TEACHING AND LEARNING SCIENCE THROUGH SONG: EXPLORING THE

EXPERIENCES OF STUDENTS AND TEACHERS

by

DONNA GOVERNOR

(Under the Direction of David Jackson)

ABSTRACT

This qualitative, multi-case study explored the use of science-content music for

teaching and learning in six middle school science classrooms. The researcher sought

to understand how teachers made use of content-rich songs for teaching science, how

they impacted student engagement and learning, and what the experiences of these

teachers and students suggested about using songs for middle-school classroom

science instruction. Six teachers who volunteered to participate in this study and their

students, from three suburban middle schools in Georgia, were included in the study.

Data gathered included three teacher interviews, one classroom observation and a

student focus-group discussion from each case. The data from each unit of analysis

were examined independently then synthesized in a multi-case analysis, resulting in a

number of merged findings, or assertions, about the experience. The results of this

study indicated that teachers used content-rich music to enhance student understanding

of concepts in science by developing content-based vocabulary, providing students with

alternative examples and explanations of concepts, and as a sense-making experience

to help build conceptual understanding. These students overwhelmingly found that their
teachers’ use of science-content songs engaged them by providing both situational and

personal interest, and as a mnemonic device for remembering key concepts in science.

The use of songs has relevance from a constructivist approach as they were used to

help students build meaning; from a socio-cultural perspective in terms of student

engagement; and from a cognitive viewpoint in that in these cases they helped students

make connections in learning. Of interest is the difference in how teachers and students

saw the purposes for learning in science, based on how songs were used for teaching

and learning science in this study. The results of this research have implications for

science teachers and the science education community in developing new instructional

strategies for the middle school science classroom.

INDEX WORDS: Science education, Instructional strategies, science songs, sense-

making activities
 TEACHING AND LEARNING SCIENCE THROUGH SONG: EXPLORING THE

EXPERIENCES OF STUDENTS AND TEACHERS

by

DONNA GOVERNOR

B.A., University of West Florida, 1982

M.A., University of West Florida, 1988

Ed.S., University of West Florida, 1999

A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial

Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

ATHENS, GEORGIA 2011

 © 2011

Donna Governor

All Rights Reserved

 TEACHING AND LEARNING SCIENCE THROUGH SONG: EXPLORING THE

EXPERIENCES OF STUDENTS AND TEACHERS

by

DONNA LEE GOVERNOR

Major Professor: David Jackson

Committee: Norman Thomson

Tom Koballa
Jori Hall
Shawn Glynn

Electronic Version Approved:

Dr. Maureen Grasso

Dean of the Graduate School
The University of Georgia
May, 2011
 DEDICATION
This work is dedicated to all the young people, whom I have had the opportunity

to teach over the years, that have inspired me to become a better teacher.

iv
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

There are a great many people who I owe a great deal and without whose help I

could not have finished this research study or degree. First I’d like to thank my

administrators and my peers in the Forsyth County School System who supported me

through this process, especially those teachers who volunteered to participate in my

study. Second, I would like to acknowledge the support and guidance given by the

professors who served on my committee, especially Dr. David Jackson, who saw

potential in my research from the beginning, for his direction and Dr. Jori Hall for her

guidance in methodology. I also must acknowledge the support and guidance given by

Dr. Norm Thomson, who has mentored me in many ways, and both Dr. Tom Koballa

and Dr. Shawn Glynn who also served on my committee. Next, I need to acknowledge

Dr. Tim Slater who has been my mentor and provided opportunities over the past twelve

years that have given me the confidence to undertake this challenge. I would like to

recognize my family and closest friends who have provided unlimited support and

encouragement. The patience and understanding from my parents, children, family and

friends while pursuing this degree has been more helpful than they know. Finally, and

most of all, I must acknowledge my husband, who in more ways than I can count, has

been “the wind beneath my wings.”

v
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................ v

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION....................................................................................... 1

Defining Science-content Music ................................................................................... 3

Rationale ...................................................................................................................... 4

Pilot Study .................................................................................................................... 6

Purpose Of The Study .................................................................................................. 9

Research Questions ..................................................................................................... 9

CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ............................................................ 10

History of Music in the Curriculum .............................................................................. 11

Music and the Brain .................................................................................................... 14

Musical Imagery Repetition ........................................................................................ 18

Music and Mnemonics ................................................................................................ 19

Multiple Intelligences .................................................................................................. 21

Nature of Learning ...................................................................................................... 22

Songs and Science Instruction ................................................................................... 24

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY .................................................................................... 28

Theoretical Framework ............................................................................................... 28

Multiple Case Study Analysis ..................................................................................... 29

Site Selection .............................................................................................................. 31

Demographics & Educational Setting of the Research Sites ...................................... 32

vi
 Participants ................................................................................................................. 34

Data Collection ........................................................................................................... 37

Data Analysis .............................................................................................................. 44

Subjectivity & Bias ...................................................................................................... 50

CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS .................................................................................... 51

Overview ..................................................................................................................... 51

Case 1: Derek Martin’s Classroom ............................................................................ 52

Case 2: Sandy Kingston’s Classroom ....................................................................... 67

Case 3: Martha Russell’s Classroom ........................................................................ 82

Case 4: Betty Taylor’s Classroom ............................................................................. 99

Case 5: Anna Darcy’s Classroom ............................................................................ 116

Case 6: Max Cantor’s Classroom ............................................................................ 134

CHAPTER 5: CROSS-CASE ANALYSIS .................................................................... 149

Cases in Context ...................................................................................................... 149

Synthesis of Case Findings ...................................................................................... 155

Divergence Across Cases ........................................................................................ 173

Summary .................................................................................................................. 178

CHAPTER 6: DISCUSSION, IMPLICATIONS & CONCLUSION ................................ 180

Summary of the Study .............................................................................................. 180

Discussion of Assertions and Related Research ...................................................... 181

Recommendations and Implications ......................................................................... 196

Conclusions .............................................................................................................. 202

REFERENCES ............................................................................................................. 205

vii
APPENDIX A: School District Approval Letter ............................................................ 214

APPENDIX B: Administrator Email Request ............................................................... 215

APPENDIX C: Administrative Letters of Approval ....................................................... 217

APPENDIX D: Teacher Invite & Consent Forms ......................................................... 221

APPENDIX E: Teacher Instructions Handout ............................................................. 225

APPENDIX F: Student Invites & Consent Forms ........................................................ 227

APPENDIX G: Interview Protocol - Teachers ............................................................. 233

APPENDIX H: Interview Protocol - Students ............................................................... 237

APPENDIX I: Classroom Observation Protocol .......................................................... 239

APPENDIX J: IRB Approval ........................................................................................ 240

Appendix K: Lyrics to “Some Kind of Energy,” Morris © 2010 .................................... 241

Appendix L: Lyrics to “Conduction, Convection, Radiation,” Morris © 2010 ............... 242

Appendix M: Slideshow Sample From Russell Analysis ............................................. 243

Appendix N: Lyrics to “Rock Cycle,” Morris © 2010 .................................................... 244

Appendix O: Lyrics to “Tectonics Rocks,” Morris © 2010 ............................................ 245

Appendix P: Lyrics to “Evolution,” Morris © 2005 ........................................................ 246

Appendix Q: Lyrics to “The Evolution Revolution" Jeffrey Moran © 1995 ................... 247

Appendix R: Lyrics to “Atom Shack,” Morris © 2005 ................................................... 248

viii
 LIST OF TABLES

TABLE 1: Emergent Themes from the Data Analysis of the Pilot Study .......................... 8  

TABLE 2: Site Demographics ........................................................................................ 33  

TABLE 3: Data Collection Methods ................................................................................ 43  

TABLE 4: Martin Analysis Summary .............................................................................. 58  

TABLE 5: Kingston Analysis Summary .......................................................................... 72  

TABLE 6: Russell Analysis Summary ............................................................................ 89  

TABLE 7: Betty Taylor Analysis Summary ................................................................... 106  

TABLE 8: Anna Darcy Analysis Summary ................................................................... 123  

TABLE 9: Max Cantor Analysis Summary ................................................................... 140  

TABLE 10: Implementation Comparisons .................................................................... 154  

TABLE 11: Assertions from merging cases during Cross-Case Analysis .................... 156  

TABLE 12: Supporting data for “Developing scientific vocabulary” .............................. 159  

TABLE 13: Supporting data for “Additional Resource to Construct Meaning” ............. 161  

TABLE 14: Supporting data for “Songs provide novelty and variety” ........................... 164  

TABLE 15: Supporting data for “Songs are Mnemonic Devices” ................................. 167  

TABLE 16: Data supporting the “Socio-cultural Appeal of Music” ................................ 170  

TABLE 17: Data supporting “Lyric Analysis Helps Connect Ideas and Builds

Understanding” ..................................................................................................... 173  

TABLE 18: Alignment of Findings with Learning Theories ........................................... 183  

ix
 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Music is the heartbeat of every adolescent. Students can be found in every

middle school today that carry their favorite tunes to school on MP3 players. Even

through music is a part of every day life for most young people, it is seldom used to

engage and help students learn in the secondary science classroom. Songs can

transfer knowledge and elicit emotion, and have the potential to reach students in ways

other teaching strategies cannot. Song lyrics can be used to carry information; music

can elicit memories, and melodies can activate recall of thoughts and ideas (Jourdain,

1997; Jensen, 2000). There is an entire genre of science content-based music, rich in

content and available for teaching science concepts that is largely ignored by educators.

Songs available for learning science are designed for all grade levels and include

information about principles, facts and concepts included in the science curriculum.

Jenson (2005) summarizes why educators should include music in the curriculum: its

social nature, emotional impact, ability to carry a message, accessibility, and relevance.

Lyrics, rich with information and embedded in music, are more likely to be remembered.

“Songs, specific melodies, rhythms, and tones all have the potential to engage content

learning in this way” (Jensen, 2000, p.84).

Studies that utilize science songs as a teaching strategy in the secondary science

classroom are virtually nonexistent. However, some conclusions can be drawn about

the benefits of using songs to teach from a limited number of studies in neuroscience

and musicology about the power of song in aiding recall. In a study by Calvert and Tart

1
(1993) a melody selected from the 1970’s Schoolhouse Rock television series was used

to determine if text was remembered better when embedded in music or learned

verbally. The researchers found that the songs were powerful mnemonic devices that

allowed for improved recall and were useful as a strategy to encode, retrieve and

rehearse information (Calvert and Tart, 1993). Wallace (1994) conducted research in

which four different treatment groups were set up to determine if recall of text could be

improved with the use of music. This study concludes that the “melody of a song can

indeed make a text more memorable as compared with hearing the text out of the

context of the melody” (p.1481).

Research exploring the value of content-based music in the classroom is more

difficult to find. In one of the few studies conducted in an education setting, researchers

used songs as a teaching strategy in kindergarten, second and fifth grade classrooms

across multiple content areas. Findings indicated that there were gains in subject matter

knowledge, and student participation in class activities increased, when content-based

music was implemented as a teaching strategy (Campebello, et al. 2002). An extensive

review of the research yielded no studies related to the use of science songs as a

teaching strategy in the secondary science classroom.

When used as a teaching tool, music has the potential to engage students and

enhance learning in the science curriculum. This study was designed to explore the

experiences of teachers and students when science-content music is used as a

teaching strategy in the middle school science classroom in order to better understand

the phenomenon and its potential use in science education.

2
 Defining Science-content Music

Because there is no existing body of literature, a definition of science-content

music must be generated from other sources, including the songs themselves. The

most familiar science-related song of our age is Tom Lehrer’s “The Elements,” first

recorded in 1959. This song is widely recognized in our society and lists the elements

of the periodic table that were known at the time it was composed. “The Elements”

song is used often in science classrooms by many educators and is an example of

hundreds that a teacher might use when including science-content music as a teaching

strategy. The Science Songwriters Association (Crowther, 2008) is one of many web-

based resources available for science teachers and lists more than thirty different artists

who compose and produce science-related songs covering all aspects of science

education. Songwriters who belong to this organization compose music or retool

existing melodies with content-related lyrics for use in teaching science. A second

resource, the Math and Science Song Information Viewable Everywhere (MASSIVE)

database, maintained by Crowther (2008), provides an online resource for hundreds of

songs that is searchable by title, performer or keywords. Using this resource a science

educator could locate multiple science-content songs to be used in the classroom on

any given topic. This genre of music is not limited to a minimal number of songwriters

or songs that can be used in the science classroom for teaching.

One example of a song written by a science-music composer comes from

Professor Boggs, a.k.a. Larry Morris (2005), who sings “Hey Avogadro” about gas laws

includes the following in the song’s chorus:

3
 Hey Avogadro – give me a mole – I need just enough gas to fill a cubical hole.

It’s got twenty-two point four liters inside, but for temperature and pressure you

got to be my guide. Avogadro, you’ve got the number you see, you’re sayin’ P,

V, equals n, R, T. (Morris, 2005)

Morris’ song about the rock cycle teaches, “Three kinds of rock are under your feet,

How do they form and rearrange? Igneous from liquid, sedimentary from grains,

Metamorphic from the mighty heat & pressure change….” (Morris, 2010)

Both of these songs illustrate that science-based music is rich in content and

concepts. This genre of song includes information about principles, facts and concepts

included in science education. Some songs involve changing lyrics to familiar tunes,

such as Lehrer did in “The Elements,” sung to the tune of “The Modern Major General”

by Gilbert and Sullivan (Wells, 2005), while some songwriters compose melodies to fit

original lyrics. These songs are generally written to a catchy beat, and are often

musically composed for “musical imagery repetition,” a term coined by Bennett (2002) to

refer to songs that get stuck in the head. Devices used in science-content songs to gain

the attention of the student often include metaphor, rhyme, imagery and humor.

Based on the examples given and resources available, science-content music

can be defined as a genre of songs, either existing tunes rewritten with new lyrics or

original musical compositions, designed to teach and explain science-related concepts

through verse, with a well-defined melody and/or rhythm.

Rationale

Music is a common thread through culture and experience. Songs can transfer

knowledge and emotion, and have the potential to reach students in ways other

4
teaching strategies cannot. Jensen (2000, 2008) advocates the use of songs for

teaching and learning based on new understandings in about how the human brain

works and brain-based learning theory. Diamond and Hopson (1998) believe there is

great potential for educators to improve instruction based on neuroscience, and

encourage teachers to begin developing strategies and techniques utilizing current

findings from neuroscience. “Teachers can scarcely wait twenty years for a

neuroscience of learning to emerge with proof enough for the highly meticulous”

(Diamond and Hopson, 1998, p.87). Critical of the current curriculum standardization

model and high-stakes testing system of teaching, Caine and Caine (2001) encourage

the use of brain-based research for instruction to provide a model for natural teaching

methods that improve learning. The rationale for using science-content music comes

from an understanding of brain-based learning theory and could provide an effective

teaching strategy for science teachers that engages students and helps them learn

content material and science concepts.

Using multiple case study research methodology this study was designed to

explore the experiences of students and educators who participate in this study to better

understand the use of science songs for teaching and learning. Case study research, as

a form of qualitative inquiry, involves “investigating a phenomenon to get at the nature

of reality with regard to that phenomenon” (Patton, 2002. p. 215). The rationale for

using case study methodology is that it is designed to contribute to knowledge through

ideas that emerge from the experiences of individuals as documented by interviews,

observations and documents (Patton, 2002). Basic patterns are identified from

experience for the purpose of understanding, describing and explaining a phenomenon.

5
 Pilot Study

During the fall of 2009 a pilot study was conducted in which eleven former

students of the researcher were interviewed to explore student opinions, perceptions,

and attitudes about past experiences with science-content music in the classroom. In

order to fully explore and triangulate the interview data three different methods were

implemented for data analysis. The primary method of analysis was an open coding,

inductive approach to compare and contrast the experiences of all eleven participants in

this study, as described by Saldana (2009) and Charmaz (2006). A second method

utilized for data analysis was based on procedures for phenomenological analysis, as

outlined by Hycner (1985). For this analysis three of the eleven interviews were

selected based on the detail offered in student responses to interview questions, and as

the oldest of the interviewees they provided the most retrospective stories about the

experience. During these interviews the students provided more lengthy responses to

questions with less probing, allowing for more of their stories to unfold naturally. Finally,

in order to preserve voices of the formers students interviewed for this study, a poetic

representation was constructed from interview data as an alternative form of data

analysis. Constructing poetic representations as a form of data analysis allowed the

voices of the study participants to emerge in a meaningful way and to communicate

“findings in a multidimensional, penetrating and more accessible way” (Cahnmann,

2003, p. 35).

Merging the results of these three types of analyzes, a number of themes

emerged to support additional research into using science-content music as a strategy

for teaching and learning. The results and conclusions of the pilot study helped ground

6
and guide the proposal for this research. Table 1 presents a summary of those findings.

The most prevalent theme to appear in all three methods of data analysis relates to

engagement. For these study participants, the use of science content songs has a

universal appeal, draws students into learning in a unique way and provides a common

culture of learning with other students. Ten of the eleven participants discussed how

much they enjoyed learning through song and that it was a novel learning experience.

Generally, these interviewees found the use of science content songs for learning to be

engaging because it was novel, fun, provided variety and got their attention. Through

the use of patterns in melody and beat, and devices such as humor, wit and metaphors

in the lyrics, these students spent more time engaged with the science concepts

presented in songs. While science songs seem to have universal appeal to most of the

interviewees, not all liked the experience.

A theme that emerged through both inductive analysis and the alternative

analysis is that the study participants thought science songs provided a complex

mnemonic device for learning and studying. The songs and their embedded content

were easy to remember because they could be cued with the lyrics, melodies,

references to the metaphors used in the lyrics, or just by bringing up the main topic of a

song. One interviewee reported, “If we can remember the rhythm or the melody of a

certain song, we can remember the words a little easier, too.” A final theme that

emerged in the analysis was that the use of science songs provided a conceptual

scaffold to improve deep understanding for these students. The interview data suggest

that songs helped connect concepts, helped build background knowledge, and gave

students a starting place to build on for conceptual development. Through learning and

7
understanding the songs, interviewees used them as a foundation on which to construct

deeper conceptual understanding of the concepts they were learning.

TABLE 1: Emergent Themes from the Data Analysis of the Pilot Study

THEME SUPPORTING DATA

10 out of 11 talked about engagement, 1 didn’t like
RQ1: Engagement
5 out of 10 talked about importance of music in their lives
THEME: Science-
Universal Appeal based on:
content music has a
Universal Appeal • Novel experience; provided variety
• Fun
• Attracted and maintained student attention
9 out of 11 said it helped
• 1 negative example changed his mind during
RQ 2: How Students interview
Make Use of Songs
All 11 participants able to recall specific songs & info
THEME: Science-
Use as a Mnemonic Device based on:
content music is
Complex Mnemonic • Recall examples
Device • Reports that it help remembering
• Cues in melody, lyrics, rhythm
• Use of analogies in lyrics
RQ 3: Assists Use of songs go beyond factual recall:
Learning
• Connects Ideas
THEME: Science-
• Builds background knowledge
content music Provides
• Starting place to build on for conceptual development
Conceptual Scaffold and
Connects Learning • Importance of lyric analysis for understanding

Because the former students who participated in the pilot study found that

science-content music improved engagement, formed a mnemonic device for learning,

and provided a conceptual scaffold for new knowledge, this study was designed to build

on those conclusions by looking at the phenomenon in other classrooms. The research

questions that this study asked were an outgrowth of those results and provided more

information about the experiences of teachers and students when science-content

music is interwoven into the curriculum.

8
 Purpose Of The Study

The purpose of this study was to interpret the experiences of students and

teachers when science-content music was used as a strategy in the middle school

science classroom. Insights about teaching and learning with science music were

sought to explain, describe and understand the experiences of teachers and students.

Middle school science teachers who participated in this study implemented lessons that

incorporated science-content music using implementation strategies suggested by

research. Teachers and students shared their experiences and insights about the use

of science songs for teaching and learning to provide information about the potential for

using music in the science classroom.

Research Questions

According to Creswell (2007) and Yin (2009) research questions guiding case

study inquiry should address “how” and “why” questions to better understand a

phenomenon. Research questions that ask “what” are appropriate if the intent is to

explore and illuminate an event (Yin, 2009). With these criteria in mind, the following

research questions were used to guide this study:

• In what ways do teachers use science-content music in the curriculum to

enhance instruction in the middle school science classroom?

• How can the use of science-content music as a teaching strategy impact student

interest, engagement and understanding of science content and concepts?

• What does the experience of students and teachers using science-content music

suggest about its potential for teaching and learning science?

9
 CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

The implications for research with science-content music come from various

frameworks within neuroscience and educational theory. Brain-based learning theory

uses recent findings about how the brain works to suggest numerous ways science

educators can employ music and song as a teaching tool. Music’s potential as a

teaching strategy based on neuroscience comes from an understanding of how it is

processed in the brain and its role in memory storage and retrieval. In music, lyrics and

melodies are chunked together into patterns of rhythm and verse to enable longer

passages to be retained in memory. The combination of melody and lyrics provide

multiple neural pathways to store, access and retrieve memories. When two events are

linked together in memory, the recall of one prompts the other (Sousa, 2006).

Caine and Caine (2001) suggest that new discoveries about intelligence based

on brain based learning theory are important in understanding how children learn and

should be the basis of teaching strategies implemented in the classroom. The use of

content-rich songs should be included as one of many “complex activities and ongoing

experiences in which the curriculum is embedded” (Caine and Caine, 2001, p. 19).

Lerman (2001) describes a curriculum program developed by Columbia College

in Chicago that employs an arts-enriched approach to learning science for all levels of

students. This program has used art, music, drama, dance and sports to help students

explore, experience and express science since the 1980’s. Research has shown that

student achievement in science is higher and students have shown greater interest in

10
science as a result of this program. Lerman (2001) summarizes the benefits of this art-

enriched science curriculum, “students retain their knowledge of science many years

after they graduate and attribute this accomplishment to the fact that they used art,

music, dance and drama to internalize the learning process” (p. 5).

History of Music in the Curriculum

From ancient times music has been used as a device for learning and

remembering information. “For thousands of years, knowledge was imparted from

generation to generation through the medium of singing and chanting” (Armstrong,

2000, p.59). Songs have always been part of an oral tradition for passing down stories,

history, information and lessons throughout most preliterate cultures. Stories and

poems were sung by Griots in West Africa, Ashiks in the Middle East, Bakhshi in

Central Asia, Troubadours in France, Naghal in Iran, Biwa-hoshi in Japan, Kikuyu in

Kenya, Jali in parts of Indonesia and Bards in the British Isles for the purpose of

transmitting information. Many of these song-tellers had special instruments and their

format ranged from the singing of epic tales and news to choral and response

storytelling (Sheppard, 2009). When the earliest institutions for learning were

established, music was a part of their curriculum. Music was included in the curriculum

at Takshashila University in northwest India, which was established in 700 BCE, along

with subjects such as science, astronomy, math, archery and agriculture

(Brahmaviharidas, 2010). The first western schools established by Pythagoras in 529

BCE (O’Connor & Robertson, 1999), Plato in 387 BCE (Norfleet, 2010) and Aristotle’s

Lyceum in 335 BC also provided for the study of music in the curriculum (Dirks, 1996).

11
The importance of music in these first recorded educational programs demonstrates

that it has always been considered an important part of learning across all cultures.

When Charlemagne established schools for the purpose of teaching the clergy

in the ninth century the seven liberal arts became the core curriculum, which had two

divisions. The trivium included grammar, rhetoric and logic, while music was

considered part of the quadrivium, which encompassed math, geometry and astronomy.

These subjects became the foundation for all the educational programs in the European

universities that arose beginning in the eleventh century, including ones at Bologna,

Oxford and Cambridge (Kries, 2000). Song schools, first begun in Europe during the

Middle Ages for common children, taught them to sing, play instruments, read, write and

dance. Songs were used to teach reading and grammar since textbooks were rare, and

music and math were often taught together (Watson, 1908).

In 1875 Colonel Francis W. Parker was hired as superintendent of the Quincy

Massachusetts school system to help improve the schools. There he introduced a new

curriculum model that encouraged the use of songs for learning based on their

connection to subjects being studied (Parker, Cooke & Stilwell, 1901). The results of his

changes included not only greater levels of enthusiasm for learning, but also an

improvement in student achievement (Edwards, 1935). In 1882 Colonel Parker moved

to Chicago where he brought the concept of child-centered learning as he implemented

his ideas into the schools there (Wilson, Gary & Greene, 1988). Parker’s students

included the two children of John Dewey. Francis Parker’s ideas for teaching laid the

foundation for the Progressive era in education, led by John Dewey after the turn of the

century. In the lab schools that followed, songs were introduced about life experiences

12
and children were encouraged to craft their own compositions based on their daily

activities (Shiraishi, 1995).

The advent of radio in the 1920’s brought a new use for music in the curriculum.

According to an article in the Pittsburg Press, elementary students in Oakland,

California were part of an experiment where penmanship was taught via the airwaves

using rhythmic music. Geography lessons were also delivered from the radio with

music signaling the beginning and end of each lesson (“Penmanship,” 1925). The use of

music in education further broadened its scope to be taught in conjunction with film,

dance, theater, swing, jazz and drama in the 1930’s and 1940’s. By the 1950’s folk

songs also made their way into the content area curriculum. In an article that appeared

in the September 20, 1958 issue of the Christian Science Monitor, a teacher in

Massachusetts sang folk songs to teach history. Mr. Bonyum found music engaged his

students in learning and used these songs to learn history. He eventually made a

record and created a curriculum that correlated to the songs for use in other classrooms

(Gustafson, 1958).

Television further facilitated the use of songs for learning. One of the most

successful efforts to harness television for learning occurred in the late 1960’s with the

premiere of Sesame Street. This show debuted in the fall of 1969 and was aimed at

development of cognitive and literacy skills for pre-schoolers. In the research and

development stage for the show it was found that that segments using lively music were

considered most appealing to children (Anderson & Levin, 1976, p. 811). In 1973 the

use of music in educational television expanded in a new direction with the premiere of

Schoolhouse Rock. These short cartoon videos were televised on Saturday morning

13
and used catchy melodies to teach concepts related to math, science, social studies

and grammar (Calvert and Tart, 1993).

In 1974 an article reporting new ways to integrate music into the curriculum

appeared in Daytona Beach News Journal. A program piloted in Columbus, Ohio

integrated music into every subject of the curriculum across all grade levels. Math,

language arts, science and history all used songs and elements of music to enhance

the curriculum. A similar program in California was also piloted where students

analyzed lyrics and learned about sound waves with music. In New York and Evanston,

Illinois students composed songs and musical productions. Whether students were

singing about history, analyzing songs or writing their own compositions; new ways to

use music as part of the curriculum were being implemented all over the country (“Music

education,” 1974). The history of music in the curriculum provides evidence that music

has been historically a useful tool to enrich the curriculum in all subject areas.

Music and the Brain

Recent advances in cognitive neuroscience have provided a wealth of

information about the brain and how it encodes, stores and retrieves information. The

human brain is divided into four different structures, each with a unique role in brain

function. There are a trillion nerve cells in the brain that allow for more than a

quadrillion connections. It is these connections among neurons that form the matrix of

human memory within the brain’s complicated structures.

The most basic of brain structures, the brain stem, lies at the base of the spinal

cord and regulates automatic body functions. The limbic system is found buried deep

within the brain and is thought to be a structure that developed early in human

14
evolution. Called the ‘old mammalian brain,’ this part of the brain is composed of four

structures including the thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus and amygdala. The

thalamus, where initial sensory input is first processed, forwards signals to other parts of

the brain and is involved in connecting emotion and cognition. The hypothalamus

regulates hormones. A critical component to processing memory, the hippocampus,

converts information from working memory to long-term memory. When memories are

intertwined with emotions, the amygdala is activated and encodes for long-term memory

storage (Sousa, 2006).

The most evolved structures in the human brain are the cerebrum and

cerebellum. The cerebellum is a deeply folded and highly organized structure located

below the cerebrum and behind the brainstem. Thoughts, emotions and senses are

coordinated here to support cognitive processing. The cerebrum, which makes up

eighty percent of the human brain, is divided into four lobes, each with a different role in

cognition (Sousa, 2006). The cerebrum and cerebellum are divided into two

hemispheres, left and right. Each side is specialized for specific functions, although

there is some overlap between the two halves. The left side is generally involved in

speech, sequential and analytical processes. The right hemisphere processes patterns,

music and spatial relationships. Jensen (2008) warns that the left-right distinctions are

an oversimplification of our current model in understanding how the brain works and can

differ according to gender, occupation and handedness. For example, while most

people process musical melodies and rhythms in the right hemispheres, this function

migrates to the left-brain in accomplished musicians. Therefore, any teaching theory

based solely on left-right distinctions should be considered outdated.

15
 There are three types of memory involved in processing information. Sensory

input is processed first in the thalamus, which must filter and screen for relevance. As a

sensory stimulus enters the brain, neurons are fired to direct the incoming information to

the correct processing area where it is stored in short-term memory for up to thirty

seconds. Information is prioritized with emotional data receiving the highest priority.

Sousa (2006) summarizes, “emotions consistently affect attention and learning” (p.44)

and strengthens the neural network that encodes emotionally laden memories.

Because of the physiological response that the brain has when emotions are involved,

learning and emotions are intertwined. Emotions are biological responses to stimuli and

when activated, insure that students will be more likely to attend to and remember

associated content. When emotions are connected to sensory data, neural connections

become stronger. Humor, stories and songs are all excellent devices for activating an

emotional response, getting attention and encoding multiple neural connections (Sousa,

2006). The more pathways created, the more solid the memory. Any activity that

encodes multiple memory routes will result in enhanced learning. Content embedded in

music and songs is effective in activating multiple neural networks (Jensen, 2008).

Working memory is processed in the frontal lobes and temporarily holds a limited

number of “chunks” of information for conscious processing. In music, lyrics and

melodies are chunked together into patterns of rhythm and verse to enable longer

passages to be retained in memory. While processing sensory information, the longer a

stimulus is held in working memory, the more likely it will be found meaningful and be

encoded in long-term memory. As information is moved into long-term memory,

intricate neural connections are made, based on relevance and past experience. From a

16
physiological perspective, memories are formed when a series of neurons repeatedly

fire together in a sequence or pattern. The more frequently these neural connections

are activated together, the stronger the memory. The greater the number of

connections made and attached to a memory, the more likely it is to be stored in

multiple neural networks, allowing for different methods of retrieval.

Retrieval of information stored in memory occurs when dormant neurons are

triggered. The more pathways that have been established, the more ways there are to

access memory. In music, melody and lyrics work together to cue each other for

memory retrieval (Sousa, 2006). Neuroscience also suggests ways in which educators

can improve recall. By providing memory cues, neural networks are triggered. When

multiple neural paths have been established, memories can be accessed using more

than one stimulus. For example, in songs, melodies and lyrics can provide recall cues

for each other. “Music aids memory because the beat, melody and harmony serve as

‘carriers’ for the semantic content. This is why it is easier to recall the words to a song

than a conversation” (Jenson, 2000, p.73).

The most important implication for learning from the field of neuroscience

involves the activation of emotions when learning. ”It is the reason that advertisers

package so much of their message in stories and scenes that are intended to tug at the

heart and kindle basic emotion” (Caine & Caine, 2001, p.47). Any instruction situated in

emotion binds and improves learning (Jenson, 2008). Neuroscientists have begun to

unlock the mystery of why music activates emotion. As a listener processes sensory

input from music, the brain uses patterns of familiar schema based on experience to

predict what will come next. There is a never-ending cycle of listen and predict, listen

17
and predict, as a musical piece is played or sung. “Music sets up anticipations and then

satisfies them” as the listener searches for expected patterns (Jourdain, 1997, p.312).

When variations in expectations provide surprise, an emotional response occurs and

the amygdala is activated. Composers use bridges and other musical devices to control

expectations by deliberately and methodically breaking established patterns (Levitin,

2006). Emotional responses to music enhance memory by focusing attention to

establish stronger and multiple neural connections (Jensen, 2000). Melodies used in

science-content songs can be used to carry science content information, and because

of the emotional response elicited by music, “there’s a greater likelihood that the brain

will encode it in long-term memory” (Jensen, 2008, p.75). Music is emotionally powerful

and memories encoded in an emotional state are stronger and offer multiple paths for

encoding and retrieval.

Jenson (2005) summarizes why educators should include music in the curriculum

based on our current understanding of how the brain works. Its social nature, emotional

impact, ability to carry a message; accessibility and relevance are all cited. In listing

ways to implement a music-rich curriculum, Jensen suggests using songs and melodies

to introduce content, build community, enhance learning, assist in memory and convey

information (2005).

Musical Imagery Repetition

Music’s special capacity for involuntary recall means that is that it is possible for

science-content songs to become ‘stuck’ in the head. Tunes that are overly repetitive,

simple in nature but have unexpected elements can become “earworms” (Cunningham,

Downie & Bainbridge, 2005). Bennett has coined the phrase ‘Musical Imagery

18
Repetition’ (MIR) to describe this phenomenon and defines it as “previously heard

music that, while consciously unintended, repeats uncontrollably and pervasively in

thought” (2002, p.2). Music is encoded into memory using an organized and structured

format based on relevance. Important notes get priority for encoding, while the brain

establishes certain entry and exit points in the stored memory of a musical selection.

This phenomenon explains why when remembering part of a song, the brain

“backtracks” to a natural starting point rather than recalling the lyrics or melody mid-

phrase. These melody echoes are generally small pieces of a song equivalent to the

capacity of working memory, approximately fifteen to thirty seconds in length (Levetin,

2006). These “earworms’ can be powerful for voluntary or involuntary memory

activation and are a commonly reported occurrence (Liikkanen, 2008).

Musical Imagery Repetition episodes can occur up to sixty years after the song

was last heard and the chorus is the most likely part to become an earworm. Research

by Bennett (2002) has provided some insight into melodies that become earworms. In

order for a song to become an earworm, Bennett has suggested the ‘Rule of Nine’

hypothesis; a song must be of average complexity, with the chorus repeated three times

and the song heard three or more times. When science-content music has the ability to

become ‘stuck in the head,’ it becomes a mnemonic device to enhance learning in the

classroom. Farnsworth (as cited by Bennett, 2002) states that when music is used as a

mnemonic device, it can facilitate learning.

Music and Mnemonics

Storr (1992) cites evidence from several researchers that songs, as a form of

communication, most likely preceded verbal language in prehistoric man and music has

19
been a powerful form of communication throughout history. “Preliterate societies relied

on songs and poems to convey information, perhaps because the rhythmic structure

that characterizes these forms of communication are easier to remember than is the

verbal form that characterizes written speech” (Sloboda, cited in Clavert and Tart, 1993,

p. 245). According to Storr (1992), “the mnemonic power of music is still evident in

modern culture. Many of us remember the words of songs and poems more accurately

than we can remember prose” (p.21).

Belleza (1981) defines mnemonic devices as “learning strategies, which can

often enhance the learning and later recall of information” (p.247). These memory aids

cue recall of information using visual images, or words in the form of sentences and

rhymes, and work by building associations within cognitive structures. Mnemonic

strategies have been utilized for thousands of years to help learn speeches and other

forms of prose. Bruning, Schraw, Norby and Ronning (2004) identify stories, rhymes

and songs as specific mnemonic devices associated with visualization and language

devices. According to Hodges (1982), songs and rhymes are “ready-made mnemonics”

(p.27), suggesting both can be used in content areas to make recall of information

easier.

Peterson and Thaut (2007) suggest, “music provides a helpful mnemonic for

verbal learning throughout life and most notably during early development and in

educational settings” (p. 217). In a study conducted by these researchers, subjects

were asked to recall information presented either verbally or musically while brain

activity was monitored using electroencephalogram (EEG) technology. Conclusions

from the study indicate that the brain responds different to music, and that music and

20
songs can be effective mnemonic devices for facilitating student engagement (Peterson

& Thaut, 2007).

The use of science-content music as a teaching strategy to help students

understand, learn and engage in science has been overlooked in research as well as in

the curriculum. Recommendations for implementation of science-content music into the

curriculum include using simple, catchy melodies emphasizing key ideas that are

embedded in the lyrics, choosing songs that repeat the chorus at least three times and

contain a bridge, humor, metaphor or other device for attention and surprise. Playing

the song a minimum of three times enables musical imagery repetition, allowing for

easy recall. Songs can be played at any point in the learning process and can be the

focus of a lesson or used to supplement it to enhance and enrich learning (Wallace,

1994; Bennett, 2002; Jenson, 2005; Crowther, 2006).

Multiple Intelligences

There are differences in how each child’s brain works, and in how people acquire

and represent knowledge. To reach out to students with varying intelligences, teachers

should “expand their repertoire of techniques, tools and strategies beyond the typical

linguistic and logical ones predominantly used in U.S. classrooms” (Armstrong, 2000,

p.38). Music, art, story and humor are but a few methods by which teachers can

engage their students emotionally in the content being presented and provide multiple

stimuli for encoding and recall of memories. In his groundbreaking book, Frames of

Mind (1983), Gardner applied new understandings about brain function to develop a

theory of human intelligence. Based on potentials and capacities inherent in biology

and psychology (Gardner, 1999), eight different intelligences, or ways of solving

21
problems and producing products, eventually emerged. The criteria for defining what is

and is not considered an area of intelligence is related to evolutionary history,

neuroscience, psychology, and “end-state” performances. The intelligences defined by

Gardner currently include linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, interpersonal,

intrapersonal, naturalist, bodily-kinesthetic and musical.

Musical intelligence is but one of the eight identified human potentials, but

develops first in children. While not every child will be reached through music, there are

connections that can be made through the use of music to other intelligences. Song

lyrics involve linguistics in rhyme and analogies, rhythm and beat invite kinesthetic

movement, and melodies provide a unique link between math and music in pattern and

form (Armstrong, 2000; Gardner 1999). Using science-content music in the classroom

allows teachers to embed information in melodies for instruction. Additionally, to

develop Musical Intelligence, students can be allowed opportunities to demonstrate

learning by composing their own content-rich songs.

In applying multiple intelligences theory to education, Gardner advises that there

is no single instructional model advocated. Rather, multiple approaches to instruction

should be developed for content area learning. Instruction based on this theory does

not define a single teaching method, but establishes support for diverse learning styles,

includes choice in assessment options and provides a significant role for the arts in

meeting the needs of both students and teachers (Gardner, 1999).

Nature of Learning

Brain-based learning theory provided the theoretical framework for understanding

how science-content music can be used for learning, but constructivism provides some

22
insight into how songs are used to build knowledge. According to Kahveci & Ay (2008),

there are several common elements shared by constructivism and brain based learning

theories. These approaches “have emerged out of two different fields but had

commonalities in their implications for education” (p. 127). The principles that are

shared by constructivism and brain based learning include the importance of meaningful

learning, recognition that there are individual differences in how people learn, there can

be multiple representations in learning, personal and environmental factors affect

learning and finally, affective components influence learning (Kahveci & Ay, 2008).

Brain-based learning “crosses and draws from multiple disciplines” (Jenson, 2008, p.4)

encouraging multiple representations on which students can construct knowledge.

Songs will resonate with some learners more than others, as there are differences in

how children learn, a cornerstone of constructivist learning theory.

Constructivism as a theory for building knowledge is based on the understanding

that learning occurs through experience to make sense of the world. When students

are exposed to new experiences they integrate it with prior experience to build onto

existing knowledge structures or to reconstruct them. According to Fox (2001) the

tenets of constructivism are that learning is an active process of constructing

knowledge; and while it is personal in nature, it is built through a social process in order

to make sense of the world. Pellegrino, Chudowsky and Glaser (2001) discuss learning

in terms of cognitive theory, which is based on constructivism in that it describes

learning as an active process by which knowledge structures are built as students are

exposed to new experiences and information. The role of prior knowledge is critically

important in developing conceptual understandings. Cognitive learning theory is also

23
connected to brain-based learning theory in that it describes how mental structures, or

schema, are built through interactions of experience with memory and cognition. In this

study, student learning is considered to be constructed through the interpretation of and

interaction with songs presented during teaching. Science-content music provided a

novel learning experience, which students used to help construct new knowledge.

