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Research in Music Education


In A Guide to Research in Music Education, Phelps, Ferrara and Goolsby define research as the identification and isolation of a problem into a workable plan; the implementation of that plan to collect the data needed; and the synthesis, interpretation and presentation of the collected information into some format which readily can be made available to others. Research typically falls into one of four categories: experimental, descriptive, historical, or philosophical.

Experimental research is used to determine what will be or to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between variables. An example of experimental research is a 2000 study by Prickett and Bridges. The purpose of the study was to determine if the basic song repertoire of vocal/choral music education majors is significantly better than instrumental music education majors. The study revealed no significant difference between the two groups, and that neither group had developed a strong repertoire of standard songs outside of the college music classroom. The impact of the study was the recommendation that professors preparing music education students for their future careers consider adding activities to music education courses that build a strong song repertoire.

Descriptive research is used to determine what is and is usually conducted for one of three purposes:

There are three broad categories of descriptive research: survey studies, relationship studies, and development studies.

A survey is a systematic method of collecting information on one or more variables. An example of a survey study is a 1998 study by Gillespie and Hamann. The purpose of the study was to gather descriptive information about orchestra programs that can be used as baseline data when considering the needs of school string programs. The findings indicated a continued enrollment increase in school orchestras in the 1990s although the number of orchestra teachers remained stable, and that larger schools are more likely to offer orchestra instruction. The impact of the study was the recommendation that school systems should provide larger, more adequate teaching facilities and that universities and string teachers should emphasize strategies for teaching larger string classes in their teacher preparation programs.

Development studies collect information on existing situations, determine relationships, and examine changes in these variables over a period of time. Development studies include:

Historical research refers to the collection of data to record and interpret past events. Source materials used by the historical researcher are normally of two kinds, primary and secondary. A primary source is first-hand information, observed directly by the researcher. A secondary source is second-hand information, not original to the researcher. Through the process of external criticism, the researcher learns whether or not the object of scrutiny is authentic. Through the process of internal criticism, the researcher determines if the information contained in the object is credible. An example of historical research is a 1993 study by Gruhn. The purpose of the study was to determine if Lowell Mason's Manual of the Boston Academy of Music for the Instruction in the Elements of Vocal Music on the System of Pestalozzi is truly based on Pestalozzian principles. A detailed comparison of the Manual, a work by Pfeiffer and Nageli, and a work by Kubler revealed that the Pfeiffer and Nageli work is much closer to the ideas advocated by Pestalozzi than the Kubler work, and that Mason's Manual is little more than a translation of Kubler.


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