An investigation of special education teachers' motivations towards music and play lessons (The case of Karabük province)

The aim of this study is to determine the motivation levels of special education teachers towards play, dance, and music courses and to examine whether these levels differ according to demographic variables such as gender, age, educational background, and professional experience. The study was conducted using the descriptive survey model, one of the quantitative research methods. The study group consisted of 50 special education teachers working in Karabük province during the 2024–2025 academic year. The data were collected using the "Motivation Scale for Play, Dance and Music Course" developed by Özevin (2006) and administered via Google Forms. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0. Frequency, percentage, independent samples t-test, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were employed in the data analysis. The results revealed that teachers generally had high levels of motivation towards play, dance, and music courses. While no significant differences were found based on gender, educational background, or professional experience, significant differences were observed in relation to age. The findings suggest that teachers' attitudes towards these courses improve with age and that pedagogical maturity may influence motivation levels positively.