Songs and Science Instruction

Banilower, Cohen, Pasley & Weiss (2008) in Effective Science Instruction: What

does Research Tell Us? identify characteristics of effective instruction based on a

synthesis of the research. The purpose of this publication is to inform policymakers,

instructional leaders and educators for improvements in science education. The

recommended characteristics begin with the importance of motivating students and

stimulating their interest in any new content that will be covered in a unit or set of

lessons. This can be done in a number of ways, including providing a real-world context

or asking an interesting question that will spark their curiosity. The second element that

is described in this document is to elicit students’ prior knowledge. Students bring a

knowledge base to learning that is based on experiences that is important to understand

as new content is introduced. Some of their ideas can help learning; others can hinder

it. Third, students must be engaged intellectually with the content through experiences

connected to the learning goals. These can range from hands-on lab activities to well-

developed, interactive lectures. The fourth element of effective instruction is for

students to use evidence to make and evaluate scientific claims. Finally, the last

element involves students participating in sense-making activities designed to help them

connect ideas and organize their new knowledge into existing frameworks.

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 Research from differing traditions on how students learn provides the basis for

these recommendations on effective elements of instruction. Conceptual change

research is based on science as a process of constructing knowledge through the

development of gradually improving models. Learning, according to Duschl,

Schweingruber and Shouse (2007) in Taking Science to School, is a result of the

interaction between experience and instruction. Conceptual change, constructivism and

cognitive or brain-based learning theories all inform the recommendations for effective

science instruction made by Banlower, et al. (2008) by addressing experiences and how

they are processed as the foundation for learning. These learning theories are included

in the conceptual change research tradition. Conceptual change theory establishes the

importance of considering prior knowledge and providing experiences that will help

students build new knowledge networks. Insights from cognitive learning theory

suggest the importance of getting students engaged and emotionally connected to

learning, as well as using metacognitive strategies to help build the networks promoting

conceptual change.

Although the authors of Effective Science Instruction specifically refer to the

influence of conceptual change theory in informing current recommended practices, the

influence of socio-cultural research can also be seen in the recommended

characteristics of instruction. According to this perspective learning is a social process

by which “individuals are actively engaged with others in attempting to understand and

interpret phenomena” (Driver, Asoko, Leach, Mortimer & Scott, 1994). Furthermore,

students can only participate effectively in the process of science if they understand the

language of science. Research in the socio-cultural tradition also informs the elements

25
of instruction by stressing the importance of emotions and engagement in teaching and

learning. Engagement is defined as “the student’s psychological investment in and

effort directed toward learning, understanding or mastering the knowledge, skills or

crafts that academic work is intended to promote” (Newmann, Wehlage and Lamborn,

1992 p.12). Newmann (1992) indicates that active involvement, commitment and

concentrated attention to learning are all part of engagement. Engagement is critical for

learning, according to Schlechty (2002), and students learn more when authentically

engaged. The socio-cultural perspective informs the effective elements of instruction

through research that aligns with learning the language and discourse of science for

participation as well as addressing motivation and engagement of students in learning.

In Effective Science Instruction the authors discuss the debate between

traditional teaching methods and active, hands-on instruction. Students can learn

regardless of the technique, as long as they are “motivated to learn and intellectually

engaged in activities and/or discussions focusing on what they already know”

(Banlower, et al. p. 5). Additionally students must evaluate evidence, make sense of

new ideas and connect concepts presented while learning. Effective learning activities

can include interactive lectures, inquiry based labs and other innovative techniques that

engage students in learning. Prensky (2001) refers to students who are coming to our

schools today as part of a generation of digital natives and suggest that new

technologies can help engage and motivate learning. Today’s students “have spent their

entire lives surrounded by and using computers, videogames, digital music players,

video cams, cell phones, and all the other toys and tools of the digital age” (p. 1).

26
 Music speaks to the current generation of digital learners in novel ways. These

students download songs instantly from the Internet, tune into MTV while studying, carry

tunes with them to school on MP3 players and listen to music while working. Science-

content music and can be used to enhance learning if integrated into instruction

effectively based on a conceptual change research perspective, which includes

elements from both cognitive and constructivist learning theories. Science songs are

rich in content and can be used to engage students and help them construct knowledge

in different ways. Songs carry content information in the lyrics and have the potential to

help students become familiar with the language of science. Music is a part of the

culture of digital natives and in this way is also related to socio-cultural aspects of

learning. Using recommendations from Effective Science Instruction, science songs

can be used to introduce new content by asking questions related to the theme of songs

presented in the engagement phase of instruction. Lyrics can be analyzed as one of a

series of experiences designed to build understanding of science concepts during the

conceptual development stage of teaching. Finally, as students are asked to make

sense of new content and connect ideas, science-content music can provide analogies

and insights to help students build networks of understanding in the final stage of

instruction. When used effectively music can help facilitate the process of conceptual

change during several steps in the instructional sequence suggested by Banilower, et

al. (2008).

27
 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY

Theoretical Framework

Understanding what happens when science music is implemented as a teaching

strategy can best be explored through a constructivist approach to qualitative research.

Qualitative inquiry, according to Stake (1995) is constructivist in that it attempts to gain

understanding from experience through descriptions and interpretations with which

knowledge can be constructed. Constructivism is based on the belief that knowledge is

constructed from experience, understood through perceptions, and attempts to

understand phenomena “within the context in which they are studied” (Patton, 2002.

p100). This study used constructivism as the theoretical framework because the

perspectives of both students and teachers in the classrooms where science songs

were used as a teaching strategy become important to developing an explanation,

description and understanding of the phenomenon. Meaning is constructed by

individuals through interaction with their world, and cannot be separated from

experience. “When we describe something, we are, in the normal course of events,

reporting how something is seen and reacted to, and thereby meaningfully constructed,

within a given community or set of communities” (Crotty, 1998. p. 64). This study

explored how students constructed new knowledge when music was used as a teaching

strategy.

Constructivism is ontologically related to relativism in that reality is individually

constructed, and the perspective of all participants in the classroom was important in

28
understanding a phenomenon, as each informed the study in different ways. Research

embedded in a constructivist design recognizes the different ways in which reality is

experienced from different perspectives (Patton, 2002). A constructivist approach

seeks to understand the meanings of research participants by listening to their stories

and describing their experiences (Charmaz, 2000), calling for use of case study

methodology. By exploring the different perceptions of students and teachers when

science songs were used as a teaching strategy, a description and explanation of the

experience was constructed from multiple cases, helping to facilitate an understanding

of the phenomenon.

Multiple Case Study Analysis

Multiple case study analysis was selected as the research methodology for this

study in order to explore the use of content music when used for teaching and learning

in the middle school science classroom. According to Benbasat, Goldstein & Mead

(1987), case study research is best suited to exploring the experiences of participants

while exploring a phenomenon in its natural setting. The purpose of this type of

research is to provide an in-depth understanding of an issue (Creswell, 2007) and is

recommended to investigate a phenomenon in depth and in context to describe its most

meaningful characteristics (Yin, 2009). Case studies convey experience and offer

interpretations of data to gain insight (Stake, 1995). As a form of inquiry case studies

investigate “a contemporary phenomenon in depth and within its real-life context” (Yin,

2009, p.18).

Cases are identified in terms of the bounded system in which the phenomenon is

experienced and can be investigated with either an individual focus or by using multiple

29
cases. Because this study explored the experiences of teachers and students in

several classrooms, a multiple case study design was used. Yin (2009) describes this

type of study as single case design using multiple units of analysis, however, both

Creswell (2007) and Stake (2006) define a multiple case study as one that examines a

single issue, illustrated by multiple cases, which is the definition that is most consistent

with the design of this study.

In designing multiple case studies Stake (2006) describes each case as a

separate entity with common conditions and recommends it as being well suited for

educational research. Multiple case studies are “a collection of situated case activities

in a binding of larger research questions” (p. 90). Stake describes the characteristic

that is shared by all individual cases within a study as the “quintain” which is a concept

that contextually binds the cases together. The quintain, or common condition, for this

study was the use of science-content music for teaching and learning. In multiple case

study research, each individual case adds to the understanding of the quintain by

examining real situations in which the “activity of the case as it occurs in its context and

its particular situation” (Stake, 2006, p. 2). In this study each case was bounded by the

middle school science classroom using science-content music for teaching and

learning. Creswell (2007) recommends multiple case study research should contain no

more than four cases. However, according to Stake (2006), between four and ten

cases are considered ideal to better understand experiences of participants and the

quintain, leading to the targeted number of six classrooms for the units of analysis in

this study.

30
 Case study research relates to my theoretical framework by attempting to

construct an understanding of knowledge from participants’ experiences related to the

phenomena, rather than to discover knowledge or establish causality. This study was

designed to contribute to knowledge about teaching and learning through ideas that

emerged by exploring the experiences of individuals (Patton, 2002), which is aligned to

the theoretical assumptions of Constructivism as the interpretive framework.

Site Selection

In this qualitative, multi-case research study, the research sites selected were six

middle school science classrooms in the suburbs of a major southeastern city, chosen

based on geographical proximity to my school and home. Public middle schools located

in the same school district as mine, closest to and including to my work place, were the

targeted research sites, to allow for data collection during working hours. Access was

provided with district approval (Appendix A) through inter-district email for all stages of

recruitment in this study. The first email was directed at school principals and asked for

permission to collect data at their location (Appendix B). Four building level

administrators responded with permission to contact their teachers and participate in the

study (Appendix C). In the second email, science teachers at these schools were sent

an invitation (Appendix D), which was followed up with a personal appeal during a

district level professional development session in late August. Although a number of

teachers indicated an interest in participation, a total of seven teachers from the three

final sites sent email responses volunteering to participate in the study. One school

where administrative permission to collect research was obtained did not participate in

this study, as teachers there did not respond to the invitation. One of the seven

31
teachers who initially volunteered changed her/his mind and withdrew from the study

before data was collected.

According to Stake (2006) sampling is not considered as an appropriate strategy

for case study research. Stake suggested that cases “be selected because they

represent the program or phenomenon” (p. 23) and that cases be chosen based on

relevance, diversity and opportunities to learn about experiences in context (2006). The

cases included in this study were based on relevance and the opportunities they

provided to observe the quintain. Teachers who volunteered agreed to implement

teaching strategies that use science songs for learning in the middle school science

classroom. As part of the initial invitation it was requested that teachers must be willing

to implement two or more lessons that use songs and include some of the suggested

activities, such as a lesson analyzing the lyrics, so that the quintain could be observed.

Once the targeted number of cases for this study was reached, the recruitment phase of

the study ended and the three schools where administrative permission was received

and teachers volunteered to participate became the research sites.

Demographics & Educational Setting of the Research Sites

School A, my school, reported a school population of just over 800 for the 2010-

11 academic year. This school is located in the far northwest corner of the county and

the students in this school come from primarily rural and suburban homes. About 84%

of the school’s population is white, while 13% is Hispanic and the remaining 3% multi-

racial, Asian, black or other. Just over 29% of the students at this school are identified

as economically disadvantaged based on free and reduced lunch data. School B is

located approximately 10 miles southeast of School A and is located in the center of the

32
county seat. This school has a population of approximately 750 students, and is 67%

white, 22% Hispanic, 4% black, 4% multi-racial, 2% Asian and 1% other. Forty-four

percent of the students at this school are considered to be economically disadvantaged.

School C is 12 miles due east of School A and has a population of fewer than 800

students from mostly suburban homes. White students constitute 84% of this school’s

student body, Hispanic students compromise 11% with the remaining population

identified as multi-racial, black, Asian or other. About 41% of the students at School C

are economically disadvantaged (Forsyth County Schools, 2010a).

TABLE 2: Site Demographics

School Caucasian Hispanic Other Disadvantaged

A 84 13 3 29
B 67 22 11 44
C 84 11 5 41

All three middle schools included as research sites for this study use an

instructional model teaching traditional core classes (language arts, math, science and

social studies) on a daily basis, along with optional classes for physical education, art,

music, band, foreign language and technology. Teachers work in interdisciplinary

teams and share common students at each grade level. Advanced courses at these

schools serve gifted and able students, while others are inclusion classes that serve

regular and low-performing students or children with special needs. As a rapidly

growing suburban community, the district has nearly doubled its student population in

the past decade resulting in a cross section of students and teachers from diverse

33
geographic regions immigrating into the district’s school system (Forsyth County

Schools, 2010b).

Participants

Each of the six classrooms used for this study, including the teachers and

students, were a separate unit of analysis, or case, for the purpose of data collection. In

order to address the element of diversity, teachers and classes from each middle school

grade level (6, 7 & 8) were included in this study. Four of the teachers who participated

in this study taught on-level classes. Two were sixth grade earth science teachers, one

was a seventh grade life science teacher and one was an eighth grade physical science

teacher. These educators included two male and four female teachers with between

nine and thirty years of experience. All of these classes included special education or

ESOL students using an inclusion model. Two of the teachers taught advanced eighth

grade physical science, although both were responsible for teaching other courses in

addition to the classes included in the study. One of the teachers who participated in

this study had prior experience with using songs for teaching, while all the others

implemented the use of science-content music for the first time during the course of this

study.

In the initial meeting with each teacher some basic information about using songs

for learning was shared based on current research and the outcomes of the pilot study

(Appendix E). Each teacher was encouraged to choose songs that would best fit their

curriculum and implement the use of songs in the curriculum in whatever ways they saw

appropriate. However, all teachers were asked to include a lesson in which students

read and analyze the lyrics of the songs selected for instruction as part of the study.

34
This recommendation was a result of the research and conclusions made in the pilot

study about how songs should be used as effective tools for student learning. Other

suggestions for implementation were made based on recommendations by Crowther

(2006), who recommends that songs be selected which have an easy-to-sing melody

and must be heard by students more than once to emphasize key points. He

recommends that students be given the lyrics and that music is used selectively as one

of several activities in the learning process (Crowther, 2006). Additionally, it was

suggested that teachers select songs that contain a bridge, humor, metaphor or other

devices for gaining students’ attention, and playing the song a minimum of three times

to enable musical imagery repetition. Teachers were encouraged to use songs at

multiple points in the learning process as the focus of a lesson and to supplement

instruction based on practices suggested in the literature (Wallace, 1994; Bennett,

2002; Jenson, 2005; Crowther, 2006).

As an incentive each teacher who participated in the study was provided with a

number of resources with which to implement the use of songs for teaching. All

teachers were provided with the book, Top Tunes for Teaching, 977 Song Titles and

Practical Tools for Choosing the Right Music Every Time (Jensen, 2005) and a variety

of science songs on CD from various artists. The following audio disks were distributed

to these teachers, depending on the grade level and curriculum they taught:

• Banana Slugs, Slugs at Sea (1991) – sixth grade earth science teachers

• Jeff Moran, aka Dr. Chordate, Parts is Parts (1998) – seventh grade life science

teachers

• Michael Offutt, Physics Songbag (1995) – eighth grade physical science teachers

35
 • They Might Be Giants – Here Comes Science (2009) – all teachers

• Larry Morris, aka Professor Boggs – Mad Science Factory (2005) – all teachers

• Larry Morris, aka Professor Boggs – Round the World With Science (2010) – all

teachers

My husband, Larry Morris, wrote the final CD, Round the World With Science, during

the summer of 2010 specifically for use in this study. The songs on this audio disk

targeted a variety of topics for use at all middle school grade levels based on the

researcher’s experience and familiarity with the curriculum map used to guide

instruction during the part of the academic year that this study took place. Specific

elements of effective songs for teaching discovered in the review of the literature and

during the pilot study were employed in writing the songs that were included on this CD.

The intent was to make sure teachers who participated would have easy access to

songs that fit into their curriculum based on the standards they were required to cover

during the research period, although they were free to select from songs found on any

of the resources provided or use additional references.

In this study student focus groups were used to collect data from students based

on their experiences when using songs for learning. These generally consist of seven

to ten individual participants, although this number can vary (Marshall and Rossman,

2006). Ideally, the students who participated in these group interviews would have

represented a cross section of the students in each teacher’s classroom and included a

balanced number of students of each gender, socio-economic class and ethnicity.

However, the number and composition of students in each focus group for this study

was dependent on each teacher obtaining parental consent from students willing to

36
participate. Once a day and time was determined for classroom visits, each teacher

was asked to send home letters to the parents of students in the targeted class advising

them of the upcoming visit and inviting students to participate in focus group

discussions. Parents were advised that students would only be interviewed with

parental consent and that as incentives, students who participated in focus group

discussions would receive a copy of the Professor Boggs CD, Round the World With

Science (Morris, 2010) as an incentive. Participating teachers were given the

responsibility of obtaining and collecting permission slips from students and their

parents. A copy of the letters and forms sent to parents can be found in Appendix F.

A total of fifty-seven students volunteered to participate in these focus groups,

which included thirty-eight girls and nineteen boys. The number of students from each

classroom varied from between four and sixteen. Twenty-seven students were sixth

graders, five students were in seventh grade and twenty-five were in eighth grade.

Data Collection

Case study designs collect data from multiple sources, including interviews,

observations, documents and artifacts (Creswell, 2007, Yin, 2009, Stake 2006). The

classroom, including the teachers and students who worked in it while science songs

were used as a teaching strategy, were considered a single unit of analysis.

Observations, teacher interviews and student focus group discussions were the primary

methods involved in data collection for this study and were used to explain, describe

and understand the experiences of teachers and students when science songs were

used as a teaching strategy in the middle school classroom. Data for this study were

37
collected over a four-month period during the fall of 2010, beginning in September 2010

and concluding with the final interviews conducted on January 3, 2011.

Interviews:

In this study three interviews were conducted with each of participating teachers

before, during and after the completion of a teaching unit in which he/she used science-

content music as a part of the curriculum. This interviewing schedule was based on

recommended interviewing strategies by Marshall & Rossman (2006). The first of the

three interviews was designed to inquire about the background, past experiences and

expectations of each teacher participant. These interview questions were based on

recommendations by Stake (2006) about understanding each participant’s background,

and important later in understanding and interpreting data. Subsequent interviews

focused on participants’ perceptions, impressions and conclusions about their

experiences using science songs.

While Marshall and Rossman’s recommendations related to the number and

timing of the interviews, suggestions by Stake (1995) and Glesne (2006) guided the

format of the interview and type of questions to ask. According to Glesne (2006) the

type of interview most appropriate when discussing an experience is the topical style

with a semi-structured format. In this type of one-on-one interview participants are

asked about their opinions, perceptions and attitudes about a particular process; in this

case the experience of using science-content music for learning. Stake (1995)

suggests that interviews for case study research begin with a brief list of questions and

use probes to generate descriptions and explanations. He suggested that interviews

provide indirect evidence about a phenomenon and are best used “to obtain the

38
descriptions and interpretations of others” (p. 64). They are ideal for eliciting

descriptions and explanations from different participants to discover multiple

perspectives. Teacher interview guides used for this study included basic topics and

ideas to focus on with a few open ended questions that were intended to lead to more of

an informal conversation. This approach is considered a hybrid interview type (Patton,

2002). Questions for each interview were designed to elicit participants’ experience,

opinions, knowledge and feelings about the quintain. Protocols for teacher interviews

can be found in Appendix G.

In this study the three teacher interviews were used to collect information about

how teachers make use of songs for learning and to reveal perceptions about their

potential for teaching and learning science. The initial interview occurred between

September 9 and September 27, 2010 with each lasting between four and eleven

minutes. During the initial interview questions and probes were used to guide the

interview, although to facilitate a less structured format, the discussion varied depending

on each teacher’s background and experience. The questions at this interview were

designed to establish the teaching experience and background of each participant,

including their prior use of songs for teaching and learning.

The second interview was intended to discover information about the ways

teachers were using science songs in their classrooms, and to give them a chance to

respond to observation data and information students shared in focus group

discussions. Teachers were asked to schedule an observation visit during their use of a

second song for teaching and at the same time, a student-focus group interview. This

visit was followed up with a second interview about a week afterwards. The timing of

39
the visit was based solely on each teacher’s implementation of songs in the curriculum.

The second interviews occurred between November 10 and December 14, 2010 and

lasted between nine and forty-two minutes each. The second interview gave

participating teachers the opportunity to give an update on the strategies they are using

with songs for teaching, and how they perceived their students were responding to the

lessons that include science-content music. Teachers were given a summary of the

data from class observations and student focus group sessions, then asked to respond

based on their experiences.

The third and final teacher interview was designed to allow teachers an

opportunity to summarize their experiences and reflect on what they discovered about

how songs could be used for teaching and learning. These final interviews were

conducted at the end of the study, between December 8, 2010 and January 3, 2011 and

lasted between nine and twenty-five minutes each. An interval of at least two weeks

occurred between the second and final interviews. Questions and probes used to guide

the final interview asked teachers to summarize their experiences, identify the ways in

which they believe science-content music could be used for teaching and learning

science concepts, how students responded to the experience, and what these teachers

thought about the potential for songs to enhance learning. Certain additional questions

for each third interview were individually prepared for each teacher, based on

information and analysis of the first two interviews, to expand or clarify key ideas.

Focus Groups:

Focus groups, as a form of interviewing, are especially appropriate for

interviewing children and adolescents who may feel more comfortable talking with their

40
peers when interviewed. Focus groups are interviews with multiple participants, which

encourage discussion in a supportive environment. Combining focus group interviews

with observations in case study research is a strategy recommended by Marshall and

Rossman (2006). Although focus groups are often made up of individuals who do not

know each other, the groups of participants included in this study were from the same

classroom, due to time, permission and scheduling constraints. When ten or more

students from a single class had permission to participate in focus group discussions,

two groups were unsystematically formed for the group interview to allow all students

the opportunity to have their voices heard. In three of the cases there were enough

students to hold two separate focus group discussions while each of the other three

cases had between four and six students participate in a single interview. Therefore, a

total of nine focus group discussions, with between four and nine students in each, took

place during this study. These interviews lasted between seven and sixteen minutes

each, and took place immediately following classroom observations. They were held in

neighboring classrooms that were empty at the time they occurred, or in common areas

of the school such as the school mezzanine.

Questions asked during focus group interviews were designed to elicit

information about student perspectives and how students see the potential for songs to

enhance learning. These group interviews were intended to better understand how the

students make use of the songs for learning and discover how songs affected their

interest, engagement and understanding of science content and concepts. The

interview started with soliciting student impressions about the lesson immediately

preceding the interview, then more general questions about using songs for learning

41
science. For a list of questions and probes that were used to guide the focus group

discussion, see Appendix H.

Observations:

According to Hancock & Algozzine (2006) observations are often a part of case

study research as they are appropriate methods for collecting objective information

about a research topic. Observations can provide insights into, direct evidence about,

and lead to greater understanding of the quintain in case study research (Stake, 1995).

Marshall & Rossman (2006) describes observation as “the systematic noting and

recording of events, behaviors and artifacts (objects) in the social setting chosen for

study” (p. 98). The observations included as part of this study were used to generate

field notes and included detailed information and descriptions of the actions and

interactions of the teacher and students during lessons that include science songs.

Patton (2002) discusses the advantages of including observations as a source of

data in qualitative research. The ability to “understand and capture context” (p. 262)

aligns with the goal of case study research for understanding a phenomenon within its

natural context. Observations often reveal information that isn’t captured in interviews.

For the purposes of this study observation notes focused on key elements of setting,

interactions, language and nonverbal communication while students are engaged in

teaching activities using science songs for learning, all included in Patton’s list of

recommendations for observations (2002). My perspective was as an outside observer

using an etic approach, as I visited other teachers’ classrooms. The only case where

students in any way knew me was in the classroom at my school site. Those students

knew of me as a faculty member, but had no prior interactions with me. Classroom

42
observations occurred during a lesson in which teachers were using science content

songs as a teaching strategy and lasted between twenty and thirty minutes each.

Primary questions that guided the observations include, “How does the teacher

introduce the song?” and “What indications of the students’ level of engagement can be

observed?” An observation protocol is included as Appendix I. A summary of the data

collection methods employed to address each research questions is included in table 3.

TABLE 3: Data Collection Methods

Research Questions
What does the
In what ways do How can the use of
Primary experience of
teachers use science-content music
Methods of students and
science-content as a teaching strategy
Data teachers using
music in the impact student interest,
Collection to science-content
curriculum to engagement and
Address music suggest about
enhance instruction understanding of
Research its potential for
in the middle school science content and
Questions teaching and learning
science classroom? concepts?
science?
Teacher
X X
Interviews
Classroom
X X
Observation
Student Focus
X X
Groups

Data Management:

I have stored all data collected during this study electronically. Interviews, field

notes and focus group data were recorded digitally and transcribed. Electronic records

were kept of all correspondence between the participants and me during the study.

Information used to identify specific subjects has been coded and all participants have

been identified by pseudonyms to preserve anonymity. Field notes, interview

43
transcripts and observation records will be kept electronically and all records, including

parent consent for minors to participate, will be maintained either on file or disk for a

period of five years. Coding and analysis of the data collected in this study was

completed using a software program, HyperResearch by Researchware (2009), which

allows for easier management of the data and cross-case analysis.

Data Analysis

According to Creswell (2007), the unit of analysis includes more than one

individual or event as part of an event, program or study. In this multiple case study

each unit of analysis included the teachers and students in their middle school science

classroom while participating in the activity of using science content songs for learning.

The process for cross-case analysis in multiple case studies recommended by Stake

(2006) was used to provide insight into the quintain, or use of content music in the

middle school science classroom, in this study. In a cross-case analysis the

uniqueness of each case is explored while searching for commonalities. Each case

provides insight into the quintain, but stands on its own as a unique description of the

phenomenon under study. Finding balance between individual cases and the quintain

is important in analyzing data. There are three different approaches that can be taken

to multiple case analyses, depending on the goals of the study. The first track

emphasizes individual case findings; the second on convergent findings and the final

option compares findings to explore areas of divergence. In this case study the second

variation of cross-case analysis was applied to merge findings and identify patterns of

convergence across cases (Stake, 2006).

44
 In this multiple case study analysis, data from each case was first analyzed

independently using an inductive, open coding process, which is the main activity in a

cross-case analysis (Stake, 2006). Patton (2002) describes the process of case study

research whereby the data is condensed, organized and analyzed to produce a record

of each case within the study. According to Creswell (2007), case study data should be

analyzed holistically based on identifying issues and common themes using constant

comparative analysis and a rich, narrative description is constructed from the data. An

inductive approach is recommended to allow themes to emerge from the data, which is

the method that was used to analyze individual cases in this study.

In this study, transcripts from individual teachers, focus groups and field notes

generated during observations for each case were analyzed using the open coding

method for first round analysis described by Saldana (2009) and Charmaz (2006). In

this process data was reviewed line-by-line to “separate data into categories and to see

processes” (Charmaz, 2006, p. 51). Saldana (2009) suggests this method is most

“suitable for interview transcripts” (p. 82). Through this open coding method categories

and processes were defined and general patterns emerged. Stake (2006) emphasizes

the importance of identifying themes in analyzing data from each case independently

before conducting a cross-case analysis. Charmaz (2000) provides a detailed

technique for data analysis using systematic strategies from a grounded theory

approach to data analysis that is applicable to any type of constructivist or interpretive

research, including this case study. “Grounded theory provides a systematic analytic

approach to qualitative analysis … because it consists of a set of explicit strategies”

(Charmaz, 2000. p.522). The methods described for data analysis begin by coding of

45
transcripts, field notes and memos to define and categorize the data. As data is coded,

line-by-line, patterns begin to emerge. A continuous process of negotiating back and

forth between the data, the codes and memos refine the emerging themes as a part of

the process. Categories are refined and data between cases compared until themes are

identified that describe the phenomena. The use of a grounded theory approach to

inductive analysis was chosen on the basis of explicit, defined strategies that guide the

analytic process and its emphasis on thematic analysis for this study (Charmaz, 2000).

Writing analytic memos is a part of the inductive analysis process to elaborate

about the codes and data. In this study memos were written after the initial coding

process for each interview and focus group discussion separately to summarize

experiences and perceptions (Saldana, 2009). These memos were used in a “member

check” process to address validity and as a guide for subsequent interviews in the

study. These memos were further reviewed as part of the final round of coding.

According to Saldana (2009) this method is appropriate as “analytic memos themselves

from the study can be coded and categorized” (p. 41). A focused coding method was

implemented on the second round of analysis utilizing observation memos, interview

and focus group transcripts to identify common elements and identify emergent themes.

These themes, generated during the final analysis, were used to summarize the data

about the quintain related to each of the research questions by case (Stake, 2006).

Once individual cases were analyzed, a cross-case analysis was begun by

merging the themes developed independently in each case in order to learn more about

the phenomenon being studied. In this study a second method suggested by Stake for

cross-case analysis was used to make generalized assertions about the quintain by

46
exploring the uniqueness and commonalities of each case through a synthesis of

findings (2006). This track emphasized merging the findings from individual cases

using the themes identified in the open coding process to develop generalizations

related to each research question. Stake uses the term “generalization” to refer to

broad findings, or assertions, that are shared by the cases represented in the study.

The findings of the individual cases were synthesized by identifying convergent themes

to construct a summary of assertions to develop a deeper understanding of the quintain,

in this case the use of content songs for teaching and learning (Stake, 2006). Data from

each case contributed to final assertions about the quintain and provided evidence to

support them. Areas of divergence in data were also explored to provide additional

insights.

Validity:

In this study interview, observation and focus group data was used from six

different cases to understand the experience of students and teachers when science-

content music is used as a vehicle for learning in the classroom. According to Patton

(2002), triangulation of the data provides for a higher quality of data by allowing for

correspondence and corroboration. In this case study triangulation was considered

both within and across cases. It was first addressed independently in the analysis for

each case then across cases to provide a clear and meaningful representation of the

quintain. Cross-case analysis is dependent on thoroughness in the development of

themes and assertions in the individual case analyses. By considering issues of validity

carefully and completely at the individual case analysis phase of research, cross-case

analysis validity was addressed (Stake, 2006).

47
 According to Stake (2006), triangulation within cases is considered as a “process

of repetitious data gathering and critical review of what is being said (p. 34). Because

case study research is constructivist in nature, multiple constructions can occur based

on context, understandings and experiences of the observer. Triangulation is an attempt

to “assure that the right information and interpretations have been obtained (Stake,

2006, p. 35). Denzin (1978, as cited by Patton) identifies several methods by which

qualitative research data can be triangulated. These include the use of more than one

type of data, investigators, theories and methods. Data source triangulation was used

in this study by collecting multiple types of data: classroom observations, teacher

interviews and student focus groups.

Member checks are another way in which validity was addressed in this case

study. Stake (1995) recommends this strategy for addressing validity of the

researcher’s observations and interpretations. In this study each interview, focus group

and observation resulted in a summary of interpretations through the inductive analysis

process that were presented to the teacher participants for examination at the second

interview. A summary of the first two interviews provided some individualized questions

for discussion in the third and final interview. Finally, a summary of the case was sent

to each teacher who participated in the study for review. Input was sought in terms of

adequacy and acceptability. Revisions, additional comments and suggestions for

improved accuracy were solicited (Stake, 1995).

Lincoln and Guba (1986) established four criteria for quality data that were

applied in this study. These constructs compare to the concepts of validity, reliability

and rigor used to assess traditional research and include credibility, transferability,

48
dependability and confirmability to address the criteria of trustworthiness in the study.

Credibility in this study is addressed by selecting multiple, representative cases to study

the use of science songs for teaching and triangulation through use of multiple types of

data. Transferability was addressed by providing through thick, rich descriptions that

included extensive field notes, interview transcripts and analytic memos. Dependability

and confirmability were provided through detailed transcripts and records documenting

every aspect of the study.

Limitations:

Case study methodology was chosen on its basis to explore the experiences of

the participants in context. According to Stake (1995) cases are selected on the basis

of maximizing what can be learned from the participants about their experiences in the

natural setting. While the cases included in this study inform our understanding of the

quintain, any patterns interpreted from the data should not be generalized beyond the

experience of those teachers and students who participated in the research. Each case

is bounded by its own, unique contextual conditions and filtered through the

interpretations of the researcher. The cases included in this study are limited to the

number of teachers who were willing to participate in the research, either because of a

genuine interest in employing a new strategy for teaching science concepts, or because

of an existing professional relationship with the researcher. For some teachers and

students, the use of science-content music was new, and others had prior exposure that

could have had an impact on their experiences. Because each of the teachers in this

study was willing to embrace a new strategy, their experiences may be dissimilar to

other potential cases in which the use of science-content songs might be imposed.

49
Therefore, no generalizations can be implied beyond the experience of the six cases

reported in this study.

Subjectivity & Bias

I am a middle-aged, female teacher with more than twenty-five years teaching

experience. I began my teaching career with an early childhood focus and spent five

years teaching kindergarten. Over the years I migrated to grades second, fourth, fifth

and eventually middle school science teaching. I hold bachelors and masters degrees

in elementary and early childhood education, an Ed.S. in curriculum and instruction and

am currently working toward a doctorate degree in science education. I am certified to

teach multiple subjects and grade levels, including K-12 science certification. The

diversity in my background, experience and education has helped me approach

classroom instruction from an eclectic perspective. I often implement teaching

strategies not commonly used by other secondary science teachers. As a secondary

science teacher with an early childhood background, I have found using science-content

music and songs as a successful teaching strategy that engages my students and helps

them integrate and learn science concepts. It is this experience that helped formulate

my research question to explore the experiences of other teachers and students who

are interested in implementing this instructional strategy, utilizing science-content music

in the middle school science classroom. Through this study I explored the data using a

lens of having successfully used science-content music as a teaching strategy in my

own classroom. This prior experience could present a potential bias in this study in the

direction of a generally favorable view of its use.

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 CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS

Overview

In this section I highlight each case by first presenting an overview of each case,

followed by a thorough narrative of the themes identified during the data analysis.

During the introduction of each separate case an overview of the teacher’s background,

experience and expectations are presented, followed by a summary of the classroom

visit from observation notes. Next, each case includes an overview of the experience

as reported by each teacher and the students from interview transcripts. This section

includes a summary of how the participants felt about the quintain: the use of science-

content music for teaching and learning science. Data are presented from the

transcripts in this section include general comments and impressions about the

experience from both the student and teacher perspective. A data table and overview

provide a synopsis of the themes identified during the analysis, which concludes the

introduction for each case.

The presentation of the emergent themes and supporting data for each case is

organized by research question. The first research question asked, “In what ways do

teachers use science-content music in the curriculum to enhance instruction in the

middle school science classroom?” The themes identified relating to this question were

based on data found in the observation notes and teacher interviews and revolved

around how science-content songs were used by these educators for instruction.

Additionally, these themes considered how the teachers perceived that the use of

51
science-content songs helped meet their instructional goals. The second research

question, “How can the use of science-content music as a teaching strategy impact

student interest, engagement and understanding of science content and concepts?” and

focused on the students’ perspectives in identifying themes. Observation notes and

student focus group interview data was used to identify how students perceived the

experience and how they felt it impacted their learning. The third and final research

question was, “What does the experience of students and teachers using science-

content music suggest about its potential for teaching and learning science?” The

inductive analysis process used to explore this question considered both student and

teacher experiences as interviews and focus group transcripts were used to consider

the potential benefits for including content rich songs in the middle school science

curriculum. A summary is included for each separate case that reviews key idea.

The individual case studies are followed by a cross-case analysis that highlights

and merges the overarching themes identified separately in each case. A table is

provided that summarizes and categorizes the themes followed by a discussion of the

areas where the data converges and diverges across cases in order to better

understand the quintain through the experiences of both the teachers and students who

participated in this study.

Case 1: Derek Martin’s Classroom

Background

Derek Martin is in his twelfth year teaching, and has been at School C for the

past four years. He has a master’s degree in science education and is certified to teach

both math and science. Mr. Martin has taught in three different counties within the

52
state, giving him experiences with students from diverse backgrounds. School C where

Derek teaches now is located on the northeastern edge of the school district and that is

primarily Caucasian and Hispanic with the second highest rate of students from a low

socio-economic background. Mr. Martin is currently teaching advanced students in

sixth grade for earth science and eighth grade, physical science classes, as well as an

engineering class as an enrichment course. His students are primarily gifted and

talented and include few minorities or students with special needs, if any. After hearing

about the study at a district level professional development session in late August, Mr.

Martin volunteered to participate in the study. The use of songs for teaching was a new

concept, and his reason for participating in the study was to try “something that would

be novel to the students” and to find “new ideas or resources to get the kids involved

and motivated.”

Implementation

Derek Martin ended up using several science songs during the course of the

study. He first began by using a humorous song about electron configurations called

“Atom Shack” (Morris, 2005) while teaching about atoms and matter (see Appendix R

for lyrics). During the next teaching unit which covered concepts related to forms and

transformations of energy, Mr. Martin introduced two songs; first “Some Kind of Energy,”

(Morris, 2010) a song about forms of energy, and finally “Conduction, Convection,

Radiation” (Morris, 2010) about heat transfer with his eighth grade students. During the

final interview Mr. Martin reported that he also used the heat transfer song with his sixth

grade science class also during their study of convection in Earth’s mantle, and

53
“Tectonics Rocks” (Morris, 2010), a song about plate tectonics as they studied the

Earth’s lithosphere.

Observation Summary

On the day Mr. Martin’s class was observed, students in his eighth grade

advanced science class analyzed the lyrics to “Some Kind of Energy” (Morris, 2010), a

song about forms of energy (Appendix K), as an introductory activity for a unit on

Energy. Students casually entered the classroom and were instructed to pick up a copy

of the lyrics from the back table on the way to their seats. Mr. Martin’s room, like all of

the rooms in this study, was filled with two-person science tables. At the front was the

customary demonstration table, with the teacher’s desk on one side of the room and a

teacher computer table and eyewash station on the other. The perimeter of the room

was lines with built-in computer tables, a district standard for all middle schools in the

county. The tables were arranged mostly in rows facing forward, with a large table in

the back of the room. The room filled up with students as the teacher took attendance

and started the song. The students seem to know that the song was meant as a

learning activity, and most quietly followed along with the lyrics. One student was

highlighting some of the words on the handout as she listened to the song. None of the

students in the classroom sung along or moved with the music, but it was their first time

to hear the song. When the song ended, Mr. Martin instructed students to divide into

groups and draw mini-posters that gave examples and non-examples of each form of

energy presented in the verses of the song. Some groups used the lyrics to pull

examples from, while others discussed their own ideas related to the different forms of

energy included. During the activity all students participated and were on task. All

54
groups talked amongst themselves while completing the assigned task, and the noise

level was relatively low. Mr. Martin’s voice could be heard guiding various group

discussions among the groups as he rotated around the classroom. As students

finished the activity Mr. Martin collected posters for use in a subsequent lesson and

instructed students to put the lyrics in their notebooks for later use.

Overview of the Experience

For this teacher, the use of songs for teaching science was a valuable, new

resource. In addition to analyzing the lyrics, Mr. Martin used the songs as a

springboard for other activities such as classroom discussions and concept drawings,

and found them to be engaging for students and felt that they provided a novel way for

students to interact with science concepts on multiple levels. Mr. Martin said that he is

“always looking for new ideas or resources to get the kids involved and motivated” and

feels that he needs to keep bringing new ways to his students to interact with science

content. When material is consistently presented in “usual ways, those ways aren’t

challenging anymore.” He says that, “my challenge is to find other ways to engage

them with the content.” It was this desire that led him to volunteer to participate in this

study, and he found that by using songs for teaching, students engaged with the content

in new ways. He found that, “it’s a different way of engaging; hearing, auditory, the

music, the brain, the beat… it’s fun at the same time.” Derek reports, “it’s different than

what they are used to, so automatically you’re giving them something new” and “it’s

totally different so they… can’t fall into their old patterns.” For Mr. Martin, novelty is

important in the classroom. “When something is new, something is different, you’re

really challenging them,” and “it gets them out of their little box.” It was obvious to Mr.

55
Martin that the use of science songs did engage his students from a number of different

indicators. He reported that his students would sing along with the lyrics when songs

were used in direct instruction, and when the science songs were used as background

music, “they liked to sing along.” The teacher said that when he played the science

songs in class, students would “start singing along to it right away,” and some “would

just start singing it on their own.” Not all of his eighth graders were quite as obvious,

and while some would sing, “others would just sit in the desk being cool eighth graders

and kind of watch and listen.” Sometimes he would “see some of them swaying…

moving to the music.”

