This practice-oriented research was set up based on the desire of The Aventurine College to use music more as a means and less as an end. The team at Aventurijncollege chose the subject of music in the curriculum, because they see that it has a positive effect on the students, but did not know how this worked exactly. By explicitly aiming for this in the design of the lessons, the development of the executive functions can be worked on in a more sustainable and systematic way. The evidence that there is a relationship between music education and the development of executive functions has already been demonstrated by various studies. The only question that remained was how to do this in an explicit and systematic way. In addition, the UDL framework has ensured that all students can work on this at their own level regardless of their learning needs. This research is only a small impetus for further research into the practical implementation of executive music lessons, in which musical goals are used as a means for the development of executive functions. In a follow-up study, the design could be further expanded or the effect of the existing research could be researched.
Het Aventurijncollege has indicated that it wishes to work more explicitly on the executive skills of the students in the music lessons. From this wish, a design was created. This design is based on studies that have already shown that there is a relationship between music education and the development of executive functions. There is very little literature on the practice of this. Tje usability and effectiveness of the design will therefore have to be further investigated in further research and could be further demonstrated by applying it to other schools.
It is important to consider the variability of the context in which the research was done. Both the situation at the school itself and the situation in which the students find themselves is very changeable. These situations are already unpredictable in a regular high school, but in a school as Het Aventurijncollge, this unpredictability is even greater.
In addition, the ability to evaluate or look back on a situation is very difficult for the students. An attempt was made to conduct surveys and interviews with the students. These were revealed by this study because the students could not or did not want to answer in surveys or oral interviews. It was decided to have the lessons observed by respondents who know the students, so that it could be checked whether the lessons were suitable for the target group.
A strong point of this topic is the direct connection with educational practice and the desire of Het Aventurijncollege. This allowed the usability of the design for The Aventurine College to be properly established.
In what way can the Universal Design for Learning framework contribute to inclusive music lessons in secondary special education that encourage the development of executive functions?
I found it very difficult to start the research. Something I recognized from my bachelor's research. I knew very well which problem from practice I wanted to tackle, but I didn't know which main question belonged to this. In the beginning I thought too much in problems and too little in possibilities. By delving more deeply into inclusive education, it suddenly became possible to design lessons that could meet the needs of each student, instead of seeing this individual need as an obstacle. With this mindset, I was able to do my literature research well and specifically.
When designing, I again entered a phase where I only saw obstacles and too few possibilities. How could I still ensure that the design met all that condition? By using LessonUp and "just" starting with designing, it was discovered that the lesson quickly met many educational criteria.
When giving the lessons I experienced some tension. How would the students feel about the music lesson being filled in a different way? The students had to get used to this for a while, but it was also quickly familiar.
I experienced the research as extremely instructive. I have learned a lot in terms of content with regard to the main question, but I have also been able to learn a lot in terms of personal development. That's how I found out that I found it difficult to ask the respondents. Asking if someone wants to do something for you was very difficult for me. Experience has only shown that respondents often find it very fun and interesting to participate. In addition, I sometimes found waiting for respondents difficult. Being dependent on others makes me feel uncomfortable.
Finally, I can't wait to present the results of this research to the team at The Aventurine College. I think the principle of this research can also be applied in other lessons. In this way, pupils could be encouraged even more in the development of executive functions and the transition to further education would be less significant.
The answer to the main question of this research can be summarized in the design of the lesson series that has been made.
Based on the needs and context analysis and the literature study (sub-question 1 &2), a first prototype was designed. Subsequently, research was carried out into whether the design sufficiently meets the design criteria and whether it can be used in practice by asking for feedback from experts in the field. Based on this feedback, the further series of lessons was designed. This series of lessons has been carried out in practice and observed by experts from the professional field. This was done to investigate whether the design meets the design criteria and to see what the influence is on the students. This showed that students in the series of lessons are actively working on musical goals, working on goals in the field of executive functions. This also showed that the link between these two types of goals makes sense in practice. This link also emerged from the literature review (sub-question 3).
By using the UDL framework as a framework in the design of the lessons, it is possible to design music lessons in which both musical goals and goals in the field of executive functions are worked on and where the lesson is optimized for the learning needs of each individual student.
