September 24, 2015
Music education professors present posters at national research conference
Submitted by Frederick Burrack
Kansas State University professors of music education Phillip Payne and Frederick Burrack recently presented their research at the 2015 Symposium on Music Teacher Education at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro.
Their research, "Examining the Predictive Properties of an Electronic Portfolio as it Relates to the Four Domains of the Danielson Framework," investigated the predictive ability of ePortfolios to identify the qualities of effective teaching during student teaching.
Multiple regression analyses revealed a significant regression equation between the ePortfolio and student teaching assessments. Specifically, there were significant predictors found for Danielson's domains of planning and preparation and instruction at the secondary level. Furthermore, there was a significant predictor found for professionalism at the elementary level. In all cases, student reflections — as part of the portfolio process — was found to be the significant predictor. While not significant, it should be noted that the Praxis II: Music Content Test was found to be a strong predictor of planning and preparation
Also presented was research on "Encouraging Students to Consider Music Education as a Future Profession," which investigated the extent to which practicing teachers in Florida, Ohio and Kansas encourage their students to consider music teaching as a career.
Over half the respondents in this study — 52 percent — reported they encourage students to explore the music teaching profession, one-third reported they were uncertain as to whether to encourage their students to pursue a career in music education, and 21 percent of respondents indicated that they actively discourage their students from pursuing a career in music education.