The students in Mr. Martin’s class generally liked learning with science songs,

according to the six students who participated in the focus group interview. With only

one exception, these students thought learning science with songs was fun, and agreed

that, “If it’s more fun to learn about something, it’s easier to learn.” One student clearly

did not like science songs, and said she’d “rather read it in a textbook.” And while it was

important to hear her voice, she was the only one in in the nearly sixty students who

participated in this study who clearly did not enjoy the activity. Her main reason was

that she wanted information presented “straight out,” and that songs “sometimes go too

fast you just can’t hear the words.” However, the other students agreed that learning

with songs was fun, and anytime learning is fun, it is easier. They said that learning

with songs made their science class more fun, and that it was both an interesting and

different way to learn.

56
Synopsis of Themes

During the analysis, several themes emerged related to each of the research

questions based on different combinations of data sources, as summarized in Table 4.

Songs help students build scientific vocabulary and can cover a large amount of content

in a small amount of time. They are also rich in examples and explanations of science

concepts. Songs provided students with a level of engagement that enhanced learning.

These students found that analyzing the lyrics helped them understand concepts and

suggested that to be useful for learning, science songs had to contain certain

characteristics. Songs were an easy instructional resource for teachers to use, analysis

of lyrics helps students connect ideas, interact with concepts on multiple levels of

understanding, and songs have the potential to be used at various places in the

instructional process.

In what ways do teachers use science-content music in the curriculum to enhance

instruction in the middle school science classroom?

One way in which Derek Martin used songs for instruction was by helping

students build scientific vocabulary. Mr. Martin reported, “I think it worked for

introducing them; here’s some important words, or key ideas.” This was evident in both

the activity that was observed and in the interview data. During the lesson that Mr.

Martin taught during the class visit, students were asked to identify terms associated

with different forms of energy from the lyrics. The drawing activity was designed to help

students take terms from the song and represent them in a different way. Although

students could go beyond what was included in the lyrics, he used the terms from the

song as a starting place in the discussion. While the group that was assigned to

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TABLE 4: Martin Analysis Summary

Research Question Themes Sources Supporting Evidence

In what ways do • Songs help students Teacher Observation notes:
teachers use build understanding interviews & • Student behaviors
science-content of scientific terms observations
Coding (Teacher):
music in the • Large amount of
curriculum to content covered in • Student Responses
enhance instruction short period of time • Key Terms
in the middle school • Songs rich in • Songs Stuck
science classroom? examples & • Instructional Time
explanations of • Content in Lyrics
concepts
How can the use of • Specific Student and Observation notes:
science-content characteristics of interviews & • Student behaviors
music as a teaching science songs make observation
Coding (Student):
strategy impact them effective tools
student interest, for learning • Engagement
engagement and • Analyzing songs • Good Science
understanding of helps students Songs
science content and understand • Negative Examples
concepts? concepts • Picking Apart Lyrics
• Learning
• Remembering
What does the • Songs are an easy Teacher & Coding (Teacher):
experience of instructional student • Engagement
students and resource to use interviews • Analysis of Lyrics
teachers using • Songs can be used • Conceptual
science-content to interact with Understanding
music suggest about concepts on multiple • Teaching Resource
its potential for levels of • Other Uses
teaching and understanding
learning science? Coding (Students):
• Analysis of lyrics
helps students • Picking Apart Lyrics
connect ideas

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illustrate chemical energy talked about how best to represent the concept, Mr. Martin

told them to refer back to the song, “It says the energy is in chemical bonds.” The use

of songs to develop student vocabulary was one of his instructional goals. Derek

explained, “The first time, when I played the song with them, I think it introduced key

terms, key ideas, key vocabulary.” He added, “The second time around and we would

look at it, and try to find what were all the words that really touched on the content.”

The use of songs, “did help them with some terminology, some basic definition they

could use.”

The second theme that emerged in this case was that when songs are used for

teaching, a large amount of content could be covered in a short period of time. Mr.

Martin found that the use of songs for learning “worked nicely because the songs are

pretty compact.” He elaborated, “It really doesn’t take that much instructional time,”

because the lyrics contain a great deal of information that can cover “several concepts

all at once and it is something that will engage them in a short time frame.” The science

songs Mr. Martin selected to use have “lyrics that are dense… that are useful with the

content.” Because the songs cover so much in such a short activity, Derek found them

an effective teaching tool. They provided an opportunity to “hit key concepts” as either

an introduction or review in “ten, maybe fifteen minutes each time.” One of the benefits

of using songs for Mr. Martin was their potential to provide content rich mini-lessons that

could be delivered in short time periods using an easy resource that would engage and

stick with his students.

The third and final theme that emerged related to this research question related

to how the content in the songs provide students with both examples and explanations

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of science concepts. Mr. Martin found that science songs “didn’t just merely mention

content, [they] actually had content in it.” When he first began to select songs for

teaching, he found that “they had enough information in them; they had enough detail

and content in them that they were very useful and I knew that from listening to them I

was like, okay, I’ll use this.” Through the use of a chorus science songs “repeat some

of the concepts so that it’s not just in one spot in the song, but it keeps reinforcing that

concept, and with examples.” In class discussions about concepts, student would “refer

back to the songs,” and “pull from the song, they would give an example from the song.”

In observing Mr. Martin’s class, students did indeed draw examples and explanations

from the lyrics. While deciding how to draw their mini-posters related to forms of

energy, students working in groups would read and reread the lyrics. In discussing the

activity later, one student said the song, “actually tells you about the energies and stuff.”

Another reported, “For mechanical energy they gave examples of types of that and they

all rhymed.” A third student said that, “If you have no clue what everything is, it just tells

you right off what everything is.” The students obviously found the songs useful for

explaining concepts. As a follow up activity, students “labeled each of the lines on how

it related to the textbook.” The effect of science songs on student learning included the

ability to provide both explanations and examples of the science content that the

teacher wanted students to learn to help them better understand the concepts.

How can the use of science-content music as a teaching strategy impact student

interest, engagement and understanding of science content and concepts?

According to the students in Mr. Martin’s room, specific characteristics of science

songs make them effective tools for learning. These students enjoyed learning with

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songs, but had definite ideas related to characteristics in songs that would best impact

learning. Science songs that can be used for learning should be “short and sweet and

to the point,” with “still enough catchiness” to help them with recall. They want songs to

“be on one topic,” and they should “be in a nice order.” Songs should contain “a lot of

examples” and these students found devices such as rhymes and humor helped make

concepts easier to remember. They said that songs that are “catchy and easy to

remember” would help them learn what they need to know because they “can go back

to it and keep it in [their] heads since it’s catchy.” Songs that were not likely to help

them learn were those that “change really quick from one thing to another,” or were “too

long and drawn out and too in depth,” because they would “just confuse kids more than

what they already were.” While they liked the song about energy they learned on the

day of the observation because “there were a lot of examples,” they did not feel the

previous song “Atom Shack “(Morris, 2005) was as helpful because it didn’t provide

much in terms of useful information about atoms. Some of the dialogue in that

particular song was confusing, and according to one student, “got muddled around in

my brain.” Mr. Martin also shared some ideas of what he thought were the

characteristics of songs that would make them effective for learning science. For him

the tune should be “catchy and memorable.” He also notes that “the music, the tune,

[shouldn’t] take precedence or somehow overshadow the lyrics.” He articulated what

students implied about humor, “they also can be maybe silly; fun is always good if

they’re a little bit goofy in places.” For songs to be effective learning tools, the

characteristics they need most are a catchy and memorable melody, contain content-

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rich information, be simple, and contain elements of rhyme and humor to get students’

attention.

The final theme that emerged from the data related to the impact of science

songs on student engagement and learning relates to the importance of having students

analyze songs. This is a necessary activity if songs are to be helpful for students to use

as an effective resource for learning. These students said that when they “pick out the

parts that mean something,” information they needed to know would “get into [their]

head.” Another student claimed that when Mr. Martin had them analyze song lyrics,

they had “to pick apart what can help you and what you don’t really need much.” It was

this activity that seemed to help students interact with concepts at a meaningful and

deeper level and helped them better understand the concepts covered in the lesson.

For them the effect of using songs for learning wasn’t limited to providing explanations

and examples; they reported, “it helps with the whole concept,” and has the additional

benefit of being “easier to remember something when you have it to a tune.” This effect

is best be summarized by one student, “So, after saying the words we kind of got it

more, and we remembered it a little bit better.”

What does the experience of students and teachers using science-content music

suggest about its potential for teaching and learning science?

The interview data from both Mr. Martin and his students was used to identify

themes related to the potential for songs to be used in teaching and learning science.

The first theme that emerged from Mr. Martin was that science songs are an effective

and easy instructional resource to use in the classroom. He commented, “it was very

easy to use… since I didn’t have to come up with the songs,” and “it was certainly nice

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to have the lyrics already printed up there.” Mr. Martin thought that the science songs

provided “another resource to hit key concepts” and “gave [his students] one more

reference point.” For this teacher science songs were a “useful resource” that “rounded

out [his] repertoire of things that [he] can do or access” in the classroom. Not only does

Mr. Martin fell that science songs are “a good learning tool,” but that his students also

“get that it’s a learning tool.” He summarizes, “it was nice that it was so easy to use.”

A second theme that emerged related to the potential of using songs for learning

was that science songs are useful at varying places in the instructional process. In one

activity Mr. Martin used the songs at the beginning of instruction to introduce key terms.

During the concept development stage of instruction Mr. Martin suggested that students

could use songs as a vehicle to develop their understandings of science concepts by

basing skits, videos and multimedia presentations based on them. In his classroom

students created mini-posters based on the song lyrics and used the songs as a

springboard for a classroom discussion. The songs allowed his students to “engage at

a higher level by having a discussion, then maybe even a little bit of an argument where

they have to be able to support what they’re saying.” He also saw science songs as

having potential as an assessment instrument as students would have to identify and

explain conceptual references used in them. Mr. Martin found that the songs were

useful for reinforcing main ideas, “it’s not just in one spot in the song, but it keeps

reinforcing that concept and with examples,” and that they were “great to use for review

as well.”

Another theme that emerged in analyzing this case is that science songs can be

used to interact with concepts on multiple levels of understanding. Mr. Martin

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summarized that the use of songs, “worked at different levels,” in “different ways” and

“gets beyond the basic understanding.” While songs worked on a fundamental level in

defining and explaining terms or giving examples as an introduction or review activity,

they also have the potential to facilitate deeper conceptual understanding as students,

”make connections, and that’s a different kind of application.” Because of the

complexity of the lyrics, “if they don’t understand the content, they’re not going to see,”

or understand references in the songs. So while science songs can help students build

vocabulary, to understand the songs students “can’t just know a superficial definition.”

Mr. Martin suggests even his students realize that the songs “have deep meaning, deep

layers in them and connect to the content.” So while Derek Martin indicates the songs

can be useful for developing basic knowledge such as key terms and vocabulary, he

believes they have the potential to be used for more meaningful learning as well as

students engage with concepts in the songs at a deeper level.

A final theme, and perhaps the most robust one, that emerged related to the

potential of science songs for teaching and learning science extends on what was said

in the focus group about analyzing lyrics. Mr. Martin believes that this is an important

component for students to connect ideas and build understanding of science concepts

when science songs are used for instruction. While the student voice is important in

understanding the importance of lyric analysis, it is Mr. Martin’s understanding of

pedagogy that suggests using songs as a teaching strategy can only reach its potential

when students “look at the lyrics and apply what they know, what they may have

learned, and to look at the lyrics to understand and see how the lyrics make those

connections.” For him, the activity is “critical to using [the songs] as an effective tool or

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resource for learning.” Mr. Martin described having students analyze lyrics as, “a

problem, structured in a different way.” When students are making connections during

lyric analysis activities, they are required to think at a higher level. The process,

“challenges [students] to make some connections right then, or it tests them to apply,

hopefully, the connections they’ve already made.” He explained, “They have to be able

to make connections to see what the songs about, or to apply the song to the situations,

the labs, the activities, the things in real life. And, and the application is going to require

more than just the rote memorization of learning.”

Mr. Martin compares the process of analyzing songs to the scientific method as

the process gets “them to think as a scientist.” When students analyze lyrics they must

make claims and arguments about references used based on their conceptual

understanding. He says, “It touches on the nature of science and how science works…

not how bad something is, but are there any holes in something. Is there anything

where it might be weak, or not, or how well does it stand up?” In the process students

have to judge “how well it matches up with the reality of the content.” Mr. Martin gives

one example of an incident that occurred when analyzing the lyrics for “Atom Shack”

(Morris, 2005). He thought this song was rich with hidden puns and was thrilled when

one of his students “made a connection that [he] didn’t make.” Mr. Martin recalls, “I

thought it was neat because with one class we’d gone through and found every possible

thing that had to do with something about electron configuration, energy levels [and]

orbital levels. But I had a student point out something else that I totally missed [in] the

interpretation.” In the process of analyzing the lyrics for the song, “Atom Shack” (Morris,

2005), this student found a play-on-words that the teacher had missed. The reference

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to Argon as the third energy level filled up (see Appendix R) was recognized by this

eighth grader, and demonstrated that “the students have to understand the content to

find a play on the words like that and to recognize it.” Mr. Martin summarized the

importance of lyric analysis for helping students make learning connections, “If your

students don’t understand the content, they’re not going to see all the fun things that fit

in the lyrics, all the puns, but when they start to get it, that’s really neat. And when they

can find ones you don’t.”

Even though Mr. Martin was asked to include an activity on lyric analysis as part

of the study, he said that he would have done the activity anyway. The first time he

“heard the songs, played them in my car, I could tell that these were not just songs that

mention science words; you know, said science things. They, the lyrics themselves

were packed with information and concepts and examples.” Analyzing the lyrics is

“critical to using them as an effective tool” and their potential for teaching and learning

depends on this activity.

Summary

Mr. Martin’s believes that science songs have been beneficial as a new resource

for engaging his students in science concepts. He found that he could cover a great

amount of content in a short period of time, as science songs help develop scientific

vocabulary and are rich in examples and explanations of the science concepts. The

students in Mr. Martin’s class found songs to be engaging for learning, but had definite

ideas about the types of songs that they believe will enhance learning. According to

their teacher, these students “understand how these songs have deep meaning, deep

layers in them and connect to the content.” For Mr. Martin, songs are an easy

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instructional resource that have the potential to be used at different places in the

instructional process and can be used to interact with concepts on multiple levels. The

process of analyzing song lyrics helps students connect ideas and facilitates deeper

levels of interacting with concepts when used for teaching and learning science.

Case 2: Sandy Kingston’s Classroom

Background

Sandy Kingston is in her tenth year teaching and is currently working in School C

in the classroom next door to Derek Martin. She holds a degree in biology with a focus

on engineering. She is certified in science for both middle and high school and has

experience at both levels. She has taught in several different school districts in the

state, and now teaches sixth grade earth science. While Derek Martin’s teaches

advanced content classes, Sandy’s students are on-level, and include students with a

wider range of abilities reflecting this school’s population of primarily Caucasian and

Hispanic students. The day after hearing about this research at a district-wide,

professional development session, Ms. Kingston volunteered to participate in the study.

This school year has been exceptionally busy for Ms. Kingston, as she has been

assigned a student teacher to work with and is taking courses after school as she works

on an advanced degree. However, she was interested in bringing a new resource into

her teaching, something that would “be a little creative and cement that learning.” When

she heard about the study she thought songs could be “a great way to just design some

different types of things into my lessons.” When asked about using songs for teaching

before, Ms. Kingston said that she had occasionally used a few songs in the past,

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including a rock cycle song and a plate tectonic song, both sung to the tune of, “Row,

Row, Row, Your Boat.”

While she was familiar with songs made up to fit existing rhymes, at the time of the

initial interview Ms. Kingston seemed unfamiliar with science content songs that were

written and produced within their own genre of music for teaching. However, she did

have some definite ideas about how the use of science songs could benefit her

students. She thought that by bringing science songs into her classroom, it would help

students, “to kind of solidify [concepts] in their brains, and I think that they like to act and

be able to sing and perform in front of each other. So I think it pairs the content

knowledge with them being able to be a little creative and cement that learning.”

Implementation

During the course of this study Ms. Kingston brought several new songs into her

classroom from the resources that were provided as incentives in the study. The first,

“Conduction, Convection, Radiation” (Morris, 2010) was incorporated into a dance she

made up with her student teacher as part of a unit on the Earth’s asthenosphere.

Because heat transfer is such an important concept in Earth Systems science, it was

important to Ms. Kingston that her students understand how Earth’s mantle moves in

convection currents, a concept that would later in the year be revisited during the study

of the atmosphere. Another song used for instruction, “The Lonely Fossil” (Morris,

2010) was implemented during the final weeks of the semester. Ms. Kingston also

indicated that she had used at least one other song as a review of the rock cycle.

While Ms. Kingston used several songs from Morris’s 2010 CD for teaching

during this study, including “The Lonely Fossil,” “Tectonics Rocks,” and “The Rock

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Cycle,” it was the “Conduction, Convection, Radiation” (Morris, 2010) song that made

the biggest impact on Ms. Kingston’s classroom. Within a week of our initial interview I

heard from this teacher by email, just after lunch. The message was, “We used the

heat transfer song today! Kids were dancing, making up motions. We had a ball!” Ms.

Kingston had managed to choreograph a few basic dance moves to the song to add a

kinesthetic element to her lesson and allowed her students to improvise more. She was

both pleased and surprised at how engaged her students were. Later Ms. Kingston

explained, “It just really amazed both myself and the student teacher that every student

was up. Maybe [it was] the movements and the songs, or the catchiness of that

particular song; they all seemed to enjoy it. Not one [student] did not want to do it.”

Observation Summary
It was during a review of this lesson that I observed Ms. Kingston’s class as few

weeks later. This classroom, like all others in the district, included a demonstration

table at the front of the room and standard, two-person lab tables for students. The

teacher’s desk was in the front on the right side, and the eyewash station on the left,

with built-in computer tables lining both sides of the room. As the students arrived to

class they were handed a lyric sheet for the song and joined Ms. Kingston in singing,

“Conduction, Convection, Radiation” (Morris, 2010). After the song finished students

were asked to answer a few questions related to the concepts reviewed in the song

about heat transfer. Some of the students answered Ms. Kingston’s questions using

terms from the song. After a short review Ms. Kingston asked students to move the

tables to the center of the classroom to make room for a circle. The room immediately

filled with excitement as students got up to push the desks together; they smiled and

talked while they complied with the request. They didn’t take more than a couple

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minutes to get the room ready, then quickly responded to Ms. Kingston’s announcement

that the song was about to begin by forming a circle. The song was choreographed

appropriately for the lyrics (see Appendix L), and all students sang and danced as they

followed along with the song. They seemed to know what to do and all Ms. Kingston’s

students were smiling, singing loudly and participating. During the chorus, students

reached forward to touch an imaginary object on the word “conduction,” raised their

hands to represent heat rising on the word “convection,” then stretched out their hands

and made their fingers dance outward and up when the lyrics cued, “radi-adi-ation.”

Other hand and body motions appeared to be carefully thought out to represent both the

lyrics and the science concepts they were meant to teach. Once the song finished,

students were instructed to put the room back together to be ready for the next activity

scheduled for the class period.

Overview of the Experience

Ms. Kingston admitted that she entered the study with reservations but was

pleasantly surprised at the results she saw with her students. She admitted, “I came

into it kind of halfhearted… When I approached it I was thinking to myself, you know, I

don’t know if they were going to get into this.” Ms. Kingston added, “I didn’t know how

they’re going to respond to it, and it just, it really surprised me, and I really enjoyed it.”

The students in her class reinforced their teacher’s opinion that they enjoyed learning

with songs. Being sixth graders, they were that they were going to be interviewed and

explained how much fun they thought learning with songs were. One student said it

was, “a lot more fun than just a teacher coming up to you and saying go through pages,”

while another reported, “I thought it was totally tubular because it was a lot better than

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book work.” Ms. Kingston plans to continue using science songs for teaching because

she was, “amazed at the response that [she] got out of students.”

Synopsis of Themes

Through the data analysis process, several themes emerged using a

combination of data sources related to the research questions, as summarized in Table

5. The first was that this teacher held the perception that the use of science songs

improved her students’ test scores. The second was that using songs for teaching

resulted in active learning. Students thought that the songs they were exposed to in this

study were catchy “earworms” that helped them engage with science concepts longer

and were helpful when used as a study strategy. These songs seemed to be an

instructional contagion that spread beyond the classroom and had a universal appeal

for students. Finally, this teacher believed science songs have the most potential for

instruction when used to reinforce science concepts that have already been taught.

In what ways do teachers use science-content music in the curriculum to enhance

instruction in the middle school science classroom?

Ms. Kingston’s perception was that by using songs for teaching science, her

students’ scores on unit tests and quizzes improved. When Ms. Kingston was asked

how her students responded to learning science with songs, she replied, “I’ve seen a

greater retention in the material.” She elaborated, “The funny thing is we did a pre-test

on heat transfer, and then [on] the post-test I used some of the same questions from the

pre-test, and the kids, I would say on the pre-test… the class averages were around 35

to 45 percent. At the post-test, the class averages were around 86 to 87 percent. The

song I really think was the main component of that, because this is the first test that I’ve

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TABLE 5: Kingston Analysis Summary

Research Question Themes Sources Supporting Evidence

In what ways do • Perception that test Teacher Observation notes:
teachers use scores improved interviews & • Student Behaviors
science-content • Songs involve active observations
Coding (Teacher):
music in the learning
curriculum to • Recall on Quiz
enhance instruction • Characteristics
in the middle school • Kinesthetics
science classroom? Additional support from
Coding (Student):
• Like an Experiment
• Testing
• Explained Concepts
How can the use of • Earworms help Student and Coding (Student):
science-content students engage interviews & • Earworms
music as a teaching with concepts longer observation • Catchy
strategy impact • Songs are used by • Trigger
student interest, students as a study • Study Strategy
engagement and strategy
understanding of
science content and
concepts?
What does the • Songs are an Teacher & Coding (Teacher):
experience of instructional student • Beyond Classroom
students and contagion that interviews • Parent Responses
teachers using spreads beyond the • Retention
science-content classroom • Review Tool
music suggest about • Songs are • Characteristics
its potential for appropriate for • Different Learners
teaching and reinforcing concepts
learning science? • Acceptance
• The use of songs
has a universal Coding (Students):
appeal • Fun
• Teach Others
• Remembering
• Music Appeal
• Engagement
• Learn Better

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seen that much growth on.” Ms. Kingston talked about one student in particular who

traditionally has not done well on her previous tests. “I actually had a student that is a

40-50 student and he made a 100… I said, ‘what made the difference? Did you take

home my study guide and study?’ And he said, ‘No! It was the song!’” She felt like the

increase that she observed on her summative assessment was due to her students

being, “able to pull things out of their specific examples because of the song.” When

asked to compare how this year’s students retained the material compare to prior years

Ms. Kingston responded, “absolutely different results. It would take a study guide to be

able to bring in a couple of days in advance, or a game to be able to bring that back,

and I didn’t have to bring anything back this time. They were telling me what it meant.”

Ms. Kingston believed the songs were primarily responsible for the improvement

in test scores for several reasons. She talked about the difference she saw when songs

were introduced into her curriculum, “I can ask them something about rocks, that earlier

unit where we didn’t use the songs, and I don’t see quite as much retention as with the

songs. Maybe it’s just the lyrics and the repetition. They seem to have retained the

heat transfer, because of that one particular thing.” In the case of the song about heat

transfer, she thought the information contained in the song and how it was composed

helped her students learn and understand the concepts. “I like the fact that it kept

coming back to the chorus again, and the chorus each time summarized the three

different types of heat transfer all in one.” Ms. Kingston further explained, “And I liked

how each verse focused on a different transfer, but then the chorus, again, would

summarize the three types each.” When students were tested over the materials, “they

were able to recall some of the lyrics and the different terminology with that.”

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 Ms. Kingston’s students shared her opinion that they performed better on science

assessments because of the songs she used for teaching. One student reported, “It

helped me remember things for the test because it defined the words really, really well

and it just ran over and over and over again in my head.” Another student said, “It told

me what it meant, and it gave me examples and it like, since it stuck in my head when I

was taking the test, I remembered it.” A third student commented, “I think I did better,

because the song really helped.” Each of the eight students in the first focus group

reported the same thing; the song provided examples that they could easily recall while

taking the test because they could go over the song in their heads during the test. “I

just like thought of the song lyrics and just wrote the example because there’s a bunch

of examples in the song and stuff.” Another student said, “It told me what it meant, and

it gave me examples and since it stuck in my head when I was taking the test, I

remembered it.” The students’ perceptions, like the teacher’s, were that their test

scores improved because songs were used for instruction in Ms. Kingston’s science

class.

The second theme that emerged related to this research question was that

science songs used for teaching involve active learning. It was quite evident from the

visit to Ms. Kingston’s classroom that learning with songs was an active process.

During this observation students were involved, active and moving. Every student in

Ms. Kingston’s class participated fully, with hand and body motions corresponding to the

lyrics. Students were given copies of the lyrics as they arrived, but few students

seemed to need them; most were observed participating and sung along without

referring to the handout. Ms. Kingston also discussed the active element of teaching

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with songs, “they absolutely, absolutely loved it; being able to get up and move, being

able to sing.” She talked about another day she used the heat transfer song as a

review, “Rather than a worksheet to review, I popped the song in a time or two. Just

when they think they’ve forgotten about it, they all start smiling and singing, and go,

‘Can we do the motions?’” When asked if the motions were necessary for learning with

songs, Ms. Kingston replied, “Not necessarily. I think just the song alone. You know I

did the song in advance, before we studied that concept, and then I brought the song

back again, so I think that it was the actual song itself.” She gave the example of how

students responded when she used the second song, “The Lonely Fossil” (Morris,

2010), “This time I approached it a little differently. I printed out the lyrics. We went

over it with a highlighter, and highlighted vocabulary words, and then I’ve just kind of

been playing that, like after, if they’re working on independent work, but we didn’t really

dance with it, but they still enjoyed it. They think it’s funny, especially when he talks

about the ‘fun guy’ and the different stuff in it.” Ms. Kingston later commented, “I

noticed they listened, you know, and they were still smiling and making comments on it

and they wanted to create motions to that one, too. So they enjoyed it as well.”

Ms. Kingston’s students contributed to support for this theme by talking about the

songs. One student said, “I think that the movements helped, but the song did help

too, at the same time, but I think the movements just made it even better and easier to

remember.” Another student said learning with songs is, “kind of like an experiment…

Like you get to get up, and sing, too…. It’s very much like science, if you think about it.

If you’re saying a song, or you’re singing a song and you’re dancing around, and you’re

experimenting with what you’re doing. And that’s more related to science than it is to

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anything else.” Clearly, when Ms. Kingston’s students learn with songs, learning is an

active process.

How can the use of science-content music as a teaching strategy impact student

interest, engagement and understanding of science content and concepts?

The impact of songs for teaching science in Ms. Kingston’s class was that the

lessons held their interest and engaged students in learning longer. One student

reported, “Sometimes it is a really good song and it’s just fun to sing and stuff.” In this

case the songs became powerful “earworms” that helped students understand and

remember science concepts; one of the themes that emerged related to the impact of

science songs on student interest, engagement and understanding of science. One

student said, “It just kind of got stuck in my head and I just kind of remember the parts

that went with it.” Another commented, “it really did get stuck in my head, because I sat

there and sang it throughout lunch.” One sixth grader said, “I was singing it for days

and my mom was just like, ‘I think we should probably take her to a hospital!’” One of

the students summarized, “after a while it could get annoying, but you still have it in your

brain.” When these science songs become earworms, students engaged with the

content longer. For example, one student reported, “The first time I learned this song it

was stuck in my head all day, and my friends were singing it, too.” Another sixth grader

explained, “If you have memorized the song, you think about it.” In discussing this

further one student said, “you think about it and sing in your head and you’re like, oh, I

knew that.” The tendency for these songs to become earworms wasn’t seen as an

annoyance (although their parents might not agree), but is one way in which science

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songs engaged students and kept them thinking about the science concepts they were

learning about in class long after they left Ms. Kingston’s room.

Another theme that emerged related to this research question was that students

found that science songs could be used as a study strategy. Students in this case were

clear that beyond being fun, science songs “help you study, too.” When asked why, one

of Ms. Kingston’s students responded, “It’s like a different way of studying, because

nobody really wants to just like sit there and read out of the book. They usually would

just rather just sing a song or something to help them rather than reading out of a book.”

Probing further, students talked about how that worked. One student said, “It’s like it

triggers the song back into your mind and stuff,” while another reported, “it triggers kind

of more about how you’ve learned about stuff.” When used for studying, the songs

helped students remember not only the words in the song, but the ideas they were

designed to help teach. According to another student, “If you’ve forgot something, you

can always go back to the song that it triggers.” These students stated that the songs

would help them understand and recall information that was embedded in the lyrics, “I

just thought of the song lyrics and just wrote the example because there’s a bunch of

examples in the song and stuff.” One student reported a specific example of how the

songs were used for studying while discussing the “Conduction, Convection, Radiation”

(Morris, 2010) song, “It helped me remember what conduction and convection and

radiation was and how it worked.” The students in Ms. Kingston’s class found these

songs to be helpful for learning when used as a study tool.

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What does the experience of students and teachers using science-content music

suggest about its potential for teaching and learning science?

One theme that emerged from the data relevant to this research question is that

in this case, the use of songs for teaching science became an instructional contagion

that spread beyond the classroom. When the “Conduction, Convection, Radiation”

(Morris, 2010) song was first introduced, Ms. Kingston reported that one of her

colleagues came to her room to find out what was happening, “She came to me and

said, ‘What’s going on? What are they doing and singing and they’re all standing up?’ I

said, you’ve got to use this. They’re going to love it. And even she was amazed.” She

further explained, “It spread… because kids were talking about it and singing it at lunch,

and showing what they had learned. And then my class actually took a day where we

went to another room and taught all of her classes that day, and to be able to teach

something, to me, shows mastery. Not only did they know it, but they could actually

teach it, and they were even explaining to each other the reason we do this motion is

because conduction is like when heat moves through a spoon.” Apparently Ms.

Kingston’s students’ enthusiasm for the songs spread not only beyond the classroom

but also into the community, “I’ve had parents e-mails about it, [students] doing this on

the soccer field.” The school principal, whose daughter is in this class told Ms. Kingston

that, “one of her daughters had tried for cheerleading, and was up at a restaurant doing

the cheer dance, and then her younger daughter that’s in my class, said, ‘Well, let me

show what we learned.’ And she did the song and the dance.” Apparently this student

had been singing the song enough that, “the principal actually knew the words to the

song herself!” Because Ms. Kingston’s students responded so positively about learning

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science with science-content music, other teachers showed an interest in teaching with

songs. One parent contacted Ms. Kingston because he “is an earth science teacher in

[another] county, and he actually was telling me that he wanted to learn the song and

start using more music with his classes in a different county.” She further reported that,

“Even our math teacher started using a Pi song right after that because the kids

responded to [songs] so well.”

The students in Ms. Kingston’s room and their parents reported the same thing.

One student shared, “This morning my Mom, I had to show her the song and stuff… I

had to show her the whole thing, and she’s like, ‘Okay.’ She wanted me to teach her.”

Another student commented about sharing the song with one of her friends, “And my

other friends are in different science classes, they always go, ‘What are you singing?’

And we always say, ‘you should be in Ms. Kingston’s class. It’s a lot of fun, and that’s

where the song came from!’” It was obvious from parent emails and comments that the

songs had spread to students’ home and beyond. Ms. Kingston reported, “I had three

[emails] in a day that came in, and I probably still have those, if you’d like… and [the

parents] just said this, specifically, this song, this dance that they’re doing, on the soccer

field, you know, they really enjoy learning, and you’ve made it fun. And thank you for

using this.” These songs seemed to be a learning contagion that spread well beyond

Ms. Kingston’s classroom.

A second theme that emerged related to the potential that songs have for

teaching and learning is that Ms. Kingston believes that songs are most appropriate for

reinforcing science concepts she has already taught. At the time of the final interview

she was planning “to do the Rock Cycle song to review with them.” Ms. Kingston

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explains, “It’s just kind of reinforcing what they have learned.” In this case, the teacher

feels that, “if they maybe didn’t get it when I was up presenting it, or if they’re having

trouble with the worksheet, they may hear something.” She added, “it’s been a great

review tool, and a great way to just design some different types of things into my

lesson.” The students supported this idea by stating, “It was really fun to sing and the

lyrics helped you because it would give you a definition, but in kid version.” Other

support for this theme is found in the frequent statements in which Ms. Kingston

describes using science songs for reinforcing concepts due to her perception that the

use of songs helped improve test scores. However, to be a useful tool in reinforcing

science concepts she feels that, “I would definitely say that the lyrics would have to be

on target with our concepts and our content.”

Finally, the last theme related to the potential of using science songs for teaching

and learning is that they have a universal appeal. Ms. Kingston stated, “I think different

kids have different interests and some may like the computers, and some may like

doing the hands on activities. But it just really amazed both myself and the student

teacher, that every student was up and… they all seemed to enjoy it.” She further

stated, “It’s ones that I can’t get into anything, it’s like I looked around and they were

watching and once everyone started doing it, and they thought, ‘hey, I’ll be a part of this

too.’ So it was really, really great.” Ms. Kingston thought that the use of science songs

has the potential to reach “students that I have not been able to reach through other

methods.” Every student interviewed from Ms. Kingston’s sixth grade science class

reported the same thing, “It was fun!” Some said, “It’s funner than just reading out of a

book,” and others reported it was, “a lot more fun than just a teacher coming up to you

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and saying go through pages.” And because it was more fun they said, “you remember

more by doing something that’s fun.” These students recommended that other teachers

should use songs for teaching science because, “I think maybe [students] would pay

more attention.” When Ms. Kingston was asked about why she thought the songs were

engaging for all of her students she responded, “I’ve tried different things like computer

games, group based activities, and a lot of things [like] that. I think that so many people

are doing things with our technology-based world that we live in. And I think that

sometimes the kids are actually burned out on that. This was just an old… kind of an

old school way to bring music into it.” Ms. Kingston summarizes by saying, “There was

not, I mean out of all the students, there wasn’t one student that did not want to do this.

Not one. And that’s what… I kept waiting for every period. There’s going to be

somebody that’s going say, ‘I don’t want to do this!’ or, ‘This is stupid.’ And it never

happened. They were all like, ‘Wow!’ They had a great time.” She believes, because of

her experience, that the use of songs for learning science has universal appeal for all

her students.

Summary

In this case, it was the teacher’s perception that the use of science songs for

teaching and learning science improved students test scores. While no hard data was

collected, Ms. Kingston cited examples of students who did better than on prior

assessments and believed the difference is due to the use of science-content music. It

was her opinion that overall test scores showed greater gains than prior years’ classes

and contributes the difference to the songs she used for teaching. The use of science

songs, she indicated, involved her students in active learning. Student interest,

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engagement and understanding of science concepts were influenced by the tendency of

these songs to become earworms and were used by students as a study strategy. In

terms of identifying their potential for teaching and learning science, Ms. Kingston and

her students described how these science songs became an instructional contagion that

spread to the students’ homes, other classrooms and the community. After using

several science songs for teaching, Ms. Kingston believes that they are most

appropriately implemented in reinforcing concepts she has already taught. She said

that, “it’s been a great review tool,” and that the use of songs for teaching, “didn’t

require a lot of resources.” Finally, in this case, the teacher believed the use of science

songs as a teaching strategy had universal appeal for her students. Ms. Kingston

summarized, “I try to engage them, in a lot of different ways… I try to do something

different every day, but this was the one thing that I feel like that I’ve done that they

were all into.”

Case 3: Martha Russell’s Classroom

Background
Mrs. Russell started teaching in New Jersey in the 1970’s after earning a degree

in science education with a concentration in chemistry. She accepted her first teaching

position at a Junior High school in New Jersey teaching seventh grade earth science

and discovered that she really enjoyed the content. When she returned to school to

earn a master’s degree, she specialized in earth science. A few years later Mrs.

Russell was given the opportunity to move to chemistry, her first love, but decided she

enjoyed the earth science too much, and stayed where she was. She taught eight

years in New Jersey, before leaving education to raise a family. Mrs. Russell returned

to the classroom six years ago, teaching sixth grade earth science at School A. The

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students at this site are the least diverse and have the lowest percentage qualifying for

free and reduced lunch. They are also the most rural of the three populations. Working

in the same school as the researcher, Mrs. Russell had expressed an interest to

participate in the study long before it was formalized. When Morris was composing the

songs for “Round the World With Science” (2010), one of the CDs provided to all the

participants in the study, she provided input on concepts that should be included in one

of the songs that she later used as part of the study. Having taught in the same school

with the researcher for the past five years, Mrs. Russell was familiar with the use of

science songs for teaching, but had not used them in her own classroom. The one

exception was the use of the song, “The Age of Aquarius” for teaching astronomy in her

first years in the classroom. She did, however, use various forms of mnemonics to help

students remember science terms and key ideas as a regular teaching strategy and saw

the use of science songs having similar potential as an instructional tool.

When discussing her interest in the study Mrs. Russell said, “I use mnemonics. I

use any kind of catchy phrase I can. I think the next logical step… is if the music is in

there, I think that will help them to remember even better. And that’s what I’m interested

in, especially with my lower learners, where it’s so difficult.” She shared specific

concerns about her struggling students, “ I have a lot of students that find science

difficult. Sixth graders don’t have experience with a lot of science in elementary school.

They don’t know how to handle the vocabulary heavy subject that we have.” Martha

hoped that by introducing songs for teaching, their potential would go beyond

vocabulary development and help them understand science concepts and processes.

She stated, “If they’re sitting there trying to figure out how to illustrate the process, they

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might be able to use the music to help do that.” Her goal was to provide students with

“any tool they possibly could use to help them learn better.”

Implementation
During this study Mrs. Russell used both “Rock Cycle” and “Tectonics Rocks”

(Morris, 2010) with her students during their study of Earth’s lithosphere. She

mentioned introducing “Conduction, Convection, Radiation” (Morris, 2010), although did

not indicate to what extent this song was used for instruction. Both the rock cycle and

plate tectonics songs were used to both introduce and review concepts in Mrs. Russell’s

class. She developed Power Point presentations that cued the lyrics and included

images and graphics that illustrated each verse and chorus of these. These

presentations were between ten and fifteen slides each, and helped students follow

along with the songs. A sample is provided in Appendix M. Initial lessons were

conducted in which students analyzed and discussed the lyrics. The slideshows and

songs were regularly revisited during the unit for review of the concepts they included.

Within a few weeks of starting the study Mrs. Russell presented her initial lesson

using science songs with “Rock Cycle” (Morris, 2010) (Appendix N). A few days after

introducing the first sing she came to me in the lunchroom and indicated that her

students were thoroughly enjoying the experience. She invited me to come down and

see her students’ response. Later that day, during my planning period, I walked into her

room and found her students engaged in an activity reviewing the lyrics and singing

along with the song. Every student seemed to be engaged and participating. The

volume at which they were singing easily overshadowed the recording that played

through the classroom’s sound system. I stayed long enough to see Mrs. Russell

review the lyrics and discuss what they meant with her students. Although this was not

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the formal observation set up for the study, it did demonstrate the success this teacher

was experiencing using songs for teaching early in the study.

Observation Summary
The formal observation occurred with this same class while using the second

song, “Tectonics Rocks” by Morris (2010) about six weeks later. Mrs. Russell’s

classroom was constructed like all the other science classrooms in the district, with the

only variance being that her desk was positioned at the back of the room, rather than

the front. Student lab tables were arranged facing the front, and a single window was

located behind Mrs. Russell’s desk. Due to fire code regulations only a minimal number

of posters can be displayed on classroom walls in the district, and Mrs. Russell had a

couple of geology posters included on hers. I arrived about 10 minutes after class

began while Mrs. Russell was reviewing plate tectonics concepts on her white board.

She was leading a class discussion of key ideas related to plate tectonics that included

content about subduction zones and plate boundaries where earthquakes and

volcanoes are located. While the teacher had already introduced this song earlier in the

unit, this lesson was an in depth analysis of the song lyrics (Appendix O). When Mrs.

Russell announced for the day’s lesson they would revisit the song, “Tectonics Rocks”

(Morris 2010), several students responded in unison with a loud, “Yeah!” She passed

out the lyrics then started the slide show presentation that was prepared for the lesson.

When the song began several students asked if they could sing along and Mrs. Russell

responded, “Okay, but not too loud.” In this class of twenty-two students, about six

started singing right away, and a dozen or more joined in on the chorus. All the other

students, except one, followed along with the lyrics as the song played. That single

student, a girl sitting halfway back on the right side of the room, seemed disinterested;

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she did not sing along or follow along with the song. When the music ended one boy in

the front called out, “Let’s sing it again.” Another boy in the back echoed the comment.