According to the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which aims to create inclusive learning environments for all students, including those with special needs, the preconditions for an inclusive music lesson in secondary special education would be in line with the three core principles (CAST, 2022) (Meyer et al., 2014). These are the preconditions based on UDL:
What are the pre-conditions for an inclusive music lesson in secondary special education according to UDL?
Many students at Het Aventurijncollege struggle with complex problems such as autism, ADHD and/or trauma. Several studies have shown that a large percentage of people with autism, ADHD and/or trauma also suffer from problems with executive skills. Especially problems with working memory, sustained attention, flexibility, reaction inhibition, emotion regulation, planning and organization are mentioned a lot. These problems cause problems with school performance. Since the students of The Aventurine College after their diploma after regular further education, it is extra important that the students are extra encouraged in developing the executive functions. The moment the students receive extra help in developing the executive skills, the chance of successful school preparation is greater, which ultimately also increases the chance of successful participation in society.
Music education has been shown to positively affect the development and performance of executive functions in children and adults . Research shows that music education can improve a number of important executive skills such as sustained attention, working memory and reaction inhibition. In addition, playing an instrument requires the cooperation of multiple executive skills. It can contribute to the development of flexibility, planning and problem-solving skills. Music lessons also offer children the opportunity to develop skills in self-discipline, organization and time management. Thus, music education can serve as a valuable tool in improving executive functions and general cognitive development (Jaschke, 2018; Villamizar, 2021).
Create a musical learning environment that motivates and engages all learners and be aware that learners can vary widely in how they can be motivated or engaged. Only information that appeals to students will be accessible to them. In order to increase the involvement of the students in the music lesson, the following precondition can be taken into account:
- Increase autonomy. Give students the opportunity to make choices. In this way you promote the feeling of ownership and motivation among the students.
- Connect the content of the music lesson with contexts and experiences that are meaningful and recognizable to the students. The motivation of students will increase as the relevance and authenticity is increased.
- Encourage collaboration with classmates. By giving students the opportunity to collaborate, exchange ideas, and learn from each other, you foster positive social interactions and a sense of belonging that increases engagement within the group.
- Use a lot of variety in the music lesson to maintain the involvement and motivation of the students as well. Use different teaching strategies, materials, and activities to maintain the involvement of the learning rings as well. The use of technology and multimedia will also contribute to this. By offering different alternatives to work and communicate with music, more students will feel engaged and motivated.
- Help students develop different self-regulation skills by setting clear goals, offering different opportunities for reflection, and supporting students in their progress. By developing these skills, students will be able to take ownership of their learning process and this will keep them motivated and engaged.
Offer students multiple ways of representation. Students differ in the way they best understand and perceive information. By offering multiple ways of representation, learning barriers are reduced and access to learning is increased for all learners regardless of their prior knowledge, skills or learning skills. In order to offer different ways of representation in music lessons, a number of preconditions can be taken into account:
- Provides information visually, auditory and tactile. Students differ in the way they best absorb information. By making it possible for information to be absorbed through different senses, all students have equal access to the information regardless of their learning style.
- Use supportive language and sybolas when explaining musical concepts. By providing definitions, examples and context, you can support the understanding.
- Break down complex music concepts and assignments into smaller blocks. Offer step-by-step instruction and gradually increase the complexity of tasks. In this way, all students can learn at their own level.
- By applying multimedia and technology in music lessons, you can increase understanding on an individual basis. The use of intractive technological tools, all students have access to the information and content at their own level.
Students differ in the way they can express what they know. There is no one way that is optimal for all students. In addition, this also requires a lot of practice, strategy and organization. In order to offer different ways of action and expression, the following precondition can be taken into account:
- Offer different ways of communication. Make sure that students can express their thoughts, ideas, and musical preferences in a way that is effective for them.
- Encourage students to explore and express their musical creativity through composition and imprization. Offer students activities where they can make choices and experiment with musical elements in different ways. In this way, your students offer the opportunity to discover and show their own unique musical languages. Think of singing, playing instruments, composing, improvising or making multimedia projects.
- Offer students choices to engage with music so they can explore different genres or instruments based on their interests and skills.
- Support students in developing their executive functions.
- Have students choose how they demonstrate their musical understanding and skills. Offer alternatives to traditional assessment and take into account individual preferences and strengths.
