Motivation to study music in Australian schools: the impact of music learning, gender, and socio-economic status

Gary E McPherson; Margaret S Osborne; Margaret S Barrett; Jane W Davidson; Robert Faulkner

Journal article

Motivation to study music in Australian schools: the impact of music learning, gender, and socio-economic status

Gary E McPherson, Margaret S Osborne, Margaret S Barrett, Jane W Davidson, Robert Faulkner

Research Studies in Music Education | SAGE Publications | Published : 2015

DOI: 10.1177/1321103X15600914

Abstract

This study extends an eight-country mapping exercise undertaken (McPherson & O’Neill, 2010; see RSME issues 2010-2011) to now include students’ motivation to study music within the Australian context. It sought to determine whether music learners (students learning an instrument or voice), might be more motivated to study academic subjects at school, and whether gender and socio-economic status (SES) affected student motivation to learn music at school. A total of 2,742 students from grades 5 to 12 completed a questionnaire based on Eccles’ and Wigfield’s expectancy-value framework. Data collected included ratings of competence beliefs, interest, importance, usefulness and difficulty for fou..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Gary McPherson Author

Margaret Osborne Author

Jane Davidson Author

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Grants

Funding Acknowledgements

This research was funded by a Discovery Project grant (DP1093041) awarded by the Australian Research Council.

Citation metrics

53Scopus

42Web of Science

59Dimensions

Keywords

39 Education

Expectancy-Value Theory

Values

Competence Beliefs

36 Creative Arts and Writing

Cross-Cultural Comparisons

Behavioral and Social Science

Music Education

Basic Behavioral and Social Science

3901 Curriculum and Pedagogy

Socio-Economic Status

Students