Korean Journal of Research in Music Education

Article

Exploring the Practical Meaning of Embodied Cognition-Based Music Instruction through the Experiences of Pre-service Elementary Teachers

Author
Euna Choi, Jin Kyong Choi
Information
pp. 379~409 / 2026 Vol.55 No.1
e-ISSN2713-3788
p-ISSN1229-4179
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Abstract

This study aims to explore the practical meaning of embodied cognition-based music instruction in pre-service elementary teacher education. To this end, a four-session music lesson grounded in embodied cognition theory was designed and implemented in the Music Teaching Materials and Methods course at A University of Education, with 28 pre-service teachers participating. Data were collected from activity sheets, reflective journals, observation notes, and in-depth interviews with five volunteers, and analyzed using qualitative case study methods. The findings indicate that pre-service teachers reconstructed abstract musical concepts-such as beat, meter, rhythm, tonality, and harmony-into concrete and embodied forms of knowing through bodily movement and sensory experience. Pre-service teachers also came to view music as a subject that can be explored and created through various media, including digital tools. Furthermore, relational interactions with peers and the instructor supported expansion of these experiences and contributed to the formation of their identities as future music teachers.

Keywords

embodied cognition metaphorical reasoning pre-service teacher education music teacher identity embodied music learning