Preschool Educators' Insights: Exploring the Role of Music and Movement in Enhancing Children's English Language Acquisition

Abstract

This qualitative study explored preschool teachers’ perspectives on the impact of music and movement activities on children’s English language development. It was conducted in Bandar Sri Damansara and Rawang, Malaysia, using convenience sampling to collect the views of 10 preschool teachers. Data collection involved one-on-one interviews via the Zoom platform, with responses analyzed using ATLAS.ti 9 software. The analysis revealed eight main themes that reflected teachers’ views: (a) fostering joyful engagement, (b) encouraging physical activity, (c) enhancing language acquisition through song lyrics, (d) improving phonetic pronunciation skills, (e) facilitating the use of new vocabulary from lyrics, (f) occasional mispronunciation (g) occasional mispronunciation during singing activities, (g) occasional mispronunciation during singing activities; appropriate practice lessons. These findings highlight the positive influence of music and movement on children’s English language skills—particularly in pronunciation and vocabulary acquisition. This study contributes to understanding how educators perceive these activities as tools to support children’s early language development.