Students’ Collaborative Learning, Social-Emotional Development, and Opportunities In Music Ensembles’

Abstract

This study examined students’ collaborative learning, social-emotional development, and opportunities in music ensembles among 390 college students of Iloilo Science and Technology University, Iloilo, Philippines, during School Year 2025–2026. It specifically determined the levels of collaborative learning, social-emotional development, and opportunities in music ensembles and examined whether significant differences existed when students were grouped according to age, sex, year level, campus, and parents’ occupation. It also determined the relationships among the three major variables. The study employed a descriptive-correlational research design. Respondents were selected using Slovin’s formula and stratified proportionate random sampling. Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire based on Bruner’s Constructivist Learning Theory, which was validated by experts and pilot-tested for reliability. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, Analysis of Variance, and Pearson’s product-moment correlation at the 0.05 level of significance. Results showed that students demonstrated a very high level of collaborative learning (M = 4.31, SD = 0.43) and social-emotional development (M = 4.27, SD = 0.45), while opportunities in music ensembles were moderate (M = 3.24, SD = 0.61). No significant differences were found in the three major variables when respondents were grouped according to age, sex, year level, campus, and parents’ occupation. A significant positive relationship was found between collaborative learning and opportunities in music ensembles (r = .286, p = .001), while no significant relationships were found between collaborative learning and social-emotional development (r = .094, p = .063) and between social-emotional development and opportunities in music ensembles (r = .087, p = .086). The findings highlight the importance of collaborative learning and the need to strengthen opportunities for student participation in music ensembles.