The boy in the front would later be referred to by his peers in the interview as normally

being a behavior problem in the class who always focused and enthusiastically

participated in lessons that included science songs. Mrs. Russell told her students they

would sing the song again after the activity.

For the activity Mrs. Russell divided the students into teams and assigned each

group a different stanza of the lyrics to analyze. She instructed them to talk to each

other and decide what the words meant, then write their interpretation in the box beside

each verse on the handout. After a few minutes Mrs. Russell began calling on each

group to share what they talked about in their groups as part of a class discussion. She

asked questions about specific terms used in each verse of the song. Some groups

gave a verbal interpretation of the lyrics while others went to the board and drew a

picture related to the concept and explained it. For example, on the verse related to

divergent plate boundaries the boys leading the discussion drew a rough map of Africa

and South American that showed the approximate location of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

and arrows that indicated sea-floor spreading. As the activity progressed approximately

half of the students filled in their handouts based on what all the groups shared, while

others only completed their assigned section. A few students were off-task and

inattentive during the discussion. Two boys in the back of the classroom were wrestling

during the discussion. After the lyric review was over Mrs. Russell asked the students if

they want to sing the song again. Several students respond with “yes, yes, yes,” and

most of the class joined in singing along with the slideshow. During the chorus the

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students who sang the loudest were the two boys in the back of the room had been

wrestling a few minutes earlier during the class discussion.

Overview of the Experience

Mrs. Russell had hoped that by participating in this study she would give her

students a new tool to help them learn the science content and concepts she teaches.

When asked if the use of science songs for teaching worked she responded, “It

exceeded what I expected.” She said her students really enjoyed learning with songs.

The comments Mrs. Russell made included, “They really got into the songs,” “They

loved the beat,” and “My students asked to have the songs… they kept asking me for

one thing, when are we going to do another song? Can we hear it again?” She added,

“I think it helped them learn… much better.” Mrs. Russell’s students also expressed the

same sentiments, “You’re having fun and listening to it.” One student commented, “I

didn’t think they would be as cool as they are.” They also felt that the songs helped

them learn the concepts Mrs. Russell was teaching. One student reported, “I think it

helps understand the ideas,” and another said, “It helps you understand a little better.”

They felt that the song, “explains, and then you can remember.” Mrs. Russell plans to

find new songs and continue using science-content music throughout the school year.

The songs already introduced will be used to review, “I intend to use the songs as a

jumping board for our Friday Flashbacks to try to keep them on track.” Her students

have asked about other songs she plans to bring into her lessons for other concepts

during the course of the school year. She said they asked her, “’Mrs. Russell, how

many songs do you have for the spring?’ And I’m sitting there going, I have to think

about that and see what we’ve got.”

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Synopsis of Themes
During this case analysis, different sources of data were used to identify several

themes related to each of the research questions, which are summarized in Table 6.

They included this teacher’s use of science songs to help students visualize concepts

and enhance development of scientific vocabulary. Active participation and use of

songs as a mnemonic device for helping students to remember key ideas were two

ways in which they enhanced student engagement and understanding of science

concepts. The potential for songs to enhance teaching and learning science included

using repetition to build ownership of concepts for some learners and presenting

scientific content to students in a way that they care about.

In what ways do teachers use science-content music in the curriculum to enhance

instruction in the middle school science classroom?

For Mrs. Russell, the use of content rich songs helped her students with

visualization of science concepts. The slideshows she prepared and used with both

songs provided her students with a visual aid that corresponded with the lyrics and

helped illustrate concepts. The pictures came from online resources and included

graphics that illustrated different geologic processes that form different types of rock,

pictures that correspond to each rock type, and diagrams that emphasize different

stages in the rock cycle. Mrs. Russell explained, “When we went through the lyrics, we

talked about it [and] we looked at pictures on the white board.” Students also created

their own illustrations that matched the lyrics,” so that they could take what the words

were and visualize it and then try to put it all together.” The slideshows and student

drawings helped provide students with mental images related to the content. But in this

case, the use of the songs goes further in helping students visualize the concepts.

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TABLE 6: Russell Analysis Summary

Research Question Themes Sources Supporting Evidence

In what ways do • Visualization of Teacher Observation notes:
teachers use concepts interviews & • Activity notes
science-content • Enhances observations
Coding (Teacher):
music in the development of
curriculum to scientific vocabulary • Visualization
enhance instruction • Big Picture
in the middle school • Construct Meaning
science classroom? • Key Concepts &
Phrases
How can the use of • Active participation Student and Observation:
science-content in learning interviews & • Student behaviors
music as a teaching • Mnemonic device observation
Coding (Student):
strategy impact for helping students
student interest, remember concepts • Participation
engagement and • Movement
understanding of • Catchy
science content and • Earworms
concepts? • Remembering
What does the • Repetition builds Teacher & Coding (Teacher):
experience of ownership of student • Repetition
students and content for some interviews • Recall
teachers using learners • Learning
science-content • Presents scientific Differences
music suggest about content to students • Reference Song
its potential for in a way that they • Student Responses
teaching and care about
learning science? • Engagement
Coding (Students):
• Repetition
• Learning Styles
• Alternative
Resource
• Understanding

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Mrs. Russell explains, “I think they were able to visualize in their brains what was going

on a little bit better.” Once they learned the song, “they were able to take that and when

they heard the phrases they were able to visualize, think about what happened a little

bit better.” She provided an example of how students would visualize the content in the

song, “The one that kept popping back up was we were talking about high up, low to

high to low. Changes in tectonics, changes in mountain formations, changes in what

used to be the ocean and then became the mountain. It was ocean, now it’s mountain.

Oh! The forces caused there to be a change!” It was the combination of the lyrics with

the images students created that Mrs. Russell believed would help students better

understand concepts, “It was kind of like taking the songs, taking those pieces and

trying to put it into a puzzle to make a whole idea.” She added, “That’s how they can

piece it together and get the whole conceptual idea together.” Mrs. Russell believes

that the use of songs for instruction “helped them to visualize” the concepts she was

trying to teach.

Another theme that emerged in this case was that the use of science-content

music enhanced development of scientific vocabulary. Mrs. Russell felt that for sixth

graders one of the greatest challenges in learning is understanding the language of

science and said, “with all of the vocabulary, [it’s] very hard.” In her class the songs

were used in lessons to help students develop an understanding of key terms. During

the activity observed for this study Mrs. Russell pulled out important terms and key

ideas from the lyrics and asked her students to elaborate on them. For example, when

students presented the third verse of “Tectonics Rocks” (Morris, 2010) during the

analysis activity, the teacher asked her students what kind of mountains form when

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magma rises through the surface. A couple students responded before one correctly

replied, “volcanoes.” Another example comes from the third verse of the lyrics which

stated, “Subduction is when one plate goes below, and melts into the flow, The denser

plate goes low while the light one rises high, And on the continents new mountains

reach up to the sky” (Morris, 2010). Mrs. Russell discussed what the term “subduction”

meant in the lyrics and how it was used with her students. She explained to them it

referred to how, “the light plates rise when two continental plates converge to ‘crinkle’

and form folded mountains.” This example was designed to help them better

comprehend the term, which is necessary to understanding the processes that change

Earth’s surface. She explained that, “by choosing those key words, I was able to point

things out.”

Learning the language of science is one of the most difficult challenges Mrs.

Russell faces when teaching concepts to her students. She reports, “With all of the

vocabulary, that’s very hard… especially for some of the lower learners to be able to

take that information and apply it.” For Martha, the songs helped her students develop

their comprehension of the scientific vocabulary needed to understand the concepts.

“The lyrics from the song, they were able to take that and use that to help them,” Mrs.

Russell explained. She added, “By using the key phrases from the songs, they were

able to take that information, actually apply it a little bit better than they would have

when it was just reading from a book or whatever.” The fact that the song repeated key

ideas in the chorus and was played multiple times also helped students integrate key

terms into their own vocabulary, “the vocabulary… the more they hear it, the better they

do with it.” When she delivered subsequent lessons Mrs. Russell would often refer back

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to the songs she had introduced to remind her students what terms meant, “when there

was a question that came up that we needed to think back… I’d say what about that

third verse of the song?” She said that, “All I would have to do is say the key words,

and [they’d] say, ‘Oh yeah! I get it now!’”

Mrs. Russell’s students provided additional support for this theme. When asked,

“How does the song help you understand it?” One student responded, “It has like a

bunch of key words.” When asked how the song helped them understand science

concepts another student said, “There are big words in there that means so many things

about tectonic plates.” Another student said, “It tells what all of them mean,” and

another added, “and it doesn’t use all those big words like the book does.” I asked

these students how the songs helped them understand the vocabulary and one student

explained, “Well, sometimes it just kind of confuses me if I can’t remember a lot of

things. Like, if it’s just words, then I get them all jumbled in my head, because there are

a lot of words every single day. [Sigh] So, I guess it’s just better to hear it in a song

because I like music.” Another student responded, “I just take the other words off, and

remember the main word, and then I know.” Mrs. Russell summarized how songs

helped enhance her students’ development of scientific terms, “They took the

vocabulary. I think that was a big factor right there.”

How can the use of science-content music as a teaching strategy impact student

interest, engagement and understanding of science content and concepts?

Student interest and engagement are impacted by the use of science songs in

the curriculum by providing an opportunity for active participation in learning. While

observing Mrs. Russell’s classroom, it was easy to identify different levels of student

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engagement during the lesson. Some students followed the slideshow silently; some

sang along for the entire song and one girl was observed making hand motions to go

with the lyrics. More than half of the students in Mrs. Russell’s class sang along during

the chorus and several students were moving their bodies to the beat. Only one student

seemed disinterested and chose not to participate. The boys in the back who were

wrestling during the discussion part of the lesson stopped when Mrs. Russell started the

song and joined in singing, quite loudly. The students in this case were active, not

passive learners, during the use of science songs for learning. The students explained,

“You get to participate more than reading the book,” and “If it’s a song that can go to a

tune, you can move, then you [are] more likely to know it.” Mrs. Russell gave the

students some gestures to go along with the lyrics to “Tectonics Rocks” (Morris, 2010),

which can be found in Appendix O. The students thought that helped. One student

discussed how the song and motions helped her remember the answer to a question on

an assignment, “I can’t remember what one of my questions was, I was thinking of

subduction, I was moving my hands and going, okay this one goes under.” The children

in the focus group discussed the boy who sat in the front of the class and called out,

“Let’s sing it again” during the observation. They indicated he is often in trouble in

class, and “he doesn’t like reading in books.” But when the songs are used in class,

“he’s always singing because he likes participating more.” All the students in the focus

group agreed that learning science with songs is, “kind of fun, because you can just sing

along, and you get to learn more things.” They said that they “like singing and they’re

always moving and grooving.” These children see the use of songs as an opportunity to

become active participants in learning.

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 The second theme that emerged from the data in this case related to student

engagement and learning is that these students thought that the songs were useful

mnemonic devices for helping them remember science concepts. These students felt

that “with the song you can kind of remember the words, since it’s so catchy.” They

talked a lot about the songs being ‘catchy,’ and described it as, “the tune of it” and, “it all

rhymes.” The tune was important for some students, “it helps me because the songs

have a catchy tune.” For others, the rhymes in the lyrics seem to be more helpful, “If

you like remember one line, then you can remember the next and the next.” Whether

it’s the tune or the rhythm, these songs are earworms that serve as mnemonic devices.

One student said that when songs are ‘catchy,’ “they get stuck in my head for a really

long time.” The students in Mrs. Russell’s class said that, "when songs get stuck in your

head, it’s easy to remember the stuff.” Another reported when a “song gets stuck in

your head, then you know the definition and then you’re able to do well on your test.”

For these students, these songs were compelling. According to one student, “even if

you tried to ignore it, you can’t.” Another added, “and people in the hallways are always

singing it.”

Remembering key terms and ideas for some concepts can be challenging for a

sixth grader, and science songs seemed to help students in this case. One sixth-grader

reported, “I really, really could not remember anything, and then, when we learned that

song, that was like, I’ve got all of it!” Mrs. Russell’s students gave several examples of

how these songs helped them understand and remember concepts. “Like for example,

the rock song, I couldn’t remember the different kinds, then like after I listened to that

song, I know all them, like, really good,” one student explained. Another told me, “I

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learned about subduction, and I didn’t really remember it when I first heard it, and now,

since I’ve started hearing the song, I remember.” These students used the mnemonic

power of songs to help them recall information for different reasons. They talked about

using songs to help them on their homework, “They can help, like, on homework

sometimes. I get stuck on some questions, and I think about the songs, and it helped

me do my homework a lot.” Sometimes they used the songs to help them with

important assessments. A number of the students in Mrs. Russell’s class said how the

songs helped them on their tests. One student said, “I remember I was taking my last

test, and I couldn’t remember, and then my song came up in my head and I’m, like, oh,

okay!” Another told me, “I was just doing every answer because we learned the song.”

A different student said, “Because then, if you sing it a lot… you can remember it. And

then, like when you’re taking tests, you just like sing it.” Yet another reported, “I can

actually think of the song in my head and I can get the answer right.” According to the

experience of these students, science songs are a powerful mnemonic device that,

“helps you remember whatever you’re trying to remember.”

What does the experience of students and teachers using science-content music

suggest about its potential for teaching and learning science?

Hearing science songs over and over again became a regular occurrence in this

classroom during the course of the unit. Mrs. Russell found that this repetition built

ownership of content for some learners. She reported, “I think the repetition really

helped. And they enjoyed the repetition.” The songs were played almost daily in her

room, partly by design but also because her students wanted to have the songs

repeated. Mrs. Russell reported, “My students asked to have the songs… They asked

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me constantly, ‘Can we hear it? Can we hear it?’” As a planned strategy, repetition was

intended to help her students learn and retain science content. The songs were

introduced early in the unit then referred back to as concepts were explored, “We used

it to learn what the song was about and then we kept tying back to it. So it wasn’t like

we were just doing the same old thing over and over again.” She talked a lot about the

positive learning outcomes exhibited by her lowest students, “A lot of the lower learners

got very excited with the songs.” Mrs. Russell elaborated, “I think the low learners

began to feel a sense of true accomplishment when they were able to take those

phrases, or remember what the song said and actually applied [it] to what we were

doing.” She compared her experience this year using songs for teaching to prior years,

“There were some lower students, and they were actually getting things, that students I

did not see getting last year.” When asked how effective she thought the songs were

for learners who were not as low Mrs. Russell responded, “I think it was probably

effective in a different way.” She explained, “I think probably the higher-level students

saw the value in it, but I didn’t see them wanting to have the repetition; whereas the

lower level students were eager for that repetition because it seemed to help them.”

Later she added, “I actually had some of my higher students, are, like, ‘Again?’ But they

kind of got it, maybe, faster, and didn’t feel the need for it.”

Mrs. Russell’s students didn’t mind the repetition at all. When the students in the

focus group were asked, “Do you get tired of listening to it?” there was a collective and

definitive group response, “No!” When asked why one student responded, “Because it’s

entertaining.” These students seemed to understand the purpose of repetition; “If you

just go over it once and then not go over it multiple times then you really don’t

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understand what they’re saying.” Another student commented how repetition was

important for developing her understanding of the concepts, “the first time you hear it

you don’t really understand it. But she lets us hear it like multiple times and then you’re

like, oh! And then she explains it, and then you’re like, Oh yeah, okay. Now I

understand!” All of Mrs. Russell’s students seemed to enjoy the repetition, and for

some students, repetition helped them understand and remember the concepts they

were trying to learn.

Another theme that emerged in this case was that when songs are used in

instruction, scientific content is presented to students in a way that they care about.

Students in Mrs. Russell’s class like songs. One sixth-grader reported, “I’ve liked music

since I was little.” These students reported they are more likely to pay attention in class

and to remember what they learn from songs. They agreed that, “When the teacher just

talks it really doesn’t stick to your head, you just get tired,” and “It’s not like reading a

book, because if you read a book you just forget everything.” But when songs were

used to present science content, “There are a lot of good things about it… it’s like you

can learn from it, because it’s more better than a book, a teacher and study guides and

all that.” They said that, “it was more fun,” and “we always go with the fun one, and that

always works. We learn more stuff from that.”

Mrs. Russell agreed, “First of all, I think the engagement makes all the

difference.” Because they were more interested she thought it helped them learn, “not

only [with] memory and recall, I think they got so excited about it. That this helped them

to get into it.” Mrs. Russell found that music speaks to her students in a way that they

care about, “Kids love music. And it’s like the ideas are there, but with the rhyming of

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the lyrics, and just the catchy phrases, they liked it.” She added, “It was something to

look forward to; it was something they could relate to, because of the music. It is cool. It

was cool to them, and therefore it’s cool to me, because we’re getting the ideas across.”

When content was presented in a way students care about, “they remembered it. I had

students I could point to them. I could say words, and they could fill me in. I could start

the phrase and they could finish it; and if they could do that, that’s remembering. That’s

pulling it out of their brain, whereas otherwise they weren’t interested remembering it.”

For Mrs. Russell, student engagement “makes a difference in their learning. It helps, I

think. It meets some of their learning styles. It’s something they enjoy doing, and

anything that can help them along that’s fun,” has the potential to improve student

learning. The students in Mrs. Russell’s class enjoyed learning with songs so much that

she said, “I kind of used it as a motivational tool. They would say, okay can we sing this

song again? We’d done it the day before, I’d say, okay, we’ll go back and do that at the

end of class.” Mrs. Russell believes that because the use of songs for learning presents

science content to students in a way they care about, “they’re learning it without it being

such a task.”

Summary

In this case the use of science-content music helped students in Mrs. Russell’s

class visualize the concepts she was teaching and enhanced the development of the

scientific vocabulary they needed to understand those concepts. In order for students

to grasp scientific concepts they need to know Martha said songs helped by stressing,

“key ideas, towards key concepts, the vocabulary. Those are big things that I think

would help with what we have to teach with concepts.” The use of songs also engaged

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Mrs. Russell’s students, as active participants in learning while they sang and moved

along with the songs; something that was observed in her classroom and emphasized

by her students. These students indicated that the songs were helpful mnemonic

devices and that the “songs helped [them] remember” key terms and concepts in

science. Finally, the data analysis for this case revealed two important ways in which

content rich songs can potentially impact science teaching and learning. First, for some

students repetition builds ownership of science content. Mrs. Russell thought her

lowest students gained the most from repetition, “A lot of the lower learners got very

excited with the songs.” For these students, “more repetition makes the vocabulary

easier for them.” While she thought that repetition was more beneficial to one type of

learner, she saw most of her students enjoying the experience, “From what I could tell,

the majority of them really enjoyed it. But some of them were just a lot more reserved

about it than others.” Second, the use of songs for teaching and learning presents

scientific content in a way that most students care about. Mrs. Russell’s students

enjoyed the experience so much she is now challenged with finding more songs for

teaching concepts she will present the second semester. She said, “they kept asking

me for one thing, when are we going to do another song?” Her final comment in the last

interview summed up the experience, “keep the songs coming, we love them!”

Case 4: Betty Taylor’s Classroom

Background
Betty Taylor is a veteran teacher with nearly thirty years in the classroom. Her

background includes a variety of teaching experiences, encompassing middle and high

school science, social studies, math and science, in eight or nine different public and

private schools. She has a master’s degree in middle grades education and is certified

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in math, science and social studies for middle school. This is Mrs. Taylor’s first year at

School B, which is the most diverse of the three schools participating in this study. The

student population at this site is 67% Caucasian and 33% Hispanic with 44% identified

as disadvantaged. Her students, however, are primarily gifted and talented as she

teaches advanced science and math courses at this school. While most of her

experience has been in eighth grade, Mrs. Taylor enjoys teaching sixth-grade the most

because, “They’re still eager to learn; they really enjoy school; they’re easier to

manage.” She admitted that her current eighth grade students are special, “I have

eighth graders walking in the class going, ‘Oh this is so cool, I love this class,’ and they

do. So, that means something to me, because I’ve rarely heard that from eighth

graders.” Mrs. Taylor is not only experienced, but has been recognized as an

exceptional teacher. In 2005 she was a state finalist for the Presidential Award for

Excellence in Science Education. When notified that she was a finalist for this award

she described herself as, “"a real hands-on teacher. I think I am a very traditional

teacher because I want the children to understand the world and think of solutions to

problems." She added, "Some of my assignments are very routine strategies to build a

knowledge base. Other activities are more engaging because students have to use that

information to play a game or activity" (HometownGwinnett.com, 2006). In the past Mrs.

Taylor has used some music in her teaching. Years ago she included Gustov’s

symphony, “The Planets” as part of her astronomy curriculum, which focused in on how

the tempo and instrumentation of each movement represented what was known about

those worlds at the time the music was composed. She has used some “Schoolhouse

Rock” songs with students but few lessons utilizing content-rich songs.

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 When Mrs. Taylor was first interviewed, she said she was interested in

participating in this study because she wanted to find “something more creative for the

right-brain” student. She discussed her students in terms of left and right-brain learners,

“Knowing what I know about right-brain, left-brain, the creative side and the linear side, I

know that science just really doesn’t grab those kids, and I was hoping that something

like this would do that.” Mrs. Taylor also expected that using songs for teaching science

would reach some of her more active learners; “Some of them are going to be moving

around with it. Some of them are going to be singing the song while they’re trying to

take the test, or they’re thinking about the song while they’re trying to take the test. So I

think it kind of helps those kids that you miss.” Another important outcome for

participation in this study was that Mrs. Taylor hoped that “some of the words that they

learn in science, they’ll have to know in the songs [to] kind of help connect a little of the

vocabulary.” She stressed the importance of students being able to participate in the

discourse of science, “I always talk about, ‘do you speak science?’” For students to

participate in science, it is important they understand the language.

Another reason Betty Taylor volunteered to participate in the study was that she

values research. She stated that by participating in the study, “I can be contributing to

the professional learning that goes on.” She emphasized this commitment to her

students when she explained to them the reason for my observation and interviews, “I

think children should participate in the research and recognize that what we do with

them… it’s not off the cuff, it’s not off the top of our head or, it’s not, let’s see if this

happens. I think they need to understand that most of what they do has background

stuff going with it.”

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Implementation
The songs Mrs. Taylor used during this study included, “Conduction, Convection,

Radiation,” about heat transfer, and “Some Kind of Energy,” about types of energy, both

by Larry Morris (2010). These same songs were used by other eighth grade teachers in

the study due to a common curriculum map guiding instruction in the district. Her plan

was to introduce the songs, “after I’ve done the teaching. I found that the children

understand it better as reinforcement.” She actually used the heat transfer song at the

beginning of the unit and the energy song at the end. When introducing the

“Conduction, Convection, Radiation” song (Morris, 2010) Mrs. Taylor had her students,

“talk to me about some of the different words that we were using and what other science

words could be used for some of the words in the lyrics.” When she introduced “Some

Kind of Energy” (Morris, 2010) students, “had to tell me how the lyrics reflected the

ideas of the science.” In implementation of these lessons Mrs. Taylor said, “my only

challenge was just finding time” to fit them into her curriculum.”

Observation Summary
Betty Taylor’s classroom was the last one that was visited for the observation

during the data collection phase of the study. She apologized, “I wasn’t as prepared as

I would have liked to have been.” Her classroom looked nearly identical to all the other

science rooms in the district, right down to the placement and location of the

demonstration table, eyewash station and window. The only variance was the location

of the teacher’s desk, and Mrs. Taylor’s is in the front on the left. The single window

was in the back, on the right. A similar number of two-person lab tables faced the front,

and when her students walk into the room Mrs. Taylor had instructions written on the

whiteboard, “Jumpstart: Listen to the song. Write down the action words you hear in

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the song.” The students began to take their seats while Mrs. Taylor started the song,

“Conduction, Convection, Radiation” (Morris, 2010) through the classroom’s sound

system. They talked quietly to each other for a few minutes then started writing in their

journals. When the song ended someone asked, “Will you restart it again?” She

instructed them to listen again and to write ten action words from the song in their

science journal. During the second time the song was played Mrs. Taylor circulated

through the classroom and asked her students to share their action words. The

students shared the words they had written while Mrs. Taylor probed for deeper

meaning and led a discussion about the song. All the students were on task and

participated in the activity. After the song played the second time Mrs. Taylor gave

students a handout with the lyrics to the song (Appendix L). She told her students their

instructions were to write notes on the left side margin about the meaning of the song

lyrics while they listened to it a third time. At the end of the each verse Mrs. Taylor

stopped the song and led a class discussion about the lyrics and what they meant.

Every student participated fully in the activity and contributed to the discussion. To

conclude the group activity Mrs. Taylor explained to her students that they needed to

read what the textbook said and compare it to the song lyrics, taking additional notes in

the right margin of the lyrics handout.

Overview of the Experience

The response Mrs. Taylor had to the use of science content songs was one of

total surprise. She said, “That surprised me because we have such a hard time getting

middle school kids to sing” adding, “I never dreamed the kids would be singing the

song. Mrs. Taylor explained, “I really did not expect this response from them. We use

music so often when they’re young to teach learning and stuff. Most of these songs the

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children sing they learned when they were little. And to see them at this age still

enjoying that very elementary type strategy…. I’ve been surprised.” Not only do her

students sing along with the songs in class, but they also ask to have them repeated,

“I’ve got kids actually singing the song.… They come around singing it and, and

sometimes they’ll say, ‘If we’re really nice will you play this one, or would you play that

one?’ or, ‘Can we hear this one?’ So they’re, they’re buying into it more than I thought

they would.” The strategy has been so successful that she has been looking for songs

not only for teaching science, but to bring them into her math classes as well; “I’m going

ahead and looking at what I can do the next time with them, because they liked it. In

fact, I also found another website for some math ones too.”

The students in Mrs. Taylor’s classroom agreed, they all enjoyed learning

science with songs. Their comments included, “It spices up the lesson,” and it, “makes

learning a lot more fun.” One student said, “you may not realize that you’re learning

until you go out of the classroom and then you come back for a test the next day, and

you’re like, oh yeah, and you start singing the song and you remember.” As a way to

learn, this strategy seemed effortless to these students, “Plus all you have to do is sit

back and let it sink in, instead of taking notes, reading something, and then answering

questions off of the reading.” For Mrs. Taylor’s students, the use of songs was more

familiar for them than it was for their teacher. Their science teacher the previous year

had used other songs for teaching that they still remembered. For this, this was not an

unusual way to learn, and definitely “better than bookwork.”

Synopsis of Themes
During the analysis, a number of themes emerged related to each of the

research questions, using different data sources, as summarized in Table 7. When

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considering how teachers used science content songs on teaching and learning, the

data from this case suggested that it promoted discourse in the language of science and

provided teachers with an opportunity to address student misconceptions. Student

interest and understanding of science is impacted as they become engaged in active

learning and utilize the mnemonic nature of songs to make it easier to remember

concepts. The potential that science-content music has for teaching and learning

science is related to the socio-cultural appeal of music to these students, how they were

used to connect ideas and organize knowledge, and that science songs reached

different types of learners in different ways.

In what ways do teachers use science-content music in the curriculum to enhance

instruction in the middle school science classroom?

The first theme that emerged from the data related to this question is that the use

of science songs for teaching and learning science promoted discourse in language of

science. Mrs. Taylor talked about the importance of what she called, “speaking

science.” “The main problem children have,” she said, is “the language in science.” She

added, “It’s ‘speaking science’ because I think it’s the vocabulary that brings them

down…. They know what they experience, they know what they witnessed in the lab

and activity, but attaching the language to that is where they [fail].” The use of science

songs gave the students in this case practice in learning to “speak science.” In

describing the lesson that was observed Mrs. Taylor said that her students, “had to talk

to me about some of the different words that we were using and what other science

words could be used for some of the words in the lyrics.” She added that it gave her an

opportunity to, “see if they know the vocabulary. Seeing how they put that together

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TABLE 7: Betty Taylor Analysis Summary

Research Question Themes Sources Supporting Evidence

In what ways do • Promotes discourse Teacher Observation notes:
teachers use in language of interviews & • Activity Notes
science-content science observations
Coding (Teacher):
music in the • Provides opportunity
curriculum to to address • Vocabulary
enhance instruction misconceptions • Analysis -
in the middle school Language
science classroom? • Misconceptions
• Content in Songs
How can the use of • Students engaged in Student and Observation notes:
science-content active learning interviews & • Student behaviors
music as a teaching • Mnemonic nature of observation Coding (Student):
strategy impact songs make it easier
student interest, to remember • Active Learning
engagement and concepts • Natural Learning
understanding of • Earworms
science content and • Easy to Remember
concepts? • Trigger More
• Study Strategy
What does the • Songs have socio- Teacher & Coding (Teacher):
experience of cultural appeal to student • Interest in songs
students and these students interviews • Familiarity
teachers using • Reaches different • Different Learners
science-content learners in different • Cognitive Pathways
music suggest about ways • Analysis – Sense
its potential for • Connect ideas and Making
teaching and organizes
learning science? • Review Activity
knowledge
• Cement Learning
• Depth of
Knowledge
Coding (Students):
• Value of Music
• Purpose for
Learning
• Lyrics

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might help me see a lit bit about their use and the comprehension.” Mrs. Taylor had

additional ideas for the using the songs to develop the language of science, “Instead of

giving kids a really hard core study guide for a test… I [could] use the song and tell the

kids to tell me what we’ve learned and what vocabulary connects to this word, I meant

to this phrase, or to these lyrics.”

The opportunity to use science content songs to practice “speaking science” was

evident in the interactions that were noted during the observed lesson. In response to

the teacher’s request for ten action words from the lyrics, one student called out,

“conduction.” Mrs. Taylor responded, “Is conduction an action word?” Another student

chimed in, “I put conduct,” which was answered with, “When did he say that?” Another

student responded, “in the last verse, metals conduct.’” Later Mrs. Taylor asked her

students to share their interpretation of the lyrics. Responses included, “Substances

that flow, like water,” and, “hot and cold mixing.” She then asked about how convection

mixes and asked students to compare it with conduction, using information from the

song. As the students responded she made sure that they understood the terms and

guided them through a discourse about the concepts, as they practiced “speaking

science.” The use of science songs for learning provided students an opportunity to

practice the discourse of science as they used learned songs and analyzed the lyrics.

Mrs. Taylor talked quite a bit about misconceptions in science and the

opportunities that were provided when teaching with science songs to address them; a

second theme that appeared in the data. She provided details about the

misconceptions held by her students related to heat transfer. When matter is heated

her students, “all think the molecules are getting bigger... because they all tell me that

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the molecules were expanding, and they’re not. They’re moving faster. The matter’s

expanding.” Mrs. Taylor added in her discussion about this misconception, “The song

doesn’t address that… or create it.” This explanation isn’t uncommon, she stressed.

“There are adults that don’t know that.” She added, “I’ve had it before, with sixth grade,

now I’ve got to address it again with these kids before they move on.” Another problem

she identified was, “they talk about the hot air rising and cooling. But then they don’t

talk about that it reheats and moves around. They don’t finish the cycle; finish the

current.” Again, Mrs. Taylor is clear, “The song doesn’t create that misconception.” But

the song did provide her with an opportunity talk to her students and address those

misconceptions, “they’re beginning to see more that there’s those ideas of the radiation

moving through, and particles moving, and it’s helping them to see that.” By engaging

students in a discussion of ideas presented in science content songs, Mrs. Taylor found,

“it’s helping me clear up misconceptions for them.”

How can the use of science-content music as a teaching strategy impact student

interest, engagement and understanding of science content and concepts?

Data provided in the classroom observation and focus group interviews

supported the theme that in Mrs. Taylor’s classroom the use of science content songs

engaged students in active learning. One of the students stated, “It’s active learning.

Like music, it sticks in your brain. You’re not going to forget it.” Students said they

listen better when they are actively engaged in learning. “When people are talking…

and they’re like lecturing or something, I just zone out, and then I miss half the lesson.

But then with a song it wraps it up and makes it easier to listen to.” These students

were engaged and having fun. One student said, “We were having fun over there, we

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were dancing.” Another eighth-grader commented, “Some people could take it bad; that

you were listening to songs in class instead of learning, but you really are learning.”

Learning with songs seems more natural to these students, “It doesn’t really seem like

you’re learning anything, but the third chorus, or, by the third time you’re listening to the

song, you’re like, ‘Oh yeah, I am remembering this stuff!’”

Students’ active participation in learning was also evident during the classroom

observation. When the song was played the first time two girls were moving to the beat

before the chorus was sung the second time. Students were tapping their feet in time

with the rhythm, and singing with the chorus. The longer the song played, the more

students were seen “bopping” to the beat. Students listened and remained engaged

during the activity, something that they admit is a problem during many traditional

classroom lessons. One of Mrs. Taylor’s students said, “You don’t have to listen to the

teacher talk about it and zone out.” Another reported, “You don’t tune out or go to

sleep.” The students said that as a teaching strategy, “It makes sense,” and “It was an

easier way to learn.” According to these students. “It’s more fun, and you remember it

more.” One student summarized the experience learning with science songs, “It’s kind

of like active learning.”

Another theme that emerged related to this research question is that the

mnemonic nature of songs made it easier for these students to remember concepts.

According to these students, science content songs became “stuck in your head and

then it goes through your head all day and so you memorize it.” When asked what

made these songs memorable they said, “It was catchy,” and “they have a tune and it’s

kind of upbeat, and stuff.” Sometimes songs stayed with students because they were

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“annoying, [and] you cannot get it out of your head so you remember it really well.”

Other times it was, “just a really good song, and you just want to remember it.” Another

student echoed this statement, “sometimes you just want to… remember it. You want

to keep it in your head.” The fact that these science songs “get stuck in your head”

means that it easier to recall the content. “If you remember the tune of a song, it helps

you remember the words,” one of Mrs. Taylor’s students reported. And these songs

could be recalled easily. One of these eighth-grade students explained, “if someone is

talking about something and they say the word that’s in the song, it will remind you of

the song, and you can just sing the whole thing. Even if it was a long time ago, you still

remember it.” However, one of the worst things about the mnemonic nature of these

songs was that, “you’ll get in trouble sometimes for singing it randomly.”

The tendency for these science songs become “earworms” made them ideal for

studying, and Mrs. Taylor’s students said that they used them, “to help me review for a

test.” They reported that while studying, “I’d be hearing the song… listening to the

different things, and then I’d be studying about conduction, or convection.” Using the

songs for studying was, “easier to remember because you remember the beats with the

words.” Sometimes they were focused entirely on studying for science and “would be

listening to the song and studying at the same time,” and other times they found they

“could be multi-tasking, doing homework for another subject, while having that in the

background, helping you.” Mrs. Taylor’s students felt that because songs are

mnemonic devices, “you wouldn’t forget it,” and “it would stay in your head for the test.”

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What does the experience of students and teachers using science-content music

suggest about its potential for teaching and learning science?

The potential for science-content songs for teaching and learning is explained by

identifying themes from both student and teacher interviews. The first of these is that

for the students in this class, music has socio-cultural appeal. During the student focus

group one student talked about the importance of music, “Music is, well, with most

people it’s a good thing. It’s something, you know. We go on iTunes and buy music. It’s

worth something.” This statement expressed the value these students put on songs

and their level of engagement when songs were used to teach science; “If you

associate learning with something that’s worth something, then people will want to

learn.” Another student said, “It kind of gives you a reason to remember something,

instead of just… spouting off the facts.”

Mrs. Taylor discussed the role of music in these students’ daily lives. She said,

“There’s always been people [that] aspire to it, there’s always been the garage bands

and everything else.” But for these students, music has social-cultural connections,

unlike previous generations. Although Mrs. Taylor isn’t sure about why, she indicated a

number of factors that might contribute to their connection with songs. Accessibility was

mentioned as one possibility, “and the ease of getting just the sound track, or whatever.

Because in the past you had to find somebody to play the piano, you had to find

somebody you know. You couldn’t get just the soundtrack. Because it wasn’t like it is

now,” she explained. Mrs. Taylor also talked other cultural factors that influenced her

students; “It’s more media,” and “I think it’s just general over exposure.” She talked

about specific influences from society, including the movie, “High School Musical” and

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the television show, “America’s Got Talent” as having had a social effect on her

students. A current television series, “Glee” has had a major socio-cultural impact on

Mrs. Taylor’s students. She said, “These kids talk about ‘Glee.’ The boys and the girls,

they all talk about ‘Glee’ in those two classes.” Mrs. Taylor added,

“For whatever reason, this generation, or this group of kids, and these two
science classes I have… even come and ask, ‘did you watch ‘Glee’ last
night?’ because they want to talk about it when they get to school. I
mean, we’ve got teachers here that watch ‘Glee’ just to have a
conversation with the kids.”

Music is available through multiple resources and formats for this generation and she

added, “I just think it has to do with the accessibility.” These students are “part of the

digital generation [which] makes sense.” The socio-cultural aspect of music to the

students in this case added to the potential of using content songs for teaching and

learning science.

The use of songs for teaching reached different learners in different ways, which

was another theme that emerged from the data. At various times in the interviews Mrs.

Taylor indicated that the use of songs benefited different types of students in special

ways. She reported, “I noticed different comments from different kids. Sometimes

when I’m doing activities and labs I hear certain kids go, ‘Oh that’s cool; Oh that’s great!’

or they’ll ask a lot of questions. But on this, I was hearing a different group of kids

respond to it.” When Mrs. Taylor talked about groups of students, she first talked in

terms of students based on brain-dominance. She stated, “Music would come in

different parts of the brain.” The creative, right brain student was discussed first, “I

know it would help right brain kids. I know it would help the musically talented kids.”

Mrs. Taylor indicated that it would speak to their creative side, but songs would also

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“help the right brain child be more linear.” Later she mentioned, “I think it helps left-

brain kids… because music’s linear and mathematical.” The use of science-content

music would potentially benefit students with different learning modalities as well. Mrs.

Taylor explained, “It would also help tactile kids… I think it’s very clever how you can

connect the music in things to that…. Especially with the tactile, moving kind of kid.”

She not only thought gifted students responded positively to the use of songs for

teaching science, but discussed another teacher’s use of the songs with students who

were considered low learners; “One of his kids had learned the verses to the songs…

and she was one of the students that was being served in the collaborative class, but

she learned, she was singing the song.” She thought the use of songs was effective,

“especially [with] some of his special needs kids.” In general, Mrs. Taylor believed that

the use of science songs with students for instruction “helped all of them.”

A final theme that emerged from the data was that the use of content-rich songs for

learning has the potential to help students connect ideas and organize knowledge in

science. Mrs. Taylor thought that using science songs for a review activity was the best

time in the instructional process for maximizing their teaching potential, “it’s the same

way I use all my media and videos. I want them have knowledge before they go and

watch it.” She added, “It also helped that I did the song when they had some

knowledge to bring to the lyrics.” Later she offered an alternative strategy, that the

songs could be introduced earlier in a unit and used throughout instruction to tie ideas

together. “I think now if I start with the lyric and then went back to it later, they’ll get it. Or

some of them will probably go, ‘Oh, right, that was in the song!’” Regardless of where a

song is used in the unit, it was important that they engaged in an activity comparing the

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song lyrics to what they learned, so that “they had to kind of make a connection

between the two.” Mrs. Taylor explained, “I’m just thinking it’s helping it connect,

cement [learning].” As students engaged with the songs in the analysis activity, they

had to, “have an understanding of the idea, of the science behind what the lyric’s trying

to say.” A specific example came from the lesson observed where students analyzed

the “Conduction, Convection, Radiation” song (Morris, 2010). “Their motivation came

from what they already knew about heat. They already had some idea about it. And by

the third time, it was kind of fun to see how they matched a song and lyrics to what they

knew about the science.” Mrs. Taylor noticed that during the analysis activity students

critiqued the lyrics and, “some of them were kind of like, ‘I would have said it this way,’

or ‘I would have done it this way.’” She added, “they would laugh, and they would get

some of the stuff so, they loved some of that.” When students participated in this

activity, they had to bring “an understanding of the idea, of the science behind what the

lyric’s trying to say,” to the activity. Mrs. Taylor said, “it helped the kids put the detail

and the depth” to their understanding of the concepts. She elaborated on how the

songs helped students make learning connections:

“Some of the kids were picking up more… they were moving their hands in
waves to radiation, and they were moving their hands around in
convection… It didn’t talk about that. The song didn’t put that in there. But
they brought [what] they had learned from here, and what the song was
doing, with [what] they knew about waves, and they knew about it
moving… the conduction part they got the idea about touching, but the
convection they were trying to put motions to the song, and their motions
weren’t coming from specific parts of the lyric. It was coming from what
they knew from the science. And so that’s where I’m seeing some depth
come into what was going.”

