and to get to know each other better. This findings are supported with camera recordings, students opinions and interviewing with music teacher.