research Action-Based Research


A Collaborative Initiative for Wisconsin Music Educators, Part II Paul J. Budde, WMEA State Chair, Research


About this Article This is the second article in a series about action-based research.


As the WMEA re- search chair, I have a goal to increase


knowledge about and participation in music-education research across the state of Wisconsin. In the previous issue of WSM, I provided an overview of action- based research. In this article, I will sum- marize a new initiative that calls for music educators across Wisconsin to engage in action-based research that aligns with one of three focus areas.


Collaborative Research Initiative Each year, WMEA puts out a call for research to be presented at the WMEA Research Poster Presentation at the Wis- consin State Music Conference. As the research chair for WMEA, I have a new vision in this regard: I would like to invite Wisconsin music educators to get involved in a collaborative action-based-research agenda.


This fall, music educators across the state are asked to choose one of three focus areas (next column) in which they carry out an action-based research study, based on the needs of their own music program. Next spring, the results of these studies will be compiled into a report that will summarize findings and trends within each focus area. By taking part in this project, educators will contribute to and learn from a collaborative initiative in which teachers of all age levels – and from diverse teaching settings – explore topics that are pertinent to music education in the 21st


century. 38 Focus Areas for 2017-18


For the 2017-18 school year, I have identified three focus areas for teachers to explore; these are listed below, along with an example of one way a teacher might explore that topic via action-based research.


Rhythmic Accuracy – Examine the rhythmic accuracy of student performanc- es, after utilizing specific strategies in class (data to be based on scores from the performance of rhythm-based exercises).


As part of warm-ups each day, Ms. Meter has her seventh-grade students quietly study and then play a rhythm exercise displayed on the board. Although her students do all right, she still wishes they were stronger with rhythm, so she decides to try something new. With one of two sev- enth-grade classes, she has students count and clap the exercise as a class before they play it to see if this im- proves their accuracy; with her other class, they continue their normal routine. After one quarter, she gives both classes a playing test so she can compare rhythmic accuracy between the two classes.


Affective Impact – Explore the degree of emotional connection that students feel regarding the music they study/play, after utilizing specific strategies in class (data to be based on self-assessment scores from a student survey).


Mr. Connect wants his students to be more emotionally invested in the music that they perform. For one of the songs they are rehearsing, he decides to use more student-centered approaches by (a) increasing stu- dent-led discussions about the music and (b) giving students more say in musical decisions. After the concert,


he has the students fill out a survey regarding the emotional connection they have with each song so that he can determine if his new approach has made a difference.


Classroom Environment – Compare student and teacher perceptions about classroom environment, after utilizing specific strategies in class (data to be based on teacher’s record-keeping log and/ or self-assessment scores from a student survey).


Ms. Calm wishes her students would take more ownership in helping class to operate in a smooth manner, so she decides to try something new. In one of her classes, just before dismissal each day, she asks her students to share one positive event that they observed in class. After three weeks, she surveys her students to explore their perceptions about how class has been going since they made the change; she compares their responses to their answers on the same survey, given prior to making this change.


It is important to note that each example above represents one of many ways that a teacher might approach each focus area. That stated, teachers are encouraged to design and carry out experiments that fit the needs of their music program.


Goals for the Project


My goals for this new initiative are mul- tifaceted. First, I hope that this initiative will inspire music educators to consider new approaches that will ultimately im- prove teaching and learning in music classrooms across the state; if this goal comes to fruition, then this research agenda will be worthwhile. Second, I


Continued on page 42 September 2017


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