Based on the data from these interviews, the use of science-content songs has the

potential to help students organize knowledge and connect ideas.

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Summary

During the data analysis several themes emerged. For Mrs. Taylor, it was

important that her students learn to “speak science,” and she found that the use of

science-content music helped towards that goal as her students critiqued the lyrics and

what they meant. This activity also allowed Mrs. Taylor the opportunity to address

misconceptions students had about science concepts covered during this activity. The

students were engaged in learning with songs in a way they described as “active

learning.” Mrs. Taylor’s students talked about the mnemonic nature of songs, and how

content was, “easier to remember,” because, “if the tune is catchy then it’s really easy to

remember.” The themes revealed in the data about the potential for science-content

music to be used in teaching and learning science included the fact that songs have a

socio-cultural appeal for these students. The students talked about the “value” of

music, and Mrs. Taylor discussed the ways in which her students are immersed in a

culture of music that includes “general over exposure” to songs in the media and the,

“accessibility and the ease” of obtaining music. The data also suggested that the use of

science songs seems to reach different learners in different way. Linear, left-brain

students would appreciate the “linear and mathematical” nature of songs, while creative

right-brain students would be drawn to “how it was composed” and, “take something

creative like music and then say, okay what are they really saying here?” Additionally,

Mrs. Taylor discussed both the kinesthetic-tactile learner and how songs reach low

learners in other classes. Finally, the use of science songs helped Mrs. Taylor’s

students, “connect science to some of their experiences,” while they analyzed “lyrics

and [tried] to see why somebody writes something.” The lyric analysis activity,

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according to this teacher, “helped the kids put the detail and the depth… to it.” Mrs.

Taylor thought the experience of teaching science with content-rich songs was more

successful than she had initially hoped. She reported, “I was not expecting this… I just

wasn’t expecting this.” When asked if she would continue to use songs for teaching

science Mrs. Taylor responded, “Yeah. Because I like it.”

Case 5: Anna Darcy’s Classroom

Background
This year was Anna Darcy’s eighteenth year in the classroom. She is certified in

biology and general science for grades six through twelve, and for middle school math

and language arts. In college Anna’s major was biology. Most of her teaching

experience has been in science, although she did teach language arts one year and has

some experience teaching in on an interdisciplinary team, which she loved. This is Mrs.

Darcy’s third year at School B where she teaches seventh grade life science. Her on-

level students represent the cultural and economic diversity of this school, which

includes more than one in five children of Hispanic ethnicity and nearly half the students

on free and reduced lunch. Prior to her current position she taught in a neighboring

county that has a student population five times larger than her current school district.

Mrs. Darcy has some experience teaching with songs. While teaching language arts

she used the “Schoolhouse Rock” series to teach grammar. When Anna started at her

current school she found some of her colleagues had already been using science songs

to teach for a number of years. During her first year at School B Mrs. Darcy co-taught

with Larry Morris at the same grade level, who wrote many of the songs used in this

study. She has played his songs in class before, but not used them for “an in-depth

study. Just played the songs.” “Cell Castle” (Morris, 2010) was one that she has used

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with students in the past; “We would put the lyrics up on the screen and say hey, let’s

listen to the song. But it wasn’t a study of the lyrics.” She also used a version of the

“Mitosis Dance” (Morris, 2010) in the past, but “it was more physical than it was listening

to music…. it was more to learn the movements.”

One of Mrs. Darcy’s reasons for participating in this study was that she wished

she “had more of a background with it.” She cited the importance of reaching different

types of learners as one of her primary reasons for wanting to incorporate science

songs in her curriculum. She wants to “become better at it, because I know how

important it is. You know… different types of learners.” Mrs. Darcy said that she hopes

using science-content music can “help me open an avenue to help other students.”

Another expectation that she had was that she wanted the use of science-content music

to “hook them, to get them interested…. because I think that’s where I struggle the

most, is keeping them engaged.” Mrs. Darcy has used science songs before and feels

that they have the potential for learning, but wanted to learn more strategies for

implementation of songs for teaching and be exposed to more resources. She

summarized, “That’s what I’m looking for; ideas.”

Implementation
During the course of the study Mrs. Darcy used a number of songs. As part of

her unit on cells she used “Cell Castle” (Morris, 2005), then while studying genetics she

included the song, “Mendel the Mighty Monk” (Morris, 2005). During her unit on

biological evolution she used two songs; “Evolution” by Larry Morris (2005) and

“Evolution Revolution” by Dr. Chordate (Moran, 1995). Mrs. Darcy also included the

song, “The Lonely Fossil” (Morris, 2010) while covering the standard related to

understanding the fossil record’s role in biological evolution. Late in the semester she

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taught a lesson using, “Kingdom, Phylum, Class & Order” (Morris, 2010) for the study of

biological classification. “Cell Castle” (Morris, 2005) was introduced before the study

started, as she has done in the past. After the first interview Anna went back to the

song and used it as a review by analyzing the lyrics “and we just, we kept singing the

song, and going back over it and talking about what the different cell parts were.” For

the song about genetics Mrs. Darcy reported that to develop vocabulary she had her

students, “circle any words and then they had to kind of write down what they thought

that meant.” When Morris’s “Evolution” song was introduced to the class it included a

lyric analysis activity. The song was then replayed in class several times “to reinforce

all the science.” The “Evolution Revolution” (Moran, 1995) was introduced at the same

time as Morris’s song, but was not replayed or repeated although Mrs. Darcy

commented, “it might be good after the unit, as like a culmination.” She indicated that

she thought the information included in the song was more appropriate for older

students, rather than middle school learners. Towards the end of the study Mrs. Darcy

introduced the classification song to her students to help them learn the levels of classic

biological taxonomy.

Observation Summary
On the day Mrs. Darcy’s class was observed, students had just started their unit

on Evolution prior to the visit with a pretest and introduction. As the class “warm up” for

the day the teacher had posted on the board, “What is Evolution?” and “What does

‘survival of the fittest’ mean?” The instructions were for students to write the answers to

these questions on page seventy-seven of their class journals. Twenty-three students

were in this class, with both a student teacher and a paraprofessional. After taking

attendance Mrs. Darcy led a class discussion, reviewing answers her students had

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written to the warm-up questions. While students shared their responses the student

teacher passed out lyrics to the song. Mrs. Darcy then directed her students’ attention

to the lyrics for “Evolution” (Morris, 2005, see Appendix P) saying, “Look at page that

says, “Evolution is Not So Scary,’” and asked them to label the verse numbers. She

then posed the question, “What do they mean by the chorus?” Students were told that

when they listened to the song, every time the word “Evolution” was sung they were to

put their hands together, then move them outward to represent small changes over a

long time. Everyone was asked to make the hand motions, and was told if they didn’t,

the next time they would have to lead the class during the song. Students were asked

to find the word “Evolution” in the lyrics the underline it everywhere it appeared, and

reminded to make the hand motions every time they hear the word. Mrs. Darcy added

that they would listen to the song twice; the first time they were to listen, and the second

time they were to sing along. She reinforced the meaning of the hand motions they

were to make as showing “small changes over a long time.”

Students followed along as instructed the first time the song was played. Most,

but not all, of the students made the desired hand motions. A few participated by

singing along but many showed no sign of engagement. After the song was played

Mrs. Darcy led a class discussion of the lyrics, asking them to elaborate and interpret

the concepts covered in the lyrics. She told the students she would play the song again

and asked that this time they sing along and make the specified hand motion every time

they heard the word, “evolution.” This time some of the students sang, others just

listened and watched. One boy laughed to the lyrics and another sang as he tied his

shoe. Some of the students, mostly the Hispanic boys, were off task and inattentive. It

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seemed that there were about equal number of students singing and those that did not.

Most of the students that did participate were doing so fairly quietly. A student who was

sitting isolated in the back of the class was singing the loudest. After the song ended a

student mentioned that this song got “stuck in the head,” to which Mrs. Darcy

responded, “That’s the point, it gets stuck in your head and you remember it.” A

discussion followed in which the teacher brought up the idea that evolution is a problem

for some people, but if students understood what the song explains then it really isn’t a

scary concept, as emphasized in the lyrics. Next, students were directed to turn to the

next page in their journals and write the chorus of the second song, “Evolution

Revolution” by Dr. Chordate (Moran, 1995). Mrs. Darcy posted the words to the chorus

on the board, “If you’ve got the genes, then you’ve got the means, to mutate and

change your traits” (see Appendix Q). This song was quite different from the first one in

that it is in rap format. The students listened to this sing, and at one point a girl sitting

close to the front caught one of the lines in the song and laughed out loud. When the

song ended one student said that he liked the first song better, while another indicated

he thought the second one was better. Mrs. Darcy wraps up the lesson by telling

students she planned to have them return to the song again throughout the unit.

Overview of the Experience

Mrs. Darcy believed that the use of science-content music has been a positive

experience for her students. She said, “I know it’s made them more excited about

science.” When asked how she thinks the songs helped her students learn science,

she responded, “I think it motivates them…. It helps them remember things.” She talked

about the class that was observed and reported that they were the only class that

wasn’t engaged during the lesson. Mrs. Darcy explained, “That was funny, because

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that one class you came in… they were just not excited of all the classes that day. I

couldn’t believe it by the end of the day, I’m thinking, [if] she would have come to this

class, because every class… they perk up when they hear the music.” Other classes,

Mrs. Darcy reported, enjoy the songs so much that some of her students have asked for

the songs to be repeated and “some of them saw it as a reward.” Generally, she added,

her experience has been that her students, “like science, but they… love the music.”

In this case the students reported a different level of engagement than what was

observed in the classroom visit. The students in Mrs. Darcy’s class agreed; they liked

learning with science songs. They explained, “It is a lot funner to remember a song,”

and “I think it’s a lot easier to do the song because… you want to learn it.” They also

understood that the songs were intended to be learning tools, “to help you understand,”

and were designed “so we can understand the stuff.” For these students the power of

songs for teaching comes from the role that music plays in their everyday world; “I think

it’s easier for kids to understand music better, because music is part of their everyday

lives.” One student added, “Sometimes kids even express their…moods through

music,” while another commented that “a lot of kids like music.” The students from Mrs.

Darcy’s class agreed, “They like to have a fun way to do things.” And for them, learning

with songs filled that need.

Synopsis of Themes
During the analysis several themes emerged from a combination of data sources

related to each of the research questions, as summarized in Table 8. Related to how

teachers use songs for teaching and learning, one theme was that songs tell stories that

promoted sense making of science concepts with content-rich lyrics. Another was that

key concepts were emphasized through repetition. Student engagement and learning

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was impacted as songs provided a change of pace in the learning environment and

specific characteristics of science songs made them effective tools for engaging

students and helping them learn. The potential for songs to enhance teaching and

learning in science were related to socio-cultural aspects of learning that could conceal

engagement, and lyric analysis was a necessary activity to connect content-rich lyrics to

the curriculum.

In what ways do teachers use science-content music in the curriculum to enhance

instruction in the middle school science classroom?

One of the themes that emerged from the data was that songs tell stories, which

promoted sense making of science concepts. Mrs. Darcy talked a lot about songs being

a form of stories and how that helped her students understand the concepts she was

teaching; “I think they understand, because there’s adaptation in there. There’s

selection. There’s mutation. I think the concepts make sense because it’s telling a

story. You know, I mean, I think it makes more sense.” Initially, as a way of presenting

science concepts, Mrs. Darcy thought, “the music threw them a little bit. But I said that’s

okay. Just listen, and… that to me, told a story.” She provided some examples of how

the songs brought together concepts in a way similar to telling a story, “the kids like that

beginning, middle, end piece and I’m trying to think which other songs, I think it was that

Lonely Fossil, maybe. They were like, ‘Oh, the fossils, that’s the fossils we’ve been

talking about.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah!’ Like, it just made sense to them. It took this random

piece that I’m teaching and [they]… could just kind of see like the stories.”

The story-like nature of songs was demonstrated through interactions observed

during the classroom visit. During the classroom discussion of the evolution song

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TABLE 8: Anna Darcy Analysis Summary

Research Question Themes Sources Supporting Evidence

In what ways do • Songs tell stories Teacher Observation notes:
teachers use that promote sense interviews & • Activity Notes
science-content making of science observations
Coding (Teacher):
music in the concepts
curriculum to • Key concepts • Story
enhance instruction emphasized through • Synthesize
in the middle school repetition Information
science classroom? • Resources
• Repetition
• Catchy
How can the use of • Provides a change Student and Observation notes:
science-content of pace in the interviews & • Activity Notes
music as a teaching learning observation
Coding (Student):
strategy impact environment
student interest, • Specific • Listening
engagement and characteristics of • Not boring
understanding of science songs make • Rhyming
science content and them effective tools • Humor
concepts? for engagement and • Catchy
learning • Easier
Supported by Coding
(Teacher):
• Change of Pace
What does the • Socio-cultural Teacher & Coding (Teacher):
experience of aspects of learning student • Reluctance
students and can conceal interviews • Coolness
teachers using engagement • Engagement
science-content • Analysis is • Lyric Analysis
music suggest about necessary to • Curriculum Match
its potential for connect content-rich
• Learning
teaching and lyrics to the Connections
learning science? curriculum
Coding (Students):
• Embarrassment
• Movements
• Explains Terms

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Mrs. Darcy asked the students to review verse four and find the phrase that says

evolution “is like a puzzle, with missing pieces.” She then asked her students, “What do

you think happened to them? Did everything become a fossil?” She led a class

discussion about the how the fossil record supports evolution, but has gaps that can’t be

explained. Next Mrs. Darcy directed students to look at the line, “we never see the

changes that led to rejection,” and discussed what that meant with her students. During

this activity Mrs. Darcy tied together content they learned in class with references in the

song to help students make sense of important concepts. Mrs. Darcy believes that

when songs are used her students can “follow along and they can put the pieces

together, and they’re saying, ‘Oh I get it,’ because… I teach in little pieces, and so it

helps me kind of go back and put them together.” She added, “I think the songs fit it

together.”

A second idea that appeared in the interview data is that key concepts in science

were emphasized through repetition when songs were used for teaching. Important

ideas were repeated in two ways. First, songs were played multiple times in class to

reinforce concepts, often at students’ request. Mrs. Darcy believed that, “there [are]

some things that I feel are so important we need to be repetitive.” She said that

students did not seem to get tired of hearing the songs and even asked to hear them

multiple times; sometimes after they had moved on in the curriculum. “They keep asking

to go back to ‘Cell Castle,’” she reported, “today we played Evolution song, and one boy

said, ‘Can’t you just do Cell Castle one more time?’ So I mean it; they ask, they ask for

it.” Mrs. Darcy added, “There were several songs that… that they begged for.”

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 The second way in which key ideas were emphasized in songs is that the

choruses frequently included the most important concepts related to the topic and

generally were repeated several times in the lyrics. Mrs. Darcy explained, “What they

love the most are the choruses, because that’s what has been repeated over and over

again.” According to this teacher, the repetition of key ideas helped students to

remember and understand science concepts, “they couldn’t help but learn it. That’s

what I like about it… You may not even have been trying to learn it, and you know it.”

Mrs. Darcy discussed the song about biological classification, “I think it’s helped

because of that repetition and that fun… it’s helping them remember things.” She hoped

that the repetition would help her students remember key concepts on assessments,

too. “I’m hoping when they’re taking the test… they’re saying the words over in their

heads.” Mrs. Darcy explained that when her students were tested over evolution

concepts she said, “I would tell them [to] remember the song… I think that made a

difference.” She added, “I think it did make a difference. And I know I’ll see a difference

with the Kingdom, Phylum, Class and Order… That was huge.”

How can the use of science-content music as a teaching strategy impact student

interest, engagement and understanding of science content and concepts?

Student interviews and the class observation provided the data used to identify

themes related to the impact that using content-rich songs had on student engagement

and understanding of content and concepts in science. The first theme that emerged in

this case was that songs provide students a change of pace in the learning

environment. During the observed class lesson students were involved in several

different activities in a short period of time centered on the song. In the twenty-plus

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minutes they were observed Mrs. Darcy included a writing activity, a class discussion, a

singing activity and movement. This variety provided a change in the learning

environment that the students enjoyed. For them, classroom lectures are the least

engaging learning activity a teacher can use, “When the teacher is talking it’s so boring,

it goes in one ear and out the other,” one student reported. However, when songs are

used for teaching another student explained, “when I listen to music I don’t really picture

anything, I just sit there and listen to it and like it goes in my ear and stops.” When

asked what made the difference one student responded, “when we’re listening [to]

songs sometimes they put it where it’s a funny voice, but the teacher talk is dull and her

voice gets annoying sometimes.” They talked more specifically about the songs that

were observed in the evolution lesson, “both of them made you want to stick around and

listen for the rest of the song.” One student said, “It’s not boring like doing work,” while

another said, “I liked it; I just like listening.” Mrs. Darcy also added some insight, “I think

they like it because it means a little break.” She elaborated, “Every class, they perk up

when they hear the music. And it’s just kind of like today, they were doing bookwork and

we needed a little, just a break, so I put the song on.” And when science songs are

played in class, “the music makes them more excited to pay attention.”

According to these students, specific characteristics of science songs made them

effective tools for engagement and helping them learn. Without a doubt, these students

think that with science, “you can just learn it from a song.” One student said that with the

songs, “it’s easier than doing work on paper,” and “after you listen to a song, normally it

gets stuck in your head.” As far as these students are concerned, they are engaged

when learning with songs because, “it’s pretty much just like a game for students.” One

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student reported that, “some people try to get competitive… and seeing who can learn

the song better.” During the course of the interview students defined the characteristics

of songs that made them more engaging and helped them learn; these included humor

and a catchy beat.

When songs contain elements of humor students are more engaged. One

student reported, “It was easy to understand because… when you’re laughing you pay

attention more.” Another student agreed, “It says all this stuff… you learn stuff and then

you laugh because it’s funny.” Songs also helped these students remember concepts.

According to one seventh-grader, “it’s a lot easier to remember them, because they’re

funny. Some of them are funny and they have funny words.” In some cases the humor

comes from the lyrics. One student talked about how one of the songs said, “something

about the family, like how something was wrong with them, like… your nose [is] where

your eyes are supposed to be, stuff like that, and it was funny.” Another way in which

these songs included elements of humor was by use of rhymes. When asked what

made the song funny one student said, “The way he was like rhyming everything

together.” Students are much more likely to pay attention to songs because, “teachers

are up there… they just talk. But in the song, they are rhyming; it makes it funny.” A

third way in which humor was included in the songs was by use of sound variations.

One student commented about the “Evolution Revolution” song by Dr. Chordate (Moran,

1995), “it was like the guy had a weird accent.” Another student added, “the beat’s

really fun, and it makes you want to get up and move around… just the way he says it,

it’s just really funny.” The ‘catchy’ character of science-content music also added to

student engagement and retention of science content. One student reported, “if it has a

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catchy beat, and you like listening to it, then it’s easy to memorize it… and [we] can

recite the song and that could be stuff on a test.” They liked songs that have “a tune

and a beat that’s catchy.” The use of humor and a catchy beat in these songs were

characteristics that engaged Mrs. Darcy’s students and helped them learn.

What does the experience of students and teachers using science-content music

suggest about its potential for teaching and learning science?

The first of two themes that emerged from the data related to the potential of

songs for teaching and learning science is that the socio-cultural aspects of learning can

conceal evidence of engagement. When asked about the lack of engagement observed

in the class that was visited, Mrs. Darcy responded, “in that class everybody just

seemed kind of…’he’s not doing it, I’m not going to do it.’ It was… very odd.” She

compared that class with her others, “you know, in the other classes, it’s interesting,

because I had some pretty popular boys be like, ‘I want to stand up and sing it!’ And

that kind of led the whole class, you know; all of a sudden it was cool.” She said, “It’s

almost as if they were a little embarrassed.” The students in the observed class agreed,

“I get embarrassed easily.” Mrs. Darcy discussed the dynamics of the class that was

visited. She described one of the students that participated in the interview as a

potential leader, however, “she rolls her eyes at everything we do.” The class in

general, she says, is “difficult to engage with anything.” She added, “They were…

negative… from the get go. You know, from the beginning of the year.” She also

compared their progress on a recent assessment, “their average was a 65%. The other

ones were, I mean here this one was a seventy-five, [another] had a seventy-nine; so,

almost ten points.” When asked what percent of her students seemed reluctant to

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engage in songs for learning she responded, “I mean, I would say small; like ten

percent, maybe.” She recognized that students engage in different ways, “There’s those

who want to dance, sing, stand up… then there’s those who are okay with listening.

Then there are those who roll their eyes.” She added, “There were always those who

thought, ‘who cares about the song?’ But those are the ones that didn’t care about

anything.” When asked what Mrs. Darcy experienced with that class and using songs

for teaching since the observation, she responded, “still kind of… hesitant.” She added,

“They like to listen to it, but they’re not going to sing to it.”

All the students interviewed from this class said that they enjoyed the use of

songs for learning, which wasn’t evident in many of their observed behaviors. However,

students said that they didn’t necessarily feel comfortable with being seen participating.

For example, the one girl that had rolled her eyes during the lesson insisted during the

focus group interview that she liked learning science with songs but was embarrassed

to sing in front of her peers. Apparently there were differences in what these students

were willing to demonstrate, based on the perceptions of the motions used with the

song and the degree to which they observed their peers interacting with the song. To

explain why singing was embarrassing one student reported, “I don’t like singing either,

because I sing really bad.” Mrs. Darcy’s students thought that not only was singing

embarrassing they added, “it’s embarrassing that I have to do this,” while making the

hand motions they were asked to do with the evolution song. Mrs. Darcy’s students

said they liked learning with songs but added, “The only part I don’t like about songs

when she makes you dance with it.” When asked, “You don’t like the dance moves?”

the group responded, “No!” Later in the conversation while they discussed learning with

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the song, the “Mitosis Dance” (Morris, 2010) they contradicted themselves. They

reported, “It was fun,” and added, “it actually helped me a lot… because the way we

were doing it and like going through the cycle and stuff, and actually a lot easier to

actually visualize it, because like we watched another class do it, and then we did it

ourselves.”

To clarify why there was a difference in their perceptions about moment with

songs, these students said that they “actually like moving around, not just moving your

hands.” They explained, “When you’re doing the hand motions, we’re just sitting in our

desk… it’s a lot better up dancing, moving around and we’re all doing it.” The reference

to it being okay to participate when “when we’re ALL doing it” seems to support Mrs.

Darcy’s theory that signs of engagement might not be evident, due to socio-cultural

factors. She explained, “I probably have more leaders in other classes that will stand up

and tap their foot and its cooler in the other classes to do it.” Mrs. Darcy added, “I think

it does engage them. I’ve just got to pick the right song to get the most of the kids.”

The second and final theme to emerge related to the potential for science songs

to enhance teaching and learning was that analysis is necessary to connect content-rich

lyrics to the concepts being covered in the curriculum. For Mrs. Darcy the lyric analysis

activity was important, “it makes a huge difference to analyze the lyrics.” She added,

“it’s a way to help them remember the important things.” When asked how important

this activity was for songs to be used in meaningful learning she responded, “I think it is

critical. I think it definitely is, if I want it to be more than just background music.” Later

she emphasized this point, “I think it makes a huge difference to analyze the lyrics.”

This activity allowed Mrs. Darcy’s students, “to be able to connect it to things.” Mrs.

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Darcy gave some examples of how she structured the lyric analysis activity, “I liked

using the lyric sheet with the empty [column], and then say, write this down, or highlight

it… We highlighted all the vocab words. And then, [for] some of them we defined the

vocab words. But because they could go back and look, it was kind of like a little cheat

sheet. I mean, go back to the song and see how they use it in the song.”

Mrs. Darcy described how lyric analysis helped her students make sense of the

concepts she was trying to teach, “I think, so they’re processing it… I want them to have

it, I guess in their mind. Not only that little jingle, but what it meant. Why would he

choose to put that in a song?… And then it makes a connection and then they’re like,

‘Oh!’” Without the lyric analysis activity, Mrs. Darcy explained, “We’re just singing

words. It’s kind of like my daughter at home. She just sings words, and I’m saying do

you really know what that means, what you’re saying. ‘No, I just like the beat.’ But I

want it to be more than that. I want it to go to a deeper level.” The analysis of science

song lyrics delivered on this instructional goal for Mrs. Darcy as,“ they had to think about

what the lyrics were.” Because lyric analysis is a critical activity Mrs. Darcy says that it

is important that when using science-content music for teaching to, “actually pick songs

that are meaningful to the curriculum.” When she selects a new song, she says, “the

first place I look are the words, just to make sure … it’s worth my time investing the time

in it that it’s going to meet my curriculum.”

Students in Mrs. Darcy’s room also described how through the process of

analyzing lyrics they were able to make better sense of the concepts. One student

reported, “This is pretty interesting, so you get into it and really it’s talking about what

we’ve been learning.” They said that using the songs was different from other activities

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in that, “every word it sort of gives some meaning,” and, “it gives you an explanation

about it.” When science-content songs were used for instruction students felt it helped

them, “picture in your head instead of like just writing down the definition and not

understanding it.” Another seventh-grader added, “It gives you a big picture too, like not

just looking at the little parts of the song, but like looking at the whole song, it’s like a big

picture. It’s not just like small little ideas locked in the middle of the song.” The data

suggests that both Mrs. Darcy and her students seemed to think that the lyric analysis

activity helped them connect content-rich lyrics to the curriculum for deeper

understanding of science concepts.

Summary

During the data analysis of Anna Darcy’s case, several themes became apparent

related to the research questions. In this classroom, science songs were useful as a

teaching tool because they told stories that promoted sense making of science

concepts. Mrs. Darcy thought that “because it’s telling a story… I think it makes more

sense.” She also believed that through repetition key concepts were emphasized.

Another theme that emerged was that science songs were engaging for students by

providing a change of pace in the learning environment. Mrs. Darcy noticed that, “I just

love… how happy they looked when I turned the music on.” She and the students said

basically the same thing, that when science songs are used for teaching, students were

“doing something other than sitting there, looking like they’re in a fog and fall asleep.”

The students in this class had specific ideas about how important characteristics of

humor and “catchiness” had to be included in songs if they were to be effective tools for

engagement and learning. Probably one of the most interesting themes that emerged

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was related to the socio-cultural aspects of learning. The class that was observed did

not demonstrate evidence of engagement, which was the only group of students that

Mrs. Darcy reported that did not seem to enjoy learning with science songs. However,

based on what the students said in the group interview, they liked learning with songs

but were embarrassed to have their peers see them engaged with the activity. Mrs.

Darcy reported that in other classes when certain students who were seen as leaders

outwardly engaged with the activity, other students followed suit and also participated.

Her conclusion was that an element of “coolness” was required before students were

willing to be seen engaging in the song; otherwise evidence of engaged tended to be

concealed. The final theme that emerged was that the lyric analysis activity was critical

for students to connect content-rich lyrics from science songs with the concepts covered

in the curriculum.

Mrs. Darcy and her students indicated that learning science with songs is fun,

although they recognized that it may not speak to all students in the same way. For

some students, the use of songs resonate; “I see kids who like just the songs. I mean

that, that’s kind of their moment.” When asked which students don’t benefit from the use

of science songs in the curriculum Mrs. Darcy responded, “those who… choose not to

participate.” The use of songs has made a difference, according to this teacher. Citing

what she observed during the evolution unit Mrs. Darcy said, “every kid in this class can

tell you what Evolution is and it stuck. I’ve never had that many kids get it that quickly.”

Using songs for science has been a positive experience for Mrs. Darcy. She explained,

“I think sometimes the other teachers are like, they probably just like science; But I think

the music has made it even that more exciting.”

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 Case 6: Max Cantor’s Classroom

Background
Max Cantor has spent the last nine years teaching eighth grade science at

School B. The first six of those years the curriculum was earth science, but a shift in

state standards in 2007 resulted in change to physical science. Teaching is Max’s

second career, as he was an environmental engineer for six years before going into

education where he initially hoped to teach math. However, Mr. Cantor has found that

he enjoys teaching science because it has, “lots of really cool things you can do;

experiments and stuff.” He found that with science, “it’s very easy to tie it to the real

world.” Max is currently teaching on-level eighth grade physical science to students

who reflect the school’s 67% Caucasian and 22% minority population. Forty-four of

these students are considered to be from low socio-economic homes determined by

qualifying for free and reduced lunches. School B is the only school where Mr. Cantor

has taught.

Although Max didn’t respond to an initial email invitation to join the study, when

asked at a district-level professional development session if he would be willing to

participate, he agreed. While Mr. Cantor had not used songs for teaching prior to this

study, other teachers in School B had used science songs for years, and he had, “heard

good things about it. Other teachers have said that they used some of the songs… and

they said that it worked well in their classroom and especially in seventh grade because

of some of the biology type songs. So, I got good recommendations from other people

that it’s helpful.” He added, “Their kids learn well with it, so I figured, hey, why not try

it?” Mr. Cantor hoped that by bringing science-content music to his students, “the songs

will kind of make [students] think in a different way and might tie the music in with them.”

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After hearing the recommendation that a lyric analysis activity be included when using

songs for teaching, Max responded, “I liked the fact that you said we need to analyze

lyrics because I think getting down to what it’s saying and seeing how they can tie that

in to what we’re learning. I think it will be cool, because it ties in creative thinking.” He

planned to use science songs to, “get them to draw some pictures of what they’re

getting out of the music and see how it ties with what we’re doing in class with the

concepts.”

Implementation
During the course of the study Mr. Cantor only introduced one song,

“Conduction, Convection, Radiation” by Larry Morris (2010) during the final weeks of the

data collection period. “We introduced it one day and then we came back to it the next

day,” he reported. On the initial day the class listened to the song and discussed some

of the key concepts included in the lyrics. Then students were given the option of

illustrating the lyrics or writing additional verses for homework. On the second day, Max

said, “We just went more into analysis.” For the drawing assignment, “some of them did

really, really well, and some did okay; they only… drew a picture of part of the stanza.”

For the students who wrote additional verses Max said, “some of them had some really

creative thing because then they had to build in their own examples, or… put other facts

in there.” Mr. Cantor only employed one song for teaching and delayed implementation

until the end of the study because of uncertainty about how to fit it into his curriculum.

He explained, “It was just it’s one more thing to fit in, you know, and that’s the way I

looked at it at first.” However, after completion of the activity he reported that he was

much more comfortable with the strategy and was planning on using the song,

“Position, Velocity, Acceleration” (Morris, 2010) in his next unit, “I know how to do it

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now… and so now that I’ve done one, it makes it easier for me to implement other

ones.”

Observation Summary
Max Cantor’s classroom visit occurred during last period on the first day that the

song was introduced. The room arrangement was nearly identical to all the other

classrooms included in this study, with Mr. Cantor’s desk at the front and student lab

tables facing the front. When the students arrived they were told to get out their

journals and listen to the song. The volume was down low and students were both

writing and talking, but did not appear to be listening to the song. After Mr. Cantor

asked students for their permission slips to participate in the focus group he began the

lesson and the noise level reduced noticeably. He walked to the front of the room

where three pictures were projected on the white board, representing three types of

heat transfer. He stressed key phrases during the introduction, “radiation moves in

‘rays’, “convection is ‘movement,” and “conduction is touching.’” After concluding a

class discussion Mr. Cantor moved to his demonstration table where he turned on a pot

of boiling water with seeds in it to demonstrate convection. Students were allowed to

move out of their seats to see the seeds move in the current. Afterwards, Mr. Cantor

asked his students to return to their seats and complete the journal warm up activity

while he passed out song lyrics. Their task was to listen to the words to see what the

words said about heat transfer. While the song played students listened and followed

along with the lyrics printed on the handout. When the song ended several students

asked to have it played again, but Mr. Cantor advised them they needed to move along

in the lesson so that they would understand their homework but would hear the song

again later.

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 The directions for the lyric analysis activity were posted on the white board and

included having students underline examples and key words, add key facts that are

specific to the heat transfer method mentioned in each verse, make notes about

information that was left out or difficult to understand, and add lines to the song to make

the song better or provide more information. Mr. Cantor reviewed the instructions then

led a class discussion of the lyrics, drawing student attention to these concerns. During

the class discussion that followed Mr. Cantor marked up the lyrics projected on the

white board, directing student attention to the points that he thought merited emphasis.

He drew boxes, circled terms and asked students to rewrite key facts from the lyrics on

their handouts. After the discussion of the chorus and first verse concluded, Mr. Cantor

explained to students that their homework was to illustrate the song or write an

additional verse.

Overview of the Experience

Although Max Cantor had procrastinated implementing a lesson using science

songs during the study due to what he indicated was uncertainty about how to work it

into the curriculum, he found that it was a much better experience than he had

anticipated. After the class visit he reported, “I have to say… I was a little overwhelmed

by the prospect, and then it went really well, and I enjoyed it.” He said he thought his

eighth grade students would not enjoy the experience, but that their response “surprised

me. I actually didn’t think they’d be cool with it.” He added, “They loved it. They really

did enjoy it. The cool thing was they enjoyed singing it. I didn’t think they were going to

enjoy singing it, but they did.” Max felt like his students were genuinely engaged during

the lesson. His evidence for student engagement came from the behaviors he

observed with his students. “They were totally tied into it,” Mr. Cantor reported. “You

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can tell because they’re singing the song, and they’re asking questions [and] they’re

underlining things. So they’re involved with it.” Max added, “When kids are engaged

they’re going to learn more.” Engagement, Mr. Cantor believes, has an impact on

learning; “Any time you have a high level of engagement with your students, you’re

going to have a high level of learning.” According to Mr. Cantor, his students benefited

from the use of science-content music for learning, “I definitely believe that it had an

impact on, kind of, stretching them.” Mr. Cantor said that he “didn’t do any in-depth

analysis on it, but it did feel like there was a deeper understanding after the songs

based on the grades from [their] quiz.” His assessment was based on a perceived

“improvement from previous years.”

Generally, the eighth grade students in Mr. Cantor’s class confirmed what their

teacher saw; they enjoyed learning science with songs. There were four students who

participated in the focus group, one boy and three girls. However, one of the girls did

not contribute to the discussion beyond responding to a question early in the interview,

“I don’t know. I just wanted to get out of class.” At no time did she give an opinion or

offer any input to the conversation. The other three students carried the discussion.

Those students indicated that they did have fun learning with songs, and that it was a

familiar strategy, used by their science teachers in seventh grade. When asked what

they thought about learning with songs they responded, “science class is actually fun, if

you listen to the songs, and stuff.” They were also asked if they thought the songs

helped them learn the concepts Mr. Cantor was teaching. They responded that they

thought so because they did well on the test and that the “Conduction, Convection,

Radiation” song (Morris, 2010) had something to do with their success. When asked if

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they would like their high school science teachers to use songs for learning one student

responded, “I think it would be great actually, because it will be easier for us to learn,

and [we’d] actually know what’s going on, because they’re playing songs.”

Synopsis of Themes
While analyzing the data from this case, several themes emerged related to each

of the research questions, based on a variety of data sources, as summarized in Table

9. Teaching and learning science was enhanced when songs were used as they

provided students with alternative explanations of science concepts while content-rich

lyrics explained key ideas and gave examples of concepts. Student engagement and

learning were impacted by the novelty of using songs for teaching science while

students interacted with the content longer. Themes that emerged related to the

potential for science-content music in teaching and learning were that music had a

special appeal for these students and lyric analysis helped students connect ideas and

organize new knowledge

In what ways do teachers use science-content music in the curriculum to enhance

instruction in the middle school science classroom?

The first theme that emerged from the data related to this question is that songs

provided students with alternative explanations of science concepts. Mr. Cantor

explained how this worked in his classroom, “The songs presented the material in [a]

slightly different way… I taught it in one way, and gave certain examples, and then the

songs that we used kind of gave some other examples and used some other

vocabulary. And it just kind of reinforced what they had already learned. So it kind of

expanded a little bit what they had heard from me.” He added, “Instead of it just being

me instructing, it was kind of like I had another, kind of, instructor; the person who wrote

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TABLE 9: Max Cantor Analysis Summary

Research Question Themes Sources Supporting Evidence

In what ways do • Songs provide Teacher Observation notes:
teachers use students with interviews & • Activity notes
science-content alternative observations
Coding (Teacher):
music in the explanations of
curriculum to science concepts • Different Insights
enhance instruction • Content-rich lyrics • Examples
in the middle school explain key ideas • Scaffold
science classroom? and give examples • Content in Lyrics
of concepts • Facts in Lyrics
• Key Words
How can the use of • Novelty of strategy Student and Observation notes:
science-content engages students interviews & • Student Behaviors
music as a teaching • Students engage observation
Coding (Student):
strategy impact with content longer
student interest, • Novelty
engagement and • Voice
understanding of • Lyrics
science content and • Learning
concepts? • Earworms
What does the • Music has a special Teacher & Coding (Teacher):
experience of appeal to students student • Music Generation
students and • Lyric analysis helps interviews • Kids Like Music
teachers using students connect • Connect Ideas
science-content ideas and organize • Deeper Level
music suggest about new knowledge • Interpretation
its potential for
• Lyric Analysis
teaching and
learning science? • Visualization
Coding (Students):
• Key Ideas
• Learning

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this song… They kind of gave another slant on the same information that was [the]

same facts, but it kind of gave it a different view on it.” During the classroom

observation Mr. Cantor used the song, “Conduction, Convection, Radiation” (Morris,

2010) to teach concepts of how heat is transferred (see Appendix L). One reference

that Max pointed out to his students during the observed lesson came from a section in

the lyrics that referred to the different ways that a hot potato can be cooled. He talked

about how this particular song explained science concepts to his students in an

alternative way, “You know we’re still talking about conduction, but you can [find] some

different examples and, and look at it in a slightly different way, but we’re still talking

about conduction as heat transfer through touching.” Mr. Cantor explained how the use

of the song to explain concepts in a different way helped his students because, “it gave

it to them, a lot of times, in a non-scientific way so that they could see that it wasn’t just

the definitions and facts that I give them, but they could understand it with some kind of

street words, almost…. it kind of took it to a deeper level for them.” Having a different

explanation is important, Mr. Cantor added, because students need to understand and

recognize concepts beyond the classroom. “That helps them because there’s going to

be somebody that writes a test that’s not me, or somebody that has examples, or has

them apply at a higher level… that’s not me.” The use of science songs to reinforce

concepts gave Mr. Cantor’s students additional experience applying concepts using

alternative explanations and definitions.

The data analyzed in this case revealed a second theme related to the first

research question; content-rich lyrics explained key ideas and gave examples of

concepts. After conducting the lesson using the song, “Conduction, Convection,

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Radiation” (Morris, 2010), Cantor reported, “The cool thing was the song was content

rich.” When asked to explain what he meant by “content rich” he responded, “It doesn’t

have to say definitions… but it has got to be based on fact.” He talked about how the

song used for the lesson was “content rich” and provided his students with more

information about the concepts they were studying, “We pulled out examples. We

pulled out key words.” He added,

We focus a lot of times on key words, like convection, we talk about hot
air rising, cold air sinking; well the song didn’t say that all the time. It
talked a little bit more like circulation, or used other synonyms and
analogies, that they had to look a little bit deeper than the surface level
[for] key terms.

Mr. Cantor further explained, “There were just so many visual things in the song, like all

songs do that, typically. They bring to mind a picture, one that really enhances learning

in science, because if it’s something they can see, and, you know, in their mind there;

it’s going to be kind of deeper for them.” He added, “I think it gave them a lot more

examples… than I can typically give them.”

During the classroom visit indicators were observed that showed how the

content-rich nature of science songs helped Mr. Cantor’s students build a broader

understanding of the concepts he was teaching. During the lesson Max helped his

students, “pull out the images… pull out examples… pull out facts” from the lyrics of the

science song he used for instruction. Starting with the chorus, Mr. Cantor asked his

students, “What are three key facts?” They identified the first one in the lyrics “Heat will

flow from hot to cold.” A second key idea from the chorus was identified by the

students, “Molecules are moving.” Mr. Cantor responded that this was not a key fact

and asked them, “Why?” During the discussion he explained that as the temperature

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goes up, the molecules start to move faster. The next student said that heat can move,

and the teacher asked, “Delve into it more, how?” They decided that the lyrics

summarized how heat moves in three ways from hot to cold. The classroom discussion

continued as Mr. Cantor helped his students identify other key words in the song; “feel,”

“touch,” “bump”. While students identified important terms from the lyrics, he circled the

words on the white board and added side notes; pointing out what he considered to be

important. In this way Max helped his students identify the key terms and examples

used in what he defined as “content rich” lyrics.

