Educational Effects of Traditional Japanese Children’s Songs (Warabe-Uta ) in Preschool : Analyses of Results from a Questionnaire Given to Classroom Teachers, and from Observation of Children Enjoying These Songs.

摘要

The educational effects of teaching traditional Japanese children’s songs (warabe-uta ) were observed and analyzed at four different preschools, where the children were five and six years old.Analyses were made of sound spectrograms of these songs, of the relationship of these songs to particular rhythms and accents in the Japanese language, of their melodic structure, as well as of their ability to develop the children’s sense of rhythm. Classroom teachers’ responses to a questionnaire were also analyzed, in order to discern what results these teachers hoped to achieve with these songs. Our analyses revealed that the songs were deeply related to rhythms and accents in Japanese, and that they not only reflect such naturally-occurring characteristics of the Japanese language, but also contain in their simple structures various elements which make them particularly attractive to children. The questionnaire responses revealed that teachers generally expected the songs to be educationally effective, but on the other hand, some respondents did not feel verycomfortable using them. It seems further research will be necessary, in order to develop techniques designed to take fuller advantage of the educational potential of these songs.