The effect of the Kodaly rhythm reading approach on auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learners in grades three through five

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which the Kodaly method meets the needs of identified auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learners in third, fourth, and fifth grades. Based on the results of the Learning Style Inventory (LSI) (Dunn, Dunn, & Price, 2006), students (N=299) were assigned to one of the following experimental groups: auditory, visual, or kinesthetic. The study utilized three experimental groups for each grade level: third grade, n=117 (22 auditory, 69 visual, and 26 kinesthetic); fourth grade, n=83 (25 auditory, 36 visual, and 22 kinesthetic); fifth grade, n=99 (22 auditory, 37 visual, and 40 kinesthetic). Treatment consisted of offering instruction that emphasized the learning style of each group. Using a pretest-posttest design, all subjects were administered a researcher-developed rhythmic reading assessment. A t-test revealed that all experimental groups within each grade level made significant gains from pretest to posttest. A one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) showed no significant differences in gains among the three learning styles. However, a one-way ANOVA did reveal significant differences among the three grade levels. A Bonferonni post-hoc indicated that third grade students showed significantly greater gains in growth over the fourth grade students. The researcher concluded that the Kodaly method enables students to succeed regardless of their preferred learning style, and that instruction favoring specific learning styles does not have a direct effect on achievement in rhythmic reading.