The requirement that lyrics be content rich is necessary when selecting a science

song for instructional purposes. Mr. Cantor said, “You really have to look for song that

has good factual science information in it. You know, that you can use.” He explained,

“I feel like it’s got to be a content rich song to make it worthwhile” for learning and

added, “I think definitely finding the right song is key, like I was saying. It’s got to have

the science behind it. And it’s got to introduce it in a way that… kids this age can pull it

out of it.” For him, “when [students] can make those connections, that’s what I think

makes it rich in content.” He summarized, “I just keep going back to how rich is the

writing.”

How can the use of science-content music as a teaching strategy impact student

interest, engagement and understanding of science content and concepts?

For the students in Max Cantor’s class, it was the novelty of the strategy that

engaged them most. In the class period observed, Mr. Cantor’s students demonstrated

behaviors that suggested engagement. While the music played, most of the students

sang along. Some of these eighth graders sang loudly, a few stood up, and every one

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followed along with the lyrics printed on the handout. These students explained why

they thought the lesson was engaging; “It’s something out of the ordinary,” they said,

and added, “the way you’re learning is more interesting.” These eighth graders talked

about how the songs presented science content to them using a different “voice.” One

student said, “You’re so used to everyone’s voice.” Another elaborated, “I wanted a lot

more, because… I hear Mr. Cantor’s voice, like, every day, you know, so… it’s just

different when he… played the song.” They compared learning science with songs to

their other courses, “in other classes they don’t do songs or anything, and it’s just boring

all the time.” These students agreed that the novelty of the experience engaged them,

“it’s better than just doing anything ordinary.”

A second theme that emerged from student interviews was that the science

songs engaged them with the content longer. These songs become earworms that

“help me remember sometimes… because it gets stuck in my head.” The eighth

graders in Mr. Cantor’s class said that science songs, “just get stuck in your head… it’s

just simple; so simple, that it just gets stuck in your head.” One student said, “for a test

it’s a good thing, but after class it’s just really annoying.” The fact that these students

thought science songs were “annoying” wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. They were

asked specifically about the heat transfer song that they heard in the observed lesson,

“What makes that song most memorable?” They responded with smiles, “How

annoying it was!” These eighth graders explained how they thought this characteristics

of science songs helped them learn, “I think it helps you better learn and keeps it stuck

in your brain and [you] don’t forget about it, like, over the weekend or something.” And

because the song is ‘stuck in their heads,’ they are engaging with the content longer.

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One student explained “I just sing the song and then after a minute or so, after the

song’s done, I try to look at the lines on the sheet… and we look at a few of the lines,

and then I start thinking about it.”

What does the experience of students and teachers using science-content music

suggest about its potential for teaching and learning science?

The first theme to emerge from the data related to the potential for science songs

to be used for teaching and learning science was that music has a special appeal to

students. Mr. Cantor explained, “The cool thing about songs is that all kids are into

music.” He elaborated, “These kids, they love music. And even though it wasn’t kind of

their genre, they love beats… rhymes, and all that kind of stuff.” Before the study began

Mr. Cantor didn’t fully realize the potential songs had for teaching science in his class,

“The first time I heard the songs, I was like, ‘Oh, my kids are going to make fun of this

song!’ But they loved it, and I was shocked… so, there’s got to be some catchy stuff to

it, but that’s not for me. They’re going to enjoy the music anyway.” Max reflected on

how important music is for today’s students, “a lot of times they need to have music on,

because that’s how they study, and so… they need that going.” The way music speaks

to this generation of students is an important realization for teachers, and one reason

why teaching science with songs has such potential. Mr. Cantor explained:

We have to apply our learning to them, and make it real for them, and with
songs… they all have their iPods, they all want to listen to music, and it
kind of makes them feel like, ‘Okay, you know something about me. You
know that I like music. You know so you’re trying to teach in a way that
you think I might enjoy.’ And so… that raises the level of engagement.
And so then you’re going to have them more tied into what you’re doing.
And, they even enjoyed singing the songs.

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 A final theme that appeared in the data was that for these students, lyric analysis

helped them connect ideas and organize new knowledge. For Mr. Cantor, the true

potential for songs to be effective in helping students learn science concepts lies in this

activity, “They’ve got to see the lyrics to make some connections with what the science

is and what they’re currently learning. They can see some of the pictures and

examples, but to get to that really deeper factual stuff, they’ve really got to see the

lyrics.” In this activity students were required to, “show the connections between the

information” contained in the lyrics and what they were taught by Mr. Cantor. He

described the activity as, “One of those higher-level skills; one of those analysis skills.”

Students made those connections when Mr. Cantor asked them to, “Pull out some facts

and tie that in with the other information that I’d already given them, and show how it’s

all related. I think the synthesis part, it’s got to have them think … how does what I know

attach to this new information they’re giving me?”

Mr. Cantor explained how analyzing the song in the observed lesson helped his

students make those learning connections. “With ‘Conduction, Convection, Radiation,’

it was like they had to understand that the reason a certain line was in the song was

because heat transferred in this way. You know, so it’s kind of like it was a synthesis

and analysis process, so it just required some higher level thinking skills.” He talked

about how he implemented the lyric analysis activity, “We introduced the song as they

were reviewing, having some questions, like a journal activity where they were trying to

access knowledge from a previous lesson, and the song was playing.” Later, he

explained:

We played it three times before we got into analyzing the lyrics. And then
we looked at the lyrics and just went through and did some of the easy

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 stuff; like, ‘What are some examples you see in here of each different type
of heat transfer?’ And then we went back and dug deeper into it, ‘Where
are some facts that you see? What are some facts that you can learn from
these lyrics? Either facts you already know, or new facts that you didn’t
know already?”

This step, Mr. Cantor found, was the most challenging for his students, “We pulled out

facts, and that, the facts part, was hard for them, because they just wanted to copy.”

Instead, he wanted his students to think deeper; he wanted them to think about, “This is

what it says, but what [is] the real fact that’s hidden in the song?” In order to make

those connections, Mr. Cantor wanted his students to consider, “Why is he saying this?”

and, “Why does this apply in this situation?” He added, “It wasn’t just hearing the facts

… [they] had to kind of make a leap to get to those facts.” When engaged in the

analysis activity, Max said, “You really look at the lyrics and if you, as a class or

individually, kind of dive down into it, you can really get some good… facts and some

real, good content out of that.” Mr. Cantor summarized, “Trying to interpret what the

song says into a fact of, that we know, it was good. It was very… very good. It was

kind of in-depth for them.”

Summary

The data from this case revealed several themes related to the research

questions that guided the study. First, science-content songs were useful for teaching

by providing students in this case with alternative explanations of science concepts.

This teacher said that when his students were learning with songs they might have

thought, “[He] really wouldn’t have given us that example, or use the terms in that way.

But based on what I know that he taught us, I can see how this relates.” A second

theme related to how Mr. Cantor used science songs for learning was that he found

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science songs have “content-rich lyrics” that explained key ideas and gave examples of

concepts to his students. The novelty of using songs for a teaching strategy was what

students found most engaging, and they interacted with the science concepts longer.

Mr. Cantor supported what his students said, “I think it really does engage all your

learners… I think every learner’s going to get something out of it new that they didn’t get

out of the other teaching styles that I was using.” The data analyzed also suggested

that the special appeal music has for today’s students was one way in which science

songs have a potential impact on teaching and learning science. Additionally, for songs

to have instructional potential, students must be involved in a lyric analysis activity to

help them connect ideas and organize new knowledge. When asked, “Are you going to

keep using songs?” Mr. Cantor responded, “Yeah…. because I think it added [a]

different dimension to how and what I teach… definitely to how I teach. Not really to

what; it doesn’t really change what I teach, but it changes how I teach.”

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 CHAPTER 5: CROSS-CASE ANALYSIS

The purpose of this study was to learn more about the experiences of teachers

and students when content music was used for teaching and learning in the middle

school science classroom. A multiple case study design was used to explain, describe

and understand what happens when content-based songs are used as an instructional

strategy to help students understand science concepts. In this study six teachers and

their students shared experiences and insights about the use of science songs for

teaching and learning, which were used to better understand the quintain; a term

suggested by Stake (2006) to represent the common condition or experience across

cases that binds cases together. Synthesizing the data, that is, exploring the similarities

and differences in the themes identified for all six individual case studies provided a

deeper understanding of the quintain; and the use of science-content music in the

middle school science classroom for teaching and learning. What follows is a

discussion of the cases in context and a synthesis of the findings in the study.

Cases in Context

The six cases included in this study were “selected because they represent the

program or phenomenon” (Stake, 2006, p. 23) being studied. As indicated by Stake,

the opportunity to learn about the quintain is the most important criteria for selecting

cases for multiple case study research. The participating middle school teachers

included in this research were those both accessible, and willing to implement the use

of science-content music as a teaching strategy during the data collection phase of the

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study. They taught in schools from the same district the researcher works in, were

geographically close, and where both the administration and teachers were willing to

participate; thus providing an opportunity to observe the quintain. Once the targeted

number of six cases was met, based on recommendations by Stake (2006), the

recruitment phase of the study ended and data collection began.

Common Characteristics

These cases were contextually bound in that they all occurred in middle schools

located in the same school district. All of the teachers were experienced, rather than

novice educators, with no less than nine years’ experience. All the classrooms were in

buildings constructed using similar plans, each one laid out with a nearly identical

arrangement of student lab tables with slight variations in the placement of the teacher

desk. A common framework for state standards in science was used by all teachers

according to grade level that resulted in many of the same songs being used across

cases, while teachers covered the same concepts. All six teachers received the same

introduction to the study with instructions to use two songs in upcoming units and

include a lyric analysis activity as part of the study. Other suggestions were made for

implementation strategies and an identical list of important points and guidelines were

reviewed with each teacher at the beginning of the study, as shown on Appendix E.

Each teacher was provided with four CDs from which to select songs and

additional resources for science-content music were suggested to explore additional

songs for teaching science concepts. One of the recordings provided to each teacher

was content specific and varied by grade level. A second CD that was provided to all

participants in the study was the 2009 release of Here Comes Science by They Might

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Be Giants, which included Flash animation videos for all the songs. My husband, Larry

Morris, recording science-content songs under the alias of Professor Boggs, produced

two of the CDs provided to these teachers. The second of those CDs, Round the World

With Science (Morris, 2010) was produced specifically for this study in that the songs

were written to purposely address content standards covered in the participating school

district during the data collection period. The concepts covered in these songs spanned

the curriculum for all three grade levels and were written according to research-based

suggestions as described in the research review in Chapter 2 and discovered during the

pilot study about songs for learning. It was this final CD that provided the content-based

science songs for most of the study, although different songs were used based on

grade level.

Commonalities in Implementation

Across the six cases, there were a number of commonalities in terms of how

teachers implemented science songs. Sixth grade teachers used songs about heat

transfer during their study of the Earth’s mantle, and the songs about plate tectonics

and the rock cycle from this CD. Eighth grade teachers at both schools used

“Conduction, Convection, Radiation” and “Some Kind of Energy” from the same

recording (Morris, 2010). The seventh grade teacher used a number of songs from

both of Morris’s CDs, as well as one by Dr. Chordate.

There are a number of possible explanations for Morris’s songs being chosen by

these teachers during implementation of this study. One possibility is that these songs

were intentionally tied to the content standards being addressed during the study.

Sandy Kingston emphasized the importance of having easy access to songs that fit the

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curriculum. For songs to be chosen as a useful teaching tool, she said, “the lyrics would

have to be on target with our concepts and our content.” Derek Martin explained why

he selected the songs he did, “They had enough information in them. They had enough

detail and content in them that they were very useful and I knew that from listening to

them. I was like, ‘Okay, I’ll use this.’” Derek compared these songs to others that were

provided, “You gave me another CD by They Might Be Giants; is that right?” he asked.

Then added, “I think I remember a song, or two on there that I’m like, ‘Well, I might be

able to use this.’ But I don’t remember the tune.” Anna Darcy explained her preference

for selecting songs from Morris’s CDs, “I know that [Morris] knows the words we’re

using in science. So I know he’s familiar with what I’m doing.” During the interviews

several of teachers said that content emphasis tied to the curriculum was the most

important criteria in selecting songs for teaching science as well as being able to find

songs to fit the concepts they were teaching.

Variations in Implementation

Even though all teachers were given the same instructions and resources, they

chose to begin implementation of the study at different times in the semester. The

teachers at School C were the first ones to bring science-content music into their

curriculum. Within days Sandy Kingston reported her students were learning about heat

transfer in Earth’s mantle with “Conduction, Convection, Radiation” (Morris, 2010).

Derek Martin’s classroom was the first visited in early November using his second song,

“Some Kind of Energy” to teach about energy forms and transformations. Two of the

teachers at School B were the last to use songs for teaching with both Max Cantor and

Betty Taylor’s observations having occurred in early December, near the end of the data

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collection period. Both those teachers waited until well into the semester and cited

finding time to learn and implement a new teaching strategy as a major obstacle in

implementation. Max Cantor reported it was, “one more thing to fit in, you know, and

that’s the way I looked at it, at first.” He added, “By doing it once, now I’m like okay, I

know how to do it now. And so now that I’ve done one, it makes it easier for me to

implement other ones.”

While initial instructions for all participants asked them to include a lyric analysis

activity during the study, there were interesting variations in how each teacher

interpreted what it meant and how they implemented this strategy. A comparison of

implementation strategies is summarized in Table 10. All the teachers in this study

provided students with lyrics on a handout for the analysis activity but what they had

students do with the lyrics differed. Two teachers, Derek Martin and Martha Russell

asked students to work in groups to interpret lyrics, then shared their thoughts with the

class. The other teachers included a whole-class approach to the activity. Max Cantor

and Betty Taylor both followed up by assigning students an independent activity;

Cantor’s students had to write illustrate or add verses, while Taylor’s eighth-graders

were asked to do a comparison to the textbook.

All the teachers except Sandy Kingston asked their students to interpret lyrics in

a paper and pencil task. Betty Taylor emphasized the use of action words in the song,

while both Martha Russell and Anna Darcy stressed identification of ‘key words’ and

terms used in the songs. Max Cantor provided the broadest explanation of what lyric

analysis meant with his students and included instructions about differentiating between

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vocabulary words and facts, and further encouraged students to identify places where

the lyrics were confusing and to add questions about the content presented in the lyrics.

TABLE 10: Implementation Comparisons

Teacher Lyric Presentation Activity

Groups interpret and make mini-posters
Martin Lyric handout showing examples & non-examples to
share with class
Kingston Lyric handout Class dance
Lyric handout includes Groups identify vocabulary and interpret
Russell empty boxes and Power verses to share with class; some wrote
Point words, others used pictures
Find “action words” then interpret and
Taylor Lyric handout discuss as a class; compare with textbook
independently
Lyric handout includes Listen with hand motions and underline key
Darcy
empty boxes words, then class discussion
Find key terms, add facts, questions and
Lyric handout and
Cantor notes as a class; compose new verses or
projected on White Board
illustrate independently

The two sixth grade teachers demonstrated the most unusual ways of engaging

students in lyric analysis activities. Martha Russell developed a complex multi-media

presentation for both the songs she used, complete with graphics and timed with the

lyrics. Sandy Kingston developed a kinesthetic activity, involving a choreographed

dance. Both of these groups of students were highly enthusiastic about learning science

with songs in the focus group discussions, a factor which could easily be contributed to

their age as easily as to the activity involved. A seventh-grade teacher, Anna Darcy,

used hand motions to emphasize key ideas related to evolution in a whole-group activity

but with less student enthusiasm. Regardless of how the lyric analysis activity was

implemented, all teachers who participated in the study reported that this was a positive

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learning experience that helped their students engage with and understand the science

concepts they were teaching.

Synthesis of Case Findings

The final outcome of the cross-case analysis resulted in a number of assertions

for each research question based on a merging of the themes from individual case

findings that provided insight into the quintain. According to Stake (2006), this process

should be a synthesis of ideas found in individual cases, rather than a further analysis of

data. Consequently, areas of divergence in the data for this multi-case study are

presented separately. The cross-case analysis produced six assertions, each with a

single focus that resulted from a process of comparing similarities and differences

across cases, as identified in Table 11. Supporting evidence is provided in the

discussion related to each assertion. In attempting to understand how science-content

music was used for teaching and learning middle school science in these cases, two

assertions resulted from a synthesis of findings: first, that science-content music helped

students develop scientific vocabulary, and second, that songs provided students with

an additional resource to construct meaning of science concepts. In reviewing how

student interest, engagement and understanding of science concepts were impacted by

using science-content music, merged findings suggest the students thought that songs

provided novelty and variety in the learning environment and were considered to be a

mnemonic device that aided learning. The final assertions suggested in the cross-case

analysis are related to the potential use of science-content music for teaching and

learning science based on the experiences of both teachers and students. They

included how the socio-cultural appeal of music can be utilized when using science-

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TABLE 11: Assertions from merging cases during Cross-Case Analysis

Research Question 1: In what ways do teachers use science-content music in the

curriculum to enhance instruction in the middle school science classroom?
Assertion: Songs help students develop
DM SK MR BT AD MC
scientific vocabulary.
• Build understanding of scientific terms X
• Build vocabulary base X
• Develops language of science X
Assertion: Songs provide students with an
additional resource to construct meaning of DM SK MR BT AD MC
science concepts.
• Providing alternative examples X X
• Explaining key ideas X
• Visualization of concepts X
• Telling stories X
Research Question 2: How can the use of science-content music as a teaching
strategy impact student interest, engagement and understanding of science content
and concepts?
Assertion: Songs provide novelty and variety in
DM SK MR BT AD MC
the learning environment.
• With novelty or change in environment X X X
• With active learning X X X
Assertion: Songs are mnemonic devices that aid
DM SK MR BT AD MC
students in learning
• As a mnemonic device X X
• As a part of a study strategy X
Research Question 3: What does the experience of students and teachers using
science-content music suggest about its potential for teaching and learning science?
Assertion: Music has a socio-cultural appeal for
DM SK MR BT AD MC
students that can be utilized in science instruction.
• Instructional contagion X
• Music has a universal appeal X X
• Students care about X
• Songs have socio-cultural appeal X
Assertion: Lyric analysis can help students
connect ideas and build conceptual DM SK MR BT AD MC
understanding.
• Lyric analysis helps students connect ideas
X X X X
and organize knowledge

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content music for instruction; and finally, that lyric analysis can help students connect

ideas and build conceptual understanding. As is the implication with all case study

research, these findings are limited to these cases and cannot necessarily be

generalized beyond the bounds of this study.

Assertion 1: The use of science-content songs impacts learning by helping students

develop scientific vocabulary.

During the individual case analyses themes related to the use of content-based

songs to develop scientific vocabulary appeared in the data for Derek Martin, Betty

Taylor and Martha Russell. While the data collected from these teachers emphasized

the use of songs for developing scientific vocabulary, all the other teachers included in

the study, and some of the students, provided support for this assertion, as summarized

in Table 12. In the case of Derek Martin, he reported that the songs were used to help

students build “a working definition” of science terms. He said that they “were not

simply a song that happened to mention the word ‘bird’ or something, or happened to

mention the word ‘atom,’” but went beyond in developing the language of science.

Derek explained, “It worked at different levels. I think it worked for introducing them to

some important words, or key ideas.” Mr. Martin added, “I think it’s deeper than just

vocabulary. It’s deeper than just spit back out, recognizing examples on the

worksheet.” Mrs. Russell talked about one of the greatest challenges she faces with

teaching her students; “Sixth graders don’t have experience with a lot of science in

elementary school. They don’t know how to handle the vocabulary-heavy subject that

we have.” She added, “With all of the vocabulary, it’s very hard.” In her experience the

songs helped her students because “by choosing those key words, I was able to point

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things out.” For Mrs. Taylor, it is important that her students learn to “speak science.”

She explained, “A lot of times they don’t think they know things and they do know it, and

they do have it. They just don’t have the language with it.” The use of science-content

music as a teaching strategy helped her students develop the language of science.

Most of the activities observed during the classroom visit included some

component of vocabulary development as well. Sandy Kingston’s students made

kinesthetic motions when key words were mentioned, such as making circles with their

hands in front of them when the word “convection” was sung. Anna Darcy said that

during the lyric analysis activity she asked students to, “underline the vocab-words” that

they discussed in class, and Max Cantor had students “pull out key words.” One of Mrs.

Darcy’s students elaborated how the song helped her build an understanding of science

vocabulary, “every word it sort of gives meaning; it gives you an explanation about it.”

Another student said, “It defined the words… it actually defined the meaning of them.”

Finally, while the data from Sandy Kingston to support this assertion wasn’t extensive,

she did provide an example of how the songs helped her students build scientific

vocabulary. At her third interview she talked about using “The Lonely Fossil” (Morris,

2010) in a lesson she covered earlier in the day;

There was one class that I did not play the Lonely Fossil for, because our
schedule got cut short. When we were doing the questions that class
could not get the answer, ‘trilobite.’ And the other classes had gotten it.
And I thought, why did they not know? And then I said, y’all know, you
remember it’s in the song. And they said, “What song?” So it was almost
like that song even introduced that key [term], ‘index fossil’ to them.

Although the data were only significant enough to support an emergent theme in half of

the six cases, every teacher involved in the study, and many of the students, discussed

how the use of science-content music helped build scientific vocabulary.

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TABLE 12: Supporting data for “Developing scientific vocabulary”

Assertion 1: Songs impact learning by helping students develop scientific vocabulary.

I think it worked for introducing them to you know, here’s some important
Martin
words, or key ideas.
They were just picking out different words, and talking about, “We’ve
Kingston
seen that one before.” Or, “I already knew what that one meant.”
And then the vocabulary; a lot of that was there too, and the more they
Russell
hear it, the better they do with it.
Darcy I would say underline the vocab-words you remember learning about.
Some of the words that they learn in science they’ll have to know in the
Taylor
songs, [to] kind of help connect a little of the vocabulary.
Student 1 It defined the words… it actually defined the meaning of them.
Student 2 It has like a bunch of key words.

Assertion 2: Science content songs impact learning by providing students with an

additional resource to construct understanding of science concepts.

Most of the teachers in this study talked extensively about how the use of

content-rich songs impacted teaching and learning by providing students with an

additional resource to build understanding of science concepts, although each of them

provided a different insight to how this worked. Themes from five of the six cases

contributed to this assertion by emphasizing different approaches, however every

teacher included in this study made statements that contributed to this finding. Table 13

provides an overview of supporting data from all of the teachers and several of the

students recognizing the potential for these songs to provide an alternative resource for

students in building understanding of science concepts.

To support this assertion both Max Cantor and Derek Martin discussed how the

songs provided students with alternative examples and explanations of the concepts

they were studying. Mr. Martin talked about how the songs “gave them something else

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to refer to,” then added how important it is that, “students get a chance to pull from

something other than the all-mighty textbook as their base reference.” These songs, he

said, “would have examples in them, for the students to recognize” and “it keeps

reinforcing that concept, and with examples.” Max explained how the songs worked as

an additional resource for his students, “The songs presented the material in a slightly

different way; I taught it in one way, and gave certain examples, and then the songs that

we used, it kind of gave some other examples and used some other vocabulary.”

Martha Russell discussed the use of songs as an additional resource for students to

build understanding of science concepts, but explained this in terms of a visualization

process. She reported, “They were able to take that and when they heard the phrases

they were able to visualize, think about what happened a little bit better.”

Anna Darcy talked more about how songs were more like stories that could be

used as an alternative resource for building understanding. She described the song

lyrics as fitting together to tell a story. For her, this provides something that she feels is

missing from her day-to-day teaching, “I think it just was a different way because

sometimes I get into a bad habit of teaching pieces and never looking at fitting it

together. And I think the songs fit it together.” Once again, even though the data from

Sandy Kingston didn’t significantly add to this assertion, she did provide an example of

how the songs provided an additional resource for her students to draw from. While

sharing a conversation she had with a student about his results on an assessment, she

explained:

He said, “I could remember that conduction was heat movement through

a spoon, stir a cup of coffee.” He said that for convection, “I remembered
warmer currents rise, cooler currents sink.” So he remembered direct
things and examples from the song.

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 Students in most of these cases confirmed that these content-rich songs

provided an additional resource for them to build understanding. One of Mr. Martin’s

students talked about the energy song from the lesson on the day his class was

observed, “I like this one because it told you what it was and then gave you a couple of

examples.” Mrs. Kingston’s sixth-graders said that, “there’s a bunch of examples in the

song,” while another student in her class added, it “summarizes the main ideas and

stuff.” Mr. Cantor’s students had the most to say about science songs as an additional

resource for explaining concepts. One of his students said, “If you look in the book it

says the same things. It’s just in song form.” Another added, “It makes little words,

instead of those huge words in the books that keep you all confused.” Mrs. Darcy’s

students said, “It has like all these describing words and it describes everything for you.”

TABLE 13: Supporting data for “Additional Resource to Construct Meaning”

Assertion 2: Songs impact learning by providing students with an additional resource

to construct understanding of science concepts.
The songs would have examples in them, for the students to recognize,
Martin “Oh that’s an example of… you know, whatever this concept might be,
so, you know, conduction and the particles touching, or whatever.”
He said, “I could remember that conduction was heat movement
through a spoon, stir a cup of coffee.” He said that for convection, “I
Kingston
remembered warmer currents rise, cooler currents sink.” So he
remembered direct things and examples from the song.”
I think [the song] just was a different way because sometimes I get into
Darcy a bad habit of teaching pieces and never looking at fitting it together.
And I think the songs fit [concepts] together.
The songs presented the material in slightly different way. I taught it in
one way, and gave certain examples, and then the songs that we used.
Cantor
It kind of gave some other examples and used some other vocabulary.
And it just kind of reinforced what they had already learned.
Student 1 There’s a bunch of examples in the song and stuff.
Student 2 They gave us so many specific details more than your teacher tells you.
Student 3 When it’s a song, it kind of like summarizes the main ideas and stuff.

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Assertion 3: Songs provide novelty and variety in the learning environment.

The data from student focus group interviews and classroom observation were

used to better understand the quintain in terms of how content-based songs impacted

student interest, engagement and understanding of science concepts. One assertion

that appeared consistently in the themes across all cases was related to engagement

through novelty and variety. Supporting data for this assertion is provided in Table 14.

Students from all cases talked about how much they enjoyed learning science

with content-based songs. Some students, like those in Anna Darcy’s, Derek Martin’s

and Max Cantor’s classes, talked more about the novelty of learning science with

songs, while students in the other classes explained engagement more in terms of

“active learning.” The active nature of learning with songs was most obvious in Sandy

Kingston’s class as all of her students got up and danced with the song. In every

classroom observation at least a few students were observed singing and moving in

their seats to the beat every time science-content music was played. Some made

unsolicited hand motions, such as one girl in Mrs. Russell’s class during the chorus of

“Tectonics Rocks” (Morris, 2010). A student from Mrs. Taylor’s class summarized, “It’s

active learning. Music, it sticks in your brain.”

Students described novelty in a variety of ways. One student said that learning

with songs was, “something out of the ordinary.” A sixth-grader in Martha Russell’s

class said, “You can learn from it, because it’s more better than a book, a teacher and

study guides and all that.” Another student elaborated on her level of engagement, “It

doesn’t seem like its work. It just seems you’re in the middle of class, and you’re

listening to a song.” The most common comments made by students addressed how

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difficult it is to pay attention to ‘teacher-talk.’ However, songs presented content in a

way that kept them listening, as explained by one student, “When people are talking and

they’re lecturing or something, I just zone out, and then I miss half the lesson. But then,

with a song, it wraps it up and makes it easier to listen to.” One of Max’s students

explained, “I wanted a lot more, because I hear Mr. Cantor’s voice every day, so it’s just

different when he played the song.” Anna Darcy’s students reported, “When the

teacher’s talking it’s so boring, it goes in one ear and out the other.” She added, “When

I listen to music I don’t really picture anything, I just sit there and listen to it and it goes

in my ear and stops.” Regardless of how engagement was explained, students across

cases reported that they enjoyed learning with songs and most were more likely to pay

attention in class than when traditional teaching methods were used.

All six teachers also recognized how songs engaged their students through

novelty and variety. Derek Martin explained, “The engagement level, I think, is definitely

higher with something like this, with the music, because it’s just a different mode of

delivering it to them.” Max Cantor reported, “It’s also new to them. It’s like people don’t

do that all the time.” Anna Darcy also offered her support; “I think they’re more actively

involved rather than passive, just listening to me say it. All of a sudden they’re tapping

their foot and clapping their hands.” Some of the teachers reported that their students

asked to hear the songs repeated frequently. Martha Russell said, “They kept asking

me for one thing, when are we going to do another song? Can we hear it again?”

Sandy Kingston reported that even when she tried to have students listen to popular

music, they asked to hear the science songs again instead; “Sometimes I play

something off my iTunes… and they’ll say, “Put on the ‘Conduction, Convection,

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Radiation’ song.” I’m like, are y’all serious? Yeah, we want to hear that! And we’ll play

it again.” Ms. Kingston said that her students’ engagement level was so great that they

continued singing and dancing about heat transfer beyond the classroom. She reported

receiving feedback from parents, “I had three emails that came in in one day and just

said this, specifically, this song, this dance that they’re doing on the soccer field, they

really enjoy learning, and you’ve made it fun.” Betty Taylor talked about how her

students’ responses to learning science with songs exceeded her expectations, “I was

surprised at how much they really wanted to sing it. Because usually trying to get kids

to sing in class has just been not going to happen.” She added it was, “easier to

engage them with this than with the lab.” Max Cantor also found the level of

engagement he observed with his students impressive, “I was a little surprised by that;

sixth or seventh, they might like it, but no, the eighth graders, they loved it!” Teachers,

as well as students, claimed that the novelty and variety of learning with content-rich

songs enhanced student interest and engagement in the middle school science

classroom.

TABLE 14: Supporting data for “Songs provide novelty and variety”

Assertion 3: Songs provide novelty and variety in the learning environment.

I had three emails that came in in one day and just said this, specifically,
Kingston this song, this dance that they’re doing on the soccer field, they really enjoy
learning, and you’ve made it fun.
Well they kept asking me for one thing, when are we going to do another
Russell
song? Can we hear it again?
Darcy I just think the music makes them more excited to pay attention.
Student 1 If it’s more fun than it is to learn about something, it’s easier to learn.
Student 2 You can’t learn as much if you don’t have something fun to remember it by.
It doesn’t seem like its work. It just seems you’re in the middle of class, and
Student 3
you’re listening to a song.

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Assertion 4: Songs are mnemonic devices that aid students in learning

One assertion that was suggested from the themes identified in three cases was

that students thought science-content songs provided mnemonic devices that helped

them learn and remember science concepts. Mnemonic devices are learning

techniques that aid memory. Themes that emerged from the data in Martha Russell’s

and Betty Taylor’s cases indicate that students used science-content songs as

mnemonic devices to remember concepts, while Sandy Kingston’s students went farther

in using them to study for tests. However, students from most of the other classes, and

all of the teachers, provided additional statements to support this finding, as shown in

Table 15.

Students in Martha Russell’s and Betty Taylors classrooms talked extensively

about how the song became earworms and got “stuck in their heads” and helped them

remember important ideas in science. One eighth-grader in Mrs. Taylor’s class stated,

“Music sticks in your brain. You’re not going to forget it.” A student in Mr. Martin’s class

talked about one of the songs they learned in this teacher’s class:

We listened to it all the time in science. And then this guy on my bus, he
was singing it on the bus, the whole bus ride home. So it obviously got
stuck in his head and it got stuck in mine, too.

One girl from Sandy Kingston’s class offered, “It just gets stuck in your head; it’s just

simple. So simple, that it just gets stuck in your head.” In Sandy Kingston’s case, the

theme that supported this assertion suggested that these students used songs to help

them as a study strategy. One student explained, “the song gets stuck in your head, and

then you know the definition and then you’re able to do well on your test.”

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 Across all cases students described these songs as “catchy” and talked about

how the use of rhymes and humor made them easy to remember. Mrs. Russell’s

students said, “You can kind of remember the words since it’s so catchy,” while another

said, “It all rhymes, so you can remember it better.” One of Mrs. Darcy’s students

offered, “it’s got a tune and a beat that’s catchy and then it says all this stuff; you learn

stuff and then you laugh because it’s funny.” The fact that the songs seemed to

become earworms for many students was one of the things they appreciated most

about them. “I think the best part is you can go back to it and you can keep it in your

head since it’s catchy,” one of Mr. Martin’s students explained.

Even the teachers recognized the potential for science songs to act as mnemonic

devices to help students remember science concepts. Derek Martin said, “We can’t

help, but sometimes, have lyrics stick with us. So even just as an academic learning

device, it’s great.” Anna Darcy said that for her students the songs were compelling,

“They couldn’t help but learn it. That’s what I like about it. You may not even have been

trying to learn it, and you know it.” Mrs. Russell she saw specific students that the

songs seemed to help the most, “Even during the test last week, I had some of them

sitting there with their hand motions. And I could actually tell that some of them were

kind of trying to sing it along as we were going with the test.” Mrs. Taylor also noted a

similar tendency, “I noticed sometimes they would be working a question, and it [would]

trigger, and they would start singing.” These songs were powerful mnemonic devices

that had value in helping students remember important concepts in science.

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TABLE 15: Supporting data for “Songs are Mnemonic Devices”

Assertion 4: Songs are mnemonic devices that aid students in learning

We can’t help, but sometimes, have lyrics stick with us. So even just
Martin
as an academic learning device, it’s great.
He said, “No, it was that song. It got stuck in my head and I actually
Kingston
learned it.”
Russell It’s a good recall method for them.
They couldn’t help but learn it. That’s what I like about it. You may
Darcy
not even have been trying to learn it, and you know it.
I noticed sometimes they would be working a question, and it [would]
Taylor
trigger, and they would start singing.
I think the best part is you can go back to it and you can keep it in
Student 1
your head since it’s catchy.
You think about it and sing in your head and you’re like, “Oh, I knew
Student 2
that.”
It doesn’t really seem like you’re learning anything, but the third
Student 3 chorus, or, by the third time you’re listening to the song, you’re
like…Oh yeah, I am remembering this stuff!
With the song you can kind of remember the words since it’s so
Student 4
catchy.
I really, really could not remember anything, and then we learned that
Student 5
song, I got all of it.

Assertion 5: Music has a socio-cultural appeal for students that can be utilized in

science instruction.

The third and final research question related to the potential of songs for use in

science teaching based on the experiences of teachers and students in these cases.

The common focus for the themes identified in addressing this question related to why

the use of science-content music should be considered as an instructional strategy. In

analyzing the data for all individual cases, themes appeared to support the assertion

that music has a socio-cultural appeal that can be used for instruction in four of the six

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cases. The themes related to the socio-cultural appeal of music varied in how they

were expressed, but the binding concept for these ideas relates to the socio-cultural

aspect of learning with songs. The socio-cultural appeal of music is a synthesis of the

ideas related to the importance of music in the culture of middle school age students.

The themes identified in each case represent a different dimension to understanding the

role music plays in the lives of these students. For Sandy Kingston, she found that

songs had a broad appeal, and that they spread like an instructional contagion far

beyond the walls of her classroom. The universal appeal of music was a theme that

emerged in Max Cantor’s case as he realized the impact using songs for teaching had

on his students and that by bringing it into his lessons had reached students in a new

way. Martha Russell described the nature of songs as something students care about

as she talked about the media influences that depended on music, while the

experiences of Betty Taylor and her students more directly resulted in identification of

the theme that songs have a socio-cultural appeal. Data supporting this assertion

across all cases is summarized in Table 16.

For most of the teachers and students in these cases, the power of music had an

appeal to students that was universal. Virtually every teacher in the study discussed

how his or her students connected with music. Martha Russell acknowledged the

appeal of music for her students, “Kids love music. And it’s like the ideas are there, but

with the rhyming of the lyrics, and just the catchy phrases, they liked it.” Betty Taylor

talked a lot about how much music resonated with her students, and how it infiltrated

every aspect of their lives. She related the phenomenon she observed with a school-

wide interest she saw students had with the television series, “Glee;” and the special

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meaning songs had for them. “Glee” is a currently airing, musical-drama series that is

targeted towards teenagers. She explained, “They all talk about ‘Glee’, so I’m thinking

that with all the competitions, with songs and stuff on there, I think they’re more

receptive to songs and music.” She talked about other socio-cultural aspects of music

and how it infiltrated the media from movies like “High School Musical,” a Disney made-

for-television film aimed at a teen-age audience, to social karaoke events and easy

access of digital music downloads. Max Cantor also talked about the appeal of music,

“They may not like this music, this not be their style, but they still like music.”

Although the data wasn’t sufficient enough in Derek Martin’s case to generate a

theme, he recognized that students “identify with music” and further supported this

assertion; “Simply the power of the music sticking with you, and the lyrics sticking with

you, there’s nothing else. I mean there are other ways that you can engage with

material. Although I think this is one of that gets the students interest. So that gives it a

little extra, you know, compared to other activities that also helped them engage with

the material.” Students across cases talked about how music resonated with them. As

reported in the case study for Mrs. Taylor’s class, one young man summarized it best:

Music is, well, with most people it’s a good thing. It’s something. We go
on iTunes and buy music. It’s worth something. If you associate learning
with something that’s worth something, then people will want to learn.

Using science-content songs to teach has the potential to affect teaching and

learning because it tells students, according to Max Cantor, “You know

something about me. You know that I like music. You know so you’re trying to

teach in a way that you think I might enjoy.”

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TABLE 16: Data supporting the “Socio-cultural Appeal of Music”

Assertion 5: Music has a socio-cultural appeal for students that can be utilized in
science instruction.
Simply the power of the music sticking with you, and the lyrics sticking
with you, there’s nothing else. I mean there are other ways that you
Martin can engage with material. Although I think this is one of that gets the
students interest. So that gives it a little extra, you know, compared to
other activities that also helped them engage with the material.
Students right now need some kind of creative outlet and they seem
Kingston
to like music.
Kids love music…. And it’s like the ideas are there, but with the
Russell
rhyming of the lyrics, and just the catchy phrases, they liked it.
You can’t listen to the songs and not be happy. You know, I mean
Darcy
they’re positive.
Taylor I think they’re more receptive to songs and music.
They all have their iPods, they all want to listen to music, and it kind of
makes them feel like, okay, you know something about me. You know
Cantor
that I like music. You know so you’re trying to teach in a way that you
think I might enjoy.
Music is, well, with most people it’s a good thing. It’s something we go
on iTunes and buy music. It’s worth something… If you associate
Student
learning with something that’s worth something, then people will want
to learn.

Assertion 6: Lyric analysis can help students connect ideas and build conceptual

understanding.

The final assertion that resulted from a synthesis of the case findings is that

when songs are used as an instructional strategy for teaching science, the process of

analyzing lyrics can help students connect ideas and build conceptual understanding.

This theme appeared in four of the six cases fairly consistently and with nearly the same

terminology. Derek Martin, Betty Taylor, Anna Darcy and Max Cantor all extensively

explained how having students dissect and analyze the lyrics of content rich songs

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helped them connect ideas and build understanding of science concepts. Table 17

summarizes some of the data to support this assertion.

Derek Martin’s response to the use of science songs was reflected in what he

saw happen with his students: “When they start looking at the lyrics, and they’re like,

Oh! There’s some meaning to this! Oh! This stands for something else!” When he gave

them a new song to analyze Mr. Martin said, “They’ve got to look at the lyrics and apply

what they know. They have to look at the lyrics and understand and see how the lyrics

make those connections.” Anna Darcy also stressed the importance of analyzing the

lyrics for the songs as a meaningful learning experience: “I want them to be able to

connect it to things; otherwise we’re just singing words. But I want it to be more than

that. I want it to go to a deeper level.” She said that when her students analyzed song

lyrics she asked them, “Why would he choose to put that in a song? It’s because… and

then it makes a connection and then they’re like, ‘Oh!’” Mr. Cantor said that when his

students analyzed the lyrics, “they had to look a little bit deeper than the surface level.”

