Perceived attributes of music teaching effectiveness among kindergarten teachers: Role of personality

Musical activity has been found to be beneficial to young children's all-round development in kindergartens. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between kindergarten teachers' perceived attributes of music teaching effectiveness and personality. Eighty-eight in-service kindergarten teachers rated themselves using a set of Attributes of Music Teaching Effectiveness (AMTE) and the sensing-intuitive dimension of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator. Results showed that 75% (66 of 88) and 25% (22 of 88) of the teachers were sensing types and intuitive types, respectively. The former prefers a directive approach in music teaching to children, whereas the latter prefers a non-directive approach. While teachers' personalities and work experience significantly predicted music teaching effectiveness, intuitive teachers rated themselves higher than did sensing teachers on the AMTE. Furthermore, the teachers of both personality types varied in their ratings of the importance of most effective attributes. Implications of these findings in relation to job allocation and professional development in effective music teaching for kindergarten teachers are discussed. Copyright © 2018 Social Science Press.