For him, “It’s not about definitions, but how does this illustrate the concepts?” Max

added, “They have to be able to make that connection with the example that they read

or hear from the song, or read in the lyrics, or hear from the lyrics. So, there’s that

aspect of it. And, I think that’s one of the strongest aspects, obviously.” Betty Taylor

thought it was important to analyze lyrics after concepts were introduced to maximize

their potential and suggested that was because students needed something “to bring to”

the activity. She explained it, “helped that I did the song when they had some

knowledge to bring to the lyrics.” She added, “It helps us transfer that information, that

whole experience. I think that this is one of those elements that helps with that.”

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Martha Russell also talked about how analyzing lyrics helped her students make

connections, “When songs are used for teaching, students can “take what the words or

action, what the meaning of the words actually is. They can take it and say, ‘Oh! Yes!

This means such and such.’” She added, “That’s how they can piece it together and get

the whole conceptual idea together.”

Although the students didn’t articulate well how analyzing lyrics helped them

make learning connections, they explained what they thought was gained from the

activity and gave some examples of how it worked to help them. One student from Mrs.

Russell’s class said, “It helps me understand… how they work, and stuff like that,”

referring to how the lyric analysis activity helped her understand concepts included in

plate tectonics. Another of her students said she thought the song helped her learn

because after one of the songs was introduced and analyzed, “The next day we were

doing stuff in class and I was just doing every answer because we learned the song.”

One student in Sandy Kingston’s class gave this example, “When I hear

convection, or conduction, or radiation, those words, or see them written in anything, I

think of the song and then I know what it was talking about.” A student from Anna

Darcy’s class tried to explain how the evolution song helped him connect ideas:

You’re like hey, this is pretty interesting, so you get into it and it’s talking
about what we’ve been learning. It was saying about the ancestors were
hairy part. It was just saying it doesn’t matter what they were, it matters
that you could’ve had a mutation in your cells and it doesn’t matter what
they had.

Another of Mrs. Darcy’s students provided her insights into how lyric analysis helped

connect ideas, “It gives you a big picture too, not just looking at the little parts of the

song, but like looking at the whole song, it’s like a big picture. It’s not just like small little

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ideas locked in the middle of the song.” While the data collected from students didn’t

emphasize how science songs helped them connect ideas to develop understanding of

science concepts, they did provide some additional evidence to support this assertion.

TABLE 17: Data supporting “Lyric Analysis Helps Connect Ideas and Builds
Understanding”

Assertion: Lyric analysis can help students connect ideas and build conceptual
understanding.
To see my students pick out, pick apart the lyrics and to see some of
them even find connections that I missed, going over it with the class.
Martin
To me shows that the lyrics are complex. There’s, there’s a deeper
level of understanding you have to get to be able to do that.
That helped him make the difference, you know, and the connections
Kingston
there.
That’s how they can piece it together and get the whole conceptual
Russell
idea together.
Why would he choose to put that in a song? It’s because… and then it
Darcy
makes a connection and then they’re like, “oh!”
It helps them connect science to some of their experiences because a
Taylor
lot of times they don’t think they know things and they do know it.
They’ve got to see the lyrics to make some connections with what the
science is and what they’re currently learning. They can see some of
Cantor
the pictures and examples, but to get to that really deeper factual
stuff, they really got to see the lyrics.

Divergence Across Cases

In conducting the cross-case analysis emphasis was placed on synthesizing

themes from the individual cases to better understand the use of science-content music

in the middle school classroom. However, there were some anomalies, or areas of

divergence, in the data that warrant further discussion.

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Not all students like learning science with songs.

While the vast majority of students enjoyed learning science with songs, there

was one student among the fifty-seven participants who rejected this idea and clearly

did not enjoy learning with songs. For one eighth-grade girl in Derek Martin’s class,

songs interfered with learning. She reported, “I don’t like learning with songs, because

they don’t necessarily come out and tell you what it is, straight out, but sometimes they

go too fast and you just can’t hear.” For her, this strategy is neither engaging, nor

novel. She would “rather read it in a textbook.” In her focus group interview she had

little else to contribute to the conversation about why her experience was so different

from her peers, but her classmates did support her in explaining that not all songs are

good for learning.

While the other students in her class didn’t concur with her opinion, they

suggested that some songs that were too complicated, confusing, or included irrelevant

information might hinder learning. One of her classmates reported that the song, “Atom

Shack” (Morris, 2010) presented problems for him:

During the test I actually thought it was a little confusing if I went back to
try to ‘listen’ to the song. I couldn’t remember how in the song where
everything went in order. So then I got kind of confused and I stopped
trying to refer to the song. Since that song was kind of like repetition with
slight changes, it got muddled around in my brain.

Another student suggested, “If the song is too long and not catchy, and it’s just words, it

may confuse them more and not help them as much.” For songs to be helpful, this

student continued, they should have “some sort of order and relation.” He explained

this meant lyrics needed to present information in logical order, give examples and

rhyme. Another student summarized that songs should be, “simple and catchy.”

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 As these students discussed their experiences they offered their opinions on

characteristics of songs that they thought were helpful for learning. One of the boys in

the group compared a song he thought was good for learning to one that wasn’t, “it just

tells you right off what everything is. But in the other one, the electrons, you have to

know a little about it to understand what it’s talking about.” When asked what made a

good science song, one student in this focus group responded, “short and sweet and to

the point.” And while this group continued to offer criticism of certain songs, every

student in the group, except this girl, reported that they did enjoy learning with songs,

consistent with all of the other students in the remaining cases. For students, the use of

science songs engaged them in learning and provided mnemonic devices for

remembering information, as indicated by the assertions suggested relating to student

interest, engagement and understanding of science concepts.

From the teacher’s perspective, a song with lyrics that required his or her

students to apply information was more desirable than one that simply could be used to

aid recall of information. The merged findings of the individual cases that relied

primarily on the teachers’ data suggested that they wanted songs that would help

students build scientific vocabulary and provide alternative examples and explanations

of science concepts. Additionally, teachers thought that the lyric analysis activity had

the potential to help students connect learning and build understanding of science

concepts. While the dissenting student and her classmates discussed a preference for

songs that were “catchy and short” for remembering, these teachers wanted songs that

were more in depth to build conceptual understanding. Derek Martin explained, “We’re

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trying to boost it up here, and get to higher levels of engagement, higher levels of

thinking.” For him, the lyric analysis activity required students to, “have to understand a

deeper meaning… They [have to] define where the connections are with the content.”

The students recognized the potential for songs to build deeper understanding, as

suggested by one of Mr. Martin’s students, “I think that really helped, because then

you’re picking it apart.” But at the same time, they expressed a desire for simpler

songs, “If it’s too in depth, the song wouldn’t really help much.” Teachers wanted songs

that would foster deeper understanding, but students wanted them as mnemonic aids

for easy recall of information. The difference in the teachers and students’ perspectives

for the use of science songs in learning science were divergent enough that they could

explain this student’s objection to the strategy. Regardless of the reason, however, this

student’s opinion serves as a reminder that no teaching strategy will appeal to or work

for all students.

Divergent Themes

While most of the themes identified while analyzing data from each case

reflected the use of science-content music had a positive impact on students, there

were a number of themes that did not have enough support to be further developed

during the cross-case analysis. Some ideas, for example, Sandy Kingston’s perception

that test scores improved, or Martha Russell’s suggestion that repetition builds

ownership of content, were mentioned briefly by at least one other teacher in the study.

Most of these themes, while not having adequate support to develop into a cross-case

assertion, also did not appear to conflict with other findings. There was one theme,

however, that does seem to diverge from the other results and merits further discussion.

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 One of the themes identified in the analysis of the data from Anna Darcy’s case

was that the socio-cultural aspects of learning could conceal engagement when learning

science with songs. This emerged from observations that students in the visited class

did not seem to be engaged in the song, while they reported during the focus group

interview that they liked learning science with songs. What was observed in this class

included students who seemed uninterested and non-participatory in the lesson. During

the interview they explained that they were self-conscious about singing and making

motions in class and in front of their peers. Mrs. Darcy said she observed that in other

classes students seemed to engage more when those who were considered strong

leaders participated; which suggested that socio-cultural factors could prevent students

from exhibiting indicators of engagement. So while the socio-cultural appeal of music to

these middle school students suggests that content-based songs can be helpful in

science instruction, other socio-cultural factors can hinder the appearance of

engagement, such as anxiety over not standing out in front of one’s peers by

participating in the activity. The finding that socio-cultural factors can conceal

engagement diverged from the assertion that music has a socio-cultural appeal for

students that can be utilized in science instruction, based on data from almost every

other case.

The experience of Anna Darcy and her students was not entirely unique. Even in

Mrs. Kingston’s classroom where the engagement level appeared highest, a similar

concern appeared. During one of Sandy’s interviews she reported, “You know at first,

there were some that were hesitant to do the motions, but once they saw that it was

accepted, and that people were enjoying it, they all did it.” Betty Taylor also reported a

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similar experience, “Some of them are afraid to just kind of get involved in it, but I think,

from what I could tell, the majority of them really enjoyed it. But some of them were just

a lot more reserved about it than others.” She added, “I think some students are

hesitant to let you know how they feel about the music.” Even Max Cantor talked about

this socio-cultural phenomenon, “They all enjoyed doing it. Some of them were like kind

of embarrassed, or whatever. But because I modeled it, and I sang it, they did fine.”

So while students overwhelmingly reported a high level of engagement, and both

teachers and students recognized the appeal of music for learning, and that some

socio-cultural factors could result in students appearing to be more reserved in lessons

that included science-content music, or responding with more enthusiasm when

participation seems to be more socially acceptable with their peers.

Summary

The purpose of a multiple case study is to examine the how cases are connected

or bound together to gain a better understanding of the quintain (Stake, 2006). By first

exploring the six individual cases for this study in depth, then synthesizing the findings,

a number of assertions were made about the experience of teachers and students using

content based songs for teaching and learning in the middle school science classroom.

These assertions were constructed based on data from multiple sources,

including classroom observations, teacher interviews and student focus group

discussions. They represent binding ideas reached by examining correspondences and

correlations between cases. The most strongly supported of these assertions came

from students who found that science songs provided novelty and variety in the learning

environment, but also appreciated them as mnemonic devices. The value of using

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songs to teach science was appreciated by teachers for their use in developing

scientific vocabulary and presenting concepts to students in alternative ways. Both

these students and their teachers emphasized the socio-cultural appeal of music as a

potential advantage for using science-content songs for teaching, and found that

analyzing lyrics can help students connect ideas and construct understanding of

scientific concepts. These assertions, while limited to the cases from which they

originated, can lead to better understand the experience of educators and students

when science-content music is used for teaching and learning.

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 CHAPTER 6: DISCUSSION, IMPLICATIONS & CONCLUSION

This study was designed to explore and interpret the experiences of both

students and teachers when science content songs were used in the middle school

science classroom. A review of the literature supported the use of science music in the

curriculum based on limited findings from neuroscience and musicology about the

power of songs in aiding recall. However, no studies could be found related to the use

of content-rich songs as a teaching strategy in the secondary science classroom.

Based on an understanding of constructivism as a learning theory proposed by Fox

(2001), it was suggested that the use of science-content music could provide students

with additional experiences to construct knowledge through the interpretation of and

interaction with songs presented during teaching. This chapter presents a summary of

the study, discussion related to the final assertions presented in the cross-case

analysis, implications of those findings in terms of teaching and learning science with

content-based music, and suggestions for further research.

Summary of the Study

This study was designed using multiple case study methodology. In exploring

how science content songs could be utilized in the classroom for teaching and learning

the following research questions were asked and used to guide this study:

• In what ways do teachers use science-content music in the curriculum to

enhance instruction in the middle school science classroom?

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 • How can the use of science-content music as a teaching strategy impact student

interest, engagement and understanding of science content and concepts?

• What does the experience of students and teachers using science-content music

suggest about its potential for teaching and learning science?

This study used constructivism as the theoretical framework because the

experiences of both students and teachers in the classrooms where science songs were

used as a teaching strategy were important in developing an explanation, description

and understanding of the quintain; a term used to refer to the common experience being

studied. A total of six middle school teachers and the students in their classrooms

participated in this study. Data were collected from teacher interviews that occurred

prior to, during, and after implementation of lessons in which science-content music was

used as a teaching strategy. A critical component of teaching science with content-rich

music was that these teachers included a lesson in which students had to analyze the

lyrics for each song as a learning activity. Each class was observed during a lesson in

which science songs were used, followed by student focus group interviews in which

fifty-seven students participated in groups of varying size. During the data analysis a

number of themes were developed for each case to summarize data about the quintain

related to the research questions. A cross-case analysis was conducted by merging the

themes from each case into a set of assertions that developed a deeper understanding

of the use of science content songs for teaching and learning.

Discussion of Assertions and Related Research

The cross-case analysis from this study resulted in a synthesis of findings from

each of the six separate cases to better understand the use of content music when

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implemented for teaching and learning in the middle school science classroom. The

findings are represented by a set of assertions based on the research questions that

guided this study. The first research question was directed at how science content

songs were used by the teachers who participated in the study for instruction, and their

instructional goals when implementing these lessons. The second research question

focused on the students’ perspectives and how they felt the inclusion of science-content

music in the curriculum impacted their learning. The final research question considered

both student and teacher experiences to suggest potential benefits for including

content-rich songs in the middle school science curriculum. The assertions in this study

resulted from a synthesis of the findings in the individual cases and are discussed in

terms of their relevance to understanding how and when science content songs can be

used to engage students and help them construct an understanding of science

concepts. While many of these findings have implications from a constructivist

approach to learning in how students construct meaning from experience, some

resonate more closely with either cognitivist or social learning theory in their

implications. Table 18 presents a summary of assertions based on the learning theory

they most align with. By exploring each of these assertions and how they connect to

the literature, it is possible to develop an understanding of the practical applications for

using content rich songs in the middle school science classroom. What follows is a

discussion of each of the findings and how they connect to research in the field of

science education.

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TABLE 18: Alignment of Findings with Learning Theories

Learning Theory Premise Alignment with Assertions

Describes how mental Songs are mnemonic devices that
Cognitive or Brain structures, or schema, are aid students in learning.
Based Learning built through interactions of Lyric analysis can help students
Theory experience with memory and connect ideas and build
cognition. conceptual understanding.
Based on the understanding Songs help students develop
that learning occurs through scientific vocabulary.
Constructivism experience to construct Songs provide students with an
meaning and make sense of additional resource to construct
the world. meaning of science concepts.
Songs provide novelty and variety
Learning is a social process
in the learning environment.
Social Learning through active engagement
Music has a socio-cultural appeal
Theory with others to understand new
for students that can be utilized in
ideas and experiences
science instruction.

Assertion 1: Songs help students develop scientific vocabulary.

The use of science-content music to develop vocabulary was one of the

instructional outcomes described by half of the teachers who participated in the study.

All of the teachers, however, discussed ways in which science songs helped their

students understand key terms and develop definitions of important science words and

phrases. Derek Martin said that using songs helped his students build science

vocabulary: “I think it introduces key terms, key ideas, key vocabulary.” Mastering the

language in science is critical to student success in learning as one can only participate

effectively in the process of science if its specialized terms and style of language are

understood. From a constructivist perspective, these songs helped students build

understanding of science terms used in the lyrics by providing new contexts for

constructing meaning of science terms. This assertion connects to the literature on the

importance for students to learn the language and discourse of science for participation.

Science, according to Martha Russell, is a vocabulary-rich subject. She found that

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using songs for teaching science helped students develop that specialized vocabulary;

“by choosing those key words, I was able to point things out.” One sixth-grader in

Sandy Kingston’s class explained from the student perspective, “the lyrics helped you

because it would give you a definition, but in kid version.” In Taking Science to School,

the authors explain that learning to “talk science” involves a specialized structure and

style, and students must have opportunities to negotiate the language of science in a

variety of activities. The ability to verbalize concepts and use terms appropriately in

context is critical for students to be intellectually engaged and participate in the activities

of science. The authors of this publication suggested that students learn to negotiate

science concepts by participating in activities to bridge language and scientific

discourse (Duschl, et al., 2007). The finding in this study that science songs helped

students develop scientific vocabulary provides one opportunity for addressing this

suggestion.

In stressing the importance of developing scientific language with her students,

Mrs. Taylor told them they needed to learn to “speak science.” She said, “It’s ‘speaking

science,’ because I think it is the vocabulary that brings them down.” A similar term

“talking science,” as used by Duschl, et al. (2007), was based on a suggestion by

Lemke who described the language of science as specialized discourse that includes

“abstract generalizations and logical relationships” (1990, p. 158). According to Lemke,

“Every specialized kind of human activity, every subject area and field, has its own

special language” (p. 130), and mastery of language is key to understanding any

subject. According to Lemke, “Terms get their meanings from the way they are used”

(1990. p. 98). Max Cantor said that when teaching science, “We focus a lot of times on

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key words,” then cited an example of how terms were used to build meaning, “like

convection, we talk about hot air rising and cold air sinking.” The use of songs in this

study provided students with an important opportunity to hear science words in context,

which facilitated a better understanding of their meanings. According to the teachers in

this study, the use of key terms and phrases in science-content music helped students

build their understanding of specific vocabulary based on how terms were used in the

songs, which helped them learn to “talk science.”

Assertion 2: Songs provide students with an additional resource to construct meaning

of science concepts.

According to Lemke (1990) ‘talking science’ is much more than just building

vocabulary. It involves learning how to use terms in context, applying semantic

relationships and understanding how terms are combined to generate complex

meanings. He explains:

In teaching science, or any subject, we do not want students to simply

parrot back the words. We want them to be able to construct the essential
meanings in their own words, and in slightly different words as the
situation may require. Fixed words are useless. Words must change
flexibly to meet the needs of the argument, problem, use, or application of
the moment. But they must express the same essential meanings if they
are to be scientifically acceptable and, in most cases, practically useful.
This is what we mean when we say we want students to ‘understand
concepts.’ (p. 91)

It isn’t enough that students learn the words used in science; they need to know more.

This second assertion builds on the first by suggesting that songs go beyond simply

helping students develop scientific vocabulary by providing an additional resource with

explanations and examples to help them construct meaning of science concepts. For

students to build their understanding of science concepts, they need opportunities to

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explore the relationships between different terms in science, their meanings, and how

they are interlinked, in order to build their understanding of concepts in science.

According to Derek Martin, songs provided these connections because “the lyrics

themselves were packed with information and concepts and examples” that provided

students with alternative explanations and examples to construct meaning of science

concepts.

Using a constructivist model of learning, content-rich science songs often helped

students in this study build knowledge by providing multiple examples and explanations

to build understanding. This assertion connects to the literature on conceptual

development. Duschl, et al. (2007) suggested the importance of using multiple

resources and symbolic tools for building conceptual understanding. According to

Lemke, concepts are developed during learning activities symbolically through

language. He explains that, concepts and meanings are “constructed by our speaking

or picturing; constructed through our use of words or other signs” (1990, p. 98). As a

symbolic tool that is language based, songs, according to Max Cantor, “bring to mind a

picture, and that really enhances learning in science because it’s something if [students]

can see it in their mind, it’s going to be deeper for them.” Anna Darcy explained the

potential for songs as an additional resource for learning in terms of “telling a story” and

Martha Russell talked about how songs helped students “visualize” concepts. In these

ways songs provided an alternative resource for these teachers to intellectually engage

students with science content by providing different explanations and examples of

concepts.

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 Lemke (1990) suggested the strategy, “Repetition with Variation” as one method

to help students build conceptual understanding. In this strategy, different terms are

used to explain the same ideas or terms as students master the meaning of new

concepts by comparing explanations and engaging with ideas using different examples.

Based on the second assertion, the use of science songs correlated with this strategy.

The element of repetition was evident as Sandy Kingston acknowledged that in the

songs, “the repetition in the lyrics is clever.” Mrs. Russell said not only did her students

ask to hear the songs repeated, but she additionally found her students, “taking the

phrases from the song [and] repeating them to themselves.” Meanwhile, Max Cantor

described how science songs provided variation, “I think it gave them a lot more

examples than I can typically give them. And also it gave it to them a lot of times in a

non-scientific way.” The students in this study also recognized that the concepts were

presented in an alternative formats in the songs. One student said, “Sometimes we

don’t understand what the teacher says. Maybe you’ll understand better how the song

says it.” Derek Martin concluded, “students need to meet it, wrestle with it a little bit;

more than just one time, and that you know, that just makes pedagogical sense period.”

Assertion 3: Songs provide novelty and variety in the learning environment.

Science-content music provided students in this study with a novel way to learn;

one that got their attention and engaged them in learning science. Derek Martin

explained, “When something’s new, something’s different, you’re really challenging

them.” Students in every class reported that because of the novelty in learning with

songs, they were more engaged learning science. Only one student out of the fifty-

seven interviewed reported otherwise. From the simple comments like, “it’s more

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exciting,” and, “the way you’re learning is more interesting,” to more elaborate

explanations about why songs are better than teacher-talk or textbooks, students

overwhelmingly reported that songs brought novelty and variety to learning. This

assertion connects to the literature on the importance of engagement in science

education. From a socio-cultural perspective, learning is a social process through

active engagement with others to understand new ideas and experiences; this is how

both teachers and students described learning with songs. Newmann suggested that

active involvement and attention to learning are elements of engagement (1992), which

characterizes the experiences described by these students. Students and teachers

described learning with songs as an active process. According to Anna Darcy when

songs were used for teaching science her students were “more actively involved, rather

than passively.” Students in several classes called learning with songs “active,” and

students in Sandy Kingston’s class were certainly actively involved in learning as they

were observed dancing and making motions to represent ways heat is transferred.

Duschl et al. (2007) recognized the difference between engaging in the activity of

science and in engagement in terms of interest in learning. Engagement, as described

by teachers and students in this study, refers to student interest in learning, rather than

active involvement in the process of science. One student expressed a high level of

engagement when she commented, “It’s better than just doing anything ordinary. And

it’s better for the soul.” In Taking Science to School the authors addressed the

importance of interest and its connection to learning. Max Cantor said that he could tell

his students were interested because, “they’re singing the song, and they’re asking

questions [and] they’re underlining things. So they’re involved with it.” When students

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are more interested, they are more likely to see learning as worthwhile, exert effort, and

learn at a conceptual level. Novelty in a learning task increases students’ situational

interest and has a positive effect on learning. Situational interest is influenced by

“characteristics of the classroom and the nature of the task” (Duschl, et al., 2007, p.

200), which is characteristic of the type of engagement evident when students learned

science with songs.

Banlower, et al. (2008) discussed the importance of using principles of

engagement as a way to “hook” student interest in learning early in the instructional

process, which corresponded with how Sandy Kingston suggested songs could be used

to get students interested in new concepts. While often the use of songs was

considered a beneficial review activity, she suggested that songs might be used “as a

launch activity before we’ve covered a concept, to play that as an initial, kind of, hook

thing,” and added that songs could be used in this way to engage students, “as an

introduction, kind of like a launch activity and then get deeper.” Derek Martin said that

he thought science-content songs provided novelty for his students and could be “a

good way to initiate a lesson that is a different format.”

Engagement is critical for learning, according to Schlechty (2002), who

suggested that students learn more when authentically engaged. The students in this

study agreed and said that when they are more engaged, they are more likely to learn.

One student said, “We always go with the fun one, and that always works. We learn

more stuff from that.” While another said, “if it’s more fun than it is to learn about

something, it’s easier to learn.” Another said, “When you learn with songs you are more

likely to remember it.” One of the teachers, Max Cantor, summarized the benefit of

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having his students highly engaged: “Any time you have kids enjoy an activity more than

you think they would; that makes it better.”

Assertion 4: Songs are mnemonic devices that aid students in learning.

The use of songs as a mnemonic device for recall isn’t a new learning strategy,

as Derek Martin stated, “that sort of learning is a trick used at all levels.” This assertion

seems simple on the surface, but is more complex than it appears. The literature on

what constitutes learning is divergent, depending on the theoretical perspective that is

applied to the use of songs as mnemonic devices. Brain-based theory explores

learning from a neurological perspective; exploring how neural networks are built and

how information is coded and retrieved; suggesting the benefits of mnemonic devices in

aiding recall (Sousa, 2006). From a brain-based, or cognitive approach to learning, the

use of songs works because of how information is stored and retrieved in the brain.

Songs are encoded by the brain using both emotional and sensory networks, and

according to Jensen, “this means that when information is imbued with music, there’s a

greater likelihood that the brain will encode it in long-term memory” (2008, p.75).

Because songs are stored in the brain using multiple pathways, information can be

retrieved using various neural networks. As a mnemonic device to trigger memory,

students in this study recognized the potential for science songs to help them recall

information. “It helped me learn and it really did get stuck in my head,” one student

said. Facilitating recall is one of the benefits these students see for learning science

with songs, “I think the best part is you can go back to it and you can keep it in your

head since its catchy,” one student reported. Even the teachers in the study saw this

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advantage. In discussing teaching scientific classification with a song Anna Darcy

reported, “I’ve never had that many kids get it that quickly.”

Constructivism as a learning theory is focused on how students build concepts

through experience to construct meaning and make sense of the world, and provides

different insights into how the mnemonic nature of songs impacted learning. By

prolonged engagement with concepts presented in science songs, students interacted

with concepts longer, which helped them connect ideas and organize knowledge (Fox,

2001). The students in this study recognized that when songs became ‘earworms’ and

were “stuck in their heads,” they engaged with the concepts longer. One student said,

“If you have memorized the song, you think about it.” Another reported, “I just sing the

song and then… I start thinking about it.” The mnemonic nature of songs that induced

prolonged engagement with concepts further helped students make sense of ideas as

they reflected longer on the concepts presented in the songs. This metacognitive

aspect of learning is presented by Banlower, et al. as part of the final stage of

instruction to build understanding of science concepts in Effective Science Instruction

(2008). When students engage with content included in science songs for extended

periods because of their mnemonic nature, they are spending more time processing

ideas to make sense of the concepts presented.

The primary use these students saw for science songs as mnemonic devices

was to perform better on tests rather than to build conceptual understanding. One

student reported, “the song gets stuck in your head, and then you know the definition

and then you’re able to do well on your test.” A sixth-grader in Martha Russell’s class

said, “On the test we could say it in our heads and we’d remember and get good

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grades.” Another student said, “I can actually think of the song in my head and I can get

the answer right.” Duschl, et al. describes science as “both a body of knowledge that

represents current understanding of natural systems and the process whereby that body

of knowledge has been established” (2007, p. 26). This includes, “learning the facts,

concepts, principles, laws, theories, and models of science” (p. 38). The purpose for

learning key ideas in science is to build conceptual understandings that can be used for

reasoning, problem solving, explaining the natural world and engaging in the practice of

science. Duschl, et al. explains that, “many students do not understand that science is

primarily a theory building enterprise” (2007, p. 175). Instead, the students in this study

said the songs were useful because it was “easier to remember.” For them, key ideas

in science are things that need to be remembered and recalled rather than a process of

conceptual development.

Since students considered recalling information for test an important use for

content-based songs, it is important to consider how students are assessed in science.

In discussing assessment for science in the 2008 government publication, Science

Framework for the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress, the authors

suggested that content-based test questions should be contextually framed and require

students to do more than simply recall facts. They recognized that in science some

assessment items require students to do little beyond recall knowledge, but added that

more complex questions can be difficult, “if they cannot easily recall the science

content” (Winick, Avallone, Smith, & Crovo, 2008, p.99). Banlower, et al. (2008)

addressed recall as a purpose for learning in terms of extrinsic motivation: “The reality is

that there are, and will always be, extrinsic motivators (e.g., deadlines, tests, college

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entrance requirements)” (2008, p. 5). For these students the use of songs as a

mnemonic device served multiple purposes. It helped build conceptual understanding

due to prolonged engagement with the ideas presented in the lyrics, and it helped them

recall and remember science content for assessment purposes.

Assertion 5: Music has a socio-cultural appeal for students that can be utilized in

science instruction.

Music has a special appeal to learners of all ages. One student in this study

reported, “I think it’s easier for kids to understand music more because music is part of

their everyday lives.” From a socio-cultural perspective learning with songs has cultural

significance by engaging students in a social context with science concepts. When

songs are used for instruction, according to Derek Martin, “You’re bringing in something

they already identify with: music.” According to Martha Russell, teaching with content-

based songs “was something to look forward to; it was something [students] could relate

to, because of the music.” The cultural role of music is not unique to this generation of

learners. Music has always has importance as one of the basic activities of all cultures

and of humankind (Storr, 1992). From a historical perspective, songs have had their

place in teaching, from prehistory history through Dewey’s ideas for a progressive

education and curriculum integration (Shiraishi, 1995). The socio-cultural appeal of

music today is similar to that in the past; however, for these students music is a part of

their cultural experience through multiple media resources, including television, movies

and digital downloads that are discussed and shared as part of their daily lives.

The literature that connects to this assertion suggests that when students have a

personal interest in an activity it influences attention, effort and willingness to participate

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in learning. Personal interest in learning is a form of intrinsic motivation and connected

to achievement (Duschl, et al., 2007). The interest that these students have in music

can be a powerful tool for engaging them in learning. Max Cantor summarized the

importance of music for his students,

They all have their iPods, they all want to listen to music, and it kind of
makes them feel like, “Okay, you know something about me. You know
that I like music. You know so you’re trying to teach in a way that you think
I might enjoy.” And so that raises that level of engagement.

An eighth-grader from Betty Taylor’s class summarized his engagement in science

when songs were used for instruction. “Music is worth something,” he asserted. It is

valued by these students and has cultural significance. Learning is “an inherently social

and cultural process” and involves factors of engagement related to interest and

attention (Duschl, et al., 2007). The socio-cultural appeal of music has the potential to

engage students in personal ways when science songs are used for learning.

Assertion 6: Lyric analysis can help students connect ideas and build conceptual

understanding.

Every teacher in this study reported the importance of analyzing lyrics of the

songs used for teaching science as a useful learning tool for connecting ideas and

fostering conceptual understanding. According to Betty Martin, as students engaged in

the process of analyzing lyrics it “helped them connect science to some of their

experiences.” Martha Russell reported that the lyric analysis activity “was kind of like

taking the songs, taking those pieces, and trying to put it into a puzzle to make a whole

idea.” This assertion connects to the literature in that Banlower, et al. (2008) stressed

the importance of sense making activities in helping students to connect ideas and

develop understanding of science concepts. Sense-making activities allow students to

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draw conclusions from their experiences, connect activities to content, apply concepts

to new situations, organize new knowledge and integrate what they learn into their

existing mental models of concepts. From a cognitive learning perspective, students are

able to build neural networks for understanding new ideas as experience and cognition

interact. Multiple strategies are suggested to help students make these connections,

and analysis of song lyrics could easily be included as one such activity. When learning

science with songs, Derek Martin said that students “make connections to see what the

songs about; or to apply the song to the situations, the labs, the activities and the things

in real life.” As a sense-making activity, the process of analyzing lyrics, helped students

to, “piece [ideas] together and get the whole conceptual idea together.” Max Cantor

added that when his students engaged in analyzing lyrics, “it was a synthesis and

analysis process, so it just required some higher level thinking skills.”

Duschl, et al. (2007) discussed instructional practices for supporting student

learning. Among the suggestions presented for developing understanding of new ideas,

these authors included providing conceptual scaffolds for students. Scaffolds are

people, processes or activities that facilitate learning. Conceptual scaffolds are

instructional techniques that help students build understanding of new concepts and

connect learning to prior understandings. Suggested activities include ones that “help

students examine, scrutinize, and critically appraise their understanding of key scientific

concepts” (p. 277). In this study Max Cantor discussed the importance of the lyric

analysis activity as a conceptual scaffold for his students to help connect ideas and

build conceptual understanding. He explained that during the activity his students “have

got to see the lyrics to make some connections with what the science is and what

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they’re currently learning. They can see some of the pictures and examples, but to get

to that really deeper factual stuff, they really got to see the lyrics.” The use of lyric

analysis activities when songs are used for instruction is critical if they are to be used to

help students build cognitive structures for deeper conceptual understanding of science

content.

Recommendations and Implications

As educators, teaching strategies are often employed based on experience and

instinct; something tells us they are working but we are not always able to articulate

what is happening with our students in terms of conceptual development. During this

study, exploring the experiences of students and teachers when science-content music

is used for learning helped identify the pedagogical implications for this teaching

strategy. The assertions developed through cross-case analysis have some

implications for classroom instruction and the science education community at large.

The results also suggest recommendations for further research.

Implications for classroom instruction

Songs have been used for learning across all cultures throughout history, yet

today they are easily dismissed as an instructional tool. The results of this study

suggest that the use of science-content music has potential for learning outcomes that

are more complex and versatile than one might initially suspect. During the course of

the study it was discovered that, for the teachers and students who participated in this

research, songs worked by engaging students, building vocabulary, supplying students

with alternative examples and explanations of concepts, helping them remember

science content, and providing a conceptual scaffold for developing concepts.

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 Educators have always sought new ways to engage students and more than one

science teacher who participated in this study said they did so because they wanted to

find new ways to involve and interest their students in learning. What was discovered

was that both students and teachers reported a high level of engagement when songs

were used for instruction by getting students interested in learning on both a personal

and situational level. Music, like learning, is socio-cultural in nature and speaks to

students in ways other strategies cannot. Every teacher in this study reported that

students enjoyed learning with songs. Every student, save one, said that learning with

songs was an engaging alternative to either the textbook or teacher-talk. The social

aspects of learning with songs present only one caveat: greater engagement requires

that either teachers or strong student leaders must appear to be involved and having

fun in order for some students to “buy-in” to the activity. Otherwise, while students may

still have higher levels of engagement with songs, they may find it embarrassing to be

seen participating in the lesson. The single student who said she did not like learning

with songs reminds educators that even with music, no teaching strategy will engage all

students. However, music does have a broad social and cultural appeal that, for most

students in this study, got their attention. In the words of one student, it is “worth

something.”

In Effective Science Instruction: What does Research Tell Us? the authors

suggest that to build an understanding of science concepts, learning experiences

should intellectually engage students with content using multiple pedagogies, ranging

from lab activities to interactive lectures that help students construct meaning

(Banlower, et al., 2008). Activities for sense-making in science are not limited to labs

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and inquiry; there are other ways to build concepts with students. The more ways

science content is presented, the more opportunities students will have to connect ideas

and organize knowledge. In this study the various assertions presented for using

science-content music as a teaching strategy suggested that it is one such activity that

can help students develop science concepts when integrated into instruction, much in

the same way an interactive lecture would for learning. In Effective Science Instruction

the authors of this document describe how an effective lecture would work. They

indicate that to facilitate sense-making, “in a lecture, the teacher may place facts within

a broader framework and provide analogies that connect the ideas to students’ previous

experience” (Banlower, et al., 2008, p. 11). This was what songs provided when used

for teaching science in this study.

It is not suggested that songs be used to replace other learning activities, but that

they have a place in the curriculum as providing an additional experience that can be

used to help students build conceptual understanding of science concepts. To get the

most out of songs for learning, these teachers found that it is critical for students to

participate in a lesson in which they analyze song lyrics; an activity that includes pulling

out key words and definitions, identifying alternative examples, and exploring analogies

and puns embedded in the song. Lemke’s suggestion for building concepts through

repetition and variation was met as students explored lyrics and heard main ideas

repeated in the chorus and while the song was replayed, often at the request of

students (1990). One of the strengths of using songs for learning is that, according to

these teachers, they pack a lot into a brief activity. Content-rich songs usually are less

than five minutes in length, but based on the findings in this study, allow for multiple

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ways in which they can be used to help students develop conceptual understanding.

Teachers need every instructional tool they can get to engage students and understand

concepts in science. However, as indicated by one of the teachers in the study, using

songs for teaching is a unique strategy that requires some understanding of how best to

implement if it is to be an effective teaching tool in the science classroom. Max Cantor

found that it was helpful to have been provided materials and suggestions about how to

use science songs for teaching, “The way you did it was helpful and that’s you give

them some resources and you give them some ideas of how to do it.” Other teachers

who want to integrate songs for teaching into the curriculum may wish to participate in a

professional development experience or read some of the resources cited in the review

of literature to carry out successful implementation of this strategy with students. As

indicated by the experiences of the students and teachers in this study, from dancing, to

illustrating, to serving as a springboard for discussion, the use of songs for teaching

science is a versatile resource. The potential for using content- based music for

teaching stems from both its ability to engage students and the ways in which the

teachers and students in this study found they could use songs to help understand

science concepts.

Implications for Science Education

The potential for using songs for teaching science concepts is rarely, if ever,

presented in the literature. The nature of science and activities such as inquiry and

argumentation are usually the focus of what is considered to be good science

instruction. These are valuable, research-based instructional strategies for developing

science concepts that cannot be substituted. However, there is room in the curriculum

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for additional strategies to help students construct meaning in science, especially if they

are both highly engaging and help students build concepts. In Effective Science

Instruction the authors stressed including activities in the science curriculum that

promote sense-making “through skillful questioning, facilitation of class discussion,

and/or explanations” (Banlower, et al., 2008, p. 10). They further indicated that

opportunities for students to connect ideas and build understanding of science concepts

in science are often inadequate or missing in instruction. The use of songs should be

explored and considered as a viable teaching strategy that can be used to fill that gap

by helping meet the need for sense-making activities.

Probably the most important implication from this study for the science education

community comes from the different ways in which students and teachers saw learning

in science. The assertions presented in this study based on data gathered from

teachers suggested that science-content music could be used to foster deeper

understanding of concepts. However, the students viewed science learning as a body

of knowledge to be remembered, then recalled for a test. Banlower, et al. in Effective

Science Instruction addressed recall as a purpose for learning as a form of extrinsic

motivation; “The reality is that there are, and will always be, extrinsic motivators (e.g.,

deadlines, tests, college entrance requirements)” (2008, p. 5). The focus of instruction

for teachers in this study and in the literature on science education concentrates on how

students develop concepts. In Taking Science to School, while the authors

acknowledged that science includes a body of knowledge, they primarily address

conceptual development as the outcome of instruction, not the recall and retention of

science content (Duschl, et al. 2007). This poses the question, “Why the difference?” If

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students are primarily concerned with learning in science as a set of facts to be recalled,

then the broader goals of science education to develop conceptual understanding are

not being made clear to them. The implication for science education related to this

issue is based on the perceived differences of the purposes for learning.

Some answers might be found in why students in this study appreciated using

science songs as mnemonic devices. In the document, Science Framework for the

2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress, the authors discussed assessment

in science based on three levels of knowledge: knowing that, knowing why, and

knowing when and where to apply knowledge. They described declarative knowledge

as “basic science facts, concepts, and principles,” and added that students “should be

able to recall, define, represent, use, and relate these basic principles as appropriate”

(Winick, et al., 2008, p. 92). While they recommended that testing include items for all

levels of knowledge, the authors of this publication recognized that different levels of

cognitive knowledge are often interdependent; higher-level questions frequently require

students to call on declarative knowledge to respond. It is worth examining more

closely this dichotomy between educational goals and student perceptions. It is

perhaps worth noting that, based on the assertions presented in this study, the use of

science music is particularly valuable in bridging student goals for recalling content on

tests and educational goals of developing understanding of science concepts.

Implications for further research

This research was designed as a qualitative study and provides insights into the

experiences of the six teachers and their students who participated. A number of

assertions were presented as the outcome of the research based on a limited number of

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cases at the middle school level. Directions for further research should consider

exploring the use of songs for teaching science from a quantitative or mixed-methods

design. Are there measureable learning differences when students use songs for

learning? Considering the cognitive levels of knowledge that students are expected to

have in order to participate in science, are there specific types of knowledge that

science songs are most useful for developing?

Because the population used in this study was from a limited demographic due to

accessibility, additional studies should also consider a broader population with greater

diversity to explore how science-content music can be used in teaching. Additional

questions that might be considered relate to music genres, additional instructional

levels, students with special needs and different implementation strategies. In building

on the findings of this study, areas for further research should focus on students who do

not find science songs engaging or helpful for learning. Are there instructional

implications that should be considered that could be revealed by exploring their

experiences? And while some implications for what makes science songs useful

learning tools are suggested based on the findings of this study and research in the field

of musical imagery repetition, research identifying the most effective elements of songs

for teaching could prove useful.

Conclusions

The purpose of this study was to explore and interpret the experiences of

students and teachers when science-content music was used as a strategy in the

middle school science classroom. Insights about teaching and learning with science

music were sought to explain, describe and understand the experiences of teachers and

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students. According to Stake, assertions formed in a multiple case study should be the

result of a convergence of themes, “sometimes created or at least partly [chosen] to

promote the quintain or to advocate the spread of its policies and practices” (2006, p.

84). The findings of this study go far in suggesting that there is a place in science

education for the use of content-based music for instruction. As a teaching resource,

songs are more than a mnemonic device; they engage students in novel ways and help

build conceptual understanding as a sense-making activity.

A great deal of the research based presented to frame this study was based on

brain-based or cognitive learning theory, as most of the literature related to using songs

for teaching was developed from that perspective. However, in the course of

summarizing the results of this study, most of the findings suggested that content-based

music helped students build a conceptual understanding of science concepts based on

socio-cultural and constructivist learning models as well. The assertions presented here

suggest that there is more to learning science with songs than simply understanding

how music is processed in the brain. Science-content music has implications for

instruction from different learning theories, suggesting that it can effectively be used for

conceptual development when implemented in a sense-making context.

The premise for this study came from my experiences as a middle school

science teacher with a background in early childhood education; I knew science songs

worked for instruction, but didn’t know how they helped students learn science or if my

success could be extended to other classrooms. The pilot study provided insights into

former students’ perceptions, but in order to discover the potential for science-content

music to be an effective teaching tool, experiences of other teachers and their students

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was necessary. Teachers are always looking for new ways to engage their students

with science concepts, and for the teachers in this study, they reported overwhelming

success. One teacher recently sent me an email that simply said, “I can't thank you

enough for this wonderful addition to my class!” The conclusions presented in the form

of assertions suggested that learning with songs is more meaningful and has

implications tied to best practices and research that go far beyond simple engagement

or recall of facts. The research questions that guided this study asked how teachers

and students used songs and what their potential is for learning. The findings

presented would seem to indicate that science songs have a variety of uses at different

levels of learning, and have the potential to enhance student understanding of science

concepts in different ways.

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APPENDIX A: School District Approval Letter

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 APPENDIX B: Administrator Email Request

Dear (Principal),
I am a science teacher at Liberty Middle School and a doctoral student in the
department of Science Education at the University of Georgia.
I would like to ask permission to invite your science teachers to participate in a
research study entitled “Teaching and Learning Science Through Song: Exploring the
Experiences of Students and Teachers” that is being conducted under the supervision of Dr.
David Jackson at UGA during the fall of 2010 as part of my doctoral dissertation
research. The purpose of this study is gain information about the experiences of
teachers and students when science songs are used for teaching and learning.
Should you allow me to conduct research at your school site, participation will involve:
• Inviting your science teachers to participate in the study. The teachers that
volunteer to participate will implement two lessons during the course of a unit in
which science songs are used for teaching.
• Interviewing the teachers who agree to participate three times at their
convenience (before, during and after the study).
• Observing one class in which each teacher who participates in implementing a
lesson using songs.
• Conducting a student focus group interview with a few students from that class in
which they tell about their experience using songs for teaching and learning.
Only students whose parents sign consent forms will be allowed to participate in
focus group interviews.

From the findings from this project, I hope to provide information that will provide
information about how to use songs for teaching, to help other teachers implement the
use of songs for teaching science to better engage students and improve learning. For
teachers the only foreseeable risk may be that they feel some stress taking time out of

215
their schedules to meet for interviews. For students, they may experience discomfort
during the observation or focus group discussions. Any teachers or their students who
agree to participate may withdraw from the study at any time.
Teachers who agree to participate will be provided with a book about teaching
with songs and one or more CDs with science-content music. Students who participate
in the focus group will also receive a CD of science music.
Additional information about the use of songs as a teaching strategy can be
found in the results of my pilot study, which I am attaching. Last year as a Class Act
Awardee for Channel 11 News my class was filmed during a lesson in which science
songs were used for teaching. That video is available upon request for you to see one
way in which songs can be used for teaching, if that would help.
If you have any questions about this research project, please feel free to call me
at 770-781-4889, ext. 290330 or send an email to [email protected] or
[email protected]. You may also choose to contact my supervising
professor, Dr. David Jackson (UGA) at 706- 542-4194. Questions or concerns about the
rights of any research participant should be directed to The Chairperson, University of
Georgia Institutional Review Board, 612 Boyd GSRC, Athens, Georgia 30602-7411;
telephone (706) 542-3199; email address [email protected].

If you agree to allow teachers and students at your school to participate in this
study, please respond by email so that we can proceed. I will need a letter from your
school that authorizes me to invite your teachers to participate and to observe their
classes. Thank you for your consideration!
Donna Governor, Doctoral Student, UGA
Science Teacher, Liberty Middle School

216
APPENDIX C: Administrative Letters of Approval

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219
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 APPENDIX D: Teacher Invite & Consent Forms

Dear Colleague,

I am a science teacher at Liberty Middle School and a doctoral student in the

department of Science Education at the University of Georgia. Many of you already

know me and are aware of my interest in researching teaching strategies that involve

the use of science songs for learning.

I would like to invite you to participate in a research study entitled “Teaching and

Learning Science Through Song: Exploring the Experiences of Students and Teachers” that is

being conducted under the supervision of Dr. David Jackson at UGA. The purpose of

this study is gain information about the experiences of teachers and students when

science songs are used for teaching and learning.

Your participation will involve implementing two or more songs during a unit of

study this fall that relate to the concepts and content you are teaching, then allowing me

to meet with you and interview you three times (before, during and after the unit of

instruction), observe your classroom during one lesson and conduct one focus group

discussion with your students. I anticipate needing no more than 3 to 4 hours of your

time over the course of the next several months. The only anticipated risk is that you

may feel some stress by scheduling a few blocks of time you meet with me during the

upcoming semester. Recognizing that this may take some time from your busy

schedule, as an incentive you will be provided with a book about teaching with songs

and one or more CDs with science songs for teaching. Your involvement in the study is

221
voluntary, and you may choose not to participate or to withdraw from the research at

any time without penalty or loss of benefits to which you are otherwise entitled. The

results of the research study may be published, but your name will not be used. In fact,

the published results will be presented in summary form only. Your identity will not be

associated with your responses in any published format.

From the findings from this project, I hope to provide information that will help

other teachers implement the use of songs for teaching science to better engage

students and improve learning. There are no known risks or discomforts associated

with this research other than those mentioned above. You may withdraw at any time.

If you have any questions about this research project, please feel free to call me

at 770-781-4889, ext. 290330 or send an email to [email protected] or

[email protected]. You may also choose to contact my supervising

professor, Dr. David Jackson (UGA) at 706- 542-4194. Questions or concerns about your

rights as a research participant should be directed to The Chairperson, University of

Georgia Institutional Review Board, 612 Boyd GSRC, Athens, Georgia 30602-7411;

telephone (706) 542-3199; email address [email protected].

If you agree to participate in this study, please respond by email or phone so that

we can proceed. Thank you for your consideration! Please keep this email for your

records.

Donna Governor

Doctoral Student, UGA

Science Teacher, Liberty Middle School

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 Informed Consent Form
(Teacher Participants Only)

I agree to take part in a research study titled “Teaching and Learning Science Through Song:
Exploring the Experiences of Students and Teachers” which is being conducted by Donna
Governor, Science Education Department, University of Georgia, phone 770-781-4889 ext.
290337, under the direction of Dr. David Jackson, faculty advisor, Department of Science
Education, University of Georgia, phone number: 706- 542-4194.

I understand that my participation is voluntary; I can refuse to participate or stop taking part at
any time without giving any reason, and without penalty or loss of benefits to which I am
otherwise entitled.
I can ask to have information related to me returned to me, removed from the research records,
or destroyed.

The purpose of this qualitative research study is to explore and interpret the experiences of
students and teachers when science-content music is used as a strategy for teaching and
learning in the middle school science classroom. The researcher will be looking for and open
to insights about teaching and learning when science songs are used for teaching to explain,
describe and understand the experiences of teachers and students. Middle school science
teachers who participate in this study will implement lessons that incorporate science-content
music using implementation strategies suggested by research. Teachers and students will be
asked to share their experiences and insights about the use of science songs for teaching and
learning to learn more about the benefits or usefulness of music in the classroom using multiple
case study methodology. Data collection methods will include teacher interviews, classroom
observations and student focus groups. Through an inductive analysis approach to open
coding, themes will be identified to explain, describe and understand the experience of teachers
and students when science songs are used for learning. Hopefully, information may be
obtained that will help provide insight into patterns of practice and use of songs for teaching that
can be extended to other classrooms to engage and assist students in learning science.
The benefits of participating in this study include assisting in developing a strategy for teaching
and learning that can improve engagement and learning in the classroom. As an incentive I will
be given a book on using songs for teaching and music CDs with songs that can be
implemented in my classroom.

The procedures for this study are as follows:

1. I will meet with the researcher for an initial meeting in September 2010. At that time I
will be provided with the incentive materials and be given an introduction to professional
practices suggested for using songs for teaching based on research and past studies. I
will be interviewed for the first time at that meeting. That meeting is expected to last
between 30 and 60 minutes.
2. The researcher and I will decide on a class to be observed and in which a focus group
interview can take place with my students.
3. I will distribute information to parents in the class that is selected about the interview and
invite students to participate in a focus group discussion with the researcher. Consent
forms will be collected from parents of students agreeing to participate in the focus
group.
4. I will implement two lesson plans during the course of a normal teaching unit that uses
science content songs for teaching.

223
 5. The researcher will observe the class selected during the implementation of a lesson
plan where science songs are being implemented as a teaching strategy. This
observation will last approximately 30 minutes (first half of a class period).
6. The researcher will conduct a focus group interview with students immediately following
the observation. I understand that I will need to provide an alternative activity for
students who do not participate in the focus group interview. The group interview will
last approximately 30 minutes (second half of a class period).
7. I will meet with the researcher approximately a week after the observation and focus
group interview occurs for a second interview. This interview is expected to last 30 - 40
minutes.
8. After conclusion of the unit in which I teach the observed lesson, I will meet with the
researcher for a final interview, which is expected to last 30 - 40 minutes.
9. Following the final interview the researcher will analyze all data using an inductive
approach to data analysis.
10. I will receive a summary of the data collected in my class no later in January 2011, in
which I will be invited to respond. This summary will be based on the interviews,
observations and focus group discussions. At this time I will be asked to provide
feedback, including an opportunity to correct, revise, delete or add to the summary.

The only foreseeable risk may be that I may feel some stress taking time out of my schedule to
meet for interviews. However, I understand that I may choose not to answer any questions or
withdraw from the research at any time. No other risks are expected.
I understand the individually identifiable data collected in this study will be kept confidential. My
name and any information that can identify me personally will never be used publicly or released
to another source. I understand that interviews will be recorded digitally then transcribed using
a pseudonym for my identity. I understand I have the right to review all audio materials and
transcripts. All files, including emails, audio and text files, will be kept electronically for a period
of twelve months by the researcher then be destroyed. Internet or email communications
collected during this study are insecure and there is a limit to the confidentiality that can be
guaranteed due to the technology itself. However once the materials are received by the
researcher, standard confidentiality procedures will be employed. Text will be copied into a text
file and all personal identifiers removed, then the original email deleted. No individually
identifiable information about me, or provided by me during the research, will be shared with
others, unless required by law. The researcher will answer any further questions about the
research, now or during the course of the project, and can be reached by telephone at: 770-
781-4889 ext. 290337.

My signature below indicates that the researcher has answered all of my questions to my
satisfaction and that I consent to volunteer for this study. I have been given a copy of this form.

Donna L. Governor ___________________________________ ____________

Researcher Signature of Researcher Date

_______________________ _________________________________ ____________

Participant Signature of Participant Date

Additional questions or problems regarding your rights as a research participant should be

addressed to The Chairperson, Institutional Review Board, University of Georgia, 629 Boyd
Graduate Studies Research Center, Athens, Georgia 30602-7411; Telephone (706) 542-3199;
E-Mail Address [email protected]

224
 APPENDIX E: Teacher Instructions Handout

Teaching & Learning Science through Song

Why Use Songs? How to Use Songs?

• ENGAGEMENT! • CRITICAL REQUIREMENT: One
• Brain-based learning research lesson MUST involve lyric analysis
• Socio-cultural aspect • Background reinforcement
• Digital natives • “Musical Imagery Repetition”
• Mnemonics (earworms) – Minimum of 3 times
• Metacognition • Multi-media presentations
When to Use Songs? • Bell ringer
• Initial engagement • HAVE FUN!
• Introduce vocabulary & concepts How to Select Songs?
• Review content • Catchy, simple melody
• Scaffold for learning • NOT a lecture!
• Metacognitive processing • Humor & Analogies
• Key ideas repeated in chorus
• Check for accuracy of concepts
Where to Find Songs?
• Songs for Teaching: http://www.songsforteaching.com/index.html
• Science Songwriter’s Association: http://www.science-groove.org/SSA/
• Massive Data Base: http://www.science-groove.org/MASSIVE/
• Pop Culture (They Might Be Giants: The Sun is a Mass of Incandescent Gas)

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 WHAT TO DO

Allow me to conduct an initial interview today to get some basic information about you.

Select two or more songs to use during a teaching unit you will be covering between
now and Thanksgiving.
1. Plan to include a lesson for each song where students analyze the lyrics.
2. Include other activities related to the songs as you see fit. I am interested in
seeing how you make use of songs for teaching science concepts.
3. Reinforce the songs by playing them in class at other times; for example, during
working on activities or projects, or as a bell ringer.
4. Arrange a class for me to observe where you will include a lesson with the
second song you decide to use for teaching.
5. Send home and collect parental consent forms for participation in the focus
groups with students that will be in the class I observe. Parental consent is not
required for me to observe, but for participation in the focus groups. Students
who agree to participate will receive a CD of science songs (Professor Boggs
2010 release: “Around the World with Science”)
6. Allow me to observe the first half of that class period where you are using a song
for the lesson.
7. Allow me to pull students for a focus group discussion during the second half of
that class. Please have an assignment for students who do not return
permission to participate in the focus group.
8. Meet with me about a week after the observation so we can discuss what I saw
and what your students said.
9. Meet with me a third and final time between Thanksgiving and the end of the
semester to discuss how you used songs for teaching.
10. Review the summary I will write about how you used songs for teaching science
in January and make any comments that you think are important.

226
 APPENDIX F: Student Invites & Consent Forms

Parents,

I have agreed to participate in a research study that may help improve your child’s

engagement in science and learning in my class. Ms. Donna Governor, who is a

teacher a Liberty Middle School, is conducting the study as part of her doctoral

dissertation. Ms. Governor has been a teacher for 26 years and at Liberty since 2003.

She was the 2007 Presidential Awardee for Excellence in Science Education from

Georgia and has been working on her doctorate degree at UGA since 2007.

Attached is a letter she has asked me to send to you requesting your child participate in

a group interview after one of our class lessons. I hope you will read her request and

consider allowing your child to participate in this study.

Thank you,

Teacher’s Name

227
Letter to be sent to parents from the researcher:

Parents,
Thank you so much for taking the time to read and consider my request.
I am a science teacher in Forsyth County and doctoral student at the University of
Georgia. I am conducting research on the use of science-content music for teaching
and learning in the classroom. Last year I conducted a pilot study with former students
who felt that the songs I used in my classroom helped them learn. In this study I will be
seeing how other teachers use science songs and if their students can also benefit from
this practice.
For this study your child’s teacher will be implementing two or more lessons
during an instructional unit, which use science songs for teaching. These songs have
the potential to help engage your child in science and aid in learning content material.
As part of my research I will be interviewing your child’s teacher and observing
his/her class during one of these lessons. During my observation I will be watching to
see how the teacher implements science songs into the curriculum and how the
students in the class respond. This observation will occur during the course of a normal
class situation, but if for any reason you object to your child being in the class while I am
observing, please notify your child’s teacher and I will help the teacher find an
alternative learning activity that your child may complete in another classroom while I
am observing the lesson.
As an additional source of information for my study I would like to interview a
small group of students and ask questions concerning what they think about learning
with songs. These focus group interviews will last approximately 30 minutes and be
conducted during the second half of the class in which the observation occurs outside
the classroom, for example in the media center. In order for your child to participate in
the group interviews, I must obtain your written permission. As an incentive, I will give a
CD of science songs as an incentive to the students who do participate in the
interviews. For those students who do not participate in the interview, an alternative
classroom activity will be provided by your child’s teacher. However, neither the
interview nor the alternative activity will be graded and your child will not be penalized
regardless of which group he/she participates in.

228
 While these group interviews will be audio recorded and transcribed, at no time
will your child be individually identified either by name or description. Group interviews
have been selected to help your child feel more comfortable while meeting with me.
The only risk anticipated with your child’s participation in the interview is that he/she
may become nervous or experience some discomfort during the interview. If at any
time during the interview process your child feels uncomfortable, he/she may withdraw
from the study without penalty. At no time will your child’s grade be affected by his/her
choice to either participate or not participate in this study.
If you are willing to allow your child to be included in the focus group interview,
please sign and return the attached consent form. Your child will not be interviewed
unless you give permission. If you have any questions about the research you can
contact me at 770-781-4889 ext. 290337, or by email at [email protected] or
[email protected]. You can also call my supervisor, Dr. David Jackson at
UGA at 706- 542-4194 or email [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns you
would like to address with him.
Thank you for your consideration,
Donna Governor
Liberty Middle School Science Teacher
UGA Doctoral Student

229
 Parental Permission Form

I agree to allow my child, ______________________________, to take part in a

research study titled, “Teaching and Learning Science Through Song: Exploring the
Experiences of Students and Teachers” which is being conducted by Donna Governor,
Science Education Department, University of Georgia, phone 770-781-4889 ext. 290337,
under the direction of Dr. David Jackson, faculty advisor, Department of Science
Education, University of Georgia, phone number: 706- 542-4194. I do not have to allow
my child to be in this study if I do not want to. My child can refuse to participate or stop
taking part at any time without giving any reason, and without penalty or loss of benefits
to which she/he is otherwise entitled. I can ask to have the information related to my
child returned to me, removed from the records, or destroyed.

The purpose of this qualitative research study is to explore and interpret the
experiences of students and teachers when science-content music is used as a strategy
for teaching and learning in the middle school science classroom. The teachers who
participate in this study will implement lessons that use science-content music for
teaching and learning in their classrooms. The researcher will observe students in my
child’s class during one of these lessons. Additionally, students may choose to
participate in focus group interviews outside the classroom after the lesson and will be
asked to share their opinions and thoughts about the use of science songs for learning
to learn more about their experiences. Through participation in this study my child will
be involved in a teaching strategy that may improve interest and engagement, thereby
enhancing his/her learning. The researcher hopes to learn more about how this
strategy can be used by other teachers to engage and improve student learning.
Informed consent must be obtained for my child to participate in focus group interviews.
This permission form is to give my consent for my child to participate in a focus group
interview. As an incentive, if my child participates in the focus group interviews, he/she
will be given a music CD with songs that are used for teaching science.
The procedures are as follows:
• My child’s science teacher will implement some lessons that include songs for
learning.
• My student will participate in a group interview about his/her experiences for
approximately 30 minutes during the second half of a class period in which his/her class
is observed by the researcher.
• The interviews will be taped and transcribed then deleted no later than twelve
months after the interview.

It is possible that my child could experience some discomfort during focus group
discussions and I understand that he/she can quit at any time. No other risks are
expected with my child’s participation in this study. My child’s grade will not be affected
if my child decides not to participate or to stop taking part. Students who do not take
part in the focus group interviews or choose to quit will return to a teacher directed
activity in the regular classroom.

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Any individually identifiable information collected about my child will be held confidential
unless otherwise required by law. My child will never be referred to by name in the
transcripts or other documents created for this study, and no personally identifiable data
will be collected or kept by the researcher. Audio recordings will be stored for no more
than twelve months then destroyed and will not be publicly disseminated. Any master
list of students who participate and their codes generated during the study will be kept
confidential by the researcher in digital form then destroyed within twelve months. The
data and research generated in this study may be used for publication, but my child’s
identity will never be disclosed. All information obtained will be treated confidentially. Dr.
David Jackson from the University of Georgia will supervise the research (706) 542-
4194, [email protected]. The researcher will answer any further questions about the
research, now or during the course of the project, and can be reached by telephone at:
770-781-4889 ext. 290337 or by email at: [email protected]. I understand that I may
also contact the professor supervising the research, Dr. David Jackson, UGA, Science
Education Department, at 706- 542-4194.

I understand the study procedures described above. My questions have been

answered to my satisfaction, and I agree to allow my child to take part in this study. I
have been given a copy of this form to keep.

Donna L. Governor ___________________________ ____________

Researcher Signature of Researcher Date
________________________ ___________________________ ____________
Parent Name Parent Signature Date

Additional questions or problems regarding your CHILD’S rights as a research

participant should be addressed to The Chairperson, Institutional Review Board,
University of Georgia, 629 Boyd Graduate Studies Research Center, Athens, Georgia
30602-7411; Telephone (706) 542-3199; E-Mail Address [email protected]

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 Student Assent Form

You are invited to participate in a research project about using science songs for

learning in your classroom. If you choose to participate in this study you will meet with

Ms. Governor and a group of students from your class after a lesson. Ms. Governor will

ask you and the group some questions about learning with songs. There are no right or

wrong answers; we just want to know what you really think.

Ms. Governor will record your discussion using a digital audio recorder. Then

she will take home the recording and transcribe (type) it up, word for word. She will

keep the recording for about twelve months, until her project is complete, in case you

have any questions then destroy it. She will never refer to you by name in any of the

transcripts or any of the papers she writes about her study.

If you decide to do the project with us, your responses will be used in learning

more about teaching with music. You can also decide to stop at any time or can choose

not to answer questions that you don't want to answer.

Do you have any questions? Would you be willing to do the project with us?

Donna L. Governor ___________________________________ ____________

Researcher Signature of Researcher Date

______________________________ __________________________________ ____________

Researcher Signature of Researcher Date

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 APPENDIX G: Interview Protocol - Teachers

All initial teacher interviews began with the following script:

I’d like to thank you for taking the time to meet with me today to help me with my
research study. Before we begin, there are some things I need to be sure to tell you.
I’m a science teacher at Liberty and am working on a doctorate degree in science
education with UGA. As part of my program I am conducting a research study titled,
“Teaching and Learning Science Through Song: Exploring the Experiences of Students
and Teachers” to gather information about science-content music and teaching.
As I mentioned in my emails I plan to record our conversation today and all later
interviews. Today’s interview should take no more than an hour of your time, including
some time to provide you with some general information about teaching with songs.
The second interview will occur a few days after I observe your class, and our final
interview will be scheduled for when you complete the instructional unit in which you
use songs for teaching. The second and third interviews should take only about half an
hour each. After I get home I will transcribe each of our interviews. After I complete my
process for analyzing the data I get from you and your students, I will send you a
summary of what I learn. This should happen by January. You will then have a chance
to clarify, correct or add anything you think I should know.
I will be using the information I gather from you and your students to make some
generalizations about what you think about using content-based music in science class.
I hope to be able to describe, explain and understand your experiences in a way that
might help other teachers better implement this strategy for learning. I plan to write up
the results and share them with my professors and the science education community. I
hope to eventually publish the results, or use the information as the basis for a more in-
depth study for my dissertation. At no time will I mention you by name, you will always
be referred to using a pseudonym, and your identity will be kept confidential. Do you
have any questions?

NOTE: Case study research methodology requires more of an open interview format
for this type of study. Questions shown below and their probes are representative of the
kinds of questions asked at each interview, but varied depending on the experiences of
each teacher and previous interviews. All questions shown were starting places for
interview questions, and not designed to be a comprehensive or exclusive list of
questions that were asked.

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First Teacher Interview:

Can you tell me something about your background as a teacher?

PROBES:
• How many years?
• Subjects?
• Places
Have you ever used songs for teaching before?
PROBES:
• When? How?
• What songs?
• What was the experience like?
Why are you interested in participating in this study?
PROBES:
• Incentives?
• Pure research?
• Improve teaching and learning?
Do you remember ever learning with songs?
PROBES:
• What was the experience like?
• Schoolhouse Rock?
Based on the information I provided you about how songs can be used for teaching
from my research and others, do you have any questions?
PROBES:
• How do you think you will use songs?
• Which unit will you include songs in?
Do you have anything you want to add that we have not talked about today?
Do you have any other questions?
Again, thank you very much for your time!

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Second Teacher Interview:

What songs have you used for teaching so far?

How have you used these songs in instruction?
PROBES:
• Analyzing lyrics?
• Background?
• Other strategies?
How have your students responded?
PROBES:
• Engagement?
• Learning?
From the teacher’s perspective, what do you think so far about using songs for
teaching?
PROBES:
• Implementation?
• Facilitation of learning?
When I observed your class I noticed some things. I saw __________________. Can
you tell me a bit about that?
When I interviewed your students, they told me _________________. Would you
please respond to that?
Do you have anything you want to add that we have not talked about today?
Do you have any other questions?
Again, thank you very much for your time!

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Third Teacher Interview:

Do you think that these songs enhanced your students’ learning in any way? If so,
how?
PROBES:
• Engagement?
• Learning?
How do you think your students responded to lessons with songs?
PROBES:
• Participation?
• Enthusiasm?
What instructional strategies did you use when using songs for learning?
PROBES:
• From those we talked about initially?
• In addition to those?
If you were looking for songs to use with teaching, what characteristics would you use to
select them?
PROBES:
• Lyrics?
• Melody?
• Humor or wit?
Will you continue to use songs or recommend using them for learning to other
teachers?
PROBES:
• Why?
• Why not?
Do you have anything you want to add that we have not talked about today?
Do you have any other questions?
Again, thank you very much for your time!

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 APPENDIX H: Interview Protocol - Students

Focus group interviews will be more structured and less open ended due to students

being minors and in an attempt to both narrow and standardize the interview process

across cases.

All focus group interviews will begin with the following script:

I’d like to thank you for taking the time to meet with me today to help me with my

research study. Before we begin, there are some things I need to be sure to tell you.

I’m a science teacher at Liberty and am working on a doctorate degree in science

education with UGA. As part of my program I am conducting a research study titled,

“Teaching and Learning Science Through Song: Exploring the Experiences of Students

and Teachers” to gather information about science-content music and teaching.

While I talk with you today I will record our conversation so that I can remember

what you all have to say. Today’s interview should take no more than a half hour of

your time. I will be using the information I gather from the students in this group to

make some generalizations about what you think about songs for learning in science

class. I plan to write about what I observe and share it with my professors and other

teachers. At no time will I mention you by name and your identity will always be kept

confidential. I will talk to your teacher about what the group says, but I will not tell your

teacher what comments you make individually. I am interested in you telling me about

what you think and there are no wrong or right answers. You can choose to leave the

discussion group at any time and quit the study. You won’t be graded on our discussion

237
or penalized in any way if you don’t want to continue. Do you have any questions?

Okay, let’s begin.

1. I saw that in today’s class you were learning about ________ with a song. Can

you tell me what you thought about today’s lesson?

a. Clarify the intent is to find out about the lesson, not the song.

2. Have you ever learned with songs before?

a. Can you tell me more about that?

3. What did you think when your teacher told you he/she was going to teach with a

song?

4. What was it like learning with a song?

a. Best part?

b. Worst part?

5. Do you think the songs can help you learn science?

a. How would that work?

6. Does the song make you want to hear it again?

7. Do you think the song can help you when you are studying?

Follow up questions may be asked based on student responses that are not listed,

however all questions will focus on having students relate their experiences about

learning with songs.

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 APPENDIX I: Classroom Observation Protocol

Classroom observations will occur during a lesson in which teachers are using science
content songs as a teaching strategy. The observation will utilize a loosely structured
methodology. Of primary interest for this study is:
• Student engagement
• Teacher implementation strategies
During these observations I will:
• Sit in the back of the room quietly, apart from the students
• Observe for approximately 30 minutes
• Take notes on observable behaviors of students and teachers during lesson.
• Not identify any student by name
Primary questions that guide the observations include:
• How does the teacher introduce the song?
• What activities does the teacher include in the lesson?
• How do the students respond to the song?
• What indications of their level of engagement can be observed?
• How many times is the song repeated?
• What is the teacher doing while the song is played?
• What are the students doing while the song is played?
• Do students ask to have the song repeated?
• Do students join in with singing the song?
• What materials are used with the song activity?

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 APPENDIX J: IRB Approval

From: KIMBERLY C Fowler <[email protected]>

Date: Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:41:18 +0000
To: David Jackson <[email protected]>
Cc: Donna Governor <[email protected]>
Subject: IRB Approval - Jackson

PROJECT NUMBER: 2011-10010-0

TITLE OF STUDY: Teaching and Learning Science Through Song: Exploring the
Experiences of Students and Teachers
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Dr. David F. Jackson

Dear Dr. Jackson,

The University of Georgia Institutional Review Board (IRB) has approved the above-
titled human subjects proposal that was reviewed by the Expedited review procedure
authorized by 45 CFR 46.110(a).

Your approval packet with your date-stamped consent forms will be sent by mail. Please
remember that any changes to this research proposal can only be initiated after review
and approval by the IRB (except when necessary to eliminate apparent immediate
hazards to the research participant). Any adverse events or unanticipated problems
must be reported to the IRB immediately. The principal investigator is also responsible
for maintaining all applicable protocol records (regardless of media type) for at least
three (3) years after completion of the study (i.e., copy of approved protocol, raw data,
amendments, correspondence, and other pertinent documents). Any HIPAA-related
research documents must be retained for a minimum of six (6) years. You are
requested to notify the Human Subjects Office if your study is completed or terminated.

Good luck with this study, and please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
Please use the IRB project number and title in all communications regarding this study

Regards,

Kim Fowler, CIP Human Subjects Office 627A Boyd Graduate Studies Research
Center University of Georgia Athens, GA 30602-7411
[email protected]
Telephone: 706-542-5318
Fax: 706-542-3360 https://www.ovpr.uga.edu/compliance/hso/

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 Appendix K: Lyrics to “Some Kind of Energy,” Morris © 2010

Chorus:
Energy, it's a mystery
In all of its forms, what can it be
It's a mover, It's a shaker
It's the heat light sound electric chemical maker
No matter how it dances through its many forms it will always be...
Some kind of energy

Now there's a lot of different ways to store it, potential energy's the word for it.
When you stretch a rubber band or lift up a weight
Potential energy is what you create
and when it's released into motion -- that's kinetic energy
Now mechanical energy is what we're callin' it
When mass starts movin' or spinnin' or fallin,
It's the turning crank, it's the waterfall, The windmill, the race car, the bouncing ball
Mass in motion must...have mechanical energy

(chorus)

Now when you start electrons movin' around, Makin' a current from hot to ground
Then you have a mighty force at your command
You can light a light or spin a magnet on demand
And conductors are your friend -- that's electric energy
Now when you hear that mighty sound, feel the bass want to knock you down
You can feel that pressure in your bones
From the thundering drum or the big trombone
As the pressure waves bring it to you -- it's sonic energy

(chorus)

Now there's energy in chemical bonds, It's the atoms that are singin' the song
When the atoms join together into molecules
Some energy is given back into the world
and things that burn are examples of chemical energy
Now light's an electromagnetic wave
It can move through air or the vacuum of space and it brings energy to the planet Earth
from the sun our star that gives us birth
Just lift your face and feel -- radiant light energy

(chorus)

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 Appendix L: Lyrics to “Conduction, Convection, Radiation,” Morris © 2010

Chorus:

Conduction, convection, radi-adi-ation

These are all the ways that heat can move from a location
Temperature's a risin', molecules are moving
Heat will flow from hot to cold it's really not confusing at all!

Talk about conduction --

Heat is movin' through a spoon
Stir a cup of coffee & you'll feel it pretty soon
Hotter solid molecules they bump into the cool
And a wave of heat will move along conductors as a rule -

(chorus)

Now there's convection

That's when heat moves through the air
Or some water or a substance that can move from here to there
Warmer currents rise, and cooler currents sink
But it mixes up and evens out, it makes you want to think about...

(chorus)

Now radiation
Like the sun upon your face
It spreads by waves of light that even move through outer space
The waves they hit the molecules and make them dance around
The darker colors do it best, at least that's what we've found!

(chorus)

Bridge:

So next time that you got a hot potato in your hand

If you want to cool it down you got to understand
Solids can conduct, air and water can convect
But radiation is the one that light waves can detect...

(chorus)

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Appendix M: Slideshow Sample From Russell Analysis

243
 Appendix N: Lyrics to “Rock Cycle,” Morris © 2010

Chorus:

Three kinds of rock are under your feet, How do they form and rearrange?
Igneous from liquid, sedimentary from grains,
Metamorphic from the mighty heat & pressure change!
Rocks are a-changin' all of the time, Rocks keep a-movin' - low to high to low
The rock cycle forms all the land that we know
But you hardly ever see it cause it goes.....real......slow.

Hot molten rock lies deep underground

Magma building pressure for a volcano
It might form big crystals called intrusive igneous
But you can't take that for granite, you know!
Sometimes the pressure makes it blow that top
And magma turns to lava comin' up through the crust
Tiny crystals form as it cools off fast
Obsidian and basalt -- extrusive igneous!

(chorus)

Weathering, erosion, and chemical change

Breaks and washes rock down into sediment
Layers of pebbles, silt, and sandy grains
We say deposition is the name of this event
Sandstone, mudstone, limestone and shale
Compression, cementation and the ticking clock
Will take loose grains like dirt in a pail
And glue it into sedimentary rock!

(chorus)

Now if a rock is buried miles underground

That rock can undergo a metamorphic change
The heat and the pressure are squeezing all around
The crystals reform and layers rearrange
Shale turns to slate, limestone to marble
Rocks metamorph into different types
All those neat layers get squeezed up and garbled
But foliated rock still has zig zaggy stripes

(chorus)

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 Appendix O: Lyrics to “Tectonics Rocks,” Morris © 2010

We're all living on floating plates of rock (tectonic rocks)

And if you dug way down you'd get a shock (cause it's all molten rock)
Now all these plates are moving but they go...real...slow
We only feel it when we hear that rumble from below...and there's an

Chorus:

Earthquake, a volcano
Tectonics rockin' down below
Along the edges of the plates
They grind together and separate
and slide and shift where two plates interlock
Tectonics rocks

Divergent plates are where they move apart (that's where new crust starts)
Like the mid-atlantic ridge at the ocean's heart (down in the deep and dark)
Sea floor spreads, magma rises, new mountains to create
And Africa and South America slowly separate...and there's an

(chorus)

Convergent plates they crash together slow (where does the old rock go)
Subduction is when one plate goes below (and melts into the flow)
The denser plate goes low while the light one rises high
And on the continents new mountains reach up to the sky...and there's an

(chorus)
In transform boundaries they slip and slide (that's one rocky ride)
Plates are passing by from side to side (a fault's identified)
And underneath the earth the stresses build and break
Like the San Andreas Fault where you might often feel it shake...and there's an

(chorus)

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 Appendix P: Lyrics to “Evolution,” Morris © 2005

Chorus:

Evolution, Is not so scary

Even if you think your ancestors weren’t hairy
It’s minor changes, through generations
To watch it happen would require lots of patience.

Since the first cells, we’ve come so far now

Six hundred million times we’ve orbited our star now
We’ve had to face, adverse conditions
The species pool has had subtractions and additions.

The fossil record, with carbon dating

Provides the clues that set us all to cogitating
Why is it life, becomes complex, now?
How does an arthropod evolve into T.Rex, now?

It’s like a puzzle, with missing pieces

We can’t explain the gaps for all the species
But what we do see, all fits together
It seems that life adapts to changes in the weather

(Chorus)

It’s adaptation, and it’s selection

We never see the changes that led to rejection
But some mutations, are beneficial
And the survival of your genes makes it official

Now evolution, as explanation

Of how we got here has its strengths and limitations
But learn the science, and read the commentary
Cause evolution really isn’t all that scary!

(Chorus)

(ch) Evolution – is not so scary

It’s just a way of building things that takes a lot of time
Evolution – is not so scary
It’s really an intelligent adaptable design

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 Appendix Q: Lyrics to “The Evolution Revolution" Jeffrey Moran © 1995

Chorus:

If you got the genes, then you got the means. To mutate and change your traits.
Unless you want to stay a bacteri-a. Or be a fungi for eterni-tie.

It’s the evolution revolution. And it’s gonna change your career.
No more a wriggly, squiggly worm. You’re getting out of here.
Yeah, your descendants will be new creatures some day if the right genes do combine.
And if they wake up and have six legs. A lot of insects are doing fine.

It’s DNA, that’s what I say. That mutates now and then.
You exceed your ration of radation. And when you count to ten
Some genes are missing a base or two. And much to your dismay,
When the ‘somes get together to mitose. They replicate that way.

(And you end up a couple of enzymes short of a full cell, if you know what I mean: the
spiral staircase isn’t going all the way to the end of the chromosome; you aren’t playing
with a full tank of phosphates; some of the purines and pyrimidines don’t have partners to
take to the next metaphase dance; there’ll be some amino acids on the outside looking in;
there’ll be some lonely codons standing around wondering where everyone else went . . )

(Chorus)

It’s hard to state when a gene mutates. What the results will be.
In fact in could even be good. For the fortunate mutatee.
A new variation of enzymation. Could make you top dog,
Growing eyes where your ears should be. Or maybe breathing smog.

It’s the evolution revolution. When your DNA does change.

You get a protein with a different amine. When the bases rearrange.
And that might be an advantage. When it comes to being alive.
More of that gene will appear. If more of your offspring do survive.

(And you end up with more grandkids than you can count, and they start eating you out of
house and home; then some of them got to seek out some new territory and they’re a
marrying strangers, and pretty soon you got folks showing up at the annual species
reunion with names you don’t recognize.)

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 Appendix R: Lyrics to “Atom Shack,” Morris © 2005

I had a little atom shack, Way in the woods out back.

Had a couple kids (electron kids!), And I stuck ‘em in a room called “S.”
(Why’s it called “S,” Dad? Because, that’s what it’s called. Ok.)

Had a couple more and the shack was too small, Build a bigger house around its walls.
Built a couple rooms while the new kids squalled, And I stuck ‘em in a room called “S.”
(But dad, you called the other room “S.” I know. Why’d you call this one S, too?
No, “2S.” Huh? “2S,” not “S2.” Why not just call it “T”?
Shut up, kid, you’re confusing me. Sorry, Dad.)

Had a couple more of those little punks, Stuck ‘em in a room with three sets of bunks.
That’ll hold six and all their junk, And we’ll call this new room “P.”
(Why’d you call it “P?” Well, ya gotta have a room to “P.” Oh, Dad.)

Four more kids and that house was packed, Hung a big neon sign out back.
It said, “No more room at the atom shack.” And then we had the twins.
(Twins?! Yeah, they were mean little cusses, too. Spit every time you got ‘em near bath water.
This isn’t about our family, is it, Dad? Sure hope not!)

Built a big barn to enclose it all, Couple more rooms, threw up some walls.
Bundled up the twins and got them installed, In a nice little room called “S.”
(DAD! Not again! Sorry, kid, call it “3S,” ok? You’re confusing your kids! Nah, we lock ‘em in
their rooms. That’s mean. This isn’t about our family, is it, kid? Sure hope not.)

Finished out a room and called it “P.” The next six kids, that’s where they’ll be.
But finally the beds Are Gone, ya see, And we still need more room.
(Was that “3P,” Dad? You got it. Like C-3PO!! Shut up, kid, you’re confusing me.
Sorry, Dad.)

Finally we build a big citadel, With three big rooms for those kids that yell.
Four “S,” Four “P,” that’s all swell, And that old barn loft sleeps ten.
(What’s the loft called? “3D” for Dorm room? Yeah, I guess. That’s where I’d want to sleep!
Yeah? I couldn’t get them to settle down, they all wanted to sleep in “4S” instead!)

Now anytime we got a bit of extra space, the kids tell friends “come over to our place!”
No sense letting empty beds go to waste, So they have a big slumber party.
(Ooh, that sounds like fun! Yeah, they call it valence bonding or something like that. Dad, can
we have a valence bonding party? No. Awww…)

So if you wanna build a little atom shack, Better get ready for some periodic flack.
And keep some extra building supplies out back, Cause the kids all want more room!
(Dad, can I sleep in a loft called D? No way I’m building a loft. Awww…)

248